I was once sitting in the presence of al-Hasan b. Ali (AS) when a man came to him, saying, ‘O son of the Prophet of Allah, verily x is claiming money from me that I owe him and wants to arrest me. So he replied, ‘By Allah, I do not have money to pay your debt on your behalf. So he asked, ‘Then talk to him. So he (AS) put on his sandals, whereupon I asked him, ‘O son of the Prophet of Allah, have you forgotten the fact that you are in a state of retreat So he replied, ‘No, I have not forgotten, but I have heard my father (SAWA) narrating on the authority of my grandfather, the Prophet of Allah (AS) that he had said, ‘He who strives to fulfil a fellow Muslim brother s need is as if he has worshipped Allah, Mighty and Exalted, for nine thousand years, fasting during the day and standing in prayer at night.