Alghayba-occultation chapter1

Alghayba-occultation 

ID book 

Al-Ghayba: Occultation  

Author: Sheikh Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ibraheem bin Ja’far al-Katib 

known as Ibn abu zaynab-nu'mani

 Verified by: Faris Hassoon Kareem

 Translated by: Abdullah al-Shahin 

Publisher: Ansariyan Publications Qum

 First Edition 1381-1423-2003 ISBN: 964-438-428-8 

preface 

IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL 

And We desired to bestow a favor upon those who were deemed weak in the land, and to make them the Imams, and to make them the heirs (5) And to grant them power in the land. [The Holy Quran: The Narratives (Al-Qasas) 28: 5-6] 

DEDICATION DEDICATION As long as the powers of corruption, evil and deviation try the best to raise stumbling blocks to close the path of the mission with obstacles; therefore the Divine Will has determined the necessity of al-Hujjah, (1) who will fix the truth and spread justice allover the world to achieve the aims of the prophets and the messengers of Allah and to realize the hopes of persecuted and oppressed people. Ye! It is the long-sought hope. It is the expected Mahdi; the natural extract of all the successive Divine Missions and the fruit of all the efforts of the prophets and their guardians. May our souls be the sacrifice for his comin! This little work before the great blessing of Him is not but as evidence of belongingness. We pray Allah the Almighty to light our eyes with seeing him and to gift us with the great grace by virtue of hi! p: 1 

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Faris Footnote 1 It means proof or authority. It refers to Imam al-Mahdi (s). 

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PREFACE BY THE VERIFIER ABOUT THE AUTHOR HIS NAME His full name is Abu (1) Abdullah Muhammad bin Ibraheem bin Ja’far al-Katib al-Nu’mani al-Baghdadi. He is known as Ibn Abu Zaynab. (2) HIS OFFSPRING An-Najashi said: The vizier Abul Qassim al-Husayn bin Ali bin al- Husayn bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Yousuf al-Maghribi was the son of his (the author s) daughter Fatima. PRAISING HIM An-Najashi said about him: He is a sheikh (teacher) from among our companions. He is great in position, noble in rank, loyal in faith and he has narrated many traditions. Al-Mahoozi said: He is praiseworthy, lofty and one of the sheikhs, who give permission (who evidence others knowledge or works). Kahhala said: He is an interpreter, a good speaker and a good theologist. HIS TRAVELS He traveled to Shiraz in 313 AH. Then he traveled to Baghdad. After that he traveled to Sham (3) and taught in Tabariya in Jordan. then he entered Damascus. At the end of his age he traveled to Halab (in Syria) , in which he narrated his book al-Ghayba (the Sacred Disappearance). (4) HIS TEACHERS (SHEIKHS) Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Sa eed bin Oqda al-Kufi, in Baghdad 327AH. Abu Sulayman Ahmad bin Nasr bin Hawtha al-Bahili. Abu Ali Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ya qoob bin Ammar al-Kufi, in Baghdad 327AH. Abul Qassim al-Husayn bin Muhammad al-Bawari. Salama bin Muhammad bin Isma eel al-Arzaniy in Baghdad. Abul Harith Abdullah bin Abdul Melik bin Sahl at-Tabarani, in Tabariya. p: 2 

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Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Younus al-Mossiliy. Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah bin Younus al-Mossiliy. Ali bin Ahmad al-Bandaneeji. Ali bin al-Husayn al-Mass oodi, apparently in Qum. Muhammad bin al-Husayn bin Muhammad bin Jumhoor al- Ammiy. Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Ja far al-Himyari. Muhammad bin Abdullah bin al-Mo ammar at-Tabarani, in Tabariya 333AH. Muhammad bin Uthman bin Allan ad-Duhni al-Baghdadi, in Damascus. Abu Ali Muhammad bin Hammam bin Suhayl bin Bayzan al-Katib al-Iskafi, in Baghdad 327AH. Muhammad bin Ya qoob bin Iss~haq al-Kulayni, from whom he took the most of his knowledge and for whom he worked as clerk. Abul Qassim Musa bin Muhammad al-Ash ari al-Qummi-the son of Sa d bin Abdullah s daughter-in Shiraz 313Ah. HIS STUDENTS An-Najashi said: I have seen Abul Husayn Muhammad bin Ali ash-Shuja iy the clerk learning the book al-Ghayba written by Muhammad bin Ibraheem an-Nu mani in Mashhadul Ateeqa. He recommended his son Abu Abdullah al-Husayn to give me this book and the rest of his books. The copy of the book, which he read, is now with me. HIS WORKS At-Tassalli; about the punishment of Allah that afflicted those, who participated in killing Imam Husayn (s) , in this life. At-Tafseer; one tradition narrated from Imam Ali (s) , in which he has classified the Qur an into sixty kinds and has given each kind a certain example. Jami ul Akhbar. Ar-Radd ala (answering) al-Isma eeliyya. (5) Al-Ghayba (this book). Al-Fara idh. (6) Nathrul La ali ; about the Hadith. HIS DEATH He died in Damascus about 360Ah/971AD. Footnote (1) Abu: means the father of, bin or ibn: means the son of, bint: means the p: 3 

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daughter of. (2) In some books it is mentioned as Ibn Zaynab. Refer to Rijal an-Najashi, Rijal ibn Dawood, Majma ul Rijal, Manhajul Maqal, Jami ul Ruwat, Muntahal Maqal, Kashful Hujub wel Astar, Mustadrakul Wassa il, A yan ash-Shia, ath-Tharee a, Tanqeehul Maqal, Hadiyyatul Aarifeen, Qamoos ar-Rijal and Mu’jam Rijalul Hadith. (3) Nowadays Damascus. But then, Sham encompassed the present Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. (4) The disappearance of Imam al-Mahdi; in Islamic eschatology, Imam al-Mahdi (s) is the expected deliverer who will fill the Earth with justice and equity, restore true religion, and usher in a short golden age lasting some years before the end of the world. (5) Ath-Tharee a, vol. 10 p. 183. (6) Ibid. vol. 16 p. 147. 

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ABOUT THE BOOK ABOUT THE BOOK It is a valuable work, whose author has limited it to the expected Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his coming. ) The author begins the book with some prophetic traditions confirming the imamate of al-Mahdi (s). Then he mentions the traditions showing that Allah doesn t leave the world without a Hujjah. After that he mentions traditions talking about the disappearance of Imam al-Mahdi, his aspects, biography, rule, charismata and virtues and he mentions the signs that precede the appearance of Imam al-Mahdi (s) besides other subjects concerning him. Sheikh al-Mufeed, after mentioning the traditions that confirm the imamate of al-Mahdi, says: The traditions on that are numerous. The scholars of Hadith have written them down and classified them in their books. Among those, who have mentioned them with full details and explanation, is Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ibraheem an-Nu mani in his book al-Ghayba (1). p: 4 

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The author has finished the book in Thil-Hijja 342AH. Sheikh Agha Buzurg at-Tehrani in his book ath-Tharee a says: It appears, according to some references, that the book was called or known as Mala al-Ayba fee Tool al-Ghayba. (2) WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE BOOK Al-Hurr al-Aamily said: It is good and sufficient. Al-Mahoozi said: It has many benefits and unheard traditions. SOME OF ITS EDITIONS Tehran, 1318AH. Tabriz, 1382AH. , al-Sabiri Library. Beirut, 1403AH. , al-A lami Publications. Tehran, 1396Ah. , verified by Ali Akbar al-Ghifari, al-Sadooq Library. THE EDITIONS ON WHICH VERIFICATION DEPENDED The edition of Beirut, 1403Ah. It has many mistakes. The edition of Tehran, 1397AH. , verified by Ali Akbar al-Ghifari (may Allah reward him with good). We depended on this edition so much that it was compared with some handwritten copies as the verifier himself mentioned. The handwritten copies are the following: a. The complete handwritten copy kept in the Melik Library in Tehran no. 3617. It has been written in 226 pages. Each page is 10x15 cm. with 61 lines. It has been written by Muhammad Mo min al-Gulbaygani. He has finished writing it on 21 Ramadan 1077AH. Another copy with no. 2671 kept in the Melik Library in Tehran too. It lacks a page in the beginning, a page in the middle and a page in the end. It is a very precious old copy. It has been written in 312 pages. Each page is 14x21 cm. with 15 lines. It seemed that it had been written before the tenth century of hijra or about it. p: 5 

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b. A printed copy compared with the copy kept in Imam Redha Library in Mashhad having the number 187 and had been written in 577AH. Some chapters of the book have been compared with the copy kept in the library of Tehran University having the number 578. It is a precious copy in 57 pages. Each page is 10x25 cm. with 32 lines. It has annotations, which means that it has been compared with other copies. It has the handwriting of Mirza Husayn an-Noori- the author of Mustadrak al- Wassa il-that he has written it for himself in 1298AH. THE METHOD OF VERIFICATION We compared the two printed copies with each other and we found as possible as we could that there was a perfectly fabricated text. We referred to the important differences between the handwritten or the printed copies. As for our other action, it was as the following: 1. Correcting the Qur anic verses according to the Holy Qur’an. 2. Referring the prophetic traditions to the reliable books of Hadith. 3. Checking the names of the narrators according to the books of Rijal (3) and mentioning biographies of some of them when necessary. 4. Explaining some of vague linguistic expressions. Finally we thank Allah that He has made us succeed in verifying this book and we pray Him to assist us in verifying much more of the traditions of Ahlul Bayt (s). (4) Faris Hassoon Kareem Holy Qum 1-11-1421AH. On the anniversary of the birth of the daughter of Ahlul Bayt Fatima al-Ma ssooma (s) p: 6 

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Footnote (1) Al-Irshad, vol. 2 p. 350. (2) vol. 16 p. 79 and vol. 22 p. 183. So was mentioned by Prof. Abdul Jabbar ar- Rifa iy in his Mo jam vol. 9 p. 217,261. (3) The science of Rijal: men means to prove that the narrators of a certain tradition are reliable or not. (4) Ahlul Bayt means the Prophet’s progeny (s). 

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The AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION 

 THE AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Sheikh Abul Faraj Muhammad bin Ali bin Ya qoob bin Abu Qurra al-Qanani (may Allah have mercy upon him) narrated from Abul Husayn Muhammad bin Ali al-Bajali the clerk that Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ibraheem an-Nu mani had said: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, Who guides whomsoever He wills to the right path, Who deserves gratefulness from His people in return for deriving them out of nonexistence into existence, forming them into the best of images, granting them with innumerable blessings apparent and hidden as he has said: "And if you count Allah’s favors, you will not be able to number them. (1) " He has guided them to know His Divinity and to acknowledge His Oneness with pure minds, excellent wisdom, perfect creation, pure nature, good tincture, marvelous signs and clear proofs. Then He sent for them the best of His people as prophets supported with the Holy Spirit armed with evidences; preaching, warning, guiding, reminding, informing with knowledge, defeating the oppressors with the divine signs and astonishing the intelligent with miracles. He preferred them to the rest of His people with the high excellences He granted them with, let them know His unseen and p: 7 

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gifted them with some of His power as He said: " The Knower of the unsee! so He does not reveal His secrets to any except to him whom He chooses as a messenger; for surely He makes a guard to march before him and after him. (2) " To glorify them and to raise their positions highly so that people would have no excuse before Allah after sending His messengers and that the proofs of Allah would be perfect before His people. Praise be to Allah when He bestowed upon us His sending Muhammad; the last of His messengers, the most beloved one to Him, the most glorious prophet near Him and the closest one to him. He gifted him with all what He had gifted the other prophets and added to him doubles than what He had given them. He put him in the high position to prefer him to the all. He made him imam for them when he led them in offering the prayer in the Heaven. He made him the most honorable among the all and granted him alone with intercession from among the all. He raised him to the highest Heaven until He talked with him near His Throne when he passed the positions of the close angels and the standings of the Archangels. He revealed to him a Book surpassing all the previous Books and including all the knowledge they had as He said: " We have revealed the Book to you explaining clearly everything. (3) He did not neglect a bit. " p: 8 

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Allah the Almighty has guided us by Muhammad (s) from deviation and obscurity and saved us from ignorance and perishment. He has sufficed us with Muhammad (s) , the holy Book and the perfect religion and guided us to the guardianship of the pure guiding imams to be safe from personal opinions and interpretations (due to fancies) and He has guided us by Muhammad and the imams of his progeny to the right path. Blessing and peace be upon Muhammad and his brother Amirul Mo mineen (4) (Imam Ali) , his next in virtue, his supporter in distresses and ordeals, the sword of Allah against the unbelievers and His open hand with beneficence and justice. It was Ali, who followed his brother s path in any case, who turned with the truth wherever it turned, the keeper of his brother s (Muhammad s) knowledge, the depositee of his secrets. Blessing and peace be upon the pure imams; the means of mercy, the object of blessing, the full moons in darkness, the light for people, the oceans of knowledge and the gate of peace, which Allah had asked His people to enter from and warned them not to deviate from when He said: "O you who believ! Enter into submission one and all and do not follow the footsteps of Shaitan; surely he is your open enemy. (5) " Then: We found that some of the groups ascribed to Shiism, who believed in the imamate, which Allah had made as mercy of His right religion, adopted different opinions and ramified thoughts, became indifferent to the obligations of Allah, hastened towards the p: 9 

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prohibitions and they all, except a few, doubted the imam of their time, the guardian of their affairs and the proof, which Allah had chosen according to His exalted knowledge as he said: " Thy Lord does create and choose as He pleases: no choice have they (in the matter) (6) " the matter of their ordeal during the absence of the expected Imam, of which the Prophet (s) had informed and Imam Ali (s) had mentioned and warned of its sedition in his traditions and speeches. The scholars narrated from the infallible imams, one after the other, the traditions talking about this matter and confirming it and that Allah would try His people by it. The doubt about it was still inside their hearts as Imam Ali (s) showed in his saying to Kumayl bin Ziyad: ' or is led towards the people of truth unthinkingly, doubt comes into his heart since the first suspicion he faces, and that leads them to stray, confusion, obscurity and deviation. None of them will remain (on the right path) except a very few, who maintains on the religion of Allah, holds fast by the (rope) of Allah and do not deviate from the right path of Allah ' This few was the group that would keep to the truth, that would not be shaken by wind, nor be affected by seditions, nor be cheated by the shine of mirage and would not have come into the religion of Allah imitating some people so that they would give up when those people gave u! p: 10 

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Imam Abu Abdullah Ja far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (7) (s) said: 'He, who comes into this religion imitating the men, will be taken out from it by those men, who has taken him in, and he, who comes to it by the Book and the Sunna, mountains vanish before he gives up (his religion). (8) ' By Allah, no one goes astray, becomes confused, is seduced and deviates from the truth to cling to one of the deviant sects except if he does not pay any attention to knowledge, research and analysis. These people are the wretched, who never care for knowledge nor attempt to get it from its pure sources and if they narrate some of that knowledge without perceiving it, they will be as those, who do not narrate. Imam Ja far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (s) said: ' You know the positions of our followers near us according to the traditions they narrate from us and according to what extent they perceive from us. (9) ' Narrating a tradition requires perceiving it. One tradition you perceive is better than a thousand you narrate (without perceiving). Most of those, who joined the different sects, were as the following: Some joined them without thinking or being aware and when they faced a bit of doubt they went astray. Some looked forward to this worldly life and its transient pleasures. When they were seduced by the seducers and the worldly-minded people, they gave up their faith and followed the deception of the devils, whom Allah had described in his Book when saying: p: 11 

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' the Shaitans from among men and jinn, some of them suggesting to others varnished falsehood to deceive (them). (10) ' He, who is deceived by the Satan, is like (those who disbelieve, their deeds are like the mirage in a desert, which the thirsty man deems to be water; until when he comes to it he finds it to be naught). (11) Some adopted this matter hypocritically looking forward to authority without believing in the truth nor being loyal to it and then Allah deprived them of their ease, changed their conditions and promised to reward them (on the Day of Resurrection) with the worst of punishment. Some adopted it with weak faith and weak soul, so when the try (the disappearance of Imam al-Mahdi) , of which the infallible imams (s) had informed some hundreds of years ago, occurred, they became confused and did not know what to do. Allah said: " Their parable is like the parable of one who kindled a fire but when it had illumined all around him, Allah took away their light, and left them in utter darkness-- they do not see. " (12) And He said: " Whenever it shines on them they walk in it, and when it becomes dark to them they stand still. " (13) We found many traditions narrated by the infallible imams talking about those, whom Allah had granted with acumen that led them to the truth, which was vague for the others, got them to the right path during that confusion and took them out of doubt to certainty. p: 12 

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I looked forward to be close to Allah by collecting the traditions narrated by the infallible imams of the Prophet s progeny (s) talking about the disappearance of Imam al-Mahdi to show the truth, which had been confirmed by all of the Prophet s progeny and which had been neglected by those, who had been deprived of knowledge and guidance. If he, whom Allah has granted with acumen, illuminated his heart, gifted with good genius and ability of distinguishing, ponders on the traditions of the imams (s) mentioned in this book one by one and thinks deeply over them, he will be certain that Allah has confirmed the sayings of the infallible imams (s) (about the disappearance al-Ghayba) age after age, has bound the Shia to believe in it and to keep to it an has strengthened the certainty in their hearts about the validity of what they have narrated from their imams. The imams (s) had warned their Shia to be affected by the fancies and to be deviated by the seditions. They had cleared for their followers that Allah would try His people with seditions when the disappearance would occur and would try them with its long period. Allah said: " that he who would perish might perish by clear proof, and he who would live might live by clear proof. " (14) Muhammad bin Hammam narrated a tradition from Hameed bin Ziyad al-Kufi from al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Suma a from Ahmad bin al-Hasan al-Maythami from one of Imam al-Sadiq s companions that Imam al-Sadiq had said: p: 13 

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This Qur anic verse and that they should not be like those who were given the Book before, but the time became prolonged to them, so their hearts hardened, and most of them are transgressors (15) has been revealed about the people of the time of al- Ghayba. Then Allah has said: Allah gives life to the earth after its death; indeed, We have made the communications clear to you that you may understand. (16) The time is the time of al-Ghayba. Allah has meant: O nation of Muhammad, or O people of Shia, do not be like those people, who were given the Book but the time became prolonged to the! The interpretation of this verse shows that it concerns the people of the time of al-Ghayba and not the other times. Allah has prohibited the Shia from doubting His Hujjah (Imam al-Mahdi) or thinking that Allah may leave the world without a Hujjah for a while as Imam Ali has showed through his saying to Kumayl bin Ziyad: ' The earth does never remain without a Hujjah; either apparent and known or afraid and unknown lest Your proofs and signs will be invalid. ' He warned the people of suspecting and doubting in order that the time would not become prolonged to them and then their hearts would become hard. Do you not see that Allah has said: " Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death; indeed, We have made the communications clear to you that you may understand. " (17) p: 14 

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It means that Allah gives life to the Earth with the justice of al-Hujjah (Imam al-Mahdi) after its death because of the injustice of the deviant oppressors. (18) Interpreting each verse confirms the other and the sayings of the imams (s) are definitely true when talking about the sedition that will occur and that some of the Shia will apostatize and separate after being tried and tested through seditions and ordeals. Here we mention a tradition or two lest someone denies the existence of such different sects, which goes after fancies and pleasures of this worldly life. 

