Al-Amali, The Dictations of Shaykh al-Mufid
Chapter3
Thirty Fifth Assembly
point
Met on Saturday, after three nights had elapsed from the month of Ramadhan in 410 Hijrah. The grand Sheikh al-Mufid, Abu Abdillah, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu’man, may Allah increase his capabilities, narrated:
1. Allah's decisive argument
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Qawlawayh, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Ja'far al- Himyari, who reported from his father, who reported from Haroon ibn Muslim, who reported from Mas'adah ibn Ziyad, who said that:
When Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, was asked about the verse: 'To Allah belongs the decisive argument. ' (6: 149) , he said: When there will be the Day of Reckoning, Allah will address (His) slave: "Were you a learned man? " If he says "Yes," Allah will ask: "Did you not act according to your knowledge? " And if he says: "I was not learned," He will say: "Why did you not learn? " and so call him to account. That is the decisive argument of Allah, Most High, against His creatures.
2. Luqman's advice to his son
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Qawlawayh, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Amir, from al- Qasim ibn Muhammad al-Ishfahani, from Sulaiman ibn Dawood al-Minqari, from Hammad ibn Isa, who reported that:
Abu Abdillah Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: Among the admonitions given by Luqman to his son, he said: "O son, in your days, night and hours, keep
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some portion for acquiring knowledge. Surely, you will not find any thing more wasteful than its disregard. "
3. ‘Ali's hand of Justice
He said: Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan ibn Abdillah al-Qattan, reported to me from Abu Amru Uthman ibn Ahmad, popularly known as Ibn al-Sammak, who reported from Abu Bakr Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Swaleh al-Tammar, who reported from Muhammad ibn Muslim al-Razi, who reported from Abdullah ibn Raja, who reported from Israeel, from Abu Ishaq, from Habshi ibn Junadah, who said:
I was once sitting with Abu Bakr, when a man came to him and said: "O Caliph of the messenger of Allah, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, had promised to scrimp to me three measures of dates. " So Abu Bakr said: "Call ‘Ali for me. " ‘Ali, peace be upon him, came, and Abu Bakr told him: "O Abul Hasan, this man says that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, had promised to scrimp him three measures of dates, so give them to him. "
He gave him three measures of dates. Then Abu Bakr said: "Count them. " They found out that each measure contained sixty dates. So Abu Bakr said: "The messenger of Allah spoke the truth. On the night of Hijrah (i. e. migration) I heard the Prophet as we were on our way from Makkah to Madinah saying: O Abu Bakr, my palm and ‘Ali's palm are equal to each other in justice. "
4. Love for ‘Ali... an Obligation
He said: Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan ibn Abdillah al-Qattan reported to me from Abu Amru Uthman ibn Ahmad,
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who reported to me from Ahmad ibn al-Husayn, who reported from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Bassam, from ‘Ali ibn al-Hakam, from al-Laith ibn Sa'd, from Abu Saeed al-Khudari, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "O people, love ‘Ali because his flesh is my flesh, his blood is my blood. May Allah curse those people who have reneged from the covenant with me about him, and forgotten my parting counsel about him; and they have no share (of blessings) from Allah. "
5. The meaning of 'Al-Kawthar'
He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Bilal al-Mahlabi, reported to me from Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Baghdadi, who reported from Muhammad ibn Ismail, who reported from Muhammad ibn al-Swalt, who reported from Abu Kudainah, from Ata, from Saeed ibn Jubair, from Abdullah Ibn al-Abbas, who said:
When the verse: 'We have surely blessed you with abundance' (Kauthar-108: 1) was revealed to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, asked him: "O messenger of Allah, what is al-Kauthar? "
He said: "It is a stream with which Allah has honoured me. " Then ‘Ali, peace be upon him, said: "O messenger of Allah, describe for us this sacred stream. " He said: "Yes, O ‘Ali, al-Kauthar is a stream that flows under the Throne of Allah, Most High. Its water is whiter than milk, sweeter than honey, softer than cream. Its pebbles are of aquamarine, ruby and coral. Its weeds are saffron, its dust is sweet smelling musk, and its
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basins are under the Throne of Allah, Most Hig! "
Then the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, struck his hand on Amirul Mu’mineen's side and said: "O ‘Ali, this stream is for me and you, and for those who love you after I have gone. "
6. ‘Ali at Qudaid
He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al-Katib reported to me from al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali ibn Abdul Karim al-Za'farani, who reported from Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Thaqafi, who reported from Ismail ibn Aban, who reported from Amru ibn Shimr, who said:
I heard Jabir ibn Yazid reporting from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, who reported from his father, and from his grandfather, peace be upon them all, that when Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, left Madinah for Basrah to confront the renegades, he stopped at al-Rabdhah. And then as he left from there, he was met by Abdullah ibn Khalifa al-Taee, at a place called Qudaid. Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, welcomed him.
Then Abdullah said: "Praise be to Allah who restored the right to its owner and kept it in its rightful place, regardless of whether some people were pleased or displeased. By Allah, they had hated Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny, resisting and fighting against him. But Allah turned their guile against them, and made the disaster to befall them. By Allah, we shall fight by your side in every situation, protecting (the message of) the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and
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his progeny. "
Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, welcomed him and made him sit by his side, for he was indeed his helper and friend. Then he started inquiring about people till he mentioned Abu Musa al-Ashari. He said: "By Allah, I do not trust him, and I do not see you secure against him if he finds support. " Amriul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, replied: "By Allah, he was neither trustworthy nor a good counsel in my estimation. But those who preceded me were captured by his fancy and gave him authority to govern the people. And I had decided to remove him, but al-Ashtar asked me to confirm him, so I did it reluctantly. Thereafter, I had to sustain his dismissal. "
He said: He (i. e. Amirul Mu’mineen) remained with Abdullah this way, till a great multitude was seen coming from the mountains of Tay. Amirul Mu’mineen said: "Look out, who are they? " So, some of the horsemen ran to find out, and soon came back to report that they were the people of Tay who had come with their sheep and camels and horses. Some of them had come with their gifts for ‘Ali, and some intended to go with him to fight his enemy. So Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, said: "May Allah reward the people of Tay a good reward, and
'He (i. e. Allah) has a far richer reward for those who fight for Him than for those who stay at home. ' (4: 95) "
And when they drew close to
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him, they greeted him. Abdullah ibn Khalifa said: "By Allah, I was pleased with what I experienced from their group, and by their excellent form. They spoke and confirmed their stand. By Allah, I have not seen a more eloquent speaker than their spokesman. " And Adi ibn Hatim al-Taee stood up, praised Allah and lauded Him and then said: "I had embraced Islam in the days of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, and I paid my Zakat (dutifully) in his time, and after he had departed, I fought the apostates.
I did all that to earn the pleasure of Allah, and indeed, the reward of one who does good and guards against evil is from Allah. We are informed that some men of Makkah have reneged on your loyalty, and have turned against you as aggressors. So we have come to help you on the right path, and here we are, before you. So command us to do whatever you wish. " Then he recited the following:
"And we have helped (the cause of) Allah before you,
and you have come to us with truth, so you will be helped.
All of us shall be sufficient for you against them all,
And indeed, of all man, you deserve this most. "
Then Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, said: "May Allah reward you on behalf of Islam among all living people, and on behalf of all Muslims. You have indeed submitted voluntarily and fought the apostates, and are determined to help the Muslims. "
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Then Saeed ibn Ubaid al-Bahtari from the tribe of Bani Bahtar rose and said: "O Amirul Mu’mineen, some men are able to say what they have in their minds, while others are unable to express what they think in their hearts. And if they are forced to do it, they find it extremely difficult.
And if they keep silent, the grief torments them and makes them restless. As far as I am concerned, I can not convey to you all that I have in my mind, but I will try my best to be explicit, and Allah is the custodian of succes! I am surely your best counsellor, privately and in open, and I will fight by your side in every situation; and I see you with the Truth, the way I never saw those who preceded you, nor any other person among your contemporarie! This is because of your merit and excellence in Islam, and your relation to the Prophet. I shall never part from you till you win, or I die before you. "
Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, said: "May Allah bless you with mercy, Your tongue has indeed expressed what you conscience has concealed. I pray to Allah that He may bless you with good health, and reward you with Paradise. "
Then others from them spoke, but I do not remember the speech of any other but these two men. Then Amirul Mu’mineen decamped, and from them six hundred followed him till they reached Zuqar. When he arrived
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there, he had One thousand and three hundred men.
7. Shi’ahs, the foremost to enter Heavens
He said: Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Muqri reported to me from Umar ibn Muhammad al-Warraq, who reported from ‘Ali ibn al-Abbas al-Bijilli, who reported from Hameed ibn Ziyad, who reported from Abu Nuaim al-Fadhl ibn Dakin, who reported from Muqatil ibn Sulaiman, from al-Dhahhak ibn Mazahim, from Ibn Abbas, who said:
I asked the Prophet. Peace be upon him and his progeny, about the verse of the Quran:
'And those foremost in faith, are the foremost, those are the ones brought near, in the garden of bliss... ' (56: 10,11,12).
He said: Jibraeel told me: "That refers to ‘Ali and his Shi’ahs. They are the foremost towards Paradise, brought closer to Allah, Most High, by the special honour bestowed upon them. "
8. Forgiving, Merciful Allah
He said: Abu Ghalib Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Zurari, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from my Uncle Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Sulaiman ibn al- Jahm, who reported from Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Tayyalasi, who reported from al-Ala' ibn Razin, from Muhammad ibn Muslim al-Thaqafi, who said:
I asked Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, about the verse (in Qur'an):
'Those Allah will change their evil deeds into good deeds. Allah is ever all-Forgiving, Merciful. ' (25: 70)
He said: "A believer who will be a sinner will be brought on the Day of Reckoning, and made to stand for accounting. And Allah (Himself) will be in charge of his reckoning, and no other men will know about his reckoning. Then
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Allah will show him his sins, till when he will confirm his evil deeds, then Allah will command the recorders: 'Change them into good deeds, and display them to the people. ' Then the people will ask: 'Did this slave not have even single lapse? ' Then Allah will order him to Paradise. This is the true meaning of the verse, and it is especially for the sinners among our Shi’ahs. "
9. Four characteristics
He said: Abul Hasan Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Waleed, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, who reported from Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, from Muhammad ibn Abdul Jabbar, from al-Hasan ibn Mahboob, from Abu Ayyub al- Khazzaz, from Abu Hamza al-Thumali, who reported from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, who said:
My father ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him, used to say that whoever has four characteristics in him, his faith will be deemed complete, and he will be purified of his sins, and he will meet his Lord having earned His pleasure: "He who fulfils his duty towards people for the sake of Allah, and he who is always truthful with people, and he who feels ashamed of committing any ugly deed before people and before Allah, and he who puts on the best behaviour with his family. "
10. Verses at Multan
He said: Abu al-Tayyib al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Nahwi, the friend of Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Qasim al-Ambari, reported to me from Abu Bakr Muhammad ibnal-Qasim, who reported
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from al-Abbas ibn al-Husayn al-Lahabi, who reported from al-Hassan, from Qubaisah al-Lahabi, who said:
‘Ali ibn Hafs ibn Umar wrote to Abu Ja'far al-Mansoor that I saw it written in a khan at Multan that: Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abdillah ibn al-Hasan ibn al- Husayn ibn ‘Ali Abi Talib (peace be upon him) says: When I reached this place, and found myself secure, I said:
"Perchance, the drinking fountain may clear up to quench the thirst,
a thirst which has been prolonged because of the turbid water,
Perchance, you may be garbed by the unclothed one,
and may find help from the lowly and oppressed;
Perchance a bonesetter of the broken bone may from his kindness,
feel sympathy for the broken bone and set it.
