The Rare Ahadith about the Stumpers

“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘A stumper has six rights on its owner. He must not load more than its power. He must not take its back as a meeting place to keep talking from there. He must feed it as soon as he disembarks, must not mark it with burns, or hit it on its face because it says Tasbih (Allah is free of all defects) and offer it water whenever passing by water.’”

from Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.): “Abu Dharr was seen offering water to a donkey at al-Rabadhah and certain people said to him, ‘O Abu Dharr do you not have someone who can offer water to your donkey?’ He said, ‘I once heard the Messenger of Allah (saww) saying, “Every stumper asks Allah every morning, ‘O Lord, grant me an owner who will feed me sufficiently of feed, offer me water, will not load me more than my power.’” For this reason I personally offer it water.’”

“I once visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when he had disembarked in al-Hirah and asked me, ‘What do you do for a living?’ I replied, ‘I trade in animals.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Find for me a mule which is Fadha ’.’ I then asked saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, what is Fadha’?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is of one color except for its white belly, white thighs of the back legs and of white harness area.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I said, by Allah I have not seen any mule as such.’ After (a while), I entered the ditch and saw a slave riding a mule of such description. I asked, ‘Whose mule is this?’ The slave said that it belongs to his master. I then asked, ‘Does he sell it?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ I went to his master, bought it from him, and brought it to him (the Imam). He (the Imam) said, ‘This mule is of the qualities that I had asked for.’ I then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, pray for me before Allah.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O Allah, grant him a great deal of assets and children.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I then became the wealthiest of the people of al-Kufah as well in terms of children.’”

“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, has said, ‘You must not hit the stumpers on their faces; they say Tasbih (Allah is free of all defects) with Tahmid, (all praise belongs to Allah).’ He (the narrator) has said that in another Hadith it is said, ‘You must not make burn marks on their faces.’”

“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, has said, ‘When a stumper stumbles and man riding it says, ‘May you be destroyed.’ The stumper says, ‘May the one of us who is most disobedient to the Lord be destroyed.’”

“I once asked al-Sadiq (a.s.), ‘When can I hit my stumper?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You can do so when you are riding and it does not walk as it does when going to its manger, its feeding place.’”

‘You may hit your stumpers for running away in fright but not because of their stumbling.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has stated this Hadith. ‘The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘You must not sit on the stumper with both legs hanging from one side (causing imbalance) or make its back a meeting place (talking to someone with the stumper halted and kept on hold).”’

“Ali ibn al-Husayn, Alayhim al-Salam, would say, ‘Animals, no matter how unintelligent and dubious they may be, are not so in four issues: One is knowing the Lord, death, male and female, and what is a pasture and what is a barren land.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘Everything has honor. The honor of animals is in their faces.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘No matter how unintelligent the animals may be, they are not so about four issues. They know that they have a Creator, they know how to find sustenance, they know male and female and they are afraid of death.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘You may hit your stumpers for their running away in fright, but do not do so for their stumbling.’”

“I once heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ’In the nostrils of every stumper there is a Satan. When you want to harness them you must say, “In the name of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious.”’”

“If any stumper becomes difficult with the owner in harnessing or running away in fright, he must read in its ear or on it, ‘Do you want something other than the religion of Allah, when all who are in the skies and earth are submitted to Him voluntarily, or by force and to Him they all return.’ (3:83)”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘It is a matter of rights that a person riding say to the one walking, ‘the road ’ (meaning please open the road, to inform him of his presence).’ In another copy it is said that a rider saying to one walking ‘the road ’ is of injustice.’”

“Once ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), came out riding and people walked with him. He (the Imam) asked, ‘Do you need me for something?’ They replied, ‘No, but we love to walk with you.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must go back; walking with a rider is harmful for the rider and humiliation for the walking people.’”

“Abu al-Hassan (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, has stated this Hadith. ‘If one rides his stumper and mentions the name of Allah, an angel sits behind him to protect him until he disembarks; but if one rides his stumper without mentioning the name of Allah, a Satan sits behind him and says to him to sing. If he says, ‘I do not know singing.’ He says, ‘Wish that you could sing.’ He then continues wishing until he disembarks.’ He (the Messenger of Allah) has said, ‘If one says, “In the name of Allah, there is no means and power without Allah, all praise belongs to Allah who has guided us to this. . . .” (7:43) Then he reads, “Glory belongs to the One who has made this subservient to us when we could not bring it together,” (43:13) he and his stumper will be protected until he disembarks.’”

What good is this stumper with which one cannot achieve any compensation for his losses and it is not of any use in a warfare struggle?’ Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), said, ‘I have come down from the height of the horse and stepped up from lowliness of donkeys and the best of things is that which is of the middle and balanced status.’ ‘Abd al-Samad remained speechless and could not phrase any response.’”

“’Amir al-Mu’minin (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, has said, Three people must not ride one stumper, one behind the other, because one of them is condemned.”’