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Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa eed bin Oqda al-Kufi, who was trusted, reliable and certain about the ones he narrated from, narrated from Ali bin al-Hasan al-Taymaly from his brothers Ahmad and Muhammad from their father from Tha laba bin Maymoon from Abu Kahmas from Imran bin Maytham from Malik bin Dhamra that Amirul Mo mineen (Imam Ali) had said to his Shia: ' Be among the people like the bees among the birds. All the birds deem them weak but if they know what there is in their interiors, they will not treat them so. Mix with people with your bodies and be away from them with your hearts and doings because every one (on the day of Resurrection) will be rewarded according to his doings and will be gathered with the ones, whom he loves. O people of Shia, you will not see whom you love and what you hope until you spit at the face of each other, until you call each other as liars and until no one of you will keep on this matter (the true faith in the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi) except like the kohl in an eye or like the salt in food and what little it i! " (19) p: 15 

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I give you an example. A man had some wheat. He winnowed, sifted, purified, put it in a store and closed the door until some period. Then he opened the door. He found that some of the wheat was worm-eaten. He took out the wheat, winnowed, sifted, purified, put it in the store and closed the door. After sometime he opened the store and found that some of the wheat was wormeaten. He took it out, winnowed, sifted, purified, put it in the store and closed the door. He repeated that many times until nothing remained from the wheat except a very little, which would not be harmed by the worms. So are yo! You will be tried and tested by the seditions until a very few of you will remain, who will not be affected by the seditions. (20) It was mentioned that Imam al-Sadiq (s) had said: ' By Allah, you will be tested. By Allah, you will be flown right and left until no one of you will remain except he, whom Allah has promised, fixed faith into his heart and assisted with a power of His. In another tradition narrated from them (the infallible imams) it was said: until no one of you will keep on this matter except the fewer and the fewest. (21) These people, who keep on the faith and cling to the truth, have been ordered to be patient during the absence of the Hujjah. Ali bin Ahmad al-Bandaneeji narrated from Obaydillah bin Musa al-Alawi al-Abbasi from Haroon bin Muslim from al-Qassim bin p: 16 

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Orwa from Burayd bin Mo awiya al-Ijli that Imam Muhammad al- Baqir (22) (s) had said when interpreting the Qur anic verse: " O you who believ! Be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, that you may be successful " (23) " Be patient in offering the obligations, be patient before your enemy and station yourselves in waiting for your expected ima! " (24) It is this few people, whom Imam Ali (s) has addressed when saying: ' Do not feel desolate in the way of guidance when there are very few people walking in it. ' Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa eed bin Oqda al-Kufi narrated from Abu Abdullah Ja far bin Abdullah al-Muhammadi from his book in Muharram 268AH. He said that Yazeed bin Iss~haq al-Arhabi had told them from Mukhawwal from Furat bin Ahnaf that al-Asbugh bin Nabata had said: I heard Amirul Mo mineen from above the minbar of Kufa saying: ' O people, I am the nose of faith. I am the nose and the eyes of guidance. O people, do not feel desolate in the way of guidance when there are very few people walking in it. People have gathered at a table, whose satiety is little and whose hunger is much. Allah is the helpe! That, which gathers people, is either contentment or anger. O people, who killed the she-camel of Prophet Salih was one person but Allah afflicted all the people with torment because they became pleased with that person s doing. Allah said: " But they called their companion, so he took (the sword) and slew (her). How p: 17 

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(great) was then My punishment and My warning. " (25) And He said: " and (they) slaughtered her, therefore their Lord crushed them for their sin and leveled them (with the ground) and He fears not its consequence. " (26) He, who is asked about my killer and alleged that he (the killer) is faithful, (as if he) has killed me. O people, he, who walks in the (right) way, will get to the water (source) and he, who deviates from it, will get lost. ' Then he descended from the minbar. The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Hammam and Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Jumhoor from Ahmad bin Noah from ibn Olaym from somebody from Furat bin Ahnaf. (27) In the saying of Imam Ali (s) He, who walks in the (right) way, will get to the water (source) and he, who deviates from it, will get lost there is a clear meaning and a sufficient evidence leading to keeping to the path of the infallible imams (s) and a warning of getting lost when deviating from their path or straying left or right and listening to the raving of the fabricators, whose sayings are like scattered dust or vanishing mirage as Allah says: " Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, We believe, and not be tried. And certainly We tried those before them, so Allah will certainly know those who are true and He will certainly know the liars. " (28) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah bin Younus narrated from Muhammad bin Ja far al-Qarashi from Muhammad bin al-Husayn bin Abul Khattab from Muhammad bin Sinan from Abu Muhammad al- p: 18 

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Ghifari from Imam al-Sadiq from his fathers (s) that the Prophet (s) had said: ' Beware of arguing with any infatuated one because he is prompted (by the Satan) to a certain period and when his period passes, his sin will burn him. ' (29) I have collected in this book the traditions narrated by the liable narrators from Imam Ali and the other pure imams (peace be upon them all) talking about al-Ghayba (the disappearance of Imam al- Mahdi) and other subjects. I may have not mentioned all the traditions talking about the subject and what people have of such traditions is much more than what I have mentioned in this book. I divided the book into chapters beginning with talking about keeping the secret of the Prophet s progeny, imitating their manners and keeping secret what they had been ordered to keep secret from the enemies of the religion and from their enemies and opponents of the different sects of heretics, suspectors and Mu tazilites, (30) who denied the virtue of Imam Ali (s) and permitted to prefer the ma moom (31) to the imam and the imperfect one to the perfect one. By doing that they opposed Allah where He said: ' Is He then Who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who himself does not go aright unless he is guided? What then is the matter with you; how do you judge. ' (32) They were conceited of their own opinions and blind hearts as Allah said: " For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts. " (33) p: 19 

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Also, He said: " Say: Shall We inform you of the greatest losers in (their) deeds? (These are) they whose labor is lost in this world s life and they think that they are well versed in skill of the work of hands. " (34) They denied the virtues and the imamate of the infallible imams (s) after Allah had bound them with the clear proof when saying: ' And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited. ' (35) And after the Prophet (s) had confirmed that his progeny were the guides and the ship of safety and that they were one of the two weighty things he had left for us to keep to them when saying: ' I have left to you the two weighty things; the Book of Allah and my progeny. They are (as) an extended rope between you and Allah. ' One end of it is in the hand of Allah and the other is in your hands. If you keep to them (the Qur’an and the progeny) , you will never go astray at all. ' But when they became indifferent and preferred blindness to guidance, Allah rewarded them with disgrace. Allah said: " And as to Thamood, We showed them the right way, but they chose error above guidance. " (36) And He said: " Have you then considered him who takes his low desire for his god, and Allah has made him err having knowledge. " (37) They opposed the truth intendedly and kept on doing wrongs and became pleased with that; therefore Allah afflicted them with torment ' Surely Allah does not do any injustice to men, but men are unjust to themselves. ' (38) p: 20 

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They themselves were the opponent of the true Shia, who loved the pure and truthful progeny of the Prophet (s) , and they themselves denied what the reliable believers narrated from the Prophet s progeny. They criticized the infallible Prophet s progeny and spread their opponents traditions. They made their fancies, idiotic minds and deviant opinions as their imams whereas Allah had said: "And certainly We chose them, having knowledge, above the nations. " (39) Then we talked about the rope of Allah that He ordered us to keep to and not to separate when He said: " And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited. " And we mentioned the traditions evidencing this matter. Then we discussed the matter of imamate by mentioning the traditions confirming that it had been determined by Allah. Allah said: " And your Lord creates and chooses whom He pleases; to choose is not theirs. " (40) So imamate was a covenant by Allah and a deposit that an imam was to deliver to the next imam. Then we mentioned the traditions confirming that the imams were twelve and the evidences on that were derived from the holy Qur’an, the Torah and the Bible. Then we mentioned the news talking about those, who pretended that they were imams but they were not and that every banner raised before the banner of Imam al-Mahdi (s) , would be of a tyrant. Then we specified individual chapters with various subjects concerning different sides of the matter of the Expected Imam p: 21 

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evidenced by Qur anic verses and true prophetic traditions. We pray Allah the Almighty to bless the best choice of His creation, the purest of His people, His perfect covenant, the firmest handle, which shall not break off; Muhammad and his pure progeny. We pray Him to assist us in keeping to the truth in this life and in the afterlife, to make our life, death and resurrection on His pure religion and on the loyalty to the choice, whom He has favored with the highest of excellences, whom He has made as mediators between Him and His people and whom He has made the argument over the humanity, to make us succeed in submitting to them by doing what they have ordered to do and refraining from what they have prohibited to do and not to make us among those, who doubt anything of their sayings or suspect their truthfulness. We pray to Allah to make us among the assistants of His religion, who fight with His guardian against His enemy in order to be with the pure choice; the Prophet and his progeny (peace be upon them) , and not to separate between them and us in the twinkle of an eye, no more no less He is the Most Generous, the Most Compassionate. 

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Footnote 

(1) Qur’an, 14: 34. 

(2) Qur’an, 72: 26-27. 

(3) Qur’an, 16: 89. 

(4) Amirul Mo mineen: the commander of the believers. 

(5) Qur’an, 2: 208. 

(6) Qur’an, 28: 68. 

(7) He is the sixth imam of the Shia. 

(8) Biharul Anwar, vol. 2 p. 105, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 400. p: 22 

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(9) Biharul Anwar, vol. 2 p. 148, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 464. 

(10) Qur’an, 6: 112. 

(11) Qur’an, 24: 39. 

(12) Qur’an, 2: 17. 

(13) Qur’an, 2: 20. 

(14) Qur’an, 8: 42. 

(15) Qur’an, 57: 16. 

(16) Qur’an,57: 17. 

(17) Qur’an, 57: 17. 

(18) Ta weel al-Aayat, vol. 2 p. 662, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 3 p. 53, Tafseer al-Burhan, vol. 4 p. 291, al-Mahajja, p. 219-220. 

(19) Biharul Anwar, vol. 2 p. 79, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 304. 

(20) Biharul Anwar, vol. 52 p. 115. 

(21) Biharul Anwar, vol. 52 p. 115. 

(22) He is the fifth imam of the Shia. 

(23) Qur’an, 3: 200. 

(24) Biharul Anwar, vol. 24 p. 219. 

(25) Qur’an, 54: 29-30. 

(26) Qur’an, 91: 14-15. 

(27) Biharul Anwar, vol. 70 p. 108, vol. 100 p. 95. 

(28) Qur’an, 29: 2-3. 

(29) Biharul Anwar, vol. 2 p. 131,135, vol. 71 p. 289, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 435. The Author’ s Introduction 

(30) The followers of an Islamic school of speculative theology that flourished in Basra and Baghdad (8th 10th centuries AD). 

(31) Ma moom is one, who offers prayer behind an imam or is led by the imam in other affairs. 

(32) Qur’an, 10: 35. 

(33) Qur’an, 22: 46. 

(34) Qur’an, 18: 103-104. 

(35) Qur’an, 3: 103. 

(36) Qur’an, 41: 17. 

(37) Qur’an, 45: 23. 

(38) Qur’an, 10: 44. 

(39) Qur’an, 44: 32. 

(40) Qur’an, 28: 68. 

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Chapter 1 PRESERVING THE SECRET OF THE PROPHETS FAMILY ( (1) ) Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda al-Kufi narrated from al-Qassim bin Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Hazim from Obayss bin Hisham an-Nashiri from Abdullah bin Jibilla from Salam bin Abu Omayra from Ma roof bin Kharrabooth from Abut-Tufayl Aamir bin Wathila that Amirul Mo mineen (s) had said: Do you like Allah and His messenger to be considered as liars? Talk to people with what they know and do not tell them what they deny. (1) p: 23 

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( (2) ) Abul Qassim al-Husayn bin Muhammad al-Bawari narrated from Yousuf bin Ya qoob al-Muqri al-Saqti from Khalaf al-Bazzaz from Yazeed bin Haroon from Hameed at- Taweel that Anass bin Malik had said: I heard the Prophet (s) saying: ' Do not tell people of what they do not know. Do you like Allah and His messenger to be considered as liars? ' (2) ( (3) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda narrated from Ahmad bin Younus bin Ya qoob al-Ju fi Abul Hasan from Isma eel bin Mihran from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abu Hamza that Abdul A la bin A yun had said: Abu Abdullah Ja far bin Muhammad (Imam al- Sadiq) said to me: ' O Abdul A la, undertaking our matter (3) is not by knowing and accepting it. It is by preserving and keeping it secret from those, who are not reliable. Deliver to them (the Shia) my greeting and tell them that he (Imam al-Sadiq) says to you: May Allah have mercy upon one, who brings himself and us people s love by showing them what they know and refrain from telling them what they deny. He, who makes war against us, is not worse than one, who fabricates against us what we hate. ' (4) (4) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from Abu Abdullah Ja far bin Abdullah from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Fadhdhal from Safwan bin Yahya from Iss~haq bin Ammar al- Sayrafi from Abdul A la that Imam Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (s) had said: ' Knowing this matter is not enough to prove your loyalty unless you keep it secret from those, who are not reliable. It suffices you to say what we have said and to be silent on what we have been silent on. If you tell of what we have said and submit to what we have kept silent, then you have believed in what we have believed in. Allah says: (And if they believe in the like of that which ye believe, then they are rightly guided). (5) Ali bin al-Husayn has said: p: 24 

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Tell people of what they know and do not burden them with that they cannot bear then you will lead them to avoid us. ' (6) ( (5) ) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah bin Younus al-Moossily narrated from Muhammad bin Ja’far al-Qarashi from Muhammad bin al-Husayn bin Abul Khattab from Muhammad bin Ghiyath from Abdul A la that Imam al-Sadiq (s) had said to him: 'Undertaking our matter is not by believing and accepting it only. Undertaking our matter is by preserving and keeping it secret from those, who are not qualified for it. Deliver my greeting to them (the Shia) and tell them that he (Imam al-Sadiq) says to you: May Allah have mercy upon one, who brings me and himself people s love by telling them of what they know and concealing what they deny. By Allah, he, who makes war against us, is not more harmful to us than one, who accuses us of what we hate. ' (7) ( (6) ) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah narrated from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Rabah az-Zuhri from Muhammad bin al-Abbas al-Hasani from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abu Hamza al-Bata ini from Muhammad al- Kharraz that Abu Abdullah (Imam al-Sadiq) had said: ' He, who spreads our (secret) traditions, is like one, who denies our right. ' (8) ( (7) ) The same previous series of narrators from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abu Hamza from al-Hasan al-Sariy that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: 'When I tell someone a tradition and he spreads it as he hears it from me, he will deserve to be cursed and repudiated. ' (9) p: 25 

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He meant that if that someone would spread the tradition among those who were not reliable or qualified. Imam al-Sadiq s saying showed that he wanted some of the traditions to be kept secret and not to be spread. ( (8) ) The previous series of narrators from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abu Hamza from al-Qassim al-Sayrafi that ibn Miskan had said: I heard Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) saying: Some people pretend that I am their imam. By Allah, I am not their imam. May Allah curse them. Whenever I put a curtain they tore i! I say so and so and they say: he means so and so. Definitely I am the imam of whoever obeys me. (10) ( (9) ) The previous series from al-Hasan from Karram al-Khath ami that Abu Abdullah (s) had said: By Allah, if your mouths were bound with bands, I would tell every one of you something. By Allah, if I found (atqiya) (11) among you, I would talk. Allah is the Assistan! (12) ( (10) ) The previous series from al-Hasan from his father that Abu Baseer had said: I heard Abu Ja’far (Imam al-Baqir) saying: ' It is a secret that Allah has revealed to Gabriel, Gabriel revealed to Muhammad, Muhammad revealed to Ali and Ali revealed to those, whom Allah willed, one after the other but you are spreading it in the street! ' (13) ( (11) ) Muhammad bin Hammam bin Suhayl narrated from Abdullah bin al-Ala al-Mathari from Idreess bin Ziyad al-Kufi from one of his sheikhs that al-Mufadhdhal had said to him: I hold your hand as Abu Abdullah (s) has held my hand and said to me: p: 26 

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' O Mufadhdhal, this matter is not achieved by saying only. No, by Allah, it is not so until (our companions) preserve it as Allah has preserved it, honor it as Allah has honored it and care for it deservingly as Allah has ordered. ' (14) ( (12) ) Abdul Wahid narrated from al-Hasan that Hafs bin Naseeb Far an had said: I came to Abu Abdullah (s) when his mawla15 al- Mu alla bin Khunays was killed. He said to me: O Hafs, I have told al-Mu alla of some things but he spread them then he was afflicted with (iron). 16 I have said to him: We have some traditions, which if someone keeps secret Allah will save his religion and life and if he spreads, Allah will deprive him of his religion and life. O Mu alla, if one hides the serious traditions of ours, Allah will make that as light between his eyes and grant him with glory among people and if one spreads the serious traditions of ours, he will not die until he is bitten by weapon or he dies confusedly. (17) Footnote (1) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 312. (2) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 312. (3) It is the matter of the disappearance and the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (s). (4) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 315. (5) Qur’an, 2: 137. (6) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 315. (7) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 315. (8) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 315. (9) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 315. (10) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 311. (11) Atqiya: those who use Taqiyya, which means self-protection , the practice of concealing one’s belief and forgoing ordinary religious duties when under threat p: 27 

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of death or injury to oneself or one’s fellow Muslims. (12) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 531. 13 Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 531. 14 Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 531. 15 Freed slave. 16 Afflicted with iron means that he was killed by a sword. 17 Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 311. 

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Chapter 

2

 KEEPING TO THE ROPE OF ALLAH ( (1) ) Muhammad bin Abdullah bin al-Mu ammar at-Tabarani, who was a freed slave of Yazeed bin Mo awiya and was one of the opponents of Ahlul Bayt, (1) narrated in Tabariya in 333 AH. from his father from Ali bin Hashim and al-Husayn bin al-Sakan together from Abdur- Razak bin Hammam from his father from Meena, the freed slave of Abdurrahman bin Ouff, that Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari had said: Once, some people of Yemen came to Medina. The Prophet (s) said: They come to you gently. When they came to the Prophet (s) , he said: ' They are people of gentle hearts and deep-rooted faith. From among them there will be al-Mansoor. He will come with seventy thousand soldiers. He will support my descendant and my guardian s descendant. The sheaths of their swords are from musk. ' They said: O messenger of Allah, who is your guardian? The Prophet (s) said: It is he, whom Allah has ordered you to keep to when He has said: (And hold fast by the covenant (rope) of Allah all together and be not disunited). They said: O messenger of Allah, will you declare to us what this rope is? He said: It is the saying of Allah, save (where they grasp) a rope from Allah and a rope from men. (2) The rope from Allah is His Book and the rope from people is my guardian. p: 28 

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They asked: O messenger of Allah, who is your guardian? He said: It is he about whom Allah has revealed, Lest a soul should say: O woe to m! For what I fell short of my duty to Allah. (3) They asked: O messenger of Allah, what is this duty to Allah? He said: It is what Allah has said about, And the day when the unjust one shall bite his hands saying:! would that I had taken a way with the Messenger. (4) It is my guardian and the way that leads to me. They said: O messenger of Alla! By Him, Who has sent you with the truth, declare him to us. We are so eager to know who he is. He said: It is he, whom Allah has made as a sign for the true believers. If you look at him with a look of (him who has a heart, or gives ear with full intelligence) , you will know that he is my guardian as you have known that I am your prophet. Go through the rows and stare at the faces then see towards whom your hearts incline. It will be him because Allah has said: (therefore make the hearts of some people yearn towards them). (5) It means towards him and his progeny (s). Then Abu Aamir al-Ash ari, Abu Ghurra al-Khawlani, Dhabyan, Uthman bin Qays, Arana ad-Dousi and Lahiq Bin Alaqa from among their tribes went through the rows, stared at the faces and held the hand of (the bald, potbellied man) (6) and said: O messenger of Allah, towards this man our hearts yearned. The Prophet (s) said: p: 29 

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You are the elite of Allah where you recognized the Prophet s guardian before you have been told about him. How did you know that he was him? They began crying and said: O messenger of Allah, we looked at the people but our hearts did not incline to any of them. When we saw this man our hearts trembled and then our souls felt assured, our eyes shed tears and our chests became pleased as if he was our father and we were his children. The Prophet (s) recited: But none knows its interpretation except Allah and those who are firmly rooted in knowledge. (7) You are near them in your good position and you are far away from Hell. These men remained loyal until they fought with Imam Ali (s) in the battles of al-Jamal (the camel) and Siffeen, in which they were martyred. May Allah have mercy upon them. The Prophet (s) had brought them good news to be in Paradise and had predicted that they would have been martyred with Imam Ali (s). (8) ( (2) ) Muhammad bin Hammam bin Suhayl narrated from Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Hasani from Abu Iss~haq Ibraheem bin Iss~haq al-Khaybari (9) from Muhammad bin Yazeed bin Abdurrahman at-Taymi from al-Hasan bin al-Husayn al-Ansari from Muhammad bin al-Husayn al-Ansari from his father from his grandfather that Ali bin al-Husayn (Imam al-Sajjad (10) (s) ) had said: One day the Prophet (s) was sitting with his companions in the mosque. He said: A man will come to you from this gate. He will be one of the people of Paradise. He asks about what concerns him. p: 30 

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Then a tall man looking like the people of Mudhar (11) came in. He advanced, greeted the Prophet (s) and sat down. He said: O messenger of Allah, I have heard Allah saying in His Book: (And hold fast by the covenant (rope) of Allah all together and be not disunited). Then what is this rope that Allah has ordered us to keep to and not to separate from? The Prophet (s) pondered long and then raised his head and pointed with his hand to Ali bin Abu Talib (s) saying: This is the rope of Allah. He, who keeps to him, will be saved in his life and will not be deviant in his afterlife. The man jumped and embraced Imam Ali (s). He said: I have kept to the rope of Allah and the rope of His messenger. Then he left. A man from among the people got up and said: O messenger of Allah, do I follow after him and ask him to pray Allah to forgive me? The Prophet (s) said: Then you find him pleased. He followed him and asked him to pray Allah for him. He said to him: Did you understand what the Prophet (s) said to me and what I said to him? He said: Yes, I did. He said: If you keep to that rope, then Allah will forgive you; otherwise He will not forgive you. (12) If the Prophet (s) had not declared for us the rope of Allah that He had ordered us in His Book to keep to and not to separate from, then the opponents would have interpreted it according to their fancies and turned it away to other than what Allah and his messenger had meant. But the Prophet (s) had said in his speech he made in the mosque of al-Khayf during the last hajj (farewell hajj): p: 31 

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I shall precede you (to Paradise) and you will come to me at the pond, whose width is as between Busra and San aa. (13) It has cups as much as the stars of the sky. I have left to you the two weighty things; the great one is the Qur’an and the minor one is my family. They both are the rope of Allah. It is extended between you and Almighty Allah. If you keep to it, you will never go astray at all. One of its ends is in the hand of Allah and the other is in yourhands. It has this addition according to another tradition: The Most Kind has told me that they will not separate until they come to me at the pond (of Paradise) together like these two forefingers. (He gathered his two fingers). (14) The same was narrated by Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah bin Younus al- Moossili from Muhammad bin Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from his father from his grandfather from Muhammad bin Abu Omayr from Hammad bin Eessa from Hurayz from Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Ali (al-Sadiq) from his father from his forefathers from Imam Ali (s). Also it was narrated by Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah from Muhammad bin Ali from his father from his grandfather from al-Hasan bin Mahboob and al-Hasan bin Ali bin Fadhdhal from Ali bin Aqaba from Abu Abdullah (Imam al-Sadiq). And the same was narrated by Abdul Wahid bin Muhammad bin Ali from his father from his grandfather from al-Hasan bin Mahboob from Ali bin Ri ab from Abu Hamza ath- Thimali from Abu Ja’far p: 32 

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Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (s). The holy Qur’an always has been with Ahlul Bayt and they always have been with the holy Qur’an. They both are the rope of Allah. They never separate as the Prophet (s) has told. This is an evidence for any one, whom Allah has guided to His true religion, showing that whoever resorts to other than the holy Qur’an and Ahlul Bayt, whom Allah has made the guardians after the Prophet (s) and made obeying them as one of the necessary obligations of religion, in looking for knowledge and orders of the Qur’an and all the religious affairs, definitely will go astray and perish and cause others to perish. Ahlul Bayt were those, whom the Prophet (s) had offered as the highest examples to his umma. He said: My family to you is like the Ark of Noah. Whoever rides on it will be safe and whoever lags behind it will drown. He also said: The example of my family to you is like the Gate of Forgiveness of the Israelites. Whoever enters it his sins will be forgiven and will deserve mercy and blessing of Allah. Allah has said: And enter the gate making obeisance, and say, forgiveness. We will forgive you your wrongs and give more to those who do good (to others). (15) Imam Ali (s) said in one of his speeches: The knowledge that Adam has brought from the Heaven to the earth and all the virtues of the prophets until the last of them, Prophet Muhammad, have been granted to Ahlul Bayt. So whereto do you go astray? Where do you go, O you, who have been derived from the people of the Ark? As some only had been saved there, here also some only will be saved. Woe to one, who opposes them (the infallible imams). p: 33 

