1 . أَخْبَرَنَا وَلِيدُ بْنُ مَحْمُودٍ السِّجِسْتَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ الْهَاشِمِيَّ الْخُرَاسَانِيَّ يَقُولُ: الرَّأْيُ ظَنٌّ وَالرِّوَايَةُ ظَنٌّ، وَالظَّنُّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا، إِنَّمَا الْعِلْمُ السَّمَاعُ مِنَ الْمَجْعُولِ، قُلْتُ: وَمَا تُرِيدُ بِالْمَجْعُولِ؟! قَالَ: مَنْ جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ وَإِمَامًا لِلنَّاسِ، قُلْتُ: رُبَّمَا يَسْمَعُ الرَّجُلُ مِنَ الْمَجْعُولِ، فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ فَيَرْوِي لِإِخْوَانِهِ مَا سَمِعَهُ مِنْهُ، فَيَأْخُذُونَ بِرِوَايَتِهِ! قَالَ: لَيْسَ هَذَا مُرَادِي بِالرِّوَايَةِ، إِنَّمَا أَرَدْتُ الرِّوَايَةَ عَنِ الْأَمْوَاتِ، فَحَدِّثُوا عَنِ الْمَجْعُولِ مَا دَامَ حَيًّا، فَإِذَا مَاتَ فَارْجِعُوا إِلَى خَلِيفَتِهِ وَحَدِّثُوا عَنْهُ، وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوهُ مَهْجُورًا تُحَدِّثُوا عَنِ الْمَيِّتِ فَتَزِلَّ قَدَمٌ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهَا وَتَذُوقُوا السُّوءَ بِمَا صَدَدْتُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلَكُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ.
Translation of the saying:
Walid ibn Mahmoud al-Sajistani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani say: “Opinion is conjecture, narration is conjecture, and conjecture is not sufficient for (proving) the truth. Knowledge is only hearing from the appointed one!” I said: “What do you mean by the appointed one?!” He said: “The one whom Allah has appointed as a Caliph on Earth and an Imam for people!” I said: “Perhaps a man hears from the appointed one, then he leaves him and narrates to his brothers what he heard from him, so they act on his narration!” He said: “This is not what I meant by narration; I mean only narration from the deceased! So narrate from the appointed one as long as he is alive. Then when he passes away, go to his Caliph and narrate from him, and do not abandon him to narrate from the deceased or your feet will slip after they have become firm, and you will taste evil for having turned away from the way of Allah, and for you will be a great punishment.”
2 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْبَارِئِ، قَالَ: صَادَفْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ فِي بَعْضِ هَذِهِ الْجِبَالِ -وَأَوْمَأَ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى جِبَالِ بَامِيرَ- وَهُوَ عَلَى حِمَارٍ وَلَيْسَ مَعَهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: أَنْتَ الَّذِي تَقُولُ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ مَنْ لَقِيَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ لَا يَعْرِفُهُ فَقَدْ لَقِيَهُ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِ سَاخِطٌ؟! قَالَ: نَعَمْ، قُلْتُ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ هَذَا الْخَلِيفَةِ، أَهُوَ مِنْكُمْ -يَعْنِي بَنِي هَاشِمٍ- خَاصَّةً أَوْ مِنْكُمْ وَمِنْ سَائِرِ قُرَيْشٍ عَلَى حَدٍّ سَوَاءٍ؟ قَالَ: لَا وَاللَّهِ، بَلْ هُوَ مِنَّا خَاصَّةً، وَلَيْسَ لِقُرَشِيٍّ غَيْرَنَا فِيهِ نَصِيبٌ، قُلْتُ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ النَّاسِ، هَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ إِذَا بَلَغُوا الْحُلُمَ أَنْ يَرِدُوا عَلَيْكُمْ وَيَأْخُذُوا عَنْكُمْ مُشَافَهَةً؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ وَاللَّهِ، كَمَا عَلَيْهِمْ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا، قُلْتُ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَمَّنْ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ إِلَيْكُمْ سَبِيلًا، أَلَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ بِمَا يَرْوِي الثِّقَاتُ عَنْكُمْ؟ قَالَ: يَأْخُذُ بِمَا يَرْوِي الثِّقَاتُ عَنْ حَيِّنَا، وَلَا يَأْخُذُ بِمَا يَرْوُونَ عَنْ مَيِّتِنَا، قُلْتُ: لِمَاذَا؟! قَالَ: لِأَنَّ كُلَّ حَيٍّ مِنَّا إِمَامٌ لِأَهْلِ زَمَانِهِ، وَلَا يُتْرَكُ الْحَيُّ مِنَّا لِلْمَيِّتِ، قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ لَمْ يَرْوَوْا عَنِ الْحَيِّ مِنْكُمْ، فَلَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ بِمَا يَرْوُونَ عَنْ أَمْوَاتِكُمْ؟ قَالَ: يَأْخُذُ غَيْرَ مَرْضِيٍّ وَلَا مَأْجُورٍ، وَإِنَّمَا إِثْمُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَرْوَوْا عَنِ الْحَيِّ مِنَّا، وَذَلِكَ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿لِيُنْذِرَ مَنْ كَانَ حَيًّا وَيَحِقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ﴾[1].
