Nowadays,
in a globalized world, where people of all different ethnicities and backgrounds
live together side-by-side, there are certain religious rules and guidelines that
may readily be forgotten, ignored or even rejected. Nevertheless, rejecting or
ignoring such laws jeopardizes our faith and our station in the hereafter.
All
of the following traditions are authentic.
Arabic Text:
(3
أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ
الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي نَجْرَانَ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ
يَزِيدَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَنَّهُ قَالَ:
لَا تَصْحَبُوا أَهْلَ الْبِدَعِ وَ لَا تُجَالِسُوهُمْ
فَتَصِيرُوا عِنْدَ النَّاسِ كَوَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ
رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص الْمَرْءُ عَلَى دِينِ
خَلِيلِهِ وَ قَرِينِهِ.
(8
عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ
أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ شُعَيْبٍ الْعَقَرْقُوفِيِّ
قَالَ:
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ
ع عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ قَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتابِ أَنْ إِذا
سَمِعْتُمْ آياتِ اللَّهِ يُكْفَرُ بِها وَ يُسْتَهْزَأُ بِها (4:140)إِلَى
آخِرِ الْآيَةِ
فَقَالَ :
إِنَّمَا عَنَى بِهَذَا إِذَا
سَمِعْتُمُ الرَّجُلَ الَّذِي يَجْحَدُ الْحَقَّ وَ يُكَذِّبُ بِهِ وَ يَقَعُ فِي
الْأَئِمَّةِ فَقُمْ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ وَ لَا تُقَاعِدْهُ كَائِناً مَنْ كَانَ.
(14
أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ
الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ عَنْ أَبِي
عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ:
مَنْ قَعَدَ عِنْدَ سَبَّابٍ لِأَوْلِيَاءِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ
عَصَى اللَّهَ تَعَالَى.
Farsi Translation:
(3
امام صادق عليه السلام فرمود:
با اهل بدعت رفاقت و همنشينى نكنيد تا نزد
مردم چون يكى از آنها محسوب شويد، رسول خدا (ص) فرمود: انسان بر كيش دوست و رفيق خود است .
(8
شعيب عقرقوفى گويد:
پرسيدم از حضرت صادق عليه السلام از گفتار خداى عز و جل (كه
فرمايد): «و بتحقيق فروآورده است بر شما در كتاب كه اگر
شنيديد بآيات خدا كفرورزى مىشود يا استهزاء مى شود بدانها ...» تا آخر آيه (كه فرمايد: با ايشان ننشينيد، سوره نساء آيه
140).
حضرت فرمود:
مقصود از اين گفتار اين است كه هر گاه شنيديد كه مردى حق را
انكار ميكند و دروغ مى پندارد، و در باره امامان بد مى گويد از نزد او برخيز و همنشين
با او مشو، هر كه خواهد باشد.
(14
امام صادق (ع) فرمود:
هر كه نزد دشنام گوئى
به اولياء خدا نشيند، خداى تعالى را نافرمانى كرده است.
English Translation:
3)
Narrated by Abu Ali Al-Ash’ari
from Mohammad Ibn ‘Abdel Jabbar from ‘Abdurrahman Ibn Abi Najran from Umar Ibn
Yazid from Abi Abdullah (pbuh) who said:
“Do not befriend the people of
innovation and do not sit with them in order to not become as one of them in front
of the people. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
‘an individual is upon the religion of his close friends
and those near to him.’”
8)
Narrated by a number of our companions from
Ahmed Ibn Mohamed from Ibn Mahboub from Shu’aib Al-Aqarqufi who said:
I asked
Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) About the words of Allah the Most Exalted: “Verily it has been revealed to you in The Book. When the
verses of Allah are heard, they disbelieve them or denigrate them...” (4:140) until the end of the verse.
He said:
“What is
meant is that should you hear a man repudiate the truth and lie against it, and
is hostile towards the imams, stand up and leave his presence and do not sit
with him, regardless of who he may be.”
14)
Narrated
by Abu Ali Al-Ash’ari from Mohamed Ibn Abdel Jabbar from Safwan from Abdel
Rahman Ibn Hajjaj from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) who said:
“Whosoever
sits in company with those who insults the righteous ones (awliya) of Allah has
disobeyed Allah.”
Source:
Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 375-379, Traditions #3, #8, #14
Here
are a few important points to take from these traditions:
*
There is an emphasis on not sitting with irreligious people. It is
important to realize that sitting ought not to be taken as a metaphor. In
tradition #8 a clear contrast is made between the physical act of sitting and the physical
act of standing up. “... Stand up and ... do not sit ...”
* The end of tradition #8 is significant. The imam (as) is
explicitly emphasizing that it does not matter who irreligious individuals may
be. Whether they are your boss, your family members, your neighbours and etcetera,
when they are rejecting the truth, lying and are hostile against the Imams,
stand up and leave. Do not sit with them, whoever they may be.
* From
these traditions and the related verse, it may be inferred that the
best course of action to take is to not befriend such irreligious
people. However, if, for a variety of reasons, we do have them in our
company, the moment they start vocalizing their disbelief, we ought to
stand up and leave. When the topic of the discussion changes, then,
according to the verse, we are permitted to return.
* Tradition
#8 in its elaboration of the verse clarifies that whoever that is
hostile to the Imams (as) is considered to be amongst the disbelievers and mockers of
God's verses.
*
Standing up and leaving is better than sitting and arguing against them.
The Imam (as) did not recommend to sit and correct them, rather he (as)
explicitly states, stand up and leave.
In
short, do not sit with the following people:
1)
The people of Innovation
2)
People, who reject the Truth
3)
People, who lie against the Truth
4)
People, who are hostile against the Imams
5)
People, who insult the Imams
If
you’re sitting with a group of people and they begin to be abusive against
the Truth and the Imams, then stand up and leave.
At the end, I
highly recommend that you check the following two links in order to familiarize
yourself with the potential biological basis for this religious
command.
