Chapter I: Repentance
(6) Sixth cause. The minor sin of a learned man turns in to a major sin. The reason is that the people follow the learned men.
If any one of them commits a minor sin, the people also commit it as they follow him. If a learned man puts on silk dress or a gold ring, enjoys the doubtful properties of others, frequently goes to the darbar of a ruling authority, learns such a learning with which he wishes to argue with others and seeks name and fame, these will turn into major sins if the people follow his actions.
Even after his death, these evils continue in the world. Thanks to the learned man with whose death there is the end of his sin.
There is in Hadis that whose introduces a bad custom, his sin ahd the sins of those who follow him devolve on him and his sins will never be reduced a little. God says : We shall record what they sent in advance and their signs. The meaning of these signs is what remains of their actions after they are done and what â– remains with its doer. Hazrat Ibn Abbas said : Woe to the learned man wffo follows in his bad actions. I f he slips he repents but the people hear it and travel therewith in the country. A certain sage said : The slip of a learned man is like the break of a boat which capsizes with those who are on board of it.
There is in a book of Banu Israil that a learned man misguided the people by his innovation. Then he repented and began to do goods deeds for a pretty long time. God revealed to His Prophet to tell him : If his sin would have been confined between him and Me, I would have forgiven him. How can I forgive one who misguides My servants ? I will throw him into Hell along with them. It appears from this that the affairs of the learned men are very serious. They have got the duty of giving up sin and the duty Of concealing it. As their sins are increased, their virtues also .are increased, as the people follow them in both their actions. If a learned man gives up the enjoyments of the world
Vol-IV THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES 37
and attachment of the world and remains satisfied with little food and drink and old clothes, gets virtues like the virtues of those who followed him in these affairs. If he does the contrary and remains attached to the enjoyments of the world only, he becomes the cause of these evils.
CONDITION OF TAUBA