One day Imam Ali (‘a) was passing by a street when his eye fell on a blind old man begging for alms. He was extremely disturbed by his condition and asked the people if he had no family to support him. On investigating, he found that he was a Christian by faith, and had earned his living through hard labour until he lost his eyesight because of age. He was on his own and had no one to care for him. He had also not saved any money because of meagre earnings.

 When confirmed that he had never begged while he could earn, Imam Ali (‘a) said,

 ‘It is amazing how you people use a human being for as long as he can serve you and discard him after he cannot. You all testify that he served society as long as he could see. It is, therefore, the duty of the society and government to ensure him a decent life, now that he cannot fend for himself. I hereby institute a regular allowance to be paid to him from the State Treasury for as long as he lives.’

Reference:-  "Anecdotes of the Ahlul Bayt" by "Shahid Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari"