Hadith 32-22

حَدَّثَنا أَبي‏رحمه الله قالَ: حَدَّثَنا عَلِىِّ بْنِ إِبراهِيمِ بْنِ هاشِم، عَنْ أَبيهِ، عَنْ عَلِىِّ بْنِ معبد، عَنْ الحُسَيْنِ بْنِ خالِد، عَنْ أَبي الحَسَن‏ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ قالَ: قُلْتُ لَهُ كَمْ تُجْزِي الْبَدَنَةُ قَالَ عَنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ قُلْتُ فَالْبَقَرَةُ قَالَ تُجْزِي عَنْ خَمْسَةٍ إِذَا كَانُوا يَأْكُلُونَ عَلَى مَائِدَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ قُلْتُ كَيْفَ صَارَتِ الْبَدَنَةُ لا تُجْزِي إِلا عَنْ وَاحِدَةٍ وَالْبَقَرَةُ تُجْزِي عَنْ خَمْسَةٍ قَالَ لانَّ الْبَدَنَةَ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهَا مِنَ الْعِلَّةِ مَا كَانَ فِي الْبَقَرَةِ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَمَرُوا قَوْمَ مُوسَى‏ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ بِعِبَادَةِ الْعِجْلِ كَانُوا خَمْسَةَ أَنْفُسٍ وَكَانُوا أَهْلَ بَيْتٍ يَأْكُلُونَ عَلَى خِوَانٍ وَاحِدٍ وَهُمْ أذينوه وَأَخُوهُ ميذويه وَابْنُ أَخِيهِ وَابْنَتُهُ وَامْرَأَتُهُ وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ أَمَرُوا بِعِبَادَةِ الْعِجْلِ وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ ذَبَحُوا الْبَقَرَةَ الَّتِي أَمَرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِذَبْحِهَا.

My father - may God have Mercy upon him - narrated that Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashem quoted on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ali ibn Ma’bad that Al-Husayn ibn Khalid asked Abil Hassan Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.), “For how many people is the offering of a camel (for sacrifice on the ‘Eid ul-Adha) enough of an offering?” Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) replied, “One.” Then he asked, “What about offering a cow?” Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) replied, “For five individuals it is enough, if they spend and eat together.” Then he asked, “Why does offering one cow suffice for five people while offering a camel does not?” Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) replied, “It is because of the reason there lies behind a camel which does not lie behind a cow. The people of the Children of Israel who invited the people to worship the calf were five. They were all from the same home and they all ate together. They were Azinooneh, his brother Mabzooneh, his brother’s son, his daughter and his wife. [23] They were the ones who invited the people to worship the calf. They were the same ones who killed the cow which God had ordered to be offered for sacrifice.” [24]