قَالَ سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ يَنْتَفِعُ بِعِلْمِي غَيْرِي وَ أَنَا قَدْ حَرَمْتُ نَفْسِي نَفْعَهَا وَ لَا تَحِلُّ الْفُتْيَا فِي الْحَلَالِ وَ الْحَرَامِ بَيْنَ الْخَلْقِ إِلَّا لِمَنْ كَانَ أَتْبَعَ الْخَلْقِ مِنْ أَهْلِ زَمَانِهِ وَ نَاحِيَتِهِ وَ بَلَدِهِ بِالنَّبِيِّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله ١.
Sufyan b. 'Uyayna says: Others benefited from my sciences while I myself remained deprived of them. And giving rulings on the lawful and the unlawful among people is not permissible save for one who follows the truth and is, among the people of his time and among the people of his district and his city, nearest to the guidance of the noble Prophet, may God bless him and his family.
قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام لِقَاضٍ هَلْ تَعْرِفُ النَّاسِخَ مِنَ الْمَنْسُوخِ قَالَ لَا قَالَ فَهَلْ أَشْرَفْتَ عَلَى مُرَادِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِي أَمْثَالِ الْقُرْآنِ قَالَ لَا قَالَ إِذاً هَلَكْتَ وَ أَهْلَكْتَ وَ الْمُفْتِی يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مَعْرِفَةِ مَعَانِي الْقُرْآنِ وَ حَقَائِقِ السُّنَنِ وَ بَوَاطِنِ الْإِشَارَاتِ وَ الْآدَابِ وَ الْإِجْمَاعِ وَ الِاخْتِلَافِ وَ الِاطِّلَاعِ عَلَى أُصُولِ مَا أَجْمَعُوا عَلَيْهِ وَ مَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ ثُمَّ حُسْنِ الِاخْتِيَارِ ثُمَّ الْعَمَلِ الصَّالِحِ ثُمَّ الحِكْمَةِ ثُمَّ التَّقْوَى ثُمَّ حِينَئِذٍ إِنْ قَدَرَ ٢.
The Commander of the Faithful 'Ali, peace be upon him, asked a man who was serving as judge: Do you know the abrogating from the abrogated among the verses of the noble Qur'an? He said: No. He said: Do you discern the intent of the Lord, exalted, in the parables that have come in the Qur'an? He said: No. He said: In that case you have destroyed yourself and brought others to destruction too. And the one who gives rulings needs several things: 1. That he know with certainty the meanings of the words and verses of the noble Qur'an. 2. That he be aware of the realities and purposes of the relevant hadiths and reports. 3. That he become precisely aware of the places in which subtleties and allusions occur, and attend to their particulars and realities. 4. That he have knowledge of the particulars of Islamic manners, and likewise of the manners pertaining to how the hadiths were issued and the particulars of the words of the noble Messenger and the infallible Imams, peace be upon them, and that he distinguish manners from rulings. 5. That he be informed of the places of consensus and agreement or of disagreement of views, and be aware of the aspects and causes of the disagreement. 6. That he gain a precise command of the bases and principles of the views and sayings, and then choose what in his own careful judgement he sees to accord with proof and firm evidence. 7. That in accordance with his knowledge and learning he occupy himself with righteous and praiseworthy deeds. 8. That in the affairs of his life he conduct himself with sound management and an orderly, correct plan. 9. That he keep and guard himself from unseemly conduct, improper behaviour and ugly traits, and attain God-fearing. 10. That, with these matters and conditions in view, he give a ruling if he deems it right.
بيان: قوله و من حكم بالخبر بلا معاينة أي بلا علم بمعنى الخبر و وجه صدوره و كيفية الجمع بينه و بين غيره.
Elucidation: His words "wa man hakama bil-khabar bi-la mu'ayana": that is, without knowledge of the report's meaning and of the occasion of its issuing, for which he is competent.
«35»- غو، غوالي اللئالي قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مَنْ أَفْتَى النَّاسَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ كَانَ مَا يُفْسِدُهُ مِنَ الدِّينِ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يُصْلِحُهُ.
'Awali al-La'ali: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, said: Whoever gives people rulings without knowledge, his corruption of religion is greater than his setting it right.
«36»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مَنْ عَمِلَ بِالْمَقَايِيسِ فَقَدْ هَلَكَ وَ أَهْلَكَ وَ مَنْ أَفْتَى النَّاسَ وَ هُوَ لَا يَعْلَمُ النَّاسِخَ مِنَ الْمَنْسُوخِ وَ الْمُحْكَمَ مِنَ الْمُتَشَابِهِ فَقَدْ هَلَكَ وَ أَهْلَكَ ٣.
The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, said: Whoever acts by analogy has destroyed himself and brings others to destruction too; and whoever gives people rulings without knowing the abrogating and the abrogated and the clear and the ambiguous of the Qur'an has destroyed himself and brings others to destruction.
«37»- جا، المجالس للمفيد الْجِعَابِيُّ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْبَغَوِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي قَطْرٍ عَنْ هِشَامٍ الدمتواني [الدَّسْتُوَائِیِ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعاً يَنْزِعُهُ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ ٤ وَ لَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَ إِذَا لَمْ يَبْقَ عَالِمٌ اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُؤَسَاءَ جُهَّالًا فَسَأَلُوهُمْ فَقَالُوا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَضَلُّوا وَ أَضَلُّوا.
Majalis of al-Mufid: 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar says: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, said: God does not gather knowledge away from among people save by the death of the scholars. When no scholar remains, people choose their ignorant chiefs and question them, and they speak without knowledge; so they themselves go astray and lead others astray.
«38»- جا، المجالس للمفيد أَبُو غَالِبٍ الزُّرَارِيُّ عَنْ عَمِّهِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنِ الطَّيَالِسِيِّ عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ عليه السلام يَقُولُ لَا دِينَ لِمَنْ دَانَ بِطَاعَةِ مَنْ عَصَى اللَّهَ وَ لَا دِينَ لِمَنْ
Majalis of al-Mufid: Muhammad says: I heard Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, say: One who serves God in religion by obeying a sinner has no religion; and one who serves God in religion by ascribing a false lie to God has no religion;