Generosity

“I am a butcher and I slaughtered a goat near the site of incident. As I was cutting the meat, I had to go a little far for nature‟s call. Just as I finished, I saw a dead body nearby. Meanwhile people started gathering at the site. Seeing my blood-stained hands and my knife they assumed that I was the murderer since there was no one around besides me. No one had believed if I refused therefore I had no choice but to confess.”

When Ali ibn Abi Talib asked from the second person, he said, “I am a poor bedouin. I killed the man for money. After the murder, I had not yet taken out the money when I heard people coming so I hid. Then I saw that people were arresting this innocent man for the crime I had committed. I was extremely distressed, so I presented myself.” After hearing the whole incident, Ali ibn Abi Talib asked Hasan about his view. He replied, “O Leader of the Believers! If he killed one person, he also saved the life of the other. And Allah says:

)5 (:32 اعیمجسانلاایحاآمناکفاہایحانمو

Meaning: And whoever (saved a person from unjust murder and) made him survive, it would be as if he saved the lives of all the people (of society). )5:32( Thus, I suggest to forgive the bedouin.” Ali ibn Abi Talib was pleased at the intelligence and wisdom of Hasan ibn Ali. He forgave the bedouin on the suggestion of Hasan and commanded to pay the blood money of the killed from the treasury.

GENEROSITY

Traditions are the witness that Hasan ibn Ali never returned anyone empty-handed from his court and the door of his generosity always remained open. Ali ibn Usman al-Hajveri writes in Kashful-Mahjub: