إِيَّاكُمْ وَ سُؤَالَ النَّاسِ فَإِنَّهُ ذُلٌّ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَ فَقْرٌ تُعَجِّلُونَهُ وَ حِسَابٌ طَوِيلٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ.
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Never beg people for financial help; it is humiliation in this world, a poverty that you make it to approach you quickly and on the Day of Judgment presentation of accounts for it will keep you much longer.’”
قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع يَا مُحَمَّدُ لَوْ يَعْلَمُ السَّائِلُ مَا فِي الْمَسْأَلَةِ مَا سَأَلَ أَحَدٌ أَحَداً وَ لَوْ يَعْلَمُ الْمُعْطِي مَا فِي الْعَطِيَّةِ مَا رَدَّ أَحَدٌ أَحَداً.
“Once abu Ja’far (a.s.), said to me, ‘O Muhammad, had people known how despicable begging is, they would never become beggars. Had people known how great the reward for helping a beggar is, no one appealing for financial help would ever have been turned away empty-handed.’”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص الْأَيْدِي ثَلَاثٌ يَدُ اللَّهِ الْعُلْيَا وَ يَدُ الْمُعْطِي الَّتِي تَلِيهَا وَ يَدُ الْمُعْطَى أَسْفَلُ الْأَيْدِي فَاسْتَعِفُّوا عَنِ السُّؤَالِ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ إِنَّ الْأَرْزَاقَ دُونَهَا حُجُبٌ فَمَنْ شَاءَ قَنِيَ حَيَاءَهُ[1] وَ أَخَذَ رِزْقَهُ وَ مَنْ شَاءَ هَتَكَ الْحِجَابَ وَ أَخَذَ رِزْقَهُ وَ الَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلًا ثُمَّ يَدْخُلَ عَرْضَ هَذَ
“The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Hands are of three kinds: The hands of Allah are the upper hands, the hands of a benevolent person are next in rank, and the hands of recipient of a favor are the lowest in rank. You should
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى أَحَبَّ شَيْئاً لِنَفْسِهِ وَ أَبْغَضَهُ لِخَلْقِهِ أَبْغَضَ لِخَلْقِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةَ[3] وَ أَحَبَ لِنَفْسِهِ أَنْ يُسْأَلَ وَ لَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أَحَبَّ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مِنْ أَنْ يُسْأَلَ فَلَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ اللَّهَ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَ لَوْ بِشِسْعِ نَعْلٍ.
4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Dawud ibn al-Nu’man from Ibrahim ibn ‘Uthman who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services
جَاءَتْ فَخِذٌ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ[1] إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص فَسَلَّمُوا عَلَيْهِ فَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامَ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَنَا إِلَيْكَ حَاجَةٌ فَقَالَ هَاتُوا حَاجَتَكُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّهَا حَاجَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ فَقَالَ هَاتُوهَا مَا هِيَ قَالُوا تَضْمَنُ لَنَا عَلَى رَبِّكَ الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ فَنَكَسَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص رَأْسَهُ ثُمَّ نَكَتَ فِي الْأَرْضِ[2] ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَقَالَ أَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once, members of a tribe of al-Ansar (people of al- Madinah) came to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. They offered greetings of peace and he responded likewise. They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, w
قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع رَحِمَ اللَّهُ عَبْداً عَفَّ وَ تَعَفَّفَ وَ كَفَّ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ فَإِنَّهُ يَتَعَجَّلُ الدَّنِيَّةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَ لَا يُغْنِي النَّاسُ عَنْهُ شَيْئاً[3] قَالَ ثُمَّ تَمَثَّلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع بِبَيْتِ حَاتِمٍ- إِذَا مَا عَرَفْتُ الْيَأْسَ أَلْفَيْتُهُ الْغِنَى إِذَا عَرَفَتْهُ النَّفْسُ وَ الطَّمَعُ الْفَقْرُ
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Allah grants mercy to one of His servants who has maintained chastity, continues to do so, and abstains from asking (people) for a favor; doing so brings lowliness for one in this world quickly, and people cannot make him self-sufficient.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then mentioned a line
دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَذَكَرْتُ لَهُ بَعْضَ حَالِي فَقَالَ يَا جَارِيَةُ هَاتِ ذَلِكَ الْكِيسَ هَذِهِ أَرْبَعُمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ وَصَلَنِي بِهَا أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ[4] فَخُذْهَا وَ تَفَرَّجْ بِهَا قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَا وَ اللَّهِ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ مَا هَذَا دَهْرِي[5] وَ لَكِنْ أَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ تَدْعُوَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لِي قَالَ فَقَالَ إِنِّي سَأَفْعَلُ وَ لَكِنْ إِيَّاكَ أَنْ تُخْبِرَ النَّاسَ بِكُلِّ
“Once I visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and mentioned to him certain matters about my conditions. The Imam asked the housemaid to bring to him a certain bag, then he said, ‘This is the four hundred dinar that abu Ja’far (the Abbaside rule) has sent to me as a gift. Take it to ease your difficulties.’ I then said, ‘I pra
لِابْنِهِ يَا بُنَيَّ ذُقْتُ الصَّبِرَ وَ أَكَلْتُ لِحَاءَ الشَّجَرِ[1] فَلَمْ أَجِدْ شَيْئاً هُوَ أَمَرُّ مِنَ الْفَقْرِ فَإِنْ بُلِيتَ بِهِ يَوْماً وَ لَا تُظْهِرِ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهِ فَيَسْتَهِينُوكَ وَ لَا يَنْفَعُوكَ بِشَيْءٍ ارْجِعْ إِلَى الَّذِي ابْتَلَاكَ بِهِ فَهُوَ أَقْدَرُ عَلَى فَرَجِكَ وَ سَلْهُ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي سَأَلَهُ فَلَمْ يُعْطِهِ أَوْ وَثِقَ بِهِ فَلَمْ يُنْجِهِ.
8. “It is narrated that Luqman said to his son, ‘Son, I have tested patience and have consumed tree barks for food. I have not found anything as bitter as poverty. If you ever face poverty, do not tell people about it; you will seem insignificant in their sight and they will be of no benefit to you. You must turn to th