Foundational Sources

A. Qur’an as Text and Criterion

In the legal legacy of the Family of the Prophet,^[659] the Qur'an was not only the principal source and the ultimate recourse for defining Islam,^[660] but also the criterion by which to test the validity of everything else:

قال سفيان سمعت جعفرا يقول: إن على كق حق حقيقة وعلى كل صواب نورا، فما وافق كتاب هللا فخذوه وما خالغه فذعوه.^[661]

[Sufyan b.

Variants of the latter part of this statement are quoted from the Prophet in several hadith collections.^[662] Among Sunni scholars, the Hanafis approved of the statement,^[663] whereas the ahl al-hadith strongly disapproved of it.^[664] Under­standing the concept of agreement as complying with a verbal parallel in the Qur'an, the latter thought that the statement left no room for hadith. Should a report have a parallel text in the Qur'an, the report would be redundant; if it lacked such a parallel, it would be null and void.^[665] This argument misses the point that a report is not necessarily expected to agree with a specific parallel text in the Qur'an. The opening sentence of Jafar's statement quoted above shows that the intended meaning is general patterns of values and counter- values—the spirit of the Qur'an, so to speak, and not exact parallels.

ايوب ين الحر قال: سمعت أبا عبد هللا يقول: كل حديث لايوافق كتاب هللا فهو زخرف.^[666]

[Ayyub b. al-Hurr:] I heard Abu 'Abd Allah say, “Any hadith that does not conform with the Book of God is false.”

كيب الأسدي قال: سمعت أبا عبد هللا يقول: ما أتاكم عنا من حديث لا يصدقه كتاب هللا فهو باطل.^[667]

[Kulayb al-Asadi:] I heard Abu 'Abd Allah say, “Any hadith that you receive on our authority that is not supported by the Book of God is void.”

The text of the Qur'an, understood within its context but not restricted by later interpretations and practice, was thus the ultimate source in Jafar al-Sadiq's legal thought.

Examples of Ja'far's statements affirming the primacy of the Qur'an include the following:

الحاي قال: سألت أبا عبد هللا عن الحح فقال: تمئع. ثم قال: إنا إذا وقفنا بين يدي الله نغالى قلنا: يتارئتاأخذنابمتابك، وقال التاس ريغاراينا، فبفعل هللا بناوبهم ما أراد.^[668]

['Ubayd Allah al-Halabi:] I asked Abu 'Abd Allah about the hajj.

عبد الأعلى مولى آل سام قال: قلت لأبي عبد هللا: عارت فانقطع ظفري فجعلت على إصبع مررة فكيف أصنع بالوضوء؟ قال يرزى هذا وأشسباهه من كتاب هللا: Wipe over it.”

محتد ين مسلم قال: سألت أبا عبد اهللا عن الرحل أو المرأة يذهب بعرص فياتتيه الأطنباء فيقولون ئداويك شهرا أو أريرين يهلن مستلعبا، أكذلك يصلى؟ فرحص ى ذلك وقال: them pray toward whatever they wish.

أبو بصير قال: قلت لأبي عبد هللا: إن عمر ين رياح زعم أنك قلت لا طلاق إلا بتنة؟ فقال: ما أنا قلنه، بل هللا نبارك وتعالى يقول.^[687]

[Abu Basil:] I said to Abu 'Abd Allah, "'Umar b. Riyah [or Rabah] claimed that you said that divorce is not valid without witnesses.” He said, "I did not say that; rather God, the Blessed and Exalted, said so.”^[688]

الحلى عن أبى عيد هللا قال: سئل عن الرجل يكون ل دين إلى أجل مسقبي فيأنبه غربه فيقول: أنقدني كذا وكذا وأضع عندك بقييته، أويقول: أنقدني بعضه وأمد كل في الأجل فيما بي عنك.

