Chapter on Merit of Volunteering in Good Deeds

And from him, from a number of our companions, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from his father, from Sa’adan ibn Muslim, from Musa ibn Bakr, from Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام, peace be upon him: Imam عليه السلام said: “You giving your fasting brother food, with which to break his fast, is better than your fasting.”

And from him, from Ali ibn Mahziyar, from Harun ibn Muslim, from Masadah ibn Sadaqah, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Imam عليه السلام said: “Sadir entered upon my father (Imam al-Baqir عليه السلام) in the month of Ramadan. And Imam al-Baqir عليه السلام said: “O Sadir, do you know which nights these are?” So he (Sadir) said: “Yes, may my father be your ransom, these are the nights of the month of Ramadan. So what about it?” Imam al-Baqir عليه السلام said to him: “Are you able to free, on every night of these nights, ten slaves from the children of Ismail?” So Sadir said to him: “May my father and my mother be your ransom, my wealth does not reach that.” Imam al-Baqir عليه السلام continued reducing it until he brought it down to one slave, and in all of that he (Sadir) would say, ‘I am not able to do it.’ Imam al-Baqir عليه السلام said to him: “Then are you not able to give, on every night, a Muslim man food with which to break his fast?” Sadir said to Imam al-Baqir عليه السلام: “Yes, and ten.” So my father (Imam al-Baqir عليه السلام) said to Sadir: “That is what I intended, O Sadir. Your giving your Muslim brother food, with which to break his fast, is equal to freeing a slave from the children of Ismail.”

Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Faddal, from Muhammad ibn Hammad ibn Zayd, from his father, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, from his father عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Imam عليه السلام said: “The Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, said: ‘Whoever gives a fasting person food with which to break his fast, he shall have the like of his reward, without anything being diminished from it, and whatever righteousness he does through the strength of that food.’”

And from him, from Jafar ibn Uthman, from al-Hasan ibn Mahbub, from Abu Ayyub, from Abu al-Ward, from Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Imam عليه السلام said: “The Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, delivered a sermon on the last Friday of Shaban. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم praised Allah سبحانه وتعالى and extolled Him سبحانه وتعالى, and spoke some words, then said: ‘The month of Ramadan has come upon you. Whoever gives a fasting person food with which to break his fast in it, by that he shall have with Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic, the freeing of a slave and forgiveness of his past sins.’ It was said to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم: “O Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, not all of us are able to give a fasting person food with which to break his fast.” Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: “Indeed, Allah سبحانه وتعالى is generous. He سبحانه وتعالى gives this reward to one who is not able except to provide a mixture of milk (madhqah) with which he gives a fasting person to break his fast, or a drink of fresh water, or some dates, and he is not able to provide more than that.”