The Sufficient (Vol 1) · Hadith 1061 (#Ḥadīth #5)

5ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ وَغَيْرُهُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ رَجُلٍ عَنْ حَبِيبِ بْنِ أَبِي ثَابِتٍ قَالَ جَاءَ إِلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَسَلٌ وَتِينٌ مِنْ هَمْدَانَ وَحُلْوَانَ فَأَمَرَ الْعُرَفَاءَ أَنْ يَأْتُوا بِالْيَتَامَى فَأَمْكَنَهُمْ مِنْ رُءُوسِ الازْقَاقِ يَلْعَقُونَهَا وَهُوَ يَقْسِمُهَا لِلنَّاسِ قَدَحاً قَدَحاً فَقِيلَ لَهُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَا لَهُمْ يَلْعَقُونَهَا فَقَالَ إِنَّ الامَامَ أَبُو الْيَتَامَى وَإِنَّمَا أَلْعَقْتُهُمْ هَذَا بِرِعَايَةِ الابَاءِ.

5. Muhammad ibn ali and others have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam from a man from Habib ibn abu Thabit who has said the following. “Honey and fig were brought to Amir al-Mu’minin from Hamadhan and al-Hulwan (places near Baghdad). He asked the his officers to call in the orphans. They were allowed to lick honey from the containers while he himself distributed them among the people. People asked, “Why should the orphans be allowed to lick the honey?” He said, “He said that the Imam is the father of the orphans. I just wanted to gave them a fatherly treat.”

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).