['Ubayd Allah al-Halabi:] Abu 'Abd Allah was asked^[690] about a man who owes a debt due on a certain date, but his creditor comes and says, "Pay me such-and-such now and I leave the rest with you.” Or he says, “Pay me some of it right now and I will give you more time for the remainder.” The Imam said, "I do not see anything wrong with that. He does not add anything to the principal. God, the Mighty and Majestic, said, ‘You shall have your principal, and you shall neither act unjustly nor be treated unjustly.'”^[691]

عبد هللا ين سنان عن أبي عبد هللا ي رجل قال امرأته طالى وممالكه أحرارإن شرب حراما أوحلالآمن الطلاأبدا، فقال: أقما الحرام فلايقربه أبدا إن حلف وإن لم يحلف.

['Abd Allah b. Sinan:] On the question whether a man who said that his wife would be divorced and his slaves manumitted if he ever drank tila [that is, grape juice boiled down to a third of its original volume], lawfully or unlawfully, Abu 'Abd Allah said, “As for what is unlawful, he should never go near it whether or not he swore [an oath]. As for tila, he cannot forbid what God has made lawful. God, the Mighty and Majestic, said, ‘O Prophet, why do you forbid what God made lawful for you?'¹‘” Thus, it is not permissible to vow to make lawful what is unlawful, or to make unlawful what is lawful, or to cut ties with kin.”

محمد بن مسلم عن أبي عبد الله قال: سألته عن ظي دخل الحرم. قال: ال يؤخذ وال دشش. إن هللا نغالى يقول: هللا نغالى يقول: مقدم الرحل« فسئة رسول هللا — صلى الله عله وآل وسلم — تببع«^[707]

[Mu'awiya b. 'Ammar:] Abu 'Abd Allah said, “When the sun sets [on the ninth day of Dhu alHijja], leave ['Arafat toward Muzdalifa] along with the people and move moderately, for the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) would restrain his camel until its head would hit the front of the saddle. The Sunna of the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) is to be followed.”

إيراهيم الكرح قال: قات لأبي عبد هللا: إفي أقدرأن أتوجه نحوالقنبلة في المحل« فقال: ما هذا الضيق؟ أما لكم في رسول هللا أسوة؟ ^[708]

[Ibrahim al-Karkhi:] I said to Abu 'Abd Allah, “I am able to face the qibla in the carriage while traveling.” He said, 'What is this hardship? Do you not have in the Messenger of God an example to follow?”^[709]

عبد الله ين سئان عن أبي عبد الله قال: سئل وأنا حاضر عن امرأة أرضعت غلاتا مملوكا لها من بئها حى فطمته، هل لها أن تبيعه؟ فقال: لال هو ابتها من الرضاعة« ?ناًقال: أليس رسول هللا — صلى هللا عله وآل وسلم — قال: ;نحرم من الرضاع ما يحرم من اللسب«^[710]

['Abd Allah b. Sinan:] Abu 'Abd Allah was asked, while I was present, about a woman who breastfed a slave boy of hers from her own milk until he was weaned—may she sell him? He said, “No! He is her son by fosterage.” Then he said, “Did the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) not say, ‘What is proscribed through lineage is proscribed through fostering'?”

رفاعة قال: سألت أبا عبد الله عن الرحل يطوف الطواف الواجب بعل« العصر، أيصلى الركعتين حين يفرغ من طوافه؟ قال: نعم! أما بلغك قول رسول هللا — صلى

الله عله وآل وسلم: يا بي عبد المطل! لا تمنعوا الناس من الصلاة بعد العرص فتمنعوهم من الطوافى,^[711]

[Rifa'a:] I asked Abu 'Abd Allah about a man performing the obliga­tory circumambulation [of the Ka'ba] after the afternoon prayer—is he to pray two rak'as after concluding his circumambulation? He said, "Yes! Did you not hear that the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) said, ‘O you children of 'Abd al-Muttalib! Do not prevent people from praying after the afternoon prayer, or you will prevent them from circumambulating'?”^[712]

أبو يجى الواسطي عن بعض أصحابنا، قال: سئل أبو عبد هللا عن المجوس أكان لهم ني؟ قال: نعم! أما بلغك كتاب رسول هللا — صلى هللا عيه وآل وسلم — إلى أهل مكة؟ ^[713]

