Extracts from the book"The Faith of Shia Islam"By the great scholar Ayatollah Al-Mudhafar(a) he should exert himself in study until he becomes a mujtahid,
(b) he should exercise juristic precaution (ihtiyat) if he is able to,
(c) he should follow one who is a recognised mujtahid, who must be a man of wisdom and justice, "who keeps himself from sin, not following the dictates of his own desires, but obeying the commands of Allah." It follows that one who is neither a mujtahid, nor exercises ihtiyat, nor follows a mujtahid, does all the actions of his din in vain, and that neither his prayer nor his fasting will be accepted by Allah, even though he has carried out his duties in these matters for the whole of his life; unless he begins to follow a mujtahid, in which case, those of his actions prior to his following the mujtahid which were done for the sake of Allah will be accepted.
3. Doctrine of the Necessity for Juristic Reasoning
We believe that ijtihad in matters of religion is a sufficient necessity (wajib al-kifa'i) for all Muslims in the absence of the Imam, that is to say that should one of them become proficient in ijtihad and become a mujtahid it is enough for them to follow the mujtahid in all the branches of the religion. All Muslims must strive to gain knowledge and to ascend to the position of mujtahid or, if that is not possible, they must give all their encouragement to one of their number to attain this position. If no-one living holds the position of mujtahid, it is not permissible to follow a dead mujtahid. Ijtihad is the examination of the sources of the shari'ah to reach knowledge of the commandments (al-ahkamm al-far'iyyyah) which the Prophet brought with him. and which .do not change or alter with changes in time or situation. according to the hadith: What Muhammad (S.A.) made halal will be halal till the Day of Judgement, and what he made haram will be haram till the Day of Judgement. These sources for the shari'ah are the Qur'an, the sunnah (of the Prophet and the Imams), consensus (ijma') and reasoning ('aql), as have been mentioned in the texts of usul al-fiqh. Attaining the position of mujtahid requires many years of study and acquiring knowledge, and this is not obtained except by one who tries his utmost.
4. Doctrine Concerning the Position of mujtahid
We believe that a fully qualified mujtahid is a representative of the Imam, in the case of the latter's absence. Thus he is an authority over Muslims and he performs the functions of the Imam as regards judgement and administration among the people. Because of this, Imam Ja'far as Sadiq said: To deny the authority of a mujtahid is to deny the authority of the Imam, and to deny tile authority of the Imam is to make an objection to the authority of Allah. and this is tantamount to polytheism (shirk). Therefore the qualified mujtahid is not only one who issues fatwas, but he also has general authority over Muslims who must consult him if they require judgement, this being obtainable only from him. It is correspondingly wrong for anyone to give judgement except him or one who is appointed by him, as no-one can pass sentence without his permission. Also, all that which belongs to the Imam should be given to the mujtahid. Such authority has been bestowed upon the qualified mujtahid by the Imam so that he may represent him in his absence; hence he is known as the representative of the Imam (na' ib al-imam). Chapter One Chapter on the necessity to seek knowledge and the recommendations to learn H 35, Ch. 1, h 1Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub has narrated from Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim from his father from al-Hassan ibn abu al-Hassan al-Farisi from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ziyad from his father from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim. Let it be known that Allah loves those who seek knowledge." H 36, Ch. 1, h 2Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah from ‘Isa ibn ‘Abdallah al-‘Amri from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Seeking knowledge is obligatory."H 37, Ch. 1, h 3Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman from certain persons of his people who has said the following.
"Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) was asked, "Is it permissible for people not to seek what (religious knowledge) they need?" The Imam (a.s.) said, "No, (it is not permissible to ignore learning)." H 38, Ch. 1, h 4Ali ibn Muhammad and others have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa all from ibn Mahbub from Hisham ibn Salim from abu Hamza from abu Ishaq al-Subay‘i from one who narrated to him who has said the following.
"I heard Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) say, ‘O people, you must know that religion becomes complete through seeking knowledge and acting accordingly. You must know that seeking knowledge is much more urgent for you than seeking wealth. In wealth every one’s share is guaranteed. A just person has already divided the wealth among you. He and my sword guarantee you to receive your share. Knowledge, however, is stored with those who possess it. You are commanded to seek knowledge from its sources (those who possess it). You must seek knowledge.’" H 39, Ch. 1, h 5A number of our people has narrated has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barqi from Ya’qub ibn Yazid from abu ‘Abdallah, a man of our people narrated in a marfu‘ manner from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) from the Holy Prophet (s.a) who has said the following.
