Shaqeeq al-Balakhy went out to make the pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah (Mecca) in the year 149 A. H. or in the year 146 A. H. He stopped at al-Qadisiya. When he resided in the place, he began supervising the pilgrims and took care of their readiness (for the hajj). While he was busy looking at the pilgrims, he saw, as he says, a handsome, brown, and thin young man wearing a woolen garment on his clothes sitting alone and withdrawing himself from the people far away from their affairs and from associating with them. He (Shaqeeq al-Balakhy) thought that the young man belonged to Sufis and wanted to be a heavy burden on the pilgrims, for he had no provisions. Shaqeeq al-Balakhy decided to go to him to scold him, that he might refrain from that in which he was and return to rightness. When he approached him, the young man gently said to him: “O Shaqeeq al-Balakhy, avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin.” He said no word more than these words. Then Shaqeeq al-Balakhy left him and went away. He was dazzled, remained perplexed in thinking and intellect: Who ordered the young man to utter his name and know his inner thoughts? He admired him very much and was assured that he was among the righteous servants of Allah. He repented of his neglecting his affairs, so he decided to go to him in order to ask him for pardon and to forgive him his sin. He hurried to him but did not find him. When the caravans stopped at the Valley of Fudda, Shaqeeq al-Balakhy saw his companion praying, shaking with fear of Allah, and his tears flowing down his cheeks. He kept silent until he finished his prayer. Before he asked him (for pardon), the young man had turned to him and said: “O Shaqeeq, recite: And most surely I am most Forgiving to him who repents and believes and does good, then continues to follow the right direction.
Then Shaqeeq left him and went away. He roamed in a current of suspicions and thoughts, then he began saying: “O Allah! How wonderful! He revealed twice what my soul had hidden! Surely he is among the righteous! He is one of the rightly-guided who turns to Allah in repentance!” He reflected for a long time on his affairs. Any way, the caravan walked and began covering the desert. When it arrived at al-Abwa’, Shaqeeq went out to wander at it. Suddenly he saw the young man. He hurried to him. He found him standing by a well to take some water with a coffeepot. The coffeepot fell into the well and the young man glanced at the heaven; he addressed Allah with submission and faith, saying:
“You are my drink of water when I become thirsty and my food when I desire food!
“My Lord! My Master! I have none except You! Therefore do not deprive me of it!”
He said no word more than these words and suddenly the water began rising to the top of the well; the coffeepot was floating on it. He stretched out his hand and took it; then he made the ritual ablution out of it. He performed four ruk’as and then he bent down a sand hill. He took a handful of sand and put it into the coffeepot. He stirred it and drank some of it. Shaqeeq greeted him and said: “Give me some of the food with which Allah has provided you!”
“Shaqeeq, Allah still bestows upon me outwardly and inwardly,” explained the Imam, “therefore you must have good opinion of your Lord.” Then he gave the coffeepot to Shaqeeq and he drank out of it and found in it fine flour and sugar. Shaqeeq said that he never drank something more delicious than it. He lasted for some days and he had no appetite for food and drink. Then he left him and went away. He did not meet him in any place except in Mecca. He found him beside Qubat al-Shirab in the dark night standing and performing prayers with humbleness, moaning, and weeping. He continued performing that till the light of dawn appear; then he rose and went to Hashiyat al-Mataf and performed the two ruk’as of the dawn. Then he performed the morning prayer with the people; then he went to the House (the Kaaba) and circumambulated it after the sunshine; then he went out of the House and Shaqeeq followed him in order to greet him and to have the honor of meeting him. He found that the retainers and the followers had surrounded him. He admired that situation and hurried to ask those around him about the owner of that situation, and it was said to him: “This is Musa al-Kazim.” Accordingly, Shaqeeq was sure that the Imam was worthy of such a miracle on which a poet has composed a poem, saying:
Ask Shaqeeq al-Balakhi about what he has seen of him.
He said: When I performed the hajj, a pale, thin, brown person.
He was alone and had no provisions. I was always thinking of him.
I imagined that he would beg the people; I did not know that he would perform the major hajj.
When we stopped at (al-‘Abwa), I saw him on the red sand him.
He was putting sand into the coffeepot. I called him out and my intellect was perplexed.
Give me a drink. When he gave the drink, I saw that it was fine flour and sugar.
I asked the pilgrims who was it? It was said: “This is Musa b. Ja’far.”
The story of Shaqeeq shows some of the Imam’s miracles and that he was endowed with faith and knowledge of what souls hidden. ( Akhbar al-Duwal, p. 112. Jawharat al-Kalam, pp. 140-141. )