“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.’”