"Seeking knowledge is obligatory."In another Hadith Imam abu ‘Abdallah has narrated from the holy Prophet who said, "Seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim. Let it be known that Allah loves those who seek knowledge." H 40, Ch. 1, h 6Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn abu Hamza who has said the following.
"I heard Imam abu ‘Abdallah saying, ‘Acquire good understand in religion because those of you who do not have good understand in religion are like the Bedouins. Allah has said in His book, ‘ Why do not some people from each group of believers seek to become specialists in religious learning and, after completing their studies, guide their group so that they will have fear of God. (9:122)’" H 41, Ch. 1, h 7Al-Hassan ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad from al-Qasim ibn al-Rabi‘ from Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar who has said the following.
"I heard abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) say, ‘It is necessary for you to have good understanding of religion of Allah. Do not be like Bedouins because those who do not gain good understanding of religion, Allah will not look to then on the Day of Judgement and none of his deeds will be cleansed.’" H 42, Ch. 1, h 8Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from ibn abu ‘Umayr from Jamil ibn Durraj from Aban ibn Taghlib from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"I would like to teach my associates and followers to have good understanding of religion even if it would require to use my whip on their heads." H 43, Ch. 1, h 9Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from one who narrated to him from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) the following.
"A man said asked, ‘May Allah take my soul in your service, a man believes in this fact, (Leadership of Ahlul Bayt with Divine Authority) but keeps himself at home and does not acquaint himself with his brethren."Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) said, "How he achieves good understanding of his religion?" Chapter 2Chapter on the quality of knowledge its virtue and the virtue of the scholars H 44, Ch. 2, h 1Muhammad ibn al-Hassan has narrated from Ali ibn Muhammad from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ‘Ubaudallah al-Dihqan from Durust al-Wasiti from Ibrahim ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid from abu al-Hassan Musa (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Once the Holy Prophet (s.a) entered the Mosque and found a group of people gathered around a man. He asked, "who is he?" It was said that he was a ‘allamah. He then asked them, "What is that? " They replied that he is the most learned man about the genealogy, the chronology, and the history of the pre-Islamic days of darkness and the poetry of Arabs. The Imam said, ‘The holy Prophet (s.a.) then told them. "Knowledge consists of only three kinds: A strong sign, a justly enjoined obligation or an established tradition. Other then these are of the extra achievements."’ H 45, Ch. 2, h 2Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Khalid from abu al-Bakhtari from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The scholars are the heirs of the prophets because the prophets did not leave any Dirham or Dinar, (units of money) as their legacy. What they left was certain pieces of their statements. Those who acquired anything of these pieces of their statements they have certainly gained a large share. You must be very careful, when acquiring such knowledge, to see from what kinds of people you receive them. Among us (the Ahlul Bayt, family of the holy Prophet s.a.) after every one there comes a just person who removes (and exposes) the forgeries of the exaggerators from it (knowledge), the infiltrated materials of the fallacious ones and the interpretations of the ignorant ones." H 46, Ch. 2, h 3Al-Hassan ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’ from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"When Allah wants goodness for a person He gives him (Fiqh) good understanding of religion." H 47, Ch. 2, h 4Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il has narrated from Fadl ibn Shadhan from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Rab‘i ibn ‘Abdallah from a man from abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The entirety of excellence and perfection is (a) in good understanding of religion, (b) exercise of patience in affliction and (c) setting up of means of living." H 48, Ch. 2, h 5Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Sinan from ’Isma‘il ibn Jabir from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The scholars are trust worthy people, The pious ones are the strongholds and the successors (of the holy Prophet (s.a.) are the leaders." In another Hadith it is said, "The scholars are the light houses, the pious people are the strongholds and the successors are the leaders." H 49, Ch. 2, h 6Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Muhammad ibn Hassa’n from Idris ibn al-Hassan from abu Ishaq al-Kindi from Bashir al-Dahhan from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"O Bashir, there is nothing good in those of our people who do not acquire (Fiqh) good understand of religion. If one of them would not have good understanding of the religion he would need to ask those who oppose us. When he would need them they would lead him into their straying ways in a manner that he would not even realize." H 50, Ch. 2, h 7Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from al-Nawfali from al-Sakuni from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has narrated from his ancestors from the Holy Prophet (s.a.), who has said the following.
"There is nothing good in life except for two kinds of people: a scholar who is obeyed and an audience who listens carefully." H 51, Ch. 2, h 8Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr and Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn abu ‘Umayr from Sayf ibn ‘Umayr from abu Hamza from abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who has said the following.
