٣ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ خَلَفِ بْنِ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْجَوْهَرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) قَالَ لأَنْ أَحُجَّ حَجَّةً أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أُعْتِقَ رَقَبَةً وَرَقَبَةً حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى عَشَرَةٍ وَمِثْلَهَا وَمِثْلَهَا حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى سَبْعِينَ وَلأَنْ أَعُولَ أَهْلَ بَيْتٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ أُشْبِعَ جَوْعَتَهُمْ وَأَكْسُوَ عَوْرَتَهُمْ وَأَكُفَّ وُجُوهَهُمْ عَنِ النَّاسِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَحُجَّ حَجَّةً وَحَجَّةً وَحَجَّةً حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى عَشْرٍ وَعَشْرٍ وَعَشْرٍ وَمِثْلَهَا وَمِثْلَهَا حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى سَبْعِينَ.
3. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from abu ‘Abd Allah from his father from Khalaf ibn Hammad from Isma‘il al-Jawhariy from abu Basir who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far , has said, ‘I like performing Hajj more than setting free a slave, another slave and another slave . . .’ He went on to say up to ten slaves, and then up to seventy slaves. He then said, ‘If I support a Muslim family, satisfy their hunger, provide them clothes, and protect their dignity among people, it is more beloved to me than performing a Hajj and a Hajj and a Hajj . . .’ He went on to say up to seventy Hajj.” 