abu yaqub alkhuraimi claimed that one day ja`far ibn yahya 3 wanted to do something and his way to it was through the door of alasma`i. he gave his servant a bag containing a thousand dinars and said to him i will go down on my way back to alasma`i and he will talk to me and make me laugh. if you see me laughing put the bag in his hands. when he entered he saw a headless grain a jar with a broken handle a dish with forked edges and a large bowl of tenths. he saw him on a prayer rug and on it was a piece of barley that was 5 bare. he winked at his servant not to put the bag in his hands or give him anything. alasma`i did not leave anything that would make the bereaved and the angry laugh without bringing it to him but he did not smile.
زعم أبو يعقوب الخريمي أن جعفر بن يحيى ٣ أراد يوما حاجة كان طريقه اليها على باب الأصمعي، وأنه دفع إلى خادم له كيسا فيه ألف دينار، وقال له سأنزل في رجعتي الى الأصمعي، وسيحدثني ويضحكني. فإذا رأيتني قد ضحكت، فضع الكيس بين يديه . فلما دخل فرأى حبا ٤ مقطوع الرأس، وجرة مكسورة العروة. وقصعة مشعبة، وجفنة أعشارا، ورآه على مصلى بال، وعليه بر كان ٥ أجرد، غمز غلامه بعينه ألا يضع الكيس بين يديه، ولا يدفع اليه شيئا. فلم يدع الأصمعي شيئا مما يضحك الثكلان والغضبان إلا أورده عليه، فما تبسم.