Perchance, Allah may not allow His slave to despair,
for all that is lofty and great is indeed negligible in His sight. "
Sheikh said: And Abu al-Tayyib al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Tammar recited to me quoting Abu Bakr al-Arzami, the following: -
" (In this world) I find a (feeble) helpless person known as
tough because of his tyranny, (but)
had he adopted fear of Allah, his brutality might have been blunted;
And (I find) a chaste person taken as helpless,
because of his (virtue of) chastity (and modesty)
(though) had it not been for fear of Allah, the ways
(of evil) would not have found him powerless;
And (I find) a fool whose affairs are cared for (by others) ,
being appointed a leader by his fellowmen and his relatives,
(in spite of the fact that) he has no resoluteness in his affairs,
nor are nobility and magnanimity counted among
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his qualities.
But all that is controlled by Allah, and He grants,
So neither this contends him nor that tries to overcome him;
(The truth is that) when Allah in His mercy, perfects the wisdom of a person,
his behaviour and all his desires are perfected also. "
11. Imam Al-Baqir's advice to his sons
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far ibn Muhammad, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from Muhammad ibn Hammam, from Abdullah ibn al-Ala', from Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Shammoon, from Hammad ibn Isa, from Ismail ibn Abi Khalid, who said:
I heard Abu Abdillah Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, say: We were gathered together by (our father) Abu Ja'far, peace be upon him, and then he said: "O my sons, beware of meddling with the rights of others, and be enduring when visited by any misfortune, and if people call you to any matter whose harm to you is more than its benefit, do not respond. "
And may Allah bless our master Muhammad, the Prophet and his pure progeny.
Thirty Sixth Assembly
point
Met on Saturday, the 10th of the month of Ramadhan, in 410 Hijrah. The grand Sheikh al-Mufid, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu’man, may Allah support his capabilities, narrated to us: -
1. Month of Ramadhan and the Night of Qadr
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Muhammad ibn Yahya Ibn Sulaiman Al-Muruzi, who reported from Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Ayshi, who reported from Hammad ibn Salemah, from Ayyub from Abu Qulabah, from Abu Hurairah, who reported that:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "This is the month of Ramadhan,
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the blessed month whose fasts Allah has made obligatory. The gates of Paradise are opened in this month and the Satans are shackled in it. In this month, there is a night, which is better than a thousand months. Whoever preserves its sanctity is indeed saved. " The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, repeated it three time!
2. Trials begin with Imams and then with Shi’ahs
He said: Abu Bakr, Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Abu Al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Saeed ibn Ibn Uqdah, who reported from Ja'far ibn Abdullah, who reported form Sa'daan ibn Saeed, who reported from Sufyan ibn Ibrahim al-Ghamidy al-Qadhi, who said:
I heard Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him say: "Tests and trials begin with us and then with you, and the times of ease begin with us and then with you. And by the oath of Him where oath is usually taken, Allah will triumph through you the way He triumphed through the stones (of clay). " (Refer to Surah al-Fil).
3. The Prophet prayer for rain
He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Bilal al-Mahlabi reported to me from al-Nu’man Ibn Ahmad al-Qadhi al-Wasiti in Baghdad, who reported from Ibrahim ibn Arfah al-Nahwi, who both reported from Ahmad ibn Rashad ibn Khuthaim al-Hilali, who reported from his uncle Saeed ibn Khuthaim, who reported from Muslim al- Ghilabi, who said:
Once an Arab from the desert came to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, and said: "By Alla! We have come to you while we neither have a shrieking camel nor a snoring sheep. "
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Then he presented the following verses:
"O best of all the creatures, we have come to you,
that you may show mercy to us for the hardship we fac!
We have come to you while the maiden girls bleed from
their breasts (because of hard labour) ,
and the suckling mother is distressed from her baby.
And a young man submits with both his palms,
to receive anything bitter or sweet, weakened by hunger.
Nothing that a human can consume is left with us,
except the common bitter colocynth and the fluffy saplings,
so we have no refuge but with you,
and where can people seek refuge but with the Prophets. "
So the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, turned to his companions and said: "This Arab is complaining of shortage of rainfall and severe famine. " Then he rose putting together his clock and climbed up the pulpit. After praising and lauding Allah thus: "All praise to Allah Who when He rose to the heavens became exalted, and on the earth became close - closer to us than the jugular vein. "
Then he raised his hands towards the heaven and said: "O Allah, send upon us rain which would give us relief and which would be savory, productive, abundant, pervading, immediate, without any delay. Let it be beneficial without any harm, which would fill the udder and cause the produce to grow from the earth; it would give life to earth after it had died. " His hands had not come back to his chest when the clouds encircled Madinah like a
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crown, and the sky became overcast.
Then the people of the valleys came to the Prophet shouting: "We will drown, we will drown. " So the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny uttered: "Around us and not upon us. " So the clouds in the sky dissipated. Then the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, smiled and said: "How good was Abu Talib. Had he been alive, his eyes would have cooled. Who will recite to us his verses? "
Then Umar ibn al-Khattab rose and said: "O messenger of Allah, perhaps you mean this verse": -
"No she-camel has carried on her saddle
any load, more kind and more dutiful than the
person of Muhammad. "
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "That was not said by Abu Talib, that is from Hassan ibn Thabit. "
Then ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace he upon him, stood up and said: "Perhaps you meant this, O messenger of Alla! ": -
"And the bright one from whose face,
the clouds pour forth to relieve the orphans and protect the poor widows,
The one to whom the ruined men from Banu Hashim resort,
While he is among them bounteous, and man of many virtues.
By the sacred House of Allah, you have lied when you said:
'We will surpass Muhammad,'
and when you said: 'we will fight him. '
We will indeed protect him till we are knocked down around him,
unmindful of our own children and our wives. "
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny said: "Yes, that is it. " Then a man from the
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Banu Kananah stood up and said:
"Praise to you, and all praise to Him Who is All-Rewarding,
We were blessed with rain because of the Prophet.
He prayed to Allah, His Creator,
And turned his eyes unto Him;
And before his glance returned, or
quicker, the rain poured forth upon us.
Bustling forth in abundance and exuberant,
with which Allah succoured the prominent people of Mudhar.
So it was the way his uncle had said,
his uncle Abu Talib, a man of exceeding grace;
(he said): 'By his face shall Allah pour forth from the clouds,'
so this is the witness and that was the information. "
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "May Allah lodge you, O Kanani, for every couplet you have said, in a chamber in Paradise. "
4. Ubaidullah ibn Abbas and Mu’awiyah
He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al-Katib reported to me from al-Hasan ibn Abdul Karim al-Za'farani, who reported from Abu Ishaq ibn Muhammad al- Thaqafi, who reported from Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Warraq, who reported from Abdullah ibn al-Azraq al-Shaybani, who reported from Abu al-Jahhaf, from Mu’awiyah ibn Tha'labah who said:
When Mu’awiyah found himself fully entrenched in his rule, he sent Busr ibn Artat to Hejaz, to hunt for the Shi’ahs of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him. At that time, Ubaidullah ibn al-Abbas governed Makkah. He (i. e. Busr) summoned him, but could not find him. Then he was informed that Ubaidullah had two infant sons. So he set out to reach them, and when he found them - they had two (tender) forelocks (shining) like pearls - he ordered
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to kill them. When their mother came to know this, her grief put her on the verge of death. At that moment, she said:
"A! Who has heard about my two dear sons,
who were like two pearls torn from their oyste!
A! Who has known about my two dear sons,
who are my ears, my eye! My heart today feels wrenched.
I am informed that Busr (did it) ,
but I cannot believe what they thought (of us)
from (what I hear about) their speech and the falsehood they contrived.
So the sharp sword fell on the throat of my two little ones,
that indeed is tyranny and immoderation,
Who showed love to the two tormented
infants who had lost their progenitor. "
He said: Then once Ubaidullah ibn al-Abbas met Mu’awiyah while Busr ibn Artat was present. Mu’awiyah said: "Do you recognize this old man who killed the two infants? " Busr said: "Yes, I killed them, so what? " Then Ubaidullah said: "I wish I had a sword. " Busr said: "Here is my sword," pointing to his own sword.
Mo'awiya scolded him saying: "Woe unto yo! What makes you a fool in spite of your old ag! You trust a man whose two sons you killed, and give him your sword? Perhaps you do not know the courage of Banu Hashim? By Allah, if you gave it to him, he could kill you first, and then I would be the next. " Ubaidullah said: "On the contrary, by Allah, I would begin with you (O Mu’awiyah) and he (i. e. Busr) would be the next. "
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5. The true successors on earth
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Abdul Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Saeed, who reported from Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan, who reported from his father, who reported from Ibrahim ibnal-Hakam, from al-Masoodi, who reported from al-Harith ibn al-Haseerah, from Imran ibn Hasim, who said:
Once Umar ibn al-Khattab and I were present with the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, and ‘Ali, peace be upon him, was sitting by his side. Then the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, recited the following verse (from the Qur'an):
'Or who answers the distressed when he calls upon Him and relieve the affliction, and has made you successors on the earth? Is there another god with Alalh? No indeed. How little do you reflect? ' (27: 62).
