عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ وَ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ جَمِيعاً عَنِ ابْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو الْجُعْفِيِّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ وَ هُوَ يَأْكُلُ مُتَّكِئاً قَالَ وَ قَدْ كَانَ يَبْلُغُنَا أَنَّ ذَلِكَ يُكْرَهُ فَجَعَلْتُ أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ فَدَعَانِي إِلَى طَعَامِهِ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ قَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ لَعَلَّكَ تَرَى أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) مَا رَأَتْهُ عَيْنٌ وَ هُوَ يَأْكُلُ وَ هُوَ مُتَّكِئٌ مِنْ أَنْ بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى أَنْ قَبَضَهُ قَالَ ثُمَّ رَدَّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ لَا وَ اللَّهِ مَا رَأَتْهُ عَيْنٌ يَأْكُلُ وَ هُوَ مُتَّكِئٌ مِنْ أَنْ بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى أَنْ قَبَضَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ لَعَلَّكَ تَرَى أَنَّهُ شَبِعَ مِنْ خُبْزِ الْبُرِّ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مُتَوَالِيَةً مِنْ أَنْ بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى أَنْ قَبَضَهُ ثُمَّ رَدَّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَا وَ اللَّهِ مَا شَبِعَ مِنْ خُبْزِ الْبُرِّ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مُتَوَالِيَةً مُنْذُ بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى أَنْ قَبَضَهُ أَمَا إِنِّي لَا أَقُولُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يَجِدُ لَقَدْ كَانَ يُجِيزُ الرَّجُلَ الْوَاحِدَ بِالْمِائَةِ مِنَ الْإِبِلِ فَلَوْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَأَكَلَ وَ لَقَدْ أَتَاهُ جَبْرَئِيلُ (عليه السلام) بِمَفَاتِيحِ خَزَائِنِ الْأَرْضِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ يُخَيِّرُهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَنْقُصَهُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى مِمَّا أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ شَيْئاً فَيَخْتَارُ التَّوَاضُعَ لِرَبِّهِ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ وَ مَا سُئِلَ شَيْئاً قَطُّ فَيَقُولَ لَا إِنْ كَانَ أَعْطَى وَ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَالَ يَكُونُ وَ مَا أَعْطَى عَلَى اللَّهِ شَيْئاً قَطُّ إِلَّا سَلَّمَ ذَلِكَ إِلَيْهِ حَتَّى إِنْ كَانَ لَيُعْطِي الرَّجُلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَيُسَلِّمُ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ ثُمَّ تَنَاوَلَنِي بِيَدِهِ وَ قَالَ وَ إِنْ كَانَ صَاحِبُكُمْ لَيَجْلِسُ جِلْسَةَ الْعَبْدِ وَ يَأْكُلُ إِكْلَةَ الْعَبْدِ وَ يُطْعِمُ النَّاسَ خُبْزَ الْبُرِّ وَ اللَّحْمَ وَ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ فَيَأْكُلُ الْخُبْزَ وَ الزَّيْتَ وَ إِنْ كَانَ لَيَشْتَرِي الْقَمِيصَ السُّنْبُلَانِيَّ ثُمَّ يُخَيِّرُ غُلَامَهُ خَيْرَهُمَا ثُمَّ يَلْبَسُ الْبَاقِيَ فَإِذَا جَازَ أَصَابِعَهُ قَطَعَهُ وَ إِذَا جَازَ كَعْبَهُ حَذَفَهُ وَ مَا وَرَدَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرَانِ قَطُّ كِلَاهُمَا لِلَّهِ رِضًا إِلَّا أَخَذَ بِأَشَدِّهِمَا عَلَى بَدَنِهِ وَ لَقَدْ وُلِّيَ النَّاسَ خَمْسَ سِنِينَ فَمَا وَضَعَ آجُرَّةً عَلَى آجُرَّةٍ وَ لَا لَبِنَةً عَلَى لَبِنَةٍ وَ لَا أَقْطَعَ قَطِيعَةً وَ لَا أَوْرَثَ بَيْضَاءَ وَ لَا حَمْرَاءَ إِلَّا سَبْعَمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ فَضَلَتْ مِنْ عَطَايَاهُ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَبْتَاعَ لِأَهْلِهِ بِهَا خَادِماً وَ مَا أَطَاقَ أَحَدٌ عَمَلَهُ وَ إِنْ كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ (عليه السلام) لَيَنْظُرُ فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ كُتُبِ عَلِيٍّ (عليه السلام) فَيَضْرِبُ بِهِ الْأَرْضَ وَ يَقُولُ مَنْ يُطِيقُ هَذَا.

