Another Chapter

“Once shortages of food took place in al-Madinah and even affluent people would mix wheat and barley for food and buy only a small amount of food. Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), had a good quality of food which he had purchased earlier in the beginning of the year. He (the Imam) then asked one of his agents to buy a certain amount of barely and mix it with their good quality of food or sell this good quality of food; adding, ‘I do not like to consume good quality of food when people consume a worse quality of food.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once, when food prices were rising, asked me, ‘How much food do we have?’ I (the narrator) replied, ‘There is enough food for several months.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Take it out to sell.’ I (the narrator) I said, ‘There is not enough food in al-Madinah.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must sell it.’ When I sold he (the Imam) said, ‘You must buy food every day as other people do.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O Mu‘attib, make half the supplies of food for my family from wheat and the other half barely; Allah knows that I can provide them wheat as it is, but I like that Allah see me planning my finances in a good manner.’”

“Abu al-Hassan ‘Alayhi al-Salam, would command, at the time of harvest of fruit, to take them out and sell and then buy every day as Muslim people do.”