The Second Level Determination of those Compatible with the Description of these Traditions and Recognition of the Twelve Holy Personalities Know that these traditions do not fit anybody except the Shiite belief. For, some of these suggest that Islam will not come to an end till there are twelve caliphs amongst the Muslims. Some others indicate that the subsistence of Islam’s might depends on the existence of the twelve caliphs. Yet others point out that the religion (of Islam) will survive till the Day of Judgment and that the Imams (a. s. ) p: 270
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will continue to exist till the last era. Still some others specify that all the twelve Imams are from Quraish, some of them have even stated that all of them will be from the Bani Hashim and some others have stated that their likes will not be seen. The apparent of all these traditions has confined the number of the caliphs to twelve and that they shall follow each other in rapid succession. It is known that these characteristics are ot found save in the twelve Imams (a. s. ) , who are famous and well known among both the major sects of Islam. No Islamic sect except the Shias can stake a claim to this fact and it will not be inappropriate if we consider these traditions as a miracle of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) and his (s. a. w. a. ) information about the unseen. There is no doubt that these traditions cannot be interpreted but on this meaning, and a safe and straight mind, devoid of flaws and selfish motives, will not explain it in any other manner. If we add a few more traditions that have come down concerning the twelve Imams (a. s. ) , in addition to whatever we have related in this book, we will be sure that they are not applicable for anybody but the twelve Imams (a. s. ) from the Ahle Bait (a. s. ). Moreover, such traditions are supported by the famous and certain tradition of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) called Hadis-e-Saqalain. Apart from this, there are other equally known traditions like: (1) ﺍﻟﻨﺠﻮﻡ ﺃﻣﺎﻥ ﻟﺎﻫﻞ p: 271
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ﺍﻟﺴﻤﺎﺀ ﻭ ﺃﻫﻞ ﺑﻴﺘﻲ ﺃﻣﺎﻥ ﻟﺎﻣّﺘﻲ ‘The stars are a cause of security for the inhabitants of the sky while my Ahle Bait (a. s. ) are the reason for the safety of my nation. ’ The author of Zakhaaer al-Uqbaa writes, ‘Abu Amr al-Ghaffaari narrates on the authority of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) , ﺍﻟﻨﺠﻮﻡ ﺃﻣﺎﻥ ﻟﺎﻫﻞ ﺍﻟﺴﻤﺎﺀ ﻓﺈﺫﺍ ﺫﻫﺒﺖ ﺍﻟﻨﺠﻮﻡ ﺫﻫﺒﺖ ﺍﻟﺴﻤﺎﺀ, ﻭ ﺃﻫﻞ ﺑﻴﺘﻲ ﺃﻣﺎﻥ ﻟﺄﻫﻞ ﺍﻟﺄﺭﺽ ﻓﺈﺫﺍ ﺫﻫﺐ ﺃﻫﻞ ﺑﻴﺘﻲ ﺫﻫﺐ ﺃﻫﻞ ﺍﻟﺎﺭﺽ ‘The stars are a security for the inhabitants of the sky. So when the stars will be destroyed, the sky will follow suit. Similarly, my Ahle Bait (a. s. ) are the reason for the safety of the people of the earth. When my Ahle Bait (a. s. ) are finished, the people of the earth will follow suit. ’ He continues, ‘Ahmad (Ibn Hanbal) has recorded this tradition in his Manaaqeb as well. (2) ﺍﻟﻨﺠﻮﻡ ﺃﻣﺎﻥ ﻟﺄﻫﻞ ﺍﻟﺎﺭﺽ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻐﺮﻕ، ﻭ ﺃﻫﻞ ﺑﻴﺘﻲ ﺃﻣﺎﻥ ﻟﺎﻣّﺘﻲ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺎﺧﺘﻠﺎﻑ ‘The stars are the cause of security of the people of the earth from drowning, while my Ahle Bait (a. s. ) are the reason for the safety of my nation from disputes. ’ [1] The author of Al- Sawaaeq Al-Muhreqah has stated that Haakem Neshaapuri has considered this tradition to be correct as per the stipulations of the two Sheikhs (viz. Bukhaari and Muslim). (3) ﻣﺜﻞ ﺃﻫﻞ ﺑﻴﺘﻲ ﻛﺴﻔﻴﻨﺔ ﻧﻮﺡ... ‘The likeness of my Ahle Bait (a. s. ) is like that of the ark of Hazrat Nuh (a. s. ) …’ which has been narrated through various chains of narrators. (4) Bukhari reports that the Messenger p: 272
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of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) said, ﻟﺎ ﻳﺰﺍﻝ ﻫﺬﺍ ﺍﻟﺄﻣﺮ ﻓﻲ ﻗﺮﻳﺶ ﻣﺎ ﺑﻘﻲ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺱ ﺍﺛﻨﺎﻥ ‘This affair (Islam) will continue in the Quraish even if there remain two individuals amongst all the people. ’ [1] (5) The tradition used by Abu Bakr as an argument against the Ansaar in Saqeefah narrating from the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) , who said, ‘The Imams are from Quraish. ’ [2] (6) Besides, the warning of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) , ‘Whoever dies without recognizing the Imam of his time, dies the death of ignorance. ’ [3] Al-Hameedi has also brought it in his Al-Jam’o bain al-Sahihain. (7) Haakem Neshaapuri reports on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) cautioned, ‘One who dies without any Imam ruling over him, his death is that of ignorance. ’ [4] (8) Suyuti quotes from Ibn Murdowayh, who reports on the authority of Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (a. s. ) that the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) while explaining the Quranic verse, ‘On that day, We shall call every people with their Imam’ (Qur’an Surah Bani Israael 17: 71. ) informed, ‘Each nation will be called with the Imam of their time, the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of their Prophet (a. s. ). ’ [5] Qurtubbi and Aaloosi have cited this tradition in their exegesis from Suyuti, while Sa’labi has narrated it through his chain from the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ). From all the above traditions, it becomes clear that the existence of the twelve Imams (a. s. ) will continue till the end of the world and that all of them will be from p: 273
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Quraish. Significantly, no group from the Muslims can boast of following this number of Imams from the Quraish, which will continue till the Day of Judgment, save the Imaamiyyah Shias. Allamah Muhammad Moin Ibn Muhammad Ameen al-Sindi, the author of Deraasaat al-Labeeb, has written an exclusive book vis-à-vis these traditions, naming it ‘Mawaaheb-o-Sayyed al-Bashar Fi Hadees al-Aimmah al-Isnaa al-Ashar’ in which he has proved the Imamat of the twelve Imams (a. s. ) through Hadis-e-Saqalain. He has brought undefeatable arguments, proving that the Imams (a. s. ) were infallible in their knowledge and that it is obligatory upon everybody to follow them in the acquisition of knowledge. Readers can refer to Abaqaat al- Anwaar by Sayyed Mir Haamid Husain al-Lucknowi al-Hindi (a. r. ) , vol. 2 and vol. 12, pg. 295, 296 & 304-307. The renowned Haafiz Sulaiman al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi writes, “Some researchers are of the view that the traditions suggesting the number of Imams to be twelve after the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) are well known to be narrated from various chains. With the explanation of the time and the description of the occurrence and the place, it became known that the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) implied from these traditions, the twelve Imams from his Ahle Bait (a. s. ) and his progeny. For, it is not possible to interpret these traditions for the caliphs among his companions who succeeded him immediately, due to the paucity of their number. It is also not probable to construe them for the kings of Bani Umayyah because their number exceeded twelve and because of their p: 274
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vulgar tyranny with the sole exception of Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz. Also, they did not belong to the Bani Hashim while the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) had categorically emphasized in the tradition of Abd al-Malik Ibn Jaabir, ‘All of them will be from the Bani Hashim’. The lowering of the voice by the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) in this tradition gives more weight to it because they (the majority of the people) did not approve of the caliphate of Bani Hashim. Also, it is not relevant for the Abbasi kings because their number exceeded the above stipulation and their non-observance of the Quranic injunction, ‘Say: I don’t ask you of any reward except the love of my closest relatives’ (Surah Shoora (42): Verse 23. ) and other traditions like the Tradition of the Cloak (ﺣﺪﻳﺚ ﻛﺴﺎﺀ). Therefore, it becomes essential and obligatory to carry this tradition in the meaning of the twelve Imams (a. s. ) from the progeny of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) because they were the most learned, the most majestic, the most pious and the most elevated in genealogy of all the people of their time. They were the most superior in birth and the noblest before Allah. Their knowledge was connected to that of their ancestor, the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) , through inheritance and endowment. This is the manner in which the people of knowledge, investigation, illumination and grace recognize them. This interpretation, that these traditions are applicable only for the infallible Imams (a. s. ) of the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) , is supported by p: 275
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Hadis-e-Saqalain and numerous traditions repeated in this book and elsewhere. As for the saying of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ): ‘The nation will form a consensus on all of them’ as has come in the narration of Jaabir Ibn Samarah, he (s. a. w. a. ) meant that the nation, whole of it, will acknowledge their Imamat at the time of the reappearance of their Qaem (a. t. f. s. ). ” [1] Therefore, the dominant political school stood up to deny the mastership of the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) and forsake the decisive texts and evidences concerning their Imamat. They did so either by refusing to bring forth these traditions, or by creating doubts in their chains and rejecting their narrators on account of their crime of the love of the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) and narration of their virtues, or by interpreting them in other than their apparent meanings out of perplexity and fear in front of these consecutive and reliable traditions. Hence, they indulged in wild and pathless interpretations, absurd implications and false opinions. Not a single of these could withstand the test of certainty. As a result, each one of these interpretations led to the refutation, contradiction and rejection of the others. Being completely confounded and out of sheer helplessness, they were forced to interpret these traditions only for the Imams of the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) , supported by other reliable and authentic evidences in this regard. Of the discussions in Fath al-Baari, Ibn Battaal narrates from Mahlab, ‘I have not met anyone who has achieved certitude concerning this tradition. ’ It is also said that Ibn p: 276
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Jawzi had remarked in Kashf al-Mushkil, ‘Arguments have prolonged with regards to the meaning of this tradition. I searched a lot for its answers and asked about it but to no avail. ’ They have landed themselves in real difficulty on this subject due to their stubbornness to accept the apparent and irrefutable application of these traditions on the twelve infallible Imams (a. s. ) , perhaps, out of greed or due to fear from the tyrannical governments and oppressive rulers, who did not tolerate any expression of truth from these scholars. They sold their ethics and concepts to acquire this world and its base provisions. Thus, the governments used them as pawns to achieve their political ambitions founded on autocracy, oppression and enslaving Allah’s servants. These so-called scholars ended up defending the tyranny, oppression and despotic approach of these rulers. They interpreted the evil actions of their masters as being beneficial and an opportunity for the Muslims. The numerous transgressions and sins like playing musical instruments, dancing, etc. perpetrated by these kings in their courts, their extravagance and misuse of public wealth in whatever Allah had prohibited, their depriving the poor, the needy and the weak of their rights, and all other barbaric acts were justified and defended on some religious pretext or another by these scholars. For example, they declared absolute immunity for the rulers, the non-permissibility of questioning their actions and the necessity of their obedience, notwithstanding the fact that these included the ilk of Yazid, Waleed, the despots of Bani Umayyah and p: 277
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the tyrants of Bani Abbas. These oppressors appropriated the wealth of Allah and took His servants as slaves like some Muslim rulers of today, who are mere puppets in the hands of arrogant Western superpowers. We have come from God and to Him shall we return. Now we shall cite some of these contradictory views concerning the interpretation of the traditions vis-à-vis the twelve Imams (a. s. ) for you, the believer in Allah, His Book and the sunnah of His Prophet (s. a. w. a. ). First: Some commentators of Saheeh al-Tirmidhi and the author of Fath al-Baari (the commentary on Saheeh al-Bukhari) have interpreted the world ‘twelve’ to refer to the caliphs of Bani Umayyah, who followed the companions of the Holy Prophet (s. a. w. a. ). They suggest that this tradition cannot be cited as a merit but is used only to indicate the steadfastness of the Islamic kingdom. They include Yazid Ibn Muawiyyah and his son, Muawiyyah Ibn Yazid but not Usmaan, Muawiyyah and Abdullah Ibn Zubair because they were among the
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[1]: Al-Mustadrak by Haakem Neshaapuri, vol. 3, pg. 149.
[1]: Saheeh al-Bukhari, vol. 4, pg. 218, Kitaab-o-Manaaqeb-e-Quraish in the Book of Ahkaam.
[2]: Fath al-Baari, vol. 13, pg. 114.
[3]: Sharh al-Maqaasid, vol. 2, pg. 275; Al-Jawaaher al-Muziah, vol. 2, pg. 509. There are numerous traditions that convey this concept or are quite similar to it.
[4]: Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 23, pg. 76, Tr. No. 3.
[5]: Al-Durr al-Manthoor, vol. 4, pg. 184.
[1]: Yanaabee’ al-Mawaddah, pg. 446.
companions. They also do not draft Marwan Ibn Hakam in the list because he took the allegiance of the people after the people had paid fealty to Ibn Zubair and hence consider him a usurper. Moreover, as per Fath al-Baari, there is a dispute about his companionship. The list continues from Abd al-Malik Ibn Marwan, followed by Walid till Marwan Ibn Muhammad. I say: I wish I had known what made these writers interpret the traditions of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) in this mischievous and p: 278
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malicious manne! Is this how we reward the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) for his message? Is this not an insult to his (s. a. w. a. ) sayings? If this was his (s. a. w. a. ) purpose and intent, what is the benefit and use of such traditions and what do they achieve? From where do they know that the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) intended through these traditions the despotic rulers of Bani Umayyah with the sole exception of Muawiyyah Ibn Marwan? From where do they know that the companions are excluded from these traditions? Then why did he (s. a. w. a. ) not say, ‘after my companions’, instead of ‘after me’ as has been reported by a number of narrators? Any interpretation that includes Muawiyyah and his successors from the Bani Umayyah is clearly false and unacceptable because they were not chosen as caliphs through consensus. Rather, they were despots and the worst of the despots at that. When things reach to such a despicable state of interpretation, the original quote is completely removed from its apparent meaning, fearing the establishment of the truth of the Shiite faith. None of these tyrants enjoyed any particularity over the other. In which case, a great number of probabilities unfold. Possibly, it is an indication to the caliphs after Abd al-Malik and when he (s. a. w. a. ) said, ‘after me’, he (s. a. w. a. ) meant after Abd al-Malik. Or it is an indication to the caliphs after Hesham. Or it could also mean six caliphs each from the Bani Umayyah and the Bani Abbas or the caliphs after Bani Umayyah. It p: 279
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could also imply the caliphs after Saffaah or Mansoor or other despots of Bani Abbas. It could also mean those from the Bani Umayyah who ruled over Spain or the Fatemids who governed Egypt, and so on and so forth. Meanwhile, none of these probabilities can be said to have an edge or preference over the others. Moreoever, why these traditions should not be interpreted as a means of merit and praise when the terms used in some narration clearly imply glorification? Is it correct to equate these oppressive tyrants and sinners with the chiefs of the Bani Israel and the companions of Hazrat Eesa (a. s. ) , as has come in a number of traditions? This is in addition to the evidence of the number of caliphs being restricted to twelve. Second: Another interpretation is that after the demise of al-Mahdi (a. t. f. s. ) , twelve rulers will govern, six from the progeny of Hasan (a. s. ) , five from that of Husain (a. s. ) and one from someone else. I say: Such an exegesis is clearly against the evident texts of the traditions, which mention in no uncertain terms, ‘twelve caliphs after me’, ‘this religion will always be mighty and lofty’ etc. , which proves the connection of the caliphs’ era with that of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) , their continuity till the final epoch and the confinement of the caliphs to them as has been elucidated in the narration of Ibn Masood. This is in addition to the fact that these traditions are applicable for the twelve Imams (a. s. ) , who are famous p: 280
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and renowned among all the Muslim sects, thereby establishing the truth and validity of the prophecy of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) in clear terms. Then what is the point in struggling to force these traditions to imply others, who do not fit in its description by any means? If you argue: Although these characteristics are not found in anybody but the twelve Imams (a. s. ) , it is quite likely that they may be present in the future in some other individuals. I say: Amazing, indee! How can we talk of something being present in the future when the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) has prophesied them to exist in his (s. a. w. a. ) immediate successors, whose time is joined with his (s. a. w. a. ) time? Is not such an interpretation a clear violation? In this case, we have to assume the impermissibility of the era of these caliphs being joined with that of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) and the non-consideration of such traditions. But when there exists, a clear interpretation on which these traditions fit, it is not allowed to refute this claim with an argument of future probability. Do you not see that Allah described the qualities of our Prophet (s. a. w. a. ) in the Old and the New testaments but when he (s. a. w. a. ) appeared with an appearance befitting the description, the Jews and the Christians denied his (s. a. w. a. ) prophethood, arguing that such a prophet will emerge in the future. Allah has condemned them in the Holy Quran and did not accept their argument that the prophesied advent p: 281
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will occur in the future. As for their reliance on the tradition, ‘twelve caliphs will succeed al-Mahdi, of which six will be from the progeny of Hasan (a. s. ) …’ to lend credibility to this argument, we say that apart from its contradiction to a number of traditions that have been narrated by both Shias and Sunnis, it also goes against the peculiar characteristics of these traditions. That is, the restriction of the number of caliphs to twelve, the continuity of their existence and the joining of their era with that of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ). The apparent difference between the two narrations is that while the original tradition says, ‘after me, there will be…’ this narration says, ‘after Mahdi, there will be…’ Moreover, this tradition is considered to be weak and unreliable as has been explicitly mentioned by Ibn Hajar, when he says in his al-Sawaaeqah that this tradition is truly absurd and cannot be relied upon. He has quoted this on the authority of his namesake Ibn Hajar, the author of Fath al-Baari. This is apart from the fact that in all likelihood such a probability is derived from the Israaeliyyaat (i. e. the fabrications of the Jews in the Islamic texts). They have resorted to such tactics to deviate these traditions from their clear interpretations. Ibn Munaadi writes, ‘We take notice of these traditions because we find them in the Book of Daniel. ’ If you want to know the background of this book and what has been said about it, refer to the p: 282
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beginning of al-Malaahem by Ibn Munaadi that you may know how a nation is afflicted with superstitions, absurdities and junk when they refuse to take true knowledge from its owners viz. the Imams (a. s. ) of the Ahle Bait (a. s. ). They are the ones about whom Allah has ordered the Muslim nation to fasten unto them along with the Holy Quran. Third: Another view in this regard is that of Qazi Ayaaz. According to him, the import of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) through this tradition was that the twelve Imams (a. s. ) will exist only during the caliphs’ might, the strength of Islam and the steadfastness of its affairs. This occurred when consensus was found among the people on this issue till the decline of the Bani Umayyah when mischief arose amongst them in the reign of Waleed Ibn Yazid. Ibn Hajar, in his Fath al-Baari, has opted for this interpretation citing the tradition ‘All of them (caliphs) will be the unanimous choice of the people’ as evidence for the same. Thereafter, he proceeds to mention the names of the caliphs, who enjoyed the consensus of the people: Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman, Ali, Muawiyyah, Yazid, Abd al-Malik and his four sons, Waleed, Sulaiman, Yazid and Heshaam. He says, ‘Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz interrupted the chain between Sulaiman and Yazid. These are the seven after the four rightly-guided caliphs and when Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz is not counted amongst them. The twelfth of them is Walid Ibn Yazid Ibn Abd al-Malik. I say: This is p: 283
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the worst possible and most insulting interpretation of the Prophetic tradition, even if Ibn Hajar says that it is the most preferable of all interpretations. We will not argue about the antecedents of the Bani Umayyah and the non-correctness of attributing them to be from the Quraysh, as these traditions announce explicitly that the twelve Imams (a. s. ) will be from the Quraysh. But we question: How on earth can such tidings, which were announced as glorification of the twelve caliphs, be applicable for Muawiyyah’s caliphate? For, he is the one who Fought with Ameerul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (a. s. ) , about whom the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) said, ‘War against you is war against me’ Organized speeches abusing Ameerul Momineen (a. s. ) from the pulpits and, Poisoned to death Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (a. s. ) , the chief of the youth of Paradise. How on earth can these traditions apply for a beast like Yazid Ibn Muawiyyah, who fought against and martyred Imam Husain (a. s. ) , and who was a transgressor who committed sins publicly and announced his disbelief freely becoming a part of the renowned poems of Ibn al-Zab’ari, which he (Yazid) recited in joy when the severed head of Imam Husain (a. s. ) was brought to him. He was the one who ordered Muslim Ibn Aqabah to kill and plunder the people of Medina on three occasions. During these attacks, he killed a number of companions and the city of Medina was totally ransacked. It was during these attacks that more than 1000 Muslim virgins were raped and whenever p: 284
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a Muslim from Medina offered his daughter in marriage, he did not guarantee her virginity saying, ‘Perhaps, she has lost her virginity during the Tragedy of Hurrah. ’ It is said that four thousand illegitimate children were born after this incident. Muslim, in his Saheeh, reports that the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) warned, ‘Whoever frightens the people of Medina, Allah will frighten him and upon him is the curse of Allah, the angels and all mankind. ’ [1] Waaqedi narrates on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Hanzalah, ‘By Alla! We did not visit Yazid but that we feared a stone falling on our heads from the sky (as a divine punishment) because he was a man who married his mothers, daughters and sisters, drank wine, did not pray [2] and he is the one who had ordered the attack on the Holy Ka’bah. Suyuti and others report on the authority of Nawfil Ibn Abi al-Furaat, “I was with Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz, when a person while mentioning Yazid, said, ‘the chief of the faithfuls, Yazid Ibn Muawiyyah’. On hearing this, Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz (became angry) and asked, ‘You call Yazid as Ameerul Momineen? ’ and ordered that he be whipped 20 lashes. ” [3] It is mentioned in Al-Sawaaeq that it was said to S’ad Ibn Hassaan, ‘The Bani Umayyah claim that the caliphate is among them. ’ He retorted, ‘The sons of the blue-eyed (referring to Hind – the wife of Abu Sufyaan) are lying. They are mere kings, nay, the worst of kings. ’ How on earth can these traditions be p: 285
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applied for the caliphate of Abd al-Malik, the treacherous, the one who prohibited the Islamic injunction of enjoining good (ﺍﻣﺮ ﺑﺎﻟﻤﻌﺮﻭﻑ). Suyuti records, ‘Among the evil deeds of Abd al-Malik was the appointment of Hajjaaj as a governor for the Muslims and the sahaabaa (r. a. ) , who was degrading and insulting them through killings, assault, abuse and imprisonments. Indeed, he killed innumerable sahaabaa and great taabe’een, apart from the ordinary folks. He put a seal around the neck of Anas and other companions with the intent of degrading them. May Allah not have mercy on him and may Allah not forgive him. ’ [1] How on earth can these traditions be applied for a person like Waleed Ibn Yazid Ibn Abd al-Malik, the sinner, the alcoholic and the one who did not care for the prohibitions of Allah. He is the one who went for Hajj to drink wine atop the Holy Ka’bah, for which he received outright condemnation from the people. [2] He is the one who opened the Holy Quran and on seeing the verse, ﻭﺍﺳﺘﻔﺘﺤﻮﺍ ﻭ ﺧﺎﺏ ﻛﻞّ ﺟﺒّﺎﺭ ﻋﻨﻴﺪ And they asked for judgment and every insolent opposer was disappointed [3] , he flung it on the ground and shot it with an arrow, reciting, Are you threatening me with the (words of) insolent oppressor? Here, I am that insolent and oppressor When you (Quran) are brought on the Day of Gathering by your Lord Say, O Lord, Waleed has ripped me apart. [4] He continued to live in vulgar opulence and luxury till he was killed. Is this the p: 286
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might and respect of Islam? Is this the representation of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. )?
