إِلَيْهِ كَمَا كُنْتَ تَخْتَلِفُ إِلَيْهِ فَاغْتَمَمْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَ خَرَجْتُ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ وَ قُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي لَوْ تَفَرَّسَ فِيَّ خَيْراً لَمَا زَجَرَنِي عَنِ الِاخْتِلَافِ إِلَيْهِ وَ الْأَخْذِ عَنْهُ فَدَخَلْتُ مَسْجِدَ الرَّسُولِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله وَ سَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ رَجَعْتُ مِنَ الْغَدِ إِلَى الرَّوْضَةِ وَ صَلَّيْتُ فِيهَا رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَ قُلْتُ أَسْأَلُكَ يَا اللَّهُ يَا اللَّهُ أَنْ تَعْطِفَ عَلَيَّ قَلْبَ جَعْفَرٍ وَ تَرْزُقَنِي مِنْ عِلْمِهِ مَا أَهْتَدِي بِهِ إِلَى صِرَاطِكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ وَ رَجَعْتُ إِلَى دَارِي مُغْتَمّاً وَ لَمْ أَخْتَلِفْ إِلَى مَالِكِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ لِمَا أُشْرِبَ قَلْبِي مِنْ حُبِّ جَعْفَرٍ فَمَا خَرَجْتُ مِنْ دَارِي إِلَّا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ حَتَّى عِيلَ صَبْرِي ١فَلَمَّا ضَاقَ صَدْرِي تَنَعَّلْتُ وَ تَرَدَّيْتُ وَ قَصَدْتُ جَعْفَراً وَ كَانَ بَعْدَ مَا صَلَّيْتُ الْعَصْرَ فَلَمَّا حَضَرْتُ بَابَ دَارِهِ اسْتَأْذَنْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَخَرَجَ خَادِمٌ لَهُ فَقَالَ مَا حَاجَتُكَ فَقُلْتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَى الشَّرِيفِ فَقَالَ هُوَ قَائِمٌ فِي مُصَلَّاهُ فَجَلَسْتُ بِحِذَاءِ بَابِهِ فَمَا لَبِثْتُ إِلَّا يَسِيراً إِذْ خَرَجَ خَادِمٌ فَقَالَ ادْخُلْ عَلَى بَرَكَةِ اللَّهِ فَدَخَلْتُ وَ سَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَرَدَّ السَّلَامَ وَ قَالَ اجْلِسْ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ فَجَلَسْتُ فَأَطْرَقَ مَلِيّاً ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ وَ قَالَ أَبُو مَنْ قُلْتُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ ثَبَّتَ اللَّهُ كُنْيَتَكَ وَ وَفَّقَكَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مَا مَسْأَلَتُكَ فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِي مِنْ زِيَارَتِهِ وَ التَّسْلِيمِ غَيْرُ هَذَا الدُّعَاءِ لَكَانَ كَثِيراً ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ مَا مَسْأَلَتُكَ فَقُلْتُ سَأَلْتُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يَعْطِفَ قَلْبَكَ عَلَيَّ وَ يَرْزُقَنِي مِنْ عِلْمِكَ وَ أَرْجُو أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَجَابَنِي فِي الشَّرِيفِ مَا سَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ لَيْسَ الْعِلْمُ بِالتَّعَلُّمِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ نُورٌ يَقَعُ فِي قَلْبِ مَنْ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى أَنْ يَهْدِيَهُ فَإِنْ أَرَدْتَ الْعِلْمَ فَاطْلُبْ أَوَّلًا فِي نَفْسِكَ حَقِيقَةَ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ وَ اطْلُبِ الْعِلْمَ بِاسْتِعْمَالِهِ وَ اسْتَفْهِمِ اللَّهَ يُفْهِمْكَ قُلْتُ يَا شَرِيفُ فَقَالَ قُلْ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قُلْتُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مَا حَقِيقَةُ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ قَالَ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْيَاءَ أَنْ لَا يَرَى الْعَبْدُ لِنَفْسِهِ فِيمَا خَوَّلَهُ اللَّهُ مِلْكاً لِأَنَّ الْعَبِيدَ لَا يَكُونُ لَهُمْ مِلْكٌ يَرَوْنَ الْمَالَ مَالَ اللَّهِ يَضَعُونَهُ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَ لَا يُدَبِّرُ الْعَبْدُ لِنَفْسِهِ تَدْبِيراً وَ جُمْلَةُ اشْتِغَالِهِ فِيمَا أَمَرَهُ تَعَالَى بِهِ وَ نَهَاهُ عَنْهُ فَإِذَا لَمْ يَرَ الْعَبْدُ لِنَفْسِهِ فِيمَا خَوَّلَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِلْكاً هَانَ عَلَيْهِ الْإِنْفَاقُ فِيمَا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنْ يُنْفِقَ فِيهِ وَ إِذَا فَوَّضَ الْعَبْدُ تَدْبِيرَ نَفْسِهِ عَلَى مُدَبِّرِهِ هَانَ عَلَيْهِ مَصَائِبُ الدُّنْيَا وَ إِذَا اشْتَغَلَ الْعَبْدُ بِمَا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَ نَهَاهُ لَا يَتَفَرَّغُ مِنْهُمَا إِلَى الْمِرَاءِ وَ الْمُبَاهَاةِ مَعَ النَّاسِ فَإِذَا أَكْرَمَ اللَّهُ الْعَبْدَ بِهَذِهِ الثَّلَاثَةِ هَانَ

