سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلَ ( عليه السلام ) وَ هُوَ فِي الطَّوَافِ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْجَوَادِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ لِكَلَامِكَ وَجْهَيْنِ فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَسْأَلُ عَنِ الْمَخْلُوقِ فَإِنَّ الْجَوَادَ الَّذِي يُؤَدِّي مَا افْتَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَسْأَلُ عَنِ الْخَالِقِ فَهُوَ الْجَوَادُ إِنْ أَعْطَى وَ هُوَ الْجَوَادُ إِنْ مَنَعَ لِأَنَّهُ إِنْ أَعْطَاكَ أَعْطَاكَ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ وَ إِنْ مَنَعَكَ مَنَعَكَ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ .
Translation
A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Khalid, from his father, from Abu Al Jaham, from Musa Bin Bakr, from Ahmad Bin Suleyman who said, ‘A man asked Abu Al-Hassan<sup>asws</sup> the 1<sup>st</sup> and he<sup>asws</sup> was in the circumambulation, so he said to him<sup>asws</sup>, ‘Inform me about ‘الْجَوَادِ’ the benevolence’. So he<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘For your speech there are two aspects. So, if you are asking about the people, so the benevolence is that which one fulfils what Allah<sup>azwj</sup> has Obligated upon him, and if you are asking about the Creator, so He<sup>azwj</sup> is the ‘الْجَوَادِ’ Benevolent if He<sup>azwj</sup> were to ‘السَّخَاء<span dir="rtl" style="text-decoration: underline">ِ</span>’ Give, and He<sup>azwj</sup> is the Benevolent if He<sup>asws</sup> was to prevent, because if He<sup>azwj</sup> were to Give you, He<sup>azwj</sup> Gives you what is not yours, and if He<sup>azwj</sup> Prevents you, He<sup>azwj</sup> Prevents you from what is not for 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.