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[1]: Murooj al-Zahab, vol. 3, pg. 69.
[2]: Taarikh al-Khulafaa, pg. 209
[3]: Al-Sawaaeq al-Mohreqah, pg. 219, printed at Cairo; Taarikh al-Khulafaa, pg. 209, printed at Egypt
[1]: Taarikh al-Khulafaa, pg. 220
[2]: Taarikh al-Khulafaa, pg. 250; Taarikh al-Tabari, vol. 7, pg. 209
[3]: Surah Ibraheem (14): Verse 15
[4]: Murooj al-Zahab, vol. 3, pg. 216
It is reported that when he left for Hajj, he carried along with himself dogs in trunks, got a dome fabricated as per the size of the Ka’bah to place it on its top and carried a few trunks of wine. By this he intended to place the dome on the Ka’bah and sit in it to drink wine. But his advisors dissuaded him from doing so fearing the wrath of the people. Waleed finally relented. [1] Masoodi reports on the authority of Mubarrad, ‘Waleed has recited some poems in which he has overtly proclaimed disbelief, and while mentioning the Prophet (s. a. w. a. ) , he said: The Hashemites played with the caliphate (Actually) neither any revelation came, nor did any Book descend And say to Allah to stop me, my food And say to Allah to stop me, my drink. [2] Ishaaq Ibn Muhammad al-Azraq recounts, ‘I went to Mansoor Ibn Jahoor al-Azdi after the murder of Waleed. He had two maids from the slave-girls of Waleed… One of them said, ‘We were among his favorite and most respected slave-girls. He went to bed with her (indicating to the other slave girl) , when the call for the prayer (azaan) was made. He ordered her to lead the prayers of the people while she was drunk, unclean and veiled. ’ [3] Suyuti brings a narration from Musnad-e-Ahmad: There will come a man for this nation, called Waleed, who will be more oppressive to his people than Fir’aun was for his p: 287
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nation. [1] Therefore, it will be more apt to name such persons as Fir’aun than Caliphs, as they resemble the disbelievers and the apostates more than the companions of Hazrat Eesa (a. s. ) or the chiefs of the Bani Israel. If we so desire, we can exhaust the discussion on the likes of the Bani Umayyah but we intend to cut it short due to fear of prolongation. We say: How can Qazi Ayaaz be satisfied with appointing these tyrants as the caliphs of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) , about whom he (s. a. w. a. ) has given tidings, and has informed that they will act with guidance and that if they were not there, the world will be destroyed with its inhabitants, and that till they exist, the Islamic nation will continue to survive and that they are like the chiefs (ﻧﻘﺒﺎﺀ) of the Bani Israel. Even more stunning is their omission of Imam Hasan (a. s. ) from the narration, despite the fact that he (a. s. ) was clearly named as a caliph in the traditions narrated from his grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) , and the inclusion of Yazid, Moawiyah and Bani al-Aas, whom he (s. a. w. a. ) has cursed in these traditions. And why did they not include Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz among these caliphs? And as for his stubbornness in clinging on to the saying of Sahih Abi Dawood, ‘The Ummah will be unanimous about them’, [2] then it is weak for the following reasons: It is clear that an action is attributed to its subject only when it is p: 288
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performed with freewill, without any force or compulsion. So, even if we accept that the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) has said, ‘they will be unanimous’, it only implies the unanimity of the nation with their own freewill. Don’t you think that it is incorrect for anybody to declare that the Islamic Ummah, including the people of Mecca, Medina, great jurists, renowned traditionalists, companions of the Prophet (s. a. w. a. ) and the Taabein, at any given time, was unanimous on the appointment of Yazid as the caliph of the Muslims? But he claims that they were unanimous in this appointment and chose him for caliphate. He also goes on to claim the consensus of the Muslims on the caliphate of Waleed Ibn Yazid. If we rely on this theory, it will necessitate the exclusion of Ameerul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (a. s. ) and Imam Hasan (a. s. ) from the list of the caliphs because of the opposition of the Syrians for these two, and their unstinted support for their enemies. This portion seems to have been interpolated as it is not found in a number of reliable and consecutive traditions available on the subject. Therefore, there exists a strong probability that this part ‘the Islamic Ummah will be unanimous on all of them’ appears to have been added by the narrator, possibly as an explanation for the tradition. Even if we assume that this part did occur in the original tradition and when there is a controversy between the added part and the missing part then, p: 289
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as a rule, the added part is not relied upon. The same applies here because the majority of the traditions do not comprise of the additional part and only Abu Dawood has narrated it. Hence, it is incorrect and improper to disregard the many traditions, reliable and consecutive, narrated by a group of companions like Abdullah Ibn Masood and Jaabir Ibn Samarah and a number of Taabein just for the sake of one narration. So, is it wrong to impute such a probability to this statement? Even if we assume that this statement is correct and found in the original, it is limited by the other sentences found in the numerous other traditions like, ‘all of them will act with guidance and the true religion’, ‘if they do not exist, the earth will be destroyed with all its inhabitants’, ‘they are like the companions of Eesa (a. s. ) and the chiefs of the Bani Israel’, and ‘the caliphate is confined only to them’. Thus, assuming that this statement does exist in the original, its only correct interpretation and construction is that the Ummah will be unanimous on the Imamat of the twelve Imams (a. s. ) and acknowledge their Caliphate after the reappearance of Hazrat Mahdi (a. t. f. s. ). Fourth: Another interpretation of the tradition is that of Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari as narrated by Suyuti in Tarikh al-Khulafaa and is as follows: These traditions imply the existence of twelve caliphs during the entire lifespan of Islam till the Day of Judgment, who will act with truth, even p: 290
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if they will not rule in immediate succession of each other. They support this idea with a narration reported in his Musnad from Abi Al-Jild who said, ‘This nation will not be destroyed till there are twelve caliphs in it. All of them will act with guidance and the true religion. From them will be two persons from the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) of Muhammad (s. a. w. a. ) …’ Explaining the statement of Ibn Hajar, Suyuti remarks, ‘Hence, from the twelve caliphs, four are the rightly guided caliphs [1] , followed by Hasan, Moawiyah, Ibn Zubair and Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz, which makes it eight. Probably, Mohtadi, the Abbasi caliph, can be added to this list because he was amongst the Abbasi kings like Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz was amongst the Bani Umayyah tyrants. This was on account of the apparently insignificant oppression of Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz and Mohtadi. From the remaining two, one is al-Mahdi since he is from the progeny of Muhammad (s. a. w. a. ). ’ – End of Suyuti’s statement. I say: This view or probability is also incorrect because plenty of traditions have confined a number of caliphs to twelve. In fact, some of these have also explicitly mentioned the names of these caliphs, like the narration of Ibn Masood, which rules out all possibilities of interpretations and conjectures. Moreover, these have stated in no uncertain terms that they will follow each other successively and their eras will be immediately after one another. As for the narration of Abi al-Jild, which is cited as a support for p: 291
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this probability, it is rejected outright because of the notoriety of Abi al-Jild for presenting his own views and whimsical interpretations as traditions of the Prophet (s. a. w. a. ). Therefore, his statement, ‘from them are two men from the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) of Muhammad (s. a. w. a. ) ’ is certainly an addition from his own side or from his source. Otherwise, he should have reported, ‘my Ahle Bait (a. s. ) ’ and not ‘the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) of Muhammad (s. a. w. a. ). ’ All this is assisted by the report available in the book of Khesaal, through his chain of narrators that Abi Najraan reports that Abi al-Jild has narrated to him and even taken an oath, ‘This nation will not be destroyed till there are twelve caliphs in it. All of them will act with guidance and true religion. ’ Nowhere, in this report, has he mentioned the additional part. This is in addition to his view that three of them are from the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) of Muhammad (s. a. w. a. ) viz. Ali, Hasan and Mahdi (a. s. ) while Abi al-Jild says, ‘Two of them will be from Ahle Bait (a. s. ) of Muhammad (s. a. w. a. ). ’ It is also worth mentioning that after some research concerning the views of the scholars of rejaal, I found that Abi al-Jild, whose name was Jailaan Ibn Farwah al-Asadi and is also called as Ibn Abi Farwah had the habit of either saying things from his side or sourced his knowledge from the Testaments. The author of Shamaael al-Rasool, pg. 484, writes, ‘Abi al-Jild used to refer to the Old Testament p: 292
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time and again. ’ The writer of Al-Jarho wa al-Ta’deel, vol. 2, pg. 547, tradition no. 2275, pens, ‘Abi al-Jild al-Asadi al-Basri had command over the Old Testament and its like. ’ In any case, one cannot afford to neglect or be heedless towards all the reliable and authentic traditions that talk about the continuity of the eras of these caliphs and the limitation of their number to twelve, notwithstanding the other consecutive traditions in this regard. For, if we consider this tradition to be reliable, it will necessarily require the conformity of the two kinds of traditions. While one talks about the consecutivity of their eras and their number being twelve, the aforementioned limits it’s severely as is clear from these two kinds of traditions. Yes, many consecutive traditions prove the caliphate of these twelve (a. s. ). But to interpret it in the manner as Suyuti has done is not valid as demonstrated in the above discussions. Moreover, if we rely on the narration of Abi al-Jild, it will seriously limit the applications of the traditions that emphasize on continuity of eras. Interestingly, Suyuti too has become a victim of amnesia and forgetfulness. For, as per his own statement, three of these caliphs must necessarily be from the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) of Muhammad (s. a. w. a. ) because Ali (a. s. ) and Hasan (a. s. ) are undoubtedly from the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) in the light of the Verse of Purification [1] and the clear traditions from the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ). Moreover, he has included the likes of Ibn Zubair and p: 293
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Moawiyah amongst those who act with guidance. These are absolutely disgusting and weak arguments, which show their confusion and obscene helplessness in the exegesis of these traditions, while turning their backs on their only and real interpretation i. e. the twelve famous Imams (a. s. ) from the Ahle Bait (a. s. ). Fifth: It talks about the presence of this number (of caliphs) in one time, all of them, and each one of them claims governance and caliphate. They say: The Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) has informed us that the strangest of things will occur after him (s. a. w. a. ). Of which, is the disunity among the people after him (s. a. w. a. ) in one time concerning the twelve chiefs. This is irresistibly comical and some of them have also rejected it, saying, ‘This view is that of the one who is totally unaware of the methods of traditions, apart from his ignorance of the traditions present in Bukhari, Muslim, etc. That is, they have clearly mentioned mastership as the attributes of these caliphs and that Islam will remain mighty and lofty… I say: Surely, the traditions have proved that their duration will be the duration of Islam and its survival. Thus, these traditions support the correctness of the occultation of the twelfth amongst them, his longevity and his prolonged life as will be seen in the numerous reliable traditions to follow. Sixth: The interpretation of Ibn Taimiyyah, which states that these Imams (a. s. ) are dispersed and scattered in the Islamic Ummah. Resurrection will not occur till they are found. I say: It p: 294
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seems that they do not deem it necessary to benefit from the actual implication of the traditions and to rely on their wordings and their famous concepts as has been relied upon by those in the know and the wise people. Specially when the words, with their apparent meanings, clearly conform to the approach of the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) and their Shias. Consequently, they have said whatever wild and absurd thought that has come in their minds in the interpretation of these traditions. Otherwise, from where has Ibn Taimiyyah brought such a baseless exegesis, which clearly opposes the wordings of the traditions? Seventh: Another interpretation is the one propounded by our contemporaries, who tread the modern approach with the support of the colonialists and imperialistic powers. Thus, they have drummed up the same beat but with another drum. They consider these traditions to be applicable for the rulers of the Muslims and whom they have listed as follows: Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman, Ali (a. s. ) , Moawiyah, Abd al-Malik followed by other kings of Bani Umayyah till Marwan. They say: Thereafter, Imamat was transferred to the Bani Abbas, from them is Mansoor, his son Mahdi, Haroon al-Rashid till the end of the dynasty. They have also counted Emaad al-Din al-Zanki, Noor al-Din and Salaah al-Din saying, ‘It does not befit us that we be miserly regarding their rights. ’ I say: Under this explanation, those called as caliphs in these traditions are the kings and rulers of the Muslims, most of whom acquired this position through p: 295
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force, coercion and domination. Their number far exceeds the limit of twelve. When it is permitted to apply these traditions for all the rulers and kings, regardless, then why should we
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[1]: Al-Kaamil fi al-Taarikh, vol. 3, pg. 394
[2]: Murooj al-Zahab, vol. 3, pg. 216.
[3]: Al-Eqd al-Fareed, vol. 2, pg. 290.
[1]: Taarikh al-Khulafa, pg. 251
[2]: Tarikh al-Khulafaa, pg. 10.
[1]: Implying Abu Bakr, Umar, Usmaan and Ali (a. s. ).
