Volume 2 Selected Narrations about the Twelfth Imam chapter3

Volume 2 Selected Narrations about the Twelfth Imam

Chapter3

Section Twenty-Six

The traditions that indicate he will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness

Comprised of 148 traditions

583. Al-Fitan [1]: Al-Walīd narrated to us from Sa`īd, from Qatāda, from Abī Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said: “[The Mahdī] will give away wealth munificently and will not count [what he is giving away]. He will fill the earth with justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. ”

584. Al-Fitan [2]: Al-Walīd narrated to us from Abū Rāfi` Ismā’īl b. Rāfi`, from someone who narrated to him, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī, from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said: “His nation will take refuge

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in him like the bees that take refuge in their leader. He will fill the earth with justice just as it will be filled with injustice; until the people return to their original state [and will become so peaceful] that no one will wake up someone who is asleep and no blood will be shed. ”

585. Al-Fitan [1]: Narrated to us ibn Wahb, from al-Ḥarth, from Minhāl b. `Amr b. Ziyād, from Abū Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī, from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family, who said: “He will fill the earth with justice as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice before him. He will rule for seven years. ”

586. Al-Musnad [2]: Narrated to us `Abd-Allah, from his father, from Muḥammad b. Ja`far, from `Auf, from Abū l-Ṣiddīq al-Nājī, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said: “The Hour will not be established until the earth is filled with unfairness and oppression. Then, a person from my progeny—or from my Ahl al-Bait—will emerge who will fill it with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and oppression. ”

587. Kanz al-`ummāl [3]: From `Alī, peace be on him, who said:

The earth will be filled with unfairness and injustice to such an extent that fear and grief will enter every house. They will ask for two dirhams... but it will not be given to them. Wars will follow wars and wealth will follow wealth

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until Allah surrounds them in His land; then, he will fill the earth with justice and fairness.

588. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to us `Alī b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Qazwīnī, from Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah al-Ḥaḍramī, from Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā al-Aḥwal, from Khallād al-Muqri’, from Qays b. Abī Ḥaṣīn, from Yaḥyā b. Waththāb, from `Abd-Allah b. `Umar, from al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī, peace be on him, who said:

If there remains but one day from the [end of the] world, Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will prolong it until a man from my progeny emerges. He will fill it with justice and fairness just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. This is what I heard from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family.

589. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Narrated to us my father and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, `Abd- Allah b. Ja`far al-Ḥimyarī, Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār, and Aḥmad b. Idrīs, all of them, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī al-Khaṭṭāb, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsā, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Khālid al-Barqī, and Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim, all of them, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Faḍḍāl, from Tha`labat b. Maimūn, from Mālik al-Juhanī; [and through another chain] narrated to us Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan b. Aḥmad b. al-Walīd, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṣaffār, and Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from `Abd-Allah b. Muḥammad al-Ṭayālisī, from Mundhir b. Muḥammad b. Qābūs, from al-Naṣr b. Abī al-Sarī, from Abū Dāwūd Sulaimān

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b. Sufyān al-Mustariq, from Tha`labat b. Maimūn, from Mālik al-Juhanī, from Ḥārith b. al-Mughaira al-Naṣrī, from al-Aṣbagh b. Nubāta who said:

I went to Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, and found him pondering over something and scratching the ground. I asked, “O Amīr al-Mu’minīn! Why am I seeing you pondering and scratching the ground; do you have any desire for it? ” He answered, ‘No, by Allah! I never had any desire for it or for the world, even for a single day. But I was thinking about a child who will be from my loin (ẓahrī) and my eleventh descendant. He is the Mahdī who will fill [the earth] with justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. He will have a bewilderment and an occultation in which, some will be deviated and others will be guided. ”

I asked, “O Amīr al Mu’minīn! Will this really happen? ” He replied, “Yes, just as he will be created. O Aṣbagh! Your knowledge about this affair will be very limited. They are the best of this nation along with the righteous ones of this progeny. ” I said, “What will happen after that? ” He replied, “Then, Allah will do what He pleases, for surely, He has intentions, aims, and endings. ”

590. Kifāyat al-athar [1]: Abū l-Mufaḍḍal informed us from Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-`Alawī, from `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn [al- Ḥasan] b. `Alī b. `Umar, from his father (Imam) `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, that he used to

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say: “Call for me my son al-Bāqir [i. e. Muḥammad]! ” I asked him, “O father! Why have you named him al-Bāqir? ” On hearing this, he smiled—and I hadn’t seen him smiling before this.

Then, he performed a long prostration for Allah, the Exalted. I heard him say in his prostration, “O Allah! All Praise is for you O my Master, for all the blessings that You have endowed upon us Ahl al-Bait. ” He repeated this sentence a number of times then said, “O my son! The Imamate is in his descendants until our Qā’im, peace be on him, rises. Then, he will fill it with fairness and justice.

He is an Imam and the father of the Imams [following him]. [He is] a mine of forbearance and the place of knowledge—which he will split as it should be split. By Allah, he is certainly the most similar of the people to the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. ” I asked, “How many Imams will follow him? ” He replied, “Seven; and from them is the Mahdī who will emerge with the religion in the end of times. ”

591. Dalā’il al-imāma [1]: Through his chain of narrators (meaning Abū l-Ḥusayn Muḥammad b. Hārūn b. Mūsā from his father) from Abū `Alī al-Nahāwandī from Abū l-Qāsim b. Abī Ḥayya from Isḥāq b. Abī Isrā’īl from Abū `Ubaida al-Ḥaddād from `Abd al-Wāḥid b. Wāṣil al- Sadūsī from `Auf from Abū l-Ṣiddīq al-Nājī from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings

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be on him and his family, said: “The Hour will not be established until the earth is filled with unfairness and oppression. Then, a person from my progeny—or he said from my Ahl al-Bait—will emerge. He will fill it with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and oppression. ’”

592. Ghaybat of al-Shaykh [1]: Through his chain of narrators [meaning Ibrāhīm b. Salma, from Aḥmad b. Mālik al-Fazārī, from Ḥaidar b. Muḥammad al-Fazārī, from `Abbād b. Ya`qūb, from Naṣr b. Muzāḥim, from Muḥammad b. Marwān, from al-Kalbī, from Abū Ṣāliḥ,] concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted: “Know that Allah will give life to earth after its death,” from ibn `Abbās who said: “It means, he will reform the earth through the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad. ‘After its death’ means after the injustice [committed by] its people. ‘Indeed, We have made clear the signs for you’ with the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad ‘so that you may understand. ’” [2]

593. Dalā’il al-imāma [3]: Abū l-Ḥusayn Muḥammad b. Hārūn informed me from his father, from Abū `Alī al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad al- Nahāwandī, from al-`Abbās b. Maṭar al-Hamdānī, from Ismā’īl b. `Alī al-Muqrī, from Muḥammad b. Sulaimān, from Abū Ja`far al-`Arajī, from Muḥammad b. Yazīd, from Sa`īd b. `Abāya, from Salmān al-Farsī who said: “Amīr al-Mu’minīn delivered a sermon in Medina. He had mentioned the fitna and its nearness, then, he spoke about the rising of the

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Qā’im from his descendant’s and that he would surely fill the earth with justice just as it would be filled with injustice... (to the end of the tradition in its entirety). ”

594. Al-Kāfī [1]: Aḥmad b. Idrīs, from Muḥammad b. Aḥmad, from Ja`far b. al-Qāsim, from Muḥammad b. al-Walīd al-Khazzāz, from al- Walīd b. `Uqba, from al-Ḥārith b. Ziyād, from Shu`ayb, from Abū Ḥamza who recounts:

I went to see (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah (al-Ṣādiq) , peace be on him, and asked him, “Are you the master of this affair? ” He replied, “No. ” I asked again, “Is it your son? ” He replied, “No. ” I questioned again, “The son of your son? ” He said, “No. ” I asked, “The son of the son of your son? ” He answered, “No. ” I asked, “Then who is he? ” He said, “He who will fill [the earth] with justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice; during the concealment (fatra) of Imams, just as the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, was sent when there was an absence (fatra) of Messengers.

595. Farā’id al-simṭain [2]: Narrated to us `Abd al-Wāḥid b. Muḥammad b. `Abdūs al-`Aṭṭār al-Nīsābūrī, [from `Alī b. Muḥammad b. Qutayba al-Nīsābūrī, from Ḥamdān b. Sulaimān al-Nīsābūrī], from Muḥammad b. Ismā’īl b. Bazī`, from Ṣāliḥ b. `Uqba, from his father, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Bāqir, from his father—the Master of the Worshippers—`Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, from his father—the Master of the Martyrs—al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, from his

father—the Master of the Heirs—`Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, Allah be satisfied with them all, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said:

The Mahdī is from my descendants. He will have an occultation and bewilderment in which the nations will be deviated. [Then,] he will emerge with the treasures of the prophets, peace be on them, and will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness.

596. Tafsīr Furāt al-Kūfī [1]: Narrated to me `Alī b. Muḥammad b. `Umar al-Zuhrī, through his sources from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, that

Al-Ḥārith al-A`war said to (Imam) al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, “O Son of Allah’s Messenger! May I be sacrificed for you! Inform me about the saying of Allah in His Book, ‘By the Sun and its daylight’ (Quran 91: 1)? ” He replied, “Woe to you, O Ḥārith! This [verse] refers to Muḥammad, the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. ” I asked, “And His saying, ‘And the moon when it follows the sun’ (Quran 91: 2)? ” He said, “This refers to Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, who follows Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. ” I enquired, “‘And the day when it reveals it’ (Quran 91: 3)? ” He said, “That refers to the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice. ”

597. Al-Nukat al-I`tiqādiyya [2]:

--------------------

[1]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, chap. “Sīrat al-Mahdī... ,” p. 192.

[2]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, chap. “Sīrat al-Mahdī... ,” pp. 192–93.

[1]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, chap. “Sīrat al-Mahdī... ,” p. 193 ; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, p. 468 (short version).

[2]: Al-Musnad, vol. 3, p. 36; Kanz al-`ummāl, vol. 14, p. 271, no. 38691; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 1, p. 16, and chap. 3, pp. 36–37; Dalā’il al-imāma, chap. “Ma`rifat wujūb al-Qā’im,” p. 249, no. 40; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 1, p. 82, no. 22, citing what has been gathered by al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū Nu`aim.

[3]: Kanz al-`ummāl, vol. 14, p. 586, no. 39659.

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 30, pp. 317–318, no. 4; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 3, p. 133, no. 5; I`lām al-warā, sect. 2, chap. 1, pp. 401–402.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 26, pp. 288–289, no. 1.

I say: It is clear that when he says “my eleventh descendant,” he is obviously referring to the eleventh Imam from his descendant’s—who is al-Mahdī, may my soul be sacrificed at his feet—and its first chain of narrators is definitely correct.

A similar tradition can be found in Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 4, pp. 60–61, no. 4: “‘I am thinking about the child who will be from my loin (ẓahrī). He is the Mahdī who will fill it with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice. He will have a bewilderment and an occultation in which some people will deviate and others will be guided. ’ I asked, ‘O Amīr al-Mu’minīn! How long will this bewilderment and occultation last? ’ He replied, ‘A period of time... ’” In this version, “my eleventh descendant” has not been recorded. In some versions “from the loin of my eleventh descendant” has been recorded but it is unclear if this is a scribal error or a variation in the contents of the books. [We don’t know] how this happened while the copy that the learned scholar, al-Qummī, regarded as original for its first edition, which he corrected and compared with numerous ancient manuscripts, did not contain any of these two additions!

What is understood from Biḥār al-anwār regarding the compatibility of the contents of Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī with that of al-Kāfī in the reply to the question about the duration of bewilderment and occultation, is inconsistent with the copy of Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī which we possess. For, he said: “a period of time (sibtun min al-dahr) ” which is different to what has been recorded in al-Kāfī, the contents of which we will soon mention with their wordings. ‘Sibtun min al-dahr’ means a period of time which can be long or short.

Similarly, the contents of the printed version of the old handwritten manuscript of al-Ikhtiṣāṣ are also incompatible with that of al-Kāfī. Also, it does not have the question about the duration of bewilderment and occultation.

Al-Ikhtiṣāṣ, chap. “Ithbāt al-a’imma,” p. 209, with the difference that he said: “But I was thinking of the child who will be from the loin of my eleventh descendant; he is the Mahdī who will... ” Apparently this is incorrect, because Imam Ḥasan al-`Askarī— the father of Imam al-Mahdī, peace be on him—is without doubt the ninth descendant of Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be upon him. Therefore, al-Majlisī has written in Mir`āt al-`uqūl that “it means from the loin of the eleventh Imam and ‘my descendant’ is used to describe the new-born... (to the end). ”

Dalā’il al-imāma, p. 289, which is like what was in al-Ikhtiṣāṣ except that it ends like this: “I asked, ‘O Amīr al-Mu’minīn! For how long will this bewilderment and this occultation last? ’ He replied, ‘Why [do you want to know]? How [do you expect] to have the knowledge of this affair, O Aṣbagh? They are the chosen ones of this nation and the righteous ones of this progeny. ’”

Kifāyat al-athar, chap. 29, pp. 219–220, no. 2, which says, “but I was thinking about the child who will be from my loin; my eleventh descendant who is the Mahdī. He will fill it with justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. He will have a bewilderment and occultation in which some people will deviate and others will be guided... (to the end of the tradition). ” It must be noted that he has not recorded the entire tradition.

Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 338, no. 7, with the difference: “I asked, ‘O Amīr al-Mu’minīn! How long will this bewilderment and occultation last? ’ He said, ‘Six days or six months or six years. ’” And also in the end: “for surely, He has alterations [in destinies], intentions, aims, and endings (badā’āt wa ‘irādāt wa ghāyāt wa nahāyāt). ’” The copies vary in his saying, “from my loin, my eleventh descendant. ”

Ghaybat al-Shaykh, pp. 103–104, same as al-Kāfī; Ithbāt al-waṣiyya, which is also the same as al-Kāfī which says, “from my loin. ” Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. “Al-Nuṣūṣ `ala... ,” pp. 357–358, no. 20, citing al-Kāfī, which also records ‘from my loin’ but he has dropped the question and answer concerning the duration of bewilderment and occultation just as he has dropped the last part of the tradition. Perhaps, he has done so because he was uncertain about what he had dropped as it was in contrast to the contents of the remaining part of the tradition and even that of other traditions.

It is apparent that what has been recorded in al-Kāfī—regarding the answer (to the question) about the duration of bewilderment and occultation—is incompatible with his saying: “He will have an occultation and bewilderment in which some people will deviate and others will be guided,” because of the importance of the occultation, the examination of the people by it, the firmness of the deviated on their deviation, and the guided on their guidance. An occultation and bewilderment of merely six days, cannot be the cause of the bewilderment and deviation of the people and the same holds true for six months or six years. Once this time passes [the bewilderment] will be over but when its period is prolonged and extended, then some people will be deviated in it and will remain steadfast in their deviation.

To sum it up, the contents of the tradition in al-Kāfī are indeed confusing and muddled but there is no need to constrain ourselves to justify it because its chain is weak and because a narration with a correct chain and wording devoid of any disturbance and disorder and in accordance with other traditions exists [which opposes it]. This narration is what al-Ṣadūq has recorded in Kamāl al-dīn in one of his two chains of narrators for this tradition: “From his father and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, may Allah be satisfied with them, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah... (to the end of what we already cited from him). ” This (tradition) is reliable and others cannot be relied upon because of their disturbance and disorder, the variations in the different versions of the texts, and the weakness of the chain of narrators due to some of its narrators being unknown (majhūl).

One can rely on what has been narrated in Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī and Kifāyat al-athar because their text does not contain the disturbance and disorder (of al-Kāfī’s tradition) and the weakness in their chain of narrators is compensated by their harmony with the other traditions.

If someone says: al-Shaykh (al-Ṭūsī) has recorded this tradition in his al-Ghayba with an authentic chain of narrators which also has the question about the duration of bewilderment and occultation and the same answer found in al-Kāfī has been mentioned; Then, we would answer: It has been narrated in Al-Kāfī—with a chain of narrators which consists of some unknown narrators (majāhīl) —and al-Shaykh has recorded it using the wording of al-Kāfī through two chains of narrators, the first is the weak chain used in al-Kāfī but the second is other than that and is correct and authentic. Apparently, the latter is the shortened chain mentioned by al-Ṣadūq in Kamāl al-dīn and it is the one which we have relied on. It is clear for anyone who is skilled in the knowledge of traditions that the wordings of the tradition in Ghaybat al-Shaykh are exactly like those of al-Kāfī.

This is all we will say about the chain of narrators and the text of the tradition recorded in al-Kāfī. Furthermore, the consistency of the text recorded in Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī—who was also the scribe of al-Kulainī—should also be taken into account.

The contents of this tradition in al-Kāfī are similar to the contents of the tradition recorded by al-Ṣadūq in Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 31, pp. 323–324, no. 8, through his chain of narrators from our master Imam Zain al-`Ābidīn. We did not find some of the narrators in the rijāl books. This narration comprises of the duration of the short occultation: “Surely, our Qā’im will have two occultations; one of them will be longer than the other. The first will last for six days, six months, or six years, but the second, will become so long that most of those who believed in this affair (i. e. Imamate) will reject it and no one will remain steadfast in it except those who have strong certitude and correct recognition. (Those) who will not become discomforted because of what we have decreed or decided and will submit completely to us Ahl al-Bait. ” The same things that we said about the tradition in al-Kāfī can also be mentioned here. To that we will add: six days or six months cannot be used to describe the meaning of occultation in such situations. Apparently, this tradition is in contradiction with that found in al-Kāfī and it is not correct to reconcile between them. This tradition cannot be used to verify what al-Aṣbagh has narrated—like what our Shaykh, al-Majlisī, has done—just as al-Aṣbagh’s tradition cannot be verified using this tradition. All we can say in such situations is that the owners of these traditions—i. e. the Ahl al-Bait, peace be on them—know their meanings best.

It is wrong to justify this narration—with its weak chain and troubling contents that have restricted the duration of the occultation to six days, six months, or six years— using the concept of badā’, which is one of the most important things on which the foundations of Prophethood and the benefits of dispatching the Messengers and sending down the Holy Books and even the system of religion, the world, legislation, and creation are laid. Because we believe badā’ will change only those things which can be proved by intellect (`aql) or sharia; things like death, illness, sustenance, calamities, afflictions, and etc. , which can be changed by prayers, giving charity, bonding with relatives, and even through treatment with medicine. Also, any action which is effective in advancing or postponing the time of death or repelling calamities, changing blessings or reducing or increasing them—which we have proved elsewhere—are from the same category. Allah, the Exalted, says: “Allah erases what He wills and keeps (what He wills) and with Him is the Mother Book” (Quran 13: 39) , “Surely Allah does not change what is with a nation until they change what is with themselves” (Quran 13: 11) , “Had the people of the towns believed and were God-fearing, we would have certainly opened [or expanded] for them blessings from the sky and the earth, but they denied so we punished them because of what they used to do” (Quran 7: 96) , “If you be grateful, I will certainly give you more and if you be ungrateful, [then] My punishment is indeed severe” (Quran 14: 7). It has also been narrated that “Protect your faith by giving charity and protect your wealth by paying zakāt and repel the waves of calamities through supplications” (Nahj al-balāgha, wisdom no. 146) , and also “Bonding with relatives (ṣilat al-raḥim) increases age, prevents severe death, and keeps away poverty,” (Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 74, p. 174).

[1]: Kifāyat al-athar, chap. 32, pp. 237–238, no. 2; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 36, chap. 44, pp. 388–389, no. 3, citing Kifāyat al-athar with this chain: “`Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. `Umar b. al-Ḥusayn, from Ḥusayn b. Zaid, from his (paternal) uncle `Umar b. `Alī, from his father. ”

[1]: Dalā’il al-imāma, p. 249, no. 40.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 175, no. 131; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 5, p. 53, no. 32; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 12, p. 501, no. 287, and sect. 59, p. 581, no. 762; Muntakhab al-anwār al-muḍī’a, p. 18; al-Maḥajja, pp. 221–222.

[2]: Quran 57: 17.

[3]: Dalā’il al-imāma, p. 253.

[1]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, pp. 340–341, no. 21; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, pp. 186–187, no. 38; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 54, no. 21. Al-Majlisī writes: “Absence (al-fatra) between two Messengers is the period in which sending Messengers is paused and their heirs (waṣīs) are hidden. The fatra of Imams means they are concealed and do not appear for a long duration or there is an absence of a powerful and dominant Imam. This includes the era of all the Imams except Amīr al-Mu’minīn; and the first explanation seems more probable. ”

[2]: Farā’id al-simṭain, vol. 2, p. 335, no. 587; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 94, p. 448; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 25, p. 287, no. 5; I`lām al-warā, chap. 2, sect. 2; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 1, p. 72, no. 17; Ghāyat al-marām, chap. 141, p. 695, no. 30, and chap. 142, p. 695, no. 23; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 461, no. 105.

[1]: Tafsīr Furāt al-Kūfī, p. 212; see Ta’wīl al-āyāt al-ẓāhira and you will find other traditions from al-Ḥalabī, al-Faḍl Abū l-Abbās, and Sulaimān al-Daylamī; all of whom have interpreted the verse, “And the day when it reveals it” to the Qā’im and his rising, peace be on him.

[2]: Al-Nukat al-i`tiqādiyya, p. 35

From the Prophet, Allah's blessings be on him and his family:

If nothing remains from the world but one hour, Allah will prolong that hour until a person from my progeny emerges. His name will be my name and his epithet will be my epithet. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. It is obligatory for every creature to follow him.

598. Al-Muḥkam wa l-mutashābih [1]: Concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted, “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth... ” [2] citing Tafsīr al-Nu`mānī through his chain of narrators from (Imam) al-Ṣādiq, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on them: “Niche refers to the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family; the lamp is the [first] heir (al-waṣī) and the [following] heirs; the glass is al- Fāṭima, peace be on her; and the blessed tree is the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, and the shining star is the awaited Qā’im who will fill the earth with justice. ”

The traditions with following numbers also show the above concept: 72, 80, 91, 95, 149, 153, 160, 161, 165, 181, 194, 205, 216, 217, 219, 221, 225, 226, 227 (which says, “Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will fill the earth through him with light after its darkness and with justice after its injustice and knowledge after its ignorance) , 235, 241, 246, 247, 249, 253, 254, 257, 259, 263, 272, 275, 280,

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281, 291, 295, 321, 339, 346, 353, 360, 365, 366, 367, 370, 371 (which says, “unfairness, injustice, and oppression”) , 374, 375, 378, 382, 390, 396, 400, 404, 406, 428, 429, 431, 451, 453, 454, 458, 460, 461, 463, 484, 485, 492 (which says, “he will fill the earth with justice just as it will be filled with injustice”) , 494, 497, 498, 500, 502, 505, 507, 508,511, 513, 524, 527, 528, 532, 535, 541, 543, 544, 547, 548, 551, 555, 556, 557, 563, 564, 567, 570, 581, 612, 653, 670, 701, 726, 748, 764, 775, 791, 796, 806, 807, 810, 828, 859, 910, 950, 983 (which says, “He will fill the earth with truth and justice”) , 1028, 1094, 1095, 1097, 1101, 1113, 1129, 1130, 1136, 1155–1160, 1195 (which says, “fairness and justice, light, and reasoning”) , 1198, and 1204.

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[1]: Al-Muḥkam wa l-mutashābih, p. 27; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 2, chap. 9, sect. 26, p. 506, no. 468. It is appropriate that we mention here what has been mentioned in the book al-Kunā wa l-alqāb, chap. 3, pp. 68–69, under the name ‘Quftān’ citing A`yān al-Shī`a: “Shaykh Muḥammad Ṭāhā Najaf has narrated from al-Shaykh Aḥmad b. al-Shaykh Ḥasan b. al-Shaykh `Alī al-Najafī—the learned litterateur and poet (d. 1293 AH) —that he saw the Awaited Imam, peace be on him, in a dream and complained to him. The Imam answered him with these two lines of poetry:

For us is the return after a prolonged occultation

And we will fill it with justice just as it was filled with unfairness

Soon my promise will be fulfilled, say to those who disbelieve in me

Indeed this is a truth that my Lord will certainly (fulfill)

[2]: Quran 24: 35.

Section Twenty-Seven

The traditions that indicate he will have two occultations and one will be shorter than the other

Comprised of ten traditions

599. Al-Kāfī [1]: Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn, from ibn Maḥbūb, from Isḥāq b. `Ammār, from (Imam) Abū `Abd- Allah, peace be on him, who said: “The Qā’im will have two occultations: one of them will be short and the other long. In the first occultation, no one will know his whereabouts except his special followers (khāṣṣatu shī`atih). As for the other, no one will know his whereabouts except his special servants (khāṣṣatu mawālīh). ”

600. Yanābī` al-mawadda [2]: Citing al-Maḥajja fī mā nazala fī l-Qā’im al-Ḥujja, concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted, “And

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he made it a firm word in his future generations so that they may return” (Quran 43: 28). From Thābit al-Thumālī, from Imam `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, from his father, from his grandfather Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, may Allah be satisfied with him, who said:

This verse was revealed about us. Allah has put Imamate in the generation of al-Ḥusayn until the Day of Judgment. Our Qā’im will definitely have two occultations: one of them will be longer than the other and no one will remain steadfast in his Imamate except those who have strong certitude and correct recognition.

601. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Narrated to us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd, from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan, from `Abd al-Raḥmān b. Abū Najrān, from `Alī b. Mahziyār, from Ḥammād b. `Īsā, from Ibrāhīm b. `Umar al-Yamānī who said: “I heard (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, say, ‘The master of this affair will surely have two occultations. ’ I also heard him say, ‘The Qā’im will not rise while having anybody’s allegiance on his neck [i. e. The Qā’im will rise while he will not have pledged allegiance to anyone]. ’”

602. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [2]: Informed us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd, from al-Qāsim b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan b. Ḥāzim, from his book, from `Ubais b. Hishām, from `Abd-Allah b. Jabala, from Ibrāhīm b. al-Mustanīr, from al-Mufaḍḍal b. `Umar al-Ju`fī, from (Imam) Abū `Abd- Allah al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, who said:

The master of this affair will surely have two occultations: one of them will be prolonged to such an

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extent that some of them will say, “He has died,” some will say, “He has been killed,” and some of them will say, “He has gone. ” No one from his companions [i. e. followers] will remain [steadfast] in his affair except for very few. No one will know his whereabouts from his friends or anybody else except a servant who looks after his affairs.

603. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd b. `Uqda, from Muḥammad b. al-Mufaḍḍal b. Ibrāhīm b. Qays and Sa`dān [Sa`d] b. Isḥāq b. Sa`īd and Aḥmad b. al-Ḥusayn [al-Ḥasan] b. `Abd al-Malik and Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan al-Qaṭawānī, all of them from al- Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from Ibrāhīm [b. Ziyād] al-Khāriqī, from Abū Baṣīr who said:

I said to (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, that (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, used to say, “The Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad will have two occultations and one of them will be longer than the other. ” He said, “Yes, and this will not occur until the family of so and so clash with each other, war rages (taḍīq al-ḥalqa) , the Sufyānī appears, calamities intensify, death and killings engulf the people, and they seek refuge in the Sanctum of Allah (ḥaram Allāh) and the Sanctum of His Messenger (ḥaram rasūlih) , Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. ”

604. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [2]: `Abd al-Wāḥid b. `Abd-Allah, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Rabāḥ, from Aḥmad b. `Alī al-Ḥimyarī, from al- Ḥasan b. Ayyūb, from `Abd al-Karīm b. `Amr, from al-`Alā b.

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Razīn, from Muḥammad b. Muslim al-Thaqafī, from (Imam) al-Bāqir Abū Ja`far, peace be upon him, who said: “The Qā’im will have two occultations. In one of them, [some will say] ‘he has perished’ and [others will say,] ‘No one knows where he is. ’”

605. Al-Kāfī [1]: Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā and Aḥmad b. Idrīs, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī al-Kūfī, from `Alī b. Ḥassān, from `Abd al-Raḥmān b. Kathīr, from al-Mufaḍḍal b. `Umar who said:

I heard (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, say, “The master of this affair will have two occultations: in one of them, he will return to his family. As for the other, [some will say] ‘he has perished’ and [others will say,] ‘No one knows where he is. ’” I asked, “What should we do when this happens? ” He replied, “When somebody claims [to be him], ask him about matters that only someone like him can answer. ”

606. Al-Kāfī [2]: Al-Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad from al-Qāsim b. Ismā’īl al-Anbārī, from Yaḥyā b. al-Muthannā, from `Abd-Allah b. Bukair, from `Ubaid b. Zurāra, from Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “The Qā’im will have two occultations. In one of them, he will be present during the Hajj season; he will see the people but they will not be able see him. ”

607. `Iqd al-durar [3]: From (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī, peace be on him, who said: “The master of this affair—meaning the Mahdī, peace be on him—will have two occultations. One of them will become so elongated that some

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will say, ‘he has died,’ others will say, ‘he has been killed,’ and others will say, ‘he has gone. ’ No one will be aware of his whereabouts, not his friends nor anybody else, except the servants who look after his affairs. ”

The following tradition also proves the above concept: 254.

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[1]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. “Fī l-ghayba,” p. 340, no. 19; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 52, no. 19; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 170, no. 2, with a slight difference. Al-Nu`mānī has also recorded this tradition on p. 170, no. 1: “From ibn `Uqda, from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan al-Taimulī, from `Umar b. Uthmān, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from Isḥāq b. `Ammār al-Ṣairafī, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said, ‘The Qā’im will have two occultations: one will be long and the other short. In the first occultation, his special followers (khāṣṣatu shī`atih) will know his whereabouts. As for the other, no one will know his whereabouts except his special servants. ’” In this tradition, the long occultation has been mentioned before the shorter one which should have been first. This does not affect our goal and intention for mentioning this tradition.

[2]: Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 71, p. 427; al-Maḥajja fī mā nazala fī l-Qā’im al-Ḥujja, p. 200, under verse 43: 28.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, p. 171, no. 3.

[2]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, pp. 171–172, no. 5.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, pp. 172–173, no. 7; Dalā’il al-imāma, sect. “Ma`rifat mā warada min al-akhbār fī wujūb al-ghayba,” p. 293, to his saying: “He said, ‘Yes. ’”

[2]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, p. 173, no. 8.

[1]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, p. 340, no. 12; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, pp. 175–176, no. 9, which says: “He will return in one of them” and “Then ask him about those great matters that only someone like him can answer”; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 54, no. 20.

I say: When he speaks about him returning in one of the occultations to his family, he might mean that the his whereabouts will still be known to his special (followers) and that they will be in touch with him—may my father and mother be sacrificed for him—either through correspondence or the privilege of directly meeting him or through representatives and ambassadors between him and his followers. Al-Majlisī, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “‘He will return to his family,’ means the dependents of his father or to his representatives and ambassadors. ‘Only someone like him can answer,’ means that only someone like the Qā’im, peace be on him, can answer such questions that are known to no one except an Imam; things like informing all the people about the unseen and questions about difficult issues and the sciences that only they have knowledge about. If he answers these correctly—and his answers are in accordance with what has reached you from their forefathers, peace be on them—then know that he is the Imam; and this [questioning] must be specifically performed by the knowledgeable scholars. ”

[2]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, p. 339, no. 12; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, pp. 175–176, no. 16; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 47, no. 12.

[3]: `Iqd al-durar, chap. 5, p. 134; al-Burhān fī `alāmāt Mahdī ākhir al-zamān, chap. 12, pp. 171–172, no. 4; Bishārat al-Islām, chap. 4, p. 81, no. 4.

The esteemed Shaykh, ibn Abī Zainab al-Kātib al-Nu`mānī, writes: “The traditions which mention that the Qā’im, peace be on him, will have two occultations are regarded by us as true and authentic, Praise be to Allah. Allah has made clear what the Imams, peace be on them, had said and has shown the proof of their truthfulness in these traditions. The first occultation, is the occultation in which there were ambassadors in it—whom connected the Imam and the people. The ambassadors were appointed from amongst apparent and prominent personalities. Difficult sciences, abstruse talks of wisdom, and the answer to all the hard and problematic questions which were asked were delivered by them. This was the short occultation; whose time has expired and its period has come to an end. The second occultation is the one in which the ambassadors and emissaries were removed because of an affair desired by Allah, the Exalted, and the strategy which He had implemented amongst His creation, so that those who claim (to follow) this affair will be sifted, examined, tested, separated, and purified—just as Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, says, ‘Allah will not leave the believers in the state which you are in until He distinguishes the evil from the good; nor will Allah inform you of the unseen... ’ (Quran 3: 179). Indeed, this time has certainly come and may Allah make us steadfast in the truth and make us one of those who will not pass through the sieve of fitnas. This is the meaning of the saying that ‘he will have two occultations. ’ At the end, we ask Allah to hasten the relief (faraj) of His friends and appoint us amongst the best of those who obey him, and the purest of those who follow him, and from the best of those who He deems fit for and has selected to help His friend and Caliph. Surely, He is the Master of kindness, the Munificent, the Benefactor” (Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, pp. 173–174).

In I`lām al-warā, sect. 1 of the 3rd chap. , 2nd part of the 4th pillar, it has been mentioned that “the traditions of occultation precede the era of al-Ḥujja, peace be on him, and even the era of his father and grandfather, and that Shia traditionalists have immortalized them in their Principles (Uṣūl books) compiled during the time of the two masters, al-Bāqir and al-Ṣādiq, peace be on them, and traced (their chains) from the Holy Prophet and the Imams, peace be on them, one after the other, and this is why the belief in the Imamate of the Master of the Time is correct; because he possesses these attributes and an occultation that has been mentioned amongst his attributes and no one can refute this. ” He then says: “Amongst the reliable Shia traditionists and authors is al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb al-Zarrād who wrote the book al-Mashīkha more than a hundred years before the period of occultation—which amongst the Shia Uṣūl books is more famous than the book of al-Muzanī and its kind. He has recorded in it some of what we have mentioned about the occultation. All these occurred just as they had been foretold and everything that they had guaranteed occurred without any variation. From these, is what he narrated from Ibrāhīm al-Khāriqī, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah... (he then mentions the fifth tradition in this chapter and says,) see how the two occultations have occurred for the Master of the Affair, peace be on him, exactly like how the aforementioned narrations from his forefathers and ancestors had guaranteed” (Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, pp. 173–174).

Al-Mufīd writes in al-Fuṣūl al-`ashara: “The traditions narrated from the late Imams of the family of Muḥammad, peace be upon them, complement each other in concluding that the awaited Qā’im must definitely have two occultations and one of them will be longer than the other. In the shorter occultation, some special people will have news about him and in the longer occultation, no one from the public will know of his abode except for a few of his reliable companions who will have the privilege of being at his service and who will only serve him and no one else. Such traditions have existed in the writings of the Shia Imāmī authors before the birth of Abū Muḥammad (al-`Askarī) , his father, and his grandfather, peace be on them. There truth became apparent with the advent of the representatives and ambassadors—whom we already named, may Allah have mercy on them—and the truthfulness of the narrators also became clear with the start of the major occultation. This was indeed a magnificent sign about the truthfulness of the Shia Imāmī belief. ”

I say: The fact that these traditions were recorded in al-Kāfī during the minor occultation, and the minor occultation ending and the beginning of the second occultation after it, is also evidence of their authenticity. For `Alī b. Muḥammad al-Samurī, may Allah be satisfied with him—who was the last ambassador—passed away in the month of Sha`bān, 329 AH, while al-Kulainī died in 328 AH. According to another report, al-Kulainī died in 329 AH, the same year in which the fourth ambassador died; who had died in the middle of Sha`bān, 329AH. Others believe that even if al-Kulainī died in the year 329 AH, it was before the death of al-Samurī. The fact that he has recorded these traditions in al-Kāfī during the minor occultation is by itself proof of their authenticity and correctness.

You should know that the occultation of our master Imam al-Mahdī—may my father and mother be sacrificed for him—has also been mentioned in the poems of Shia poets like al-Ḥimyarī (d. 173 AH) , who said in his poem (see al-Ghadīr, vol. 2, p. 247) addressed to our master al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him,

We have been informed about the successor of Muḥammad

And what has been said is not a lie

That the master of this affair will be not be found and will become unseen

Hidden, like he who is fearful and waiting

Then the wealth of the lost one will be distributed as if

...

He will live for some time then will rise

Like the rising of a Star in the horizon

I hold my Lord as a Witness that your saying is a proof

Upon all the creatures, obedient and sinners

That the Master of the Affair and the Qā’im

Is the one whom my soul flies to with delight

For him is an occultation which is inevitable

And Allah sends salutations upon this concealed person

He will stay thus for a while and then appear

And fill with justice the East and the West

Section Twenty-Eight

The traditions that indicate he will have a long occultation until Allah, the Exalted, allows him to emerge

Comprised of one-hundred traditions

608. Kifāyat al-athar [1]: Aḥmad b. Ismā’īl, from Muḥammad b. Hammām, from `Abd-Allah b. Ja`far al-Ḥimyarī, from Mūsā b. Muslim, from Mas`ada who said:

I was with (Imam) al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, when an old man—bent and leaning on his staff—came to him and greeted him. Abū `Abd-Allah replied to his greetings and the old man said, “O son of Allah’s Messenger! Stretch your hand for me so that I may kiss it. ” So he stretched his hand and he kissed it (and) then started to cry.

(Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, said, “Why are you crying, O old man? ” He answered, “May I be sacrificed for you [O son of Allah’s messenger]! I have been waiting for your Qā’im for the last one hundred years, saying [to myself that he will come] this month or this year. Now, I have become old, my bones have turned fragile [thin], and my death is approaching me, but I don’t see what I would like to see [and I see concerning you what I dislike]. I see you [Ahl al-Bait]

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being disdained and turned away. On the other hand, I see your enemies freely doing what they want. Why shouldn’t I cry? ”

The eyes of Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, filled with tears and he said, “O old man! If Allah allows you to live until you see our Qā’im, you will be with us on the highest pinnacle. And if death comes to you, you will come on the Day of Judgment along with the weight (thiql) of Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family, and we are his weight. For indeed, he has said, ‘I leave amongst you two weighty things (thiqls) ; so fasten to them and you will never be deviated: the Book of Allah and my progeny, my Ahl al-Bait. ’”

The old man said, “After hearing this tradition, I will no longer be concerned. ” He said, “O old man! Our Qā’im will be from the loin of al-Ḥasan; al-Ḥasan will be from the loin of `Alī; `Alī will be from the loin of Muḥammad; Muḥammad will be from the loin of `Alī; `Alī will be from the loin of this son of mine—he then pointed to (Imam) al-Mūsā, peace be on him—and he is from my loin. We are twelve and all of us are infallible (ma`ṣūmūn) and purified (muṭahharūn). ”

The old man asked, “O my master! Are some of you nobler than the others? ” He answered, “No. We are equal in nobility but some of us are more knowledgeable than the others. ”

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Then he said, “O old man! If nothing remains from the world except one day, Allah will certainly prolong that day until the Qā’im from us Ahl al- Bait emerges. Know that our Shias will be inflicted with a fitna and bewilderment during his occultation. Then, [Allah] will make the sincere ones steadfast in his guidance. O Allah! Help them in [being steadfast]. ”

609. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Aḥmad b. Idrīs, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Mālik al-Fazārī al-Kūfī, from Isḥāq b. Muḥammad al-Ṣairafī, from Abū Hāshim, from Furāt b. Aḥnaf, from Sa`d b. Ṭarīf, from al-Aṣbagh b. Nubāta, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī, peace be upon him, who mentioned the Qā’im, peace be on him, and said: “He will certainly have an occultation [that will continue] until the ignorant will say, ‘The family of Muḥammad are unimportant for Allah. ’”

610. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-Shaibānī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. Ja`far al-Kūfī, from Sahl b. Ziyād al-Ādamī, from `Abd al-`Aẓīm b. `Abd-Allah al-Ḥasanī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. `Alī b. Mūsā b. Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, from his father, from his forefathers, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on them all, who said:

Our Qā’im will have an occultation whose duration will be prolonged. It is as if I am seeing the Shias during his occultation who are wandering like livestock in search of

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pasture but will not find it. Know that whoever remains steadfast from amongst them in his religion, and his heart does not harden—due to the prolonged occultation of his Imam—then he will be with me in my rank on the Day of Judgment. When our Qā’im rises, he will not have pledged allegiance to anybody. Because of this, his birth will be concealed and he will be hidden.

The exact same tradition has been narrated to us by `Alī b. Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. Mūsā, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. Ja`far al-Kūfī, from `Abd-Allah b. Mūsā al-Rūyānī, from `Abdul `Aẓīm b. `Abd-Allah al-Ḥasanī, from Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Riḍā, from his father, from his forefathers, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him.

611. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to us my father, may Allah be satisfied with him, from `Abd-Allah b. Ja`far al-Ḥimyarī, from Aḥmad b. Hilāl, from `Abd al-Raḥmān b. Abī Najrān, from Faḍālat b. Ayyūb, from Sadīr, in a tradition from Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

The brothers of Yūsuf were the grandsons and children of prophets, [yet,] they traded Yūsuf and sold him whilst they were his brothers and he was their brother. They did not recognize him until he said to them, “I am Yūsuf. ” Then, why does this umma deny the fact that Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, might intend to conceal His Proof (ḥujja) at a specific time?

Indeed, Yūsuf, peace be on him, was the King of Egypt and the distance

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between him and his father was a journey of eighteen days. Had Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, intended to inform him of his place, He could have done so.

By Allah! On hearing the good news, Ya`qūb and his sons traveled the distance in nine days from the time they started the [journey] to Egypt. So, why does this umma deny that Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, might do with His Proof what He did with Yūsuf; he will walk in their markets and set foot on their carpets and they will not recognize him until Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, allows him to introduce himself, just as He allowed Yūsuf who said to them, ‘Do you know how you treated Yūsuf and his brother when you were ignorant? They said: Are you indeed Yūsuf? He said: I am Yūsuf and this is my brother... ’ [1] ”

612. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Narrated to us `Abd al-Wāḥid b. Muḥammad b. `Abdūs al-`Aṭṭār, may Allah be satisfied with him, from `Alī b. Muḥammad b. Qutayba al-Nīsābūrī, from Ḥamdān b. Sulaimān, from Muḥammad b. Ismā’īl b. Bazī`, from Ḥayyān al-Sarrāj, from al-Sayyid b. Muḥammad al-Ḥimyarī in a long tradition in which he said:

I asked al-Ṣādiq Ja`far b. Muḥammad, peace be on him, “O Son of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family! Traditions from your forefathers have been narrated to us about the occultation and that it will truly occur. Inform me for whom will this occur? ” He

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replied, “It will occur for my sixth descendant and he is the twelfth guided Imam after the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. The first of them is Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib and the last of them is the one who will rise with the truth, Allah’s remnant on the earth, and the master of the time. By Allah! If he remains in occultation equal to the time Noah remained in his nation, he will not depart the world until he appears and fills the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. ”

613. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār, may Allah be satisfied with him, from his father, from Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim, from Muḥammad b. Abī `Umair, from Ṣafwān b. Mihrān al-Jammāl, from al-Ṣādiq, Ja`far b. Muḥammad, peace be on him, who said: “By Allah, your Mahdī will become hidden from you to the extent that the ignorant from amongst you will say, ‘The family of Muḥammad are unimportant for Allah. ’ Then, he will come like a shining meteor and will fill [earth] with justice and fairness just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. ”

614. Al-Kāfī [2]: `Alī b. Muḥammad, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad, from Mūsā b. Ja`far al-Baghdādī, from Wahb b. Shādhān, from al-Ḥasan b. Abī l-Rabī`, from Muḥammad b. Isḥāq, from Umm Hānī who said:

I asked Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. `Alī, peace be on him, about the saying

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of Allah, the Exalted: “I swear by [the planets] that disappear. Those that move in their orbits. ” [1] He replied, “[It is about] an Imam who will disappear in the year 260 AH. Then, he will appear like a meteor glowing in the dark night. If you reach his time, your eyes will be soothed (qarrat `ainuk). ”

615. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. Mūsā b. al-Mutawakkil, may Allah be satisfied with him, from `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā b. `Ubaid, from Ṣāliḥ b. Muḥammad, from Hānī al-Tammār who said: “ (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, said to me, ‘The master of this affair will certainly have an occultation. Thus, [Allah’s] servant[s] should fear Allah and fasten to his religion. ”

616. Al-Kāfī [3]: Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad, from Isḥāq b. Muḥammad, from Yaḥyā b. al-Muthannā, from `Abd-Allah b. Bukair, from `Ubaid b. Zurāra, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “People will not find their Imam. He will be present during the Hajj season and he will see them but they will not see him. ”

617. Al-Kāfī [4]: Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā and al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad have both narrated from Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-Kūfī, from al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad al-Ṣairafī, from Ṣāliḥ b. Khālid, from Yamān al-Tammār who said:

We were sitting with (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, when he said to us, “The master of this affair will certainly have an occultation. The one who fastens to his religion during this period is like

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someone one who pulls the qatād (a plant full of extremely sharp thorns) in his closed fist like this. ” Then, he showed with his hands and asked, “Who amongst you has grasped the thorns of the qatād tightly with his hands? ” He then said nothing for a while said then continued, “The master of this affair will certainly have an occultation. Thus, [Allah’s] servant[s] should fear Allah and fasten to his religion. ”

618. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to me my father and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, may Allah be satisfied with them, both from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah and `Abd-Allah b. Ja`far al-Ḥimyarī and Aḥmad b. Idrīs, who all narrated from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsā and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī al-Khaṭṭāb and Muḥammad b. `Abd al-Jabbār and `Abd-Allah b. `Āmir b. Sa`d al-Ash`arī, from `Abd al-Raḥmān b. Abī Najrān, from Muḥammad b. al-Musāwir, from al-Mufaḍḍal b. `Umar al-Ju`fī, who said:

I heard (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, say, “Keep away from fame (tanwīh) [2]! By Allah, your Imam will disappear for many years and you will be sifted until it is said, ‘He has died or he has perished or no one knows where he is? ’ The eyes of the believers will weep for him. You will overturn like ships which overturn in the waves of the ocean. No one will be saved except those whose covenant Allah has taken and has inscribed faith in their hearts and has assisted them by a Spirit from Himself. Indeed, twelve ambiguous flags will be

--------------------

[1]: Kifāyat al-athar, chap. 34, pp. 260–262, no. 3; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 36, chap. 46, pp. 408–409, no. 17; al-`Awālim, vol. 15, chap. 7, pp. 280–281, no. 17; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 1, chap. 9, p. 603, no. 586; Tabyīn al-maḥajja, pp. 336–337, no. 31; al-Inṣāf, chap. on the letter al-Mīm, pp. 294–296, 269.

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 26, p. 302, no. 9; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, pp. 340–341, no. 290; Taqrīb al-ma`ārif, p. 189; I`lām al-warā, chap. 2, sect. 2; Dalā’il al-imāma, chap. “Ma`rifat man shāhad al-Ṣāḥib al-Ẓamān, `alayhi al-salām,” no. 14; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 2, p. 119, no. 19, and vol. 52, chap. 21, p. 101, no. 1; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 463, no. 110, and p. 464, no. 116, and p. 510, no. 333.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 26, p. 303, no. 14; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 2, pp. 109–110, no. 1; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 464, no. 115.

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 341, no. 21; `Ilal al-sharā’i`, chap. 179, p. 244, no. 3; Dalā’il al-imāma, chap. “Mā warada min al-akhbār fī wujūb al-ghayba,” p. 290; al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, p. 336, no. 4; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, pp. 37–39, no. 4; I`lām al-warā, chap. 2, sect. 2; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 6, p. 142, no. 1.

[1]: Quran 12: 89–90.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 342, no. 23; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, sect. 5, pp. 458–459, no. 96.

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, pp. 341–342, no. 22; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 472, no. 149; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 6, p. 145, no. 11.

[2]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 341, no. 22, and similar to it no. 23; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, p. 150, no. 6, from one of his two chains and no. 7 citing al-Kulainī, similar to it using another chain in chap. 10, p. 149, no. 6; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 159, no. 116, similar to it; Yanābī` al-mawadda, p. 430, similar to it; al-Ṣadūq has recorded in Kamāl al-dīn vol. 1, p. 330, no. 14: “Through his chain of narrators from Ibrāhīm b. `Aṭiyya, from Umm Hānī al-Thaqafiyya who said, ‘One morning, I went to my master, Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Bāqir, peace be on him, and said to him, “My master! A verse from the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, came to my mind and made me restless to the extent that I did not sleep the whole night. ” He said, ‘Ask, O Umm Hānī. ’ I said, ‘My master! It is the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, “I swear by [the planets] that disappear. Those that move in their orbits” (Quran 81: 15–16). ’ He said, ‘Yes. The question you have asked, O Umm Hānī, is about the one who will be born in the end of times. He is the Mahdī from this progeny. He will have a bewilderment and an occultation in which some groups will be deviated and others will be guided. Salvation is for he who reaches him. ’”

Ithbāt al-waṣiyya, p. 201: “Through his chain of narrators from Umm Hānī who said, ‘I met Imam Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, and asked him about this verse, “I swear by [the planets] that disappear. Those that move in their orbits. ”’ He replied, ‘It is about an Imam who will disappear in the year 260 AH, then he will appear like a glowing meteor. If you reach his time, your eyes will be soothed. ’”; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 469, no. 136; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 5, p. 51, no. 26; Ta’wīl al-āyāt al-ẓāhira, citing the Tafsīr of Muḥammad b. al-`Abbās, Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalain, Tafsīr al-burhān, al-Maḥajja, Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, and etc. under the verse.

[1]: Quran 81: 15–16.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 343, no. 25.

[3]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, p. 337, no. 6; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, p. 175, no. 14; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 42, no. 6; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 346, no. 33; Dalā’il al-imāma, chap. “Ma`rifat wujūb al-Qā’im,” p. 259, no. 64, and chap. “Ma`rifat mā warada min al-akhbār fī wujūb al-ghayba,” p. 290, no. 6; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 161, no. 119; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 23, p. 151, no. 2; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 11, p. 546, and chap. 29, p. 606; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 1, p. 485, no. 205, and sect. 12, p. 500, no. 279. Al-Nu`mānī has recorded through another chain of narrators from `Ubaid: “The people will not find the Imam who will be present during the Hajj season. He will see them but they will not see him. ”

[4]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, pp. 335–336, no. 1; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 33, no. 1; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 346, no. 34; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 169, no. 11; Ithbāt al-waṣiyya (al-Maktabat al-Murtaḍawiyya) , p. 226; Dalā’il al-imāma, p. 290, using another chain; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 411, no. 153, with minor variations.

