Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

PART 13

Traditions that confirm that Imams (a.s.) are the ‘helpers of Allah’, ‘pious ones’ and ‘the foremost’. And their Shias are ‘the companions of the right’ and their enemies are ‘the companions of the left’.

Ibne Mahyar says regarding the following words of the Almighty Allah:

وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ. أُوْلَئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ. فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ.

And the foremost are the foremost, these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah), in the gardens of bliss. 56:10-12

Commentators have said that those who were foremost in faith and obedience of Allah, in the hereafter they would be foremost to go to Paradise and these are the very people who are the proximate ones in the gardens of bliss.

It is narrated from Amirul Momineen (a.s.) that he said: Among all those who precede towards Allah and the Messenger I am the foremost and I am the most proximate to the Almighty.

It is narrated from Ibne Abbas that there are three who are the foremost: Hizqeel, the believer from the people of Firon, who was the first to believe in Moosa (a.s.), Habib the person of Yasin who was the first to believe in Isa (a.s.) and Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) who was the first to believe in Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), and he is better than other two.

Ibne Shahr Aashob narrates from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that: we are the foremost. We are foremost in perfection over the whole Ummah and we are the last as our rule and government shall be the last.

Ibne Mahyar from Shaykh Tusi with his chains of narrators has narrated from Abu Abbas that he asked the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) the explanation of the following verse:

وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ. أُوْلَئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ. فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ.

And the foremost are the foremost, these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)… 56:10-12

The Prophet (s.a.) replied that Jibraeel has said that they are Ali and his Shias are foremost in heading towards Paradise, and due to their respect for Allah, they are the proximate ones of Allah.

Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) said in the explanation of the verse:

فَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ. فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ وَجَنَّةُ نَعِيمٍ.

Then if he is one of those drawn nigh (to Allah), then happiness and bounty and a garden of bliss. 56:88-89

If a person who is dying is from the proximate ones then for him there is ‘happiness’ meaning comfort or the evening breeze of Paradise and ‘bounty’ which means the pure sustenance or the flowers of Paradise which are brought to him that he may smell it and acquire the blessings and (thirdly) there is Paradise for him containing all the bounties. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said that this verse is revealed in praise of Amirul Momineen (a.s.) and Imams succeeding him.

Amirul Momineen (a.s.) is quoted inUyoon Akhbar Reza that he said: The verse revealedAnd the foremost are the foremost was revealed in my praise.

Also there is a tradition in the book of Sulaym Ibne Qays Hilali that this verse is in praise of Amirul Momineen (a.s.). It is of those proofs which he completed for Muhajirs and Ansars, and said that I put you under the oath of Allah do you know when was the following verse revealed?

وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنْ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ…

And (as for) the foremost, the first of the Muhajirs and the Ansars… 9:100

And

And the foremost are the foremost, these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)… 56:10-11

People asked the explanation of both the verses from the Holy Prophet. He replied that Allah has revealed them in praise of the Prophets and their successors and I am the best of all the Prophets and Ali Ibne Abi Talib, my successor is the best of all the successors. The people said: Indeed, we have heard it.

Shaykh Tabarsi inMajmaul Bayan narrates from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that four people are the foremost: The first is Habeel, son of Adam (a.s.) who was killed, the second is from the Ummat of Moosa, called believer of the people of Firon, the third is from the community of Isa called Habib Najjar and the fourth from the Ummah of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.)

Kulaini has narrated that Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) told a group of Shias that you are the Shias of Allah, you are the helpers of Allah and you are the first of the foremost and the last of the foremost, foremost in the world and you are the foremost in the hereafter to go to Paradise. For you Allah has given the guarantee and also the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has guaranteed Paradise for you.

It is narrated by Ali Ibne Ibrahim that ‘companions of the right hand’ (Ashab-e-Maimana) are those believers who did sins and they will be stopped at the accounting and from them those are the foremost would head towards Paradise in innumerable numbers.

Kulaini has narrated from Asbagh bin Nubatah that a person came to Amirul Momineen (a.s.) and said: O Amirul Momineen a group says that a servant of Allah doesn’t do fornication while he is a believer, and does not kill anyone when is a believer, and doesn’t steal when he is a believer. And these things are difficult for me as this person prays like me and gives me his daughter in marriage and I give my daughter in marriage to him, he inherits from me and I inherit from him, just because of few sins he goes out of the pale of Islam? Imam said: What you have said is true. And I have heard from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.), that he used to say the same and for this there is the proof of book of Allah. Allah, the Almighty has created three types of people and made three stages for them, and said in Quran about ‘the companions of the right hand’, ‘the companions of the left hand’ and ‘the foremost ones’. The foremost ones are the Prophets, some are messengers and some are non-messengers. And Allah has given the people five spirits:

(i) Ruhul Quds (ii) Ruhul Iman (iii) Ruhul Quvvat (iv) Ruhul Shahvat (v) Ruhul Badan. The Prophets are raised on the Ruhul Quds. Some of them are messengers and some are non-messenger. They get revelations through this Ruh. Due to Ruhul Iman they worship Allah and do not make anyone a partner with Allah. With the help of Ruhul Quvvat they fight against their enemies, and acquire sustenance for themselves. From Ruhul Shahvat they eat delicious foods and marry young and permissible women. With the help of Ruhul Badan they walk the way. This group would get salvation. Of them some are infallible and if anyone of them rarely commits Tark-e-Awla (leaving the preferable option) or does anything undesirable Allah forgives them and then there is no effect of it on them. After this the Hazrat said that Allah says:

تِلْكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَلَّمَ اللَّهُ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَاتٍ وَآتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ.

We have made some of these apostles to excel the others among them are they to whom Allah spoke, and some of them He exalted by (many degrees of) rank; and We gave clear miracles to Isa son of Maryam, and strengthened him with the holy spirit. 2:253

It means that amongst the Prophets some have superiority over others. Some Prophets were superior from the fact that Allah had literally spoken to them like Prophet Moosa (a.s.) and Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and for some Allah has increased their stages, and that is Prophet Muhammad and Allah had given a clear miracle to Isa Ibne Maryam (a.s.) and bestowed him strength through the Ruhul Quds

About all the Prophets He says:

وَأَيَّدَهُمْ بِرُوحٍ مِنْهُ.

…whom He has strengthened with an inspiration (spirit) from Him… 58:22

It means those who are His chosen ones or on whom He has sent blessings. The Imam said that He has given them respect due to this Ruh (spirit), and then He gave them superiority over others.

Then he says about ‘companions of the right hand’ that they are the believers, as the faith demands. Allah has given them four spirits (i) Ruhul Iman (ii) Ruhul Quvvat, (iii) Ruhul Shahvat, (iv) Ruhul Badan. And he always tries to perfect these spirits, till some stages pass upon him. Hearing all this the man said: O Amirul Momineen what are those stages? The Imam replied that the first amongst them is as Allah has said:

وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرَدُّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا.

…and of you is he who is brought back to the worst part of life, so that after having knowledge he does not know anything…

The Imam said that for such a person all the spirits decrease but he doesn’t go out from the religion of Allah, because Allah has made him reach this age of ignorance. That is why he doesn’t know the time of Prayer and doesn’t get up for the Prayer in the day and at night and he cannot stand in the rows with other people in congregation prayers. All this is due to the paucity of Ruhul Iman and no harm is caused by this.

