The Forty-Seventh Assembly, Friday, the Fifth of the Month of Rabi` al-Awwal, 368 AH.

A man came to al-Sadiq Ja`far b. Muhammad (as) and said to him: O son of the Messenger of Allah! Inform me about noble character (makarim al-akhlaq). So, he said: Forgiving those who wrong you, connecting to those who cut you off, giving to those who withhold from you, and speaking the truth even if it against yourself.

By Allah, `Ali (as) would eat the food of a slave and sit as a slave sits. He would buy two Roman shirts and give the better one to his servant and wear the other. If the sleeve exceeded his fingers, he would cut it, and if its end would exceed his heel, he would shorten it. He ruled for five years, yet he did not put a brick atop a brick [on his own house], nor a tile atop a tile, nor acquire a piece of land, nor bequeath a silver or gold coin. He would feed the people bread and meat, then he would go to his house and eat barley, oil, and vinegar. He would not be given two options that Allah is pleased with except that he would take the one that was harder on his body. He freed one thousand slaves with the money he earned with sweat on his face and effort by his hands. None from the people could bear his deeds, even if he would pray one thousand units day and night. Even the person that resembled him the most – `Ali b. al-Husayn (as) – could not bear his deeds, nor could anyone of the people after him.