[Abu Yahya al-Wasiti:] Abu 'Abd Allah was asked about whether the Magians had a prophet. He said, "Yes! Did you not hear of the letter of the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) to the people of Mecca?”^[714]

محمتد بن الطيارقال: سألت أبا عبد الله عمتا يجب فيه الزكاة فقال: في تسعة أشياء: الاهب والفضة والحنطة والشعيروالنمروالزبيب والإبل وا بقروالفتم، وعفا رسول الله — صلى هللا عيه وآل وسلم — عمتا سوى ذلك, فقلت: أصلحك هللا! فإن عندنا حجاكثيرا, قال: وما هو؟ قلت: الأرز, قال: نعم! ما أكيره! فقلت: أفيه الرداة؟ قال:

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فزى وقال: أقول كل إن رسول هللا — صلى هللا عله وآل وسلم — عفا عمتا سوى ذكل ونتقول لى إن عندنا حباكثيرا أفيه الزكاة؟ ^[715]

[Muhammad b. al-Tayyar:] I asked Abu 'Abd Allah about the [items] on which zakat is due. He said, “On nine things: gold, silver, wheat, barley, dates, raisins, camels, cattle, and sheep. The Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) excused everything else.” I said, “May God put you on the right path! We have one grain in abundance.” He said, 'What is it?” I said, “Rice.” He said, “Yes! How abundant it is!” I said, “Is zakat owed on it?” He yelled at me and said, “I tell you that the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) excused everything else, and you tell me that you have grain in abundance and ask if zakat is owed on it?”

معاوية ين عئارعن أبى عبد اهللا [في الوقوف بعرفة[ قال: قف في قيمة الجبل، فان رسول اهللا — صلى اهللا عله وآل وسلم — وقف بعرفات في قبسرة الجيل,^[716]

[Mu'awiya b. 'Ammar:] [Addressing the proper way of standing at 'Arafat during the hajj] Abu 'Abd Allah said, “Stand on the left side of the mountain, for the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) stood at 'Arafat on the left side of the mountain.”

سعيد الأعرج قال: قلت لأى عبد هللا: جعات فداك! معنا شاء فأفيض بهرن بلل؟ قال: نعم! تتريد أن تصنع كما صنع رسول هللا — صلى هللا عله وآل وسلم؟ قات٠ نعم! قال: أفض بهرن بليل-^[717]

[Sa'id al-A'raj:] I said to Abu 'Abd Allah, “May I be made your ransom! We have women [pilgrims] in our [hajj] group. Shall I take them [from Muzdalifa toward Mina] at night?” He said, 'Yes! Do you want to do as the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) did?” I said, 'Yes!” He said, “Take them there at night.”

إسحاق ين الفضل سأل أبا عبد اهللا عن السجود على الخصروالواري فقال: لابأس، وأن شجد على الأرض أحب إل، فإن رسول هللا — صلى هللا عله وآل وسلم — كان يحجة ذكل، أن يمكن جبهته من الأرض، فأنا أحجة كل ماكان رسول هللا — صلي هللا عله وآل وسلم - ;ينبه.^[718]

[Ishaq b. al-Fadl:] I asked Abu 'Abd Allah about prostrating on straw mats. He said, “There is nothing wrong with that, but I prefer if one prostrates on the earth. The Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) used to prefer that, to placing his forehead firmly on the earth, so I prefer for you what the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) preferred.”

علي بن أبي حمزة قال سألت أبا عبد هللا عن لباس الغراء والصلاة فيها فقال: لاتصل فيها. [و]لابأس بالسنجاب فإئه دابة لاتأكل اللم وليس هومنئا نه عته رسول هللا — صلي هللا عله وآل وسلم — إذ نه عن كل ذي ناب ومخل.^[719]

['All b. Abi Hamza:] I asked Abu 'Abd Allah about praying in clothing made from fur. He said, “Do not pray in it, but there is nothing wrong with [clothing made from the skins of] squirrels, for it is a creature that does not eat meat, and it is not something that the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) for­bade when he forbade that which has fangs and claws.”

