Grand Marja: Messenger of God, Commander of Faithful died in debt due to dedication to affairs of people

Grand Ayatollah Shirazi, in his scholarly meeting held on Sunday 18th of Muharram, said that the devotion of the Infallibles, peace be upon them, to the people was such that when some of them passed away, they were indebted not for their personal lives, but for taking care of the affairs of the people.

His Eminence continued: There are several hadiths that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his pure family) and the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, did not leave any inheritance, because their debts were more than the amount of property they had. In the case of the Holy Prophet, it is narrated that Amir al-Mu’minin would go to Hajj for 7 years, making announcements in Mena to pay off the debts of the Prophet to creditors.

Regarding the same issue on Amir al-Mu’minin, peace be upon him, he further said: based on narrations, apparently Amir al-Mu’minin owed a debt of 700,000. If it was Dinar, it was equivalent to the price of 700,000 Sheep. And if it was dirhams, it was equivalent to 70,000 sheep.

Grand Ayatollah Shirazi emphasized that Amirul Momineen became indebted even though all the property of the government was in his hands, and his debts did not arise from his personal life.

Narrations report that after the martyrdom of Amir Al-Momineen, peace be upon him, Imam Hassan, peace be upon him, was distressed by these debts and paid them off gradually, the Marja added.