Meetham al-Tammar (r.a.) reports: I was in the marketplace when Asbagh Ibn Nobatah approached me and said – You are doomed O Meetham. I heard a very difficult tradition from Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) today. How can it be like that?
Meetham asked: What did you hear?
Asbagh replied – I heard Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) say – Our traditions are difficult and hard to comprehend. None can handle them save the proximate angels, the messengers and the slaves whose hearts have been tested for faith.
So I (Meetham) immediately left the marketplace and went to Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) and said to him – O Ameerul Momineen! Asbagh narrated a tradition from you today that was very difficult for me.
He asked – Which tradition?
I narrated the tradition that I had heard from Asbagh.
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) smiled and asked me to sit down and said – O Meetham can all knowledge be handled by the scholar?
‘When your Lord said to the angels: ‘Verily. I am going to appoint a caliph in the earth: they said: ‘Will you (O our Lord) place one in it who will make mischief and shed blood, while we celebrate Your Praise and extol Your Holiness?’ He said: ‘Verily, I know what you do not know” (Surah Baqarah (2):30).
So could the angels handle the knowledge?
I said – By Allah, this is even greater than what I heard from Asbagh.
He (a.s.) said – In another instance, Allah revealed the Torah to Moosa (a.s.). Then, Moosa (a.s.) thought that there was no one more knowledgeable than him.
To prevent astonishment from entering the heart of Moosa (a.s.), Allah said to him – There is someone in My Creation who is more knowledgeable than you.
So Moosa (a.s.) asked Allah to guide him to the knowledgeable person and Allah led him to Khizr (a.s.).
When Khizr (a.s.) punctured the ship, Moosa (a.s.) could not handle it. When Khizr (a.s.) killed the boy, Moosa (a.s.) could not handle it. When Khizr (a.s.) built the wall, Moosa (a.s.) could not handle it.
As for the believers, Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.a.) held my hand on the Day of Ghadeer and announced – O Allah! Of whomsoever I am his master, Ali is his master.
Not everyone could handle it, save those whom Allah protected.
Therefore rejoice and be delighted because Allah has chosen you to handle the matter (of Wilayat) and the knowledge of Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.a.) and this was not entrusted to all of the angels, nor was it given to every prophet or messenger.
Tafseer al-Furaat p 55 under Surah Baqarah (30) Tafseer Kanz al-Daqaaeq v 1 p 326 under Surah Baqarah (30) Bashaarah al-Mustafa Le Shiah al-Murtaza v 2 p 148-149 Behaar al-Anwaar v 2 p 210, v 25 p 383, v 33 p 281, v 37 p 233, v 41 p 354