محمد بن إسماعيل

I said to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام: I debated a group and said to them: Verily Allah Majestic is His Majesty is more Majestic, Strong and Gracious that He be known through His creatures, rather the slaves are known through Allah. He said: May Allah have mercy on you.

the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله addressed the people in Mina and said: O people, whatever comes to you attributed to me which agrees with the Book of Allah then I have indeed said it, and whatever comes to you opposing the book of Allah then I never said it.

I asked Aba Ibrahim عليه السلام about a girl who has not attained puberty – when is it incumbent on her to cover her head from the one one with whom she does not share any relation? and when is it obligatory on her to veil her head fully in the prayer? He said: she does not have to cover her head until the prayer starts becoming prohibited on her [i.e. she begins menstruating].

I said to Abi Ja’far عليه السلام: will you not inform me how you knew and ruled that the wiping should only be limited to a part of the head and a part of the feet, so he laughed and then said: … then he said: “Allāh does not intend to place upon you [in the religion] any difficulty” (5:6) – and “difficulty” is “discomfort”.

I said to Abi Ja’far عليه السلام: will you not inform me how you knew and ruled that the wiping should only be limited to a part of the head and a part of the feet, so he laughed and then said: O Zurara – the messenger of Allah ruled it to be so and the Book from Allah descended with it – because Allah Mighty and Majestic says: “wash your faces” so we understood that the whole face … then he said: “and wipe part of your head” so we understood when He said بِرُءُوسِكُمْ that the wiping is limited to part of the head because of the (letter) ‘ب’ (Ba) …

Ali b. al-Husayn عليهما السلام said to me: O Aba Hamza - Verily Allah is not described with finiteness. Our Lord is above description so how can He be described with finiteness one who cannot be limited and (one whom) “eye-sight cannot overtake Him while He overtakes the eye-sights and He is the Subtle, the Aware” [6:103]?

the messenger of Allāh صلى الله عليه وآله said: sitting with the people of religion is an honour in the world and the hereafter.

the Sunnahcannot be derived by analogy, do you not see that a woman repays her fasts but does not repay her prayers, O Aban! If the Sunnahis analogized then the religion is destroyed.

the Prophet (sw) addressed the people in Mina and said: O people, whatever comes to you attributed to me which agrees with the Book of Allāh then I have indeed said it, and whatever comes to you opposing the book of Allāh then I never said it.

I heard Aba Ja’far عليه السلام saying: From the matters are matters which are deferred with Allah. He brings forward from them what He wills and puts back from them what He wills.

I heard Aba Ja’far عليه السلام saying: Knowledge is of two kinds. A knowledge with Allah which is hidden. No one has seen into it among his creation. And a knowledge which He taught His angels and messengers. So as for that which He taught His angels and messengers then it must occur. He does not belie Himself, nor His angels, nor His messengers. As for the hidden knowledge with Him then He brings forward from it what He wills and puts back from it what He wills, and He establishes what He wills.

I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام saying: Allah Mighty and Majestic cannot be described (as He truly is). And how can He be described when He says in His book: “they have not estimated Allah His true estimate” [39:67]? Thus He is not described with an estimate except that He is greater than that.

I heard him saying about the one who loses consciousness: what Allāh has power over then Allāh is more entitled to excuse.

I asked Aba al-Hasan عليه السلام about two men who kill game [together] while they are in Ihram – will the atonement be shared between them or will it be incumbent on each one of them individually? He said: Rather it will be on each one of them to atone individually for the hunted animal, I said: one of our fellows asked me about that but I did not know what would be upon him, so he said: if you encounter the like of this [such scenarios] and do not know what to do then upon you is acting by precaution until when you ask about it and know [the exact answer].

I said to him: the one who does not know whether he is in the fourth or the second (Rak’a) but is sure that he has completed two [what should he do]? He said: he will perform two units and four prostrations and he stands reciting al-Fatiha and makes the Tashahud, and there is nothing further upon him, and if he does not know whether he is in the third or the fourth but he is sure that he has completed three – he stands and adds another (unit) to them and there is nothing further upon him. Certainty is not overriden by doubt and doubt does not enter certainty, one of them does not mix with the other, rather doubt is overriden by certainty, and one completes upon certainty building upon it, and doubt is regarded in any situation whatsoever.

I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام saying: when the soul will reach here – and he pointed with his hand to his throat – there will be no repentance for the scholar then he recited: “Verily repentance is upon Allāh only for those who work evil in ignorance” (4:17).

by Allāh – they did not fast for them nor did they pray to them but they (the rabbis and monks) made permissible for them the prohibited and prohibited for them the permissible so they followed them.

I begin with what Allāh Mighty and Majestic began with – proceeding to Safa first – Allāh Mighty ad Majestic says: “Verily Safa and Marwa are from among the signs of Allāh” (2:158) …

Abu Ja’far said عليه السلام: follow in the Wudhu the way Allāh Mighty and Majestic said – begin with the face… begin with what Allāh Mighty and Majestic began with.

it is for the scholar – if he is asked something of which he does not know – to say: “Allāh is more knowing” and it is not for other than the scholar to say that.