حدثنا أبي - رضي الله عنه - قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسين، قال: حدثني أبو حفص محمد بن خالد، عن أخيه سفيان بن خالد، قال: قال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: يا سفيان إياك والرئاسة، فما طلبها أحد إلا هلك. فقلت له: جعلت فداك، قد هلكنا إذ ليس أحد منا إلا وهو يحب أن يذكر ويقصد ويؤخذ عنه! فقال: ليس حيث تذهب إليه، إنما ذلك أن تنصب رجلا دون الحجة فتصدقه في كل ما قال و تدعوا الناس إلى قوله.

1.	We were told by my father, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: We were told by Sa’d bin Abdullah, that he said: We were told by Muhammed bin Hussain, that he said: I was told by Abu Hafs, Muhammed bin Khalid, from his brother, Sufyan bin Khalid, that he said: Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, said: O Sufyan, beware from rulership, for none have sought except that he has perished. Then I said to him: May I be sacrificed for you, then certainly, we are to perish, as there is none of us except that he likes to be mentioned, sought and taken from. Then he said: It is not as you think towards. That is only that you assign a man (as a leader), besides the Proof, by which you believe him in everything he says and you call people to what he says.

Maʿānī al-ʾAkhbār

Chapter #158