Imam Ali (peace be upon him) turning to those around him asked...

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) turning to those around him asked: Who is this person and how is his state? They replied: O’ Amirul Mu'mineen (peace be upon him)! He is a Christian; and spoke in a manner which conveyed that he should not be given any assistance. Noticing this, the Imam (peace be upon him) exclaimed: What? Till such time that he had the strength to work, you extracted work from him, and now that he has turned frail, you leave him uncared-for!

It appears that when he was strong, he used to work and serve. Having said this, the Imam (peace be upon him) ordered: He should be given a pension from the Public Treasury. [^5] The Benefits of Assisting a Poor One year, Abdullah Ibn Mubarak resolved to go to Makkah for Hajj. One day, as he was passing through a lane, he suddenly witnessed a woman, who bent down, picked up a dead and putrid fowl from the ground and hid it under her cloak! Abdullah said to her: O’ Lady!

Why have you picked up this fowl? The woman replied: Need and adversity have compelled me to resort to such an act! When Abdullah heard this, he took the indigent woman to his house and handed her the five hundred dinars that he had set aside for Hajj. That year, he did not go for Hajj. When the other pilgrims returned after having performed their pilgrimage, he proceeded to welcome them.

As soon as they set their eyes upon him, they said to him: We have seen you performing the rites of Hajj at A’rafaat, Mina and other places. Astonished, Abdullah approached the Imam (peace be upon him) and narrated the entire episode to him, whereupon he (peace be upon him) clarified: God had created an angel, in your likeness, to perform the pilgrimage of the House of God (in your place).

[^6] The Neighbour of Sayyid Jawaad Sayyid Jawaad A’amoli, a jurist and the author of the book Miftaah al-Karaamah*,* narrates: One night as I was having my meals, someone knocked at the door. Opening the door, I saw it was the servant of Sayyid Bahr al-U’loom. He said to me: The dinner of Sayyid Bahr al-U’loom is ready and he awaits you.

I accompanied the servant to the house of Sayyid Bahr al-U’loom; as soon as I arrived in his presence, he said: Do you not fear God that you tend to be so negligent? I said humbly: O’ Teacher! What is the matter? He said: One of your brethren in faith, out of indigence, has only been able to provide his family dates, and that too on credit; seven days have passed without them having eaten anything except dates.