وَ تَأْخُذَ بِالْحَائِطَةِ لِدِينِكَ.

and take precaution in the matter of your religion.

أقول: قد مر في باب آداب طلب العلم ١ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ عليه السلام فَاسْأَلِ الْعُلَمَاءَ مَا جَهِلْتَ وَ إِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَسْأَلَهُمْ تَعَنُّتاً وَ تَجْرِبَةً وَ إِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَعْمَلَ بِرَأْيِكَ شَيْئاً وَ خُذْ بِالاحْتِيَاطِ فِي جَمِيعِ مَا تَجِدُ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا وَ اهْرُبْ مِنَ الْفُتْيَا هَرَبَكَ مِنَ الْأَسَدِ وَ لَا تَجْعَلْ رَقَبَتَكَ لِلنَّاسِ جِسْراً.

I say: It has already come in the chapter on the manners of seeking knowledge that Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: Ask the learned about what you do not know, and beware of asking them by way of testing them, and keep clear of acting upon your own opinion in anything. In everything in which precaution has a way, act by precaution. Flee from giving legal rulings as you would flee from a lion, and do not make your neck a bridge for the people.

«12»- الطُّرَفُ، لِلسَّيِّدِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ طَاوُسٍ قُدِّسَ سِرُّهُ نَقْلًا مِنْ كِتَابِ الْوَصِيَّةِ لِعِيسَى بْنِ الْمُسْتَفَادِ ٢ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عليه السلام قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله عِنْدَ عَدِّ شُرُوطِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَ عُهُودِهِ وَ الْوُقُوفُ عِنْدَ الشُّبْهَةِ وَ الرَّدُّ إِلَى الْإِمَامِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا شُبْهَةَ عِنْدَهُ.

Al-Turaf: Al-Sayyid Ibn Tawus, quoting from the Kitab al-Wasiyya of 'Isa b. al-Mustafad, from al-Imam Musa al-Kazim, peace be upon him, from his fathers, related: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, said, when enumerating the conditions of Islam and its covenants and halting at a doubt and referring it to the Imam: for this act is without doubt.

«13»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله وَ عَلَی أَنْ تُحَلِّلُوا حَلَالَ الْقُرْآنِ وَ تُحَرِّمُوا حَرَامَهُ وَ تَعْمَلُوا بِالْأَحْكَامِ وَ تَرُدُّوا الْمُتَشَابِهَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ فَمَنْ عَمِيَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ شَيْ ءٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلِمَهُ مِنِّي وَ لَا سَمِعَهُ فَعَلَيْهِ بِعَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ عَلِمَ كَمَا قَدْ عَلِمْتُهُ ظَاهِرَهُ وَ بَاطِنَهُ وَ مُحْكَمَهُ وَ مُتَشَابِهَهُ.

The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, used to say: Hold the lawful of the Qur'an lawful and its unlawful unlawful, act upon the firm verses of the Qur'an, and refer its ambiguous to its proper people. Whoever has no knowledge from me in his affair and has heard no hadith from me, let him refer to 'Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be upon him, for he is learned, just as I know the outward and the inward and the firm and the ambiguous of the Qur'an.

«14»- نهج، نهج البلاغة قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام إِنَّ اللَّهَ افْتَرَضَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَرَائِضَ فَلَا تُضَيِّعُوهَا وَ حَدَّ لَكُمْ حُدُوداً فَلَا تَعْتَدُوهَا وَ نَهَاكُمْ عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ فَلَا تَنْتَهِكُوهَا وَ سَكَتَ لَكُمْ عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ وَ لَمْ يَدَعْهَا نِسْيَاناً فَلَا تَتَكَلَّفُوهَا.

Nahj al-Balagha: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: Truly God has made certain obligations binding upon you, so do not squander them; and He has set bounds for you, so do not transgress them; and He has forbidden you certain things, so preserve their inviolability; and concerning certain things He has kept silent, not out of forgetfulness — so do not put yourselves to hardship and toil concerning them.

«15»- وَ قَالَ عليه السلام لَا وَرَعَ كَالْوُقُوفِ عِنْدَ الشُّبْهَةِ.

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: There is no abstinence like halting at a doubt!

«16»- كَنْزُ الْكَرَاجُكِيِّ، قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله دَعْ مَا يُرِيبُكَ إِلَى مَا لَا يُرِيبُكَ فَإِنَّكَ لَنْ تَجِدَ فَقْدَ شَيْ ءٍ تَرَكْتَهُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ.

Kanz al-Karajuki: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, used to say: Leave what puts you in doubt for what you have knowledge of; for you have never lost anything that you have left for the sake of God.

«17»- وَ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ طَالِبٍ الْبَلَدِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ النُّعْمَانِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ عُقْدَةَ عَنْ شُيُوخِهِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ الْأَحْوَلِ عَنْ سَلَّامِ بْنِ الْمُسْتَنِيرِ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الْبَاقِرِ عليه السلام قَالَ قَالَ جَدِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ حَلَالِي حَلَالٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ حَرَامِي حَرَامٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ أَلَا وَ قَدْ بَيَّنَهُمَا

Salam b. al-Mustanir related from Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, that my grandfather the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, said: O people, my lawful is lawful until the Day of Resurrection and my unlawful is unlawful until the Day of Resurrection. Know that these two God