Mufaddal bin Amr narrates that one day he visited Imam Sadiq ^(SA). The Imam ^(SA) ordered one of his maids to prepare a dish of rice with a layer of sugar above and below it. (Today we call this dish Chauba ححوبا and prepare it on joyous occasions). When the maid prepared the dish and brought it, the Imam ^(SA) offered it to Mufaddal.

Mufaddal hesitated saying that he had eaten rice just before coming there. The Imam ^(SA) insisted that Mufaddal help himself saying that if a hungry man ate rice, he would be satiated; and if a satiated man ate rice, it would benefit him. Take some more Mufaddal, urged the Imam ^(SA), for if a sick person eats it, he shall be healed. It is a cure for 72 diseases of which leprosy and bars are the mildest. If a depressed person eats it, Allah will cure him of his condition; and if a person beset by hardship eats it, Allah shall relieve him.

On hearing this Mufaddal asked: Is there a history behind this amazing grain?

The Imam ^(SA) replied: It has been narrated by Rasulullah ^(SAW) that Allah created my noor and the noor of my Ahl e Bayt five thousand years before creating Adam ^(AS). This noor was kept near the arsh in a pearl, and was busy in tasbeeh, tehleel and takbeer of Allah. When Allah created Adam ^(AS), Jibraeel ^(AS) was directed to take this noor and place it in the spine of Adam ^(AS).

As Jibraeel ^(AS) was doing so, a drop of noor fell to the earth. It is from this drop that the first grain of rice grew!

The Imam ^(SA) added: O Mufaddal! Rice has been created from our noor. If it were a human, it would have been a mumin; if it were a mumin, he would have been a scholar; if it were a scholar, he would have been unworldly (زاهد).

O Mufaddal! You must eat rice, for it is medicine in the stomach of our shia (followers) and an ailment in the stomach of our enemies.