مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ زُرَارَةَ وَ ابْنَيْهِ الْحَسَنِ وَ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام اقْرَأْ مِنِّي عَلَى وَالِدِكَ السَّلَامَ وَ قُلْ لَهُ إِنِّي أَعِيبُكَ دِفَاعاً مِنِّي عَنْكَ فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ وَ الْعَدُوَّ يُسَارِعُونَ إِلَى كُلِّ مَنْ قَرَّبْنَاهُ وَ حَمِدْنَا مَكَانَهُ لِإِدْخَالِ الْأَذَى فِيمَنْ نُحِبُّهُ وَ نُقَرِّبُهُ وَ يَذُمُّونَهُ لِمَحَبَّتِنَا لَهُ وَ قُرْبِهِ وَ دُنُوِّهِ مِنَّا وَ يَرَوْنَ إِدْخَالَ الْأَذَى عَلَيْهِ وَ قَتْلَهُ وَ يَحْمَدُونَ كُلَّ مَنْ عَيَّبْنَاهُ نَحْنُ وَ إِنْ يُحْمَدُ أَمْرُهُ فَإِنَّمَا أَعِيبُكَ لِأَنَّكَ رَجُلٌ اشْتَهَرْتَ بِنَا وَ بِمَيْلِكَ إِلَيْنَا وَ أَنْتَ فِي ذَلِكَ مَذْمُومٌ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ غَيْرُ مَحْمُودِ الْأَثَرِ بِمَوَدَّتِكَ لَنَا وَ لِمَيْلِكَ إِلَيْنَا فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَعِيبَكَ لِيَحْمَدُوا أَمْرَكَ فِي الدِّينِ بِعَيْبِكَ وَ نَقْصِكَ وَ يَكُونَ بِذَلِكَ مِنَّا دَفْعُ شَرِّهِمْ عَنْكَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ أَمَّا السَّفِينَةُ فَكانَتْ لِمَساكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِي الْبَحْرِ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَعِيبَها وَ كانَ وَراءَهُمْ مَلِكٌ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصْباً هَذَا التَّنْزِيلُ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ صَالِحَةٌ لَا وَ اللَّهِ مَا عَابَهَا إِلَّا لِكَيْ تَسْلَمَ مِنَ الْمَلِكِ وَ لَا تَعْطَبَ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ وَ لَقَدْ كَانَتْ صَالِحَةً لَيْسَ لِلْعَيْبِ فِيهَا مَسَاغٌ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ فَافْهَمِ الْمَثَلَ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ فَإِنَّكَ وَ اللَّهِ أَحَبُّ النَّاسِ إِلَیَّ وَ أَحَبُّ أَصْحَابِ أَبِي عليه السلام حَيّاً وَ مَيِّتاً فَإِنَّكَ أَفْضَلُ سُفُنِ ذَلِكَ الْبَحْرِ الْقَمْقَامِ الزَّاخِرِ وَ إِنَّ مِنْ وَرَائِكَ مَلِكاً ظَلُوماً غَصُوباً يَرْقُبُ عُبُورَ كُلِّ سَفِينَةٍ صَالِحَةٍ تَرِدُ مِنْ بَحْرِ الْهُدَى لِيَأْخُذَهَا غَصْباً ثُمَّ يَغْصِبَهَا وَ أَهْلَهَا وَ رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ حَيّاً وَ رَحْمَتُهُ وَ رِضْوَانُهُ عَلَيْكَ مَيِّتاً وَ لَقَدْ أَدَّی إِلَیَّ ابْنَاكَ الْحَسَنُ وَ الْحُسَيْنُ رِسَالَتَكَ أَحَاطَهُمَا اللَّهُ وَ كَلَأَهُمَا وَ رَعَاهُمَا وَ حَفِظَهُمَا بِصَلَاحِ أَبِيهِمَا كَمَا حَفِظَ الْغُلَامَيْنِ فَلَا يَضِيقَنَّ صَدْرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِي أَمَرَكَ أَبِي عليه السلام وَ أَمَرْتُكَ بِهِ وَ أَتَاكَ أَبُو بَصِيرٍ بِخِلَافِ الَّذِي أَمَرْنَاكَ بِهِ فَلَا وَ اللَّهِ مَا أَمَرْنَاكَ وَ لَا أَمَرْنَاهُ إِلَّا بِأَمْرٍ وَسِعَنَا وَ وَسِعَكُمُ الْأَخْذُ بِهِ وَ لِكُلِّ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَنَا تَصَارِيفُ وَ مَعَانٍ تُوَافِقُ الْحَقَّ وَ لَوْ أُذِنَ لَنَا لَعَلِمْتُمْ أَنَّ الْحَقَّ فِي الَّذِي أَمَرْنَاكُمْ فَرُدُّوا إِلَيْنَا الْأَمْرَ وَ سَلِّمُوا لَنَا وَ اصْبِرُوا لِأَحْكَامِنَا وَ ارْضَوْا بِهَا وَ الَّذِي فَرَّقَ بَيْنَكُمْ فَهُوَ رَاعِيكُمُ الَّذِي اسْتَرْعَاهُ اللَّهُ خَلْقَهُ وَ هُوَ أَعْرَفُ بِمَصْلَحَةِ غَنَمِهِ فِي فَسَادِ أَمْرِهَا فَإِنْ شَاءَ فَرَّقَ بَيْنَهَا لِتَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَهَا لِيَأْمَنَ مِنْ فَسَادِهَا