"A scholar who benefits from his knowledge is better than seventy thousand worshippers." H 52, Ch. 2, h 9Al-Hassan ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ahmad ibn Ishaq from Sa‘dan ibn Muslim from Mu‘awiya ibn ‘Ammar who has said the following.
"I asked (Imam) abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), "There is a man who recounts your Hadith and spreads them among people and ties them to their hearts and the hearts of your followers. Also perhaps there is a worshipper among your followers who does not narrate your Hadith. Which of these two people is better?" The Imam replied, "The one who narrates our Hadith and ties them up to the hearts of our followers is better than seventy thousand worshippers."Chapter 3Chapter on Kinds of People H 53, Ch. 3, h 1Ali ibn Muhammad from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa all from ibn Mahbub from abu ’Usama from Hisham ibn Salim from abu Hamza from abu Ishaq al-Sabay‘i from one who narrated it from a reliable source from Imam Ali (a.s.) who has said the following.
"After the holy Prophet people become of three kinds. One group went to a divinely well guided scholar. Allah had given him such a high degree of knowledge that made him independent of the knowledge of the others. The second group was the ignorant group, who claimed to have knowledge but in fact they had no knowledge. This was an egotist group. The worldly attractions had made them to lose sight of the truth and to mislead other people. The third group consisted of those people who learned from a divinely guided scholar who taught them for the sake of Allah and for their salvation. It then was obvious that those who claimed (to be scholars while, in fact, they were not scholars) and those who forged certain matters falsely were destroyed." H 54, Ch. 3, h 2Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Ash’ari has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’ from Ahmad ibn ‘A’idh from abu Khadija Salim ibn Mukram from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"People are of three kinds: The scholars, the learning group and the garbled ones." H 55, Ch. 3, h 3Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from ‘Abdallah ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from al-‘Ala’ ibn Razin from Muhammad ibn Muslim from abu Hamza al-Thumali who has said the following.
"Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) said this. ‘It is narrated from Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said, "Be a scholar or a learning person or love the scholars. Do not become of the fourth group lest you will be destroyed by their hatred.’" H 56, Ch. 3, h 4Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from Jamil who has said the following.
"I heard Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) saying, ‘People become of three groups: Scholars, those who learn and garbled ones. We are the scholars. Our followers are the ones who learn. The rest of the people are garbled ones.’"Chapter 4Chapter on the reward for the scholars and those who seek knowledge H 57, Ch. 4, h 1Muhammad ibn al-Hassan and Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, all from Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Ash’ari from 'Abdullah ibn Maymun al-Qaddah and Ali ibn Ibrahim from his father from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Qaddah from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The holy Prophet has said, ‘If one sets out on a journey to seek knowledge Allah will lead him to the way that would take him to paradise. The angels will stretch their wings for the pleasure of the seeker of knowledge and all that is in the heavens and earth even the whales in the oceans will ask forgiveness for him (from Allah). The excellence of the scholar over other people is like that of the moon over other stars during a full-moon night. The scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The prophets did not leave any Dirham or Dinar (wealth) as their legacy but they did leave knowledge as their legacy. Whoever acquires a share from such legacy has gained a very large share.’" H 58, Ch. 4, h 2Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from Jamil ibn Salih from Muhammad ibn Muslim from Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Those of you who teach will have the same reward as those who learn in addition to his higher position over the student. Learn knowledge from those possess knowledge and teach it to your brethren just as the scholars have taught you." H 59, Ch. 4, h 3Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barqi from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Ali ibn abu Hamza from abu Basir from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Whoever teaches something good he will receive a reward for each time his student would practice such knowledge." Abu Basir has said, "I asked the Imam, ‘Would this apply to the student if he would teach other people?’ The Imam (a.s.) replied, "Yes, it will apply to him even if all people would teach it." I then asked, ‘Would it apply to him if he would already be dead?’ The Imam (a.s.) responded, "Yes, even if he would be dead."’ H 60, Ch. 4, h 4Through the same chain of narrator it is narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid from al-‘Ala’ ibn Razin from abu ‘Ubayda al-Hadhdha’ from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Whoever teaches a subject of guidance he will receive a reward equal to the rewards of those who would practice such guidance without any reduction in the rewards of the later ones. Whoever would introduce a subject of misguidance he will suffer equal to the suffering due for each time it is practiced without any reduction in the suffering of whoever would practice such misguidance." H 61, Ch. 4, h 5Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Sa‘d in a marfu’ manner from abu Hamza from Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) who has said the following.
