Anecdotes of Reflection Volume 2

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Anecdotes of Reflection Author:
Publisher: The Islamic Education Board of the World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities
Category: Various Books

Anecdotes of Reflection

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought

Author: Sayyid Ali Akbar Sadaaqat
Publisher: The Islamic Education Board of the World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities
Category: visits: 8539
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Anecdotes of Reflection

Anecdotes of Reflection Volume 2

Author:
Publisher: The Islamic Education Board of the World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities
English

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought

36. Fear

Allah, the Wise, has said:

وَادْعُوْهُ خَوْفاً وَّ طَمَعاً

“And call on Him fearing and hoping.”1

The Noble Prophet (S) has said:

أَتَمُّکُمْ عَقْلاً أَشَدُّکُمْ خَوْفاً

“The most perfect and complete from amongst you in intellect is the one who is most fearful amongst you (of Allah).”2

Short Expalantion

Fear of Allah is the sentinel of the heart; this is because a fearful person, by means of fear, remains mindful of Divine pleasure and soars to lofty heights. He witnesses the Divine threats and warnings, and thus refrains from deeds that are dictated by carnal and base desires.

A person who worships Allah out of His fear never gets deviated and eventually reaches his goal and objective. How can he afford not to be fearful especially since he does not possess knowledge of what his final outcome would be and is unaware if his Book of Deeds would be light or heavy?

A fearful person finds himself torn between two fears - fear of the past and that of the future. Fear serves to suppress one’s (reckless) soul and when a person’s soul is suppressed with respect to carnal and capricious desires, his heart comes to life. This leads to steadfastness, which eventually prepares the ground for the heart to develop hope and become hopeful (of divine mercy).3

1) The Fearful Youth

Salman Farsi was passing through the blacksmiths’ market of Kufah when he observed that a crowd had gathered around a youth who lay on the ground, senseless. When the people saw Salman, they requested him to recite a supplication so that the youth could come out of his unconsciousness.

As soon as Salman came closer, the youth got up and said: “There is nothing wrong with me. It is just that I was passing through this market when I noticed the blacksmiths striking metal with their iron hammer and this made me recall what Allah has said in the Qur’an: “In addition there will be maces of iron (to punish) them.”4 As this verse crossed my mind, I was overcome by this state.”

Salman became interested in the youth, grew fond of him and made him his brother. They were always friends with each other till one day the youth fell ill and was almost on the verge of dying. Salman sat down near his head and then, addressing Izra’eel, said: “O’ Izra’eel! Be tolerant and lenient towards my young brother and be kind and gentle to him!”

“O’ Servant of Allah! I am the friend of all the believers and kind to them all,” Izra`il replied.5

2) The Mute Language of the Stone

It has been reported that once in the course of hisjourney, one of the Prophets came across a small stone and observed that a large quantity of water flowed out from it. As the incident left him greatly astonished, Allah made speech come out from the stone, which said: “Ever since I heard that men and stones would be the fuel of the fire of Hell, I have been in a state of weeping (out of fear that I should be one of those stones).”

The stone then requested the Prophet to pray that it should remain protected from the fire (of Hell) and the Prophet, acceding to his request, prayed for it.

It so happened that after a period, the Prophet again passed by that place and, witnessing that the water still continued to flow from the stone as before, inquired: “What is it that makes you weep now?”

The stone replied, “Before I could be satisfied of my deliverance from the fire (of Hell), my tears were out of fear, but now, I weep out of thanksgiving and due to joy and happiness.”6

3) Punishment by Fire

Once, Amirul Mo’minin (as) was in the company of his companions when a person approached him and said: “O’ Amirul Mo’minin (as)! Purify me for I have committed sodomy with a boy.”

“Go home for you appear to have been affected by bile or melancholia,” advised the Imam (as).

The next day the person turned up again and confessed to his dirty act but the Imam (as) repeated what he had previously stated. The third day too he confessed and again Imam ‘Ali (as) repeated his earlier advice. When the man arrived on the fourth day and confessed to his crime, the Imam (as) said: “Now that you have confessed four times, choose one of the three punishments, which the Noble Prophet (S) has stipulated for this act – to be beheaded by means of a sword, to be hurled down from a height or to be burned with your hands and feet tied.”

“Which of these three punishments would be the severest for me?” the man asked.

“Burning by fire.”

“O’ ‘Ali! (as ), I choose this punishment.”

