أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ [بْنِ أَحْمَدَ] عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْفُضَيْلِ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) قَالَ كَانَ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ رَجُلٌ عَابِدٌ وَ كَانَ مُحَارَفاً لَا يَتَوَجَّهُ فِي شَيْ‏ءٍ فَيُصِيبَ فِيهِ شَيْئاً فَأَنْفَقَتْ عَلَيْهِ امْرَأَتُهُ حَتَّى لَمْ يَبْقَ عِنْدَهَا شَيْ‏ءٌ فَجَاعُوا يَوْماً مِنَ الْأَيَّامِ فَدَفَعَتْ إِلَيْهِ نَصْلًا مِنْ غَزْلٍ وَ قَالَتْ لَهُ مَا عِنْدِي غَيْرُهُ انْطَلِقْ فَبِعْهُ وَ اشْتَرِ لَنَا شَيْئاً نَأْكُلْهُ فَانْطَلَقَ بِالنَّصْلِ الْغَزْلِ لِيَبِيعَهُ فَوَجَدَ السُّوقَ قَدْ غُلِقَتْ وَ وَجَدَ الْمُشْتَرِينَ قَدْ قَامُوا وَ انْصَرَفُوا فَقَالَ لَوْ أَتَيْتُ هَذَا الْمَاءَ فَتَوَضَّأْتُ مِنْهُ وَ صَبَبْتُ عَلَيَّ مِنْهُ وَ انْصَرَفْتُ فَجَاءَ إِلَى الْبَحْرِ وَ إِذَا هُوَ بِصَيَّادٍ قَدْ أَلْقَى شَبَكَتَهُ فَأَخْرَجَهَا وَ لَيْسَ فِيهَا إِلَّا سَمَكَةٌ رَدِيَّةٌ قَدْ مَكَثَتْ عِنْدَهُ حَتَّى صَارَتْ رِخْوَةً مُنْتِنَةً فَقَالَ لَهُ بِعْنِي هَذِهِ السَّمَكَةَ وَ أُعْطِيكَ هَذَا الْغَزْلَ تَنْتَفِعُ بِهِ فِي شَبَكَتِكَ قَالَ نَعَمْ فَأَخَذَ السَّمَكَةَ وَ دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ الْغَزْلَ وَ انْصَرَفَ بِالسَّمَكَةِ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ فَأَخْبَرَ زَوْجَتَهُ الْخَبَرَ فَأَخَذَتِ السَّمَكَةَ لِتُصْلِحَهَا فَلَمَّا شَقَّتْهَا بَدَتْ مِنْ جَوْفِهَا لُؤْلُؤَةٌ فَدَعَتْ زَوْجَهَا فَأَرَتْهُ إِيَّاهَا فَأَخَذَهَا فَانْطَلَقَ بِهَا إِلَى السُّوقِ فَبَاعَهَا بِعِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ وَ انْصَرَفَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ بِالْمَالِ فَوَضَعَهُ فَإِذَا سَائِلٌ يَدُقُّ الْبَابَ وَ يَقُولُ يَا أَهْلَ الدَّارِ تَصَدَّقُوا رَحِمَكُمُ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمِسْكِينِ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ ادْخُلْ فَدَخَلَ فَقَالَ لَهُ خُذْ إِحْدَى الْكِيسَيْنِ فَأَخَذَ إِحْدَاهُمَا وَ انْطَلَقَ فَقَالَتْ لَهُ امْرَأَتُهُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ مَيَاسِيرُ إِذْ ذَهَبْتَ بِنِصْفِ يَسَارِنَا فَلَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ بِأَسْرَعَ مِنْ أَنْ دَقَّ السَّائِلُ الْبَابَ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ ادْخُلْ فَدَخَلَ فَوَضَعَ الْكِيسَ فِي مَكَانِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ كُلْ هَنِيئاً مَرِيئاً إِنَّمَا أَنَا مَلَكٌ مِنْ مَلَائِكَةِ رَبِّكَ إِنَّمَا أَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَنْ يَبْلُوَكَ فَوَجَدَكَ شَاكِراً ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ.
585. Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Ahmad, from Ali Bin Al-Hassan, from Muhammad Bin Abdullah Bin Zurara, from Muhammad Bin Al-Fazeyl, from Abu Hamza, who has narrated the following: Abu Ja’far  has said: ‘There used to be a man in the Children of Israel, who was a worshipper who was a derived person. Whenever he turned his attention to anything, he would achieve nothing from it. So his wife used to spend on him until there was nothing left. So there came a day from the days when she handed over to him a spinning blade and said to him, ‘There is nothing else in my possession apart from it, so go and sell it, and buy for us something to eat’. So he went with the spinning blade for selling it. He found the market to be closed, but found two prospective buyers. He stood by them, but they were not interested and left. So he said (to himself), ‘If I could come to this water, I could perform ablution from it and bathe in it’, and he left. He came up to the sea shore and there was a fisherman there who had cast his net. When he pulled it out, there was nothing in it except for one fish which had turned soft and rotten. So he said to him, ‘Sell me this fish and I will give you this blade which you can benefit by with your fishing net. He said, ‘Yes’. So he took the fish and handed over the blade to him, and left with the fish to his house. He informed his wife of the news, so she took the fish in order to prepare it. When she sliced it open, a pearl came out from the middle of it. So his wife called him and showed it to him. He took it with him and went to the market. He sold it for twenty thousand Dirhams, and left for his house with the wealth. He placed it therein. Then a beggar came and knocked on the door and said, ‘O people of the house, give charity to a poor one, Allah (azwj) will have Mercy upon you’. The man said, ‘Enter’. So he entered. He said, ‘Take one of the two bags’. So he took one of them and left. So his wife said to him, ‘Glory be to Allah (azwj)! As soon as we have ease, half of it goes away from us’. No sooner had she said that, the beggar knocked on the door. The man said to him, ‘Enter’. So he came and placed the bag back in its place, then said, ‘Congratulations! Eat it rightfully. But rather, I am an Angel from the Angels of your Lord (azwj). Your Lord (azwj) Wanted to Try you, so He (azwj) found you to be appreciative’. Then he left’.