Hadith 126

ct of the people and their supporters knows that. And as for ascetism in the world, he-asws is the chief ascetic, and a replacement substitute, and to him-asws the traveller is strengthened, and in his-asws presence the greed is shaken (broken). He-asws did not satiate from the good at all, and he-asws was eating the driest of food and coarsest of clothing. Abdullah Bin Abu Rafie, ‘I entered to see him-asws on the day of Eid. He-asws brought out a sealed bag wherein was dried barley bread pressed. He-asws brought it out and ate. I said, ‘O Amir Al-Momineen-asws! How come you-asws are sealing it? ’ He-asws said: ‘I-asws fear these two sons-asws that they might mix it with butter or oil’’. And his-asws clothing was patched with (animal) skin at times, and fibre at other times, and his-asws slippers were of fibre (from date tree branches), and he-asws was wearing the thick white cotton. Whenever he-asws found his-asws sleeve to be long, he-asws would cut it with a blade and did not sew it (folding). It did not cease to fall upon his-asws forearms until there did not remain anything having no strings sewed to it. And he-asws used to utilise a dip (sauce) whenever he-asws did so, with either vinegar or salt. So, if he-asws progressed from that, it would be with one of the vegetables of the earth. So, if he-asws progressed from that, it would be with a little from the milk of the camel. And he-asws did not eat the meat, except a little, and he-asws was saying: ‘Do not make your hearts (bellies) to be a graveyard of the animals’. And along with that, he-asws was the strongest of the people in strength, and their mightiest of hand. The hunger did not reduce any of his-asws strength nor did it diminish him-asws to be weak. And he-asws is the one who divorced the world, and the wealth would come to him-asws from entirety of the cities of, except from Syria, and he-asws would distribute it and apportion it, then he-asws said a couplet: ‘This is my-asws felony, and his choice in it, and every felon, his hand it to his mouth’. And as for the worship, he-asws was the most worshipping of the people and their most frequent of the Salat and Fasting, and from him-asws people learned the night Salat, and the necessary resources, and establishing the optional (Salat). And what are your thoughts with a man-asws whose preservation upon his-asws mention (of Allah-azwj) reached such that a cloth was spread out for him-asws between the two swords on ‘Laylat Al-Hareer’ (battle of Siffeen), and he-asws prayed his-asws Salat upon it while the arrows were falling in front of him-asws, and passing to his-asws two sides, right and left. But he-asws did not panic to that, nor did he-asws stand until he-asws was free from his-asws service. And what are your thoughts with a man his-asws forehead was like the callus of a camel due to his-asws prolonged prostrations. And when you ponder upon his-asws supplications, and his-asws whisperings (to Allah-azwj), and you pause upon what is therein from the reverence of Allah-azwj the Glorious and His-azwj Majesty, and what necessitates from the humbleness to His-azwj Awe,