الكافي- ط الاسلامية, volume 5, page 20

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam from abu ‘Amrah al-Sullamiy who has said the following: “A man once asked abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, saying, ‘I would mobilize (against the enemy) very often, stay away from asking for compensation and remain absent for a long time. This was called impermissible for me and they said, ‘There is no mobilization (against the enemy) without the Imam of justice.’ May Allah keep you well, what do you say about it?’ Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al- Salam, said, ‘I can say it for you in general terms and if you want I can say it to you in clear terms.’ The man said, ‘Say it in general terms.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, will resurrect people on the Day of Judgment according to their intentions.’ The narrator has said that it seemed as if he wanted the Imam to say it in clear terms. He said, ‘Make it for me in clear terms, may Allah keep you well.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘Explain it.’ The man said, ‘I mobilized and faced the pagans. Should I fight them before calling them to Allah?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If they mobilize and fight, you are drawn in it. If they are a people who have not mobilized and had not fought, you can do nothing but to call them to Allah.’ The man said, ‘I called them to Allah. One of them accepted the call, affirmed al-Islam in his heart and lived as a Muslim but injustice was done to him in judgment, his honor was violated, his property taken and he was subjected to transgression. What is the solution when I was the one to call him to Allah?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Both of you deserve rewards in the matter. He is with you to shield your honor, protect your Qiblah (the sacred location), to defend your book and save your life. This is better for you than his being against you, destroy your Qiblah, violate your honor, shed your blood and burn your book.’”

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