Abu Ja’far said: Imam as-Sadiq (‘as) said to me:
God the Glorified imputed dishonor to some people in the Qur’an because they divulged secrets.
Abu Ja’far said: “God make me your sacrifice, where is that (in the Qur’an) ?” asked I. The Imam (‘as) answered:
This is in His saying:
When they receive any news of peace or war, they announce it in public. (4:83).
He (‘as) then added:
The divulgers of our secrets are as same as those who unsheathe swords in our faces. God’s mercy be upon him who buries under the feet whatever he hears from our concealed issues. I swear by God, I know the evil among you more accurately than a veterinarian’s knowledge of his sick animals. The evil ones among you are those who recite the Qur’an only in public, offer the prayers in the final of their times, and do not control their tongues. When Al-Hasan Ibn Ali (peace be upon them) was stabbed and people mutinied, he conceded to Mu’awiya. Hence, his followers came to him and said: “Peace be upon you, disgracer of the believers!” He (‘as) said: “I am not the disgracer of the believers. I am their consolidator. When I noticed that you were weaker than them, I conceded so that you, as well as I, would remain among them. This is the same reason that made the Scholar crack the ship so that it would be kept for its owners.”3
O son of Annu’man, as I say something to one of you, he relates it to me before others. This will make him deserve my curse and disavowal. My father used to say: “Nothing is more delightful than taqiyyah.4 It is the shelter of the faithful believers. Without taqiyyah, God would not have been worshipped.” God says in this regard:
The believers must not establish friendship with the unbelievers in preference to the faithful. Whoever does so have nothing to hope for from God unless he does it out of fear or pious dis-simulation (taqiyyah). (3:28).
O son of Annu’man, beware of contention, because it makes void your deeds. Beware of disputation, because it destroys you. Beware of quarrelsomeness, because it takes you away from God. Those who preceded you used to keep silence, while you are learning how to speak. If one of them wanted to dedicate his efforts to worship, he would have to learn keeping silent ten years before so. If he learnt it adequately, he would go worshipping. Otherwise, he would say: No, I am not fit enough for so.
Only he who keeps silent against obscenity and tolerates harm in the unjust state will be saved. These are the chaste, the pure, and the true disciples. Moreover, they are the faithful believers. The most hated to me are the distributors of the news, the gossiping, and those who envy their friends. They are not from me and I am not from them. My disciples are only those who submit to our affairs, pursue our tracks, and rest upon us in every matter. I swear by God, if you provide gold as much as this earth for God’s sake and then envy a believer, you will be ironed with that gold after it will be heated in Hell.
O son of Annu’man, the divulger of our secrets is more sinful than him who kills us with his sword. He is surely more sinful. He is surely more sinful.
O son of Annu’man, he whoever relates a narrative to us is murdering us intentionally, not unintentionally.
O son of Annu’man, in the shadows of the unjust ruling regime, you should receive everybody that you fear warmly. He who opposes the unjust government is killing and destroying himself. God says:
Do not push yourselves into perdition. (2:195).
O son of Annu’man, the Shaytan is still attaching to us (the prophet’s family) those who are neither with us nor with our religion. When such an individual is raised and regarded by people, the Shaytan will order him to fabricate lies against us. Whenever such an individual goes, another will come forth.
O son of Annu’man, he who says, ‘I do not know’, if he does not find the answer of a question is behaving fairly to knowledge. The faithful believers who bear malice in a situation should get rid of that malice as soon as that situation ends.
O son of Annu’man, the scholar5 cannot tell you of everything he knows, because he is God’s secret that He revealed to Gabriel the angel. Gabriel revealed it to Muhammad (SAW), and he revealed to Ali (‘as) who revealed it to Al-Hasan (‘as). Al-Hasan revealed to al-Husayn (‘as) who revealed to Ali (‘as). Ali (‘as) revealed it to Muhammad (‘as) who revealed it to someone. Do not be hasty. This issue6 was about to be come forth three times, but it was postponed because you declared it publicly.
Your enemies are more acquainted with your secrets.
O son of Annu’man, Keep yourself safe. You have disobeyed me. Do not divulge my secrets. Al-Mughira Ibn Saeed forged lies against my father and divulged his secrets; therefore, God caused him to suffer the heat of iron. Likewise, Abul-Khattab forged lies against me and divulged my secrets; therefore, God caused him to suffer the heat of iron. For those who conceal our affairs, God will adorn them with our affair in this world and the world to come, give them their shares, and guard them against the heat of iron and the narrow detention.
Once, the Israelis were inflicted with such a harsh famine that their animals and children perished. Hence, Moses the prophet (‘as) supplicated to God to save them. God said: “O Moses, they have made public fornication and usury, constructed the churches, and wasted the almsgiving.”
Moses said: “O Lord, be merciful to them out of your compassion. They do not understand.”
Thus, God told Moses that He would send rainfall on them and test them for forty days. But they publicized this matter; hence, God ceased rainfall for forty years. In the same way, as your issue was about to come forth, you publicized the matter in your sessions.
O Abu Ja’far, what is your business with people? Leave them alone and do not call anyone to this matter. I swear by God, if the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth support each other on deviating a servant whom God wants to guide, they will not be able to do it. Let people alone and do not say this is my brother, uncle, or neighbor. When God the Glorified wants the good of somebody, He will make his soul so fertile that he accepts any good matter and refuse any evil. Then God will strike his heart with a word that corrects his matter totally.
O son of Annu’man, if you want your friend to keep your friendship, you should not joke or dispute with him, show him pride, or mistreat him. Do not inform your friend of all of your secrets except those which will not harm you if your enemy knows them, because it is possible that your friend becomes your enemy someday.
O son of Annu’man, a servant will not be a faithful believer before he learns three characters; one from God, one from His Messenger, and one from the Imam. The character that he should learn from God is the concealment of secrets. God the Glorified says:
He knows the unseen and He does not allow anyone to know His secrets… (72:26).
The character that he should learn from the Prophet (SAW) is that he should treat people courteously.
The character that he should learn from the Imam (‘as) is to be steadfast against situations of misfortune and crises until relief comes about.
O son of Annu’man, eloquence is neither the sharpness of the tongue nor the much speaking. It is targeting the meaning and going for the evidence.
O son of Annu’man, he whoever sits with those who revile at God’s disciples is disobeying God. He whoever suppresses his rage for our sake since he cannot show it will be with us on the Highest Peak. God will cause to suffer the heat of iron and the narrow detention those who begin their days with divulging our secrets.
O son of Annu’man, do not seek knowledge for showing off, pride, and disputation. Do not leave it for the desire of ignorance, belittlement of knowledge, and feeling shy of people. The protected knowledge is the like of a covered torch.
O son of Annu’man, when God the Glorified wants to do good to a servant, He situates a white mark in his heart. Hence, the heart will be in search of the right. Then he will be as hasty as a bird going back to its nest for achieving your affair.
O son of Annu’man, God causes the adoration to us (the Prophet’s family) to descend from the heavens. It is situated in warehouses, like those of gold and silver, under the Divine Throne. He descends it in limited quantities and gives it to the best of His creatures only. It is in a cloud similar to that of rain. When God wants to give it exclusively to whom He loves, he permits that cloud to pour. It then pours, like rainfall, on the fetuses in their mothers’ wombs.