The Relation between a Stumper and the Rider

“Once abu al-Hassan (a.s.), asked me, ‘What do you ride?’ I replied, ‘It is a donkey.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘For how much have you bought it?’ I replied, ‘I have bought it for thirteen dinars.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘This is improper spending. You have bought a donkey for thirteen dinar and ignored buying a mule.’ I then said, ‘My master, maintenance of a mule is more than that for a donkey.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘The one who maintains a donkey maintains a mule also. Did you not know that if one rides a stumper expecting our cause to materialize and makes our enemies feel jealous because he is counted on us, Allah manages his affairs, opens his chest, makes his wishes to come true and He is a helper in his affairs.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Nine-tenths of sustenance is with the owner of a stumper.’”

“I once heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ‘’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), sent as present to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. It comprised of four horses from Yemen. He (the Messenger of Allah) asked, ‘Describe them for me.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘They are of different colors.’ He (the Messenger of Allah) asked, ‘Has anyone of them bright spots?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘There is a blond more toward redness among them which has bright spots on it.’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘Keep it for me.’ He (the Imam) said there are two blonds more toward yellowness which have bright spots on them.’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘Give these to your sons.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘The fourth one is of one color all over without spots on it.’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘Sell it for the expenses of your family. The good fortune in horses is in those with bright spots on them.’ I heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ‘We dislike all animals of one color, all over except donkeys and mules; and I dislike bright-hooved donkeys and mules of many colors. I dislike a white spot on the forehead of a mule unless it has expanded, however, I do not have the desires for it with such condition.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Buy a stumper; its benefit is for you and its sustenance with Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If one buys a stumper, he has the benefit of riding and its sustenance is with Allah.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once said, ‘Buy a donkey which will carry your luggage and its sustenance is with Allah/ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I then found a donkey. Yunus, my brother and I at the end of the year would do our accounts and we found that there was no difference in our budget and no increase over the expenses of other years.’”

“It is of the good fortune of a believing person to have a stumper that he can ride to meet his own needs and the needs of his brothers (in belief).”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘It is of the good fortune of a Muslim man to have a healthy stumper.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘You must have a stumper; it is of beautification and helps meet one’s needs and its sustenance is with Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious.’ He (the narrator) has said that narrated to me ‘Ammar ibn al-Mubarak with the addition of ‘and ride it to meet your brothers (in belief).’ It is also narrated that he (the Imam) said, ‘How can one who has a stumper miss fulfilling his needs?”’

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘It is a misfortune in life to have a bad stumper.’”