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 347, no. 35; al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. “Fī l-ghayba,” pp. 338–339, no. 11, similar to it from where he says: “... he will definitely have an occultation”; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, pp. 151–152, no. 9, similar to it with the difference that it says: “By Allah! He will go into occultation for a period of time,” instead of “years” or “some time,” which seems more probable and appropriate; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, pp. 204–205; Ithbāt al-waṣiyya, p. 200; Dalā’il al-imāma, p. 292.

[2]: Al-Majlisī writes in Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, p. 282: “Al-tanwīh means fame. That is, don’t make yourselves famous and don’t invite people to your religion. Or, don’t expose what we say to you about the affairs of the Qā’im, peace be on him, and other issues that must be concealed from those who oppose [us]. ‘You will be sifted’ means you will be tested and examined... ‘Those who Allah has taken their covenant’ might mean those who accepted him on the Day that Allah took the covenant about His Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, and his Ahl al-Bait along with the covenant of His Lordship which has been mentioned in the traditions. ‘Written faith in his heart’ is a referral to the verse, ‘You will not find a group of people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, whilst they love those who have enmity towards Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their [own] fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kinsfolk. These are those into whose hearts He has inscribed faith, and whom He has assisted by a Spirit from Himself’ (Quran 58: 22). ‘Spirit’ refers to the ‘Spirit of faith’ as we already mentioned. They will be ‘ambiguous’ for the people’ or they will be ambiguous because some... of them will resemble others and it will not be known which one is the truth and which one is false; and this is an interpretation for ‘ambiguous. ’ Some have suggested it means that it will not be understood which side these flags belong to: truth or falsehood. Others say it means ‘it will not be understood which man belongs to which flag... ’ The first interpretation is more probable. ”

Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 411, no. 154 (short version).

raised, and you won’t know which belongs to who. ”

I started crying [on hearing this] and he said to me, “Why are you crying, O Abū `Abd-Allah? ” I replied, “Why shouldn’t I cry when you are saying that there will be twelve ambiguous flags and none will be distinguished from the other? What should we do [in these circumstances]? ” [He] looked at the sunshine in the room and remarked, “O Abū `Abd-Allah! Do you see this sunshine? ” I replied in the affirmative. He said, “By Allah, our affair is more apparent than this sunshine. ”

619. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. `Alī b. Ḥātim al-Naufalī—known as al-Kirmānī—from Abū l-`Abbās Aḥmad b. `Īsā al- Washshā al-Baghdādī, from Aḥmad b. Ṭāhir [al-Qummī], from Muḥammad b. Bahr b. Sahl al-Shaibānī, from `Alī b. al-Ḥārith, from Sa`īd b. Manṣūr al-Jawāshinī, from Aḥmad b. `Alī al-Budailī, from his father, from Sadīr al-Ṣairafī who said:

I, al-Mufaḍḍal b. `Umar, Abū Baṣīr, and Abān b. Taghlib went to meet our master Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him. We saw him sitting on the earth while he was wearing a Khaibarī cloak that was fastened to his neck that didn’t have a collar and had short sleeves. He was crying like someone whose child had died and whose heart was burning.

Grief was visible from his face, change was apparent in him, tears had filled his eyes, and he was saying, “My master! Your occultation has taken away my sleep, strained my resting place, and seized the comfort

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of my heart. My master! Your occultation has made my calamities reach proportions of eternal misfortune. The loss of one after the other has destroyed us all. I no longer feel the tears flowing from my eyes and the moaning sounds from my heart on account of past afflictions and bygone calamities. [All] I see is the great tragedy that is before me which is greater, more sorrowful, more severe, and inhospitable [than all tragedies]. [They are] harsh calamities that are mixed with your anger and afflictions that are mixed with your wrath. ”

Our minds were terrified with perplexity and our hearts were cleft asunder with impatience about a great disaster and a terrible misfortune. We thought that a knocking calamity had struck him or a misfortune had afflicted him. We asked, “O Son of the best of creatures! May Allah not make your eyes weep! What has made your tears flow and your eyes rain teardrops? What tragedy has brought you this sorrow? ”

(Imam) al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, took [a deep] breath which filled his stomach and intensified his panic and then said, “Woe to you! This morning, I looked in the Book of Jafr which is comprised of the knowledge about [the times] of death, examinations, and afflictions and the knowledge about whatever existed/occurred and will exist/occur until the Day of Judgment, which Allah specifically gave to [the Prophet] Muḥammad and the Imams after him.

I pondered over the birth of the one from us who will disappear, his

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occultation, his delay, his longevity, the examination/calamities of the believers during this time, the doubts that will arise in their hearts due to his prolonged occultation, and them becoming apostates and taking off the rope of Islam from their necks—which Allah, Holy be His Remembrance, says, ‘And We have made every person’s deeds cling to his neck,’ [1] which refers to [our] Mastership (al-wilāya). [On reading this,] I was filled with sympathy and overcome by grief. ”

We said, “O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Please honor us and do us a favor by sharing with us some of what you have learned from this knowledge. ” He said, “Surely Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, will repeat for our Qā’im three things which He had done for three of His prophets. He made his birth like the birth of Moses, peace be on him; He made his occultation like the occultation of Jesus, peace be on him; and made His delay like the delay of Noah, peace be on him. Then, He made his age like that of the Righteous Servant— meaning al-Khiḍr, peace be on him—as a proof of his long life. ”

We asked, “O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Uncover for us the aspects of these meanings. ” He said, “As for the birth of Moses, peace be on him, when the Pharaoh found out that the downfall of his kingdom was at [Moses’] hands, he asked for the fortune-tellers who guided him to the lineage [of Moses] and [told him] that he

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would be from the Israelites. Then, he ordered his followers to rip apart the stomachs of the pregnant women from the Israelites until he killed more than twenty-thousand babies. But he did not succeed in killing Moses, peace be on him, because he was under the protection of Allah, Blessed and High be He.

The same thing happened with the Umayyads and the Abbasids; when they found out that the destruction of their kingdoms and the [destruction] of the government of the oppressors and tyrants from them would be at the hands of our Qā’im, they established enmity against us and drew their swords to kill the family [or Ahl al-Bait] of the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, and to destroy his generation in the hope of killing the Qā’im. But Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, has refused to make evident His affair to any of the oppressors and He will make perfect His Light even if the polytheists detest it.

“As for the occultation of Jesus, peace be on him, the Jews and the Christians unanimously agreed that he had been killed. But Allah, Majestic be His Remembrance, falsified what they had said by His saying, ‘And they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so. ’ [1] The occultation of the Qā’im is also like this and the umma will deny it due to its elongation. One will speak nonsense that he has not been born yet;

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another will say he has passed the age of thirteen or more, and yet another will disobey Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, by saying, ‘Surely, the soul of the Qā’im speaks from the body of someone other than himself. ’

“As for the delay of Noah, peace be on him, when he sought punishment on his people from the sky, Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, sent the Trusted Spirit (Rūḥ al-Amīn) , peace be on him, with seven seeds. He said, ‘O Prophet of Allah, Allah, Blessed and High be He, says to you, “These are My creations and My servants. I will not destroy them with a thunderbolt from my thunderbolts except after emphasizing [My] call and establishing [My] proof. So, continue your struggles in preaching to your people and I will definitely reward you for it. Plant these seeds, for in their growth, maturity, and fruition is relief and salvation. Give glad-tidings by these to those believers who follow you. ”’

When the trees grew, became [covered with leaves], grew stems and branches, and dates began to grow on them—and this was after a long period of time—Noah, peace be on him, asked Allah, Purified and High be He, to fulfill His promise. Allah, Blessed and High be He, ordered him to plant the seeds of these trees [that had fully grown] and to continue his patience and struggles and to emphasize His proofs upon his people. So he informed the groups who believed in him about this and [on

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hearing this], three hundred people became apostates, arguing, ‘If what Noah had claimed was true, His Lord wouldn’t have violated His Promise. ’ Then, Allah, Blessed and High be He, continued to order him to sow the seeds [of the new full-grown plants] one after the other until he had sowed them seven times. And each time, a group from the believers became apostates until only a little more than seventy men remained from them.

So then, Allah, Blessed and High be He, revealed to him and said, ‘O Noah, dawn has pierced the night and the affair has become pure from filth by the apostasy of those who had wicked essence. Had I destroyed the unbelievers and allowed those groups from your nation who turned apostates—after having earlier believed in you—to survive, I would not have fulfilled My earlier promise to the believers from your tribe whose belief in monotheism was pure and who had fastened to the rope of your prophethood. [The promise I had made to them] that I would make them the successors on earth, establish for them their religion, and convert their fear into security, so they would purely worship Me with the removal of doubts from their hearts. How could I make them successors, establish [their religion], and convert their fear into security when I knew about the weak faith of those who had become apostates, the wickedness of their essence, the evilness of their hidden secrets and their deviation which was the consequence of

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hypocrisy?

Had they smelled the fragrance of My Kingdom which would be given to the believers when they become the successors [of my Kingdom] after I destroy their enemies, they would have taken away its serenity (lanaqishū rawā’iḥa ṣifātih) , their secret hypocrisy would have become stronger, the ropes of their hearts deviation would have become eternal, they would have openly shown hostility towards their brothers, and would have fought against them to become the leaders and sole commanders and prohibiters. So, how can religion be powerful and the affairs be at the hands of the believers whilst there is unrest and war? It shall never be like this, “So, make the ark before Our eyes and [according to] Our revelation. ” [1] ’

“The same thing will occur for the Qā’im. His occultation will be prolonged until the truth becomes clear and faith becomes purified from darkness (al-kadir) by the apostasy of all those from the Shias who have wicked essence; those whom might become hypocrites when they sense the succesorship, power, and widespread security during the Qā’im’s reign. ” I said, “O Son of Allah’s Messenger! The enemies of the Ahl al-Bait (al-nawāṣib) think that this verse was revealed in favor of Abū Bakr, `Umar, `Uthmān, and `Alī, peace be on him. ”

He answered, “May Allah not guide the hearts of these enemies! Has the religion which Allah and His Messenger were satisfied with which had power to spread security in the umma, dispel fear from their hearts, and remove skepticism from their chests,

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ever been present during the reign of any one of these [three Caliphs] or during the reign of `Alī, peace be on him, whilst so many Muslims became apostates, fitnas arose during their times, and wars took place between them and the infidels? ” Then he recited the following verse, “Until the messengers despaired and thought that they were indeed told a lie, [then] Our help came to them” [1]

As for the Righteous Servant—meaning al-Khiḍr, peace be on him—then surely Allah, Blessed and High be He, did not prolong his life because of a prophethood that he had destined for him, nor for a Book that he wanted to send down unto him, nor for a religion that would abrogate the religion of the prophets that [lived] before him, nor because of an Imamate whose following He would make compulsory for His servants, nor for an obedience that He would make obligatory for him. Rather, Allah, Blessed and High be He, knew from His prior Knowledge that He would [prolong] the age of the Qā’im during his occultation and He also knew that His servants would deny [him] because of his age, therefore, He prolonged the age of the Righteous Servant without any obvious reason for this longevity except for the fact that it be used to prove the age of the Qā’im and to severe the arguments of those who opposed him so that the people will not have any argument against Allah. ”

620. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Narrated to us Aḥmad b. Ziyād

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b. Ja`far al-Hamdānī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim, from his father, from Muḥammad b. Khālid al-Barqī, from `Alī b. Ḥasan, from Dāwūd b. Kathīr al-Riqqī who said: “I asked Abū l-Ḥasan Mūsā b. Ja`far, peace be on him, about the Master of this - Volume 2 , Page 223 - Muntakhab al - Athar fi l-Imam al - thani Ashar: Selected Narrations about the Twelfth Imam

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[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, pp. 352–357, no. 50; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, pp. 167–173, no. 129; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, pp. 219–223, no. 9; Yanābī` al-mawadda, p. 444, short version citing al-Manāqib; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 475, no. 162 (only a part of it has been mentioned). It has also been recorded partially or wholly in al-Ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm, Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalain, I`lām al-warā, al-Īqāẓ min al-ḥaj`a, Ghāyat al-marām, Ḥilyat al-abrār, and etc.

[1]: Quran 17: 13.

[1]: Quran 4: 157.

[1]: Quran 11: 37.

[1]: Quran 12: 110.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 34, p. 361, no. 4; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, pp. 476–477, no. 167.

affair. He replied, ‘He is the exiled, the lonely, the stranger, the one who will be absent from his family, and the one whose father has not been avenged. ’”

621. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to me my father, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Mālik al-Fazārī, from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan b. Faḍḍāl who heard al-Rayyān b. al-Ṣalt say: “ (Imam) Abū l-Ḥasan al-Riḍā, peace be on him, was asked about the Qā’im. He replied, ‘He will not be seen and he will not be called by his name. ’”

622. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Narrated to us al-Muẓaffar b. Ja`far b. Muẓaffar al-`Alawī al-`Umarī al-Samarqandī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd, from his father Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd, from Ja`far b. Aḥmad, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Faḍḍāl, from Abū l- Ḥasan `Alī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā, peace be on him, who said:

Al-Khiḍr, peace be on him, drank from the water of life (mā’ al-ḥayāt) and he will live and not die until the Trumpet is blown (ḥattā yunfakh fī l-ṣūr). He comes to us and salutes us. We hear his voice but we don’t see him. He appears wherever he is mentioned and whoever

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from you mentions him should salute him. He is present during the [Hajj] season every year and performs all the [Hajj] rituals. He stands in `Arafa and says amen to the supplications of the believers. Through him, Allah will soothe our Qā’im’s solitude during his occultation and dispel his loneliness.

623. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Narrated to us `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, from Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, from Muḥammad b. Ḥasan al-Rāzī, from Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Kūfī, from `Īsā b. `Abd-Allah b. Muḥammad b. `Umar b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, from his father, from his grandfather, from his father Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, who said: “The master of this affair is from my descendants. He is the one about whom it will be said, ‘He has died or perished. No one knows where he is. ’”

624. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. Mūsā b. al-Mutawakkil, may Allah be satisfied with him, from `Alī b. Ibrāhīm, from his father, from `Abd al-Salām b. Ṣāliḥ al-Harawī, from (Imam) Abū l-Ḥasan `Alī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā, from his father, from his forefathers, from `Alī, peace be on them all, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said:

By the One Who raised me with the truth as a giver of glad-tidings! Certainly, the Qā’im from my progeny will have an occultation because of a covenant between me and him. [His occultation will continue] until most of the people will say, “The family of Muḥammad are unimportant for

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Allah! ” Others will doubt he was born. Whoever reaches his era should fasten to his religion and must leave no path for Satan to reach him by being skeptical [about the Qā’im]. [If Satan reaches him] he will put him aside from my nation and bring him out of my religion, for he previously brought out your parents from Paradise. Surely, Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, has made the devils the guardians of those who do not believe.

625. `Ilal al-sharā’i` [1]: Narrated to us al-Muẓaffar b. Ja`far b. al-Muẓaffar al-`Alawī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Ja`far b. Mas`ūd and Ḥaidar b. Muḥammad al-Samarqandī, both of them from Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd, from Jabra’īl b. Aḥmad, from Mūsā b. Ja`far al-Baghdādī, from al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad al-Ṣairafī, from Ḥanān b. Sadīr, from his father who said:

(Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, said, “The Qā’im from us will have an occultation whose duration will be long. ” I asked, “Why is it so, O Son of Allah’s Messenger? ” He replied, “Surely, Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, has wanted naught except to carry out in him the customs of the prophets, peace be on them, during their occultations. O Sadīr! It is necessary that the periods their occultations are completed. Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, says, ‘You will most certainly embark one stage after another’ [2] meaning tradition upon tradition of those before you. ”

626. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [3]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. Hammām, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Mālik, from Isḥāq b. Sinān,

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from `Ubaid b. Khārija, from `Alī b. Uthmān, from furāt b. Aḥnaf, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far b. Muḥammad, from his forefathers, peace be upon them, who said:

The river Euphrates overflowed during the reign of Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him. He and his two sons—al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn, peace be on them—mounted and passed by [the neighborhood] of al-Thaqīf. The [locals] said, “`Alī has come to drive away the water. ” `Alī, peace be on him, answered, “By Allah, I and these two sons of mine will be killed. Then, Allah will definitely raise a person form my progeny in the end of times who will demand our blood. He will go in occultation until the people of deviation are distinguished from the [rightly guided]. [This situation will continue until] the ignorant will say, ‘The family of Muḥammad are unimportant for Allah. ’”

627. Ghaybat al-Shaykh [1]: Abū Baṣīr narrated: “ (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, said, ‘The Qā’im has a similarity with [the Prophet] Yūsuf. ’ I asked, ‘And what is it? ’ He replied, ‘Bewilderment and occultation. ’”

628. Kitāb tārīkh Qum [2]: From Muḥammad b. Qutayba al-Hamdānī and al-Ḥasan b. `Alī al-Kashmārjānī [al-Kamshārjānī], from `Alī b. al-Nu`mān, from Abū l-Akrād `Alī b. Maimūn al-Ṣā’igh, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

Surely, Allah has used [the city of] Kūfa as an argument over all other cities and the faithful from its inhabitants over the inhabitants of other cities. [Similarly,] he has used Qum as an argument over all other cities and

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its inhabitants over the inhabitants of the East and the West from the Jinn and the humans. Allah has not left Qum and its inhabitants as weak. Rather, he has made them successful and assisted them.

The religion and its followers in Qum are lowly. Had it not been so, people would have hurried towards it [to inhabit it] and consequently, Qum would have been spoilt and its inhabitants would have become the people of falsehood, resulting in it not being an argument/proof over all other cities. If this happened, then the heavens and the earth would have become dislocated and they would not have been reprieved—even a moment.

Verily, calamities have been warded off from Qum and its people. Soon, there will come a time when the city of Qum and its inhabitants will be an argument over the creatures. This will occur during the occultation of our Qā’im, peace be upon him, until he reappears. Had it not been so, the earth would have swallowed its inhabitants.

Surely, the angels dispel the calamities from Qum and its inhabitants. No tyrant ever intends something bad for Qum but that the destroyer of tyrants [i. e. Allah] destroys him and keeps them away from it either by a disaster or a calamity or an enemy. The tyrants forget about Qum during their rein just as they forget [the remembrance of] Allah.

629. Al-Kāfī [1]: `Alī b. Ibrāhīm, from his father, from ibn Abī `Umair, from Abū Ayyūb al-Khazzāz, from Muḥammad b. Muslim, from

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Abū `Abd-Allah (al-Ṣādiq) , peace be on him, who said: “If you hear that the master of this affair is in occultation, don’t deny it. ”

630. Al-Kāfī [1]: A group of our companions, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī al-Washshā, from `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, from Abū Baṣīr, from Abū `Abd-Allah (al-Ṣādiq) , peace be on him: “The master of this affair will definitely have an occultation and he will definitely have an isolation during his occultation. Ṭībba is a great dwelling and thirty people will not feel lonely. ”

631. Ghaybat al-Shaykh [2]: A group narrated to me from Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. Sufyān al-Bazaufarī, from Aḥmad b. Idrīs, from `Alī b. Muḥammad b. Qutayba, from al-Faḍl b. Shādhān, from `Abd al-Raḥmān b. Abī Najrān, from Ṣafwān b. Yaḥyā, from Abū Ayyūb, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “If the news of the occultation of your master reaches you, don’t deny it. ”

The following traditions also prove the above concept: 205, 242, 244, 245, 254, 257, 261, 305–308, 317, 465, 497, 498, 499, 511, 535–539, 541, 547, 549–557, 559–564, 574, 575, 580, 589, 595, 599–607, 632–635, 637, 641, 643, 644, 645, 647, 649, 653, 669, 685, 686, 688–691, 806, 810, 1104, and 1105

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[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 35, p. 370, no. 2; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, p. 33, no. 12.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 38, p. 390, no. 4; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, pp. 480, no. 181 (short version).

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 156, no. 18; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 425, no. 409: “From Faḍl b. Shādhān, from Aḥmad b. `Īsā al-`Alawī, from his father, from his grandfather, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī, peace be on him, who said, ‘The master of this affair is from my descendants about whom it will be said, ‘He has died or he has been killed or he has perished or to which land has he gone’”; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 2, p. 114, no. 11; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 27, p. 533, no. 468.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, p. 51; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 1, p. 68, no. 10; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 459, no. 97.

[1]: `Ilal al-sharā’i`, vol. 1, chap. 179, p. 245, no. 7; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 487, no. 212, citing Kamāl al-dīn and `Ilal al-sharā’i`; al-Maḥajja, p. 246 (short version).

[2]: Quran 84: 19.

[3]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 140, no. 1; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 532, no. 462.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Shaykh, pp. 163–164, no. 125; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 501, no. 284.

[2]: Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 57, chap. 36, pp. 212–213, no. 22.

[1]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, p. 338, no. 10, and chap. 138, p. 340, no. 15: “From a group of our companions, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, from `Alī b. al-Ḥakam, from Abū Ayyūb al-Khazzāz, from Muḥammad b. Muslim... ” ; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, pp. 46 & 50, no. 10 & 15; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 444, no. 22.

[1]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, p. 340, no. 16; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 50, no. 16. Al-Majlisī writes: “In some versions [it has been narrated like this]: ‘During his occultation, he will not be away from the people. Rather, he will be amongst them but they will not recognize him. ’ The first is more probable and is in accordance with what is found in other books. ‘Ṭībba’ is the name of Medina and ‘Thirty people won’t feel lonely’ means that thirty of his close followers and special companions will be with him. ” Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 23, p. 157, no. 20. He also writes: “‘Ṭayyiba’ is the name of a city. It indicates that he will mostly be there or around it and that there will be thirty of his special followers and companions with him. If anyone from them dies, he is replaced with another. ”; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 188, no. 41; Similar to it in Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 162, no. 121, through his chain of narrators from `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, from Abū Baṣīr, that he, peace be on him, said: “The Master of this affair will definitely have [a period of] isolation and there will definitely be strength during his isolation. With thirty people, there will be no loneliness and Ṭayyiba is a great dwelling. ” Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 445, no. 27.

[2]: Ghaybat al-Shaykh, pp. 160–161, no. 118; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 6, p. 146, no. 15, a similar narration has already been mentioned from Muḥammad b. Muslim.

Section Twenty-Nine

The traditions that indicate the reason behind his occultation

Comprised of nine traditions [3]

632. Kamāl al-dīn [4]: Narrated to us `Abd al-Wāḥid b. Muḥammad b. `Abdūs al-`Aṭṭār, may Allah be satisfied with him, from `Alī b. Muḥammad b. Qutayba al-Nīsābūrī from Ḥamdān b. Sulaimān al-Nīsābūrī, from Aḥmad

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b. `Abd-Allah b. Ja`far al-Madā’inī, from `Abd-Allah b. al-Faḍl al-Hāshimī who said:

I heard al-Ṣādiq Ja`far b. Muḥammad, peace be on him, say, “The master of this affair will definitely have an occultation in which every liar will become doubtful. ” I asked, “Why, may I be sacrificed for you? ” He replied, “Because of an affair that we have not been given permission to disclose to you. ” I asked, “What is the rationale behind his occultation? ” He answered, “The rationale behind his occultation is the same rationale behind the occultations of the Proofs of Allah, High be His Remembrance, who preceded him; Surely, the rationale will not be disclosed until he reappears, just as the rationale behind al-Khiḍr’s acts of drilling a hole in the ship, killing the boy, and erecting the wall were not disclosed to Moses, peace be on him, except at the time of their separation. O son of Faḍl! This affair is from the affairs of Allah, the Exalted, a secret from Allah’s secrets, and an unseen from Allah’s unseens. Once we know that He, Mighty and Majestic be He, is wise, then, we will acknowledge that all His actions are wisdom even if their reason is not disclosed [to us]. ’”

633. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. `Iṣām al-Kulainī, from Muḥammad b. Ya`qūb al-Kulainī, from Isḥāq b. Ya`qūb, from the Master of Time (Ṣāḥib al-Zamān) , Allah’s blessings be on him, in his last signed letter (al-tauqī`) which was in reply to a question asked from him by Muḥammad

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b. Uthmān b. al-`Amrī:

As for the reason behind the occultation, then surely Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, says, “O you who believe! Do not ask about things which if disclosed to you will upset you. ” [1] Verily, all my forefathers had the allegiance of the tyrant of their time on their necks [i. e. were forced to pledge allegiance to them] but when I reappear, I will not have the allegiance of any oppressive king on my neck. As for benefiting from me during my occultation, then indeed, it will be like benefiting from the sun when the clouds conceal it from the eyes. I am security for the inhabitants of earth just as the stars are security for the inhabitants of the sky. So, don’t ask about things that you don’t need and don’t strain yourself in learning the knowledge of things that you will not be questioned about. Pray as much as you can for the hastening of the relief (al- faraj) because it is your relief. Peace be on you, O Isḥāq b. Ya`qūb, and [on] whoever follows guidance.

