Perhaps, the only Shiite minister to have been widely popular amongst the people of all classes was Sahib Ibn Ubbad (326 ah to 385 ah). Initially he had been the minister of Muayyad al-Daulah Dailami (d. 373 ah), after whose death, he became the minister of Muayyad’s brother, Fakhr al-Daulah.
Sheikh Saduq compiled the book ‘Uyoon Akhbar al-Ridha for him while Husain Ibn Muhammad Qummi authored the book Tarikh Qum upon his orders.
During the period when he was the minister, it was not possible for one who came to him in the afternoon of the month of Ramadhan, to leave except after consuming iftar – at times the people breaking their fast at his place totaled one thousand in number. His charity in this holy month would equal that of all the other months combined as it was from his infancy that his mother had trained him to act in such a manner.
During his childhood, when he would start out for his classes, his mother would give him a dinar and a dirham everyday and advise him: “Give (these in) charity to the first needy you come across!” This act transformed itself into a habit for him.
From his childhood to youth and then on until he became a minister, he never disregarded the recommendation and training of his mother. Fearful of forgetting this recommendation, he instructed the slave, who was in-charge of his quarters, to place one dinar and one dirham under his mattress every night. Upon waking up in the morning, he would give them in charity to the first needy he encountered.
It so happened that one night the servant forgot to place the money. The next morning Sahib Ibn Ubbad, upon waking, thrust his hand under the mattress to collect the money only to realize that the servant had forgotten to place the money there. He took this to augur ill for himself and thought: “Surely, my end has drawn nigh that the servant forgot to place the charity.”
He ordered the blanket, mattress and pillows that lay in his bedroom to be given in charity to the first destitute that came his way as an expiation for the forgetfulness. Having collected all the items – all of which were costly and expensive – he set out of his house, only to encounter an old blind Sayyid (descendant of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w)), who was shedding tears as his wife led him by the hand.
Sahib’s servant went forward and asked him: “Will you accept these items?” The man asked: “What are the items?” The servant replied: “A blanket, mattress and some brocaded pillows.” As soon as he heard this the destitute fell down unconscious.
When Sahib Ibn ‘Ubbad was informed of this scenario he approached the man and ordered water to be sprinkled over his face. When the man had regained his consciousness, Sahib asked him: “What caused you to lose consciousness?”
He answered: “I am a respectable person. It is of late that I have fallen into bad times. I have a daughter from this wife who had reached the age of marriage; a person sought her hand in marriage and they were married. It has been two years now that we have been collecting items for her Dowry. Last night my wife said to me: “We must make arrangements for a blanket and brocaded pillows for my daughter.” Try as much as I could, I could not get her to change her mind till there ensued a dispute between us over this issue. Finally I said to her: “Tomorrow morning, hold my hand and take me out of the house”, so that I could pass in front of you. Then, when your servant spoke those words to me, it was but natural that I should fall down unconscious.”
Sahib was greatly affected by this speech. Summoning the daughter’s husband, he gave him sufficient wealth so that he could engage himself in a respectable profession, after which, he gave the entire dowry of the daughter in a measure befitting a minister’s daughter. ( Pand-e-Tarikh, vol. 4, pg. 112; Raudhah al-Jannat, pg. 105 )