[1]: Surah Ahzaab (33): Verse 33.
restrict ourselves to only twelve and be niggardly about the rights of the remaining? What is the purpose of such traditions, which are invaluable words, uttered by as holy a person as the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. )? It is necessary for the one who has suggested this view that he should not be niggardly and miserly of all the kings, including those of Spain (the erstwhile Muslim dominion of Andalus) , Ottoman and even the present dictators and tyrants, whose breaches of Islamic trusts are known to one and all. By Alla! I do not know what to say about such writers and authors who count themselves from the modern and civilized generation. They say about the sunnah of the Holy Prophet (s. a. w. a. ) as dictated to them by their carnal desires, the desires of those who spend lavishly on them from the public treasury of the Muslims and the desires of their western imperialistic masters. These western colonialists intend to interpret all that has come down in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, which demand belief in the unseen, as per their materialistic, imperialistic and colonialist views. There is no power and strength, except that of Allah, the High, the Great. Know that in reply to these absurd interpretations concerning these prophetic traditions, we have relied only on the peculiarities derived from them and p: 296
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their clear explicit meanings. We did not resort to the other reliable and numerous traditions concerning the Imamat of the twelve Imams (a. s. ) , which discuss their names and their characteristics. Otherwise, the arguments would be much more elaborate. If you desire further explanation on the subject, refer to the books written in this regard and all your doubts and misgivings will be repelled. And Allah is the Guide to the truth and propriety.
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Conclusion It is necessary for the researcher on the traditions of the twelve Imams (a. s. ) to know what Tabaraani has written in his al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer. He writes, ‘…Shafi al-Asbahi narrates that I heard Abdullah Ibn Umar say that the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) said, ‘There will be twelve caliphs after me. (The first amongst them is) the caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddique. He will not live after me but less. (He will be followed by) the chief of my tribe, who will live in a praiseworthy manner and die as a martyr. He (s. a. w. a. ) was asked, ‘Who is he, O Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. )? ’ He (s. a. w. a. ) replied, ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattaab. ’ Then he (s. a. w. a. ) turned to Usman and prophesied, ‘Soon the people will ask you to remove the shirt with which Allah, Mighty and Blessed be He, has clothed you. I swear by the One in Whose hand is my life, if you remove it, you will never enter paradise till a camel passes through the eye of the needle. ’ [1] He has brought the same narration with minor changes in another place. [2] I p: 297
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say: Know that we will certainly not accept the one who argues with this additional false attribution to the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) in the guise of explaining these traditions and thereby, attempting to legally establish the caliphate of the first three with documentary evidence. He (Tabarani) conveniently forgot that the Ahle Sunnah are unanimous that the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) has not appointed the three as his caliphs and there is no document to prove that. Undoubtedly, this is the fabrication of the Ottoman kings and their attempts to hide the evils and distortions of Usman in Islam, which were even repudiated by the likes of Talha, Ayesha and Ammaar (r. a. ) in the most severe manner possible, thereby opening the door of mischief and civil war amongst the Muslims and leading to a great unrest among the Muslims and their demanding from Usman to apply his deeds and laws as per the Islamic Shariah. But Usman refused to relent due to his fiscal and governmental policies, finally resulting in his murder. For further explanations concerning the additional and concocted part of this tradition, we shall bring forth the discussion from two aspects: The chain of narrators of this tradition and Text of the tradition (a) Chain of narrators: Among the narrators of this tradition, is a person called as Abdullah Ibn Saaleh (exp. 222 A. H. ). Regarding him, Zahabi writes in his Tazkerah, ‘His traditions were drawn on the scale of authenticity and were rejected due to lack of evidence. Whatever he has p: 298
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narrated has been repudiated. ’ Ibn Ahmad says, ‘I asked my father about him. ’ He said, ‘Initially he was firm and solid but later became corrupt and hence, he is of no consequence. ’ Saaleh Ibn Muhammad says, ‘In the view of Ibn Moeen, he was reliable but according to me, he used to lie in traditions. ’ Ibn al-Madeeni says, ‘I have rejected his traditions and do not narrate anything from him. ’ Ahmad Ibn Saaleh says, ‘He is accused and is of no consequence. ’ Nisaai says, ‘He is not reliable. His tradition ‘Surely, Allah chose my companions upon the entire universe’ is a fabricated one and there are many who have discredited him. ’ Ibn Habaan says, ‘He is a denier of traditions and narrates with assurance that which has not been narrated by the reliable ones. He had a neighbor whose writing was similar to that of Abdullah. He wrote things and placed it between the writings of Abdullah, who thought that it was his own writing and narrated from it. ’ Another narrator of this tradition is Lais Ibn Sa’d (exp. 175 A. H. ) described as knowledgeable, a commentator of Quran and other praiseworthy characteristics as has been recorded in his biography. Like Ibn Abi Lailaa and Ibn Shabramah, Lais was amongst the jurists of the government. He was an agent of Mansoor al-Abbasi, the oppressive and murderous tyrant, whose oppression, rebellion, persecution of the Shias and usurpation of the caliphate was proclaimed publicly by the likes of Abu Hanifah, who refused to accept his gifts, saying, ‘This is from the p: 299
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public treasury of the Muslims and none has any right in it except those who fight in the way of Allah, the needy and those who work for religion, while I am none of these. ’ Mansoor ordered his (Abu Hanifah) arrest and whipped him till he died because of it or due to poisoning. Abu Hanifah had willed that he should be buried in a land that has not been usurped by the Caliph, or any of his men and workers. But the Abbasi tyrants who followed Mansoor and were the contemporaries of Lais, relied heavily on him. He was a very important figure for them in Egypt and they were in need of people like him. For, the Egyptians were the followers of Imam Ali (a. s. ) and his children, and therefore considered them to be worthier of caliphate and leadership than the Abbasids, whose misdeeds, bloodshed and misappropriation of public wealth, despite their non-eligibility for caliphate and leadership of the Muslims, were witnessed by one and all. Lais strove to weaken the love of the Egyptians for the progeny of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ). The Egyptians used to disparage and detest Usman because of his misdeeds and the unrest against Usman had arisen from Egypt. Now, Lais began to mention the virtues and merits of Usman to the Egyptians. Naturally, a scholar like him in a place like Egypt was a great political hope of the government for the negation of the love of the Ahle Bait (a. s. ). Hence, we see that p: 300
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as per the demands of political contingencies, no matter was decided in Egypt but with his counsel. Thus, key affairs like the appointment of governors and judges were decided only after consultations with him. Thus, Lais did not belong to the category of people like Abdullah Ibn Saaleh who fabricated traditions or someone else used to interpolate traditions in his writings. We do not like to accuse Lais of fabricating traditions or deliberately narrating false ones but he was not from those who stopped at the traditions, which they disregarded. Nay, he believed that the Divine Text did not carry merely an apparent meaning which could suffice. They were not only words; rather they also had a spiritual aspect embracing proofs, imports and reasons. Perhaps, he considered that the threat of the Prophet (s. a. w. a. ) for the one who attributed a lie to him (s. a. w. a. ) , like in the famous tradition, ‘Whoever attributes a lie to me deliberately, his seat will be surrounded with hell fire’, its esoteric is more limited than its apparent. For, these lies do not include the narration of a fabricated tradition attributed to him (s. a. w. a. ) , if done due to political and governmental demands and general welfare. It seems quite likely that this addition in the tradition is the fabrication of Abdullah Ibn Saaleh and the other narrators of this tradition. But what leads to a negative perception of Lais for a researcher is the pompous and luxurious way in which he led his life. It is said that he p: 301
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built a palatial mansion which had twenty doors. He developed a garden in it, full of trees and flowers, whose fragrance spread far and wide. His wardrobe constituted of a year’s clothes and for each day he had a special dress. He never wore one dress for two consecutive days. Abu al-Abbas al-Sarraaj writes, ‘We were traveling with Lais from Alexandria and he had three ships, one ship was carrying his kitchen, another his family and third one his guest. ’ There is no doubt that at that given time in Egypt, there were many poor people, destitute and workers who were patiently bearing severe hunger and were even deprived of basic facilities like housing to protect them from heat and cold. While you just read about the condition of Lais. Even more shocking than his lifestyle, is the mode of his issuing fatwas when the kings and those in power asked him to so. Indeed, they have mentioned that there occurred a conversation between Haroon and his wife, Zubaidah. Haroon said, ‘You are divorced if I did not enter paradise’. All the jurists congregated to find a solution for this problem, but none had the cunningness and shrewdness to make permissible (ﺣﻠﺎﻝ) for the two what in their view had become prohibited (ﺣﺮﺍﻡ). Lais was seated at the end of the gathering. On being asked for the solution of this problem, he replied, ‘When the caliph dissolves the assembly, I will speak to him. ’ Accordingly, when the crowd had dispersed, Lais asked Haroon p: 302
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to bring a copy of the Quran. Lais said, ‘Open the Surah Rahmaan from the Quran and start reciting it. ’ Haroon duly obliged till he reached to the verse ﻭﻟﻤﻦ ﺧﺎﻑ ﻣﻘﺎﻡ ﺭﺑّﻪ ﺟﻨّﺘﺎﻥ And for him who fears to stand before his Lord are two gardens (Qur’an Surah Rahmaan 55: 46) Lais ordered him, ‘Stop and say, ‘By Alla! Surely, I fear the position of my Lord’. ’ Haroon did as ordered, to which Lais remarked, ‘So there are two paradises and not just one (means your marriage with Zubaidah is still valid and not void because you can still enter the second paradise). ’ Zubaidah, who was hearing this conversation along with her slave-girls from behind the curtain, raised a huge roar of applause, hand clapping and celebration. Haroon appreciated, ‘By Alla! You are excellent’ and conferred him with rewards and thousands of gold coins. Zubaidah too ordered the same. Haroon also gifted him with the land of Jeezah which is the most fertile land of Egypt. We can’t make out anything from this jurisprudence except that it was a trade with the laws of Allah and converting His prohibition to permission just for the sake of acquiring the satisfaction of Haroon, the Emperor of his time, and Zubaidah, the Empress of her era, and not the chief of the faithfuls. We do not understand whether or not Zubaidah could fathom the far reaching mischievous consequences of this edict? Or whether even Haroon could follow its implications? Or perhaps he understood but intended to p: 303
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exonerate himself from the blame of the people or just to have Zubaidah for himself. By Alla! It is truely amazing that how two people, one of them calls himself as the caliph of the Muslims and the second considers himself as a jurist of the religion as well as the government, can play and toy with the laws of Allah. It should be clear for you that in the jurisprudence of the Ahle Bait (a. s. ) it is firmly established that divorce cannot take place unless all its conditions are fulfilled, regardless of the fact whether these are done in the present or are achieved in the future. Divorce takes place with clear words and after all obligations are discharged and none remains unexecuted. But even on the basis of the jurisprudence of governmental sects, there was no need to resort to such cunning mischief when the divorce pronounced was not the third one in which the husband is not allowed to remarry his wife till she marries somebody else. He can return to her during the period of iddah if she is not a menopause and did not have intercourse. But if she is a menopause, and had intercourse, the Nikah has to be pronounced again. Lais subscribed to the sect that believed in the occurrence of the conditional divorce and said, ‘If the condition is not fulfilled, the judgment of its occurrence cannot be given unless the conditions are realized or simply the knowledge of their occurrence. In case of doubt, p: 304
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they can offer to keep company of each other and conjugal enjoyment is permissible. Apparently, Lais did not have any solution for this religious problem except devilish deceit whose mischief could be understood by anybody who has little insight in the laws of the Shariah. Thus, firstly, fear from Allah is not stronger than believing in Him because belief is the foundation of fear. For, fear can be fruitful and beneficial only if a person meets Allah with belief. Hence, the acquisition of this reward is dependant on the person remaining steadfast on his fear from Allah and that he should not let go of this fear throughout his life. Secondly, perhaps the tyrannical misdeeds of Haroon, his oppression, his giving preference to himself, his relatives, his poets, his slave-girls, his singers and his singing girls over the poor and the downtrodden, his persecution of the Shias and throwing them behind bars, his murder of Imam Kazim (a. s. ) , the greatest personality of his time, etc. were all legal and valid in the eyes of Lais. Meanwhile, Haroon was the first caliph from the Bani Abbas to play chess [1] and he was the first to give high regard and respect to the singers. [2] Sawli writes: Haroon left behind properties worth one billion dinars while his cattle and other stocks exceeded one billion and fifteen thousand dinars. [3] In one gathering, he gifted Ishaaq al-Mosuli with two hundred thousand dinars. [4] This is apart from the fact as to what the people witnessed of his tyranny and oppression and p: 305
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absolute lack of fear from Allah. So, what was the point in making him take this oath that he feared Allah except to obtain the satisfaction of Haroon and his wife? May Allah not forgive
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[1]: Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer, vol. 1, pg. 7, Tr. No. 12.
[2]: Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer, vol. 1, pg. 47, Tr. No. 142.
[1]: Tarikh al-Khulafa, pg. 295
[2]: Tarikh al-Khulafa, pg. 295
[3]: Tarikh al-Khulafa, pg. 292
[4]: Tarikh al-Khulafa, pg. 286
the one who plays with His laws in this manne! Allah, the Almighty, declares in the Holy Quran
, ﺇِﻥﱠﱠ ﺍﻟﱠﱠﺬِﻳﻦَ ﻳُﻠْﺤِﺪُﻭﻥَ ﻓِﻲ ﺁﻳَﺎﺗِﻨَﺎ ﻟَﺎ ﻳَﺨْﻔَﻮْﻥَ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻨَﺎ ﺃَﻓَﻤَﻦ ﻳُﻠْﻘَﻰ ﻓِﻲ ﺍﻟﻨﱠﱠﺎﺭِ ﺧَﻴْﺮٌ ﺃَﻡ ﻣﱠﱠﻦ ﻳَﺄْﺗِﻲ ﺁﻣِﻨًﺎ ﻳَﻮْﻡَ ﺍﻟْﻘِﻴَﺎﻣَﺔِ ﺍﻋْﻤَﻠُﻮﺍ ﻣَﺎ ﺷِﺌْﺘُﻢْ ﺇِﻧﱠﱠﻪُ ﺑِﻤَﺎ ﺗَﻌْﻤَﻠُﻮﻥَ ﺑَﺼِﻴﺮٌ
Surely they who deviate from the right way concerning Our communications are not hidden from Us. Wha! is he then who is cast into the fire better, or he who comes safe on the day of resurrection? Do what you like, surely He sees what you do. (Qur’an Surah Fusselat 40: 40) It should be known that this was not the first violation in Islam since such apostasy and attempts at legitimizing the prohibitions were not confined to Lais. Rather, it was the approach of all the official jurists who strove to lend propriety to the actions of the rulers. Salafi in his book Tuyuriyyaat, an account of the history of the caliphs, narrates on the authority of Ibn al-Mubarak, ‘When Rashid became the caliph, he intended to acquire a slave-girl of Mahdi. He made his intentions known to her. She responded, ‘It is not proper for you because your father slept with me. ’ But he was passionately infatuated with her. Hence, he sent across his problem to Abu Yusuf, asking for the solution. Abu p: 306
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Yusuf replied, ‘O Ameerul Mominee! It is not necessary to rely on the statement of a slave-girl and even if it is true, don’t testify her statement. ’ Ibn al-Mubarak notes, ‘I don’t know who is more shocking; this man, who soaks his hands in the blood of the Muslims and their wealth, refuses to restrain himself from the concubine of his own father; or this Islamic ummah which inclines itself towards such chief of the faithful; or this jurist who declares, ‘rape the wife of your father, let loose your desire and let me take the blame for it. ’ [1] I say: He did not restrain himself from the concubine of his father, who was prohibited for him, despite being surrounded by hundreds of mates who were even more beautiful and better than her but he did not have patience to keep away from what Allah had prohibited. He referred to the jurists of his government only to procure a pretext and justification before the people in this regard. Abdullah Ibn Yusuf and Ishaaq Ibn Raahwayh also issued similar edicts and Haroon rewarded the latter with a hundred thousand dirhams. This was about Lais who is one of the narrators of this tradition. The third narrator of this tradition is Khaled Ibn Yazid al-Jamhi al-Misri. Regarding him, the author of ‘al-Jarho wa al-Ta’deel’ writes, ‘I asked my father about him’, he replied, ‘He is unknown (ﻣﺠﻬﻮﻝ) ’. ’ The fourth narrator is Saeed Ibn Abi Hilaal, about whom Ahmad writes, ‘He could not follow what he has mixed p: 307
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in the traditions. ’ The fifth narrator is Rabeeah Ibn Saif and he is the one who made known the word of Ibn Ayyaash, the third century scholar that he made additions in his traditions. Thus, Rabeeah is also derided because he committed a number of mistakes and had many detractors. Nisaai too has deemed him to be weak. The sixth narrator of this tradition is Abdullah Ibn Amr. I don’t think there is any need for introduction about him and his father because both belonged to the rebellious group and quite a few verses of the Holy Quran about hypocrisy were revealed concerning them. But it appears that this addition is not the fabrication of Ibn Amr, rather it is attributed to him. Allah knows the best. This is the state of the chain of narrators of this tradition. In other words, as you must have observed, they are extremely weak and unreliable. It is clear that political factors made them interpolate lies and fabrications in the tradition. (b) Text of the Tradition: I don’t think anybody who bears little insight in history and the life of Usman, with whom none of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) were satisfied except the Bani Marwan, Bani Umayyah and their henchmen, will accept that Allah, the Wise, the Cognizant of the conditions of His servants, has enrobed him. And that if he discards this robe, he will not enter paradise. For, Usman was the weak and miserable sycophant, who gave preference to the likes of p: 308
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Hakam and Marwan over the esteemed companions of the Prophet (s. a. w. a. ). He was the one with whom Marwan played till he became his rabble, dragging him wherever he pleased. Can anyone ever imagine that Allah, the High, places the cloak of caliphate on such a person and then threatens him that if he removes it, he will not enter paradise? Sayed Qutb writes: It was a misfortune that Usman reached to the caliphate while he was weak and indecisive in Islamic resolve. He lacked the steadfastness to withstand the cunningness of Marwan and the conspiracies of Umayyah after him. He granted from the public treasury two hundred thousand dirhams to his son-in-law Haaris Ibn al-Hakam on his wedding day. Such instances abound in Usman’s life. Like, one day he gave Zubair six hundred thousand dirhams, Talhah two hundred thousand dirhams and presented Marwan Ibn al- Hakam with one-fifth of all land taxes of Africa. Sayed Qutb quotes Masoodi, ‘The day Usman was murdered, he left behind with his treasure one hundred and fifty thousand dinars (gold coins) , one million dirhams (silver coins) , his estates in the valleys of Quraa, Hunain, etc. valued up to one hundred thousand dinars and plenty of camels and war-horses. [1] We do not intend to extend the discussion concerning the criticism of Usman and his misdeeds. We have only mentioned what we have done to inform a just person that to attribute such statements to the Messenger of Allah (s. a. w. a. ) that Allah has placed the cloak of the people’s leadership p: 309
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on Usman, is an insult to the elevated status of Prophethood. Allah, the Wise, the Pure is free from such blunders and is Higher than what the unjust attribute to Him, a great lie. Finally, the easier way out and the best proof that this part is an addition, fabricated in the tradition is its absence in the literature of reliable books. Thus, we see No’maani, who is Tabaraani’s contemporary, narrates the same tradition as follows: Muhammad Ibn Usman reports to us on the authority of Ahmad Ibn Abi Khaisamah from Yahya Ibn Moeen, from Abdullah Ibn Saleh, from Lais, from Sa’d, from Khaled Ibn Yazid, from Saeed Ibn Ali al-Hilal, from Rabiah Ibn Saif who narrates: We were with Shafee al-Asbahee when he said, ‘I heard Abdullah Ibn Amr say, ‘There will be twelve caliphs after me. ’ [1]
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[1]: Tarikh al-Khulafa, pg. 291
[1]: Murooj al-Zahab, vol. 2, pg. 332.
