أَتَى أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ رَهْطٌ مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ فَقَالُوا يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَوْ أَخْرَجْتَ هَذِهِ الْأَمْوَالَ فَفَرَّقْتَهَا فِي هَؤُلَاءِ الرُّؤَسَاءِ وَ الْأَشْرَافِ وَ فَضَّلْتَهُمْ عَلَيْنَا حَتَّى إِذَا اسْتَوْسَقَتِ الْأُمُورُ عُدْتَ إِلَى أَفْضَلِ مَا عَوَّدَكَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْقَسْمِ بِالسَّوِيَّةِ وَ الْعَدْلِ فِي الرَّعِيَّةِ فَقَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ( عليه السلام ) أَ تَأْمُرُونِّي وَيْحَكُمْ أَنْ أَطْلُبَ النَّصْرَ بِالظُّلْمِ وَ الْجَوْرِ فِيمَنْ وُلِّيتُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْإِسْلَامِ لَا وَ اللَّهِ لَا يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ مَا سَمَرَ السَّمِيرُ وَ مَا رَأَيْتُ فِي السَّمَاءِ نَجْماً وَ اللَّهِ لَوْ كَانَتْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ مَالِي لَسَاوَيْتُ بَيْنَهُمْ فَكَيْفَ وَ إِنَّمَا هِيَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ قَالَ ثُمَّ أَزَمَ سَاكِتاً طَوِيلًا ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَقَالَ مَنْ كَانَ فِيكُمْ لَهُ مَالٌ فَإِيَّاهُ وَ الْفَسَادَ فَإِنَّ إِعْطَاءَهُ فِي غَيْرِ حَقِّهِ تَبْذِيرٌ وَ إِسْرَافٌ وَ هُوَ يَرْفَعُ ذِكْرَ صَاحِبِهِ فِي النَّاسِ وَ يَضَعُهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَ لَمْ يَضَعِ امْرُؤٌ مَالَهُ فِي غَيْرِ حَقِّهِ وَ عِنْدَ غَيْرِ أَهْلِهِ إِلَّا حَرَمَهُ اللَّهُ شُكْرَهُمْ وَ كَانَ لِغَيْرِهِ وُدُّهُمْ فَإِنْ بَقِيَ مَعَهُ مِنْهُمْ بَقِيَّةٌ مِمَّنْ يُظْهِرُ الشُّكْرَ لَهُ وَ يُرِيهِ النُّصْحَ فَإِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ مَلَقٌ مِنْهُ وَ كَذِبٌ فَإِنْ زَلَّتْ بِصَاحِبِهِمُ النَّعْلُ ثُمَّ احْتَاجَ إِلَى مَعُونَتِهِمْ وَ مُكَافَأَتِهِمْ فَأَلْأَمُ خَلِيلٍ وَ شَرُّ خَدِينٍ وَ لَمْ يَضَعِ امْرُؤٌ مَالَهُ فِي غَيْرِ حَقِّهِ وَ عِنْدَ غَيْرِ أَهْلِهِ إِلَّا لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مِنَ الْحَظِّ فِيمَا أُتِيَ إِلَّا مَحْمَدَةُ اللِّئَامِ وَ ثَنَاءُ الْأَشْرَارِ مَا دَامَ عَلَيْهِ مُنْعِماً مُفْضِلًا وَ مَقَالَةُ الْجَاهِلِ مَا أَجْوَدَهُ وَ هُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ بَخِيلٌ فَأَيُّ حَظٍّ أَبْوَرُ وَ أَخْسَرُ مِنْ هَذَا الْحَظِّ وَ أَيُّ فَائِدَةِ مَعْرُوفٍ أَقَلُّ مِنْ هَذَا الْمَعْرُوفِ فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ لَهُ مَالٌ فَلْيَصِلْ بِهِ الْقَرَابَةَ وَ لْيُحْسِنْ مِنْهُ الضِّيَافَةَ وَ لْيَفُكَّ بِهِ الْعَانِيَ وَ الْأَسِيرَ وَ ابْنَ السَّبِيلِ فَإِنَّ الْفَوْزَ بِهَذِهِ الْخِصَالِ مَكَارِمُ الدُّنْيَا وَ شَرَفُ الْآخِرَةِ .
Translation
A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Abu Abdullah, from Muhammad Bin Ali, from Ahmad Bin Amro Bin Suleyman Al bajaly, from Ismail Bin Al Hassan Bin Ismail Bin Shuayb Bin Maysam Al Tammar, from Ibrahim Bin Is’haq Al Madainy, form a man, from Abu Mikhnaf Al Azdy who said, ‘A group of Shias came to Amir Al-Momineen<sup>asws</sup>, so they said, ‘O Amir Al-Momineen<sup>asws</sup>! We request you to distribute the wealth at your disposal (public treasury) among the chiefs and elite people. In so doing, they will receive preference, which will strengthen your affairs (government). Thereafter, you can reassume your rule of equal distribution of the treasury among people as Allah<sup>azwj</sup> has Commanded you to do’. So Amir Al-Momineen<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘Are you instructing me<sup>asws</sup>, woe be unto you all, that I<sup>asws</sup> should seek the victory by the injustices and the tyranny among the ones whom I<sup>asws</sup> rule upon, from the people of Al-Islam? No, by Allah<sup>azwj</sup>! That will not happen for as long as the night-talker converses and a star is not seen in the sky. By Alah<sup>azwj</sup>! If their wealth was my<sup>asws</sup> wealth, I<sup>asws</sup> would have equalised between them, so how can I<sup>asws</sup> (do what you are asking me to do) and rather it is their wealth? He (the narrator) said, ‘Then he<sup>asws</sup> was silent for a long while, then raised his<sup>asws</sup> head, so he<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘The one among you for whom there is wealth, so he should beware of the corruption. So if he were to give it in other than its rightful management, and extravagance, and its doer would raise his mention among the people and he would waste it in the Presence of Allah<sup>azwj</sup>, and he would not place the matter of his wealth in other than its rightful place and with other than its deserving one except that Allah<sup>azwj</sup> would Prohibit their gratefulness, and their cordiality would be for other than him. So, even if there were to remain with him from the ones who manifest the gratefulness for him and show him good advice, so rather that would be flattery from him and a lie. So if his slipper breaks, then he is needy to their assistance and their return of favour, so he would be an accused friend and a evil companion. And he would not place the matter of his wealth in other than its rightful place and with other than its deserving ones except that there would not happen to be a share for him regarding what comes except for the praise of the villains and praise of the evil ones for as long as he is bountiful upon them with grace, and the speech of the ignorant makes him to be a benevolent one and in the Presence of Allah<sup>azwj</sup> he is a stingy one. So which share is more wicked and loss-making than this share, and which benefit is less in goodness than this goodness. So the one among you who has wealth for him, so let him give it to his relatives, and let him do good from it with the guests, and let him relieve the suffering with it and the captives, and the traveller. Thus, the success with these characteristics is benevolence in the world and nobility in the Hereafter’.
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.