حَدِيثَنَا صَعْبٌ مُسْتَصْعَبٌ خَشِنٌ مَخْشُوشٌ فَانْبِذُوا إِلَى النَّاسِ نَبْذاً فَمَنْ عَرَفَ فَزِيدُوهُ وَ مَنْ أَنْكَرَ فَأَمْسِكُوا لَا يَحْتَمِلُهُ إِلَّا ثَلَاثٌ مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ أَوْ نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ أَوْ عَبْدٌ مُؤْمِنٌ امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قَلْبَهُ لِلْإِيمَانِ.

Our hadith is hard, hard to bear, rough and unyielding. Cast it to people piece by piece: whoever recognises it, give him more, and whoever denies it, hold back; for none will bear it but an angel brought near, or a prophet sent with a mission, or a tested believer.

بيان: الخشاش بالكسر ما يدخل في عظم أنف البعير من خشب فالبعير الذي فعل به ذلك مخشوش و هذا الوصف أيضا لبيان صعوبته بأنه يحتاج في انقياده إلى الخشاش و لعل الأصوب مخشوشن كما في بعض النسخ فهو تأكيد و مبالغة قال الجوهري الخشونة ضد اللين و قد خشن الشي ء بالضم فهو خشن و اخشوشن الشي ء اشتدت خشونته و هو للمبالغة كقولك أعشب الأرض و اعشوشب.

Elucidation: The word "khishash", with kasra, means the piece of wood put into a camel's nose, from the root "khashab", wood; accordingly a camel to which this has been done is called "makhshush" — one with wood driven into its nose. This description, in addition to the expression "sa'b" (hard), in describing the hadith, is a further hardness ascribed to the hadith of the Infallible, peace be upon him, because submission and compliance to the report requires hardship (in accepting its sense). Perhaps the correct reading is "mukhshawshin", meaning that its roughness is intensified, as it occurs in some copies, its sense being emphasis and exaggeration in roughness. Al-Jawhari says: roughness is the opposite of softness; one says "qad khashuna al-shay' bil-damm fa-huwa khashin", that is, that thing became hard and rough and it has roughness. And the expression "ikhshawshana al-shay'" means its roughness intensified. This expression is an intensive like your saying "a'shaba al-ardu wa-'shawshaba" — the land became green and fresh and its greenery increased. And the literary form of it is: "a'shabat al-ardu wa-'shawshabat".

«36»- ير، بصائر الدرجات أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جُمْهُورٍ عَنِ الْبَزَنْطِيِّ عَنْ عِيسَى الْفَرَّاءِ عَنْ أَبِي الصَّامِتِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام يَقُولُ إِنَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِنَا مَا لَا يَحْتَمِلُهُ مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ وَ لَا نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ وَ لَا عَبْدٌ مُؤْمِنٌ قُلْتُ فَمَنْ يَحْتَمِلُهُ قَالَ نَحْنُ نَحْتَمِلُهُ.

Basa'ir al-Darajat: Abu al-Samit says: Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: None has the strength to bear our hadith but an angel brought near, or a prophet sent with a mission, or a tested believing servant. I said: May I be your ransom! Who then can bear it? He said: We bear it.

«37»- ير، بصائر الدرجات مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ الْكُوفِيِّ عَنْ عَبَّادِ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ الْأَسَدِيِّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ فُرَاتِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ١ قَالَ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ عليه السلام إِنَّ حَدِيثَنَا تَشْمَئِزُّ مِنْهُ الْقُلُوبُ فَمَنْ عَرَفَ فَزِيدُوهُمْ وَ مَنْ أَنْكَرَ فَذَرُوهُمْ.

Basa'ir al-Darajat: Furat b. Ahmad says: 'Ali, peace be upon him, said: Our hadith is such that hearts flee from it; to whoever understands it give more, and whoever denies it, leave him alone.

«38»- ير، بصائر الدرجات عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَالِمٍ الْفَرَّاءِ قَالَ: كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ يَخْدُمُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام فَرَجَعَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ فَقَالُوا لَهُ كَيْفَ كُنْتَ تَخْدُمُ أَهْلَ هَذَا الْبَيْتِ فَهَلْ أَصَبْتَ مِنْهُمْ عِلْماً قَالَ فَنَدِمَ الرَّجُلُ وَ كَتَبَ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام يَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ عِلْمٍ يَنْتَفِعُ بِهِ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّ حَدِيثَنَا حَدِيثٌ هَيُوبٌ ذَعُورٌ فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَرَى أَنَّكَ تَحْتَمِلُهُ فَاكْتُبْ إِلَيْنَا وَ السَّلَامُ.

Basa'ir al-Darajat: Yahya b. Salim al-Farra' says: A man of the people of Syria used to serve Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him. When he returned to his family they asked him: How did you come to serve this household? Did you gain any share of their knowledge? He regretted it and wrote a letter to the Imam asking for knowledge that would profit him. The Imam, peace be upon him, wrote in reply: Our hadith is fearsome and most terrifying; if you have the strength for it, write (that I may tell you). And peace.

«39»- ير، بصائر الدرجات إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ هَاشِمٍ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ عِمْرَانَ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ رَفَعَهُ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عليه السلام قَالَ: إِنَّ حَدِيثَنَا هَذَا تَشْمَئِزُّ مِنْهُ قُلُوبُ الرِّجَالِ فَمَنْ أَقَرَّ بِهِ

Basa'ir al-Darajat: Sulayman b. Salih relates in an elevated report from Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, that he said: From this kind of hadith of ours hearts recoil and flee; whoever acknowledges it,