The Degree Of Efforts Which One Must Make In Search For One’s Sustenance To Follow In the Footsteps of ‘A’immah ‘Alayhim al-Salam

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir has said, ‘I did not think Ali ibn Al-Husayn (a.s.), might leave behind a successor better than his own-self. Time passed and I one day saw his son, Muhammad ibn Ali (a.s.). I decided to give him certain words of good advice but I, instead, learned a lesson from him.’ His people then asked him, ‘How did he make you learn a lesson?’ He replied, ‘One day I went outside the city of al-Madinah when it was very hot and I met Muhammad ibn Ali (a.s.), who was a person of a large body frame and heavy. Two of his black slaves or friends were supporting him. I thought, Allah is free of all defects, here is this old man from Quraysh in this hot time of the day in this condition in search of the worldly gains, thus I must give him certain words of good advice. I went nearer to him and offered him greeting of peace. He responded with somewhat frowning face, and his perspiration drops were falling a great deal. I then said, ‘May Allah keep you well. You are a Shaykh of the Shaykhs of Quraysh. Why should you in such a hot hour of the day in such condition strive for the worldly gains? Suppose if death approached you in this condition what would you do?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘If death approaches me in this condition it finds me obeying the commandment of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious. It finds me safeguarding my dignity, and my family from people like you and others. I should be afraid if death approaches me when I am in a condition of disobeying Allah.’ I then said, ‘You have spoken the truth. I pray to Allah to keep you well. I wanted to give you good advice; instead I learned a lesson from you.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), would work with a shovel and dig the soil. The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, placed date stones in his mouth and then planted it and it would sprout in the same hour. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), had set free one thousand slaves for which he paid from his own properties and his own labor.”

“I once came face to face with abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), in one of the streets of al-Madinah on a very hot summer day. I said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, you have a prominent position before Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, and you are of very close relatives of the Messenger of Allah and you are (not to be) striving in a day like this.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O ‘Abd al-‘A‘la’, I came out in search for my sustenance so that I would not need to spread my hands before you (your fellow) humankind for help.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), had set free one thousand slaves by means of what he had earned with his own hands.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin, has said, ‘Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, sent revelations to Dawud (a.s.) that said, ‘You are a very good servant had you not been spending on yourself from the public treasury while doing no work with your own hands.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Dawud ‘Alayhi al-Salam wept for forty mornings. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, then inspired Iron, “You must become soft for My servant, Dawud.” Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, softened Iron for him. Everyday he would make one coat of arms and sell it for one thousand dirham. He made three hundred sixty coats of arm and sold them for three hundred sixty thousand dirham. Thereafter he did not need anything from the public treasury.’”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said that a man once visited Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), and found him sitting on a camel-load of date stones. He asked, ‘What is it on which you are sitting, O abu al-Hassan?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is a hundred thousand palm trees, by the will of Allah.’ He planted them and not one date stone failed sprouting.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, once placed a piece of stone on the waterway to prevent it from flowing into his land. By Allah, until this day no human being or camel has moved it away.”

“I once visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.). He (the Imam) asked us about ‘Umar ibn Muslim and about what he has done. I replied, ‘He is a virtuous man but has given up doing business works.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said three times: It is the work of Satan. Did he not know that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, once bought a caravan that had come from al-Sham (Syria) in which he saved enough money to pay off his debts and distributed the extra among his relatives? Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, says, “There are men who are not distracted by selling and buying from speaking of Allah. . . .” (24:36) Story tellers say, “These people (mentioned in this verse) did not involve themselves in trading and in business works.” These story tellers speak lies. The fact is that those people did not perform Salat (prayer) in (more virtuous) times and such people are more virtuous than those who attend Salat (prayer) and ignore trade and business work.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), would go to work with large quantities of date stones. He was asked, ‘What are these, O abu al-Hassan?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘They are palm trees, by the will of Allah.’ He then planted them and not a single piece failed sprouting.”

“I once saw abu al-Hassan (a.s.), working in his land and his feet were drenched in perspiration. I asked, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, where are men (workers)?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘O Ali, people better than my father and I worked in their land.’ I then asked, ‘Who were they?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘They were the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, and ’Amir al- Mu’minin, and my ancestors, Alayhim al-Salam, all of them worked with their hands and it is of the practice of the prophets, messengers, the executors of the wills and the virtuous people.’”

“I once visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and found him inside his walls with a shovel in his hand. He was opening the waterway. His shirt was of a fabric made of thick cotton threads (karabis) which was of very small size for him.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once gave my father one thousand seven hundred dinars and told him to use them in business. He (the Imam) then said, ‘I am not interested in its profits, even though profits are desirable. I love, however, that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, see me work to make profits.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I then made one hundred dinar profit for him. I met him and informed him about the one hundred dinar profits.’ He (the narrator) has said that abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), became very happy about it and told me to keep it with his capital. He (the narrator) has said that my father passed away and goods were with him. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then wrote to me, ‘May Allah grant to us and to you good health. There is my one thousand eight hundred dinar with abu Muhammad which I had given him to use in business. You must give this amount to ‘Umar ibn Yazid.’ He (the narrator) has said, that I then checked the record of my father and found that one thousand seven hundred dinars were due in favor of abu Musa (a.s.), and I had earned one hundred dinars profit, ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan and ‘Umar ibn Yazid knew him.”

“I once saw abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), with a shovel in his hand wearing a very thick dress working inside his walls and his back drenched in perspiration. I then asked, I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, allow me to help you.’ He said to me, ‘I Love that man endures hardships in the hot sun to make a living.”

“Once a man came to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and said, ‘I am not good in working with my hands and I am not good in doing business, thus I am deprived and needy.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must work and carry it on your head and set yourself free from asking people for help. The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, carried a stone on his shoulder to place it in a certain place of his walls. The stone is still in its place, and it is not known how large it is, but it is there [by his miracle]”’

“I once heard abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, T work in a certain site of my work to perspire, even though there are people who can do all the work instead of me but I work so Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, finds me striving to find lawful sustenance.’”

“Once abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), gave me seven hundred dinars and said, ‘O ‘Adha’fir you can spend it; I do not have any desire for it but I loved that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, finds me working for its profits.’ ‘Adha’fir has said, ‘I made one hundred dinar profit with it. During al- Tawaf I said to him, “I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has granted one hundred dinar profit.’” He (the Imam) said, ‘Add it to my capital money.’”