Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

References

1. Muqtaḍab al-athar, p. 31; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, p. 110, no. 4

It will become apparent in this chapter and others from this book that one should not pay attention to what has been narrated by Abū Dāwūd from Zā’ida, from `Aṣim, from Zirr, from `Abd-Allah, from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said: “If there remains only one day to the end of the world, Allah will prolong that day until Allah sends a person from me, or from my Ahl al-Bait; his name will be my name and his father’s name will be my father’s name. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice.” Because abundant and mutawātir traditions prove that his father’s name is al-Ḥasan. Al-Kanji has stated in al-Bayān that al-Tirmidhī has recorded the tradition without the sentence, “his father’s name is my father’s name” and that Imam Aḥmad, with all his mastery and skill, has recorded this tradition in al-Musnad and numerous places with only the phrase, “his name is my name.” He continues, “Al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū Nu`aim has collected the various chains of this tradition from a large number of people in Manāqib al-Mahdī, all of them reporting from `Aṣim b. Abī l-Najūd, from Zirr, from `Abd-Allah, from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. Amongst these are: Sufyān b. `Uyayna through different chains of narrators; Fiṭr b. Khalīfa through different chains of narrators; al-A`mash through different chains of narrators; Abū Isḥāq Sulaimān b. Fīrūz al-Shaibānī through different chains of narrators; Ḥafṣ b. `Umar; Sufyān al-Thaurī through different chains of narrators; Shu`ba through different chains of narrators; Wāsiṭ b. al-Ḥārith; Yazīd b. Mu`āwiya Abū Shaiba from two different chains; Sulaimān b. Qarm through different chains of narrators; Ja`far al-Aḥmar, Qays b. Rabī`, Sulaimān b. Qarm, and Asbāṭ whom he has put in a single chain; Salām b. Abū l-Mundhir; Abū Shihāb Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm al-Kinānī through different chains of narrators; `Amr b. `Ubaid al-Tanāfusī through different chains of narrators; Abū Bakr b. `Ayyāsh through different chains of narrators; Abū l-Ḥajjāf Dāwūd b. Abī al-`Auf through different chains of narrators; Uthmān b. Shubruma through different chains of narrators; `Abd al-Malik b. Abī l-Uyayna; Muḥammad b. `Ayyāsh from `Amr al-`Āmirī through different chains of narrators; He has mentioned a chain: “Narrated to us Abū Ghassān from Qays”; `Amr b. Qays al-Mulā’ī; `Ammār b. Zuraiq; `Abd-Allah b. Ḥakīm b. Jubair al-Asadī; `Amr b. `Abd-Allah b. Bashīr; Abū l-Aḥwaṣ; Sa`d b. Ḥasan, the son of Tha`laba’ s sister; Ma`ādh b. Hishām, who says: “Narrated to me my father from `Aṣim”; Yūsuf b. Yūnus; Ghālib b. Uthmān; Ḥamzat al-Zayyāt; Shaibān; al-Ḥakam b. Hishām; It has been narrated from others than `Aṣim from Zirr like from `Amr b. Murra, from Zirr. All of the above have narrated ‘his name is my name’ except `Ubaid-Allah b. Mūsā, from Zā’ida, from `Aṣim who said: ‘his father’s name is my father’s name.’ No intelligent and wise person will have doubts that the addition: ‘his father’s name is my father’s name’ has no basis because of the consensus of the aforementioned leaders (of traditions) on its contrary.

The author of Kashf al-ghumma writes: “Our Shia companions deem this tradition to be incorrect because of what has been proved to them about his name and his father’s name. The majority [i.e. the Sunnis] have recorded that Zā’ida [the narrator of this tradition] used to add parts to narrations, thus, we have to conclude that this part was one of his additions. This [point] reconciles all the opinions and traditions.”