In some the Ruhul Quvvat decreases so they cannot wage a war against the enemies and are unable to work for their daily bread. In some the Ruhul Shahvat is reduced to such an extent that even if the most beautiful women are sent to him, he is not attracted and does not consent. He has the Ruhul Badan by which they move about and walk on the road, till the angels of death reach him. The condition of this man is better because Allah has made his condition better than the other. Sometimes it so happens that he has those capabilities in his youth and he intends to commit a sin and the Ruhul Quvvat encourages him and the Ruhul Shahvat makes it attractive to him and the Ruhul Badan prepares him and then he does fornication. Now as he has committed a Haraam act the Ruhul Iman leaves him and till he doesn’t repent it does not return. If he repents Allah accepts his repentance and if he does not repent He punishes him for it and makes him enter Hell.

The ‘Companions of the left hand’ are Jews and Christians and Allah says about them:

الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمْ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ.

Those whom We have given the Book recognize him as they recognize their sons…2:146

It means they recognize Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and have read about the Wilayat of his Ahlul Bayt’s in Taurat and Injeel. Just as they recognize their sons in their houses:

وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِنْهُمْ لَيَكْتُمُونَ الْحَقَّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ.

…and a party of them most surely conceal the truth while they know (it). 2:146

It means that their one community conceals the truth although they know it very well:

الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ.

The truth is from your Lord…2:147

He said that the truth is from your Lord and you are the Prophet for them from your Lord:

فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنْ الْمُمْتَرِينَ.

…therefore you should not be of the doubters. 2:147

Thus those who were knowing but deliberately refused it, Allah made them fight among themselves and then took away the Spirit of Faith (Ruhul Iman) from them and gave them only three spirits into their body—Spirit of strength, Spirit of sensuality, Spirit of body and then added to it and compared them to the quadrupeds and said:

أُوْلَئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ.

…they are as cattle…7:179

Because a quadruped carries the load with the help of the Spirit of Strength (Ruhul Quvvat) and eats due to the Spirit of Sensuality (Ruhul Shahvat) and walks due to the Spirit of the body (Ruhul Badan).

Hearing all this the man said: O Amirul Momineen, by the command and blessings of Allah you have enlivened my heart.

In the explanation of the verse:

وَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ. فَسَلَامٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ.

And if he is one of those on the right hand, then peace to you from those on the right hand. 56:90-91

Ibne Mahyar has narrated from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that if the departed person is from ‘those on the right hand’ then peace be on you O ‘those on the right hand’ and also peace be on you from ‘those on the right hand’ who are your brothers.

As Most commentators have said and the Imam has also stated in this tradition that ‘those on the right hand’ are the Shias of Ali (a.s.). The Almighty Allah says to His Prophet: Peace be on you from ‘those on the right hand’; that is you are safe from those who slay your progeny.

In another tradition the Imam said that they are our Shias and friends.

In theTawilul Ahadith there is a tradition from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that Allah says: Indeed none is more proximate to me than the one who prays and invokes Me in the name of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and his progeny, in the words that Adam had learnt and due to which his repentance was accepted. Adam had prayed:

O Allah you are the Lord of my blessings from You. Have mercy on me and surely You know my desire, so I ask You in the name of Muhammad and his progeny, that have mercy on me and forgive my mistakes.

Allah revealed to him: O Adam! I am the Master of your blessings and I can fulfil your desires and know your problems, tell Me why did you ask Me through these people? Adam replied: O my Sustainer, when You blew the spirit into my body, I raised my head and looked towards the throne and on it was written:

There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

I thought that Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) is the best of Your creatures, then You told me the names which passed by me which were from ‘those on the right hand’ the Aale Muhammad and his Shias so I thought that they were the nearest creatures to You. Allah said: O Adam you have said the truth.

There is also a tradition of from the Prophet (s.a.) that he said to Amirul Momineen (a.s.): You are that due to whom Allah, in the initial stage of creation, completed the proof on His creation when He made them stand near Him and that were some images. So He asked them: Am I not your Lord? All of them replied: Why not! Then Allah asked: Is Muhammad not My messenger? They all replied: Indeed, he is. Then He asked: Is Ali not the chief and the ruler of the believers? So all the creatures refused and were arrogant of your Wilayat and they disobeyed except for some few people and they are very few and it is they who are ‘those on the right hand’.

Also it is narrated that people asked from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) the explanation of this verse:

فَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ.

Then if he is one of those drawn nigh (to Allah)… 56:88

Imam (a.s.) said: ‘those drawn nigh (to Allah)’ are the ones who are near and have a position with the Imam. People asked about ‘those on the right hand’. He said: All those who accept the Imamate of the rightful Imams are all included in ‘those on the right hand’. Then:

وَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ الضَّالِّينَ.

And if he is one of the rejecters, the erring ones…56:92

It means that if the dying person is the one who has not accept the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and is amongst the astrayed ones, he would be welcomed in Hell with boiling water and scorching fire. The Imam said they will be those who have denied the Imam.

There is tradition by Kulaini from Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) on the verse:

فِي جَنَّاتٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ. عَنْ الْمُجْرِمِينَ. مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ. قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ.

In gardens, they shall ask each other about the guilty: What has brought you into hell? They shall say: We were not of those who prayed…74:40-43

In this tradition the Imam said that in this verse ‘those who prayed’ is not in the meaning of ‘those who pray the Prayer Salat’. Rather it is in comparison of the former. In the horse race there are ten horses, and each horse has a name, the horse which is the first is called the foremost (Sabiq) and it is also called “Majli” and after that comes ‘Musalli’ whose head is parallel to the right and left bones of the ‘sabiq’. Thus ‘sabiq’ are the Imams who have got precedence over all the people.

In beliefs and actions, Shias are those who like to align themselves to the Imams and follow them and this meaning is more appropriate for the captioned verse because to oppose the conditions of the sinners and polytheists is in the principles of faith rather than the branches of faith, that is, Prayer. In the same way:

وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَ.

And we used not to feed the poor…74:44

It is also narrated that it means the payment of Khums, which is the right of the Aale Muhammad (a.s.) which can also be referred to the roots of religion.

Ibne Mahyar has narrated from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) about the verse:

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ. إِلَّا أَصْحَابَ الْيَمِينِ.

Every soul is held in pledge for what it earns, except the people of the right hand…74:38-39

It means every soul is mortgaged to its deeds except ‘those on the right hand’, because they are the Shias of we Ahle Bayt.

And in the explanation of the last part of the verse he said:

In gardens, they shall ask each other about the guilty: 74:40-41

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) told Imam Ali (a.s.): O Ali! The ‘guilty’ are those who have refused your Mastership (Wilayat) and said: When they would be asked: what has brought you to Hell? They will say: We did not pray, nor we fed the poor and we were in unlawful deeds with those who commit these deeds. When they say all these things to ‘those on the right hand’ they would tell them: All these things cannot be the basis for going to Hell and remaining therein forever. Now tell us what exactly you were doing? They will say:

وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ. حَتَّى أَتَانَا الْيَقِينُ.

And we used to call the Day of Judgment a lie; till death overtook us. 74:46

The Prophet said that they say this, ‘those on the right hand’ will tell them: O tyrants! This is the reason, why you are brought to Hell.

And said that ‘day of judgment’ is the day of the covenant on which oath was taken for your Wilayat and they all refused it and did not trust it and also displayed arrogance.

Ali Ibne Ibrahim has narrated from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) about the explanation of this verse:

كَلَّا إِنَّ كِتَابَ الفُجَّارِ لَفِي سِجِّينٍ.

