158 - فضائلُه عليه السلام‏

158. His Virtues

480.بحار الأنوار : دخَلَ العبّاسِيّونَ على‏ صالحِ ابنِ وَصيفٍ ، ودخَلَ صالحُ بنُ عليٍّ وغيرُهُ مِن المُنْحَرِفينَ عن هذهِ النّاحيةِ على‏ صالحِ بنِ وصيفٍ عندَما حُبِسَ أبو محمّدٍ عليه السلام، فقالَ لَه : ضَيِّقْ عليهِ ولا تُوَسِّعْ، فقالَ لَهم صالحٌ: ما أصْنَعُ بهِ، وقد وَكّلْتُ بهِ رُجلَينِ شَرَّ مَن قَدَرْتُ علَيهِ ، فقَد صارا مِن العِبادةِ والصّلاةِ إلى‏ أمرٍ عظيمٍ؟ ! ¹

480. Muhammad b. Ismail narrated, 'The Abbasids visited Salih b. Wasif, and Salih b. Ali and a few other deviated people from this location also visited Salih b. Wasif when Abu Muhammad (AS) [Imam al-Askari] was in the prison. He said to him, 'Put him in strict confinement and give him no ease.' Salih replied, 'What more can I do with him when I have assigned two of the most evil men I could find to guard him, and surprisingly those two have turned to worship and prayers [as a result of the Imam]!' ²

481.المناقب لابن شهر آشوب عن أبي القاسِمِ الكوفيِّ : إنَّ إسحاقَ الكِنديِّ كانَ فيلسوفَ العِراقِ في زَمانِهِ أَخَذَ في تَأليفِ تَناقُضِ القُرآنِ وَشَغَلَ نَفسَهُ بِذلك وَتَفَرَّدَ بِهِ في مَنزِلِهِ وَإنَّ بَعضَ تَلامِذَتِهِ دَخَلَ يَوماً عَلى الإمامِ الحَسَنِ العَسكَريِّ فَقالَ لَهُ أبو مُحَمَّدٍ عليه السلام : أما فيكُم رَجُلٌ رَشيدٌ يَردِعُ أستاذَكُم الكِنديِّ عَمّا أخَذَ فيهِ مِن تَشاغُلِهِ بِالقُرآنِ؟ فَقالَ التِّلميذُ : نَحنُ مِن تَلامِذَتِهِ كَيفَ يَجوزُ مِنّا الإعتِراضُ عَليهِ في هذا أو في غَيرِهِ ، فَقالَ لَهُ أبو مُحَمَّدٍ : أتُؤَدّي اللَّهَ ما ألقيهِ إليكَ؟ قالَ : نَعَم قالَ : فَصِر إلَيهِ وَتَلَطَّف في مُؤانَسَتِهِ وَمَعونَتِهِ عَلى ما هُوَ بِسَبيلِهِ فَإذا وَقَعَتِ الأُنسَةُ في ذلك فَقُل قَد حَضَرَتني مَسألَةٌ أسألُكَ عَنها فَإنَّهُ يَستَدعي ذلك مِنكَ فَقُل لَهُ إن أتاكَ هذا المُتَكَلِّمُ بِهذا القُرآنِ هَل يَجوزُ أن يَكونَ مُرادُهُ بِما تَكَلَّمَ مِنهُ غَيرَ المَعاني الَّتي قَد ظَنَنتَها أنَّكَ ذَهَبتَ إليها ؟ فَإنَّهُ سَيَقولُ لَكَ إنَّهُ مِنَ الجائِزِ لأنَّهُ رَجُلٌ يَفهَمُ إذا سَمِعَ ، فَإذا أوجَبَ ذلك فَقُل لَهُ : فَما يُدريكَ لَعَلَّهُ قَد أرادَ غَيرَ الَّذي ذَهَبتَ أنتَ إلَيهِ فَيكونَ واضِعاً لِغَيرِ مَعانيهِ . فَصارَ الرَّجلُ إلى الكِنديِّ وَتَلَطَّفَ إلى أن ألقى عَلَيهِ هذِهِ المَسألَةَ فَقالَ لَهُ : أعِد عَلَيَّ ، فَأعادَ عَلَيهِ فَتَفَكَّرَ في نَفسِهِ وَرأى ذلك مُحتَمَلاً في اللُّغَةِ وَسائِغاً في النَّظَرِ فَقالَ : أتَيتُ إلَيكَ الّا أخبَرتَني مِن أينَ لَكَ ؟ فَقالَ : إنَّهُ شَي‏ءٌ عَرَضَ بِقَلبي فَأورَدتُهُ عَلَيكَ ، فَقالَ : كَلّا ما مِثلُكَ مَن اهتَدى إلى هذا وَلا مَن بَلَغَ هذِهِ المَنزَلَةَ فَعَرِّفني مِن أينَ لَكَ هذا ؟ فَقالَ : أمَرَني بِهِ أبو مُحَمَّدٍ فَقالَ : الآنَ جِئتَ بِهِ وَما كانَ لِيَخرُجَ مِثلَ هذا إلّا مِن ذلك البَيتِ؛ ثُمَّ إنَّهُ دَعا بِالنّارِ وَأحرَقَ جَميعَ ما كانَ ألَّفَهُ .³

481. Abu al-Qasim al-Kufi in the book al-Tabdil narrates, 'Verily Ishaq al-Kindi who was the philosopher of his time in Iraq decided to write about contradictions in the Qur'an, and sat alone at home, preoccupied with it. One of his students visited Imam al-Hasan al-Askari one day. Abu Muhammad (AS) asked him, 'Is there not a rightly-guided man among you who can stop your teacher al-Kindi from this occupation that he has started with the Qur'an?' The student replied, 'We are his students; how can we object to him on this or on any other issue?' Abu Muhammad said, 'Will you then convey to him what I am telling him through you?' He said, 'Yes.' He (AS) said, 'Go to him and offer your service to him in his task, as though you want to acquaint yourself with it, and assist him therein. Once the acquaintance has developed, tell him, 'I have a question which I would like to ask you.' Certainly he will allow you. Then ask him, 'If someone who spoke only using [verses of] the Qu'ran was to come to you, would it be possible for his intended speech to be different to what you have understood it to mean?' He will indeed tell you that it is possible, because he is a man who comprehends if he listens. So, if he confirms this, then ask him, 'So that means that that which you have perceived might be different to what he meant, such that you may even be imposing a meaning to a word that is different to its original.'
So the student went to al-Kindi, acquainted himself with him and politely mentioned the issue to him. He asked him to repeat the question, which he did. Then he pondered into it and thought it to be possible in language and acceptable conceptually. He then said, 'I swear by you to tell me from where you have learnt this [argument]?' He [the student] replied, 'It is just something that came to my mind so I presented it to you.' He said, 'No way. Someone like you could not have been guided to this kind of argument nor reached this position [in learning], so tell me from where you have come up with this?' He replied, 'Abu Muhammad ordered me to [tell you] this.' He then said, 'Now you have told me. Something like this could only have come from that household.' He then asked for some fire and burnt all that he had written.' ⁴