He said: (Upon hearing this) , ‘Ali, peace be upon him, quivered like a bird. The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "Why are you so worried? " He said: "Why would I not worry, as Allah says He will make us the successors on earth? " The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "Do not be anxiou! By Allah, none but the (true) believer will love you, and none but a hypocrite will hate you. "
6. The Chosen ones
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Sulaiman Abul Fadhl, who reported from Dawood ibn Rushaid,
who reported from Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Tha'labi al-Mosili Abu Nawfil, who said:
I heard Ja'far
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ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, say: "We are the Chosen ones by Allah among His creation, and our Shi’ahs are His Chosen ones from the Ummah of Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny. "
7. Those three have no religion
He said: Abu Ghalib Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Zurari, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported from his uncle ‘Ali ibn Sulaiman, who reported from Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Tayalasi, who reported from al-Ala' ibn Razeen, from Muhammad ibn Muslim al-Thaqafi, who said:
I heard Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, say: "He who resorts to the way of obeying those who disobey Allah has no religion at all, and he who invents lie against Allah has no religion at all, and he who adopts the way of repudiating anything from the Signs of Allah, has no religion at all. "
8. If one knew of his appointed hour
He said: Abu Hafs Umar ibn Muhammad, popular as Ibn al-Zayyat, reported to me from ‘Ali ibn Mahrwayh al-Qazwini, who reported from Dawood ibn Sulaiman al-Ghazi, who reported from al-Ridha ‘Ali ibn Musa, who reported from is father, Musa ibn Ja'far, who reported from his father Ja'far ibn Muhammad, who reported from his father Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, who reported from his father, ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, who reported from his father al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon them all, who said:
Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, said: "If a slave of Allah were to see his appointed time of death, and how quickly it advance towards him, he would detest all his long hopes and would renounce
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seeking the world. "
He said: Abul Faraj al-Barqi al-Dawadi reported to me the following verses which he heard from a saintly old man at Baytul Muqaddas.
"One waiting for death is busy every hour,
diligently constructing, erecting and fortifying,
He has moments, which are tested by a certain reality, (i. e. death)
but his deeds are of those who is not certain.
It is manifest yet denied, its knowledge treated as if
its ways were unknown to even those who are certain. "
And may Allah bless our master, Muhammad, the Prophet and his pure progeny.
Thirty Seventh Assembly
point
Met on Saturday, 17th of the month of Ramadhan in 410 Hijrah. The grand Sheikh al-Mufid, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu’man, may Allah increase his capabilities, narrated:
1. Always remember Allah
He said: Al-Muzaffar ibn Muhammad al-Balkhi al-Warraq informed me from Abu ‘Ali Muhammad ibn Hammam al-Iskafi al-Katib, who reported from Abdullah ibn Ja'far al-Himyari, who reported from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, who reported from al-Hasan ibn Mahboob, from Abu Hamza al-Thumali, from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir, peace be upon him, who said:
A believer is in his prayers, as long as he remembers Allah, while standing, sitting or lying down. Surely, Allah says (in Qur'an):
'Those who remember Allah, standing, sitting, or lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord, You have not created this in vain, glory be to Yo! So save us from the chastisement of the fire. ' (3: 191).
2. Three Major Sins
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Qawlawayh, may Allah be pleased with him, reported
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to me from his father, from Sa'd ibn Abdillah, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, from al-Husayn ibn Saeed, from Yasir, from Abdul Hasan al-Ridha, ‘Ali ibn Musa, peace be upon him, who said:
"When the rulers utter lies, the rains are withheld. And when the monarch is oppressive, the country is weakened and when Zakat is withheld, the livestock (upon which Zakat has been due) suffer death. "
3. People will be called by their mother's names
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi, reported to me from Abu Abdillah Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Hasani, who reported from Ahmad ibn Abd al- Mon'em, who reported from Abdullah Ibn Muhammad al-Fazari, from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, peace be upon them all. And he said that Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Hasani reported from Ahmad ibn Abd al-Mon'em, who reported from Amru ibn Shimr, from Jabir al-Jofi, from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, from Jabir ibn Abdillah al-Ansari, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him: "May I not give you glad news? May I not award you? " He said: "Yes, O messenger of Allah. " He (i. e. the Prophet) said: "Surely, I and you are created from one clay, and from what remained, our Shi’ahs were created. When the Day of Reckoning will dawn, all people will be called by their mother's names, except your Shi’ahs, who will be called by the names of their fathers, confirming their legitimacy. "
4. The fate of those who disown Ahlul Bayt
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi, reported to
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me from Muhammad ibn Abdillah ibn Abu Ayyub at the Syrian coast, who reported from Ja'far ibn Harun al-Masisi, who reported from Khalid ibn Yazid al- Qisri, who reported from Umay al-Sayrafi, who said:
I heard Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibnAli al-Baqir, peace be upon him, say: "Allah will disown those who disown us, and may Allah curse those who curse us; and may Allah destroy those who are our adversaries. O Alla! You know that we are the cause of their guidance, and yet they take us as their enemies. So You be the sole One to inflict punishment upon them. "
5. The event of advancing Abraha
He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Bilal al-Mahlabi reported to me from Abdul Wahid ibn Abdullah ibn Yunus al-Rabée, who reported from al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Amir, who reported from Mualla ibn Muhammad al-Basri, who reported from Muhammad ibn Jamhoor al-Ammi, who reported from Ja'far ibn Bashir, who reported from Sulaiman ibn Samáah, from Abdullah ibn al-Qasim, from Abdullah ibn Sinan, from Abu Abdillah Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, from his father, from his grandfather, peace be upon them, who said:
When Abraha ibn al-Sabbah, the king of Abyssinia, advanced towards Makkah to demolish the House (of Allah, i. e. Ka'bah) , the Abyssinias hastened to raid it and they captured the grazing camels of Abdul Muttalib ibn Hashim. Then Abdul Muttalib came to the King, seeking permission to see him, and he was granted. The king was sitting under a silken cupola on his throne. He greeted him, and Abraha returned the
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greeting, staring at his face.
He was impressed by his (Abdul Muttalib's) grace, handsomeness and appearance. The king said: "Did your ancestors have the same light as this which I see in you and the same comeliness? " He said: "Yes, O king, all my ancestors had this light, comeliness and radiance. " So Abraha said to him: "You have indeed superceded the kings in your glory and nobilit! And you deserve to be the chief of your people. "
Then he made him sit with him on his throne, and he sent for the groom, who looked after his huge elephant. The elephant was white and huge, having two tusks studded with pearls and gems, and the king prided over other kings because of it. He said: "Bring the elephant. " The groom came with the elephant, flourished with beautiful adornments. When it came to face to face with Abdul Muttalib, it bowed before him, and it had never bowed before the king. And then Allah made it utter in Arabic, so it greeted Abdul Muttaliibn
When the king saw this, he was disturbed and considered it a magic. So he said: "Take back the elephant to its place. " Then he turned to Abdul Muttalib and asked: "What have you come for? For I know of your generosity and your magnanimity, and I have observed your dignified appearance and comeliness which prepares me to fulfil your need. So ask of me whatever you wish. " He thought Abdul Muttalib would ask him to return from
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Makkah.
But Abdul Muttalib said: "Your people have captured my grazing camels and taken them away. So order them to return them to me. " He said: The king was furious at this and said: "You have fallen in my estimate. You come to me to ask for your camels, while I am here to destroy your glory and the glory of your people, and to demolish your distinction, which distinguishes you from every other people, and that is the House which people of all lands come for pilgrimage. You did not ask me about it and your are calling for your camels? "
Abdul Muttalib said: "I am not the Lord of the House, which you intend to wreck. I am the master of my camels which have been taken away by your peopl! I have come to ask for that which I own, and as for the House, it has a Lord Who is All-Powerful and mightier than all His creatures, and has more authority over it than others. "
The king said: "Return his camels, and attack the House, breaking it stone by stone. " Then Abdul Muttalib took his camels and preceded to Makkah. The king followed him with his huge elephant and the army to demolish the House. When they pushed the elephant to enter the sanctuary (of Kabah) it stopped, and when they left him, it hurriedly drew back. So Abdul Muttalib told his servants: "Bring me my son. " They came with al-Abbas. He said: "I did not
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mean him. Bring me my son. "
They came with Abu Talib. He said: "I did not mean him, call my son for me. " So they came with Abdullah, the father of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny. When he arrived, he (i. e. Abdul Muttalib) said: "O my son, go and climb the mountain of Abu Qubais, and cast your glance towards the sea, and see what is coming from there and inform me. "
He said: Abdullah climbed Abu Qubais. After a short while, he saw flights of birds coming, like a storm and darkness of the night, and descended on Abu Qubais. Then they proceeded towards the House, and circled around it seven times. Then they came to al-Safa and al-Marwah, and went to and fro seven times. Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, returned to his father and gave him the news.
He said: "O my son, go and see what has become of those people, and then inform me. " So he went, and saw them directed towards the army of Abyssinia. He informed Abdul Muttalib about it. Then Abdul Muttalib, may Allah bless him with mercy, proceeded exclaiming: "O people of Makka! Go towards the army and pick up your share of the spoils. " He said: They came upon the army who had become like whittled wood.
And every bird had three pebbles in its beak and hands, killing every one of the army with every single pebble. As they came to see all of
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them, the birds had gone. And nothing like it had ever been seen before or after. When all had perished, Abdul Muttalib came to the House, and clinging to its curtains said:
"O One who held back the elephant from al-Mughammas
(i. e. a place on the road of al-Taif where Abraha's guide lived) ,
You indeed held it back, as if it were topsy-turvy.
