ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā 1, record 220 of the digital edition

Translation

28-12 Abul Fadhl Tamim ibn Abdullah ibn Tamim al-Qurashi - may God be pleased with him - narrated that his father quoted on the authority of Abu Ali Ahmad ibn Ali Al-Ansari, on the authority of Abul Salt Abdul Salam ibn Salih al-Harawi that he had heard Ali ibn Musa Al-Ridha (s) say, “The Honorable the Exalted God revealed the following to one of His Prophets, ‘When you leave the house in the morning, eat the first thing that you encounter, hide the second thing, accept the third thing, do not disappoint the fourth, and escape from the fifth. At first when he left the house in the morning, he encountered a big black mountain. He said to himself that the Exalted the Magnificent God had ordered him to eat it, and wondered how to do it. He then thought that God would not order him to do what was beyond his power. So he moved towards the mountain. The closer he got to the mountain, the smaller it became. When he finally reached it, it had turned into a small bite to eat. He ate it, and it was really delicious. He continued to go on until he reached a golden pan. He said to himself that God had ordered him to hide it. He dug a ditch, threw the golden pan in the ditch, covered it up with dirt, and started to go on his way again. But then he noticed that the pan was visible out of the ground. He said to himself that he had done what God had ordered him to and continued to go on. Then he suddenly saw a bird being pursued by a falcon trying to hunt it. The falcon was flying around the bird. The Prophet remembered that God had ordered him to accept this one. He opened his sleeve and the bird entered it. The falcon told the Prophet (s), ‘You have caught the prey that I was after for a few days.’ Then he remembered that God had ordered him not to disappoint this one. Then he cut off a piece of the bird’s leg and threw it to the falcon. He continued to go on, and saw a piece of rotten meat. He remembered that God had ordered him to escape from this one, so he escaped from it. When he had returned home he went to sleep, and had a dream. He was told, ‘You performed your mission, and did whatever you were instructed to do. Do you know what the philosophy behind all these issues is?’ He said, ‘No.’ He was told, ‘That mountain was anger. Whenever one gets angry, he does not see himself and does not realize his situation. If he restrains himself, recognizes his position and quenches his anger, the endis like a delicious bite which he eats. The golden pan is indeed man’s good deeds which are better to hide. However, God will make them apparent so that he is adorned by them, and he will receive the reward in the Hereafter. The bird, however, is like a man who advises you, and you should accept his advice. The falcon is like a man who comes to you and asks you to fulfill his needs. You should not disappoint him. The rotten meat is like gossip which you should avoid.’”

Translation: Dr. Ali Peiravi — published with the edition, reproduced verbatim.