[1]: Al-Ghaibah al-No’maani, pg. 104, Chap. 4, Tr. No. 34; Ghaibah of Shaykh, pg. 89; Al-Insaaf, Tr. No. 190; Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 36, pg. 237, Chap. 41, Tr. No. 30; Al-Manaaqeb of Ibn Shahr Al-Aashob, vol. 1, pg. 291.
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2. Ithaaf al-Khaassah Be Sahih al-Khulaasah Printed in the margins of the book ‘Al-Khulaasah’
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Majlisi (r. a. ) 10. Al-Arbaeen Muhammad Taher al-Qummi 11. Al-Irshaad Al-Shaikh al-Mufeed (exp. 413 A. H. ) 12. Irshaad al-Quloob Abu Muhammad al-Hasan Ibn Abi al-Hasan Muhammad Dailami 13. Isteqsaa al-Nazar Kamaal al-Deen Maytham Ibn Ali Ibn Maytham al-Bahraani (exp. 679 A. H. ) 14. Al-Istensaar Fi Al-Nass Alaa Al-Aimmah al-Athaar Al-Karaajeki (exp. 449 A. H. ) 15. Al-Eteqaadaat Al-Shaykh al-Sadooq (exp. 381 A. H. ) 16. Al-E’temaad Fi Sharh-e-Risaalah Waajib al-E’teqaad Faazil Miqdaad (exp. 826 A. H. ). Al-Risaalah was authored by Allamah Hilli (exp. 726 A. H. ) 17. E’laam al-Waraa Ameen al-Islam Abu Ali Al-Tabarsi (exp. 548 A. H. ) 18. Iqbaal al-A’maal Sayyed Ibn Taawoos (exp. 664 A. H. ) 19. Ilzaam al-Naaseb Al-Haaj Shaykh Ali Yazdi al-Haaeri (exp. 1333 A. H. ) 20. Al-Amaali Al-Shaykh Al-Sadooq (exp. 381 A. H. ) 21. Al-Amaali al-Khamisiyyah Written by a scholar from the Zaidiyyah sect. 22. Al-Amaali Al-Shaykh al-Mufeed (exp. 413 A. H. ) 23. Anees al-A’laam Muhammad Sadeq Fakhr al-Islam (exp. before 1330 A. H. ) 24. Al-Insaaf Sayyed Haashim al-Bahraani (exp. 1107 or 1109 A. H. ) 25. Eezaah al-Ishkaal Haafiz Abd al-Ghani Ibn Saeed (we have narrated from him via Abaqaat al-Anwaar) 26. Behaar al-Anwaar Allamah Muhammad Baaqer al-Majlisi (exp. 1111 A. H. ) 27. Bashaarah al-Mustafa Le Shiah al-Murtaza Emaad al-Deen Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Abu al-Qaasim al-Tabari, a sixth century scholar. 28. Basaaer al-Darajaat Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Hasan Ibn Farrokh al-Saffaar (exp. 290 A. H. ) 29. Al-Balad al-Ameen Shaykh Taqi Al-Deen Ibraheem al-Kaf’ami (exp. 905 A. H. ) 30. Bahjah al-Abraar Fi Ahwaal al-Masoomeen al-Athaar Shaykh Muhammad Ali al-Zaahid, famous as Shaykh Ali al-Hazeen (exp. 1181 A. H. ) 31. Taveel al-Aayaat al-Zaaherah Sayyed Sharaf al-Deen Ali al-Husaini al-Astaraabaadi, a tenth century scholar 32. Taareekh-e-Baghdad Abu Bakr Ahmad Ibn Ali al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi (exp. 463 A. H. ) 33. Taareekh al-Khulafa Jalaal al-Deen Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abu Bakr al-Suyuti (exp. 911 A. H. ) 34. Tabyeen al-Mahajjah Ila Taayeen al-Hujjah Al-Haaj Mirza Mohsin Aqa al-Tabrizi (exp. 1352 A. H. ) 35. Tahqeeq al-Firqah al-Naajiyah 36. p: 311
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Tazkerah al-Huffaaz Abu Abdillah Shams al-Deen al-Zahabi (exp. 748 A. H. ) 37. Tafseer Abu al-Futuh Shaykh Abu al-Futuh al-Raazi, a sixth century scholar. 38. Tafseer al-Kashshaaf Abu al-Qasim Jaarullah Mahmud al-Zamakhshari al-Kharazmi (exp. 528 A. H. ) 39. Tafseer al-Saafi Mulla Mohsin Faiz al-Kashani (exp. 1091 A. H. ) 40. Tafseer al-Tabari (known as Jaame’ al-Bayaan) Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Jurair al-Tabari (exp. 310 A. H. ) 41. Tafseer al-Furaat Furaat Ibn Ibraheem al-Kufi, a third century scholar 42. Tafseer al-Qurtubbi 43. Tafseer Kanz al-Daqaaeq Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Raza al-Qummi al-Mashhadi, a twelfth century scholar 44. Tafseer Noor al-Saqalain Allamah Abd Ali Ibn Jum’ah al-Urusi al-Huwaizi (exp. 1112 A. H. ) 45. Tafseer al-Neshapuri (famous as Gharaaeb al-Quran) Hasan Ibn Muhammad al-Neshapuri, a ninth century scholar 46. Taqreeb al-Maaref Abu al-Salaah al-Halabi (exp. 447 A. H. ) 47. Tanzeeh al-Shariah 48. Tahzeeb al-Tahzeeb Shahaabuddin Abu al-Fazl Ahmad Ibn Ali Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaani (exp. 852 A. H. ) 49. Al-Tauheed Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn al-Husain Shaykh al-Saduq (exp. 381 A. H. ) 50. Al-Tawrah (Old Testament) 51. Tayseer al-Wusul Ila Jaame’ al-Usul Abd al-Rahmaan Ibn Ali, famous as Ibn al-Badee’ al-Shaibaani al-Zubaidi al-Shaafei (exp. 944 A. H. ) 52. Al-Jaame’ al-Sagheer Jalaal al-Deen Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abu Bakr al-Suyuti (exp. 911 A. H. ) 53. Al-Jarh Wa al-Ta’deel Abu Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abi Haatim al-Raazi (exp. 327 A. H. ) 54. Al-Jawaaher al-Muzeeah 55. Jamaal al-Usboo’
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Sayyed Ibn Taawoos (exp. 664 A. H. ) 56. Al-Jam’ Bayn al-Sahihain Al-Hameedi (exp. 488 A. H. ) 57. Hilyah al-Abraar Sayyed Hashim al-Bahraani (exp. 1107 or 1109 A. H. ) 58. Al-Khesaal Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn al-Husain Shaykh al-Saduq (exp. 381 A. H. ) 59. Al-Durr al-Manthoor Jalaal al-Deen Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abu Bakr al-Suyuti (exp. 911 A. H. ) 60. Dastooro Maalem al-Hukm Qazi Abu Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Salamah al-Qazaaee, a Shafei jurist (exp. 454 A. H. ) 61. Dalaael al-Imaamah Abu Jafar al-Tabari, a fourth century p: 312
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scholar 62. Raamooz al-Ahaadith Al-Kamooshkhaanei 63. Al-Raddo Ala al-Zaidiyyah Abu Abdillah Jafar Ibn Muhammad al-Dureesti 64. Rawz al-Jenaan Wa Ruh al-Janaan Shaykh Abu al-Futuh al-Raazi, a sixth century scholar. 65. Rawzah al-Muttaqeen Mulla Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi (the father of Allamah Majlisi) 66. Rawzah al-Waaezeen Al-Fattaal al-Neshapuri, martyred in 508 A. H. 67. Riyaaz al-Saalekeen Sayyed Ali Khan al-Madani (exp. 1120 A. H. ) 68. Sunan Ibn Majaah Muhammad Ibn Yazeed Ibn Majaah al-Qazvini (exp. 273 A. H. ) 69. Sunan Abi Dawood Abu Dawood Sulayman al-Ash’ar al-Sajistani (exp. 257 A. H. ) 70. Sunan al-Tirmidhi Abu Eesa Muhammad Ibn Sawrah (exp. 278 A. H. ) 71. Al-Sunan al-Waaredah Fi al-Fetan (Sunan al-Daani) Umar Ibn Saeed al-Maqri al-Daani 72. Sharho Saheeh al-Muslim Abu Zakariyah Yahya Ibn Sharaf al-Nauvee (exp. 676 A. H. ) 73. Sharho Ghaayah al-Ahkaam 74. Sharh al-Maqaasid Sa’d al-Deen al-Taftaazaani (exp. 793 A. H. ) 75. Shamaael al-Rasool Haafez Abu al-Fida Ismaael Ibn Kaseer al-Demeshqi (exp. 774 A. H. ) 76. Shawaahed al-Tanzeel Al-Haakim al-Haskaani al-Hanafi al-Neshapuri, a fifth century scholar 77. Shawaahed al-Nabuwwah Abd al-Rahmaan al-Jaami 78. Saheeh al-Bukhaari Abu Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Ismaael Ibn Mughairah (exp. 256 A. H. ) 79. Saheeh Muslim Abu al-Hasan Muslim Ibn Hajjaaj al-Qashteeri al-Neshapuri (exp. 261 A. H. ) 80. Al-Seraat al-Mustaqeem Shaykh Zain al-Deen Ali Ibn Yunus Al-Aameli al-Bayaazi (exp. 877 A. H. ) 81. Sefaat al-Shiah Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn al-Husain Shaykh al-Saduq (exp. 381 A. H. ) 82. Al-Sawaaeq al-Muhreqah Shahaabuddin Ahmad Ibn Hajar al-Haithami al-Shafei, a resident of Mecca (exp. 974 A. H. ) 83. Al-Taraaef Sayyed Ibn Taawoos (exp. 664 A. H. ) 84. Al-Iqd al-Fareed Ibn Abd Rabbeh al-Aandalusi (exp. 328 A. H. ) 85. Al-Umdah Abu al-Hasan Yahya Ibn al-Hasan Ibn al-Hasan al-Bitreeq al-Hilli (exp. 600 A. H. ) 86. Al-Awaalem Shaykh Abdullah al-Bahraani al-Isfahani, a student of Allamah Majlisi 87. Oyoon Akhbaar al-Reza (a. s. ) Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn al-Husain Shaykh al-Saduq (exp. 381 A. H. ) 88. Ghaayah al-Maraam Sayyed Hashim al-Bahraani (exp. 1107 p: 313
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or 1109 A. H. ) 89. Al-Ghadeer Al-Allamah al-Ameeni (exp. 1390 A. H. ) 90. Al-Ghaibah Shaykh al-Tusi (exp. 460 A. H. ) 91. Al-Ghaibah al-Fazl Ibn Shazaan (exp. 260 A. H. ) 92. Ghaibah al-No’maani Abu Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Ibraheem al-No’maani (a contemporary of Shaykh Kulaini) 93. Al-Faaeq Abu al-Qasim Jaarullah Mahmud al-Zamakhshari al-Kharazmi (exp. 528 A. H. ) 94. Fath al-Baari Fi Sharh al-Bukhaari Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaani (exp. 852 A. H. ) 95. Al-Fetan Noaim Ibn Hammaad, the teacher of the authors of the Sehaah (except Nesaai) and a number of other students. (exp. 228 or 229 A. H. ) 96. Faraaed al-Simtain Shaykh al-Islam Sadr al-Deen Ibraheem Ibn Sa’d al-Deen Muhmmad al-Hammuee (exp. 732 A. H. ) 97. Firdaus al-Akhbaar Haafez Shirwayh Ibn Shahardaar al-Dailami (exp. 509 A. H. ) 98. Fasl al-Khetaab Khwajah Muhammad Paarsaa 99. Al-Fazaael Abu al-Fazl Shaazaan Ibn Jibraeel al-Qummi (he compiled this book in the year 558 A. H. ) 100. Al-Fauz Wa al-Amaan Fi Madh-e-Saaheb al-Zamaan (a. t. f. s. ) A collection of poems of Shaykh Bahaaee (exp. 1031 A. H. ) 101. Al-Fehrist Ibn Nadeem 102. Qasas al-Anbiyaa Qutb al-Deen al-Raawandi (exp. 573 A. H. ) 103. Al-Qaul al-Mukhtasar 104. Al-Kaafi Abu Salaah al-Halabi 105. Al-Kaafi Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Yaqub al-Kulaini (exp. 329 A. H. ) 106. Al-Kaamil Fi al-Taareekh Izz al-Deen Abu al-Hasan Ali Ibn Abi al-Karam al-Shaybaani, famous as Ibn al-Atheer (exp. 630 A. H. ) 107. Kitaab Sulaym Ibn Qais Abu Sadeq Sulaym Ibn Qais al-Hilaali al-Aameri al-Kufi al-Taabei (exp. 70 or 90 A. H. ) 108. Kashf al-Astaar Muhaddis al-Noori (exp. 1320 A. H. ) 109. Kashf al-Haqq (al-Arbaeen) Ameer Muhammad Sadeq Ibn Sayyed Muhammad Reza al-Khatoonabadi al-Isfahaani (exp. 1272 A. H. )
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110. Kashf al-Ghummah Abu al-Fath Ali Ibn Eesa al-Erbeli (finished writing this book in 687 A. H. ) 111. Kashf al-Yaqeen Fi Fazaael Ameeril Momineen (a. s. ) Allamah Hilli (exp. 726 A. H. ) 112. Kefaayah al-Asar Abu al-Qasim Ali Ibn Muhammad al-Khazzaaz al-Raazi al-Qummi, from the students of Shaykh Saduq p: 314
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(a. r. ) 113. Kefaayah al-Muhtadi (al-Arbaeen) Mir Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Mir Lauhi al-Husaini al-Musawi al-Isfahaani, a contemporary of Allamah Majlisi (a. r. ) 114. Kamaal al-Deen Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn al-Husain Shaykh al-Saduq (exp. 381 A. H. ) 115. Kanz al-Ummaal Alaa al-Deen Ali Ibn Hesaam al-Deen, famous as al-Muttaqi al-Hindi (exp. 975 A. H. ) 116. Al-Lawaame’ al-Ilaahiyyah Miqdad Ibn Abdullah al-Suyuri al-Hilli (exp. 826A. H. ) 117. Lawaame’ Saaheb Qaraani Mulla Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi (the father of Allamah Majlisi) 118. Lawaame’ al-Uqool (Fi Sharh Raamooz al-Ahaadis Shaykh Zia al-Deen Ahmad Ibn Mustafa Al-Kamooshkhaanei (exp. 1311 A. H. ) 119. Meah Manqebah Ibn Shaazaan, a fifth century scholar 120. Mutashaabeh al-Quran Wa Mukhtalefohu Rasheed al-Deen Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn Shahr Aashob al-Sarvi al-Mazandarani (exp. 583 A. H. ) 121. Al-Majaalis al-Saniyyah Sayyed Ameen al-Aameli 122. Majma’ al-Bahrain Shaykh Fakhr al-Deen al-Turaihi (exp. 1085 A. H. ) 123. Majma’ al-Bayaan Ameen al-Islam Abu Ali Fazl Ibn Hasan Ibn Fazl al-Tabarsi (exp. 548 A. H. ) 124. Majma’ al-Zawaaed Al-Haithami (exp. 807 A. H. ) 125. Al-Mahalli Ibn Hazm 126. Al-Mahaasin Abu Jafar Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Khaled al-Barqi (exp. 274 or 280 A. H. ) 127. Al-Muhtazar Husain Ibn Sulayman al-Hilli, a student of al-Shaheed al-Awwal 128. Mukhtasar Saheeh Muslim Haafiz Zaki al-Deen al-Munzeri al-Demeshqi (exp. 656 A. H. ) 129. Miraat al-Uqool Allamah Muhammad Baqer Majlisi (exp. 1111 A. H. ) 130. Muruj al-Zahab Masoodi (exp. 346 A. H. ) 131. Al-Masaael al-Jaaroodiyyah Shaykh Mufeed (exp. 413) 132. Al-Masaael al-Khamsoon Fakhruddin al-Raazi 133. Al-Mustadrak Alaa Al-Sahihain Abu Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, famous as Haakem Neshapuri (exp. 405 A. H. ) 134. Musnad Abi Awaanah 135. Musnad Abi Ya’laa al-Mosuli Haafez Ahmad Ibn Ali al-Tamimi (exp. 307 A. H. ) 136. Musnad Ahmad Abu Abdillah Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Hanbal al-Shaibaani al-Mirvazi (exp. 241 A. H. ) 137. Al-Musnad Haafez Abu Bakr Abdullah Ibn Zubair al-Hameedi (exp. 219 A. H. ) 138. Musnad Tayaalesi 139. Mashaareqo Anwaar al-Yaqeen Haafez Rajab al-Barsi 140. Misbaah al-Mutahajjid Shaykh al-Tusi (exp. p: 315
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460 A. H. ) 141. Misbaah al-Kaf’ami Shaykh Taqi Al-Deen Ibraheem al-Kaf’ami (exp. 905 A. H. ) 142. Al-Mataaleb al-Aaliyah Be Zawaaed al-Masaaneed al-Samaaniyyah Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaani (exp. 852 A. H. ) 143. Ma’ani al-Akhbaar Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn al-Husain Shaykh al-Saduq (exp. 381 A. H. ) 144. Al-Mo’tabar Al-Muhaqqeq al-Hilli (exp. 676 A. H. ) 145. Al-Mo’jam al-Awsat Haafez al-Tabaraani (exp. 360 A. H. ) 146. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer Haafez al-Tabaraani (exp. 360 A. H. ) 147. Maqaaleed al-Kunooz (Fi Sharh Musnad) Ahmad Muhammad Shakir 148. Muqtazab al-Asar Ahmad Ibn Ubaidullah Ibn Ayyaash al-Jawhari (exp. 401 A. H. ) 149. Maqtal al-Husain Haafez al-Muwaffaq Ibn Ahmad al-Makki al-Hanafi, famous as Akhtab Khwarazm (exp. 568 A. H. ) 150. Al-Malaahem Ibn al-Munaadi 151. Al-Malaahem Wa al-Fetan Razi al-Deen Abu al-Qasim Ali Ibn Moosa Ibn Jafar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Taawoos al-Hasani al-Husaini (exp. 664 A. H. ) 152. Munaar al-Hudaa Al-Muhaddith al-Shaykh Ali al-Bahraani (he finished writing this book in 1295 A. H. ) 153. Al-Manaaqeb Rasheed al-Deen Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn Shahr Aashob al-Sarvi al-Mazandarani (exp. 583 A. H. ) 154. Mukhtasar Basaaer al-Darajaat 155. Muntakhab Kanz al-Ummaal Alaa al-Deen Ali Ibn Hesaam al-Deen, famous as al-Muttaqi al-Hindi (exp. 975 A. H. ) 156. Man laa Yahzorohu al-Faqih Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn al-Husain Shaykh al-Saduq (exp. 381 A. H. ) 157. Mohij al-Da’waat Sayyed Ibn Taawoos (exp. 664 A. H. ) 158. Mawaddah al-Qurba Sayyed Ali Ibn Shahab al-Husaini, a resident of India (exp. 786 A. H. ) 159. Al-Naafe’ Yawm al-Hashr Fi Sharh al-Baab al-Haadi Ashar Al-Faazel al-Miqdad 160. Al-Najm al-Saaqib Muhaddis al-Noori (exp. 1320 A. H. ) 161. Al-Nukat al-E’teqaadiyyah Shaykh Mufeed (exp. 413 A. H. ) 162. Al-Nehaayah Fi Ghareeb al-Hadis Wa al-Asar Ibn al-Aseer (exp. 606 A. H. ) 163. Nehaayah al-Bedaayah Wa al-Nehaayah Haafez Abu al-Fida Ibn Kathir al-Demeshqi (exp. 774) 164. Nahj al-Balagha Shareef Sayyed Razi (exp. 404 A. H. )
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165. Al-Nawaader Mulla Mohsin Faiz al-Kashani (exp. 1091 A. H. ) 166. Al-Hidaayah Al-Husain Ibn Hamadaan 167. Al-Waafi Mulla Mohsin Faiz al-Kashani (exp. 1091 A. H. ) 168. p: 316
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Yanaabi al-Mawaddah Shaykh Sulaiman Ibn Shaykh Ibraheem, famous as Khwajah Kelaan al-Husaini al-Balkhi al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi (exp. 1294 A. H. ) 169. Al-Yaqeen Fi Imrah al-Momineen (a. s. ) Razi al-Deen Ibn Taawoos (exp. 664 A. H. ) p: 317
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volume 2
point
Muntakhab al-Athar Fi l-Imam al-Thani `Ashar (Vol. 2) This text, which is available in two volumes and is authored by Ayatullah Lutfullah as-Safi al-Gulpaygani, presents a handful of precious narrations about the 12th Awaited Imam. The narrations in this volume focus on the reappearance of the Awaited Imam and this text presents the implications and interpretations of these authentic traditions. Editors Notes
ﺑِﺴْﻢِ ﺍﻟﻠﻪِ ﺍﻟﺮﱠﱠﺣْﻤﻦِ ﺍﻟﺮﱠﱠﺣﻴِﻢِ ﺍَﻟﻠﱠﱠﻬُﻢﱠﱠ ﻛُﻦْ ﻟِﻮَﻟِﻴﱢﱢﻚَ ﺍﻟْﺤُﺠﱠﱠﺔِ ﺑْﻦِ ﺍﻟْﺤَﺴَﻦِ ﺻَﻠَﻮﺍﺗُﻚَ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻪِ ﻭَ ﻋَﻠﻲَ ﺁﺑﺎﺋِﻪِ ﻓﻲ ﻫَﺬِﻩِ ﺍﻟﺴّﺎﻋَﺔِ ﻭَ ﻓﻲ ﻛُﻞﱢﱢ ﺳَﺎﻋَﺔٍ ﻭَﻟِﻴّﺎً ﻭَ ﺣَﺎﻓِﻈﺎً ﻭَ ﻗَﺎﺋِﺪﺍً ﻭَ ﻧَﺎﺻِﺮﺍً ﻭَ ﺩَﻟﻴﻠﺎً ﻭَ ﻋَﻴْﻨﺎً ﺣَﺘّﻲَ ﺗُﺴْﻜِﻨَﻪُ ﺍَﺭْﺿَﻚَ ﻃَﻮْﻋﺎً ﻭَ ﺗُﻤَﺘﱢﱢﻌَﻪُ ﻓﻴِﻬﺎ ﻃَﻮﻳِﻠﺎً
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful "O, Alla! Be now and at all times for your representative Hazrat Hojjat-Ibnil-Hasan (may your blessings be upon him and his ancestors) , a mastr, protector, guide, helper, proof, and guard, until he resides peacefully on the earth, and let him enjoy (your bounties) for a long time (to come). " ***** In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful The current book is the English translation of Muntakhab al-athar, which is probably the largest single collection of traditions about the Mahdi, peace be on him. The text used for this translation is the printed edition of Salmān Fārsī publications, 1422 AH. The following notes should be considered regarding this translation: All verses p: 1
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of the Quran appear in boldface. The words between square brackets are usually additions added by the translator/editor to make the translation of the traditions more expressive. Sometimes, square brackets have been used for the purpose of showing differences in different manuscripts. Some small sections from the original book have been omitted in the translation. These were mostly explanations by the author about not-so-common Arabic words used in the traditions. The results of these explanations have been incorporated in the translated text and have been used to select suitable equivalent English words. Other sections that have been omitted were mostly minor variations in the wordings of the traditions that the author had pointed to in the footnotes. Since these variations usually had the same meaning in English they have not been mentioned. Occasionally, the authors explanations have been slightly altered or shortened to make them more fluent in English. Verses of the Quran have mostly been translated by the editor (unless otherwise mentioned). All instances of ‘ibn’ (meaning son of) have been written as ‘b. ’ except in places where ‘ibn’ is not preceded by a proper noun, e. g. ibn Qutayba. For the sake of conciseness and simplicity, the connection between two narrators in a chain is simply shown using the word ‘from. ’ For instance, if the chain is ‘X narrated to me that Y heard Z say’ it has been written as ‘From X, from Y, from Z. ’ Phrases like: ‘Allah’s blessings be on him and his family’ and ‘peace be on him/her’ have not p: 2
