«4»- يج، الخرائج و الجرائح قَالَ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْهَرَوِيُّ خَرَجَ تَوْقِيعٌ مِنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ عليه السلام إِلَى بَعْضِ بَنِي أَسْبَاطٍ قَالَ كَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ أُخْبِرُهُ مِنِ اخْتِلَافِ الْمَوَالِي وَ أَسْأَلُهُ بِإِظْهَارِ دَلِيلٍ فَكَتَبَ إِنَّمَا خَاطَبَ اللَّهُ الْعَاقِلَ وَ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ يَأْتِي بِآيَةٍ وَ يُظْهِرُ دَلِيلًا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا جَاءَ بِهِ خَاتَمُ النَّبِيِّينَ وَ سَيِّدُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله فَقَالُوا كَاهِنٌ وَ سَاحِرٌ وَ كَذَّابٌ وَ هُدِیَ مَنِ اهْتَدَى غَيْرَ أَنَّ الْأَدِلَّةَ يَسْكُنُ إِلَيْهَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْذَنُ لَنَا فَنَتَكَلَّمُ وَ يَمْنَعُ فَنَصْمُتُ وَ لَوْ أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ أَنْ لَا يُظْهِرَ حَقَّنَا مَا ظَهَرَ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَ مُنْذِرِينَ يَصْدَعُونَ بِالْحَقِّ فِي حَالِ الضَّعْفِ وَ الْقُوَّةِ وَ يَنْطِقُونَ فِي أَوْقَاتٍ لِيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْرَهُ وَ يُنْفِذَ حُكْمَهُ وَ النَّاسُ عَلَى طَبَقَاتٍ مُخْتَلِفِينَ شَتَّى فَالْمُسْتَبْصِرُ عَلَى سَبِيلِ نَجَاةٍ مُتَمَسِّكٌ بِالْحَقِّ فَيَتَعَلَّقُ بِفَرْعٍ أَصِيلٍ غَيْرُ شَاكٍّ وَ لَا مُرْتَابٍ لَا يَجِدُ عَنِّي مَلْجَأً وَ طَبَقَةٌ لَمْ يَأْخُذِ الْحَقَّ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ فَهُمْ كَرَاكِبِ الْبَحْرِ يَمُوجُ عِنْدَ مَوْجِهِ وَ يَسْكُنُ عِنْدَ سُكُونِهِ وَ طَبَقَةٌ اسْتَحْوَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ الشَّيْطَانُ شَأْنُهُمُ الرَّدُّ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْحَقِّ وَ دَفْعُ الْحَقِّ بِالْبَاطِلِ حَسَداً مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِهِمْ فَدَعْ مَنْ ذَهَبَ يَمِيناً وَ شِمَالًا كَالرَّاعِي إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَجْمَعَ غَنَمَهُ جَمَعَهَا بِأَدْوَنِ السَّعْيِ ذَكَرْتَ مَا اخْتَلَفَ فِيهِ مَوَالِيَّ فَإِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَصِيَّةُ وَ الْكِبَرُ فَلَا رَيْبَ وَ مَنْ جَلَسَ بِمَجَالِسِ الْحُكْمِ فَهُوَ أَوْلَى بِالْحُكْمِ أَحْسِنْ رِعَايَةَ مَنِ اسْتَرْعَيْتَ فَإِيَّاكَ وَ الْإِذَاعَةَ وَ طَلَبَ الرِّئَاسَةِ فَإِنَّهُمَا تَدْعُوَانِ إِلَى الْهَلَكَةِ ذَكَرْتَ شُخُوصَكَ إِلَى فَارِسَ ١ فَاشْخَصْ عَافَاكَ اللَّهُ خَارَ اللَّهُ لَكَ ٢ وَ تَدْخُلُ مِصْرَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ آمِناً فَأَقْرِئْ مَنْ تَثِقُ بِهِ مِنْ مَوَالِيَّ السَّلَامَ وَ مُرْهُمْ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ وَ أَدَاءِ الْأَمَانَةِ وَ أَعْلِمْهُمْ أَنَّ الْمُذِيعَ عَلَيْنَا حَرْبٌ لَنَا فَلَمَّا قَرَأْتُ وَ تَدْخُلُ مِصْرَ لَمْ أَعْرِفْ لَهُ مَعْنًى وَ قَدِمْتُ بَغْدَادَ وَ عَزِيمَتِیَ الْخُرُوجُ إِلَى فَارِسَ فَلَمْ يَتَهَيَّأْ لِيَ الْخُرُوجُ إِلَى فَارِسَ وَ خَرَجْتُ إِلَى مِصْرَ.

