The Khali (Wine Turned to Vinegar)

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once the Messenger of Allah went to the house of ‘Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, and she brought pieces of bread. He (the Messenger of Allah) asked, ‘Do you have any sauce?’ She replied, ‘No, O Messenger of Allah except vinegar.’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘Yes, vinegar is the best sauce; a house which has vinegar does not become poor.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Vinegar strengthens the power of understanding.’”

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘A house in which there is vinegar does not become needy, and the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has already said it.’”

“A man in Khurasan once was with al-Rida’ (a.s.), and the table-spread with food inside, vinegar and salt, was brought to him. He (the Imam) began with vinegar and the man said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, have you commanded us to begin with salt?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘This is like that’, meaning vinegar, ‘and that vinegar strengthens the mind and increases the ability to understand.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘We begin with vinegar which is with us as you begin with salt which is with you, and vinegar strengthens the ability to understand better.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the best sauce to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, was vinegar.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin has said, ‘The best sauce is vinegar, it breaks bitterness, (bile) extinguishes yellowness (gall) and brings the heart to life.’”

“Once, vinegar of wine (clean grape juice with vinegar in it placed in the sun to turn the whole thing into vinegar) was mentioned before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.). He (the Imam) said, ‘It kills dawab (the insects) in the belly and strengthens the mouth (the teeth).’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Vinegar of wine strengthens tooth gum, kills dawab in the belly and strengthens the ability to understand.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Using vinegar as sauce cuts down the desire of fornication.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘You must eat vinegar of wine and immerse (the morsel or use it very often) in it, because it does not leave any dawab (insects) animal in your belly without killing them.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Banu Israel would begin their food with vinegar and end with it but we begin with salt and end with vinegar.’”