عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ زَيْدٍ الشَّحَّامِ قَالَ دَخَلَ قَتَادَةُ بْنُ دِعَامَةَ عَلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) فَقَالَ يَا قَتَادَةُ أَنْتَ فَقِيهُ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ فَقَالَ هَكَذَا يَزْعُمُونَ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ تُفَسِّرُ الْقُرْآنَ فَقَالَ لَهُ قَتَادَةُ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) بِعِلْمٍ تُفَسِّرُهُ أَمْ بِجَهْلٍ قَالَ لَا بِعِلْمٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تُفَسِّرُهُ بِعِلْمٍ فَأَنْتَ أَنْتَ وَ أَنَا أَسْأَلُكَ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ سَلْ قَالَ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِي سَبَإٍ وَ قَدَّرْنا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ سِيرُوا فِيها لَيالِيَ وَ أَيَّاماً آمِنِينَ فَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ ذَلِكَ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ بِزَادٍ حَلَالٍ وَ رَاحِلَةٍ وَ كِرَاءٍ حَلَالٍ يُرِيدُ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ كَانَ آمِناً حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) نَشَدْتُكَ اللَّهَ يَا قَتَادَةُ هَلْ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ يَخْرُجُ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ بِزَادٍ حَلَالٍ وَ رَاحِلَةٍ وَ كِرَاءٍ حَلَالٍ يُرِيدُ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ فَيُقْطَعُ عَلَيْهِ الطَّرِيقُ فَتُذْهَبُ نَفَقَتُهُ وَ يُضْرَبُ مَعَ ذَلِكَ ضَرْبَةً فِيهَا اجْتِيَاحُهُ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ اللَّهُمَّ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) وَيْحَكَ يَا قَتَادَةُ إِنْ كُنْتَ إِنَّمَا فَسَّرْتَ الْقُرْآنَ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ نَفْسِكَ فَقَدْ هَلَكْتَ وَ أَهْلَكْتَ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ قَدْ أَخَذْتَهُ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ فَقَدْ هَلَكْتَ وَ أَهْلَكْتَ وَيْحَكَ يَا قَتَادَةُ ذَلِكَ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ بِزَادٍ وَ رَاحِلَةٍ وَ كِرَاءٍ حَلَالٍ يَرُومُ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ عَارِفاً بِحَقِّنَا يَهْوَانَا قَلْبُهُ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَ لَمْ يَعْنِ الْبَيْتَ فَيَقُولَ إِلَيْهِ فَنَحْنُ وَ اللَّهِ دَعْوَةُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ (عليه السلام) الَّتِي مَنْ هَوَانَا قَلْبُهُ قُبِلَتْ حَجَّتُهُ وَ إِلَّا فَلَا يَا قَتَادَةُ فَإِذَا كَانَ كَذَلِكَ كَانَ آمِناً مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ لَا جَرَمَ وَ اللَّهِ لَا فَسَّرْتُهَا إِلَّا هَكَذَا فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) وَيْحَكَ يَا قَتَادَةُ إِنَّمَا يَعْرِفُ الْقُرْآنَ مَنْ خُوطِبَ بِهِ.
485. A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Khalid, from his father, from Muhammad Bin Sinan, from Zayd Al-Shahaam who said: Qatada Bin Da’ama came up to Abu Ja’far , so he  said: ‘O Qatada! Are you a Faqih (Jurist) of the people of Basra?’ He said, ‘That is what they are alleging’. Abu Ja’far  said: ‘It has reached me  that you are explaining the Quran’. Qatada said to him , ‘Yes’. So Abu Ja’far  said to him: ‘You are explaining it by knowledge or by ignorance?’ He said, ‘No, by knowledge’. So Abu Ja’far  said to him: ‘So if you are explaining by knowledge, so ‘you are’ ‘who you are’ and I  would like to ask you’. Qatada said, ‘Ask’. He  said: ‘Inform me  about the Statement of Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic in (the Chapter) Saba: “[34:18] and We apportioned the journey therein: Travel through them nights and days, secure”. Qatada said, ‘That is for the one who goes out from his house with lawful provisions, and camel rented lawfully intending this House (Kabah). He would be safe until he returns back to his family’. So Abu Ja’far  said: ‘I  hold you to Allah (azwj), O Qatada! Do you know that if the man comes out from his house with lawful provisions, and a camel rented lawfully, intending this House, he could get cut off (by bandits) on the road, and his provisions would be lost and he could be injured due to that?’ Qatada said, ‘Our Allah (azwj), Yes!’ So Abu Ja’far  said: ‘Woe be unto you! But rather, you are explaining the Quran from your own free will, so you are destroyed and causing others to be destroyed. And if you have taken it from the men (others), you have been destroyed and so have they. Woe be unto you! (But) that is for the one who comes out from his house with provisions, and lawful means of transportation aspiring for this House while having recognised our  rights, loving us  with his heart, just as Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic has Said: “[14:37] therefore make the hearts of some people yearn towards them” and it does not mean the House, for He (azwj) is Saying ‘towards them’. So we  are, by Allah (azwj), the supplication of Ibrahim  towards whom  if one loves with one’s heart, his Pilgrimage would be Accepted, otherwise it will not be, O Qatada! So if it is like that, he would be safe from the Punishment of Hell on the Day of Judgement’. Qatada said, ‘No offence. By Allah (azwj), I will not explain it except like this’. So Abu Ja’far  said: ‘Woe be unto you, O Qatada! But rather, you should understand the Quran from the ones  who have been addressed by it’.