Al-Khara'ij wa al-Jara'ih: Abu al-Qasim al-Harawi says: I wrote a letter to Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari, peace be upon him, and informed him that his friends were in disagreement, and asked him to furnish a proof. He wrote in reply: God, exalted, addresses the man of intellect; and no one has been able to bring proof and establish demonstration as did the Seal of the Prophets and the Chief of the Messengers, may God bless him and his family. Yet, for all that, they called him — God forbid — a sorcerer, a soothsayer and a liar. And whoever seeks guidance is guided, except that most people are set at rest by proofs and miracles. In this matter, if God permits us, we speak, and if He prevents us, we keep silent. Had God wished that our right should not appear, He would not have sent the prophets as bearers of good news and warners, that they might proclaim the truth whether in weakness or in power, and always speak the truth, until God brings His affair to completion and makes His decree effective. People are of several kinds: 1. Some people are aware and walk in the way of deliverance and salvation; they hold fast to the truth, cling to a firm place, admit no doubt or uncertainty, and recognise no refuge but us. 2. Others do not take the truth from its people and are like one whom the tossing of the sea carries this way and that; whenever the wave subsides, he too subsides (and has no independence of his own). 3. Yet others are those over whom Satan has prevailed, and whose business is to reject the people of truth and to repel the truth by falsehood — and this is because of the envy they bear. So leave the left and the right alone. We are like the shepherd who, whenever he wishes to gather his sheep, does so with the least effort. As for what you said of the disagreement of our friends: after my father made his bequest to me, and I am the eldest of his sons, no doubt or uncertainty remains. And whoever sits in the seat of judgement and better observes the people's condition is more entitled to this task. And do not divulge our secrets and do not seek leadership, for these two things are a cause of ruin. Likewise you wrote that you wish to go to Fars; go there. May God preserve you and send good with you. God willing, you will enter Egypt in safety and security. Convey my greeting to our friends and call them to God-fearing and to rendering back trusts. And say to them: whoever divulges our secrets is counted our enemy. The narrator says: When I read the letter I did not grasp what the Imam meant. When I reached Baghdad I intended to go to Fars, but the means of the journey to Fars were not available, so I went to Egypt. At that point I understood that the Imam, peace be upon him, had known that I would not go to Fars.

بيان: لعل قوله عليه السلام و ذلك أن اللّٰه تعليل لما يفهم من كلامه عليه السلام من الآباء عن إظهار الدليل و الحجة و المعجزة و قوله عليه السلام و لو أحب اللّٰه لعل المراد أنه لو أمرنا ربنا بأن لا نظهر دعوى الإمامة أصلا لما أظهرنا ثم بين عليه السلام الفرق بين النبي و الإمام في ذلك بأن النبي إنما يبعث في حال اضمحلال الدين و خفاء الحجة فيلزمه

Elucidation: His words, peace be upon him, "wa dhalika anna Allah" are perhaps a justification of what is understood from his words, peace be upon him, concerning his forefathers' refraining from displaying proof, evidence and miracle. And his words, peace be upon him, "wa law ahabba Allah" — perhaps what is meant is that if our Lord had commanded us not to make manifest the claim of the imamate at all, we would never have made it manifest. So he stated the difference between "prophet" and "Imam" in this matter: that the "prophet" is raised up at a time when religion is being lost and the proof is hidden, so it is incumbent upon him