وَ خَوْفِ عَدُوِّهَا فِي آثَارِ مَا يَأْذَنُ اللَّهُ وَ يَأْتِيهَا بِالْأَمْنِ مِنْ مَأْمَنِهِ وَ الْفَرَجِ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالتَّسْلِيمِ وَ الرَّدِّ إِلَيْنَا وَ انْتِظَارِ أَمْرِنَا وَ أَمْرِكُمْ وَ فَرَجِنَا وَ فَرَجِكُمْ فَلَوْ قَدْ قَامَ قَائِمُنَا عَجَّلَ اللَّهُ فَرَجَهُ وَ تَكَلَّمَ بِتَكَلُّمِنَا ١ ثُمَّ اسْتَأْنَفَ بِكُمْ تَعْلِيمَ الْقُرْآنِ وَ شَرَائِعِ الدِّينِ وَ الْأَحْكَامِ وَ الْفَرَائِضِ كَمَا أَنْزَلَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله لَأَنْكَرَ أَهْلُ التَّصَابُرِ فِيكُمْ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ إِنْكَاراً شَدِيداً ثُمَّ لَمْ تَسْتَقِيمُوا_

He said to me: Convey my greetings to your father and tell him: I find fault with you in order to defend your life, because the people and the enemy harm those who are close to us and have a station with us, and this is for the crime of loving us, to the point that they wish to kill him; and whomever we find fault with, they praise. You are known for being of our Shi'a and are blamed by the people. We find fault with you so that their evil may be warded off from you. Then the Imam recited the verse: "As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea, and I wished to make it defective, for beyond them was a king seizing every [sound] ship by force" — and said: In reality the ship had no defect; the purpose of showing it as defective was that it might remain safe from the king and from destruction at his hands (you too, like that ship, have no defect). By God, you are the dearest of my father's companions, in death as in life, and the dearest of people to me. You are the best ship upon that vast sea, for the oppressive and usurping king lies in wait for the ships that sail on the sea of guidance, in order to seize them. May God have mercy upon you in death and in life, and be pleased with you. Your sons al-Hasan and al-Husayn — may God preserve them as He preserved that boy — delivered your letter to me. Do not be distressed at the command which my father and I gave you and then at Abu Basir's bringing you, at our command, the opposite of the former command; both commands were from us, and the purpose of it was to place you in latitude. In every case there are for us variations and meanings that correspond to the reality. If we are given leave, you will know that our commands are the truth. So commit the matters to us and be submissive to us. Be patient with our ruling and be content. God has made the one who makes the distinction among you a guardian of the creation, and for that reason he is better able to discern people's interest. If it be necessary to cast division among them he will do so, that they may be preserved; and afterwards he brings them together so as to prevent their corruption, guarding them from the enemy and placing them in safety. You must be submissive to us and await the matter of relief and the easing of your affairs and ours. If our Qa'im (may God hasten his relief) rises and utters our word and begins teaching the Qur'an, the rulings and the obligations just as they were sent down upon the Prophet, those who have barely been patient will rise up in violent denial, and only by the sword