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been abbreviated as is customary in some translations. The word ‘father’ which is written as ‘Abū, Abā, and Abī’ in Arabic, is only written as ‘Abū’ in the translation, except in places where it is preceded by b. or ibn in a compound name. In such cases Abī is used in conformance with the Arabic pronunciation, e. g. Ali b. Abī Ṭālib or ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd. ‘He says’ is usually used to refer to the author of the last book mentioned, e. g. “Faraj al-mahmūm, p. 247, he says: ‘A section about what we have narrated... ’” After some of the references in the footnotes, ‘short version’ has been written. This means that the reference points to a shorter version of the same tradition mentioned in the main text. The transliteration used is in accordance with the following table: Symbol Transliteration Symbol Transliteration ﺀ ‘ ﻁ ṭ Long: ﺏ B ﻅ ẓ ﺍ، ﺁ ﺕ T ﻉ ` ﻭ ﺙ Th ﻍ gh ﻱ ﺝ J ﻑ f Short: ﺡ ḥ ﻕ q _َ ﺥ kh ﻙ k _ُ ﺩ d ﻝ l ﺫ dh ﻡ m Diphthongs: ﺭ r ﻥ n ﺃﻭ ﺯ z ﻩ h ﺃﻱ ﺱ s ﻭ w ﺵ sh ﻱ y ﺹ ṣ ﺓ a, at ﺽ ḍ
ﺍﻝ al-, l- Since we are fallible, it is inevitable that we will make mistakes. If you find any in the current book please inform us so they can be corrected in future versions. Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Mr Abdol-Hossein Taleie for his useful suggestions during the reviewing process and Ali Mansouri for proofreading the draft. The editor can be contacted through h. akhoondali@yahoo. com [10].
-Muntakhab al - Athar fi l-Imam al - thani Ashar: Selected Narrations about the Twelfth Imam
Author’s Preface
Those informed about Islamic history, traditions, and narrations are certainly aware of the abundance of glad tidings narrated from the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, his holy progeny, peace be on them, and his companions regarding the reappearance of Imam Mahdī [1] , peace be on p: 3
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him, in the end of times (ākhir al-zamān) and the rise of the sun of his existence to dispel the darkness of ignorance, remove oppression and tyranny, spread the flags of justice, elevate the word of truth, and prevail over all religions even if the polytheists (mushrikīn) dislike it. With the permission of Allah, he will free the world from the disgrace of worshipping anyone other than Allah. (He will) set aside shameful habits and morals, put an end to defective laws formulated by humans in accordance with their desires, destroy all things that create enmity and hatred, break the bonds of all forms of prejudice—whether they be tribal, familial, national, or otherwise—which lead to differences in the nation, create separations, and inflame the fires of civil unrest and disputes. Through his reappearance, Allah will fulfill His Promise which He has pledged in His sayings: Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them successors on earth just as He made successors those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange. [1] And We desired to bestow a favor upon those who were deemed weak on earth, and to make them the leaders, and to make them the heirs. [2] Soon, the golden era will arrive during which no house will remain on the face of earth, but that in which Allah will p: 4
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enter the word of Islam and no village will exist, but that in which the testimony of there is no god except Allah will be called out every morning and evening. Perhaps, some may claim that there exists no consensus amongst the Muslims on the issue (of the Mahdī) and their agreement on it is mere speculation. Obviously, such a claim is baseless, because many claimed to be the Mahdī in the first era of Islam and in the following ages in which people were still close to the time of the Holy Prophet Allah's blessings be on him and his family, his companions (ṣaḥāba) and the followers (tābi`īn) , but we do not see any of the companions or the followers refuting the original concept of Mahdawiyya, but rather, they disputed the claims of the imposters on the basis of their characteristics and features. Among those subjects that have been narrated to us and we don’t have any method of proving except by hearing them, there is no subject that we must have faith in which is more important than believing in the appearance of the Mahdī, may peace be on him. This is because the glad-tidings that have been narrated concerning him are many and beyond the limit of tawātur. This is while the traditions about most of the beliefs of the Muslims have not reached such a state of tawātur. In fact, for some of these beliefs, one can only find a single tradition as support and yet, it is p: 5
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regarded as a definite fact. Thus, how can a Muslim—who believes in what the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, has brought and conveyed—have doubts about the reappearance of Mahdī, peace be on him, despite the existence of such abundant traditions? These traditions cannot be disputed because of the weakness of the chain of narrators in some of them or because of the odd concepts and improbability of the occurrence (of the events mentioned) in others. Surely, the weakness of the chain of narrators does not harm the other traditions which have highly authentic and reliable narrators and contents. Otherwise, we will be forced to put aside all the correct traditions due to the presence of a few weak ones on the subject. Furthermore, their definitions are well known amongst the faithful and the (religious) leaders of the Muslims, great scholars, and the specialists in the science of traditions have narrated them. Besides, the weakness of the chain of narrators can cast doubt on the narration if the narration is not mutawātir. But, when a narration is mutawātir, the weakness of the chain is no longer a criterion for its reliability. As for the improbability of the occurrence of some of the events mentioned in the narrations, we can answer: Improbability and oddness have no value in scientific matters—especially those related to the transmission of hadith. For, if this door is opened (i. e. , if it is allowed to reject matters on grounds of improbability or oddness) , it will p: 6
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become necessary to reject most of the true beliefs that have been established through the traditions of the Prophet, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, about which and about whose characteristics we have no means of gaining knowledge, except through divine texts. For example, some of the features of the hereafter like the Bridge (Ṣirāṭ) , the Weighing Scale (Mīzān) , Heaven, Hell, etc. Indeed, even the polytheists (mushrikīn) of Mecca regarded the glad tidings of the Holy Prophet, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, about the domination of his religion and victory of his words, during the early period of proclamation (bi`tha) as improbable, (because) in those days Islam was confined only to the Messenger of Allah, Amīr al-Mu’minīn, and Khadija, peace be on them. They considered this news as ordinarily impossible. Hence, whenever he informed the (polytheists) about matters considered impossible under normal circumstances and apparent causes, they declared: O you to whom the remembrance (dhikr) has been sent ow! Verily, you are a mad ma! [1] But hardly a few days had passed, when Allah made His affairs (kalima) the highest while he degraded the affairs of the disbelievers. As a result, the Arabs submitted to him and Arab and non-Arab tyrants surrendered before Islam and the Muslims. Furthermore, there is nothing about the Mahdī which is strange or amazing in comparison with the miracles narrated from the Prophets, peace be on them, and the Divine customs in the past nations. Things like giving life to the dead, curing p: 7
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the blind and the lepers, the miracles of the Prophets Abraham, Moses, etc. , and their occultation’s (ghayba) from their people. Thus, there is no reason to regard these mutawātir narrations as strange or improbable. Narrations which were narrated by people who were from different regions: Mecca, Medina, Kūfa, Baṣra, Baghdad, Riyy [1] , and Qum. Some were Shia, others Sunni, Ash’arī, and Mu`tazilī. Some belonged to the first era (of Islam) , while others were from later times. Furthermore, it was not possible for their narrators to come together in one congregation to fabricate them—because they lived in separate lands and times and had different religions and opinions. Moreover, the suggestion of fabrication regarding the majority of these traditions is extremely weak and unacceptable, as the narrators were famous for their reliability, were great scholars, and were the men of religion, piety and worship. If we abandon these traditions (because of these inconvincible reasons) , then, there will remain no reliable traditions from the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, and his Ahl al-Bayt, peace be on them, in all subjects of jurisprudence, beliefs, ethics, etc. Also, it will be necessary to discard the authentic traditions regarding this world as well as the hereafter, even though the rational Muslims and non-Muslims view these as the foundations of their beliefs. The existence of improbable matters (which our opponents use against us) is what they themselves have no problems with and rely on in most of their traditions. They object to the Shias, p: 8
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without realizing the results of their stance, which in reality, cannot be accepted by any Muslim. God willing, we will explain this in more detail in the future. The tawātur of these traditions has been clearly declared and the reappearance of Imam Mahdī, peace be on him, is famous amongst the Muslims and there is consensus among scholars regarding this matter. Highly esteemed Sunni scholars [1] agree on this issue and their greatest narrators of hadith have narrated such traditions. Some of them are as follows: Aḥmad (b. Ḥanbal) , Abī Dāwūd, ibn Māja, al-Tirmidhī, al-Bukhārī, Muslim, al-Nisā’ī, al-Bayhaqī, al-Māwardī, al-Ṭabarānī, al-Sam`ānī, al-Rūyānī, al-`Abdarī, Ḥāfiẓ `Abd al-`Azīz al-`Ukbarī in his Tafsīr, ibn Qutayba in Gharīb al- ḥadīth, ibn al-Sarrī, ibn `Asākir, al-Dāraqutnī in Musnad Sayyidat al-Nisā’ al-`Ālamīn Fāṭimat al-Zahrā’, al-Kisā’ī in al-Mubtada’, al-Baghawī, ibn al-Athīr, ibn al-Daiba` al-Shaibānī, al- Ḥākim in al-Mustadrak, ibn `Abd al-Bir in al-Istī`āb, Ḥāfiẓ ibn Muṭīq, al-Far`ānī, al-Numayrī, al-Munāwī, ibn Shīrawayh al-Daylamī, Sibṭ b. al-Jauzī, al-Shāriḥ al-Mu`tazilī, ibn Ṣabbāgh al- Mālikī, al-Ḥimawī, ibn al-Maghāzilī al-Shāfi`ī, Muwaffaq b. Aḥmad al-Khāwrazmī, Muḥib al-Dīn al-Ṭabarī, al-Shablanjī, al-Ṣubbān, Shaykh Manṣūr `Ali Nāṣif, and others. You should bear in mind that the appearance of the Mahdī, peace be on him, in the end of times is a subject about which many books, articles, and treatises have been written about; from the time of the eleventh Imam, al-Ḥasan al-`Askarī, peace be on him, until now. Rarely, can one locate a Shia scholar who has not written an exclusive book or an article or p: 9
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some special words on this subject. For the seekers of truth, reference to even a few of these would suffice. This is in addition to the works of Sunni scholars on the issue like: Ḥāfiẓ Abu Nu`aim al-Aṣbahānī’s Ṣifat al-Mahdī and Manāqib al-Mahdī, Ḥāfiẓ al-Kanjī al-Shāfi`ī’s al-Bayān fi akhbār Ṣāḥib al-Zamān, Mullā `Ali al-Muttaqī’s al-Burhān fī `alāmāt Mahdī ākhir al-zamān, `Abbād b. Ya`qūb al-Rawājinī’s Akhbār al-Mahdī, Ḥāfiẓ Jalal al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī’s al-`Arf al-wardī fī akhbār al-Mahdī, ibn Ḥajar’s al-Qaul al-mukhtaṣar fī `alāmāt al-Mahdī al-Muntaẓar, Shaykh Jamāl al-Dīn Yūsuf b. Yaḥyā al-Dimashqī’s `Iqd al-durar fī akhbār al-Imām al-Muntaẓar, etc. Moreover, an independent book called al-Fawāṣim `an l-fitan al-qawāṣim has been mentioned in one of the biographies available in al-Sīrat al-ḥalabiyya. The purpose of this book’s preface is to clarify for the readers the falsity of those who claim to be the Mahdī or another Imam, during the period of occultation, particularly in recent times. This is a great need of the Muslims today because the enemies of Islam are constantly on the lookout to grasp at any available opportunity to break up the Muslims and ignite the fire of differences and disputes among them in order to facilitate their imperialistic and colonialist desires and gain control over their countries and peoples. By Allah, nothing disgraces the Muslims but their differences and disputes. The followers of falsehood and disbelief can never overpower the helpers of the truth and Islam, unless disagreements and internal feuds are incited amongst them. One of the issues used by these p: 10
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wicked and corrupt powers to split the Muslims and engage them in internal disputes—instead of external defense—is that of the Mahdī, may our souls be sacrificed for him [1]. To achieve these goals in areas like Iran, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, they dispatched foolish and power-hungry stooges, well known for their immorality, lack of sensibility and understanding, and vileness. They were ignorant, or at least pretended to be so, regarding the contents of the traditions concerning his names, attributes, signs, symbols, effects, pure lineage, and noble ancestry which cannot be collectively found in any single individual, except the holy character of the twelfth Imam, Abū l-Qāsim al-Ḥujjat b. al-Ḥasan al-`Askarī b. Abū l-Ḥasan `Alī al-Hādī b. Abū Ja`far Muḥammad al-Jawād b. Abū l-Ḥasan `Alī al-Riḍā b. Abū l-Ḥasan Mūsā al-Kāẓim b. Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far al-Ṣādiq b. Abū Ja`far Muḥammad al-Bāqir b. Abū l-Ḥasan `Alī Zain al- `Ābidīn b. Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ḥusayn, Sayyid al-Shuhadā, ibn Amīr al-Mu`minīn `Ali b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on them all. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice. He will conquer the whole world and will turn Islam into a global religion—to such an extent that there will remain no one on the face of earth who will worship other than Allah. There will not remain a village, but that in which the testimony of ‘there is no god but Allah and Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah’ will echo in it. When he reappears, p: 11
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Gabriel (Jibra’īl) will call out his and his father’s name from the heavens. This call will be heard by the inhabitants of the East and the West. He has attributes and signs—which God willing, we shall soon mention. These signs do not fit anybody but him, whosoever he may be, let alone the poor creatures who were arrested, jailed and lived in imprisonment until they were crucified. Their plans remained incomplete, whilst they couldn’t manage their own affairs—let alone others’. Despite such clear explanations, some negligent people thought up fancy basis’ for their false claims. Perhaps, they have not seen what has been mentioned in the Holy Quran and the traditions about the Mahdī, may peace be on him, regarding the fact that he is a special person, whose lineage, ancestry, and attributes have no equivalent. Here, we have collected and reproduced traditions from reliable and authentic Shia and Sunni sources, so that no room remains for any doubts or questions whatsoever. Indeed, this will lead to great benefits and advantages. Mentioning these traditions in this order and detail has other purposes and benefits. There is no harm in mentioning a few of them here: The Shia belief regarding the existence of the Mahdī, peace be on him, during the occultation and after his emergence in the end of times, is neither an obstacle to the unity of the
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[1]: The author of al-Nihāya says: “Mahdī means the one whom Allah has guided towards the truth. (This name) has been used so much that it has become a common name. The Mahdī about whose appearance in the end of times (ākhir al-zamān) , the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, has given glad tidings about, has also been given this name. ” The author of Lisān al-`Arab writes: “Mahdī means the one whom Allah has guided towards the truth and it has been used for naming to the extent that it has become a popular name. The Mahdī about whose appearance in the end of times the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, has given glad tidings, has also been given this name. ” The author of Tāj al-`arūs says: “Mahdī means the one whom Allah has guided towards the truth and it has been used for naming to the extent that it has become a popular name. The Mahdī— about whose appearance in the end of times glad tidings have been given—has also been given this name. ” May Allah include us amongst his helpers.
