Volume 1, Book 2, Chapter 2

Chapter on the quality of knowledge its virtue and the virtue of the scholars

9 Aḥadīth

Hadith No. 1

Muhammad b. al-Hasan has narrated from Ali b. Muhammad from Sahl b. Ziyad from Muhammad b. ‘Isa from Ubaydullah al-Dihqan from Durust al-Wasiti from Ibrahim b. Abdul Hamid from Abul Hasan Musa (a.s) who has said: “Once Rasulullah ﷺ entered the Mosque and found a group of people gathered around a man. He asked, ‘Who is he?’. It was said that he was a Allamah. He then asked them, ‘What is that?’. They replied that he is the most learned man about the genealogy, the chronology, and the history of the pre-Islamic days of darkness and the poetry of Arabs. He (a.s) said, so the Prophet ﷺ then stated that ‘such knowledge doesn’t harm the one who is ignorant of it or benefit the one who knows it.’ Then he ﷺ added: ‘Knowledge consists of three kinds: A strong sign, a just obligation or an established sunnah. Anything else is of the extra achievements.”’

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ عُبَيْدِ الله بْنِ عَبْدِ الله الدِّهْقَانِ عَنْ دُرُسْتَ الْوَاسِطِيِّ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى (a.s) قَالَ دَخَلَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ الْمَسْجِدَ فَإِذَا جَمَاعَةٌ قَدْ أَطَافُوا بِرَجُلٍ فَقَالَ مَا هَذَا فَقِيلَ عَلامَةٌ فَقَالَ وَمَا الْعَلامَةُ فَقَالُوا لَهُ أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ بِأَنْسَابِ الْعَرَبِ وَوَقَائِعِهَا وَأَيَّامِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَالاشْعَارِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ قَالَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ذَاكَ عِلْمٌ لا يَضُرُّ مَنْ جَهِلَهُ وَلا يَنْفَعُ مَنْ عَلِمَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِنَّمَا الْعِلْمُ ثَلاثَةٌ آيَةٌ مُحْكَمَةٌ أَوْ فَرِيضَةٌ عَادِلَةٌ أَوْ سُنَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ وَمَا خَلاهُنَّ فَهُوَ فَضْلٌ.

Hadith No. 2

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Khalid from abu al-Bakhtari from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s) who has said the following. “The scholars are the heirs of the prophets because the prophets did not leave any Dirham or Dinar, (units of money) as their legacy. What they left was certain pieces of their statements. Those who acquired anything of these pieces of their statements they have certainly gained a large share. You must be very careful, when acquiring such knowledge, to see from what kinds of people you receive them. Among us (the Ahlul Bayt, family of the holy Prophet s.a.) after every one there comes a just person who removes (and exposes) the forgeries of the exaggerators from it (knowledge), the infiltrated materials of the fallacious ones and the interpretations of the ignorant ones.”

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْبَخْتَرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (a.s) قَالَ إِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الانْبِيَاءِ وَذَاكَ أَنَّ الانْبِيَاءَ لَمْ يُورِثُوا دِرْهَماً وَلا دِينَاراً وَإِنَّمَا أَوْرَثُوا أَحَادِيثَ مِنْ أَحَادِيثِهِمْ فَمَنْ أَخَذَ بِشَيْ‏ءٍ مِنْهَا فَقَدْ أَخَذَ حَظّاً وَافِراً فَانْظُرُوا عِلْمَكُمْ هَذَا عَمَّنْ تَأْخُذُونَهُ فَإِنَّ فِينَا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ فِي كُلِّ خَلَفٍ عُدُولاً يَنْفُونَ عَنْهُ تَحْرِيفَ الْغَالِينَ وَانْتِحَالَ الْمُبْطِلِينَ وَتَأْوِيلَ الْجَاهِلِينَ.

Hadith No. 3

Al-Hassan ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’ from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman that Abu ‘Abdillah (al-Sadiq) (a.s) said: ‘If Allah (swt) wants goodness for a servant, he will teach him the jurisprudence (fiqh) of religion.’

الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْوَشَّاءِ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (a.s) قَالَ إِذَا أَرَادَ الله بِعَبْدٍ خَيْراً فَقَّهَهُ فِي الدِّينِ.

Hadith No. 4

Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il has narrated from Fadl ibn Shadhan from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Rab‘i ibn ‘Abdallah from a man that Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir) (a.s) said: ‘The most perfect of all perfection is a good understanding of religion, exercising patience during affliction and setting up of means of living.’

