Imam Sajjad (PBUH) used to consider\npeople\u2019s \u201cfinancial hardship\u201d as a catastrophe. Financial hardship is when one\nsees poverty growing in an Islamic country such that its elimination is\nextremely difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an example one of the companions of\nImam Sajjad had complained to him about his debt; Imam cried of disappointment.\nWhen they asked him why he was crying, the Imam responded, \u201cIsn\u2019t it that\nshedding tears are for grave calamities? Which calamity is greater than when a\nperson sees his brother in faith in need of something that he cannot obtain or\nsee him in a situation that he cannot solve.\u201d1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The life of Imam Sajjad (PBUH) is a\nclear example of the Imam\u2019s emphasis on solving people\u2019s financial problems in\npractice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Narrations have reported how the Imam\ndivided his wealth twice and gave it away in the way of Allah.2 Hidden financial help was one of the ways\nthat Imam Sajjad (PBUH) would solve the issue of poverty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Muhammad ibn Ishaq has narrated, \u201cA\ngroup of people lived in Medinah, but did not know who is sustaining their\nliving conditions. When Ali ibn Hussein\n(PBUH) was martyred, they no longer received their nightly payments.\u201d3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another narrator reports, \u201cAli ibn\nHussein had been accused of greed. But\nwhen he was no longer in this world, people realized that he had supported the\nliving of more than a hundred families in Medina.\u201d4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along side the hidden financial help,\nthe Imam would also help through other methods. \nImam Reza (PBUH) has narrated a hadith from his grandfather Imam Ali ibn\nHussein (PBUH), \u201cI am ashamed from Allah to see one of my brothers (whom) I\npray to Allah for him to go paradise, but that I would remain greedy towards\nhim in this world. And when the Day of\nJudgment arrives, they would tell me, \u2018If heaven was in your hands, for sure\nyou would have been much greedier, much greedier, much greedier.\u201d5<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking at the matter as such shows\nthat a pious person does not fight poverty only for purposes of attaining\nworldly riches; rather, he\/she also considers the blessings of the hereafter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we compare these stances of Imam\nSajjad (PBUH) with what Bani Umayyid rulers would do, such as using public\nwealth towards making a luxurious life for themselves, wasting, always putting\ntheir needs ahead of the people\u2019s needs, and cutting off the income of Imam\nAli\u2019s (PBUH) followers and families of soldiers who had angered the dynasty, it\nis obvious that the manner in which Imam Sajjad (PBUH) acted was opposite that\nof the dynasty. It was in fact a\npolitical fight with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In reality, the Imam (PBUH) stood up\nagainst the way the dynasty would take advantage of the people\u2019s financial\nsituation. He would not allow the unjust\nto force the poor and those harmed to obey the dynasty using money they had\nusurped. The rulers would force the less\nfortunate to even commit crimes. The\nhelp provided by the Imam (PBUH) prevented this situation through his ongoing\nassistance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Selection taken from Hujjatul Islam\nSayyid Muhammad Reza Husseini Jalali\u2019s The Jihad of Imam Sajjad (PBUH)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Imam Sajjad (PBUH) used to consider people\u2019s \u201cfinancial hardship\u201d as a catastrophe. Financial hardship is when one sees poverty growing in an Islamic country such that its elimination is extremely difficult. As an example one of the companions of Imam Sajjad had complained to him about his debt; Imam cried of disappointment. When they asked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28248],"tags":[20895,17778,18537,20894,20896,20431,18418,19764,19901],"class_list":["post-4321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","tag-2018-04-22","tag-allah","tag-cry","tag-fighting-poverty","tag-financial-hardship","tag-imam-sajjad","tag-occasion-letters","tag-poverty","tag-problem"],"yoast_head":"\n