١٥ـ ابْنُ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ عَطِيَّةَ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهُ مَا مِنْ سَنَةٍ أَقَلَّ مَطَراً مِنْ سَنَةٍ وَلَكِنَّ الله يَضَعُهُ حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ إِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذَا عَمِلَ قَوْمٌ بِالْمَعَاصِي صَرَفَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانَ قَدَّرَ لَهُمْ مِنَ الْمَطَرِ فِي تِلْكَ السَّنَةِ إِلَى غَيْرِهِمْ وَإِلَى الْفَيَافِي وَالْبِحَارِ وَالْجِبَالِ وَإِنَّ الله لَيُعَذِّبُ الْجُعَلَ فِي جُحْرِهَا بِحَبْسِ الْمَطَرِ عَنِ الأرْضِ الَّتِي هِيَ بِمَحَلِّهَا بِخَطَايَا مَنْ بِحَضْرَتِهَا وَقَدْ جَعَلَ الله لَهَا السَّبِيلَ فِي مَسْلَكٍ سِوَى مَحَلَّةِ أَهْلِ الْمَعَاصِي قَالَ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) فَاعْتَبِرُوا يَا أُولِي الأبْصَارِ.
15. Ibn Mahbub has narrated from Malik ibn ‘Atiyyah from abu Hamza who has said the following: “I heard abu Ja’far  saying, ‘The amount of rain each year is the same but Allah sets it as He wills. When a people commit sins, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, reduces their share of rain in that year and diverts it to other places such as open lands, oceans and mountains. Allah makes the beetles suffer in their hiding places by means of stopping the rain fall in that area because of the sins of those who live near by while He has created ways for it (beetles) to move away where sins are not committed.’ The Imam then said, ‘Learn a lesson, O people of reason.’” 