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He also said: We, to you, are like the cave to the People of the Cave and like the Gate of Forgiveness, which is the gate of peace. So be in peace all of you. He also said through his speech: The loyal companions of Muhammad are certain that he has said: I and my family are infallible. Do not precede them in order not to go astray, do not lag behind them in order not to fall in mistakes, do not object to them in order not to be ignorant and do not teach them because they are much more aware than you. They are the most aware when young and the most aware when old. Follow the truth and its people wherever they are and be far away from the untruth and its people wherever they are. But unfortunately people brushed all that aside. They considered the orders of the Prophet (s) as ridiculous and raving. They refused to follow those, whom Allah and His messengers had ordered to be obeyed. Allah said: So, ask the followers of the reminder if you do not know. (16) Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority from among you. (17) The Prophet (s) confirmed many times that safety was bound by keeping to Ahlul Bayt, doing according to their sayings, submitting to their orders, learning from them and walking in their path; nevertheless people resorted to others than them and ascribed their virtues to those others. They became pleased with those others and so Allah deprived them from the true knowledge. They began to interpret according to their fancies and analogies and they became satisfied with their own minds away from the guidance of Allah, His messenger and the infallible imams, whom Allah had appointed to be the guides for His people. When they brushed all that aside and depended on their own opinions, Allah left them to stray in confusion and deviation and consequently they perished and caused others to perish. Allah said: p: 34 

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Say: Shall We inform you of the greatest losers in (their) deeds. (These are) they whose labor is lost in this world’s life and they think that they are well versed in skill of the work of hands. (18) As if people had not heard the saying of Allah: And the day when the unjust one shall bite his hands saying:! would that I had taken a way with the Messenger. O woe is m! would that I had not taken such a one for a friend. (19) So was that messenger but Muhammad (s)? And who was that one mentioned in the verse? Immediately after that Allah said: Certainly he led me astray from the reminder after it had come to me. (20) It meant after acknowledging Islam and becoming a Muslim. Then what was that reminder which that one s friend had led him astray from? Was it not the holy Qur’an and Ahlul Bayt? Allah had called the Prophet (s) as reminder when He said: Allah has indeed revealed to you a reminder; a messenger. (21) And when He said: So, ask the followers of the reminder if you do not know. (22) Was the reminder mentioned in the verse but the Prophet (s)? And who were the followers of the reminder save the Prophet s family? Then Allah said: And the Satan fails to aid man. (23) Definitely the Satan would lead his followers away from the reminder and then they would lose in this life and the afterlife. p: 35 

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Allah said expressing the Prophet s situation: And the Messenger cried out: O my Lor! surely my people have treated this Qur an as a forsaken thing. (24) They became indifferent to the Qur an, to which and to Ahlul Bayt Allah had ordered them to keep. Did this blame not concern the people, to whom the Qur’an had been revealed? Did it not concern the people of this umma, who had wronged their Prophet s family and left the Qur’an aside? It was they, whom the Prophet (s) would witness against on the Day of Resurrection for they had preferred the pleasures of this life to their religion out of doubting 

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Muhammad (s) and envying his family because Allah had favored them with great excellences. The Prophet (s) said: On the Day of Resurrection, some of my companions will quiver right and left. I will say: O my God, they are my companions. It will be said: O Muhammad, you do not know what they have committed after you. Then I will say: Away with the! Away with the! Allah confirmed this by saying: And Muhammad is no more than a messenger; the messengers have already passed away before him; if then he dies or is killed will you turn back upon your heels? And whoever turns back upon his heels will by no means do harm to Allah in the least and Allah will reward the grateful. (25) This verse had a certain evidence that there would be some people, who would turn back on their heels after the death of the Prophet (s) and who would deny the orders of Allah and His messenger. p: 36 

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Allah said: Then let those beware who withstand the Messenger s order, lest some trial befall them, or a grievous penalty be inflicted on them. (26) Allah would double torment and disgrace for those, who wronged the Prophet s family and deprived them of their rights and who changed the orders of Allah when He ordered that they (the Prophet s family) were to be obeyed, loved and taken as guides. Allah said: Say: No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin. (27) Is then He Who gives guidance to truth more worthy to be followed, or he who finds not guidance (himself) unless he is guided? What then is the matter with you? How judge ye? (28) The true believers of the umma had agreed upon that Imam Ali (s) was the guardian of the Prophet (s). He guided the companions to the truth often and always and none of them ever guided him. They all were in need of him but he was not in need of any of them. He knew and taught all kinds of knowledge but none of them ever taught him a bit. They did wrong to Fatima, the infallible Prophet s daughter, to a degree that she (s) recommended in her will to be buried secretly at night and that none of her father s umma was to offer the prayer (prayer for the dead) for her except those few ones she had mentioned. If there was no calamity in the history of Islam bringing shame and disgrace other than the calamity of Fatima (s) until she left to the better world angry with her father s umma leaving her bitter will that no one was to attend her burial except very few loyal companions, it would be sufficient evidence for the ignorant and for those, whose hearts were sealed, to see what a great sin they had committed when they wronged Fatima, her husband and her sons (peace be upon them) and when they preferred the oppressors to the Prophet s family, who were the elite of Allah. Allah said: p: 37 

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For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts. (29) This blindness will cling to the enemies of the Prophet s family until the Day of Resurrection. Allah said: Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We have removed from you your veil, so your sight today is sharp. (30) The day on which their excuse shall not benefit the unjust, and for them is curse and for them is the evil abode. (31) Then how odd it was when those blind and deaf people pretended that the holy Qur’an had not had all things about the obligations and the laws needed by people; therefore when they did not find all things, they used their analogies in deriving the laws and they fabricated lies and ascribed them to the Prophet (s) that he had permitted them to do according to their own derivations whereas Allah had said in His Book: And We have revealed the Book to you explaining clearly everything. (32) We have not neglected anything in the Book. (33) And We have recorded everything in a clear writing. (34) And We have recorded everything in a book. (35) I do not follow aught save that which is revealed to me. (36) And that you should judge between them by what Allah has revealed. (37) One, who says that something of the affairs of this life and the afterlife, the laws of religion, the obligations and everything that people need is not available in the Qur’an, about which Allah has said, and We have revealed the Book to you explaining clearly everything, refutes the saying of Allah, ascribes lying to Allah and does not believe in His Book. p: 38 

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By Allah, they showed the reality of themselves and of the imams, whom they imitated, when they said that they had not found everything in the Qur’an because they were not among the people of the Qur’an nor among those, who had been given the knowledge of the Qur’an nor had Allah and His messenger given them a share of that because Allah had granted all the knowledge of the Qur’an to the Prophet s family, who were the trustees, the heirs and the interpreters of the Qur’an. If they submitted to the order of Allah when saying: And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it. (38) So ask the followers of the reminder if you do not know. (39) Allah would get them to the light of guidance, would teach them what they had not known and would make them not need analogy or derivation according to their own opinions and then the differences between the laws of religion would disappear and they would not need to ascribe fabricated traditions to the Prophet (s) claiming that the Prophet (s) had permitted it (deciding according to one s analogy) whereas the Qur’an had prohibited it when saying: And if it were from any other than Allah, they would have found in it many a discrepancy. (40) And be not like those who separated and disputed after clear arguments had come to them. (41) p: 39 

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And hold fast by the covenant (rope) of Allah all together and be not disunited. (42) The Qur anic verses talking about disagreement and separation are innumerable. Disagreement and separation in religion lead to deviation. Nevertheless they permitted that and claimed that the Prophet (s) had permitted it whereas Allah had prohibited it by saying: And be not like those who separated and disputed after clear arguments had come to them. (43) Is there something clearer than this? Do people have any excuse before Allah after that? We pray Allah not to let us go astray and not to let us submit to our minds and fancies in deciding the matters of our religion. We pray Him to firm our guidance and faith, to keep to His guardians, to do according to what they have ordered and to refrain from what they have prohibited in order to meet Him with our faith and loyalty. We pray Him not to let us precede His guardians nor lag behind them for he, who precedes them, will apostatize, who lags behind them will drown, who opposes them will perish and who keeps to them will succeed as the Prophet (s) has said. 

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Footnote 

(1) The Prophet s progeny. (2) Qur’an, 3: 112. (3) Qur’an, 39: 56. (4) Qur’an, 25: 27. (5) Qur’an, 14: 37. (6) Imam Ali (s). (7) Qur’an, 3: 7. (8) Biharul Anwar, vol. 34 p. 17, 112, Mo jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi vol. 1 p. 293. (9) or al-Himyari but the most correct is al-Ahmary. (10) He is the fourth imam of the Shia. p: 40 

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(11) Mudhar was one of the great tribes in Arabia. (12) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 16. (13) Busra is a town in Syria and San aa is the capital of Yemen. (14) Biharul Anwar, vol. 92 p. 102. (15) Qur’an, 2: 58. (16) Qur’an, 21: 7. (17) Qur’an, 4: 59. (18) Qur’an, 18: 103-104. (19) Qur’an, 25: 27-28. (20) Qur’an, 25: 29. (21) Qur’an, 65: 10-11. (22) Qur’an, 21: 7, 16: 43. (23) Qur’an, 25: 29. (24) Qur’an, 25: 30. (25) Qur’an, 3: 144. (26) Qur’an, 24: 63. (27) Qur’an, 42: 23. (28) Qur’an, 10: 35. (29) Qur’an, 22: 46. (30) Qur’an, 50: 22. (31) Qur’an, 40: 52. (32) Qur’an, 16: 89. (33) Qur’an, 6: 38. (34) Qur’an, 36: 12. (35) Qur’an, 78: 29. (36) Qur’an, 6: 50. (37) Qur’an, 5: 49. (38) Qur’an, 4: 83. (39) Qur’an, 16: 43, 21: 7. (40) Qur’an, 4: 82. (41) Qur’an, 3: 105. (42) Qur’an, 3: 103. (43) Qur’an, 3: 105. 

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Chapter 3 THE IMAMATE AND THE WILL ( (1) ) Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda al-Kufi narrated from Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Mastoor al- Ashja iy from Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Obaydillah al-Halabi from Abdullah bin Bukayr that Amr bin al-Ash ath had said: We were about twenty persons in the house of Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (s) when he came to us and said: You may think that we determine the matter of the imamate as we lik! By Allah, it is a covenant from Allah revealed to His messenger (s) and then to certain men one after the other until it reaches its keeper. (1) ( (2) ) Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from Ahmad bin Yousuf bin Ya qoob al-Ju fi from Isma eel bin Mihran from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abu Hamza from his father and Wuhayb bin Hafs from Abu Baseer that Abu Abdullah (s) had said when talking about this Qur anic verse: Surely Allah commands you to make over trusts to their owners and that when you judge between people you judge with justice; surely Allah admonishes you with what is excellent. (2) It is the will that each one of us delivers to the other. (3) p: 41 

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( (3) ) Ali bin Ahmad al-Bandaneeji narrated from Abu Obaydillah bin Musa al-Alawi from Ali bin al-Hasan from Isma eel bin Mihran from al-Mufadhdhal bin Salih from Ma ath bin Katheer that Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad (s) had said: The will had been revealed from the Heaven to the Prophet (s). It was a sealed book. No other sealed book had been revealed to the Prophet (s) except the will. Gabriel said: O Muhammad, this is your will to your family among your umma. The Prophet (s) said: O Gabriel, which of my family? Gabriel said: The one, whom Allah has chosen, and his progeny. He is to inherit you with the knowledge of prophethood before Abraham. The will had seals. Ali (s) opened the first seal and went whereto (to the better world) he had been ordered. Then al-Hasan (s) opened the second seal and went whereto he had been ordered. Then al-Husayn (s) opened the third seal and found in it: Fight, kill and you are to be killed. Set out with some people towards martyrdom. They will not be martyred except with you. He gave the will to Ali bin al-Husayn (s) and went. Ali bin al-Husayn (s) opened the fourth seal and found in it: Ponder long and be silent for knowledge is veiled. Then he gave it to Muhammad bin Ali (s) , who opened the fifth seal and found in it: Interpret the Book of Allah, confirm your father s knowledge, bequeath knowledge to your son, humor the umma and announce the truth in fright and safety and do not fear except Alla! He did and gave the will to the next one. p: 42 

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Ma ath said: Is it you? Imam al-Sadiq (s) said: O Ma ath, you are not but to go and narrate this from me. Yes, it is me. He mentioned twelve names and then became silent. I (Ma ath) said: Then who? He said: It is just s! (4) ( (4) ) Ali bin Ahmad al-Bandaneeji narrated from Obaydillah bin Musa from Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Qalanisi from Muhammad bin al- Waleed from Younus bin Ya qoob that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: The Prophet (s) had given Ali (s) a book sealed with twelve seals and said to him: Open the first seal and do according to it and then give it to al-Hasan (s) to open the second and to do according to it. Then al-Hasan (s) is to give it to al-Husayn (s) to open the third and to do according to it and then from one to another of the progeny of al-Husayn (s). (5) ( (5) ) Ali bin Ahmad narrated from Obaydillah bin Musa from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from his father from Hammad bin Eessa from Hurayz from Zurara that he had asked Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (s) about the saying of Allah, Surely Allah commands you to make over trusts to their owners and that when you judge between people you judge with justice; surely Allah admonishes you with what is excellent, (6) and Abu Ja’far al-Baqir said: The order of Allah in this verse concerns the imamate. Each imam of us has to deliver the imamate to the next imam coming after him. He does not have to hide it from him. Do you not hear Allah saying: (and that when you judge between people you judge with justice; surely Allah admonishes you with what is excellent)? It is the rulers. Do you not see that Allah has addressed the rulers with this verse? (7) p: 43 

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( (6) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda narrated from Ahmad bin Yousuf bin Ya qoob from Isma’eel bin Mihran from al- Husayn bin Ali bin Abu Hamza from his father that Ya qoob bin Shu ayb had said: I heard Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) saying: No, by Alla! Allah does not leave this matter (8) aside unless He specifies ones, who will undertake it until the Day of Resurrection. (9) ( (7) ) Ali bin Ahmad narrated from Obaydillah bin Musa al-Alawi from Ali bin Ibraheem from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Khalid al-Barqi from Isma’eel bin Mihran from al- Mufadhdhal bin Salih Abu Jameela from Abu Abdullah Abdurrahman that Imam Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: Allah the Almighty has revealed from the Heaved to every imam his covenant and what he will do. Each imam is to open the seal and to do according to what there is in his covenant. (10) O people of Shia, this shows clearly that whomsoever Allah wishes good to, will make him among those who believe in the infallible imams (s) , whom Allah has granted with dignity, made His choice and preferred to all of His people by making them His deputies on the earth. He has made obeying them as obeying Him when saying: O you who believ! obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority from among you. (11) And: Whoever obeys the Messenger, he indeed obeys Allah. (12) The Prophet (s) has ordered the people to follow the infallible imams of his progeny, whom Allah has imposed obeying them upon all the people. The Prophet (s) has showed that clearly by saying: p: 44 

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I have left among you the two weighty things; the Book of Allah and my family. They are an extended rope between you and Allah. If you keep to them, you will never go astray at all. Allah has said: Therefore let those beware who go against his order lest a trial afflict them or there befall them a painful chastisement. (13) When the Prophet (s) had been opposed, his sayings had been denied, his ordered had been disobeyed and when his progeny had been deprived of their inheritance and rights and had been wronged then the torment of Allah afflicted the oppressors, their followers and whoever was pleased with their deeds. Allah hastened for them the sedition in their religion. They went astray far away from the right path. They separated and became in different sects with confused opinions besides that Allah has prepared for them the bitterest of torment on the Day of Resurrection. Allah said: "So He made hypocrisy to follow as a consequence into their hearts till the day when they shall meet Him because they failed to perform towards Allah what they had promised with Him and because they told lies. " (14) Allah has made hypocrisy as punishment for ones, who have broken their promise and He has called them as hypocrites. He said: " Surely the hypocrites are in the lowest stage of the fire and you shall not find a helper for them. " (15) If this was the case of one, who broke his promise, that his punishment would lead him to the lowest bottom of Hell so what p: 45 

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about those, who declared openly their disobedience to the orders of Allah and His messenger (s) and their oppression towards those, whom Allah had ordered people to obey, to keep to and to be with when He said: O you who believ! Be careful of (your duty to) Allah and be with the true ones. (16) It is they who were loyal to their covenant they made with Allah in jihad and in sacrifice for the sake of Him and supporting the Prophet (s) and assisting his mission where Allah said: Of the believers are men who are true to the covenant which they made with Allah: so of them is he who accomplished his vow, and of them is he who yet waits, and they have not changed in the least. (17) What a great difference is between those, who are sincere to Allah, who sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah and who strive to support the Prophet (s) and his mission and between those, who disobey Allah and His messenger, who wrong the family of the Prophet (s) and whose deeds will lead them to the lowest bottom of Hel! This is the end of every one deviating from any of the infallible imams, whom Allah has chosen to be the guides for His people. This is the end of every one denying the imamate of any of them, following else than them and claiming that the right is of else than them because the order of the will and the imamate has been determined by Allah the Almighty and not by anyone of His people; therefore he, who disobeys the order of Allah, will definitely be in the abyss of Hell where the oppressors and the hypocrites will be. p: 46 

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Footnote

 (1) Kamal ad-Deen, p. 222, Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 75. (2) Qur’an, 4: 58. (3) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 278, Tafseer al-Burhan, vol. 1 p. 380, al-Yateema wed Durra ath-Thameena p. 175. (4) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 209, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 56. (5) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 210, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 58. (6) Qur’an, 4: 58. (7) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 278, Tafseer al-Burhan, vol. 1 p. 380, al-Yateema and ad- Durra al-Thameena p. 176. (8) The imamate. (9) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 54. (10) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 210, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 58. (11) Qur’an, 4: 59. (12) Qur’an, 4: 80. (13) Qur’an, 24: 63. (14) Qur’an,9: 77. (15) Qur’an, 4: 145. (16) Qur’an, 9: 119. (17) Qur’an, 33: 23. 

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Chapter 

4

 TWELVE IMAMS DETERMINED BY ALLAH ( (1) ) Abu Sulayman bin Hawtha al-Bahili narrated from Ibraheem bin Iss~haq an-Nahawandi from Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Hammad al-Ansari from Amr bin Shimr from al- Mubarak bin Fudhala that al- Hasan bin Abul Hasan al-Basri had said: Gabriel came to the Prophet (s) and said: O Muhamma! Allah orders you to marry Fatima to your brother Ali. The Prophet (s) sent for Ali and said to him: O Ali, I will marry my daughter Fatima, the head lady of the women of the world and the most beloved one to me, to you and there will be from you (your offspring) the two masters of the martyrs of Paradise, the oppressed bloodstained martyrs on the earth after me and the highborn progeny, with whom Allah will defeat injustice, revive the truth and finish off the untruth. Their number is like the number of the months of a year. Behind the last one of them Prophet Jesus the son of Blessed Virgin Mary (s) will offer the prayer. (1) p: 47 

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( (2) ) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah bin Younus al-Moossili narrated from Muhammad bin Ja’far from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Khalid from Abu Hashim Dawood bin al-Qassim al-Ja fari that Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (s) had narrated from his fathers (s): One day Amirul Mo mineen came with his son al-Hasan and Salman al-Farisi where Amirul Mo mineen was leaning on Salman s hand. They came into the mosque and sat down. A handsome and neat man came, greeted Amirul Mo’mineen and sat before him. He said: O Amirul Mo’mineen, I want to ask you three questions. Amirul Mo’mineen said: Ask whatever you like. The man said: Would you tell me if man sleeps where his soul goes to? How does man remember and forget? How do man s children look like their uncles; their father s brothers and mother s brothers? Amirul Mo’mineen (s) turned to his son al-Hasan (s) and said to him: O Abu Muhammad, answer hi! Imam al-Hasan (s) said to the man: As for your question that when man sleeps whereto his soul goes, his soul is hanging in the air until he moves during his wake, so when Allah permits that that soul is to go back to the body, the soul attracts the air to settle in its body but if Allah does not permit that soul to get back to that body, the air will attract the soul away from the body until the Day of Resurrection. But as for what you asked about remembering and forgetting, the heart of man has been created to comply with the truth and there is a cover on the truth. If he prays Allah to have blessing upon Muhammad and his family in a perfect way, that cover will be removed from upon the truth and the heart will shine then one will remember what he has forgotten but if he does not pray Allah to have blessing upon Muhammad and his family or his prayer is imperfect, the cover will get closed on the truth and the heart will be dark and then he will forget what he has remembered. p: 48 

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As about a newborn baby that looks like the uncles, if a man goes to bed with his wife with calm heart, tranquil nerves and undisturbed body, his sperm will settle inside the womb and the baby will looks like either its father or its mother. If a man goes to bed with his wife with upset heart, unquiet nerves and disturbed body, the sperm also will upset and fall on some veins. If it falls on a vein of the father s brothers, the baby will look like the father s brothers and if it falls on a vein of the mother s brothers, the baby will look like the mother s brothers. The man said: I witness that there is no god but Allah and I will keep on that. I witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and I will keep on that. (He pointed to Imam Ali (s) with his hand and said) I witness that you are the guardian of the messenger of Allah and the successor of his authority and I will keep on it. (He pointed to Imam al-Hasan (s) and said) I witness that you are his guardian and the successor of his authority and I will keep on it. I witness that al-Husayn bin Ali is his (al-Hasan s) guardian and the successor of his authority and I will keep on that. I witness that Ali bin al-Husayn is the guardian of al-Husayn. I witness that Muhammad bin Ali is the guardian of Ali bin al-Husayn. I witness that Ja’far is the guardian of Muhammad (bin Ali). I witness that Musa is the guardian of Ja’far. I witness that Ali (bin Musa) is the guardian of Musa. I witness that Muhammad (bin Ali bin Musa) is the guardian of Ali (bin Musa). I witness that Ali (bin Muhammad) p: 49 

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is the guardian of Muhammad. I witness that al-Hasan is the guardian of Ali and I witness that a man from among the offspring of al-Husayn, who is not named or surnamed until he appears by the will of Allah to spread justice allover the earth after it has been filled with injustice and oppression, is the guardian of al-Hasan bin Ali. Peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you, O Amirul Mo’mineen. Then he left. Then Amirul Mo’mineen said to Imam al-Hasan: O Abu Muhammad, follow after him and see where he goes t! Imam al-Hasan said: I followed after him, but since he put his leg out of the gate of the mosque I could not know where he disappeared. I came back and told Amirul Mo’mineen (s). He said to me: O Abu Muhammad, do you know who he is? I said: No, Allah, His messenger and Amirul Mo’mineen are more aware. He said: He is al-Khidr (s). ( (3) ) Muhammad bin Ya qoob al-Kulayni narrated from some of his companions from Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Khalid al-Barqi from al-Hasan bin al-Abbas bin al- Huraysh from Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (s) from his fathers (s) that Amirul Mo’mineen (s) had said to ibn Abbas: The Night of Predestination comes every year. In this night all that concerns the year and that will occur is revealed. This matter has guardians after the Prophet (s). Ibn Abbas asked, O Amirul Mo’mineen, who are they? He said: I and eleven ones of my progeny; divinely inspired imams. (2) p: 50 

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( (4) ) Muhammad bin Ya qoob narrated from Ali bin Muhammad from Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Khalid from Nasr bin Muhammad bin Qaboos from Mansoor bin al-Sindi from Abu Dawood al-Mustarraq from Tha laba bin Maymoon from Malik al-Juhani from al-Harith bin al-Mugheera that al-Asbugh bin Nabata had said: One day I came to Imam Ali (s) and I found him pondering and scratching up the ground. I said: O Amirul Mo’mineen, you are scratching up the ground. Do you like it (the ground)? He said: No, by Allah. I have not liked it nor have I liked this worldly life a moment. But I am pondering on someone that will be born from my progeny. He will be the eleventh son of mine (descendant- eleventh successor in the imamate). He will be al-Mahdi, who will spread justice and equity allover the world after it has been filled with injustice and oppression. There will be confusion and disappearance for him. Some people will go astray and others will be guided. I said: O Amirul Mo’mineen, how long will that confusion and that disappearance last? He said: A period of time. I said: Will that really occur? He said: Yes, it will. It has already been determined. I said: Shall I be alive until that time? He said: How far it is to you, O Asbug! Those (the companions of al-Mahdi) are the best of this umma with the pure ones of the Prophet s progeny. I said: Then what will happen after that? He said: Then Allah will do what He wills. He has wills, wishes and ends. (3) p: 51 

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( (5) ) Musa bin Muhammad al-Qummi Abul Qassim told me in Shiraz in 313 AH. , from Sa d bin Abdullah al-Ash ari from Bakr bin Salih from Abdurrahman bin Salim from Abu Baseer that Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (s) had said: My father said to Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari: I need you for something. Whenever you are not busy, let me be alone with you to ask you about something. Jabir said: Whenever you lik! One day he was alone with him. He said to him: O Jabir, tell me about the tablet you have seen in the hand of Fatima, the Prophet s daughter (s). What has my mother Fatima (s) told you about that has been written in that tablet? Jabir said: I swear by Allah, Whom there is no god other than, that I had come to your mother Fatima (s) when the Prophet (s) was alive to congratulate her for the birth of al- Husayn (s) and I found a green tablet in her hand. I thought it was of emerald. It had a white writing like the light of the sun. I said to her: My father and mother may be sacrificed for yo! What is this tablet? She said: This tablet has been gifted by Allah the Almighty to His messenger (s). It has the names of my father, my husband, my two sons and the names of the guardians of my grandsons. My father has given it to me to make me delighted with it. Jabir said: Your mother Fatima (s) gave it to me. I read it and copied it. My father (s) said to him: O Jabir, would you show it to me? Jabir replied: Yes. My father (s) went with Jabir to his house. My father took out a tablet of leather and said to Jabir: Look at the book with you until I read to you from my tablet. My father read to him and there was no even one letter different from Jabir s book. Jabir said: I swear by Allah that I have seen the following written in the tablet: p: 52 

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(In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This is a book from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise to His messenger, His light, His screen, His deputy and His guide Muhammad. The Archangel Gabriel has revealed it from the Lord of the worlds. O Muhammad, glorify My attributes, be grateful to My blessings and do not deny them. I am Allah. There is no god but Me. I am the Destroyer of the arrogants, the Supporter of the oppressed, the Master of the Day of Judgement and I am Allah; there is no god but Me. Whoever expects for other than My favor or fears other than My justice, I will subject him to such a torment that I will never torture any one of people with; therefore worship Me and rely on Me. I have never sent a messenger unless I have appointed his guardian when his days were about to end. I have preferred you to all of the prophets. I have preferred your guardian to all of the guardians. I have granted you with your two grandsons; al-Hasan and al- Husayn. I have made al-Hasan the vessel of My knowledge after the end of his father s time and made al-Husayn the essence of My revelation and so I have honored him with martyrdom and concluded his life with happiness. He is the best of those, who are martyred for the sake of Me. He has the highest rank among the martyrs near Me. I have put My perfect Word with him and My irrefutable proof near him. By the means of his progeny I reward and punish. p: 53 

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The first of them is Ali, the master of the worshippers and the best of My previous saints. His son has the same name of his praiseworthy grandfather; Muhammad al-Baqir, who gets deep through My knowledge and wisdom. Those, who doubt Ja’far, will perish. One, who denies him, as if denies Me. It is a promise of Me that I will honor the abode of Ja’far. I will make him pleased with his followers and assistants. After him there will be a dark sedition. Definitely the thread of My guidance will never be cut and My proof will never disappear. My saints will drink with the full cup. They are My deputies on the earth. Whoever denies any one of them, denies My favors and whoever changes a verse of My Book fabricates lies against Me. Woe unto the fabricators and deniers when the time of My slave, beloved and choice Musa has elapsed. He, who mistrusts him, as if he has mistrusted all My loyal saints. He is My guardian and supporter and it is he, whom I try with the burdens of prophethood. After him is My deputy Ali bin Musa ar-Redha. He will be killed by an arrogant devil. He will be buried in the city, which has been built by My benevolent slave (Alexander the Great) Thul Qarnayn. The best of My people is buried beside the worst of My people. (4) It is My promise that I will delight his eyes with his son Muhammad; the caliph after him and the heir of his knowledge. He is the vessel of My knowledge, the trustee of My secret and My proof and authority before My people. p: 54 

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I have made Paradise as his abode and have accepted his intercession for seventy thousand ones of his relatives, who all deserve to be in Hell. I will end the life of his son Ali with contentment. He is My guardian and supporter. He is My witness among My people and the trustee, to whom My revelation is entrusted. I will make his son al-Hasan a propagandist for My mission and a keeper of My knowledge. Then I will complete that with his son; My mercy to My peoples. He has the perfection of Moses, the beauty of Jesus Christ and the patience of Ayyoob (Job). In his time my saints are despised and their heads fall like the heads of the Turks and the Daylams. (5) They are killed and burned. They are always afraid. The ground is dyed with their bloods. Grief and wail spread among their women. Those are my real saints and I have to rid them of every dark sedition and all loads and restrictions. (Those are they on whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord, and those are the followers of the right course). (6) Abu Baseer said: If you have not heard along your age except of this tradition, it will have sufficed you. You are to keep it secret except for those, who are qualified for it. (7) ( (6) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda al-Kufi narrated from Yahya bin Zakariyya bin Shayban from Ali bin Sayf bin Omayra from Abban bin Uthman from Zurara from Imam Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (s) from his fathers (s) that the Prophet (s) had said: p: 55 

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From among my progeny there will be twelve inspired men. A man called Abdullah bin Zayd, who was the foster-brother of Ali bin al-Husayn al-Sajjad (8) (s) , said to him (to Imam al-Baqir): Glory be to Alla! Inspire! as if he denied that. Imam Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (s) said to him: By Allah, the son of your mother -he meant Ali bin al-Husayn (s) - was indeed inspired. (9) ( (7) ) Muhammad bin Hammam narrated from Abu Abdullah bin Ja’far al-Himyari from Ahmad bin Hilal from Muhammad bin Abu Omayr from Sa’eed bin Ghazwan from Abu Baseer from Abu Abdullah al- Sadiq (s) from his fathers (s) that the Prophet (s) had said: Allah the Almighty has chosen a thing from every thing. He has chosen Mecca from the earth, the mosque from Mecca and the place, in which the Kaaba is, from the mosque. He has chosen the females from among the cattle and the ewe from among the sheep. He has chosen Friday from among the days, Ramadan from among the months and the Night of Predestination from among the nights. 

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He has chosen the Hashimites (10) from among the peoples, has chosen me and Ali from among the Hashimites, has chosen al-Hasan and al-Husayn from me and Ali and then He completed the twelve imams from the progeny of al-Husayn. The ninth of them (of al- Husayn s progeny) is the hidden and the apparent and the best of them. He is the expected imam. The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Hammam and Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Jumhoor from al- p: 56 

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Hasan bin Muhammad bin Jumhoor from Ahmad bin Hilal from Muhammad bin Abu Omayr from Sa’eed bin Ghazwan from Imam Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s). (11) ( (8) ) From the book of Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali (12) there was a tradition narrated by Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda, Muhammad bin Hammam bin Suhayl and Abdul Aziz and Abdul Wahid the sons of Abdullah bin Younus al-Moossili from their companions; Abdurrazak bin Hammam, Ma mar bin Rashid, Abban bin Abu Ayyash and Sulaym bin Qayss. From another way the tradition was narrated by Haroon bin Muhammad from Ahmad bin Obaydillah bin Ja’far bin al-Mu alla al- Hamadani from Abul Hasan Amr bin Jami bin Amr bin Harb al-Kindi from Abdullah bin al-Mubarak from Abdurrazak bin Hammam from Ma mar from Abban bin Abu Ayyash from Sulaym bin Qayss al- Hilali. Abban said that he also had heard it from Umar bin Abu Salama. Ma mar said that Abu Haroon al-Abdi had also heard it from Umar bin Abu Salama that Sulaym had said: When Mo awiya sent for Abud Darda and Abu Hurayra, while we were with Amirul Mo’mineen (s) in (the battle of) Siffeen, and gave them a letter to be given to Amirul Mo’mineen Ali (s) , Imam Ali said to the two messengers after receiving the letter: You informed me of what Mo awiya have sent with you. Then listen to me and inform him of what I shall say to you. They said: Yes, we do. Imam Ali (s) replied with a long answer until he mentioned the matter when the Prophet (s) had appointed him (Imam Ali) in Ghadeer Khum as the guardian and the caliph after him (after the Prophet) according to the order of Allah. He said: p: 57 

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When this verse Only Allah is your guardian and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay the poor-rate while they bow, (13) was revealed to the Prophet (s) , the people asked him: O messenger of Allah, does it concern some of the believers particularly or the all in general? Then Allah ordered His messenger to declare for them the guardian, whom Allah had chosen, and to explain for them the matter of guardianship as he had explained the matters of prayer, zakat, fasting and hajj. Imam Ali (s) said: The Prophet (s) appointed me (as guardian) in Khum (14) and said: Allah the Almighty has revealed to me something, which my chest became unable to bear and I thought that people would not believe me if I announced, then Allah threatened me either to announce it or He would punish me. He ordered his companions to call for the prayer. He led them in offering the Dhuhr (15) prayer and then he asked Ali to get up. He said to the people very loudly: O people, Allah is my guardian and I am the guardian of the believers. I am worthier of them than themselves. Whoever I am his guardian, Ali is to be his guardian. O Allah, support whomsoever supports him and be the enemy of whoever opposes hi! Salman al-Farisi got up and said: O messenger of Allah, what guardianship is it? The Prophet (s) said: Whoever that I am worthier of than himself, has to consider Ali as worthier of him than himself. p: 58 

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Then Allah revealed, This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. (16) Salman said: O messenger of Allah, have these verses been revealed about Ali? The Prophet (s) said: About him and about my guardians until the Day of Resurrection. Salman asked: O messenger of Allah, would you please tell me about them? The Prophet (s) said: They are my brother, guardian, son-in-low, heir, the caliph of my umma and the guardian of every believer after me, Ali and eleven imams of my progeny; the first of them is my son Hasan then my son Husayn and then nine imams from al- Husayn s progeny one after the other. They are with the Qur’an and the Qur’an is with them. They will never part with it nor will it part with them until they will come to me at the pond in Paradise. Twelve men from among those, who had fought with the Prophet (s) in the battle of Badr, got up and said: O Amirul Mo’mineen, we witness that we have heard this from the Prophet (s) exactly as you say no word more no word less. The rest of companions (of Badr) said: We have memorized the most of what you said but not all of it. These twelve men are the best of us. Imam Ali (s) said: You are right. Not all of the people can memorize everything. Some are better than the others (in memorizing). From among those twelve men four men; Abul Haytham bin at- Tayhan, Abu Ayyoob, Ammar and Khuzayma bin Thabit got up and said: We witness that we have memorized the saying of the Prophet (s) then. He said while he was standing up and Ali was standing beside him: p: 59 

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O peopl! Allah has ordered me to appoint for you an imam, who will be my guardian among you and the successor in my family and my umma after me. Allah has imposed upon the believers, In His Book, to obey him and ordered them to submit to him. I said: O my Go! I fear that the hypocrites may not believe me. Then He threatened me either to inform of it or He would punish me. O people, Allah has ordered you in His Book to offer prayers, which I have explained to you. He has ordered you of zakat and fasting, which also I have explained to you. He has ordered you, in His Book, of the guardianship and I call you, O people, to witness that this concerns particularly this (Ali) and the guardians of my progeny and his progeny. The first of them is my son al-Hasan then al-Husayn and nine of al-Husayn s progeny. They will never part with the Book until they come to me at the pond (in Paradise). O people, I have informed you of your resort, your imam, guardian and guide after me. He is Ali bin Abu Talib. He is my brother and he is among you as I have been among you. Entrust him with your religion and obey him in all of your affairs. He has all what Allah has taught me. Allah has ordered me to teach it to him and to inform you that he has learned it. Ask him and learn from him and from his guardians. Do not try to teach them. Do not precede them and do not lag behind them because they are with the truth and the truth is with them. They never part with the truth nor will it part with them. p: 60 

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Then Imam Ali (s) said to Abud Darda , Abu Hurayra and those around him: O people, do you know that when Allah revealed in His Book, Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the Hous! and to purify you a (thorough) purifying, (17) the Prophet (s) gathered me, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn with him under one garment and said: O Allah, these are my beloved family, my weighty thing I have left and the people of my house. O Allah, keep away the uncleanness from them and purify them. Umm Salama (18) said: And M! The Prophet (s) said: You will be of a pleasant fate. This verse has been revealed concerning me, my brother Ali, my daughter Fatima, my sons al-Hasan and al-Husayn and nine ones of al-Husayn s progeny and no one else. Most of people available there got up and said: We witness that Umm Salama has narrated this for us. We asked the Prophet (s) and he confirmed what Umm Salama had narrated. Imam Ali (s) said: Do you not know that Allah has revealed in the sura of al-Hajj these verses, O you who believ! bow down and prostrate yourselves and serve your Lord, and do good that you may succeed. And strive hard in (the way of) Allah, (such) a striving a is due to Him; He has chosen you and has not laid upon you any hardship in religion; the faith of your father Ibraheem; He named you Muslims before and in this, that the Messenger may be a bearer of witness to you, and you may be bearers of witness to the people. (19) p: 61 

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And then Salman asked the Prophet (s): O messenger of Allah, who are these people, whom you are the witness on and who are the witnesses on people and whom Allah has chosen and has not laid upon them any hardship in religion; the faith of their father Ibraheem? The Prophet (s) said: Allah has meant by that thirteen persons; me, my brother Ali and eleven ones of his progeny. They said: Yes, by Allah, we have heard that from the Prophet (s). Imam Ali (s) said: I adjure you before Alla! Have you known that the Prophet (s) has made a speech that he has not made other speech after it when he said: O people, I have left among you two things; the book of Allah and my family. If you keep to them, you will never go astray at all. The Archangel Gabriel has informed me and promised me that they will never separate until they come to me at the pond (in Paradise)? They said: Yes, by Allah, we have witnessed all that from the Prophet (s). Then twelve men got up and said: We witness that when the Prophet (s) made a speech in the last day of his life, Umar bin al- Khattab got up angrily and said: O messenger of Allah, all the people of your house? The Prophet (s) said: No, only my guardians; Ali, my brother, vizier, heir, the caliph of my umma and the guardian of every believer after me, who is the first of them and the best of them, and then his guardian after him; my son-he pointed to al-Hasan- then his guardian; my son-he pointed to al- Husayn- then his guardian, whose name is like the name of my brother (Ali) then his guardian after him, whose name is like mine then seven ones; his (Muhammad bin Ali s) son and (six) grandsons one after the other until they come to me at the pond. They are the witnesses of Allah on His earth and the authorities over His people. He, who obeys them, obeys Allah and he, who disobeys them, disobeys Allah. Badr, and nearly the same number of al-Muhajireen (20) got up and said: You reminded us of what we have forgotten. We witness that we have heard that from the Prophet (s). p: 62 

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Abud Darda and Abu Hurayra left and told Mo awiya of all that Imam Ali (s) had said and that the people had witnessed of. (21) ( (9) ) The same previous series of narrators from Abdurrazak bin Hammam from Ma mar bin Rashid from Abban bin Abu Ayyash that Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali had said: When we were coming back with Amirul Mo’mineen (s) from (the battle of) Siffeen, we stopped for a time to rest near a monastery. A handsome and neat old man came out of the monastery. He had a book in his hand. He came to Amirul Mo’mineen, greeted him and said: I am from the progeny of one of the disciples of Jesus Christ (s). He was the best of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ and the most beloved one to him. Jesus Christ (s) had entrusted him with his wills, given him his books and taught him his knowledge and wisdom. The progeny of this disciple had been still keeping to the faith of Jesus Christ. They had never disbelieved or apostatized from his religion. our forefather according to the dictation of Jesus Christ (s) himself. Every thing that would happen after him had been mentioned in these books and the names of all the kings, who would rule after him, one after the other. It had been mentioned that Allah the Almighty would send a man from among the Arabs as a prophet. He would be from the progeny of Ishmael the son of Abraham. He would be from a land called Tehama and a village called Mecca. His name would be Ahmad. He would have twelve names. His advent, birth, emigration, who would fight him, who would support him, who would be his enemies, how long he would live and what his umma would face after him until Jesus Christ (s) would descend from the Heaven had been mentioned in these books. p: 63 

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The names of thirteen men of the progeny of Ishmael the son of Abraham had been mentioned in the book and that they were the best of all of the peoples and the most beloved ones to Allah. Allah would be the guardian of whoever believed in them and would be the enemy of whoever opposed them. Whoever obeyed them would be guided and whoever disobeyed them would go astray. Obeying them would mean obeying Allah and disobeying them would mean disobeying Allah. Everything about them had been mentioned such as their names, lineage, aspects, how long each one of them would live, how many ones of them would conceal their faith before their people and which one of them would appear and then all the peoples would submit to him until Jesus Christ (s) would descend from the Heaven and then he (Jesus Christ) would offer prayers behind him and would say: You are the imams and no one is to precede you. Then he would advance to lead the people in offering the prayer and Jesus Christ (s) would stand behind him in the first row. The first of them and the best of them is the messenger of Allah. His names are Muhammad, Abdullah, Yasseen, al-Fattah (the conqueror) , al-Khatam (the last) , al-Hashir (the resurrector) , al- Aaqib (the successor) , al-Mahi (the eraser) , al-Qa id (the leader) , the prophet of Allah, the best friend of Allah and the beloved of Allah. He is the most honored of all the people before Allah and the most beloved to Him. Allah has never created an honored angel or a prophet since Adam better than him near Allah or more beloved to Allah than him. Allah will seat him on His Throne on the Day of Resurrection and will accept his intercession for everyone he intercedes for. With his name; Muhammad is the Messenger of p: 64 

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Allah, the Pen writes on the Divine Tablet and with the keeper of the banner on the Day of the Great Resurrection, his guardian, vizier and successor for his umma. The most beloved one to Allah after him, Ali; his cousin and the guardian of every believer after him and then eleven men of Muhammad and Ali s progeny, the first two of them are named as the names of the two sons of Aaron; Shubbar and Shubayr, and nine of the progeny of the youngest of them one after the other, behind the last of whom Jesus Christ will offer the prayers. Then he mentioned the rest of the tradition. (22) ( (10) ) The previous series of narrators from Abdurrazak from Ma mar from Abban that Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali had said: I said to Ali (s): I have heard from Salman, al-Miqdad and Abu Tharr some interpretations of the Qur’an and some traditions of the Prophet (s) different from what the people have 

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had with them and I heard from you what confirmed that I have heard from those men. In the meanwhile I found among the people some interpretations of the Qur’an and some prophetic traditions, in which they denied those interpretations and traditions (narrated by those three men) and claimed that they were false. Do you think that they (the people) ascribed false things to the Prophet (s) and interpreted the Qur’an according to their own opinions? Ali (s) said: With people there are truth and falsehood, abrogating and abrogated verdicts, special and general verdicts, allegorical and clear Qur anic verses, memorization and illusion. False things were p: 65 

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ascribed to the Prophet (s) when he was still alive until he made a speech saying: O people, the fabricators, who ascribed false things to me, became so many. Let him, who ascribes false things to me intendedly, take his seat in Hell. Nevertheless many people ascribed false things to him after his death. The narrators of traditions are of four kinds; one is a hypocrite showing faith with his tongue only. He does not refrain from ascribing false things to the Prophet (s) intendedly. If people know that he is a hypocrite and a liar, they will never believe him or accept anything from him but they see that he has accompanied the Prophet (s) , has seen him and heard from him; therefore they trusted in him without knowing his reality. Allah has told us about the hypocrites and described them t0 us when saying, And when you see them, their persons will please you, and If they speak, you will listen to their speech; (they are) as if they were big pieces of wood clad with garments; they think every cry to be against them. They are the enemy, therefore beware of them; may Allah destroy them, whence are they turned back. (23) They kept on that after the Prophet (s) and approached to the deviant rulers, who invited people towards Hell via lies and fabrications. They entrusted them with positions and authorities and imposed them on people by force. They hastened towards the pleasures of this worldly life. In fact most of people follow the kings and look forward to the pleasures of this life except a few, whom Allah has guided. p: 66 

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The other kind is a man, who heard something from the Prophet (s) and could not memorize it correctly. He mistook when narrating it without intending to fabricate it. If the Muslims knew that he had mistaken, they would not accept a tradition from him and if he himself knew that his tradition was incorrect, he would deny it. The third is a man, who heard the Prophet (s) ordering of something and then the Prophet (s) prohibited it but the man did not know or he heard the Prophet (s) prohibiting something and then he permitted it but the man did not know; therefore he memorized the abrogated verdict and ignored the abrogating verdict. If he knew that it had been abrogated, he would deny it and if people, when hearing it, knew that it had been abrogated, they would deny it. The fourth one is he, who never fabricates the sayings of Allah or the sayings of His messenger because he hates lying, fears Allah and glorifies the Prophet (s). He does not forget but he keeps the tradition as he hears it. He narrates it with no word more and no word less. He knows the abrogating and the abrogated verdicts. He acts according to the abrogating verdicts and refuses the abrogated ones. The orders and prohibitions of the Prophet (s) are like those of the holy Qur’an; among them there are abrogating and abrogated verdicts, particular and general, allegorical and clear sayings. Allah says, Whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back. (24) Many people hear the allegorical sayings and do not know what Allah and His messenger mean. p: 67 

