The Household of Muhammad
Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 1|Chapter 239
هُمْ عَيْشُ الْعِلْمِ، وَمَوْتُ الْجَهْلِ، يُخْبِرُكُمْ حِلْمُهُمْ عَنْ عِلْمِهِمْ،وَ ظاهِرِكُمْ عَن باطِنِكُمْ وَصَمْتُهُمْ عَنْ حِكَمِ مَنْطِقِهِمْ، لاَ يُخَالِفُونَ الْحَقَّ وَلاَ يَخْتَلِفُونَ فِيهِ، هُمْ دَعَائِمُ الاْسْلاَمِ، وَوَلاَئِجُ الاْعْتِصَامِ، بِهِمْ عَادَ الْحَقُّ فِي نِصَابِهِ، وَانْزَاحَ الْبَاطِلُ عَنْ مُقَامِهِ، وَانْقَطَعَ لِسَانُهُ عَنْ مَنْبِتِهِ، عَقَلُوا الدِّينَ عَقْلَ وِعَايَة وَرِعَايَة، لاَ عَقْلَ سَمَاع وَرِوَايَة، فَإِنَّ رُوَاةَ الْعِلْمِ كَثِيرٌ، وَرُعَاتَهُ قَلِيلٌ.
They are life for knowledge and death for ignorance. Their forbearance tells you of their knowledge, their outer self of their inner self, and their silence of the wisdom of their speaking. They do not go against right nor do they differ (among themselves) about it. They are the pillars of Islam and the asylums of (its) protection. With them right has returned to its position and wrong has left its place and its tongue is severed from its root. They have understood the religion attentively and carefully, not by mere heresy or from relaters, because the relaters of knowledge are many but its understanders are few.