In a strait in which men lose their breath. "
Then he went away, commenting on the runaway Quraish, and their anxiety over the invading Abyssinians:
"The Quraishites flew when they saw the army,
and I remained alone, finding no one for comfort,
and I never heard even a whisper from them
except from my honoured and distinguished brother
(who was) made a chief and a leader among his people. "
6. Things which corrupt
He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Khalid al-Maraghi reported to me from Thawabah Ibn Yazid, who reported from Ahmad ibn ‘Ali al-Muthanna, from Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna, from Shababah ibn Sawwar, from al-Mubarak ibn Saeed, from Khaleel al-Farrà, from Abu Al-Mujabbar, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "Four things corrupt the heart; to be alone (in privacy) with women, to listen to (the advice of) women, and to seek their opinion, and to be in company of the dead. " So someone asked: "O messenger of Alla! What is the company of the dead? " He said: "To be in company of anyone who leads astray from the faith and the one who is unfair in the judgements. "
7. Give time to those in hardship
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi, reported
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to me from Abul Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Saeed, who reported from Abdullah ibn Kharash, who reported from Ahmad ibn Bard, who reported from Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon them, from Lababah ibn Abd al-Munzar, that he went to collect his debt from Abu al-Yasar. He heard him say:
"Tell him, he is not here. " So Abu Lababah exclaimed: "O Abu Yasar, come out. " He came out. Abu Lababah asked: "What makes you act like this? " He said: "Hardship, O Abu Lababah. " Do you say that in the name of Allah? " Abu al-Yasar said: "Yes, by His name. " Then Abu Lababah said: "I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny ask: "Who likes to be sheltered from the outburst of hellfire? " We said: "All of us would like that, O messenger of Allah. " He said: "Then he should give respite to his debtor - or he should redeem the financial difficulty. "
8. A brother in the name of Allah
He said: Abu Hafs Umar ibn Muhammad al-Zayyat reported to me from ‘Ali ibn Mahrawayh al-Qazwini, who reported from Dawood ibn Sulaiman al-Ghazi, who said:
I heard al-Ridha ‘Ali ibn Musa, peace be upon him, say: "Whoever has been able to acquire a brother in the name of Allah, has indeed found a house in Paradise. " He said: Abul Hasan al-Rahbi al-Nahwi recited the following verse by Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Tamimi:
"If a man lives for fifty years
then he indeed is quite near
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the fountain of his return,
And when you pass a day of your life, do not say
I have passed, but say I have an observer over m!
And when a decade elapses in which you lived,
and are back to join in an ensuing decade, then you are a stranger. "
All praise to Allah, and His blessings upon our master Muhammad, the Prophet, and his pure progeny.
Thirty Eighth Assembly
point
Met on Saturday, when six nights were left of the month of Ramadhan in 410 Hijrah. The grand Sheikh al-Mufid Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn Muhammad al- Nu’man, may Allah prolong his life, narrated:
1. Three important obligations
He said: Al-Shareef al-Swaleh Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Hamza al-Alawi, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from Ahmad ibn Abdullah, from his grandfather Ahmad ibn Abu Abdillah al-Barqi, from his father, from Yaqoob ibn Yazid, from Ibn Abi Umair, from Hisham ibn Salim, from Abu Ubaidah al-Hazzá, that:
Abu Abdillah Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Should I not guide you to the most important obligations Allah has placed upon His creatures? To be fair and just with people in their dealings; to be comforting to the brothers in faith; to remember Allah in every situation. And when he faces a matter of obedience to Allah, he acts accordingly and when he comes across any sin, he shuns it. "
2. The most helpless man
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Swaleh al-Qadhi, who reported from Masrooq ibn al- Marzban, who reported from Hafs, from Asim, from Abu Uthman,
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from Abu Huraira, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "The most helpless person is the one who renders himself unable to supplicate (to Allah) , and the most niggardly is the one who is miserly with greeting in salaam. "
3. The Prophet prayed for ‘Ali (as) at Khaybar
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from al-Hasan ibn Hammad ibn Hamza Abu ‘Ali from his book, reporting from al-Hasan ibn Abdul Rehman Ibn Abi Leila, who reported from Muhammad ibn Sulaiman ibn Abdillah al-Ishfahani, from Abd al-Rahman al-Ishfahani, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abu Laila, from ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, sent for me while I had an eyesore. He spat into my eyes, and tied a tight turban around my head, and then said: "O Allah, relieve him of heat and cold. " Thereafter I was never afflicted with heat or cold.
4. Purity of Ahlul Bayt
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from Ahmad ibn Isa ibn Abu Musa in Kufa, from Abdus ibn Muhammad al-Hadhrami, who reported from Muhammad ibn Furat, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Harith, from ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, used to come to us every early morning saying: "Time for prayer! May Allah have mercy on you. Veril! Allah intends to remove all abominations from you, O Ahlul Bayt, and to purify you absolutely. "
5. Asma Bint Aqil laments Al-Husayn
He said: Abu
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Ubaidullah Muhammad ibn Imran al-Marzbani reported to me from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, who reported from al-Hasan ibn Ulail al-Anzi, who reported from Abdul Karim Ibn Muhammad, who reported from ‘Ali ibn Salemah, from Abu Aslam Muhammad ibn Fakhar, from Abu Hayyaj Abdullah ibn Amir, who said:
When the sad news of al-Husayn's, peace be upon him, martyrdom reached Madinah, Asma bint Aqil ibn Abi Talib came out with a group of her ladies and came to the grave of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, and clinging to it, sobbed bitterly. Then, addressing the Muhajireen and the Ansar, she said:
"What will you say when the Prophet says to you
on the Day of Judgement, and the truth will indeed be heard.
'You deserted my family members, or were you absent,'
and the truth will be brought together before the master.
'You had forsaken them at the hands of the oppressors,
so you have no one to intercede on your behalf before Allah. '
There was no one (of you) at Kerbala on the day
When death crept to them, and none was there to defend the! "
He said: "We never saw as many wailing men and women on any other day. "
6. Ummu Salemah and Martyrdom of Al-Husayn
He said: Abu Ubaidullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Marzbani reported to me from Ahmed ibn Muhammad al-Jawhari, who reported from al-Hasan ibnUlail al- Anzi, from Abdul Karim ibn Muhammad, who reported from Hamza ibn al-Qasim al-Alawi, who reported from Abdul Azeem ibn Abdillah al-Alawi, from al- Hasan ibn al-Husayn al-Arani, from Ghiyath ibn Ibrahim, that:
Al-Sadiq Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace
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be upon him, said: Ummu Salemah, may Allah bless her with mercy, once woke up weeping. She was asked: "What makes you cry? " She said: "My son al-Husayn has been killed last night. And that is because I have never seen the Prophet in the dream till last night. I saw him pale and in profound grief. " So I asked: "How come I see you in this state of grief, O messenger of Alla! " He said: "I have been digging the graves of al-Husayn and his companions tonight. "
7. The Jinns and Al-Husayn
He said: Abu Hafs Umar ibn Muhammad reported to me from ‘Ali ibn al-Abbas, who reported from Abdul Karim ibn Muhammad, who reported from Sulaiman ibn Muqbil al-Harith, who reported from Mahfooz ibn al-Munzar, who reported from an elder of Banu Tameem, who lived at al-Rabiya.
He said: I heard my father say that they did not know of al-Husayn's martyrdom till evening of Ashura. He said: I was sitting at al-Rabiya with some people from that district, and we heard a voice saying:
"By Allah, I have not come to you till I had seen at Kerbala,
the head cut off, with two dusty cheek!
And around him, young men whose throats spurt out blood,
and like lamps spreading light in the darkness.
I prodded my camel (to run) so that I could meet them
before the reticent ones go to meet the Houris.
But the destiny prevented me, and Allah would fulfil it,
And the command of Allah was a determined fate.
Al-Husayn was a lamp from which light
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was obtained.
Allah knows that I have never lied,
May Allah bless the body, which has been contained
by al-Husayn's grave, as a good companion.
In the neighbourhood of the Prophet in the chambers,
and of ‘Ali and al-Tayyar, pleased and satisfied. "
So we said: "May Allah bless you with mercy, who are you? " He said: "My father and I are Jinn of Nasibayn. We intended to help al-Husayn, peace be upon him, and assist him with our lives. So we proceeded from Haj, but reached him when they had been killed.
8. Zainab bint ‘Ali's address at Kufa
He said: Abu Ubaidullah Muhammad ibn Imran al-Marzbani reported from Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Jawhari, who reported from Muhammad ibn Mahran, who reported from Musa ibn Abdul Rehman al-Masrooq, from Umar ibn Abdul Wahid, from Ismail ibn Rashid who reported from Hazlam ibn Sateer, who said:
I arrived at Kufa in Muharram of 61 Hijrah as ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn was departing with the ladies from Kerbala, surrounded by the troops. People gathered to have a sight of them. When he approached with the ladies sitting on unsaddled camels, the women of Kufa began weeping and wailing. I heard ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn say with a feeble voice as he was exhausted by ailment, and around his neck was a neckband, and his hands were tied to the neck.
He said: "Beware, (if) these women are indeed weeping - then who killed us? " He said: And I saw Zainab bint ‘Ali, peace be upon them, and I had never seen a lady with all her modesty being so
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eloquent. It seemed that she spoke in Amirul Mu’mineen's voice. " He said: She raised her hand towards the people to silence them, so the breathing slowed and the noises were silenced. Then she said:
"All praise be to Allah; and His blessing on my father, the messenger of Allah. Know you O people of Kufa, O people of chicanery and betrayal. May your tears never dry, and may your wailing never quieten. Your example is of 'the one who unravels her yarn after it is firmly spun. You take your oaths merely to deceive one another. ' (16: 98).
O peopl! Are there any among you except those suffering from vainglory, blemished by disgrace, and with bosoms full of hatred? Cowards when confronted, helpless before the enemies, violators of oath of allegiance, wasting the responsibilities? Miserable is what you have forwarded, that has incurred the wrath of Allah upon you. And you will be in chastisement forever.
So, you are crying? Yes, cry a lot, and laugh a little for you have earned its disgrace and its infamy; and you will never be able to wash off the filth stuck to you. You have forsaken and intrigued against the scion of the seal of the Prophet-hood, master of the youths of Paradise, refuge of your chosen ones, retreat for the calamities befalling you, landmark to your destination, the highway of your Proof.
How evil is the burden you bear? Wretched be you and reversed be your plan! The effort has failed, and hands are
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full of nothing but dust, and the bargain has sustained a loss. You are laden with the wrath of Allah, and humiliation and abasement has been stamped upon you.
Woe unto yo! Do you know which liver of Muhammad have you torn apart, and which blood have you spilled? And which nobility have you struck?
'Indeed you have come up with a thing abominable and shocking. From which, the heavens are about to be rent asunder, the earth split and the mountains fallen to pieces. ' (19: 89,90).
What you have committed is foolishness and degradation enough to fill the heavens and the eart! Are you then surprised if the heavens rain blood?
'And the chastisement of the hereafter is even more degrading. ' (41: 16).
So do not take these moments of respite lightly - for He is not prompted by haste nor is it feared that He will miss the reprised. N!
