٣ـ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الأشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنْ حَنَانٍ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ الأسَدِيِّ قَالَ قُلْتُ لأبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) أَنَا عُقْبَةُ بْنُ بَشِيرٍ الأسَدِيُّ وَأَنَا فِي الْحَسَبِ الضَّخْمِ مِنْ قَوْمِي قَالَ فَقَالَ مَا تَمُنُّ عَلَيْنَا بِحَسَبِكَ إِنَّ الله رَفَعَ بِالإيمَانِ مَنْ كَانَ النَّاسُ يُسَمُّونَهُ وَضِيعاً إِذَا كَانَ مُؤْمِناً وَوَضَعَ بِالْكُفْرِ مَنْ كَانَ النَّاسُ يُسَمُّونَهُ شَرِيفاً إِذَا كَانَ كَافِراً فَلَيْسَ لأحَدٍ فَضْلٌ عَلَى أَحَدٍ إِلا بِالتَّقْوَى.
3. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Muhammad ibn Isma’il from Hanan ibn ‘Uqbah ibn Bashir al-Asadi who has said the following: “Once, I said to abu Ja’far  ‘I am ‘Uqbah ibn Bashir al-Asadi and among my people my lineage is very prominent.’ The narrator has said that the Imam then asked, ‘What is it that makes you oblige us because of your lineage? Due to proper belief, Allah has exalted those whom people consider low. Due to disbelief, He has made low those whom people called men of dignity. No one is superior, because of any other reason, to the others except due to piety.”’ 