كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) فَذَكَرْنَا الْأَعْمَالَ فَقُلْتُ أَنَا مَا أَضْعَفَ عَمَلِي فَقَالَ مَهْ اسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي إِنَّ قَلِيلَ الْعَمَلِ مَعَ التَّقْوَى خَيْرٌ مِنْ كَثِيرِ الْعَمَلِ بِلَا تَقْوَى قُلْتُ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ كَثِيرٌ بِلَا تَقْوَى قَالَ نَعَمْ مِثْلُ الرَّجُلِ يُطْعِمُ طَعَامَهُ وَ يَرْفُقُ جِيرَانَهُ وَ يُوَطِّئُ رَحْلَهُ فَإِذَا ارْتَفَعَ لَهُ الْبَابُ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ دَخَلَ فِيهِ فَهَذَا الْعَمَلُ بِلَا تَقْوَى وَ يَكُونُ الْآخَرُ لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ فَإِذَا ارْتَفَعَ لَهُ الْبَابُ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ لَمْ يَدْخُلْ فِيهِ .
Translation
A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Khalid, from usman Bin isa, from Mufazzal Bin Umar who said, ‘I was in the Presence of Abu Abdullah<sup>asws</sup>, and we mentioned the deeds. So I said, ‘How weak are my deeds’. So he<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘Shh! Seek Forgiveness of Allah<sup>azwj</sup>’. Then he<sup>asws</sup> said to me: ‘The few deeds performed with the piety are better than the abundant deeds performed without piety’. I said, ‘How can a lot happen to be without piety?’ He<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘Yes, like the man who feeds the food, and is kind to his neighbours, and uses his belongings (for others). So when the door of the Prohibition is raised for him (an opportunity of committing sins presents itself to him), he enters into it. So this is the deed performed without piety; and another one can happen to be such that this is not with him, but when the door of the Prohibition is raised for him, he does not enter into it’.
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.