(108) And from our Master the Knower, Mighty is His Might, that he said: "Silence in the state of the tyrants is an act of worship."

(109) And from him, Mighty is His Might, that he said: "Learn the best of speech, for a person may be overcome in speech, but one is never overcome in silence."

(110) My Sheikh Abu al-Fath Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, may God sanctify his soul, narrated regarding the saying of our Master al-Sadiq, Mighty is His Might: "Believers are not sired by profligates, nor do [other] men overcome them, nor do they stretch out their hands to beg." He said: My hearing of this comes through two narrations from my sheikhs, may God be pleased with them, traced back to our Master Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju'fi, peace be upon him, who said: I asked my Master al-Sadiq, Mighty is His Might, about this matter, and he said: "O Jabir, the profligate (al-'ahir) is the one who hears of the oneness of God without a [proper] root; he is a prying thief."

The meaning of "men do not overcome them" is that "men" here refers to the opponents. The clarification of this is in the story of Lot, in the saying of the Almighty: {Indeed, you approach men with desire instead of women; rather, you are a transgressing people}. The "men" in this context are those who have been "un-footed" (deprived of standing) from the gnosis of God; they are those who do not surpass the believers in insight or knowledge. And the meaning of our saying "nor do they stretch out their hands to beg" is that they do not ask their adversaries and opponents about the landmarks of their religion.

DISSIMULATION (AL-TAQIYYA)

(111) My master and sheikh—may God grant him contentment and the fulfillment of his desires—narrated to me, by his chain of transmission to our master Abu Khalid ibn Abd Allah al-Kabuli, peace be upon him, that he said: I entered upon my master Ali ibn al-Husayn, Mighty is His Might, one day and he said to me: "O Abu Khalid, a group of your companions are relating our secret to the people and broadcasting our knowledge to them."