Nay! most surely the record of the wicked is in the Sijjin. 83:7

It is not like that the day of Qiyamat will not come, undoubtedly the deeds of transgressors are in a prison or written in their book of records and their spirit is there and it is seventh level or it is a well in Hell or that Sijjin is the name of their record of deeds. Hazrat said that ‘Fujjar’ denotes the first and the second (caliph) and their followers. After this the Quran says:

وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِلْمُكَذِّبِينَ. الَّذِينَ يُكَذِّبُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

Woe on that day to the rejecters, Who give the lie to the day of judgment. 83:10-11

The Hazrat said that it means the first and the second (caliph).

وَمَا يُكَذِّبُ بِهِ إِلَّا كُلُّ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ. إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ.

And none gives the lie to it but every exceeder of limits, sinful one. When Our communications are recited to him, he says: Stories of those of yore. 83:12-13

ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُوا الْجَحِيمِ.

Then most surely they shall enter the burning fire. 83:16

Hazrat said that all these verses were revealed for the first and the second (caliphs), because they used to falsify the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) then he recited the verse:

عَيْنًا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا الْمُقَرَّبُونَ.

A fountain from which drink they who are drawn near (to Allah). 83:28

The Hazrat said that ‘they who are drawn near (to Allah).’ means Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain (a.s.).

Also from reliable chain of narrators from the same Imam it is narrated that: The Almighty Allah created us from the most highest stages (Illiyin) and made the heart of our Shias from the same thing or from which our body was made. After that he recited the following verse:

كَلَّا إِنَّ كِتَابَ الْأَبْرَارِ لَفِي عِلِّيِّينَ. وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ. كِتَابٌ مَرْقُومٌ. يَشْهَدُهُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ.

Nay! Most surely the record of the righteous shall be in the Illiyin. And what will make you know what the highest Iliyin is? It is a written book, Those who are drawn near (to Allah) shall witness it. 83:18-21

It is a written and clear book and those who are near to Allah recite it, or they will witness for it on the day of the Judgement. Or Illiyin is the seventh heaven, that is ‘the farthest lote-tree’ (Sidratul Muntaha) or the Paradise. Then he said:

يُسْقَوْنَ مِنْ رَحِيقٍ مَخْتُومٍ. خِتَامُهُ مِسْكٌ.

They are made to quaff of a pure drink that is sealed (to others). The sealing of it is (with) musk…83:25-26

The Hazrat said that the drink is a water, which when the faithful will drink, it would give out the fragrance of musk.

وَفِي ذَلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسْ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ.

…and for that let the aspirers aspire. 83:26

Hazrat said that the verses that I have mentioned carry lots of rewards, which the faithful aspire.

وَمِزَاجُهُ مِنْ تَسْنِيمٍ.

And the admixture of it is a water of Tasnim…83:27

The Hazrat said that Tasnim is the best wine of the people of Paradise. It is called Tasnim because it drops in their houses from a height.

عَيْنًا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا الْمُقَرَّبُونَ.

A fountain from which drink they who are drawn near (to Allah). 83:28

The Hazrat said that Tasnim is that spring from which the sincere and the near ones drink and do not mix it with anything else and ‘those who are drawn near’ are all the Aale Muhammad (s.a.w.s.).

Allah says:

وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ. أُوْلَئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ.

And the foremost are the foremost, these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah). 56:10-11

It means Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and Khadijah, Ali Ibne Abi Talib and Imams from his progeny.

Allah says:

وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ بِإِيمَانٍ.

…and their offspring follow them in faith…52:21

It means that their progeny would be linked to them and ‘those who are drawn nigh’ would drink from the pure Tasnim and the other believers would drink a wine mixed with Tasnim.

Ali Ibne Ibrahim says that Allah has described in the following way the guilty ones who make fun of the believers and gesture with their eyes. Then He said:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا كَانُوا مِنْ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَضْحَكُونَ.

Surely they who are guilty used to laugh at those who believe. 83:29

It means those who are sinners and were polytheists and used to laugh on those who has accepted faith:

وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ.

And when they passed by them, they winked at one another. 83:30

And when the faithful used to pass by them they used to gesture with their eyes.

وَإِذَا انقَلَبُوا إِلَى أَهْلِهِمْ انقَلَبُوا فَكِهِينَ.

And when they returned to their own followers they returned exulting. 83:31

When they returned to families they enjoyed in criticising them.

وَإِذَا رَأَوْهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ لَضَالُّونَ.

And when they saw them, they said: Most surely these are in error. 83:32

And when they saw the faithful they used to say that they were astrayed.

وَمَا أُرْسِلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ حَافِظِينَ.

And they were not sent to be keepers over them.

Allah says that they were not sent to supervise the deeds of the believers.

فَالْيَوْمَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْ الْكُفَّارِ يَضْحَكُونَ.

So today those who believe shall laugh at the unbelievers. 83:33

Today, on the day of the judgement the faithful will laugh on the unbelievers.

عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ. هَلْ ثُوِّبَ الْكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ.

On thrones, they will look. Surely the disbelievers are rewarded as they did. 83:34

While sitting with their backs on the pillow they would be seeing the condition of the inmates of Hell:

The Hazrat said: Did I give the news to the unbelievers about what they have done?

According to another tradition he said: ‘Those who are guilty’ means are the first and the second (caliph) and their followers. Who used to laugh on the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and his followers and wink at them.

There is a tradition inMajmaul Bayan about the verse:

Surely they who are guilty used to laugh at those who believe. 83:29

That it was revealed in the praise of Imam Ali (a.s.) it was due to the fact that one day when he was among a gathering of Muslims who had all come to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) the hypocrites started making fun of them and laughed on them and winked to each other, and then went to their friends and said: Today we have seen ‘Aslah’ [means Amirul Momineen] that there were few hair on his head and, we made fun of him. At that time this verse was revealed.

A tradition is quoted fromMaqatil through Kulaini and Abul Qasim Haskani has quoted it inShawahidut Tanzil from Ibne Abbas that: ‘they who are guilty’ means the hypocrites of Quraysh and‘those who believe’ means Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.).

Ibne Shahr Aashob has narrated that Imam Hasan Mujtaba (a.s.) said that in the Book of Allah wherever there is: ‘the righteous ’ (Abrar) then by Allah! Allah has intended no one but Ali Ibne Abi Talib, Fatima and Hasnain (a.s.) because we are ‘the righteous’ (Abrar) and the doers of good with our forefathers and mothers and our hearts were raised high due to our worship and good deeds and are fed up with the world and its love and we have obeyed His Prophet (s.a.w.s.).

It is narrated from Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s.) that ‘guilty’ are those who have committed offence to right of the Holy Imams and disobeyed and oppressed them.

InMajmaul Bayan it is narrated from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) that ‘Sijjin’ is the deepest well in the Hell whose mouth is open and ‘Falaq’ is also a well in the Hell whose top is covered.

There is a tradition from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that the deeds and the souls of the believers are taken to the heaven with their Imam. The doors of heaven open for them but when the deeds and the souls of the unbelievers are taken that they may reach the heaven an announcer announces: Take them to ‘Sijjin’; which is a valley called Barhoot in the area of Hadramaut.

Ali Ibne Ibrahim has narrated from Imam Baqir (a.s.) that ‘Sijjin’ is the seventh layer of the earth and ‘Illiyin’ is the seventh heaven.

It is narrated from Imam Hasan (a.s.) that people will gather near the Saqr (huge rock) Baitul Muqaddas. Then the people of Paradise would gather at the right side of the Saqra and Hell would be fixed in the seventh layer of the earth on the left side of the huge rock and ‘Faal’ and ‘Sijjin’ are at that very place.