This was a brief discussion about the chain of narrators. With this said, there remains no reason for relying on Zā’ida’s narrations for he is unquestionably unreliable. In fact, one can become sure that Zā’ida or other narrators of this tradition have deliberately added this sentence to it. It is very likely that this addition was the work of politicians and rulers, because narrations played an extremely important role in political success and the formation of governments in the early (Islamic) era. Hence, they ordered [scholars] to fabricate traditions and used these as a medium to attract the hearts of the people for strengthening their government. Proof of this lies in the actions of Mu`āwiya and his punishments on those who narrated the excellences and merits of (Amīr al-Mu’minīn) `Alī, peace be on him, and his rewards for those who fabricated traditions meant to defame `Alī and the Ahl al-Bait, peace be on them, or [his rewards] for those [fabricated traditions which] praised Uthmān and others from the Umayyads. Therefore, Abū Huraira and his kind-from the people of this world and the worshippers of money-were hired to forge traditions. The same pattern was followed in the initial stages of the rule of the Abbasids, during the formation of their government, and their uprising against the Umayyads.

Fabricators forged traditions by their order or to gain stature before them, in order to reinforce their corrupt beliefs, views, and political theories, and to mend their evil deeds and strengthen their position amongst the public. Amongst the religious beliefs used by the Abbasids to form their government, were such traditions that gave glad-tidings about the Mahdī, peace be on him.

Thus, it is not unlikely that the motive for adding this statement was to strengthen the government of Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah al-Manṣūr al-Abbāsī-who had the title of al-Mahdī-or to support the claim of Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah b. al-Ḥasan, who was known as al-Nafs al-Zakiyya. I believe that this probability is quite strong. Some historians (like the author of al-Fakhrī fī l-ādāb al-sultāniyya wa l-duwal al-Islāmiyya) have recorded that `Abd-Allah al-Maḥḍ proved to some groups of people that his son Muḥammad is the Mahdī that glad tidings have been given about. He used to narrate the addition “his father’s name is my father’s name” and Imam al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, told his father, `Abd-Allah al-Maḥḍ, that his son would not reach that position. Anyway, this addition has no validity especially when it is compared with mutawātir and definite traditions which have been recorded in the books of the companions [i.e. scholars]. Moreover, they have even mentioned reasons to reconcile between this addition and the recorded traditions, which are as follows:

(1) What is found in al-Kanjī al-Shāfi`ī’s al-Bayān is probably a copyist’s error. He, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family, had actually stated: “The name of his father is the name of my son” and had referred to al-Ḥasan, peace be on him. Because it is well known that he used to refer to al-Ḥasan as ‘my son’ and to him and al-Ḥusayn, peace be on them, as ‘my two sons.’ Thus, the copyist probably made a mistake while writing and wrote ‘my son (ibnī)’ instead of ‘my father (abī).’ This probability is further reinforced by the tradition recorded in Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, p. 67.

(2) What has been stated by Kamāl al-dīn Muḥammad b. Ṭalḥa al-Shāfi`ī in Maṭālib al-Su’ūl fī manāqib Āl al-Rasūl: “Before mentioning the detailed reply we must explain two points on which our purposed will be based on:

(a) It is common in the Arabic language to use the word ‘father’ to refer to an earlier ancestor. The Holy Quran has also talked in this manner. He, the Exalted, says, ‘The religion of your father Ibrāhīm’ (Quran 22:78). He, the Exalted, also quotes Yūsuf as saying: ‘and I followed the religion of my fathers Ibrāhīm and Ismā`īl and Isḥāq’ (Quran 12:38). The Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, has also used similar language in the tradition of ascension (mi`rāj) when he recounted: ‘I said, “Who is he?” He replied, “Your father, Ibrāhīm.”’ So, it is well known that the word ‘father’ is used to refer to ancestors even if they are from many generations ago.

(b) The word ‘name’ can be used to refer to either an epithet or an attribute. Masters of literature (al-fuṣaḥā) have used it extensively and their tongues have moved [to speak like this]. Even the two Imams-al-Bukhārī and Muslim-have recorded this [concept] in their books where they narrated from Sahl b. Sa`d al-Sā`idī that ‘`Alī used to say that the messenger of Allah gave him the name Abū Turāb and there was no name dearer to him than that.’ Thus, the word ‘name’ is used to refer to an epithet. This is a common and famous practice amongst the Arabs.

