The Relation between a Stumper and the Rider

سَأَلَنِي أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع أَيَّ شَيْ‌ءٍ تَرْكَبُ قُلْتُ حِمَاراً فَقَالَ بِكَمِ ابْتَعْتَهُ قُلْتُ بِثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ دِينَاراً فَقَالَ إِنَّ هَذَا هُوَ السَّرَفُ أَنْ تَشْتَرِيَ حِمَاراً بِثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ دِينَاراً وَ تَدَعَ بِرْذَوْناً قُلْتُ يَا سَيِّدِي إِنَّ مَئُونَةَ الْبِرْذَوْنِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ مَئُونَةِ الْحِمَارِ قَالَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الَّذِي يَمُونُ الْحِمَارَ يَمُونُ الْبِرْذَوْنَ أَ مَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ مَن

“Once abu al-Hassan (a.s.), asked me, ‘What do you ride?’ I replied, ‘It is a donkey.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘For how much have you bought it?’ I replied, ‘I have bought it for thirteen dinars.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘This is improper spending. You have bought a donkey for thirteen dinar and ignored buying a mule.’ I then

تِسْعَةُ أَعْشَارِ الرِّزْقِ مَعَ صَاحِبِ الدَّابَّةِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Nine-tenths of sustenance is with the owner of a stumper.’”

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ أَهْدَى أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع‌ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص أَرْبَعَةَ أَفْرَاسٍ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ فَقَالَ سَمِّهَا لِي فَقَالَ هِيَ أَلْوَانٌ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ قَالَ فَفِيهَا وَضَحٌ‌[1] فَقَالَ نَعَمْ فِيهَا أَشْقَرُ[2] بِهِ وَضَحٌ قَالَ فَأَمْسِكْهُ عَلَيَّ قَالَ وَ فِيهَا كُمَيْتَانِ‌[3] أَوْضَحَانِ فَقَالَ أَعْطِهِمَا ابْنَيْكَ قَالَ وَ الرَّابِعُ أَدْهَمُ بَهِيمٌ‌[4] قَالَ بِعْهُ وَ اسْتَخْلِفْ بِهِ نَ

’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), sent as present to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. It comprised of four horses from Yemen. He (the Messenger of Allah) asked, ‘Describe them for me.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘They are of different colors.’ He (t

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ اشْتَرِ دَابَّةً فَإِنَّ مَنْفَعَتَهَا لَكَ وَ رِزْقَهَا عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ.

‘Buy a stumper; its benefit is for you and its sustenance with Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious.’”

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ مَنِ اشْتَرَى دَابَّةً كَانَ لَهُ ظَهْرُهَا وَ عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If one buys a stumper, he has the benefit of riding and its sustenance is with Allah.’”

قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع اتَّخِذْ حِمَاراً يَحْمِلْ رَحْلَكَ فَإِنَّ رِزْقَهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ فَاتَّخَذْتُ حِمَاراً وَ كُنْتُ أَنَا وَ يُوسُفُ أَخِي إِذَا تَمَّتِ السَّنَةُ حَسَبْنَا نَفَقَاتِنَا فَنَعْلَمُ مِقْدَارَهَا فَحَسَبْنَا بَعْدَ شِرَاءِ الْحِمَارِ نَفَقَاتِنَا فَإِذَا هِيَ كَمَا كَانَتْ فِي كُلِّ عَامٍ لَمْ تَزِدْ شَيْئاً.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once said, ‘Buy a donkey which will carry your luggage and its sustenance is with Allah/ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I then found a donkey. Yunus, my brother and I at the end of the year would do our accounts and we found that there was no difference in our budget and no increase over the expen

مِنْ سَعَادَةِ الْمُؤْمِنِ دَابَّةٌ يَرْكَبُهَا فِي حَوَائِجِهِ وَ يَقْضِي عَلَيْهَا حُقُوقَ إِخْوَانِهِ.

“It is of the good fortune of a believing person to have a stumper that he can ride to meet his own needs and the needs of his brothers (in belief).”’

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ مِنْ سَعَادَةِ الْمَرْءِ الْمُسْلِمِ الْمَرْكَبُ الْهَنِي‌ءُ.

‘It is of the good fortune of a Muslim man to have a healthy stumper.’”

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ اتَّخِذُوا الدَّابَّةَ فَإِنَّهَا زَيْنٌ وَ تُقْضَى عَلَيْهَا الْحَوَائِجُ وَ رِزْقُهَا عَلَى اللَّهِ جَلَّ ذِكْرُهُ. - قَالَ وَ حَدَّثَنِي بِهِ عَمَّارُ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ وَ زَادَ فِيهِ‌ وَ تَلْقَى عَلَيْهَا إِخْوَانَكَ. - وَ رُوِيَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: عَجَبٌ لِصَاحِبِ الدَّابَّةِ كَيْفَ تَفُوتُهُ الْحَاجَةُ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘You must have a stumper; it is of beautification and helps meet one’s needs and its sustenance is with Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious.’ He (the narrator) has said that narrated to me ‘Ammar ibn al-Mubarak with the addition of ‘and ride it to meet your brothers (in belief).’ It is

مِنْ شَقَاءِ الْعَيْشِ الْمَرْكَبُ السَّوْءُ.

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘It is a misfortune in life to have a bad stumper.’”