(4) And on his authority from his men, on the authority of the Master Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (may his glory be exalted), that he was asked about the intellect and what it is, so he said: "The intellect is that through which the All-Merciful is worshipped and through which Paradise is earned". The questioner asked: "Then what was in Muʿāwiya?". He replied: "That is cunning and devilry; it resembles the intellect but it is not it".

(5) And through his chain of narration on the authority of Amir Almuminin (may His names be exalted), he said: "A man's infatuation with himself is a proof of the weakness of his intellect".

Reason and Worship

(6) And by the same chain of transmission from Sheikh Abi al-Husayn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jali, may Allah sanctify his soul, from al-Mawla al-Sadiq, may His might be glorified. It was said: "A certain person is of such good character in his worship and religion that it surpasses description." Our Master, may His might be glorified, said: "" And how is his reason? It was said: "We do not know." He said: "Verily, the reward is in proportion to the reason. A man from the Children of Israel used to worship Allah on a green island, abundant with trees and pure waters. An angel passed by him and was greatly impressed by his worship, saying: 'O Lord, show me the reward of this servant of Yours.' Allah showed it to him, and the angel found it to be little. Allah then revealed to him: 'Accompany him.'

The angel came to him in the form of a human. The worshiper asked him: 'Who are you?' The angel replied: 'I am a worshiper who heard of your station and your worship, so I came to worship Allah with you.' When morning came, the angel said to him: 'Your place is indeed delightful and fit only for worship.' The worshiper replied: 'Our place has a flaw.' The angel asked: 'And what is the flaw?' The worshiper said: 'Our Lord has no beast. If He had a donkey, we would graze it in this place, for this grass is going to waste.' The angel said to him: 'Does our Lord not have a donkey?' The worshiper replied: 'If our Lord had a donkey, this grass would not go to waste.' Then Allah revealed to the angel: 'I have only granted him his reward in proportion to his reason.'"