Kulaini has narrated from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: The angel happily takes the deed of the worshipper to the sky. When his good deeds are taken up, Allah says: Take it towards Sijjin. He had not performed this deed for My pleasure. Rather he did it for show-off.

Ibne Mahyar from authentic chains has narrated from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) about the verse of Allah:

إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ. وَإِنَّ الْفُجَّارَ لَفِي جَحِيمٍ.

Most surely the righteous are in bliss. And most surely the wicked are in burning fire. 82:13-14

Hazrat said that we are good (Abrar) and our enemies are bad (Fujjar). Also in the explanation of:

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ.

And what will make you know what the highest Illiyin is? 83:19

There is a tradition that goodness is the Love of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and his progeny.

Also from Ibne Abbas is narrated the explanation of the following verse:Shall We treat those who believe and do good like the mischief-makers in the earth? Or shall We make those who guard (against evil) like the wicked? 38:28

Ibne Abbas said that Ali, Hamza and Ubaidah accepted Faith and performed the good deed and the ‘mischief-makers’ people were Utbah, Shaiba, and Walid who were killed by them and the pious are Ali and his followers and evil (Fujjar) are Muawiyah and his followers.

PART 8

Hadith Thaqalayn (Tradition of the Two weighty things) and similar Traditions

It is mentioned inBasharatul Mustafa , through Ahle Sunnat sources, from Rafe, a freed slave of Abu Zar Ghiffari (r.a.) that he said: I saw Abu Zar (r.a.) clinging to the wall of Ka’ba and saying: The one who knows me knows. But who does not know me may know that I am Abu Zar Ghiffari (r.a.). I have heard from the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) that: The man who will fight with me for the first time and on another occasion fight with my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) will be, on the third occasion, made by Allah to rise with Dajjal on the Day of Judgement. Doubtlessly, the example of my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) among you is like the Ark of Nuh (a.s.), that is, who boarded it got salvation and those who turned away drowned. My Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) is the Gate of Hitta (repentance) of Bani Israel. Whoever entered that door got salvation and who did not enter was destroyed.

Shaykh Tusi (r.a.) has narrated this tradition in a number of ways from Abu Zar Ghiffari (r.a.) and, in some narrations, these words are added: The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said thrice: Have I conveyed the message of Allah?

Sayyid Ibne Tawoos has, inTaraif , narrated fromMusnad of Ahmad bin Hanbal that Abu Saeed Khudri says that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: I am leaving behind me two very weighty things for you. So long as you will remain connected with them you will never go astray after my departure and they (the two things) are heavier than one another. One of them is the Book of Allah and it is a rope which hangs from the heavens to the earth and the other is my progeny, my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). Doubtlessly they will never be separated from one another until they come to me at the side of the pond of Kauthar in Paradise.

He has also narrated from Ahmad that Israel bin Uthman said: I saw Zaid bin Arqam in the house of Mukhtar, I asked him: Did you hear this Hadith Thaqalayn from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)? He said: Similarly.

Ahmad has narrated from Zaid bin Thabit that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) used to say: I am leaving among you two great things who are my successors among you after me: One is the Book of Allah which is a rope extended from sky to the earth and the other is my progeny who are my family members. Surely these two will never separate from each other until they reach me at the Pond of Kauthar. The Shaykh has also reported these traditions inAmadah in this same manner.

Similarly, Sayyid Ibne Tawoos has, through Ahle Sunnat sources, quoted from the bookJamiul Usool, which is the most reliable book of this time, and the said Sayyid has quoted from the original book. I am quoting his exact words. I have also seen in the tradition that it is reported from Yazid bin Hayyan that he says: I and Haseen bin Sabrah and Umar bin Muslim went to Zaid bin Arqam. When we sat down near him, Haseen told him: O Zaid! You have narrated many traditions and have also seen the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) with your eyes and also heard his words and have waged Jihad with him and have offered Prayers behind him and have met him many times. Please tell me those traditions that you yourself have heard from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.). Zaid said: O my nephew! By Allah, I have become very aged and a long time has passed since I was with the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.). I have forgotten a number of traditions which I had heard from him. So accept whatever I may now narrate to you and do not put pressure on me about what I may not narrate. Then he said: One day the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) rose up before us and gave a Sermon on the bank of the pond Khum, situated between Mecca and Medina. After praising Allah he gave some admonitions and reminded us of the Hereafter and said: O People! I am also a human being. Very soon my Lord will call me to Him. That is, the angel of death will come so I will respond to the Divine call and go away from this world. Doubtlessly, I am leaving behind me for you two great things. One of them is the Book of Allah that has Guidance and light (Noor). So adopt the Book of Allah and hold it. Then the Hazrat encouraged and inspired us to act according to the commands of the Holy Quran and then said: The other thing is my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). Then he said thrice that I am asking you to remember Allah in the matter of the rights of my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), that is, never give them any trouble and observe their respect and never usurp their right of being the Imams. Hearing this, Haseen asked: O Zaid! Who are his Ahlul Bayt (a.s.)? Is his wife not included in his Ahlul Bayt (a.s.)? Zaid said: Of course she is from the members of his house, but here Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) means those persons for whom alms (sadaqah) is impermissible (Haraam). He asked: Who are they? Zaid said: They are the progeny of Ali, the progeny of Aqeel, the progeny of Ja’far and the progeny of Abbas. Haseen asked: Is sadaqah Haraam for all of them? Zaid said: Yes.[20]

Similarly, this subject has been narrated with little variance inJamiul Usool and all other books and Sayyid has, reported it from some in some ways from Ibne Maghazali Shafei that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: The time has arrived when I will be called in the holy world and I will respond that call. Verily I am leaving behind me for you two things, one is the Book of Allah which is a rope stretched from the sky down to the earth and my Progeny which is my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and the Omniscient Allah has informed me that these two will not separate from one another until they arrive to me on the Hauze Kauthar. So just ponder how will you act regarding these two.

Likewise Sayyid has, inFazailul Quran narrated from Ibne Abi Duniya that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: I will reach the Hauze Kauthar ahead of you so that I may make provision for you. So when you will arrive I will ask you about the two weighty things (Thaqalayn) as to how did you act for me regarding them? The narrator says that they could not follow what was meant by Thaqalayn until a migrant got up and said: O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be sacrificed for you what are Thaqalayn? The Hazrat said: The greater of them is the Book of Allah, one end of which is in the hand of Allah and another in your hands. So keep holding it fast so that you may not err (and so astray) and the thing smaller than it is my Progeny. Those from them who remain in the direction of Qibla and may accept my invitation should not be killed nor should they be cheated because I has asked for a thing from the Omniscient and Omnipotent Allah which has been accepted by Him and it is that these two weighty things may come to me on the Hauz of Kauthar jointly like this (the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) joined his two fingers) and Allah has told me that: O Messenger! The one who helps the two is the one who helps you and those who degrade them are those who venture to degrade Me, being the enemies of the two. O people! No community before you had been destroyed but for acting upon their selfish desires who had helped one another in harming their prophet and who had killed those who were issuing just orders.

The author ofTaraif has reported in some ways from Thalabi who is one of the Ahle Sunnat commentators, the explanation of the verse:

وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا.

And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited… 3:103

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:

O people! I am leaving behind me for you two great things who are my successors and caliphs among you. If you will adopt them and will act accordingly and follow them, you will never go astray after me. One of them is greater than the other. The greater one is the Book of Allah that is a rope stretched from sky to earth and another is my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). These two will not be separated from one another until they come to me on the Hauze Kauthar.