The Imam (as) told him to prepare for it. The man got up, offered a two-rak’at prayer and supplicated: “O’ Lord! I have committed sin andYou are aware of it. FearingYour wrath, I have approached the successor and the cousin of the Noble Prophet (S) and have asked him to purify me of it. He asked me to choose one of the three punishments and I have chosen the most severe one. O’ Lord! I plead toYou by Your mercy to make my burning in this world an expiation for my sin and not to burn me in the Hereafter!”

Having said this, he got up, began to weep and then hurled himself into the pit of roaring flames. The Imam (as) began to weep when he saw this and so did his companions; then he said in a loud voice: “O’ Man! Rise from within the fire for you have caused the angels to weep. Allah has accepted your repentance. Rise and henceforth do not conduct such an act!”

It is reported in another tradition that a person asked ‘Ali (as), “O’ Amirul Mo’minin (as)! Do you invalidate the punishment of Allah?”

Imam ‘Ali (as) replied, “Woe unto you! Whenever there exists an Imam appointed by Allah and a sinner repents for his sin, it is upon Allah to forgive him.”7

4) The Fearful Ones

When the verse: “And surely Hell is the promised place of them all. It has seven gates; for every gate there shall be a separate party of them”8 was revealed to the Noble Prophet (S), he wept so intensely that it made his companions weep too, but none knew what it was that Jibra`il had revealed which had made the Noble Prophet (S) wail in such a fashion.

One of the companions went to Fatimah (as) and informed her of the incident. Covering herself with her cloak, which was patched in twelve places by means of date palm leaves, she came out of the house. When Salman Farsi’s eyes fell upon the cloak, he looked at it in amazement and then, bursting into tears, said to himself: “The emperors of Rome and Iran attirethemselves in silken and gold-embroidered clothes but the daughter of the Noble Prophet (S) covers herself with such a cloak!”

When Fatimah (as) came to the Noble Prophet (S), he said to Salman: “My daughter belongs to a group that has taken great precedence in subservience and obedience (to Allah).”

Fatimah (as) then asked, “Father! What was it that made you grieve?”

The Noble Prophet (S) recited the verses which had been brought by Jibra`il . The mention of Hell and the punishment of the fire left her so distraught that her knees failed to hold her weight and she collapsed onto the floor saying, “Woe unto he who enters the fire.”

“O’ I wish I had been a sheep that was eaten and my skin had been torn apart so that I would never have had to hear of the fire of Hell,” uttered Salman.

“O’ I wish my mother had never given birth to me so that I would never have heard of the Hell-fire,” said Abu Dharr.

“I wish I was a bird in the desert so that I would not have had Reckoningnor punishment, and would not have heard of the fire of Hell,” muttered Miqdad.

Amirul Mo’minin (as) said, “I wish the wild animals had torn me into pieces and my mother had not given birth to me so that I would not have had to hear of the Hell-fire.” Then, placing his hand upon his head, he began to cry and wailed, “Oh! How distant is the journey of the Day of Judgment! Woe to those who did not make provision for the Day of Judgement. In this journey of the Day of Judgment, they shall be led towards the fire; O’ the sick ones, who shall be in the binds of captivity and whose injuries shall never be treated. None shall step forward to untie them; fire shall be their food and water, and they shall be turned upside down in the various stations of Hell.”9

5) Yahya

When Prophet Yahya (as) observed the clerics of Baytul Maqdas wearing veils made of haircloth and headgears of cotton, he requested his mother to make a similar dress for him. Later, he began worshipping with them in Baytul Maqdas.

One day, Yahya (as) looked at his body, which had become considerably thin, and began to weep. Allah revealed to him: “You cry over your body that has thinned down? By My Glory and Majesty! Had you possessed the slightest knowledge of the fire (of Hell), you would have worn overcoats made of iron, not these woven clothes.” Hearing this, Yahya wept to such an extent that the flesh of his cheeks became worn out.

Zakariyya (as) said to his son, “I had sought you from Allah so that you could be the apple of my eyes. Why do you behave in such a manner?”

“Father, but was it not you who had said: ‘Surely, between Paradise and Hell there lies a pass and none except those who cry immensely due to fear of Allah, shall be able to traverse it’,” Yahya replied.

“Yes, I did!, ” admitted Zakariyya (as).

