زيد بن محمد

I advise you to eat raisins since that will cure biliousness; alleviate the phlegm; strengthen your nerves; relieve your fatigue; improve your temper; purify yourself; and fend off your grief.”

A person who has the following characteristics has perfect chivalry and justice: one who doesn’t oppress the people in his dealings with them; one who doesn’t lie when he talks to the people; one who doesn’t act opposite to what he promises. It is incumbent to act like a brother with him; support his justness; respect his manliness; and not gossip about him.”

a man invited Ali ibn AbiTalib (s) to his house. The Imam (s) accepted upon the fulfillment of three conditions. The man said, ‘O Commander of the Faithful! What are they?’ The Imam (s) said, ‘They are that you bring nothing for me from the outside; that you do not deny me of anything that is in the house; and that you do not burden your wife on my behalf.’ The man said, ‘Fine.’ Ali ibn Abi Talib (s) accepted his invitation.

a man invited Ali ibn Abi Talib (MGB) to his house. The Imam (MGB) accepted with three conditions. The man said, “O Commander of the Faithful! What are they?” The Imam (MGB) said, “That you bring nothing for me from outside of the house; that you do not deny me of anything that is in the house; and that you do not burden your wife on my behalf.” The man said, “Fine.” Ali ibn Abi Talib (MGB) accepted his invitation.

There are six forms of chivalry. Three of them are for when you are at home and three others are for when you are traveling. The three for when you are at home are: reciting the Honorable the Exalted God’s Book; building God’s mosques; and making friends for the sake of the Honorable the Exalted God. The three for when you are traveling are: to give others from your own travel provisions; being good-tempered and joking regarding things other than acts of disobedience.”

There are five pieces of advice which one cannot find anything like them even if he travels a lot. One should not have fear about anything but his own sins. One should only place his hopes in his Lord - the Honorable the Exalted. One should not be ashamed of not knowing. When asked about what he doesn’t know about, he should just say, ‘I do not know’. The relationship of patience to faith is like that of the head to the body. There is no faith when there is no patience.”

O Ali! I asked my Lord for five things regarding you and He granted them to me. The first thing was that when the Earth is rent asunder, I shall be the first one to be resurrected and wipe the dirt off of my face and you will be alongside me. This was accepted. The second thing I asked my Lord for was that when I am taken to the Scale for my deeds to reckon my deeds, you be alongside me. This was accepted. The third thing that I asked my Lord - the Honorable the Exalted - for was that you be the one carrying my flag. This was accepted. The fourth thing I asked for was that you be the one at my Pool to serve water to my nation. This was accepted. And the fifth thing that I asked my Lord for was that you be the one leading my nation into Paradise. This was also accepted. Therefore, I praise God for what He had granted me.”

The pen has been lifted off of our followers.’ Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) was asked, ‘O my Master! How is this?’ He (a.s.) replied, ‘It is because they have undertaken an oath to practice the concealment of faith (‘Taqiyeh) under an unjust government. The people are secure, but they live in fear. They are reviled on our behalf, but we are not reviled on their behalf. They are killed for our sake, but we are not killed for their sake. Whenever one of our followers commits a sin, he becomes so upset and sorry that his sins get removed from him, even if they are as many as the drops of water in a rainfall, or as many as the number of pebbles and sand in the desert, or as many as the number of thorns and trees. And if this does not happen to himself, it will happen to his family or property. Even if does not suffer in his worldly affairs, he will have a bad dream that would cause his sins to be eliminated.’”

One day, Hamawayh - the Commander of the army of Khorasan - was in Al-Husayn ibn Yazid’s field in Neishaboor to see the high-ranking officials that were with him from Bab Aqil, where he had previously ordered that a hospital be built. A man passed by. Then he told his servant, ‘Go after this man and take him to my house and keep him there until I come back.’ When Commander Hamawayh returned home, he sat down to eat, with some of the high-ranking officials. Then when they sat down at the table to eat, he asked his servant, ‘Where is that man?’ The servant said, ‘He is standing at the door.’ Hamawayh said, ‘Let him come in.’ When the man entered Commander Hamawayh ordered that they bring a pan of water and said, ‘Wash this man’s hands and have him sit at the table.’ When they had finished eating, he asked the man, ‘Do you have any animals to ride on?’ The man said, ‘No.’ The Commander then ordered that he be given a donkey. Then the Commander asked him, ‘Do you have enough money for your travel expenses?’ The man said, ‘No.’ Then the Commander ordered that one-thousand Dirhams and two saddlebags and travel necessities be prepared for him. They gave it all to him. Then Hamawayh looked at the high-ranking officials and asked them, ‘Do you know who this man is?’ They said, ‘No.’ Hamawayh said, ‘Know that when I was young, I went to visit Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) in worn-out clothes. I saw this man in the Shrine. I was praying to God the Highest beside the tomb asking him to grant me the post of governorship of Khorasan. This man was praying next to me to get what I have now prepared for him today. Since I have seen the good fulfillment of prayers by God the Highest due to the blessings of this Shrine, I really loved to see God the Highest grant me the opportunity to be the one to fulfill this man’s prayers with my own hands due to the blessings of this Shrine. However, there is a case concerning him and I for which I must retaliate.’ The high-ranking officials asked, ‘What is it?’ The Commander said, ‘This man saw me in the Shrine in those worn-out clothes. He heard what great things I waspraying for. He considered me too young at that time to be expecting such great things. Then he kicked me and asked me, ‘How can a person in your state be so greedy as to expect to become Khorasan’s governor and the Commander of the army.’ The top ranking officials said, ‘O Commander! Please forgive him for having perfected your kindness to him.’ The Commander said, ‘Of course, I forgave him.’ From then on, Hamawayh went to visit the Shrine. He married off his own daughter to Zayd ibn Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-Alawi after his father - may God be pleased with him - had been killed in war in Gorgan. He transferred Zayd to his own palace and granted him as many blessings as he should have, and this was all due to the blessings of this Shrine. Also when Abul Husayn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ziyad al-Alawi - may God have mercy upon him - rebelled and twenty-thousand people from Neishaboor pledged allegiance to him, he was arrested by the Caliph, and then dispatched to Bokhara. Then Hamawayh entered, removed the chains from Zayd and said to the Commander of Khorasan, ‘Those 20,000 people are from the progeny of God’s Prophet (S) who are hungry! It is incumbent upon you to maintain them, so that they are not forced to rebel in order to feed themselves. Then the Commander set a monthly salary for Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Alawi. He freed him and returned him to Neishaboor. This resulted in the designation of dues for the noble ones (a.s.ayyids) in Bokhara as a tradition. And this was all due to the blessings of this Shrine - may peace be upon its resident.”