Shaykh Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-Ṣaduq · Preference for quality over quantity of Shia followers
حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ اَلْحَسَنِ بْنِ اَلْوَلِيدِ رَضِيَ اَللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ اَلْمُفَضَّلِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ ع قَالَ كَمْ شِيعَتُنَا بِالْكُوفَةِ قَالَ قُلْتُ خَمْسُونَ أَلْفاً قَالَ فَمَا زَالَ يَقُولُ حَتَّى قَالَ أَ تَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونُوا عِشْرِينَ ثُمَّ قَالَ ع- وَ اَللَّهِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنْ يَكُونَ بِالْكُوفَةِ خَمْسَةٌ وَ عِشْرُونَ رَجُلاً يَعْرِفُونَ أَمْرَنَا اَلَّذِي نَحْنُ عَلَيْهِ وَ لاَ يَقُولُونَ عَلَيْنَا إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ .
Mohammed bin al-Hasan bin al-Waleed, Allah may please him, … from al-Mufaddhal bin Qays that Abu Abdullah (a) asked him about the number of the Shia in Kufa. He answered: They are fifty thousand. The Imam (a) said: Do you hope they were less? He went on saying until he said: Do you hope they were twenty individuals? By Allah I swear, I wish they were twenty five individuals provided that they acknowledge our beliefs and say about us nothing but the truth.”
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