مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَاحْمِلْهُ عَلَى جَهَالَتِكَ بِهِ فَإِنَّكَ أَوَّلَ مَا خُلِقْتَ خُلِقْتَ جَاهِلًا ثُمَّ عُلِّمْتَ وَ مَا أَكْثَرَ مَا تَجْهَلُ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ وَ يَتَحَيَّرُ فِيهِ رَأْيُكَ وَ يَضِلُّ فِيهِ بَصَرُكَ ثُمَّ تُبْصِرُهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَاعْتَصِمْ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَكَ وَ رَزَقَكَ وَ سَوَّاكَ وَ لْيَكُنْ لَهُ تَعَبُّدُكَ وَ إِلَيْهِ رَغْبَتُكَ وَ مِنْهُ شَفَقَتُكَ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ عليه السلام فَإِذَا أَنْتَ هُدِيتَ لِقَصْدِكَ فَكُنْ أَخْشَعَ مَا تَكُونُ لِرَبِّكَ.
of that, then carry it back to your own ignorance of it; for you, when first you were created, were created ignorant, and then you were taught. And how much there is of the matter of which you are ignorant, and in which your judgement is bewildered and your sight goes astray, and then you see it after that! So hold fast to Him who created you and provided for you and shaped you; and let your servitude be to Him, and your desire toward Him, and your fear from Him — down to his words, peace be upon him: And when you are guided to your aim, then be the most humble that you can be toward your Lord.
«13»- كَنْزُ الْكَرَاجُكِيِّ، قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام الْعِلْمُ مِنَ الصِّغَرِ كَالنَّقْشِ فِي الْحَجَرِ.
«13»- The Kanz of al-Karajuki: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: Knowledge from smallness is like the engraving upon stone.
«14»- وَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله التَّوَدُّدُ إِلَى النَّاسِ نِصْفُ الْعَقْلِ وَ حُسْنُ السُّؤَالِ نِصْفُ الْعِلْمِ وَ التَّقْدِيرُ فِي النَّفَقَةِ نِصْفُ الْعَيْشِ.
«14»- And the Messenger of God — may God bless him and his family — said: Showing affection to people is half of intelligence, and goodness of questioning is half of knowledge, and measured management in expenditure is half of living.
«15»- عدة، عدة الداعي عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله قَالَ: أَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى بَعْضِ أَنْبِيَائِهِ قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ يَتَفَقَّهُونَ لِغَيْرِ الدِّينِ وَ يَتَعَلَّمُونَ لِغَيْرِ الْعَمَلِ وَ يَطْلُبُونَ الدُّنْيَا لِغَيْرِ الْآخِرَةِ يَلْبَسُونَ لِلنَّاسِ مُسُوكَ ١الْكِبَاشِ وَ قُلُوبُهُمْ كَقُلُوبِ الذِّئَابِ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ أَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَلِ وَ أَعْمَالُهُمْ أَمَرُّ مِنَ الصَّبِرِ إِيَّايَ يُخَادِعُونَ وَ بِي يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ لَأُتِيحَنَّ لَهُمْ فِتْنَةً تَذَرُ الْحَكِيمَ حَيْرَانَ.
«15»- 'dda, 'Uddat al-Da'i: from the Prophet — may God bless him and his family — who said: God revealed to one of His prophets: Say to those who gain understanding for other than religion, and who learn for other than deed, and who seek the world for other than the hereafter — they wear for people the skins (1) of rams while their hearts are like the hearts of wolves; their tongues are sweeter than honey and their deeds more bitter than aloes. Me do they seek to deceive, and at Me do they mock. I shall surely appoint for them a trial that will leave the wise man bewildered.
«16»- كِتَابُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ شُرَيْحٍ عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ الْجُعْفِيِّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام يَقُولُ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَ لَا تُكْثِرُوا السُّؤَالَ إِنَّمَا هَلَكَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ بِكَثْرَةِ سُؤَالِهِمْ أَنْبِيَاءَهُمْ وَ قَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَسْئَلُوا عَنْ أَشْياءَ إِنْ تُبْدَ لَكُمْ تَسُؤْكُمْ وَ اسْأَلُوا عَمَّا افْتَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ يَأْتِينِي وَ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُخْبِرُهُ فَيَكْفُرُ وَ لَوْ لَمْ يَسْأَلْنِي مَا ضَرَّهُ وَ قَالَ اللَّهُ وَ إِنْ تَسْئَلُوا عَنْها حِينَ يُنَزَّلُ الْقُرْآنُ تُبْدَ لَكُمْ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ قَدْ سَأَلَها قَوْمٌ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ ثُمَّ أَصْبَحُوا بِها كافِرِينَ
«16»- The book of Ja'far b. Muhammad b. Shurayh, from Humayd b. Shu'ayb, from Jabir al-Ju'fi, who said: I heard Abu 'Abd Allah, peace be upon him, saying: O people, fear God and do not multiply questioning; for those who were before you perished only by the abundance of their questioning of their prophets. And God, mighty and majestic, has said: "O you who believe, do not ask about things which, if they were made plain to you, would grieve you." And ask about what God has made obligatory upon you. By God, a man comes to me and asks me, and I inform him, and he disbelieves; and had he not asked me, it would not have harmed him. And God said: "and if you ask about them while the Qur'an is being sent down, they will be made plain to you" — down to His words: "A people before you asked about them, then became by them unbelievers."
«17»- أَقُولُ وَجَدْتُ بِخَطِّ شَيْخِنَا الْبَهَائِيِّ قَدَّسَ اللَّهُ رُوحَهُ مَا هَذَا لَفْظُهُ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ شَمْسُ الدِّينِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَكِّيٍّ نَقَلْتُ مِنْ خَطِّ الشَّيْخِ أَحْمَدَ الْفَرَاهَانِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ عُنْوَانَ الْبَصْرِيِّ وَ كَانَ شَيْخاً كَبِيراً قَدْ أَتَى عَلَيْهِ أَرْبَعٌ وَ تِسْعُونَ سَنَةً قَالَ: كُنْتُ أَخْتَلِفُ إِلَى مَالِكِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ سِنِينَ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ جَعْفَرٌ الصَّادِقُ عليه السلام الْمَدِينَةَ اخْتَلَفْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَ أَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ آخُذَ عَنْهُ كَمَا أَخَذْتُ عَنْ مَالِكٍ فَقَالَ لِي يَوْماً إِنِّي رَجُلٌ مَطْلُوبٌ وَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ لِي أَوْرَادٌ فِي كُلِّ سَاعَةٍ مِنْ آنَاءِ اللَّيْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ فَلَا تَشْغَلْنِي عَنْ وِرْدِي وَ خُذْ عَنْ مَالِكٍ وَ اخْتَلِفْ
«17»- I say: I found in the hand of our Shaykh al-Baha'i, God sanctify his spirit, what follows in his own wording. The Shaykh Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Makki said: I transcribed from the hand of the Shaykh Ahmad al-Farahani, God have mercy upon him, from 'Unwan al-Basri — and he was a great shaykh upon whom ninety-four years had come — who said: I used to frequent Malik b. Anas for years. And when Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, came to Medina, I frequented him and loved to take from him as I had taken from Malik. And he said to me one day: I am a man who is sought after, and along with that I have litanies at every hour of the times of the night and of the day; so do not distract me from my litany. Take from Malik, and frequent