A Bedouin Arab came to Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and said:
“O son of the Messenger of Allah, I am burdened with a great debt that I cannot repay. I told myself to seek help from the most generous of people, and I found none more generous than the family of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).”
Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) said to him:
“O brother Arab, I will ask you three questions. If you answer one, I will give you one-third of your debt. If you answer two, I will pay two-thirds, and if you answer all three, I will pay your debt in full.”
The Bedouin replied:
“O son of the Messenger of Allah, how can someone like you, from a family of knowledge and nobility, ask questions of someone like me?”
Imam (peace be upon him) said:
“Yes, because I heard my grandfather say, ‘Kindness to others should be based on their level of understanding.’”
The Bedouin replied:
“Ask whatever you wish. If I know the answer, I will respond, and if not, I will learn from you.”
Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) asked:
“What is the best action?”
The Bedouin replied:
“Faith in Allah.”
The Imam then asked:
“What protects a servant from destruction?”
The Bedouin replied:
“Reliance and trust in Allah.”
The Imam asked:
“What is the adornment of a person?”
The Bedouin replied:
“Knowledge accompanied by patience and forbearance.”
The Imam asked:
“What if that is not available?”
The Bedouin replied:
“Wealth combined with generosity and magnanimity.”
The Imam asked:
“What if that is also not available?”
The Bedouin replied:
“Poverty endured with patience.”
The Imam asked:
“What if even that is not possible?”
The Bedouin replied:
“A lightning bolt from the sky that burns such a person, for someone like this deserves such a fate!”
Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) smiled and handed him a pouch containing one thousand dinars and a ring valued at two hundred dirhams. He said:
“O Arab, pay off your debt with the dinars and use the value of the ring to support your livelihood.”[1]
The Bedouin took the gift and said:
“Indeed, Allah knows best where to place His message”[2]
Taken from the book Durar al-Akhbar by Allama Muhammad Baqir Majlisi [3]
Footnotes:
[1]Jami’ al-Akhbar, p. 381.
[2] Reference to Quranic verse 6:124: “Allah knows best where to place His message.”
[3] Adapted from the Persian translation of Durar al-Akhbar by Mehdi Hejazi, Alireza Hejazi, and Mohammad Eidi Khosrowshahi.