إِذَا سُئِلَ عَمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُ أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَ وَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَحَدُكُمْ إِذَا سُئِلَ عَمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُ أَنْ يَقُولَ لَا أَعْلَمُ.
so as to learn it; and let none of you, when he is asked about something he does not know, be ashamed to say: I do not know.
صح، صحيفة الرضا عليه السلام عنه عن آبائه عليهم السلام مثله بيان قوله لو رحلتم فيهن لعل فيه مضافا محذوفا أي سافرتم في طلب مثلهن أو في استعلام قدرهن.
Sahifat al-Rida, peace be upon him: Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, related the like of the hadith above from his forefathers. "Law rahaltum fihinna": it may be that a governed noun is implied and that the phrase was originally "law safartum fi talabi mithlihinna" — that is, were you to travel in search of the like of those matters you could not find their like; or, were you to travel to learn the worth of these matters you could not attain their worth.
«10»- ل، الخصال الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ السَّكُونِيُّ بِالْكُوفَةِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحَضْرَمِيِّ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو الْأَشْعَثِيِّ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ بْنِ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ عليه السلام خُذُوا عَنِّي كَلِمَاتٍ لَوْ رَكِبْتُمُ الْمَطِيَّ فَأَنْضَيْتُمُوهَا لَمْ تُصِيبُوا مِثْلَهُنَّ أَلَّا يَرْجُوَ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا رَبَّهُ وَ لَا يَخَافَ إِلَّا ذَنْبَهُ وَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِيَ إِذَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَ وَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِيَ إِذَا سُئِلَ عَمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُ أَنْ يَقُولَ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ وَ اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الصَّبْرَ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الرَّأْسِ مِنَ الْجَسَدِ وَ لَا خَيْرَ فِي جَسَدٍ لَا رَأْسَ لَهُ.
Al-Khisal: Al-Sha'bi says: 'Ali, peace be upon him, said: Take from me a few words such that, were you to mount your riding-beasts and roam about and drive them hard, you would not come upon their like. Let no one place his hope in any but his Lord, and fear nothing but his own sin; and when he does not know a thing, let him not be ashamed to learn it; and when he is asked about something he does not know, let him not be ashamed to say: God knows best. Know that patience is the head of the body of faith, and there is no good in a body that has no head.
نهج، نهج البلاغة عنه عليه السلام مثله بيان المطي على فعيل و المطايا هما جمعان للمطية و هي الدابة تسرع في سيرها و قال الجزري فيه إن المؤمن لينضي شيطانه كما ينضي أحدكم بعيره أي يهزله و يجعله نضوا و النضو دابة هزلتها الأسفار و منه
Nahj al-Balagha: The like of that hadith is given. "Mati", on the pattern of "fa'il", and "mataya" are both plurals of "matiyya", meaning a beast that travels swiftly. Al-Jazari says: the believer drives his Satan hard, just as one of you drives his camel hard on a journey.
حَدِيثُ عَلِيٍّ عليه السلام كَلِمَاتٌ لَوْ رحمتم [رَحَلْتُمْ فِيهِنَّ الْمَطِيَّ لَأَنْضَيْتُمُوهُنَ
Of this kind is the saying of 'Ali, peace be upon him: Were you to travel and be mounted on your riding-beasts, you would drive them hard.
«11»- ن، عيون أخبار الرضا عليه السلام أَبِی عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ الْمَالِكِيِّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَبِي مَحْمُودٍ عَنِ الرِّضَا عليه السلام فِي خَبَرٍ طَوِيلٍ قَالَ: يَا ابْنَ أَبِي مَحْمُودٍ إِذَا أَخَذَ النَّاسُ يَمِيناً وَ شِمَالًا فَالْزَمْ طَرِيقَتَنَا فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ لَزِمَنَا لَزِمْنَاهُ وَ مَنْ فَارَقَنَا فَارَقْنَاهُ إِنَّ أَدْنَى مَا يُخْرِجُ الرَّجُلَ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ أَنْ يَقُولَ لِلْحَصَاةِ هَذِهِ نَوَاةٌ ثُمَّ يَدِينَ بِذَلِكَ وَ يَبْرَأَ مِمَّنْ خَالَفَهُ يَا ابْنَ أَبِي مَحْمُودٍ احْفَظْ مَا حَدَّثْتُكَ بِهِ فَقَدْ جَمَعْتُ لَكَ فِيهِ خَيْرَ الدُّنْيَا وَ الْآخِرَةِ.
'Uyun Akhbar al-Rida, peace be upon him: Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, said: O Ibn Abi Mahmud! When people go to the left and to the right, keep to our way; for whoever accompanies us, we shall accompany him, and whoever parts from us, we shall part from him. The least thing that makes a man go out of faith is that he says of a pebble that it is a date-stone, and then holds to that belief and disowns those who differ from him. O Ibn Abi Mahmud! Guard and keep what I have told you, for in these words I have gathered for you the good of this world and the next.
بيان: المراد ابتداع دين أو رأي أو عبادة و الإصرار عليها حتى هذا الأمر المخالف للواقع الذي لا يترتب عليه فساد و الحاصل أن الغرض التعميم في كل أمر يخالف الواقع فإن التدين به يخرج الرجل عن الإيمان المأخوذ فيه ترك الكبائر كما هو مصطلح الأخبار و سيأتي تحقيقها.
Elucidation: What is meant is innovating a religion, an opinion or an act of worship and persisting in it, even when this thing contrary to reality entails no corruption. The upshot is that making universal any matter contrary to reality and taking it as one's religion takes a man out of faith, whose conditions include abandoning the grave sins — as is the usage of the reports; and a full investigation of the matter will come hereafter.
«12»- ن، عيون أخبار الرضا عليه السلام بِالْأَسَانِيدِ الثَّلَاثَةِ عَنِ الرِّضَا عَنْ آبَائِهِ عَنْ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام قَالَ
'Uyun Akhbar al-Rida, peace be upon him: Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, from the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him,