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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Anecdotes of The Ahlul Bayt The Importance of Work Work not- Just Pray An extremely anxious and perplexed man visited Hazrat Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (‘a), and begged him to pray that Allah would increase his sustenance and relieve him of all financial stress. The Imam (‘a) answered, ‘I shall certainly not pray for you.’ The poor man sighed and asked, ‘But why not?

What have I done?’ The Imam (‘a) replied, ‘You know perfectly well that Allah has devised means and ways of attaining prosperity. He has ordered you to leave your house and earn a living through hard work. You refuse to obey the law and foolishly hope praying for you will bring you prosperity.’ You work-I pray A number of pilgrims were narrating their experiences of Hajj to Imam Jafar al- Sadiq (‘a), and recounting their views about their fellow pilgrims.

One person was immensely impressed by a fellow pilgrim and said, ‘He was truly pious and an indefatigable worshipper of Allah. Whenever we broke journey to rest for the night, he retired to a secluded place, spread out his prayer mat and got engrossed in the worship of Allah.’ The Imam (‘a) enquired, ‘Who looked after the rest of his affairs? Who tended his camel?’ He replied, ‘Obviously, we performed all those duties for Allah’s pleasure.

He remained absorbed in the holy acts, and had no time for such menial chores.’ The Imam (‘a) replied, ‘No wonder you achieved more than he did with all his piety and worship. A New Convert Two neighbors became good friends. One was a Christian, the other, Muslim. They often discussed their religions to see what was more conducive to a civilized way of life, and then they adopted it.

The Muslim presented Islam with all its material and spiritual benefits, so the Christian, one day, embraced Islam. A few days later, earlier than dawn, somebody knocked at his door. ‘Whose there?’ asked the new convert, a little apprehensive. ‘I am your neighbour. It will soon be time for the morning obligatory prayer (Fajr), so wear your clothes, perform ablution and come with me to the mosque. Today, we will offer our prayers with the congregation.

The new Muslim consented, and they both reached the mosque. ‘Fasting is a means of gaining nearness to God,’ the neighbor said. The convert declared the intention of fasting for the day. Since there was some time left for the call for prayer (Aazaan) , they both offered some units of prayer for spiritual satisfaction.