Chapter on Following the Sunnah and Evidence of the Book
12 Aḥadīth
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Nawfali from al-Sakuni from abu ‘Abdallah 
who has said the following. “The holy Prophet (s.a.), “Over every truth there is a reality and above every valid issue there is light. Whatever agrees with the holy Quran you must follow it and whatever does not agree disregard it.”
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّوْفَلِيِّ عَنِ السَّكُونِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ إِنَّ عَلَى كُلِّ حَقٍّ حَقِيقَةً وَعَلَى كُلِّ صَوَابٍ نُوراً فَمَا وَافَقَ كِتَابَ الله فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا خَالَفَ كِتَابَ الله فَدَعُوهُ.
Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from ‘Abdallah ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from ’Abdallah ibn Abu Ya‘fur and al-Husayn ibn al-‘Ala’ who was also present at the gathering with Ibn Abi Ya‘fur (Abu Ya’fur narrates the following): “I asked Abu ‘Abdallah about the differences in Hadith which is narrated from people whom we trust and yet from other people we do not trust. The Imam replied, ‘If you come across a Hadith and you find evidence in the holy Quran to support it or in the Hadith of the holy Prophet (you may follow it), otherwise, the one who has come to you with it is more deserving of it.’”
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ أَبِي يَعْفُورٍ قَالَ وَحَدَّثَنِي حُسَيْنُ بْنُ أَبِي الْعَلاءِ أَنَّهُ حَضَرَ ابْنَ أَبِي يَعْفُورٍ فِي هَذَا الْمَجْلِسِ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله عَنِ اخْتِلافِ الْحَدِيثِ يَرْوِيهِ مَنْ نَثِقُ بِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لا نَثِقُ بِهِ قَالَ إِذَا وَرَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَدِيثٌ فَوَجَدْتُمْ لَهُ شَاهِداً مِنْ كِتَابِ الله أَوْ مِنْ قَوْلِ رَسُولِ الله ﷺ وَإِلا فَالَّذِي جَاءَكُمْ بِهِ أَوْلَى بِهِ.
A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from his father from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Yahya al-Halab from Ayyub ibn al-Hurr who has said the following. “Abu ‘Abdallah has said, ‘Everything must be referred back to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah, and any hadith that does not agree with the Book of Allah is a worthless embelishment.’”
عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنْ يَحْيَى الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ الْحُرِّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله يَقُولُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مَرْدُودٌ إِلَى الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ وَكُلُّ حَدِيثٍ لا يُوَافِقُ كِتَابَ الله فَهُوَ زُخْرُفٌ.
Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ibn Faddal from Ali ibn ‘Uqba from Ayyub ibn Rashid from abu ‘Abdallah who has said the following. “Of Hadith whatever does not agree with the holy Quran is a useless statement.”
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ ابْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ رَاشِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ مَا لَمْ يُوَافِقْ مِنَ الْحَدِيثِ الْقُرْآنَ فَهُوَ زُخْرُفٌ.
Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hisham ibn al-Hakam and others from abu ‘Abdallah who has said the following. “The holy Prophet once addressed the people in Mina (a place in Makkah) saying, “O people, whatever comes to you in the form of my Hadith you must see if it agrees with the holy book of Allah then know that I have said it but whatever comes to you that does not agree with the book of Allah then know that I have not said it.”
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ وَغَيْرِهِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ خَطَبَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بِمِنًى فَقَالَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ مَا جَاءَكُمْ عَنِّي يُوَافِقُ كِتَابَ الله فَأَنَا قُلْتُهُ وَمَا جَاءَكُمْ يُخَالِفُ كِتَابَ الله فَلَمْ أَقُلْهُ.
It is narrated through the same chain of narrators from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from certain persons of his people who has said the following. “Abu ‘Abdallah who has said, ‘Whoever disagrees with the book of Allah and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.) he has certainly become a unbeliever.’”
وَبِهَذَا الاسْنَادِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله يَقُولُ مَنْ خَالَفَ كِتَابَ الله وَسُنَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ فَقَدْ كَفَرَ.
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa ibn ‘Ubayd from Yunus in a marfu’ manner from Ali ibn al-Husayn who has said the following. “The best deed in the sight of Allah is the one that is performed according to the Sunnah, the noble tradition of the holy Prophet (s.a.) even if it would be in small degree.”
