Humbleness and Forgiveness of the Ahl al-Bayt(A.S.)

The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.): An angel came down to me who had neither descended on any prophet before me nor will descend on anyone after me. He was the Israfil and was accompanied by Jibrail. He said: Peace be upon you o Muhammad (S.A.W.)! Then he went on to say: I am an envoy from your lord to you; He ordered me to appoint you a prophet as a servant of Allah if you wish or a king prophet. I looked at Jibra'il who was signaling me to keep humble, and I said: I prefer to be a prophet as a servant of Allah.
Imam al-Sadiq(A.S.): Jibra'il came to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.), and let him be free, signaling him to choose humility. Jibra'il was benevolent to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.), being humble before the exalted Allah, would eat like servants and would be seated as they did.
Zadhan: I would see Ali ibn Abi Talib (A.S.) holding in his hand a lost shoe-lace and searching in the market until he could find its owner, or guiding a lost traveler, or helping a porter to carry his load, while reciting the verse: "That House of the Hereafter we shall give to those who intend not high-handedness or mischief on earth; and the end is (best) for the righteous (28:83). Then he would say: This verse is revealed about the administrators and the men of power.
It is narrated that al-Hasan ibn Ali (A.S.) used to sit beside the poor and recite this verse: Verily He loveth not arrogant. (16:23).
Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm: Al-Imam al-Husayn (S.A.W.) was passing by a group of poor people engaged in eating on the Suffah, when they offered food to his holiness. He sat with them and said: Allah does not like the arrogant, and started eating with them. Then he told them: I accepted your invitation, and now you accept mine. They said: All right. The Imam (A.S.) took them to his house and said to Rabab: Take out whatever you have stored [to feed the poor].
Abu Basir: Al-Imam al-Sadiq (A.S.) went to a bath. The bath-keeper asked him: Shall I reserve the bath for your use only? The Imam (A.S.) said: There is no need to do this; the way of the faithful is far easier than this [formality] affair.
Ibn Shahrashub in al-Manaqib: It is related that al-Imam a-Reza (A.S.) went to the bath. There a man told him: O man! Rub my body with the bath-glove. His Holiness (A.S.) did so. The people who were present there introduced the Imam (A.S.) to that man. He apologized to the Imam (A.S.), and His Holiness (A.S.) appeased his anxiety and at the same time kept rubbing his body with the bath-gloves.
Ahl al-Bayt's (A.S.) Forgiveness
The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) Our (Ahl al-Bayt's) manliness is in forgiving the one who has oppressed us and granting to the one who has refrained from us.
Abd Allah: It is as though I am looking at the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) who was a prophet among the prophets whose folk used to beat him and injured him and while wiping blood off his face prayed to Allah! Forgive my folk as they know not.
Al-Imam al-Baqir (A.S.): The Jewish woman who had poisoned a sheep's flesh for the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) was brought to him.
The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) told her: What caused you to do that? She replied. I told myself if he is truly a prophet this will not harm him and in case he is a sultan I have thereby liberated people from him. Al-Imam al-Baqir (A.S.) says: The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) forgave her.
Al-Baladhuri in Ansab al-Ashraf: When Ali (A.S.) triumphed over the Jamal people [the people who fought against Imam Ali(A.S.) near Basra], he stood up and delivered a sermon as follows: O people of Basra! I forgive you. However, do withdraw from sedition as you are the first people who broke the allegiance and dispersed the united Ummah.
Imam al-Sajjad (A.S.): I entered upon Marwan ibn al-Hakam. He said: When triumphed, I found no one nobler than your father. He was the one who chased us in the Battle of Jamal and his herald was calling out: No fugitive will be killed and no wounded will be killed by us.
Imam al-Baqir (A.S.): Upon being stuck by ibn Muljam, Ali (A.S.) said about him: Give him food and drink and treat him kindly in his captivity; if I live on, I will have the option to either forgive him or take revenge on him; but if I die and you kill him, do not mutilate him.
It is narrated that retainer of Imam Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib(A.S.) committed a sin which deserved punishment. His Holiness (A.S.) ordered to lash him. He said: "My master! Those who restrain anger", His Holiness (A.S.) said: Spare him! He said: "My master! And those who pardon (all) men", His Holiness (A.S.) said: I forgave you - he said: "My master! For Allah loves those who do good (3:134). His Holiness (A.S.): you are set free in way of Allah, and you will receive twice the amount which I used to give you.
Hurr ibn Yazid said to Imam al-Husayn (A.S.) on the day of Ashura: May Allah sacrifice me to you, o son of the Messenger of Allah! I am the one who stopped you from returning, and came along with you step by step, and stopped you at this pace. I swear to Allah except Whom there is no god, that I ever supposed this group would reject your proposal...I have come to you to the point of giving up my soul before you. Will you consider this action of mine as repentance? His Holiness (A.S.) said: Yes, Allah will forgive and excuse you. What is your name? He replied: Al-Hurr ibn Yazid. His Holiness (A.S.) said: You are a-Hurr [i.e, the liberated one] as your mother has named you; if Allah wills, you are liberated in this abode and in the Hereafter; dismount your horse!
He said: O Imam! I would be more helpful to you if I be mounted rather than dismounted. I will battle with them for an hour, and my dismounting will be the end of my endeavor.
Imam al-Husayn (A.S.) said: May Allah's Mercy be upon you, do whatever you wish.
Abd Allah ibn Muhammad: I heard Abd al-Razzaq says: The woman retainer of Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn (A.S.) would pour water on his hands to prepare him for prayers. Suddenly the water container fell off the retainers hand and cut the Imams (A.S.) face. Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn (A.S.) held up his head toward the woman retainer. She said: The exalted Allah says: "Those who restrain anger". His Holiness (A.S.) told her: I restrained my anger. She said: "and [those who] pardon (all) men". His Holiness (A.S.) said: May Allah forgive you. She said: For Allah loves those who do good (3:134).
His Holiness (A.S.) added: Go! You are free.