«9»- وَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام يَا مَعْشَرَ شِيعَتِنَا وَ الْمُنْتَحِلِينَ مَوَدَّتَنَا إِيَّاكُمْ وَ أَصْحَابَ الرَّأْيِ فَإِنَّهُمْ أَعْدَاءُ السُّنَنِ تَفَلَّتَتْ مِنْهُمُ الْأَحَادِيثُ أَنْ يَحْفَظُوهَا وَ أَعْيَتْهُمُ السُّنَّةُ أَنْ يَعُوهَا فَاتَّخَذُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ خَوَلًا وَ مَالَهُ دُوَلًا فَذَلَّتْ لَهُمُ الرِّقَابُ وَ أَطَاعَهُمُ الْخَلْقُ أَشْبَاهُ الْكِلَابِ وَ نَازَعُوا الْحَقَّ أَهْلَهُ وَ تَمَثَّلُوا بِالْأَئِمَّةِ الصَّادِقِينَ وَ هُمْ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ الْمَلاعِينِ فَسُئِلُوا عَمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ فَأَنِفُوا أَنْ يَعْتَرِفُوا بِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ فَعَارَضُوا الدِّينَ بِآرَائِهِمْ فَضَلُّوا وَ أَضَلُّوا أَمَا لَوْ كَانَ الدِّينُ بِالْقِيَاسِ لَكَانَ بَاطِنُ الرِّجْلَيْنِ أَوْلَى بِالْمَسْحِ مِنْ ظَاهِرِهِمَا.

The Commentary of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari, peace be upon him: It is related that 'Ali, peace be upon him, said: O company of our Shi'a and you who have adopted our love, beware of the people of personal opinion; for they are the enemies of the Sunna. The hadiths escaped them and grasping the Sunna proved beyond their strength; they have taken God's servants as slaves, God's wealth is passed from hand to hand among them, the necks of people are abased before them, and a people who are like dogs obey their command. They count themselves as the equals and likenesses of the rightful leaders and quarrel and contend with the people of truth, while in truth they are of the accursed unbelievers. They are asked about what they do not know, yet they will not confess their ignorance. They bartered religion for their own opinions, and so went astray and led others astray. Had religion been set right by analogy, wiping the underside of the two feet would have been better than wiping their upper side.

