Generosity versus Avarice in Medieval Islam

Islam is not a religion which calls for the renunciation of the material world: on the contrary the Quran encourages man to take advantage of the goods which God has given to him for his benefit (see 4:32; 20:81). Islam itself therefore poses no objection whatsoever to earning, as long as it is realized by legal means, as monetary income is necessary for the basics of human life of the believer and his dependents.My research draws mainly on the Quran and the sunna, primary sources of Islamic thought, but also takes account of later religious works, as well as literary sources. The sources will be approached diachronically; sometimes I will choose a synchronic approach when different sources, although far from each other, discuss the same topic.