Nahj al-Balāgha

٢٧٠. وَرُوِيَ أَنَّهُ ذُكِرَ عِنْدَ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ فِي أَيَّامِهِ حَلْيُ الْكَعْبَةِ وَكَثْرَتُهُ، فَقَالَ قَوْمٌ: لَوْ أَخَذْتَهُ فَجَهَّزْتَ بِهِ جُيُوشَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَانَ أَعْظَمَ لِلْأَجْرِ، وَمَا تَصْنَعُ الْكَعْبَةُ بِالْحَلْيِ؟ فَهَمَّ عُمَرُ بِذَلِكَ، وَسَأَلَ عَنْهُ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عليه السلام).

270. It is related that during the days of (Caliph) ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, the question of the excess of the ornaments of the Ka‘bah was mentioned to him and some people suggested: If you prepare with it an army of Muslims that will be a matter of great reward; and what would the Ka‘bah do with the ornaments? ‘Umar thought of doing so but asked Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, when he said:

فقال (عليه السلام): إِنَّ القُرْآنَ أُنْزِلَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ (صلى الله عليه وآله) وَالْأَمْوَالُ أَرْبَعَةٌ: أَمْوَالُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَقَسَّمَهَا بَيْنَ الْوَرَثَةِ فِي الْفَرَائِضِ، وَالْفَيْءُ فَقَسَّمَهُ عَلَى مُسْتَحِقِّيهِ، وَالْخُمُسُ فَوَضَعَهُ اللهُ حَيْثُ وَضَعَهُ، وَالصَّدَقَاتُ فَجَعَلَهَا اللهُ حَيْثُ جَعَلَهَا. وَكَانَ حَلْيُ الْكَعْبَةِ فِيهَا يَوْمَئِذٍ، فَتَرَكَهُ اللهُ عَلَى حَالِهِ، وَلَمْ يَتْرُكْهُ نِسْيَاناً، وَلَمْ يَخْفَ عَلَيْهِ مَكَاناً، فَأَقِرَّهُ حَيْثُ أَقَرَّهُ اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ.

When the Qur’ān was descended on the Prophet, peace be upon him and his descendants, there were four kinds of property. One, the property of Muslim individuals which he distributed among the successors according to fixed shares. Second, the tax (fay’) which he distributed to those for whom it was meant. Third, the One-fifth (khums) levy for which Allāh had fixed the ways of disposal. Fourth, amounts of charity (ṣadaqāt) whose disposal was also fixed by Allāh. The ornaments of Ka‘bah did exist in those days but Allāh left them as they were, but did not leave them by omission, nor were they unknown to Him. Therefore, you retain them where Allāh and His Prophet placed them.

فقال له عمر: لولاك لافتضحنا. وترك الحَلْي بحاله.

Thereupon, ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said: If you had not been here we would have been humiliated; and he left the ornaments as they were. [1]