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Not all of the Prophet s companions used to ask about many things to understand them well. They often liked that a nomad or a passerby might ask the Prophet (s) so that they would hear the answer. I used to come to the Prophet (s) once in the day and once in the night. He let me alone with him. The Prophet s companions knew well that the Prophet (s) did not do that with anyone else than me. The Prophet (s) often came to my house and when I came to him in one of his houses, he asked his wives to leave us alone. But when he (s) came to my house, Fatima would stay with us and would not leave nor would any of my sons. If I began asking, he would answer me and if I finished my questions and became silent, he would begin talking to me and praying Allah to make me perceive and memorize. Since he has prayed Allah for me, I have never forgotten anything at all. Once I said to the Prophet (s): O messenger of Allah, since you have prayed Allah for me, I have never forgotten anything of what you have taught me and dictated to me. But you have not ordered me to write it down. Do you not fear that I may forget? He said: O my brother, I do not fear that you may forget or ignore any thing. Allah has revealed to me that He has responded to my praying for you and your partners coming after you. But you are to write it down for them. p: 68 

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I asked: O messenger of Allah, who are my partners? He said: They are those, whom Allah has connected with Himself and me when He said: (O you who believ! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority from among you). (25) If you fear that you may quarrel about something, then refer it to Allah, the Messenger and those of authority among you. I said: O messenger of Allah, who are they? He said: They are the guardians, one after the other, until they come to me at the pond (in Paradise). Every one of them is guided and he is a guide for people. They will not be affected by disappointment of anyone, who will disappoint them. They are with the Qur’an and the Qur’an is with them. They will not part with the Qur’an nor will it part with them. By them my umma will win and by their praying the heaven will rain for people and calamities will be away from them. I said: O messenger of Allah, would you tell me their names? He said: My son; this-and he put his hand on al-Hasan-then my son; this-he put his hand on al Husayn-then his son, whose name will be like your name, O Ali, then Muhammad the son of Ali. Then he turned towards al-Husayn (s) and said: Muhammad bin Ali will be born during your life. Give him my regard! Then will be the rest of the twelve imams. I said: O messenger of Allah, would you tell me their names? p: 69 

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He mentioned their names one after the other. O Sulaym, by Allah, from them is al-Mahdi of this umma. He will spread justice and equity allover the world after it has been filled with injustice and oppression. (26) ( (11) ) Abdurrazak narrated from Ma mar bin Rashid from Abban bin Abu Ayyash that Sulaym bin Qayss had said: Ali (s) said to Talha in a long tradition when mentioning the pride of al-Muhajireen and al-Ansar (27) about their virtues: O Talha, have you not witnessed the Prophet (s) when he asked for a tablet to write a decree, by which the umma would not go astray nor would it disagree after him, and then your friend (28) said: The Prophet (s) is raving then the Prophet (s) became angry and gave it up? Talha said: Yes, I have witnessed that. Imam Ali (s) said: When you (all) went out, the Prophet (s) told me about the decree he wanted to write before the public to witness it. He said to me that Gabriel had told him that Allah had known that the umma would disagree and separate after him (the Prophet). He asked for a sheet of paper and dictated to me what he wanted to write in the tablet before people. He let three persons witness that. They were Salman al-Farisi, Abu Tharr and al-Miqdad. He mentioned the names of the imams of guidance, whom he ordered the believers to obey until the Day of Resurrection. He mentioned my name as the first of them then my son Hasan and then my son p: 70 

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Husayn and then nine ones from the progeny of my son Husayn. Was it not so, O you Abu Tharr and you al-Miqdad? They said: We witness that the Prophet (s) has done so. Talha said: By Allah I have heard the Prophet (s) saying to Abu Tharr: By Allah, the earth has not carried nor has the sky shaded one more truthful or more pious than Abu Tharr. I witness that they (Abu Tharr and al-Miqdad) have not said but the truth and you are more truthful and more pious to me than them both. (29) ( (12) ) Abdurrazak bin Hammam narrated from Ma mar bin Rashid from Abban bin Abu Ayyash from Sulaym bin Qayss that Imam Ali (s) had said: One day I passed by a man, who said: The example of Muhammad is like the example of a date-palm growing in a dunghill. I came to the Prophet (s) and told him of that. He became very angry. He went to the minbar. Al-Ansar took up their arms when they saw the Prophet (s) so angry. He said: Why do some people criticize my close relatives after they have heard me mentioning that Allah has preferred them to all of the people and has favored them by purifying them and taking uncleanness away from them? They have heard me mentioning the virtues of my family and the virtues of my guardian, whom Allah has honored and preferred because of his precedence in being a Muslim, his defending Islam, his kinship to me and that he is to me as has Aaron been to Moses. After all, someone of you claims that I am, among my family, like a date-palm growing in a dunghil! p: 71 

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Allah has created his creation and divided them into two parties. He has made me in the best of them. Then He has divided this party into three groups and made me in the best of them and in the best tribe. Then He divided them into families and made me in the best of them until I have been purified with my brother Ali bin Abu Talib from among the family. Allah the Almighty looked at the people of the earth and chose me from among them and then He looked again and chose Ali; my brother, vizier, heir, my caliph for my umma and the guardian of every believer after me. Whoever obeys him, obeys Allah and whoever opposes him, opposes Allah. Whoever loves him will be loved by Allah and whoever hates him will be hated by Allah. No one loves him except the believers and no one hates him except the unbelievers. He is the basis of the earth and its ease after me. He is the word of piety and the firmest handhold of Allah. They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah will not consent save to perfect His light. (30) The enemies of Allah want to put out the light of my brother but Allah will not consent save to perfect his light. O people, let the present inform the absent of my speec! Then Allah looked thirdly and chose some ones from among my family after me. They are the best of my umma; eleven imams after my brother (Ali) one after the other. Whenever one of them leaves to the better world another one will replace him. Their example is like the stars of the sky; whenever a star sets another will shine. They are guided and guiding imams. They will never be affected by the disappointment of their opponents nor by the plotting of their enemies. They are the authorities of Allah on the earth and His p: 72 

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witnesses over His people. Whoever obeys them, obeys Allah and whoever disobeys them disobeys Allah. They are with the Qur’an and the Qur’an is with them. They will never part with the Qur an nor will it part with them until they come to me at the pond (in Paradise). The first of the imams is my brother Ali, who is the best of them, then my son Hasan, then my son Husayn and then nine ones from the progeny of Husayn. He mentioned all the tradition. (31) ( (13) ) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah bin Younus al-Moossili narrated from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Rabah al-az-Zuhri from Ahmad bin Ali al-Himyari from al-Hasan bin Ayyoob from Abdul Kareem bin Amr al-Khath ami that al-Mufadhdhal bin Umar had said: I asked Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) about the saying of Allah (But they reject the hour, and We have prepared a burning fire for him who rejects the hour). (32) He said: Allah has divided the year into twelve months, the night into twelve hours, the day into twelve hours and He has chosen from us twelve inspired imams. Imam Ali (s) was an hour from among those hours. (33) ( (14) ) Abdul Kareem bin Amr narrated from Thabit bin Shurayh that Abu Baseer had said: I have heard Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali al- Baqir (s) saying: From among us there are twelve inspired ones. (34) ( (15) ) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah narrated from Muhammad bin Ja’far al-Qarashi from Muhammad bin al-Husayn bin Abul Khattab from Amr bin Abban al-Kalbi from ibn Sinan from Abus-Sa ib that Imam p: 73 

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Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (s) had said: A night is twelve hours, a day is twelve hours, a year is twelve months, the imams are twelve and the disciples are twelve. Imam Ali (s) is an hour of the twelve hours as Allah has said, But they reject the hour, and We have prepared a burning fire for him who rejects the hour. (35) ( (16) ) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya al-Attar from Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali al- Kufi from Ibraheem bin Muhammad bin Yousuf from Muhammad bin Eessa from Abdurrazak from Zayd ash-Shahham that Abu Abdullah (s) had said (the same, which had been also narrated) by Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali al-Kufi from Muhammad bin Sinan that Zayd ash-Shahham had said: I asked Abu Abdullah (s): Who is better; al-Hasan or al-Husayn? He said: The virtue of the previous one of us joins the next one of us and the virtue of the next one of us joins the previous one. Each one of us has his virtue. 

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I said: May my soul be sacrificed for yo! Would you explain the answer more to me because I look for the truth? He said: We are from one tree. Allah has created us from one clay. Our virtue and knowledge are from Allah. We are the deputies of Allah over His people, the propagandists for His religion and the means between Allah and His people. Do I say more to you O Zayd? p: 74 

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I said: Ye! He said: Our creation is the same. Our knowledge is the same. Our virtue is the same and we all are the same before Allah. I asked: Would you tell me how many you are? He said: We are twelve ones. So has been determined around the Throne at the beginning of the Creation. The first of us is Muhammad. The middle is Muhammad and the last of us is Muhammad. (36) ( (17) ) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya al-Attar from Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali al- Kufi from Ibraheem bin Muhammad bin Yousuf from Muhammad bin Eessa from Abdurrazak from Muhammad bin Sinan from Fudhayl ar-Rassan that Abu Hamza ath-Thimali had said: One day I was with Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (s). When the all left, he said to me: O Abu Hamza, what is inevitable and that Allah will not change is the advent of the last imam of ours; al-Mahdi. Whoever doubts this matter, will be unbeliever before Allah. I swear that his name will be like mine and his surname will be like mine. He will be the seventh after me. He will fill the world with justice and equity after it has been filled with injustice and oppression. O Abu Hamza, he, who will attend his (Imam al-Mahdi s) appearance and will not submit to him, has not submitted to Muhammad and Ali (peace be upon them) and then he will be forbidden from being in Paradise, his abode will be p: 75 

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the fire, and evil is the abode of the unjus! (37) Clearer than this is the saying of Allah: Surely the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s ordinance since the day when He created the heavens and the earth, of these four being sacred; that is the right religion; therefore be not unjust to yourselves regarding them. (38) Knowing the months is not to be considered as the right religion because the Jews, the Christians, the Magi and all peoples know the number and the names of the months. They are but the twelve imams, who are the guardians of the religion. Among the four sacred ones is Imam Ali (s) , whose name Allah has derived from His name as He has derived the name of the Prophet (s). Three other imams have the name Ali. They are Ali bin al- Husayn, Ali bin Musa and Ali bin Muhammad. So this name (Ali) , which has been derived from one of the attributes of Allah, has deserved to be sacred. Peace and blessing be upon Muhammad and his progeny, the pure, the sacred. ( (18) ) Salama bin Muhammad narrated from Abul Hasan Ali bin Umar al-Haji from Hamza bin al-Qassim al-Alawi al-Abbasi ar-Razi from Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Hasani from Obayd bin Katheer from Abu Ahmad bin Musa al-Assadi that Dawood bin Katheer ar-Riqqi had said: I came to Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (s) in Medina and he said to me: Why have you not visited us since so long, O Dawood? I said: I had something to do in Kufa. p: 76 

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He said: Whom did you leave in Kufa? I said: May my soul be sacrificed for yo! I have left your uncle Zayd. I left him riding on a horse with his sword and calling loudly: Ask me before you will miss me. I have great knowledge. I have known the abrogating and abrogated verdicts, the oft-repeated verses and the great Qur’an. Knowledge is between Allah and you. He said to me: O Dawood, things have affected yo! Then he called: O Suma a bin Mihran, bring me a basket of ripe date! He brought him a basket of ripe dates. He took one, ate it, took the kernel out of his mouth and stuck it into the ground. It grew and fruited. He picked an unripe date from one of the bunches. He split it and took a piece of parchment out of it. He spread it, gave it to me and said to me: Read i! It had two lines. The first line was (There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah). The second line was (Surely the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s ordinance since the day when He created the heavens and the earth, of these four being sacred; that is the right religion) ; Amirul Mo’mineen Ali bin Abu Talib, al-Hasan bin Ali, al-Husayn bin Ali, Ali bin al-Husayn, Muhammad bin Ali, Ja’far bin Muhammad, Musa bin Ja’far, Ali bin Musa, Muhammad bin Ali, Ali bin Muhammad, al-Hasan bin Ali, al-Khalaf al-Hujjah (al-Mahdi). p: 77 

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Then he said: O Dawood, do you know when this has been written in this piece of parchment? I said: Allah, His messenger and you are more awar! He said: Two thousand years before Allah had created Adam. (39) ( (19) ) Salama bin Muhammad narrated from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Mihziyar from Ahmad bin Muhammad al-Sayyari from Ahmad bin Hilal, also from Ali bin Muhammad bin Obaydillah al-Khaba iy from Ahmad bin Hilal from Umayya bint Maymoon ash-Shu ayri that Ziyad al-Qandi had said: I heard Abu Ibraheem Musa bin Ja’far bin Muhammad (Imam al-Kadhim) (40) (s) saying: Allah has created a house of light. He has made four pillars for it. Four names has been written on them; Tabarak, Subhan, al-Hamd and Allah. Then he has created four ones from those four and then four from these four then He has said: (Surely the number of months with Allah is twelve months). ( (20) ) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya from Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali from Muhammad bin Sinan that Dawood bin Katheer ar-Riqqi had said: I said to Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (s): May I die for yo! Would you tell me about (the meaning of) the saying of Allah, And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter). These are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)? (41) He said: Allah has said that on the day when He has determined the creation in the Covenant two thousand years before creating the creatures (people). I said: Would you explain this for me? He said: When Allah had willed to create people, He made them of clay and made a fire for them. He ordered them to enter into fire. The first ones, who had entered into it, were Muhammad, Ali, al-Hasan, al- Husayn and nine imams one after the other and then their p: 78 

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followers followed them. By Allah they are the foremost. (42) ( (21) ) Abu Ali Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ya qoob bin Ammar al-Kufi narrated from his father from al-Qassim bin Hisham al-Lu lu iy from al-Hasan bin Mahboob that Ibraheem al- Karkhi had said: Once I came to Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad (s). While I was sitting with him, (his son) Abul Hasan Musa (al-Kadhim) came in. He was a young boy. I got up and kissed him and then I sat down. Abu Abdullah (s) said to me: O Ibraheem, he will be your companion after me. Because of him many people will perish and others will be pleased. May Allah damn his killer and double the torment for his sou! Allah will derive from him the best of the people on the earth in his time. His name will be like the name of his grandfather. He will be the heir of his grandfather s knowledge, wisdom and judgements. He will be the essence of the imamate and the top of wisdom. He will be killed by the arrogant of so-and-so family after some wonders because of envy. But Allah will carry out His order even the polytheists are averse. Allah will derive from his progeny the rest of the twelve inspired imams, whom He will honor with dignity of His and will place in the sanctuary of His. He, who waits for the twelfth imam and fights with him, is as if he has fought with the Prophet (s) and defended him. Then a man of the freed slaves of the Umayyads came in and Imam al-Sadiq (s) stopped talking. I visited him eleven times wishing that he might complete his speech but I failed. In the next year I came to him. He said: p: 79 

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O Ibraheem, he will relieve his Shia from their grief after long strait, affliction, oppression and fright. Blessed is he, who will attend at that tim! O Ibraheem, this suffices you. I have never come back with something more pleasant to my heart and more delightful to my eye than this thing. (43) ( (22) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ya qoob narrated from Abu Abdullah al-Husayn bin Muhammad from Muhammad bin Abu Qayss from Ja’far ar-Rummani from Muhammad bin Abul Qassim, the son of Khalid bin Mukhallad al-Qatawani s sister, from Abdul Wahab ath-Thaqafi from Imam Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (s) that his father Imam Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (s) had looked at Hamran, cried and said: O Hamran, how odd of people it i! How have they ignored or forgotten the saying of the Prophet (s) on the last day of his life? When he fell ill, people came to visit him until the house became so crowded. Then Ali (s) came and offered greeting but he could not overstep the people to reach the Prophet (s) and the people did not let him pass. When the Prophet (s) saw that, he raised his pillow and said: O Ali, come to m! Then people pressed closed to let Ali pass. The Prophet (s) seated Ali (s) beside him and said: O people, you do so to my family while I am still aliv! Then what will you do to them after my death? By Allah, whatever closer you approach to my family, you will be closer to Allah and whatever far you become and turn away from them, Allah will turn away from you. O people, listen to what I say to yo! Contentment and love of Allah will be to whoever loves Ali, obeyed him and followed him and his guardians after him. Allah has promised to respond to me regarding them. They are twelve imams. Whoever follows them is from me. I am from Abraham and Abraham is from me. His religion is my religion and my religion is his. His lineage is mine and mine is his. My virtue is his and I am better than him without pride. Allah has confirmed my speech when saying, Offspring one of the other; and Allah is Hearing, Knowing (44). (45) p: 80 

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( (23) ) Muhammad bin Hammam narrated from Abu Ali al-Hasan bin Ali bin Eessa al-Qoohistani from Badr bin Iss~haq bin Badr al- Anmati from his father that his grandfather Badr bin Eessa had said: Once I asked my father, who was a very respectable man: Whom have you met of the successors of the Prophet s companions? He said: I do not know what you say but once I was in Kufa and heard an old man in the mosque talking about a good man. He said: I have heard Amirul Mo’mineen Ali bin Abu Talib (s) saying: The Prophet (s) has said to me: O Ali, the infallible guided imams of your progeny are eleven ones and you are the first of them. The name of the last of them is like my name. He will appear to fill the world with justice and equity after it has been filled with injustice and oppression. People will come to him asking for money, which will be accumulated. He will say to them: Take (as you like)! (46) ( (24) ) Abul Harith Abdullah bin Abdul Melik bin Sahl at-Tabarani narrated from Muhammad bin al-Muthanna al-Baghdadi from Muhammad bin Issma eel ar-Riqqi from Musa bin Eessa bin Abdurrahman from Hisham bin Abdullah ad-Dastuwa iy from Ali bin Muhammad from Amr bin Shimr from Jabir bin Yazeed al-Ju fi from Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (s) from Salim bin Abdullah bin Umar from his father that the Prophet (s) had said: Allah has revealed to me in the night of the Ascension: O Muhammad, whom have you entrusted with your umma on the earth- (and He is aware)? p: 81 

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I said: O my God, I have entrusted my brother. He the Almighty said: O Muhammad, is he Ali bin Abu Talib? I said: Yes, he is. O my Go! He said: O Muhammad, I had a look at the earth and chose you from among its people. Whatever I mention, you are to mention with me. I am Mahmood and you are Muhammad. (47) Then I had another look at the earth. I chose Ali bin Abu Talib and made him your guardian. You are the master of the prophets and Ali is the master of the guardians. Then I derived for him a name from my name; I am al-A la (the highest) and he is Ali (high). O Muhammad, I have created Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan, al-Husayn and the rest of the imams from one light and then I offered their guardianship before the angels. Whoever of them accepted it became close to me and whoever denied it became among the unbelievers. O Muhammad, if one of My people worships me devotedly and then he meets Me denying their guardianship, I will throw him into Hell. Then He said: O Muhammad, do you like to see them? I said: Yes, O my Lord. He said: Go ahea! I went ahead and I saw Ali bin Abu Talib, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Ali bin al-Husayn, Muhammad bin Ali, Ja’far bin Muhammad, Musa bin Ja’far, Ali bin Musa, Muhammad bin Ali, Ali bin Muhammad, al-Hasan bin Ali and al-Hujjah al-Mahdi, who was like a shining star in the middle of them. I said: O my God, who are they? He said: These are the imams and this is al- Qa im. (48) He will permit what I have permitted, prohibit what I have prohibited and will revenge on My enemies. O Muhammad, love him because I love him and love whoever loves him. (49) p: 82 

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( (25) ) Muhammad bin Ya qoob al-Kulayni narrated from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from his father from ibn Abu Omayr from Sa’eed bin Ghazwan from Abu Baseer that Imam 

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Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (s) had said: Nine imams are after al-Husayn bin Ali. The ninth one is al- Qa im. (50) ( (26) ) Muhammad bin Ya qoob narrated from Ali bin Muhammad from Sahl bin Ziyad from Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Shammoon from Abdullah bin Abdurrahman al-Assamm that Karram had said: I have promised myself not to eat any kind of food during the day at all until al-Qa im of Muhammad s family appears. I came to Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) and said to him: I am one of your Shia. I have promised Allah not to eat any kind of food at all during the day until al-Qa im appears. He said to me: O Karram, fas! But do not fast on the days of the two Eids (51) nor the three days of al-Tashreeq (52) or when you are on travel. When al- Husayn (s) was killed there was a clamor in the Heaven and on the earth. The angels said: O our Lord, do You permit us to perish the human beings and to terminate them from on the earth for what they have committed when trespassing Your sanctity by killing the choice of Yours? Allah revealed to the angels: O My angels, My Heaven and My earth, be quie! Then He uncovered one of the covers. Behind it were Muhammad and twelve guardians of his. Allah held one from among them by the hand and said: O My angels, My Heavens and My earth, with this one I will avenge this killed one upon his killers. He repeated it three times. (53) p: 83 

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( (27) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from his father from ibn Abu Omayr from Abban bin Ayyash that Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali had said: I have heard Abdullah bin Ja’far at-Tayyar saying: One day Al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Abdullah bin Abbas, Umar bin Umm Salama, Ussama bin Zayd and I were with Mo awiya. I said to him: I have heard the Prophet (s) saying: I am worthier of the believers than themselves then my brother Ali bin Abu Talib will be worthier of the believers than themselves. If he is martyred then his son al-Hasan will be worthier of the believers than themselves then after him al-Husayn will be worthier of the believers than themselves. If he is martyred, his son Ali bin al-Husayn will be worthier of the believers than themselves then his son Muhammad bin Ali will be worthier of the believers than themselves then the rest of the twelve imams, nine of whom are from the progeny of al-Husayn. I asked al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Abdullah bin Abbas, Umar bin Umm Salama and Ussama bin Zayd to witness of that (the Prophet (s) had said so) and they witnessed. Sulaym said: I have heard that from Salman al-Farisi, al-Miqdad and Abu Tharr that they have heard it from the Prophet (s). (54) ( (28) ) Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Ja’far al-Himyari narrated from his father from Muhammad bin Eessa bin Obayd bin Yaqteen from an-Nadhr bin Suwayd from Yahya al-Halabi that Ali bin Abu Hamza had said: Once I, Abu Baseer and a freed slave (mawla) of Imam al- Baqir (s) were together. The mawla said: I have heard Imam al-Baqir (s) saying: p: 84 

