How did the Imams spend khums money?
Purpose of khums
(Al-Kafi, vol 1, page 537)
“Abu Abdillah [al-Sadiq] said:
Whoever claims that the Imam needs what is in the hands of the people, then he is a disbeliever. Rather, it is the people who need to be accepted by the Imam.
As Allah said: “Take from their money a charity that purifies and blesses them with it”
رفعه قال: قال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: من زعم أن الامام يحتاج إلى ما في أيدي الناس فهو كافر (3)، إنما الناس يحتاجون أن يقبل منهمالامام، قال الله عز وجل: " خذ من أموالهم صدقة تطهرهم وتزكيهم بها (4)
(Al-Kafi, vol 1, page 537)
“I heard Aba Abdilah [al-Sadiq] say:
I take from you dirhams (money) - even though I am among the richest of the people of Medina. I do this only seeking to purify you”
سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: إني لآخذ من أحدكم الدرهم وإني لمن أكثر أهل المدينة مالا ما أريد بذلك إلا أن تطهروا
How was khums spent by the Imams?
Two ways the Imams spent khums is by paying the poor, and by paying their deputies.
- Paying the poor
- Hadith #1
(Rijal al-Kashi, vol 2, page 421)
“I entered upon Abi Abdillah, peace be upon him, and I complained to him about my [financial] condition and asked him for supplication.
He (the Imam) said: ‘O slave girl, bring the bag that Abi Ja’far brought us.’ So she brought a bag containing 400 (gold) dinars.
The Imam said: “Use it”
I (narrator) said: May I be sacrificed for you, I did not want this. I simply wanted you to pray for me.
He (the Imam) said to me: I do not leave supplication, but do not tell people everything you are in”
31 - رجال الكشي: عن طاهر بن عيسى، عن جعفر بن أحمد، عن أبي الخير، عن علي ابن الحسن، عن العباس بن عامر، عن مفضل بنقيس بن رمانة قال: دخلت على أبي عبد الله عليه السلام فشكوت إليه بعض حالي وسألته الدعاء فقال: يا جارية هاتي الكيس الذي وصلنا بهأبو جعفر، فجاءت بكيس فقال: هذا كيس فيه أربعمائة دينار، فاستعن به قال: قلت: والله جعلت فداك، ما أردت هذا، ولكن أردت الدعاء ليفقال لي: ولا أدع الدعاء، ولكن لا تخبر الناس بكل ما أنت فيه
- Hadith #2 and #3
Al-Mufadal was the wakeel (deputy) of Imam al-Sadiq in Kufa and entrusted with the Imam’s money.
(Al-Kafi, vol 2, page 209)
“On the authority of Mufaddal, he said: Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) said: If you see a dispute between two of our Shi’a, then redeem it from my money.”
3 - عنه، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن ابن سنان، عن مفضل قال: قال أبو عبد الله (عليه السلام): إذا رأيت بين اثنين من شيعتنا منازعة فافتدهامن مالي (1).
Al-Mufaddal passed by us when my son in law and I were quarreling over an inheritance, so he stood over us for an hour, then said to us:
Come to the house, so we came to him, and he made peace between us for four hundred dirhams.
He said: “Indeed, it is not my money but Abi Abdillah (peace be upon him) commanded me if two of our companions had a dispute over something to reconcile between them and redeem it from his money, for this is from the money of Abi Abdillah (peace be upon him).”
4 - ابن سنان، عن أبي حنيفة سابق الحاج (2) قال: مر بنا المفضل وأنا وختني (3) نتشاجر في ميراث، فوقف علينا ساعة ثم قال لنا: تعالواإلى المنزل فأتيناه فأصلح بيننا بأربعمائة درهم فدفعها إلينا من عنده حتى إذا استوثق كل واحد منا من صاحبه، قال: أما إنها ليست منمالي ولكن أبو عبد الله (عليه السلام) أمرني إذا تنازع رجلان من أصحابنا في شئ أن أصلح بينهما وأفتديها من ماله، فهذا من مال أبيعبد الله (عليه السلام).
- Paying deputies
The deputies of the Imam are his connection to the outside world. In cases such as the Imam being imprisoned, under heavy surveillance, or is in physical distance from his followers - the deputy represents the Imam in word and action (and accordingly controls his money flow, and is in access to his secrets).
If the deputy becomes greedy for money (as the case of Ali ibn Ismail, presented in 2nd hadith below) - he could jeopardize the Imam’s secret movement.
Thus, the Imam made sure to generously financially subsidize these deputies with very high sums when they need it - to reinforce their loyalty and to avoid Shaytan tempting them to betray the Imam.
