Recognition the Followers of the False Based on the Analysis of the Content of Imam Sadegh's Letter to His Companions

Among the valuable relics left by Imam Sadegh, there is an open letter addressed to the companions in all eras, to which he paid special attention. According to the text of the narration, he instructed the companions to teach it to each other and to act accordingly. In the present study, this letter has been addressed by using the "content analysis method". this method is a systematic method that leads the researcher to infer and achieve practical patterns. In this research, the category of "knowing the followers of the false" in the mentioned letter has been analyzed based on the analysis of thematic content in a quantitative and qualitative manner. According to the results of quantitative analysis, the subject of "knowing the followers of the false" is one of the most frequent categories of this letter. This indicates the Imam's emphasis on the companions to need to know this group. The results of qualitative analysis also show that the characteristics of"followers of the false" from the doctrinal and moral dimensions and their opposition to the divine commandments are explained in this letter. In addition to mentioning the reasons for their deviation, their goals and their way of achieving these goals are other issues that have been considered in this letter. Also, the story of "Saqife Bani Sadeh" has been introduced as an example of deviating from the right path.