Reward of concealment of one’s poverty
Thawāb al-Aʿmāl wa ʿiqāb al-Aʿmāl|Volume 1|Book 2|Chapter 409
أَبِی ره قَالَ حَدَّثَنِی أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِدْرِیسَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ یَحْیَی عَنْ یَعْقُوبَ بْنِ یَزِیدَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْبَصْرِیِّ یَرْفَعُهُ إِلَی أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص یَا عَلِیُّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَعَلَ الْفَقْرَ أَمَانَهً عِنْدَ خَلْقِهِ فَمَنْ سَتَرَهُ کَانَ کَالصَّائِمِ وَ مَنْ أَفْشَاهُ إِلَی مَنْ یَقْدِرُ عَلَی قَضَاءِ حَاجَتِهِ فَلَمْ یَفْعَلْ قَتَلَهُ أَمَا إِنَّهُ مَا قَتَلَهُ بِسَیْفِهِ وَ لَا رُمْحِهِ وَ لَکِنْ بِمَا أَنْکَرَ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ.
1. Imam Ja’far Sadiq عليه السلام narrates that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said, “O Ali عليه السلام! The Almighty Allah has kept poverty among His creatures as a trust. One who keeps it hidden will be like one who stays awake at night for Allah and observes fast. One who reveals his poverty in front of a person who can fulfill his desire but does not do so, such a person has killed that poor man. This person is not killed by a sword or a lance but by a wound on his heart.”