Patience and Lawful Sustenance

Ali bin Abi Talib رضي الله عنه entered the mosque of Kufah one day, where he saw a man standing at the door of the mosque. He asked that man to hold his mount for him so he could enter.

Upon his exit, ‘Ali had two Dirhams in his hand that he had intended to give to the man in return for his services.

However, he found that the mule was still there, without its reigns. So he gave the two Dirhams to his servant Qanbar to purchase new reigns for his mule. At the marketplace, Ali’s servant found the exact reigns that the thief had sold for two Dirhams.

So Ali said to him, “Indeed, the slave forbids himself from lawful sustenance by abstaining from patience.