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From us there are twelve inspired (imams). The seventh of my descendants is al-Qa im. Abu Baseer said: I witness that I have heard Abu Ja’far (al-Sadiq (s) ) saying this forty years ago. (55) ( (29) ) Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda narrated from Muhammad bin al-Mufadhdhal bin Ibraheem bin Qayss bin Rummana al-Ash ari from Ibraheem bin Muhzim from Khaqan bin Sulayman al-Kharraz from Ibraheem bin Abu Yahya al- Madani from Abu Haroon al-Abdi that Umar bin Abu Salama, the Prophet s foster-son, and Abut-Tufayl Aamir bin Wathila had said: We attended the prayer (for the dead) when Abu Bakr died. While we were sitting around Umar, who had been paid homage to be the caliph, a young Jew from the Jews of Medina, whose father was the jurisprudent of the Jews in Medina and the Jews claimed that he was one of Aaron s descendants, came to Umar. He greeted him and said: O Amirul Mo’mineen, (56) who is the most aware of your Book and the Sunna of your prophet among you? Umar said: It is this one. (He pointed to Ali bin Abu Talib. ) This is the most aware of our Book and our Prophet s Sunna. The young Jew said (to Ali): Would you answer my questions? Imam Ali (s) said: Yes, I would. Ask me as you like. The young boy said: I ask you about three things and three things and one thing. Imam Ali (s) said: Why do you not say: I ask you about seven things? The young boy said: No, but I ask you about the first three and if you give the right answers then I will ask you about the other three and if you give the right answers then I will ask you about the last p: 85 

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one. If you fail to answer the first three ones, I will keep silent and not ask you about anything. Imam Ali (s) said: If I give you the right answer, will you know that my answer is right or not? He said: Yes, I will. Imam Ali (s) said: I adjure you before Allah that if I give you right answers, you are to be a Muslim and to give up Judaism. He said: I agree. I promise you to be a Muslim and to give up Judaism. Imam Ali (s) said: Then ask me as you like. The young Jew said: Would you tell me about the first stone that has been put on the surface of the earth, the first tree that has grown on the earth and the first fountain that has flowed on the earth? Imam Ali (s) said: O Jew, as for the first stone that has been put on the surface of the earth, the Jews has claimed that it is the rock, which is in Jerusalem, but they have told a false thing. It is the Black Stone that Adam (s) has brought from Paradise and put in the corner (of the Kaaba). The believers kiss it to renew the covenant of being loyal to Allah. As for the first tree, the Jews have claimed that it is the olive tree but they have told a lie. It is the date-palm, which Adam (s) has brought with him from Paradise. And as for the first fountain, the Jews have claimed that it is the one under the rock (in p: 86 

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Jerusalem) but they have told a lie. It is the fountain of life, in which a dead is dipped to be alive again. It is the fountain of Moses (s) , beside which he has left the salted fish and when water touched it, it revived and slipped into the sea and then Moses (s) and his servant followed it when they met with al-Khidhr (s). The young Jew said: I swear that you have said the truth. This is a book that I have inherited from my ancestors. It has been dictated by Moses (s) and written by Aaron (s). It has these seven things. By Allah, if you give right answers to the rest of the seven questions, I will give up my religion and believe in yours. Imam Ali (s) said: As! The Jew said: Would you tell me how many imams of guidance, who will not be harmed by the disappointment of the plotters, this umma will have after its prophet? In which position Muhammad will be in Paradise? How many ones will be with Muhammad in his position? Imam Ali (s) said: This umma has twelve imams. All of them are guided and guiding imams and they will never be harmed by the disappointment of the plotters. The position of Muhammad (s) is in the best position of the Garden of Eden, the most honored and the closest to Allah. As for those, who will be with Muhammad in his position, they are twelve imams. The Jew said: I swear that you have said the truth. If you answer the last one as you have done with these six, by Allah I will be a Muslim before you and give up Judaism. Imam Ali (s) said: As! p: 87 

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He said: Would you tell me how long the successor of Muhammad will live after Muhammad? Will he die or be killed? Imam Ali (s) said: He will live for thirty years and then this will be dyed (of blood) from this. (He grasped his beard and made a sign with his head. ) The young Jew said: I witness that there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and you are the caliph of the umma after the Prophet (s). Whoever precedes you, will be oppressive. Then he left. (57) ( (30) ) Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from Hameed bin Ziyad from Ja’far bin Issma eel al-Minqari from Abdurrahman bin Abu Najran from Issma eel bin Ali al-Basri from Abu Ayyoob al-Mu addib that his father, who was a teacher (mu addib) of some of Imam Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq s children, had said: When the Prophet (s) died, a Jew man of the descendants of Dawood (Prophet David) came to Medina and saw the streets empty. He asked what the matter was. It was said to him that the Prophet (s) had died. He said: Indeed he has died on the same day mentioned in our Book. Then he asked where people were. It was said to him that they had been in the mosque. He came to the mosque where there were Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Abdurrahman bin Ouff, Abu Obayda bin al-Jarrah and a great crowd of people. He said: Make way to let me come in and lead me to the one, whom your prophet has entrusted with his umm! They led him to Abu Bakr. p: 88 

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He said to Abu Bakr: I am a Jew and I am from the descendants of Prophet David (s). I have come to ask about four things. If you answer me, I become a Muslim. He was asked to wait a little. Then Amirul Mo’mineen Ali (s) came in from one of the gates of the mosque. People said to the Jew: Go to this young ma! When he came near to him, he asked: Are you Ali bin Abu Talib? Imam Ali (s) said to him: Are you so-and-so the son of David (s)? He said: Yes, I am. Imam Ali (s) took the Jew s hand and came with him to Abu Bakr. The Jew said to Imam Ali (s): I asked these people about four things but they sent me to you. Imam Ali (s) said: Please as! The Jew asked: What was the first thing that was revealed to your prophet when he came back from his Lord after his Ascension? Who was the angel that pushed your prophet away and did not greet him? Who were the four men, from above whom Angel Malik had removed a cover of Fire and who had talked with your prophet? In which position of Paradise will the minbar of your prophet be? Imam Ali (s) said: The first thing that Allah has revealed to our prophet after the Ascension is: (The messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord). (58) The Jew said: It is not this that I mean. p: 89 

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Imam Ali (s) said: Then it is (and (so do) the believers; they all believe in Allah). (59) He said: It is not this that I mean. Imam Ali (s) said: Then let the matter be hidden. The Jew said: You are to tell me the truth. Are you not the one, whom I mean? Imam Ali (s) said: As you insist on that, I shall tell the truth. When the Prophet (s) came back from his Lord, where the screens were opened before him, and before he got to the place of Gabriel, an angel had called: O Ahma! (60) The Prophet (s) said: Here I am. The angel said: Allah sends you His greeting and says to you: Deliver Our greeting to the master of guardians. The Prophet (s) asked: Who is the master of guardians? The angel replied: He is Ali bin Abu Talib. The Jew said to Imam Ali (s): You are right. I have found that in my father s book. Imam Ali (s) said: As for the angel, who had pushed the Prophet (s) away, he was the Angel of Death. He had come from an arrogant of the people of the earth, who had uttered something that made Allah angry. Then Gabriel said to the Angel of Death: This is Ahmad, the beloved messenger of Allah. The Angel of Death came back, embraced the Prophet (s) , apologized and said to him: O messenger of Allah, I went to a tyrant king, who uttered bad things that made me very angry so that I did not know you. The Prophet (s) accepted his apology. As for the four men, from above whom Angel Malik had removed a cover of Fire, that when the Prophet (s) passed by Angel Malik, who had never smiled since he had been created at all, Gabriel said: O Malik, this is Muhammad, the prophet of mercy. Then Malik smiled to the Prophet (s) and he did never smile to anyone else than Muhammad (s). The Prophet (s) said to Gabriel: Order him to uncover a layer of Fir! He uncovered a layer of Fire and there appeared Qabeel (Cain) , Nimrod, Pharaoh and Haman. They said: O Muhammad, ask your god to send us back to the worldly life in order to do goo! Gabriel became angry and with a feather of his wing he returned the layer of Fire upon them. p: 90 

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As for the minbar of the Prophet (s) , the abode of the Prophet (s) is the Garden of Eden, which Allah has created with His (hand). There are twelve guardians will be with the Prophet (s) in this Garden. Above this abode there is a dome called the dome of ar- Radhwan (contentment). Above the dome there is a house called al- Wasseela (the means) , which no house in Paradise looks like it. It is the minbar of the Prophet (s). The Jew said: By Allah, you are right. This has been mentioned in the book of my father David (s). The book has been inherited by one after the other until it has reached me. Then he took out a book written by Prophet David (s) and said to Imam Ali (s): Give me your han! I witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. It is he, of whom Prophet Moses (s) has informed. And I witness that you are the jurisprudent of this umma and the guardian of the messenger of Allah. Then Imam Ali (s) began to teach him the laws of Islam. (61) The Book of Allah, the traditions of the Prophet (s) , Imam Ali (s) and all the imams one after the other had confirmed that the number of the imams is twelve. No one among the Shia denies that the book of Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali is considered as one of the important books of the doctrine of 

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the Shia. All that is mentioned in the book has been narrated from the Prophet (s) , imam Ali (s) , al-Miqdad, Salman al-Farisi Abu Tharr and their likes, who have accompanied the Prophet (s) and Amirul Mo’mineen (s). It is one of the sources that the Shia have depended on and referred to. p: 91 

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TRADITIONS NARRATED BY THE SUNNIS ( (31) ) Muhammad bin Uthman bin Allan ad-Duhni al-Bagdhadi narrated from Abu Bakr bin Khaythama from Ali bin al-Ja d from Zuhayr bin Mo awiya from Ziyad bin Khuthayma from al-Aswad bin Sa’eed al-Hamadani from Jabir bin Samra that the Prophet (s) had said: There will be twelve caliphs after me; all of them are from Quraysh. When the Prophet (s) went home, the people of Quraysh came to him asking: Then what will happen? He said: Commotion will be then. (62) ( (32) ) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from ibn Abu Olaqa, Sammak bin Harb and Hussayn bin Khaythama from Ali bin al-Ja d from Zuhayr bin Mo awiya from Ziyad bin Abdurrahman from Jabir bin Samra that the Prophet (s) had said: There will be twelve caliphs after me. Then he (the Prophet (s) ) said something that I could not understand. Some people said that the Prophet (s) had said: All of them are from Quraysh. (63) ( (33) ) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from Ahmad from Obaydillah bin Umar from Sulayman al-A mash from ibn Oun from ash-Shi bi that Jabir bin Samra had said: It was mentioned that the Prophet (s) had said: The people of the religion will still defeat their enemies until twelve imams (come). People began to stand up and sit down. He (the Prophet (s) ) said something that I could not understand. I asked my father or someone else what the Prophet (s) had said. He replied that the Prophet (s) had said: All of them are from Quraysh. (64) p: 92 

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( (34) ) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from Ahmad bin Abu Khaythama from Yahya bin Mo een from Abdullah bin Salih from al- Layth bin Sa d from Khalid bin Yazeed from Sa’eed bin Abu Hilal that Rabee a bin Sayf had said: Once we were with Shufiy al-Assbahi. He said that he had heard Abdullah bin Umar saying: I heard the Prophet (s) saying: After me there will be twelve caliphs. (65) ( (35) ) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from Ahmad from Affan and Yahya bin Iss~haq al-Saleheeni from Hammad bin Salama from Abdullah bin Uthman from Abut-Tufayl that Abdullah bin Umar had said to him: O Abut-Tufayl, Count twelve ones of bani (66) Ka b bin Lu ay and then fighting and killing occur. (67) ( (36) ) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from al-Muqaddami from Aasim bin Umar bin Ali bin Miqdam from his father from Fitr bin Khaleefa from Abu Khalid al-Walibi that Jabir bin Samra had heard the Prophet (s) saying: This matter (the religion) will still prevail without being harmed by the enemies until there will be twelve caliphs; all of them are from Quraysh. (68) ( (37) ) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from Abdullah bin Ja’far ar- Riqqi from Eessa bin Younus from Mujalid bin Sa’eed from ash- Shi bi that Massrooq had said: Once we were with ibn Mass ood in his house. Someone asked him: Have your prophet told you how many caliphs will be after him? Ibn Mass ood said: Yes, He has. But no one has asked me about this matter before you. You are the youngest of these people. I have heard the Prophet (s) saying: p: 93 

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After me there will be (caliphs) as the number of the chieftains of Prophet Moses (s). (69) ( (38) ) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from Ahmad bin Abu Khaythama from al-Fadhl bin Dukayn from Fitr from Abu Khalid al- Walibi from Jabir bin Samra al-Sawwa iy that the Prophet (s) had said: This religion will not be harmed by its enemies until twelve caliphs, who all are from Quraysh, pass away. (70) The traditions narrated by the Sunnis concerning this subject are so many. (71) The traditions show clearly that the Prophet (s) has meant by the twelve caliphs the twelve imams of his descendants. The tradition, saying that commotion will take place, refers to the commotion that will happen after the end of the rule of Imam al- Mahdi (al-Qa im) , the commotion that will last for fifty years. Several twelve rulers have ruled after the Prophet (s) or after Imam Ali (s) , who has been the only true caliph. Definitely the Prophet (s) has referred by his sayings to the twelve infallible imams of his progeny, who are with the Qur’an and the Qur’an is with them and who will never part with the Qur’an until they come to the Prophet (s) at his pond in Paradise. Furthermore there are other evidences mentioned in the Torah confirming our subject. It has been mentioned in the first book of the Old Testament when talking about the story of Ishmael and after the end of the story of Sara. Allah has addressed Prophet Abraham (s) , concerning the matter of his wife and her child, by saying: (I have responded to your prayer regarding Ishmael. I have blessed him and I will do more and more. He will beget twelve great men. I will make them p: 94 

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imams as a great nation. ) Abdul Haleem bin al-Husayn al-Samriy read to me what a Jew man called al-Husayn bin Sulayman, who was one of the Jewish jurisprudents, had dictated to him in Arrajan. (72) The names and the number of the imams (s) had been mentioned in Hebrew. From among what he had read to me was this passage: One of the descendants of Ishmael will be delegated (as a prophet). He is called Mabad or Mamad that it means Muhammad. He will be a master over people. From his progeny there will be twelve men. They will be imams and masters, whom people will imitate. Their names are: Taqobeet, Feethwa, Thabeera, Mafssora, Massmoo a, Domoh, Thabo, Hathar, Yathmo, Bator, Nouqass and Qeedmuwa. The Jew had been asked about these names and he said that they had been mentioned in the story of Prophet Solomon (s). He had mentioned another passage of the story: (From the progeny of Ishmael a blessed boy is born. My blessing and mercy be upon him. Twelve men of his progeny are honored and glorified. The name of this man is elevated and glorified and his mention is exalted. ) This speech was read to Musa bin Imran bin Zakariyya the Jew and he confirmed it. Iss~haq bin Ibraheem bin Bakhtwayh Bahsoon al- Fasawi and Sulayman bin Dawood an- Noubenjani, who were Jews, confirmed it too. The Qur’an, the traditions narrated by the Shia from the Prophet (s) and the infallible imams, the traditions narrated by the Sunnis, the previous divine Books and their followers has confirmed that the imams are twelve ones. After all, is there any excuse for the deniers and the resisters? These are sufficient evidences for those, whom Allah has guided to His pure religion and straight path. Surely those, who deny the infallible imams, will lose. Allah has said addressing His prophet: p: 95 

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You are only a warner and (there is) a guide for every people. (73) In every age there is an imam, by whom Allah guides those who follow him and believe in him and He leaves those who deny him (the imam) and turn away from him to their own opinions and analogies. ( (39) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Abdurrahman bin Oqda narrated from Muhammad bin Salim bin Abdurrahman al-Azdi from Uthman bin Sa’eed at-Taweel from Ahmad bin Sayr from Musa bin Bakr al-Wasiti from al-Fudhayl that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said when talking about the Qur anic verse (You are only a warner and (there is) a guide for every people): Each imam is a guide to the people of his age. (74) ( (40) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Abdurrahman bin Oqda narrated from Muhammad bin Salim bin Abdurrahman al-Azdi from Ali bin al-Husayn bin Rabat from Mansoor bin Hazim from Abdurrahman al-Qasseer that Imam Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (s) had said when talking about the verse (You are only a warner and (there is) a guide for every people): The Prophet (s) is the warner and Ali is the guide. By Allah, it (the mission) has never been away from us and it will still among us until the Day of Resurrection. May Allah make us do what pleases Hi! 

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Footnote

 (1) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 272, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 10 p. 619, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 135. 

(2) A-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 247, 532, al-Khissal p. 479, Kamal ad-Deen p. 304, Kifayatul Athar p. 220, al-Istinsar p. 13-14, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 141. p: 96 

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(3) Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 338, al-Hidaya al-Kubra p. 88, Ithbat al-Wassiyya p. 225, 229, Kamal ad-Deen p. 228, Kifayatul Athar p. 219, Dala il al-Imama p. 289, al-Ikhtisas p. 209, al- Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 164, Biharul Anwar, vol. 51 p. 117. (4) Imam ar-Redha (s) was buried in Tooss, a city in Iran, and then Haroon ar- Rasheed, the Abbasid caliph was buried beside him. (5) A dynasty in Iran. (6) Qur’an, 2: 157. (7) Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 527, Kamal ad-Deen p. 308, Oyoon Akhbar ar-Redha vol. 1 p. 41, al- Ikhtisas p. 210, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 143, Manaqib by ibn Shahrashoop vol. 1 p. 296. (8) He is the fourth imam of the Shia. (9) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 272, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 228. (10) Hashim is the grandfather of the Prophet (s). (11) Ithbat al-Wassiyya p. 225, 227, Kamal ad-Deen p. 281, Dala il al-Imama p. 240, Muqtadhab al-Athar p. 9-10, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 142, al-Istinsar p. 8, al- Mukhtasar p. 159. (12) Sulaym bin Qayss was one of Imam Ali s companions. Al-Hajjaj bin Yousuf ordered to kill him. He fled and resorted to Abban bin Abu Ayyash. He remained hidden there until he was about to die where he said to Abban: I am about to die and you have done me a great favor. O my nephew, after the Prophet (s) so and so had occurred He gave him a book. No one had ever narrated this from Sulaym except Abban. (13) Qur’an, 5: 55. (14) Khum is a place between Mecca and Medina. (15) Dhuhr means Noon. Al –Ghayba (16) Qur’an, 5: 3. (17) Qur’an, 33: 33. (18) She is the Prophet s wife. (19) Qur’an, 22: 77-78. (20) Muhajireen: the first Muslims, who had emigrated from Mecca to Medina. p: 97 

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(21) The book of Sulaym bin Qayss p. 148, Kamal ad-Deen p. 274, Biharul Anwar, vol. 33 p. 159, al-Yateema wed Durra ath-Thameena p. 57. (22) The book of Sulaym bin Qayss p. 152, al-Fadha il by Shathan p. 142-145, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1 p. 179, 204, Biharul Anwar, vol. 15 p. 236, vol. 16 p. 84. (23) Qur’an, 63: 4. (24) Qur’an, 59: 7. (25) Qur’an, 4: 59. (26) The book of Sulaym bin Qayss p. 103-108, al-Ayyash s Tafseer, vol. 1 p. 14, Al- Kafi, vl. 1 p. 62, al-Mustarshid p. 29-31, Kamal ad-Deen, vol. 1 p. 284, al-Khissal p. 255, Tuhaf al-Oqool p. 193-196, Nahjol Balagha p. 325. (27) Al-Ansar: the people of Medina, who believed in the Prophet (s) and assisted him and his companions when emigrated from Mecca. (28) Umar bin al-Khattab. (29) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 277, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 210. (30) Qur’an, 9: 32. (31) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 278, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 209. (32) Qur’an, 25: 11. (33) Tafseer al-Burhan, vol. 3 p. 175, al-Mahajja p. 153, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 298, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 272. (34) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 399, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 272. (35) Tafseer by al-Qummi, vol. 2 p. 112, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1 p. 622, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 399, al-Mahajja p. 153, 154. (36) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 399, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 273. (37) Biharul Anwar, vol. 24 p. 241, vol. 36 p. 393, vol. 51 p. 139, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 267. (38) Qur’an, 9: 36. (39) Muqtadhab al-Athar p. 30, Manaqib by ibn Shahrashoob, vol. 1 p. 307, Ta weel al- Aayat, vol. 1 p. 203, Biharul Anwar, vol. 24 p. 243, vol. 36 p. 400, vol. 47 p. 141. (40) He is the seventh imam of the Shia. (41) Qur’an, 56: 10-11. (42) Mukhtassar Bassa ir ad-Darajat p. 175, Ta weel al-Aayat, vol. 2 p. 642, Tafseer al- Burhan, vol. 4 p. 275, Biharul Anwar, vol. 35 p. 333, vol. 36 p. 401. (43) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 401, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 275, vol. 21 p. 33. p: 98 

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(44) Qur’an, 3: 34. (45) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 279, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 243. (46) Al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 135, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1 p. 547, 623, 676, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 259, 281. (47) Mahmood and Muhammad mean praiseworthy. (48) Al-Qa im is one of Imam al-Mahdi s surnames. (49) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 280, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 35, 44. (50) Al-Khissal p. 419, 480, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 140, Manaqib by ibn Shahrashoob, vol. 1 p. 296, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 392, 395. (51) Eid al-Adha and eid al-Fitr. (52) Three days spent In Mina during the performance of hajj after the Day of Immolation. (53) Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 534, vol. 4 p. 141, Men la Yahdhuruhu al-Faqeeh, vol. 2 p. 127, al- Istibsar, vol. 2 p. 79, Tahtheeb al-Ahkam, vol. 4 p. 183. (54) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 231, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 101. (55) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 395, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 268. (56) He referred to Umar with this title. (57) Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 529, 531, Ithbat al-Wassiyya p. 228, Kamal ad-Deen p. 294, 297, 299, 300, al-Khissal p. 476, Oyoon Akhbar ar-Redha, vol. 1 p. 52. (58) Qur’an, 2: 285. (59) Qur’an, 2: 285. (60) Ahmad is another name of the Prophet (s). (61) Biharul Anwar, vol. 10 p. 23. (62) Al-Istinsar p. 25, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 127, Taqreeb al-Ma arif p. 174, Qissass al- Anbiya by ar-Rawandi p. 369, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 111, Mo jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol. 2 p. 258. (63) Al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 128, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1 p. 545, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 236, Ghayatul Maram p. 200. (64) Al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 128, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 237, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1 p. 546. (65) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 237, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 108. (66) Bani means the family of or the tribe of. p: 99 

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(67) Al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 131, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 237, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 109. (68) Taqreeb al-Ma arif p. 175, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 238, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 110. (69) Taqreeb al-Ma arif p. 173, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 233. (70) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 110. (71) Refer to Sahih of Muslim, Sahih of al-Bukhari, Sunan of at-Tarmithi, Musnad of Ahmad bin Hanbal, vol. 1 p. 398, 406, vol. 5 p. 86-107. (72) A big city in Persia. Refer to Marasid al-Ittila , vol. 1 p. 52. (73) Qur’an, 13: 7. (74) Basa ir ad-Darajat p. 30, Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 191, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1 p. 81, Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 54. 

