داود

“(Imam) abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said, ‘The place where I may sit with one who I trust is more comforting to my soul than working for one whole year.’”

When Dawud b. Ali [the governor of Madina] arrested al-Mualla b. Khunays, imprisoned him, and wanted to kill him – Mualla b. Khunays said to him: take me out to the people first, for I have a lot of debts and wealth which I want to declare, so he took him out to the market. When the people had gathered he [Mualla] said: O people, I am Mualla b. Khunays, whoever knows me has known me. I bear witness that what I leave of wealth, or debt, or slave-girl, or house, or less or more, then it is is for Ja`far b. Muhammad عليه السلام. He [al-Misma`i] said: then Dawud’s head of security struck him and killed him. When the news reached Aba Abdillah عليه السلام he came out dragging his cloak [on the ground – in his hurry] until he entered upon Dawud b. Ali with his son Ismail behind him and said: Dawud you killed my Mawla [client] and usurped my property?! He said: I did not kill him nor have I taken your property. He said: By Allah I am going to pray to Allah against the one who killed my Mawla and took my property! He [Dawud] said: I did not kill him – it was the head of my guards. He [the Imam] said: by your permission or without? He [Dawud] said: without my permission. He [al-Sadiq] said: O Ismail have your way with him! he [al-Mismai] said: so Ismail came out with a sword and killed him in his seating place. Hammad from al-Mismai from Muattib who said: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام remained standing in worship and in prostration the whole night. I heard him calling out near the end of the night whilst in prostration: O Allah, I ask you by your irrepressible strength, and your over-powering awe, and by your might in the face of which your creatures are abased, that you bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and that you take him this moment! He [Muattib] said: by Allah he [the Imam] had not raised his head from the prostration when we heard a cry and they said Dawud b. Ali has died. Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: I supplicated against him to Allah with a supplication due to which Allah sent him an angel who struck his head with a hammer and caused his bladder to split.

"That rightfully belongs to him."

The Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, said: «You took them by the trust of Allah, and you declared their private organs as allowable by the words of Allah.» As for the trust of Allah, it is that which Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, took upon Adam when He married Hawwa’ to him, and as for the words, they are the words which Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, conditioned upon Adam, that he worships Him, does not associate anything with Him, does not fornicate nor takes a protector besides Him.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a Muslim man with whom a thieving man leaves a certain amount of dirham and he is a Muslim also; if he must return it to him. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, he must not return it. If he can find the owner he must give it to him; otherwise, he must deal with it as what is found as a lost item and announce about it in public for one year. If the owner is found it is fine; otherwise, it is given as charity. If the owner comes thereafter he is given the choice to leave it for charity and reward or claim the loss. If he chooses charity he receives the reward; if he chooses compensation for the loss, the reward goes to one who pays compensation.’”

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a Muslim man who was entrusted with dirhams or goods by a thief, and the thief is also a Muslim. Should he return them to him? Imam (as) said: "He should not return them to him. If he is able to return them to their rightful owner, he should do so. Otherwise, he should treat them as lost property (luqata), announcing them for one year. If the rightful owner is found, he should return them to him. Otherwise, he should give them in charity. If the owner later comes forward, he should be given the choice between accepting the reward for the charity or demanding repayment. If he chooses the reward, it is his. If he chooses repayment, the person must compensate him, and the reward for the charity remains with the one who gave it."