عدة من أصحابنا، عن سهل بن زياد، عن إسماعيل بن مهران، عن محمد بن منصور الخزاعي، عن علي بن سويد، ومحمد بن يحيى، عن محمد بن الحسين عن محمد بن إسماعيل بن بزيع، عن عمه حمزة بن بزيع، عن علي بن سويد، والحسن بن محمد، عن محمد بن أحمد النهدي، عن إسماعيل بن مهران، عن محمد بن منصور، عن علي بن سويد قال: كتبت إلى أبي الحسن موسى (عليه السلام) وهو في الحبس كتابا أسأله عن حاله وعن مسائل كثيرة فاحتبس الجواب علي أشهر ثم أجابني بجواب هذه نسخته: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله العلي العظيم الذي بعظمته ونوره أبصر قلوب المؤمنين، وبعظمته ونوره عاداه الجاهلون، وبعظمته ونوره ابتغى من في السماوات ومن في الارض إليه الوسيلة بالاعمال المختلفة والاديان المتضادة، فمصيب ومخطئ، وضال ومهتدي، وسميع وأصم وبصير وأعمى حيران، فالحمد لله الذي عرف ووصف دينه محمد (صلى الله عليه وآله) أما بعد فإنك أمرؤ أنزلك الله من آل محمد بمنزلة خاصة وحفظ مودة ما استرعاك من دينه وما ألهمك من رشدك وبصرك من أمر دينك بتفضيلك إياهم وبردك الامور إليهم، كتبت تسألني عن امور كنت منها في تقية ومن كتمانها في سعة فلما انقضى سلطان الجبابرة وجاء سلطان ذي السلطان العظيم بفراق الدنيا المذمومة إلى أهلها العتاة على خالقهم رأيت أن افسر لك ما سألتني عنه مخافة أن يدخل الحيرة على ضعفاء شيعتنا من قبل جهالتهم، فاتق الله عز ذكره وخص بذلك الامر أهله واحذر أن تكون سبب بلية على الاوصياء أو حارشا عليهم بإفشاء ما استودعتك وإظهار ما استكتمتك ولن تفعل إن شاء الله، إن أول ما أنهى إليك أني أنعي إليك نفسي في ليالي هذه غير جازع ولا نادم ولا شاك فيما هو كائن مما قد قضى الله عز وجل وحتم فاستمسك بعروة الدين، آل محمد والعروة الوثقى الوصي بعد الوصي والمسالمة لهم والرضا بما قالوا ولا تلتمس دين من ليس من شيعتك ولا تحبن دينهم فإنهم الخائنون الذين خانوا الله ورسوله وخانوا أماناتهم وتدري ما خانوا أماناتهم ائتمنوا على كتاب الله فحرفوه وبدلوه ودلوا على ولاة الامر منهم فانصرفوا عنهم فأذاقهم الله لباس الجوع والخوف بما كانوا يصنعون وسألت عن رجلين اغتصبا رجلا مالا كان ينفقه على الفقراء والمساكين وابناء السبيل وفي سبيل الله فلما اغتصباه ذلك لم يرضيا حيث غصباه حتى حملاه إياه كرها فوق رقبته إلى منازلهما فلما أحرزاه توليا إنفاقه أيبلغان بذلك كفرا؟ فلعمري لقد نافقا قبل ذلك وردا على الله عز وجل كلامه وهزئا برسوله (صلى الله عليه وآله) وهما الكافران عليهما لعنة الله والملائكة والناس أجمعين والله ما دخل قلب أحد منهما شئ من الايمان منذ خروجهما من حالتيها وما ازدادا إلا شكا، كانا خداعين، مرتابين، منافقين حتى توفتهما ملائكة العذاب إلى محل الخزي في دار المقام، وسألت عمن حضر ذلك الرجل وهو يغصب ماله ويوضع على رقبته منهم عارف ومنكر فاولئك أهل الردة الاولى من هذه الامة فعليهم لعنة الله والملائكة والناس أجمعين، وسألت عن مبلغ علمنا وهو على ثلاثة وجوه ماض وغابر وحادث فأما الماضي فمفسر وأما الغابر فمزبور وأما الحادث فقذف في القلوب ونقر في الاسماع وهو أفضل علمنا ولا نبي بعد نبينا محمد (صلى الله عليه وآله)، وسألت عن امهات أولادهم وعن نكاحهم وعن طلاقهم فأما امهات أولادهم فهن عواهر إلى يوم القيامة نكاح بغير ولي وطلاق في غير عدة وأما من دخل في دعوتنا فقد هدم إيمانه ضلاله ويقينه شكه، وسألت عن الزكاة فيهم فما كان من الزكاة فأنتم أحق به لانا قد أحللنا ذلك لكم من كان منكم وأين كان وسألت عن الضعفاء فالضعيف من لم يرفع إليه حجة ولم يعرف الاختلاف فإذا عرف الاختلاف فليس بضعيف، وسألت عن الشهادات لهم فأقم الشهادة لله عز وجل ولو على نفسك والوالدين والاقربين فيما بينك وبينهم فإن خفت على أخيك ضيما فلا وادع إلى شرائط الله عز ذكره بمعرفتنا من رجوت إجابته ولا تحصن بحصن رياء ووال آل محمد ولا تقل لما بلغك عنا ونسب إلينا هذا باطل وإن كنت تعرف منا خلافه فإنك لا تدري لما قلناه وعلى أي وجه وصفناه، آمن بما اخبرك و، لا تفش ما استكتمناك من خبرك، إن واجب حق أخيك أن لا تكتمه شيئا تنفعه به لامر دنياه وآخرته ولا تحقد عليه وإن أساء وأجب دعوته إذا دعاك ولا تخل بينه وبين عدوه من الناس و إن كان أقرب إليه منك وعده في مرضه، ليس من أخلاق المؤمنين الغش ولا الاذى ولا الخيانة ولا الكبر ولا الخنا ولا الفحش ولا الامر به  فإذا رأيت المشوه الاعرابي في جحفل جرار فانتظر فرجك ولشيعتك المؤمنين وإذا انكسفت الشمس فارفع بصرك إلى السماء وانظر ما فعل الله عز وجل بالمجرمين فقد فسرت لك جملا مجملا و (صلى الله على محمد وآله) الاخيار. 