Whenever Zakariyya (as) intended to preach and exhort the Bani Isra`il , he would first look around him, and if he noticed Yahya (as) amongst them, he would refrain from mentioning anything about Paradise and Hell. Once, Zakariyya (as) was engaged in delivering a sermon to the people when Yahya (as), his head covered with his cloak, arrived and sat down amongst the people. Zakariyya (as), who had not noticed Yahya (as), preached: “Allah has said: ‘In Hell there is a mountain by the name of Sakaran alongside which there lies a desert by the name of Ghadhaban, in which there is a well whose depth is equivalent to one hundred years of travel. Within this well, there exist caskets of fire and within these caskets lie chests of fire, which in turn contain clothes and chains of fire.”

As soon as Yahya (as) heard the name ‘Sakaran’, he raised his head, shrieked and in a state of utter distress and disturbance, rushed out and headed towards the wilderness.

Zakariyya and Yahya’s mother set off in search of him; some of the youths of Bani Isra`il too, out of respect for Yahya’s mother joined them in their search. They came across a shepherd and asked him if he had seen a youth with Yahya’s description.

“Are you looking for Yahya Ibn Zakariyya?” inquired the shepherd.

“Yes,” they replied.

“He is presently in a particular place with his feet in the water and his eyes glued towards the heavens, praying and communicating with his Lord,” he explained.

The search party went to that place and located him. Calling Yahya (as) towards herself, his mother placed him under the oath of Allah and requested him to return home. Soon, Yahya (as) returned home with his mother.10

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, Suratul A’raf (7), Verse 56

2. Jame’ al-Sa’adat, Volume 1, Page 225

3. Tadhkeratul Haqaiq, Page 83

4. لَهُم مَقاَمِعُ مِن حَدِيد (Noble Qur’an, Suratul Hajj (22), Verse 21)

5. Dastan-e-Jawanan, Page 94

6. Shanidani-ha-e Tarikh, Page 388; Mahajjatul Baiďa, Volume 7, Page 142

7. Dastan-ha-e-Zindagi-e-’Ali (as), Page 51; Qadhawat-ha-e-Muhayyir al-’Uqul

8. وَ اِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَوعِدُهُم اَجمَعِينَ لهَاَ سَبعَةُ اَبواَبٍ لِکُلَّ بَابٍ مِنهُم جُزْءٌ مَقسُومٌ (Noble Qur’an, Suratul Hijr (15), Verse 43-44)

9. Pand-e-Tarikh, Volume 4, Page 221; Biharul Anwar, Volume 10, Page 26

10. Risalah Liqaullah, Page 157-164; Amali of al-Saduq

37. Treachery

Allah, the Wise, has said:

إِنَّ اللٌّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ مَنْ کَانَ خَوَّاناً أَثِيْماً

“Surely Allah does not love him who is treacherous, sinful.”1

Imam Sadiq (as) said:

لَيْسَ لَكَ أَنْ تَأْتَمِنَ الْخَائِنُ

“It is not for you to trust a treacherous person.”2

Short Expalantion

If a thing such as money, a business, a car or the like is placed as trust in one’s possession, one should not be unfaithful to it, spoil or disfigure it or deny having received it as a trust.

A person with this vice does not have credibility neither in the eyes of Allahnor in the eyes of the people. He drops down from the level of faith and the (evil) reaction of his deed rebounds – affecting him, his wealth and his family in a detrimental way.

It has been strongly advised that one should not be deceived by a person’s (prolonged) prayers and (numerous) fasts - for it is possible that the person may have simply become fond of performing these acts – instead, one should test a person for truthfulness, and faithfulness with respect to the trusts (placed in his custody).

One should never place a trust in the possession of an unfaithful person. Lending money or giving one’s daughter in marriage to a treacherous person is disapproved and if one does so and then happens to suffer loss or harm, it is only himself that he should censure and rebuke.

1) The Treacherous Minister

During his reign, Gushtasp had a minister by the name of Rast Rawishan3 . As a result of this prestigious name, Gushtasp held him in high esteem and favored him over the other ministers.

This minister exhorted Gushtasp into oppressing the subjects and confiscating their property in the belief that the orderliness of the kingdom’s affairs was dependent upon the treasury and that the subjects ought to be poor in order that they remained subservient and obedient. He himself had not only accumulated a lot of wealth but had come to harbour animosity towards Gushtasp.

One day, when Gushtasp came to the treasury, he realised that there was no money to pay his workers. Furthermore, his cities were falling into ruin and the people were in distress. This left Gushtasp in a state of bewilderment.

