أَمَّا الْمُبْطِلُونَ فَيَجْعَلُونَ ضَعْفَ الضَّعِيفِ مِنْكُمْ إِذَا تَعَاطَى مُجَادَلَتَهُ وَ ضَعُفَ فِي يَدِهِ حُجَّةً لَهُ عَلَى بَاطِلِهِ وَ أَمَّا الضُّعَفَاءُ مِنْكُمْ فَتُغَمُّ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِمَا يَرَوْنَ مِنْ ضَعْفِ الْمُحِقِّ فِي يَدِ الْمُبْطِلِ وَ أَمَّا الْجِدَالُ الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَهُوَ مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِهِ نَبِيَّهُ أَنْ يُجَادِلَ بِهِ مَنْ جَحَدَ الْبَعْثَ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَ إِحْيَاءَهُ لَهُ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ حَاكِياً عَنْهُ وَ ضَرَبَ لَنا مَثَلًا وَ نَسِيَ خَلْقَهُ قالَ مَنْ يُحْيِ الْعِظامَ وَ هِيَ رَمِيمٌ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ فِي الرَّدِّ عَلَيْهِ قُلْ يَا مُحَمَّدُ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنْشَأَها أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَ هُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ الْأَخْضَرِ ناراً فَإِذا أَنْتُمْ مِنْهُ تُوقِدُونَ فَأَرَادَ اللَّهُ مِنْ نَبِيِّهِ أَنْ يُجَادِلَ الْمُبْطِلَ الَّذِي قَالَ كَيْفَ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُبْعَثُ هَذِهِ الْعِظَامُ وَ هِيَ رَمِيمٌ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنْشَأَها أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ أَ فَيَعْجِزُ مَنِ ابْتَدَأَ بِهِ لَا مِنْ شَيْ ءٍ أَنْ يُعِيدَهُ بَعْدَ أَنْ يَبْلَى بَلِ ابْتِدَاؤُهُ أَصْعَبُ عِنْدَكُمْ مِنْ إِعَادَتِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ الْأَخْضَرِ ناراً أَيْ إِذَا كَمَنَ النَّارَ الْحَارَّةَ فِي الشَّجَرِ الْأَخْضَرِ الرَّطْبِ يَسْتَخْرِجُهَا فَعَرَّفَكُمْ أَنَّهُ عَلَى إِعَادَةِ مَا بَلِىَ أَقْدَرُ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَ وَ لَيْسَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ بِقادِرٍ عَلى أَنْ يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ بَلى وَ هُوَ الْخَلَّاقُ الْعَلِيمُ أَيْ إِذَا كَانَ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ أَعْظَمَ وَ أَبْعَدَ فِي أَوْهَامِكُمْ وَ قَدَرِكُمْ أَنْ تَقْدِرُوا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ إِعَادَةِ الْبَالِي فَكَيْفَ جَوَّزْتُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ خَلْقَ هَذَا الْأَعْجَبِ عِنْدَكُمْ وَ الْأَصْعَبِ لَدَيْكُمْ وَ لَمْ تُجَوِّزُوا مِنْهُ مَا هُوَ أَسْهَلُ عِنْدَكُمْ مِنْ إِعَادَةِ الْبَالِي قَالَ الصَّادِقُ عليه السلام فَهَذَا الْجِدَالُ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ لِأَنَّ فِيهَا قَطْعَ عُذْرِ الْكَافِرِينَ وَ إِزَالَةَ شُبَهِهِمْ وَ أَمَّا الْجِدَالُ بِغَيْرِ الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ بِأَنْ تَجْحَدَ حَقّاً لَا يُمْكِنُكَ أَنْ تُفَرِّقَ بَيْنَهُ وَ بَيْنَ بَاطِلِ مَنْ تُجَادِلُهُ وَ إِنَّمَا تَدْفَعُهُ عَنْ بَاطِلِهِ بِأَنْ تَجْحَدَ الْحَقَّ فَهَذَا هُوَ الْمُحَرَّمُ لِأَنَّكَ مِثْلُهُ جَحَدَ هُوَ حَقّاً وَ جَحَدْتَ أَنْتَ حَقّاً آخَرَ.

As for the people of falsehood, they make that weak point, when disputing with the weak among you, into an argument and proof for their own emptiness. And your weak ones are grieved and saddened at seeing this. As for the disputation that is best, it is as God taught His Prophet in debating with those who deny the Gathering: "And he set forth a parable for Us and forgot his own creation; he said: Who will give life to these bones when they are decayed?" And God said in refuting them: Say, O Muhammad: "He will give them life who produced them the first time, and He has knowledge of every creation — He who made for you fire from the green tree, and behold, from it you kindle." In this way God asked His Prophet to dispute with those who deny the Gathering and the Resurrection, those who said: How shall these decayed bones live again? And He said to him: "Say: He will give them life who produced them the first time." Is God, then, incapable of bringing back after decay the one He created in the beginning? Nay, in your view, is the beginning of creation harder than bringing it back? "He who made for you fire from the green tree": that is, when God has hidden hot fire in a green — fresh and moist — tree and then brought it out and made it appear, by this act He has made you understand that He is also able and powerful to restore creation and to give life [again] to what has decayed. Then He said: "Is not He who created the heavens and the earth able to create the like of them? Yes indeed; and He is the all-creating, the all-knowing." That is: You who count it permissible for God to create a world with all its wonders — which is harder in your view — do you not allow the giving of life to a decayed bone, which is easier in your view? Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: This is the meaning of the disputation that is best, in which no room for excuse or pretext is left for the opponent, and his uncertainty and objection are answered according to his own understanding. As for disputation that is not the best, it is that you deny a truth, which takes from you the power to distinguish the truth and falsehood of the one you are debating; and by this act you only draw him away from his falsehood, not near to the truth — and this way is prohibited and forbidden, since both of you are deniers of the truth.

م، تفسير الإمام عليه السلام فَقَالَ: فَقَامَ إِلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ وَ قَالَ يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أَ فَجَادَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله فَقَالَ الصَّادِقُ مَهْمَا ظَنَنْتَ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مِنْ شَيْ ءٍ فَلَا تَظُنَّ بِهِ مُخَالَفَةَ اللَّهِ أَ وَ لَيْسَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَالَ وَ جادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ وَ قَالَ قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنْشَأَها أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ لِمَنْ ضَرَبَ لِلَّهِ مِثْلًا أَ فَتَظُنُّ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله خَالَفَ مَا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ بِهِ فَلَمْ يُجَادِلْ بِمَا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَ لَمْ يُخْبِرْ عَنِ اللَّهِ بِمَا أَمَرَهُ أَنْ يُخْبِرَ بِهِ.

The Commentary of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari, peace be upon him: A man rose and said: O son of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family! Did the Messenger of God dispute? Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: Whatever you suppose of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, do not suppose opposition to God! Did God not say in the Qur'an: "And dispute with them in the [way] that is best"? And He said: "Say: He will give them life who produced them the first time" (to the one who set forth a parable for God). Do you suppose that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, opposed God's command and did not dispute in what God commanded him, and did not convey what God commanded him to convey from Him?

بيان: الشجر الأخضر الذي ينقدح منه النار هو شجر المرخ و العفار نوعان من

Elucidation: "The green tree from which fire blazes forth": the "markh" and "'afar" trees are two kinds of