634. `Uyūn akhbār al-Riḍā [2]: Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Isḥāq, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad al-Hamdānī, from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Faḍḍāl, from his father, from Abū l-Ḥasan `Alī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā, peace be on him, who said: “It is as if I am with the Shias who are [wandering] like livestock—during the occultation of my third descendant—in search of pasture, but will not find it. ” I asked, “And why will

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it be so, O Son of Allah’s Messenger? ” He answered, “Because, their Imam will be concealed from them. ” “Why? ” I asked again. He answered, “So that he will not have the allegiance of anyone on his neck when he rises with the sword. ”

635. Ghaybat al-Shaykh [1]: Al-Ḥusayn b. `Ubaid Allah, from Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. Sufyān al-Bazaufarī, from Aḥmad b. Idrīs, from `Alī b. Muḥammad b. Qutayba, from al-Faḍl b. Shādhān al-Nīsābūrī, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from `Alī b. Ri`āb, who said: “Zurāra said, ‘The Qā’im will have an occultation before he appears. ’ I asked, ‘Why? ’ He replied, ‘He will fear for his life. ’”

The following traditions also prove the above concept: 337, 626, 654, 656, and 669.

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[3]: Even though the reason behind the occultation is concealed from us, this cannot be used as a pretext to deny it hasn’t occurred or the existence of a benefit in its occurrence. For, Allah’s customs regarding this event and other events that occur by Allah’s Wisdom are one. Just as there is no way to deny the benefits in some of His actions whose rationale and advantage are not known to us, likewise, there is no way one can deny the benefits in His Assigned-Guardian (walī) and Proof’s occultation. Surely, our senses and intellect fall short of perceiving the benefits of most things including Allah’s customs in his creations and religious laws. We have not even been given the power to comprehend many of the unknown things. Thus, it is best to acknowledge the deficiency in our understanding.

It has been narrated from our master, (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him: “O son of Adam! If a bird eats your heart, it will not be satiated and if your eye is poked with a needle you will become blind; Yet, you intend to recognize through these two [i. e. heart and eye] the kingdom of the heavens and the earth! ” Thus, basically, we shouldn’t ask about these matters after the Prophet and the Infallibles from his Ahl al-Bait, Allah’s blessings be on them all, informed us about their occurrence, and the indication of correct traditions about them, and such things occurring in the previous nations, just as the Imam mentioned in the long tradition narrated by Sadīr. Al-Mufīd says in al-Fuṣūl al-`ashara: “One of Allah’s friends travels in the earth while worshipping his Exalted Lord and keeps away from the oppressors through his actions and distances himself from the abode of the criminals. Through his religion he stays far away from the place of the disobedient. None of the creatures is aware of his residence and no human from them can claim to have met him or to have been in his company. He is Khiḍr, peace be on him, who lived before the time of Moses [and still lives] today. This is a universally accepted fact amongst the traditionists and completely agreed on by historians and narrators. He travels in the earth and no one knows his abode and no one can claim to be in his company except what has been mentioned in the Holy Quran about Moses, peace be on him. Some people mention that he sometimes appears but he is not recognized. Some who have seen him think that they have met a God-fearing and abstentious person and when he leaves, they assume him to be Khiḍr even though they are neither sure nor convinced about it. Sometimes, he believes that he is one of the people of this time. ” Then, he mentions the occultations of Moses, Joseph, Jonah, and others. (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, has explicitly stated that the reason for his occultation will not be revealed except after his reappearance and it is a divine secret—as has been discussed in the first tradition of this chapter from `Abd-Allah b. al-Faḍl al-Hāshimī. On this basis, it will be correct if we say: the real reason (for his occultation) is concealed from us in His Wisdom and it will not be revealed completely except after his reappearance.

Of course, there are numerous benefits and obvious advantages other than this. Some of these are:

The people will be tested by his occultation and the level of their submission, recognition, and belief in what was revealed to the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, will be examined. Indeed, it is the custom of Allah, the Exalted, to test the people. The creation of people, sending of Messengers, and ascension of divine scripts was naught but for testing. Allah, the Exalted, says: “We have created man from a mixed semen [and] We [will] test him” (Quran 76: 2). He, Honorable is His Glory, also says: “[He] Who created death and life to test you as to which of you is the best in conduct” (Quran 67: 2) , and “Do the people think that they will be left alone if they say ‘we have believed’ and they will not be tested” (Quran 29: 2). From the traditions that you will be acquainted with in this book, it can be understood that testing using the medium of occultation is one the most difficult of tests and fastening to religion in this period is like pulling thorns through your fist.

This is in addition to the fact that there is a special test and examination for acknowledging, believing from the depth of the heart, and being bound by what the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family, has informed about the hidden affairs. The fruit of these will be internal purification and a strength to practice the religion of Allah, the Exalted. Through his occultation, the peoples actions, beliefs, and knowledge will be tested. As for their actions, during the occultation severe and intense fitnas will take place and the people will be placed in great dilemma in a way that the most difficult of things will be to remain steadfast in performing one’s religious duties. As for knowledge and belief, then believing in the occultation is believing in the unseen (al-ghayb) and no one will believe in it except he whose faith has been perfected, his recognition strengthened, and his intentions purified.

To sum it up, the people will be tested for belief in Allah and their submission and acknowledgement regarding the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, and what he has said. It is likely that the tests regarding having faith in the unseen affairs is more severe than the other tests. Such believers have been clearly described in Allah’s saying: “That Book which there is no doubt in, is guidance for the God-fearing, those who believe in the unseen” (Quran 2: 2–3). This is because believing in everything that is hidden from us—from the things that the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, has informed about—is not possible except for those who possess certitude and are God-fearing. Those who have been saved from the darkness of temptations and satanic doubts. Those who illuminated their souls with the light of recognition, certitude, and complete belief in Allah, His Messengers, and His Books.

The perfection of human preparedness for his reappearance; because his advent is not like that of others from the Divine Proofs and Prophets and it is not based on apparent and normal causes. His actions—as you will observe in the coming chapters—will be based on realities and he will judge relying on actualities. In his government, dissimulation (taqiyya) and tolerance will be done away with in religious affairs. He will be very strict regarding the governors and sinners. Such affairs will only be achieved when the world reaches a special capacity and mankind progresses in the fields of science, recognition, thought, ethics, and morality; so that they become prepared to accept his superb teachings and reformative programs.

Fear of being killed: History bears witness that apparently, the cause of his occultation is fear of being killed, because his enemies—as you will see in the coming chapters—were determined to kill him and to extinguish his light. They desired to eliminate this holy and blessed generation, but Allah wanted nothing except the perfection of His Light.

Other reasons which have been mentioned in books specially authored on this subject.

If someone objects and says: What is the use of an Imam who cannot be seen? There is no difference between him existing or not! Then I will answer:

The benefit in the presence of a divine proof is not confined to his authority in apparent affairs. Rather, the greatest advantage of his existence is the survival of the universe—by the permission of Allah, the Exalted—and his order. Just like what he, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, has said: “My Ahl al-Bait are a cause of safety for the inhabitants of earth. If my Ahl al-Bait cease to exist, the inhabitants of the earth will also cease to exist. ” He also said, “This religion will continue to survive while twelve leaders from the Quraish exist in it. When they pass away, the earth will swallow its inhabitants. ” Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, has said: “Yes, by Allah! The earth will not become empty of Allah’s Proof…” In the next chapter, we will mention some of the traditions about how people will benefit from him during his occultation.

If he is not doing anything, it is not because this is what he wants. The people are themselves the cause of this problem. Al-Ṭūsī has pointed to two aspects in his book ‘al-Tajrīd’ using the following words: “His existence is a grace and his authority is another grace, and we are the cause of his absence (`adamuhū minnā). ”

We don’t’ claim with certainty that he is concealed from all his special followers—like it has been recorded in al-Shāfī and Tanzīh al-Anbiyā’—and hence, some important affairs are performed by him through his followers and special companions and they will benefit from him.

What is certain and clear is the fact that he is concealed from the people and no one has access to him during his occultation except some of his special companions—and occasionally others, because of special reasons—but this does not mean that the people are also concealed from him. For, according to what can be derived from the traditions, he attends the Hajj pilgrimage every year and visits the shrines of his grandfather and infallible forefathers, accompanies the people, attends their gatherings, helps the distressed ones, visits some of the sick, and etc. Perhaps, he even fulfills their needs himself, may Allah sacrifice me for him. The impossibility of having access to him during the occultation means it is impossible to see him.

It is not compulsory for the Imam to execute his authority. Rather, he implements his authority through others just as he did during his minor and major occultations. Thus, he appointed the jurists and the just scholars who were learned about the laws of judgment. He made them as proofs upon the people. So, during the occultation, they apparently protect the sharia, explain the Islamic laws, spread Islamic sciences, dispel the doubts, and take care of anything which the affairs of the people are maintained with. A detailed discussion can be found in the books on jurisprudence. If you seek more elaboration, refer to the books of our great scholars like al-Mufīd, Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Ṭūsī, al-Ṣadūq, al-Majlisī, etc. May Allah reward them on account of religion the best of rewards.

[4]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 11, pp. 481–482, no. 44; `Ilal al-sharā’i`, pp. 245–246, no. 8; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 20, p. 91, no. 4; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 488, no. 217 (short version).

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, pp. 483–485, no. 4; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, pp. 290–293, no. 247; I`lām al-warā, chap. 3, sect. 3; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, pp. 530–532; al-Kharā’ij wa l-jarā’iḥ, vol. 3, pp. 1113–1117, no. 30; al-Iḥtijāj, vol. 2, pp. 281–284; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 53, chap. 31, pp. 180–182, no. 10, and vol. 75, chap. 30, p. 380, no. 1, citing al-Durrat al-bāhira.

[1]: Quran 5: 101.

[2]: `Uyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, vol. 1, chap. 28, p. 273, no. 6; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 44, p. 480, no. 4; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 8, p. 152, no. 1. I say: The third means Imam Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan—the father of al-Ḥujja, peace be on him—and the concealed Imam refers to his son, al-Ḥujja, peace be on them both.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 332, no. 274; similar to it in al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, p. 338, no. 9, from ibn Bukair from Zurāra; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, pp. 176–177. Similar to it through numerous chains of narrators and similar wordings can be found in numbers 19–22 from ibn Bukair; `Ilal al-sharā’i`, p. 246, no. 9; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 44, p. 481, no. 9, and similar to it from ibn Bukair and Khalid b. Najīḥ al-Jawwān and ibn Bukair from Zurāra in numbers 7, 8, and 10; similar to it in Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, p. 359, no. 23, with a difference in the narrators and minor differences in meaning.

Section Thirty

The traditions that indicate some of the benefits of his existence and how people benefit from him during his occultation and how he manages the affairs

Comprised of nine traditions

636. Nahj al-balāgha [2]:

Yes, by Allah! The earth will not become empty of a person who establishes Allah’s proof—either apparently [while they are] known or afraid [while they are] hidden; so that Allah’s proofs and clear arguments are not nullified. How many are they and where [are they]? By Allah, they are few in number but have great stature before Allah. Through them, Allah guards His proofs and clear arguments until they entrust them to others who are like themselves and sow its seeds in the hearts of those who are similar to them.

Knowledge has led them to real understanding and they have blended themselves

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with the spirit of certainty. They regard as easy what the extremely wealthy regard as hard. They find peace in what the ignorant have fright of. They live in this world with bodies whose souls are hanging in the highest place. They are the Successors of Allah on His earth and the callers to His religion. Oh, oh, how I yearn to see them! [1]

637. Yanābī` al-mawadda [2]: Citing Nahj al-balāgha:

From us is the Mahdī. He will move in the world while carrying a radiant lamp and will tread on the path of the virtuous, in order to unfasten knots, free slaves, divide the united and unite the divided. He will be in concealment from the people. The stalker will not find his footprints even though he pursues with his eyes.

Also in Nahj al-balāgha ([Egypt], vol. 2, p. 47, no. 146):

O people! This is the time for the occurrence of every promised event and the approach of things which you do not know. Whoever from among us will be during these days will move through them with a burning lamp and will tread on the footsteps of the virtuous, in order to unfasten knots, free slaves, divide the united and unite the divided. He will be in concealment from the people. The stalker will not find his footprints even though he pursues with his eyes. Then a group of people will be sharpened like the sharpening of swords by the blacksmith. Their sight will be brightened by revelation, the [delicacies of the

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Quran’s] commentary will be put in their ears and they will be given drinks of wisdom, morning and evening. [1]

638. Farā’id al-simṭain [2]: Informed us Abū Ja`far, ibn Bābawayh, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-Simnānī, from Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā al-Qattān, from Bakr b. `Abd-Allah b. Ḥabīb, from Faḍl b. al-Ṣaqr al-`Abdī, from Mu`āwiya, from Sulaimān b. Mihrān al-A’mash, from al-Ṣādiq Ja`far b. Muḥammad, peace be on him, from his father Muḥammad b. `Alī, peace be on him, from his father `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, who said:

We are the leaders of the Muslims, Allah’s Proofs upon the worlds, the masters (sādat) of the believers, the chiefs of those who will have shiny faces [on the Day of Judgment], and the masters (mawālī) of the faithful. We are security for the inhabitants of the earth just as the stars are security for the inhabitants of the sky. We are those due to whom the sky is withheld from falling on the earth except with His permission; due to us, the earth is withheld from shaking its inhabitants; due to us it rains and mercy is spread and the blessings of the earth come out.

If someone from us didn’t exist on earth, the earth would have swallowed its inhabitants. Ever since Allah created Adam, the earth has not been empty of Allah’s Proof—[who has been] either apparent and known or hidden and concealed—and it will not become empty until the Hour [i. e. Judgment Day]

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is established. Had it not been so, Allah would not have been worshipped.

Sulaimān says, “I asked (Imam) al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, ‘How will the people benefit from a hidden and concealed proof? ’ He answered, ‘Just like they benefit from the sun when the clouds cover it. [1] ’”

639. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Narrated to me my father, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Hārūn b. Muslim, from Sa`dān, from Mas`adat b. Ṣadaqa, from Abū `Abd-Allah [al-Ṣādiq], from his forefathers, from `Alī, peace be on them all, who said:

O Allah! There must exist on Your earth Your Proof upon Your creatures, who guides them to Your religion and teaches them [from] Your knowledge, so that Your argument is not negated and the followers of Your friends are not deviated after You guide them. [This proof must exist] regardless of him being apparent and not obeyed, or hidden and fearing [for his life]. Even though he is hidden from the people—while they are guided—his knowledge and his customs are firmly established in the hearts of the believers and they act upon them.

640. Kitāb Faḍl b. Shādhān [3]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. Abī `Umair and Ṣafwān b. Yaḥyā, from Jamīl b. Darrāj, from (Imam) al-Ṣādiq, from his father, from his forefathers, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on them all, who said:

Islam and a just ruler are two brothers who are always together. One will not be corrected without the other. Islam is the foundation and the just ruler is the protector.

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What is without a foundation will be destroyed and what is without a protector will be spoiled. It is because of this that when our Qā’im departs from this world, nothing will remain this world.

The following traditions also prove the above point: 245 and 609

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[2]: Nahj al-balāgha, p. 497, saying no. 147; Tadhkirat al-ḥuffāẓ, vol. 1, p. 11; Dastūr ma`ālim al-ḥikam, chap. 4, pp. 82–85, through his chain of narrators from Kumail; al-Ghārāt, vol. 1, p. 153; Tuḥaf al-`uqūl, section on his sayings to Kumail b. Ziyād, p. 170; al-Khiṣāl, chap. 3, p. 187; al-Amālī, pp. 19–20, no. 23; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 23, chap. 1, pp. 44–46, no. 91; al-Mufīd, al-Amālī, session 29, p. 250; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 26, p. 289, no. 2; Also see al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 9, p. 46, and many other sources.

[1]: Nahj al-balāgha, saying no. 147.

[2]: Yanābī` al-mawadda, p. 437; Sharḥ nahj al-balāgha by Ṣubḥī al-Ṣāliḥ, Sermon 150, p. 208.

[1]: Nahj al-balāgha, trans. Sayed Ali Reza (Iran: Sayed Mujtaba Musavi Lari Foundation) , sermon 149 (with some minor changes in the translation) ;

[2]: Farā’id al-simṭain, vol. 1, chap. 2, pp. 45–46, no. 11; Yanābī` al-mawadda, p. 477.

[1]: Al-Majlisī, may Allah have mercy on him, has mentioned some aspects of his similarity with the sun when it is covered by the clouds:

The lights of existence, knowledge, and guidance reach the people through him; since it has been established through many traditions that they are the ultimate cause for the creation of the creatures. Was it not for them, the light of existence would not have reached anything other than them [i. e. no one would have come into existence]. Because of their blessings, us asking them for intercession, and by asking them for help, the sciences and knowledge have become manifest for the people and calamities have been dispelled from them. If it was not for them, the people would have [been punished with] various punishments due to their hideous deeds. As Allah, the Exalted, declares, ‘Allah will not punish them while you are with them’ (Quran 8: 33). We have experienced many times in affairs which we reached a dead end, in difficult issues, in times when we became distant from [Allah], the Exalted, and when the doors of grace were closed, then, when we sought their intercession and implored [through] their lights—proportional to our spiritual connection with them in that time—the problems were solved. This has been experienced by those whom Allah has decorated the eyes of their hearts with the light of faith. We have already explained this in the Book of Imamate [in Biḥār al-anwār].

Just as the people long for the sun to be uncovered so that they benefit more from it compared to when it is covered with clouds, likewise, during his occultation, the sincere Shias await his reappearance every moment and second, and don’t lose hope in him.

Those who deny he exists, even with the many clear signs [from him], are like those who deny the sun exists when the clouds hide it from the eyes.

Sometimes, it is better for the people that the sun hides behind the clouds. Similarly, his occultation is better for them in these times, hence, he is concealed from the people.

One who is staring at the sun cannot stare at it if it is not covered with clouds. One who looks at it can even become blinded due to the eyes’ weakness in encompassing it. Likewise, the sun of his holy existence might be harmful for their power of discernment and can make them become blind regarding the truth. Thus, their power of discernment can tolerate having faith in him during his occultation just as man looks towards the sun from beneath the clouds and [his eyes] will not be harmed.

The sun emerges from the clouds while one person can see it and another can’t. Likewise, it is possible that during his occultation, he shows himself to some people but not to others.

They [i. e. the Ahl al-Bait] are like the sun which is benefited by all, but, he who is blind cannot benefit from them. This has been mentioned in the traditions which explain the verse, ‘He who is blind in this [world], he will [also] he blind in the hereafter and in a more deviated path’ (Quran 17: 72).

The sun’s rays enter the houses proportional to the windows and hatches that they have and proportional to the number of obstacles that have been removed. Similarly, people benefit from the lights of their guidance proportional to the number of obstacles which they have removed from their senses and perceptions which form the windows of their hearts—things like their desires or physical interests—and also proportional to what they remove from their hearts from the evil coverings to the extent that they reach the position where they are like those who are beneath the sky and enveloped by the sun’s rays from all sides without any veil. Indeed, eight doors from this spiritual paradise have been opened for you and Allah, on account of His grace, has opened for me another eight [doors], which cannot be discussed here. Hopefully, Allah will open for us and for you a thousand doors [which lead] to their recognition, which a further thousand doors open from each door. ”

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 27, p. 302, no. 11; Ithbāt al-waṣiyya, p. 251; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. 32, sect. 2, p. 363, no. 112.

[3]: Kifāyat al-muhtadī (al-Arba`īn) , pp. 222–223, under no. 39; Kashf al-Haqq (al-Arba`īn) , p. 203, no. 35, with the following wording: “When our Qā’im departs nothing will remain from Islam and when nothing remains from Islam, nothing will remain from this world. ”

Section Thirty-One

The traditions that indicate he will live a very long life

Comprised of 363 traditions

641. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. `Alī b. Bashshār al-Qazwīnī, from Abū l-Faraj al-Muẓaffar b. Aḥmad, from Muḥammad b. Ja`far al-Kūfī, from Muḥammad b. Ismā’īl al-Barmakī, from al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-Bazzāz, from (Imam) al-Ḥasan b. `Alī al- `Askarī, peace be on him, who said:

My son is the one who will rise after me. He is the one in whom the customs of the Prophets will occur by his long-life and occultation. [This will continue] until the people’s hearts harden due to the prolonged duration. Then, no one will remain steadfast in believing in him except he who Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, has written faith in his heart and assisted with a Holy Spirit from Himself. [2]

642. Kamāl al-dīn [3]: `Alī b. Aḥmad al-Daqqāq and Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-Shaibānī, from Muḥammad b. Abī `Abd-Allah al-Kūfī, from Mūsā b. `Imrān al-Nakha`ī, from his uncle al-Ḥusayn b. Yazīd al-Naufalī, from Ḥamzat b. Ḥumrān, from his father Ḥumrān b. A`yun, from Sa`īd b. Jubair who said: “I heard the Master of the Worshippers, `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, say, ‘In the Qā’im there is a resemblance to Noah and that

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is long-life. ’”

643. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: `Abd al-Wāḥid b. `Abd-Allah b. Yūnus, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Rabāḥ al-Zuhrī, from Aḥmad b. `Alī al- Ḥimyarī, from al-Ḥasan b. Ayyūb, from `Abd al-Karīm b. `Amr, from Muḥammad b. al-Fuḍail, from Ḥammād b. `Abd al-Karīm al-Jallāb who said: “The Qā’im was mentioned in the presence of (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, and he said, ‘When he appears, people will say [astonishingly], ‘How is this possible while his bones had decomposed years ago! ’”

644. Al-Kharā’ij [2]: From Imam al-Ḥasan al-`Askarī, peace be on him, who said [the following] to Aḥmad b. Isḥāq who had come to ask him about his successor. When [the Imam] saw him, he himself began to answer before being asked:

His example is like that of Khiḍr and his example is like that of Dhū l-Qarnain. Khiḍr drank from the elixir of life and he will live and not die until the trumpet is blown (nufikha fī l-ṣūr). He is present during the [Hajj] season every year. He stands in `Arafa and says Amen to the prayers of the believers. Through him, Allah will dispel the loneliness of our Qā’im during his occultation and he will accompany [the Mahdi] during his solitude. He will continue to live in the world despite being concealed from the eyes.

I say: His similarity to Dhū l-Qarnain is about him reaching the East and the West and possibly other aspects like occultation and longevity.

The following traditions also prove the above point: 497, 498, 535–539, 547, 549, 551–557, 559,

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561, 562, 564, 574, 575, 580, 589, 599, 600, 602–605, 607–610, 612, 613, 618, 619, 623–626, 632, 645–650, 669, and 686. We can add to these all the traditions mentioned in chapters one and two—on account of the traditions that mention that surely the earth will not become empty of a Divine Proof and an Imam, and on account of definite rational arguments mentioned in dialectical books—because all of these indicate that the Imams and the Divine Proofs after the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, are limited to twelve. The first is `Alī the last is the Mahdī and the ninth from the progeny of al-Ḥusayn is the Qā’im and he is the son of Imam al-Ḥasan al-`Askarī, peace be on them all. Thus, the total number of such traditions will be 363 because all of these traditions indicate he has survived and has been alive from his birth until now. And Allah has the power to do what He pleases and He is the Wise, the Knowledgeable.

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[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 46, p. 524, no. 4; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, p. 224, no. 11.

[2]: Some Sunnis have considered his longevity as improbable to the extent that they have even condemned the Shia belief about his survival. As you are aware, in scientific matters and religious subjects, improbability has no value after proofs have been established, and definite arguments based on intellect and narration have been demonstrated. This [belief] is a kind of uncertainty about Allah’s Power. It is based on our habit of opposing what we are used to and not on logic. Every day and night—in fact every hour and second—we agree to and witnesses thousands of normal phenomena and occurrences in the world of creation, even in the small creatures and the things that cannot be seen except with a microscope, that are more amazing and greater than the longevity of a man who has safe limbs and strength, who knows the rules of keeping himself healthy and well, and acts upon them. His longevity is not as strange as his creation, formation, and transfer from the realm of the loin (`alim al-aṣlāb) to the realm of the womb and then to this world. Using this reasoning in His Holy book, Allah refutes those who deny and view the hereafter as improbable. He, the Exalted, says, “O people! If you have doubts about resurrection, then surely We have created you from soil then from sperm... ” (Quran 22: 5). He also says, “Did not man see that We have created him from a sperm... ” (Quran 36: 77). In yet another place, He says, “And they say, ‘When we become bones and powder... ” (Quran 17: 49). This is in addition to the longevity of some of the Prophets like al-Khiḍr, Noah, Jesus, and etc. , peace be on them all. How can the belief about the Mahdī’s longevity be a sign of ignorance whilst the Holy Quran has stated the possibility of similar occurrences: “Had he [i. e. Jonas] not been from the glorifying ones, he would have certainly remained in [the whale’s] stomach until the Day they are raised” (Quran 37: 143–144). Regarding the Prophet Noah, peace be on him, the Holy Quran says, “So, he stayed amongst his people for a thousand years save fifty” (Quran 29: 14). Regarding Jesus, it says, “And there will not remain even one of the followers of the Book (ahl al-kitāb) except that they will most certainly believe in him before his death” (Quran 4: 159). It also informs us about Satan and that he has been given time until the appointed hour—a fact that is neither denied by any of the Muslims nor considered improbable. Muslim has recorded in his Ṣaḥīḥ, vol. 2, chap. “Ibn Ṣayyād,” al-Tirmidhī in his Sunan, vol. 2, and Abū Dāwūd in his Ṣaḥīḥ, chap. “The narration of ibn. Ṣā’id,” have recorded numerous traditions about ibn Ṣayyād and ibn Ṣā’id and that the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, considered it probable that he was al-Dajjāl who will emerge in the end of times. Ibn Māja has recorded in his Ṣaḥīḥ (part 2) in the chapters on fitnas, under the fitna of al-Dajjāl and the emergence of `Īsā, Abū Dāwūd has mentioned in vol. 2 of his Sunan from the book al-Malāḥim in the chapter on the narration of al-Jassāsa, Muslim in his Ṣaḥīḥ in the chapter on the Appearance of al-Dajjāl and his staying on earth from the narration of Tamīm al-Dārī—which clearly and explicitly mentions that al-Dajjāl was alive during the time of the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family, and that he will reappear in the end of times. If belief in the longevity of someone is a sign of ignorance, then why are none of the aforementioned scholars attributed with ignorance, whilst they have narrated many traditions in their books and Ṣaḥīḥs about the longevity of al-Dajjāl? How can someone be regarded as ignorant because he believes in the Mahdī’s longevity whilst the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, has considered this permissible for al-Dajjāl, the enemy of Allah?!

