أَخْبَرَنَا الْقَاسِمُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ ، قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ شُرَيْحٍ يُحَدِّثُ، عَنْ عَمِيرَةَ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَهُ، يَقُولُ : إِنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ لِابْنِهِ :" اذْهَبْ فَاطْلُبْ الْعِلْمَ، فَخَرَجَ فَغَابَ عَنْهُ مَا غَابَ، ثُمَّ جَاءَهُ فَحَدَّثَهُ بِأَحَادِيثَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُوهُ : يَا بُنَيَّ، اذْهَبْ فَاطْلُبْ الْعِلْمَ، فَغَابَ عَنْهُ أَيْضًا زَمَانًا، ثُمَّ جَاءَ بِقَرَاطِيسَ فِيهَا كُتُبٌ، فَقَرَأَهَا عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ : هَذَا سَوَادٌ فِي بَيَاضٍ، فَاذْهَبْ اطْلُبْ الْعِلْمَ، فَخَرَجَ فَغَابَ عَنْهُ مَا غَابَ، ثُمَّ جَاءَ، فَقَالَ لِأَبِيهِ : سَلْنِي عَمَّا بَدَا لَكَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُوهُ : أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ أَنَّكَ مَرَرْتَ بِرَجُلٍ يَمْدَحُكَ، وَمَرَرْتَ بِآخَرَ يَعِيبُكَ؟، قَالَ : إِذًا لَمْ أَلُمْ الَّذِي يَعِيبُنِي، وَلَمْ أَحْمَدْ الَّذِي يَمْدَحُنِي، فَقَالَ : أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ مَرَرْتَ بِصَفِيحَةٍ؟، قَالَ أَبُو شُرَيْحٍ : لَا أَدْرِي أَمِنْ ذَهَبٍ أَوْ وَرِقٍ، فَقَالَ : إِذًا لَمْ أُهَيِّجْهَا وَلَمْ أَقْرَبْهَا، فَقَالَ : اذْهَبْ فَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ "

Al-Qasim bin Kathir informed us, saying: I heard Abd al-Rahman bin Shurayh narrating, on the authority of Umairah, that he heard him say: A man said to his son: Go and seek knowledge. He left and missed what he had missed. Then he came to him and told him some hadiths. His father said to him: O my son, go and seek knowledge. Knowledge, and he also disappeared for a while, then he brought parchment containing books, and he read it to him, and said to him: This is blackness in white, so go and seek. Knowledge, so he went out and missed what he had missed, then he came and said to his father: Ask me what seemed to you, and his father said to him: Did you see that you had passed by a man? He praises you, and you pass by another who faults you? He said: Then I do not blame the one who faults me, and I do not praise the one who praises me. He said: What if you passed by a plate? Abu Shurayh said: I do not know whether it is gold or paper. He said: Then I did not irritate it or approach it. He said: Go, as you know.