'Your Lord is ever observant. ' (89: 14). "
He said: Then she was silent. And I saw people bewildered, their hands on their mouths, and I saw an old man weeping till his beard was drenched and he said:
"Their elderly are the best among the elderly people
and their progeny, when any progeny is taken into account,
is never wrong, nor discredited. "
9. The first elegy on Al-Husayn
He said: Abu Ubaidullah Muhammad ibn Imran al-Marzabani reported to me from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, who reported from Abdullah ibn Abu Saeed al- Warraq, who reported from Masood ibn Amru al-Jahdari, who reported from Ibrahim ibn Dahah, who said:
The first elegy recited for
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al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, was by Aqabah ibn Amru al-Sahmi, from the tribe of Banu Salim ibn Awf Ibn Ghalib:
" (After the tragedy of Kerbala) when the eye was content
(having seen enough) in this life, and (when) you fear in this
world, as its light has turned into darkness.
I passed by the grave of al-Husayn at Kerbala,
My tears rolled down copiously for him,
And I have since not stopped lamenting and weeping in sorrow,
my eyes are helped by its tears and the hearing by sigh.
And tears were shed, besides al-Husayn, on the group
whose graves surround him on both sides,
Salaams on the interred ones at Kerbala,
Yet, my salaams visiting them are too little for them,
Salaams to them in the evening and during the day,
conveyed by the wind blowing on it and by the dust it carries
And the groups of people continues to visit his grave,
whose musk and aroma exudes fragrance to them. "
10. The famous poem by De'bal
He said: Abu Ubaidullah Muhammad ibn Imran al-Marzbani reported to me from Abdullah ibn Yahya al-Askari, who reported from Ahmad ibn Zayd ibn Ahmad, who reported from Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Aktham Abu Abdillah, who reported from his father Yahya ibn Aktham al-Maruzi, who said: Ma'moon summoned Débal ibn ‘Ali Al-Khizai, may Allah bless him with mercy, and granted him safe conduct. When he arrived, I was sitting near al-Ma'moon. He said:
" (O Débal) , recite to me your major poem. " Débal felt restrained and at first, displayed his ignorance about it. Then Ma'moon told him: "You will be safe, the same
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way as you were granted safe conduct. " So he recited:
"My wife regretted when she saw my indifference to women,
And considered my maturity a sin unpardonabl!
She expected youthfulness after her own forelocks had turned hoary,
and though her racing horse had already run a round of old age.
O wife, my hoary head teaches me,
to remember the Resurrection, and to submit to destin!
Had I been inclined towards the world and its décor,
then would I have wept over some of the people gone by.
The world has attacked my family members and ruined them,
causing a cleavage like the one hit with a stone.
Some stood against it, while some responded to
the call of death and the remaining are on the wake.
So those who have remained, I fear their departure,
of course, the return of those who have turned away is not awaited.
Now, it has so become that I am given the news about
my family and my children,
like a dreamer relating a dream after remembering it.
Had it not been that my eyes are preoccupied with
the (grief of) kinsfolk of the Prophet of Allah, who have gone,
I would not have stayed.
(And as you know) Your cheeks have an occupation
(of crying) in respect of your friends,
preventing it from sleeping because of the lost ones.
How many of their arms lie in Kerbala, cut off from the body,
and how many soiled cheeks lie on the dusty plain.
They go to where al-Husayn was slain, in the eve and at night
and they say: 'This is the master of all men. '
O ungrateful Umma! You have
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not rewarded Ahmad
(peace be upon him and his progeny)
for his heroic struggle in the name of the revealed
verses and chapters (of the Qur'an).
When he left the world, you as survivors treated
his children, the way a wolf does to save Dhu Baqr. "
Yahya said: Then al-Ma'moon ordered me to go out to complete his work, I rose. When I returned, Débal was completing his poem with following verses:
"There is no one remaining among the living who we know
from the tribes of Yaman, Bakr or Mudhar,
except that they have a hand in their blood.
As did the people of Aysar who participated in the massacre,
By killing, imprisoning, frightening and by plunder,
the way soldiers acted in the lands of Byzantine and Khazar;
I find the Umayyad excused if they killed,
but I do not see for Banu Abbas any justifiable excus!
A band of people who they killed first in the name of Islam,
till when they seized power, then they allowed it
branding them as infidels; (they were)
The sons of Harb, Marwan and their families,
the sons of Muit, the rulers of rancour and spite;
Pause and see the grave of the pure one at Tus,
look at it if you have anything to do with fait!
Ala! Every one is mortgaged to which his
two hands do, so take what you wish or leave it. "
He said: (Upon hearing this) al-Ma'moon threw his turban on the ground and said: "By Alla! O Débal, you have spoken the truth. "
11. The Prophet's relation continues
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far ibn Muhammad, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me
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from Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Mas'ood, from his father Abu al-Nadhr al-Ayyashi, who reported from Muhammad ibn Hatim, who reported from Muhammad ibn Muadh, who reported from Zakariyya ibn Adi, who reported from Ubaidullah Ibn Amru from Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Aqil, from Hamza ibn Suhaib, from Abu Saeed al-Khudari, from his father who said:
I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, say from the pulpit: "What has happened to the people who say that blood relationship with me shall have no benefit on the Day of judgement. Yes, by Alla! My womb relation is linked here and hereafter. And surely, O people, I shall precede you onto the Pool. When you will arrive. Someone will say: 'O messenger of Allah, I am so and so, son of so and so. ' Then I will answer: 'As for your lineage, I am aware (of it). But after I had gone, you took to the left side, you retracted your footsteps backwards, on your heels. "
12. ‘Ali (as) divides people of the Paradise and of Hell
He said: Al-Mudhaffar ibn Muhammad al-Warraq reported to me from Abu ‘Ali Muhammad ibn Hammam, who reported from Abu Saeed al-Hasan ibn Zakariyya al-Basri, who reported from Umar ibn al-Mukhtar, who reported from Abu Muhammad al-Barsi, from al-Nadhr ibn Suwaid, from Abdullah ibn Maskan, from Abu Baseer, from Abu Ja'far Muhammad al-Baqir, from his forefathers, peace be upon them, that:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny said: "How will it be for you O ‘Ali, when you will stand on the brim of
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hellfire, and the bridge (Sirat) will be laid, and the people will be told: 'Cross the bridge. ' And you will tell the hellfire: 'This is for me, and this is for yo! ' So ‘Ali said: "O messenger of Allah, who will be those with me? " He said: "They are your Shi’ahs, with you wherever you will be. "
13. Benefit of meeting others
He said: Al-Shareef al-Swaleh Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Hamza, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn al-Fadhl, who reported from Abu Turab Ubaidullah ibn Musa, who reported from Abul Qasim Abdul Azim ibn Abdullah al-Hasani, may Allah bless him with mercy, who said:
I heard Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Musa, peace be upon them, say: "Meeting with the brothers widens your intellect and fertilizes your wisdom, even if your meeting with them may be very few. "
And may Allah bless upon our master Muhammad, the Prophet and his pure progeny.
Thirty Ninth Assembly
point
Met on Saturday, 23rd of the month of Ramadhan, in 411 Hijrah. Our grand Sheikh al-Mufid, Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu’man, may Allah support his capabilities, narrated:
1. Hope from none but Allah
He said: Abul Hasan Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Walid, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father who reported from Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar, who reported from ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al-Qasani, from al-Ishfahani, from al-Minqari, from Hafs ibn Ghiyath al-Qadhi, who said:
I heard Abu Abdillah Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, say: "When anyone of you wishes that Allah grants
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him whatever he asks for, then he should despair of receiving anything from men; and he should pin hope on none but Allah, Most High. When Allah knows that from his heart, He grants him all his wishes. " He said: "Take account of yourselves (by introspection) before you are called upon to do so, for the place on the Day of Resurrection has fifty stations, each one has a stay of one thousand years. " Then he recited the verse:
'... one day the duration of which is fifty thousand years. ' (70: 4).
2. Admonitions by Ibn Al-Abbas
He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Hubaish al-Katib reported to me from al-Hasan Ibn ‘Ali al-Za'farani, from Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al- Thaqafi, from Habib ibn Nasr, from Ahmad ibn Bashir ibn Sulaiman, from Hisham ibn Muhammad, from his father Muhammad ibn al-Saeb, from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Yamani, from Ikramah, who said:
I heard Abdullah ibn Abbas telling his son ‘Ali ibn Abdillah that: "Let knowledge be the treasure you amass; and be more jubilant because of that, than treasuring pink gold. For I am entrusting to you an advice which if you heed, then Allah will combine for (the success in) your affairs in this world and the next.
Do not be of those who hope for the hereafter without any deeds, and procrastinated seeking repentance because of prolonged hope. He speaks in this world like an ascetic, but acts like the one inclined. If given something in it, he is never content, and if favoured, he is never
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satisfied. He is unable to thank for what has been given, and desires to get from what is remaining. He enjoins but does not practice it, claims to love the righteous, but does not act the way they do, and pretends to hate the ignorant, while he is one of them. He says: 'I do not act and suffer hard work, why should I not rest and hope? ' So he hopes to be forgiven while he is engaged in disobedience (to Allah).
He has lived in it (i. e. the world) long enough to remember the admonitions. And for the bygone, he says: 'Had I worked and built, it would have been my asset'; and as for the remaining days, he goes on disobeying his Lord without any scruple. If struck by illness, he does not repent for not having acted, and if recovers, he feels secure and conceited and then delays further to act. He is self-conceited when healthy, and despondent when afflicted. If favoured, be becomes insolent, and when granted in plenty, he ruins (himself).
His mind deludes him in matters which are doubtful (i. e. the worldly affairs) , and does not overcome him in matters which he knows as certain (i. e. death and hereafter). He has no trust in the sustenance, which has been guaranteed for him and is not content with his share. He does not show willingness before he toils, and does not toil for which he is inclined. If he finds himself self-sufficient he becomes wanton and
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arrogant, and if he becomes poor he loses hope. He hopes for more without being content, and wastes from himself that which is more.
He fears death because of his own evil deeds yet does not abandon the evil in his life. When desires tempt him, he falls into sins and then hopes for forgiveness, and when told to act for the hereafter he resists. When supplicating, he exaggerates his keenness, but when it comes to act, he is remiss. He is insistent when seeking favours, and is deficient when it comes to act. Rushes into the worldly affairs tiring himself to indisposition, and when he recovers, engages in errors with negligence.
He fears death, but does not care about the missed opportunity. When he sees the little sins of others, he feel concerned about it, but for himself, he is hopeful without any deeds. He censures others, and at the same is self-congratulating. He prefers to be trusted when pleased, and adopts dishonesty when displeased.
