The Feeble-minded People

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنِ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِ فَقَالَ هُوَ الَّذِي لَا يَهْتَدِي حِيلَةً إِلَى الْكُفْرِ فَيَكْفُرَ وَ لَا يَهْتَدِي سَبِيلًا إِلَى الْإِيمَانِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يُؤْمِنَ وَ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَكْفُرَ فَهُمُ الصِّبْيَانُ وَ مَنْ كَانَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاءِ عَلَى مِثْلِ عُقُولِ الصِّبْيَانِ مَرْفُوعٌ عَنْهُمُ الْقَلَمُ.

“Once I asked abu Ja’far (a.s.) about feeble-minded (weak) people. The Imam said, ‘They are those who have no means to become unbelievers and cannot find guidance to belief. They are not able to establish belief or to become unbelievers. Of such people are children and those of men and women who are of children’s menta

الْمُسْتَضْعَفُونَ الَّذِينَ‌ لا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً وَ لا يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلًا قَالَ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً إِلَى الْإِيمَانِ وَ لَا يَكْفُرُونَ الصِّبْيَانُ وَ أَشْبَاهُ عُقُولِ الصِّبْيَانِ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاءِ.

“The feeble-minded people are those who are not able to find the means, the guidance or the way. The Imam said, ‘They are not able to find the means to belief and they do not disbelieve, like children and those who are of children’s mental condition, male and female.’”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنِ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِ فَقَالَ هُوَ الَّذِي لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ حِيلَةً يَدْفَعُ بِهَا عَنْهُ الْكُفْرَ وَ لَا يَهْتَدِي بِهَا إِلَى سَبِيلِ الْإِيمَانِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يُؤْمِنَ وَ لَا يَكْفُرَ قَالَ وَ الصِّبْيَانُ وَ مَنْ كَانَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاءِ عَلَى مِثْلِ عُقُولِ الصِّبْيَانِ.

“Once I asked abu Ja’far (a.s.) about the feeble-minded people. The Imam said, ‘They are those who are not able to defend themselves against disbelief or find the means to the way in the direction of belief. They are not able to have belief and do not disbelieve.’ The Imam said, ‘Children and those of men and women who

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَا تَقُولُ فِي الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ‌[1] فَقَالَ لِي شَبِيهاً بِالْفَزِعِ فَتَرَكْتُمْ أَحَداً يَكُونُ مُسْتَضْعَفاً وَ أَيْنَ الْمُسْتَضْعَفُونَ- فَوَ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ مَشَى بِأَمْرِكُمْ هَذَا الْعَوَاتِقُ إِلَى الْعَوَاتِقِ فِي خُدُورِهِنَّ وَ تُحَدِّثُ بِهِ السَّقَّايَاتُ فِي طَرِيقِ الْمَدِينَةِ.

“Once I said to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘What do you say about the feeble-minded people?’ The Imam asked me in a manner similar to one frightened, ‘Have you left anyone to be considered feeble? By Allah, girls behind the curtains have heard about your cause (Divine Authority of Ahl al-Bayt ) and water carriers in the stre

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فَقَالَ هُمْ أَهْلُ الْوَلَايَةِ فَقُلْتُ أَيُّ وَلَايَةٍ فَقَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ بِالْوَلَايَةِ فِي الدِّينِ وَ لَكِنَّهَا الْوَلَايَةُ فِي الْمُنَاكَحَةِ وَ الْمُوَارَثَةِ وَ الْمُخَالَطَةِ وَ هُمْ لَيْسُوا بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ لَا بِالْكُفَّارِ وَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُرْجَوْنَ‌ لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ‌ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ‌[1].

5. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa’id from Fudalah ibn Ayyub from ‘Umar ibn Aban who has said the following: “Once I asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) about the feeble-minded people. The Imam said, ‘They are the people under guardianship.’ I then asked, ‘Wh

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنِ الدِّينِ الَّذِي لَا يَسَعُ الْعِبَادَ جَهْلُهُ فَقَالَ الدِّينُ وَاسِعٌ‌[2] وَ لَكِنَّ الْخَوَارِجَ ضَيَّقُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ مِنْ جَهْلِهِمْ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَأُحَدِّثُكَ بِدِينِيَ الَّذِي أَنَا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ بَلَى فَقُلْتُ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ وَ الْإِقْرَارَ بِمَا جَاءَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ وَ أَتَوَل

“Once I asked abu Ja’far (a.s.) about how much religious knowledge people must have. The Imam said, ‘Religion is vast but the Khawarij (those who turned against Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.)) group has narrowed it down upon themselves due to their ignorance.’ I asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ مَنْ عَرَفَ اخْتِلَافَ النَّاسِ فَلَيْسَ بِمُسْتَضْعَفٍ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Whoever knows the differences among people is not a feeble-minded person.’”

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع إِنِّي رُبَّمَا ذَكَرْتُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فَأَقُولُ نَحْنُ وَ هُمْ فِي مَنَازِلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع لَا يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ بِكُمْ أَبَداً[1].

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘I may have mentioned those feeble-minded people and I say that those people and we are in homes of paradise.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) said, ‘Allah will never do that to you.’”

قَالَ رَجُلٌ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع وَ نَحْنُ عِنْدَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّا نَخَافُ أَنْ نَنْزِلَ بِذُنُوبِنَا مَنَازِلَ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ قَالَ فَقَالَ لَا وَ اللَّهِ لَا يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ بِكُمْ أَبَداً. - عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ رَجُلٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ مِثْلَهُ.

“Once a man said to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) while we were present, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, we are afraid that because of our sins we will be treated as feeble-minded people.’ The narrator has said that the Imam said, ‘No, by Allah, Allah will never do that to you.’” Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated

مَنْ عَرَفَ اخْتِلَافَ النَّاسِ فَلَيْسَ بِمُسْتَضْعَفٍ.

“Whoever knows the differences among people is not a feeble- minded person.”

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الضُّعَفَاءِ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ الضَّعِيفُ مَنْ لَمْ تُرْفَعْ إِلَيْهِ حُجَّةٌ وَ لَمْ يَعْرِفِ الِاخْتِلَافَ فَإِذَا عَرَفَ الِاخْتِلَافَ فَلَيْسَ بِمُسْتَضْعَفٍ.

“Once I asked abu al-Hassan Musa (a.s.) about the feeble-minded people and he wrote to me, ‘A feeble-minded is one to whom evidence and proof is not (or cannot be) presented and he does not know the differences among people. If he knows the differences among people he is not an enfeeble person.’”

لَيْسَ الْيَوْمَ مُسْتَضْعَفٌ أَبْلَغَ الرِّجَالُ الرِّجَالَ وَ النِّسَاءُ النِّسَاءَ.

“Today no one is a feeble-minded person. Men have informed men and women have informed women.”