Ali bin Suwayd said: "I wrote to Imam Musa al Kazim (a.s), when he was in prison, a letter in which I asked him about his condition and many questions. The answer did not come for several months. Then he wrote to me and this a copy of the answer:

"In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, most High, most Great, through whose greatness and light the hearts of believing can see and because of His greatness and light the ignorant ones become His enemies, through His greatness and light those in the skies and those on earth seek to establish the relation by using their different deeds and opposing religions. There are the right ones and those who are mistaken, lost and guided, those who can hear and deaf, seeing and blind wandering."

"All praise belongs to Allah whose religion Mohammed (saw) has defined and described. Thereafter, you are of the people to whom Allah has given a special position with Ale (family of) Mohammed (as) and He has preserved the love/affection (Mawaddat) which attracts you to His religion. And that He has inspired you with awareness and insight in matters of your religion such that you give preference to Them (ِi.e. Aal-e-Muhammad عليهم السملام) and your refer/return matters (amr) back to Them."

"You have written to ask me of the issues about which I was in a fearful condition (Taqayyah) and was in a position to hide them for some extend. So when the authority of the tyrants came to an end and the authority of the one with the greatest authority (i.e Allah) came in the form of departing from and leaving the blameworthy world to its people who are transgressing against their Creator, then I found that I could explain what you have asked me fearing that confusion may come upon our weak Shia because of their ignorance."

"So fear Allah, most Glorious, and inform about it to only those who deserve it and be cautious against your becoming a means against the executors of the will (Wasee's) or provoking against them through publicizing what I have entrusted you with and exposing what I have asked you to hide and you will never do if Allah so wills."

"The first thing that I want to reach you is that I want to inform you of my death in these nights without being horrified or regretting or complaining about what is to happen of the matters that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has determined and has made inevitable."

"So hold firmly to the handle of the religion of Aal-e-Muhammad (عليهم السلام), and to the firmest handle - the trustee (Wasi) - one after another, and submit to Them, and be satisfied (rida) with what They say"

"And Do not seek the religion of those who are not from your Shia, and do not love their religion, for they are traitors who have betrayed Allah, His Messenger, and betrayed their trusts. And you know what they have betrayed of their trusts. They were entrusted with the Book of Allah, but they have distorted and altered it, and they were guided to the ones with authority (Wali Amr) but they turned away from Them, and Allah will make them taste the garb of hunger and fear for what they used to do."

