الكافي- ط الاسلامية, volume 2, page 201

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Ibrahim ibn ‘Umar al-Yamani from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “The serving of a man’s food at his home to two of the believing people to their satisfaction is more meritorious than the setting free of a human soul.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from his father from Hammad from Ibrahim from abu Hamza from Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) who has said the following: “Whoever provides food to a believer to satisfy his hunger Allah will feed him with the fruits of paradise and whoever provides water to quench the thirst of a believer Allah will quench his thirst from the wine of paradise which is in sealed containers.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Ash’ari from ‘Abd Allah ibn Maymun al-Qaddah from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘If one serves food to a believer to satisfy his hunger, no one of the creatures of Allah will be able to find out how much reward he will have in the hereafter for such service, not even the angels close to Allah or a prophet Divinely commissioned to preach can find out except Allah, Lord of the worlds. ’ The Imam then said, ‘Among the means of forgiveness of sins is feeding a hungry Muslim.’ Then he read the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy: ‘. . . in a day of famine, the feeding of (9:14) an orphaned relative (9:15) and downtrodden destitute person, . . .’” (9:16)

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Nawfali from al-Sakuni from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Whoever serves a drink of water to a believer who (himself) also can find water, Allah will give him seventy thousand good deeds for each drink and if he provides a drink of water when he (himself) is not able to find one it will be like setting free ten persons from the descendents of Tsma’il.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from Husayn ibn Nu’aim al-Sahhaf who has said the following: “Once Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) asked, ‘Do you love your brothers (in belief) O Husayn?’ I said, ‘Yes, 1 love them.’ The Imam asked, ‘Do you provide any benefit for their poor?’ I said, ‘Yes, I do so.’ The Imam said, ‘It is obligatory for you to love whoever loves Allah. By Allah you will not provide any benefit to any of them unless you love them. Do you invite them to your house?’ I said, ‘Yes, I do so. I do not eat unless there are two, three men or less or more. ’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) then said, ‘Their excellence over you is more than your excellence over them.’ I then said, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, I feed them my food on my own table on my furnishings. How can their excellence be greater than my excellence?’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, it is because when they come to your house they bring with them forgiveness for you and for your family and when they leave your house they leave along with your sins and the sins of your family.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.