2ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ إِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَصَّ رُسُلَهُ بِمَكَارِمِ الأخْلاقِ فَامْتَحِنُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ فِيكُمْ فَاحْمَدُوا الله وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ خَيْرٍ وَإِنْ لا تَكُنْ فِيكُمْ فَاسْأَلُوا الله وَارْغَبُوا إِلَيْهِ فِيهَا قَالَ فَذَكَرَهَا عَشَرَةً الْيَقِينَ وَالْقَنَاعَةَ وَالصَّبْرَ وَالشُّكْرَ وَالْحِلْمَ وَحُسْنَ الْخُلُقِ وَالسَّخَاءَ وَالْغَيْرَةَ وَالشَّجَاعَةَ وَالْمُرُوءَةَ قَالَ وَرَوَى بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْدَ هَذِهِ الْخِصَالِ الْعَشَرَةِ وَزَادَ فِيهَا الصِّدْقَ وَأَدَاءَ الأمَانَةِ.
2. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muskan from Abu ‘Abdillah who has said the following: “Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, chose His messengers for noble moral (human) qualities. You must test yourselves. If you find the noble qualities in you then be thankful to Allah and understand that it is of goodness. If you do not find them in you, then pray to Allah to grant them to you and show Him that you are interested in having them. The narrator has said that the Imam counted the noble qualities up to ten: They consist of Certainty, Contentment, Patience, Thankfulness, Forbearance, Good Moral Behavior, Generosity, Dignity, Bravery and Kindness. “Certain narrators have listed other qualities after the above- mentioned ones and have added to them Truthfulness and Keeping Trust.”