When questioned...

When questioned, he replied: “This fowl is unlawful and Allah has protected me from unlawful things.” After this incident, the Jews got hold of a neighbour’s fowl with the intention of paying him later and sent it to Abu Talib, but once again the Noble Prophet (S) refused to eat the food, saying: “This food is dubious (with respect to its lawfulness).” When the Jews came to know of these incidents, they commented, “This child shall come to possess a lofty rank and status.”[^4] By Unlawful Means During the period when Imam Baqir (as) was in the captivity of Mansur Dawaniqi (the second ‘Abbasid Caliph), he used to eat very little food.

Once, a righteous lady who was the follower of the Ahlul Bayt prepared two loaves of bread by lawful means and sent it to the Imam (as) so that he could eat them. The jail warden said to Imam (as): “A certain pious lady, who happens to be your follower has sent these loaves as a present for you and has sworn that it has been made out of lawful means and has requested you to eat them.” The Imam (as) refused to accept the loaves and asked for them to be returned to the lady.

“Tell her: We know that your food is lawful; however, since you have made it reach us by unlawful means, it does not befit us to eat it,” he said.[^5] The Satan’s Snare One of the students of Ayatullah Sheikh Murtaďa Ansari recounts: “One night, while we were in Najaf engaged in studies under the tutelage of the Sheikh, I saw Shaitan in my dreams. He was armed with numerous ropes and cords in his hands. “What are these ropes for?” I asked him.

He replied, “I put them around people’s necks, draw them towards myself and ensnare them. Just last night, I had put one of these strong cords around the Sheikh’s neck and had managed to drag him from his room to the middle of the street in which his house is situated, but unfortunately he escaped from my clutches and returned home.” The next morning when I went to the Sheikh, I related the previous night’s dream to him. “Shaitan has spoken the truth,” the Sheikh explained.

“That accursed had desired to beguile me but by the grace of Allah, I escaped from his grasp. Yesterday, I did not have any money to purchase something for the house. I said to myself: ‘I have one riyal from the money of Imam al-Zaman (as) and there is still some time before I can put it to use.