Out of sheer despair, he climbed onto his horse and set off into the wilderness. As he wandered, his eyes fell upon a flock of sheep in the distance. When he came nearer, he observed that the sheep were sleeping while a dog lay suspended from the gallows. In astonishment, he asked the shepherd the reason for killing the dog. The shepherd replied: “This dog was a loyal animal; I nurtured him and trusted him to protect the sheep. After a period, he came in contact with a she-wolf and both became friends. When night fell, the she-wolf would take hold of a sheep, eat half of it, and leave the other half for the dog.

“One day, I noticed a decrease in the number of sheep and after investigation, came to know of the dog’s treachery. Therefore, I hung him up on the gallows so that it is known that the consequence of treachery and evil is torture and punishment!”

Hearing this, Gushtasp thought to himself, “My subjects are like these sheep and I am like the shepherd; I must investigate and study the condition of the people so that I know the cause for their deplorable state.”

He returned to his court and asked for the list of prisoners who were locked in his prisons. Studying the list, he concluded that his minister, Rast Rawishan, had imprisoned all of them and that he was the cause of all the evils and troubles. He had the minister hanged and admitted to himself that he had been deceived by his name.

Gradually he made the kingdom prosperous, rectified the past damages, paid attention to the state of the captives and refrained from trusting anyone, ever again.4

2) Treachery during Ziarat

Al-Hajj Hasan, the son of Ayatullah al-Hajj Husain Tabataba`i Qummi, relates: “I had come to Tehran from Mashhad for the treatment of my eyes. During that time, one of the traders of Tehran who was known tome, had travelled to Khurasan for the ziarat of Imam Riďa (as).

One night, I dreamt that I was in the sanctuary of Imam Riďa (as) who was seated on the sepulcher. Suddenly, I observed that the trader shot an arrow at the Imam (as) which greatly troubled him. For the second time, from another direction of the sepulcher, he let fly another arrow towards the Imam (as) and again the Imam (as) was deeply troubled. The third time, the trader shot an arrow from behind but on this occasion, the Imam (as) collapsed on his back. Shocked and petrified, I woke up from my sleep.

When my eye treatment was completed, I wished to go back to Khorasan but then decided to stay on till the trader returned from Khorasan. When he returned, I spoke to him and asked him certain questions but could not get to the bottom of the matter. Eventually, I narrated my dream to him, whereupon, with tears flowing from his eyes, he explained: “One day, having entered the sanctuary of Imam Riďa (as), I noticed that before me stood a lady with her hand placed on the sepulcher. I placed my hand on hers and so the lady went to the other side of the sepulcher. I followed her there and once again placed my hand on hers. This time, the lady went behind the sepulcher. When she had placed her hand upon it, I did exactly the same as before and asked her where she was from. She replied that she was from Tehran; we became friends and returned to Tehran together.”5

3) The Daughter’s Disloyalty towards the Father

Satrun, whose title wasDhizan was the king of Hadhar, a state located between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. In Hadhar, there was a beautiful palace by the name of Jausaq.

Once, the king attacked a city that was under the control of Shapur; looting and plundering it, he massacred a great number of its people and eventually occupied it. In the process he managed to take Shapur’s sister as captive.

When Shapur came to know of this, he gathered his army and set out towards the king. Dhizan had locked himself inside a strong fort which Shapur laid siege to. This siege continued for a period of four years but Shapur was unable to penetrate the fort.

One day, Dhizan’s daughter, Nadhirah, an extremely beautiful maiden, was strolling outside the fort when Shapur’s eyes fell on her. He was instantly captivated by her beauty. He sent word to her that if she helped him conquer the fort, he would marry her. During one of the nights, Nadhirah, who too had fallen for Shapur, got the guards of the fort intoxicated and opened its doors to Shapur’s forces. In the battle that ensued, her father Dhizan was eventually killed.

In keeping with his promise, Shapur married Nadhira. One night he noticed that there was blood on her bed. As he set about to investigate the cause of it, he observed that a strand of thick hair lay on her bed and this had caused her delicate and subtle body to become scratched and injured.

“What did your father feed you with?” he asked her.

“Yolk of eggs, brain of lambs, butter and honey,” she replied.

When he heard this, Shapur reflected for a while and then said:

“Despite these comforts provided by your father, you were not loyal to him; how can you ever be loyal and faithful to me?”

He ordered that she be tied to a horse’s tail and the animal made to gallop through the desert so that the desert thorns become coloured by the blood of this treacherous and unfaithful daughter.6

4) The Indian and the Sixth Imam

Imam Kadhim (as) narrates: “One day, I was with my father in the house when a friend entered and told my father that some peoplewere standing outside, waiting to see him. My father asked me to find out who they were. As I went outside, I saw numerous camels laden with chests and a man seated on a horse.