If he is healthy or recovers from illness, he believes he has been pardoned and if he is taken ill, he covets health and then repeats (his evil deeds). He neither stands at night (for prayers) nor does he pass his day fasting. A day breaks and he worries about his lunch, and an evening falls and he thinks of dinner. Those above him seek refuge with Allah from his evil (intentions) and those below him are not safe from him in spite of the
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refuge. When he hates, he ruins himself in going to its extreme, and does not fall short when he loves. Little things upset him, and on having plentiful, he transgresses. He wants to be obeyed, while he remains disobedient. May we turn to Allah for hel! "
3. The inmates of the Prophet's household
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Sulaiman al-Baghandi, who reported from Harun ibn Hatim, who reported from Ismail ibn Tawbah, who reported from Mas'ab ibn Sallam, from Abu Ishaq, from Rabee'ah al-Sa'd, who said:
I came to Hudhaifah ibn al-Yaman, may Allah have mercy on him, and requested him to relate to me what he heard from the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, or what he saw him do, so that I may follow it. He said: "Remain with the Qur'an. " I said: "I have read the Qur'an, I have come to you to know of what I have neither seen or heard.
O Alla! I make you my witness on Hudhaifah, that I have come to him so that he may narrate to me what I have not seen nor heard about the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, but he is refusing me, and hiding it from me. "
Hudhaifah said: "O brother, you are pressing me hard. " Then he said: "Take this short one from a long list, which contains all, that matters to you. The sign of Paradise for this Ummah is (personified in) the Prophet,
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peace be upon him and his progeny, (though) he ate food (like us) and strolled in the markets. "
Then I said to him: "Guide me to the sign of Paradise (now) so that I may follow it, and show me the sign of hell, so that I may guard myself against it. " He said: "By Him Who controls my soul, the sign of Paradise and its true guides till the Day of Resurrection are the true Imams from the descendents of Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny. And the sign of hellfire and the leaders unto unbelief and hell, up to the Day of Resurrection, are other than them.
4. The virtues of Shi’ahs
He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Khalid al-Maraghi, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad al-Dallal, who reported from Ismail ibn Muhammad al-Muzni, who reported from Uthman ibn Saeed, who reported from Abul Hasan al-Tameemi, from Sabrah ibn Ziyad, from al-Hakam ibn Utaibah, from Hanash ibn al-Mo'tamar, who said:
I once called upon Amirul Mu’mineen, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, and said: "Salaam upon you, O Amirul Mu’mineen and His mercy and blessing, how are you? He said: "I am in a state of loving those who love us, and hatred for those who hate us.
And our friends are in a state of rejoicing in the mercy of Allah which they were expecting and our enemies are in a state of founding their edifice on the crumbling brink and that brink
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will fall down with him into the fire of hell. The gates of Paradise are opened for those who belong to it. So happiness and delight for the people who have earned their mercy of Allah, and ruination be for those who are in hell.
O Hanash, whoever wishes to know whether he is our lover or not, he should search his own heart. If he loves our friend and partisans, then he is not our enemy, but if he hates our friends and partisans, then he is not our lover. Allah has a covenant with our lovers for our friendship, and has written the names of our adversaries in the record. We are the ones of noble descent, and our ancestors are the ancestors of the Prophets. "
5. ‘Ali (as) predicts his victory at the Battle of Basrah
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Abul Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Saeed al-Hamdani, who reported from Abu Awanah Musa ibn Yusuf ibn Rashid, who reported from Abd al-Salaam ibn Asim, who reported from Ishaq ibn Ismail Hamwayh, who reported from Amru ibn Abu Qais, from Maysarah ibn Habib, from al-Minhal ibn Amru, who said:
A man from Banu Tamim reported to me that we were with Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, at Dhu Qar, and we thought we were to be seized on that day. Then I heard him say: "By Alla! We will overcome this dissenting group. And these two, Talha and Zubair, will be killed and their troops will be uprooted. "
Al-Tameem said: I went to
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Abdullah ibn al-Abbas and said to him: "Do you hear what your cousin says? " He said: "Do not make haste, wait till we see what happens. " When the result of Basrah battle became known, I came to him and said: "Your cousin was right in what he said. " He said: "We the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny, used to say that he has given him (i. e. ‘Ali) eighty pledges exclusively. Perhaps this was one of them. "
6. The excellence of Al-Sadiq
He said: Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Musa ibn Babawayh al-Qummi, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, who reported from Muhammad ibn Abul Qasim, from Ahmad ibn Abu Abdillah al-Barqi, from his father, from the one who heard from Hannan ibn Sadir al-Sayrafi, who said:
I dreamt and saw the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, with a bowl before him covered with a cloth. I came closer to him and greeted him, and he returned my greetings. Then he removed the cloth from the bowl, which was filled with fresh dates. He began to eat from it, so I went closer still and said: "O messenger of Allah, may I have one? "
He gave me one, which I ate. Then I requested for another one, and he gave and I ate. This way, just as I ate one, I went on requesting for another till he gave me eight of them. As I
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ate the last, I asked for more, but he said: "Enough for you. "
He said: I woke up from my dream. Next day, I visited al-Sadiq Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, and before him was a bowl covered with cloth, the same way as I had previously seen in my dream, before the Prophet. So I greeted him and he returned my greetings, then he uncovered the bowl, which was filled with fresh dates.
He began to eat, and I felt surprised. I said: "May I be your ransom, could I have one? " He gave one to me, which I ate. Then I requested for another and he gave. And so I went on asking for another till he gave me eight. Then I asked for more, so he said: "If my grandfather, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, had given more, I would have also given. " So I related to him the dream. He smiled as if he knew what had transpired.
7. Words of Wisdom on Knowledge
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from al-Sheikh al-Swaleh Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Ubaidullah ibn Yaseen, who said: I heard the righteous slave of Allah, ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Ridha, peace be upon them, at Samarra, reporting from his forefathers, peace be upon them, who said:
Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him said: "Knowledge is the most precious legacy, and civility and good manners are beautiful adornments, and thinking intellectually is a clean mirror, and drawing lessons from the
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events is the best warner and advisor. The best description to cultivate for yourself is to avoid that which you would not like others to do to you. "
May Allah bless you our master Muhammad, the Prophet, and his pure progeny.
Fortieth Assembly
point
Met on Wednesday, 24th of the month of Ramadhan in the year 411 Hijrah, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu’man, may Allah support his capabilities, narrated:
1. Admonition from ‘Ali ibn Al-Husayn
He said: Abul Hasan Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Waleed al-Qummi, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, from Sa'd ibn Abdillah, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa from al-Hasan ibn Mahboob, from Malik ibn Atiyyah, from Abu Hamza al-Thumali, who reported that:
‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him, used to say: "O son of Ada! You will always be your best as long as you have an admonishing inner self; and as long as you are anxious to take your own account; and as long as the fear of Allah is your norm, and sorrow (over your lapses) is your garment. O son of Ada! Surely, you will die one day, and you will be resurrected and made to stand before Allah, Most High, and be questioned. So prepare an answer. "
2. Defend your brother's name
He said: Abu Hasan Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Jurjurai reported to me from Ishaq ibn Abdus, who reported from Muhammad ibn Abdillah ibn Sulaiman al- Hadhrami, who reported from Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Ahmasi, who reported from Al-Maharibi, from Ibn Abi Laila, from al-Hakam ibn Utaibah from Ibn Abu al-Darda', from
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his father who said:
A man defamed and slandered another man in presence of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, so a person from the people present, refuted him. The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "Whoever defends the honour of his brother, that act will shield him from hellfire. "
3. Sympathy for Ahlul Bayt
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Qawlawayh, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, who reported from Sa'd ibn Abdillah, from Ahmad ibn Abu Abdillah al-Barqi, who reported from Sulaiman Ibn Salemah al-Kindi, from Muhammad ibn Saeed ibn Ghazwan, and Isa ibn Abu Mansoor, from Aban ibn Taghlib, who reported that:
Abu Abdillah Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "A person who sighs in grief over the wrongs meted out to us, that sigh is extolment of Allah, and his anxiety about us is an act of worship, and to conceal our secrets is a struggle in the way of Allah". Then Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him said: "This tradition ought to be written in gold. "
4. ‘Ali (as) praises his partisans
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Saeed, who reported from Abu Awanah, Musa ibn Yusuf al- Qattan, who reported from Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Awadi, who reported from Ismail ibn Aban, who reported from ‘Ali ibn Hashim ibn al-Bareed, from his father, from Abd al-Razzaq ibn Qais al-Rahbi, who said:
I was sitting with ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, near
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the gate of the palace, till sunlight forced him to seek shelter near the palace wall. So he hastened to enter, but a man from Hamdan stood up and clung to his clothes, saying: "O Amirul Mu’mineen, narrate to me a comprehensive tradition by which Allah may benefit me. "
He said: "Are there not enough traditions? " He said: "Yes, but narrate to me a comprehensive one which would benefit me. " He said: "My friend, Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, narrated to me that, I shall arrive at the Pool with my Shi’ahs, with our thirsts already quenched. Their faces will be bright. And our enemies will arrive there suffering from thirst, with their faces darkened. Take this brief one from a long list. (Remember) you are with the one you love, and for you is what you have acquired. Release me, O brother from Hamdan. " Then he entered the palace.
5. ‘Ali (as) exposes the hypocrite tribes
He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al-Katib reported from al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-Za'farani, from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Thaqafi, from Yusuf ibn Kulaib, from Mu'awiyah ibn Hisham, from al-Sabah ibn Yahya al-Muzani, from al-Harith ibn Husayrah, who said:
A group from the companions of Amirul Mu’mineen reported to me that one day he said: "Call the fellow from the tribes of Ghunay and Bahilah (and another tribe they had named) , and let them take their shares from the spoils. By He Who splits the seed and created life, they (actually) have no share in Islam.
