In this episode, Ibn Khaldun analyzes the various ways human beings make a living and the relationship between labor, profit, and social hierarchy.

He distinguishes between sustenance — the share of profit used for personal needs — and profit itself, the value generated through human work and accumulation.

The text examines different professions, from agriculture and craftsmanship to trade, viewing farming as the most basic and essential, and craftsmanship as a refined activity that thrives in urban civilization.

Ibn Khaldun also discusses how social rank and flattery can accelerate the acquisition of wealth, while religious scholars and humble artisans often earn little. He condemns treasure hunting and other unnatural means of livelihood as contrary to the natural order of human society.