عامر بن عميرة قال: قلك لأبي عبد هللا: بلغي عتك أدك قلت لو أن رجلا مات ولم

نمخ حجة الإسلام فحخ عته بض أهله أجزأ ذكل عته؟ فقال: نعم! أشهد علي أبي

'أنله حدثي أن رسول الله — صلي الله عله وآل وسلم — أتاه رجل فقال: يا رسول هللا! إن أبي مات ولم يحخ. فقال ل رسول هللا — صلي هللا عله وآل وسلم: حخ عته فإن

ذكل يحزئ عته.^[720]

['Amir b. 'Umayra:] I said to Abu 'Abd Allah, “I have heard that you said that if a man dies without performing the hajj, then if some mem­bers of his family perform the hajj on his behalf, it counts for him.” He said, “Yes! I testify that my father reported to me that the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) was approached by a man who said, ‘O Messenger of God! My father died without performing the hajj.' The Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his family) said to him, ‘Perform the hajj on his behalf, for that counts for him.'"^[721]

رفاعة قال: سأل رجل أبا عبد هللا: الركوب [ي الخخ] أفضل أم المشني؟ فقال: الركوب أفضل من المغني لأن رسول هللا — صلى هللا عله وآل وسلم — ركب.^{[722] [723]}

[Rifaa] Someone asked Abu ‘Abd Allah whether riding or walking [while performing the hajj] was better. He said, “Riding is better than walking because the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) rode.”

Much of what was quoted in these reports from the Prophet was shared by all Muslims across the board. There were, however, details that mem­bers of the Family of the Prophet remembered that would be important in understanding what the Prophet had meant in given cases. Consider this example:

على ين إبراهيم قال: سألى امر أبا عبد هللا فقالى: إى كتت أقعد ي نغالي عشرين يوما حى أفتوني يثما نية عشر يومئا. فقال أبو عبد هللا: ولم أفتوك يثما نية عشر يوما؟ فقالى: للحديث الذي روى عن رسول هللا — صلى هللا عله وآل وسلم — أده قال لأسماء بنت عميس حين نضتى بمخد بن أبي بكر [فقالى: يا رسول الله! كيف أصتع؟ فقال لها: اغتسلى واحتشني وأهلى بالخخ. فاغتسلى واحتشت ودخلى مكة ولم تطف ولم نسع حى تغضى الخخ. فرجعت إلى مكة فقالى: بتا رسول هللا! أحرمت ولم أطف ولم أسع. فقال لها رسول هللا — صلى هللا عله وآل وسلم: وم كل الوم؟ فقالى: ثمانية عشريوما. فقال: فاخربي الساعة فاغتسلى واحتثى وطوي واسبي]. فقال أبو عبد هللا: إن أسماء سألت رسول هللا — صلى هللا عله وآل وسلم — وقد أق بها ثمانية عشر يوما، ولو سألته قبل ذلك [وأخبره] لأمرها [بما أقرها به]. 131

['All b. Ibrahim:] A woman asked Abu 'Abd Allah, “I used to observe a period of [restrictions with] postpartum bleeding for twenty days, until they [that is, the local jurists] gave me a legal opinion [requiring only] eighteen days [of restrictions].” Abu 'Abd Allah said, 'Why did they give you a legal opinion specifying eighteen days?” She said, “Because of the hadith transmitted from the Prophet (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) about what he said to Asma' bt. 'Umays when she had postpartum bleeding after delivering Muhammad b. Abi Bakr [during the Prophet's Farewell Pilgrimage]. She [Asma'] said, ‘O Mes­senger of God! What should I do?' He said to her, “Take a bath, wear a sanitary pad, and perform the talbiya.' She bathed, wore the pad, and entered Mecca without circumambulating [the Ka'ba] or performing the say [that is, walking to and fro between the two mounds of Safa and Marwa] until she had completed the hajj. She then returned to Mecca and said, ‘O Messenger of God! I assumed a state of pilgrim sanctity and did not circumambulate [the Ka'ba] or perform say.' The Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his family) said to her,: ‘How many days has the postpartum been?' She said, ‘Eighteen days.' He said, ‘Go now and bathe, wear a sanitary pad, circumambulate, and perform the say.]' Abu 'Abd Allah said, 'Asma' [happened to] ask the Messenger of God (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family) when eighteen days had passed. Had she asked and informed him before that, he would have ordered her to do the same.”

