Hadith No. 3
The Earth is never without a scholar who decreases whatever they increase and increases whatever they decrease.
رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بَابَوَيْهِ [ت381ه] فِي «كَمَالِ الدِّينِ وَتَمَامِ النِّعْمَةِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الْحِمْيَرِيُّ جَمِيعًا، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْمِيْثَمِيِّ، عَنْ ثَعْلَبَةِ بْنِ مَيْمُونٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْأَعْلَى بْنِ أَعْيَنَ، عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ -يَعْنِي مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ الْبَاقِرَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ:
مَا تَرَكَ اللَّهُ الْأَرْضَ بِغَيْرِ عَالِمٍ يَنْقُصُ مَا زَادُوا وَيَزِيدُ مَا نَقَصُوا، وَلَوْلَا ذَلِكَ لَاخْتَلَطَتْ عَلَى النَّاسِ أُمُورُهُمْ.
Translation:
Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Babawayh [d. 381 AH] has narrated in the book Kamal al-Din Wa Tamam al-Ni‘mah, (in this manner that) he has said: Muhammad ibn Hasan narrated to us, he said: Sa‘d ibn Abdullah and Abdullah ibn Ja‘far al-Himyari both narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Isa, from Ali ibn Isma’il al-Meythami, from Tha‘labah ibn Maymun, from Abd al-A‘la ibn A‘yan, who said: I heard Abu Ja‘far—meaning Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir—
say:
Allah has not left the Earth without a scholar who decreases whatever they increase and increases whatever they decrease. And were it not so, the affairs of people would have been mixed up for them.
