عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْفُضَيْلِ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ الثُّمَالِيِّ قَالَ كُنْتُ جَالِساً فِي مَسْجِدِ الرَّسُولِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) إِذَا أَقْبَلَ رَجُلٌ فَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ مَنْ أَنْتَ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ قُلْتُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ فَقُلْتُ مَا حَاجَتُكَ فَقَالَ لِي أَ تَعْرِفُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ ( عليه السلام ) فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ فَمَا حَاجَتُكَ إِلَيْهِ قَالَ هَيَّأْتُ لَهُ أَرْبَعِينَ مَسْأَلَةً أَسْأَلُهُ عَنْهَا فَمَا كَانَ مِنْ حَقٍّ أَخَذْتُهُ وَ مَا كَانَ مِنْ بَاطِلٍ تَرَكْتُهُ قَالَ أَبُو حَمْزَةَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ هَلْ تَعْرِفُ مَا بَيْنَ الْحَقِّ وَ الْبَاطِلِ قَالَ نَعَمْ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ فَمَا حَاجَتُكَ إِلَيْهِ إِذَا كُنْتَ تَعْرِفُ مَا بَيْنَ الْحَقِّ وَ الْبَاطِلِ فَقَالَ لِي يَا أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ أَنْتُمْ قَوْمٌ مَا تُطَاقُونَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) فَأَخْبِرْنِيفَمَا انْقَطَعَ كَلَامِي مَعَهُ حَتَّى أَقْبَلَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) وَ حَوْلَهُ أَهْلُ خُرَاسَانَ وَ غَيْرُهُمْ يَسْأَلُونَهُ عَنْ مَنَاسِكِ الْحَجِّ فَمَضَى حَتَّى جَلَسَ مَجْلِسَهُ وَ جَلَسَ الرَّجُلُ قَرِيباً مِنْهُ قَالَ أَبُو حَمْزَةَ فَجَلَسْتُ حَيْثُ أَسْمَعُ الْكَلَامَ وَ حَوْلَهُ عَالَمٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَلَمَّا قَضَى حَوَائِجَهُمْ وَ انْصَرَفُوا الْتَفَتَ إِلَى الرَّجُلِ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَنْ أَنْتَ قَالَ أَنَا قَتَادَةُ بْنُ دِعَامَةَ الْبَصْرِيُّ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) أَنْتَ فَقِيهُ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ قَالَ نَعَمْفَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) وَيْحَكَ يَا قَتَادَةُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ خَلَقَ خَلْقاً مِنْ خَلْقِهِ فَجَعَلَهُمْ حُجَجاً عَلَى خَلْقِهِ فَهُمْ أَوْتَادٌ فِي أَرْضِهِ قُوَّامٌ بِأَمْرِهِ نُجَبَاءُ فِي عِلْمِهِ اصْطَفَاهُمْ قَبْلَ خَلْقِهِ أَظِلَّةً عَنْ يَمِينِ عَرْشِهِقَالَ فَسَكَتَ قَتَادَةُ طَوِيلًا ثُمَّ قَالَ أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ وَ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ جَلَسْتُ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْفُقَهَاءِ وَ قُدَّامَ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فَمَا اضْطَرَبَ قَلْبِي قُدَّامَ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَا اضْطَرَبَ قُدَّامَكَ قَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) وَيْحَكَ أَ تَدْرِي أَيْنَ أَنْتَ أَنْتَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِيها بِالْغُدُوِّ وَ الْآصالِ. رِجالٌ لا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجارَةٌ وَ لا بَيْعٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَ إِقامِ الصَّلاةِ وَ إِيتاءِ الزَّكاةِ فَأَنْتَ ثَمَّ وَ نَحْنُ أُولَئِكَفَقَالَ لَهُ قَتَادَةُ صَدَقْتَ وَ اللَّهِ جَعَلَنِيَ اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ وَ اللَّهِ مَا هِيَ بُيُوتُ حِجَارَةٍ وَ لَا طِينٍ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْجُبُنِّ قَالَ فَتَبَسَّمَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) ثُمَّ قَالَ رَجَعَتْ مَسَائِلُكَ إِلَى هَذَا قَالَ ضَلَّتْ عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ رُبَّمَا جُعِلَتْ فِيهِ إِنْفَحَةُ الْمَيِّتِ قَالَ لَيْسَ بِهَا بَأْسٌ إِنَّ الْإِنْفَحَةَ لَيْسَ لَهَا عُرُوقٌ وَ لَا فِيهَا دَمٌ وَ لَا لَهَا عَظْمٌ إِنَّمَا تَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَ دَمٍثُمَّ قَالَ وَ إِنَّمَا الْإِنْفَحَةُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ دَجَاجَةٍ مَيْتَةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ مِنْهَا بَيْضَةٌ فَهَلْ تُؤْكَلُ تِلْكَ الْبَيْضَةُ فَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ لَا وَ لَا آمُرُ بِأَكْلِهَا فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) وَ لِمَ فَقَالَ لِأَنَّهَا مِنَ الْمَيْتَةِ قَالَ لَهُ فَإِنْ حُضِنَتْ تِلْكَ الْبَيْضَةُ فَخَرَجَتْ مِنْهَا دَجَاجَةٌ أَ تَأْكُلُهَا قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكَ الْبَيْضَةَ وَ حَلَّلَ لَكَ الدَّجَاجَةَثُمَّ قَالَ ( عليه السلام ) فَكَذَلِكَ الْإِنْفَحَةُ مِثْلُ الْبَيْضَةِ فَاشْتَرِ الْجُبُنَّ مِنْ أَسْوَاقِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ أَيْدِي الْمُصَلِّينَ وَ لَا تَسْأَلْ عَنْهُ إِلَّا أَنْ يَأْتِيَكَ مَنْ يُخْبِرُكَ عَنْهُ .
