عبد الاعلى بن أعين العجلي

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘The Messenger of Allah has said, “The biggest form of arrogance is to sink (belittle or look down upon) people and consider the truth foolishness.” I (the narrator) then asked, ‘What is to ‘sink’ the people and hoodwink the truth?’ The Imam said, ‘It is ignoring the truth and criticizing the people of truth. Whoever does it has disputed Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, about His gown.’””

“I was told about abu Ja‘far (a.s.), that he disliked two kinds of transactions: ‘Drop the merchandise without turning its other side and receive payment’, and ‘buying merchandise without seeing’.”

“Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) would say, ‘I was born of the descendents of the holy Prophet (s.a.) while I knew the book of Allah wherein is the knowledge of how the world was first created and the knowledge of all that may come up to the Day of Judgement. Therein is the news of the heavens and the earth, the news of the Paradise and the Fire hell, the news of things of the past, those that will come into existence. I know all of these just as I can see in the palm of my hands. Allah says, “In it there is an explanation of everything.’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) say, ‘Asking people for help is seeking to abolish one’s respect, as well as one’s bashfulness. Placing no hope in what is in the hands of people is dignity for a believer in his religion and greed is poverty at hand.’”

I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who finds a prey in non-al-Haram (the sacred area) and ties it down next to al-Haram (the sacred area); but it walks and enters al-Haram (the sacred area) with the rope around its neck. The man pulls the rope and takes it out of al-Haram (the sacred area) and he is in non-al-Haram (the sacred area). He (the Imam) said, ‘Its price and meat is prohibited like the dead animal’s.’”

“Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad (Imam as-Sadiq) said to me: “O Abdul A’la, undertaking our matter is not by knowing and accepting it. It is by preserving and keeping it secret from those, who are not reliable. Deliver to them (the Shia) my greeting and tell them that he (Imam as-Sadiq) says to you: May Allah have mercy upon one, who brings himself and us people’s love by showing them what they know and refrain from telling them what they deny. He, who makes war against us, is not worse than one, who fabricates against us what we hate.”

I said to Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him: May I be sacrificed for you, there is a narration whom people narrate with regards to that Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, said: «Narrate of the Sons of Isra’eel, and there is no forbiddance». He said: Yes. I said: So, shall we narrate of the Sons of Isra’eel with what we have heard, and there will be no forbiddance upon us? He said: Have you not heard what he said: «It is sufficient for an individual to be a liar when he speaks of everything he hears»? So I said: So how is that? He said: Whatever is in the Book (of mentioning) that something was among the Sons of Isra’eel, then speak that it is present in this nation, and there is no forbiddance.

“Once certain individual of our people wrote to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) asking him about certain issues and they ordered me to ask the Imam about the rights of the Muslim on his Muslim brother and I asked the Imam but he did not answer me. When I went to say farewell to him I said, ‘I asked you that question but you did not answer me.’ The Imam said, ‘I am afraid you may disregard them. Of the obligations most pressing that Allah has made obligatory upon His creature are three things: a man’s yielding to justice against his own soul so as not to accept for his brother (in belief) what he does not accept for his own self, to assist his brother with his property and speak of Allah in all conditions. I do not mean thereby, saying, ‘Glory belongs to Allah and all praise belongs to Allah. Truly speaking of and remembering Allah is to stay away from whatever He has prohibited.’”

I heard Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, say: "Our first one is the ushering guide to our next one, and our next one is the conformer of the first one. And among us, the tradition is constant. Surely, when Allah ordains, He implements it." All Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all Universe and Allah bless our master Muhammad, the Prophet and his progeny and send peace upon them. Al-Shaikh al-Mufid Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu’man - may Allah perpetuate his capabilities - narrated to us on Monday, the end of Shawaal, in the year four hundred and four.

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘Certain ones of the wives of the Holy Prophet, had said, ‘Does Muhammad think that if he divorces us, no one from our people will marry us?’ He (the Imam) said that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, became angry from above the seven heavens and commanded him (the Messenger of Allah) and he gave them the choice until it was the turn of Zaynab bint Jahash. She stood and kissed him (the Messenger of Allah) and accepted, saying, “I choose Allah and His Messenger.’””

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Marry virgins; they are of the finest mouth.’ In another Hadith it is said that, their uterus most dry, their posterior most round, and their womb most open. Have you taken notice that I will express pride among the nations on the Day of Judgment even because of a miscarried child who, filled with anger, stands at the door of paradise? Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, then says, ‘Enter paradise.’ The child says, ‘No, I will not enter until my parents enter before I enter.’ Allah, most Blessed, most High, says to an angel of the angels, ‘Bring to Me his parents.’ He then commands to admit them in paradise, and then He says, ‘This is because of My mercy upon you.’”

“Once I asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘If a person does not know, will he be held responsible?’ He said, ‘No, he will not be held responsible.’”

Indeed, the greatest arrogance is disdaining of the creation and stultification of the truth. I said: And what is it to disdain the creation and stultify the truth? He said: That one who is ignorant of the truth and vilifies its people. The one who does that, has certainly challenged the Vesture of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He.

Indeed, the stingy is the one who acquires a property from other than its lawful method and spends it in other than its right.

“Whoever believes in Allah and in the Day of Judgment must not sit in a seat whereby an Imam is belittled or a believer is criticized.”

I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) whether a person who knows nothing has any responsibility. He (AS) replied, “No.”

“Knowing this matter is not enough to prove your loyalty unless you keep it secret from those, who are not reliable. It suffices you to say what we have said and to be silent on what we have been silent on. If you tell of what we have said and submit to what we have kept silent, then you have believed in what we have believed in. Allah says: "And if they believe in the like of that which ye believe, then they are rightly guided." (2:137) Ali bin al-Husayn has said: “Tell people of what they know and do not burden them with that they cannot bear then you will lead them to avoid us.”

“They indeed had the ability. Allah knew that they would have carried out their duty had it been a short and advantageous journey.”

Abd al-A`la ibn A'yun said: I heard Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) saying: If you intend to be my brothers and my companions, then prepare yourselves for enmity and hatred of people otherwise, you are not my companions.

"I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who engaged in sexual relations with his wife at night while performing i'tikaf during the Month of Ramadan. Imam (as) said: 'He must pay one expiation.' I then asked: 'What if he engaged in sexual relations during the day?' Imam (as) said: 'He must pay two expiations.'"