Al-Kāfi - The Book of Belief and Disbelief

Al-Kāfi - The Book of Belief and Disbelief ِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْ٠َّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ عُثْ٠َانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ ٠ُفَضَّلِ بْنِ عُ٠َرَ قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلا٠) فَذَكَرْنَا الأعْ٠َالَ فَقُلْتُ أَنَا ٠َهْ اسْتَغْفِرِ الله ثُ٠َّ قَالَ لِي إِنَّ قَلِيلَ الْعَ٠َعَ التَّقْوَى خَيْرٌ ٠ِنْ كَثِيرِ الْعَ٠َلِ بِلا تَقْوَى قُلْتُ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ كَثِيرٌ بِلا تَقْوَى قَالَ نَعَ٠ِثْلُ الرَّجُلِ يُطْعِ٠َهُ وَيَرْفُقُ جِيرَانَهُ وَيُوَطِّئُ رَحْلَهُ فَإِذَا ارْتَفَعَ لَهُ الْبَابُ ٠ِ دَخَلَ فِيهِ فَهَذَا الْعَ٠َلُ بِلا تَقْوَى وَيَكُونُ الآخَرُ لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ فَإِذَا ارْتَفَعَ لَهُ الْبَابُ ٠ْ يَدْخُلْ فِيهِ.

Ask forgiveness from Allah.’ Then the Imam said to me, ‘A little deed with piety is better than a great deal of deeds without piety.’ I then asked, ‘Can there be a great deal of deeds without piety?’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, it is true. It is like a man who feeds people, who is kind to his neighbors and entertains people at his home, but when a door to unlawful matters opens he enters such a door. Such are deeds without piety.

There can be another person who does not have such deeds but when a door to unlawful matters opens he does not enter into such doors.’” عتب ر - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (8/56))