him as you used to frequent him. So I was grieved at that and went out from his presence, and I said within myself: if he had discerned any good in me, he would not have driven me away from frequenting him and taking from him. So I entered the mosque of the Messenger, may God bless him and his family, and greeted him. Then I returned on the morrow to the Rawda and prayed two cycles in it, and I said: I ask You, O God, O God, that You incline the heart of Ja'far toward me and grant me of his knowledge what I may be guided by to Your straight path. And I returned to my house grieving, and I did not frequent Malik b. Anas, because of what my heart had been made to drink of the love of Ja'far. And I did not go out of my house save to the prescribed prayer, until my patience was exhausted (1). And when my breast was straitened, I put on my sandals and my cloak and made for Ja'far — and that was after I had prayed the afternoon prayer. And when I came to the door of his house I sought leave of him, and a servant of his came out and said: What is your need? And I said: To greet the noble one. And he said: He is standing at his place of prayer. So I sat facing his door; and I had not waited but a little when a servant came out and said: Enter, upon the blessing of God. So I entered and greeted him, and he returned the greeting and said: Sit, God forgive you. So I sat. And he bowed his head a long while, then raised his head and said: Father of whom? I said: Abu 'Abd Allah. He said: God establish your agnomen and grant you success, O Abu 'Abd Allah. What is your question? And I said within myself: if I had of my visiting him and my greeting nothing but this supplication, it would be much. Then he raised his head and said: What is your question? I said: I asked God to incline your heart toward me and to grant me of your knowledge; and I hope that God the Exalted has answered me in the noble one as to what I asked of Him. And he said: O Abu 'Abd Allah, knowledge is not by learning; it is only a light that falls in the heart of one whom God, blessed and exalted, wills to guide. So if you desire knowledge, seek first within yourself the reality of servanthood, and seek knowledge by the employing of it, and ask God for understanding — He will give you understanding. I said: O noble one. And he said: Say, O Abu 'Abd Allah. I said: O Abu 'Abd Allah, what is the reality of servanthood? He said: Three things: that the servant see for himself no ownership in what God has conferred upon him — because slaves have no ownership; they see wealth as the wealth of God and set it where God has commanded them; and that the servant devise no devising for himself; and that the whole of his occupation be in what He, exalted be He, has commanded him and forbidden him. So when the servant sees for himself no ownership in what God the Exalted has conferred upon him, spending becomes easy for him in that in which God the Exalted commanded him to spend. And when the servant entrusts the devising of himself to the One who devises for him, the afflictions of this world become easy for him. And when the servant occupies himself with what God the Exalted has commanded him and forbidden him, he has no leisure from these two for disputation and boasting with people. So when God honours the servant with these three, there becomes easy