[227] And al-Sadiq, His glory is might, said: "If I were to find three believers among you who conceal my discourse, they being worthy of that knowledge, I would not have deemed it lawful to conceal anything from them."

[228] And on the authority of al-Mufaddal, peace be upon him, that he said: Al-Sadiq, His glory is might, said: "How many are our followers in Kufa?" I said: "Fifty thousand." He kept [reducing the number] until he said: "Twenty." Then he said: "And by Allah, O Mufaddal, I would truly love that our followers in Kufa were twenty-five men who know our matter upon which we stand, speaking nothing except the truth.

[229] Then he, His glory is might, said: "Everything that Allah has forbidden and permitted is the knowledge of persons whose knowledge and obedience Allah has made obligatory upon the servant, and persons from whom He has prohibited, commanding their recognition and avoidance. For Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, is more generous than to place His obligations, commands, prohibitions, and laws within a private part, a urinary tract, or the eating of bread and meat that turns into waste; rather, all of that consists of paths leading to realities."