لَهُ يَا أَبَتِ تُعْتِقُ هَؤُلَاءِ وَ تُمْسِكُ هَؤُلَاءِ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُمْ قَدْ أَصَابُوا مِنِّي ضَرْباً فَيَكُونُ هَذَا بِهَذَا.
"Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as), freed the worst of his servants at the time of his death and kept the best of them. I (Al-Sadiq (as)) said to him (Al-Baqir (as)): 'O' my father, you are freeing these and keeping those?' He (Al Baqir (as)) replied: ''They have suffered beatings from me, so this is to bal