100. A number of our companions, from sahl Bin Ziyad and Abu Ali Al-Ashary, from Muhammad Bin Abdul Jabbar altogether from Ibn Fazzaal, from Ali Bin Uqba, from Saeed Bin Amro and Al-Ju’fy, from Muhammad Bin Muslim who said: ‘I came up to Abu Ja’far (asws) one day and (I felt that) he (asws) was resting (upon something) whilst eating, and he (asws) had been telling us that it is undesirable. So I looked at him (asws), so he (asws) called me over to eat with him (asws). When he (asws) had finished, he (asws) said: ‘O Muhammad, you had been thinking that no eye had seen the Rasool (saww) Allah (azwj) eating whilst leaning (upon something) from the time Allah (azwj) Sent him (saww) up to his (saww) passing away’. He (the narrator) said, ‘Then he (asws) referred to himself (asws) and said: ‘No! By Allah (azwj), no eye had seen him (saww) eating whilst leaning (upon something) from the time Allah (azwj) Sent him (saww) up to his (saww) passing away. Then said: ‘O Muhammad! Perhaps you think that he (saww) satiated himself (saww) from good bread for three continuous days from the time Allah (azwj) Sent him (saww) up to his (saww) passing away’. Then he (asws) referred to himself (asws), then said: ‘No! By Allah (azwj), he (saww) did not satiate himself (saww) from good bread for three continuous days since Allah (azwj) Sent him (saww) up to his (saww) passing away. But, I (asws) am not saying that he (saww) could not find it, for he (saww) used to gift one man a hundred camels. Had he (saww) intended to eat it he (saww) would have eaten. And Jibraeel had come to him (saww) with the Keys of the treasures of the earth three times giving him (saww) the option without any reduction of anything from Allah (azwj) from what Allah (azwj) had Prepared for him (saww) for the Day of Judgement. He (saww) chose the modesty to his (saww) Lord (azwj). And when asked for anything he (saww) never said, ‘No’, at all. He (saww) would say: ‘If I (saww) had it I (saww) would give it’. And if was not available, he (saww) would say: ‘It would come’, and whenever Allah (azwj) Gave anything at all he (saww) would hand it over to him, to the extent that if the man has been Given the Paradise, which Allah (azwj) would submit to him (saww), then he (saww) would give it to him by his (saww) own hands’. And said: ‘Your Master (Amir-ul-Momineen (asws)) used to sit like the sitting of the slave, and eat like the eating of the slave, and would feed the people good bread and the meat, and would return to his (asws) family to eat bread with oil. And if he (asws) were to buy Al-Sunbulany shirt, then he (asws) would give his (asws) slave the choice of the better one, then would wear the remaining one. So if he (asws) would find a little excess he (asws) would withdraw it, and if his (asws) would feel that his heel (asws) had exceeded he (asws) would have removed it. No two matters would be referred to him (asws) at all for the sake of Allah (azwj) except that he (asws) would opt for the more difficult one upon his (asws) body, and he (asws) was the ruler of the people for five years but did not place a brick upon a brick, and did not build a construction upon a construction, and did not acquire a piece of land, and did not leave a legacy behind him, white or red except for seven hundred Dirhams as a gifts, intending that he (asws) would buy a servant for his (asws) Family. No one could bear any of his works, and Ali (asws) Bin Al-Husayn (asws) used to look into a Book from the Books of Ali (asws), so he (asws) would strike the ground with it and would say: ‘Who can endure this?’