Ibne Kathir has, inJamiul Usool which is in vogue among the Ahle Sunnat, has quoted Tirmidhi wherein it is mentioned that Jabir bin Abdullah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) giving a sermon on the back of a camel on the Day of Arafah. He was saying that I am leaving among you a thing which, if you will cling to it, you will never go astray and it is the Book of Allah and my Progeny who are my family members (Ahlul Bayt a.s.).

Similarly, fromSahih Tirmidhi , Zaid bin Arqam is quoted saying that the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.s.) said:

I am leaving for you a thing which if you will keep hold of, you will never go astray after me and those two things which are greater and higher than one another. One of them is the Book of Allah which is a rope drawn from earth up to the sky and another one is my Progeny who are my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). These two will never get separated from one another until they arrive to me on the Hauz of Kauthar. So just think how you will act for me on their matter.

It is reported from Sulaym Ibne Qays Hilali inIhtijaj that Sulaym says: Once during the time of Hajj, when I and Jaish Ibnul Maqar were in Mecca, Abu Zar (r.a.) got up suddenly and holding the chain of Ka’ba proclaimed loudly:

O People! The one who knows me knows but the one who does not know me should know that I am Jundab bin Junadah and I am Abu Zar. O people! I have heard the Messenger of Allah saying: The example of my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) among my Ummat is like that of the Ark of Nuh. Those from his community who rode it were saved and those who remained separate got drowned and the example of my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) is like the Gate of Repentance (Babe Hitta) that was in Bani Israel. O people! I have heard the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) saying: I am leaving behind me two things for you. You will not be misguided so long as you will remain attached to them; they are the Book of Allah and my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.)…to the end of the tradition. Thereafter when Abu Zar came to Medina, the third caliph sent someone and called him and asked him: What made you announce these traditions rising up during the Hajj season? Abu Zar replied: This was a promise which was taken from me by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and I was ordered to do so. Uthman asked him: Who is the witness to your claim? Hearing this, Amirul Momineen (a.s.) and Miqdad got up and testified and when all the three gentlemen went out, Uthman pointed towards Amirul Momineen (a.s.) saying: These companions of him are of the opinion that they will succeed in their aim and that they will get something.

Ibne Babawayh has, with reliable chains of narrators, quoted Ibne Abbas saying that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: A man who believes in my religion and who acts according to my way and who follows my tradition should also have faith in the Imams from my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) who are the best in my entire Ummah. Certainly their example in this community of mine is like Bani Israel’s Bab-e-Hitta.

The Hazrat has also been quoted inUyoon ul Akhbar with reliable chains of narrators that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: Among you the example of my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) is like the Ark of Nuh. Whoever sat in this ship following the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) got salvation and those who turned their face from them will be beheaded and thrown into Hell fire.

This same tradition has also been quoted inNihaya by Ibne Athir, a great Ahle Sunnat scholar.

It is written in Sahifa Reza and Ayyashi has quoted Imam Reza (a.s.) in explaining the verse:

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ادْخُلُوا هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَدًا وَادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُولُوا حِطَّةٌ.

And when We said: Enter this city, then eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you wish, and enter the gate making obeisance, and say, forgiveness (Hitta). 2:58

Imam Baqir (a.s.) said for you the Bab-e-Hitta are we.[21]

Thereafter Imam Baqir (a.s.) said: Amirul Momineen (a.s.) said that: Allah had fixed Bab-e-Hitta for Bani Israel and, O community of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) for you, He has fixed the door of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and you have been ordered to follow them and to adopt their ways so that He may forgive your sins and may give a greater reward to those of you who do good deeds and your Bab-e-Hitta is better than Bani Israel’s Bab-e-Hitta because their door was made of some wood planks and we are the truth tellers and we are the Faithful and the guides and higher and loftier. As has said the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.): The stars are the sanctuaries in the sky for the sky and my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) are sanctuaries for my Ummah. They will not be destroyed in the world because of being misguided so long as anyone from my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) is there whom they will be following in their manners and behaviours. Likewise, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has said: Whoever wants to live like me and to leave the world like me and to reach the tree which has been planted by Allah with His hand of Might and about which He has said ‘be’ and it was, and who wants to reside in the Paradise of Adn which has been promised to me by my Lord, should adopt the Wilayat of Ali (a.s.) and accept his Imamate and be a friend of his friend and an enemy of his enemy and adopt the Wilayat of his Graceful sons after him who are always obedient to Allah because they are created from my essence and because Allah has granted them my knowledge and wisdom. So woe unto those people of my Ummah who deny their Grace and who may not maintain the respect of their rights. May Allah not grant them my intercession.

The Hadith Safinah has been recorded by Sayyid inTaraif fromKitabe ibne Maghazali Shafei in many ways from Ibne Abbas and Salmah Ibnul Akwah Abu Zar and others and the tradition of Hitta has been narrated by Sulaym bin Qays from Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) and he has told the Hazrat: I have heard this tradition from more than a hundred scholar companions.

Ibne Babawayh has, inAmali andAkmaluddeen , narrated from Ibne Abbas that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) told Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.): O Ali! I am the city of wisdom and you are its gate and entrance to a city is not possible save through its gate. He who is your enemy is lying in his claim that he loves me and that he is my friend because you are from me and I am from you, your flesh is from my flesh and your blood is from my blood and your soul is from my soul and your inner is my inner and your outer is my outer. You are the Imam of my Ummah after me and you are my successor and my caliph after me. Lucky is he who obeys you and unlucky and stonehearted is he who disobeys you and fortunate is he who adopts your Wilayat and the loser is he who maintains enmity with you and he has attained salvation who does not detach himself from you and destroyed is, he who gets separated from you. You and your sons are like the Ark of Nuh after me. The one who rode it gained salvation and the one who defied you got drowned. You are like the stars in the sky. When one stars faints another takes its place and it will continue like that till the Day of Qiyamat.

Zaid bin Thabit has narrated that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:

Verily, I leave behind among you two weighty things, the Book of Allah and my Progeny, my Ahle Bayt and they are two successors after me and they will not separate till they reach me at the Pond.

It is narrated by Abu Saeed Khudri inAkmaluddeen ,Maniul Akhbar andKhisal that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: I am leaving behind me for you two heavy things one of which is more precious than the other. One is the Book of Allah which is a rope stretched from the sky to the earth and other is my Progeny (Progeny). Surely these two will not get separated from one another until they come to me on the Hauz (Pond) of Kauthar. The narrator says: I asked Abu Saeed: Who is his Progeny? He said: His family members (Ahlul Bayt a.s.)).

Likewise, I have heard from Abu Amr Masahib Abul Abbas Nahvi Laghvi the two have been calledThiql (heavy) becausetamassuk with them is serious and difficult.

