Safe Return of Trust

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ ثَلَاثَةٌ لَا عُذْرَ لِأَحَدٍ فِيهَا أَدَاءُ الْأَمَانَةِ إِلَى الْبَرِّ وَ الْفَاجِرِ وَ الْوَفَاءُ بِالْعَهْدِ إِلَى الْبَرِّ وَ الْفَاجِرِ وَ بِرُّ الْوَالِدَيْنِ بَرَّيْنِ كَانَا أَوْ فَاجِرَيْنِ.

“I heard abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘There are three issues in which one has no choice: They are safe return of trust of a virtuous or sinful person, keeping one’s promise to a virtuous or sinful person, and kindness to parents, regardless, of their being virtuous or sinful ones.’”

قُلْتُ لَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ مَوَالِيكَ يَسْتَحِلُّ مَالَ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ وَ دِمَاءَهُمْ وَ إِنَّهُ وَقَعَ لَهُمْ عِنْدَهُ وَدِيعَةٌ فَقَالَ أَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَى أَهْلِهَا وَ إِنْ كَانُوا مَجُوسِيّاً فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَا يَكُونُ حَتَّى يَقُومَ قَائِمُنَا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ ع فَيُحِلَّ وَ يُحَرِّمَ.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘One of your Mawaliy (followers) considers use of the properties of Amawide people lawful as well as their lives. Something that they had left with him for safe-keeping is in his possession.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must return trusts to the rightful people

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ص‌ أَدُّوا الْأَمَانَةَ وَ لَوْ إِلَى قَاتِلِ وُلْدِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), has said, ‘You must return a trust even if an assassin of the children of the prophet has left it with you.’”

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَ عَلَيْكُمْ بِأَدَاءِ الْأَمَانَةِ إِلَى مَنِ ائْتَمَنَكُمْ وَ لَوْ أَنَّ قَاتِلَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ع ائْتَمَنَنِي عَلَى أَمَانَةٍ لَأَدَّيْتُهَا إِلَيْهِ.

“I heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘You must maintain piety before Allah and you must return a trust to the one who has entrusted you with it. Even if the assassin of Ali ibn abu Talib entrusted me with something, I had to return it to him safely.’”

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فِي وَصِيَّةٍ لَهُ‌ اعْلَمْ أَنَّ ضَارِبَ عَلِيٍّ ع بِالسَّيْفِ وَ قَاتِلَهُ لَوِ ائْتَمَنَنِي وَ اسْتَنْصَحَنِي وَ اسْتَشَارَنِي ثُمَّ قَبِلْتُ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ لَأَدَّيْتُ إِلَيْهِ الْأَمَانَةَ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said in one of his advices, ‘You must take notice that even if the assassin of Ali (a.s.), who struck him (the Imam) with his sword had entrusted me with something, asked for my opinion and consultation and I had accepted, I most certainly had to return his trust safely.’”

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع امْرَأَةٌ بِالْمَدِينَةِ كَانَ النَّاسُ يَضَعُونَ عِنْدَهَا الْجَوَارِيَ فَتُصْلِحُهُنَّ وَ قُلْنَا مَا رَأَيْنَا مِثْلَ مَا صُبَّ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الرِّزْقِ فَقَالَ إِنَّهَا صَدَقَتِ الْحَدِيثَ وَ أَدَّتِ الْأَمَانَةَ وَ ذَلِكَ يَجْلِبُ الرِّزْقَ. - قَالَ صَفْوَانُ وَ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ حَفْصٍ‌ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ.

“I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘There was a woman in al-Madinah and people left their slave-girls with her to train them. We said that there is no one on whom wealth is poured as it is poured before her.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is because she spoke the truth, returned the trust safely and that is what attracts

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ أَخْلَفَ بِالْأَمَانَةِ وَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص الْأَمَانَةُ تَجْلِبُ الرِّزْقَ وَ الْخِيَانَةُ تَجْلِبُ الْفَقْرَ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘One who does not keep a trust safely is not of our people/ The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Trustworthiness attracts wealth and treachery attracts pove

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ يَعْنِي مُوسَى ع- عَنْ رَجُلٍ اسْتَوْدَعَ رَجُلًا مَالًا لَهُ قِيمَةٌ وَ الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ الْمَالُ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى أَنْ لَا يُعْطِيَهُ شَيْئاً وَ لَا يَقْدِرُ لَهُ عَلَى شَيْ‌ءٍ وَ الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي اسْتَوْدَعَهُ خَبِيثٌ خَارِجِيٌّ فَلَمْ أَدَعْ شَيْئاً فَقَالَ لِي قُلْ لَهُ رُدَّهُ عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّهُ ائْتَمَنَهُ عَلَيْهِ بِأَمَانَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ قُلْت

“I once asked abu al-Hassan, Musa (a.s.), about a man who entrusted another man with a certain amount of property. The man with whom goods were left was from Arab people and he was not able to return anything. The other man was not able to do anything against him. The entrusting man was a filthy foreigner and has not a

لَمَّا هَلَكَ أَبِي سَيَابَةُ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ إِخْوَانِهِ إِلَيَّ فَضَرَبَ الْبَابَ عَلَيَّ فَخَرَجْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَعَزَّانِي وَ قَالَ لِي هَلْ تَرَكَ أَبُوكَ شَيْئاً فَقُلْتُ لَهُ لَا فَدَفَعَ إِلَيَّ كِيساً فِيهِ أَلْفُ دِرْهَمٍ وَ قَالَ لِي أَحْسِنْ حِفْظَهَا وَ كُلْ فَضْلَهَا فَدَخَلْتُ إِلَى أُمِّي وَ أَنَا فَرِحٌ فَأَخْبَرْتُهَا فَلَمَّا كَانَ بِالْعَشِيِّ أَتَيْتُ صَدِيقاً كَانَ لِأَبِي فَاشْتَرَى لِي بَضَائِع

“When my father, Sayabah, passed away, one of his brothers came to me and knocked at the door. I went out to meet him. He offered me condolence and asked, ‘Has your father left anything?’ I replied, ‘No, he has not left anything.’ He then gave to me a bag with a thousand dirham in it and said, ‘Keep it (the capital) sa