The Seerat Of Amir al-Mu'mineen (SA)
It was the month of Ramadan. The streets of Kufa were still hot from the day's unbearable heat. A musafir (traveler) was walking through the streets. His clothes had a thin layer of sand, his amamat was worn low on his forehead against the harsh rays of the sun, his shoes worn out from the long walk. Hungry for food and tired, his eyes caught the tall and beautiful minaret of the masjid. He quickened his pace towards the masjid, entered, and said Salaam. Straining his eyes, he saw a lonely figure inside and his ears picked up the low hum of prayers filling every corner of the masjid. The musafir knew in his heart that he was in the presence of a very saintly man, a Wali of Allah Ta'ala.
The musafir laid his masallah near the mehrab and prayed namaaz. He saw the Wali unlock a wooden chest, take out a handful of food and eat it. The musafir having not eaten anything all day, went closer to the Wali and asked, "Saheb, I have had nothing to eat since yesterday. Please give me something to eat." The quiet, peaceful voice of the Wali replied, "Brother, I do not have anything that you would like to eat." The musafir insisted, "I just saw you eat a handful of something. You look like a pious, good muslim and yet you refuse to give me food." Upon the musafir's insistence, the Wali opened up the wooden chest and gave the musafir some food to eat. The hungry man grabbed the handful and put it in his mouth. Suddenly he was choking on the dry and tasteless food. He could not swallow it. He looked at the man, his eyes filled with tears of pain. "Brother, what did you give me to eat?" The Wali replied, "That was the dry flour of jav (wheat)."
"Saheb, flour is very cheap in this part of the country. Why do you keep it locked? Is it that you are afraid of thieves?", questioned the unknowing musafir. The Wali answered, "I know flour is cheap and I am not afraid of the thieves either. I keep this chest locked because when I am not around my sons mix butter and sugar in it. You look very hungry. Go the house of Hasan (AS) and Husain (AS). During the month of Ramadan, they serve many varieties of food to those who are fasting and hungry. Go join them and delight yourself in the company of good people and delicious food." The musafir folded his masallah, took the directions to the house, and then went to join in the festivities.
Hundreds of people were gathered together at the home of Maulana Hasan (SA) and Maulana Husain (SA), all seated and enjoying delicious food. As the musafir entered the courtyard, two very tall, handsome men approached and invited him to dinner. The musafir sat and ate his fill. As he was leaving the house, Hasan (SA) and Husain (SA) stopped him and said, "We've been watching you and have seen that your face is sad, and your eyes have tears in them. Do you have a family somewhere? Are they also hungry? If so, we have plenty of food. Please bring them here to eat or take some food for them."
The musafir answered, "Maula, I have no family. I am a poor man, but I saw a man praying at the masjid, his clothes are old and he is eating dry flour. While eating the delicious food in your home, I was thinking of him and crying. If you give me some food, I will take it to him." Maulana Husain (SA) put his right hand on the musafir's shoulder and said, "Brother, the man you saw in the masjid praying is the Allah's Wali, Mohammad Rasulallah's (SA) Wasi, and our beloved father Ameerul Mumineen Ali (AS). The delicious food you just ate is all provided by him."
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