and Dhakwān, Aisha’s freedman, and others [—may Allah be pleased with them—] (1). Those who narrated from him included Abū Salama ibn Abd al-Rahmān, Yahyā ibn Saīd al-Ansārī, al-Zuhrī, Abū al-Zinād, Zayd ibn Aslam, and his own son, Abū Jafar (2).
Yahyā ibn Saīd said, “He was the finest Hashimite I saw in Medina.” Muhammad ibn Sad said in al-Tabaqāt (3), “He was trustworthy and dependable, transmitted many hadiths, and was of high and distinguished standing.” He also narrated from Hammād ibn Zayd [from Yahyā ibn Saīd al-Ansārī] (4), who said, “I heard Alī ibn al-Husayn—who was the finest Hashimite I ever met—say: ‘O people, love us as Islam requires, for your love of us has gone so far that it has become a disgrace to us.’”
Shayba ibn Naāma said, “Alī ibn al-Husayn was thought to be miserly, but when he died, they discovered that he had secretly been providing sustenance for one hundred households in Medina.” His reverent humility, [secret charity, and other] (5) virtues (6) are well known. Indeed, such was his righteousness and devotion that he would pass by the gatherings of eminent men and sit with Zayd ibn Aslam, a client of Umar [ibn al-Khattāb] (7), who was among the finest of the learned and devout Successors. He would be asked, “Do you leave the gatherings of your own people to sit with this man?” He would reply, “A man sits wherever he finds his heart set aright.”