Story No. 417 – IMAM REZA (AS) AND RESPECT FOR HUMANITY
Imam Reza’s (as) behavior with the poor, the slaves, the servants, and the destitute, was humane in the deepest sense of the word. Imam Reza (as) looked on them as his co-religionists and brothers in humanity. One of his followers related the following:
I was with Imam Reza (as), when he travelled to Khorasan. One day he laid the table-cloth and gathered all his servants. “May I be your ransom”, I said, “would not it be better if you lay a separate table-cloth for these?” Do not say that, the Holy Imam Reza (as) replied, “The Lord, the Blessed and High, is One, and all the human beings are the children of Adam and Eve, and everyone shall be rewarded or punished according to his deeds. One of his servants Nadir, says: Imam Reza (as) would never assign a task to any of us, the servants, while we were eating, until we had finished. Another servant, Yasir, reported the same about Imam Reza (as), saying, Imam Reza (as) said to us: “If I request you to do something and you are eating, do not get up until you have finished”. Sometimes he called for some of us, but when he was told that we were eating, he would say. “Leave them till they finish their food”. When Imam Reza (as) had spare time, he would gather all his servants, and talk to them. Imam Reza (as) would show his pleasure with them, which he did to please them. And when he sat at the dining table-cloth, he would invite all those around him, to eat food with him. |