Morality of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (A.S.)

Attitude towards Two Needy Persons
Musmi ibn Abd al-Malik has reported: we were at Mina in the presence of Imam al-Sadiq and a group of Shiites. There were grapes before us and we were eating from them. A beggar appeared and demanded for help. The Imam picked up some grapes and wanted to give to him. The beggar refused it and said, “Give me money!” The Imam said, “Excuse me, I do not have money.” The beggar became disappointed and went away. After taking a few steps, the beggar regretted in making his decision and asked for the grapes to be given to him. The Imam did not give him the grapes.
A short time afterwards another beggar came asking for help. The Imam took a cluster of grapes and offered it to him. The beggar accepted it and said, “Praise belongs to the Lord of the worlds Who granted me my sustenance.”The Imam, hearing these words, ordered him to wait and gave him two handfuls of grapes. The beggar praised Allah for the second time. The Imam again told him to wait and not to leave. Then he turned towards one of his companions and asked, “How much money do you have with you?”
The man searched his pockets and found about twenty dirhams. He gave it to the beggar on the order of the Imam. For the third time, the beggar thanked Allah and said, “Praise only is due to Allah. O Allah, You are the Bestower of bounties and there is no associate for You.” Hearing these words, the Imam took off his garment and gave it to the beggar. Now the beggar changed his words and uttered some thankful words to the Imam and went away. We presumed that if the beggar had continued thanking and praising Allah in the same way as before, the Imam would have assisted him more.119
Praying To Allah
Abdullah ibn Yafur has reported: I heard Imam al-Sadiq, while raising his hands towards the sky, saying, “O Lord! Do not leave me even a moment to myself.” His eyes being tearful, the Imam turned to me and said, “O son of Yafur! Allah left (Prophet) Yunus, son of Matti (Matthew) less than a moment by himself and a calamity came about.” I said, “Did he go as far as being ungrateful to Allah?” The Imam said, “No, but dying in that situation would be perdition.”120
Patience in Hard Conditions
Qutaybah al-A’sha has reported: I went to the presence of Imam al-Sadiq to visit his ill son. I found the Imam sad and worried at the door. I asked, “May I be your ransom! How is the child?” Then Imam said, “By Allah! He is badly afflicted!” The Imam entered the house, stayed there for an hour and returned to us with shining face. It looked as though the sorrow had left Imam. I said hopefully to myself that may be the child had probably improved. So I said, “May I be your ransom! How is the child?” The Imam said, “He died!” I said, “May I be your ransom. When he was alive you were sad but now that he has died you are no sadder. How is it that?” The Imam said, “We, Ahl al-Bayt, are anxious before the calamity; but when Allah’s decree is passed, we are content with it and we are in a state of submission to Him.”121
Paradise, a Reward for Prayer
Abu-Basir has quoted Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.): I was circumambulating the Kabah when my father passed by me. Observing that I was sweating and endeavoring in performing my prayer, he said to me, “My son Jafar! When Allah loves a servant, He rewards him with Paradise and accepts little acts from him.”122
Kindness to Servants
Hafs ibn Aishah has reported: Imam al-Sadiq sent a slave on a mission. The slave was delayed for sometime. So the Imam went after him and found him sleeping. He sat near him and started to fan him. When the slave woke up, the Imam said, “You had no right to sleep at this hour. You should sleep at night and work for us during day.”123
Working Hard For Living
Abu-Amr al-Shaybani has reported: I saw Imam al-Sadiq in coarse garment, with a spade in his hands working and sweating in his orchard. I said,“May I be your ransom! Give the spade to me to do it.” The Imam said, “I like to work hard for living under the sun.”124
Worker’s Wage
Hannan ibn Shuayb has reported: We hired a group of people to work in the orchard of Imam al-Sadiq. When the work was finished, the Imam said to Mutib, “Pay the wage of workers before their sweat dry up.”125
Lawful Profit
Abu-Jafar Fazari has reported: Imam al-Sadiq called his servant, gave him a thousand dinars and said, “Be prepared for making a journey to Egypt for doing business, for our dependents have increased.” The servant prepared certain goods and set out for Egypt with the caravan of merchants. When they were near Egypt, they met a caravan leaving. They asked about the goods needed by people in Egypt, they said, “What you have is rare in Egypt.” So, they agreed to sell their goods with a good profit!
Having sold their goods, they returned to Medina and went to see Imam al-Sadiq. Having two purses of a thousand dinars each, the servant said,“May I be your ransom! One purse is the principal and the other is the profit”.Imam al-Sadiq said, “This is a huge profit! How did you sell the good?” The servant told the Imam the whole story. The Imam said, “Glory be to Allah! Did you collude to sell the goods with a high profit to Muslims?” Then he took one of the purses and said, “This is the principal money and I am not in need of its profit. Striking with a sword in a battlefield is easier than seeking what is lawful.”126
Notes:
112. Basa’ir al-Darajat: 495, H. 2
113. Al-Kafi: 8/4, H. 3
114. Al-Manaqib: 273/4
115. Al-Manaqib: 274/4
116. Al-udad al-Qawiyyah: 155
117. Rijal al-Kashshi: 184
118. Al-Kafi: 283, H. 1
119. Al-Kafi, 49/4, H. 12
120. Al-Kafi: 581/2, H. 15
121. Al-Kafi: 225/3, H. 11
122. Al-Kafi: 86/2, H. 4
123. Al-Kafi: 87/8, H. 50
124. Al-Kafi: 76/5, H. 13
125. Al-Kafi: 289/5, H. 3
126. Al-Kafi: 161/5, H. 1