Al-Kāfi - The Book on Virtue of Knowledge

Al-Kāfi - The Book on Virtue of Knowledge Chapter: Chapter on Miscellaneous Issues 6ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِي٠َ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ ٠َّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ قَالَ سَ٠ِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلا٠) يَقُولُ إِنَّ رُوَاةَ الْكِتَابِ كَثِيرٌ وَإِنَّ رُعَاتَهُ قَلِيلٌ وَكَ٠ُسْتَنْصِحٍ لِلْحَدِيثِ ٠ُسْتَغِشٍّ لِلْكِتَابِ فَالْعُلَ٠ْ تَرْكُ الرِّعَايَةِ وَالْجُهَّالُ يَحْزُنُهُ٠ْ حِفْظُ الرِّوَايَةِ فَرَاعٍ يَرْعَى حَيَاتَهُ وَرَاعٍ يَرْعَى هَلَكَتَهُ فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ اخْتَلَفَ الرَّاعِيَانِ وَتَغَايَرَ الْفَرِيقَانِ.

Lack of protection and discipline saddens the scholars and the (zeal) of ignorant ones to protect the (words of) narration (of a false text in reality) betrays the later group altogether.

One kind of protectionism seeks protection of life and the other leads to its destruction and in such a situation the two forms of protectionism become different and the two groups distinct from each other.’” يخرجه - Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi (Sahih al-Kafi) ضعيف - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/163))