«10»- وَ قَالَ الرِّضَا عليه السلام قَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ عليهما السلام إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الرَّجُلَ قَدْ حَسُنَ سَمْتُهُ وَ هَدْيُهُ وَ تَمَاوَتَ فِي مَنْطِقِهِ وَ تَخَاضَعَ فِي حَرَكَاتِهِ فَرُوَيْداً لَا يَغُرَّنَّكُمْ فَمَا أَكْثَرَ مَنْ يُعْجِزُهُ تَنَاوُلُ الدُّنْيَا وَ رُكُوبُ الْحَرَامِ مِنْهَا لِضَعْفِ نِيَّتِهِ وَ مَهَانَتِهِ وَ جُبْنِ قَلْبِهِ فَنَصَبَ الدِّينَ فَخّاً لَهَا ١ فَهُوَ لَا يَزَالُ يَخْتِلُ النَّاسَ بِظَاهِرِهِ فَإِنْ تَمَكَّنَ مِنْ حَرَامٍ اقْتَحَمَهُ وَ إِذَا وَجَدْتُمُوهُ يَعِفُّ عَنِ الْمَالِ الْحَرَامِ فَرُوَيْداً لَا يَغُرَّنَّكُمْ فَإِنَّ شَهَوَاتِ الْخَلْقِ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ فَمَا أَكْثَرَ مَنْ يَنْبُو ٢ عَنِ الْمَالِ الْحَرَامِ وَ إِنْ كَثُرَ وَ يَحْمِلُ نَفْسَهُ عَلَى شَوْهَاءَ قَبِيحَةٍ فَيَأْتِي مِنْهَا مُحَرَّماً فَإِذَا وَجَدْتُمُوهُ يَعِفُّ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَرُوَيْداً لَا يَغُرَّكُمْ حَتَّى تَنْظُرُوا مَا عَقَدَهُ عَقْلُهُ فَمَا أَكْثَرَ مَنْ تَرَكَ ذَلِكَ أَجْمَعَ ثُمَّ لَا يَرْجِعُ إِلَى عَقْلٍ مَتِينٍ فَيَكُونُ مَا يُفْسِدُهُ بِجَهْلِهِ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يُصْلِحُهُ بِعَقْلِهِ فَإِذَا وَجَدْتُمْ عَقْلَهُ مَتِيناً فَرُوَيْداً لَا يَغُرَّكُمْ حَتَّى تَنْظُرُوا أَ مَعَ هَوَاهُ يَكُونُ عَلَى عَقْلِهِ أَوْ يَكُونُ مَعَ عَقْلِهِ عَلَى هَوَاهُ وَ كَيْفَ مَحَبَّتُهُ لِلرِّئَاسَاتِ الْبَاطِلَةِ وَ زُهْدُهُ فِيهَا فَإِنَّ فِي النَّاسِ مَنْ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَ الْآخِرَةَ يَتْرُكُ الدُّنْيَا لِلدُّنْيَا وَ يَرَى أَنَّ لَذَّةَ الرِّئَاسَةِ الْبَاطِلَةِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ لَذَّةِ الْأَمْوَالِ وَ النِّعَمِ الْمُبَاحَةِ الْمُحَلَّلَةِ فَيَتْرُكُ ذَلِكَ أَجْمَعَ طَلَباً لِلرِّئَاسَةِ حَتَّى إِذا قِيلَ لَهُ اتَّقِ اللَّهَ أَخَذَتْهُ الْعِزَّةُ بِالْإِثْمِ فَحَسْبُهُ جَهَنَّمُ وَ لَبِئْسَ الْمِهادُ فَهُوَ يَخْبِطُ خَبْطَ عَشْوَاءَ يَقُودُهُ أَوَّلُ بَاطِلٍ إِلَى أَبْعَدِ غَايَاتِ الْخَسَارَةِ وَ يُمِدُّهُ رَبُّهُ بَعْدَ طَلَبِهِ لِمَا لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ فِي طُغْيَانِهِ فَهُوَ يُحِلُّ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَ يُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَا يُبَالِي بِمَا فَاتَ مِنْ دِينِهِ إِذَا سَلِمَتْ لَهُ رِئَاسَتُهُ الَّتِي قَدْ يَتَّقِي مِنْ أَجْلِهَا فَأُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ غَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ لَعَنَهُمْ وَ أَعَدَّ لَهُمْ عَذاباً مُهِيناً

Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, relates from Imam Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be upon him, that he said: When you see a man whose face and outward bearing are not those of the people of good and righteousness, and who makes a show of piety in his speech and is humble in his movements, do not be quick to follow him; pause and do not be deceived. For how many there are who are incapable of gaining this world and its forbidden things — and that incapacity is due to weakness of intent and will, to meanness and to fear — and so they make religion an instrument for gaining this world and deceive people by outward show; and if he had the power for the forbidden he would plunge into it. But if you see that he keeps clear of unlawful wealth, still pause and do not be deceived, for people's appetites differ: how many there are who pay no heed to unlawful wealth — however much it may be — yet that same man commits fornication with an ugly woman. If you see that he does not do such a thing, still look closely and do not be deceived: see what his intellect is like, for there are many cases in which a man abandons wealth and appetite yet has no sound intellect, so that through ignorance his corruption outweighs his reform. If you see that he has a sound intellect, still do not be deceived: see whether his intellect prevails over his lower desire or the reverse, and look closely too at whether he has an attachment to false leadership or not. For some people have lost both this world and the next: they abandon this world for the sake of this world, and reckon the pleasure of false leadership better than the pleasure of permitted wealth and blessings, and abandon all of it for the sake of attaining leadership: "And when it is said to him: Fear God, vainglory seizes him in sin; so Hell is enough for him — and what an evil resting place!" He walks without insight, blindly; his first step on the path of falsehood brings him to the last degree of loss. And when he claims what he has no power for — such as claiming the imamate and leadership over people and giving rulings — he becomes deserving of God's withholding of favour, grows strong in rebellion and insolence, and makes the lawful unlawful and the reverse. The loss of religion matters nothing to him; what matters is that his leadership endure. It is of such as these that the noble verse speaks: "And that He may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the idolatrous men and idolatrous women, who think evil thoughts of God. Upon them be the evil turn of fortune; God is angry with them and has cursed them and has prepared Hell for them — and an evil destination it is,"