٦ـ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الأشْعَرِيُّ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله عَنْ عُبَيْسِ بْنِ هِشَامٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا صَالِحٌ الْقَمَّاطُ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ النَّاسُ أَرْبَعَةٌ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ وَمَا هُمْ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ أُوتِيَ الإيمَانَ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ الْقُرْآنَ وَرَجُلٌ أُوتِيَ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ الإيمَانَ وَرَجُلٌ أُوتِيَ الْقُرْآنَ وَأُوتِيَ الإيمَانَ وَرَجُلٌ لَمْ يُؤْتَ الْقُرْآنَ وَلا الإيمَانَ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَسِّرْ لِي حَالَهُمْ فَقَالَ أَمَّا الَّذِي أُوتِيَ الإيمَانَ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ التَّمْرَةِ طَعْمُهَا حُلْوٌ وَلا رِيحَ لَهَا وَأَمَّا الَّذِي أُوتِيَ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ الإيمَانَ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الآسِ رِيحُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَطَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ الْقُرْآنَ وَالإيمَانَ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الأتْرُجَّةِ رِيحُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَطَعْمُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَأَمَّا الَّذِي لَمْ يُؤْتَ الإيمَانَ وَلا الْقُرْآنَ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الْحَنْظَلَةِ طَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ وَلا رِيحَ لَهَا.
6. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn ‘Abd Allah from ‘Ubays ibn Hisham who has said that Salih ibn al-Qammat has narrated from Aban ibn Taghlib has narrated from Abu ‘Abdillah  who has said the following: “People are of four kinds. I (the narrator) then asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, who are they?’ The Imam said, ‘A man who has received belief but not the Holy Quran, a man who has received the Holy Quran but not belief, a man who has received both belief and the Holy Quran and a man who has received none of then.’ I (the narrator) then said, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, explain it to me.’ The Imam said, ‘The one who has received belief but not the Holy Quran is like a fruit that is sweet but has no aroma, the one who has received the Holy Quran but not belief is like pears that has a sweet fragrance but tastes bitter. The one who has received both the Holy Quran and belief is like citrus that tastes sweet and has a sweet fragrance. The one who has received neither the Holy Quran nor belief is like Hanzal (a bitter tasting fruit of a plant that tastes bitter and smells bitter).”’ 