٥٠- عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْفَضْلِ [عَنْ] أَبِي عَمْرٍو الْحَذَّاءِ قَالَ سَاءَتْ حَالِي فَكَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ أَدِمْ قِرَاءَةَ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنا نُوحاً إِلى‏ قَوْمِهِ قَالَ فَقَرَأْتُهَا حَوْلا فَلَمْ أَرَ شَيْئاً فَكَتَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ أُخْبِرُهُ بِسُوءِ حَالِي وَأَنِّي قَدْ قَرَأْتُ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنا نُوحاً إِلى‏ قَوْمِهِ حَوْلا كَمَا أَمَرْتَنِي وَلَمْ أَرَ شَيْئاً قَالَ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ قَدْ وَفَى لَكَ الْحَوْلُ فَانْتَقِلْ مِنْهَا إِلَى قِرَاءَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ قَالَ فَفَعَلْتُ فَمَا كَانَ إِلا يَسِيراً حَتَّى بَعَثَ إِلَيَّ ابْنُ أَبِي دَاوُدَ فَقَضَى عَنِّي دَيْنِي وَأَجْرَى عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى عِيَالِي وَوَجَّهَنِي إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ فِي وَكَالَتِهِ بِبَابِ كَلاءَ وَأَجْرَى عَلَيَّ خَمْسَمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ وَكَتَبْتُ مِنَ الْبَصْرَةِ عَلَى يَدَيْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) إِنِّي كُنْتُ سَأَلْتُ أَبَاكَ عَنْ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَشَكَوْتُ إِلَيْهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَإِنِّي قَدْ نِلْتُ الَّذِي أَحْبَبْتُ فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ تُخْبِرَنِي يَا مَوْلايَ كَيْفَ أَصْنَعُ فِي قِرَاءَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ أَقْتَصِرُ عَلَيْهَا وَحْدَهَا فِي فَرَائِضِي وَغَيْرِهَا أَمْ أَقْرَأُ مَعَهَا غَيْرَهَا أَمْ لَهَا حَدٌّ أَعْمَلُ بِهِ فَوَقَّعَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَقَرَأْتُ التَّوْقِيعَ لا تَدَعْ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ قَصِيرَهُ وَطَوِيلَهُ وَيُجْزِئُكَ مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ يَوْمَكَ وَلَيْلَتَكَ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ.
50. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ali ibn Sulayman from Ahmad ibn al-Fadl (from) abu ‘Amr al- Hadhdha’ who has said the following: “I faced a difficult condition and wrote to abu Ja‘far , about it and he (the Imam) wrote to me, ‘Continue reading, “We sent Noah to his people ... to the end.’” (Chapter 71) I read it for one year but did not see any change. I wrote to him again to inform him (the Imam) of my difficult condition and that I have been reading the Chapter for one year as the Imam had instructed and that I did not experience any change. He (the Imam) then wrote to me saying, ‘One year is passed, now read Chapter 97.’ I then read it for a very short time that ibn abu Dawud sent me something and paid off my debts and sent me and my family to al-Basrah as an agent to Bab Kala’ (name of a place) with a salary of five hundred dirham; and from al-Basra I wrote through Ali ibn Mahziyar to abu al-Hassan , explaining, ‘I had written to your father about so and so issues and had complained against so and so matters, I have found what I liked. I like to ask you about what I should do about reading Chapter 97, if I must continue reading it in my obligatory Salat (prayer) and others or there is a limit of time for it.’ He (the Imam) signed the answer and I read the signature that said, ‘You must not leave from Quran, short or long passages. Of Chapter 97 it is enough to read one hundred times in one day and night.’” 