الكافي- ط الاسلامية, volume 2, page 266

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Sinan from Aban ibn ‘Abd al-Malik who has said that narrated to him Bakr ibn Arqat from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) or from Shu’ayb from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Once someone came to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) and said, ‘May Allah keep you well, I am a man who devoutly loves you. I face a pressing need. I sought help from my family and tribe but it only has distanced me from them.’ The Imam said, ‘What Allah has given you is better than what He has taken from you.’ The man said, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, pray for me to Allah so He will make me independent of His creatures.’ The Imam said, ‘Allah has assigned the sustenance of whomever He wanted to come through the hands of whomever He wanted, however, you can ask Allah to make you free of such needs that may force you to ask for help the ignoble ones of His creatures.’”

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

2. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ali ibn Asbat from those he has mentioned (in his book) from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Poverty is a painful death.’ I (the narrator) then asked him, ‘Is it poverty due to deficiency of Dirham and Dinar (units of money)?’ The Imam said, ‘No, in fact, it is poverty due to deficiency in religion.’”

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

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hammad from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “There is no heart without two ears. On one of them there is an angel who provides guidance and on the other there is a Satan (devil) who induces temptation. This one commands him and that one prohibits him. Satan commands him to disobey and the angel prohibits him from sins as it is mentioned in the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘. . . since the two scribes are sitting on each of his shoulders, he does not utter a word that is not recorded immediately by the watchful scribes.’” (50:17).

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