الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْوَشَّاءِ وَ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ فَضَّالٍ جَمِيعاً عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ حُمَيْدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع قَالَ: خَطَبَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع النَّاسَ فَقَالَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّمَا بَدْءُ وُقُوعِ الْفِتَنِ أَهْوَاءٌ تُتَّبَعُ وَ أَحْكَامٌ تُبْتَدَعُ يُخَالَفُ فِيهَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ يَتَوَلَّى فِيهَا رِجَالٌ رِجَالًا فَلَوْ أَنَّ الْبَاطِلَ خَلَصَ لَمْ يَخْفَ عَلَى ذِي حِجًى وَ لَوْ أَنَّ الْحَقَّ خَلَصَ لَمْ يَكُنِ اخْتِلَافٌ وَ لَكِنْ يُؤْخَذُ مِنْ هَذَا ضِغْثٌ وَ مِنْ هَذَا ضِغْثٌ فَيُمْزَجَانِ فَيَجِيئَانِ مَعاً فَهُنَالِكَ اسْتَحْوَذَ الشَّيْطَانُ عَلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِ وَ نَجَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ الْحُسْنَى.
From him, from Al Hassan Bin Ali Bin Fazaal, from Aasim Bin Hameed, from Muhammad Bin Muslim,
(It has been narrated) from Abu Ja’far-asws having said: ‘Amir-Al-Momineen-asws addressed the people: ‘O you people! But rather, the beginning of the occurrence of the Fitna (Strife) is from the following of the desires, and rulings which have been innovated, in which the Speech of Allah-azwj is opposed, in which a man emulates (does Taqleed) of a man. And if the falsehood was pure, the one with arguments would not fear it; and if the Truth was pure, there would be no differing. But, they take a handful of this, and a handful of that, so they mix up the two and come with these two. So it is over that, the Satan-la enchains his-la friends, those for whom the goodness has preceded from Allah-azwj attain salvation (21:101)’.[1]
And Amir ul-Momineen-asws also said, in another Sermon:
وَ رُوِيَ أَنَّهُ ع قَالَ: إِنَ أَبْغَضَ الْخَلَائِقِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى رَجُلَانِ رَجُلٌ وَكَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ فَهُوَ جَائِرٌ عَنْ قَصْدِ السَّبِيلِ سَائِرٌ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَ لَا دَلِيلٍ مَشْغُوفٌ بِكَلَامِ بِدْعَةٍ وَ دُعَاءِ ضَلَالَةٍ فَهُوَ فِتْنَةٌ لِمَنِ افْتَتَنَ بِهِ ضَالٌّ [عَنْ] هَدْيِ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَهُ مُضِلٌّ لِمَنِ اقْتَدَى بِهِ فِي حَيَاتِهِ وَ بَعْدَ وَفَاتِهِ حَمَّالٌ خَطَايَا غَيْرِهِ رَهْنٌ بِخَطِيئَتِهِ
Among all the people the most detested before Allah-azwj are two persons. One is he who is devoted to his self (with his own religious ideas). So he is deviated from the true path and loves speaking about (foul) innovations and inviting towards wrong path. He is therefore a nuisance for those who are enamoured of him, is himself misled from the guidance of those preceding him, misleads those who follow him in his life or after his death, carries the weight of others’ sins and is entangled in his own misdeeds.
