My father narrated to us. He said: `Ali b. Ibrahim b. Hashim narrated to us from his father from `Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Najran from `Asim b. Humayd from Muhammad b. Qays from Abi Ja`far al-Baqir . He said: By Allah,

`Ali would eat the food of a slave and sit as a slave sits. He would buy two Roman shirts and give the better one to his servant and wear the other. If the sleeve exceeded his fingers, he would cut it, and if its end would exceed his heel, he would shorten it. He ruled for five years, yet he did not put a brick atop a brick [on his own house], nor a tile atop a tile, nor acquire a piece of land, nor bequeath a silver or gold coin. He would feed the people bread and meat, then he would go to his house and eat barley, oil, and vinegar. He would not be given two options that Allah is pleased with except that he would take the one that was harder on his body. He freed one thousand slaves with the money he earned with sweat on his face and effort by his hands. None from the people could bear his deeds, even if he would pray one thousand units day and night. Even the person that resembled him the most – `Ali b. al-Husayn – could not bear his deeds, nor could anyone of the people after him.