الْأَهْوَاءِ الْمُرْدِيَةِ الْمُهْلِكَةِ الَّتِي تُخَالِفُ نَصَّ الْكِتَابِ وَ تَحْقِيقَ الْآيَاتِ الْوَاضِحَاتِ النَّيِّرَاتِ وَ نَحْنُ نَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُوَفِّقَنَا لِلثَّوَابِ وَ يَهْدِيَنَا إِلَى الرَّشَادِ ثُمَّ قَالَ عليه السلام فَإِذَا شَهِدَ الْكِتَابُ بِتَصْدِيقِ خَبَرٍ وَ تَحْقِيقِهِ فَأَنْكَرَتْهُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الْأُمَّةِ وَ عَارَضَتْهُ بِحَدِيثٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَحَادِيثِ الْمُزَوَّرَةِ صَارَتْ بِإِنْكَارِهَا وَ دَفْعِهَا الْكِتَابَ كُفَّاراً ضُلَّالًا وَ أَصَحُّ خَبَرٍ مَا عُرِفَ تَحْقِيقُهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ مِثْلُ الْخَبَرِ الْمُجْمَعِ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله حَيْثُ قَالَ إِنِّي مُسْتَخْلِفٌ فِيكُمْ خَلِيفَتَيْنِ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَ عِتْرَتِي مَا إِنْ تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِهِمَا لَنْ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدِي وَ إِنَّهُمَا لَنْ يَفْتَرِقَا حَتَّى يَرِدَا عَلَیَّ الْحَوْضَ وَ اللَّفْظَةُ الْأُخْرَى عَنْهُ فِي هَذَا الْمَعْنَى بِعَيْنِهِ قَوْلُهُ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله إِنِّي تَارِكٌ فِيكُمُ الثَّقَلَيْنِ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَ عِتْرَتِي أَهْلَ بَيْتِي وَ إِنَّهُمَا لَنْ يَفْتَرِقَا حَتَّى يَرِدَا عَلَيَّ الْحَوْضَ مَا إِنْ تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِهِمَا لَمْ تَضِلُّوا ١ فَلَمَّا وَجَدْنَا شَوَاهِدَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ نَصّاً فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ مِثْلَ قَوْلِهِ إِنَّما وَلِيُّكُمُ اللَّهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ وَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَ يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكاةَ وَ هُمْ راكِعُونَ ثُمَّ اتَّفَقَتْ رِوَايَاتُ الْعُلَمَاءِ فِي ذَلِكَ لِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام أَنَّهُ تَصَدَّقَ بِخَاتَمِهِ وَ هُوَ رَاكِعٌ فَشَكَرَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ وَ أَنْزَلَ الْآيَةَ فِيهِ ثُمَّ وَجَدْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله قَدْ أَبَانَهُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ بِهَذِهِ اللَّفْظَةِ مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ فَعَلِیٌّ مَوْلَاهُ اللَّهُمَّ وَالِ مَنْ وَالاهُ وَ عَادِ مَنْ عَادَاهُ وَ قَوْلِهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله عَلِیٌّ يَقْضِي دَيْنِي وَ يُنْجِزُ مَوْعِدِي وَ هُوَ خَلِيفَتِي عَلَيْكُمْ بَعْدِي وَ قَوْلِهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله حَيْثُ اسْتَخْلَفَهُ عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَ تُخْلِفُنِي عَلَی النِّسَاءِ وَ الصِّبْيَانِ ٢ فَقَالَ أَ مَا تَرْضَى أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنِّي بِمَنْزِلَةِ هَارُونَ مِنْ مُوسَى إِلَّا أَنَّهُ لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي فَعَلِمْنَا أَنَّ الْكِتَابَ شَهِدَ بِتَصْدِيقِ هَذِهِ الْأَخْبَارِ وَ تَحْقِيقِ هَذِهِ الشَّوَاهِدِ فَيَلْزَمُ الْأُمَّةَ الْإِقْرَارُ بِهَا إِذْ كَانَتْ هَذِهِ الْأَخْبَارُ وَافَقَتِ الْقُرْآنَ وَ وَافَقَ الْقُرْآنُ هَذِهِ الْأَخْبَارَ فَلَمَّا وَجَدْنَا ذَلِكَ مُوَافِقاً لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَ وَجَدْنَا كِتَابَ اللَّهِ مُوَافِقاً لِهَذِهِ الْأَخْبَارِ وَ عَلَيْهَا دَلِيلًا كَانَ الِاقْتِدَاءُ بِهَذِهِ الْأَخْبَارِ فَرْضاً لَا يَتَعَدَّاهُ إِلَّا أَهْلُ الْعِنَادِ وَ الْفَسَادِ ثُمَّ قَالَ عليه السلام وَ مُرَادُنَا وَ قَصْدُنَا الْكَلَامُ فِي الْجَبْرِ وَ التَّفْوِيضِ وَ شَرْحِهِمَا وَ بَيَانِهِمَا وَ إِنَّمَا قَدَّمْنَا مَا قَدَّمْنَا لِكَوْنِ اتِّفَاقِ الْكِتَابِ وَ الْخَبَرِ إِذَا اتَّفَقَا دَلِيلًا لِمَا أَرَدْنَاهُ وَ قُوَّةً لِمَا نَحْنُ مُبَيِّنُوهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ الْخَبَرُ طَوِيلٌ

