Aslam

It is reported that Abdullah-b-Jafar went to see a garden of his and on the way he entered a garden of grapes belonging to another. He saw a black slave with food in front and a dog was present there. The slave threw a piece of bread infront of the dog who ate it. Then he gave the dog another piece of bread which it at. Thereafter he gave a third bread to the dog which it ate. Hazrat Abdullah was looking at it. He asked the slave : What quantity of food do you get daily ? He replied : This is what you have seen, He asked : Why have you given to the dog without fulfilling your need ? He said : There are no dogs in this region. This dog has come from a distance hungry. Therefore, I did not wish to eat the bread. He asked : How can you go on to- day ? He said : I will bear hunger. Abdullah thought within himself : People tell me that I am a philanthropic man. I see this slave a more philanthropic man. Then he gave the garden to this slave and purchased his freedom.

Hazrat Omar said that when a companion of the Prophet was presented with the head of a goat, he said : The want of my brother Muslim is greater than mine. He sent it to him. The latter also thought likewise and sent it to a third Muslim. Thus the head of the goat roamed to seven houses and returned to the first man.
The Quraish youths one day surrounded the house of the Prophet in order to kill him. Hazrat Ali, in order to save his life, thought his life insignificent and went to the bed of the Prophet.
God then addressed Gebriel and Michael and said : I have stablished brotherhood among you and gave you equal period of life. Who is there among you who can sacrifice his life for another ? Both of them preferred to save his own life. God then said to

1 96 The Book of Destructive evils Vol-IH

him : Why could you not show example like Ali? I have etablshed brotherhood between him and MUhammad, and Ali is pending the night by lying upon the bed of Muhammad in order to save the life of the latter. Go to the earth and save him from his enemies. Gebriel began to protect im keeping near his head and Michael near his feet. Gebriel said to Ali : Blessed you are, blessed you are. There is no comparison with you. God is taking boast of you before the angels. God then sent this revelation : There is a man among men who sacrifices his life in search for the pleasure of God and God is merciful over His servants — 2 207Q.

More than thirty pious person lived with the saint Hasan Antqi. Once they stayed in a village within the province of Rai with some pieces of bread which were not sufficient for food of all. They broke their breads into pieces and extinguished the light and sat for eating. When the cloth was lifted up, it was seen that the breads remained as they were before. None ate them.
Everybody showed self-sacrifice after giving opportunity to his comrades.