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What has come in Reference to Slaves
فضالة عن ابان عن عبد الله بن طلحة عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال استقبل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله رجل من بنى فهد وهو يضرب عبدا له والعبد يقول أعوذ بالله فلم يقلع الرجل عنه فلما أبصر العبد برسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله قال: أعوذ بمحمد فاقلع الرجل عنه الضرب فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: يتعوذ بالله فلا تعيذه ويتعوذ بمحمد فتعيذه والله أحق ان يجار عايذه من محمد فقال الرجل: هو حر لوجه الله فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله والذي بعثني بالحق نبيا لو لم تفعل لواقع وجهك حر النار
4.Faḍālah narrated from Abān, from ʿAbdullāh ibn Ṭalḥah, from Abū ʿAbdillāh (a) who said, “A man from the Banī Fahd [once] passed by the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) as he was beating a slave of his, and the slave was crying out, ‘I seek refuge with Allah!’ yet the man did not desist from [beating] him. When the slave saw the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), he said, ‘I seek refuge with Muḥammad!’ so the man stopped beating him. [Seeing this,] the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said, ‘He seeks refuge with Allah but you do not leave him, yet when he seeks refuge with Muḥammad you leave him? This is while one who seeks refuge with Allah is more deserving of being pardoned than [one who seeks refuge with] Muḥammad!’ So the man [felt remorse and] said, ‘He is free for the sake of Allah!’ The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said, ‘By the One who sent me as a Prophet with truth, if you had not done so, your face would have fallen into the heat of the Fire.’”
الحسن بن علي قال: سمعت أبا الحسن عليه السلام يقول: إن علي بن الحسين عليهما السلام ضرب مملوكا ثم دخل إلى منزله فاخرج السوط ثم تجرد له ثم قال: اجلد علي بن الحسين فأبى عليه فأعطاه خمسين دينارا.
5.Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī said, “I heard Abā al-Ḥasan (a) say, ‘ʿAlī ibn al- Ḥusayn (a) struck a slave [of his], then he entered his house and came out with a whip. He then took off his shirt and said to him, ‘Whip ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn [for his having struck you]!’ but the servant refused, so he gave him fifty dīnārs.”[1]
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What has come in Reference to this World and One who Seeks it
حدثنا الحسين بن سعيد قال: حدثنا محمد بن سنان عن طلحة بن زيد عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: سمعته يقول: إن مثل الدنيا مثل الحية، مسها لين وفى جوفها السم القاتل يحذرها الرجل العاقل ويهوى إليها الصبيان بأيديهم.
1.Al-Ḥusayn ibn Saʿīd narrated to us, “Muḥammad ibn Sinān narrated to us from Ṭalḥah ibn Zayd, from Abū ʿAbdillāh (a) whom he heard saying, ‘The example of this world is like a snake, it is soft to the touch yet within it lies a lethal poison. The wise person is cautious of it, yet children are inclined to touch it with their hands.’”
فضالة بن أيوب عن عبد الله بن فرقد عن أبي كهمش عن عبد المؤمن الأنصاري عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: استحيوا من الله حق الحياء فقيل يا رسول الله: ومن يستحيى من الله حق الحياء؟ فقال: من استحيى من الله حق الحياء فليكتب اجله بين عينيه وليزهد في الدنيا وزينتها ويحفظ الرأس وما حوى والبطن وما طوى ولا ينسى المقابر والبلى.
2.Faḍālah ibn Ayyūb narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn Farqad, from Abū Kahmash, from ʿAbd al-Muʾmin al-Anṣārī, from Abū Jaʿfar (a) who said,“The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said, ‘Be ashamed in front of Allah with true shame.’ Someone asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, who is [considered to be] ashamed in front of Allah with true shame [and how can this be achieved]?’ He (ṣ) said, ‘Whoever wants to be ashamed in front of Allah with true shame, let him always keep his death before his eyes, be abstemious in this world and [uninterested in] its embellishments, protect the head and all that it perceives [of sight, sound, taste, and thought] as well as the stomach and all that it digests [from that which is forbidden], and [let him] never forget the graves and the decrepit ruins [which show that this world is evanescent].’”
فضالة عن داود بن فرقد قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام ما يسرني بحقكم الدنيا وما فيها فقال: أف للدنيا وما فيها وما هي يا داود هل هي الا ثوبان وملاء بطنك؟
3.Faḍālah narrated from Dāwūd ibn Farqad who said, “I told Abū ʿAbdillāh (a), ‘By your right,[1] this world and what it contains does not please me.’ He said, ‘Fie upon this world and what it contains! And what is it O Dāwūd? Is it anything other than two pieces of cloth and that which fills your belly?’”
عثمان بن عيسى عن سماعة قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: اصبروا على طاعة الله واصبروا من معاصي الله فإنما الدنيا ساعة فما مضى منها فلست تعرفه فاصبر على تلك الساعة التي أنت فيها وكانت قد أعطيت.
4.ʿUthmān ibn ʿĪsā narrated from Samāʿah who said, “I heard Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) say, ‘Remain patient in obeying Allah, and remain patient in keeping away from disobeying Allah, for indeed this world is short lived; that which has passed from it is [such that you find neither joy nor sorrow for it now, while that which has not yet come is] [1] unknown to you, so remain patient in the present moment that you are in, and it will be as though you have been granted [its reward].’”