and in the course of opposing the plain text of the Qur'an and its clear and luminous verses they follow their own destructive desires. We ask God to grant us the right way and to guide us to rectitude. Then he said: When a verse of the Qur'an affirms and establishes a report, and a sect of the Muslims then denies it and sets against it one of those forged hadiths, by that denial and rejection of the Qur'an they all become unbelievers and astray. And the soundest report whose confirmation is obtained from the Qur'an is an agreed-upon hadith from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, where he said: "I leave among you two things after me: the Book of God and my progeny. If you hold fast to them you will never go astray after me, and they will not part from each other until they come to me at the Pool." And this same hadith is related from him in another wording to the same effect: "I leave among you two weighty things: the Book of God and my progeny, my People of the House; they will not part from each other until they come to me at the Pool. If you hold fast to them you will never go astray." So when we found the witnesses of this hadith in the text of the Qur'an — such as this verse: "Your guardian is only God and His Messenger and those who believe, who establish the prayer and give the alms while bowing" — then all the narrations of the scholars agree upon this verse that the person meant (the believer who gave alms while bowing) is the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and they have related that he gave his ring in charity while bowing, and God sent down this verse in appreciation of him. Then in support of this very matter we come upon this prophetic hadith in which he said: "Whoever's master I am, 'Ali is his master. O God, befriend whoever befriends him and be the enemy of whoever is his enemy"; and this saying of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family: "'Ali will discharge my debt and fulfil my promise, and after me he is the successor over you"; and his words when he made him his deputy over the people of Medina, and in answer to his saying "O Messenger of God, do you leave me behind with the women and the children!" he said: "Are you not content that your station with me should be as the station of Aaron with Moses, except that there will be no prophet after me?" So we too realised that the Qur'an has borne witness to the truth of these reports and to the clarity of these proofs, so that the community became bound to acknowledge them — for these reports accord with the Qur'an and the Qur'an too is in harmony and agreement with these hadiths. So when we found the Qur'an and the reports each in accord with, confirming, and proof for the other, then following these hadiths is incumbent and obligatory upon all, and none transgresses against them and treats them with disrespect but the people of obstinacy and corruption. Then al-Imam al-Hadi, peace be upon him, said: Our chief aim and purpose was to speak about compulsion and delegation and to explain and expound them; and our purpose in what we said by way of introduction was only to show the agreement and concord of the Qur'an and the hadith — for whenever they agree together they will be, God willing, our proof and guide in our chief aim and a strength in setting forth what we say.