My father narrated to us. He said: `Ali b. Muhammad b. Qutayba narrated to us from Hamdan b. Sulayman from Nuh b. Shu`ayb from Muhammad b. Isma`il from Salih from `Alqama. He said:

I said to al-Sadiq Ja`far b. Muhammad : O son of the Messenger of Allah! Inform me of whose testimony is to be taken, and whose testimony is not to be accepted. So, he said: O `Alqama! Whoever is upon the nature (fitra) of Islam, his testimony is accepted. He said: So, I said to him: The testimony of one who is guilty of sins is accepted? So, he said: O `Alqama! If the testimony of one who is guilty of sins were not accepted, then only the testimony of the prophets and the deputies (s) would be accepted, because they are immaculate, unlike the rest of the creation. So, whoever you do not see sinning with your eyes, or whoever has not been found guilty by two witnesses, is considered to be from the people of justice, shielded [of their private sins] – his testimony would be accepted even if he had hidden his sin in himself. Whoever exposes that (i.e. someone else’s private sin) will have exited the wilaya of Allah and entered the wilaya of Satan. My father narrated to me from his father from his forefathers that the Messenger of Allah (s) said: “Whoever exposes the secret of a believer, Allah will never unite them in Paradise; and whoever falsely accuses a believer, then the hedge between them will be broken, and the accuser will be in the Fire forever in the misery of fate.” `Alqama said: So, I said to al-Sadiq : O son of the Messenger of Allah! The people have accused us of the grandest of matters, and this has narrowed our chests. So, he said: O `Alqama! The contentment of the people does not rule, and their tongues do not impinge on anything. How would you not submit to what even the prophets of Allah, His messengers, and His Proofs were not spared of? Did they not accuse Yusuf of desiring adultery? Did they not accuse Ayyub of facing tribulation due to his sins? Did they not accuse Dawud of following a bird, until he looked at the wife of Uriah and desired her; and that he sent her husband before his coffin (i.e. ahead of the frontlines of battle) until he was killed, then marrying her? Did they not accuse Musa of being impotent until Allah freed him from what they had said? For, in the sight of Allah, he was a paragon. Did they not accuse all the prophets of Allah of being sorcerers in the pursuit of this world? Did they not accuse Maryam bt. `Imran of becoming pregnant with `Isa by way of a carpenter man named Yusuf? Did they not accuse our prophet, Muhammad (s), of being an insane poet? Did they not accuse him of desiring the wife of Zayd b. Haritha, and that he did not stop until he secured her for himself? Did they not accuse him on the Day of Badr, that he had taken a red velvet [garment] for himself from the spoils? This was until Allah had made him overcome the velvet, dissociated His Prophet (s) from betrayal, and revealed this verse regarding it, “It is not for a prophet to embezzle. Whoever embezzles will be brought with what he had embezzled on the Day of Resurrection.” (3:161) Do they not accuse him (s) of speaking out of his desires with regards to his cousin `Ali ? This was until Allah belied them, “He does not speak out of his desires. This is not but an inspired revelation.” (53:3-4) Do they not accuse him of lying in his saying that he is a messenger from Allah to them? This was until Allah revealed the following to him, “Surely, messengers before you were belied, but they patiently endured rejection until Our help came to them.” (6:34) One day, he had said: “Yesterday, I was made to ascend to heaven.” So, it was said: “By Allah, he did not leave his bed for the whole night.” They have said even more than this about the deputies . Did they not accuse the Master of the Deputies of pursuing this world and rulership; that he had preferred sedition over stillness, that he unjustly shed the blood of Muslims; and that, if there were any good in him, he would not have called for the neck of Khalid b. al-Walid to be struck? Do they not accuse him of wanting to marry the daughter of Abi Jahl over Fatima , and that the Messenger of Allah (s) expressed his concern over him on the pulpit to the Muslims, saying: “`Ali wants to marry the daughter of the enemy of Allah over the daughter of the Prophet of Allah. Surely, Fatima is a piece of me – so, whoever harms her has harmed me, whoever makes her happy has made me happy, and whoever irritates her has irritated me”? Then, al-Sadiq said: O `Alqama! How astonishing are the claims of the people against `Ali ! How many have said: “he is a worshiped lord”, and how many have said: “he is a disobedient slave of the One who is worshiped”?! The accusation that he was disobedient is lighter than the accusation that he is a [divine] lord. O `Alqama! Do they not say that Allah is the Third of Three? Do they not make Him and His creation alike? Do they not say: “He is time”? Do they not say: “He is space”? Do they not say: “He is a body”? Do they not say: “He is a form”? Allah is high above that. O `Alqama! The tongues ascribe to the Essence of Allah that which cannot be attributed to it – so, why do you get confined when they ascribe what you hate to you?! Seek help from Allah and be patient. The Earth belongs to Allah, He bequeaths it to whomever He wills from His servants, and the end will be for the pious. Surely, the Children of Israel said to Musa : “We have always been oppressed – before and after you came.” (7:129) So, Allah said: “Say to them, O Musa: ‘Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you vicegerents in the Earth, so that you may see what you will do.’” (7:129)