Ibne Babawayh has quoted Hadith Thaqalayn inAkmaluddeen etc. from Abu Saeed Khudri with twenty-five chains of narrators from Thalabi, Abu Hurairah, Amirul Momineen (a.s.), Zaid bin Arqam, Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari, Abu Zar Ghiffari, Zaid bin Thabit and other companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.). Ali Bin Ibrahim has recorded in his Tafsir (commentary) that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) had said in the Farewell Hajj at Masjid Kheef that I am your Way-mark and I will reach Hauz-e-Kauthar before you. You will arrive after me. This Hauz is so large that its span is equal to the distance between Basra and Sham upto Sanaa-e-Yaman. On its bank there are so many cups of pure silver, their number is equal to the number of stars in the sky. There I will definitely ask you about the two weighty things, as to how you behaved with them? People asked: What are the two weighty things? He replied: One is the Book of Allah, which is the greater weighty thing and one of its end is with Allah and another in your hands. So hold it fast so that you may not go astray and never fall in fault. Another is my Progeny which is my Ahle Bayt (a.s.) (family members). Verily I have been informed by the Kind and Merciful Knower of the apparent and the hidden that both of these two will not get separated from one another until they come to me on the Pond of Kauthar like the closeness of my these two fingers, he said this joining the index and the middle fingers and then said: I do not say that you should consider one of them bigger or greater than the other, exactly like my these two fingers one of which is bigger than other. (He said this joining his forefinger with his thumb).[22]

Ibne Babawayh has, in most of his books, narrated from the Chief of the Martyrs, Imam Husain (a.s.) that people once asked Ali (a.s.): Who are the Progeny? He replied: I, Hasan, Husain, and nine Imams from the descendants of Husain and the ninth of them is Mahdi and Qaem (a.s.). Neither they will get separated from Quran nor the Book of Allah will get separated from them until they come to me on Hauze Kauthar.

Saffar has, inBasairud Darajat and Ayyashi inTafsir narrated the tradition of two weighty things with a number of chains from the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). It is narrated inBasair from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that the Almighty Allah has made three things sacred in the world: Quran, my Progeny and Holy Ka’ba. But people made alterations in the Quran and changed it. Similarly, people ruined Ka’ba and likewise killed my Progeny. All these three were trusts of Allah and people sabotaged all of them.

It should be remembered that the traditions of two weighty things, the Ark and the gate of repentance are all Mutawatir (Narrated by exceedingly large number of narrators) and all the traditionists of the Ahle Sunnat have quoted it and Ibne Maseer has said inNihaya that it has been mentioned in tradition that:

I leave among you two heavy things…

Here they are called Heavy (Thiql ) because it is difficult to get attached with them and to act according to them. Every nice and better thing is calledThiql . That is why they are calledThiql as they are great and high ranking. Then it is mentioned inNihaya

The simile of my Ahle Bayt (a.s.) is like the simile of the Ark of Nuh (a.s.). Whosoever will dissociate from it will be pushed into the Fire by the Almighty Allah.

It is mentioned inQamoos that Thiql-e-Mahrika is that beautiful thing which is kept hidden by people after obtaining it. So this is the meaning of:

I leave among you two heavy things; the book of Allah and my progeny.

Sayyid Murtuza has written inShafi that the proof of the authenticity of this tradition is that the entire Ummah has accepted it and none has differed from it except in deriving its meaning(Tawil). It is a rule among the scholars that if there is any doubt about the authenticity of a tradition they first discuss about it and thereafter derive interpretations. Their turning back from this rule is the proof of the matter that they have not doubted about this tradition being true. Thereafter Sayyid Murtuza writes that a man’s progeny is, according to dictionary, his progeny like his sons and their children. Some lexicographers have widened its meaning saying that a man’s progeny are those who, in his lineage are the near most to him. So, according to the first definition, it is very clear that the truth about the word progeny applies to Imam Hasan, Husain (a.s.) and their progeny. According to the second saying it will apply to them as well as to those like them who are closest to them in their lineage.

PART 9

Different traditions that mention the nomination of all the Imams together

Abu Hurairah has narrated in the bookBasharatul Mustafa that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said the best among you is the one who is the best in favor of my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.).

Likewise Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari has narrated that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said that people are known according to their paternal relation except the progeny of my daughter Fatima (s.a.) because I am their guardian (Wali) and their Usbah (close relative). They are my Progeny who are born of my essence(Teenat ). Woe unto them who deny their gracefulness. Allah befriends those who befriend them (my Progeny) and Allah is the enemy of those who are their enemy.

Similarly, according to reliable chains of narrators, Ali (a.s.) is reported to have said that certainly, Allah has made five things obligatory for His slaves which are the best of all deeds. They are Prayer, Fasting, Zakat, Hajj and the Wilayat of we Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). People acted upon the first four things but they insulted and disregarded the fifth one. By Allah, acting upon the said four things cannot be considered complete unless the fifth one is also acted upon, that is until they do not have the belief in the Imamate of we Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) which a condition for the acceptance of all the four.

Similarly, it is also related by Ali (a.s.) that: We are Najeeb (excellent) and Shareef (Noble) and our progeny is the prophet’s and our group is group of Allah and the group which rises against us is the group of the devil and the one who considers us like others is not from us.

The author of the bookMisbahul Anwar has narrated from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:

I am the balance of knowledge and Ali (a.s.) is like its two scales and Hasan and Husain (a.s.) are its two strings and Fatima (s.a.) is its beam. The Imams following them will measure (weigh) their friends and foes with this balance. Those who are their enemies are condemned by Allah and by those who condemn.

Ibne Athir has, inJamiul Usool, quoted fromTirmidhi the words of Ali (a.s.): The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) held the hands of Imams Hasan and Husain (a.s.) and said: The one who befriends me and these two children and their parents will be with me and in my company on the Day of Qiyamat.

Likewise, inSahih Tirmidhi , there is a narration from Zaid bin Arqam that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said about Amirul Momineen (a.s.), Fatima (s.a.), Imams Hasan and Husain (a.s.) that: I am to fight with those who fight with you and I make peace with those who make peace with you.”

Dailami, one of the Ahle Sunnat traditionists quotes Imam Ali (a.s.) inFirdausul Akhbar that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: We are the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) from whom Allah Almighty has kept away all evils, and that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: We are the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) for whom Allah has preferred the Hereafter in place of this world.

Sayyid Razi (r.a.) has narrated inNahjul Balagha that in a sermon in which Imam Ali (a.s.) has described Aale Muhammad (a.s.) has said that he (Ali) is the preserver and custodian of the secrets of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and also the shelter in connection with the affairs of Prophethood and is the treasure of knowledge and the resounding of his command and the library of his books and the rope of his Religion; that Allah has retained the straightness of His Religion through them (a.s.); that Allah has removed fear from Religion; that the Aale Muhammad (a.s.) cannot be compared with any other persons of this Ummah nor can any other group equal them because Muslims have got blessings only through them and also only through them the people received guidance. They alone are the solid foundation of religion and the sound pillar of Faith. Everyone should look only at them, that is, should remain connected with them. If anyone has made excess and crossed limits in their praise should return towards them properly and if anyone has lagged behind in appreciating them should rush forward and join other moderates. Specialities of the right of Wilayat are reserved only for them and it is incumbent on every creature to love them. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has willed only in their favor and they alone are his heirs.

InAmali Ibne Babawayh has quoted Imam Reza (a.s.) that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:

Allah has informed me through Jibraeel that Allah says: Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) is My Hujjat over the creation and he alone would maintain My Religion; I will create many Imams from his loins who will live among people with My Command and invite people towards My Path. I will forgive My male and female slaves because of their blessings and will waive punishment from them and I will shower My Mercy on My creation because of them.

Likewise, according to a reliable narration Umme Salma says: I have heard the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) saying:

After me, Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) and the Imams from their sons are most graceful among the creation on the earth and only they will lead all people to Paradise.