To sum it up, once it is shown there have lived people who have had long lives, there remains no reason for being amazed and surprised, let alone considering it improbable or believing it to be impossible for others to have long lives too. Sayyid b. Ṭāwūs, may Allah have mercy on him, writes in sect. 79 of his book Kashf al-Maḥajja the story of his debate with some Sunnis: “If a person comes and says, ‘I can walk on water in Baghdad,’ people will gather to witness him thinking that perhaps he may be able to carry it off. If he does so successfully, they will indeed be surprised at his feat. Now, if a second man comes before they have dispersed and also claims to walk on water, their amazement will certainly be less than the first one. The second one too pulls it off successfully. When some of those present disperse, their amazement will surely have been reduced. If a third person comes and makes the same claim, only a few people will wait to see him perform the feat. If he does it successfully, the amazement will definitely diminish. Finally, if a fourth person comes and makes the same claim, no one will wait to see him walk on water and [no one] will be amazed at his feat. The same applies to the Mahdī, peace be on him, because you [Sunnis] narrate that [the Prophet] Idrīs is alive and present in the sky from his era until now. You have also narrated that Khiḍr has been alive from the time of Moses, peace be on him, or even before him until now. You also believe that Jesus is alive and in the sky and will return to earth along with the Mahdī. These are three human beings who have lived long lives and no one is amazed at their longevity. Then, why can’t there be a person from the descendants of Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who follows their example as a sign of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, in his nation with his longevity? Indeed, you have mentioned and narrated that he will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice. If you ponder, you will verify that your acknowledgement and testimony that he will fill the earth’s east, west, far, and near with justice and fairness, is more amazing than his long survival and a greater honor conferred by Allah, Mighty be His Majesty, on His friends. You have also testified that the great Prophet, Jesus, son of Mary, peace be on him, will perform prayers behind him, will accompany him, and will help him in his wars and battles. This is an even greater position than the long-life you are considering improbable. ”

Al-`Allāma Sibṭ b. al-Jauzī writes in Tadhkirat al-khawāṣ, p. 377: “Most Shias believes that the Successor, the Proof (al-khalaf al-ḥujja) , is present, alive, and being given sustenance. They put forward arguments to show he is alive, some of which are: There are many people whose lives have been elongated like al-Khiḍr and Ilyās and no one knows their age. Every year, they meet and... It has been mentioned in the Torah that Dhū l-Qarnain lived for three thousand years but the Muslims believe that it was one thousand and five hundred years. The [Shias] also narrate from Muḥammad b. Isḥāq the names of a large number of people who have been granted long lives. They have given a detailed presentation about the probability of him surviving since his occultation until now and that there is nothing extraordinary about his long-life. ”

Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Kanji al-Shāfi’ī argues about his longevity through the long-lives of Jesus, Khiḍr, and Ilyās and also the survival of al-Dajjāl and Iblīs. For the longevity of al-Dajjāl, he has mentioned the lengthy tradition Muslim has recorded in his Ṣaḥīḥ about al-Jassāsa as a reason of al-Dajjāl’s longevity (al-Bayān, p. 25).

The Old Testament contains the names of quite a few people who had long-lives and has mentioned their stories in the Book of Genesis, as per the Hebrew, Caledonian, and Greek translation into Arabic (Beirut: 1870):

Chap. 5, Verse 5: “Adam lived for a total of 930 years and died. ”

Verse 11: “Enosh lived for a total of 905 years and died. ”

Verse 14: “Kenan lived for a total of 910 years and died. ”

Verse 17: “Mahalalel lived for a total of 895 years and died. ”

Verse 20: “Jared lived for a total of 962 years and died. ”

Verse 23: “Enoch lived for 365 years. ”

Verse 27: “Methuselah lived for 969 years and died. ”

Verse 31: “Lamech lived for 777 years and died. ”

Chap. 9, Verse 29: “Noah lived for 950 years and died. ”

Chap. 11, Verses 10–17: “These are Shem’s descendants; when Shem was 100, Arpachshad was born to him, two years after the flood and, after Arpachashad’s birth Shem lived five hundred years, getting sons and daughters. Arpachashad got Shelah at thirty-five and lived 403 years after Shelah’s birth, getting sons and daughters. At thirty, Shelah got Eber and he lived 403 years after Eber’s birth, getting sons and daughters. Eber at thirty-four got Peleg and lived 403 years after Peleg’s birth, getting sons and daughters.

In this chapter, more people with long lives have been discussed other than those that we have mentioned. Here, for the sake of conciseness, we will only mention some of their names: Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, and Terah.

In chap. Twenty-five, Verse 7, it has been mentioned that Abraham lived 175 years and in Verse 17, it is recorded that Ishmael lived for 137 years. These are some of the names that have been recorded in the Old Testament from those who have had long lives. This is proof for the Jews and the Christians.

Al-Karājukī writes in Kanz al-fawā’id in the chapter called “Al-Burhān `alā ṣiḥḥat ṭūl `umr al-imām Ṣāḥib al-Zamān”: “The people of all religions are unanimous on the possibility of longevity. ” After mentioning some names from the Old Testament, he says: “Islamic [books] too, contain similar contents. A single Muslim scholar cannot be found who opposes this or believes in its falsity. Rather, they have consensus on the possibility of longevity like what we mentioned. ” He has also recorded similar things from the books of the Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists, and etc. Whoever desires to study more about those who had long lives must refer to the following books: Biḥār al-anwār, al-Mu`ammirīn by Abū Ḥātim al-Sajistānī, Kamāl al-dīn, Kanz al-fawā’id in the treatise called “Al-Burhān `alā ṣiḥḥat ṭūl `umr al-imām Ṣāḥib al-Zamān. ” In this treatise, he has mentioned a group of those who had long lives and has thoroughly discussed the many reasons that prove longevity.

This is in addition to what has been proved in biology, anatomy, and pharmacology about the possibility of longevity when the laws of health and hygiene are observed with utmost care. The reason for a human’s death is not because he has lived eighty, ninety, or whatever years. Rather, death is caused by the factors that prevent the continuation of life... Further explanation on this topic can be found in our book al-Imāmat wa l-mahdawiyyat.

[3]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 31, p. 322, no. 5; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, p. 217, no. 5; al-Kharā’ij wa l-jarā’iḥ, vol. 2, p. 965; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. 32, p. 399, no. 25.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 155, no. 14; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, p. 225, under the 13th tradition with a slight variation; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 7, chap. 32, sect. 27, pp. 66–67, no. 467.

[2]: Al-Kharā’ij wa l-jarā’iḥ, vol. 3, p. 1174; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 38, p. 390, no. 4. He has narrated it from Imam al-Riḍā, peace be on him, with differences in the narrator (s) and slight variations in the wording; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 23, p. 152, no. 3. He has also narrated it from Imam al-Riḍā, peace be on him, in vol. 13, chap. 10, p. 299, no. 17; Muntakhab al-anwār al-muḍī’a, p. 40, from Imam al-Ḥasan al-`Askarī, peace be on him.

Section Thirty-Two

The traditions that indicate when he reappears, he will look young and the passing of time will not make him old

Comprised of ten traditions

645. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. `Iṣām, from Muḥammad b. Ya`qūb al-Kulainī, from al-Qāsim b. al-`Alā, from Ismā’īl b. `Alī al-Qazwīnī, from `Alī b. Ismā’īl, from `Āṣim al-Ḥannāṭ, from Muḥammad b. Muslim al-Thaqafī al-Ṭaḥḥān, who recounts:

I went to see Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Bāqir, peace be upon him, with

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the intention of asking him about the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. He started the conversation [before I could ask my question]: “O Muḥammad b. Muslim! Surely in the Qā’im from the progeny of Muḥammad, there are customs [i. e. similarities] from five Messengers: Yūnus b. Mattā, Yūsuf b. Ya`qūb, Moses, Jesus, and Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. As for the custom from Yūnus b. Mattā, it is his return after his occultation while he will [look] young despite his old age. As for the custom from Yūsuf b. Ya`qūb, it is his concealment from his close companions as well as the masses, his concealment from his brothers, and the difficult situation for his father Ya`qūb [1] despite the little distance between him and his father, family, and followers.

As for the custom from Moses, it is the continuation of his fear, the lengthening of his occultation, the concealment of his birth, and the hardships his followers will experience after him from the tortures and degradations—until Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, allows him to appear and gives him victory and assists him against his enemies. As for the custom from Jesus, peace be on him, it will be the differences people have concerning him, to the extent that a group will say, ‘He has not been born. ’ Another group will say, ‘He has died,’ yet another will say, ‘He has been killed and crucified. ’

As for the custom

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from his great grandfather, al-Mustafa Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, it is his emergence with the sword and the slaying the enemies of Allah, the enemies of His Messenger, the oppressors and the tyrants, and that he will be helped with the sword and awe. His flag will never return defeated. From the signs of his emergence are: the emergence of al-Sufyānī from Syria, the emergence of al-Yamānī [from Yemen], a loud cry from the sky in the month of Ramaḍān, and an announcer calling out his name and the name of his father from the sky. ”

646. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Isḥāq al-Ṭāliqānī, from Aḥmad b. `Alī al-Anṣārī, from Abū l-Ṣalt al-Harawī who said:

I asked (Imam) al-Riḍā, peace be on him, “What are the signs of your Qā’im when he emerges? ” He replied, “His sign is that he will be old in age [but] young in appearance. When someone looks at him he will guess his age to be forty years or less. And from his signs is that he will not become old with the passing of the days and nights until the arrival of his death.

647. `Iqd al-durar [2]: From Imam Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī, peace be on him: “[When] the Mahdī rises, the people will refute him because he will return to them as a healthy youth. One of the greatest tests is that their master will emerge for them as a youth while they had thought he would be a

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very old man. ”

648. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: From Abū `Abd-Allah [al-Ṣādiq], peace be on him, in a tradition: “One of the greatest tests is that their master will emerge for them as a youth while they had considered him a very old person. ”

649. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [2]: Narrated to us `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn al-Mas`ūdī, from Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār, from Muḥammad b. Ḥassān al-Rāzī, from Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Kūfī, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from `Abd-Allah b. Jabala, from `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “[When] the Mahdī rises the people will refute him because he will return to them as a healthy youth. No one will keep faith in him except those whose covenant Allah has taken in the first [world of] particles (al-dharr al-awwal). ”

650. Ghaybat al-Shaykh [3]: It has been narrated in a tradition that the Master of Time has a similarity with Jonah (Yūnus): “His return from his occultation while he is in the prime of his youth. ”

Some of the traditions which we mentioned or will soon mention, interpret and clarify other traditions like the following two:

651. Ghaybat al-Shaykh [4]: Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā b. `Ubaid, from Ismā’īl b. Abān, from `Amr b. Shimr, from Jābir al- Ju`fī, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, who said:

Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb asked Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, “Inform me about the Mahdī, what is his name? ” He replied, “As for his name, my beloved took a covenant from me that

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I will not reveal his name until Allah sends him. ” He then asked, “Then inform me about his attributes. ” He replied, “He will be a young man of medium figure with beautiful hair that will flow over his shoulders. The light of his face will make the blackness of his beard and hair shine. May my father be sacrificed for the son of the best maid. ”

652. Is`āf al-rāghibīn [1]: It has also been narrated about his characteristics that he is young, has applied kohl on his eyes, has arched eyebrows, an aquiline nose, a thick beard, and he will have a mole on his right cheek and another on his right hand.

The following traditions also prove the above concept: 539 and 555.

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[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 32, p. 327, no. 7; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, pp. 217–218, no. 6.

[1]: I say: The difficult situation of his father, peace be on him, is perhaps because Allah, the Exalted, did not inform his father about some of the things that he would go through—like the duration of his occultation and the time of his reappearance.

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 57, p. 652, no. 12; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, p. 285, no. 16; al-Kharā’ij wa l-jarā’iḥ, vol. 3, p. 1170, under no. 65; I`lām al-warā, chap. 4, sect. 4; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 34, sect. 8, p. 733, no. 91.

[2]: `Iqd al-durar, chap. 3, pp. 41–42; Yanābī` al-mawadda, p. 492 (short version).

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 188, no. 43; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 420, no. 398; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 536, no. 483; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 21, p. 583, no. 2.

[2]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 188, no. 43; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 420, no. 398; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 536, no. 483; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 21, p. 583, no. 2.

[3]: Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 421, no. 399; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 512, no. 341.

[4]: Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 470, no. 487; I`lām al-warā, chap. 4, sect. 4; al-Irshād, chap. “The attributes of the Qā’im, peace be on him,” no. 1; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, p. 464; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 3, p. 36; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 34, sect. 6, p. 730, no. 71; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 3, p. 41 (short version).

[1]: Is`āf al-rāghibīn (published in the margin of the book Nūr al-abṣār by Shablanjī) , chap. 2, p. 135.

Section Thirty-Three

The traditions that indicate his birth will be concealed

Comprised of thirteen traditions

653. Kifāyat al-athar [2]: Abū `Abd-Allah al-Khuzā`ī informed us, from Muḥammad b. Abū `Abd-Allah al-Kūfī, from Sahl b. Ziyād al- Ādamī, from `Abd al-`Aẓīm b. `Abd-Allah al-Ḥasanī, who said:

I said to (Imam) Muḥammad b. `Alī b. Mūsā, peace be on him, “I hope that you are the Qā’im from the Ahl al-Bait of Muḥammad who will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. ” He replied, “O Abū l-Qāsim! There is no one from us but that he rises with Allah’s commands and is the guide towards the religion of Allah. But the Qā’im through whom Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will cleanse the earth from the disbelievers and

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deniers and will fill it with justice and fairness, is the one whose birth will be concealed [1] from the people.

He will disappear from them and they will not be allowed to say his name. His name will be the same as the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, and also his epithet. He is the one for whom the earth’s distances will be shortened, every difficulty will be eased for, and for him will gather his companions—who are equal to the ones who participated in the Battle of Badr, three hundred and thirteen men—from distant places on earth. This is the [meaning of the] saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He,

‘Wherever you may be, Allah will bring forth all of you. Surely, Allah has power over all things’ (Quran Surah Baqarah 2: 148).

When this number of sincere people gathers for him, he will make his affair evident. When ten thousand men are complete, he will emerge with Allah’s permission. Then, he will continue slaying Allah’s enemies until Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, becomes satisfied. ” I said to him, “My Master! How will he know that Allah has become satisfied? ” He answered, “Mercy will be inspired in his heart... (to the end of the tradition). ”

654. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Through the same chain of narrators— meaning `Alī b. Aḥmad al-Daqqāq and Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-Shaibānī, may Allah be satisfied with them, from Muḥammad b. Abū `Abd-Allah al-Kūfī, from Mūsā b. `Imrān

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al-Nakha`ī, from his uncle al-Ḥusayn b. Yazīd, from Ḥamzat b. Ḥumrān, from his father Ḥumrān b. A`yun, from Sa`īd b. Jubair—from `Alī b. al- Ḥusayn, the Master of the Worshippers, peace be on him, who said: “The birth of our Qā’im will be concealed from the people until they will say, ‘He hasn’t been born yet. ’ [It is concealed] so that when he reappears, he will not have pledged allegiance to anybody. ”

655. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to us Aḥmad b. Hārūn al-Fāmī and `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. Shādhawayh al-Mu’addib Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Masrūr and Ja`far b. al-Ḥusayn, may Allah be satisfied with them, from Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah b. Ja`far al-Ḥimyarī, from his father, from Ayyūb b. Nūḥ, from al-`Abbās b. `Āmir al-Qaṣabānī, from Ja`far b. `Alī b. al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. `Abd-Allah b. al-Mughaira al-Kūfī, from his grandfather al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. `Abd-Allah, from al-`Abbās b. `Āmir al-Qaṣabānī, from Mūsā b. Hilāl al-Ḍabbī, from `Abd-Allah b. `Aṭā who said:

I said to (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, “Your followers in Iraq are plenty. By Allah, there is no one in your Ahl al-Bait like you! So, why do you not rise [against the government]? ” He replied, “O `Abd-Allah b. `Aṭā! You have you have filled your ears with nonsense. By Allah, I am not your Master (ṣāḥibukum). ” I asked, “So, who is our Master? ” He answered, “See [who is the one] whose birth is concealed from the people; he is your master. ”

656. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: `Abd al-Wāḥid b. Muḥammad al-`Aṭṭār, from

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Abū `Amr al-Laithī, from Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd, from Jabra’īl b. Aḥmad, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from Muḥammad b. Abī `Umair, from Sa`īd b. Ghazwān, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “The birth of the Master of this affair will be concealed from these people so he will not have pledged allegiance with anyone when he reappears. Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will set right his affairs in one [single] night. ”

657. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Al-Kulainī, from a number of our companions, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Ayyūb b. Nūḥ who said:

I said to Abū l-Ḥasan al-Riḍā, peace be on him, “We hope that you are the master of this affair and that Allah will hand it to you by pardoning [the people] and not by using the sword; because they have pledged allegiance to you and the coins have been forged with your name inscribed on them. ” He responded, “There is no one from us except that when letters are sent to him or is pointed at by fingers [i. e. he becomes famous] or is asked questions or wealth is taken to him, that he is either assassinated or will die in his bed until Allah sends a boy [2] from us for this affair. His birth and upbringing will be hidden but his parentage will not be concealed. ”

658. Ithbāt al-Waṣiyya [3]: From Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, through his chain of narrators from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him: “The Qā’im is the one whose birth

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will be concealed from the people. ”

659. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Narrated to us `Alī b. Aḥmad, from `Ubaid-Allah b. Mūsā al-`Alawī, from Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al- Qalānisī—in Mecca in the year 267 AH—from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan, from al-`Abbās b. `Āmir, from Mūsā b. Hilāl, from `Abd-Allah b. `Aṭā al- Makkī who said:

I started the Hajj pilgrimage from Wāsiṭ and I met (Imam) Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. `Alī, peace be on him, who asked me about the people and the prices. I replied, “I left the people while they were yearning for you. If you rise, the people will indeed follow you. ” He answered, “O son of `Aṭā! You have listened to [the speech] of foolish people. By Allah, I am not your master (ṣāḥibukum). None of us is pointed at with fingers or with eyebrows but that he will be killed or that he will die naturally. ”

I asked, “What do you mean by he will die naturally? ” He replied, “He will die in his deathbed but in a state of anger, until Allah raises the one whose birth is unknown. ” I said, “And who is the one whose birth is unknown? ” He answered, “See who is the one that the people are not sure whether he has been born or not. He is your master. ”

The following traditions also prove the above concept: 539, 574, 610, 645, 686, and 688.

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[2]: Kifāyat al-athar, chap. “What has been narrated from Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Riḍā, peace be on him,” p. 277, no. 2; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 36, p. 377, no. 2, with an addition at the end; I`lām al-warā, chap. 2, sect. 2, with the aforementioned addition at its end; al-Iḥtijāj, vol. 2, p. 449; Kifāyat al-muhtadī, pp. 100–101, no. 26, citing Kamāl al-dīn.

[1]: The reason of his concealed birth was that when the Abbasids found out about the traditions from the Holy Prophet and the Imams from the Ahl al-Bait, peace be on them, that the Mahdī is the twelfth Imam who will fill the earth with justice, will conquer the forts of deviation, annihilate the governments of the merciless, will kill the tyrants, and will takeover the East and West of the earth, they decided to extinguish His light by killing him. Hence, they appointed spies, secret agents, and midwives to keep a watch on the house of the father of the Ḥujja, Imam Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan al-`Askarī, peace be on him. But Allah desired to complete His light. Therefore, He, Mighty and Majestic be He, concealed the pregnancy of his mother Narjis from the people. It has been narrated that al-Mu`tamid, the Abbasid Emperor, sent midwives secretly and ordered them to enter the houses of the Banī-Hāshim, especially the house of Imam al-`Askarī, peace be on him, without permission whenever they wanted to investigate and find out about his condition and affairs. But they were unable to find anything for Allah had decided to repeat the custom of His Prophet, Moses, in His proof, just as his enemies adopted the tradition of the Pharaoh and implemented his policies. When the Pharaoh found out that his kingdom would be destroyed by a man from the Israelites, he appointed inspectors to check the pregnant women and monitored their births with strict surveillance. If the new-born was a male, they would kill him instantly and if it was a female, they would spare her. Consequently, they killed thousands of infants in their quest to find Moses. Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, says: “They killed your sons and let you daughters live” (Quran 2: 49). In this situation, Allah, the Exalted, placed His Prophet under His protection and concealed his birth from them. Allah, the Exalted, says: “And We revealed to the mother of Moses, ‘Suckle him and when you fear for him, throw him in the river and neither fear nor grieve. Surely, We will return him to you and appoint him as a messenger’” (Quran 28: 7). His similarities with Abraham and Moses have also been mentioned in numerous traditions.

It has been narrated in Ilzām al-nāṣib from one of the books of the highly learned scholar, Muḥammad Yūsuf al-Dihkhārqānī, which he authored during the reign of Shah Abbās II: “One day, he [i. e. Imam al-Mahdī] was in the room of his mother in the courtyard when Narjis realized that some midwives were near. She became extremely anxious but did not have enough time to hide that light. An announcer called out to her, ‘Throw the Proof of Allah, the defeater (al-qahhār) , in the well in the courtyard. ’ So she did. The midwives heard the voice of the child and rushed into the house. They thoroughly searched the house but found no trace of him. They went out confused and perplexed. When the house became empty of strangers, Narjis went towards the well to find out what had happened to the apple of her eye. As she looked over the well, she saw that its water had risen to the level of the ground of the house and the Divine Proof was floating on the water, safe and sound, like a shining full moon. His diaper had not become wet at all. So she took him, suckled him, and praised Allah and prostrated to express her gratitude for Him... ”

From what we have mentioned, it becomes clear why al-Ḥujja’s birth was concealed—but not his forefathers’ births. The reason is the glad tidings that were given about him: that he would conquer the forts, destroy the foundations of polytheism and hypocrisy, and inherit the earth and rule it in the end of times. The enemies of his forefathers knew they were practicing dissimulation (taqiyya) and would not rise with the sword until the voice would be heard from the sky and the signs were manifested. They also knew that the Mahdī—who is the last Imam and their seal—would rise with the sword, would put aside dissimulation (al-taqiyya) , and would kill the enemies of Allah and cleanse the earth from polytheism, merciless rulers, oppressors, and disbelievers.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 31, pp. 322–323, no. 6; I`lām al-warā, chap. 2, sect. 2; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 4, p. 135, no. 3; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 466, no. 126.

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 32, p. 325, no. 2; I`lām al-warā, chap. 2, sect. 2; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, pp. 522–523; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 467, no. 129.

I say: Other traditions have also been recorded with this meaning, see al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, p. 342, no. 26; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, pp. 167–168, no. 7–9; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, p. 128.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, p. 480, no. 5; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 20, p. 96, no. 15.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 168, no. 9; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 35, p. 370, no. 1, similar to it.

[2]: The author of Lisān al-`Arab writes: “It is said ‘so and so is the boy of the people’ even if he is old, which is like saying, ‘so and so is the youth of the army’ even if he is old” (Lisān al-`Arab, vol. 12, p. 440).

[3]: Ithbāt al-waṣiyya, pp. 222–223.

I say: Here, ‘people’ means ‘non-Shias’ because in numerous traditions ‘non-Shias’ have been referred to as ‘people. ’

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 168, no. 8.

I say: As we already mentioned above, ‘people’ refers to ‘non-Shias. ’

Section Thirty-Four

The traditions that indicate he will not have pledged allegiance with anyone

Comprised of twelve traditions

660. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [2]: `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, from Muḥammad b.

