بيان: قال في النهاية اغد عالما أو متعلما و لا تكن إمعة الإمعة بكسر الهمزة و تشديد الميم الذي لا رأى له فهو يتابع كل أحد على رأيه و الهاء فيه للمبالغة و يقال فيه إمع أيضا و لا يقال للمرأة إمعة و همزته أصلية لأنه لا يكون أفعل وصفا و قيل هو الذي يقول لكل أحد أنا معك و منه حديث ابن مسعود لا يكونن أحدكم إمعة قيل و ما الإمعة قال الذي يقول أنا مع الناس انتهى و النجد الطريق الواضح المرتفع و الحاصل أنه لا واسطة بين الحق و الباطل فالخروج عن الحق لمتابعة الناس ينتهي إلى الباطل.

In Ibn al-Athir's al-Nihaya it is said: "Rise in the morning either learned or learning, and be not an imma'a" — that is, one who has no opinion of his own and follows every man's opinion. The ha' in "imma'a" is for intensification, and one also says "imma'". It is not said of a woman, and its hamza is original, for it is not an "af'al" used adjectivally. It is said that the word is applied to one who says to everyone he meets: I am with you. Of this kind is the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud, who said: Let none of you be an imma'a. It was said: What is an imma'a? He said: One who says, I am with the people. "Najd" is a clear and elevated road. The upshot is that there is no middle ground between truth and falsehood: departing from the truth in order to follow the people must end in falsehood.

«63»- سر، السرائر مِنْ كِتَابِ الْمَشِيخَةِ عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ قَالَ: لَقِيَنِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام فِي بَعْضِ طُرُقِ الْمَدِينَةِ لَيْلًا فَقَالَ لِي يَا حَارِثُ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ أَمَا لَتَحْمِلُنَّ ذُنُوبَ سُفَهَائِكُمْ عَلَى عُلَمَائِكُمْ ثُمَّ مَضَى قَالَ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهُ فَاسْتَأْذَنْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ لِمَ قُلْتَ لَتَحْمِلُنَّ ذُنُوبَ سُفَهَائِكُمْ عَلَى عُلَمَائِكُمْ فَقَدْ دَخَلَنِي مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَمْرٌ عَظِيمٌ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ مَا يَمْنَعُكُمْ إِذَا بَلَغَكُمْ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ مِنْكُمْ مَا تَكْرَهُونَهُ مِمَّا يَدْخُلُ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا الْأَذَى وَ الْعَيْبُ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ أَنْ تَأْتُوهُ فَتُؤَنِّبُوهُ ١ وَ تَعِظُوهُ وَ تَقُولُوا لَهُ قَوْلًا بَلِيغاً فَقُلْتُ لَهُ إِذًا لَا يَقْبَلُ مِنَّا وَ لَا يُطِيعُنَا قَالَ فَقَالَ فَإِذًا فَاهْجُرُوهُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ وَ اجْتَنِبُوا مُجَالَسَتَهُ.

Al-Sara'ir: Al-Harith b. al-Mughira said: One night, on one of the roads of Medina, Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, met me and said: You lay the sins of your ignorant upon your scholars. Then he went on, and after a while I came to him and said: Your words weighed heavily upon me. He said: Yes! A man of yours troubles us and finds fault with us before people — why do you not admonish him plainly? I said: He does not accept it. He said: Then keep away from him and avoid his company.

«64»- سر، السرائر مِنْ كِتَابِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بُكَيْرٍ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عليه السلام قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مَنْ دَعَا إِلَى ضَلَالٍ لَمْ يَزَلْ فِي سَخَطِ اللَّهِ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ مِنْهُ.

Al-Sara'ir, from the book of 'Abd Allah b. Bukayr, from Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, from his father, that the Messenger of God — may God bless him and his family — said: Whoever calls to error remains under God's displeasure until he turns back from it.

«65»- غو، غوالي اللئالي قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله إِذَا مَاتَ الْمُؤْمِنُ انْقَطَعَ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ.

'Awali al-La'ali: The Messenger of God — may God bless him and his family — said: When the believer dies his work is cut off, save from three: an ongoing charity; knowledge by which people benefit; or a righteous child who prays for him.

«66»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله يَا عَلِيُّ نَوْمُ الْعَالِمِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَلْفِ رَكْعَةٍ يُصَلِّيهَا الْعَابِدُ يَا عَلِيُّ لَا فَقْرَ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْجَهْلِ وَ لَا عِبَادَةَ مِثْلُ التَّفَكُّرِ.

The Messenger of God — may God bless him and his family — said: O 'Ali, the sleep of the scholar is better than a thousand prayer-cycles performed by the worshipper.

«67»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله عُلَمَاءُ أُمَّتِي كَأَنْبِيَاءِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ.

The Messenger of God — may God bless him and his family — said: The scholars of my community are like the prophets of the Children of Israel.