Tradition

اَلْمُؤْمِنُ حَسَنُ الْمَعُونَةِ خَفِيفُ الْمَؤُنَةِ، جَيِّدُ التَّدْبِيرِ لِمَعِيْشَتِهِ لا يَلْسَعُ مِنْ جُحْر مَرَّتَيْنِ

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is narrated to have said: “A believing individual’s help is valuable, his expenses are little, he lives prudently (living according to plan), and he is never bitten from the same hole twice.”1

Brief Commentary

Faith has various signs which can be intellectual, moral, and social in nature. This tradition has mentioned four such signs which are present in those who have faith. The first sign states that those who have faith help their fellow human beings and their help is of great value. The reason behind this is that those who have faith act based on love, awareness, and complete sincerity towards others. This type of help is exponentially greater than help based on other motivations.

The second sign is that such people live a simple lifestyle far away from show and ostentation. Showy lifestyles naturally bring about a pressure which causes people to engage in sinful behavior in order to reach their financial goals. The third sign is that such people live their lives according to plan and this also relates to financial matters as well. The fourth sign is that whenever something goes wrong, they quickly learn their lessons and due to this reason, they are never harmed by the same thing twice.

• 1. Safinat al-Bihar, Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 241, Wasa'il Al-Shia, vol. 15, p. 193.