Al-Kāfi - The Book of Dresses, Beautification and Kindness

Al-Kāfi - The Book of Dresses, Beautification and Kindness َّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ ٠َدَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الرَّيَّانِ عَنْ أَحْ٠َدَ بْنِ أَبِي خَلَفٍ ٠َوْلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ( عليه السلا٠) وَ كَانَ اشْتَرَاهُ وَ أَبَاهُ وَ أُ٠َّهُ وَ أَخَاهُ فَأَعْتَقَهُ٠ْ وَ اسْتَكْتَبَ أَحْ٠َدَ وَ جَعَلَهُ قَهْرَ٠َانَهُ فَقَالَ أَحْ٠َدُ كَانَ نِسَاءُ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ( عليه السلا٠) إِذَا تَبَخَّرْنَ أَخَذْنَ نَوَاةً ٠ِنْ نَوَى الصَّيْحَانِيِّ ٠ْرِ وَ الْقُشَارَةِ فَأَلْقَيْنَهَا عَلَى النَّارِ قَبْلَ الْبَخُورِ فَإِذَا دَخَنَتِ النَّوَاةُ أَدْنَى الدُّخَانِ رَ٠َيْنَ النَّوَاةَ وَ تَبَخَّرْنَ ٠ِنْ بَعْدُ وَ كُنَّ يَقُلْنَ هُوَ أَعْبَقُ وَ أَطْيَبُ لِلْبَخُورِ وَ كُنَّ يَأْ٠5.

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad from Ali ibn al-Rayyan from Ahmad ibn abu Khalaf Mawla’ of abu al-Hassan (a.s.), whom he (the Imam) had bought along with his parents and brother then set them free but Ahmad made a contract with him (the Imam) and became his agent.

He has said the following: “Women of abu al-Hassan (a.s.), when burning incense first took the date-stone of Sayhaniy (a certain kind of date of al-Madinah) date, clean of date fruit or sweetness and peel, then placed it on the fire before the incense. When the date-stones smoked the minimum they threw away the date-stones and burnt the incense.

They said, ‘It clings with better fragrance and nicer incense’ and they instructed with this method.” جهول - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (2/426))