الكافي- ط الاسلامية, volume 1, page 67

8. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from al-Husayn ibn al-Mukhtar from certain persons of our people from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following. “If you would come to me for an answer to a question and I give you an answer of a general nature and then you come again and I give you an opposite answer which one would you follow?” I replied, “I would follow the later.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “May Allah grant you blessings.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. It is narrated from him from his father from Isma’il ibn Marrar from Yunus from Dawud ibn Farqad from Mu‘alla ibn Khunays who has said the following. “I asked Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), ‘If we receive a Hadith from first of you and from the members of your later generation which one should we follow?” The Imam replied, “Follow it until you receive it from the living Imam. When it comes from a living Imam follow his words.” The Imam than said, “We by Allah, like you to follow what is easy for you.” In another Hadith it is says, “Follow whichever the newest.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

10. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Safwan ibn Yahya from Dawud ibn al-Husayn from ‘Umar ibn Hanzala who has said the following: “I asked Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about the two people with a dispute between them on the issue of debts or inheritance and they go to the king or the judges for a decision is it permissible to seek such decisions?” The Imam replied, “Whoever would go to them for a judgement in a right or wrongful matter it is like seeking the judgment of the devil. Anything received through such judgment would like consuming filth even if it would one’s established right. It is because of receiving through the judgment of the devil and Allah has commanded to reject the devil, “yet choose to take their affairs to Satan for judgment even though they are commanded to deny him. Satan wants to lead them far away from the right path. (4:60)” I said, “What should then they do?” The Imam replied, “They must look for one among you who have narrated our Hadith and have studied what is lawful and unlawful in our teachings and have learned our laws they must agree to settle their dispute according to his judgment because I have made him over you a judge. When he may judge according to our commands and then it is not accepted from him the dissenting this judgment has ignored the commands of Allah and it is rejection of us. Rejecting us is rejecting Allah and that is up to the level of paganism and considering things equal to Allah.” I said, “What if each one of such disputing parties would chose a man from among our people and agree to accept their judgment but these two man would come up with different judgments and they would have differences in your Hadith?” The Imam replied, “The judgment will be the judgment of the one who has a more just, having more better understanding of the law, Fiqh, the more truthful in Hadith and the more pious of the two. The judgment of the other one will be disregarded.” I said, “What if both (of such judges) would be just and accepted among our people and none of them would have been any preference over the other?” The Imam replied, “One must consider and study the hadith that each one of them would narrate from us as to which has received the acceptance of all of your people. Such Hadith must be followed and the one, which rarely accepted and is not popular in your people, must be disregarded because the one popularly accepted is free of doubts. The nature of cases are of three kinds: (a) A case that is a well-known and true to follow. (b) A case that is well known to be false to stay away from. (c) And a confusing case the knowledge of which must be left to Allah and His Prophet for an answer. The holy Prophet has said, ‘There is the clearly lawful and the clearly unlawful and the confusing cases. One who stays away from the confusing ones he has protected himself against the unlawful ones. Those who follow the confusing matters they indulge in unlawful matters and will be destroyed unexpectedly.” I said, “What if both Hadith from you would be popular and narrated by the trustworthy people from you?” The Imam replied, “One must study to find out which one agrees with the laws of the Quran and the Sunnah and it does not agree with the laws of the those who oppose us. Such Hadith must be accepted and the one that disagree with the laws of the Quran and the Sunnah and coincides the masses must be disregarded.” I said, “May Allah take my soul in the service of your cause, What if both Faqih, scholars of the law would have deduced and learned their judgment from the book and the Sunnah and found that one of the Hadith agrees with the masses and the other disagrees with the masses which one must be followed?” The Imam replied, “The one which disagrees with the masses must be followed because in it there is guidance.” I said, “May Allah take my soul in the service of your cause, what if both Hadith would agree with the masses?” The Imam replied, “One must study to find out of the two the one that is more agreeable to their rulers and judges must be disregarded and the other must be followed.” I said, “What if both Hadith would agree with their rulers?” The Imam replied, “If such would be the case it must be suspended until you meet your Imam. Restraint in confusing cases is better than indulging in destruction.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.