Consuming the Properties of Orphans

3. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn abu Nasr who has said the following: “I once asked abu al-Hassan عليه السلام, about the case of a man who in his hand has properties of orphans and is needy. He extends his hand to take a certain amount with the intention to return. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not proper for him to consume it, except with moderation and without excess; but if his intention is not to return, he then is like the one about whom Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has said, “Those who consume the properties of orphans unjustly. . . .” (4:12)’”