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Chapter 

5

 PRETENDERS OF BEING IMAMS ( (1) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda narrated from Hameed bin Ziyad from Ja’far bin Issma eel al-Minqari from al- Husayn bin Ahmad al-Muqri from Younus bin Dhabyan that Imam Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said when talking about the Qur anic verse, And on the day of resurrection you shall see those who lied against Allah; their faces shall be blackened. Is there not in hell an abode for the proud: (1) It talks about those, who pretend to be imams but they are not. (2) ( (2) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from Muhammad bin al-Mufadhdhal bin Ibraheem al-Ash ari from Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Zurara from Marzban al-Qummi from Imran al-Ash ari that Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (s) had said: There are three persons, whom Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He look upon nor will He purify and shall have a painful chastisement; one, who pretends that he is an imam but he is not, the other one is he, who claims that the real imam is not an imam and the third one is he, who claims that these two persons are faithful Muslims. (3) p: 100 

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( (3) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from al-Husayn bin Muhammad from Mu alla bin Muhammad from Abu Dawood al- Mustaraqq from Ali bin Maymoon al-Sa igh from Abu Ya foor that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: There are three persons, whom Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection nor will He purify and shall have a painful chastisement; one, who pretends the divine imamate while he is not an imam, one, who denies an imam appointed by Allah and the third one is he, who claims that these two ones are faithful Muslims. (4) ( (4) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from Abu Muhammad al-Qassim bin Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Hazim from Obayss bin Hisham from Abdullah bin Jibilla form al-Hakam bin Aymen that Muhammad bin Tamam had said: I said to Imam Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s): Someone has sent you his regards and requested you to intercede for him (on the Day of Resurrection). Imam al-Sadiq (s) said: Is he from our followers? I said: Yes, he is. He said: His matter is more important than that. I said: He has believed in Ali but he does not know any of the guardians after him. He said: He is astray. I said: He has believed in the imams but he has denied the last one of them. He said: He is like that who believes in Jesus Christ and denies Muhammad or believes in Muhammad and denies Jesus Christ. We pray Allah to protect us from denying any of His authorities. (5) Let one, who reads this tradition, be careful not to deny any one of the imams lest he will perish as if he has denied Muhammad or Jesus Christ (peace be upon them). p: 101 

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( (5) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda narrated from Ali bin al-Hasan bin Fadhdhal from al-Abbas bin Aamir bin Rabah ath-Thaqafi from Abul-Mughra from Abu Salam from Sawra bin Kilab that Imam al-Baqir (s) had said when talking about the Qur anic verse (And on the day of resurrection you shall see those who lied against Allah; their faces shall be blackened. Is there not in hell an abode for the proud: ) It is he, who pretends that he is an imam but he is not. Sawra said: Even if he is an Alawite and Fatimite? (6) Imam al-Baqir said: Yes, even if he is an Alawite and Fatimite. (7) ( (6) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from al-Qassim bin Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Hazim from Obayss bin Hashim an- Nashiri from Abdullah bin Jibilla from Imran bin Fitr that Zayd ash- Shahham had said: I asked Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) if the Prophet (s) had known the imams (s). He said: Prophet Noah (s) has known them. The evidence is the saying of Allah, He has made plain to you of the religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you and that which We enjoined upon Abraham, Moses and Jesus. (8) He has made plain to you-O people of Shia-what He enjoined upon Noah. (9) ( (7) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda narrated from al- Qassim bin Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Hazim from Obayss bin Hisham (10) from Abu Khalid al-Makfoof from some of his companions that Imam al-Sadiq (s) had said: p: 102 

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He, who pretends this thing (being an imam) secretly, has to show the evidence openly. The narrator asked: What evidence that is to be shown openly? He said: To permit what Allah has permitted, to prohibit what Allah has prohibited and to be truthful apparently and internally. (11) ( (8) ) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah bin Younus al-Moossili narrated from Muhammad bin Ja’far al-Qarashi ar-Razzaz al-Kufi from Muhammad bin al-Husayn bin Abul Khattab from Muhammad bin Sinan from Abu Salam from Sawra bin Kulayb that Imam Abu Ja’far al-Baqir had said when talking about the verse (And on the day of resurrection you shall see those who lied against Allah; their faces shall be blackened. Is there not in hell an abode for the proud): It is he, who pretends that he is an imam but he is not. The narrator asked: Even if he is an Alawite and Fatimite? Imam al-Baqir (s) said: Yes, even if he is an Alawite and Fatimite. The narrator asked: Even if he is one of Ali bin Abu Talib s sons? (12) Imam al-Baqir said: Yes, even if he is one of Ali bin Abu Talib s sons. (13) The same tradition had been narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob from Muhammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Muhammad from Muhammad bin Sinan from Abu Salam from Sawra bin Kulayb from Imam Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (s). ( (9) ) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah narrated from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Rabah az-Zuhri from Muhammad bin al-Abbas bin Eessa al-Husayni from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abu Hamza from his father from Malik bin A yun al-Juhani that Imam Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (s) had said: p: 103 

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Every banner that is raised before the banner of al-Qa im will be of an oppressive arrogant. (14) ( (10) ) Abdul Wahid narrated from ibn Rabah from Ahmad bin Ali al- Himyari from al-Hasan bin Ayyoob from Abdul-Kareem bin Amr al- Khath ami from Abban from al-Fadhl that Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (s) had said: He, who pretends our position (the imamate) , is an unbeliever-or he said: a polytheist. (15) ( (11) ) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya al-Attar from Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali al- Kufi from Ali bin al-Husayn from ibn Miskan from Malik bin A yun al-Juhani that Imam Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (s) had said: Every banner that is raised before the appearance of al-Qa im will be of an oppressive arrogant. (16) ( (12) ) Ali bin Ahmad al-Bandaneeji narrated from Obaydillah bin Musa al-Alawi from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hisham from his father from Abdullah bin al-Mugheera from Abdullah bin Miskan that Malik bin A yun al-Juhani had said: I heard Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (s) saying: Every banner that is raised-or comes out-before the appearance of al-Qa im (s) will be of an oppressive arrogant. (17) ( (13) ) Ali bin Ahmad narrated from Obaydillah bin Musa from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Khalid from Ali bin al-Hakam from Abban bin Uthman from al-Fudhayl bin Yasar that Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (s) had said: Whoever invites people to follow him and there is someone better than him among people, is a deviate and heretic and whoever pretends that he is an imam inspired by Allah, is an unbeliever. (18) p: 104 

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After all, what about those, who have pretended to be imams whereas, in fact, they are not, who have denied one of the inspired imams and who have claimed that they, who have done so, are still faithful Muslims? Have they not been among those, whom Allah will never speak to, will never look on and will prepare the painful torment for on the Day of Resurrection? Have they not been among the unbelievers and the polytheists? 

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Footnote

 (1) Qur’an, 39: 60. (2) Biharul Anwar, vol. 25 p. 113. (3) Biharul Anwar, vol. 25 p. 113. (4) Biharul Anwar, vol. 25 p. 113. (5) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 97. (6) Alawite and Fatimite: a descendant of Ali and Fatima (s). (7) Biharul Anwar, vol. 25 p. 112. (8) Qur’an, 42: 13 (9) Biharul Anwar, vol. 26 p. 291. (10) May be Hashi! (11) Biharul Anwar, vol. 68 p. 164. (12) He repeated the (same meaning) question that he might have meant by Alawite one of the Shia or the followers of Ali (s). (13) Biharul Anwar, vol. 25 p. 113. (14) Biharul Anwar, vol. 25 p. 114. (15) Biharul Anwar, vol. 25 p. 114. (16) Biharul Anwar, vol. 25 p. 114. (17) Biharul Anwar, vol. 25 p. 114. (18) Biharul Anwar, vol. 25 p. 115. 

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Chapter 6 THE TRADITIONS NARRATED BY THE SUNNI THE TRADITIONS OF ABDULLAH BIN MAS OOD ( (1) ) Muhammad bin Uthman ad-Duhni narrated from Abdullah bin Ja’far ar-Riqqi from Eessa bin Younus from Mujalid bin Sa’eed from ash-Shi bi that Massrooq had said: Once we were with Ibn Mass ood in his house when someone asked him: Had your prophet told you how many caliphs would be after him? Ibn Mass ood said: Yes, he had. But no one has asked me such a question before you. You are the youngest of these people. I have heard the Prophet (s) saying: p: 105 

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After me there will be (caliphs) as the number of the chieftains of Prophet Moses (s). (1) ( (2) ) Some ones narrated from Uthman bin Abu Shayba, Abdullah bin Umar bin Sa’eed al-Ashajj, Abu Kurayb, Mahmood bin Ghaylan, Ali bin Muhammad and Ibraheem bin Sa’eed all from Abu Ussama from Mujalid from ash-Shi bi that Massrooq had said: A man came to Abdullah bin Mass ood and asked him: Had your prophet told you how many caliphs would be after him? Ibn Mass ood said: Yes, he had. But no one has asked me about this matter before you whereas you are too young. The Prophet (s) said: There will be as the number of the chieftains of Moses (s). (2) ( (3) ) Abu Kurayb and Abu Sa’eed narrated from Abu Ussama from al- Ash ath from Aamir from his uncle that Massrooq had said: One day we were sitting with Abdullah bin Mass ood in his house. He was reciting Qur’an for us. A man asked him: O Abu Abdurrahman, (3) have you asked the messenger of Allah (s) about how many caliphs will rule this umma after him? Ibn Mass ood said: No one has asked about this since I have come from Iraq. Yes, we have asked him and he said: They are twelve as the number of the chieftains of the Israelites. (4) ( (4) ) Uthman bin Abu Shayba, Abu Ahmad, Yousuf bin Musa al-Qattan and Sufyan bin Wakee narrated from Jareer from al-Ash ath bin Sawwar from Aamir ash-Shi bi that his uncle Qayss bin Abd had said: One day a nomad came when Abdullah bin Mass ood was among his companions. The nomad asked: Is Abdullah bin Mass ood among you? Bin Mass’ood said: Here I am. What do you want? The nomad said: I want to ask you if you have heard the Prophet (s) talking about how many caliphs will be after him. Bin Mass’ood said: No one asked me about this since I had come from Iraq. Yes, he (the Prophet (s) ) said: p: 106 

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The caliphs are twelve like the number of the chieftains of the Israelites. (5) ( (5) ) Musaddad bin Mustawrid narrated from Hammad bin Zayd from Mujalid that Massrooq had said: While we were sitting with ibn Mass’ood after the sunset and he was teaching us the Qur’an, a man asked him: O Abu Abdurrahman, have you asked the Prophet (s) how many caliphs this umma will have? Ibn Mass’ood said: No one asked me about this since I had come from Iraq. Yes, he (the Prophet (s) ) said: Your caliphs are twelve as the number of the chieftains of the Israelites. (6) THE TRADITION OF ABU JUHAYFA ( (23) ) Uthman bin Abu Shayba narrated from Sahl bin Hammad Abu Attaab ad-Dallal from Younus bin Abu Ya foor from Abu Juhayfa that his father had said: Once I was with the Prophet (s) while he was making a speech. My uncle was sitting near the Prophet (s). The Prophet (s) said: The religion of my umma will remain firm until twelve caliphs, who all are from Quraysh, will have passed away. (22) THE TRADITION OF ANASS BIN MALIK ( (6) ) Abdus-Salam bin Hashim al-Bazzar narrated from Abdullah bin Abu Umayya, the freed slave of bani Mujashi , from Yazeed ar- Raqashi from Anass bin Malik that the Prophet (s) had said: This matter (the religion) is still prevailing until twelve guardians of Quraysh (pass away). Then he mentioned the rest of the tradition. (7) THE TRADITION OF JABIR BIN SAMRA al-SAWWAIY ( (7) ) Amr bin Khalid bin Farrookh al-Harrani narrated from Zuhayr bin Mo awiya from Ziyad bin Khaythama from al-Aswad bin Sa’eed al-Hamadani from Jabir bin Samra that the Prophet (s) had said: p: 107 

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This umma will still prevail over its enemies until twelve caliphs, all of whom are from Quraysh, will pass away. When the Prophet (s) went back home, some people of Quraysh came to him asking: Then what will happen? He said: Then commotion will happen. The same was narrated by Zuhayr bin Mo awiya from Ziyad bin Khaythama from ibn Jurayj from al-Aswad bin Sa’eed al-Hamadani from Jabir bin Samra. (8) ( (8) ) Uthman bin Abu Shayba narrated from Jareer from Hussayn bin Abdurrahman that Jabir bin Samra had said: I heard the Prophet (s) saying: After me twelve emirs will rule. Then he said something that I could not understand. I asked some people and asked my father, who was nearer to the Prophet (s) than me. My father said that the Prophet (s) had said: All of them are from Quraysh. ( (9) ) Uthman bin Abu Shayba narrated from Hatam bin Issma eel from Muhajir bin Missmar that Aamir bin Sa d had said: I sent a letter with my servant Nafi to Jabir bin Samra asking him to tell me of something he had heard from the Prophet (s). He wrote to me: I have heard the Prophet (s) saying on the eve of the Friday, in which al-Aslami has been stoned: This religion is still prevailing until the Day of Resurrection or until twelve caliphs, who are all from Quraysh, will rule over the people. The same was narrated by Abbad bin Ya’qoob from Hatam bin Issma eel. Another one was narrated by Muhammad bin Abdullah bin al-Hakam from ibn Abu Fudayk from ibn Abu Thi b from Muhajir bin Missmar. (9) p: 108 

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( (10) ) Ghundur narrated from Shu ba from Abu Owana from Abdul Melik bin Omayr from Jabir bin Samra that the Prophet (s) had said: This religion is still prevailing until twelve caliphs will have ruled. Then he said something that I could not understand. I asked my father and he said that the Prophet (s) had said: All of them are from Quraysh. ( (11) ) Ibraheem bin Malik bin Zayd narrated from Ziyad bin Olaqa that Jabir bin Samra al-Sawwa iy had said: Once I was with my father near the Prophet (s). He said: There will be twelve emirs after me. Then he lowered his voice and said: All of them are from Quraysh. (10) ( (12) ) Khalaf bin al-Waleed al-Lu lu iy narrated from Sammak that Jabir bin Samra had said: I heard the Prophet (s) saying that there would be twelve emirs after him. Then he said something that I could not understand. I asked some people what he had said. They told me that he had said: All of them are from Quraysh. (11) ( (13) ) Khalaf bin Hisham al-Bazzar narrated from Hammad bin Zayd from Mujalid bin Sa’eed from ash-Shi bi that Jabir bin Samra al-Sawwa iy had said: The Prophet (s) made a speech in Arafa (12) and said: This religion will still be strong and prevailing over its opponents. It will not be harmed by the apostates or the opponents until twelve (emirs) will have ruled. The people began to talk and I could not understand what the Prophet (s) had said. I asked my father: O father, the Prophet (s) said: all of them what then? My father said: p: 109 

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He said: all of them are from Quraysh. (13) ( (14) ) An-Nufayly al-Harrani narrated from Zuhayr bin Mo awiya from Ziyad bin Khaythama from al-Aswad bin Sa’eed al-Hamadani from Jabir bin Samra that the Prophet (s) had said: This umma will still be strong and prevailing over its enemies until twelve caliphs, who all are from Quraysh, will have passed away. When he went back home, some people of Quraysh came to him asking: And then what will happen? He said: Commotion will happen then. (14) ( (15) ) Ali bin al-Ja d narrated from Zuhayr from Ziyad bin Olaqa, Sammak and Hussayn and all from Jabir bin Samra that the Prophet (s) had said: There will be twelve emirs after me. But Hussayn said: There will be twelve caliphs Then the Prophet (s) said something that I could not understand. I asked some people and asked my father. He said that the Prophet (s) had said: All of them are from Quraysh. (15) ( (16) ) Amr bin Khalid al-Harrani narrated from Zuhayr bin Mo awiya from Ziyad bin Khaythama from al-Aswad bin Sa’eed al-Hamadani from Jabir bin Samra that the Prophet (s) had said: This umma will still be strong and prevailing over its enemy until twelve caliphs will have passed away. ( (17) ) Ma mar bin Sulayman narrated from Issma eel bin Abu Khalid from Mujalid from ash-Shi bi from Jabir bin Samra that the Prophet (s) had said: This religion will still be strong and prevailing without being harmed by its opponents until twelve caliphs will have passed away. Then the Prophet (s) said something that I could not understand. I asked my father what the Prophet (s) had said. My father said that the Prophet (s) had said: All of them are from Quraysh. (16) p: 110 

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( (18) ) Yazeed bin Sinan and Uthman bin Abu Shayba narrated from Musa bin Issma eel from Hammad bin Salama from Sammak bin Harb that Jabir bin Samra had said: I heard the Prophet (s) saying: Islam will still be strong until twelve caliphs (pass away). Then he said something that I could not understand. I asked my father what the Prophet (s) had said. He said to me: He said: All of them are from Quraysh. (17) ( (19) ) Yazeed bin Sinan narrated from Abur-Rabee az-Zahrani from Hammad bin Zayd from Mujalid bin Sa’eed from ash-Shi bi that Jabir bin Samra had said: Once the Prophet (s) made a speech before us and I heard him saying: This matter (the religion) will remain strong and prevailing over its opponents until twelve (caliphs) will have ruled. All of them Then people began talking and I could not understand what the Prophet (s) had said after all of them. I asked my father what the Prophet (s) had said after that and he told me that he had said: All of them are from Quraysh. (18) ( (20) ) Yazeed bin Sinan narrated from Abdul-Hameed bin Musa from Obaydillah bin Umar from Abdul-Melik bin Omayr that Jabir bin Samra had said: My father and I went to the Prophet (s). I heard him saying: This umma will still keep to this (religion) until twelve emirs (or twelve caliphs) will have ruled. Then he lowered his voice and I could not understand what he had said after that. My father was nearer to him than me. When we went out, I asked my father what the Prophet (s) had said after that. He told me that the Prophet (s) had said: p: 111 

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All of them are from Quraysh. (19) ( (21) ) Yazeed bin Sinan narrated from al-Hasan bin Umar bin Shaqeeq from Jareer bin Abdul-Hameed from Hussayn bin Abdurrahman that Jabir Bin Samra had said: I heard the Prophet (s) saying: After me, there will be twelve emirs ruling my umma. Then he said something that I could not hear. I asked some people and asked my father, who was nearer to the Prophet (s) than me. My father said that the Prophet (s) had said: All of them are from Quraysh. (20) ( (22) ) Ibn Abu Fudayk narrated from ibn Abu Thi b from Muhajir bin Missmar that Aamir bin Sa’eed had sent a letter to Jabir bin Samra asking to tell him of what he had heard from the Prophet (s). Jabir bin Samra said: I have heard the Prophet (s) saying: This religion will remain firm until there will be twelve caliphs from Quraysh. And he mentioned the rest of the tradition. (21) THE TRADITION OF SAMRA BIN JUNDUB ( (24) ) Abdul Wahab bin Abdul Majeed narrated tradition fromDawood from his father from ash-Shi’bi from Samra bin Jundub from the Prophet (s). (The same tradition narrated by Anass bin Malik that we have mentioned at the beginning of this chapter;tradition no. 6). ( (25) ) Suwayd bin Sa eed narrated from Mu tamir bin Sulayman from Hisham from ibn Seereen from Abul Khayr from Abdullah bin Amr: There is no doubt that it has been mentioned in the Book of Allah that twelve (caliphs) will rule over people. ( (26) ) Muhammad bin Uthman ad-Duhni narrated from ibn Abu Khaythama from Yahya bin Mo een from Abdullah bin Salih from al-Layth bin Sa d from Khalid bin Yazeed from Sa’eed bin Abu Hilal that Rabee a bin Sayf had said: p: 112 

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We were with Shufiy al-Asbahi when he said that he had heard Abdullah bin Amr saying: I heard the Prophet (s) saying: There will be twelve caliphs after me. (23) ( (27) ) Ibn Abu Khaythama narrated from Affan and Yahya bin Iss~haq al-Saylaheeni from Hammad bin Salama from Abdullah bin Uthman from Abut-Tufayl that Abdullah bin Amr had said to him: O Abut-Tufayl, count twelve ones from bani Ka b bin Lu ay and then fighting and killing occur. (24) The traditions narrated by the Sunni concerning this subject are so many. They confirm that the Prophet (s) has mentioned twelve men to be the caliphs after him. Footnote (1) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 233, 298, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 101, Mo jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol. 2 p. 262. (2) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 233, 299, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 101, Mo jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol. 2 p. 262. (3) The surname of ibn Mass ood. (4) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 233, 299, Mo jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol. 2 p. 262. (5) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 233, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 102, Mo jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol. 2 p. 262. (6) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 233, 299, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 102, Mo jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol. 2 p. 262. (7) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 281, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 136. (8) Al-Khissal p. 470-471, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 235, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 106. (9) Sahih of Muslim, vol. 3 p. 1453, al-Khissal p. 473, al-Omda p. 420, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 239, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 113. (10) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 107. (11) Al-Mo jam al-Kabeer, vol. 2 p. 248, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 241, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 116. (12) A place near Mecca. (13) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 116. (14) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 106. p: 113 

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(15) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 107. (16) Ahmad s Musnad, vol. 5 p. 87, 88, 90, 96, 97. (17) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 266, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 266. (18) Ahmad s Musnad, vol. 5 p. 99. (19) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 230, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 95. (20) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 236, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 107. (21) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 297, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 150. (22) Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 299, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 152. (23) Al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 130, I lam al-Wara p. 365, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 237, 300, 371, Ghayatul Maram p. 201. (24) Al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p. 131, al-Fa iq by az-Zamakhshari, vol. 4 p. 21, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p. 237, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1 p. 546, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p. 109. 

