١ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ مَسْعَدَةَ بْنِ صَدَقَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) أَنَّ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ صَلَوَاتُ الله عَلَيْهِ بَعَثَ إِلَى رَجُلٍ بِخَمْسَةِ أَوْسَاقٍ مِنْ تَمْرِ الْبُغَيْبِغَةِ وَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ مِمَّنْ يَرْجُو نَوَافِلَهُ وَيُؤَمِّلُ نَائِلَهُ وَرِفْدَهُ وَكَانَ لا يَسْأَلُ عَلِيّاً (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) وَلا غَيْرَهُ شَيْئاً فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) وَالله مَا سَأَلَكَ فُلانٌ وَلَقَدْ كَانَ يُجْزِئُهُ مِنَ الْخَمْسَةِ الأَوْسَاقِ وَسْقٌ وَاحِدٌ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) لا كَثَّرَ الله فِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ضَرْبَكَ أُعْطِي أَنَا وَتَبْخَلُ أَنْتَ لله أَنْتَ إِذَا أَنَا لَمْ أُعْطِ الَّذِي يَرْجُونِي إِلاَّ مِنْ بَعْدِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ ثُمَّ أُعْطِيهِ بَعْدَ الْمَسْأَلَةِ فَلَمْ أُعْطِهِ ثَمَنَ مَا أَخَذْتُ مِنْهُ وَذَلِكَ لأَنِّي عَرَّضْتُهُ أَنْ يَبْذُلَ لِي وَجْهَهُ الَّذِي يُعَفِّرُهُ فِي التُّرَابِ لِرَبِّي وَرَبِّهِ عِنْدَ تَعَبُّدِهِ لَهُ وَطَلَبِ حَوَائِجِهِ إِلَيْهِ فَمَنْ فَعَلَ هَذَا بِأَخِيهِ الْمُسْلِمِ وَقَدْ عَرَفَ أَنَّهُ مَوْضِعٌ لِصِلَتِهِ وَمَعْرُوفِهِ فَلَمْ يُصَدِّقِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي دُعَائِهِ لَهُ حَيْثُ يَتَمَنَّى لَهُ الْجَنَّةَ بِلِسَانِهِ وَيَبْخَلُ عَلَيْهِ بِالْحُطَامِ مِنْ مَالِهِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ قَدْ يَقُولُ فِي دُعَائِهِ اللهمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ فَإِذَا دَعَا لَهُمْ بِالْمَغْفِرَةِ فَقَدْ طَلَبَ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ فَمَا أَنْصَفَ مَنْ فَعَلَ هَذَا بِالْقَوْلِ وَلَمْ يُحَقِّقْهُ بِالْفِعْلِ.
1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Harun ibn Muslim from Mas’adah ibn Sadaqah who has said the following: “Abu ‘ Abd Allah , has said that once, ’Amir al-Mu’minin , decided to give five Awsaq (a certain amount of) dates from al-Bughaybighah (a place in al-Madinah) to a man who had hoped to benefit from the generosity of the Imam and his gifts. However, he would not appeal before the Imam or other people for any help. A man said to ’Amir al-Mu’minin , ‘This man has not appealed before you. One is enough for him instead of five Awsaq.’ ’Amir al-Mu’minin then said, ‘I wish Allah will not create more people like you among the believers. Why do you exercise stinginess about the charity that I have decided to give to a needy person? You must take notice, for the sake of Allah! If I give charity to a person who expects to receive charity from me only after his appeal, I, in fact, have not given him the cost of what I have already taken from him. Such cost is my causing him to risk the dignity of his face, which he places on the ground before my Lord and his Lord during his worship and his appeal before Him for his needs. With this kind of dealing with a Muslim whom one knows as deserving of one’s charity and gifts, one has not proved oneself as truthful before Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, in one’s prayer when one appeals verbally before Allah to admit one’s Muslim brother into Paradise. On the other hand, one exercises stinginess in matters of worthless worldly belongings. This happens when a servant of Allah says in his prayer, ‘O Allah, grant forgiveness to male and female believers.’ Appealing for forgiveness is asking Paradise for male and female believers. It is unjust not to support one’s words with one’s deeds.’” 