النضر عن درست عن إسحاق بن عمار عن ميسر عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: لما نزلت هذه الآية: (ولا تمدن عينيك إلى ما متعنا به أزواجا منهم زهرة الحياة الدنيا) استوى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله جالسا ثم قال: من لم يتعز بعزاء الله تقطعت نفسه حسرات على الدنيا ومن أتبع بصره ما في أيدي الناس طال همه ولم يشف غيظه ومن لم يعرف الله عليه نعمه الا في مطعم أو مشرب قصر عمله ودنى عذابه.
5.Al-Naḍr narrated from Durust, from Isḥāq ibn ʿAmmār, from Muyassir, from Abū Jaʿfar (a) who said, “When the following verse was revealed: Do not gaze longingly at what We have given some of them to enjoy, the [fleeting] finery of this worldly life… (Q20:131), the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) sat up straight and then said, ‘Whoever does not take solace with the consolation of Allah will overwhelm himself with [sorrow and] regret for [what he has lost of] this world; and whoever follows with his gaze that which is in the possession of others, his sadness will be prolonged and his anger will never subside; and whoever does not recognize the blessing of Allah upon him except in his food or drink, his action will fall short and his chastisement will be near.’”
النضر بن سويد عن إبراهيم بن عبد الحميد عن إسحاق بن غالب قال: قال لي أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: يا إسحاق كم تر أصحاب هذه الآية؟ ان أعطوا منها رضوا وان لم يعطوا منها إذا هم يسخطون، ثم قال لي: هم أكثر من ثلثي الناس.
6.Al-Naḍr ibn Suwayd narrated from Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd, from Isḥāq ibn Ghālib who said, “Abū ʿAbdillāh (a) said to me, ‘O Isḥāq, how many [people] do you think the following verse refers to: If they are given some of it they are pleased, but if they are not given from it they get enraged (Q9:58)?’ Then he said to me, ‘They are more than two-thirds of the people.’”
النضر عن إبراهيم بن عبد الحميد عن إسحاق بن غالب قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: في هذه الآية ج ولولا أن يكون الناس أمة واحدة لجعلنا لمن يكفر بالرحمن لبيوتهم سقفا من فضة ومعارج عليها يظهرون، قال: لو فعل لكفر الناس جميعا
7.Al-Naḍr narrated from Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd, from Isḥāq ibn Ghālib who said, “I heard Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) speaking about the following verse: Were it not that people might have become a single nation [of disbelievers], We would have given all those who disbelieve in the Compassionate [Lord] houses with roofs of silver, and sweeping stairways to ascend (Q43:33). He (a) said, ‘If He did so all the people would be disbelievers.’”
الحسين بن علوان عن سعد بن طريف عن الأصبغ بن نباته قال: كنت جالسا عند أمير المؤمنين صلوات الله وسلامه عليه فجاء إليه رجل فشكا إليه الدنيا وذمها فقال له أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام: ان الدنيا منزل صدق لمن صدقها ودار غنى لمن تزود منها ودار عاقبة لمن فهم عنها مسجد أحباء الله ومهبط وحى الله ومصلى ملائكته ومتجر أوليائه اكتسبوا فيها الجنة وربحوا فيها الرحمة فلما ذا تذمها؟ وقد آذنت ببينها ونادت بانقطاعها ونعت نفسها وأهلها فمثلت ببلائها إلى البلاء وشوقت بسرورها إلى السرور، راحت بفجيعة وابتكرت بعافية تحذيرا وترغيبا وتخويفا فذمها رجال غداة الندامة وحمدها آخرون ذكرتهم فذكروا وحدثتهم فصدقوا فيا أيها الذام للدنيا المعتل بتغرير هامتي استذمت إليك الدنيا وغرتك؟ أبمنازل آبائك من الثرى؟ أم بمضاجع أمهاتك من البلى؟ كم مرضت بكفيك؟ وكم عللت بيديك تبتغى له الشفاء وتستوصف له الأطباء لم ينفعه اشفاقك ولم تعفر طلبتك مثلت لك به الدنيا نفسك وبمصرعه مصرعك فجدير بك أن لا يفنى به بكائك وقد علمت أنه لا ينفعك أحبائك.
8.Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿUlwān narrated from Saʿd ibn Ṭarīf, from Aṣbagh ibn Nubātah who said, “I was seated with Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a) when a man came to him and complained about the world and spoke ill of it. So Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a) told him, ‘Verily this world is an abode of truth for the one who is veracious with it, an abode of riches for the one who takes provisions from it [for the Hereafter], and an abode of consequence for those who comprehend it. It is the place of prostration by those who love Allah, the place where the revelation of Allah descended, where His angels pray [and send salutations], where His friends conduct trade [for the Hereafter] in which they earn Paradise and profit from [Divine] mercy. So why do you criticise it when parting from it has been announced and the call to separate from it has been made, and it has informed [everyone] of its own death and the death of its inhabitants? Through its trial it exemplifies the trial [of the Hereafter] and through its delight it exemplifies the delight [of Paradise]. It departs with tragedy and arrives with wellbeing, as a warning, an enticement, and a frightening alarm. Hence, some people criticised it after their regret and others praised it. It reminded them, so they remembered and it spoke to them, so they accepted [its speech]. So O you who are criticising this world while being beset by its delusions, when did the world elicit your disdain and [how did it] deceive you? Was it by the abodes of your forefathers within the earth or the tombs of your mothers in the decrepit ruins? How many sick people did you tend to yourself and care for by your own hands? You would seek out a cure for him and consult physicians, yet neither did your concern benefit you, nor did you achieve what you sought. Through him, the world demonstrated to you your own reality, and by his demise, your own [eventual] demise. So it behoves you that your tears should never end, as you have realised that your loved ones cannot benefit you.’”