A report recorded in a number of major Sunni hadith collections grants the practice of the Prophet's “rightly-guided” successors the same status as that enjoyed by the Sunna of the Prophet himself.^[724] 'All might have never heard of that report. He was allegedly offered the caliphate by the council that 'Umar set up on his deathbed to choose his successor. The offer came with the condition that he follow the practice of the Prophet as well as that of the two former caliphs, but 'All refrained from committing himself to the sunna of anyone other than the Prophet.^[725] Following his lead, the Imams among his descendants, including Ja'far al-Sadiq, recognized only the Sunna of the Prophet as valid precedent.^[726] Many people in the early period, however, would call any common practice among the people sunna.¹³⁵ The Imams were careful to differentiate what was Sunna from what was not:

محتد ين مسلم عن أبي جعفرقال: سألنه عن نكاح ايهودية والنعط نية فقال: لابأس به. أما علمت أه كاشت تحت طلحة بدن عبيد هللا يهودية على عهد الغبي — صل هللا عله وآل وسلم؟

[Muhammad b. Muslim:] I asked Abu Ja'far [Muhammad al-Baqir] about marrying a Jewish or Christian woman. He said, “There is nothing wrong with that. Do you not know that Talha b. 'Ubayd Allah had a Jewish wife during the time of the Prophet (may God's prayer and peace be upon him and his Family)?”

There were also those who considered the statements and practice of individual Companions in matters of religion to go back to a Prophetic order, reasoning that the Companions would not have said or done such things otherwise. This conclusion disregards the possibility of the practice being a personal choice by a Companion on matters on which the law was silent. It is also based on an assumption of the Companions' righteousness. Other Sunni scholars, however, understood this assumption to relate to the Companions' reliability in transmission from the Prophet or to the status of the majority of the Companions:

مبي كان الغالب العدالة احق المجهول بقسم العدول، ولذلك اققق المحدثون على تيك البحث عن أحوال الصحابة. لأن قرن الصحابة غلب فيه العدالة فأجروا الحكم في [اخميع] وقبلوا الحديث عن كل من يثبت ل الصحبة.

When righteousness is widespread, the unknown individual is counted as an upright individual. That is why the hadith authorities agreed to refrain from researching the reliability of the Companions, because during the age of the Companions, righteous­ness was the norm. Hence, they deemed all of them alike, and they accepted hadith from anyone who was verified to be a Companion (Wansharisi, al-Mi'yar al-mu'rib, 10:203-4).

There were also arguments based on a statement ascribed to the Prophet that said,

خيرالناس قربي ثم الذين ببونهم.

The best of the people are those of my generation, then those following them (Bukhari, Sahih, no. 2652; Muslim, Sahih, no. 2533; and many other sources cited in the editor's footnotes to Tirmidhi, Sunan, 6:167-68 and Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, 6:76-77, 7:200, 235).

But there was also a report from the Prophet, quoted in two variants, that had a different tone:

مثل أمبي مثل المطر(أوكالغيث) لادرى أفول خيرأمآخره.

My community is like rain; it is not known whether its beginning is better or its end (Tirmidhi, Sunan, no. 2869 and other sources cited in the editor's footnote in Tirmidhi, 4:550; Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Matar, 66).

أمبي أمة مباركة لا بدرى أولها خير أوآخرها.

My community is a blessed community; it is not known whether its beginning is bet­ter or its end (Ibn 'Asakir, Ta’rikh madinat Dimashq, 26:286; 'Ajluni, Kashfal-Khifa', 1:328).

135 See for instance, Abu Yusuf, Radd ‘alaSiyar al-Awza'i, 11, where he says:

وأهل الحجاز يقضون بالقضاء فبقال لهم: عتتن؟ فبقوبون: بهذا جرت اسلئة. وعى أن كون قض به عامل اسلوق أو عامل ما من احلهات.

