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I said: And what is arrogance? He said: To disdain the creation and stultify the truth. I said: And how is that? He said: That one is ignorant of the truth and vilifies its people.

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about a man who has purchased a certain amount of the covering of al-Ka‘bah of which he has used a certain amount for his needs, and a certain amount is left with him. Can he sell? He (the Imam) said, ‘He can sell whatever he wants or give it as gift or benefit thereby and seek blessings.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘Can it be used for shrouding a deceased person?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘No, it cannot be used for this purpose.’”

‘A discussion took place between Abu Ja’far (asws) and the children of Al-Hassan (asws). That reached me, so I came up to Abu Ja’far (asws) to speak to him (asws) about it. He (asws) said to me: ‘Shhh! Do not interfere in what is in between us (asws), for our (asws) example and the example of the sons of our (asws) uncle is like the man who was in the Children of Israel who had two daughters. So he married one of them to a farmer and married the other one to a potter. Then he went to visit them both. So he first went to the wife of the farmer and said to her, ‘What is your condition?’ She said, ‘The farm of my husband is a large farm, so if Allah (azwj) were to send (rain from) the sky, we would be in the best condition of the Children of Israel’. Then he went to the wife of the potter, so he said to her, ‘What is your condition?’ She said, ‘My husband has worked to produce a lot of pottery, so if Allah (azwj) were to Withhold (the rain from) the sky, we would be in the best condition of the Children of Israel’. So he left and he was saying, ‘Our Allah (azwj) You are for them both’, and that is how it is with us’.

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the fast on the day of ‘Ashura’ of the month of Muharram. He (the Imam) said, ‘Tasu‘a’ (ninth of Muharram) was the day when they had surrounded al-Husayn (a.s.), and his friends, may Allah be pleased with them, in Karbala’. The horsemen of al-Sham had come together against him (a.s.), and had taken him under siege. Ibn Marjanah and ‘Umar ibn Sa‘d were happy because of the huge number of horsemen on their side, and they made al-Husayn (a.s.), and his friends, may Allah be pleased with them, very weak. They became certain that no one will come to help al-Husayn (a.s.), and people of Iraq will not support him. I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for the cause of my great-grandfather who had very few supporters.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘The day of ‘Ashura’ is the day on which al-Husayn (a.s.), was murdered and his friends around him were all murdered and looted. How can there be fast on that day! No, by the Lord of the sacred house there is no fasting on such a day. It is only a day of mourning and lamentation that came upon the inhabitants of the sky and earth and all believing people. It is a day of happiness and joy for ibn Marjanah and family of Ziyad and people of al-Sham, may Allah subject them to His anger as well as their offspring. This was a day when all locations of earth wept except al-Sham. Those who fast on this day or take it for blessing will be raised, by Allah, with the family of Ziyad with their hearts metamorphosed and subjected to anger. Whoever seeks any saving for their homes on this day will be made by Allah as a seed of hypocrisy in his heart up to the Day of Judgment, blessing is removed thereof, from his family, and children. Satan will share him in all of such savings.’”