Similarly, it is narrated authentically that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:

When I was taken, during the night of ascension ‘(Meraj)’, to the seventh sky and therefrom to the farthest lote-tree (Sidratul Muntaha), and therefrom to the folds of Radiance my Lord called out to me: O Muhammad! You are My slave and I am your Lord. So be submissive to Me and worship Me and rely on Me and put trust in Me and in none else and that is all. I have chosen you and your brother Ali (a.s.) who is your Vicegerent and deputy and the gate of your city of knowledge. So he is My Hujjat on My servants and My creation and he is their leader and My friends and foes will be identified only through him and (through him) the group of devil will be differentiated from My group and only through him will my religion be established and My Religion’s frontiers will be defined and My Commands will be issued and I will pour My Mercy on My male and female slaves through the Imams who will be from his sons. I will fill up My earth with the pronouncements of Tasbeeh and Taqdees and Takbeer and Tamjeed and will clean the earth of My enemies through him and I will grant My earth to My friends as heritage. I will bring down the word of deniers and raise up the word of My Religion and Kalimah and I will enliven My male and female servants through him and I will open up My mines and treasures for him through My knowledge and I will reveal the hidden hearts’ secrets of people to him through My Will and I will help him with My angels so that those angels may strengthen him for the task of issuing My Commands and the proclamation of My Religion. In fact he is my friend and he is My Mahdi for guiding My servants truthfully.

Similarly they have quoted Imam Sadiq (a.s.) authentically that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:

O Ali, you are, in my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and in my Ummah, both during my lifetime and after my demise, my brother, my legatee, my heir and my Vicegerent and caliph. Your friend is my friend and your enemy is my enemy. O Ali! You and the Imams from your sons are the leaders and commanders of the creation in this world and kings in the Hereafter. Those who recognized us have recognized Allah and those who denied us have definitely denied the Almighty Allah.

Likewise, it is reliably quoted through Imam Baqir (a.s.) that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:

Catch hold of this Nazaah (skirt) of Ali (a.s.) (as his forehead was wide he was called Nazaa Inzaa) Verily he is Siddiq-e-Akbar (that is, it is he who testified to the Prophethood of the Prophet first of all) and he is most high ranking among all Siddiqs and he is Farooq as he separates truth from falsehood. Allah has guided the one who befriends him and Allah despises him who despises him and Allah destroys him who turns away from him. From him only will be born the two grandsons of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) (i.e. Hasan and Husain (a.s.) who are my sons) and guiding Imams will be born of Husain (a.s.). Allah has granted him my knowledge and intelligence. So do befriend them and make them your rulers and keep nothing secret from them otherwise you will be caught in Allah’s great anger and chastisement and the one who will be caught in Allah’s anger will be entangled in the web of misguidance and will be targeted by Divine wrath. (Know that) the worldly life is nothing but only a delusion which has no real actuality.

Ali bin Ibrahim has, in hisTafsir quoted Imam Ali (a.s.) that the Imam (a.s.) in one of his sermons said:

Verily those of the companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) who remember the traditions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) know well enough that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has said: I and my Ahle Bayt (a.s.) are most purified and Infallible so do not try to go ahead of them in any matter otherwise you will go astray and do not turn away from them otherwise you will deviate from the right path and do not oppose them otherwise you will be deemed ignorant and do not try to teach them anything because they know better than you and are much higher than you in rank and despite (even in) their short age they are more tolerant than all the people. So follow the truth and the men of truth wherever they may be.

Likewise it has been reliably narrated from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that when Qiyamat will be brought forth Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) will be called and he will be adorned with a rose coloured robe and he would be made to sit on the right side of the Throne (Arsh). Thereafter Ibrahim (a.s.) will be called and he will be adorned with a white robe and he would be made to remain on the left side of the Arsh. Thereafter Ali (a.s.) will be called and he will be adorned with a red robe and he would be made to stand on the right side of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.). Then Hazrat Ismail (a.s.) will be called and he would be adorned with a white robe and made to stand on the left side of Ibrahim (a.s.). Then Imam Hasan (a.s.) will be called and he would be adorned with a green robe and will be made to stand on the right side of Amirul Momineen (a.s.). Then Imam Husain (a.s.) will be called and he will be adorned with a crimson robe and will be made to stand on the right side of Imam Hasan (a.s.). Then the Shias of these dignitaries will be called and they will be made to stand before them. Then Fatima (s.a.) will be called and so also the women and children of their Shias who will be admitted to Paradise in an innumerable number. Then a proclaimer will proclaim (standing in the middle of the Arsh) from the high horizon according to Divine Command: O Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) how nice is your father Ibrahim (a.s.) and how nice is your brother Ali (a.s.) and how nice are your sons who are sons of your daughter, namely Hasan and Husain (a.s.) and how nice is your son Mohsin who was aborted during the days of pregnancy who is the son of Ali and Fatima (s.a.) and from their sons are the best and most rightly-guided Imams. Then everyone will be called by name. Then will come an announcement that the best Shias are your Shias. Doubtlessly Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), his legatee and both of his sons Hasan and Husain (a.s.) and the Imams from their sons have attained salvation. Then they will be ordered that all of them be led to Paradise. This is the meaning of the Divine words:

فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنْ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ.

Then whoever is removed far away from the fire and is made to enter the garden he indeed has attained the object… 3:185

Saffar has, with reliable chains of narrators, quoted Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: A man who wants to lead a life like my life and to die a death like my death and wants to enter the Paradise which has been promised by my Lord and that Paradise is Garden of Adn which is my destination in which my Lord has planted a tree with the hand of His Might (that is, He said ‘Be’ and it became), should befriend Ali (a.s.) and should have faith, after me, in their Imamate and should have faith in the Imamate of my sons whom my Lord has granted my knowledge and intelligence and they are my progeny. They are born of my flesh and blood I will complain to Allah against those who opposed them in my Ummah that they have denied their gracefulness and have cut off my nearness and relationship. By Allah, they will kill my son. May Allah not make my intercession reach them.

In another narration Imam Baqir (a.s.) is reported to have said that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: Whoever wants to live like me and to die like me and to enter Garden of Adn should make Ali (a.s.) his master and Imam and his legatees after me. It is so because they will neither make you enter any deviation nor expel you from any guidance. Do not venture to teach them anything because they know more than all of you and I have requested my Lord not to allow any gap between them and Quran until both come to me on the side of the Pond of Kauthar. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) joined his two fingers and said: The expanse of that Pond is equal to the distance between Basra and Syria upto Yemen and golden and silvery cups equal to the number of the stars are kept on its bank.

Ibne Bitreeq has written similar traditions fromHilyatul Awliya with a number of evidences quoting Abbas and Zaid bin Arqam.

The author ofKashaful Ghumma has fromManaqib of Khwarizmi, quoted Imam Sadiq (a.s.) and Shaykh Mufeed has, inMajalis , quoted Imam Reza (a.s.) that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: O Ali! Allah has initiated Imamate through you and He will conclude it through you only. So be patient against the extortion of the extorters and the oppression of the oppressors because a good end is only for the God-fearing virtuous people. You are the group of Allah and your enemies do not belong to the group of Allah. They are the mob of Satan. Lucky is he who may follow you and woe unto he who may disobey you. Only you are the Hujjat (argument) of Allah on His creation and you are His sound rope. The one who will hold it firmly will get salvation and the one who will leave it will go astray and I beseech Paradise for you from Allah. No one can surpass you in obeying Allah rather you deserve to be obedient to Allah more than all others.

Similarly, Ali (a.s.) is reported to have said that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: O Ali! Allah will conclude the Religion on us as He initiated it on us and it is because of us, O people! It is because of us that Allah creates our love in your hearts after enmity and hatred.

