أقول: قد أثبتنا ما يناسب هذا الباب في باب ذم علماء السوء.

I say: The hadiths suited to this chapter I have given in the chapter on the censure of evil scholars.

«5»- مع، معاني الأخبار مَاجِيلَوَيْهِ عَنْ عَمِّهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْكُوفِيِّ عَنْ حُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ أَبِي غُفَيْلَةَ الصَّيْرَفِيِّ عَنْ كَرَّامٍ الْخَثْعَمِيِّ عَنِ الثُّمَالِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام إِيَّاكَ وَ الرِّئَاسَةَ وَ إِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَطَأَ أَعْقَابَ الرِّجَالِ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ أَمَّا الرِّئَاسَةُ فَقَدْ عَرَفْتُهَا وَ أَمَّا أَنْ أَطَأَ أَعْقَابَ الرِّجَالِ فَمَا ثُلُثَا مَا فِي يَدِي إِلَّا مِمَّا وَطِئْتُ أَعْقَابَ الرِّجَالِ فَقَالَ لَيْسَ حَيْثُ تَذْهَبُ إِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَنْصِبَ رَجُلًا دُونَ الْحُجَّةِ فَتُصَدِّقَهُ فِي كُلِّ مَا قَالَ.

Ma'ani al-Akhbar: Abu Hamza al-Thumali says: Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: I warn you to beware of nursing a craving for leadership in your heart, and beware of walking in people's footsteps. I said: May I be your ransom — leadership I understand; but as for not walking behind people, two-thirds of what I possess (the reports I have from you) I obtained by walking behind others! He said: It is not as you have supposed; rather what is meant is that you beware of choosing as your leader someone other than the proof of the truth, and affirming whatever he says.

بيان: ظن السائل أن مراده عليه السلام بوطء أعقاب الرجال مطلق أخذ العلم عن الناس فقال عليه السلام المراد أن تنصب رجلا غير الحجة فتصدقه في كل ما يقول برأيه من غير أن يسند ذلك إلى المعصوم عليه السلام فأما من يروي عن المعصوم أو يفسر ما فهمه من كلامه لمن ليس له صلاحية فهم كلامه من غير تلقين فالأخذ عنه كالأخذ عن المعصوم و يجب على من لا يعلم الرجوع إليه ليعرف أحكام اللّٰه تعالى.

Elucidation: The questioner thought that what the Imam, peace be upon him, meant by treading in men's footsteps was taking knowledge from people at all. The Imam, peace be upon him, said: What is meant is that you set a man before your eyes without proof, and affirm him in whatever he says from his own opinion without reference to the Infallible. But as for one who relates from the Infallible, or explains something he has understood from the Infallibles' words to one who is not competent to understand the Infallibles' speech without being instructed by another, then taking rulings from such a person is like taking rulings from the Infallible; and it is obligatory upon the ignorant to refer to such a person so that they may know the rulings of God.

«6»- مع، معاني الأخبار أَبِی عَنْ سَعْدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي الْخَطَّابِ عَنْ أَبِي حَفْصٍ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَخِيهِ سُفْيَانَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام يَا سُفْيَانُ إِيَّاكَ وَ الرِّئَاسَةَ فَمَا طَلَبَهَا أَحَدٌ إِلَّا هَلَكَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَدْ هَلَكْنَا إِذاً لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ مِنَّا إِلَّا وَ هُوَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُذْكَرَ وَ يُقْصَدَ وَ يُؤْخَذَ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ لَيْسَ حَيْثُ تَذْهَبُ إِلَيْهِ إِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ أَنْ تَنْصِبَ رَجُلًا دُونَ الْحُجَّةِ فَتُصَدِّقَهُ فِي كُلِّ مَا قَالَ وَ تَدْعُوَ النَّاسَ إِلَی قَوْلِهِ.

Ma'ani al-Akhbar: Abu Hafs related from his brother Sufyan b. Khalid that Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: O Sufyan, be on your guard and beware of pursuing leadership, for no one ever sought it but was ruined. I said: May I be your ransom, then we are ruined; for there is none of us but loves to be renowned, to have people look to him and refer to him, and to listen to him! He said: It is not as you have supposed; rather leadership is that you set up as a ruler, without proof, someone other than the proof of God (in place of the Imam, peace be upon him), and affirm whatever he says, and summon people to hear his words and accept them.

«7»- مع، معاني الأخبار ابْنُ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ زِيَادٍ قَالَ قَالَ الصَّادِقُ عليه السلام كَذَبَ مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ يَعْرِفُنَا وَ هُوَ مُسْتَمْسِكٌ بِعُرْوَةِ غَيْرِنَا.

Ma'ani al-Akhbar: Ibrahim b. Ziyad says: Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: He lies who claims to know us while he has taken hold of a rope other than ours.

«8»- م، تفسير الإمام عليه السلام قَالَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ الْعَسْكَرِيُّ عليه السلام حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَنْ جَدِّي عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعاً يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَ لَكِنْ يَقْبِضُهُ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ فَإِذَا لَمْ يُنْزِلْ عَالِمٌ إِلَى عَالِمٍ يَصْرِفُ عَنْهُ طُلَّابُ حُطَامِ الدُّنْيَا ١وَ حَرَامِهَا وَ يَمْنَعُونَ الْحَقَّ أَهْلَهُ وَ يَجْعَلُونَهُ لِغَيْرِ أَهْلِهِ وَ اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُؤَسَاءَ جُهَّالًا فَسُئِلُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَضَلُّوا وَ أَضَلُّوا.

The Commentary of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari, peace be upon him: Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari, peace be upon him, related from his forefathers, from the Messenger of God — may God bless him and his family: God, exalted, does not seize knowledge by taking it away from people; rather He seizes knowledge by seizing the scholars. When no scholar [or student] comes to a scholar, those who seek the worthless stubble of this world and its forbidden things turn away from him, and bar the people of truth from the truth, and set the truth before those unworthy of it; and people ignorantly choose a leader and put their questions to him, and he gives rulings without knowledge. They are astray themselves and they lead others astray.