Translation of the saying:
Abu Bakr ibn Abd al-Bari informed us, he said: I met Mansoor in some of these mountains -and he pointed to the Pamir mountains- while he was riding a donkey and none of his companions was with him. Then I said to him: “Are you the one who says: ‘Allah has a Caliph on Earth; whoever meets Allah without knowing him has met Him while He is angry with him’?!” He said: “Yes.” I said: “Then tell me about this Caliph, is he exclusively from you -i.e., the Hashemites- or from you and the rest of the Quraysh equally?” He said: “No, I swear to Allah, but rather he is exclusively from us, and no one from the Quraysh other than us has a share in him!” I said: “Then tell me about people, when they reach puberty, is it obligatory for them to go to you and take from you directly?” He said: “Yes, I swear to Allah, just as the pilgrimage to the House of Allah is obligatory for whoever finds a way to it!” I said: “Then tell me about one who cannot find a way to you, can he act on what trustworthy people narrate from you?” He said: “He shall act on what trustworthy people narrate from our living one and not act on what they narrate from our deceased one!” I said: “Why?!” He said: “Because each living one of us is an Imam for the people of his time, and our living one shall not be abandoned for our deceased one!” I said: “If they have not narrated from your living one, can he act on what they have narrated from your deceased one?!” He said: “He may do so without being accepted or worthy of reward, and its sin is on those who have not narrated from our living one, and this is the words of Allah Almighty that has said: ‘To warn those who are alive and to justify the word against disbelievers.’”
3 . أَخْبَرَنَا هَاشِمُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ الْخُجَنْدِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ لِرَجُلٍ: عَلَيْكَ بِمَا سَمِعْتَهُ مِنْ خَلِيفَةِ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِأُذُنَيْكَ هَاتَيْنِ أَوْ حَدَّثَكَ عَنْهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ وَهُوَ حَيٌّ، فَإِنَّ الْحَيَّ يَكَادُ لَا يُكْذَبَ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَوْ كُذِبَ عَلَيْهِ لَرَدَّهُ، وَهُوَ يُبَيِّنُ لِأَهْلِ زَمَانِهِ الشَّاهِدِينَ مِنْهُمْ وَالْغَائِبِينَ، حَتَّى إِذَا هَلَكَ يَرْجِعُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ إِلَى خَلِيفَتِهِ فِيهِمْ، فَيَسْمَعُونَ مِنْهُ وَيُحَدِّثُونَ عَنْهُ، وَلَا يَقِفُونَ عَلَى الْهَالِكِ وَلَا يَنْقَلِبُونَ إِلَيْهِ، وَلَا يَقُولُونَ كَمَا قَالَ الَّذِينَ ضَلُّوا مِنْ قَبْلُ: ﴿إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَى آثَارِهِمْ مُقْتَدُونَ﴾[2]، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ جَعَلَ لَهُمْ مِثْلَ مَا جَعَلَ لِآبَائِهِمْ، كِتَابًا عَزِيزًا وَخَلِيفَةً هَادِيًا، وَأَمَرَهُمْ بِمِثْلِ مَا كَانُوا يُؤْمَرُونَ، فَمَنْ أَخَذَ عَنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَخَلِيفَتِهِ فَقَدْ أَخَذَ عَنِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ أَخَذَ عَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُحَدِّثِينَ أُرْجِئَ، فَإِنْ صَدَقُوهُ نَجَى وَإِنْ كَذَبُوهُ هَلَكَ، وَإِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ كَاذِبُونَ!
