Chapter on the Loss of a Scholar
6 Aḥadīth
A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from abu Ayyub al-Khazzaz from Sulayman ibn Khalid that Abu ‘Abdillah (al-Sadiq) 
said, “Of the deaths from among the believers that Satan loves most, is the death of a Faqih (a person knowledgable of islamic laws).”
عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الْخَزَّازِ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يَمُوتُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَحَبَّ إِلَى إِبْلِيسَ مِنْ مَوْتِ فَقِيهٍ.
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from one of his people that Abu ‘Abdillah (al-Sadiq) said: “When a believer who is a Faqih dies, it causes irreparable damage in the Islamic system.”
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ إِذَا مَاتَ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْفَقِيهُ ثُلِمَ فِي الاسْلامِ ثُلْمَةٌ لا يَسُدُّهَا شَيْءٌ.
Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from Ali ibn abu Hamza who has said the following. “(Imam) abu al-Hassan Musa ibn Ja’far has said, ‘When a true believer dies the angels and the parts of earth where he worshipped Allah weep because of his death. Also the doors of the heavens through which his good deeds had been taken up weep and it causes an irreparable damage in the Islamic system. It is because the true believing Fuqaha, people of proper understanding in religion and its laws are the strongholds of the Islamic system just as the fortress around a city is a stronghold for it.’”
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) يَقُولُ إِذَا مَاتَ الْمُؤْمِنُ بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْمَلائِكَةُ وَبِقَاعُ الارْضِ الَّتِي كَانَ يَعْبُدُ الله عَلَيْهَا وَأَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ الَّتِي كَانَ يُصْعَدُ فِيهَا بِأَعْمَالِهِ وَثُلِمَ فِي الاسْلامِ ثُلْمَةٌ لا يَسُدُّهَا شَيْءٌ لانَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْفُقَهَاءَ حُصُونُ الاسْلامِ كَحِصْنِ سُورِ الْمَدِينَةِ لَهَا.
From him (Muhammad ibn Yahya) from Ahmad from ibn Mahbub from abu Ayyub al-Khazzaz from Sulayman ibn Khalid that Abu ‘Abdillah said, “Of the deaths of the believers that Satan loves most, is the death of a Faqih (a knowledgable person of islamic laws).”
وَعَنْهُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الْخَزَّازِ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يَمُوتُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَحَبَّ إِلَى إِبْلِيسَ مِنْ مَوْتِ فَقِيهٍ.
Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ali ibn Asbat from his uncle Ya’qub ibn Salim from Dawud ibn Farqad who has said the following. “Imam abu ‘Abdallah has said, ‘My father used to say, ‘Allah does not take back the knowledge that He has sent down. But when the scholar dies it takes away his knowledge and after this the unjust ones come and they go astray and mislead people and there is no good in things without basis.’”
عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ عَنْ عَمِّهِ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ سَالِمٍ عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ فَرْقَدٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله إِنَّ أَبِي كَانَ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لا يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بَعْدَ مَا يُهْبِطُهُ وَلَكِنْ يَمُوتُ الْعَالِمُ فَيَذْهَبُ بِمَا يَعْلَمُ فَتَلِيهِمُ الْجُفَاةُ فَيَضِلُّونَ وَيُضِلُّونَ وَلا خَيْرَ فِي شَيْءٍ لَيْسَ لَهُ أَصْلٌ.
A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Ali from the person who he mentioned from Jabir from Abu Ja’far (al-Baqir) that Ali ibn al-Husayn would say, “My soul shows generosity in accepting the quickening of our death or being murdered. It is due to the words of Allah that say, ‘Have they not considered that We have taken over the land and reduced its borders?’ (3:4) the reference here is to the death of the scholars.”
عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَمَّنْ ذَكَرَهُ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ ابي جعفر قَالَ كَانَ عَلِيُّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) يَقُولُ إِنَّهُ يُسَخِّي نَفْسِي فِي سُرْعَةِ الْمَوْتِ وَالْقَتْلِ فِينَا قَوْلُ الله أَ وَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا نَأْتِي الارْضَ نَنْقُصُها مِنْ أَطْرافِها وَهُوَ ذَهَابُ الْعُلَمَاءِ.