The late Kulayni and some other great scholars (may Allah bless them) narrate from Yas’a bin Hamza – one of the companions of Imam Ali bin Musa Reza (peace be upon him) – as follows:
One day, I was present in the gathering of the Imam (peace be upon him), where many people from various backgrounds were asking questions about what is lawful and unlawful, and the Imam was responding to each one of them in a complete and eloquent manner.
In the midst of this, a tall man entered, greeted the Imam, and addressed him, saying:
“O son of the Messenger of Allah! I am one of your friends and a lover of your noble and distinguished ancestors, the Ahl al-Bayt. I am currently on my way to Mecca, but I have lost my travel funds and provisions. I have nothing left to return to my homeland. If possible, please assist me so that I can return to my country. Since I am not a recipient of alms, when I reach my home, I will donate whatever you give me to the poor in your name for the sake of Allah.”
The Imam (peace be upon him) said: “Sit down, may Allah’s mercy be upon you,” and then he continued talking with the people in the gathering, answering their questions.
When the session of discussion and questioning came to an end and the people had left, I, along with Sulaiman al-Ja’fari and a few others, remained with the Imam (peace be upon him).
The Imam (peace be upon him) said: “Do you allow me to go inside?”
Sulaiman al-Ja’fari replied: “Your arrival is a blessing, you are the one who holds the authority.”
After that, the Imam (peace be upon him) got up and went into a room. After a few moments, he called from behind the door and said: “Where is the traveler from Khurasan?”
The Khurasani man replied: “I am here.”
The Imam (peace be upon him) extended his blessed hand over the door and said: “Come, take these two hundred dirhams, use them as travel expenses, and there is no need to give them as charity.”
Then the Imam (peace be upon him) added: “Now, leave quickly, so that we do not see each other.”
When the Khurasani traveler took the money, he bid farewell and left the Imam’s house. The Imam (peace be upon him) came out of the room and sat beside us.
Sulaiman al-Ja’fari said: “O son of the Messenger of Allah! May our lives be sacrificed for you! Why did you do that and hide yourself?”
Imam Ali bin Musa Reza (peace be upon him) replied: “I did not want that poor man to feel ashamed and humiliated in front of me.”
(Excerpted from the book Forty Stories and Forty Hadiths from Imam Reza (peace be upon him), written by Abdullah Salehi)