The same gentleman has narrated from Sayyid Al-Ridha Musavi Khandalrnri, who was an accomplished Sayyid scholar that his uncle (mother's brother) Sultan Muhammad was a tailor by profession, but he in a very bad financial condition.

He says: One day, when I saw him pleased and overjoyed, I asked him the reason for it. He replied: Wait a minute, I am about to die due to the intensity of happiness. Last night I wept much due to the deprivation of my children, although the Eid was close by and entreated to Imam Ali ('a) since he was the most valiant and generous of all the people in the world, and was aware of my troubles.

When I went to sleep, I saw that as I emerged from the gate of the Eid prayer house, I saw a huge garden, whose fort was made of gold and silver. It had a gate, in which a number of people were standing. I went to them and asked: Whose garden is this? They replied: It belongs to His Eminence, Amir ul-Mu’minin ('a). I requested them to permit me to meet His Eminence. They said: Right now the Messenger of Allah (S) is there.

After that when they permitted me, I said to myself, that first I should meet the Messenger of Allah (S) and take a letter of recommendation from him. When I came to the Prophet and complained to him about my problems, he said: Go to your master, Abu ‘l-Hasan. I asked him to write a letter of recommendation. His Eminence gave me a letter and also sent two persons along with me. When I met Imam Ali ('a), he asked: Sultan Muhammad, where were you?

I replied: I have come into your refuge from the worries of the world and the letter of the Messenger of Allah (S) is also there with me. The Imam took the letter, read it and then glanced at me. He held my arm tight and led me to the boundary wall of the garden and indicated to the wall and it cracked and a dark and long hall became visible. He took me inside. I was extremely terrified. He made another sign and there was light. Then a door became visible and I perceived a strong stench.

He said to me harshly: Go in and take whatever you want. I went inside and saw a ruin filled with carrion. The Imam ('a) said with emphasis: Hurry up (scavenging animals were also there in large numbers.) I extended my hand due to the awe of the Imam and the leg of a dead frog came into my hand. I picked it up. He asked: Have you taken it? Yes, I replied. He said: Come.

On my return the hall was lighted. In its center were placed two huge cooking pots on extinguished stoves. He said: Sultan Muhammad, dip whatever you are holding in the water and take it out. When I dipped it in the water it turned into gold. Imam ('a) saw me, but his displeasure had decreased. He said: Sultan Muhammad, this is not in your interest. Do you want my love or this gold? I said: Your love. He said: Then throw it into that ruin. As soon as I threw it, I woke up and a fine smell reached my nostrils. I wept till the morning on my good fortune and thanked the Almighty Allah that I preferred the love of the Imam.

Aga Sayyid Al-Ridha said: After that the worldly troubles and worries of Sultan Muhammad were dispelled and the condition of his children also improved.

It is possible to conclude some important points from this story, which we shall mention in brief, as it is beyond the scope of this book to explain them in detail and those interested may refer to other books.

First of all, the importance of wealth and prosperity: It is clear for all sensible people that if a person accords importance to wealth and pelf more than his religion and hereafter, it is of no avail. A person should consider wealth only as a means for improving his rank in the hereafter and not consider it to be an end in itself. He should guard his wealth and must not even spend a penny of it in sinful way. At the same time, he should not be stingy when he is expected to spend in religious matters. He should not hesitate even a little bit in order to spend all he has for the hereafter.

As opposed to this, there is a person having a lot of wealth, but his attachment to wealth is only at the level of materialism. He considers all of it solely to be a means of fulfillment of his selfish desires. Life after death, Paradise and Hell and all such things are mere words for him. When he says that Judgment Day is a fact, and the balance, Siraat Bridge, Paradise and Hell are all facts; it is only the words that he utters and his sincere attachment is only to the world, in that case, excess of wealth and worldly successes are great calamities and everlasting misfortune.

The simile of this man is of that fellow, who is supposed to get rulership and kingdom and is on way to occupy his throne; on way to his kingdom he passes through a ruin filled with corpses of animals and other carrion, and instead of proceeding, he halts there and decides to live there forever. Instead of enjoying royalty, he is content with eating carrion. Thus. in this story also there is a mention of a ruin full of animal corpses, because wealth and worldly success most of the time prove to be traps for man, which make him his prey; that is the love of those things takes root in his heart and he become heedless of the higher world and the connection with the world after death is severed.