قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع كُلُوا مَا يَسْقُطُ مِنَ الْخِوَانِ فَإِنَّهُ شِفَاءٌ مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءٍ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لِمَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَسْتَشْفِيَ بِهِ.
’Eat what falls off of food, because in it is cure for all kinds of illness by the permission of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, for those who seek cures.’”
تَعَشَّيْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَتَمَةً فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنْ عَشَائِهِ حَمِدَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ قَالَ هَذَا عَشَائِي وَ عَشَاءُ آبَائِي فَلَمَّا رُفِعَ الْخِوَانُ تَقَمَّمَ[1] مَا سَقَطَ مِنْهُ ثُمَّ أَلْقَاهُ إِلَى فِيهِ.
“Once I had dinner with abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), at ‘Atmah (time of late evening Salat (prayer)). When he (the Imam) ended his dinner, he praised Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, and said, ‘This is my (manner of having) dinner and the dinner of my ancestors. When the table-spread was pulled out, he (the Imam) picked
شَكَوْتُ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع وَجَعَ الْخَاصِرَةِ فَقَالَ عَلَيْكَ بِمَا يَسْقُطُ مِنْ الْخِوَانِ فَكُلْهُ قَالَ فَفَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ فَذَهَبَ عَنِّي قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ قَدْ كُنْتُ وَجَدْتُ ذَلِكَ فِي الْجَانِبِ الْأَيْمَنِ وَ الْأَيْسَرِ فَأَخَذْتُ ذَلِكَ فَانْتَفَعْتُ بِهِ.
‘You must eat pieces of food that fall on the table-spread.’ I (the narrator) followed the instruction and the pain went away. Ibrahim has said, ‘I then found it on the left and the right side; I did the same thing again and benefited thereby.’”
أَكَلْنَا عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَلَمَّا رُفِعَ الْخِوَانُ لَقَطَ مَا وَقَعَ مِنْهُ فَأَكَلَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَنَا إِنَّهُ يَنْفِي الْفَقْرَ وَ يُكْثِرُ الْوَلَدَ.
“Once we ate food with abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.). When the table-spread was collected, he (the Imam) picked up the pieces that had fallen on it and ate them then said to us, ‘This removes poverty and increases the number of children.’”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص مَنْ وَجَدَ كِسْرَةً فَأَكَلَهَا كَانَتْ لَهُ حَسَنَةٌ وَ مَنْ وَجَدَهَا فِي قَذَرٍ فَغَسَلَهَا ثُمَّ رَفَعَهَا كَانَتْ لَهُ سَبْعُونَ حَسَنَةً.
“If one finds pieces of food and eats them it is one good deed, and if one finds them in unclean places, then washes them, then picks them up, he will have seventy good deeds recorded for him.’””
دَخَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص عَلَى عَائِشَةَ فَرَأَى كِسْرَةً كَادَ أَنْ يَطَأَهَا فَأَخَذَهَا فَأَكَلَهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا حُمَيْرَاءُ أَكْرِمِي جِوَارَ نِعَمِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ عَلَيْكِ فَإِنَّهَا لَمْ تَنْفِرْ مِنْ قَوْمٍ فَكَادَتْ تَعُودُ إِلَيْهِمْ.
from ‘Amr ibn Jami’ who has said the following: “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, once entered ‘A’ishah’s home and saw pieces of food on which he was about to step. He (the Messenger of Allah) pick
شَكَا رَجُلٌ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَا يَلْقَى مِنْ وَجَعِ الْخَاصِرَةِ فَقَالَ مَا يَمْنَعُكَ مِنْ أَكْلِ مَا يَقَعُ مِنَ الْخِوَانِ.
“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), has said that once a man complained before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), against his lower back pain. He (the Imam) said, ‘Why do you not eat pieces of food that fall on the table-spread/”
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ع يَقُولُ مَنْ أَكَلَ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ طَعَاماً فَسَقَطَ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ فَلْيَتَنَاوَلْهُ وَ مَنْ أَكَلَ فِي الصَّحْرَاءِ أَوْ خَارِجاً فَلْيَتْرُكْهُ لِلطَّيْرِ وَ السَّبُعِ.
‘If one eats food in his house and pieces of food fall off, he must pick them up and eat; but if one eats food in the wilderness or outdoors he should leave such pieces for the birds and beasts.”’ (See also Ch. 48, h 15)
كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع وَ هُوَ يَأْكُلُ فَرَأَيْتُهُ يَتَتَبَّعُ مِثْلَ السِّمْسِمِ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ مَا سَقَطَ مِنَ الْخِوَانِ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ تَتَبَّعُ هَذَا فَقَالَ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ هَذَا رِزْقُكَ فَلَا تَدَعْهُ أَمَا إِنَّ فِيهِ شِفَاءً مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءٍ.
“Once I was with abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and he was eating. I saw him searching for pieces of food fallen on the table-spread of the size of sesame seed. I then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, are you looking for such pieces?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O ‘Abd Allah, it is your sustenance; do