٣ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ سَعْدَانَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ خُنَيْسٍ قَالَ خَرَجَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) فِي لَيْلَةٍ قَدْ رُشَّتْ وَهُوَ يُرِيدُ ظُلَّةَ بَنِي سَاعِدَةَ فَاتَّبَعْتُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ سَقَطَ مِنْهُ شَيْ‏ءٌ فَقَالَ بِسْمِ الله اللهمَّ رُدَّ عَلَيْنَا قَالَ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ فَقَالَ مُعَلًّى قُلْتُ نَعَمْ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَقَالَ لِي الْتَمِسْ بِيَدِكَ فَمَا وَجَدْتَ مِنْ شَيْ‏ءٍ فَادْفَعْهُ إِلَيَّ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِخُبْزٍ مُنْتَشِرٍ كَثِيرٍ فَجَعَلْتُ أَدْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ مَا وَجَدْتُ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِجِرَابٍ أَعْجِزُ عَنْ حَمْلِهِ مِنْ خُبْزٍ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ أَحْمِلُهُ عَلَى رَأْسِي فَقَالَ لا أَنَا أَوْلَى بِهِ مِنْكَ وَلَكِنِ امْضِ مَعِي قَالَ فَأَتَيْنَا ظُلَّةَ بَنِي سَاعِدَةَ فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِقَوْمٍ نِيَامٍ فَجَعَلَ يَدُسُّ الرَّغِيفَ وَالرَّغِيفَيْنِ حَتَّى أَتَى عَلَى آخِرِهِمْ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفْنَا فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ يَعْرِفُ هَؤُلاءِ الْحَقَّ فَقَالَ لَوْ عَرَفُوهُ لَوَاسَيْنَاهُمْ بِالدُّقَّةِ وَالدُّقَّةُ هِيَ الْمِلْحُ إِنَّ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لَمْ يَخْلُقْ شَيْئاً إِلاَّ وَلَهُ خَازِنٌ يَخْزُنُهُ إِلاَّ الصَّدَقَةَ فَإِنَّ الرَّبَّ يَلِيهَا بِنَفْسِهِ وَكَانَ أَبِي إِذَا تَصَدَّقَ بِشَيْ‏ءٍ وَضَعَهُ فِي يَدِ السَّائِلِ ثُمَّ ارْتَدَّهُ مِنْهُ فَقَبَّلَهُ وَشَمَّهُ ثُمَّ رَدَّهُ فِي يَدِ السَّائِلِ إِنَّ صَدَقَةَ اللَّيْلِ تُطْفِىُ غَضَبَ الرَّبِّ وَتَمْحُو الذَّنْبَ الْعَظِيمَ وَتُهَوِّنُ الْحِسَابَ وَصَدَقَةَ النَّهَارِ تُثْمِرُ الْمَالَ وَتَزِيدُ فِي الْعُمُرِ إِنَّ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ (عَلَيْهِما السَّلاَم) لَمَّا أَنْ مَرَّ عَلَى شَاطِىِ الْبَحْرِ رَمَى بِقُرْصٍ مِنْ قُوتِهِ فِي الْمَاءِ فَقَالَ لَهُ بَعْضُ الْحَوَارِيِّينَ يَا رُوحَ الله وَكَلِمَتَهُ لِمَ فَعَلْتَ هَذَا وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ مِنْ قُوتِكَ قَالَ فَقَالَ فَعَلْتُ هَذَا لِدَابَّةٍ تَأْكُلُهُ مِنْ دَوَابِّ الْمَاءِ وَثَوَابُهُ عِنْدَ الله عَظِيمٌ. 
3. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Khalid from Sa‘dan ibn Muslim from Mu ’alia ibn Khunays who has said the following: “One rainy night, abu ‘Abd Allah , went out to Zullah of banu Sa‘idah. I followed him and saw that some of his things fell down. He said, ‘Bismi Allah (by the name of Allah). O Lord, please return it back to us.’ I went to him and greeted him with the greetings of peace. He said, ‘Is it you, Mu‘alla’?’ I replied, ‘Yes, may Allah keep my soul in the service of your cause.’ He said. ‘Search with your hands and give us whatever you find.’ I found a great deal of bread spread around and kept giving whatever bread I found to him. I found a sack full of bread so heavy that I could not lift it up. I then said, ‘May Allah keep my soul in the service of your cause; allow me to pick it up on my head.’ He said, ‘No, I am more proper for this than you are, but come along with me.’ We then reached Zullah of banu Sa‘idah and found a whole company of people sleeping. He then began to make one or two breads available to each one to the last of them, in a way that no one else could see. We then returned and I asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in the service of your cause, do these people know the truth (are they Shi‘a)?’ He replied, ‘Were they of those who know the truth, we would have joined them for bread with salt. Allah, the most Blessed, the most High, has made a treasurer for everything He has created, except charity. The Lord Himself is the treasurer thereof. When my father would give charity, he would place it in the hand of the person asking for help, then take it back from him, kiss and smell it, and then give it back to him. Giving charity during the night extinguishes the anger of the Lord, deletes the great sin and makes presentation of one’s accounts easier. Giving charity during the day increases one’s wealth and longevity of life. Jesus, son of Mary, when passing by the coastline of the ocean, threw a loaf of bread in the water. Someone among his disciples said, ‘O the Spirit and Word of Allah, why did you throw your bread in the water, it was your food for the day?’ Jesus replied, ‘I did it for the living things in the ocean that may eat it and the reward for it with Allah is great.’” 