‘Ali bin Abi Hamza says, “One of my friends was a scribe in the employ of Bani Umayya. One day he requested me to take him to Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.). I took him to Imam (a.s.). He saluted and said, ‘May my life be sacrificed upon you, I had been in the employ of Bani Umayya as a scribe and have earned a huge amount of wealth without giving any thought to right or wrong.’ Imam (a.s.) said,
‘If people like this had not been in the service of Bani Umayya to write letters for them, collect their wealth for them, fight their enemies and attend their assemblies, they (Bani Ummaya) would not have usurped our rights. And if they had been left alone they would not have been able to accumulate any wealth more than what they had.’
The man said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you, can I attain salvation after what I have done?’ Imam (a.s.) said,
‘Separate whatever wealth you have earned from them and try to return it to the rightful owners if you know them. Whatever you cannot deliver should be given as charity (Sadaqah) on their behalf so that I can guarantee that Allah will send you to Paradise.’
Upon hearing this, the young man bowed his head thoughtfully for sometime. Then he raised his head and said, ‘May I be sacrificed on you, I will do as you have ordered.’ After this he accompanied me to Kufa and returned all his wealth to the rightful owners as much as it was possible; the rest he gave away as Sadaqah. He even gave up the dress he was wearing. I procured some money for him and bought him a dress and gave him some amount for his expenses. After some months he fell ill and I paid him a visit. I found that he was in a very serious condition. He opened his eyes and told me, ‘‘Ali ibn Abi Hamza, by Allah, your Imam (a.s.) has fulfilled his promise.’ He died soon after. I supervised his final rites and returned to Madinah to meet Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.). Imam (a.s.) said,
‘O ‘Ali! I have fulfilled my promise to your friend.’
I said, ‘May I be sacrificed upon you! You speak the truth, because my companion testified to it at the time of his death.’” ( Wasail us shia)