6ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ بُكَيْرٍ قَالَ
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) عَنِ الْكُفْرِ وَالشِّرْكِ أَيُّهُمَا أَقْدَمُ قَالَ فَقَالَ لِي مَا عَهْدِي بِكَ تُخَاصِمُ النَّاسَ قُلْتُ أَمَرَنِي هِشَامُ بْنُ سَالِمٍ أَنْ أَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ لِي الْكُفْرُ أَقْدَمُ وَهُوَ الْجُحُودُ قَالَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلا إِبْلِيسَ أَبى وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكانَ مِنَ الْكافِرِينَ.
6. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ali ibn Asbat from Musa ibn Bukayr who has said the following:
“Once I asked abu al-Hassan 
about disbelief and al-Shirk (paganism) as to which is before. The Imam said to me, ‘I have not experienced your involvement in polemics among the people.’ I then said, ‘Hisham ibn Salim has ordered me to ask you this question.’ The Imam said, ‘Disbelief is before and it is denial and rejection. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, . . except Iblis (Satan) who abstained out of pride, and so he became one of those who deny the truth.’” (2:34)
