When I do not claim more pensions for my status...

When I do not claim more pensions for my status, how could you expect to get more? `Ali (a.s) believed that the share of big, small, Qarashi or others, is equitably [1] Al-Istī`āb, Vol 2, Page 50 same in the funds of the bayt al-mal . He did not make any discrimination on the basis of color, descent, nationality or the place of origin of the people. He had announced that he would eliminate all discrimination on the basis of status in the society.

When `Aqil heard this, he asked `Ali (a.s) whether he wanted to treat him on par with the Nubian Slave? The Imam (a.s) said: “Sit down! May Allah be kind on you! If you want to have precedence over him, it could only be on the basis of Piety and precedence in embracing the Faith!” Once two women came to `Ali (a.s) He gave them equal amounts to both. One said that she was an Arab woman and free and the other woman was a slave girl.

She complained that he was treating them equally though she was superior to her. `Ali (a.s) lifted some earth from the ground, looked at it, and said: “It is not in my knowledge that Allah has made one superior over the other, unless one is more pious than the other!” Once Sahl ibn Hunayf brought his Abyssinian slave along with him and told `Ali (a.s) that the slave had come to take his share from the bayt al-mal . Sahl asked how much the slave will get?

The Imam (a.s) asked how much he himself had received. He said every one got 3 Dinars each. The Imam (a.s) said then he too would get three Dinars! Once Ummu-Hani’ bint Abi-Talib came to the Imam (a.s) He gave her 20 dirhams from the bayt al-mal . She turned to her non-Arab slave and asked her what she had received? She replied that she had also received 20 dirhams.

Then Ummu-Hani’ came to the Imam (a.s) and said that she had been given the same allowance as was given to her slave, not considering her superior status. `Ali (a.s) said: “By Allah! In this money Banū-Isma`il has no preference over Banū-Ishaq!” `Ali’s sense of justice and equity did not permit him to give any preference to relationship to change the norms of distribution of the funds of the bayt al-mal .

Therefore, when `Aqil, his brother, complained of his poverty and penury and asked for money from the bayt al-mal , `Ali (a.s) asked him to be patient for some more days when others would get their allowances and he too will be given.