Merits of ahlulbayt from non shia sources

بحار الأنوار للمجلسي (1111 هـ) الجزء٢٦ صفحة٢٣٩

Biharul Anwar by Majisi (1111 AH), Volume 26, Page 239

باب 4 : النهي عن اخذ فضائلهم من مخالفيهم  

 

Section 4: The prohibition of accepting reports about the virtues of the ahlulbayt from non Shia sources. 

1 - ن : أبي عن الحسين بن أحمد المالكي عن أبيه عن إبراهيم بن أبي محمود قال : قلت للرضا عليه السلام : يابن رسول الله إن عندنا أخبارا في فضائل أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام وفضلكم أهل البيت وهي من رواية مخالفيكم ولا نعرف مثلها عنكم ، أفندين بها ؟ فقال : يابن أبي محمود لقد أخبرني أبي عن أبيه عن جده عليهم السلام أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم قال : من أصغى إلى ناطق فقد عبده ، فان كان الناطق عن الله عزوجل فقد عبدالله ، وإن كان الناطق عن إبليس فقد عبد إبليس . ثم قال الرضا عليه السلام : يابن أبي محمود إن مخالفينا وضعوا أخبارا في فضائلنا وجعلوها على أقسام ثلاثة : أحدها الغلو ، وثانيها التقصير في أمرنا ، وثالثها التصريح بمثالب أعدائنا ، فاذا فاذا سمع الناس الغلو فينا كفروا شيعتنا ونسبوهم إلى القول بربوبيتنا وإذا سمعوا التقصير اعتقدوه فينا ، وإذاسمعوا مثالب أعدائنا بأسمآئهم ثلبونا بأسمآئنا ، وقد قال الله عزوجل : ولا تسبوا الذين يدعون من دون الله فيسبوا الله عدوا بغير علم " ( 1 ) .
يابن أبي محمود إذا أخذ الناس يمينا وشمالا فالزم طريقتنا فانه من لزمنا لزمناه ، ومن فارقنا فارقناه ، إن أدنى مايخرج الرجل من الايمان أن يقول للحصاة : هذه نواة ، ثم يدين بذلك ويبرأ ممن خالفه ، يابن أبي محمود احفظ ما حدثتك به فقد جمعت لك فيه خير الدينا والآخرة

 

1- From Uyun Akhbar al Reda (by Shaikh Sadooq, Volume 1, Page 272, Section 28): My (i.e. Shaikh Sadooq's) father, from al Hussain b. Ahmad al Malki, from his father,from Ibrahim b. abi Mahmood, who said:

"With us are ahadith about the merits of Ali and ahlulbayt, but they are from non Shias while we are not aware (have not heard) of such ahadith from you people (the Imams), so should we believe in them?" Imam al Reda (as) replied: "O ibn abi Mahmood! My father told me, through his father, (who in turn was informed) from his grandfather that the Prophet (pbuh) said: "whoever listened to a speaker then he is his worshiper, so if the speaker was from Allah (swt) then he is Allah's worshiper, while if the speaker was from Iblis then he is Iblis's worshiper." Imam (as) continued further: "O ibn abi Mahmood! Indeed the non Shias have fabricated ahadith about our merits and have divided them into three categories (to setup a trap for the ignorant Shias). The first type is of ghulu, the second type is of reports which reduce our status, and the third type is of reports which explicitly state the shortcomings of our enemies. So when the non Shia laypeople/public hears (from those Shias who fell into the trap) ghulu about us they do takfir of the Shias and propagate that the Shias consider the Imams to be Rab (God), and when they (non Shia laypeople) hear (fabricated) ahadith which lower our status, they believe it, and when they hear criticisms of our enemies by their names, they then (as a reaction) slander us (Imams) by our names. And Allah (swt) has said: "Do not abuse those whom they (the disbelievers) invoke besides Allah, lest they should abuse Allah out of hostility, without any knowledge." (Qur'an 6:108). O ibn abi Mahmood! When the people are heading right and left (i.e. going astray), then stick to our path, for indeed whoever sticks to us, we stick to him, and who separates from us, we separate from him. Verily, the least which expels the man from iman (belief) is that he says for the pebble: "This is a seed" then strongly believes by that and dissociates from anyone who opposes him on that. O ibn abi Mahmood! Remember what I have just told you for there is encompassed in it the goodness of this world as well as the hereafter."

Grading

This hadith has been graded Sahih (authentic) by Ayatullah Hussain al Radhy. A detailed analysis of the isnad (chains of narration) is available on his website (click here).