In the city of Medina, there lived an unknown and lowly man who harbored a deep animosity and long-standing grudge against Imam Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him). The ruling government and its agents encouraged and supported his actions, urging him to express all the hatred he had in his heart towards the family of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the descendants of Ali (peace be upon him). This man was particularly determined to direct his long-standing venomous hatred towards the most prominent member of the Alawi family of his time, namely Imam Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him).
The man’s injustice reached such a point that a group of Imam Musa al-Kadhim’s (peace be upon him) companions sought permission to end his life with a single strike of the sword, thereby erasing this shameful chapter. They insisted that Imam (peace be upon him) allow them to rid themselves of the man’s verbal abuse and slander. However, whenever Imam (peace be upon him) heard this request from his companions, he would strongly dissuade them from such thoughts and would say: “I will personally punish him.”
One day, Imam al-Kadhim (peace be upon him), without taking anyone with him, mounted his horse and went to inquire about the situation of this man. His companions informed him that the man was working on his farm in the outskirts of Medina. Imam (peace be upon him) rode towards the farm, passing through the wheat fields. The man, recognizing the noble rider from a distance, shouted: “What are you doing? Where are you going?” Imam (peace be upon him) did not respond to the shouts and continued riding until he reached the entrance of the man’s barn.
At that point, Imam (peace be upon him) dismounted and greeted his enemy with a friendly smile, saying: “Now tell me, what damage has been caused to your farm by my carelessness that has made you so upset?” The man, still frowning, replied: “A hundred gold coins.” Imam (peace be upon him) asked, “And how much profit do you expect to make from this farm?” The man replied harshly, “I don’t know the unseen.” Imam (peace be upon him) said: “I did not ask about the unseen either.” The man thought for a moment and replied: “Two hundred gold coins.”
At this point, Imam al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) took a bag from his pocket, gave it to the man, and said: “This is the profit you expected from your farm. As you can see, your farm remains in its current state, and I hope that Allah will grant you the return you expected from it.”
The man, stunned and astonished by this kindness and generosity, stood up, bowed his head in humility, and was unable to lift his gaze to the Imam (peace be upon him).
That evening, when the companions of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) saw the man in the Prophet’s mosque in Medina, he was saying to the Imam: “Indeed, Allah knows better than anyone to whom He entrusts leadership”[1].
(Excerpted from the book “An Overview of the Life of Musa bin Ja’far (peace be upon him),” by Aqiqi Bakhshayi)
Footnote:
[1] (Surah Al-An’am, verse 124)