سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) عَنِ الرَّجُلِ لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا قُوتُ يَوْمِهِ أَ يَعْطِفُ مَنْ عِنْدَهُ قُوتُ يَوْمِهِ عَلَى مَنْ لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ شَيْءٌ وَ يَعْطِفُ مَنْ عِنْدَهُ قُوتُ شَهْرٍ عَلَى مَنْ دُونَهُ وَ السَّنَةُ عَلَى نَحْوِ ذَلِكَ أَمْ ذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ الْكَفَافُ الَّذِي لَا يُلَامُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ هُوَ أَمْرٌ إِنَّ أَفْضَلَكُمْ فِيهِ أَحْرَصُكُمْ عَلَى الرَّغْبَةِ وَ الْأَثَرَةِ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَقُولُ وَ يُؤْثِرُونَ عَلى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَ لَوْ كانَ بِهِمْ خَصاصَةٌ وَ الْأَمْرُ الْآخَرُ لَا يُلَامُ عَلَى الْكَفَافِ وَ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَ ابْدَأْ بِمَنْ تَعُولُ .
Translation
A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Khalid, from Usman Bin Isa, from Sama’at who said, ‘I asked Abu Abdullah<sup>asws</sup> about the man who does not have with him except for his provision for his day. Can the one who has his provision for his day with him be sympathetic towards the one who does not have anything, and can the one who has provisions for a month be sympathetic upon the one who has less than it, and the year is upon approximate to that, or is all of that the subsistence which he cannot be blamed over it?’ So he<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘It is such a matter that the most superior of you in it is the one most desirous upon the preferring (others) upon himself, for Allah<sup>azwj</sup> Mighty and Majestic is Saying <span class="ibTxt"><a href="/#/books/quran:59#h9"><a href="/books/quran:59#h9">[59:9]</a></a> and prefer (them) before themselves though poverty may afflict them</span>. And the other matter is that he cannot be blamed upon the subsistence, and the higher (providing) hand is better than the lower (receiving) hand, and begin with the ones dependant (upon you)’.
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.