عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ أَبِي الْمَغْرَاءِ عَنْ زَيْدٍ الشَّحَّامِ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ هِلَالٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) إِنِّي لَا أَكَادُ أَلْقَاكَ إِلَّا فِي السِّنِينَ فَأَوْصِنِي بِشَيْ‏ءٍ آخُذُ بِهِ قَالَ أُوصِيكَ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ وَ صِدْقِ الْحَدِيثِ وَ الْوَرَعِ وَ الِاجْتِهَادِ وَ اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا يَنْفَعُ اجْتِهَادٌ لَا وَرَعَ مَعَهُ وَ إِيَّاكَ أَنْ تُطْمِحَ نَفْسَكَ إِلَى مَنْ فَوْقَكَ وَ كَفَى بِمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لِرَسُولِهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) فَلا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوالُهُمْ وَ لا أَوْلادُهُمْ وَ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ لا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلى ما مَتَّعْنا بِهِ أَزْواجاً مِنْهُمْ زَهْرَةَ الْحَياةِ الدُّنْيا فَإِنْ خِفْتَ شَيْئاً مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَاذْكُرْ عَيْشَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) فَإِنَّمَا كَانَ قُوتُهُ الشَّعِيرَ وَ حَلْوَاهُ التَّمْرَ وَ وَقُودُهُ السَّعَفَ إِذَا وَجَدَهُ وَ إِذَا أُصِبْتَ بِمُصِيبَةٍ فَاذْكُرْ مُصَابَكَ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) فَإِنَّ الْخَلْقَ لَمْ يُصَابُوا بِمِثْلِهِ (عليه السلام) قَطُّ.
189. A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Isa, from Ali Bin Al-Hakam, from Abu Al-Magra’a, from Zayd Al-Shahaam, from Amro Bin Saeed Bin Hilal who said: ‘I said to Abu Abdullah , ‘I hardly ever meet you  after years, so advise me with something that I can take to it’. He  said: ‘I  advise you to fear Allah (azwj), and be truthful in (narrating) the Hadeeth, and the piety, and strive hard (Ijtihad for your affairs). And know that he who has not piety with him would not benefit from his hard work (in submission to Allah (azwj)). And beware of ‘تُطْمِحَ نَفْسَكَ’ the craving desires of your ‘Nafs’ that (tempt you to have) which is with the one above you, hence restrain from that. Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic has Said to His (azwj) Messenger ﷺ: “[9:55] Let not then their property and their children excite your admiration”, and Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic Said to His (azwj) Messenger ﷺ: “[20:131] And do not stretch your eyes after that with which We have provided different classes of them, (of) the splendour of this world’s life”. So if you are scared of that, remember the example of the Rasool Allah ﷺ, for his ﷺ meal was of barley (bread) and sweetness of the dates, and his ﷺ fire (for heat) was from twigs of the palm tree, if he ﷺ found them. And if you are in hardship, remember the hardships of the Rasool Allah ﷺ, for the creatures (people) have never been afflicted with the like of what he ﷺ had been afflicted with, at all’.