لِلْقَبُولِ مِنْهُ فَيَجْمَعُ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِذَلِكَ خَيْرَ الدُّنْيَا وَ الْآخِرَةِ وَ يَجْمَعُ عَلَى مَنْ أَضَلَّهُ لَعْنَ الدُّنْيَا وَ عَذَابَ الْآخِرَةِ ثُمَّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله شِرَارُ عُلَمَاءِ أُمَّتِنَا الْمُضِلُّونَ عَنَّا الْقَاطِعُونَ لِلطُّرُقِ إِلَيْنَا الْمُسَمُّونَ أَضْدَادَنَا بِأَسْمَائِنَا الْمُلَقِّبُونَ أَنْدَادَنَا بِأَلْقَابِنَا يُصَلُّونَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ هُمْ لِلَّعْنِ مُسْتَحِقُّونَ وَ يَلْعَنُونَّا وَ نَحْنُ بِكَرَامَاتِ اللَّهِ مَغْمُورُونَ وَ بِصَلَوَاتِ اللَّهِ وَ صَلَوَاتِ مَلَائِكَتِهِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ عَلَيْنَا عَنْ صَلَوَاتِهِمْ عَلَيْنَا مُسْتَغْنُونَ ثُمَّ قَالَ قِيلَ لِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام مَنْ خَيْرُ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ بَعْدَ أَئِمَّةِ الْهُدَى وَ مَصَابِيحِ الدُّجَى قَالَ الْعُلَمَاءُ إِذَا صَلَحُوا قِيلَ وَ مَنْ شَرُّ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ بَعْدَ إِبْلِيسَ وَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَ نُمْرُودَ وَ بَعْدَ الْمُتَسَمِّينَ بِأَسْمَائِكُمْ وَ بَعْدَ الْمُتَلَقِّبِينَ بِأَلْقَابِكُمْ وَ الْآخِذِينَ لِأَمْكِنَتِكُمْ وَ الْمُتَأَمِّرِينَ فِي مَمَالِكِكُمْ قَالَ الْعُلَمَاءُ إِذَا فَسَدُوا هُمُ الْمُظْهِرُونَ لِلْأَبَاطِيلِ الْكَاتِمُونَ لِلْحَقَائِقِ وَ فِيهِمْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أُولئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تابُوا الْآيَةَ.

and so by this God gathers for him the good of this world and the Hereafter, and gathers upon the one who led him astray the curse of this world and the punishment of the Hereafter. Then he said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, said: The worst of the scholars of my community lead all people astray from me; they are the robbers of the roads that lead to us; they are the ones who set our names upon our opponents and give our rivals and equals our titles; they invoke blessings upon them although they are more deserving of curses, and they curse us while we are brimming over and immersed in the favours of God — and with the blessings of God and the angels brought near upon us, we have no need of their blessings upon us. Then he said: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, was asked: Who is the best of God's creation after the Imams of guidance and the lamps in the darkness? He said: The scholars — provided they have been set right. Then he was asked: After Iblis, Pharaoh and Nimrod, and after the company who take your names for themselves and the group who give themselves your titles and seize your places and rule in your lands — who are the worst of God's creation? He said: The scholars, when they fall into corruption; these are the ones who make falsehoods manifest and conceal the truths, and concerning them God has said: "God curses them, and the cursers curse them — except those who repent."

إيضاح: قوله عليه السلام أي إلا أن يقرأ عليهم قال البيضاوي استثناء منقطع و الأماني جمع أمنية و هي في الأصل ما يقدره الإنسان في نفسه من منى إذا قدر و لذلك تطلق على الكذب و علی كل ما يتمنى و ما يقرأ و المعنى و لكن يعتقدون أكاذيب أخذوها تقليدا من المحرفين أو مواعيد فازعة سمعوها منهم من أن الجنة لا يدخلها إلا من كان هودا و أن النار لن تمسهم إلا أياما معدودة و قيل إلا ما يقرءون قراءة عارية عن معرفة المعنى و تدبره من قوله

Clarification: Al-Baydawi said: it is a disjunctive exception. "Al-amani" is the plural of "umniya", which in origin is what a man estimates within himself, from "mana" when he estimates; and so falsehood and every wish are called "amani". The meaning is that they believe in falsehoods which they have received by imitating those who distort, or in the fearful promises they have heard from them, such as that Paradise is reserved for the Jews or that the Fire will not burn them save for a few days. Some have said that what is meant is that they merely recite, devoid of any knowledge of the meaning or reflection upon it, as in the poet's words:

تمنى كتاب اللّٰه أول ليلة تمني داود الزبور على رسل.

At the first of night he wished for the Book of God

و هو لا يناسب وصفهم بأنهم أميون.

as David wished the Psalms upon the messengers

أقول: على تفسيره عليه السلام لا يرد ما أورده فإن المراد حينئذ القراءة عليهم لا قراءتهم و هو أظهر التفاسير لفظا و معنا قوله أصهب الشعر قال الجوهري الصهبة الشقرة في شعر الرأس قوله عليه السلام و أهل خاصته أي أهل سره أو الإضافة بيانية قوله عليه السلام و التكالب قال الفيروزآبادي المكالبة المشارة و المضايقة. و التكالب التواثب قوله و الترفرف هو بسط الطائر جناحيه و هو كناية عن اللطف و في بعض النسخ الرفوف يقال رف فلانا أي أحسن إليه فيتوجهون أي يصيرون

But this sense does not fit their being unlettered. On the Imam's explanation, peace be upon him, al-Baydawi's objection does not hold, since what is meant is the reciting to them, not their own reciting; and this very explanation of the Imam is the plainest of the explanations in both wording and sense.