And
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I am a witness, so is my status at the Pool and the Praised Station, that they are indeed the enemies in the world and the next. (If I had my way) I would punish Ghunay, which would terrify the Bahila. And if I am firm on my feet, I would identify tribes against tribes, and would falsify six tribes which have no part in Islam. "
6. Weeping over Al-Husayn
He said: Abu Amru Uthman ibn Ahmd al-Daqqaq permitted me to report what he reported from Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Malik, who reported from Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Awadi, who reported from Mukhawwal Ibn Ibrahim, from al-Rabee' ibn al-Munzir, from his father who reported from:
Al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, that he said: "Whoever sheds a tear from his eyes for us, or fills his eyes with tears for us, Allah will grant him for that an eternal place in Paradise. " Ahmed ibn Yahya al-Awadi said: I saw al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, in dream and related to him: "Mukhawwal ibn Ibrahim has reported to me from al-Rabee' ibn al-Munzir, from his father from you that you said: Whoever sheds a tear from his eyes for us, or fills his eyes with tears for us, Allah will grant him an eternal place in Paradise. " He said: "Yes. " So I said: " (In that case) , the chain of narration between you and me does not exist any more. "
7. The status of Quss ibn Sa'edah
He said: Abu al-Tayyib al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Tammar reported to me from Muhammad ibn al-Qasim al-Anbari, who reported
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from Abul Hasan Hamid ibn Muhammad ibn Hamid al-Tameemi, who reported from Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn Nuaim al-Abdi, who reported from Abu ‘Ali al-Rawwasi ibn Abdullah, who reported from Abu Masood Ubaid ibn Samee', from al-Kalbi, from Abu Swaleh, from Ibn Abbas, who said:
When the delegation of Ayad called upon the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, he asked them: "What happened to Quss ibn Sa'edah? " They said: "O Prophet of Alla! he died. " The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "May Allah bless Quss ibn Sa'edah with mercy, it is as if I am looking at him in the marketplace of Ukkaz, seated on the grey camel. He spoke very pleasently, which I did not try to remember. " A man from the delegation said: "I have memorized it, O, Prophet of Alla! I heard him say at Ukkaz:
"O peopl! Hear, listen and remember (me). He who lives must die, and he who dies loses the opportunity (for acts). And all that is expected will soon occur. (Ponder upon) the dark night and the heavens full of constellations, and swelling seas and the gleaming stars and the rains and the vegetation and the fathers and the mothers, and those who go and those who come, and the light and the darkness and the good and the evil, and the clothes and attire and that which you ride, eat and drin! Surely, there is a heavenly news in the sky, and no doubt there are
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lessons to draw from (the events on) the earth.
How come I see men go and never return? Is it because they liked the place there, therefore they stayed? Or were they left so they fell asleep? Quss ibn Sae'dah swears by Allah, a solemn oath which has no blemish. There is no religion, which Allah likes more than the one whose duration overwhelms you and which covers your period (in all its aspects). Blessed are those who will find the bringer of that faith and then follow him, and woe unto him who will find him but reject him. " Then he said:
"The early ones who have gone away
since centuries, in them there are examples for us;
When I saw that death has departures,
with none to be stopped or returned.
And I saw my people going towards it - all,
big and small ones.
The bygone does not return to you,
nor anyone from ancient times,
I am certain that quite inevitably,
I will be gone, the way the people have gone. "
Then the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny said: "Allah may bless Quss ibn Sa'edah with mercy. I hope he will rise on the Day of Resurrection as a single model (of virtue). " The man from the delegation said: "O Prophet of Alla! I saw something amazing about Quss. " He (i. e. the Prophet) asked: "What was that? " He said:
One day, as I was standing near a mountain in our district called Sam'aan, on an extremely hot summer day, I saw Quss ibn Sa'edah
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standing under the shadow of a tree, and there was a stream flowing. Around the stream were several animals that had arrived to drink. There a wild animal jostled another with its paw. Quss hit him with his hands and said: "Wait till the one who has come before you has finished drinking. " When I saw him, and the animals around him, I felt frightened. He said: "You do not have to worry. Do not fear, Allah willing. "
Then I came across two graves with a mosque in between. When I became close to him, I asked about those two graves. He said: "These are of my two companions who were worshipping Allah here with me. They died, I buried them here and erected a mosque between them, so that I could pray in it till such time when I join them. " Then he reminisced the old days with them and talked of what they did. Then he wept and said:
"Rise, O my two friends, You have indeed slept for long.
I find that you have still not finished your slumber.
Do you not know that I am alone at Sam'aan?
and I do not have anyone who I loved except you two?
I shall stand by your graves, not departing,
the whole night long, till I hear your voices,
I shall weep over you as long as I live,
and who is there to answer to one who laments, weeping?
As if you two and death are the two sole objectives
for my soul in my grave, the same
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way as it came upon you.
And if a soul could act as a shield for another soul,
I would have offered my soul to be your ransom. "
8. Refrain from Jealousy
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He said: Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Baseer reported to me from ‘Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Sa'yabah, who reported from Umar ibn Abd al-Jabbar, from his father, who reported from ‘Ali ibn Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his brother Musa ibn Ja'far, from his father Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his grandfather, peace be upon them, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, one day said to his companions: "Be it known that an evil from the bygone people has crept into you, and that is envy and jealousy. It does not shave off the hair, it shaves off the faith. A man can save himself from that if one controls his hands, spares his speech and does not slander his Mu’min brother. "
And may Allah bless our master, Muhammad, the Prophet and his pure progeny.
Forty First Assembly
point
Met on Saturday, when 10 nights were left of the month of Ramadhan, in the year 411 Hijrah. Our grand Sheikh al-Mufid Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu’man, may Allah support his capabilities, narrated:
1. Do not have long hopes
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Muhammad ibnal-Walid, who reported from Ghandar Muhammad, who reported from Sha'bah, from Salemah ibn Kuhail, from Abu al-Tufail Amir ibn Wathilah al-Kinani, may Allah bless him with mercy, who said:
I heard Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him,
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say: "The things I fear most about you are (two): (Delusion by) long (desire and) hope, and following the lusts (and temptations). As for the long hope, it makes one forget the world hereinafter, and the lusts (and base desires) keeps one back from the truth. Be it known to you that the world has indeed turned its back, and the next world has turned up to face you. And each has its own children; so be the children of the hereinafter and do not be the children of this (transitory) world. For surely, today is the day of action and no accounting, and the next world is for accounting and no action. "
2. What the Prophet said about ‘Ali
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Abu Muhammad Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Saeed ibn Ziyad ibn Kananah, who reported from Ahmad ibn Isa ibn al-Hasan al-Hubi, who reported from Nasr ibn Hammad, who reported from Amru ibn Shimr, from Jabir al-Jo'fi, from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, from Jabir ibn Abdillah al-Ansari, who reported that:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny said: Jibraeel descended to me and said: "Allah commands you to rise and confirm the excellence of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, above others, by addressing your companions, so that they may convey to their posterity on your behalf. And He commands all the angels to hear from you what you mention. And Allah, reveals to you, O Muhammad, that whoever opposes
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you in His command, for such a person (the destination) is hellfire; and whoever obeys, for such a person (the destination) is Paradise. "
So the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, caused an announcement for congregational prayers. People gathered, and the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, set out to climb high on the pulpit. The first thing that he uttered was "I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, Most Merciful. " Then he said:
"O peopl! I am the bringer of good tidings and I am the warner. I am the Prophet of Makkah. I want to convey to you from Allah, Most High, regarding a man whose flesh is my flesh and whose blood is my blood. He is the treasure of knowledge, and it is he who Allah has chosen from this Ummah. He selected him, guided him, befriended him and created me and him (of one essence). He made me excel above others by the Prophethood, and made him excel above other by making him my emissary.
He made me be city of knowledge and him its gate. Made me the treasurer of knowledge and the purveyor of the laws from Him, and gave him (i. e. ‘Ali) the successorship. He made his matter quite manifest, and warned against enmity against him, and drew closer to Him those who love him. He forgave his Shi’ahs, and commanded all the people to obey him.
And surely, Allah says: 'Whoever takes
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him as an enemy, is My enemy, and whoever befriends him is My friend. And whoever shows hostility to him is hostile to Me, and whoever opposes him opposes Me. And whoever disobeys him, disobeys Me and whoever hurts him, hurts Me. And whoever hates him hates Me, and whoever loves him, loves Me.
And whoever has an ill intention against him has the same against Me, and whoever plots against him, plots against Me. And whoever helps him, helps Me.
O peopl! Listen to what he commands you to do, and be obedient to him. I warn you of Allah's chastisement, (and of the day):
'On the Day when every soul will find all the good it has done face to face; and the evil it has done, it will wish that they might be a great distance between it and the evil it has done, and Allah cautious you to be wary of Him. ' (3: 30). "
Then he took Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, by his hands and said: "O peopl! This is the master of the believers and the Proof of Allah (and His authority) over the entire creation; and the one who will fight the infidels. O Alla! I have indeed conveyed and they are Your slaves. You have the power to reform them, so reform them (for the better) with Your mercy, O merciful of all the mercifuls. I seek forgiveness from Allah for myself and all of you. "
Then he climbed down from the pulpit and
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Jibraeel came to him (again) and said: O Muhammad, Allah, Almighty, sends you His greetings and says: "May you be rewarded the best for conveying your mission. You have indeed conveyed your Lord's message, and have advised your Ummah, and you have (today) pleased the believers and you have grieved the infidels. O Muhammad, your cousin will face tribulations and many will face tribulations because of hi! O Muhammad, say: All praise be for the Lord of the worlds, and soon the wrongdoers shall know what awaits them, and say it at all times. "
3. A letter from Ibn Hanafiyyah to Ibn Abbas
He said: Abu Ubaidullah Muhammad ibn Imran al-Marzbani reported to me form Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Abdul Rahim al-Sajistani, from his father, from al-Hasan ibn Ibrahim, from Abdullah ibn Asim, from Muhammad ibn Bishr, who said:
When Ibn al-Zubair expelled Ibn Abbas - may Allah bless him with mercy, to al-Taif, Muhammad ibnal-Hanafiyyah, may Allah bless him with mercy, wrote to him: "I am informed that Ibn al-Kahiliyya has driven you out to al-Taif. That way Allah, Most High may exalt your name, and grant you great reward, and lift from you the burden. O brother, (in this world) the trials are for the righteous, and blessings of honour are conferred upon the virtuous.
If your reward were to be only in the things you like, then your rewards would be be too few. For Allah says (in the Qur'an): '... and you may dislike a thing which is good for you. ' (2: 216). And I have no
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doubt that the situation you are in is good for you in the sight of Allah. May Allah grant you great patience in this adversity, and enable you to be grateful for (His) bounties. Surely, He has power over all other things. "
When the letter reached Ibn Abbas, he replied: "Your letter has reached me, in which you consoled me on whatever has happened to me, seeking your Lord to exalt my name. Surely, He has power to augment the reward, and to benefit by His favours and to grant more of goodness. I do not like the treatment meted to me by Ibn al-Zubair any more than had it been perpetrated by the enemies of mankind, and thus increase my reward. Nor did I expect to earn my Lord's pleausre through his efforts.
