372. Kashf al-Yaqin: “It is narrated that one night ‘Ali (a.s.) met a poor woman who had some little children who were crying from hunger. The woman was trying to keep them busy and entertained in order to make them sleep. She lit a fire under a pot which only contained some water so the children would think that there was food in it and she was cooking it for them.
The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) became aware of her condition and went to her house with Qanbar. He (a.s.) took along with him a basket of dates, a bag of flour, some fat, rice and bread, and he carried them on his holy shoulder. Qanbar wanted to carry them but he did not let him.
When he reached the woman’s house, he asked permission to enter and she gave him permission. He then poured some rice and fat in a pot to cook, and when it was ready he gave it to the children and asked them to eat.
When they became full, he started to roam around the house and bleating for them and they were laughing.
As soon as he and Qanbar left the house, Qanbar told him: “O master! I saw some odd things tonight. I understood the reason for some of them, like carrying the provisions for earning reward, but I did not understand the reason for you going around the house and bleating.”
He (a.s.) said: “O Qanbar! I went to these children while they were crying out of severe hunger and I wanted to leave them when they were full and laughing and I did not find any other way to make them laugh other than I did.”1
