ভূমিকা

قلتُ: وإِنْ زَنوا أو سَرقوا أو شرِبوا الخَمرَ؟ فقالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ لي: إِنا للهِ وإِنا إليهِ راجِعونَ! واللهِ ما أنصَفونا أَنْ نكُونَ أخَذنَا بالعَملِ ووُضِعَ عنهُم. إنمَا قلتُ إذا عرِفتَ فاعملْ ما شِئتَ من قَليلِ الخَيرِ وكثيرِه فإنّه يُقبلُ مِنكَ.

With my chain of authorities reaching up to the pioneering shaykh, Muhammad ibn Ya’qub al-Kulayni (R) from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from al-Husayn ibn Said, from someone who narrated it from ‘Ubayd ibn Zurarah, from Muhammad ibn Marid that he said: I said to Abu ‘Abd Allah (A): A hadith has been narrated to us from you that you said, “When you have acquired the ma’rifah, i.e.

of the rights of the Imam’s (A), then do whatever you want.” He replied, “I have indeed said that.” I said to him, “Even if one were to commit adultery and theft and drink wine?” He said, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un! By God, they (i.e. those who have interpreted our statements in such a manner) have not been just to us. (Is it fair for them to believe that) they would get away with whatever they do whereas we ourselves will be answerable for our acts?

What I said was that when you have acquired ma’rifah perform any works you want, whether its good be great or small, for they will be accepted of you.”[^1] Exposition [In the sentence ‘ hadithun ruwiyah .. .’], hadith is mubtada and ruwiyah is its khabar . Annaka , with fathah (on the alif ) is the khabar of an elliptic mubtada (أي هو أنك). In the statement إذا عرفتَ the ma’rifah (knowledge) meant in this tradition is the ma’rifah of the Imam (A).

In the expression ...قلتُ، قالَ قلتُ may be either in the first or the third person.