Imam Reza lifestyle was famous with his generousity, fraternity and equality towards the ummah. It could be seen by how the Imām spent all what he had on the poor and the miserable in Khurasān, where it caused the Prime Minister during Mamoon Rashid's reign, al-Fadl bin Sahl censured him for that by saying,
“Surely this is (a kind of) damage!”
The Imām answered him with a strong argument, saying:
“Rather it is a profit. Do not regard as damage that which results in reward and generosity.”
Imam Reza (as) does not give others in order to buy their affection or friendship; rather, he considers giving with generosity as a good trait whereby man gets nearer to his Creator, Allah by including His servants in the wealth with which He blessed him. This is the difference between his method of giving and the method of others.
Imam also stressed on equality and fraternity in the ummah. It was mentioned by the celebrated scholar “Kulayni” who was quoting a witness from "Balkh in his famous work “Kafi”,
"On the way to Khorasan I was among the attendants of His Holiness Imam Reza (as). at dinner. The 8th Imam, Holy Imam Reza (as) invited all his men around him and asked them to have dinner with him.
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There were a few negro servants were among those men. Declaring that they were all of the same flesh and blood the Holy Imam Reza (as) asked that the whole company should have dinner at one table.
His Holiness Imam Reza (as) practically combated against the superiority of race and colour in connexion with the distinction of the human beings. The Holy Imam Reza (as) tried to revive the Islamic precepts of fraternity and equality in the Muslim community.
