The Excellence of Bread

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ إِنِّي لَأَلْحَسُ أَصَابِعِي مِنَ الْأُدْمِ حَتَّى أَخَافَ أَنْ يَرَانِي خَادِمِي فَيَرَى أَنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنَ التَّجَشُّعِ‌[2] وَ لَيْسَ ذَلِكَ كَذَلِكَ إِنَّ قَوْماً أُفْرِغَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ النِّعْمَةُ وَ هُمْ أَهْلُ الثَّرْثَارِ[3] فَعَمَدُوا إِلَى مُخِّ الْحِنْطَةِ فَجَعَلُوهَا خُبْزاً هَجَاءً وَ جَعَلُوا يُنَجُّونَ‌[4] بِهِ صِبْيَانَهُمْ حَتَّى اجْتَمَعَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ جَبَلٌ عَظ

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘I lick food from my fingers but I fear my servants’ seeing me and their thinking that I am greedy. That is not true. A people upon whom bounties were poured owned a very large canal. They bleached the wheat for bread for food and used it to wipe their children with it until

قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ص‌ أَكْرِمُوا الْخُبْزَ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ عَمِلَ فِيهِ مَا بَيْنَ الْعَرْشِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَ مَا فِيهَا مِنْ كَثِيرٍ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِمَنْ حَوْلَهُ أَ لَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ قَالُوا بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فِدَاكَ الْآبَاءُ وَ الْأُمَّهَاتُ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ نَبِيٌّ فِيمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ دَانِيَالُ وَ إِنَّهُ أَعْطَى صَاحِبَ مِعْبَرٍ رَغِيفاً لِكَيْ يَعْبُرَ بِهِ فَرَمَى صَا

“It is a narration of abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), from the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. He (the Messenger of Allah) once said, ‘You must treat bread with reverence because from the throne to earth and what is in it, a large number of His c

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ لَا يُوضَعُ الرَّغِيفُ تَحْتَ الْقَصْعَةِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘A loaf of bread must not be placed under the dish.”

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ أَكْرِمُوا الْخُبْزَ قِيلَ وَ مَا إِكْرَامُهُ قَالَ إِذَا وُضِعَ لَا يُنْتَظَرُ بِهِ غَيْرُهُ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘You must treat bread with reverence.’ It was asked, ‘What is treating it with reverence?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘When it is made available one must not wait for others.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ أَكْرِمُوا الْخُبْزَ فَقِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَ مَا إِكْرَامُهُ قَالَ إِذَا وُضِعَ لَمْ يُنْتَظَرْ بِهِ غَيْرُهُ وَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص وَ مِنْ كَرَامَتِهِ أَنْ لَا يُوطَأَ وَ لَا يُقْطَعَ‌[2].

‘You must treat bread with reverence.’ It was asked, ‘What is its reverence?’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘When it is made available one must not wait for others.’ The Messenger of Allah has said that of treating it with reverence is not to step on it or cut it.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ إِيَّاكُمْ أَنْ تَشَمُّوا الْخُبْزَ[3] كَمَا تَشَمُّهُ السِّبَاعُ فَإِنَّ الْخُبْزَ مُبَارَكٌ أَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَهُ السَّمَاءَ مِدْرَاراً وَ لَهُ أَنْبَتَ اللَّهُ الْمَرْعَى وَ بِهِ صَلَّيْتُمْ وَ بِهِ صُمْتُمْ وَ بِهِ حَجَجْتُمْ بَيْتَ رَبِّكُمْ.

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, ‘You must never smell bread like the beasts do. Bread is blessed and Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has sent the sky with rain and because of it He

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ إِذَا أُوتِيتُمْ بِالْخُبْزِ وَ اللَّحْمِ فَابْدَءُوا بِالْخُبْزِ فَسُدُّوا بِهِ خِلَالَ الْجُوعِ ثُمَّ كُلُوا اللَّحْمَ.

7. Through the same chain of narrators as that of the previous Hadith the following is narrated: “He (the Imam) has said that the Messenger of Allah has said, ‘When bread and meat is brought for you, eat bread first to stop the emptiness of hunger, then eat the meat.’”

قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ع قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ صَغِّرُوا رُغْفَانَكُمْ فَإِنَّ مَعَ كُلِّ رَغِيفٍ بَرَكَةً وَ قَالَ يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ يَقْطِينٍ رَأَيْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ يَعْنِي الرِّضَا ع يَكْسِرُ الرَّغِيفَ إِلَى فَوْقُ.

‘Make your bread of small loaves because there is blessing with each loaf.’ Ya‘qub ibn Yaqtin has said, ‘I saw abu al-Hassan (a.s.), break the bread upward.’”

كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ أُدْمٌ قَطَعَ الْخُبْزَ بِالسِّكِّينِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when ’Amir al-Mu’minin did not have curry; he would cut the bread with a knife.’”

أَدْنَى الْأُدْمِ قَطْعُ الْخُبْزِ بِالسِّكِّينِ‌[1].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the least of curry is to cut the bread with a knife.’”

تَغَدَّى عِنْدِي أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع فَجِي‌ءَ بِقَصْعَةٍ وَ تَحْتَهَا خُبْزٌ فَقَالَ أَكْرِمُوا الْخُبْزَ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ تَحْتَهَا وَ قَالَ لِي مُرِ الْغُلَامَ أَنْ يُخْرِجَ الرَّغِيفَ مِنْ تَحْتِ الْقَصْعَةِ.

“I once had lunch with abu al-Hassan (a.s.), and the dish was brought with bread underneath the dish. He (the Imam) said, ‘You must revere bread and do not allow it to be placed under the dish.’ He (the Imam) then said to me to command the slave to take the bread from underneath the dish.”’

أَنَّهُ كَرِهَ أَنْ يُوضَعَ الرَّغِيفُ تَحْتَ الْقَصْعَةِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), disliked placing of the loaf of bread under the dish.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ لَا تَقْطَعُوا الْخُبْزَ بِالسِّكِّينِ وَ لَكِنِ اكْسِرُوهُ بِالْيَدِ وَ لْيُكْسَرْ لَكُمْ خَالِفُوا الْعَجَمَ‌[2].

‘Do not cut bread with knife but break it with your hand and others must break it for you. You must do the opposite of al-‘Ajam (non- Arabs).”’

لَا تَقْطَعُوا الْخُبْزَ بِالسِّكِّينِ وَ لَكِنِ اكْسِرُوهُ بِالْيَدِ وَ خَالِفُوا الْعَجَمَ.

“Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ (a.s.), has said, ‘Do not cut bread with knife, instead break it with the hands and do the opposite of al-Ajam (non- Arabs).”’