“Who are you?” I asked the man.

“I am from India and seek the honour of meeting the Imam (as),” he replied.

I returned to my father and informed him about the man outside.

“Don’t let this impure and treacherous person enter the house,” he instructed, and so I did as I was told. The people pitched their tents at that very place near the house and waited for a long time till Yazid Ibn Sulaiman and Muhammad Ibn Sulaiman intervened and procured permission for them to meet my father.

When the Indian entered, he sat down before the Imam (as) with folded knees and said: “May you have good health! I am from India and the king has sent me with some presents which are to be handed over to you. For several days I have been seeking permission to enter but you have been refusing to meet me. Do the Prophets’ children conduct themselves in this manner?”

My father (as) lowered his head and answered, “You will come to know the reason for it later.” He then asked me to open the letter that the Indian had brought. In the letter, the king of India had extended his greetings. Then he had written: “It is because of you that I have been guided aright. I had been presented with an extremely beautiful slave-girl, and I found none, save you who could be worthy of possessing her and so, in addition to some clothes, ornaments and perfumes, I gift her to you. Out of one thousand persons, I selected one hundred, and from them, I selected ten and from the ten, I have short listed one person, Mizan Ibn Khabbab, who is trustworthy. I send him to you together with the slave-girl and the presents.”

My father turned to the Indian and said, “O’ Unfaithful person! Turn back, for I shall never accept a trust that has been subjected to unfaithfulness.”

The Indian swore that he had not been unfaithful, however my father told him, “If your clothes were to testify that you had been unfaithful with respect to the slave-girl, would you become a Muslim?”

“Do forgive me!” implored Mizan.

“Then write your deeds to the king of India.”

“If you know something in connection with the issue, you write it down,” said Mizan.

The man had a sheepskin over his shoulder; the Imam (as) told him to place it on the ground.

My father then offered a two-rak’at prayer after which he went into prostration and supplicated:

أَللٌّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْـئَـلُكَ بِمَعَاقِدِ الْعِزِّ... إِيْماَناً مَعَ إِيْماَنِهِمْ

then raising his head, he turned towards the sheepskin and said:

“Speak out all that you know about this Indian.”

The sheepskin began to speak as if it were a sheep, and said:

“O’ Son of the Prophet of Allah! The king considered this person to be trustworthy and had laid great emphasis with regards to protecting the slave-girl and the gifts. When we had travelled some distance, we reached a desert where heavy rains lashed us. All our belongings had become soaked due to the rain. A short while later the clouds cleared away and the sun began to shine. At that point, this unfaithful person called out to the servant, who had been accompanying the slave-girl, and dispatched him towards the city to purchase something. When the servant had gone, he said to the slave-girl: “Enter into this tent which we have pitched beneath the sun so that your clothes and body dry up. The slave-girl entered the tent and pulled up her clothes up to her calves. As soon as his eyes fell upon her legs, he became mesmerized and persuaded the slave-girl into being unfaithful.”

The Indian, disturbed and distressed at witnessing the sheepskin (speaking out his misdeed), confessed to his misdemeanour and sought forgiveness. The sheepskin returned to its original state and the Imam (as) ordered him to put it on. As soon as the Indian had placed it over his shoulder, it encircled and tightened itself around his neck and the man was almost on the verge of being strangulated when the Imam (as) said: “O’ Sheepskin! Leave him so that he can return to the king who would be the most appropriate person to punish this man for his unfaithfulness.”

The sheepskin reverted back to its original state. The Indian, overcome with fright, implored the Imam (as) to accept the gifts.

“If you become a Muslim, I shall gift the slave-girl to you,” said the Imam (as).

But he declined the offer. The Imam (as) then accepted the presents, but refused to take the slave-girl, and the man returned to India.

After a month, a letter arrived from the king of India, in which, after extending his greetings he wrote: “You accepted that which did not have any significant value, whereas rejected that which was valuable. This left me greatly disturbed and I said to myself: ‘The children of the Prophets possess divine insight and wisdom and it is possible that theperson who had escorted the slave-girl, might have exhibited unfaithfulness.’ And so, I wrote a letter in your name to myself, and said to the man that your letter had reached me in which you had mentioned his unfaithfulness. I said to him: ‘Nothing, except the truth, can save you’, whereupon he confessed and related to me the entire episode of his unfaithfulness with regards to the slave-girl and the incident of the sheepskin. The slave-girl also confessed and so I ordered both of them to be beheaded.

