Imam al-Sadiq (as) was the most generous person at his time. He always tried to donate to the poor and the deprived. Narrators have reported many examples of his generosity, such as the following:
(1) Ashja al-Salami dropped in on to see the Imam (as), but he found him ill. As he asked about the cause, the Imam (as) answered, “Leave the cause. Tell me what for you came.” He answered, “I ask Allah (SwT) to give you the complete health from your illness and sleep. Wish the illness to free you, as you are freed from lowly requesting.” Imam al-Sadiq (as) understood what he needed; he therefore asked his servant whether he had something to give. The servant answered, “I have four hundred.” The Imam (as) ordered him to give it to the man.”
(2) Mufaddhal ibn Rummanah, one of the trustworthy companions, visited Imam al-Sadiq (as) and complained about his bad conditions, asking the Imam (as) to pray for him. The Imam (as) asked his servant to bring that package which Abu Jafar brought. When that package was brought, the Imam (as) said, “This package contains four hundred dinars. This might assist you.” Al- Mufaddhal said, “I swear by Allah (SwT) that I did not come for this, I just wanted to ask for your prayer.” The Imam (as) replied, “I will not forget to pray for you.”
(3) Once a poor man asked Imam al-Sadiq (as) for help, and the Imam (as) granted him four hundred dinars. He took them and thankfully left. The Imam (as) asked his servant to bring him back! His servant said, “He asked and he was given. So what should be there after the donation?” The Imam (as) replied: “The Holy Prophet (S) once said, ‘The best donation is that which enriches.’ But I did not make him rich. Now! Take this jewel and give it to him. I have paid ten thousands dinars for this. If he needs, he may sell it with this price.”
(4) Imam al-Sadiq (as) had a ranch near al-Madinah called Rain Ziyad. It contained a lot of dates. When the dates were ripe, he commanded his agents to open public ways in the walls of the ranch through which people could get inside the garden and get benefits from the dates. He used to order his agents to give an amount of dates to the neighbours of the ranch who could not come either because of old age or illness. What remained would be carried to the city to be distributed among the people and most generally amongst the poor and the needy. The price of the dates that was the result of the ranch reached to four thousands dinars. He used to donate three thousands and keep one thousand for himself.
(5) Imam al-Sadiq (as) used to give whatever he had in charity until no food or cloth would remain for him and his family. One day, a man passed by the Imam (as) who was eating something. The man did not greet the Imam (as), but the Imam (as) invited him to have a share in their meal. Some of his companions were not pleased with this invitation; they therefore said, “Usually, one should greet and then being invited, but this man did not greet you intentionally.” The Imam (as) smilingly faced him and said: “This is a kind of method that has some miserliness.”
THE LIFE OF IMAM JAF’AR AL-SADIQ (AS) – BAQIR SHARIF AL-QURASHI