أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ الْكُوفِيُّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ التَّيْمِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُعَتِّبٌ أَوْ غَيْرُهُ قَالَ بَعَثَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) يَقُولُ لَكَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ أَنَا أَشْجَعُ مِنْكَ وَ أَنَا أَسْخَى مِنْكَ وَ أَنَا أَعْلَمُ مِنْكَ فَقَالَ لِرَسُولِهِ أَمَّا الشَّجَاعَةُ فَوَ اللَّهِ مَا كَانَ لَكَ مَوْقِفٌ يُعْرَفُ فِيهِ جُبْنُكَ مِنْ شَجَاعَتِكَ وَ أَمَّا السَّخَاءُ فَهُوَ الَّذِي يَأْخُذُ الشَّيْ‏ءَ مِنْ جِهَتِهِ فَيَضَعُهُ فِي حَقِّهِ وَ أَمَّا الْعِلْمُ فَقَدْ أَعْتَقَ أَبُوكَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (عليه السلام) أَلْفَ مَمْلُوكٍ فَسَمِّ لَنَا خَمْسَةً مِنْهُمْ وَ أَنْتَ عَالِمٌ فَعَادَ إِلَيْهِ فَأَعْلَمَهُ ثُمَّ عَادَ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَقُولُ لَكَ أَنْتَ رَجُلٌ صُحُفِيٌّ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) قُلْ لَهُ إِي وَ اللَّهِ صُحُفُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ مُوسَى وَ عِيسَى وَرِثْتُهَا عَنْ آبَائِي (عليهم السلام).
553. Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Ahmad Al-Kufy, from Ali Bin Al-Hassan Al-Taymi, from Ali Bin Asbaat, from Ali Bin Ja’far who said, ‘Narrated to me Moattab, or someone else, who said: ‘Abdullah Bin Al-Hassan sent a message to Abu Abdullah  saying, ‘Abu Muhammad says to you , ‘I am braver than you , and I am more generous than you , and I am more knowledgeable than you ’. So he  said to his messenger: ‘As for the bravery, by Allah (azwj) there has not been an incident whereby your cowardice can be distinguished from your bravery. And as for the generosity, so it is taking something and placing it in its rightful place. And as for the knowledge, your forefather Ali  Bin Abu Talib  had freed a thousand slaves, therefore name five of them for us  if you are a knowledgeable one’. So the messenger returned to him. He told him, then he returned back to him  saying, ‘He is saying to you , that you  are a man of Books’. So Abu Abdullah  said to him; ‘Tell him, ‘Yes, by Allah (azwj), the Books of Ibrahim , and Musa , and Isa , which I  have inherited from my  forefathers ’.