- Hadith #1
(Manaqib Ibn Shahr Ashoob, vol 3, page 512)
Three deputies of Imam al-Hadi enter upon the Imam, one of them complaining of debt. The Imam pays him more than enough and gives the same amount to the 2 other deputies. A total of 90,000 gold dinars was paid to the three of them.
It is likely the excess amount was for those specific deputies to take care of the Shi’a in their regions, as part of the Imam’s secret movement.
“Ahmad ibn Ishaq complained to the Imam that he had a debt. So he [as in, the Imam] told Abu Amro - who was his [chief] wakeel - to pay [Ibn Ishaq] 30,000 dinars. And pay Ali ibn Ja’far 30,000 dinars. And you [meaning, Abu Amro] take 30,000 dinars.” The hadith continues saying, “This is a miracle which only kings are capable of, and we have never heard of generosity to this extent.”
دخل أبو عمر عثمان بن سعيد وأحمد بن إسحاق الأشعري وعلي بن جعفر الهمداني على أبى الحسن العسكري فشكا إليه أحمد بنإسحاق دينا عليه فقال: يا أبا عمرو - وكان وكيله - ادفع إليه ثلاثين ألف دينار والى علي بن جعفر ثلاثين ألف دينار وخذ أنت ثلاثين ألفدينار. فهذه معجزة لا يقدر عليها إلا الملوك وما سمعنا بمثل هذا العطاء.
- Hadith #2
Imam al-Hadi taking care of his deputy’s debt with more than he needs is perhaps inspired by the incident between Imam al-Kadhim and his close deputy Ali ibn Ismail.
Ali ibn Ismail betrayed Imam al-Kadhim after being in debt, and rejected the Imam’s financial incentives.
(‘Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha, vol 2, page 72)
“Musa ibn Ja’far used to order (i.e, deputizing) Ali ibn Ismail and trusting him, to the extent perhaps the letters from the Imam would come in Ali ibn Ismail’s handwriting. But then, he became estranged from him (the imam).
Then when Ali ibn Ismail desired to take a journey to Iraq to see al-Rashid, Musa ibn Ja’far received the news that Ali son of his brother (Ismail ibn Ja’far) desires to leave with the Governor to go to Iraq.
He (the Imam) sent Ali a letter saying: Why are you leaving with the Governor?
He (Ali) said: Because I have a debt.
He (the Imam) said: Your debt is upon me.
He (Ali) said: What about managing my children?
He (the Imam) said: I suffice them
However, he (Ali) insisted on going, so the Imam sent Ali his brother Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Ja’far with three hundred dinars and four thousand dirhams - saying “keep this in your possesion, and do not orphan my children (by reporting me to al-Rashid)”
قال أبي: وكان موسى بن جعفر عليهما السلام يأمر لعلي بن إسماعيل ويثق به حتى ربما خرج الكتاب منه بعض شيعته بخط علي بنإسماعيل ثم استوحش منه فلما أراد الرشيد الرحلة إلى العراق بلغ موسى بن جعفر ان عليا ابن أخيه يريد الخروج مع السلطان إلى العراقفأرسل إليه مالك والخروج مع السلطان؟! قال: لأن على دينا فقال: دينك على قال:
فتدبير عيالي؟! قال: انا أكفيهم فأبى إلا الخروج فأرسل إليه مع أخيه محمد بن إسماعيل بن جعفر بثلاثمأة دينار وأربعة آلاف درهم فقال له: اجعل هذا في جهازك ولا تؤتم ولدى.
- Hadith #3 and #4
(Al-ghayba, vol 1, page 368)
“It was narrated on the authority of Hisham ibn Ahmar that he said: I brought money to Abu Ibrahim [al-Kadhim], peace be upon him, to Medina, and he said: ‘Give it to Al-Mufaddal ibn Umar’, so I put it on the door of Mufaddal.”
299 - It was narrated on the authority of Musa ibn Bakr that he said: I was in the service of Abu al-Hasan [al-Kadhim] and I did not see anything reaching him (of money) except from the side of the nahiya of al-Mufaddal.
I would perhaps see men bringing him (money) and he would not accept it, saying: ‘Send it to al-Mufaddal’”
وروي عن هشام بن أحمر قال: حملت إلى أبي إبراهيم عليه السلام إلى المدينة أموالا فقال: ردها فادفعها إلى المفضل بن عمر، فرددتها إلىجعفي فحططتها على باب المفضل (2).
299 - وروي عن موسى بن بكر قال: كنت في خدمة أبي الحسن عليه السلام فلم أكن أرى شيئا يصل إليه إلا من ناحية المفضل، ولربما رأيتالرجل يجئ بالشئ فلا يقبله منه ويقول: أوصله إلى المفضل (3).
