1 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَلْخِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ الْهَاشِمِيَّ الْخُرَاسَانِيَّ يَقُولُ: إِذَا سَكَتَ الْعَالِمُ عَنْ قَوْلِ الْحَقِّ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ، وَإِذَا قَالَ بَاطِلًا غَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا!
Translation of the saying:
Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Balkhi informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani say: “When a scholar remains silent about telling the truth, God seals his heart, and when he says something false, He gets angry with him, curses him, and prepares for him a great punishment!”
2 . أَخْبَرَنَا صَالِحُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ السَّبْزَوَارِيُّ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِلْمَنْصُورِ: لَقَدْ أَتْعَبَنَا مُجَادَلَةُ الْجُهَّالِ فِيكَ! فَقَالَ: لَوْ أَنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ تَكَلَّمُوا لَسَكَتَ الْجُهَّالُ، وَلَكِنَّهُمْ سَكَتُوا فَتَكَلَّمَ الْجُهَّالُ، وَلَا يَهْدِي اللَّهُ قَوْمًا عُلَمَاؤُهُمْ سُكُوتٌ وَجُهَّالُهُمْ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ! أَوْ قَالَ: وَكَيْفَ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ؟! الشَّكُّ مِنْ صَالِحِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ.
Translation of the saying:
Salih ibn Muhammad al-Sabzawari informed us, he said: I said to Mansoor: “We are tired of arguing with the ignorant about you!” So he said: “If scholars had spoken, the ignorant would have remained silent, but they remained silent, so the ignorant spoke, and God does not guide a people whose scholars are silent and whose ignorant speak!” Or he said: “And how does God guide?!” The doubt is from Salih ibn Muhammad.
3 . أَخْبَرَنَا حَمْزَةُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الْقُمِّيُّ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِلْمَنْصُورِ: بَلَّغْتُ قَوْلَكَ عَالِمَيْنِ مِنْ عُلَمَاءِ قُمَّ، فَكَذَّبَهُ أَحَدُهُمَا وَسَكَتَ الْآخَرُ! قَالَ: هَلَكَ الْأَوَّلُ، وَنَظَرَ الْآخَرُ لِنَفْسِهِ! أَلَا إِنَّهُ لَوْ دَامَ عَلَى سُكُوتِهِ هَلَكَ! وَيْلَهُ، كَيْفَ يَسْكُتُ؟! وَلَا يَرَى إِلَّا جَمِيلًا! ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَيْسَ مَنْ سَرَقَ عِلْمًا عَالِمًا، وَلَكِنَّ الْعَالِمَ مَنْ مَلَكَهُ وَأَحْرَزَهُ فِي قَلْبِهِ.
Translation of the saying:
Hamzah ibn Ja‘far al-Qomi informed us, he said: I said to Mansoor: “I conveyed your word to two scholars of Qom, then one of them denied it and the other remained silent!” He said: “The first one perished, and the other gave himself time! Beware that if he remains silent, he will perish (as well)! Woe to him! How can he remain silent?! While he sees nothing but beauty!” Then he said: “One who steals knowledge is not a scholar, but a scholar is one who owns it and keeps it in his heart.”
4 . أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ الْقَاسِمِ الطِّهْرَانِيُّ، قَالَ: ذُكِرَ عِنْدَ الْمَنْصُورِ عُلَمَاءُ إِيرَانَ، فَقَالَ: هَلْ بَلَغَتْهُمْ دَعْوَتِي؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ، قَالَ: فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُونَ؟! قُلْتُ: هُمْ أَصْنَافٌ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ: مِنْهُمْ جَاحِدٌ يُرِيدُ إِنْسَاءَ ذِكْرِكَ، وَمِنْهُمْ مُسْتَكْبِرٌ يَسْتَضْعِفُكَ وَيَزْدَرِيكَ، وَمِنْهُمْ حَاسِدٌ يَحْسُدُكَ وَيَعْلُو عَلَيْكَ، وَمِنْهُمْ شَاكٌّ يَشُكُّ فِيكَ وَيَتَرَبَّصُ بِكَ، وَمِنْهُمْ خَائِفٌ يَخَافُ أَنْ يَمَسَّهُ سُوءٌ مِنْ أَعْدَائِكَ! فَقَالَ: قَاتَلَ اللَّهُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْفُسَّاقَ الْأَخْبَاثَ الَّذِينَ قَدْ أَجْمَعُوا عَلَى إِطْفَاءِ نُورِ اللَّهِ! يَقُولُ اللَّهُ: أَبِي يَغْتَرُّونَ؟! أَمْ إِيَّايَ يُخَادِعُونَ؟! أَمْ عَلَيَّ يَجْتَرِؤُونَ؟! فَبِي حَلَفْتُ لَأَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ فِتْنَةً يُتْرَكُ الْحَلِيمُ فِيهَا حَيْرَانَ، وَقَدْ فَعَلَ، وَنَحْنُ نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ غَضَبِهِ وَسَطْوَتِهِ.
Translation of the saying:
Hasan ibn Qasim al-Tehrani informed us, he said: “Scholars of Iran were mentioned in Mansoor’s presence, so he said: “Has my invitation reached them?” I said: “Yes.” He said: “Then what is the matter with them that they do not speak?!” I said: “They are different kinds: some of them are deniers and want you to be forgotten, some of them are arrogant, consider you weak, and disrespect you, some of them are envious, envy you, and seek superiority over you, some of them are doubtful, have doubts about you, and hesitate, and some of them are fearful and afraid that an evil will come to them from your enemies!” So he said: “May God kill these evil sinners who have unanimously agreed to put out the light of God! God says: ‘Do you act arrogantly against Me?! Or do you want to deceive Me?! Or do you act recklessly against Me?! So I swear to Myself that I will send upon them a fitnah in which the wisest of them will be confused,’ and He has done so, and we seek refuge with God from His anger and wrath.