Chapter on narrating books and Hadith (The virtue of writing and its preservation)

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu 'Umayr from Mansur ibn Yunus from abu Basir who has said the following.

"(Imam) abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) said about the words of Allah in the holy Quran, " . . . Our servants who listen to the words and only follow the best ones . . .. (39:18)." "He is a man who learns Hadith and reports it as he has learned without any additions of omissions"

H 140, Ch. 17, h 2

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from ibn abu 'Umayr from ibn 'Udhayna from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following.

"I asked abu 'Abdallah (a.s.), 'Can I add to or omit from a Hadith that I hear from you?'" He said, "It is alight, if you would preserve the meaning,'"

H 140, Ch. 17, h 3

It is narrated from him from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from ibn Sinan from Dawud ibn Farqad who has said the following.

"I asked (Imam) abu 'Abdallah (a.s.), 'I hear your statement and I want to narrate to others but it does not come through exactly.'" The Imam asked, "Do you do it purposely?" He said, "No, I do not do it purposely." The Imam asked, "Do you keep the meaning?" He said, "Yes, I keep the meaning." The Imam said, "It then is alright."

H 141, Ch. 17, h 4

It is narrated from him from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Isa from al-Husayn ibn Sa'id from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn abu Hamza from abu Basir who has said the following. "Abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) said to Jamil, 'What you hear from me narrate it from my father.'"

H 142, Ch. 17, h 5

It is narrated from him from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from ibn Mahbub from 'Abdallah ibn Sinan who has said the following.

"I said to (Imam) abu 'Abdallah (a.s.), 'People come to me and they listen to the Ahadith that I narrate to them from you. I become tired and weak.'" The Imam said, "Narrate to them a Hadith from the beginning and one from the middle and one from the end."

H 143, Ch. 17, h 6

It is narrated from him from Ahmad ibn 'Umar al-Hallal who has said the following. "I said to (Imam) abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.), 'One of our people gives me a book but he does not say whether I can narrate any thing from it or not. Can I narrate from it?'" He has said that the Imam (a.s.) said, "Yes, you can narrate if you would that the book is his."

H 144, Ch. 17, h 7

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from al- Nawfali from al-Sakuni from abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following. "When you would narrate Hadith you must say who its narrator is. If it would be true it will be for you and if it would be false it will be his responsibility.

H 145, Ch. 17, h 8

Ali ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from abu Ayyub al-Madani from ibn abu 'Umayr from Husayn al-Ahmasi from abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.

"The heart relies on writing."

H 146, Ch. 17, h 9

Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu'alla ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha' from 'Asim ibn Humayd from abu Basir who has said the following. "(Imam) abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) said, 'You must write down because you will not memorize until you write down.'"

H 147, Ch. 17, h 10

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Isa from al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Faddal from ibn Bukayr from 'Ubayd ibn Zurara who has said the following. "Abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) said, 'You must preserve your books because you will soon need them.'"

H 148, Ch. 17, h 11

A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Barqi from certain persons of his people from abu Sa'id al-Khaybari from al-Mufaddal ibn 'Umar who has said the following.

"Abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) said, 'You must write down (Hadith) and spread your knowledge among your brethren. If you will die your children will inherit your books. A time will come when people will face chaos and they will find no comfort but with their books.'"

H 149, Ch. 17, h 12

It is narrated through the same chain of narrators from Muhammad ibn Ali in a marfu' manner from abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.

"Abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) said, 'Beware of the branched-out lies.' They asked the Imam, "What is branched-out lies?" The Imam replied, "It is when a person narrates a Hadith to you and you would ignore him and narrate it from the person from whom he had narrated the Hadith.'"

H 150, Ch. 17, h 13

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Isa from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn abu Nasr from Jamil ibn Darraj who has said the following.

"Abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) said, 'Speak our Hadith clearly because we are eloquent people.'"

H 151, Ch. 17, h 14

Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz from Hisham ibn Salim, Hammed ibn 'Uthman and others who have said the following.

"Abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) said, 'My Hadith is the Hadith of my father. The Hadith of my father is the Hadith of my grandfather. The Hadith of my grandfather is the Hadith of Imam Husayn.

The Hadith of Imam al-Husayn is the Hadith of Imam al- Hassan. The Hadith of Imam al- Hassan is the Hadith of Imam Ali (a.s.). The Hadith of Imam Ali is the Hadith of the holy Prophet (s.a.) and the Hadith of the holy Prophet is the words of Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious.'"

H 152, Ch. 17, h 15

A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn al- Hassan ibn abu Khalid Shaynula who has said the following.

"I said to abu Ja'far (a.s.), 'May Allah take my soul in your service, our shaikhs have narrated Hadith from Imam abu Ja'far and from Imam abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) and at that time because of fear Taqiyah, concealment was sever. They concealed their books and did narrate from them. When they died their books came to us.'" The Imam said, "You may narrate from them because they contain the truth."