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Chapter 

7

 DOUBTING ANY OF THE TWELVE IMAMS ( (1) ) Ahmad bin Nasr bin Hawtha al-Bahili narrated from Ibraheem bin Iss~haq an-Nahawandi from Abdullah bin Hammad al-Ansari that Yahya bin Abdullah had said: Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (s) said to me: O Yahya bin Abdullah, he, who spent a night without knowing his imam, will die as an unbeliever. (1) ( (2) ) Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda narrated from al-Mufadhdhal bin Ibraheem al-Ash ary, Sa dan bin Iss~haq bin Sa’eed, Ahmad bin al-Husayn bin Abdul Melik and Muhammad bin Ahmad bin al-Hasan al-Qatawani all from al-Hasan bin Mahboob az- Zarrad from Ali bin Ri ab that Muhammad bin Muslim ath-Thaqafi had said: I have heard Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (s) saying: Whoever tries his best in worshipping Allah without following an imam inspired by Allah, his worshipping will not be accepted (by Allah) and he is astray and confused besides that Allah hates his deeds. His example is like a sheep that has lost the shepherd or the flock. It goes and comes astray. It becomes confused at day and when night comes, it sees a flock with a shepherd. It is deceived to spend the night with them in their fold. p: 114 

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When morning comes and the shepherd drives his flock, it denies the shepherd and the flock and goes confusedly looking for its flock and shepherd. Then it sees another flock with a shepherd. It is deceived to join them. The shepherd cries: O you lost sheep, go to join your shepherd and flock. You are astray and confused. You have lost your shepherd and flock. Then it hastens confusedly without a shepherd guiding it to its pasture or to its fold. While it is so, a wolf seizes the opportunity and eats it. O bin Muslim, by Allah it is the same with you. Whoever of this umma becomes without an imam, definitely will be confused, astray and deviant. If he remains so, he will die as an unbeliever and polytheist. O Muhammad bin Muslim, know that the real imams and their followers are on the true religion of Allah and the imams of injustice and oppression are away from the religion of Allah and away from the truth. They go astray and lead people astray. Their actions are (like ashes on which the wind blows hard on a stormy day; they shall not have power over any thing out of what they have earned; this is the great error). (2) The same was narrated by Ali bin Ahmad from Obaydillah bin Musa from Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Qalanisi from Issma eel bin Mihran from Ahmad bin Muhammad from Abdullah bin Bukayr and Jameel bin Darraj from Muhammad bin Muslim from Imam Abu Ja’far al-Sadiq (s). (3) p: 115 

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( (3) ) Ibn Mahboob narrated from Abu Ayyoob al-Khazzaz that Muhammad bin Muslim had said: I asked Abu Ja’far al-Sadiq (s): What about one, who denies an imam of you? He said: He, who denies an imam appointed by Allah and exempt himself from him and his faith, is apostate and unbeliever because the imam is appointed by Allah and his religion is the religion of Allah; therefore whoever denies the religion of Allah, is to be killed except if he turns to Allah in repentance of what he has said or done. (4) ( (4) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from Yahya bin Zakariyya bin Shayban from Ali bin Sayf bin Omayra from Abban bin Uthman that Hamran bin A yun had said: I asked Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) about the imams and he said: He, who denies one of the alive imams, has denied the dead (imams). (5) ( (5) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from al-Husayn bin Muhammad from al-Mu alla from ibn Jumhoor from Safwan that ibn Miskan had said: I asked Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) about the imams and he said: Whoever denies one of the alive imams, has denied the dead ones. (6) ( (6) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from Ali bin al-Hasan from al-Abbas bin Aamir from Abdul Melik bin Otba that Mo awiya bin Wahab had said: I have heard Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) saying: The Prophet (s) has said: Whoever dies without knowing his imam, dies as an unbeliever. ( (7) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from some of his companions from Ahmad bin Muhammad from ibn Abu Nasr that Imam Abul Hasan (ar-Redha) (7) had said when talking about the Qur anic verse, And who is more erring than he who follows his low desires without any guidance from Allah? (8) p: 116 

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It means one, who depends upon his own opinion in the affairs of religion without following an imam of the imams of guidance. (9) ( (8) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya from Muhammad bin al-Husayn from Muhammad bin Sinan from some of his companions that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: He, who joins to an imam, whose imamate is from Allah, another imam, whose imamate is not from Allah, is a polytheist. (10) ( (9) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Muhammad from Muhammad bin Issma eel from Mansoor bin Younus that Muhammad bin Muslim had said: I said to Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) that someone had said to me: Know the last one of the imams and it does not harm you if you have not known the first one of them. Imam al-Sadiq (s) said: May Allah damn hi! I hate him although I do not know him. Has the last one of them been known except by knowing the first one? (11) ( (10) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from some of his companions from Ahmad bin Muhammad from al-Husayn bin Sa’eed from Abu Wahab that Muhammad bin Mansoor had said: I asked Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) about the saying of Allah, And when they commit an indecency they say: We found our fathers doing this, and Allah has enjoined it on us. Say: Surely Allah does not enjoin indecency; do you say against Allah what you do not know? (12) and he said: Have you seen anyone claiming that Allah has ordered him to commit adultery, to drink wine or to do any other sin? p: 117 

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I said: No, I have not. He said: Then what is this indecency that they claim that Allah has ordered them to do? I said: Allah and His guardian are more awar! He said: This is among the followers of the imams of injustice and oppression. They claim that Allah has ordered them to follow some people, whom Allah has never ordered them to follow. So Allah has denied their saying and has informed them that they have fabricated lies; therefore He has called that as indecency. (13) ( (11) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from some of his companions from Ahmad bin Muhammad from al-Husayn bin Sa’eed from Abu Wahab that Muhammad bin Mansoor had said: I have asked a virtuous slave (14) (of Allah) , peace be upon him, about the saying of Allah, My Lord has only prohibited indecencies, those of them that are apparent as well as those that are concealed, (15) and he said: The Qur’an has apparent meanings and hidden meanings. All of those that Allah has prohibited in the Qur’an are impermissible as they have been mentioned apparently whereas the hidden thing in that is the imams of injustice and all of those that Allah has permitted are permissible as they are apparent whereas the hidden thing among them is the imams of guidance. (16) ( (12) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Eessa from ibn Mahboob from Amr bin Thabit that Jabir had said: I asked Abu Ja’far al-Sadiq (s) about (the meaning of) the Qur anic verse, And there are some among men who take for themselves objects of worship besides Allah, whom they love as they love Allah. (17) He said: p: 118 

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By Allah they are the followers of so and so. They have taken them as their imams instead of the imam, whom Allah has determined for people. Therefore Allah has said, that those who are unjust had seen, when they see the chastisement, that the power is wholly Allah’s and that Allah is severe in requiting (evil). When those who were followed shall renounce those who followed (them) , and they see the chastisement and their ties are cut asunder. And those who followed shall say: Had there been for us a return, then we would renounce them as they have renounced us. Thus will Allah show them their deeds to be intense regret to them, and they shall not come forth from the fire. (18) O Jabir, by Allah it is the imams of injustice and their followers. (19) ( (13) ) Ibn Mahboob narrated from Hisham bin Salim from Habeeb al- Sajistani that Imam Abu Ja’far al-Sadiq (s) had said: Allah the Almighty has said: I will torture every group of Muslims that has believed in the guardianship of every imam of injustice even those Muslims are pious and God-fearing and I will forgive every group of Muslims that has believed in the guardianship of every just imam, whose imamate has been determined by Allah, even if these Muslims are guilty and sinful. (20) ( (14) ) Ibn Mahboob narrated from Abdul Aziz al-Abdi that Abdullah bin Abu Ya foor had said: I said to Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s): I mix with people so much. I wonder at some people, who are truthful, trusted and faithful but they do not believe in your guardianship and I wonder at others, who believe in your guardianship but they are neither truthful nor trusted. p: 119 

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He straightened his sitting, looked at me angrily and said: There is no faith for whoever believes in the guardianship of an unjust imam, who has not been appointed by Allah, and no blame on whoever believes in the guardianship of a just imam, whose imamate has been determined by Allah. I said: No faith for those and no blame on these?! He said: Yes, no faith for those and no blame on these. Have you not heard the saying of Allah (Allah is the guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of the darkness into the light)? (21) It means that Allah will bring them out of the darkness of sins into the light of repentance and forgiveness because of their submitting to the just imams appointed by Allah. Then Allah has said, And (as to) those who disbelieve, their guardians are Shaitans who take them out of the light into the darkness. (22) So which light that the unbeliever will be out of? Certainly it is the light of Islam. When those people follow the unjust imams, they come out of the light of Islam into the darkness of disbelief; therefore Allah has rewarded them with being in Fire with the unbelievers. He said, They are the inmates of the fire, in it they shall abide (23) (24). ( (15) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Ali bin Muhammad from ibn Jumhoor from his father from Safwan from ibn Miskan from Abdullah bin Sinan that Abu Abdullah al- Sadiq (s) had said: Allah is not ashamed to torture a nation believing in an imam, who is not from Allah, even if it is pious and God-fearing and He is ashamed to torture a nation believing in an imam, who is from Allah, even if it is guilty and sinful. (25) p: 120 

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( (16) ) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah narrated from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Rabah from Ahmad bin Ali al-Himyari from al-Hasan bin Ayyoob from Abdul Kareem bin Amr al-Khath ami that Abdullah bin Abu Ya foor had said: I said to Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s): Someone believes in your guardianship, exempts himself from your enemy, permits what you have permitted, refrains from what you have prohibited and thinks that the imamate is still among you and will never go to other than you but he says: They (the infallible imams) have disagreed among themselves while they are the leading imams. If they agree upon a man and say that it is he (the imam) , we will say that it is he. Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) said: If this someone remains with this opinion, he will die as an unbeliever. (26) ( (17) ) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah narrated from Muhammad bin Ja’far al-Qarashi from Abu Ja’far al-Hamadani from Musa bin Sa dan from Muhammad bin Sinan from Ammar bin Marwan that Suma a bin Mihran had said: I said to Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s): Someone believes in the guardianship of Ali (s) and exempts himself from Ali s enemy. He believes in everything that Ali (s) has said but he says: They have disagreed among themselves whereas they are the leading imams. I do not know which of them is the imam. If they agree upon a certain one, I will submit to him. I have believed that the imamate is among them. Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) said: If this someone still thinks so, he will die as an unbeliever. The Qur’an has interpretations that occur as the day and the night and they run as the sun and the moon. If an interpretation of something comes, it will occur. Some interpretations have come and some have not come yet. (27) p: 121 

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( (18) ) Salama bin Muhammad narrated from Ahmad bin Dawood from Ali bin al-Husayn bin Babawayh from Sa d bin Abdullah from Muhammad bin al-Husayn bin Abul Khattab from al-Mufadhdhal bin Za ida from al-Mufadhdhal bin Umar that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: Whoever worships Allah without learning (the principles of worship) from a truthful jurisprudent, Allah will let him be confused and astray and whoever claims that he has heard from other than the gate (source) that Allah has opened to His people, is considered as a polytheist. That gate is the trusted one, who has been entrusted (by Allah) with the hidden secret of Allah. The same thing was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from some of his companions from Abdul Adheem bin Abdullah al- Hasani from Malik bin Aamir from al- Mufadhdhal bin Za ida from al-Mufadhdhal bin Umar from Imam al-Sadiq (s). (28) ( (19) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from Yahya bin Zakariyya bin Shayban from Ali bin Sayf bin Omayra from his father that Hamran bin A yun had said: I have told Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) about a man, who believes in Amirul Mo’mineen (s) as the guardian, exempts himself from his (Ali s) opponents and believes in all that Amirul Mo’mineen (s) has said but he says: They have disagreed among themselves whereas they are the leading imams and I do not know which of them is the imam. If they have agreed upon one man, we will submit to his orders. I have believed that the imamate is among them. May Allah have mercy upon them all. p: 122 

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Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) said: He will die as an unbeliever. The same was narrated by Ali bin Sayf from his brother al-Husayn from Mu ath bin Muslim from Imam al-Sadiq (s). (29) Let those of understanding, who believe in the guardianship of the infallible imams of Ahlul Bayt, (30) ponder on the traditions narrated from the Prophet (s) , Imam Abu Ja’far al- Baqir (s) and Imam Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) talking about those, who have doubted anyone of the twelve imams or have spent a night without knowing their imam. These 

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traditions have considered such people as unbelievers, hypocrites and polytheists. Let them also ponder on the traditions that have said: Whoever denies one of the alive imams is as if he has denied the dead ones. Let men of understanding look well for the one, whom they will follow, without being deceived by fancies and falsehood in order no to deviate from the path of the truth. Let them know well who will be the means between them and their Creator, Who is One and Only, whereas the devils are so many. Allah has said: The Shaitans from among men and jinn, some of them suggesting to others varnished falsehood to deceive (them). (31) We pray Allah to save us and our brothers in faith from deviating from the truth and guidance and not to let us welter in the abysses of confusion and perishment. We look forward to His mercy; He is merciful to the believers. 

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Footnote 

(1) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 78. (2) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 86 p: 123 

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(3) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 87. (4) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 89. (5) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 96. (6) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 95. (7) He is the eighth imam of the Shia. (8) Qur’an, 28: 50. (9) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 78. (10) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 78. (11) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 98. (12) Qur’an, 7: 28. (13) Biharul Anwar, vol. 24 p. 189. (14) He means Imam Musa bin Ja’far al-Kadhim (s). (15) Qur’an, 7: 33. (16) Biharul Anwar, vol. 24 p. 189. (17) Qur’an, 2: 165. (18) Qur’an, 2: 165-167. (19) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 359. (20) Biharul Anwar, vol. 27 p. 193. (21) Qur’an, 2: 257. (22) Qur’an, 2: 257. (23) Qur’an, 2: 257. (24) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 322 , vol. 68 p. 104. (25) Biharul Anwar, vol. 68 p. 113. (26) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 79. (27) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 79. (28) Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 3 p. 401. (29) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 80. (30) Ahlul Bayt: the Prophet s family. (31) Qur’an, 6: 112. 

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Chapter 8 ALLAH DOES NOT LEAVE THE WORLD WITH NO AUTHORITY (HUJJAH) ( (1) ) Some of the famous speech of Imam Ali (s) to Kumayl bin Ziyad an-Nakh iy: Kumayl said: Amirul Mo’mineen (s) held my hand and took me with him towards the graveyard. When we reached the desert (went out of the country) , he sighed deeply and said (after a long speech): The earth does never remain without a Hujjah; either apparent and known or afraid and unknown lest Allah s proofs and signs will be invalid. (1) Does the statement of Imam Ali (s) apparent and known not refer to the known person and the known place and does his statement afraid and hidden not refer to the disappearing person and the unknown place? p: 124 

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( (2) ) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda narrated from Muhammad bin al-Mufadhdhal, Sa dan bin Iss~haq, Ahmad bin al- Husayn bin Abdul Melik and Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Qatawani all narrated from al-Hasan bin Mahboob from Hisham bin Salim from Abu Hamza ath-Thimali that Abu Iss~haq al-Subay iy had said: I have heard one of the trusted companions of Imam Ali (s) saying that Imam Ali (s) has said in a long speech he made in Kufa: O Allah, it must be that You have authorities on Your earth one after the other over Your people to guide them to Your religion and to teach them Your knowledge lest the followers of Your guardians separate. They (the authorities) are either apparent without being obeyed or afraid, hidden and awaiting. If their persons are absent from people during their truce in the state of untruth, their knowledge will never be absent from them (from people). Their principles are fixed in the hearts of the believers, who act according to these principles. They become pleasant with what the liars become unpleasant and with what those, who are indifferent to the obligations of Allah, deny. Speech that is measured without any price; but is there any one hearing it with his mind, perceiving it, believing in it and following it as an ideal to succeed with it? And who is he? Therefore knowledge is lost because there is no one to bear it, to preserve it and to teach it as it is heard from the ulama. Then he said after a long speech: p: 125 

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O Allah, I know well that knowledge is not lost totally nor its means disappear because You do not leave the earth without an authority over Your people; either apparent and obeyed or afraid, absent and disobeyed lest Your proofs will be vain and Your faithfuls will go astray after You have guided them. The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from Ali bin Muhammad from Sahl bin Ziyad from Muhammad bin Yahya and others from Ahmad bin Muhammad from Ali bin Ibraheem from his father from al-Hasan bin Mahboob from Hisham bin Salim from Abu Hamza ath-Thimali from Abu Iss~haq al-Subay iy from one of Imam Ali s trusted companions. (2) ( (3) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni narrated from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from his father from ibn Abu Omayr from Mansoor bin Younus and Sa dan bin Muslim from Iss~haq bin Ammar that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: The world will not be empty of a jurisprudent (imam). Whenever the believers add something (a heresy) to the religion, he prevents them from that and whenever they omit something of it, he completes it for them. (3) ( (4) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Muhammad from Ali bin al-Hakam from ar-Rabee bin Muhammad bin al-Mussalli from Abdullah bin Sulayman al- Aamiri that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: The world will still have an authority from Allah knowing the permissible and impermissible things and inviting people to the way of Allah. (4) ( (5) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from some of his companions from Ahmad bin Mihran from Muhammad bin Ali that al-Husayn bin Abul Ala had asked Abu Abdullah al- Sadiq (s): p: 126 

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Is the world left without an imam? He replied: No, it is not. (5) ( (6) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Ali bin Ibraheem from Muhammad bin Eessa from Younus from ibn Miskan from Abu Baseer that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: Allah does not leave the world without a jurisprudent (imam) ; otherwise the truth is not distinguished from the untruth. (6) ( (7) ) Ali bin Ibraheem narrated from Muhammad bin Eessa from Muhammad bin al-Fudhayl from Abu Hamza ath-Thimali that Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (s) had said: By Allah, He has not left the world, since Adam had left to the better world, without an imam guiding people to the way of Allah and being the authority of Allah over His people. The world will never be left without an authority (from Allah) over the people. (7) ( (8) ) The previous series of narrators narrated that Abu Hamza ath-Thimali had said: I asked Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s): Is the world left without an imam? He said: If the world remains without an imam, it will sink. (8) ( (9) ) The previous narrators narrated from Muhammad bin al- Fudhayl that he had said: I asked Imam ar-Redha (s): Is the world left without an imam? He said: No, it is not. I said: We narrate from Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) that it is not left without an imam except if Allah becomes angry with the people. He said: The world is not left without an imam. If it is left without an imam, it will sink. (9) ( (10) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni narrated from Ali bin Ibraheem from Muhammad bin Eessa from Abu Abdullah al-Mo min from Abu Hurasa that Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (s) had said: p: 127 

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If the imam is removed from on the earth for an hour, it will sink with its people and will surge like the sea. (10) ( (11) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from al-Husayn bin Muhammad from Mu alla bin Muhammad that al-Washsha had said: I asked Imam ar-Redha (s): Is the world left without an imam? He said: No, it is not. I said: We narrate traditions saying that it does not remain without an imam except if Allah becomes angry with the people. He said: It does not remain without an imam, otherwise it sinks. (11) Footnote (1) Mo jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol. 3 p. 67. (2) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 54, Mo jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol. 3 p. 67. (3) Basa ir ad-Darajat p. 332, Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 178, Kamal ad-Deen p. 221, Ilal ash- Shara i p. 220. (4) Al-Mahassin p. 236, Bassa ir ad-Darajat p. 484, Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 178. (5) Bassa ir ad-Darajat p. 485, Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 178, al-Imama wet-Tabsira p. 27, Kamal ad-Deen p. 223. (6) Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 178, Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 36. (7) Bassa ir ad-Darajat p. 485, Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 178, al-Imama wet-Tabsira p. 29, Ilal ash- Sharayi p. 197, Mukhtasar Bassa ir ad-Darajat p. 8, Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 22. (8) Bassa ir ad-Darajat p. 488, Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 179, al-Imama wet-Tabsira p. 30, Kamal ad-Deen p. 201, Ilal ash-Sharayi p. 198. (9) Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 33, Mo jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol. 4 p. 177. (10) Bassa ir ad-Darajat p. 488, Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 179, Kamal ad-Deen p. 203, Dala il al- Imama p. 230. (11) Bassa ir ad-Darajat p. 488, Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 28. 

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chapter 9

 AL-HUJJAH MUST APPEAR ( (1) ) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah narrated from Muhammad bin Ja’far al-Qarashi from Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Abul-Khattab from Muhammad bin Sinan that Abu Imara Hamza at-Tayyar had heard p: 128 

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Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) saying: If there are no people on the earth except two men, one of them must be al-Hujjah (Imam al-Mahdi). (1) ( (2) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni narrated from some of his companions from Ahmad bin Idreess and Muhammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Muhammad from Muhammad bin Eessa bin Obayd from Muhammad bin Sinan from Abu Imara Hamza bin at-Tayyar that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: If only two men remain on the earth, one of them will be the Hujjah over the other. The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob from Muhammad bin al-Hasan from Sahl bin Ziyad from Muhammad bin Eessa. (2) ( (3) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya from someone from al-Hasan bin Musa al-Khashshab from Ja’far bin Muhammad from Karram that Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) had said: If people are just two men, one of them will be the imam. The last one to die is the imam lest someone protests against Allah that He has left him without an authority from Him. (3) ( (4) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from some of his companions from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Khalid al-Barqi from Ali bin Issma eel from Muhammad bin Sinan that Hamza bin at-Tayyar had heard Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) saying: If there are no people on the earth except two, one of them will be al-Hujjah. (4) ( (5) ) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Ahmad bin Muhammad from Muhammad bin al-Hasan from an-Nahdi from his father that Younus bin Ya’qoob had heard Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (s) saying: p: 129 

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If there are no people on the earth except two, one of them will the imam. (5) Footnote (1) Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 180. (2) Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 179, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1 p. 79, Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 52. (3) Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 180, Ilal ash-Sharayi p. 196, Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 21, vol. 53 p. 114. (4) Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 180. (5) Al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 180, Biharul Anwar, vol. 23 p. 52. 

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