Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 35108 — What they said on the governor's

Harun bin Antarah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: My father was a friend of Qanbar. He said: I went with Qanbar to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: "O Commander of the Faithful, get up and come with me! I have hidden something away for you." So he went with him to his house, and there was a basket full of bowls of gold and silver. He said: "O Commander of the Faithful, you leave nothing without distributing it or spending it." At that he drew his sword and said: "Woe to you! You wish to bring so great a fire into my house!" Then he struck across it with his sword, and they scattered, some vessels cut in half and some by a third. He said: "Call the overseers to me." They came, and he said: "Divide this wealth into shares." They did so, while he was saying: "O gold, O silver, deceive someone other than me!" He was also reciting this verse: 'Hadha janaya wa khiyaruhu fih, idh kullu janin yaduhu ila fih' (This is my harvest with its best still in it, when every harvester's hand goes to his own mouth). The narrator says: In the public treasury there were large and small needles, which he took from each people as their land tax (kharaj) from the work of their hands. He said to the overseers: "Divide these." They said: "We have no need of them." He said: "By the One in whose hand is my soul, we will surely divide this wealth, its good along with its bad."