In the bookKitabul Fazail , Imam Sadiq (a.s.) and his pious elders have been quoted saying that Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari said: The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) had said: Fatima is the happiness of my hearts and both her sons Hasan and Husain (a.s.) are the fruits of my soul and her husband is the light of my eyes and the Imams from their sons are my trust and rope which has been extended from the heaven to the earth. Anyone who will keep hold on it will get salvation and the one who will turn his face from them will get stuck in the quagmire of deviation.

In the bookRawdatul Fazail , it is narrated from Ibne Abbas that after returning from the Farewell Hajj, we were sitting with the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) when he said:

Beware! The Almighty One has favored the religious people by guiding them through me and my favor on them is that I guide them through Ali (a.s.) who is my cousin and the father of my sons. Whoever will get guidance from them will get salvation and whoever will turn away from them will go wayward. O people Remember Allah regarding my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and fear Him. Verily Fatima is a part of my body. Both of her sons are my two arms and I and her husband are the two lamps on the road of guidance. O Lord! Shed mercy on those who are kind to them and do not forgive those who oppress them. Then he began to weep saying: It is as if I am observing how they will be oppressed.

InUyoon Akhbar Reza , it is mentioned from the same reliable source that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:

O Ali! You and your sons are the chosen ones from Allah’s creation.

Likewise the same sources say that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:

The one whose Master and authority is I, Ali is also the Master and authority for him. O Allah! befriend him who befriends Ali and help him who helps Ali and degrade his enemy and be helper of Ali and his sons and be sustainer of his sons and grant abundance in what You have given to them and assist them through Ruhul Quds (The Holy Sprit- an angel). Protect them wherever they proceed in the earth from all sides and keep Imamate only in them and grant real life to those who obey them and destroy those who disobey them. Doubtlessly You are close to those who invoke You and You answer their prayers.

Ibne Babawayh has, inFazailush Shia , quoted Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that: People forgot the Holy Prophet’s (s.a.w.s.) order in favor of Ali (a.s.) on the day of Ghadeer Khum just as the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) had said in favor of Ali (a.s.) in the room of Ibrahim’s mother when people were visiting him (prophet) during his illness. Ali (a.s.) also had arrived and he wanted to sit near the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) but he could not get space. When the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) saw that people did not give room to Ali (a.s.) he said: O people! He is my Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). So do not decrease their honour. At present I am living among you. If I go out of your sight, Allah will not go away from you. Do remember that ease and comfort and happiness and good tidings and love is for the one who follows Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) and who believes in his Imamate and who after him follows his successors. It will be incumbent on me to include in my intercession those who follow them because in fact they will be following me and the one who follows me is from me and this is the example which has been given in the case of Ibrahim (a.s.):

فَمَنْ تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ.

Then whoever follows me, he is surely of me, and whoever disobeys me, Thou surely are Forgiving, Merciful: 14:36

Because I am from Ibrahim (a.s.) and Ibrahim is from me. My Religion is his Religion and my Sunnah is his Sunnah and my grace is his grace and I am more graceful than him and my grace is his grace according to the testification of my Lord as His Words convey:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى آدَمَ وَنُوحًا وَآلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَآلَ عِمْرَانَ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ.

Surely Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above the nations. 3:33

CHAPTER TWO

Description of Verses revealed summarily about the status of the Imams

Description of Verses which have been revealed summarily about the status of the Imams will be discussed in this chapter, and there are some Parts in this.

PART 1

Interpretation of “Peace be upon Ilyasin”

The Lord of the worlds has said:

يس

Ya Seen. (36:1)

And said:

سَلَامٌ عَلَى إِلْ يَاسِينَ.

“Peace be upon Ilyasin. 37:130”

Commentators have narrated quoting Amirul Momineen Ali and Imam Baqir (a.s.) that Yasin is the name of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and in another narration, Fakhruddin Razi has said that Nafe bin Aamir and Yaqoob have read it Aale Yasin, adding the word aal to the word Yasin. Other reciters have read it ‘IL’. About the first recitation, three reasons have been given:

(1) Ilyas is the son of Yasin and so Ilyas is Aale Yasin (progeny of Yasin).

(2) Aal is Aale Muhammad and Yasin is the name of Quran. There are many Ahle Sunnat and Shia traditions that is should read Aale Yasin which means the Aal (progeny) of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.).

Ibne Hajar has, inSawaiqul Mohreqa , quoted Fakhruddin Razi that the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) are equal to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) in five matters:

1- In Salaam: The words Assalaamo A’laika ayyohan nabi… are for the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.): Salamun A’laa Aale Yasin

2- In Tashahhud: There is Durood on the Prophet and the Progeny of the Prophet.

3- In Purity: [Taha] has been said about the dignity of the Prophet and so also [to purify you a (thorough) purifying…] for the dignity of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.).

4- Sadaqah is Haraam (prohibited) for both.

5- In love: For the Prophet it is said: Say: If you love Allah, then follow me and so also Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it but love for my near relatives about the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.).

Ali bin Ibrahim has said in hisTafsir quoting Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that ‘Yasin’ is the blessed name of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.). The proof of it is that thereafter Allah Almighty has said:

إِنَّكَ لَمِنْ الْمُرْسَلِينَ.

Most surely you are one of the apostles. 36:3

Also he has written explaining “Peace be upon Ilyasin” that ‘Yasin’ means the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and Aale Muhammad are the holy Imams (a.s.).

InAmali, Maniul Akhbar andTafsir Ayyashi, Imam Sadiq (a.s.) is quoted explaining the verse “Peace be upon Ilyasin” thatAmirul Momineen (a.s.) said: Yasin is Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and Aale Yasin are we.

InAmali andManiul Akhbar , Abi Malik has mentioned that Yasin is Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). Again in both these books, Ibne Abbas is quoted to have said that Aale Yasin means Aale Muhammad.

InManiul Akhbar , in the explanation of “Peace be upon Ilyasin” Ibne Abbas is quoted to have said that (it means) Salaam from the Lord of the worlds on Muhammad and his Aal (progeny) and that on the Day of Qiyamat protection from the punishment of Allah is for those who accepted their Wilayat and loved them.

InManiul Akhbar , Abdul Rahman Salami is quoted to have said that Umar bin Khattab used to recite Salamun A’laa Aale Yasin; that Abu Abdul Rahman said Aale Yasin are Aale Muhammad.

Ibne Mahyar has, in his commentary, quotes Sulaym Ibne Qays Hilali that Ali (a.s.) said that one of the good names of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) is Yasin and it is we in whose praise Allah has said Salamun A’laa Aale Yasin.

Ibne Mahyar and Furat have in their respective commentaries in a number of ways quoted Ibne Abbas that in a lengthy tradition in which Imam Reza (a.s.) has disputed the stand of Ahle Sunnat Scholars regarding the dignity of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), saying that the Hazrat asked them to tell him about the Divine words “Yasin…. Mustaqeem” as to who are Yasin? The scholars replied that it was Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and that nobody has any doubt about it. Then the Hazrat said: Then Allah has, because of this, granted to Muhammad and Aale Muhammad such a dignity that no one can praise them appropriately except the one who may ponder over it properly because Allah has sent Salam only on Prophet and said: “Peace be upon the progeny of Yasin” and “Peace be upon Ibrahim” and “Peace be upon Moosa and Haroon” and “Peace be upon Nuh” and not said Peace be upon the progeny of Ibrahim and Peace be upon the progeny of Moosa and Haroon but He has said “Peace be upon the progeny of Yasin” that is Salam on the progeny of Muhammad (a.s.).