[1]: Quran 24: 55.
[2]: Quran 28: 5.
[1]: Quran 15: 6.
[1]: A region located south of present-day Tehran—Ed.
[1]: Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd remarks in Sharḥ nahj al-balāgha: “All Muslim sects agree that the world and human responsibility will not come to an end but after him” ([Egypt], vol. 2, p. 535). One of them has written in his marginal explanations on Ṣaḥiḥ Tirmidhī that Shaykh Abd al-Ḥaq has written in al-Luma`āt, “Traditions proclaiming that the Mahdī is from the Ahl al-Bait, from the children of Fāṭima, have passed the limits of tawātur” ([Delhi: 1342 AH] vol. 2, p. 46). Al-Ṣubbān writes in Is`āf al-rāghibīn, “Traditions from the Messenger of Allah concerning his reappearance, him being from his Ahl al-Bait, and that he will fill the earth with justice are mutawātir” ([Egypt: 1312], vol. 2, p. 140). Al-Shablanjī in Nūr al-abṣār notes: “Traditions from the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, concerning him being from his Ahl al-Bait and that he will fill the earth with justice, are mutawātir” ([Egypt: 1312 AH], p. 155). ibn Ḥajar writes in al-Ṣawā`iq: “Abu l-Ḥusayn al-Abrī says, ‘The traditions concerning his reappearance, him being from his Ahl al-Bait, his rule for seven years, him emerging along with Jesus—and the latter helping him in killing the Antichrist (al-Dajjāl) at the Door of Ludd in Palestine—that he will lead this nation, and Jesus will pray behind him, are mutawātir. A large number of their narrators have directly reported from Muṣṭafā, Allah's blessings be on him and his family’” ([Egypt: al-Maymaniyya], p. 99). Sayyid Aḥmad b. Sayyid Zainī Daḥlān, the Shāfi`ī jurist, notes in al-Futūḥāt al-Islāmiyya: “Traditions concerning the reappearance of the Mahdī are numerous and mutawātir. Some of them are correct (ṣaḥīḥ) , others are acceptable (ḥasan) , yet some others are weak (ḍa`īf) , and these are the majority. But, the abundance of these traditions and abundance of their narrators strengthens the traditions to the extent that they reach the limit of certainty. What is certain is that his reappearance is inevitable, he is from the progeny of Fāṭima, and he will fill the earth with justice. Allāma Sayyid Muḥammad b. Rasūl al-Barzanjī also points this out at the end of al-Ishā`a. Determining a specific year for his reappearance is impossible because (that time) is a hidden (ghayb) knowledge which is not known to anyone except Allah and no clear evidence regarding the time of his reappearance has been mentioned in the texts” ([Egypt: 1323 AH], vol. 2, p. 211). Al-Suwaydī writes in Sabā’ik al-dhahab: “There is consensus among the scholars that the Mahdī is the one who will rise in the end of times and will fill the earth with justice. Traditions about him and his reappearance are numerous, but they will not be mentioned here because this book cannot accommodate them” (p. 78). ibn Khaldūn remarks in al-Muqaddama: “Know that it is well known amongst all Muslims that with the passing of time, inevitably in the end of times (ākhir al-zamān) , a person from the Ahl al-Bait will appear who will make religion strong and will manifest justice. The Muslims will follow him and he will conquer the Islamic nations; he will be called the Mahdī” (p. 367). Shaykh Manṣūr `Alī Nāṣif records in Ghāyat al-ma’mūl: “It is famous amongst past and present scholars, that in the end of times a person from the Ahl al-Bait called the Mahdī will definitely appear. He will conquer the Islamic lands and the Muslims will follow him and he will act between them with justice and he will strengthen the religion. After him, the Dajjāl (Antichrist) will appear and Jesus, peace be on him, will descend. Then, Jesus will kill the Dajjāl or will assist the Mahdī in killing him. A group of the best companions (of the Messenger of Allah) have narrated the traditions concerning the Mahdī and the greatest of scholars like Abū-Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, ibn Māja, al-Ṭabarānī, Abu-Ya’lā al-Bazzār, Imam Aḥmad and Ḥākim, may Allah be satisfied with all of them, have recorded them. Indeed, whoever considers all the traditions about the Mahdī as weak, like ibn Khaldūn, has made a mistake” (vol. 5, Chap. 7: “Concerning the Caliph Mahdī, may Allah be pleased with him,” p. 362). He also says in vol. 5, p. 381: “From what has been mentioned above, it is clear that the Mahdī, the Awaited one (Muntaẓar) is from this nation and the Dajjāl will appear in the end of times and Jesus, peace be on him, will descend and kill him. All Sunnis—in the past and present—hold this belief. ” He says in vol. 5, p. 382: “Al-Ḥāfiẓ writes in Fatḥ al-bārī, ‘Traditions stating that the Mahdī is from this nation, and that Jesus, peace be on him, will descend and pray behind him, are mutawātir. ’ Al-Ḥāfiẓ mentions again, ‘It is true that Jesus, peace be on him, was taken up to the skies and is alive. ’ Al-Shaukānī—in his article titled al-Tauḍīḥ fi tawātur mā jā’a fi l-Muntaẓar wa l-Dajjāl wa l-Masīḥ—states, ‘Twenty-nine traditions have been recorded concerning the descent of Jesus, peace be on him. ’ Thereafter, he mentions them and writes, ‘All that we mentioned have reached the limit of tawātur and this is obvious for anyone who is well informed and he will acknowledge that the traditions concerning the awaited Mahdī are mutawātir, the traditions concerning the Antichrist (al-Dajjāl) are mutawātir, the traditions concerning the descent of Jesus, peace be on him, are mutawātir. These are enough for anyone who has a grain of faith and a speck of fairness; and Allah is the Highest and He knows the best. ”
Al-Kanjī al-Shāfi`ī writes in al-Bayān (chap. 11): “Traditions concerning Mahdī are mutawātir and are spread far and wide because a large number of narrators have reported them from Muṣṭafā, may Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. ” Aḥmad Amīn notes in al-Mahdī wa l-Mahdawiyya (p. 106): “I read an article called Ibrāz al-wahm al-maknūn min kalām ibn Khaldūn by Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Ṣiddīq in refutation of ibn Khaldūn, in which he has weakened the sayings of the latter due to his rejection of the traditions concerning the Mahdī. He proceeds to prove their authenticity then remarks: “These have reached the limit of tawātur. ’ He also mentions other narrations that have not been mentioned by ibn Khaldūn. In his rebuttal of ibn Khaldūn he writes: “Ibn Khaldūn says, ‘Only a small number of the traditions concerning the Mahdī can be deemed pure (correct). ’ We openly ask him, ‘What will you do with these few traditions? Will not one believe in the few traditions except when they become popular or reach the level of tawātur? Neve! This is not possible because no one holds such an opinion and none before or after him have held such a view. ’ He also criticizes ibn Khaldūn for using singular traditions (ḥadīth āḥād) as supportive arguments in his history book—which themselves have only been mentioned from a single source, a source which itself has some issues. Concerning this approach, he contends, ‘Don’t you see that when the tradition is not in harmony with his desires he doesn’t accept it even if it is authentic? ’ He then continues: ‘The traditions concerning the Mahdī are believed because they are correct (ṣaḥīḥ) and acceptable (ḥasan) traditions amongst them. Ibn Khaldūn is truly an innovator (mubtadi`) and innovators are of different kinds: Among them is the one who is regarded a disbeliever (kāfir) due to his innovation, like he who deems Allah to have a body/shape or denies Allah has knowledge about the details of things. Another, is the one who is not regarded a disbeliever (kāfir) due to his innovation; he is the one who fabricates inferior things. Ibn Khaldūn may be one of the latter. Regarding this, he has elaborated considerably. In his claim of falsity or weakness, Ibn Khaldūn has contradicted all those whom he has narrated from. For, he has narrated from a group of scholars who have recited poems proving the existence of the Mahdī. For instance:
Traditions about the Mahdī are abundant in report
So give a hand and come forward to support
Or, like the saying of al-Suyūṭī:
And what has been reported in numbers so high
Proves that they haven’t fabricated a lie
He has also mentioned in al-Mahdī wa l-Mahdawiyya (p. 110) that Abu-Ṭayyib b. Aḥmad b. Abī l-Ḥasan al-Ḥusaynī has refuted ibn Khaldūn in his article titled al-Idhā`a limā kāna wa mā yakūn bayna yaday al-sā`a and has regarded his opinions as mistakes. Ultimately, he deduces that the Mahdī will appear in the end of times and denying him is a great defiance and a grave mistake.
Al-Shāfi`ī’s view concerning the tawātur of these traditions has been mentioned in Kifāyat al-muwaḥḥidīn. In al-Burhān fi `alāmāt Mahdī ākhir al-zamān (chap. 13) , the verdicts of four scholars from the four schools of thought (al-madhāhib al-arba`a) regarding the Mahdī have been mentioned; namely, Shaykh ibn Ḥajar al-Shāfi`ī—the author of al-Qaul al-mukhtaṣar—Abu l-Surūr Aḥmad b. Ḍiyā’ al-Ḥanafī, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad al-Mālikī and Yaḥyā b. Muḥammad al-Ḥanbalī. Their verdicts speak about the validity and authenticity of the belief about the appearance of the Mahdī. They also mention that correct traditions have been narrated about him, his attributes, his appearance, and the unrests (fitnas) before his reappearance; like the emergence of al-Sufyānī, the khasaf (sinking in the ground) , etc. Ibn Ḥajar has explicitly acknowledged that they are mutawātir and that he is from the Ahl al-Bait, he will conquer the east and the west (of the earth) and he will fill it with justice, and Jesus will pray behind him. He will kill al-Sufyānī, and the army which al-Sufyānī will dispatch to kill the Mahdī, will sink in the ground in al-Baydā’ (which is a place) between Mecca and Medina.
Muslims, nor a barrier to setting aside the differences which are damaging their majesty and might. This pure belief originates from the glad p: 12
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tidings (in these narrations) and is not contradictory to the principles of Islam or the explicit and clear guidelines of the Holy Quran and correct Sunna. Rather, it is a belief that stems from faith in the Holy Prophet, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, who is the source of these prophecies. Therefore, it is necessary that the Sunnis deal with this subject as they do with any other issue in which their scholars have differences amongst themselves and investigate the truth like they do for other problems. Eliminating Repetition: After browsing through early and also recent books on this subject which were available to me, I found many duplicate narrations. Most of the traditions are not related to a particular concept and cannot be included in a specific chapter. Since there are a number of concepts and meanings found in one tradition, the same tradition has been mentioned under different titles. This is why duplicate narrations can be found in the books of both sects on the one hand and the truncation of traditions on the other. I have refrained from doing this by simply pointing to the traditions in the other chapters and also by mentioning their locations and numbers at the end of every chapter. Knowing that most topics are mutawātir: We have already mentioned in the first volume, some of the traditions concerning the twelve Imams, may peace be on them, because of their significance regarding our discussion. God willing, we will now proceed to narrate the p: 13
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traditions concerning the Mahdī, peace be on him, his attributes, and his conditions from both sects. Investigating the traditions on this subject is beyond the aim and scope (of this book) and is not possible except for those who are experts in the sciences of tradition and the great scholars. We have restricted ourselves to mentioning only the narrations which are relevant to the facts regarding that particular topic. By doing this, we will have fulfilled the purpose for which this book has been compiled for. Whoever desires more details should refer to the writings of other scholars. This was the preface of this book in the first edition (which was published) more than forty years ago. Thank God, in this new edition, we have succeeded in compiling a complete volume about the traditions of the twelve Imams, peace be on them, and made it the first volume. We then revised the old edition until it turned into an almost new book and we included it in the current edition as the second and the third volumes. The three volumes have been separated into eleven main chapters and ninety-four sections. We also succeeded in adding discussions based on narrations which are related to the subject of Imam Mahdī, peace be on him, and placed them at the end of the third volume. We ask Allah, the Exalted, to make us successful in accomplishing the tasks that are the cause of His satisfaction, and to protect us from prejudice and recklessness, and p: 14
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to guide us to the path of truth and justice, and to make our actions purely for Him, and to reserve them for “the Day when neither wealth nor children will benefit anybody except the one who comes to Allah with a purified heart. ” [1]
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[1]: Quran 26: 89.
Chapter Three: The Proofs About The Reappearance of The Mahdi,
Chapter Three: The Proofs About The Reappearance of The Mahdi, His Names, Attributes, Characteristics, Personality, And Glad-Tidings About Him Comprised of fifty-one sections.