“I bear witness to the Unity of Allah and the Prophethood of the Noble Prophet (S) and have to state that I shall personally arrive in your presence later.”

Before long, he arrived in Madinah after having abdicated his kingship and transformed himself into a true Muslim.7

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, Suratul Nisa (4), Verse 107

2. Biharul Anwar, Volume 78, Page 248

3. Literally, his name means ‘a truthful worker’.

4. Jawame’ al-Hikayat, Page 313; Siyasatnameh-e-Khwajah Nidham al-Mulk

5. Rahnama-e-Sa’adat, Volume 1, Page 257; Jame’ al-Durar, Volume 1, Page 448

6. Namunah-e-Ma’arif, Volume 5, Page 142, Al-Mustatraf, Volume 1, Page 210

7. Pand-e-Tarikh, Volume 1, Page 217; Biharul Anwar, Volume 11, Page 136

38. The World

Allah, the Wise, has said:

وَ ماَ الْحَياَةُ الدُّنْياَ إِلاَّ لَعِبٌ وَّ لَهْوٌ

“And this world’s life is naught but a play and an idle sport.”1

The Noble Prophet (S) stated:

مَنْ أَصبَحَ وَ الدُّنْياَ أَکْبَرُ هَمِّهِ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللٌّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ

“He who rises in the morning such that his greatest concern is for (the issues of) the world, shall have nothing of (the guardianship) of Allah.”2

Short Expalantion

The world is like a figure whose head is pride; its eyes, greed; its ears, covetousness; its tongue, dissimulation; its hands, lust; its legs, vanity and its heart, heedlessness. Whoever loves the world, will be dragged by it towards arrogance and pride; whoever likes the world, will be made greedy by it towards itself and whoever desires the world, will be hauled by it towards covetousness.

A person who has praised the world has cloaked himself with the garment of dissimulation; one whose goal and objective is this world, his heart gets filled with vanity, and one who trusts this world, is overcome by negligence and heedlessness (with respect to Allah). Consequently, Hell shall be the abode of the worldly people.3

1) Esteem and Humiliation

Harun Rashid, the ‘Abbasid Caliph, was very fond of the Barmaki family. They were his close and special companions, generally occupying ministerial posts, and from amongst them, he was particularly fond of Ja’far Barmaki. This mutual respect and esteem continued for over 17 years. In 189 ah, due to certain events, the Barmaki family became the object of Harun’s wrath and consequently, all of them went through very difficult times.

Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdul Rahman Hashmi narrates: “On the day of ‘Eidul Adha, I approached my mother who was having a conversation with a lady dressed in old clothes.

“Do you recognize this lady?” my mother asked me. I said I did not.

“This is `Ubadah, the mother of Ja’far Barmaki,” she said.

I moved towards ‘Ubadah and spoke to her for sometime, all the while experiencing astonishment over the state she was in.

“O’ My Mother! What have you seen of the wonders of the world?” I asked her.

‘Ubadah replied, “O’ Son! I have experienced a day of ‘Eid, similar to this day (‘Eidul Adha), when I had four hundred slave-girls standing before me at my service and (yet) I used to complain that my son Ja’far had not granted me my right (fully) for I should have had more slave-girls serving me. Today is another day of ‘Eid but I am now faced with a situation in which the only things I require are two sheepskins - one for use as a mattress and the other for use as a blanket.”

Muhammad Hashmi continued: “I gave her five hundred dirhams, which made her so happy that she almost died of delight. ‘Ubadah kept coming to our house periodically, till she eventually passed away.”4

2) Imam ‘Ali and the Public Treasury

Shu’bi narrates: “Accompanying the other youths, I too entered the vast open ground of Kufah where I saw Amirul Mo’minin (as) holding a small whip in his hand and standing near two containers filled with gold and silver coins. He used the whip to keep back the huge crowd that had gathered whilst he was distributing the money.

The Imam (as) continued to distribute the money till there was nothing left for himself, and he returned home empty-handed at which point, I went home too.

“I have witnessed a very strange thing today and I fail to comprehend if this person’s act was good or bad, in that he never retained anything for himself!” I said to my father.

My father inquired as to what I was talking about. I narrated to him all that I had witnessed, whereupon my father, bursting out in tears, said to me: “Son, you have just watched the most excellent person from amongst all the people.”5

Zadhan reports: “Qambar and I set off see Amirul Mo’minin (as). When we reached him, Qambar said: “O’ Amirul Mo’minin! Arise, for I have concealed a significant treasure for you.”

“What is the treasure?” inquired the Imam (as).