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ يُونُسَ رَفَعَهُ قَالَ قَالَ عَلِيُّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الاعْمَالِ عِنْدَ الله مَا عُمِلَ بِالسُّنَّةِ وَإِنْ قَلَّ.
A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Isma’il ibn Mihran from abu Sa‘id al-Qammat and Salih ibn Sa‘id from Aban ibn Taghlib who has said the following. “A man asked a question from Imam abu Ja‘far who replied to it and then the man said, “The Fuqaha, scholars of law, do not say this.” The Imam then said, “It is a pity. Have you ever seen a Faqih, a scholar of law? The real Faqih, scholar of law is one who maintains restraint from the worldly matters, who is deeply interested in the life hereafter and holds firmly to the Sunnah, noble tradition of the holy prophet (s.a.)”
عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْقَمَّاطِ وَصَالِحِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ عَنْ ابي جعفر أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَأَجَابَ فِيهَا قَالَ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ إِنَّ الْفُقَهَاءَ لا يَقُولُونَ هَذَا فَقَالَ يَا وَيْحَكَ وَهَلْ رَأَيْتَ فَقِيهاً قَطُّ إِنَّ الْفَقِيهَ حَقَّ الْفَقِيهِ الزَّاهِدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا الرَّاغِبُ فِي الاخِرَةِ الْمُتَمَسِّكُ بِسُنَّةِ النَّبِيِّ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه)
A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from his father from abu ’Isma‘il Ibrahim ibn Ishaq al-Azdi from abu ‘Uthman al-‘Abdi from Ja’far from his ancestors from Amir al-Mu’minin Ali who has said the following. “There are no words without action, thee are no words or actions without intention and there are no words, actions and intentions without learning the Sunnah, the noble traditions of the holy Prophet, (s.a.).
عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْمَاعِيلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ الازْدِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ الْعَبْدِيِّ عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ آبَائِهِ عَنْ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ لا قَوْلَ إِلا بِعَمَلٍ وَلا قَوْلَ وَلا عَمَلَ إِلا بِنِيَّةٍ وَلا قَوْلَ وَلا عَمَلَ وَلا نِيَّةَ إِلا بِإِصَابَةِ السُّنَّةِ.
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ahmad ibn al-Nadr from ‘Amr ibn Shimr from Jabir from abu Ja’far who has said the following. “There is no one without excitement and calmness. Whoever’s calmness would lead him towards the Sunnah, noble traditions of the holy prophet (s.a.), he is rightly guided but if it would lead him towards innovations then he has gone astray.”
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ النَّضْرِ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شِمْرٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ ابي جعفر قَالَ قَالَ مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلا وَلَهُ شِرَّةٌ وَفَتْرَةٌ فَمَنْ كَانَتْ فَتْرَتُهُ إِلَى سُنَّةٍ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَى وَمَنْ كَانَتْ فَتْرَتُهُ إِلَى بِدْعَةٍ فَقَدْ غَوَى.
Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barqi from Ali ibn Hassa’n and Muhammad ibn Yahya from Salama ibn al-Khattab from Ali ibn Hassa’n from Musa ibn Bakr from Zurara ibn A‘yan from abu Ja’far who has said the following. “Whoever may transgress against the Sunnah, noble traditions of the holy Prophet (s.a.), he must return to the Sunnah.”
عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَرْقِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حَسَّانَ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حَسَّانَ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ بَكْرٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ عَنْ ابي جعفر قَالَ كُلُّ مَنْ تَعَدَّى السُّنَّةَ رُدَّ إِلَى السُّنَّةِ.
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Nawfali from al-Sakuni from abu ‘Abdallah from his ancestors (the Imams who have said the following. “Imam Ali said, ‘There are two kinds of Sunnah, (traditions). There is a Sunnah in obligations and following such Sunnah is guidance and its disregard is misguidance. There is a Sunnah, (tradition), in none obligatory issue. The following of this kind of Sunnah is a virtuous deed and its disregard for other matters is a sin.’”
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّوْفَلِيِّ عَنِ السَّكُونِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله عَنْ آبَائِهِ (عَلَيْهم السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ السُّنَّةُ سُنَّتَانِ سُنَّةٌ فِي فَرِيضَةٍ الاخْذُ بِهَا هُدًى وَتَرْكُهَا ضَلالَةٌ وَسُنَّةٌ فِي غَيْرِ فَرِيضَةٍ الاخْذُ بِهَا فَضِيلَةٌ وَتَرْكُهَا إِلَى غَيْرِ خَطِيئَةٍ.