قَالَ كِتَابَتُهُ ١.

He said: Writing it down.

«36»- وَ رُوِیَ أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ كَانَ يَجْلِسُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله فَيَسْمَعُ مِنْهُ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله الْحَدِيثَ فَيُعْجِبُهُ وَ لَا يَحْفَظُهُ فَشَكَا ذَلِكَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله اسْتَعِنْ بِيَمِينِكَ وَ أَوْمَأَ بِيَدِهِ أَيْ خُطَّ.

It is related that a man of the Ansar used to sit with the Prophet, may God bless him and his family, and would hear hadith from him and marvel at it, but could not commit those hadiths to memory. So he complained of this difficulty to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family. He said: Seek help from your right hand — and with his blessed hand he gestured towards writing.

«37»- وَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عليهما السلام أَنَّهُ دَعَا بَنِيهِ وَ بَنِی أَخِيهِ فَقَالَ إِنَّكُمْ صِغَارُ قَوْمٍ وَ يُوشِكُ أَنْ تَكُونُوا كِبَارَ قَوْمٍ آخَرِينَ فَتَعَلَّمُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَحْفَظَهُ فَلْيَكْتُبْهُ وَ لْيَضَعْهُ فِي بَيْتِهِ.

It is related from al-Hasan b. 'Ali, peace be upon them both, that he called his sons and his brother's sons and said: You are the young of a people, and it is near that you become the elders of another people. Acquire knowledge; and whoever among you cannot memorise it, let him write knowledge down and keep it in his house.

«38»- وَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام يَقُولُ اكْتُبُوا فَإِنَّكُمْ لَا تَحْفَظُونَ حَتَّى تَكْتُبُوا.

Abu Basir says: I heard Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, saying: Write, for you will not remember unless you write.

«39»- وَ عَنْهُ عليه السلام قَالَ: الْقَلْبُ يَتَّكِلُ عَلَى الْكِتَابَةِ٢.

Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: The heart relies upon what is written.

«40»- وَ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام احْتَفِظُوا بِكُتُبِكُمْ فَإِنَّكُمْ سَوْفَ تَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيْهَا.

'Ubayd b. Zurara says: Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: Guard your books, for soon you will have need of them.

«41»- وَ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِبَعْضِ كُتَّابِهِ أَلِقِ الدَّوَاةَ وَ حَرِّفِ الْقَلَمَ وَ انْصِبِ الْبَاءَ وَ فَرِّقِ السِّينَ وَ لَا تُعَوِّرِ الْمِيمَ وَ حَسِّنِ اللَّهَ وَ مُدَّ الرَّحْمَنَ وَ جَوِّدِ الرَّحِيمَ وَ ضَعْ قَلَمَكَ عَلَى أُذُنِكَ الْيُسْرَى فَإِنَّهُ أَذْكَرُ لَكَ.

It is related from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, that he said to one of his scribes: Put the pad of silk into the inkwell, cut the pen's nib aslant, write the "ba'" raised, space out the "sin", write the head of the "mim" large, write "Allah" well, lengthen "al-Rahman", write "al-Rahim" finely, and put the pen behind your right ear, for that will make you remember better.

«42»- وَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله لِيُبَلِّغِ الشَّاهِدُ الْغَائِبَ فَإِنَّ الشَّاهِدَ عَسَى أَنْ يُبَلِّغَ مَنْ هُوَ أَوْعَى لَهُ مِنْهُ.

The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, said: Let the one present convey to the one absent, for the one present may convey it to someone with greater capacity for it than himself.

«43»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مَنْ أَدَّى إِلَى أُمَّتِي حَدِيثاً يُقَامُ بِهِ سُنَّةٌ أَوْ يُثْلَمُ بِهِ بِدْعَةٌ فَلَهُ الْجَنَّةُ.

The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, said: Whoever conveys to my community a hadith by which a practice of mine is established or a breach is made in an innovation — for him is Paradise.

«44»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ حَدِيثَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ يَنْفَعُ بِهِمَا نَفْسَهُ أَوْ يُعَلِّمُهُمَا غَيْرَهُ فَيَنْتَفِعُ بِهِمَا كَانَ خَيْراً مِنْ عِبَادَةِ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً.

The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, said: Whoever learns two hadiths from which he himself benefits, or teaches them to another so that the other benefits, that is better than sixty years of worship.

«45»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله تَذَاكَرُوا وَ تَلَاقَوْا وَ تَحَدَّثُوا فَإِنَّ الْحَدِيثَ جِلَاءُ الْقُلُوبِ إِنَّ الْقُلُوبَ لَتَرِينُ كَمَا يَرِينُ السَّيْفُ وَ جِلَاؤُهُ الْحَدِيثُ.

Discuss together, visit one another, and relate hadith to one another; for hadith gives light to hearts. Truly hearts rust as a sword rusts, and the polish of the heart is hadith.