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Yaḥyā, from Muḥammad b. Ḥassān al-Rāzī, from Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Kūfī, from Ibrāhīm b. Hishām, from Ḥammād b. `Īsā, from Ibrāhīm b. `Umar al-Yamānī, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “The Qā’im will rise and he will not have pledged allegiance with anybody. ”

661. Al-Kāfī [1]: Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, from al-Ḥusayn b. Sa`īd, from ibn Abī `Umair, from Hishām b. Sālim, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ṣādiq, peace be upon him, who said: “The Qā’im will rise while he will not have pledged an oath, promise, or allegiance to anybody. ”

662. Ithbāt al-Waṣiyya [2]: al-Ḥimyarī from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn, from Muḥammad b. Sinān, from Abū l-Jārūd, from Uthmān b. Nashīṭ, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, who said: “The Master of this affair will not have pledged an oath, promise, or pact to anybody. ”

663. Kamāl al-dīn [3]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. Mūsā al- Mutawakkil, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al- `Aṭṭār, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā b. `Ubaid, from Muḥammad b. Abī `Umair, from Sa`īd b. Ghazwān, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū `Abd- Allah, peace be on him, who said: “The birth of the master of this affair will be concealed from [these] people so that he will not have pledged allegiance with anyone when he emerges. ”

664. Kamāl al-dīn [4]: Narrated to us my father and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, may Allah have mercy on both of them, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Muḥammad b. `Ubaid and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abū l-Khaṭṭāb, from Muḥammad

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b. Abī `Umair, from Jamīl b. Ṣāliḥ, from Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “The Qā’im will be sent while he will not have pledged allegiance to anyone. ”

665. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: My father, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated to me from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Ya`qūb b. Yazīd and al-Ḥasan b. Ẓarīf, both from Muḥammad b. Abī `Umair, from Hishām b. Sālim, from Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “The Qā’im will rise while he will not have pledged allegiance to anybody. ”

The following traditions also establish the aforementioned concept: 539, 601, 610, 634, 654, and 656.

Section Thirty-Five

The traditions that indicate he will kill Allah’s enemies, purify the earth from polytheism and all injustice and unfairness, destroy the kingdoms of the tyrants, and will fight for the interpretation (yuqātil `alā l-ta’wīl) of the Holy Quran just as the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, fought for its descent (al-tanzīl)

Comprised of eighteen traditions

666. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Masrūr, from al-Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad b. `Āmir, from his uncle `Abd-Allah b. `Āmir, from Muḥammad b. Abī `Umair, from someone he mentioned, from Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “The Qā’im will not reappear until the deposits of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, are brought forth. When these are brought forth, he will reappear and will fight against the enemies of Allah and kill them. ”

667. Kamāl al-dīn [3]: Al-Muẓaffar b. Ja`far al-Muẓaffar, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Ja`far

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b. Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd, from his father, from `Alī b. Muḥammad, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from Ibrāhīm al- Karkhī who said:

I—or someone—asked (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, “May Allah set right your affairs! Wasn’t `Alī, peace be on him, strong in the religion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He? ” He replied, “Yes [he was]. ” I said, “Then how did the people defeat him and why didn’t he repel them? What stopped him from doing so? ” He answered, “A verse from the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, prevented him from doing so. ” I said, “And what was that verse? ”

He replied, “The saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, ‘Had they been separated, We would have surely punished those who disbelieved from amongst them with a painful punishment. ’ [1] Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, put in the loins of the disbelievers and hypocrites the deposits of the believers. `Alī, peace be on him, did not kill the fathers until the deposits came out [i. e. their faithful children were born]. When the deposits came out, he stood up against [the opponents] and fought against them. The same applies to the Qā’im from our Ahl al-Bait. He will not reappear until the deposits of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, appear. When they all appear, he will stand up against [his opponents] and will kill them. ”

The following traditions also prove the above concept: 283, 423, 432, 446, 450, 463, 529, 535, 537, 551,

553, 554, 574, 645, 653, and 1195.

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[2]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 191, no. 45.

[1]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 342, no. 27; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 171, no. 4.

[2]: Ithbāt al-waṣiyya, p. 223.

[3]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 44, p. 479, no. 1.

[4]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 44, pp. 479–480, no. 2; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. 32, p. 453, no. 208.

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 44, p. 480, no. 3; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. 32, p. 436, no. 209.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, p. 641.

[3]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, pp. 641–642; Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalain, vol. 5, p. 70; Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 2, p. 316; al-Maḥajja, verse 38, p. 206; `Ilal al-sharā’i`, vol. 1, p. 147, no. 3.

[1]: Quran 48: 25.

Section Thirty-Six

The traditions that indicate he will manifest the affairs of Allah, make the religion of truth victorious, destroy innovations and falsehood, will be assisted with Allah’s help, will be helped with Allah’s angels, will spread Islam on earth and will rule it, and Allah will give life to the earth after its death

Comprised of 51 traditions

668. Kitāb Faḍl b. Shādhān [1]: Narrated to us Faḍālat b. Ayyūb, may Allah be satisfied with him, from `Abd-Allah b. Sinān, who said:

My father asked Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, about the Just Sultan (al-sultān al-`ādil). He said, “He is the one whom Allah has made his obedience compulsory upon the Jinn and the humans—all of them—after the Prophets and the Messengers. There will be a sultan after a sultan until they terminate at the twelfth sultan. ”

A person from his companions requested, “Describe them for us, O Son of Allah’s Messenger! ” He replied, “They are those about whom Allah, the Exalted, has said, ‘Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those who have authority amongst you. ’ [2] They are those that during the rule of the last of them, Jesus, peace be on him, will descend, and pray behind him. He is the one who will slay the Anti-Christ (al-Dajjāl). Through him, Allah will conquer the Easts and the Wests of the earth. His government will remain until to the Day of Judgment. ”

669. Kamāl al-dīn [3]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. `Iṣām, may Allah be

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satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. Ya`qūb al-Kulainī, from al-Qāsim b. al-`Alā, from Ismā’īl b. `Alī al-Qazwīnī, from `Alī b. Ismā’īl, from `Aṣim b. Ḥamīd al-Ḥannāṭ, from Muḥammad b. Muslim al-Thaqafī who said:

I heard Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Bāqir, peace be on him, say, “The Qā’im is from us. He will be helped with awe and assisted with victory. The earth’s [distances] will be shortened for him, treasures will be manifested for him, and his kingdom will extend to the East and the West. Through him, Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will make his religion victorious over all other religions even if the polytheists detest it. Then, there will not remain a ruin on earth but that he will repair it. The Spirit of Allah, Jesus, son of Mary, peace be on him, will descend and pray behind him. ”

I asked, “O Son of Allah’s Messenger! When will your Qā’im emerge? ” He replied, “When men will make themselves look like women and women will make themselves look like men. Men will fulfill [their sexual desires] using men and women using women. Women will mount on saddles, false testimonies will be accepted, the testimonies of the just will be rejected, bloodshed, adultery, and loans with interest will be regarded as normal, the wicked will be respected for fear of their tongue, al-Sufyānī will emerge from Syria, al-Yamānī will come from Yemen, the desert will sink in the earth at al-Baidā’, a youth from the family of Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings

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be on him and his family, who will be called Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan—al-Nafs al-Zakiyya (the Pure Soul) —will be killed between the Rukn and the Maqām (at Ka`ba). A cry will be heard from the sky that ‘the truth is with him and with his followers. ’ It is then that our Qā’im will appear. When he appears, he will lean his back towards the Ka`ba and 313 men will gather around him. The first thing that he will say will be this verse, ‘The remnant of Allah is better for you if you are believers. ’ [1]

Then, he will say, ‘I am the Remnant of Allah on His earth; His Caliph and His Proof upon you. ’ No Muslim will salute him except by these words, ‘Peace be on you, O Remnant of Allah (baqiyyat Allāh) on His earth. ’ When the `iqd—meaning ten thousand men—gather around him, he will rise. Then, there will not remain anything being worshipped on earth other than Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He—from the idols or any other thing—except that it will catch fire and be destroyed. This will occur after a long occultation so that Allah [tests] and recognizes those who obey Him regarding the unseen and believe in Him. ”

670. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Abū Ṭālib al-Muẓaffar b. Ja`far b. al-Muẓaffar al-`Alawī al-Samarqandī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd, from his father, from Muḥammad b. Naṣīr, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā, [from Ḥammād b. `Īsā], from `Amr b. Shimr, from Jābir b. Yazīd al-Ju`fī,

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from Jābir b. `Abd-Allah al-Anṣārī who heard the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, say:

Dhū l-Qarnain was a righteous servant whom Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, appointed as a proof upon His servants. He called his people towards Allah and ordered them to fear Him but they struck his temple. Consequently, he went into occultation for some time until they said, “He has died, or perished, or to which land has he gone? ”

After some time, he reappeared and returned to his people but they struck his other temple. Amongst you is the one who will follow his custom. Surely, Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, gave power to Dhū l-Qarnain on earth and gave him a means for everything and he conquered the East and the West. Allah, Blessed and High be He, will implement this custom in the Qā’im from my descendants. He will conquer the East and the West of the earth.

There will neither remain a waterhole nor a spot from the land or the mountains that Dhū l-Qarnain tread on but that the Qā’im will set foot on it. Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will bring out for him the treasures of the earth and its mines and He will help him with awe. Through him, He will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness.

671. Tafsīr al-`Ayyāshī [1]: From Rifā`at b. Mūsā who heard (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be

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on him, say about the verse “And to Him submits whatever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly [1] ”: “When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, there will not remain a land but that the testimony, ‘There is no god but Allah and that surely Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah,’ will be called out in it. ”

672. Tafsīr al-`Ayyāshī [2]: From Zurāra, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

My father was asked about the sayings of Allah, “And fight against all the polytheists just as they all fight against you” [3] and “Until there remains no fitna and religion becomes exclusively for Allah. ” [4] He replied, “The interpretation of this verse has not occurred yet. When our Qā’im rises, those who will have reached his time will see the occurrence of the interpretation of this verse. The religion of Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, will reach wherever that night reaches [i. e. everywhere]. There will remain no polytheism [or polytheist] on the face of earth just as Allah has stated. ”

673. Yanābī` al-mawadda [5]: From Zain al-`Ābidīn and from al-Bāqir, [peace be on them]: “When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, Allah will make Islam victorious over all religions. ”

674. Yanābī` al-mawadda [6]: From Abū Baṣīr, from Ja`far al-Ṣādiq, may Allah be satisfied with him: “When the Qā’im rises, the believers will rejoice because of the victory from Allah. ”

675. Tafsīr `Alī b. Ibrāhīm al-Qummī [7]: Regarding the interpretation of the verse, “Or He who answers the distressed one

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when he calls Him and removes the badness, and He will make you the successors on earth,” [1] narrated to me my father, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Faḍḍāl, from Ṣāliḥ b. `Uqba, from Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “This verse was revealed concerning the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad, peace be on them. By Allah, he is the distressed one. When he prays beside the Maqām [of Ibrāhīm] two units of prayers (rak`atain) and invokes Allah, He will answer him and will remove the badness and make him the successor on earth. ”

676. Mā nazala min al-Quran fī Ahl al-Bait `alayhim al-salām [2]: Through his chains of narrators [from Ḥumaid b. Ziyād, from al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad b. Samā`a, from Ibrāhīm b. `Abd al-Ḥamīd], from `Abd al-Ḥamīd, from Muḥammad b. Muslim, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, concerning the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, “Or He who answers the distressed one when he calls,” [3] he, peace be on him, said: “This verse was descended about the Qā’im, peace be on him. When he emerges, he will wear a turban and will pray beside the Maqām [of Ibrāhīm]. He will plead to his Lord, then, none of his flags will return [defeated]. ”

677. Mā nazala min al-Quran fī Ahl al-Bait `alayhim al-salām [4]: Narrated to us Yūsuf b. Ya`qūb, from Muḥammad b. Abī Bakr al-Muqrī, from Nu`aim b. Sulaimān, from Laith, from Mujāhid, from ibn `Abbās, concerning the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, “So

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that He makes it victorious over all religions even if the polytheists detest it,” [1] he said:

This will not happen until there remains no follower of Judaism, Christianity, or any other religion except Islam; until the sheep[s], the wolf[s], the cow[s], the lion[s], the men, and the snake[s] are all safe and secure; until the rat does not nibble at the sack; until jizya is imposed; the cross is broken; and the pig is killed. [This] is the saying of Allah, the Exalted, “So that He makes it victorious over all religions even if the polytheists detest it. ” All this will happen when the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises.

678. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Through this chain of narrators [meaning `Alī b. Ḥātim, from Ḥumaid b. Ziyād, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Samā`a], from Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan al-Maithamī, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from Mu’min al-Ṭāq, from Salām b. al-Mustanīr, from Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, concerning the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He,

“Know that Allah will give life to the earth after its death” (Quran Surah Hadid 57: 17)

He said, “Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will give life to it through the Qā’im, peace be on him, after it has died. Its death means the disbelief (kufr) of its inhabitants and a disbeliever (kāfir) is [regarded as] a dead person. ”

679. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [3]: Narrated to us Abū Sulaimān Aḥmad b. Haudha, from Ibrāhīm b. Isḥāq al-Nahāwandī, from `Abd-Allah b. Ḥammād al-Anṣārī, from `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, who said:

(Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah,

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peace be on him, said, “When the Qā’im, Allah’s blessings be on him, rises, the angels [present during the Battle of] Badr—which are five thousand—will descend. One-third will be on white horses, one-third on black and white horses, and one-third on al-ḥuw horses. ” I asked, “What is al-ḥuw? ” He answered, “Red. ”

680. `Uyūn akhbār al-Riḍā [1]: In a tradition recorded by him from Muḥammad b. `Alī Mājīlawayh, may Allah be satisfied with him, from `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim, from his father, from al-Rayyān b. Shabīb, from al-Riḍā, peace be on him, who said [in a part of it]:

O son of Shabīb! If you [want to] cry for anything, then cry for al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him. Because he was slaughtered like sheep are slaughtered and with him were killed eighteen of his family members whose kind could not be found anywhere on earth. The seven skies and the earths cried for his death. Four thousand angels descended on the earth to help him but they were not given permission. They remain by his grave—disarrayed and dusty—until the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises. Then, they will assist him and their slogan will be, ‘[Let us] avenge - Volume 2 , Page 256 - Muntakhab al - Athar fi l-Imam al - thani Ashar: Selected Narrations about the Twelfth Imam

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[1]: Kifāyat al-muhtadī (al-Arba`īn) , under no. 39; Kashf al-ḥaqq (al-Arba`īn) , no. 34.

[2]: Quran 4: 59.

[3]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 32, pp. 330–331, no. 16; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 25, pp. 191–192, no. 24.

I say: We already mentioned a similar tradition in the first section under no. 327 from Imam Abū `Abd-Allah al-Sadiq, peace be on him, which mentioned: “His name is Muḥammad b. Muḥammad and his title is al-Nafs al-Zakiyya. ”

[1]: Quran 11: 86.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 38, p. 394, no. 4; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 12, chap. 8, pp. 194–195, no. 19. I say: Apparently, Muḥammad b. Naṣīr—the narrator from Muḥammad b. `Īsā—refers to Muḥammad b. Naṣīr al-Kashī, the highly reliable and extremely learned scholar. He should not be confused in such traditions and reliable narrations with Muḥammad b. Naṣīr al-Numayrī.

[1]: Tafsīr al-`Ayyāshī, vol. 1, p. 182, no. 81; al-Maḥajja, Verse 4, p. 5; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 71, p. 421, which says: “When the Qā’im—the Mahdī—rises. ”

[1]: Quran 3: 83.

[2]: Tafsīr al-`Ayyāshī, vol. 2, p. 56, no. 48; Majma` al-bayān, vol. 4, p. 543, with very minor differences and the addition of the following at its end: “just as Allah, the Exalted, states, ‘They will worship only Me [and] will associate nothing with Me’” (Quran 24: 55) ; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 5, p. 55, no. 41; al-Maḥajja, verses 21 and 25; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 71, p. 423.

[3]: Quran 9: 36.

[4]: Quran 8: 39.

[5]: Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 71, p. 423, citing al-Maḥajja.

[6]: Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 71, p. 426, citing al-Maḥajja.

[7]: Tafsīr `Alī b. Ibrāhīm al-Qummī, vol. 2, p. 129; al-Maḥajja, verse 73, p. 165.

[1]: Quran 27: 62.

[2]: Ta’wīl al-āyāt al-ẓāhira, p. 399.

[3]: Quran 27: 62.

[4]: Ta’wīl al-āyāt al-ẓāhira, p. 663; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 71, p. 423 (short version) ; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 5, p. 61, no. 59.

[1]: Quran 9: 33.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 58, p. 668, no. 13.

[3]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 13, p. 244, no. 44.

[1]: `Uyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, vol. 1, chap. 28, pp. 233–234, no. 58.

the blood of al-Ḥusayn,’ (yā lathārāt al-ḥussain).

681. `Uyūn al-mu`jizāt [2]: It has been narrated from one of the knowledgeable [Imams] from the Ahl al-Bait, peace be on them, that

Allah, the Exalted, sent down four thousand angels to [assist] al-Ḥusayn. These were the same angels that had descended on the Messenger of

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Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, on the day of (the Battle of) Badr. He was asked to choose between being victorious against his enemies and meeting his grandfather. He chose meeting his grandfather. So, Allah, the Exalted, ordered the angels to stand by his grave while they are disarrayed and dusty, awaiting the rising of the Qā’im from his descendants—the Master of the Time, peace be on him. The following traditions also prove the above concept: 161, 205, 243, 324–332, 337–339, 342, 343, 346, 373, 419, 423, 432, 435, 525, 529, 536, 538, 548, 553, 719, 807, 936, 1105, 1138, 1177, 1195, and 1199.

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[2]: `Uyūn al-mu`jizāt, p. 70.

Section Thirty-Seven

The traditions that indicate he will return the people to guidance, the Quran, and the sunna

Comprised of many traditions

682. Nahj al-balāgha [1]: One of his sermons, peace be on him, in which he mentioned the bloody battles:

He will direct desires towards guidance while people will have turned guidance towards desires, and he will

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turn their views to the direction of the Quran while the people will have turned the Quran to their views. [Before this enjoiner of good, matters will deteriorate] until war will rage among you with full force, showing forth its teeth, with udders full of sweet milk but with sour tip.

Beware! It will be tomorrow and the morrow will come soon with things which you do not know. The man in power, not from this crowd, will take to task all those who were formerly appointed for their ill deeds and the earth will pour forth its internal treasures and fling before him easily her keys. He will show you the just way of behavior and revive the Quran and the sunna which have become lifeless [among people].

The topic of this section has been mentioned in numerous narrations. This is because returning the people to the Book [of Allah] and the Sunna is one of the greatest feats of the Mahdī, peace be on him, and one of his main tasks. One can rarely find a tradition that doesn’t directly or indirectly establish this fact.

Thus, only the person who fulfills this promises can be the Mahdī. He will not rise except to establish the Truth and he will not make the people rise but to return them to the Book of Allah and the Sunna of His Prophet. The world will not be filled with justice and fairness except through him. Allah’s affairs will not be manifested and

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Islam will not defeat the other religions except by the return of the people to Allah’s Book and the Sunna of His Prophet. Reformative actions will not be accomplished but through him and he will not appear, rise, and emerge except for the establishment of the sharia and for the implementation of the laws of Allah and His religion.

Section Thirty-Eight

The traditions that indicate he will take revenge on the enemies of Allah, the enemies of His Messenger, and the enemies of the Imams, peace be on them

Comprised of thirteen traditions

683. Dalā’il al-imāma [1]: `Alī b. Hibat-Allah informed me, from Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. Mūsā al-Qummī, from `Alī b. Aḥmad b. Mūsā b. Muḥammad al-Daqqāq and Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. `Iṣām, from Muḥammad b. Ya`qūb, from al-Qāsim b. al-`Alā, from Ismā’īl al-Fazārī, from Muḥammad b. Jumhūr al-`Ammī, from ibn Abī Najrān, from someone he mentioned, from Abū Ḥamza Thābit b. Dīnār al-Thumālī who said:

I asked Abū Ja`far Muḥammad al-Bāqir, peace be on him, “O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Why was `Alī, peace be on him, given the title of Amīr al-Mu’minīn (the Leader of the Believers) while no one before him had this title and it is not permissible for anyone to have this title after him? ” He answered, “Because he is the source of knowledge and from him knowledge must be taken and not from anyone except him. ”

I asked, “Why is his sword called Dhū l-Faqār? ” He said, “Because he didn’t strike anyone from

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the people of the world with it but that his family and children lost him [in this world] and he lost Paradise in the hereafter. ” I said, “O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Are not all of you the risers with the truth? ” He answered, “When my grandfather al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, was martyred, the angels cried and wailed and said, ‘Our God! Are you going to pardon the one who has killed Your chosen one and the son of Your chosen one and the best one from Your creation? ’

So Allah revealed to them, ‘Calm down, O My angels! [I swear] by My Might and My Majesty, I will certainly take revenge on them even after some time passes. ’ Then, the Imams from the descendants of al-Ḥusayn were revealed for them. The angels rejoiced because of this and saw one of them standing (qā’iman) and praying. Allah, Glorified be He, said, ‘I will take revenge on them through [the one] that is standing (al-Qā’im). ’”

684. Al-Amālī [1]: Informed us Muḥammad b. Muḥammad, from Abū l-Ḥasan Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan b. al-Walīd, from his father, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṣaffār, from Muḥammad b. `Ubaid, from `Alī b. Asbāṭ, from Saif b. `Umaira, from Muḥammad b. Ḥumrān, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

When the events about Imam al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, occurred, the angels cried to Allah, the Exalted, “O Lord! [You stand aside] and they do this with al-Ḥusayn, Your chosen one and the son of

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Your Prophet? ” So Allah showed them the figure of the Qā’im, peace be on him, and said, “Through him I will take revenge on those who oppressed him. ”

685. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Muḥammad b. Hammām, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Mālik, from Isḥāq b. Sinān, from `Ubaid b. Khārija, from `Alī b. `Uthmān, from furāt b. Aḥnaf, from Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far b. Muḥammad, from his forefathers, peace be on them, who said:

The (river) Euphrates overflowed during the reign of Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him. He and his two sons—al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn, peace be on them—mounted and passed by a village. The [villagers] said, “`Alī has come to drive away the water. ” `Alī, peace be on him, answered, “By Allah, I and these two sons of mine will be martyred. Then, Allah will send a person from my descendants in the end of times who will avenge our blood (yuṭālibu dimā’anā). He will go in occultation so that the people of deviation will be separated [from the real believers]. [It will continue for so long] until an ignorant will say, ‘The family of Muḥammad are unimportant for Allah. ’”

The following traditions also establish the above concept: 109, 255, 258, 266, 270, 293, 305, 424, 432, and 515.

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[1]: Nahj al-balāgha, trans. Sayed Ali Reza (Iran: Sayed Mujtaba Musavi Lari Foundation) , sermon 138; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 72, p. 437, which says: “The Mahdī will direct desires... ”; Shaykh Muḥammad `Abduh—the Egyptian jurist—and ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd have both stated that this section of Nahj al-balāgha refers to the Mahdī.

[1]: Dalā’il al-imāma, chap. “Ma`rifat wujūb al-Qā’im... ,”, p. 239, no. 14; `Ilal al-sharā’i`, chap. 129, p. 160, no. 1, similar to it, through his chain of narrators from al-Thumālī. After “Don’t all of you rise with the truth? ” he writes: “He replied, ‘Yes. ’ I asked, ‘Then why is the Qā’im called the Qā’im (the one who will rise)? ’ (To the end of the tradition) ”; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 37, chap. 54, p. 294, no. 8 (Al-Majlisī has explained this narration after narrating it).

[1]: Al-Ṭūsī, Al-Amālī, vol. 2, p. 33; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 45, chap. 41, p. 221, no. 3.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī , chap. 10, pp. 140–141, no. 1.

Section Thirty-Nine

The traditions that indicate in him will be customs (sunan) from the Divine Prophets, one of these customs being occultation

Comprised of twenty-three traditions

686. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Al-Sharīf Abū l-Ḥasan `Alī b. Mūsā b. Aḥmad b. Ibrāhīm b. Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah b. Mūsā b. Ja`far b. Muḥammad

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b. `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on them, from Muḥammad b. Hammām, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. al-Naufalī, from Aḥmad b. Hilāl, from `Uthmān b. `Īsā al-Kilābī, from Khālid b. Najīḥ [Najḥ], from Ḥamzat b. Ḥumrān, from his father, from Sa`īd b. Jubair, from the Master of the Worshippers, `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, who said:

In the Qā’im are customs from seven Prophets: A custom from our father Adam, a custom from Noah, a custom from Abraham, a custom from Moses, a custom from Jesus, a custom from Ayyūb (Job) , and a custom from Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on them all. As for the [custom] from Adam and Noah, it is longevity. As for Abraham, it is concealed birth and solitude. As for Moses, it is fear and occultation. As for Jesus, it is the disagreement amongst the people about him. As for Ayyūb (Job) , it is relief after calamity, and as for Muḥammad, it is emergence with the sword.

687. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Informed us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd, from Muḥammad b. al-Mufaḍḍal and Sa`dān b. Isḥāq b. Sa`īd, Aḥmad b. al-Ḥusayn and Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan al-Qaṭawānī, all of them from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from Hishām b. Sālim al- Jawālīqī, from Yazīd al-Kunāsī, from Abū Ja`far al-Bāqir, peace be on him, who said: “The Master of this affair will have a similarity with Yūsuf. He will be the son of a dark-skinned slave-maid and Allah will set

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right his affairs in one night. ”

688. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to us my father [and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan], may Allah be satisfied with him, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from al-Mu`allā b. Muḥammad al-Baṣrī, from Muḥammad b. Jumhūr and others, from [Muḥammad] b. Abī `Umair, from `Abd-Allah b. Sinān who said:

I heard (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, say, “In the Qā’im, there is a custom from Moses, son of `Imrān, peace be on him. ” I asked, “What is the custom from Moses, son of `Imrān? ” He replied, “His concealed birth and his occultation from his people. ” I asked, “How long was Moses, son of `Imrān, occulted from his nation and his family? ” He replied, “Twenty-eight years. ”

689. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Narrated to us al-Muẓaffar b. Ja`far b. al-Muẓaffar al-`Alawī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd, from his father Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd al-`Ayyāshī, from `Alī b. Muḥammad b. Shujā`, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from Yūnus, from `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

In the Master of this affair are customs from the prophets; a custom from Moses, son of `Imrān, a custom from Jesus, a custom from Yūsuf, and a custom from Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on them. As for the custom from Moses, son of `Imrān, he will be fearful and watchful. As for the custom from Jesus, it will be said about him what was said about Jesus. As for the custom from Yūsuf, it

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is the screen that Allah will put between him and the people as a covering; they will see him but will not recognize him. As for the custom from Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, he will guide with his guidance and will follow his ways.

690. Al-Imāma wa l-tabṣira [1]: `Abd-Allah b. Ja`far al-Ḥimyarī, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from Sulaimān b. Dāwūd, from Abū Baṣīr, from Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, who said:

In the master of this affair, there are four customs from four Prophets: a custom from Moses, a custom from Jesus, a custom from Yūsuf, and a custom from Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. As for the custom from Moses, he will be fearful and watchful. As for the custom from Yūsuf, it is imprisonment. As for the custom from Jesus, it will be said, “He has died,” but he would be alive. As for the custom from Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, it is the sword.

691. Ithbāt al-waṣiyya [2]: Al-Ḥimyarī, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from Sulaimān b. Dāwūd, from Abū Naṣr [or Abū Baṣīr], from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, who said:

In the Master of this affair, there are four customs from four Prophets: A custom from Moses [which is] his occultation; a custom from Jesus concerning his fear and his watchfulness regarding the Jews and them saying that he has died, whilst he hadn’t died, [and them saying] he has been killed, whilst he

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hadn’t been killed; a custom from Yūsuf concerning his handsomeness and his generosity; and a custom from Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, is the sword with which he will emerge.

The following traditions also establish the above concept: 69, 249, 286, 540, 553, 557, 564, 575, 620, 626, 628, 632, 641, 642, 644, 645, and 650.

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[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 31, p. 321, no. 3; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 466, no. 124, with slight variations; I`lām al-warā, chap. 2, sect. 2, which says, “Customs from six Prophets” instead of “From seven Prophets. ” It also says: “A custom from Noah” instead of “A custom from our father Adam, a custom from Noah”; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, p. 217, no. 4.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 163, no. 3; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 32, p. 329, no. 12; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, p. 218, no. 8; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 469, no. 135, citing Kamāl al-dīn with the wording: “In the master of this affair is a custom from Yūsuf [the son of a slave-maid], Allah will set right his affairs in a single night. ”

The author of Biḥār al-anwār writes: “His saying, ‘the son of a black slave-maid’ apparently contradicts the numerous narrations that mention the attributes of his mother, peace be on him, except if mother is interpreted as his grandmother. ”

I say: This sentence does not exist in the copy of the Persian translation of Kamāl al-dīn nor in the Najaf edition printed in the year 1389 AH, p. 320. See vol. 1, p. 445. This is in addition to the fact that his similarity with Yūsuf was in occultation and imprisonment. It is probable that something has been added to the tradition and Allah knows the best.

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 340, no. 18; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, p. 216, no. 2; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, pp. 471–472, no. 147.

[2]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 350, no. 46; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, pp. 223–224, no. 10, which says: “custom from the prophets”; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 474, no. 159.

[1]: Al-Imāma wa l-tabṣira, pp. 93–94, no. 84; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 424, no. 408, which says: “And as for the custom from Yūsuf, peace be on him, it is occultation” and on p. 60, no. 57, he has mentioned “imprisonment” which probably refers to occultation; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 12, p. 499, no. 277, and chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 460, no. 101; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, pp. 216–217, no. 3; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 6, pp. 152–153, no. 16, which says: “and imprisonment,” and also vol. 1, chap. 32, pp. 326–327, no. 6, which says: “confinement. ”

[2]: Ithbāt al-waṣiyya (first edition) , p. 202.

Section Forty

The traditions that indicate he will rise with the sword

Comprised of ten traditions

692. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: Narrated to me my father, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī l-Khaṭṭāb, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from `Alī b. Ri’āb, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, concerning the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, “On the day when some of the signs of your Lord will come, becoming a believer will be of no use to he who hadn’t already believed. ” [2] He said: “Signs [refers to] the Imams and the awaited sign is the Qā’im, peace be on him. On that day, becoming a believer will be of no use for anyone who had not become a believer before the rising of the Qā’im with the sword, even if he had believed in his forefathers, peace be on them. ”

693. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [3]: `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, from Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār, from Muḥammad b. Ḥasan al-Rāzī, from Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Kūfī, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Abī Naṣr, from `Abd-Allah b. Bukair, from his father, from Zurāra who said:

I asked (Imam) Abū Ja`far,

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peace be on him, “Name for me the Righteous from the righteous ones [and] I mean the Qā’im, peace be on him. ” He replied, “His name is my name. ” I asked, “Will he follow the customs of Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family? ” He answered, “No, no, o Zurāra! He will not follow his customs. ” I asked, “May I be sacrificed for you! Why? ” He replied, “The Messenger of Allah adopted the path of gentleness in his nation and was very friendly towards the people. But the Qā’im will adopt the path of killing. He is ordered to adopt the path of killing in the book which is with him. He will not seek repentance from anyone. Woe to he who opposes him! ” [1]

694. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [2]: Informed us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd b. `Uqda, from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan, from Muḥammad b. Khālid, from Tha`labat b. Maimūn, from al-Ḥasan b. Hārūn who said:

I was sitting with (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, when Mu`allā b. Khunais asked him, “When the Qā’im appears, will his approach differ from that of `Alī? ” He replied, “Yes. Because `Alī, peace be on him, adopted the path of kindness and restraint; because he knew that his followers would be dominated after him. But when the Qā’im rises, he will adopt the approach of sword and captivity; because he will know that his followers will never be dominated [by anyone] after him. ”

695. Tafsīr al-Qurtubī [3]: Concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted: “And most

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certainly We will make them taste the lower chastisement before the greater chastisement,” [1] he has narrated from Ja`far b. Muḥammad, [peace be on him], that “it [i. e. the greater chastisement] refers to the emergence of the Mahdī with the sword and the lower chastisement refers to high prices. ”

In Tafsīr al-Ālūsī these words have been used: “From Ja`far b. Muḥammad, may Allah be satisfied with him: ‘It refers to the emergence of the Mahdī with the sword. ’”

696. Al-Kāfī [2]: Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from ibn Maḥbūb, from Hishām b. Sālim, from Abū Khālid al- Kabulī, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, who mentions that they saw in the Book of `Alī:

“The land belongs to Allah; He will [give it as] inheritance to whoever He wishes from His servants, and the end belongs the pious (al-muttaqīn) ” (Quran 7: 128) , I and my Ahl al-Bait are those whom Allah will give them the earth as inheritance and we are the pious (al-muttaqūn). All the earth belongs to us.

Whoever from the Muslims enlivens a piece of land and inhabits it, should pay its tax to the Imam from my Ahl al-Bait and what he eats from it [remains] for him. If he abandons it or spoils it and another person from the Muslims takes it, inhabits it, and gives life to it, then the latter has more right over it than the former who has abandoned it.

The latter should pay its tax to the Imam from my Ahl

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al-Bait and whatever he eats from it [remains] for him. [This will apply] until the Qā’im from my Ahl al-Bait appears with the sword. He will take over all the [lands], deprive [their inhabitants] of them, and [force the inhabitants] out of [the lands] just as the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, took over [the lands] and deprived [their inhabitants] of them. [The only exception] will be the possessions of our Shias (shī`atunā). He will leave them with what they possess and will leave the earth in their hands.

The following traditions also prove the above concept: 423, 426, 572, 713, and 715.

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[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, p. 8, and vol. 2, p. 336; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 5, p. 51, no. 25; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 71, p. 422.

[2]: Quran 6: 158.

[3]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 13, p. 231, no. 14; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 7, chap. 32, sect. 27, pp. 77–78, no. 500; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 26, p. 353, no. 109.

[1]: There is no contradiction between this tradition and those that indicate he will follow the customs of the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. For, when it is said he will follow his customs, it means he will rise with the sword, which differs from Jesus’ approach from amongst the prophets. His similarity to him, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, is in destroying the signs of disbelief, and ending wicked habits and false regulations and the laws that will appear in the end of times.

[2]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 13, p. 232, no. 16; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 26, p. 353, no. 111; `Ilal al-sharā’i`, vol. 1, p. 210, with some variations in the chain of narrators; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, pp. 628–629.

[3]: Tafsīr al-Qurtubī (al-Jāmi` li-aḥkām al-Quran) , vol. 14, p. 107; Tafsīr al-`Ālūsī (Rūḥ al-ma`ānī) , vol. 21, p. 121; Rūḥ al-bayān, vol. 21, p. 124, from al-Lubāb from Tafsīr al-Naqqāsh: “The lower [chastisement] will be high prices and the greater [chastisement] will be the reappearance of the Mahdī with the sword”; Tafsīr al-tibyān, vol. 8, p. 306, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad, peace be on him: “The lower punishment will be famine and the greater will be the emergence of the Mahdī with the sword”; Al-Maḥajja, p. 173, from al-Mufaḍḍal b. `Umar: “Lower refers to the punishment in the grave and greater refers to the Mahdī with the sword”; From Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Shaibānī in Kashf al-Bayān: “Lower refers to famine and drought and greater refers to the emergence of the Riser, al-Mahdī, with the sword in the end of times”; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, p. 59, and Ta’wīl al-āyāt al-ẓāhira, p. 437: “Lower chastisement refers to high prices while greater refers to [the reappearance of] the Mahdī with the sword; It has been mentioned in Ilzām al-Nāṣib that “Lower refers to the punishment in Hell and greater refers to [the emergence] of the Mahdī, peace be on him, with the sword in the end of times. ”

I say: It is legitimate to interpret ‘lower punishment’ as famine and other things that will take place before the appearance of the Mahdī—may my mother and father be sacrificed for him—and it being one of its examples. Such an interpretation will not contradict the other interpretations which can be found in various exegeses. Likewise, it is legitimate to interpret ‘the greater chastisement’ as his reappearance with the sword or another event, because it is one of its examples. There is no contradiction with this interpretation and with interpreting the major chastisement as the punishment of the Hereafter. Moreover, when the commentators have differences about the interpretation of the verses, what should be relied upon is what has been narrated from of the Ahl al-Bait, peace be on them, just as we have explained in our book Amān al-umma min al-ḍalāl wa l-ikhtilāf.

[1]: Quran 32: 21.

[2]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. “The entire earth belongs to the Imam,” pp. 407–408, no. 1; Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalain, vol. 2, p. 56, no. 222, under the commentary of Sura al-A`rāf; Tafsīr al-`Ayyāshī, vol. 2, p. 25, no. 66; Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, vol. 2, p. 228, under the commentary of Sura al-A`rāf; Tafsīr al-burhān, vol. 2, p. 28, under the commentary of Sura al-A`rāf; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 100, chap. 9, p. 58, no. 2.

Section Forty-One

The traditions that indicate the people will assist his government

Comprised of three traditions

697. Sunan ibn Māja [1]: Narrated to us Ḥarmalat b. Yaḥyā al-Miṣrī and Ibrāhīm b. Sa`īd al-Jauharī, from Abū Ṣāliḥ `Abd al-Ghaffār b. Dāwūd al-Ḥarrānī, from Abū Lahī`a, from Abū Zur`a Amr b. Jābir al-Ḥaḍramī, from `Abd-Allah b. al-Ḥarth b. Jaz’ al-Zubaidī, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said: “A [group of] people will emerge from the East and will prepare for the Mahdī—meaning his government. ”

698. Sunan Abī Dāwūd [2]: From Hārūn, from `Amr b. Abī Qays, from Muṭarrif b. Ṭarīf, from Abū l-Ḥasan, from Hilāl b. `Amr, from `Alī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said:

A person will emerge from Mā Warā’ al-Nahr. He will be called al-Ḥārith

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b. al-Ḥarrāth; in the vanguard [of his army] will be a person called Manṣūr. He will organize or prepare for the family of Muḥammad just as the Quraish prepared for the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him [and his family]. It is compulsory for every believer to assist him—or he said—to respond to his [call].

Tradition no. 720 also establishes the above concept.

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[1]: Sunan ibn Māja, vol. 2, chap. “The emergence of the Mahdī,” p. 1368, citing Kitāb al-fitan, chap. 34, no. 4088; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 5, p. 125, citing Sunan ibn Māja and al-Bayhaqī. He has also recorded it in al-Tadhkira, p. 240, from Abū Dāwūd with the difference: “they will prepare for the Mahdī the throne of his kingdom”; Farā’id al-simṭain, vol. 2, chap. 61, p. 333; al-Ṭabarānī, al-Mu`jam al-ausaṭ, vol. 1, p. 200, no. 287, with minor variation; al-Munār al-munīf, sect. 50, p. 145, no. 332; Nihāyat al-bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 1, p. 41; al-Burhān fī `alāmāt Mahdī ākhir al-zamān, chap. 7, p. 147, no. 2, which says: “they will prepare for the Mahdī his kingdom”; Mukhtaṣar tadhkirat al-Qurtubī by al-Sha`rānī, p. 40, which says “they will prepare for the Mahdī the throne of his kingdom”; al-Idhā`a, p. 124; Kanz al-`ummāl, vol. 14, p. 263, no. 38657; Majma` al-zawā’id, vol. 7, p. 318, and many more references.

[2]: Sunan Abī Dāwūd, vol. 4, “Kitāb al-Mahdī,” pp. 108–109, no. 4290; Maṣābīḥ al-sunna, vol. 2, p. 194; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 5, p. 130, citing Abū Dāwūd, Sunan al-Nisā’ī, al-Bayhaqī, and al-Maṣābīḥ; Jam` al-jawāmi`, vol. 1, p. 997, citing Abū Dāwūd; al-Tadhkira, p. 240, with the difference: “a person from the ministers of al-Mahdī will emerge who will be called al-Ḥarth b. al-Ḥarrāth” and “or he said—to help him”; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 72, p. 430; al-Tāj al-Jāmi` lil-uṣūl, vol. 5, p. 344, and many other references.

Section Forty-Two

The traditions that indicate his character and approach

Comprised of forty-seven narrations

699. Al-Fitan [1]: Narrated to us Abū Mu`āwiya, from Dāwūd, from Abū Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd, may Allah be satisfied with him, from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said: “In the end of times a Caliph will emerge [who] will distribute wealth without counting [it]. ”

700. Al-Fitan [2]: Narrated to us `Abd al-Razzāq, from Mu`ammar, from Qatāda, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him [and his family], who said: “He will bring out the treasures, will distribute wealth, and will correctly establish Islam. ”

701. Al-Fitan [3]: Narrated to us al-Walīd, from Sa`īd, from Qatāda, from Abī Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī, may Allah be satisfied with him, who said: “He will give away wealth abundantly and will not even count it. He will fill the earth with justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. ”

702. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [4]: Informed us `Abd al-Wāḥid b. `Abd-Allah b. Yūnus, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Rabāḥ, from Aḥmad b. `Alī al-Ḥimyarī, from al-Ḥasan b. Ayyūb, from `Abd al-Karīm b. `Amr, from

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Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan b. Abān, from `Abd-Allah b. `Aṭā’ al-Makkī, who asked a Shaykh from the scholars, meaning, (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, “What will be the approach of the Mahdī (sīratuh)? ” He replied, “He will act like the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. He will destroy all that was before him just as the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, destroyed the affairs of ignorance (amr al-jāhiliyya). He will re-establish Islam from the beginning. ” [1]

703. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [2]: Informed us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd, from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan, from his father, from Rifā`at b. Mūsā, from `Abd-Allah b. `Aṭā’ who said:

I asked (Imam) Abū Ja`far al-Bāqir, peace be on him, “When the Qā’im rises, what will be his approach towards the people? ” He replied, “Like the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, he will destroy what was before [him]; and he will re-establish Islam from the beginning. ”

704. Qurb al-isnād [3]: Hārūn b. Muslim, from Mas`adat b. Ziyād, from Ja`far, from his father who said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family... said, ‘When our Qā’im rises fiefdom will vanish and no fiefs will remain. ’”

705. Al-Kāfī [4]: `Alī b. Ibrāhīm, from his father, from ibn Abī `Umair, from Manṣūr, from Faḍl al-A`war, from Abū `Ubaida al-Ḥadhdhā’, in a hadith from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, who said: “O Abū `Ubaida! When

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the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad, peace be on them, rises, he will judge like [the Prophets] David and Solomon. That is, he will not ask for evidence. ” [1]

706. Al-Kāfī [2]: Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, from Muḥammad b. Sinān, from Abān, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said: “The world will not come to an end until a person from me emerges. He will judge like the judgments of the family of David. He will not ask for evidence and will give everyone their rights. ”

707. Al-Kāfī [3]: Isḥāq narrates from al-Ḥasan b. Ẓarīf that

Two issues were making me restless and I intended to write about them to (Imam) Abū Muḥammad, peace be on him. I wrote to him and asked him how the Qā’im, peace be on him, would judge and where he would seat for judging between the people. I also intended to ask him for a [medicine] for Quartan fever [4] but I forgot to do so.

He replied like this: “You asked about the Qā’im, then [know] that when he rises, he will judge amongst the people by his knowledge—like how David used to judge, without asking for evidence. You also intended to ask about Quartan fever but forgot. Write on a piece of paper [the following verse] and hang it on the person who has this fever and he will soon be cured with Allah’s permission, if Allah pleases, ‘O fire, be cold and safe on Ibrāhīm. ’” We hung it on him as

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(Imam) Abū Muḥammad, peace be on him, had ordered and he was healed.

708. Al-Tahdhīb [1]: Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṣaffār, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn ibn Abī al-Khaṭṭāb, from Ja`far b. Bashīr and Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah b. Hilāl, from al-`Alā’ b. Razīn al-Qallā, from Muḥammad b. Muslim who said:

I asked (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, “When the Qā’im—may Allah hasten his relief—rises, what will be his approach towards the people? ” He replied, “He will adopt the approach of the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, until Islam becomes victorious. ” I enquired, “What was the approach of the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family? ” He replied, “He extinguished what prevailed during the time of ignorance (al-jāhiliyya) and dealt with the people with justice. The same applies to the Qā’im. He will remove the un-Islamic laws that will prevail [during the occultation, because of a lack of a true Islamic government] and will deal with the people justly. ”

709. Al-Tahdhīb [2]: Muḥammad b. Ismā’īl b. Bazī`, from Ḥamzat b. Zaid, from `Alī b. Suwayd, from (Imam) Abū l-Ḥasan Mūsā, peace be on him, who said:

When our Qā’im rises, he will call out, “O horsemen! Tread on the middle of the road. O pedestrians! walk on the two sides of the road. ” Then, if any rider goes to the roadside and hurts a pedestrian, he will have to compensate [the pedestrian, i. e. pay diya to him], but if a pedestrian walks in the middle of the

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road and is hurt, then he will not be compensated.

710. Al-Tahdhīb [1]: From him [meaning Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṣaffār], from Ya`qūb, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Faḍḍāl, from Shu`ayb al- Aqarqūfū, from Abū Ḥamza al-Thumālī, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

The earth will not survive unless if there is a learned person from us who can distinguish the truth from falsehood within it. The purpose of dissimulation (al-taqiyya) is to safeguard the blood [of the Shias]. When dissimulation (al-taqiyya) reaches the [threshold of] bloodshed, then [at that time] it should be put aside. By Allah! If you are called to help us you will say, “We will not do so because we are dissimulating. ” Dissimulation is indeed dearer to you than you fathers and mothers. When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, he will not be in need to ask you about this. Indeed, he will carry out Allah’s punishments (ḥadd) on most of the hypocrites from amongst you.

711. Al-Tahdhīb [2]: From him [meaning al-Ḥusayn b. Sa`īd], from al-Naḍr b. Suwayd, from `Abd-Allah b. Sinān, from his father who said:

I asked (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, “I have a piece of land that was taken as tax [from someone else and given to me by the government] and I don’t have a good feeling towards it. Should I abandon it? ” He was silent for a while, then said, “When our Qā’im rises, you will be granted much more land than that. ” He continued, “When our Qā’im

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rises, the people will have better than their current properties. ”

712. Al-Khiṣāl [1]: My father, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, and Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār, may Allah be satisfied with them, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī l-Khaṭṭāb, from Mūsā b. Sa`dān, from `Abd-Allah b. al-Qāsim al-Ḥaḍramī, from Mālik b. `Aṭiyya, from Abān b. Taghlib, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

Soon, three hundred and thirteen men will come to this Mosque of yours—meaning Mecca. The people of Mecca will know that these people are not from them. With them will be swords and on each sword will be scribed a word which will open up a thousand words. They will send the wind and it will call out in every valley, “This is the Mahdī. He will judge like the judgments of the family of David; he will not ask for evidence. ”

The following traditions also establish the above concept: 344, 345, 346, 368, 383, 403, 405, 419, 425, 426, 432, 466, 481, 484, 535, 583, 682, 689, 692–695, 713–718, 719, 726, 732, 1115, and 1199.

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[1]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 191.

[2]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 192; al-Malāḥim wa l-fitan, chap. 146, p. 69, which mentions ‘Mu`ammar b. Qatāda’ which is wrong.

[3]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 192; al-Malāḥim wa l-fitan, chap. 147, p. 69; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 54, p. 713, no. 99. He writes: “This tradition is established and correct”; Ḥāfiẓ Muslim has recorded it in his Ṣaḥīḥ and has written “a caliph from your caliphs,” and he has not recorded the end of the tradition; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, vol. 18, “Kitāb al-Fitan,” p. 39, which says: “from your caliphs is a caliph who will give away wealth abundantly. ” He too, has not recorded the end of the tradition.

[4]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. “What has been narrated about his attributes and his approach,” p. 230, no. 13; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 37, pp. 627–628.

[1]: In this tradition and others, ‘all that was before him’ refers to all the evil traditions, condemnable habits, false foundations, and deficient and tyrannical laws that will appear in the end of times. “He will re-establish Islam from the beginning,” means he will call upon the people to acknowledge and practice what has been taught in the sharia.

[2]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. “What has been narrated about his attributes,” p. 232, no. 17; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 37, p. 69.

[3]: Qurb al-isnād, p. 39.

[4]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 397, no. 1; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 23, chap. 4, pp. 85–86, no. 28, which ends like this: “he will not ask people for evidence”; Baṣā’ir al-darajāt, chap. 15, p. 259, no. 3, which ends like this: “he will not ask people for evidence”; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 7, chap. 32, p. 45, no. 404; al-Kharā’ij wa l-jarā’iḥ, vol. 2, p. 861, under no. 77, which ends like this: “he will not ask people for evidence. ”

[1]: It is appropriate here to answer the objection raised by some those who oppose us, which is as follows: The Muslims are unanimous that there will be no prophet after the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, but you Shias think that when the Qā’im rises, he will not accept the jizya from the People of the Book, he will kill all those who have attained the age of twenty but have failed to acquire deep knowledge in religion, will destroy all the mosques and shrines, will judge like the Prophet David and will not ask for evidence, and etc. All of these are an abrogation of the Islamic sharia. A group of scholars have answered this objection in their books. We will suffice here with the reply given by the majestic scholar al-Shaykh al-Ṭabrisī in his book I`lām al-warā. He writes: “We don’t believe in what has been mentioned in the question that he will not accept the jizya from the Peoples of the Book and will kill all those who have attained the age of twenty but have failed to acquire deep knowledge in religion. Because they have been mentioned in a tradition whose correctness has not been proved. As for the destruction of the mosques and the shrines, then we too have heard about that. It is legitimate to confine this to those mosques and shrines that have been built without having Allah in mind and in opposition to the commands of Allah. This is perfectly legal and is what the Prophet did himself. As for him judging like David (and) not asking for evidence, again this has not been mentioned [in a correct tradition]. If it is correct, then it means that he will judge using his knowledge. For, when an Imam or a judge knows about an affair, then he must judge according to his knowledge without asking for any evidence. There is absolutely no abrogation of the Sharia in these. Even if what they say about him neither accepting the jizya nor asking for evidence is correct, then that will also not be an abrogation of the Sharia. Because, an abrogating law is the one that comes after the abrogated one and not at the same time with it. If they exist together, then one will not be abrogating the other even if they are apparently contradictory to each other in judgment. Therefore, we agree that if Allah had said, ‘You restrict yourself until such and such time and not thereafter,’ then this will not be abrogation because the removal factor is accompanied with the obliging factor. If this statement is correct and the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, has informed us that it is obligatory to follow and agree with the Qā’im from his progeny, then we have to follow what judgment he passes concerning us even if it is contradictory to some of the earlier laws and no abrogation will have occurred. ”

[2]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, pp. 397–398, no. 2.

