قُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ مَا تَقُولُ فِي الصَّوْمِ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ رُوِيَ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يُوَفَّقُونَ لِصَوْمٍ فَقَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُ قَدْ أُجِيبَتْ دَعْوَةُ الْمَلَكِ فِيهِمْ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ وَ كَيْفَ ذَلِكَ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَالَ إِنَّ النَّاسَ لَمَّا قَتَلُوا الْحُسَيْنَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى مَلَكاً يُنَادِي أَيَّتُهَا الْأُمَّةُ الظَّالِمَةُ الْقَاتِلَةُ عِتْرَةَ نَبِيِّ
“I once asked abu Ja‘far, the 2nd (a.s.), ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, what do you say about fasting? It is narrated that they never unite in the matter of fasting? He (the Imam) said, ‘It is because the prayer of the angel is answered about them? I (the narrator) then asked, ‘How is that