O my brothe! The world has indeed turned its back and the hereinafter has shadowed. So perform good deeds. May Allah count you and me among those who fear Him, the Unseen, and who act to earn His pleausre, publicly or in privacy. Surely, He has power over all. "
4. Imam Hasan's address
He said: Abul Qasim Ismail ibn Muhammad al-Anbari al-Katib reported to me from Abu Abdillah Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Azdi, who reported from Shoaib ibn Ayyub, who reported from Mu’awiyah ibn Hisham, from Sufyan, from Hisham ibn Hassan, who said:
I heard Abu Muhammad, al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, addressing the people on Friday after they had sworn allegiance to him: "We are the victorious party of Allah, and
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the nearest kinfolk of His messenger, and the inmates of his pure and immaculate household. We are one of the two invaluable things the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, left behind for his Ummah. The other one is the Book of Allah in which is expounding of all things, no falsehood can come to it from before it or from behind it. So whoever depends on us for its interpretation will find that we do not fall prey to conjecture, we speak of its realities with certainty.
Obey us, for our obedience is ordained, and is coupled with obedience to Allah and His Prophet. Allah says (in the Qur'an):
'O people who have believed, obey Allah and obey His Prophet and those entrusted with the authority among you. But if there arises any dispute about anything, refer it to Allah and His Prophet. ' (5: 59)
'If they had referred to the Messenger and to those in the authority among them, those capable of inferring would have known it' (5"63).
And I warn you against listening to the yelling of Satan, for he is indeed your open enemy. If you do, you will be like his friends to whom he said: 'No one can overcome you today, truly I am your protector,' but when the two hosts confronted each other, he turned upon his heels, saying:
'I have nothing to do with you, I see that which you cannot see' (8: 48).
Then you will fall prey to the lances, minced
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by the swords, shattered by the shafts and targeted by the arrows. Then:
'it shall not profit a soul to believe, who did not believe before, or has not earned in its faith any goodness' (6: 158). "
5. Control your temptations
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far ibn Muhammad, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, from Sa'd ibn Abdillah, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, from ‘Ali ibn Asbat, from his uncle Yaqoob ibn Salim, from Abul Hasan al-Abdi, that:
Abu Abdillah al-Sadiq Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "A slave of Allah does not control his temptation for the sake of Allah, except that Allah rewards him by entering him into Paradise. "
And may Allah bless our master Muhammad, the Prophet and his progeny.
Forty Second Assembly
point
Met on Saturday, the 27th of the month of Ramadhan in 411 Hijrah. Our great Sheikh al-Mufid, Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu’man, may Allah help him in his capabilities, narrated to us:
1. The most God-fearing, the richest and the most pious
He said: Al-Mudhaffar ibn Muhammad al-Balkhi reported to me from Muhammad ibn Hammam Abu ‘Ali, who reported from Hamid ibn Ziyad, who reported from Ibrahim ibn Ubaidullah ibn Hayyan, who reported from al-Rabee' ibn Sulaiman, from Ismail ibn Muslim al-Sakooni from al-Sadiq Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, from his father, from his grandfather, who said:
I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, say: "Act according to what Allah had made obligatory upon you, and you will be the most God-fearing; and be content with what Allah
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has apportioned to you, and you will be the richest of all, and refrain from what Allah has forbidden, and you will be the most pious, and do good to your neighbours, and you will be (true) believer, and be a good companion and you will be a (good) Muslim. "
2. Ahlul Bayt: the most suppressed
He said: Abu Ubaidullah Muhammad ibn Imran al-Marzbani reported to me from Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Jawhari, who reported from al-Hasan ibn Aleel al- Anzi, who reported from Abdul Karim ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, who reported from Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, who reported from Muhammad ibn al-Manqar, who reported from Ziyad ibn al-Munzir, who reported from Sharjeel, from Umm al-Fadhl ibn al Abbas, who said:
When the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, fell seriously ill in his last days, he once woke up while we were crying around him. So he said: "What makes you cry? " We said: "O Prophet of Allah, we are crying helplessly, we cry because you will soon leave us behind, and the heavenly news will cease to come to us. And we cry over the fate of the Ummah after you have gone. " The Prophet, peace upon him and his progeny said: "Be it clear to you that you will be suppressed and weakened after I have gone. "
3. ‘Ali (as) 's last narration to Asbagh
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ji’abi reported to me from Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad Saeed al-Hamdani, who reported from Abu Awanah Musa ibn Yusuf al-Qattan al-Kufi, who reported from Muhammad ibn Sulaiman al-Muqri al-Kindi, from
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Abd al-Samad ibn ‘Ali al-Nawfili, from Abu Ishaq al-Sabeei', from al-Asbagh ibn Nubatah al-Abdi, who said:
When Ibn Muljam hit the fatal blow to Amirul Mu’mineen, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, we passed by him in the morning, myself and al-Harith and Swaid ibn Ghaflah and other friends. We stopped at the door and just as we heard the weeping, we wept also. So al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, came to us and said: "Amirul Mu’mineen requests you to return to your homes. " So all except myself, departed.
Again there was intense wailing from inside the house, and I wept also. Hasan, peace be upon him, came out again and said: "Did I not ask you to leave? " I said: "By Allah, O son of the Prophet of Allah, my heart does not allow me to go, and my feet refuse to carry me, till I see Amirul Mu’mineen, may Allah bless him. "
He said: Then he (i. e. al-Hasan) paused and entered. And soon after, he came out allowing me to enter. As I entered, I saw Amirul Mu’mineen sitting with support, with a yellow headband tied round his head, drained of blood and his face pale. I could not discern which one was more yellow, his face or the headband. So I fell over him, kissed him and kept on crying. He said: "Do not cry O Asbagh, for it is my way to Paradise. "
So I said to him: "May I be your ransom,
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I know full well that you are proceeding to Paradise. I weep because I will terribly miss you, O Amirul Mu’minee! May I be your ransom, please narrate to me a tradition which you heard from the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, for I fear that I might never chance to hear from you anything after this day. " He said: "Yes, O Asbagh. Once the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, called me and said: 'O ‘Ali, go to my mosque, climb the pulpit and summon the people to gather before you. Then, after praising Allah, Most High, and lauding Him, and invoking abundant blessing upon me, say:
'O Peopl! I am a messenger from the messenger of Allah to you. And he says: Curse from Allah, His honoured angels and His Prophets, and from me befall him who attributes himself to anyone other than his father, or who acts against his masters, or who unjustly usurps the right of his employee (or a person he has hired for work). '
So I went to his mosque, climbed upon the pulpit, when the Quraish and others present in the mosque saw me, they drew closer to me. I praised Allah and glorified him, invoked abundant blessings upon the Prophet and then said: "O peopl! I am a messenger from the messenger of Allah, to you. And he says to you: 'Curse from Allah, His honoured angels and His Prophets and from me befall him who attributes himself
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to anyone other than his father, or who acts against his masters, or who unjustly usurps the right of his employee (or a person he has hired for work). "
He said: No one from the people spoke anything, except Umar ibn al-Khattab, who said: "O Abul Hasan, you have indeed conveyed, but you have come up with a statement which is not clear. " I said: "I will convey your response to the Prophet. " So I returned and informed the Prophet. He said: Go back to my mosque, climb my pulpit, praise and glorify Allah and invoke His blessings upon me and then say: "O peopl! We do not come to you with anything unless we have its explanation. So be it known, I am the father, and I am your master, and I am the one employed (by Allah) for you. "
4. Foundation of Islam
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Qawlawayh, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, who reported from Sa'd ibn Abdilllah, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, from al-Hassan ibn Mahboob, from Abu Hamza al-Thumali, from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir, peace be upon him, who said:
"Islam has been founded on five pillars: the daily prayers, giving away of alms, fasting in the month of Ramadhan, pilgrimage to the Sacred House, and love of us,
Ahlul Bayt. "
5. Questions about Four Traits
And with the same chain of narration, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said:
On the day of Resurrection, the feet of a slave
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will not move away from Allah, Most High, unless He has asked him four things: "How did you while away your life? How did you earn your wealth? And where did you spend it? And He will ask him about our love, the Ahlul Bayt. " A person present asked: "And what is the sign of your love, O messenger of Allah? " He said: "To love him," and then he placed his hand on the head of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him.
6. Salman introduces ‘Ali
He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Khalid al-Maraghi reported to me from al-Qasim Ibn Muhammad al-Dallal, who reported from Ismail ibn Muhammad al-Muzni, who reported from Uthman ibnSaeed, who reported from ‘Ali ibn Ghurab, from Musa ibn Qais al-Hadhrami, from Salema ibn Kuhail, from Ayadh ibn Ayadh, from his father, who said:
Once ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, passed by a group of people among whom was Salman, may Allah bless him with mercy. So Salman told them: "Be attached to this man (i. e. ‘Ali) for no one else will inform you of the intimate things about your Prophet except he. "
7. Al-Sadiq Narrates Directly
He said: Al-Mudhaffar ibn Muhammad al-Balkhi reported to me from Abu ‘Ali Muhammad ibn Hammam al-Iskafi, who reported from Abu Ja'far Ahmed ibn Mabandar, from Mansoor ibn al-Abbas al-Qasbani, who reported from al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-Khazzaz, from ‘Ali ibn Uqbah from Salim ibn Abu Hafsah, who said:
When Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir, peace be upon him, died, I said to my friends:
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Wait for me till I have been to Abu Abdillah Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, to console him. So I visited him, and consoled him saying: "We are for Allah, and unto Him shall we return. " Then I confirmed: "By Allah, a man who reported from the Prophet directly, and was never asked about the chain of narrators between him and the Prophet, has passed away. By Allah, no one like shall ever be found. "
He said: Abu Abdillah remained silent for a few moments, and then said: "Allah, Most Glorified said: "Surely, someone from My slaves may give away in charity a piece of date, then I rear it up, the way you rear up a foal, till I will make it as big as the mountain of Uhud. "
When I came back to my friend, I said: "I have not seen anything more surprising than this. We were thinking highly of Abu Ja'far who reported from the Prophet directly, but Abu Abdillah has begun by saying: Allah, Most Glorified, sai! "
8. Completion of Faith
He said: Abul Qasim, Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Qawlawayh, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, who reported from Sa'd ibn Abdillah, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, who reported from ‘Ali ibn al-Hakam, from Abu Saeed al-Qammat, from al-Mufaddhal ibn Umar al-Jo'fi, who said:
I heard Abu Abdillah, Ja'far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, saying: "The faith of a slave (of Allah) is never complete without four traits: noble character, generosity, sparing
of unnecessary speech, and spending the surplus from ones wealth. "
And Praise to Allah, the Lord of Universe. And may Allah bless our master, Muhammad, the Prophet and his pure progeny.