Imam al-Ṣādiq and his stance toward the predecessors of the Imāmīs

So that a researcher—rather than an emotional or superficial person—may know that we have not been unjust, and that the Zaydīs are closer in following al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) in refuting the predecessors of the Rāfiḍa

— From Imāmī sources, Imam al-Ṣādiq clarifies who the “self-appointed leaders” were and the reason for the اختلاف (discrepancy) in reports attributed to him by the early Imāmīs. Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) was asked about lies being attributed to him and their cause, and he said:

“I relate a hadith to one of them, and he does not leave my presence before interpreting it in a way other than its proper interpretation. That is because they do not seek, through our hadiths and our love, what is with God; rather, they seek this world, and everyone loves to be called a leader… (the report).”
[Rijāl al-Kashshī 1/136]

— Who are these self-appointed leaders? Did Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) himself identify them?! Al-Kashshī narrates, with his chain, from Abū al-Ṣabbāḥ, who said: I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh (peace be upon him) say:

“The self-appointed leaders have perished in their religions—among them Zurārah, Burayd, Muḥammad ibn Muslim, and Ismāʿīl al-Juʿfī; and he mentioned another whom I did not retain.”
[Rijāl al-Kashshī 1/199]

— So who are these self-appointed leaders who were altering, distorting, and changing the doctrine and hadiths of Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him)? They are the predecessors of the Imāmīs, the founders of their thought, and the leading figures of their sect. Whoever among today’s Imāmīs thinks—or imagines—that he truly follows Imam al-Ṣādiq must prove it; otherwise, it is an impossible claim. What he possesses is only the legacy of those self-appointed leaders who distorted the words of al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him)—and among the latter of them is not least Shaykh al-Ṣadūq (d. 381 AH), who used to deliberately alter the wording of the authorities from the progeny of al-Ḥusayn so that it would conform to Imāmī doctrine whenever he saw it contradict their Imāmī position!

— All of the above is taken from within Imāmī heritage itself; we have brought nothing from outside it. It supports our statement and our following of Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) in his disavowal of the Rāfiḍa, the early Imāmīs of his time!

May God grant you success.
O God, send prayers and peace upon Muḥammad and upon the family of Muḥammad

Translation of Ustadh Kadhim Al Zaydi (May Allah reward him)