The Sufficient (Vol 3) · Hadith 975 (#Ḥadīth #46)

46ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ قَالَ كَتَبَ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) رَجُلٌ يَشْكُو إِلَيْهِ مُصَابَهُ بِوَلَدٍ لَهُ وَشِدَّةَ مَا يَدْخُلُهُ فَقَالَ وَكَتَبَ (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) إِلَيْهِ أَ مَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَخْتَارُ مِنْ مَالِ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَمِنْ وُلْدِهِ أَنْفَسَهُ لِيَأْجُرَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ.

46. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ali ibn Mahziyar who has said the following: “Once a man wrote to abu Ja’far , and complained before him about his suffering the death of his son. He then has said that the Imam wrote back to him saying, ’You should be aware of the fact that Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, chooses from the property and children of the believers the best ones, so He may reward him for it.’”

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).