(584) Our Master al-Sadiq — exalted be his glory — was asked regarding the saying of the Prophet — exalted be his glory: "The first look is lawful and the second is forbidden?" Our Master — exalted be his glory — said to the questioner: "It is as if you looked at a woman who was the wife of a believing man or one of his family or womenfolk, and you did not know and found her beautiful. Then it was said to you: 'She is from your brother in lineage.' If you lower your gaze from her after that, there is no blame upon you. But if you look at her like the first time, that is the forbidden [act] for which you shall be punished."

(585) Lord Abu Abd Allah al-Khasibi — may God sanctify him — related it, saying: Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Kufi (known as al-Muhallabi) narrated to me from Ghaylan ibn Bakr, from Abu Muhammad ibn al-Qasim Salama al-Farisi, from Abu Mikhnaf Lut ibn Mikhnaf al-Azdi, from Hannan ibn Sudayr al-Sayrafi, who said: I was in the presence of our Master al-Sadiq — exalted be his glory — when a youth from the desert called al-Harid ibn Mani’ al-Amiri entered. He offered peace to our Master, who returned the peace and then said: "From which folk is the man?" He replied: "From your lovers and your followers." Our Master said to him: "God does not love a servant until He takes him as an ally (yatawallahu), and He does not take him as an ally until He makes Paradise mandatory for him. So from which of our lovers are you?"

The man remained silent. Hannan said: "My Master, how many are Your lovers?" He replied: "Three levels (tabaqat): a level that loved us openly but did not love us in secret; a level that loved us in secret but did not love us openly; and a level that loved us in secret and openly." I said: "My Master, if you see fit to explain all that to me?"