قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ أَوَّلُ مَا يُبْدَأُ بِهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ صَدَقَةُ الْمَاءِ يَعْنِي فِي الْأَجْرِ.
The first charity for which one will be rewarded in the next life is providing water for drinking. ‘“
أَفْضَلُ الصَّدَقَةِ إِبْرَادُ كَبِدٍ حَرَّى[1].
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the best charity is cooling off a thirsty liver.”
مَنْ سَقَى الْمَاءَ فِي مَوْضِعٍ يُوجَدُ فِيهِ الْمَاءُ كَانَ كَمَنْ أَعْتَقَ رَقَبَةً وَ مَنْ سَقَى الْمَاءَ فِي مَوْضِعٍ لَا يُوجَدُ فِيهِ الْمَاءُ كَانَ كَمَنْ أَحْيَا نَفْساً وَ مَنْ أَحْيَا نَفْساً فَكَأَنَّما أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعاً.
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that if one provides water for a thirsty person and there is water available, his reward is equal to the reward of setting free of a slave. If there is no other water available, its reward is then equal to the reward of saving a life, and the reward for one who saves a life is like savi
كُنْتُ مَعَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع بَيْنَ مَكَّةَ وَ الْمَدِينَةِ فَمَرَرْنَا عَلَى رَجُلٍ فِي أَصْلِ شَجَرَةٍ وَ قَدْ أَلْقَى بِنَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ مِلْ بِنَا إِلَى هَذَا الرَّجُلِ فَإِنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ أَصَابَهُ عَطَشٌ فَمِلْنَا فَإِذَا رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْفَرَاسِينَ[2] طَوِيلُ الشَّعْرِ فَسَأَلَهُ أَ عَطْشَانُ أَنْتَ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ لِي انْزِلْ يَا مُصَادِفُ فَاسْقِهِ فَنَزَلْتُ وَ سَقَيْتُهُ ثُمَّ رَ
“Once abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and I were between Makkah and al-Madinah. We passed by a man who had thrown himself near the trunk of a tree. He (the Imam) said, ‘Allow us to see this man. I am afraid he is thirsty. We went to him. He was a man from the Farasin (a certain people) and had long hairs. He (the Imam) asked, ‘
جَاءَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ص فَقَالَ عَلِّمْنِي عَمَلًا أَدْخُلُ بِهِ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَالَ أَطْعِمِ الطَّعَامَ وَ أَفْشِ السَّلَامَ قَالَ فَقَالَ لَا أُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَهَلْ لَكَ إِبِلٌ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَانْظُرْ بَعِيراً وَ اسْقِ عَلَيْهِ أَهْلَ بَيْتٍ لَا يَشْرَبُونَ الْمَاءَ إِلَّا غِبّاً فَلَعَلَّهُ لَا يَنْفُقُ[1] بَعِيرُكَ وَ لَا يَنْخَرِقُ سِقَاؤُكَ حَتَّى تَجِبَ لَكَ الْجَنَّةُ.
“Abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said that once an Arab man came to the Prophet (sw) and said, ‘Teach me a good deed whereby I can go to Paradise. He said, ‘Serve food and offer greetings of peace aloud.‘ He (the Imam) has said that the man then said, ‘I cannot afford this.‘ He (the Holy Prophet) asked, ‘Do you have a camel?‘ He
إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى يُحِبُّ إِبْرَادَ الْكَبِدِ الْحَرَّى[2] وَ مَنْ سَقَى كَبِداً حَرَّى مِنْ بَهِيمَةٍ أَوْ غَيْرِهَا أَظَلَّهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ لَا ظِلَّ إِلَّا ظِلُّهُ.
“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘Allah, the most Blessed, the most High, loves cooling off a thirsty liver. Whoever cools off a thirsty liver of an animal or others, Allah on the Day of Judgment provides him a shadow when there is no shadow except His shadow.”