يَدْخُلَ فِي هَذَا الْأَمْرِ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبِي لَا تُخَاصِمْ أَحَداً فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ إِذَا أَرَادَ بِعَبْدٍ خَيْراً نَكَتَ فِي قَلْبِهِ حَتَّى إِنَّهُ لَيُبْصِرُ بِهِ الرَّجُلَ مِنْكُمْ يَشْتَهِي لِقَاءَهُ.
wills good for a servant, makes a mark in his heart, so that through it a man of you is given sight and comes to long for the meeting with God. And Abu Hamza also related this hadith from Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him.
قال و حدثني عن عبد اللّٰه بن يحيى عن ابن مسكان عن ثابت عن أبي عبد اللّٰه عليه السلام بيان النكت أن تضرب في الأرض بخشب فيؤثر فيها و النقش في الأرض و المراد إلقاء الحق فيه و إثباته بحيث تنتقش به و تقبله و الظاهر أن الغرض من تلك الأخبار ترك مجادلة من لا يؤثر الحق فيه و تجب التقية منه و لما كانوا في غاية الحرص على دخول الناس في الإيمان كانوا يتعرضون للمهالك فبيّن عليه السلام أنه ليس كل من تلقون إليه شيئا من الخير يقبله بل لا بد من شرائط يفقدها كثير من الناس و إن كان فقدها بسوء اختيارهم و سنفصل القول فيها في محله إن شاء اللّٰه.
Elucidation: "Al-nakt" is to strike the ground with a piece of wood so that the dust rises and a mark is made in the ground. What is meant is the casting of the truth into the heart and the establishing of the truth in such a way that the truth is imprinted in his heart and he accepts it. It appears that the purport of these reports is the abandoning of disputation and wrangling with one on whom the truth has no effect and from whom dissimulation is obligatory. Since the Shi'a were in the utmost degree of eagerness for people to enter the faith, they exposed themselves to perils and put themselves in the way of destruction; so the Imam, peace be upon him, explained that it is not the case that everyone accepts the good — there must be conditions in place that most people do not have, even though their lacking these conditions may be due to their own evil choice. The full discussion will come in its proper place.
«28»- سن، المحاسن أَبِي عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام قَالَ: لَا تُخَاصِمُوا النَّاسَ فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ لَوِ اسْتَطَاعُوا أَنْ يُحِبُّونَا لَأَحَبُّونَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَخَذَ مِيثَاقَ شِيعَتِنَا يَوْمَ أَخَذَ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ فَلَا يَزِيدُ فِيهِمْ أَحَدٌ أَبَداً وَ لَا يَنْقُصُ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدٌ أَبَداً ١
Al-Mahasin: Abu Basir relates from Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, that he said: Do not be at enmity with people, for if people could love us they would have loved us. God took the covenant of our Shi'a on the day He took the covenant of the prophets; so no one will ever be added to the Shi'a and no one will ever be taken away from them.
«29»- سن، المحاسن أَبِي عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْبَطَائِنِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عليه السلام أَدْعُو النَّاسَ إِلَى مَا فِي يَدِي فَقَالَ لَا قُلْتُ إِنِ اسْتَرْشَدَنِي أَحَدٌ أُرْشِدُهُ قَالَ نَعَمْ إِنِ اسْتَرْشَدَكَ فَأَرْشِدْهُ فَإِنِ اسْتَزَادَكَ فَزِدْهُ فَإِنْ جَاحَدَكَ فَجَاحِدْهُ.
Al-Mahasin: Abu Basir says: I said to Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him: Shall I call people to the walaya I hold in my hand? He said: No. I said: If someone asks me for guidance, shall I guide him? He said: Yes. And he said: If he asks you for more, guide him more; and if he comes at you in denial, you too deny to him.
بيان: فجاحده أي لا تظهر له معتقدك و إن سألك عنه فلا تعترف به أو المعنى إن أنكر و رد عليك في شي ء من دينك فأنكر عليه و الأول أوفق بصدر الخبر.
Elucidation: "Fa-jahidhu": that is, do not make your belief manifest to him, and if he asks you about it do not acknowledge it; or the meaning is that if he denies and rejects something of your religion, you too reject it to him. The first meaning accords better with the beginning of the report.
«30»- ضا، فقه الرضا عليه السلام إِيَّاكَ وَ الْخُصُومَةَ فَإِنَّهَا تُورِثُ الشَّكَّ وَ تُحْبِطُ الْعَمَلَ وَ تُرْدِی بِصَاحِبِهَا وَ عَسَى أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ بِشَيْ ءٍ فَلَا يُغْفَرَ لَهُ.
Fiqh al-Rida, peace be upon him: Beware of enmity and wrangling with others, for this act brings about doubt, destroys the reward of a deed, and ruins the one who engages in it. Often he says something for which he is never forgiven.
«31»- مص، مصباح الشريعة قَالَ الصَّادِقُ عليه السلام الْمِرَاءُ دَاءٌ رَدِيٌّ وَ لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ خَصْلَةٌ شَرٌّ مِنْهُ وَ هُوَ خُلُقُ إِبْلِيسَ وَ نِسْبَتُهُ فَلَا يُمَارِي فِي أَيِّ حَالٍ كَانَ إِلَّا مَنْ كَانَ جَاهِلًا بِنَفْسِهِ وَ بِغَيْرِهِ مَحْرُوماً مِنْ حَقَائِقِ الدِّينِ.
Misbah al-Shari'a: Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him: Wrangling is an evil disease for a man; there is no trait worse than wrangling, and it is the character of Iblis. So do not wrangle in any state, save with one who knows neither himself nor others and is deprived of the realities of religion.