The people of the Hijaz adjudicate, and when it is said to them “On what author­ity?” they say, “This is according to the established sunna.” It was possibly a

عبد الله ين سنان عن أي عبد الله قال: حتان الغلام من الشنة³⁶! ولحففى الحواري ليس من الثئة.^[727]

['Abd Allah b. Sinan:] Abu 'Abd Allah said, "Circumcising boys is from the Sunna, but circumcising girls is not from the Sunna.”

الحلى قال: سألت أبا عبد لله عن الفسل إذا رم الجمارفقال: ربما اغشلث، فأما من الشثة فلا، ولكن من الجرذوالغزى

['Ubayd Allah al-Halabi:] I asked Abu 'Abd Allah about bathing after one throws pebbles on the columns [in Mina as part of the hajj]. He said, "I occasionally bathe, but not because of a sunna; rather because of heat and sweat!”

حريزقال: سألت أبا عبد الله عن الثحرم أيغم الريحان؟ قال: لا! قلت: فالصاثم؟ قال: لا! قلت ل: أيغم الصاثم الغالية؟ قال: نعم! قلت: فكيف جازل أن يغم الطيب ولا يقم الريحان إذاكان صائغا؟ فقال: لأن الطيب سئة والريحان بدعة لصاثم.^[728]

[Haiz:] I asked Abu 'Abd Allah whether a person in a state of pilgrim sanctity can sniff a fragrant plant. He said, "No!" I said, “What about a fasting person?" He said, "No!" I said to him, "Can a fasting person smell perfume?" He said, "Yes!" I said, "Why can a person sniff per­fume but not a fragrant plant when fasting?" He said, "Because [sniff­ing] perfume is from the Sunna, whereas [sniffing] a fragrant plant is a bid'a for someone who is fasting.”^[729]

The Imams were also careful not to allow anyone to take their actions as sunna.^[730] To them, this was a status bestowed exclusively on the Messenger of God:

سالم عن أبي عبد هللا قال: أوص علي إلى الحسن والحسين, فدخل زجل يوم عرفة على الحسن وهو يتغدى والحسين صاثم٠ ثم جاء بعد قبض الحسن فدخل على الحسين يوم عرفة وهو يتغدى, فقال ل الرجل: إلي دخلت على الحسن يتغدى وأتت صاثم، ثم دخلت علك وأتت مفطر؟ فقال: إن الحسن كان إمانا فأفطريغاليخذ صوغه سئة ينأش به الناس، فلقنا أن قبض كتت أنا الإه١٠م فأردت أن لا يخل صوي ستة ينأش الناس بى.^[731]

[Salim b. Mukram:] Abu 'Abd Allah said, "'All appointed Hasan and Husayn as his successors. A man went to Hasan on the Day of 'Arafa while the latter was having lunch, but Husayn was fasting. After Hasan passed away, he went to Husayn on the same Day of 'Arafa while the latter was having lunch. The man said to him, ‘I went to Hasan [while he was] having lunch and you were fasting; then I came to you and you are having lunch?' Husayn said, ‘Hasan was the Imam, so he broke his fast so that his fast would not be taken as a sunna that people follow. When Hasan passed away I became the Imam, so I did not want my fast to be adopted as a sunna that people follow.'”

Notwithstanding his emphasis on the validity of the Sunna of the Prophet alone, Jafar al-Sadiq's preference was that the long-standing practices and customs of the Muslim community should be allowed to continue whenever they did not contravene the practice of the Prophet and the first generation of Muslims:^[732]

طلحة ين زيد عن أى عبد هللا قال: جرت اسلئة أن لاتؤخذ الجزية من المعتوه ولامن المغلوب على عقلله.⁴⁴⁴

[Talha b. Zayd:] Abu 'Abd Allah said, “The established sunna is that the jizya [poll tax] should not be taken from the mentally impaired and the insane.”