"If only people knew how much reward there is for seeking knowledge, they would have sought it even if they would have had to shed their blood for it or dive in large waves. Allah the Blessed and Most High revealed to Daniel saying, ‘The most hated among my creatures are the ignorant ones who disrespect the scholars and do not follow them. The Most beloved to Me in My servants are the pious ones who work hard to become entitled for greater rewards, who always stay close to the scholars, follow the fore-bearing people and accept (the advise of) people of wisdom." H 62, Ch. 4, h 6Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from Sulayman ibn Dawud al-Minqari from Hafs ibn Ghiyath who has said that abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) said the following.
"Whoever acquires knowledge and practice what he has learned and teach it to others for the sake of Allah, among the angels of heavens he will be called a great personality. It will be said there: ‘He learned for the sake of Allah, practiced for the sake of Allah and taught it for the sake of Allah."Chapter 5Chapter on the Qualities of the Scholars H 63, Ch. 5, h 1Muhammad ibn Yahya al-‘Attar from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from Mu‘awiya ibn Wahab who has said the following. "Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) has said.
"Seek knowledge and beautify it with forbearance and dignity. Be humble to your students and to those from whom you learn. Do not be a tyrant scholar lest your falsehood would destroy the truth in you." H 64, Ch. 5, h 2Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman from al-Harith ibn Mughirah al-Nasri from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most gracious.
"Only God's knowledgeable servants fear Him . . ..", (35:28) that scholars are those whose deeds would testify to the truthfulness of their words, otherwise, they are not scholars.’" H 65, Ch. 5, h 3A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barqi from ’Isma’il ibn Mihran from abu Sa‘id al-Qammat from al-Halabi from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘Do you want me to describe to you the true Faqih, person who truly has a good understanding of religion? A true Faqih is one who does not cause people to despair from the mercy of Allah and does not make them to be unconcerned about the punishment of Allah, who does not allow them to consider disobedience to Allah as permissible and who doe not abandon the holy Quran because of being attracted towards other matters. You must know that there is no goodness in knowledge without good understand (Fiqh). You must know that there is nothing good in a recitation without thinking about it. You must know that there is nothing good in worship without thoughtfulness. In another Hadith it says, " You must know that there is nothing good in a knowledge without good understanding. You must know that there is nothing good in a recitation without thinking about it. You must know that there is nothing good in worship without having a good understanding of religion. You must know that there is nothing good in performing the acts of Hajj etc. without piety.’" H 66, Ch. 5, h 4Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa and Muhammad ibn ‘Ism’il from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan al-Naysaburi, all from Safwan ibn Yahya from abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Of the signs of Fiqh, good understanding of religion is forbearance and quietness." H 67, Ch. 5, h 5Ahmad ibn ‘Abdallah from Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barqi from certain persons of his people in a marfu‘ manner (rafa'ahu) from Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Foolishness and arrogance are not found in the hearts of the scholars." H 68, Ch. 5, h 6Through the same chain of narrators it is narrated from Muhammad ibn Khalid from Muhammad ibn Sinan in a marfu‘ manner (rafa'ahu ) from Jesus son of Mary who has said the following to his disciples.
"O disciples, I need your help so help me." They replied, "Your request is granted, O Spirit of God." Jesus then got up and washed their feet. To this the disciples said, "We were supposed to serve you O Spirit of God." Jesus then said, "Of the people who must serve others are the scholars. I acted in this humble way so that you will act among people in the humble way I acted before you." Jesus then said, "With humbleness wisdom is established but not with arrogance. Just as plants grow in plain and soft grounds but not on the hard grounds and rocks." H 69, Ch. 5, h 7Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ali ibn Ma‘bad from the person whom he mentioned from Mu‘awiya ibn Wahab from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Imam Ali (a.s.), would often say, ‘O seekers of knowledge, (note that) a scholar has three signs: Knowledge, forbearance and quietness. An orator has three signs: He quarrels those higher then him through disobedience. He does injustice to those lower than him in position through domination and he becomes a supporter of the unjust.’"Chapter 6Chapter on the Rights of the scholars H 70, Ch. 6, h 1Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Khalid from Sulayman ibn Ja’far al-Ja’fari from the person who he mentioned from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘One of the rights of a scholar is that one must not ask him a great many questions and must not hold to his garment (excessive questioning). When one would enter in his presence while other people are there one should offer salutation to all of them and special greetings to the scholar only. One must sit before him and not behind him. One must not blink his eyes before him or make hand gestures and must not speak much in his presence such as so and so said so and so opposite to what he says. The length of his meeting must not disappoint one because the case of a scholar is like a fruit bearing tree in which case one needs to wait until three lets fruits to fall onto one. The reward for a scholar is greater than that for one who fasts and prays very often and those who fight for the cause of Allah.’"Chapter 7 Chapter on the Loss of a Scholar H 71, Ch. 7, h 1A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from abu Ayyub al-Khazzaz from Sulayman ibn Khalid from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
" Of the deaths of the true believers the one that Satan loves most is the death of a Faqih, one who has very good understand of religion and its laws." H 72, Ch. 7, h 2Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from certain persons of his people from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"When a true believer who is a Faqih, dies, it causes an irreparable damage in the Islamic system." H 73, Ch. 7, h 3Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from Ali ibn abu Hamza who has said the following.
