On Various Traditions From Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Ridha صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم

28-66 My father and Muhammad ibn Al-Hassan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Waleed - may God be pleased with them - narrated that Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Attar and Ahmad ibn Idris quoted on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn Imran al-Ash’ari, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Hashem, on the authority of Dawood ibn Muhammad al-Hindi, on the authority of a companion that a man named Abi Sa’eed al-Mukari went to see Al-Ridha صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and rudely asked, “Have you reached the point at which you claim to be what your father also claimed to be?” The Imam صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم told him, “None of your business! May God darken your life and make you poor. Don’t you know that the Honorable the Exalted God revealed to Imran صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم that He would grant him a son, but first gave him (the Blessed Baby) Mary صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and then gave Jesus صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم to (the Blessed Lady) Mary صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم? Thus Jesus صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and Mary صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم are two different people, but they are one and the same thing. I am from my father صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, and my father صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم is from me. My father صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and I are also one and the samething.” Abi Sa’eed said, “Then let me ask you a question.” The Imam صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said, “I do not think that you will accept my answer. You are not one of my friends or followers. However, ask anyways.” Abi Sa’eed said, “Consider someone makes a will at the time of his death and says that all his old slaves should be freed. Which of his slaves should be freed?” The Imam صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said, “Yes. The Blessed the Sublime God says the following in His Book, ‘…till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date-stalk.’ Therefore, whoever has been a slave for more than six months is considered an old slave and should be freed.”The narrator added, “The man left there and became poor. He was poor until he died. He did not even have enough bread to eat at night. May God damn him!”