عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شِمْرٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ قَالَ: دَخَلْنَا عَلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عليه السلام وَ نَحْنُ جَمَاعَةٌ بَعْدَ مَا قَضَيْنَا نُسُكَنَا فَوَدَّعْنَاهُ وَ قُلْنَا لَهُ أَوْصِنَا يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ لِيُعِنْ قَوِيُّكُمْ ضَعِيفَكُمْ وَ لْيَعْطِفْ غَنِيُّكُمْ عَلَى فَقِيرِكُمْ وَ لْيَنْصَحِ الرَّجُلُ أَخَاهُ كَنُصْحِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ وَ اكْتُمُوا أَسْرَارَنَا وَ لَا تَحْمِلُوا النَّاسَ عَلَی أَعْنَاقِنَا وَ انْظُرُوا أَمْرَنَا وَ مَا جَاءَكُمْ عَنَّا فَإِنْ وَجَدْتُمُوهُ لِلْقُرْآنِ مُوَافِقاً فَخُذُوا بِهِ وَ إِنْ لَمْ تَجِدُوهُ مُوَافِقاً فَرُدُّوهُ وَ إِنِ اشْتَبَهَ الْأَمْرُ عَلَيْكُمْ فَقِفُوا عِنْدَهُ وَ رُدُّوهُ إِلَيْنَا حَتَّى نَشْرَحَ لَكُمْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا شُرِحَ لَنَا فَإِذَا كُنْتُمْ كَمَا أَوْصَيْنَاكُمْ لَمْ تَعَدَّوْا إِلَى غَيْرِهِ فَمَاتَ مِنْكُمْ مَيِّتٌ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ قَائِمُنَا عَجَّلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَرَجَهُ كَانَ شَهِيداً وَ مَنْ أَدْرَكَ قَائِمَنَا عَجَّلَ اللَّهُ فَرَجَهُ فَقُتِلَ مَعَهُ كَانَ لَهُ أَجْرُ شَهِيدَيْنِ وَ مَنْ قَتَلَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ عَدُوّاً لَنَا كَانَ لَهُ أَجْرُ عِشْرِينَ شَهِيداً.

Jabir says: We came in upon al-Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, peace be upon him — and we were a group — and after we had visited him we bade the Imam farewell. When we wished to leave we said: O son of the Prophet, give us some counsel. The Imam said: Let the strong among you help the weak among you. Let the wealthy among you be kind to the destitute among you. Let a man wish good for his brother in religion as he wishes good for himself. Conceal our secrets. Do not set people upon our necks. Look to our religion and to what comes to you from us: if you find it in accord with the Qur'an, follow it, and if you do not find it in accord with the Qur'an, refer it back to us. If a ruling becomes doubtful to you and you do not grasp its real meaning, then halt at it and refer it back to us until we explain this doubtful matter to you, just as it was explained to us from God. Be as we have charged you, and do not go beyond what has reached you from us. If a man among you dies in this state before our Qa'im (may God hasten his relief) appears, he has died a martyr; and whoever lives to see our Qa'im (may God hasten his relief) and is martyred with him has the reward of two martyrs; and whoever kills an enemy of ours in the presence of the Imam of the Age has the reward of twenty martyrs.

«22»- ع، علل الشرائع أَبِي عَنْ سَعْدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ وَ السِّنْدِيِّ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ وَ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام قَالَ: قُلْتُ لَهُ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ شَيْ ءٌ أَشَدَّ عَلَيَّ مِنِ اخْتِلَافِ أَصْحَابِنَا قَالَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ قِبَلِي.

'Ilal al-Shara'i': My father, may God have mercy on him, from Sa'd b. 'Abdallah, from Hariz, from al-Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him; he says: I said in the Imam's blessed presence: No matter is harder for me than this, that there is disagreement among our companions. The Imam, peace be upon him, said: That disagreement came from me, and it is I who cast disagreement among them.

بيان:، أي بما أخبرتهم به من جهة التقية و أمرتهم به للمصلحة.

I have told them certain hadiths by way of dissimulation and expediency.

«23»- ع، علل الشرائع ابْنُ الْوَلِيدِ عَنِ الصَّفَّارِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنِ الْخَزَّازِ عَمَّنْ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ عليه السلام قَالَ: اخْتِلَافُ أَصْحَابِي لَكُمْ رَحْمَةٌ وَ قَالَ إِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ جَمَعْتُكُمْ عَلَى أَمْرٍ وَاحِدٍ وَ سُئِلَ عَنِ اخْتِلَافِ أَصْحَابِنَا فَقَالَ عليه السلام أَنَا فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ بِكُمْ لَوِ اجْتَمَعْتُمْ عَلَى أَمْرٍ وَاحِدٍ لَأُخِذَ بِرِقَابِكُمْ.

'Ilal al-Shara'i': Muhammad b. al-Hasan related from Ayyub al-Khazzaz, from al-Imam al-Kazim, peace be upon him, that he said: The disagreement among my companions is a mercy for you. And he also said: When there is disagreement among my companions, I shall bring you all together upon one single matter. And I asked him about the disagreement of the companions and its cause. He said: I have cast this disagreement among the companions, and the reason is that if you were in agreement and there were no disagreement among you, the enemies would strike your necks.

بيان: إذا كان ذلك أي ظهور الحق و قيام القائم عجل اللّٰه فرجه.

That is, when the Qa'im (may God hasten his relief) appears, he will unite you upon one single matter.

«24»- ع، علل الشرائع أَبِي عَنْ سَعْدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنْ ثَعْلَبَةَ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عليه السلام قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَأَجَابَنِي قَالَ ثُمَّ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْهَا فَأَجَابَهُ بِخِلَافِ مَا أَجَابَنِي ثُمَّ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ فَأَجَابَهُ بِخِلَافِ مَا أَجَابَنِي وَ أَجَابَ صَاحِبِي فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ الرَّجُلَانِ قُلْتُ يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ رَجُلَانِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ مِنْ شِيعَتِكَ قَدِمَا يَسْأَلَانِ فَأَجَبْتَ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا بِغَيْرِ مَا أَجَبْتَ بِهِ الْآخَرَ قَالَ فَقَالَ يَا زُرَارَةُ إِنَّ هَذَا خَيْرٌ لَنَا وَ أَبْقَى لَنَا وَ لَكُمْ وَ لَوِ اجْتَمَعْتُمْ عَلَى أَمْرٍ وَاحِدٍ لَقَصَدَكُمُ النَّاسُ وَ لَكَانَ

'Ilal al-Shara'i': My father, may God have mercy on him, from Sa'd b. 'Abdallah, from Zurara, from Abu Ja'far, peace be upon him. Zurara says: I asked him about a question and he answered me; then a man came and asked about the same question and he gave him an answer contrary to the answer he had given me; then another man came and enquired about the same question and the Imam gave him an answer contrary to the answer he had given me and the previous man. And when those two men had gone out I said: O son of the Messenger of God! Two men of the people of Iraq who were of your Shi'a came to your presence and asked about a question, and you gave each of them an answer other than the other's! He said: O Zurara, this act is good for us and the cause of our survival. If you were all agreed upon one single matter, your enemies would make for you and would destroy your survival and ours. Zurara says: I said in the Imam's presence: If you ordered the Shi'a to go upon spears and fire, they would carry out that very command of yours — so why is it that when they leave your presence they are in disagreement with one another?