"(Imam) abu al-Hassan Musa ibn Ja’far (a.s.) has said, ‘When a true believer dies the angels and the parts of earth where he worshipped Allah weep because of his death. Also the doors of the heavens through which his good deeds had been taken up weep and it causes an irreparable damage in the Islamic system. It is because the true believing Fuqaha, people of proper understanding in religion and its laws are the strongholds of the Islamic system just as the fortress around a city is a stronghold for it.’" H 74, Ch. 7, h 4From him (Muhammad ibn Yahya) from Ahmad from ibn Mahbub from abu Ayyub al-Khazzaz from Sulayman ibn Khalid from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Of the deaths of the true believers the one that Satan loves most is the death of a Faqih, one who has very good understand of religion and its laws." H 75, Ch. 7, h 5Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ali ibn Asbat from his uncle Ya’qub ibn Salim from Dawud ibn Farqad who has said the following.
"Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) has said, ‘My father used to say, ‘Allah does not take back the knowledge that He has sent down. But when the scholar dies it takes away his knowledge and after this the unjust ones come and they go astray and mislead people and there is no good in things without basis.’" H 76, Ch. 7, h 6A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Ali from the person who he mentioned from Jabi from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) would say, ‘My soul shows generosity in accepting the quickening of our death or being murdered. It is due to the words of Allah that say, "Have they not considered that We have taken over the land and reduced its borders?" the reference here is to the death of the scholars."Chapter 8Chapter on Meeting the Scholars and Associating with Them H 77, Ch. 8, h 1Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus in a marfu‘ manner (rafa'ahu) from Luqman the wise who has said the following to his son.
"My son chose your own meeting place. If you find a people who speak of Allah, the Glorious, the Majestic, sit with them. If you know already you will benefit from your knowledge and if you would be ignorant they will teach you. Perhaps Allah may cover them with the shadow of His mercy and you may be covered along with them. If you see a people who do not speak of Allah, do not sit with them because even if you would know it would not benefit you and if you would be ignorant they would increase your ignorance. Perhaps Allah may cover them with the shadow of His punishment and it may cover you also along with them." H 78, Ch. 8, h 2Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father and Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa, all from ibn Mahbub from Durust ibn abu Mansur from Ibrahim ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid from abu al-Hassan Musa ibn Ja‘far (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Speaking to a scholar even at a dump-site is better than speaking to an ignorant person at a best furnished palace." H 79, Ch. 8, h 3A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barqi from Sharif ibn Sabiq from al-Fadl ibn abu Qurrah from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The Holy Prophet said, ‘The disciples asked Jesus, ‘O the spirit of Allah who should we associate with?’ Jesus replied, "Associate with those whose visitation would remind you of Allah, whose speech and logic increase your knowledge and whose deeds would attract you to the next life.’" H 80, Ch. 8, h 4Muhammad ibn ‘Ism’il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadha from ibn abu ‘Umayr from Mansur ibn Hazim from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The holy Prophet said, ‘Association with religious people is a honor in this life as well as in the next life.’" H 81, Ch. 8, h 5Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad al-Asbahani from Sulayman ibn Dawud al-Minqari from Sufyan ibn ‘Uyayna from Mis‘ar ibn Kidam who has said the following.
