Misbah Library
Allama Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi 2 185

أَبِي الْبِلَادِ عَنْ سَدِيرٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام مِنْ قَوْلِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام إِنَّ أَمْرَنَا صَعْبٌ مُسْتَصْعَبٌ لَا يُقِرُّ بِهِ إِلَّا مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ أَوْ نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ أَوْ عَبْدٌ امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قَلْبَهُ لِلْإِيمَانِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُقَرَّبِينَ وَ غَيْرَ مُقَرَّبِينَ وَ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ مُرْسَلِينَ وَ غَيْرَ مُرْسَلِينَ وَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مُمْتَحَنِينَ وَ غَيْرَ مُمْتَحَنِينَ فَعَرَضَ أَمْرَكُمْ هَذَا عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَلَمْ يُقِرَّ بِهِ إِلَّا الْمُقَرَّبُونَ وَ عَرَضَ عَلَى الْأَنْبِيَاءِ فَلَمْ يُقِرَّ بِهِ إِلَّا الْمُرْسَلُونَ وَ عَرَضَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَلَمْ يُقِرَّ بِهِ إِلَّا الْمُمْتَحَنُونَ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي مُرَّ فِي حَدِيثِكَ.

Sadir says: I asked Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, about the saying of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him: Truly our cause is hard and hard to bear; none acknowledges it but an angel brought near, or a prophet sent with a mission, or a servant whose heart God has tested for faith. He answered me: Because the angels are of two kinds: those who are brought near to God's presence, and those who are not; and the prophets are sent with a mission and not sent; and the believers too are tested and untested. So this cause of yours (the walaya) — the angels did not acknowledge it save the tested ones among them; and it was presented to the prophets and none acknowledged it but those sent with a mission; and it was presented to the believers and none acknowledged it but the tested. — He said: — Then he said to me: Go over your hadith again.

بيان: لعل المراد الإقرار التام الذي يكون عن معرفة تامة بعلو قدرهم و غرائب شأنهم فلا ينافي عدم إقرار بعض الملائكة و الأنبياء هذا النوع من الإقرار عصمتهم و طهارتهم ١.

Elucidation: Perhaps what is meant is the complete acknowledgement that arises from a full knowledge of the loftiness of their worth and the wonder of their station; so the fact that some angels and prophets did not make this kind of acknowledgement does not conflict with their infallibility and purity.

«8»- ج، الإحتجاج عَنِ الرِّضَا عليه السلام أَنَّهُ قَالَ: إِنَّ فِي أَخْبَارِنَا مُتَشَابِهاً كَمُتَشَابِهِ الْقُرْآنِ وَ مُحْكَماً كَمُحْكَمِ الْقُرْآنِ فَرُدُّوا مُتَشَابِهَهَا دُونَ مُحْكَمِهَا.

Al-Ihtijaj: Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, said: Among our hadiths there is the ambiguous, like the ambiguous of the Qur'an, and the clear, like the clear of the Qur'an. So refer back their ambiguous, not their clear.

بيان: قوله عليه السلام دون محكمها أي إليه أي انظروا إلى محكمات الأخبار التي لا تحتمل إلا وجها واحدا و ردوا المتشابهات التي تحتمل وجوها إليها بأن تعملوا بما يوافق تلك المحكمات من الوجوه أو المراد ردوا علم المتشابه إلينا و لا تتفكروا فيه دون المحكم فإنه يلزمكم التفكر فيه و العمل به و يؤيد الأول الخبر الذي بعده بل الظاهر أن هذا الخبر مختصر ذلك.

Elucidation: "Duna muhkamiha": that is, look to the clear reports which admit of only one aspect, and refer back to them the ambiguous ones which admit of several aspects — in the sense that you act according to the clear. Or the hadith means: refer the knowledge of the ambiguous back to us and do not reflect upon it, but not the clear hadith, for upon that you must reflect and act. The first possibility is supported by the report that follows; indeed it appears that the above report is an abridgement of the next.

«9»- ن، عيون أخبار الرضا عليه السلام أَبِی عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ حَيُّونٍ مَوْلَى الرِّضَا عَنِ الرِّضَا عليه السلام قَالَ: مَنْ رَدَّ مُتَشَابِهَ الْقُرْآنِ إِلَى مُحْكَمِهِ هُدِيَ إِلى صِراطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ عليه السلام إِنَّ فِي أَخْبَارِنَا مُتَشَابِهاً كَمُتَشَابِهِ الْقُرْآنِ وَ مُحْكَماً كَمُحْكَمِ الْقُرْآنِ فَرُدُّوا مُتَشَابِهَهَا إِلَى مُحْكَمِهَا وَ لَا تَتَّبِعُوا مُتَشَابِهَهَا دُونَ مُحْكَمِهَا فَتَضِلُّوا.

'Uyun Akhbar al-Rida, peace be upon him: Abu Hayyun related from Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, that he said: Whoever refers the ambiguous verses of the Qur'an back to its clear verses has been guided to the straight path. Then he said: In our reports too, as in the Qur'an, there is the clear and the ambiguous; so refer their ambiguous back to their clear, and do not pursue only their ambiguous, lest you go astray.

بيان: ينبغي تقدير ضمير الشأن في قوله إن في أخبارنا و في بعض النسخ بالنصب

Elucidation: It is fitting to supply the pronoun of the matter in his words "inna fi akhbarina"; and in some copies it is in the accusative.

(١)1- بل المراد بالإقرار نيل ما عندهم عليهم السلام من حقيقة الدين و هو كمال التوحيد الذي هو الولاية فانه أمر ذو مراتب، و لا ينال المرتبة الكاملة منها إلّا من ذكروه بل يظهر من بعض الأخبار ما هو أعلى من ذلك و أغلی، و لشرح ذلك مقام آخر. ط.Rather, what is meant by acknowledgement is the attaining of the reality of religion that is with them, peace be upon them, which is the perfection of divine oneness, that is, the walaya; for it is a matter of degrees, and none attains its perfect degree save those they mentioned. Indeed, from some reports something higher and more precious than this appears, and the explanation of that has another place. T.