The Case of Items Donated to al-Ka‘bah

إِنَّ قَوْماً أَقْبَلُوا مِنْ مِصْرٍ فَمَاتَ مِنْهُمْ رَجُلٌ فَأَوْصَى بِأَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ لِلْكَعْبَةِ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ الْوَصِيُّ مَكَّةَ سَأَلَ فَدَلُّوهُ عَلَى بَنِي شَيْبَةَ فَأَتَاهُمْ فَأَخْبَرَهُمُ الْخَبَرَ فَقَالُوا قَدْ بَرِئَتْ ذِمَّتُكَ ادْفَعْهَا إِلَيْنَا فَقَامَ الرَّجُلُ فَسَأَلَ النَّاسَ فَدَلُّوهُ عَلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ ع قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع فَأَتَانِي فَسَأَلَنِي فَقُلْتُ لَهُ

“I heard abu Ja’far (a.s.), say, ‘A people were coming from Egypt, and on the way one of them died, who had said in his will to donate one thousand dirham to al-Ka‘bah. The executor of the will, on his arrival in Makkah, asked and he was directed to banu Shaybah. He went and informed them about the donation. They said,

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ جَعَلَ جَارِيَتَهُ هَدْياً لِلْكَعْبَةِ كَيْفَ يَصْنَعُ قَالَ إِنَّ أَبِي أَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ قَدْ جَعَلَ جَارِيَتَهُ هَدْياً لِلْكَعْبَةِ فَقَالَ لَهُ قَوِّمِ الْجَارِيَةَ أَوْ بِعْهَا ثُمَّ مُرْ مُنَادِياً يَقُومُ عَلَى الْحِجْرِ فَيُنَادِي أَلَا مَنْ قَصُرَتْ بِهِ نَفَقَتُهُ أَوْ قُطِعَ بِهِ طَرِيقُهُ أَوْ نَفِدَ بِهِ طَعَامُهُ فَلْيَأْتِ فُلَانَ بْنَ فُلَانٍ وَ مُرْهُ أَنْ يُعْطِيَ أَوَّلًا فَأَ

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about a man who has made his slave-girl a gift to al- Ka‘bah. What should he do? He (the Imam) said, ‘Once a man who had made his slave-girl a gift to al- Ka‘bah, came to my father (a.s.). He (the Imam) said, ‘Evaluate the slave-girl or sell her; then ask the announcer to stand near

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَهْدَيْتُ جَارِيَةً إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ فَأُعْطِيتُ بِهَا خَمْسَمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ فَمَا تَرَى قَالَ بِعْهَا ثُمَّ خُذْ ثَمَنَهَا ثُمَّ قُمْ عَلَى حَائِطِ الْحِجْرِ ثُمَّ نَادِ وَ أَعْطِ كُلَّ مُنْقَطَعٍ بِهِ وَ كُلَّ مُحْتَاجٍ مِنَ الْحَاجِّ.

‘I have given a slave-girl as a gift to al- Ka‘bah and I had paid for her five hundred. What is your instruction? He (the Imam) said, ‘Sell the slave-girl, and with whatever amount you will receive from the sale go to the wall near the Black Stone, make an announcement and give to those looted on the way and to every n

أَوْصَى إِلَيَّ أَخِي بِجَارِيَةٍ كَانَتْ لَهُ مُغَنِّيَةٍ فَارِهَةٍ[3] وَ جَعَلَهَا هَدْياً لِبَيْتِ اللَّهِ‌ الْحَرَامِ فَقَدِمْتُ مَكَّةَ فَسَأَلْتُ فَقِيلَ ادْفَعْهَا إِلَى بَنِي شَيْبَةَ وَ قِيلَ لِي غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ فَاخْتُلِفَ عَلَيَّ فِيهِ فَقَالَ لِي رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَسْجِدِ أَ لَا أُرْشِدُكَ إِلَى مَنْ يُرْشِدُكَ فِي هَذَا إِلَى الْحَقِّ قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَ فَأَشَارَ إِلَى شَيْخٍ جَالِسٍ فِ

“My brother in his will made a beautiful singer slave-girl a gift to the Bayt of Allah al-Haram (the Sacred House of Allah). I then went to Makkah and asked about it. I was told to give her to banu Shaybah. In addition, other things were said to me. It became confusing to me. One man from the Masjid asked me, ‘Can I sh

دَفَعَتْ إِلَيَّ امْرَأَةٌ غَزْلًا فَقَالَتِ ادْفَعْهُ بِمَكَّةَ لِيُخَاطَ بِهِ كِسْوَةُ الْكَعْبَةِ فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أَدْفَعَهُ إِلَى الْحَجَبَةِ وَ أَنَا أَعْرِفُهُمْ فَلَمَّا صِرْتُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع فَقُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّ امْرَأَةً أَعْطَتْنِي غَزْلًا وَ أَمَرَتْنِي أَنْ أَدْفَعَهُ بِمَكَّةَ لِيُخَاطَ بِهِ كِسْوَةُ الْكَعْبَةِ فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أَدْفَعَهُ إِلَى الْحَجَبَةِ

5. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from abu ‘Abd Allah al-Barqiy from certain persons of our people who has said the following: “Once, a woman gave to me a certain amount of yarn as gift to al-Ka‘bah to be used in stitching its covering. I disliked giving it to the caretakers because I knew