-Muntakhab al - Athar fi l-Imam al - thani Ashar: Selected Narrations about the Twelfth Imam
Section
One Verses from the Holy Quran which give glad-tidings about his reappearance, or can be interpreted to the signs of his reappearance, and what will happen before, during, and after his reappearance In this section, we will mention the traditions that have been narrated which are interpretations of the Holy Quran or the opinions of commentators which are in harmony and accordance with these narrations. Of course, some of these verses in their apparent form or according to their interpretations, exclusively refer to him. This will become clear for you by reading what has been mentioned. We will discuss or at least hint at twenty-eight verses from the Holy Quran and their interpretations (tafsīr) in this chapter. The number of traditions we will refer to, to explain these verses, are eighty-two. The verses of the Quran which refer to his reappearance are many and exceed one hundred and thirteen in number—as some have enumerated. A few scholars have even compiled exclusive books on the subject. We will, God willing, mention a few of these verses only as examples and not as a complete study. They are p: 15
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as follows: (1)
ﺍَﻟﱠﱠﺬِﻳْﻦَ ﻳُﺆْﻣِﻨُﻮْﻥَ ﺑِﺎﻟْﻐَﻴْﺐِ ﻭَ ﻳُﻘِﻴْﻤُﻮْﻥَ ﺍﻟﺼﱠﱠﻠﻮﺓَ ﻭَ ﻣِﻤﱠﱠﺎ ﺭَﺯَﻗْﻨَﺎﻫُﻢْ ﻳُﻨْﻔِﻘُﻮْﻥَ
Those who believe in the unseen and establish prayers and give away from what We have bestowed upon them [1] 310. Kamāl al-dīn [2]: Muḥammad b. Mūsā al-Mutawakkil, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from Muḥammad b. `Abd al-`Azīz, from a group of our companions, from Dāwūd b. Kathīr al-Riqqī, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, regarding the saying of Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He, “Those who believe in the unseen,” means those who acknowledge [or believe] [3] that the uprising of the Qā’im is true. (2)
ﻭَ ﻧُﺮِﻳْﺪُ ﺍَﻥﱠﱠ ﻧَﻤُﻦﱠﱠ ﻋَﻠَﻰ ﺍﻟﱠﱠﺬِﻳْﻦَ ﺍﺳْﺘُﻀْﻌِﻔُﻮْﺍ ﻓِﻲْ ﺍﻟﺎَﺭْﺽِ ﻭَ ﻧَﺠْﻌَﻠَﻬُﻢْ ﺍَﺋِﻤﱠﱠﺔً ﻭَ ﻧَﺠْﻌَﻠَﻬُﻢُ ﺍﻟْﻮَﺍﺭِﺛِﻴْﻦَ
And We intend to bestow a favor upon those who have been weakened in the earth and make them the Imams and make them the heirs [4] 311. Nahj al-balāgha [5]: Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, said: “The world will be kind to us after its defiance just like an ill-mannered she-camel which is kind towards its young [but bites those who want to milk it]. ” Then Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, recited the verse, “And We intend to bestow a favor upon those who have been weakened in the earth and make them the Imams and make them the heirs. ” Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd says in his commentary on Nahj al-balāgha: “Our companions believe that he has given a promise about an Imam who will rule the earth and dominate the p: 16
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nations. ” Al-Ḥaskānī mentions in Shawāhid al-tanzīl from `Abd-al-Raḥmān b. al-Ḥasan, from Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Salma, from Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah b. Sulaimān, from Yaḥyā b. `Abd al- Ḥamīd al-Ḥammānī, from Sharīk, from `Uthmān, from ibn Ṣādiq, from Rabī`at b. Nājidh, from `Alī, peace be on him, who said: “The world will become kind to us like an ill-mannered she- camel towards her young. ” He then recited: “And We intend to bestow a favor upon those who have been weakened... ” 312. Tafsīr al-Furāt [1]: Al-Ḥusayn b. Sa`īd, through a chain of narrators from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, who said: Whoever wants to ask about our affairs and that of the people, then (he should know that) we and our followers were on the tradition (sunna) of Moses and his followers since the day Allah created the heavens and the earth, and surely our enemy and his followers were on the tradition of the Pharaoh (Fir`un) and his followers since the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. He [i. e. the one who wants to know] should recite the verses from the beginning of Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ to Allah’s saying “they fear (yaḥdharūn). ” I swear by Allah Who split the seed, created the soul, and sent the Book to Muḥammad—Allah's blessings be on him and his family—with truth and justice, these [people] will become kind to you like an ill-mannered she-camel becomes kind towards its young. 313. Shawāhid al-tanzīl [2]: From Abū Bakr al-Ma`marī, from Abū Ja`far al-Qummī, from Muḥammad b. `Umar al-Ḥāfiẓ in p: 17
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Baghdad, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn, from Aḥmad b. `Uthm b. Ḥakīm, from Shurayḥ b. Maslama, from Ibrāhīm b. Yūsuf, from `Abd al-Jabbār, from al-A`mash al-Thaqafī, from Abū Ṣādiq, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, who either said: “The verse ‘And We intend to bestow a favor upon those who have been weakened in the earth and make them the Imams and make them the heirs’ is about us” or “belongs to us. ” 314. Tafsīr al-Furāt [1]: From furāt b. Ibrāhīm al-Kūfī, through a chain of narrators from Abū l-Mughaira, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, who said: “The verse ‘And We intend to bestow a favor upon those who have been weakened in the earth and make them the Imams and make them the heirs,’ was descended regarding us. ” 315. Tafsīr al-Furāt [2]: From `Alī b. Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Zuharī, through a chain of narrators from Thuwair b. Abī Fākhta, from Imam `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, who asked him, “Do you recite the Quran? ” He replied in the affirmative. The Imam, peace be on him, said, “Then recite Ṭā-Sīn-Mīm [Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ], the Surah of Moses and the Pharaoh. ” Thuwair says, “I recited four of its initial verses until I reached His saying, ‘and make them the Imams and make them the heirs. ’ He, peace be on him, said: “That’s enough. By the One Who truly sent Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, as a giver of good news and warnings (bashīran wa nadhīrā) , the righteous (al-abrār) p: 18
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from us Ahl al-Bait and their followers are like Moses, peace be on him, and his followers. ” 316. Tafsīr al-Furāt [1]: From `Alī b. Muḥammad b. `Umar al-Zuharī, through a chain of narrators from Zaid b. Salām al-Ju`fī who said: I went to Abū-Ja`far [Imam Muḥammad al-Bāqir], peace be on him, and said, “May Allah improve your conditio! Al-Khaithama al-Ju`fī has reported to me that he asked you concerning the verse ‘and make them the Imams and make them the heirs,’ and that you told him that you are the Imams and you are the heirs. ” The Imam, peace be on him, replied, “By Allah, al- Khaithama has said the truth. I informed him exactly like this. ” 317. Ghaybat al-Shaykh [2]: From Muḥammad b. `Alī, from al-Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad al-Qiṭa`ī, from `Alī b. Ḥātim, from Muḥammad b. Marwān, from `Ubaid b. Yaḥyā al-Thaurī, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn, from his father, from his grandfather, from `Alī, peace be on him, who said regarding the saying of Allah, the Exalted ‘And We intend to bestow a favor upon those who have been weakened in the earth and make them the Imams and make them the heirs’: “They are the progeny of Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. Allah will send their Mahdī after their struggles so that he may give them honor and humiliate their enemies. ” 318. Al-Anwār al-muḍī’a [3]: From Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-Ayādī, through a chain of narrators from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, who said, “We Ahl al-Bait are those who have been p: 19
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mentioned in (Allah’s) book as weakened in the earth and whom Allah will make the Imams. Allah will send their Mahdī so that he may give them honor and humiliate their enemies. ” 319. Al-Anwār al-muḍī’a [1]: It has been narrated that the verse “And We intend to bestow a favor upon those who have been weakened in the earth and make them the Imams and make them the heirs” was mentioned in the presence of Imam al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him. Tears started flowing from his eyes and he said: “By Allah, we are those who have been weakened. ” (3)
ﻭَ ﻟَﻘَﺪْ ﻛَﺘَﺒْﻨَﺎ ﻓِﻲْ ﺍﻟﺰﱠﱠﺑُﻮْﺭِ ﻣِﻦْ ﺑَﻌْﺪِ ﺍﻟﺬِّﻛْﺮِ ﺍَﻥﱠﱠ ﺍﻟْﺎَﺭْﺽَ ﻳَﺮِﺛُﻬَﺎ ﻋِﺒَﺎﺩِﻱَ ﺍﻟﺼﱠﱠﺎﻟِﺤُﻮْﻥ
َ And indeed We have written in the Psalms after the Remembrance, that the earth will be inherited by my righteous servants [2] 320. Mā nazala min al-Qurān fī Ahl al-Bait `alayhim al-salām [3]: Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, from Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan, from his father, from Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah b. al-Ḥasan, from his father, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, who said: “The saying of Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He, ‘The earth will be inherited by My righteous servants’ refers to the companions of the Mahdī, peace be on him, in the end of times. ” 321. Tafsīr al-tibyān [4]: Imam al-Bāqir, peace be on him, said: “Surely, this is a promise to the believers that they will inherit the entire earth. ” The author of Majma` al-bayān says: It has been narrated from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, that “they are the companions of the p: 20
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Mahdī, peace be on him, in the end of times. ” The proof for this can be found in the traditions narrated by the Shias and the Sunnis on the authority of the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said, “If only one day remains to the end of the world, Allah will prolong it until He sends a righteous person from my Ahl al-Bait. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice. ” The renowned Sunni scholar, Abū Bakr Aḥmad b. al-Ḥusayn al-Bayhaqī has recorded numerous traditions concerning this concept in his book al-Ba`th wa l-nushūr. His grandson, Abū l-Ḥasan `Ubaid-Allah b. Muḥammad b. Aḥmad, narrated to us all these traditions in the year 518 AH... One of the things that Abū l-Ḥasan narrated to us was that he said, “Narrated to us Abū `Alī al-Rūdbārī, from Abū Bakr b. Dāsa, from Abū Dāwūd al-Sajistānī, from many different people, from the book al-Sunan, that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said, ‘If only one day remains to the end of the world, Allah will prolong it until He sends a person from me or from my Ahl al-Bait. ’ Some versions of the tradition also add, ‘His name will be my name. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and oppression. ’” 322. Tafsīr al-Qummī [1]: (From Imam al-Bāqir, peace p: 21
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be on him) who said: In the saying of Allah, “And indeed We have written in the Psalms after the Remembrance (al-dhikr) ,” Remembrance (al-dhikr) refers to all the [Holy] books and “The earth will be inherited by my righteous servants,” [1] refers to the Qā’im, peace be on him, and his companions; The Psalms consist of the story of fierce battles, praises, glorifications and supplications. (4)
ﻭَ ﺍِﻧﱠﱠﻪُ ﻟَﻌِﻠْﻢٌ ﻟِﻠﺴﱠﱠﺎﻋَﺔِ
And surely he is a sign of the Hour [2] 323. Al-Ṣawā`iq al-muḥriqa [3]: Ibn Ḥajar records in al-Ṣawā`iq in the chapter on the verses revealed about the Ahl al-Bait: Regarding the twelfth verse, Allah’s saying: “And surely he is a sign of the hour,” Muqātil b. Sulaimān and other commentators who have followed him say, “Verily, this verse was revealed concerning the Mahdī. ” We will soon mention traditions that clearly show he is from the progeny of the Messenger of Allah. This verse shows the prosperity of the descendants of Fāṭima and `Alī—may Allah be satisfied with them—and that surely Allah will bring forth from them many pure people and that He will make their descendants the keys of wisdom and the mines of mercy... ” It has been recorded in Is`āf al-rāghibīn: “Muqātil b. Sulaimān and the commentators who followed him have said the verse ‘And surely he is a sign of the hour,’ was revealed concerning the Mahdī. ” According to Nūr al-abṣār, “Muqātil b. Sulaimān and the commentators who followed him have said regarding the above verse, ‘He is Mahdī. He will be in the p: 22
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end of times. The signs of the Hour and its establishment will occur after his reappearance. ’” (5)
ﻫُﻮَ ﺍﻟﱠﱠﺬِﻱْ ﺍَﺭْﺳَﻞَ ﺭَﺳُﻮْﻟَﻪ ﺑِﺎﻟْﻬُﺪﻱ ﻭَ ﺩِﻳْﻦِ ﺍﻟﺤَﻖِّ ﻟِﻴُﻈْﻬِﺮَﻩ ﻋَﻠَﻲ ﺍﻟﺪِّﻳْﻦِ ﻛُﻠِّﻪ ﻭَ ﻟَﻮْ ﻛَﺮِﻩَ ﺍﻟْﻤُﺸْﺮِﻛُﻮْﻥ
َ It is He Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it superior over all religions, even though the polytheists detest it [1] 324. Tafsīr al-tibyān [2]: Imam al-Bāqir, peace be on him, says: This will occur when the Qā’im, peace be on him, emerges. According to Majma` al-bayān, Imam Al-Bāqir, peace be on him, says, “This will take place when the Mahdī from the progeny
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[1]: Quran 2: 3.
[3]: According to another manuscript—Ed.
[4]: Quran 28: 5.
[2]: Quran 21: 105.
[1]: Quran 21: 105.
[2]: Quran 43: 61.
[1]: Quran 9: 33 and 61: 9.
of Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, reappears. No one will remain but that he will testify to [the prophethood] of Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. ” 325. Al-Bayān [3]: Sa`īd b. Jubair says regarding the saying of Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He, “to make it superior over all religions, even though the polytheists detest it” that “He is the Mahdī from the progeny of Fāṭima, peace be on her. ” 326. Al-Kāfī [4]: `Alī b. Muḥammad, from one of our companions, from ibn Maḥbūb, from Muḥammad b. al-Fuḍail, from Abū l-Ḥasan al-Māḍī [i. e. the tenth Imam] who when asked about the verse: “to make it superior over all religions,” had said, “He [Allah] will dominate it over all the religions at the time of the Qā’im’s rising. Allah says, ‘And Allah will complete His Light,’ [means] the mastership (wilāya) of the Qā’im... ” 327. The Book of Faḍl p: 23
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b. Shādhān [1]: Ṣafwān b. Yaḥyā, from Muḥammad b. Ḥumrān, from (Imam) Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, who said: Surely the Qā’im from us will be aided by fear and made powerful with assistance. The earth will twist for him [distances will be shortened for him], all the treasures will be exposed for him, and through him, Allah, the Exalted, will dominate His religion over all religions even if the polytheists detest it. His government will encompass the East and West of the earth. No ruined thing shall remain on the earth but that he will revive it. The Spirit of Allah, Jesus the son of Mary, peace be on him, will descend and pray behind him. Ibn Ḥumrān narrates that someone asked him, “O son of Allah’s Messenge! When will the Qā’im from you appear? ” He, peace be on him, replied: When the men will resemble women and the women will resemble men, men will suffice with men and women will suffice with women, [2] women will ride on saddles, false testimonies will be accepted while the true ones will be refuted, blood [murder] will be taken lightly, unlawful sex will be committed, loans will be given with interest and bribes will be taken, the evil shall govern the good, the Sufyānī will emerge from Syria and the Yamānī from Yemen. The earth will sink at Baydā’ and a young man from the progeny of Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, will be killed between the Rukn and p: 24
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the Maqām [at Ka`ba]. His name will be Muḥammad b. Muḥammad and his epithet will be al-Nafs al-Zakiyya (the pure soul). A cry will come from the skies that “salvation is for `Alī and his followers. ” It is then that our Qā’im will reappear. When he emerges, he will lean his back on the Ka`ba and three hundred and thirteen men will gather near him. The first thing that he will say will be the verse, “The remnant of Allah is better for you, if you are believers. ” [1] Then, he will say, “I am the remnant of Allah, His Proof, and His Caliph upon you. ” No Muslim will salute him but through these words, “Peace be upon you, O remnant of Allah on His earth. ” When the ten thousand men assembly meets for the covenant, he will emerge from Mecca. Then, besides Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He, nothing that is worshipped and no idol will remain on earth except that it will catch fire and burn. This will occur after a long occultation. 328. Tafsīr Furāt al-Kūfī [2]: Narrated to us Ja`far b. Aḥmad, from Abū `Abd Allah (al-Ṣādiq) , peace be on him, who said about the verse: “It is He Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it superior over all religions, even though the polytheists detest it” that “When the Qā’im reappears, there shall not remain a polytheist nor a disbeliever except that he will dislike the reappearance [of the Qā’im]. If [one p: 25
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of them hides] in a boulder, the boulder will call out, ‘O believe! Within me is an unbeliever. Break me and kill him. ’” 329. Mashāriq anwār al-yaqīn [1]: From Imam al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, who said: “Surely, this affair will end in the one whom the horsemen will return to humbly from the horizons. He is the one who will make [Islam] prevail over all religions and he is the Mahdī. ” 330. Majma` al-bayān [2]: al-`Ayyāshī narrates through his chain from `Imrān b. Maitham, from `Ibāya that he heard Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, say: “‘It is He Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it superior over all religions,’ Has this already occurred? ” [Those present] replied, “Yes. ” He, peace be on him, said, “No, by the One in Whose hand is my life. Not until there remains no village but that from which the testimony of there is no god but Allah will be called out every morning and evening. ” 331. Tafsīr al-`Ayyāshī [3]: From Samā`a, from Abū Abd-Allah (al-Ṣādiq) , peace be on him, (under the verse) , “It is He Who has sent... even though the polytheists detest it”: When the Qā’im, peace be on him, reappears, there shall remain no one who associates others with the Great Allah and no disbelievers, except that they will dislike his reappearance. 332. Mafātīḥ al-ghayb (al-Tafsīr al-kabīr) [4]: Under the interpretation of the saying of [Allah], the Exalted, “It is He Who has sent His Messenger... ,” p: 26
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from al-Suddī: “This will occur when the Mahdī emerges. ” He also says in al-Sirāj al-munīr under the interpretation of the same verse: “Al-Suddī said, ‘This will occur when the Mahdī, peace be on him, emerges. ’” It has also been narrated from al-Suddī in Tafsīr abū l-futūḥ [1] that “This will occur when the Mahdī, peace be on him, emerges. ” (6) ﻭَﻋَﺪَ ﺍﻟﻠﻪُ ﺍﻟﱠﱠﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺁﻣَﻨُﻮﺍ ﻣِﻨﻜُﻢْ ﻭَﻋَﻤِﻠُﻮﺍ ﺍﻟﺼﱠﱠﺎﻟِﺤَﺎﺕِ ﻟَﻴَﺴْﺘَﺨْﻠِﻔَﻨﱠﱠﻬُﻢ ﻓِﻲ ﺍﻟْﺄَﺭْﺽِ ﻛَﻤَﺎ ﺍﺳْﺘَﺨْﻠَﻒَ ﺍﻟﱠﱠﺬِﻳﻦَ ﻣِﻦ ﻗَﺒْﻠِﻬِﻢْ ﻭَﻟَﻴُﻤَﻜِّﻨَﻦﱠﱠ ﻟَﻬُﻢْ ﺩِﻳﻨَﻬُﻢُ ﺍﻟﱠﱠﺬِﻱ ﺍﺭْﺗَﻀَﻰ ﻟَﻬُﻢْ ﻭَﻟَﻴُﺒَﺪِّﻟَﻨﱠﱠﻬُﻢ ﻣِّﻦ ﺑَﻌْﺪِ ﺧَﻮْﻓِﻬِﻢْ ﺃَﻣْﻨًﺎ ﻳَﻌْﺒُﺪُﻭﻧَﻨِﻲ ﻟﺎَ ﻳُﺸْﺮِﻛُﻮﻥَ ﺑِﻲ ﺷَﻴْﺌًﺎ ﻭَﻣَﻦ ﻛَﻔَﺮَ ﺑَﻌْﺪَ ﺫٰﻟِﻚَ ﻓَﺄُﻭْﻟَﺌِﻚَ ﻫُﻢُ ﺍﻟْﻔَﺎﺳِﻘُﻮﻥَ Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He has made rulers those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; They worship Me and don’t associate anyone with Me; and whoever is ungrateful after that, then those are the disobedient [2] 333. Shawāhid al-tanzīl [3]: Furāt b. Ibrāhīm, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Shīrawayh al-Qaṭṭān, from Ḥuraith b. Muḥammad, from Ibrāhīm b. Ḥakam b. Abān, from his father, from al- Suddī, from ibn `Abbās concerning the verse, “Allah has promised to those of you who believe... ” He said: “It has been revealed about the family of Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. ” 334. Shawāhid al-tanzīl [4]: Furāt, from Aḥmad b. Mūsā, from Mukhawwal, from `Abd p: 27
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al-Raḥmān, from al-Qāsim b. `Uwf who said: “I heard `Abd-Allah b. Muḥammad say [concerning the verse], ‘Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good deeds... ’ that ‘It is for (about) us Ahl al-Bait. ’” 335. Al-Durr al-manthūr [1]: Aḥmad and ibn Mardawayh have both narrated and Bayhaqī has recorded in al-Dalā’il from Ubay b. Ka`b who said: “When the verse ‘Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good deeds... ’ was revealed to the Prophet, he said, ‘Give good news to this nation about loftiness, elevation, religion, help, and establishment on earth. Whoever amongst them performs the deeds of the hereafter for this world [i. e. to reach worldly aims], he will have no share in the hereafter. ’” 336. Tafsīr al-Qummī [2]: His saying: ‘Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He has made rulers those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; They worship Me and don’t associate anyone with Me’ was descended concerning the Qā’im from the progeny of Muḥammad, peace be on him and his forefathers. 337. Al-Iḥtijāj [3]: In a lengthy tradition from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, in which he mentions the shortcomings of some of the enemies of the Ahl al-Bait and those who p: 28
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had gained power and Allah’s delay in punishing them. He says: All these [delays] were [put in place] so that the respite would come to an end which Allah, Blessed and High be He, gave to His enemy Satan; until the Book reaches its time and the word is fulfilled against the disbelievers and the true promise which Allah has explained in His Book approaches: ‘Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He has made rulers those before them. ’ This will occur when nothing will remain from Islam except its name and from the Quran save its text. The owner of the affair (ṣāḥib al-amr) will go in occultation because he will have an [obvious] excuse to do so as mischief will cover the hearts to such an extent that the closest of people to him will have the most enmity against him. It is then that Allah will assist him with an army that you cannot see and He will make the religion of His Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, prevail at his hands over all other religions, even if the polytheists dislike it. 338. Miṣbāḥ al-Shaykh [1]: In the ziyāra of Imam Ḥusayn, peace be on him, which he has narrated from Abū (Imam) `Abd-Allah, peace be on him: O Alla! multiply Your salutations, Your mercy, and Your blessings upon the progeny of Your Prophet—the progeny who were mistreated, terrified p: 29
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and belittled; the remnants of the clean, pure, and blessed tree. And O Alla! Elevate their word, make their arguments successful, free them from calamities, straits, the intense darkness of falsehood, and sorrows. Make the hearts of their Shias and Your party steadfast upon their obedience, their mastership, their help, and their guardianship, and help them and bestow them with patience in the face of the tortures they receive in Your cause. Make for them witnessed days and praised, fortunate times, in which their salvation will be near and which will be the cause of their establishment and them being assisted (by You) , just as You have guaranteed for Your friends in Your revealed Book, for surely, You have said and Your word is the truth: ‘Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He has made rulers those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; They worship Me and don’t associate anyone with Me. ’ 339. Majma` al-bayān [1]: It has been narrated from the Ahl al-Bait, peace be on them, that this verse is about the Mahdī from the progeny of Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. Al-`Ayyāshī has narrated through his chain of narrators from Imam `Alī ibn al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, that p: 30
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after reciting the verse, he, peace be on him, said: By Alla! Those are the followers of us Ahl al-Bait. Allah will deal with them in this manner at the hands of a person from us and he is the Mahdī of this umma. He is the one about whom the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said, “Even if there remains one day from this world, Allah will prolong that day until a person from my progeny rules. His name will be my name. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice. ” He narrates a similar tradition from (Imam) Abū Ja`far and (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on them, and then says: “Therefore, the term “those of you who believe and do good deeds” refers to the Holy Prophet and his Ahl al-Bait, may Allah’s blessings be upon them. The verse also gives them glad-tidings about their governance and power in the cities and the removal of fear from them at the time of the rising of their Mahdī, peace be on him. ” 340. Majāzāt al-āthār al-nabawiyya [1]: The Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, saw Fatima, peace be on her, hungry with a torn gown, so he wept and said: “Does it not satisfy you, O Fatima, that there shall not remain on the face of earth any house or tent except that respect or disgrace shall enter it because of your p: 31
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father? ” [1] 341. Majāzāt al-āthār al-nabawiyya [2]: He, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said: “This religion will certainly enter everywhere that night enters. ” I say: In this tradition as well as the previous one, there is no clear mention of the Mahdī, peace be on him, or that he will make such things happen. But, just like the Holy Quran, some narrations explain other narrations. Whoever ponders about what we have mentioned from the verses of the Holy Quran and the traditions— and traditions similar to these—will know that the aim of all of these traditions is one and that is, giving news about Islam’s domination over all other religions and the rule of the believers on earth during the government of the Divine Caliph, Imam Mahdī, peace be on him, whom Allah will help to conquer the entire globe. 342. Mā nazala min al-Qurān fī Ahl al-Bait `alayhim al-salām [3]: Narrated to us `Alī b. `Abd-Allah, from Ibrāhīm b. Muḥammad al-Thaqafī, from al-Ḥasan b. al-Ḥusayn, from Sufyān b. Ibrāhīm, from `Amr b. Hāshim, from Isḥāq b. `Abd-Allah, from (Imam) `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, concerning the saying of Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He, “And by the Lord of the heavens and the earth, it is most surely the truth, just as you do speak. ” [4] He, peace be on him, said:
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[2]: This refers to homosexuality and lesbianism—Trans.