“Arise and accompany me in order that I show it to you,” insisted Qambar.

The Imam (as) got up and followed him into the house. Qambar brought out a linen bag, which was full of small sacs containing gold and silver coins.

“O’ Ali! I know that you distribute everything amongst the people and never retain anything for yourself and so, I have saved this especially for you!” said Qambar.

Imam (as) remarked, “I would have preferred you to set this house on fire and burn down everything.” As he said this, he struck the bag with his sword, causing the gold and silver coins to fall out. He then ordered us to distribute the coins among the people.After we had carried out his instructions, the Imam (as) said: “Bear witness that I have not taken anything for myself and have not been negligent with respect to the distribution of money amongst the Muslims. O’ Gold and Silver! Deceive someone other than ‘Ali.”6

3) Hadhrat Sulaiman

Sulaiman Ibn Dawud (as)was one of those very few Prophets to whom Allah had granted sovereignty over the east and the west of the world. For years, he ruled over jinn, men, animals, birds and wild beasts, and knew the language of all creatures - an authority so great and extensive that it was ineffable.

He had prayed to Allah: “Grant me a kingdom the like of whichYou shall never grant to anyone after me.”

After Allah had graced and honoured him with such a kingdom, Hadhrat Sulaiman (as) said to his servants one day: “I have not passed one single day, from morning to night, in a state of happiness. Tomorrow I shall enter my palace, climb onto its roof and view my subjects. Do not permit anyone to approach me lest my happiness should turn into sadness.”

The next morning, taking hold of his staff, he climbed to the uppermost portion of his palace and stood there, leaning upon his staff, observing his kingdom and subjects, and experiencing joy over what Allah had granted to him. As he was looking around, he suddenly noticed a good-looking youth, dressed in clean clothes, appearing from one corner of his palace.

“Who granted you permission to enter the palace?” he asked the youth.

“The Lord,” replied the youth.

“Who are you?” asked Sulaiman (as).

“Izra`il .”

“Why have you come?”

“To seize your soul, Sulaiman.”

“I had wanted today to be my day of happiness but Allah desired otherwise;comply with the orders given to you,” said Sulaiman (as).

Izra`il seized his soul while he stood leaning on his staff while the people, looking at him from afar, thought him to be alive.

When time passed, there arose a controversy amongst the people. Some said, “It has been several days that he has not eaten or drunk anything and so he is our Allah.” Another group said, “He is a sorcerer; he has made it to appear to us that he stands, whereas, in reality, it is not so.” A third group said, “He is a Prophet of Allah.”

Allah sent an army of ants to eat through his staff as a result of which, the staff broke and Sulaiman collapsed. It was then that the people realized that he had passed away several days before.7

4) TalhahAnd Zubair’s Love for the World

Talhah and Zubair had been of the elders during the initial phase of Islam and had extended fitting contributions in the battles. After the death of the Noble Prophet (S), both of them, and Zubair in particular, vehemently supported Amirul Mo’minin (as) and never hesitated in offering their assistance to him.

Their support continued till ‘Uthman was murdered and the people selected Imam ‘Ali (as) as their leader. When this happened, these two approached Imam (as) and formally requested him to appoint them as governors of some cities.

However, when they encountered a negative reply from Imam ‘Ali (as), they conveyed a harsh message to him through Muhammad Ibn Talhah, which said: “We have had to make a lot of sacrifices for the sake of your Caliphate and now that you have the reins of power in your hand, you act as a dictator, bringing to the fore the likes of Malik Ashtar and pushing us into the background?!”

Imam ‘Ali (as) sent a message through Muhammad Ibn Talhah saying: “What should I do in order that you may be pleased?”

“Appoint one of us as the governor of Basrah and the other as the governor of Kufah,” they replied.

“By Allah! When I do not consider them to be trustworthy here in this place (Madinah), how can I place them over the people of Basrah and Kufah?” asked Imam ‘Ali (as).

He then instructed Muhammad Ibn Talhah to go and tell them: “O’ Sheikhs! Fear Allah and His Prophet with respect to the ummah of the Noble Prophet (S) and do not oppress the Muslims; have you not heard Allah say: “(As for) that future abode, We assign it to those who have no desire to exalt themselves in the earth nor to make mischief and the good end is for those who guard (against evil).”8

Having failed to realize their ambitions of power and riches, Talhah and Zubair decided to go to Makkah. They approached Imam ‘Ali (as) to seek his permission to go to Makkah for performing the ‘Umrah. The Imam (as) told them that they did not really intend to perform the ‘Umrah, but they swore that they had no other motive and were firm and faithful in their pledge of allegiance.

