He said...

He said, ‘Why (then) are we differing, me and you, and you have come to us from Syrian regarding the differences among you (and us)?’ قَالَ فَسَكَتَ الشَّامِيُّ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) لِلشَّامِيِّ مَا لَكَ لَا تَتَكَلَّمُ قَالَ الشَّامِيُّ إِنْ قُلْتُ لَمْ نَخْتَلِفْ كَذَبْتُ وَ إِنْ قُلْتُ إِنَّ الْكِتَابَ وَ السُّنَّةَ يَرْفَعَانِ عَنَّا الِاخْتِلَافَ أَبْطَلْتُ لِأَنَّهُمَا يَحْتَمِلَانِ الْوُجُوهَ وَ إِنْ قُلْتُ قَدِ اخْتَلَفْنَا وَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنَّا يَدَّعِي الْحَقَّ فَلَمْ يَنْفَعْنَا إِذَنِ الْكِتَابُ وَ السُّنَّةُ إِلَّا أَنَّ لِي عَلَيْهِ هَذِهِ الْحُجَّةَ He (the narrator) said, ‘So the Syrian was silent, and Abu Abdullah -asws said to the Syrian, ‘What is the matter with you, you are not speaking?’ The Syrian said, ‘If I were to say that we do not differ, I would be lying, and if I were to say that the Book and the Sunnah have both sorted the differences from us, it would be invalid, because they both carry the (various) aspects, and if I were to say that we have differed and each one of us is claiming the Truth, so the Book and the Sunnah would not benefit us except if there is for me, this Divine Authority over it’.

فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) سَلْهُ تَجِدْهُ مَلِيّاً فَقَالَ الشَّامِيُّ يَا هَذَا مَنْ أَنْظَرُ لِلْخَلْقِ أَ رَبُّهُمْ أَوْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ فَقَالَ هِشَامٌ رَبُّهُمْ أَنْظَرُ لَهُمْ مِنْهُمْ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ فَقَالَ الشَّامِيُّ فَهَلْ أَقَامَ لَهُمْ مَنْ يَجْمَعُ لَهُمْ كَلِمَتَهُمْ وَ يُقِيمُ أَوَدَهُمْ وَ يُخْبِرُهُمْ بِحَقِّهِمْ مِنْ بَاطِلِهِمْ قَالَ هِشَامٌ فِي وَقْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) أَوِ السَّاعَةِ قَالَ الشَّامِيُّ فِي وَقْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) وَ السَّاعَةِ مَنْ فَقَالَ هِشَامٌ هَذَا الْقَاعِدُ الَّذِي تُشَدُّ إِلَيْهِ الرِّحَالُ وَ يُخْبِرُنَا بِأَخْبَارِ السَّمَاءِ وَ الْأَرْضِ وِرَاثَةً عَنْ أَبٍ عَنْ جَدٍّ So Abu Abdullah -asws said, ‘Ask him.