"(Imam) abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said, ‘The place where I may sit with one who I trust is more comforting to my soul than working for one whole year.’"Chapter 9Chapter on Asking the Scholar and Discussing with him H 82, Ch. 9, h 1Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from certain persons of our people from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
It is About a person who had smallpox and needed a formal bath due to sexual activities. Certain people had washed him and then he died. The Imam said, "They have killed him. Why did they not ask about it? The medicine for the illness due to ignorance, certainly, is to ask." H 83, Ch. 9, h 2Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Hammed ibn ‘Isa from Hariz from Zurra, Muhammad ibn Muslim and Burayd al-‘Ijli who has said the following.
"(Imam) abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) has said, ‘People are destroyed only because they do not ask (what they do not know).’" H 84, Ch. 9, h 3Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Ash‘ari from 'Abdallah ibn Maymun al-Qaddah from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"This knowledge (the knowledge of the holy Prophet and Ahlul Bayt(a.s.)) is under a lock and the key to it is asking"Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father from al-Nawfali, from al-Sakuni from Imam abu ‘Abdallah has narrated the same Hadith. H 85, Ch. 9, h 4Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa ibn ‘Ubayd from Yunus ibn 'Abd al-Rahman from abu Ja’far al-Awwal from abu ‘Abdallahh (a.s.) who has said the following.
"People can do nothing until they ask, acquire proper understand of religion and know their Imam and then they can follow what the Imam (a.s.) says even if the he (a.s.) would say some thing differently under (taqiyah) pressure." H 86, Ch. 9, h 5Ali has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from the person who he mentioned from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The holy Prophet has said, ‘Woe is to a man who does not save a time every Friday for learning about his religion and make a habit to ask about his religion." In another Hadith it says, "woe is to every such Muslim." H 87, Ch. 9, h 6Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from ‘Abdallah ibn Sinan from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The Holy Prophet said, ‘Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious says, ‘The discussions of the scholars among My servants are of the matters that bring the dead hearts to life if they come to and end up to My commandments.’" H 88, Ch. 9, h 7Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Sinan from abu al-Jarud from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following.
"May Allah grant forgiveness to a man who revives knowledge." Abu al-Jarud has said, "I asked the Imam, ‘What is reviving knowledge?’" The Imam (a.s.) replied, "It is his discussing knowledge among the religious people and the people of piety." H 89, Ch. 9, h 8Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ‘Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Hajjal from certain persons of our people in a marfu’ manner from the Messenger of Allah who has said the following.
He said addressing the people said, "Discuss facts, meet each other and speak to each other because speaking is brightness for the hearts. Hearts become stained just as the swords become stained and speaking cleanses it up." In some scripts it is ‘Iron’ instead of ‘speaking’ at the end of the sentence." H 90, Ch. 9, h 9A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from his father from Faddala ibn Ayyub from ‘Umar ibn Aban from Mansur al-Sayqal who has said the following.
"Imam abu Ja‘far (a.s.) has said, ‘Discussing knowledge is study and study is a good prayer.’"Chapter 18Chapter on Taqlid, following the opinions of someone H 153, Ch. 18, h 1A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from 'Abdallah ibn Yahya from ibn Muskan from abu Basir who has said the following.
"I asked Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about the verse of the holy Quran that says, ‘They (unconditionally) obeyed the rabbis and the monks and worshipped the Messiah, son of Mary, as they should have obeyed God. . . . (9:31)’. The Imam replied, "By Allah they did not call people to worship them. If they had done so people would not have accepted it. The Rabbis and monks made unlawful things lawful for them and the lawful things as lawful. And in this way they worshipped them unintentionally." H 154, Ch. 18, h 2Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Hamdani from Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayda who has said the following.
"Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) said, ‘O Muhammad, Do you observe Taqlid more strictly or the group of Murji’a?’ Muhammad ibn ‘ubaydah has said, "I replied, ‘They observe Taqlid and we observe Taqlid.’ The Imam then said, "I did not ask you about this." I did not have any answer other than the first one. The Imam then said, "The group of Murji’a chose a man whose obedience was not obligatory (in the commands of Allah) but they obeyed and followed him strictly. You chose a man and considered obedience to him necessary (in commands from Allah) and then you did not follow him strictly, therefore, they are more strict in Taqlid, following than you are." H 155, Ch. 18, h 3Muhammad ibn ‘Isma’il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from Hammed ibn ‘Isa from Rib‘i ibn ‘Abdallah from abu Basir from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following."They (unconditionally) obeyed the rabbis and the monks and worshipped the Messiah, son of Mary, as they should have obeyed God . . .. (9:31).’ "By Allah, they (the people) did not pray or fast for them (rabbis and monks) but they (rabbis and monks) made lawful for the people what was unlawful and unlawful what was lawful and people followed them accordingly."
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