عبد الرجن بن الججاج عن أى عبد الله قال: قلت ل: كم أدفى ما يهمزفيه الصلاة؟ قال: جرت اسلئة ببياض يوم.^{[733] [734]}

['Abd al-Rahman b. alHajjaj:] I asked Abu 'Abd Allah, 'What is the min­imum distance required of a trip to allow a traveler to shorten prayers by half?” He said, “The established sunna is a full day [of traveling].”

محشد الورق قال: عرضت على أى عبد الله كتابا فيه قرآن محبم معتربالذهب وكتب ي آخره سورة بالذهب، فأريته إياه فلم يعب فيه شيهاإلآكتابة القرآن بالذهب وقال: لايعجبنى أن ئكتب القرآن إلآباسلواد كماكتب أؤل مرة.^[735]

[Muhammad al-Warraq:] I presented to Abu 'Abd Allah a volume with a copy of the Qur'an that was decorated with gold and the final sura written in gold. I showed it to him and he did not censure anything about it, except for the writing of the Qur'an in gold. He said, “I do not like for the Qur'an to be written in anything but black [ink], as it was written the first time.”

روح ين عبد الرحيم عن أبي عبد الله قال: سألته عن رساء المصاحف وبيعها فقال: إدا كان يوضع الورق عند المنبر، وكان بين المنبر والحائط قدر ما تمحك الشاة أو رجل منحرف، فكان الرجل يأق ويكتب من ذلك، ثم إنهم اشاروا يعد [ذلك]. قلت: فما تزى لي ذلك؟ قال لي: أشاري أحبا إلم من أن أبيعه. قلص: فما تزى إن أعش على كتابته أجرا؟ قال: لابأس، ولكن هكذاكانوا يصنعون.^[736]

[Rawh b. 'Abd al-Rahm:] I asked Abu 'Abd Allah about buying and selling copies of the Qur'an. He said, “Pages [of the Qur'an] used to be set at the pulpit [in the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina], with a narrow passage between the pulpit and the wall, enough for a sheep or a man walking sideways to pass through. A man would come and copy from [the copy of the Qur'an] there. After that, they began to buy [and sell] the Qur'an.” I said, 'What is your position on that?” He said to me, “I would prefer to buy it more than I would to sell it.” I said, “What would be your position be if I were to pay [someone] to write it down?” He said, “There is nothing wrong with that, but I [wanted to tell you] how they used to do it at the time.”

As seen in the last two examples, Ja'far al-Sadiq at times used language that was also used by the adherents of hadith in the early periods. It employed phrases such as the following:

أرى^[737] ا لاأرى ا احبا ا أحب إل ا لا احبا ا أكره ا لايعجبنى ا أدق ذلك ا أرجو ألا يأثم ا ما أزعم ا أخش

In my opinion... / It is not my opinion... / I prefer... / It is preferra­ble to me... / I do not prefer... / I dislike... / It does not strike me as sound... / I worry about that / I hope that does not entail committing a sin / I do not believe... / I fear...

This tendency to express rulings in terms of preferences and discourage­ment was in accordance with Qur'an 16:116, which advised against passing categorical judgment on a question on which there was no clear permission or prohibition from God. In Malik's words:

لم كن من أمرالناس ولامن معض من سلفنا ولاأدركت أحداأقتدي به يقول ي لثي؛: هذا حلال وهذا حرم. ما كانوا يجزؤون على ذلك [ي ما لا نعش فيه]، وا كانوا يقولون: تكره هذا، وتري هذا حسنا، وثي هذا، ولا ترى هذا، ولايقولون حلال ولا حرم. الحلال ما أحئه هللا ورسوله والحرم ما حرمه هللا ورسول.^[738]

It was not a practice of the people, nor of those of our forebears past, nor of anyone I can take as a role model, to say about anything “This is lawful and that is unlawful.” They never dared to [make such categori­cal statements] on matters on which there was no specific text. Rather, they used to say, 'We dislike this; we think this is good; we avoid this; we do not suggest this.” They did not say “lawful” or “unlawful.” The lawful is what is deemed lawful by God and His Messenger, and the unlawful is what is deemed unlawful by God and His Messenger.

Examples of the usage of such language abound in Jafar's responses.^[739]

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