The Sufficient (Vol 5) · Hadith 174 (#Ḥadīth #5)

5- أَحْمَدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ عَنْ شَرِيفِ بْنِ سَابِقٍ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ أَبِي قُرَّةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ أَنَّ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ أَوْحَى اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَى دَاوُدَ أَنَّكَ نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ لَوْ لا أَنَّكَ تَأْكُلُ مِنْ بَيْتِ الْمَالِ وَلا تَعْمَلُ بِيَدِكَ شَيْئاً قَالَ فَبَكَى دَاوُدُ أَرْبَعِينَ صَبَاحاً فَأَوْحَى اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَى الْحَدِيدِ أَنْ لِنْ لِعَبْدِي دَاوُدَ فَأَلانَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ الْحَدِيدَ فَكَانَ يَعْمَلُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ دِرْعاً فَيَبِيعُهَا بِأَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ فَعَمِلَ ثَلاثَمِائَةٍ وَسِتِّينَ دِرْعاً فَبَاعَهَا بِثَلاثِمِائَةٍ وَسِتِّينَ أَلْفاً وَاسْتَغْنَى عَنْ بَيْتِ الْمَالِ.

5. Ahmad ibn abu ‘ Abd Allah has narrated from Sharif ibn Sabiq from al-Fadl ibn abu Qurrah who has narrated the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah , has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin, has said, ‘Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, sent revelations to Dawud that said, ‘You are a very good servant had you not been spending on yourself from the public treasury while doing no work with your own hands.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Dawud ‘Alayhi al-Salam wept for forty mornings. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, then inspired Iron, “You must become soft for My servant, Dawud.” Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, softened Iron for him. Everyday he would make one coat of arms and sell it for one thousand dirham. He made three hundred sixty coats of arm and sold them for three hundred sixty thousand dirham. Thereafter he did not need anything from the public treasury.’”

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