1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from ibn Khalid from Muhammad ibn Ali from Muhammad ibn al-Fudayl from abu Hamzah al-Thumaliy who has said the following: “Once I was in the Masjid of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, when a man came and offered Salam (the phrase of offering greeting of peace) and asked, ‘Who are you, O servant of Allah?’ I replied, ‘I am a man from al-Kufah.’ I then asked, ‘What do you need?’ He asked, ‘Do you know abu Ja‘far, Muhammad ibn Ali  ?’ I replied, ‘Yes, I know him (the Imam). What do you need from him?’ He said, ‘I have prepared forty questions to ask from him for answers and then what is right and true I will accept, and what is false, leave them alone.’ Abu Hamzah has said, ‘I then asked him if he was able to distinguish between truth and falsehood.’ He replied, ‘Yes, I can do so.’ I then asked him, ‘Why do you need him when you are able to distinguish between truth and falsehood?’ He said, ‘People of al- Kufah, you are such that one cannot talk to you. If you see abu Ja‘far then inform me.’ Our conversation was not yet complete that abu Ja’far , came with people of Khurasan around him as well as other people asking him questions about the rules of al-Hajj. He (the Imam) went to his place and sat down and the man (Qatadah) sat near him (the Imam). Abu Hamzah has said, ‘I then sat where I could hear (people) speaking. Around him (the Imam) there was a world (large group) of people. When he (the Imam) completed what the people needed and they left, he (the Imam) turned to the man and asked, ‘Who are you?’ He replied, ‘I am Qatadah ibn al-Da‘amah al-Basriy.’ Abu Ja‘far , asked, ‘Are you faqih of people of al-Basrah?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I am their faqih.’ Abu Ja’far , then said, ‘Fie upon you, O Qatadah. You must notice that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has created creatures in His creation and has made them a barrier over His creation, and they are the pillars on His earth, protectors of His commandments, the noble ones in His knowledge whom He had chosen before His creation, while as shadows on the right of His throne.’ He (the narrator) has said that Qatadah remained silent for a long time, then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, I have sat before scholars of fiqh and before ibn ‘Abbas but my heart did not become nervous before anyone of them as it has become nervous before you.’ Abu Ja‘far , said, ‘Fie upon you, do you realize where are sitting? You are before the houses for which Allah has declared to be raised and therein Allah is spoken of. (It happens there) in the mornings and evenings, by men who are not distracted by trade or other forms of business from speaking about Allah, performing Salat (prayer) and paying Zakat. You are in such house and we are the people therein.’ Qatadah said, ‘You have spoken the truth by Allah, I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, by Allah they are not houses of stones and clay.’ Qatadah then asked, ‘Tell me about cheese.’ Abu Ja‘far , smiled then said, ‘Have all of your questions ended up to this?’ He replied, ‘They have become mixed and confusing.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful.’ He said, ‘What happens if perhaps rennet from a dead animal is placed in it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful because rennet does not have any veins and blood or bones. It only comes out of a dead animal from the middle of dung and blood.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘Rennet is like an egg that comes out of a dead chicken. Is that egg edible?’ Qatadah said, ‘No, it is not edible and I do not command anyone to eat it.’ Abu Ja‘far , asked, ‘Why do you not eat it?’ He replied, ‘Because it is dead.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘If that egg is hatched and it becomes a chicken will you eat the chicken?’ Qatadah replied, ‘Yes, I will do so.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘What is it that makes you to eat the chicken but not the egg from which it has come out?’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘The same rule applies to rennet which is like the egg. You can buy cheese from the market of Muslims from the hands of those who perform Salat (prayer) and do not ask about it, unless someone comes and informs you about it.’” 