Upon the Imam’s orders, they renewed their pledge with him and then set out for Makkah. There, they broke their pledge, raised an army and in the company of ‘Aishah, set out towards Basrah for the Battle of the Camel! On the way, they met Ya’li Ibn Munabbah, who carried with him approximately four hundred thousand dinars for Imam ‘Ali (as) from Yemen.

The two men forcefully took away the money from him and utilized it for fighting the Imam (as).

In this battle (36 ah), thirteen thousand soldiers from the army of Talhah and Zubair and five thousand soldiers from Imam ‘Ali’s (as) army were killed. Talhah was eventually killed by an arrow shot by Marwan, who belonged to his own army. After killing him, Marwan declared: “I have extracted revenge of ‘Uthman’s blood from Talhah.”

Zubair withdrew from the battle and was murdered on the way by Ibn Jurmuz. The consequence of their penchant for power and proclivity towards worldly desires was nothing but an ignominious death.9

5) What heDesired and What Eventually Happened!

On the 23rd of Muharram, 169 ah, Mahdi ‘Abbasi died in Masabdhan and the caliphate passed on to his son Musa, titled Hadi ‘Abbasi, who at that time, had gone to Jorjan to fight the people of Tabaristan.10

Harun Rashid, his brother, took the pledge of allegiance for him from the people of Masabdhan and Baghdad and sent a message to inform him of the situation. Hadi quickly returned to the capital.

Harthamah Ibn A’ayun recounts: “One night, Hadi ‘Abbasi summoned me to a private meeting with him.

“Do you know how disturbed I am because of this infidel dog Yahya Ibn Khalid? He has turned the people against me and is coaxing them to support Harun. You must go to the prison immediately and behead him,” he said. “Then proceed to the house of Harun and murder him. After this, survey the prison and kill every person from the progeny of Abu Talib. When you have executed these instructions, prepare the army and proceed towards Kufah; once there, drive out all the descendants of ‘Abbas from their houses and set their houses on fire.”

Hearing these instructions, a shiver ran through me.

“I do not have the strength to carry out these great and difficult tasks,” I pleaded.

“If you exhibit negligence in obeying my orders, I shall kill you,” he said, and ordered me to stand where I was whilst he went into the women’s quarters.

I thought that since I had exhibited aversion towards these acts, he would assign them to someone else and then have me killed. I promised to myself that if I were delivered from this predicament, I would set off for a place where nobody would recognize me. Suddenly, a slave appeared and informed me that Hadi ‘Abbasi had summoned me. Anticipating death, I testified to the Unity of Allah and the Prophethood of the Noble Prophet (S) and advanced forward. Midway, I heard a lady speak out: “O’ Harthamah! I am Khaizran, Hadi’s mother. Come and see what calamity has befallen us.”

As I entered the room, Khaizran, who was behind the curtains, said: “When Hadi entered the house, I moved aside the covering from my head and begged pardon for Harun, but he refused. At that moment he was suddenly overcome by a fit of severe coughing. He drank some water but it did not help and he died there and then (18 Rabi’ al-Awwal, 170 ah). Now go and inform Yahya Ibn Khalid of his death so that he can take the pledge of allegiance for my son Harun.”

Harthamah continues: “I informed Yahya of Hadi’s death and then proceeded towards Harun’s house, where I found him reciting the Noble Qur’an. I informed him that he had become the Caliph but he refused to believe it and so I narrated the entire incident to him. That very night, Harun was informed of the birth of his son, Mamun.”11

Notes

1. Noble Qur’an, Suratul An’am (6), Verse 32

2. Jame’ al-Sa’adat, Volume 2, Page 24

3. Tadhkeratul Haqaiq, Page 35

4. Tatimmah al-Muntaha, Page 181

5. Al-Gharat, Volume 1, Page 55; Dastan-haiAz Zindagi ‘Ali , Page 114

6. Dastan-hai Az Zindagi ‘Ali , Page 128; Nahjul Balagha (Ibn Abil Hadid), Volume 8, Page 181

7. Hayat al-Qulub, Volume 1, Page 370

8. Noble Qur’an, Suratul Qasas (28), Verse 83

9. Hikayat-ha-e-Shanidani, Volume 3, Page 20; Tarikh-e-Ya’qubi, Volume 2, Page 169

10. Modern day Mazandaran (Tr.)

11. Rangarang, Volume 1, Page 24