Muʿjam al-Aḥādīth al-Muʿtabara
Hadith 405[-/3] رجال الكشي: علي بن الحسن، عن عباس بن عامر، عن يونس بن يعقوب قال: كتبت إلى أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أسأله أن يدعو الله لي أن يجعلني ممن ينتصر به لدينه فلم يجبني، فاغتممت لذلك، قال يونس: فأخبرني بعض أصحابنا أنه كتب إليه بمثل ما كتبت فأجابه و كتب في أسفل كتابه: يرحمك الله إنما ينتصر الله لدينه بشر خلقه
3. [3/-] Rijal al-Kashshi: Ali b. al-Hasan from Abbas b. A’mir from Yunus b. Ya’qub who said: I wrote to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام asking him to supplicate to Allah that He makes me among those through whom he gives victory to His religion - but he did not answer me. I became saddened because of that. Yunus said: One of our companions later informed me that he had written to him with a similar request and was answered by him [the Imam] who wrote at the bottom of the letter ‘May Allah have mercy on you, verily Allah gives victory to His religion via the worst of his creatures’