8. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hajjal from Tha’labah from Mu’ammar ibn Yahya who has said the following:

“I once asked abu Ja’far , about the narration of people from Ali , in the matters of reproductive issues of human beings about which he did not command or prohibit others except that he prohibited for himself and his children. I asked, ’How can this happen?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is because one verse has made it lawful and the other verse has made it unlawful.’ I then said, ‘This can happen only when one verse cancels the other, or that both are clear and that it is proper to follow both verses. He (the Imam) said, ’He has already explained it by prohibiting it for himself and his children.’ I then asked, ’What prevented him to explain it to people? He (the Imam) replied, ’Because he was afraid of people’s not listening to him. Had Ali , been able to establish a strong foothold he would execute all the rules of the book of Allah and all of the truth.’”