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ رِبْعِيِّ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله عَنْ رَجُلٍ عَنْ ابي جعفر (a.s) قَالَ قَالَ الْكَمَالُ كُلُّ الْكَمَالِ التَّفَقُّهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَالصَّبْرُ عَلَى النَّائِبَةِ وَتَقْدِيرُ الْمَعِيشَةِ.

Hadith No. 5

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Sinan from ’Isma‘il ibn Jabir that Abu ‘Abdillah (al-Sadiq) (a.s) said: ‘The scholars are the trustees [of religion], the pious ones are the strongholds [of religion] and the successors (of the Prophet) are the masters [of religion].’ In an another hadith it is said, ‘The scholars are the light houses [of the religion], the pious ones are the strongholds [of the religion] and the successors are the masters [of the religion].’

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ جَابِرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (a.s) قَالَ الْعُلَمَاءُ أُمَنَاءُ وَالاتْقِيَاءُ حُصُونٌ وَالاوْصِيَاءُ سَادَةٌ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى الْعُلَمَاءُ مَنَارٌ وَالاتْقِيَاءُ حُصُونٌ وَالاوْصِيَاءُ سَادَةٌ.

Hadith No. 6

Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Muhammad ibn Hassa’n from Idris ibn al-Hassan from abu Ishaq al-Kindi from Bashir al-Dahhan that Abu ‘Abdillah (al-Sadiq) (a.s) said: ‘There is no goodness in our people who do not learn fiqh (jurisprudence), oh Bashir. Indeed, when a man from them does not suffice himself with [knowledge] of fiqh, he becomes dependent on them (i.e. the non-shias). And when he becomes dependent on them, they lead him into the door of their misguidance, and he does not know.’

أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حَسَّانَ عَنْ إِدْرِيسَ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ الْكِنْدِيِّ عَنْ بَشِيرٍ الدَّهَّانِ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (a.s) لا خَيْرَ فِيمَنْ لا يَتَفَقَّهُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا يَا بَشِيرُ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ مِنْهُمْ إِذَا لَمْ يَسْتَغْنِ بِفِقْهِهِ احْتَاجَ إِلَيْهِمْ فَإِذَا احْتَاجَ إِلَيْهِمْ أَدْخَلُوهُ فِي بَابِ ضَلالَتِهِمْ وَهُوَ لا يَعْلَمُ.

Hadith No. 7

Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from al-Nawfali from al-Sakuni that Abu ‘Abdillah (al-Sadiq) (a.s) narrated from his forefathers that Rasulullah ﷺ said: ‘There is no goodness in life except for two kinds of people, a scholar who is obeyed or an audience who listen carefully.’

عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنِ النَّوْفَلِيِّ عَنِ السَّكُونِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (a.s) عَنْ آبَائِهِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ لا خَيْرَ فِي الْعَيْشِ إِلا لِرَجُلَيْنِ عَالِمٍ مُطَاعٍ أَوْ مُسْتَمِعٍ وَاعٍ.

Hadith No. 8

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr and Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Sayf ibn ‘Umayra from Abu Hamza that Abu Ja‘far (a.s) said: “A scholar who benefits from his knowledge is better than 70,000 worshippers.”

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ سَيْفِ بْنِ عَمِيرَةَ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ ابي جعفر (a.s) قَالَ عَالِمٌ يُنْتَفَعُ بِعِلْمِهِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ أَلْفَ عَابِدٍ.

Hadith No. 9

Al-Hassan ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ahmad ibn Ishaq from Sa‘dan ibn Muslim that Mu‘awiya ibn ‘Ammar said: “I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (al-Sadiq) (a.s), ‘There is a man who narrates your hadiths, spreads them among people and ties it to their hearts and the hearts of your Shi’a. Also, there is perhaps a worshipper among your Shi’a who does not have your narrations. Which of the two are better?’. He said, ‘The one who narrates our hadiths and ties them up to the hearts of our Shi’a is better than 70,000 worshippers.’”

الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ سَعْدَانَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (a.s) رَجُلٌ رَاوِيَةٌ لِحَدِيثِكُمْ يَبُثُّ ذَلِكَ فِي النَّاسِ وَيُشَدِّدُهُ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَقُلُوبِ شِيعَتِكُمْ وَلَعَلَّ عَابِداً مِنْ شِيعَتِكُمْ لَيْسَتْ لَهُ هَذِهِ الرِّوَايَةُ أَيُّهُمَا أَفْضَلُ قَالَ الرَّاوِيَةُ لِحَدِيثِنَا يَشُدُّ بِهِ قُلُوبَ شِيعَتِنَا أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَلْفِ عَابِدٍ.