[1]: Quran 11: 86.
[1]: Tafsīr abū l-futūḥ al-rāzī, vol. 6, p. 16, under Verse 9: 33.
[2]: Quran 24: 55.
[1]: That is, those who will follow and obey your father will be respected while others will be disgraced regardless of their place of dwelling—Trans.
[4]: Quran 51: 23.
“It is most surely the truth,” refers to the rising of the Qā’im, peace be on him. Concerning him, was revealed, “Allah has promised to those of you who believe p: 32
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and do good deeds that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He has made rulers those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange. ” 343. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Narrated to us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd b. `Uqda, from Abū l-Ḥasan Aḥmad b. Yūsuf b. Ya`qūb al-Ju`fī, from his book, from Ismā`īl b. Mihrān, from al- Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, from his father and Wuhaib, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū Abd-Allah, peace be on him, regarding the meaning of His saying, Mighty and Glorified be He: “Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He has made rulers those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; They worship Me and don’t associate anyone with Me. ” He, peace be on him, said: “It was revealed concerning the Qā’im, peace be on him, and his companions. ” (7)
ﺍﻟﱠﱠﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺇِﻥ ﻣﱠﱠﻜﱠﱠﻨﱠﱠﺎﻫُﻢْ ﻓِﻲ ﺍﻟْﺄَﺭْﺽِ ﺃَﻗَﺎﻣُﻮﺍ ﺍﻟﺼﱠﱠﻠﺎَﺓَ ﻭَﺁﺗَﻮُﺍ ﺍﻟﺰﱠﱠﻛَﺎﺓَ ﻭَﺃَﻣَﺮُﻭﺍ ﺑِﺎﻟْﻤَﻌْﺮُﻭﻑِ ﻭَﻧَﻬَﻮْﺍ ﻋَﻦِ ﺍﻟْﻤُﻨﻜَﺮِ ﻭَﻟِﻠﱠﱠﻪِ ﻋَﺎﻗِﺒَﺔُ ﺍﻟْﺄُﻣُﻮﺭِ
Those, who if We give them power in the land, will keep up the prayers and pay the zakat and enjoin good and forbid evil, and the outcome p: 33
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of all affairs belongs to Allah [1] 344. Shawāhid al-tanzīl [2]: Furāt (al-Kūfī) , from Aḥmad b. al-Qāsim b. `Ubaid, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-Jammāl, from Yaḥyā b. Hāshim, from Abū Manṣūr, from Abū Khalīfa who said: I and Abū `Ubaida al-Ḥadhdhā’ visited (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him. He asked his slave-girl to get a cushion for us. I said, “There is no need for it, we will sit. ” He said, “O Abū Khalīf! Don’t reject respect. For surely, none turns down respect except a donkey. ” I asked him, “How can we recognize the owner of this affair (ṣāḥib al-amr)? ” He replied, “The saying of Allah, the Exalted, ‘Those, who if We give them power in the land, will keep up the prayers and pay the zakat and enjoin good and forbid evil. ’ When you see this man from us, then follow him, for surely, he is its owner. ” 345. Shawāhid al-tanzīl [3]: Furāt (al-Kūfī) , from al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Zuray` and Ismā`īl b. Abān, from Fuḍail b. al-Zubayr, from Zaid b. `Alī who said: “When the Qā’im from the progeny of Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, rises, he will say, ‘O peopl! We are the ones about whom Allah has promised you in His Book: “Those, who if We give them power in the land... ”’” 346. Mā nazala min al-Qurān fī Ahl al-Bait `alayhim al-salām [4]: Narrated to us Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Ḥamīd, from Ja`far b. `Abd-Allah, from Kathīr b. `Ayyāsh, from Abū l-Jārūd, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, p: 34
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peace be on him, concerning His saying, Mighty and Glorified be He: “Those, who if We give them power in the land, will keep up the prayers and pay the zakat and enjoin good and forbid evil, and the outcome of all affairs belongs to Allah. ” He, peace be on him, said: This (verse) is about the progeny of Muḥammad, the Mahdī, and his companions. Allah, the Exalted, will make them rule all the earth. Through them, Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He, will destroy the innovations (al-bida`) and falsehood—the same way that the fools had caused the truth to die—until no sign of unfairness will be visible. They will enjoin good and forbid evil, and the outcome of all affairs belong to Allah. ” (8)
ﺃُﺫِﻥَ ﻟِﻠﱠﱠﺬِﻳﻦَ ﻳُﻘَﺎﺗَﻠُﻮﻥَ ﺑِﺄَﻧﱠﱠﻬُﻢْ ﻇُﻠِﻤُﻮﺍ ﻭَﺇِﻥﱠﱠ ﺍﻟﻠﻪَ ﻋَﻠَﻰ ﻧَﺼْﺮِﻫِﻢْ ﻟَﻘَﺪِﻳﺮٌ
Permission (to fight) is given to those upon whom war is made, because they are oppressed, and most surely Allah is well able to assist them [1] 347. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [2]: Informed us `Alī ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Mas`ūdī, from Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār al-Qummī, from Muḥammad b. Ḥasan al-Rāzī, from Muḥammad b. `Alī al- Kūfī, from `Abd al-Raḥmān b. Abī Najrān, from al-Qāsim, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, concerning the saying of Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He: “Permission (to fight) is given to those upon whom war is made because they are oppressed, and most surely Allah is well able to assist them. ” He said: “It is about the Qā’im, peace be on him, and his companions. ” 348. p: 35
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Mā nazala min al-Qurān fī Ahl al-Bait `alayhim al-salām [1]: Narrated to us al-Ḥusayn b. Aḥmad al-Mālikī, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from Yūnus, from al-Muthannā al-Ḥannāṭ, from `Abd- Allah b. `Ajlān, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, concerning the saying of Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He: “Permission (to fight) is given to those upon whom war is made because they are oppressed, and most surely Allah is well able to assist them. ” He said: “It is about the Qā’im, peace be on him, and his companions. ” (9)
ﺃَﻳْﻦَ ﻣَﺎ ﺗَﻜُﻮﻧُﻮﺍْ ﻳَﺄْﺕِ ﺑِﻜُﻢُ ﺍﻟﻠﻪُ ﺟَﻤِﻴﻌًﺎ
Wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together [2] 349. Majma` al-bayān [3]: It has been narrated from the Ahl al-Bait, peace be on them, that this verse refers to the companions of the Mahdī, peace be on him, in the end of times. Imam al-Riḍā, peace be on him, says: “By Allah, when our Qā’im rises, Allah will gather towards him his Shias from all the lands. ” It has been narrated in Tafsīr al-`Ayyāshī from Abī Sumayna, from one of the slaves of (Imam) Abū l-Ḥasan, peace be on him, who said: “I asked (Imam) Abū l-Ḥasan, peace be on him, about His saying, the Exalted, ‘wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together. ’ He, peace be on him, replied, ‘By Allah, when our Qā’im rises, Allah will gather (for him) our Shias from all the lands. ’” 350. Tafsīr al-`Ayyāshī [4]: In a lengthy tradition from (Imam) Abū Ja`far al-Bāqir, peace be on him: Then, the Qā’im, peace be on him, p: 36
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will stand between the Rukn and the Maqām (beside Ka`ba) and will perform prayers. He will complete them while his minister is beside him. He will then say, “O Peopl! Verily, we seek the help of Allah against those who oppressed us and withheld our rights. Whoever disputes us concerning Allah, then we are closer to Allah. Whoever disputes us concerning Adam, then we are the closest people to Adam. Whoever disputes us concerning Noah, then we are the closest people to Noah. Whoever disputes us concerning Abraham, then we are the closest people to Abraham. Whoever disputes us concerning Muḥammad, may God’s blessings be on him and his family, then we are the closest people to Muḥammad, may God’s blessings be upon him and his family. Whoever disputes us concerning the Prophets, then we are the closest people to the Prophets. Whoever disputes us concerning the Book of Allah, then we are the closest people to the Book of Allah. Surely, we testify and so does every Muslim today, that we have been oppressed, driven away, and rebelled against. [We have been] removed from our houses, our wealth, and our families and we have been defeated. Bewar! Surely, we seek the help of Allah today and so does every Muslim. ” By Alla! A little more than Three Hundred and Ten people—which include fifty women—will gather at Mecca all of a sudden and unexpectedly, like the wind-driven, scattered clouds of autumn [1] while some of them are following the others. This p: 37
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is the [meaning of the] verse which Allah has stated: “Wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together, Allah has power over all things. ” 351. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī [1]: Narrated to us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd, from Aḥmad b. Yūsuf, from Ismā`īl b. Mihrān, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī, from his father and Wuhaib, from Abū Baṣīr, from Imam Abū `Abd-Allah (al-Ṣādiq) , peace be on him, concerning His saying: “Therefore, hasten to [do] good deeds; wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together. ” He, peace be on him, said: “It was revealed concerning the Qā’im and his companions. They will gather all of a sudden, without a previous appointment. ” (10)
ﻭَﻓِﻲ ﺍﻟﺴﱠﱠﻤَﺎﺀ ﺭِﺯْﻗُﻜُﻢْ ﻭَﻣَﺎ ﺗُﻮﻋَﺪُﻭﻥَ. ﻓَﻮَﺭَﺏِّ ﺍﻟﺴﱠﱠﻤَﺎﺀ ﻭَﺍﻟْﺄَﺭْﺽِ ﺇِﻧﱠﱠﻪُ ﻟَﺤَﻖٌّ ﻣِّﺜْﻞَ ﻣَﺎ ﺃَﻧﱠﱠﻜُﻢْ ﺗَﻨﻄِﻘُﻮﻥَ
And in the sky is your sustenance and what you are promised. And by the Lord of the sky and the eart! It is most surely the truth just as you are speaking [2] 352. Ghaybat al-Shaykh [3]: Informed us al-Sharif Abū Muḥammad al-Muḥammadī, from Muḥammad b. `Alī b. Tammām, from al-Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad al-Qiṭa`ī, from `Alī b. Aḥmad b. Ḥātim al-Bazzāz, from Muḥammad b. Marwān, from al-Kalbī, from Abū Ṣāliḥ, from `Abd-Allah b. al-`Abbās, concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted, “And in the sky is your sustenance and what you are promised. And by the Lord of the sky and the eart! It is most surely the truth just as you are speaking. ” He said: “[It is about] the rising of the Qā’im. ” It is similar to: “wherever you are, Allah p: 38
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will bring you all together” which he also said about: “They are the companions of the Qā’im, Allah will gather them together in one day. ” I say: Regarding this subject, there are numerous traditions concerning the interpretation of this verse. The author of Tafsīr al-burhān has recorded fourteen traditions from reliable and authentic books. The traditions with the following numbers—which are interpretations for the verses of the Holy Quran—also establish the goals of this chapter: 905, 904, 903, 696, 695, 692, 596, 574, 994, 993, 992, 991, 962, 936, 907, 906, 1121, 1122, 1123, 1124, 1125, 1126, 1040, 1014, 1004, 1156, 1152, 1151, 1149, 1148, 1147, 1146, 1144, 1143, 1142, 1141, 1158, 1157, and 1175. The verses are as follows: “... and made complete to you His favors (both) apparent and hidden,” [1] no. 574 “And by the day when it shows it,” [2] no. 596 “Or, He who answers the distressed one when he calls upon Him and removes the hardship,” [3] no. 903–907 “And if We hold back from them the punishment until a certain time,” [4] no. 903, 1142, 1147, and 1149 “And if you were to see when they become terrified, but (then) there shall be no escape and they shall be seized from a near place,” [5] no. 903 and 1175 “The remnant of Allah is better for you if you are believers,” [6] No. 936 and 1105 “... and give good news to the patient ones; those, whom when a misfortune befalls them,” [7] no. 962 “If We want, We will send down upon them a sign from the p: 39
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heaven to which they would bend their necks in humility,” [1] no. 991, 992, 993, 1004, 1014, and 1040 “And listen on the day when the caller shall call from a near place. The day when they shall truly hear the loud voice,” [2] no. 994 “Say: ‘On the Day of victory, becoming faithful will not benefit those who disbelieved (before) , nor will they be given respite,” [3] no. 1122 “... and to Him submits whoever is in the skies and the earth, willingly or unwillingly,” [4] no. 1123 and 1124 “The kingdom on that day shall rightly belong to the Beneficent,” [5] no. 1125 “And say: ‘truth has come and falsehood has perished, surely falsehood is bound to perish,” [6] no. 1126 “We have entrusted with it a people who are not disbelievers in it,” [7] no. 1146 “Then Allah will bring a people, He shall love them and they shall love Him, (they will be) humble before the believers, mighty against the unbelievers,” [8] no. 1146 “Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death,” [9] no. 1156–1158 “On the day when some of the signs of your Lord shall come, becoming faithful shall not profit a soul, which did not believe before,” [10] no. 692 “And most certainly We will make them taste the nearer punishment before the greater punishment,” [11] no. 695 These are twenty-eight verses about him. Whoever wants to know all the verses in this regard must refer to books exclusively compiled on the subject like al-Baḥrānī’s al-Maḥajja fī mā nazala fī l-Qā’im al-Ḥujja.
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[1]: Quran 22: 41.
[1]: Quran 22: 39.
[2]: Quran 2: 148.
[1]: The author of al-Nihāya says: “the saying of `Alī, peace be on him, ‘Then they will gather towards him, peace be on him, like the clouds of autumn,’ i. e. like the scattered clouds. Autumn has been specifically mentioned because it is the beginning of winter, in which the clouds are all scattered and tattered, then they gradually integrate” (vol. 4, p. 59, under the root Qa-Za-`A).
[2]: Quran 51: 22–23.
[1]: Quran 31: 20.
[2]: Quran 91: 3.
[3]: Quran 27: 62.
[4]: Quran 11: 8.
[5]: Quran 34: 51.
[6]: Quran 11: 86.
[7]: Quran 2: 155–156.
[1]: Quran 26: 4.
[2]: Quran 50: 41–42.
[3]: Quran 32: 29.
[4]: Quran 3: 83.
[5]: Quran 25: 26.
[6]: Quran 17: 81.
[7]: Quran 6: 89.
[8]: Quran 5: 54.
[9]: Quran 57: 17.
[10]: Quran 6: 158.
[11]: Quran 32: 21.