مِنَ الْأَجْرِ وَ مَنْ طَلَبَ عِلْماً فَلَمْ يُدْرِكْهُ كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ كِفْلًا مِنَ الْأَجْرِ.

of the reward; and whoever seeks knowledge and does not attain it, God writes for him one share of the reward.

«95»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى عُتَقَاءِ اللَّهِ مِنَ النَّارِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ إِلَى الْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ فَوَ الَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا مِنْ مُتَعَلِّمٍ يَخْتَلِفُ إِلَى بَابِ الْعَالِمِ إِلَّا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِكُلِّ قَدَمٍ عِبَادَةَ سَنَةٍ وَ بَنَى اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ قَدَمٍ مَدِينَةً فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَ يَمْشِي عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَ هِيَ تَسْتَغْفِرُ لَهُ وَ يُمْسِي وَ يُصْبِحُ مَغْفُوراً لَهُ وَ شَهِدَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَنَّهُمْ عُتَقَاءُ اللَّهِ مِنَ النَّارِ.

«95»- And he — may God bless him and his family — said: Whoever wishes to look upon those whom God has freed from the Fire, let him look upon the learners. For by Him in whose hand is my soul, there is no learner who goes to and fro at the door of the scholar but that God writes for him, for every footstep, the worship of a year, and God builds for him, for every footstep, a city in the Garden; and he walks upon the earth while it seeks forgiveness for him; and he comes to evening and rises at morning forgiven; and the angels bear witness that they are those whom God has freed from the Fire.

«96»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مَنْ طَلَبَ الْعِلْمَ فَهُوَ كَالصَّائِمِ نَهَارَهُ الْقَائِمِ لَيْلَهُ وَ إِنَّ بَاباً مِنَ الْعِلْمِ يَتَعَلَّمُهُ الرَّجُلُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ أَبُو قُبَيْسٍ ذَهَباً فَأَنْفَقَهُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ.

«96»- And he — may God bless him and his family — said: Whoever seeks knowledge is like the one who fasts his day and stands his night in prayer. And indeed a door of knowledge which a man learns is better for him than that Abu Qubays were his in gold and he spent it in the way of God.

«97»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مَنْ جَاءَهُ الْمَوْتُ وَ هُوَ يَطْلُبُ الْعِلْمَ لِيُحْيِيَ بِهِ الْإِسْلَامَ كَانَ بَيْنَهُ وَ بَيْنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ دَرَجَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ.

«97»- And he — may God bless him and his family — said: Whoever is come upon by death while he is seeking knowledge that he may thereby revive Islam, there is between him and the prophets a single degree in the Garden.

«98»- وَ قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ لَأَنْ يَهْدِيَ اللَّهُ بِكَ رَجُلًا وَاحِداً خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَكَ حُمْرُ النَّعَمِ.

«98»- And he — may God bless him and his family — said: That God should guide by you a single man is better than that the red camels were yours.

«99»- وَ فِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَ مَا فِيهَا.

«99»- And in another narration: better for you than the world and what is in it.

«100»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله إِنَّ مَثَلَ مَا بَعَثَنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَ الْعِلْمِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَصَابَ أَرْضاً وَ كَانَ مِنْهَا طَائِفَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ فَقَبِلَتِ الْمَاءَ فَأَنْبَتَتِ الْكَلَأَ وَ الْعُشْبَ ١الْكَثِيرَ وَ كَانَ مِنْهَا أَجَادِبُ ٢أَمْسَكَتِ الْمَاءَ فَنَفَعَ اللَّهُ بِهَا النَّاسَ وَ شَرِبُوا مِنْهَا وَ سَقَوْا وَ زَرَعُوا وَ أَصَابَ طَائِفَةً مِنْهَا أُخْرَى إِنَّمَا هِيَ قِيعَانٌ ٣لَا تُمْسِكُ مَاءً وَ لَا تُنْبِتُ كَلَأً فَذَلِكَ مَثَلُ مَنْ فَقُهَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ وَ تَفَقَّهَ مَا بَعَثَنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ فَعَلِمَ وَ عَلَّمَ وَ مَثَلُ مَنْ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ بِذَلِكَ رَأْساً وَ لَمْ يَقْبَلْ هُدَى اللَّهِ الَّذِي أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ.

«100»- And he — may God bless him and his family — said: The likeness of that with which God has sent me, of guidance and knowledge, is as the likeness of a rain that fell upon a land. Part of it was good ground, and it accepted the water and brought forth pasture and much herbage (1); and part of it was hard barren patches (2) that held the water, and God benefited people by it, and they drank of it and gave to drink and sowed; and the rain fell upon another part of it which is but bare flats (3) that hold no water and bring forth no pasture. That is the likeness of one who has understanding in the religion of God and has gained understanding of that with which God has sent me, so that he knew and taught; and the likeness of one who did not raise his head to that and did not accept the guidance of God with which I was sent.

«101»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مَنْ غَدَا فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ أَظَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَ بُورِكَ لَهُ فِي مَعِيشَتِهِ وَ لَمْ يَنْقُصْ مِنْ رِزْقِهِ.

«101»- And he — may God bless him and his family — said: Whoever goes forth at morning in the seeking of knowledge, the angels shade him, and he is blessed in his livelihood, and nothing is diminished of his provision.