[3]: Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 509, no. 13; al-Irshād, p. 343, with the difference that it says: “He said, ‘Narrated to me al-Ḥusayn b. Ẓarīf. ’” The following section has not been recorded in it: “and he will soon be cured with Allah’s permission, if Allah so pleases. ”; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 31, p. 403, no. 15; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 95, chap. 55, pp. 66–67, no. 46, and vol. 50, chap. 3, p. 264, no. 24; al-Manāqib by ibn Shahr Āshūb, vol. 4, p. 431 (short version) ; al-Kharā’ij wa l-jarā’iḥ, vol. 1, pp. 431–432, no. 10; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, p. 413; I`lām al-warā, p. 357; al-Da`awāt by Quṭb al-Dīn al-Rāwandī, p. 209, no. 567.

[4]: A mild form of malaria causing a fever that recurs every third day (Concise Oxford English Dictionary).

[1]: Al-Tahdhīb, vol. 6, chap. “The Imam’s attitude,” p. 154, no. 1 (270) ; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, sect. 2, chap. 32, p. 377, no. 76.

[2]: Al-Tahdhīb, vol. 10, chap. 28, p. 314, no. 10 (1169) ; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. 32, sect. 2, p. 379, no. 81 (short version).

[1]: Al-Tahdhīb, vol. 6, chap. 79, p. 172, no. 13 (335).

[2]: Al-Tahdhīb, vol. 7, p. 149, no. 6 (660) ; Ithbāt al-hudāt, chap. 32, sect. 2, vol. 6, no. 78.

[1]: Al-Khiṣāl, vol. 2, p. 649, no. 43; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. 32, sect. 8, p. 455, no. 261, and vol. 7, pp. 91–92, no. 539, with variations in context and chain of narrators. The same has been recorded in Ghaybat al-Nu’mānī, pp. 314–315, no. 7.

Section Forty-Three

The traditions that indicate his asceticism (zuhd)

Comprised of six traditions

713. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [2]: Informed us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd b. `Uqda, from Aḥmad b. Yūsuf b. Ya`qūb Abū l-Ḥasan al-Ju`fī, from Ismā’īl b. Mihrān, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, from his father and Wuhaib, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

When the Qā’im emerges, nothing will remain between him, the

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Arabs, and the Quraish except the sword and he will receive nothing from them but the sword. Why are they hastening for his emergence? By Allah, his clothes will not be but coarse; his food will not be but crude barley [bread]. [Life] will be accompanied by the sword and death is beneath the shadow of the sword.

714. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Informed us `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, from Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār at Qum, from Muḥammad b. Ḥasan al-Rāzī, from Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Kūfī, from Mu`ammar b. Khallād who said:

The Qā’im was mentioned in of the presence of (Imam) Abū l-Ḥasan al-Riḍā, peace be on him. He said, “Today, you are more in comfort than you think you will be on that day. ” They asked, “How? ” He answered, “When the Qā’im, peace be on him, emerges, there will not be anything but blood, sweat, and sleeping on the saddles. The clothes of the Qā’im will not be but rough and his food will be nothing but coarse. ”

715. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [2]: `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, through his chain of narrators from Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Kūfī, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah (al-Ṣādiq) , peace be on him, who said: “Why are you in such a hurry for the appearance of the Qā’im? By Allah! His clothes are not but rough and his food is not but coarse. [Life] will be accompanied by the sword and death is beneath the shadow of the sword. ”

716. Al-Kāfī [3]: `Alī b.

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Ibrāhīm, from his father, from ibn Abī `Umair, from Ḥammād b. `Uthmān, from al-Mu`allā b. Khunais who said:

One day, I said to (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, “May I be sacrificed for you! You mentioned the family of so and so (ālu fulan) and the luxury that they enjoy! Had you been in power, we would have lived with you [in luxury]. ” He remarked, “Never, O Mu`allā! By Allah, had this been the case [i. e. had we come to power], it would mean nothing except administration by night, traveling by the day, wearing rough clothes, and eating coarse food. [Now] these [hard tasks] have been removed [due to the Umayyads and Abbasids who have withheld our rights] and have you ever seen the withholding of a right that results in a blessing except this? ”

717. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Narrated to us `Abd al-Wāḥid b. `Abd-Allah b. Yūnus, from Abū Sulaimān Aḥmad b. Haudha al-Bāhilī, from Ibrāhīm b. Isḥāq al-Nahāwandī, from `Abd-Allah b. Ḥammād al-Anṣārī, from al-Mufaḍḍal b. `Umar who said:

I was with (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, performing the circumambulation (al-ṭawāf). He looked at me and asked, “O Mufaḍḍal! Why do I see you grieved and distressed? ” I said to him, “May I be sacrificed for you! I see the Abbasids and the power, authority, and clout that they enjoy. Had this been for you, we would have enjoyed it with you. ”

He answered, “O Mufaḍḍal! Had this been the case [i. e. had we been in power],

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it wouldn’t be but administration by the night, traveling by the day, eating coarse food, and wearing rough clothes similar [to the lifestyle] of Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him; otherwise, [our abode] would be the fire. Since [power and kingdom] have been removed from us, we can eat and drink [as we like]. Have you seen an oppression that Allah has turned into a blessing like this? ’”

718. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Abū Sulaimān, from Ibrāhīm b. Isḥāq, from `Abd-Allah b. Ḥammād, from `Amr b. Shimr who said:

I was with (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, in his house—which was filled with people. People would come forward and ask him questions; and he would not be questioned about a thing except that he answered it. I started crying from one corner of the house and he said to me, “Why are you crying, O `Amr? ” I replied, “May I be sacrificed for you! And why shouldn’t I cry? Is there anyone in this nation like you? And yet, the door has been shut on you and a veil drawn over you! ” He replied, “O `Amr! Don’t cry. We eat delicious [food] and wear soft clothes. Had the case been what you say [i. e. had we been in power], it wouldn’t have been but eating coarse food and wearing rough clothes like Amīr al- Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him. [If we practiced anything other than this], the remedy would be chains in the hellfire. ”

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[2]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 13, p. 234, no. 21; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 7, chap. 32, sect. 27, p. 79, no. 504 (short version) ; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 37, pp. 629–630.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 15, p. 285, no. 5; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 7, chap. 32, sect. 27, p. 85, no. 527.

[2]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 13, p. 233, no. 20; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 277, which has the following chain of narrators: “From him—meaning al-Faḍl—from `Abd al-Raḥmān [b. ] Abī Hāshim, from `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, from Abū Baṣīr, from Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him. ” Its text is like that of Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī with the difference that it mentions the word barley before coarse; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 7, chap. 32, sect. 27, p. 79, no. 503; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 37, p. 629.

[3]: Al-Kāfī,vol. 1, p. 410, no. 2.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 1, pp. 286–287, no. 7; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 27, p. 359, no. 127, with differences in the chain of narrators.

[1]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 15, pp. 287–288, no. 8; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 27, p. 360, no. 128.

Section Forty-Four

The traditions that indicate

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his complete justice and the spread of justice and security during his government

Comprised of seventeen traditions

719. Al-Irshād [1]: Narrated `Alī b. `Uqba, from his father that

When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, he will judge justly and during his reign injustice will be eliminated. The roads will become safe, the earth will bring out its blessings, the right of each individual will be returned to him, and the followers of no religion will remain except that they will express [their belief in] Islam and acknowledge [the truth of this] faith. Have you not heard Allah, the Purified, say,

“And to Him submit those in the skies and the earth—willingly or unwillingly—and to Him they will be returned. ” [2]

He will judge amongst the people like the judgment of the family of David and the judgment of Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. It is then that the earth will reveal its treasures and expose its blessings. No one from you will find a needy person on that day to give him charity or be beneficent to him, because all the believers will have become wealthy. Our government is the last of governments and there will not remain a group except that they will have ruled before us so that they will not say when they see our approach [in governance], “If we had the opportunity to rule, we too would have ruled in this manner. ” And this is [the meaning of] the saying of Allah, the Exalted,

“And the

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Hereafter belongs to the pious (lil-muttaqīn). ” [1]

720. Al-Maḥajja [2]: (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, said:

By Allah, they will fight until [those being fought] will acknowledge the Oneness of Allah and will associate nothing with Him and until an old and frail lady comes out from the East intending to go to the West and no one will prevent her. Allah will bring out of the earth its seedlings and will send down from the skies its raindrops. The people will put their taxes on their necks [i. e. backs] and take them to the Mahdī, peace be on him... (to the end of the tradition).

721. Al-Fitan [3]: Narrated to us Mu`tamir b. Sulaimān [Mu`ammar b. Sulaimān], from Ja`far b. Sayyār al-Shāmī who said: “The Mahdī, peace be on him, will return the usurped rights to their rightful owners. Even if a thing [unjustly taken] is beneath the molar tooth of a man, he will remove it and return it [to its rightful owner]. ”

The following traditions also support the above concept: 367, 368, 455, 505, 538, 554, 584, 726, 1204, 1210, 1213, 1214, 1217, 1246, and many other traditions.

Section Forty-Five

The traditions that indicate his knowledge

Comprised of six traditions

722. `Iqd al-durar [4]: From al-Ḥārith b. al-Mughaira al-Naḍrī [al-Naṣrī] who said:

I asked (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī, peace be on him, “ (What are the attributes) of Imam al-Mahdī that he can be recognized with? ” He replied, “Serenity and dignity. ” I asked, “What else? ” He said, “[He will] gave [complete] knowledge about

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the permissible (ḥalāl) and the prohibited (ḥarām) and the people will need him but he will not need anyone. ”

723. Kamāl al-dīn [1]: `Alī b. Aḥmad b. Mūsā, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. Abī `Abd-Allah al-Kūfī, from Muḥammad b. Ismā`īl al-Barmakī, from Ismā`īl b. Mālik, from Muḥammad b. Sinān, from `Amr b. Shimr, from Jābir, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, who said:

The knowledge of the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, and the sunna of His Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, will grow in the heart of our Mahdī like the finest things that a crop can grow. Whoever amongst you survives to see him must say when he sees him, “Peace be on you, O People of the House of Mercy and prophethood and the source of knowledge and the position of Messenger-ship. ”

724. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [2]: `Alī b. Aḥmad, from `Ubaid-Allah b. Mūsā al-`Alawī, from Abū Muḥammad Mūsā b. Hārūn b. `Īsā al-Ma`badī, from `Abd-Allah b. Muslimat b. Qa`nab, from Sulaimān b. Bilāl, from (Imam) Ja`far b. Muḥammad, peace be on him, from his father, from his grandfather, from (Imam) al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī, peace be on them all, who said:

A man came to Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, and said, “O Amīr al-Mu’minīn! Inform us about your Mahdī? ” He replied, “When the things that must pass away, pass away; the believers become rare, and the troublemakers perish, it is then, it is then. ” The man asked, “Which [tribe]

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does this man belong to? ”

He replied, “He is a Hashemite, the most exalted of the Arabs, a sea to which all waters pour into, a sanctuary for those who seek refuge, and the pure source when others become murky. He doesn’t cower when death attacks, doesn’t weaken when death shows its face, and doesn’t recede in the clashes in which the heroes fall. He is a skilled winner, a defeater, a lion, reaper [of the enemies], and fearless. He is a sword from the swords of Allah. He is a chief who possesses all goodness, is from a great glorious family, and whose glory originates from the best of roots. Let none of those who hasten towards mischief, speak the evilest of words, and hide their corruptions inside them when keeping silent, prevent you from pledging allegiance to him. ”

He then returned to describing the attributes of the Mahdī, peace be on him, and said, “He is the most generous in giving refuge, the most knowledgeable, and the kindest of you to his kin. O Allah! Make his advent an end to sorrows and unite the umma by him. If Allah chooses goodness for you, be determined and do not deviate from [the Mahdī] if you have success in reaching him and don not turn away from him if you are guided to him. ” Then, [Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him] sighed and pointed at his chest with his hand and expressed his eagerness to see him.

725. Sunan al-Dānī [1]: Ibn

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Shaudhab said: “He is called the Mahdī (the guided one) because he will guide to a mountain from the mountains of Syria and will bring out of it the Scrolls of the Torah (asfār al-turāt) and argue by them against the Jews; consequently, a group of Jews will accept Islam at his hands. ”

The following traditions endorse the above concept: 726 and 1182.

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[1]: Al-Irshād, pp. 364–365; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, pp. 465–466, which says: “and narrated `Alī b. `Uqba, from Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him”; I`lām al-warā, p. 432; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, p. 338, no. 83.

[2]: Quran 3: 83.

[1]: Quran 7: 128.

[2]: Al-Maḥajja; pp. 79–84, verse 22; It has been narrated in Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 71, p. 423, from Zurāra, from him, peace be on him, with a slight variation in the words; Tafsīr al-`Ayyāshī, vol. 2, pp. 56–61, which is a long tradition in which some aspects of his appearance and other details are mentioned.

[3]: Al-Fitan, p. 191, no. 5; al-Malāḥim wa l-fitan, chap. 139, p. 68, from Nu`aim; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 3, p. 36, with the difference that he said: “Ja`far b. Yasār al-Shāmī. ”

[4]: `Iqd al-durar, chap. 3, p. 41.

I say: Abū `Abd-Allah—the person from whom the tradition has been narrated—is Imam Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, and not our master Imam Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ḥusayn, the grandson of the Prophet and the chief of the youth of Paradise. This error has been repeated in numerous places in the book `Iqd al-durar. I do not know whether this error has been introduced by the author, already existed in the source from which he had recorded the narrations from, or made by the copyists.

(The narrator,) al-Ḥārith b. al-Mughaira al-Naṣrī, is related to [the tribe of] Banī-Naṣr, as has been recorded in Mu`jam rijāl al-ḥadīth by al-Kashī. He has narrated from Imam Abū Ja`far Muḥammad al-Bāqir, his son Imam Ja`far b. Muḥammad, his son Imam Mūsā b. Ja`far, and Zaid the martyr, peace be on them all. It is written in Lisān al-mīzān, vol. 2, p. 160: “Al-Ḥārith b. al-Mughaira al-Naḍrī or al-Baṣrī. He has narrated from al-Bāqir, his brother Zaid b. `Alī, and Ja`far b. Muḥammad, may Allah be satisfied with him. Al-Ṭūsī and ibn al-Najāshī have mentioned him as one of the reliable Shia narrators. `Alī b. al-Ḥakam has said, ‘He was the most pious (aura`) of men. ’ Tha`labat b. Maimūn, Hishām b. Sālim, Ja`far b. Bashīr, and others have narrated from him. ’”

[1]: Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 57, p. 653, no. 18; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 15, p. 557, and chap. 42, p. 639; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 27, pp. 317–318, no. 16.

[2]: Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 3, pp. 212 214, no. 1.

[1]: `Iqd al-durar, chap. 3, pp. 40–41; al-Burhān, chap. 8, p. 157, no. 7; Is`āf al-rāghibīn, chap. 2, p. 139, which says: “It has been mentioned in some traditions, ‘... surely the Mahdī, peace be on him, will bring out the Ark of the Covenant (tābūt al-sakīna) from the cave of Antioch (Anṭākiya) and the Scrolls of the Torah (asfār al-turāt) from a mountain in Syria—by which he will argue with the Jews. Consequently, many of them will accept Islam. ’”

I say: The biography of ibn Shaudhab has been mentioned in Tahdhīb al-tahdhīb and his full name is `Abd-Allah b. Shaudhab al-Khurāsānī. We have mentioned what he has said amongst these hadiths on the basis that people like him do not express their own views about these events which are not known to anybody except those who has been given knowledge by Allah, the Exalted; except something that reached them from the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. Nevertheless, when similar things are narrated by him from Ka`b al-Aḥbār—whose condition is well-known—it is probable that he was the source of what ibn Shaudhab and his ilk have narrated, without relying on the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, and hence, one cannot rely on those traditions.

Section Forty-Six

The traditions that indicate his generosity and that he will distribute wealth without counting it

Comprised of twenty-nine traditions

726. `Ilal al-sharā’i` [1]: Narrated to me my father, may Allah have mercy on him, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī al-Kūfī, from `Abd-Allah b. al-Mughaira, from Sufyān b. `Abd al-Mu’min al-Anṣārī, from `Amr b. Shimr, from Jābir who said:

A man came to (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, while I was with him and said, “May Allah have mercy on you! Take these five-hundred dirhams and donate them wherever [you deem] appropriate. It is the zakāt of my wealth. ” (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, said to him, “No! Take it yourself and give it to your neighbors, the orphans, the poor, and your [needy] brothers from amongst the Muslims. [During the occultation you can donate the zakāt yourselves] but when the Qā’im rises [it is compulsory to pay the zakāt to him]. [2]

He will distribute equally and deal justly with the creatures of the Beneficent, regardless of them being good-doers or sinners. Whoever obeys him has indeed obeyed Allah and whoever disobeys him has indeed

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disobeyed Allah. He has been named Mahdī (the guided one) because he will guide to a concealed affair. He will bring out the Torah and all the other Books of Allah from a cave in Antioch [1] .

Then, he will judge amongst the followers of the Torah using the Torah, amongst the followers of the Bible using the Bible, amongst the followers of the Psalms using the Psalms, and amongst the followers of the Quran with the Quran. All the wealth of the world will be gathered for him—whether it be inside the earth or on it.

He will say to the people, ‘Come and take this [wealth], for which, you broke off with your relatives, shed blood, and committed what Allah had prohibited. ’ He will give things that no one before him had ever given. The Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said, ‘He is a man from me; his name is like my name. Allah will protect my [religion] by him and he will act according to my sunna. He will fill the earth with fairness, justice, and light after it will be filled with unfairness, injustice, and evil. ’”

727. Al-Muṣannaf [2]: Informed us `Abd al-Razzāq, from Mu`ammar, from Sa`īd al-Jarīrī, from Abū Naḍra, from Jābir b. `Abd-Allah who said: “An Imam will rule over the people who will not count the dirhams but will just give them away. ”

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728. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim [1]: Narrated to me Zuhair b. Ḥarb and `Alī b. Ḥajar, from Ismā`īl b. Ibrāhīm, from al-Jarīrī, from Abū Naḍra who said:

We were with Jābir b. `Abd-Allah when he said, “Soon, no money will reach the people of Iraq— even a small amount. ” I asked, “Why will [they be in such a state? ]” He replied, “The non-Arabs will deprive them of this. ” Again, he said, “Soon, no money will reach the people of Syria—even a small amount. ” I asked, “Why will [they be in such a state? ]” He replied, “The Romans. ” He was a silent for a while and then said, “The Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said, ‘In the end of my nation (ākhir ummatī) , there will be a caliph who will give away wealth abundantly but will not even count it. ’”

He says I asked Abū Naḍra and Abū l-`Alā: “Do you think (the caliph) is `Umar b. `Abd al-`Azīz? ” Both of them replied in the negative.

And ibn al-Muthannā narrated to us, from `Abd al-Wahhāb, from Sa`īd—meaning al-Jarīrī—similar to the above narration through the same chain of narrators.

729. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim [2]: Narrated to us Naṣr b. `Alī al-Jahḍamī, from Bishr b. al-Mufaḍḍal and `Alī b. Ḥujr al-Sa`dī, from Ismā’īl b. `Ulayya, both of them from Sa`īd

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b. Yazīd, from Abū Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said: “Amongst your caliphs is a caliph who will distribute wealth munificently without even counting it. ”

730. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim [1]: Narrated to me Zuhair b. Ḥarb, from `Abd al-Ṣamad b. `Abd al-Wārith, from his father, from Dāwūd, from Abū Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd and Jābir b. `Abd-Allah, both from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him [and his family], who said: “In the end of times there will be a caliph who will distribute wealth but will not count it. ”

And narrated to us Abū Bakr b. Abī Shaiba, from Abū Mu`āwiya, from Dāwūd b. Abī Hind, from Abū Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd, from the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him [and his family], likewise.

731. Sunan al-Tirmidhī [2]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. Bashshār, from Muḥammad b. Ja`far, from Shu`ba, from Zaid al-`Ammī, from Abū l- Ṣiddīq al-Nājī, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī who said:

We feared a tragedy [would occur] after our Prophet. So we asked the Prophet of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him [and his family], about it. He said, “In my nation is the Mahdī. He will emerge and live for five, seven, or nine (the uncertainty [in the numbers] is from Zaid, one of the narrators). ” We asked, “What are these [numbers]? ” He answered, “Years. ” He then continued, “A person will come to him and say, ‘O Mahdī! Give me, give me! ’ He will put so much [wealth] in

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his dress that he will not be able to carry it. ”

Abū `Īsā says: “This is a good (ḥasan) tradition. It has also been narrated through other chains of narrators from Abū Sa`īd, from the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him [and his family]. The name of Abū l-Ṣiddīq al-Nājī is Bakr b. `Amr. Some have also said it is Bakr b. Qays. ”

732. Al-Fitan [1]: Narrated to us Fuḍail b. `Ayyāḍ and ibn `Uyayna, both from Laith, from Ṭāwūs who said: “The sign of the Mahdī is that he will be strict with the government agents, generous regarding wealth, and merciful to the poor. ”

733. Al-Fitan [2]: Narrated to us `Abd al-Razzāq, from Mu`ammar, from Qatāda that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him [and his family], said: “He—meaning the Mahdī—will bring out the treasures, distribute wealth, and will correctly establish Islam. ”

734. Al-Fitan [3]: Narrated to us ibn `Uyayna, from Ibrāhīm b. Maisara, from Ṭāwūs who said: “I wish I don’t die until I reach the time of the Mahdī. He will increase the good-doers’ goodness and will forgive the sinners. ”

(It has also been mentioned in it,) narrated to us Ḥumaid al-Rawāsī, from Muḥammad b. Muslim, from Ibrāhīm b. Maisara, from Ṭāwūs who said: “When the Mahdī comes, he will increase the good-doers’ goodness and will forgive the sinners’ wrongdoings. He will give away wealth, be strict with the government agents, and be merciful towards the poor. ”

735. Al-Fitan [4]: Narrated to us Yaḥyā, from Saif b. Wāṣil, from Abū Yūnus, from Abū Ru’ba who

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said: “As if [I am seeing] the Mahdī feeding the needy with his own hands. ”

The following traditions also establish the above concept: 160, 358, 379, 380, 383–389, 436, 437, 453, 503, 583, 699, 700, and 701.

- Volume 2 , Page 286 - Muntakhab al - Athar fi l-Imam al - thani Ashar: Selected Narrations about the Twelfth Imam

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[1]: `Ilal al-sharā’i`, vol. 1, chap. 129, p. 161, no. 3; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, p. 29, no. 2; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 13, p. 237, no. 26, similar to it, through his chain of narrators from Jābir; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 27, pp. 350–351, no. 103, with some differences; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 14, p. 556.

[2]: The expressions in the brackets are al-Majlisī’s explanations under this tradition—Ed.

[1]: An ancient city in Syria which is modern-day Antakya in South Turkey—Trans.

[2]: Al-Muṣannaf, vol. 11, no. 20774.

[1]: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, vol. 8, p. 185; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 54, p. 713, no. 98 (short version) ; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, p. 482, with minor variations; al-Bayān fī akhbār Ṣāḥib al-Zamān, chap. 10, p. 121.

[2]: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, vol. 8, p. 185.

I say: It has been mentioned in the notes of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (the published edition from which we have recorded the hadith) that “Al-Ābī notes that Al-Tirmidhī and Abū Dāwūd have mentioned this Caliph and referred to him as the Mahdī. ” There is no doubt that this Caliph is the Mahdī, peace be on him, specially by considering the traditions that have been mentioned concerning him like: “in the end of my nation” and “in the end of times. ” It will not be unknown to any specialist in the science of traditions that what has been mentioned about an Imam who will rise in the end of times or a Caliph or the one who will fill the earth with fairness and justice, all refer to one individual possessing all these attributes and he is the Mahdī, peace be on him.

Al-Shaykh `Alī Nāṣif writes in Ghāyat al-ma’mūl, vol. 5, p. 311: “This is the Mahdī, may Allah be satisfied with him, because of the hadith that will follow [in which the Mahdī is clearly mentioned] and this attitude is the result of abundant war booties and victories accompanied with his generosity and munificence towards all the people. ”

Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 54, p. 713, no. 99; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, p. 483; al-Bayān fī akhbār Ṣāḥib al-Zamān, chap. 10, p. 122, and other references.

[1]: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, vol. 8, p. 185; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 54, p. 713, no. 100; al-Bayān fī akhbār Ṣāḥib al-Zamān, pp. 122–123; Musnad Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, vol. 3, p. 333 & p. 38; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, p. 483.

[2]: Sunan al-Tirmidhī, vol. 4, p. 506; Kitāb al-fitan, chap. 53, no. 2232; Maṣābīḥ al-sunna, vol. 2, p. 194; Kanz al-`ummāl, vol. 14, p. 262, no. 38654; Muntakhab kanz al-`ummāl, vol. 6, p. 29; Yanābī` al-mawadda, pp. 431 & 435; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, p. 478.

[1]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 191; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 8, p. 167.

[2]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 193.

[3]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 193; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 7, p. 143.

[4]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 191; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 9, sect. 3, p. 227.