يُشَاوِرَ فِي مَجْلِسِهِ وَ لَا يَطْلُبَ وَرَاءَهُ وَ أَنْ لَا يَقُولَ قَالَ فُلَانٌ خِلَافَ قَوْلِهِ وَ لَا يُفْشِیَ لَهُ سِرّاً وَ لَا يَغْتَابَ عِنْدَهُ وَ أَنْ يَحْفَظَهُ شَاهِداً وَ غَائِباً وَ يَعُمَّ الْقَوْمَ بِالسَّلَامِ وَ يَخُصَّهُ بِالتَّحِيَّةِ وَ يَجْلِسَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَ إِنْ كَانَ لَهُ حَاجَةٌ سَبَقَ الْقَوْمَ إِلَى خِدْمَتِهِ وَ لَا يَمَلَّ مِنْ طُولِ صُحْبَتِهِ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ مِثْلُ النَّخْلَةِ تُنْتَظَرُ مَتَى تَسْقُطُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهَا مَنْفَعَةٌ وَ الْعَالِمُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الصَّائِمِ الْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَ إِذَا مَاتَ الْعَالِمُ انْثَلَمَ ١ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ ثُلْمَةٌ لَا تَنْسَدُّ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ إِنَّ طَالِبَ الْعِلْمِ يُشَيِّعُهُ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفاً مِنْ مُقَرَّبِي السَّمَاءِ.
7. that he not converse and consult with others in the teacher's presence; 8. that he not find fault with the teacher; 9. that he not say before him, "So-and-so said thus, contrary to what you said"; 10. that he not disclose his secrets; 11. that he not backbite in his presence; 12. that he guard him both in his presence and his absence; 13. that besides the greeting he gives the company, he offer a special salutation to the teacher; 14. that he sit facing him; 15. that if the teacher wants something, he outstrip the others in doing it; 16. that he not grow vexed at the length of his discourse, for the teacher is like a date-palm beside which one must sit and wait to see when some benefit will come from it. The scholar is like the fasting, night-praying man who strives in the way of God; when a scholar dies, a rift is made in Islam that will not be closed until the Day of Resurrection. Seventy thousand of the angels nearest to God accompany the seeker of knowledge.
وَ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ذَلَلْتُ طَالِباً فَعَزَزْتُ مَطْلُوباً.
Ibn 'Abbas said: I bore abasement as a seeker, and gained honour as one sought.
«20»- وَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله لَيْسَ مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الْمُؤْمِنِ الْمَلَقُ إِلَّا فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ.
The Messenger of God — may God bless him and his family — said: Flattery is not among the qualities of the believer, except in the seeking of knowledge.
باب 11 صفات العلماء و أصنافهم
Chapter 11: The kinds of scholars and their characteristics
الآيات؛
The verses:
الكهف: «فَوَجَدا عَبْداً مِنْ عِبادِنا آتَيْناهُ رَحْمَةً مِنْ عِنْدِنا وَ عَلَّمْناهُ مِنْ لَدُنَّا عِلْماً»(65)
al-Kahf: "And they found a servant of Our servants, to whom We had given mercy from Ourselves and had taught knowledge from Our presence."
الحج: «وَ لِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ فَيُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ فَتُخْبِتَ لَهُ قُلُوبُهُمْ»(54)
al-Hajj: "and that those who have been given knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord, and so believe in it, and that their hearts may be humbled before Him. And truly God guides those who believe to a straight path."
فاطر: «إِنَّما يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبادِهِ الْعُلَماءُ»(28)
Fatir: "And of men and beasts and cattle, likewise of diverse colours [We brought forth]. Only those of His servants who have knowledge fear God. Truly God is Mighty, Forgiving."
«1»- ب، قرب الإسناد هَارُونُ عَنِ ابْنِ صَدَقَةَ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عليه السلام أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله قَالَ: نِعْمَ وَزِيرُ الْإِيمَانِ الْعِلْمُ وَ نِعْمَ وَزِيرُ الْعِلْمِ الْحِلْمُ وَ نِعْمَ وَزِيرُ الْحِلْمِ الرِّفْقُ وَ نِعْمَ وَزِيرُ الرِّفْقِ اللِّينُ.
Qurb al-Isnad: Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, related from his forefathers, peace be upon them, that the Messenger of God — may God bless him and his family — said: Knowledge is a goodly minister to faith; forbearance a goodly minister to knowledge; gentleness a goodly minister to forbearance; and mildness a goodly minister to gentleness. Harun related from Ibn Sadaqa, from Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, that the Prophet — may God bless him and his family — said: Knowledge is the minister of faith; forbearance the minister of knowledge; gentleness the minister of forbearance; and gentleness the minister of mildness and forbearance — and all these ministers are worthy of praise.
بيان: الحلم و الرفق و اللين و إن كانت متقاربة في المعنى لكن بينها فرق يسير فالحلم هو ترك مكافاة من يسی ء إليك و السكوت في مقابلة من يسفه عليك و وزيره و معينه الرفق أي اللطف و الشفقة و الإحسان إلى العباد فإنه يوجب أن لا يسفه عليك و لا يسی ء إليك أكثر الناس و وزيره و معينه لين الجانب و ترك الخشونة و الغلظة و إضرار الخلق و في الكافي و نعم وزير الرفق الصبر و في بعض نسخه العبرة.
With this explanation: "forbearance" is to forgo repaying in kind one who has wronged you, and to keep silent before one who has behaved foolishly towards you; and "its minister and helper is gentleness" — that is, kindness, compassion and benevolence towards God's servants, for this makes a man forbear foolishness towards you, and most people will not behave foolishly or badly towards you. And its minister and helper is "mildness", which is the forgoing of harshness, roughness and harming people. It should be noted that in al-Kafi it reads "a goodly minister to gentleness is patience", and in some copies "reflection".