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The_Savior_from_Spiritual_Error_and_50_Principles, page : 69
of men. The intelligent man follows Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, when
he said, “Do not know the truth by the men, but know the truth, and then you
will know who are truthful”. The intelligent man knows the truth, then
examines the assertion. If it is true, he accepts it, whether the speaker is a
truthful person or not. Indeed, he is often anxious to get the truth from those in
error, because he knows that gold is found mixed in gravel and ore. The
banker suffers no harm if he takes the counterfeiter‟s wallet; relying on his
skill, he picks the true gold from the counterfeit. Only the common man and
not the banker abstains from dealing with the counterfeiter. It is not the strong
swimmer who keeps to the shore, but the clumsy guy; not the snakecharmer
who is barred from touching the snake, but the ignorant boy.
The majority of men are dominated by a high opinion of their own skill and
accomplishments, especially the perfection of their intellects in distinguishing
true from false and guidance from misguidance. It is therefore necessary to
shut the gate to keep the general public from reading books of the misguided
as far as possible. The public is not free from the second bad tendency we
are about to discuss, even if they are uninfected by the one just mentioned.
he said, “Do not know the truth by the men, but know the truth, and then you
will know who are truthful”. The intelligent man knows the truth, then
examines the assertion. If it is true, he accepts it, whether the speaker is a
truthful person or not. Indeed, he is often anxious to get the truth from those in
error, because he knows that gold is found mixed in gravel and ore. The
banker suffers no harm if he takes the counterfeiter‟s wallet; relying on his
skill, he picks the true gold from the counterfeit. Only the common man and
not the banker abstains from dealing with the counterfeiter. It is not the strong
swimmer who keeps to the shore, but the clumsy guy; not the snakecharmer
who is barred from touching the snake, but the ignorant boy.
The majority of men are dominated by a high opinion of their own skill and
accomplishments, especially the perfection of their intellects in distinguishing
true from false and guidance from misguidance. It is therefore necessary to
shut the gate to keep the general public from reading books of the misguided
as far as possible. The public is not free from the second bad tendency we
are about to discuss, even if they are uninfected by the one just mentioned.