كَتَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ يَعْنِي أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ( عليه السلام ) جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ لَيْسَ لِي وَلَدٌ وَ لِي ضِيَاعٌ وَرِثْتُهَا مِنْ أَبِي وَ بَعْضُهَا اسْتَفَدْتُهَا وَ لَا آمَنُ الْحَدَثَانَ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِي وَلَدٌ وَ حَدَثَ بِي حَدَثٌ فَمَا تَرَى جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ لِي أَنْ أُوقِفَ بَعْضَهَا عَلَى فُقَرَاءِ إِخْوَانِي وَ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ أَوْ أَبِيعَهَا وَ أَتَصَدَّقَ بِثَمَنِهَا فِي حَيَاتِي عَلَيْهِمْ فَإِنِّي أَتَخَوَّفُ أَنْ لَا يَنْفُذَ الْوَقْفُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِي فَإِنْ أَوْقَفْتُهَا فِي حَيَاتِي فَلِي أَنْ آكُلَ مِنْهَا أَيَّامَ حَيَاتِي أَمْ لَا فَكَتَبَ ( عليه السلام ) فَهِمْتُ كِتَابَكَ فِي أَمْرِ ضِيَاعِكَ وَ لَيْسَ لَكَ أَنْ تَأْكُلَ مِنْهَا مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ فَإِنْ أَنْتَ أَكَلْتَ مِنْهَا لَمْ يَنْفُذْ إِنْ كَانَ لَكَ وَرَثَةٌ فَبِعْ وَ تَصَدَّقْ بِبَعْضِ ثَمَنِهَا فِي حَيَاتِكَ وَ إِنْ تَصَدَّقْتَ أَمْسَكْتَ لِنَفْسِكَ مَا يَقُوتُكَ مِثْلَ مَا صَنَعَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ( عليه السلام ) .
Translation
Muhammad Bin Ja’fa Al Razaz, from Muhammad Bin Isa, from Ali Bin Suleyman who said, ‘I wrote to him<sup>asws</sup>, meaning Abu Al-Hassan<sup>asws</sup>, ‘May I be sacrificed for you<sup>asws</sup>! There is no child for me, and for me is a place which I inherited from my father, and some which I profited, and I am not secure from the adversities. Since there is no child for me, and an adversity occurs with me, so what is your<sup>asws</sup> view, may I be sacrificed for you<sup>asws</sup>, shall I dedicate some of it upon the poor brethren of mine and the weak ones, or shall I sell it and give in charity to them with its price during my lifetime, as I fear that the dedication would not be enforced after my death. So if I were to dedicate it during my lifetime, so it would be for me that I would be eating from it during the days of my life, or not?’ So he<sup>asws</sup> wrote: ‘I<sup>asws</sup> understood your letter in the matter of your place, and it is not for you that you eat from it from the charity, for if you were to eat from it, the inheritance of yours would not be enforced, therefore sell and give in charity with some of its price during your lifetime, and if you were to give in charity, withhold some of it for yourself what is your livelihood, similar to what Amir Al-Momineen<sup>asws</sup> did’.
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.