ابْنُ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ غَالِبٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ (عليه السلام) يَقُولُ إِنَّ رَجُلًا جَاءَ إِلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عليه السلام) فَقَالَ أَخْبِرْنِي إِنْ كُنْتَ عَالِماً عَنِ النَّاسِ وَ عَنْ أَشْبَاهِ النَّاسِ وَ عَنِ النَّسْنَاسِ فَقَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عليه السلام) يَا حُسَيْنُ أَجِبِ الرَّجُلَ فَقَالَ الْحُسَيْنُ (عليه السلام) أَمَّا قَوْلُكَ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ النَّاسِ فَنَحْنُ النَّاسُ وَ لِذَلِكَ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى ذِكْرُهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفاضَ النَّاسُ فَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) الَّذِي أَفَاضَ بِالنَّاسِ وَ أَمَّا قَوْلُكَ أَشْبَاهُ النَّاسِ فَهُمْ شِيعَتُنَا وَ هُمْ مَوَالِينَا وَ هُمْ مِنَّا وَ لِذَلِكَ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ (عليه السلام) فَمَنْ تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي وَ أَمَّا قَوْلُكَ النَّسْنَاسُ فَهُمُ السَّوَادُ الْأَعْظَمُ وَ أَشَارَ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى جَمَاعَةِ النَّاسِ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا كَالْأَنْعامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا.

339. Ibn Mahboub, from Abdullah Bin Ghalib, from his father Saeed Bin Al-Musayyab who said: I heard Ali (asws) Bin Al-Husayn (asws) saying that: ‘A man went to Amir-ul-Momineen (asws) and said, ‘Inform me, if you (asws) are knowledgeable, about the people, and about those who resemble the people, and about the Nasnaas’. So Amir-ul-Momineen (asws) said: ‘O Husayn (asws), answer the man’. So Al-Husayn (asws) said: ‘As for your word, ‘Inform me about the people’, so we (asws) are the people, and that is what Allah (azwj) Says in His (azwj) Book: “[2:199] Then hasten on from the Place from which the people hasten on”, so it is the Rasool Allah (saww) so he (saww) is the one (saww) about whom people should come forward. And as for your word, ‘Resembling the people’, so they are our (asws) Shites, and they are our (asws) friends, and they are from us (asws), and that is what Ibrahim (as) said: “[14:36] then whoever follows me, he is surely of me, and whoever disobeys me”. And as for your words, ‘The Nasnaas’, so they are the vast majority’ – and he (asws) gestured by his (asws) hand towards a group of the people, then said: ‘[25:44] They are nothing but as cattle; nay, they are straying farther off from the path”.