Hadith 30-31

حَدَّثَنا أَبي رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا عَلِىُّ بْنُ مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ بْنِ أَبي جَعْفَرٍ الكُمُندانِيُّ، وَيَحْيَى العَطَّارُ، عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى، عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبي نَصْرِ البِزَنْطِيِّ قالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الحَسَن الرِّضا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ رَجُلاً مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ قَتَلَ قَرَابَةً لَهُ ثُمَّ أَخَذَهُ فَطَرَحَهُ عَلَى طَرِيقِ أَفْضَلِ سِبْطٍ مِنْ أَسْبَاطِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ ثُمَّ جَاءَ يَطْلُبُ بِدَمِهِ فَقَالُوا لِمُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ إِنَّ سِبْطَ آلِ فُلانٍ قَتَلُوا فُلاناً فَأَخْبِرْنَا مَنْ قَتَلَهُ قَالَ ائْتُونِي بِبَقَرَةٍ قَالُوا أَتَتَّخِذُنا هُزُواً قالَ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْجاهِلِينَ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ عَمَدُوا إِلَى بَقَرَةٍ أَجْزَأَتْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ شَدَّدُوا فَشَدَّدَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ قالُوا ادْعُ لَنا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنا ما هِيَ قالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّها بَقَرَةٌ لا فارِضٌ وَلا بِكْرٌ يَعْنِي لا كَبِيرَةٌ وَلا صَغِيرَةٌ عَوانٌ بَيْنَ ذلِكَ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ عَمَدُوا إِلَى بَقَرَةٍ أَجْزَأَتْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ شَدَّدُوا فَشَدَّدَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ قالُوا ادْعُ لَنـا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنـا مـا لَوْنُها قالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّها بَقَرَةٌ صَفْراءُ فاقِعٌ لَوْنُها تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِينَ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ عَمَدُوا إِلَى بَقَرَةٍ لاجْزَأَتْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ شَدَّدُوا فَشَدَّدَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ قالُوا ادْعُ لَنا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنا ما هِيَ إِنَّ الْبَقَرَ تَشابَهَ عَلَيْنا وَإِنَّا إِنْ شاءَ اللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ قالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّها بَقَرَةٌ لا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ الأَرْضَ وَلا تَسْقِي الْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لا شِيَةَ فِيها قالُوا الآْنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ فَطَلَبُوهَا فَوَجَدُوهَا عِنْدَ فَتًى مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَقَالَ لا أَبِيعُهَا إِلا بِمِلْ‏ءِ مَسْكِهَا ذَهَباً فَجَاءُوا إِلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ فَقَالُوا لَهُ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ اشْتَرُوهَا فَاشْتَرَوْهَا وَجَاءُوا بِهَا فَأَمَرَ بِذَبْحِهَا ثُمَّ أَمَرَ أَنْ يُضْرَبُ الْمَيِّتُ بِذَنَبِهَا فَلَمَّا فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ حَيِيَ الْمَقْتُولُ وَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ ابْنَ عَمِّي قَتَلَنِي دُونَ مَنْ يُدَّعَى عَلَيْهِ قَتْلِي فَعَلِمُوا بِذَلِكَ قَاتِلَهُ فَقَالَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِهِ إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْبَقَرَةَ لَهَا نَبَأٌ فَقَالَ وَمَا هُوَقَالَ إِنَّ فَتًى مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَانَ بَارّاً بِأَبِيهِ وَإِنَّهُ اشْتَرَى بَيْعاً فَجَاءَ إِلَى أَبِيهِ فَرَأَى وَالأَقَالِيدُ تَحْتَ رَأْسِهِ فَكَرِهَ أَنْ يُوقِظَهُ فَتَرَكَ ذَلِكَ الْبَيْعَ فَاسْتَيْقَظَ أَبُوهُ فَأَخْبَرَهُ فَقَالَ أَحْسَنْتَ خُذْ هَذِهِ الْبَقَرَةَ فَهِيَ لَكَ عِوَضاً لِمَا فَاتَكَ قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ انْظُرُوا إِلَى الْبِرِّ مَا بَلَغَ بِأَهْلِهِ.

(The author of the book narrated) my father - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Ali ibn Musa ibn Ja’far ibn Abi Ja’far al-Komondani and Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Attar quoted on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr al-Bezanti that he had heard Abul Hassan Al-Ridha’ (a.s.) say, “One of the men from the Children of Israel killed one of his relatives. He then took the corpse and put it along the path of one of the noblest of the offspring of Israel and then went and demanded blood money. The Children of Israel told Moses (a.s.), ‘Such and such a tribe has killed so and so. Tell us who has killed the man.’ Then Moses (a.s.) said, ‘Bring me a heifer.’ They said, ‘Makest thou a laughing-stock of us?’ [18] Moses (a.s.) said, ‘God save me from being an ignorant (fool)!’” [19] The Imam (a.s.) added, “Had they brought forth a heifer, things would have ended and the killer would have been found. But they were stern so God was stern with them, ‘They said, Beseech on our behalf Thy Lord to make plain to us what (heifer) it is! He said; ‘He says, ‘The heifer should be neither too old nor too young…’ [20] meaning neither small or large ‘…but of middling age.’ [21] Had they brought forth a heifer, things would have ended and the killer would have been found. But they were stern so God was stern on them, ‘They said, ‘Beseech on our behalf Thy Lord to make plain to us her colour.’ He said, ‘He says, ‘A fawn-coloured heifer, pure and rich in tone, the admiration of beholders!’’ [22] Had they brought forth a heifer, things would have ended and the killer would have been found. But they were stern so God was stern with them, ‘They said, ‘Beseech on our behalf Thy Lord to make plain to us what she is: To us are all heifers alike: We wish indeed for guidance, if God wills.’ He said, ‘He says, A heifer not trained to till the soil or water the fields; sound and without blemish.’’ They said, ‘Now hast thou brought the truth.’ [23] Then they looked for such a heifer and found one belonging to a young man from the Israelites. However, the young man said, ‘I will not sell it unless you fill its skin with gold for me as the price.” The Children of Israel went to Moses (a.s.) and told him about that. Moses (a.s.) said, “You have no choice but to buy it.” Thus they bought it and took it to Moses (a.s.). Moses (a.s.) ordered that the heifer be slaughtered. Then he (a.s.) ordered that they hit the corpse of the dead person with the heifer’s tail. When they did that the dead man became alive and said, “O Messenger of God! My cousin killed me, not the one who has been accused.” That was how they got to know the murderer. Then God’s Messenger - Moses the son of Imran (a.s.) told one of his companions, “There is an interesting story about this heifer.” The companion asked, “What is it?” Moses (a.s.) said, “One of the young men from the Children of Israel was very kind to his father. Once he bought a small calf and took it home. His father was asleep and the stable key was under his head. The young fellow felt sorry for his father and did not wake him up. He just let the calf go. When his father woke up and heard the story, he admired his son, gave him a cow and told him, ‘Take this heifer instead.’” Moses (a.s.) added, “Thus look and see what the final result of doing good deeds is, and how far a good deed will take its doer.”