Al-Kāfi - The Book about people with Divine Authority

Al-Kāfi - The Book about people with Divine Authority Chapter: The people of Dhikr (memory and knowledge) that Allah has commanded the creatures to ask for their questions are the Imams (a.s.) ِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْ٠َّدٍ عَنِ الْوَشَّاءِ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلا٠ِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ قَالَ عَلِيُّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْه٠َا لَيْسَ عَلَى شِيعَتِهِ٠ْ وَعَلَى شِيعَتِنَا ٠َا لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا أَ٠ُ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَسْأَلُونَا قَالَ فَسْئَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُ٠ْ أَنْ يَسْأَلُونَا وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا الْجَوَابُ إِنْ شِئْنَا أَجَبْنَا وَإِنْ شِئْنَا أَ٠8.

A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Washsha’ who has said that he heard Imam al-Rida say the following. “Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn has said that there are certain obligation for the Imams that are not obligatory for their followers and certain obligation of our followers are not obligatory for us.

Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High has commanded them to ask us their questions saying, “Ask the people of Dhikr if you do not know,’ Thus, Allah has commanded them to ask us their questions but it is not obligatory for us to answer them. We may answer them or may not answer them if we may so decide.” the is not said: صحيح - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (2/431)) صحيح - Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi (Sahih al-Kafi (29/ 1))