١٤ - حدثنا أبي (رحمه الله)، قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن أبيه، عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي نجران، عن عاصم بن حميد، عن محمد بن قيس، عن أبي جعفر الباقر (عليه السلام)، أنه قال: والله إن كان علي (عليه السلام) ليأكل أكل العبد، ويجلس جلسة العبد، وإن كان ليشتري القميصين السنبلانيين (١)، فيخير غلامه خيرهما ثم يلبس الآخر، فإذا جاز أصابعه قطعه، وإذا جاز كعبه حذفه، ولقد ولي خمس سنين ما وضع آجرة على آجرة، ولا لبنة على لبنة، ولا أقطع قطيعا، ولا أورث بيضاء ولا حمراء، وإن كان ليطعم الناس خبز البر واللحم، وينصرف إلى منزله ويأكل خبز الشعير والزيت والخل، وما ورد عليه أمران كلاهما لله رضا إلا أخذ بأشدهما على بدنه، ولقد أعتق ألف مملوك من كد يده، تربت فيه يداه، وعرق فيه وجهه، وما أطاق عمله أحد من الناس، وإن كان ليصلي في اليوم والليلة ألف ركعة، وإن كان أقرب الناس شبها به علي بن الحسين (عليهما السلام)، وما أطاق عمله أحد من الناس بعده (٢).
My father (rh) 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.