Hadith No. 3
The earth is never devoid of a scholar who diminishes whatever they add and adds whatever they diminish.
رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بَابَوَيْهِ [ت381ه] فِي «كَمَالِ الدِّينِ وَتَمَامِ النِّعْمَةِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الْحِمْيَرِيُّ جَمِيعًا، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْمِيْثَمِيِّ، عَنْ ثَعْلَبَةِ بْنِ مَيْمُونٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْأَعْلَى بْنِ أَعْيَنَ، عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ -يَعْنِي مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ الْبَاقِرَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ:
مَا تَرَكَ اللَّهُ الْأَرْضَ بِغَيْرِ عَالِمٍ يَنْقُصُ مَا زَادُوا وَيَزِيدُ مَا نَقَصُوا، وَلَوْلَا ذَلِكَ لَاخْتَلَطَتْ عَلَى النَّاسِ أُمُورُهُمْ.
Translation:
Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Bābawayh [Died in 381 AH] has narrated in the book of “Kamāl al-Din wa Tamām al-Ni’mah”, (in this way that) has said: Muhammad ibn Hasan may God be pleased with him, narrated to us, he said: Sa’d ibn Abdullah and Abdullah ibn Ja’far al-Himyari both narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Isā, from Ali ibn Ismā’il al-Meythami, from Tha’labah ibn Maymun, from Abd al-A’lā ibn A’yan that said: I heard Abu Ja’far — meaning Muhammad ibn Ali al-Bāqir — peace be upon him say:
God has not left the earth without a knowledgeable one who diminishes whatever they add and adds whatever they diminish, and if it were not for this, the affairs of the people would be mixed up for them.