Thereupon said the two young men: "O, Amîr-el-Muʾmanîn! verily we give our father's blood to this young man, that his trouble be changed into gladness—lest it should be said, Benevolence has gone from among men."
Then the Imâm rejoiced that the young man had received pardon, and at his truth and fidelity. And he declared the humanity of Abu-Zarr to be greater than that of any of the Associates seated with him. And he approved the benevolent intention of the two young men, and praised them in the warmest terms. And he quoted this couplet:
He who doth good shall not want for his rewards;
That which he hath done will be forgotten by neither God nor men.
Then he proposed to them that he should pay theprice of their father's blood out of the Treasury.[1]
- ↑ Bait-el-Mâl el Muslimîn: a treasury into which was paid—a fifth part of the spoils of war—the remainder of the wealth of one dying without heirs and leaving no will, after payment had been made of his debts—tribute levied on conquered countries—duties imposed upon foreign merchants—and taxes claimed from foreign settlers in Muhammadan cities. From it were paid—soldiers—men of learning—those who committed the Kurân to memory—the descendants of holy men—the expenses of fortifications, bridge-building, and the materials of war—poor and needy persons, and destitute orphans—and the funeral expenses of paupers. Such was the Bait-el-Mâl in the palmy days of el-Islám.
