عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ اجْعَلُوا أَمْرَكُمْ لله وَلا تَجْعَلُوهُ لِلنَّاسِ فَإِنَّهُ مَا كَانَ لله فَهُوَ لله وَمَا كَانَ لِلنَّاسِ فَلا يَصْعَدُ إِلَى الله وَلا تُخَاصِمُوا النَّاسَ لِدِينِكُمْ فَإِنَّ الْمُخَاصَمَةَ مَمْرَضَةٌ لِلْقَلْبِ إِنَّ الله تَعَالَى قَالَ لِنَبِيِّهِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) إِنَّكَ لا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلكِنَّ الله يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشاءُ وَقَالَ أَ فَأَنْتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ ذَرُوا النَّاسَ فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ أَخَذُوا عَنِ النَّاسِ وَإِنَّكُمْ أَخَذْتُمْ عَنْ رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ أَبِي (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ إِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذَا كَتَبَ عَلَى عَبْدٍ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ فِي هَذَا الامْرِ كَانَ أَسْرَعَ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الطَّيْرِ إِلَى وَكْرِهِ.
A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Faddal from Ali ibn ‘Uqba from his father who said the following:
“I heard abu ‘Abd Allah , saying, ‘Leave your affairs to Allah and do not leave them to the people. Whatever is for Allah it is for Him. Whatever is for people it will not rise up to Allah. Do not quarrel with people about your belief; quarrelling sickens the heart. Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, said to His Prophet (Muhammad) , ‘you cannot guide whomever you love, but Allah guides whomever He wants and knows best those who seek guidance.’ (28:56) ‘(Muhammad), do you force people to have faith?’ (10:99)
“Leave the people alone; people learn from people and you have learned from the Messenger of Allah . I heard my father , saying, ‘When Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, writes for a person to enter in this belief he will do so faster than the flight of a bird to its nest.’”