The Book on Virtue of Knowledge
Chapter on Miscellaneous Issues
15ـ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْوَشَّاءِ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ وَعِنْدَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ يُقَالُ لَهُ عُثْمَانُ الاعْمَى وَهُوَ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَ الْبَصْرِيَّ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ الْعِلْمَ يُؤْذِي رِيحُ بُطُونِهِمْ أَهْلَ النَّارِ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَهَلَكَ إِذَنْ مُؤْمِنُ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ مَا زَالَ الْعِلْمُ مَكْتُوماً مُنْذُ بَعَثَ الله نُوحاً (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَلْيَذْهَبِ الْحَسَنُ يَمِيناً وَشِمَالاً فَوَ الله مَا يُوجَدُ الْعِلْمُ إِلا هَاهُنَا.
15. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from al-Washsha’ from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from ‘Abdallah ibn Sulayman who has said the following. ‘(Imam) abu Ja‘far (a.s.) said to a man from Basra called ‘Uthman al-A’ma who would keep saying, “Al-Hassan al-Basri believes that those who hide knowledge the bad odor from their stomach will cause suffering to the people of hell.” The Imam said, “The true believer of the people of Pharaoh is then destroyed. Knowledge from the time of Noah became veiled (s.a). Let Hassan go left and right. I swear by Allah he will not find knowledge in no other place but here with us.”
The Book on Virtue of Knowledge
Chapter on narrating books and Hadith (The virtue of writing and its preservation)
1ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ مَنْصُورِ بْنِ يُونُسَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَوْلَ الله جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ قَالَ هُوَ الرَّجُلُ يَسْمَعُ الْحَدِيثَ فَيُحَدِّثُ بِهِ كَمَا سَمِعَهُ لا يَزِيدُ فِيهِ وَلا يَنْقُصُ مِنْهُ.
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Mansur ibn Yunus from abu Basir who has said the following. “(Imam) abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) said about the words of Allah in the holy Quran, “Our servants who listen to the words and only follow the best ones.” [39:18] “He is a man who learns Hadith and reports it as he has learned without any additions of omissions”
2ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَسْمَعُ الْحَدِيثَ مِنْكَ فَأَزِيدُ وَأَنْقُصُ قَالَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تُرِيدُ مَعَانِيَهُ فَلا بَأْسَ.
2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ibn ’Udhayna from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following. “I asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), ‘Can I add to or omit from a Hadith that I hear from you?’” He said, “It is alright, if you would preserve the meaning,’”
3ـ وَعَنْهُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنِ ابْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ فَرْقَدٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) إِنِّي أَسْمَعُ الْكَلامَ مِنْكَ فَأُرِيدُ أَنْ أَرْوِيَهُ كَمَا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْكَ فَلا يَجِيءُ قَالَ فَتَعَمَّدُ ذَلِكَ قُلْتُ لا فَقَالَ تُرِيدُ الْمَعَانِيَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَلا بَأْسَ.
3. It is narrated from him from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from ibn Sinan from Dawud ibn Farqad who has said the following. “I asked (Imam) abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), ‘I hear your statement and I want to narrate to others but it does not come through exactly.’” The Imam asked, “Do you do it purposely?” He said, “No, I do not do it purposely.” The Imam asked, “Do you keep the meaning?” He said, “Yes, I keep the meaning.” The Imam said, “It then is alright.”
4ـ وَعَنْهُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) الْحَدِيثُ أَسْمَعُهُ مِنْكَ أَرْوِيهِ عَنْ أَبِيكَ أَوْ أَسْمَعُهُ مِنْ أَبِيكَ أَرْوِيهِ عَنْكَ قَالَ سَوَاءٌ إِلا أَنَّكَ تَرْوِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ وَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) لِجَمِيلٍ مَا سَمِعْتَ مِنِّي فَارْوِهِ عَنْ أَبِي.
4. It is narrated from him from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn abu Hamza from abu Basir who has said the following: “Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.), ‘Can I narrate a Hadith I hear from you as a Hadith of your father or narrate what I have heard from your father as your Hadith?’ The Imam said, ‘It is all the same. However, I would love if you narrate from my father.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once said to Jamil, ‘What you hear from me you may narrate as a Hadith of my father also.’”
5ـ وَعَنْهُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ سِنَانٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَجِيئُنِي الْقَوْمُ فَيَسْتَمِعُونَ مِنِّي حَدِيثَكُمْ فَأَضْجَرُ وَلا أَقْوَى قَالَ فَاقْرَأْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَوَّلِهِ حَدِيثاً وَمِنْ وَسَطِهِ حَدِيثاً وَمِنْ آخِرِهِ حَدِيثاً.
5. It is narrated from him from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from ibn Mahbub from ‘Abdallah ibn Sinan who has said the following. “I said to (Imam) abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), ‘People come to me and they listen to the Ahadith that I narrate to them from you. I become tired and weak.’” The Imam said, “Narrate to them a Hadith from the beginning and one from the middle and one from the end.”
6ـ عَنْهُ بِإِسْنَادِهِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عُمَرَ الْحَلالِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) الرَّجُلُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا يُعْطِينِي الْكِتَابَ وَلا يَقُولُ ارْوِهِ عَنِّي يَجُوزُ لِي أَنْ أَرْوِيَهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ فَقَالَ إِذَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ الْكِتَابَ لَهُ فَارْوِهِ عَنْهُ.
6. It is narrated from him from Ahmad ibn ‘Umar al-Hallal who has said the following. “I said to (Imam) abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.), ‘One of our people gives me a book but he does not say whether I can narrate any thing from it or not. Can I narrate it from him?’” He (the narrator) said that he (a.s.) said, “If you knew that the book is his then narrate it from him.”
7ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ وَعَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنِ النَّوْفَلِيِّ عَنِ السَّكُونِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) إِذَا حَدَّثْتُمْ بِحَدِيثٍ فَأَسْنِدُوهُ إِلَى الَّذِي حَدَّثَكُمْ فَإِنْ كَانَ حَقّاً فَلَكُمْ وَإِنْ كَانَ كَذِباً فَعَلَيْهِ.
7. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from al-Nawfali from al-Sakuni from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following: Ameer al-Mumineen (a.s.) has said: “When you would narrate Hadith you must say who its narrator is. If it would be true it will be for you and if it would be false it will be his responsibility.
8ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الْمَدَنِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ حُسَيْنٍ الاحْمَسِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ الْقَلْبُ يَتَّكِلُ عَلَى الْكِتَابَةِ.
8. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from abu Ayyub al-Madani from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Husayn al-Ahmasi from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following. “The heart relies on writing.”
9ـ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْوَشَّاءِ عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ حُمَيْدٍ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ اكْتُبُوا فَإِنَّكُمْ لا تَحْفَظُونَ حَتَّى تَكْتُبُوا.
9. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’ from ‘Asim ibn Humayd from abu Basir who has said the following. “(Imam) abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) said, ‘You must write down because you will not memorize until you write down.’”
