عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الرَّازِيِّ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ الْجَعْفَرِيِّ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ( عليه السلام ) وَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ تَمْرٌ بَرْنِيٌّ وَ هُوَ مُجِدٌّ فِي أَكْلِهِ يَأْكُلُهُ بِشَهْوَةٍ فَقَالَ لِي يَا سُلَيْمَانُ ادْنُ فَكُلْ قَالَ فَدَنَوْتُ مِنْهُ فَأَكَلْتُ مَعَهُ وَ أَنَا أَقُولُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنِّي أَرَاكَ تَأْكُلُ هَذَا التَّمْرَ بِشَهْوَةٍ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ إِنِّي لَأُحِبُّهُقَالَ قُلْتُ وَ لِمَ ذَاكَ قَالَ لِأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) كَانَ تَمْرِيّاً وَ كَانَ عَلِيٌّ ( عليه السلام ) تَمْرِيّاً وَ كَانَ الْحَسَنُ ( عليه السلام ) تَمْرِيّاً وَ كَانَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحُسَيْنُ ( عليه السلام ) تَمْرِيّاً وَ كَانَ زَيْنُ الْعَابِدِينَ ( عليه السلام ) تَمْرِيّاً وَ كَانَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) تَمْرِيّاً وَ كَانَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) تَمْرِيّاً وَ كَانَ أَبِي ( عليه السلام ) تَمْرِيّاً وَ أَنَا تَمْرِيٌّ وَ شِيعَتُنَا يُحِبُّونَ التَّمْرَ لِأَنَّهُمْ خُلِقُوا مِنْ طِينَتِنَا وَ أَعْدَاؤُنَا يَا سُلَيْمَانُ يُحِبُّونَ الْمُسْكِرَ لِأَنَّهُمْ خُلِقُوا مِنْ مَارِجٍ مِنْ نَارٍ .
6. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il al-Raziy from Sulayman ibn Ja‘far al- Ja‘fariy who has said the following: “Once I visited abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ , and there were barniy dates in front of him. He (the Imam) seemed assiduous in eating it with zest. He (the Imam) said, ‘O Sulayman come close and eat.’ I then went close and ate thereof saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I see you eat it with great zest.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, because I love it.’ He (the narrator) has said, that I asked, ‘Why is it so?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is because the Messenger of Allah liked dates. Ali , liked dates. Al-Hassan liked dates, abu ‘Abd Allah, al-Husayn liked dates, Zayn al-‘Abidin liked dates, Abu Ja‘far, liked dates, abu ‘Abd Allah, liked dates, my father liked dates, I like dates and our followers like dates because they are created from our clay; and our enemies, O Sulayman like intoxicants because they are created from smokeless fire.’” 