Religious Matters (as per Ahadith)
الخصال الْخَلِيلُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ أَبِي مَنِيعٍ عَنْ هَارُونَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ أَبِي خَالِدٍ الْأَزْرَقِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَ أَظُنُّهُ ابْنَ أَبِي لَيْلَى عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص أَنَّهُ قَالَ: أَفْضَلُ الْعِبَادَةِ الْفِقْهُ وَ أَفْضَلُ الدِّينِ الْوَرَعُ
(The book) ‘Al Khisaal’ – Al Khaleel Bin Ahmad, from Abu Munie, from Haroun Bin Abdullah, from Suleyman Bin Abdul Rahman, from Khalid Bin Abu Khalid Al Azraq, from Muhammad Bin Abdul Rahman, and I think it was Abu Layli Nafie, from Ibn Umar,
From Rasool-Allah-saww having said: ‘The best worship is the ‘الْفِقْهُ’ jurisprudence (knowledge of Ahadith, see the below Hadith), and the best religion is the devoutness’.[1]
وعن محمد بن سعيد الكشي ، عن محمد بن أحمد بن حماد المروزي المحمودي ، يرفعه ، قال : قال الصادق (عليه السلام): اعرفوا منازل شيعتنا بقدر ما يحسنون من رواياتهم عنا ، فانا لا نعد الفقيه منهم فقيها حتى يكون محدثا ، فقيل له : أو يكون المؤمن محدثا ؟ قال : يكون مفهما ، والمفهم : المحدث
And from Muhammad Bin Saeed Al Kashy, from Muhammad Bin Ahmad Bin Hamaad Al Maruzy Al Mahmoudy, with a chain going up to Al Sadiq-asws, said:
‘Recognise the status of our-asws Shiites in accordance with how many good narrations they relate from us-asws, for we do not consider the ‘الفقيه’ ‘Faqih’ from them to be a Faqih unless they are narrators of Ahadith’. It was said to him-asws, ‘Is a believer a narrator of Ahadith?’
He-asws said: ‘He is an understanding one; and the understanding one is a narrator of Ahadith’.[2]
[1] Bihar Al-Anwaar V 67 – The book of Eman and Kufr – Ch 57 H 20
[2] Wasail ul Shia, H. 33453