The merits of Ja‘far bin Abi Talib رضي الله عنه

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The people used to say, "Abu Huraira narrates too many narrations." In fact I used to keep close to Allah's Apostle and was satisfied with what filled my stomach. I ate no leavened bread and dressed no decorated striped clothes, and never did a man or a woman serve me, and I often used to press my belly against gravel because of hunger, and I used to ask a man to recite a Quranic Verse to me although I knew it, so that he would take me to his home and feed me. And the most generous of all the people to the poor was Ja'far bin Abi Talib. He used to take us to his home and offer us what was available therein. He would even offer us an empty folded leather container (of butter) which we would split and lick whatever was in it.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ دِينَارٍ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْجُهَنِيُّ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي ذِئْبٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ النَّاسَ، كَانُوا يَقُولُونَ أَكْثَرَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ. وَإِنِّي كُنْتُ أَلْزَمُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِشِبَعِ بَطْنِي، حَتَّى لاَ آكُلُ الْخَمِيرَ، وَلاَ أَلْبَسُ الْحَبِيرَ، وَلاَ يَخْدُمُنِي فُلاَنٌ وَلاَ فُلاَنَةُ، وَكُنْتُ أُلْصِقُ بَطْنِي بِالْحَصْبَاءِ مِنَ الْجُوعِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتُ لأَسْتَقْرِئُ الرَّجُلَ الآيَةَ هِيَ مَعِي كَىْ يَنْقَلِبَ بِي فَيُطْعِمَنِي، وَكَانَ أَخْيَرَ النَّاسِ لِلْمِسْكِينِ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، كَانَ يَنْقَلِبُ بِنَا فَيُطْعِمُنَا مَا كَانَ فِي بَيْتِهِ، حَتَّى إِنْ كَانَ لَيُخْرِجُ إِلَيْنَا الْعُكَّةَ الَّتِي لَيْسَ فِيهَا شَىْءٌ، فَنَشُقُّهَا فَنَلْعَقُ مَا فِيهَا.