"You have asked about the two men (Abu Bakr and Umar) who usurped/snatched the asset (could mean caliphate?) of a man (i.e. Imam Ali عليه السلام), which He spent for the poor and the destitute and those on a journey and in the way of Allah. When they usurped His asset, they did not stop for that much until they made him carry that asset to their homes. When they secured it, then they made themselves as the person in charge of its spending and they reach the level of disbelief in doing so. By my life, they two were hypocrites even before this and they rejected the words of Allah (عز وجل) and mocked His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله) and they two are disbelievers (Kafir), upon them is the curse of Allah, His angels and all people. By Allah, nothing of belief (iman) entered in the heart of both of them from the time of their coming out of their condition. It did not increase anything but doubt for them. They were deceitful, doubting and hypocrites until the angels of punishment took them away to the place of disgrace in the permanent dwelling."

"And You have asked about those who were present with that man (i.e. Imam Ali عليه السلام) when His asset (could mean caliphate?) was being snatched and placed on His shoulder, when certain ones knew and denied. They are of the first apostates of this nation; the curse of Allah, His angels and all people be upon them."

"You have asked about the level of our knowledge. It is of three types; About the past, about the future and about that which is continuously happening. That which is about the past is interpreted, that which is about future is written down and that which is about what is continuously happening is placed in the hearts and is placed in the ears, and this is the best (afdal) of our knowledge, and there is no Prophet after Our Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وآله)."

"You have asked about the mothers of their (opponents of the shia) children and about their marriage and their divorce. The mothers of their children are adulteress till the Day of Judgement, their marriage is without guardian and divorce without waiting period. As for those who enter in our call (i.e. accept Wilayah) then his belief destroys his misguidance and his certainty destroys his doubt."

"You have asked about their share in Zakat. In Zakat, you have more right. We have made it lawful for you and for those who are of your people, where ever they may be."

"You have asked about the weak ones, The weak one is him to whom the proof has not been presented and he does not know the differences (between Shia and non Shia), so if one knows the differences then he is not considered weak."

"You have asked about testimony in their favour. You must testify for the sake of Allah (عز وجل), even if it (testimony) is against your own self, parents, and relatives. But if you fear any injusting/harm upon your (believing) brother then do not give testimony."

"Call to the condition (religion) of Allah (تعالى) through Our recognition (Marifat) to the one whom you are hopeful of accepting. You must not seek protection by means of showing off (Riya)." 

"Accept the Mastership (Wilayah) of Ale (family of) Mohammed (عليهم السلام) and do not say about what has reached you from Us or is ascribed to Us as false even though you may know something against it from Us, because you do not know why We said it and how We explained it."

"You must have faith in what I inform you and must not publicise what we have held back from you of good issues. Of the obligation toward your brother is not to hold back from him anything, which benefits him in this life or in the hereafter. You must not be envious toward him even if he does bad things, you must accept his invitation when he calls, do not leave him to his enemies of the people even if he is closer to him than you are, and visit him when he is ill. *Cheating is not of the moral manners of the believing people, causing trouble, betrayal, arrogance, using indecent words, committing indecent acts or commanding to do such things. When you see the deformed Arab man with an army heavily (in a large number) moving, then you can expect coming of the glad news for you and for your believing Shia. When the sun appears, then you must raise your eye to the sky and see what Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has done to the criminal ones. I have explained for you a few items in general sense. O Allah, bless Mohammed and his family, the people of goodness."

[Source: Al-Kafi. Vol. 8, Pg. 124, H. 95]

Grading: Allamah al-Majlisi, in Mir'aat Al-Uqool. Vol. 25, Pg. 295 says that this Hadith is narrated by 3 chains, first is a weak chain, second is a reliable chain considered as Saheeh (Authentic) and the third chain is weak or unknown. But these chain considered together strengthen one another in making the hadith Saheeh (Authentic) and Shaikh Sadooq has narrated this with a Saheeh (Authentic) chain.