Al-Kāfi

1- عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ قَالَ أَصَابَ أَهْلَ الْمَدِينَةِ غَلاءٌ وَقَحْطٌ حَتَّى أَقْبَلَ الرَّجُلُ الْمُوسِرُ يَخْلِطُ الْحِنْطَةَ بِالشَّعِيرِ وَيَأْكُلُهُ وَيَشْتَرِي بِبَعْضِ الطَّعَامِ وَكَانَ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) طَعَامٌ جَيِّدٌ قَدِ اشْتَرَاهُ أَوَّلَ السَّنَةِ فَقَالَ لِبَعْضِ مَوَالِيهِ اشْتَرِ لَنَا شَعِيراً فَاخْلِطْ بِهَذَا الطَّعَامِ أَوْ بِعْهُ فَإِنَّا نَكْرَهُ أَنْ نَأْكُلَ جَيِّداً وَيَأْكُلُ النَّاسُ رَدِيّاً.

1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Isma’il ibn Mehran from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman who has said the following: “Once shortages of food took place in al-Madinah and even affluent people would mix wheat and barley for food and buy only a small amount of food. Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), had a good quality of food which he had purchased earlier in the beginning of the year. He (the Imam) then asked one of his agents to buy a certain amount of barely and mix it with their good quality of food or sell this good quality of food; adding, ‘I do not like to consume good quality of food when people consume a worse quality of food.’”

2- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ جَهْمِ بْنِ أَبِي جَهْمَةَ عَنْ مُعَتِّبٍ قَالَ قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَقَدْ تَزَيَّدَ السِّعْرُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ كَمْ عِنْدَنَا مِنْ طَعَامٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ عِنْدَنَا مَا يَكْفِيكَ أَشْهُراً كَثِيرَةً قَالَ أَخْرِجْهُ وَبِعْهُ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ وَلَيْسَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ طَعَامٌ قَالَ بِعْهُ فَلَمَّا بِعْتُهُ قَالَ اشْتَرِ مَعَ النَّاسِ يَوْماً بِيَوْمٍ وَقَالَ يَا مُعَتِّبُ اجْعَلْ قُوتَ عِيَالِي نِصْفاً شَعِيراً وَنِصْفاً حِنْطَةً فَإِنَّ اللهَ يَعْلَمُ أَنِّي وَاجِدٌ أَنْ أُطْعِمَهُمُ الْحِنْطَةَ عَلَى وَجْهِهَا وَلَكِنِّي أُحِبُّ أَنْ يَرَانِيَ اللهُ قَدْ أَحْسَنْتُ تَقْدِيرَ الْمَعِيشَةِ.

2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ali ibn ‘Isma’il from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Jahm ibn abu Jahm from Mu‘attib who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once, when food prices were rising, asked me, ‘How much food do we have?’ I (the narrator) replied, ‘There is enough food for several months.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Take it out to sell.’ I (the narrator) I said, ‘There is not enough food in al-Madinah.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must sell it.’ When I sold he (the Imam) said, ‘You must buy food every day as other people do.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O Mu‘attib, make half the supplies of food for my family from wheat and the other half barely; Allah knows that I can provide them wheat as it is, but I like that Allah see me planning my finances in a good manner.’”

3- عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ بُنْدَارَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ عَنْ مُحَسِّنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ عَنْ مُعَتِّبٍ قَالَ كَانَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَأْمُرُنَا إِذَا أَدْرَكَتِ الثَّمَرَةُ أَنْ نُخْرِجَهَا فَنَبِيعَهَا وَنَشْتَرِيَ مَعَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَوْماً بِيَوْمٍ.

3. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Bandar has narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah, from Muhsin ibn Ahmad from Yunus ibn Ya’qub from Mu‘attib who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan ‘Alayhi al-Salam, would command, at the time of harvest of fruit, to take them out and sell and then buy every day as Muslim people do.”