وَ رَجُلٌ قَمَشَ جَهْلًا فَوُضِعَ فِي جُهَّالِ الْأُمَّةِ غَارَ فِي أَغْبَاشِ الْفِتْنَةِ قَدْ لَهِجَ مِنْهَا بِالصَّوْمِ وَ الصَّلَاةِ- عَمِيَ فِي عَقْدِ الْهُدْنَةِ سَمَّاهُ اللَّهُ عَارِياً مُنْسَلِخاً وَ سَمَّاهُ أَشْبَاهَ النَّاسِ عَالِماً وَ لَيْسَ بِهِ وَ لَمَّا يَغْنَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَوْماً سَالِماً بَكَّرَ فَاسْتَكْثَرَ مِنْ جَمْعٍ مَا قَلَّ مِنْهُ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا كَثُرَ حَتَّى إِذَا ارْتَوَى مِنْ آجِنٍ وَ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ غَيْرِ طَائِلٍ جَلَسَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ مُفْتِياً قَاضِياً ضَامِناً لِتَخْلِيصِ مَا الْتَبَسَ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ إِنْ خَالَفَ مَنْ سَبَقَهُ لَمْ يُؤْمِنْ مِنْ نَقْضِ حُكْمِهِ مَنْ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِهِ كَفِعْلِهِ بِمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَهُ فَإِنْ نَزَلَتْ بِهِ إِحْدَى الْمُبْهَمَاتِ هَيَّأَ لَهَا حَشْواً رَثّاً مِنْ رَأْيِهِ ثُمَّ قَطَعَ بِهِ فَهُوَ مِنْ لَبْسِ الشُّبُهَاتِ فِي مِثْلِ نَسْجِ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ خَبَّاطُ جَهَالاتٍ وَ رَكَّابُ عَشَوَاتٍ وَ مِفْتَاحُ شُبُهَاتٍ فَهُوَ لَا يَدْرِي أَصَابَ الْحَقَّ أَمْ أَخْطَأَ إِنْ أَصَابَ خَافَ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ أَخْطَأَ وَ إِنْ أَخْطَأَ رَجَا أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ أَصَابَ فَهُوَ مِنْ رَأْيِهِ فِي مِثْلِ نَسْجِ غَزْلِ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ الَّذِي إِذَا مَرَّتْ بِهِ النَّارُ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ بِهَا لَمْ يَعَضَّ عَلَى الْعِلْمِ بِضِرْسٍ قَاطِعٍ فَيَغْنَمَ بِذَرْيِ الرِّوَايَاتِ إِذْرَاءَ الرِّيحِ الْهَشِيمَ
The other man is he who has picked up ignorance. He moves among the ignorant, is senseless in the thick of mischief and is blind to the advantages of peace. Those resembling like men have named him scholar but he is not so. He goes out early morning to collect things whose deficiency is better than plenty, till when he has quenched his thirst from polluted water and acquired meaningless things, he sits among the people as a judge responsible for solving whatever is confusing to the others.
If an ambiguous problem is presented before him he manages shabby argument about it of his own accord and passes judgement on its basis. In this way he is entangled in the confusion of doubts as in the spider’s web, not knowing whether he was right or wrong. If he is right he fears lest he erred, while if he is wrong he hopes he is right. He is ignorant, wandering astray in ignorance and riding on carriages aimlessly moving in darkness. He did not try to find reality of knowledge. He scatters the traditions as the wind scatters the dry leaves.
لاَ مَلِيٌ وَاللهِ ـ بِإِصْدَارِ مَا وَرَدَ عَلَيْهِ، وَلاَ هُوَ أَهْلٌ لِما فُوّضَ إليه، لاَ يَحْسَبُ العِلْمَ في شيْءٍ مِمَّا أَنْكَرَهُ، وَلاَ يَرَى أَنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ مَا بَلَغَ منه مَذْهَباً لِغَيْرهِ، وَإِنْ أَظْلَمَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرٌ اكْتَتَمَ بِهِلِمَا يَعْلَمُ مِنْ جَهْلِ نَفْسِهِ ، تَصْرُخُ مِنْ جَوْرِ قَضَائِهِ الدِّمَاءُ، وَتَعَجُّ مِنْهُ المَوَارِيثُ.
By Allah-azwj, he is not capable of solving the problems that come to him nor is fit for the position assigned to him. Whatever he does not know he does not regard it worth knowing. He does not realise that what is beyond his reach is within the reach of others. If anything is not clear to him he keeps quiet over it because he knows his own ignorance. Lost lives are crying against his unjust verdicts, and properties (that have been wrongly disposed of) are grumbling against him.
إِلَى اللهِ أَشْكُو مِنْ مَعْشَرٍ يَعِيشُونَ جُهَّالاً، وَيَمُوتُونَ ضُلاَّلاً، لَيْسَ فِيهمْ سِلْعَةٌ أَبْوَرُمِنَ الكِتَابِ إِذَا تُلِيَ حَقَّ تِلاَوَتِهِ، وَلاَ سِلْعَةٌ أَنْفَقُبَيْعاً وَلاَ أَغْلَى ثَمَناً مِنَ الكِتَابِ إِذَا حُرِّفَ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ، وَلاَ عِنْدَهُمْ أَنْكَرُ مِنَ المَعْرُوفِ، وَلاَ أَعْرَفُ مِنَ المُنكَرِ.
I complain to Allah-azwj about persons who live ignorant and die misguided. For them nothing is more worthless than the Qur’an if it is recited as it should be recited, nor anything more valuable than the Qur’an if its verses are removed from their places, nor anything more vicious than virtue nor more virtuous than vice.[2]
[1] Al Mahaasin – V 1 Bk 5 H 74, الكافي (ط – الإسلامية)، ج1، ص: 54
[2] الإحتجاج على أهل اللجاج (للطبرسي)، ج1، ص: 262