The Lark

لَا تَأْكُلُوا الْقُنْبُرَةَ وَ لَا تَسُبُّوهَا وَ لَا تُعْطُوهَا الصِّبْيَانَ يَلْعَبُونَ بِهَا فَإِنَّهَا كَثِيرَةُ التَّسْبِيحِ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى وَ تَسْبِيحُهَا لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مُبْغِضِي آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ ع.

’Do not use lark for food, do not abuse it and do not give it to children to play with; it says Tasbih a great deal and it is, ‘O Allah, condemn those who hate Muhammad and his family, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause.’”

كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ ع يَقُولُ‌ مَا أَزْرَعُ الزَّرْعَ لِطَلَبِ الْفَضْلِ فِيهِ وَ مَا أَزْرَعُهُ إِلَّا لِيَنَالَهُ الْمُعْتَرُّ وَ ذُو الْحَاجَةِ وَ تَنَالَهُ الْقُنْبُرَةُ مِنْهُ خَاصَّةً مِنَ الطَّيْرِ.

“Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.), has said, ‘I do not work in plantation for gains except that I want this gain for the destitute, the needy and especially for the lark among birds/”

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ع يَقُولُ‌ لَا تَقْتُلُوا الْقُنْبُرَةَ وَ لَا تَأْكُلُوا لَحْمَهَا فَإِنَّهَا كَثِيرَةُ التَّسْبِيحِ تَقُولُ فِي آخِرِ تَسْبِيحِهَا لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مُبْغِضِي آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ ع.

“I once heard abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ (a.s.), saying, ’Do not kill the lark and do not use its flesh for food, because it says a great deal of Tasbih (Allah is free of all defects) and at the end it says, ‘May Allah condemn those who hate the family of Muhammad, ‘Alayhim al-Salam.’”

قَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ ع‌ الْقُنْزُعَةُ[2] الَّتِي عَلَى رَأْسِ الْقُنْبُرَةِ مِنْ مَسْحَةِ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ دَاوُدَ وَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ الذَّكَرَ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَسْفَدَ أُنْثَاهُ‌[3] فَامْتَنَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لَهَا لَا تَمْتَنِعِي فَمَا أُرِيدُ إِلَّا أَنْ يُخْرِجَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مِنِّي نَسَمَةً تُذْكَرُ بِهِ فَأَجَابَتْهُ إِلَى مَا طَلَبَ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَتْ أَنْ تَبِيضَ قَالَ لَهَا أَيْنَ تُرِيدِينَ

4. Muhammad ibn al-Hassan and Ali ibn Ibrahim al-Hashimiy have narrated from certain persons of our people from Sulayman al- Ja‘fariy who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ (a.s.), has said that Ali ibn al-Husayn, has said, ‘The crest on the head of lark is because of wiping of Solomon ibn David (a.s.). I