حَدَّثَنِي مَنْ حَضَرَ مَعَ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلِ ( عليه السلام ) الْمَائِدَةَ فَدَعَا بِالْبَاذَرُوجِ وَ قَالَ إِنِّي أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَسْتَفْتِحَ بِهِ الطَّعَامَ فَإِنَّهُ يَفْتَحُ السُّدَدَ وَ يُشَهِّي الطَّعَامَ وَ يَذْهَبُ بِالسُّبُلِ وَ مَا أُبَالِي إِذَا أَنَا افْتَتَحْتُ بِهِ مَا أَكَلْتُ بَعْدَهُ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ فَإِنِّي لَا أَخَافُ دَاءً وَ لَا غَائِلَةً فَلَمَّا فَرَغْنَا مِنَ الْغَدَاءِ دَعَا بِهِ أَيْضاً وَ رَأَيْتُهُ يَتَتَبَّعُ وَرَقَهُ عَلَى الْمَائِدَةِ وَ يَأْكُلُهُ وَ يُنَاوِلُنِي مِنْهُ وَ هُوَ يَقُولُ اخْتِمْ طَعَامَكَ بِهِ فَإِنَّهُ يُمْرِئُ مَا قَبْلُ كَمَا يُشَهِّي مَا بَعْدُ وَ يَذْهَبُ بِالثِّقَلِ وَ يُطَيِّبُ الْجُشَاءَ وَ النَّكْهَةَ .
Translation
A number of our companions, from Sahl Bin Ziyad, from Ayoub Bin Nuh who said, ‘It was narrated to me by the one who was present with Abu Al-Hassan<sup>asws</sup> the 1st at the food-spread, that he<sup>asws</sup> called for the sweet basil and said: ‘I<sup>asws</sup> love that I<sup>asws</sup> begin my<sup>asws</sup> meal with it, for it opens the blockages, and makes one desirous for the food, and does away with the other ways; and I<sup>asws</sup> don’t mind when I<sup>asws</sup> begin with it, what I<sup>asws</sup> eat after it from the food, for I<sup>asws</sup> do not fear an illness nor any crisis’. So when we were free from the lunch, he<sup>asws</sup> called for it again, and I saw him<sup>asws</sup> pursuing its leaves upon the food-spread and eating it, and he<sup>asws</sup> gave me from it, and he<sup>asws</sup> was saying: ‘Finish your meal with it, for it makes agreeable what was before just as it makes you desirous for what is after it, and does away with the heaviness, and aromatises the burps and the smell of the breath’.
Compiled by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni
Source
License: Free for educational and research use (Thaqalayn Data API)
Provided for research and educational purposes. Original source: Thaqalayn Project. Open License.