سَاءَتْ حَالِي فَكَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ أَدِمْ قِرَاءَةَ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنا نُوحاً إِلى قَوْمِهِ قَالَ فَقَرَأْتُهَا حَوْلًا فَلَمْ أَرَ شَيْئاً فَكَتَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ أُخْبِرُهُ بِسُوءِ حَالِي وَ أَنِّي قَدْ قَرَأْتُ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنا نُوحاً إِلى قَوْمِهِ حَوْلًا كَمَا أَمَرْتَنِي وَ لَمْ أَرَ شَيْئاً قَالَ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ قَدْ وَفَى لَكَ الْحَوْلُ فَانْتَقِلْ مِنْهَا إِلَى قِرَاءَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ قَالَ فَفَعَلْتُ فَمَا كَانَ إِلَّا يَسِيراً حَتَّى بَعَثَ إِلَيَّ ابْنُ أَبِي دَاوُدَ فَقَضَى عَنِّي دَيْنِي وَ أَجْرَى عَلَيَّ وَ عَلَى عِيَالِي وَ وَجَّهَنِي إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ فِي وَكَالَتِهِ بِبَابِ كَلَّاءَ وَ أَجْرَى عَلَيَّ خَمْسَمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ وَ كَتَبْتُ مِنَ الْبَصْرَةِ عَلَى يَدَيْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ( عليه السلام ) إِنِّي كُنْتُ سَأَلْتُ أَبَاكَ عَنْ كَذَا وَ كَذَا وَ شَكَوْتُ إِلَيْهِ كَذَا وَ كَذَا وَ إِنِّي قَدْ نِلْتُ الَّذِي أَحْبَبْتُ فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ تُخْبِرَنِي يَا مَوْلَايَ كَيْفَ أَصْنَعُ فِي قِرَاءَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ أَقْتَصِرُ عَلَيْهَا وَحْدَهَا فِي فَرَائِضِي وَ غَيْرِهَا أَمْ أَقْرَأُ مَعَهَا غَيْرَهَا أَمْ لَهَا حَدٌّ أَعْمَلُ بِهِ فَوَقَّعَ ( عليه السلام ) وَ قَرَأْتُ التَّوْقِيعَ لَا تَدَعْ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ قَصِيرَهُ وَ طَوِيلَهُ وَ يُجْزِئُكَ مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ يَوْمَكَ وَ لَيْلَتَكَ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ .
Translation
A number of our companions, from Sahl Bin Ziyad, from Ali Bin Suleyman, from Ahmad Bin Al Fazl, from Abu Amro Al Haza’a who said, ‘My situation worsened, so I wrote to Abu Ja’far<sup>asws</sup>. So he<sup>asws</sup> wrote to me: ‘<span class="ibTxt"><a href="/#/books/quran:71#h1"><a href="/books/quran:71#h1">[71:1]</a></a> Surely We sent Nuh to his people</span>’ (the Chapter). He (the narrator) said, ‘So I recited it for a year but I did not see anything. So I wrote to him informing him<sup>asws</sup> of my evil condition, and that I had recited ‘<span class="ibTxt"><a href="/#/books/quran:71#h1"><a href="/books/quran:71#h1">[71:1]</a></a> Surely We sent Nuh to his people</span>’ (the Chapter) for a year just as you<sup>asws</sup> had instructed me, but I did not see anything’ (improvement in my situation). So he<sup>asws</sup> wrote to me: ‘The year has passed for you, so transfer from it to the recitation of <span class="ibTxt">[97] We have indeed revealed this</span> (the Chapter)’. He (the narrator) said, ‘So I did it, and it was only a short time until Ibn Abu Dawood sent to me, so he paid of my debts form me and (made an income) to flow upon me and my dependants, and diverted me to Al-Basra regarding to his representation at Baab Kala’a, and made to flow Five hundred Dirhams upon me (as a salary). I wrote from Al-Basra upon the hands of Ali Bin Mahziyar, to Abu Al-Hassan<sup>asws</sup>: ‘I had asked your<sup>asws</sup> father<sup>asws</sup> about such and such, and I complained to him<sup>asws</sup> of such and such, and I have obtained that which I like. So I would like it if you<sup>asws</sup> could inform me, O my Master<sup>asws</sup>, how I should deal regarding the recitation of Chapter 97. Shall I confine upon it along in my Obligatory Prayers and others, or shall I recite others along with it, or is there a limit for it I can work with’. So he<sup>asws</sup> signed, and I read the letter: ‘Do not leave from the Quran, the short of it and the long of it, and it would suffice you from the recitation of Chapter 97, in your day and in your night, one hundred times’.
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.