Translation of the saying:
Hashim ibn Ubaid al-Khujandi informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say to a man: “You shall adhere to what you heard from Allah’s Caliph on Earth with these two ears of yours or to what one of his companions narrated from him while he is alive; because the living one is hardly lied about, and if he is lied about, he will definitely deny it, and he explains to the people of his time, both the present from them and the absent until he passes away. Then those who live after him shall go to his Caliph among them, so they hear from him, narrate from him, and do not stop at the deceased one, nor do they go to him, nor do they say the like of what those who went astray before said: ‘We have found our fathers believing in a religion, and we are following them’; because Allah has set for them that which He set for their fathers, a firm Book and a guiding Caliph, and He has commanded them that which their fathers were commanded. So whoever takes from the Book of Allah and His Caliph has taken from Allah and His Messenger, and whoever takes from these narrators will be stopped, so if they have told him the truth, he will be saved, and if they have lied to him, he will perish, and most of them are liars!”
4 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الطَّالَقَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ مَعْرِفَةَ خَلِيفَتِهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَالنَّفْرَ إِلَيْهِ لِتَسْمَعُوا مِنْهُ وَلِتَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ، ثُمَّ عَلِمَ أَنْ لَنْ تَنْفِرُوا كَافَّةً، فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَخَفَّفَ عَنْكُمْ، وَرَضِيَ أَنْ تَنْفِرَ مِنْ كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِنْكُمْ طَائِفَةٌ لِيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنْذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ! فَأَذِنَ لِلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَالْمُتَخَلِّفِينَ مِنَ الْمَرْضَى وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ وَالَّذِينَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُجَاهِدِينَ أَنْ يَأْخُذُوا بِمَا يَرْوِي لَهُمْ ذَوُوا عَدْلٍ مِنْهُمْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ يَنْفِرُونَ، لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَرَجٌ فِي دِينِهِمْ إِذَا عَرَفُوا خَلِيفَةَ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَمْ يَسْتَطِيعُوا إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا، وَمَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَجْهَلُوا خَلِيفَتَهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَوْ تَهْجُرُوهُ، وَتَتَّبِعُوا مَا وَجَدْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ آبَاءَكُمْ وَآثَارًا مِنْ آثَارِ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ، لِتَقْطَعُوا مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَنْ يُوصَلَ، وَتُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَاحِهَا، وَتَخْتَلِفُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَكُمْ، يُقَلِّدَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْكُمْ رِجَالًا وَيُقَلِّدَ طَائِفَةٌ أُخْرَى آخَرِينَ، وَمَنْ يَتَّبِعْ خَلِيفَةَ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ الَّذِي جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا فَقَدْ هُدِيَ إِلَى الطَّيِّبِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ وَهُدِيَ إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْحَمِيدِ.
Translation of the saying:
Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Talaqani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “Allah made it obligatory for you to know His Caliph on Earth and go to him in order to hear from him and learn about religion. Then He knew that not all of you could migrate toward him, so He turned toward you in forgiveness, lightened your burden, and was satisfied that a party from each group of you migrate to learn about religion and warn their people when they return to them so that they might beware! So He permitted the weak from you, those who fall behind from the sick, women, children, those who travel in the land seeking the bounty of Allah, and fighters in the way of Allah to act on what just people from them who migrate narrate to them so that there would be no hardship on them in their religion when they know Allah’s Caliph on Earth but cannot find a way to him. However, Allah did not make it obligatory for you to not know His Caliph on Earth or abandon him and follow what you found your fathers upon or the remnant of what was left behind by those who passed before so that you would cut off what Allah has commanded to be always kept constant, spread corruption on Earth after its reformation, disagree with each other out of enmity after knowledge has come to you that a group of you would imitate some men and another group would imitate some others, and whoever follows Allah’s Caliph on Earth, whom He has appointed as an Imam for people, has indeed been guided to a pure word and has been guided to the praiseworthy path.”