Now that the two points we wanted to mention have been clarified, then know-may Allah assist you with His support-that the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, had two grandsons: Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan and Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ḥusayn. Since the last Ḥujja, the righteous successor, Muḥammad, is from the descendants of Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ḥusayn and not Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan, and since the epithet of al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, was Abū `Abd-Allah, therefore the Prophet used the word ‘name’ to refer to ‘epithet.’ Also, the word ‘father’ is used to refer to ‘ancestor’ so it is as if he said: ‘His name is my name. He is Muḥammad and I am Muḥammad. And the epithet of his ancestor is the name of my father because he is Abū `Abd-Allah and my father is `Abd-Allah.’ These brief words, comprehensively describe his attributes and announce that he is from the descendants of Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ḥusayn in the most comprehensive and concise manner. Thereafter, the attributes are described and all of them are found in the last Ḥujja, the Righteous Successor, Muḥammad, peace be upon him. This explanation is sufficient and enough for eliminating any doubt in this regard, so understand it.”

(3) What has been recorded in Biḥār al-anwār from his contemporaries that the epithet of (Imam) Ḥasan al-`Askarī, peace be on him, was Abū Muḥammad; on the other hand, `Abd-Allah, the father of the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family, was also Abū Muḥammad. Thus, both the epithets were identical and epithets (as mentioned earlier) also come under the title of names.

(4) Some scholars have justified the tradition like this: “The best justification for this tradition is that its wording were as follows: ‘His name is my name and my father’s name.’ It has been recorded in numerous traditions in the book al-Ghayba that (Imam) al-Mahdī has three names. One of these being `Abd-Allah, which is the name of the Holy Prophet’ father, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. In some traditions, it has been mentioned, ‘his name is my father’s name,’ using this phrase. Based on this tradition, the following words have also been narrated, ‘his name is my name and my father’s name.’ The narrator has added the phrase, ‘his father’s name’ since he did not understand the meaning of the tradition and could not comprehend the fact that the Mahdī- may Allah hasten his relief-could have two names. So, he intended to correct the tradition himself and added this sentence. Of course, you already know that the tradition has no ambiguity because he has three names and hence it has been clarified that there is no contradiction between the (aforementioned) tradition and our traditions. This is the best of answers and I haven’t seen anyone objecting to it due to its clarity.”

(5) The scholar (mentioned in reason no. four) has also said that “it is probable that the tradition was as follows: ‘his name is my name and the name of his son is the name of my father.’ This can be inferred from some traditions that mention one of his children is called `Abd-Allah. We will mention in the thirteenth chapter of this book that one of his epithets is Abū `Abd-Allah. So, (it is probable) that ‘the name of his son’ has been changed to ‘the name of his father’.” We have recorded the tradition that he pointed to in chap. 3, no. 397.

(6) The great learned scholar, al-Maulā Muḥammad Riḍā al-Imāmī, has mentioned in Jannāt al-khulūd that Imam Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan al-`Askarī, peace be on him, had two names: al-Ḥasan and `Abd-Allah. Amongst our scholars, the author of Kifāyat al-muwaḥḥidīn has also mentioned this and from the Sunni scholars, the king of the learned (malik al-`ulamā), al-Qāḍī Shihāb al-Dīn al-Daulatābādī-the author of the Quranic exegesis, al-Baḥr al-mawwāj and also Manāqib al-sādāt and Hidāyat al-su`adā as has been cited in al-Najm al-thāqib-and also Maulā Mu`īn al-Harawī, the author of the Quranic exegesis Asrār al-fātiḥa, as has been cited in al-Abqarī al-ḥisān. Thus, the problem is solved.

2. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 334, no. 4; I`lām al-warā, p. 404, which says: “and the successor, who is awaited, is M-U-Ḥ-A-M-M-A-D the son of al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. `Alī b. `Alī b. Mūsā, peace be on them.”

I say: It seems that it indicates that ‘the successor’ (al-khalaf) is one of the titles of the Mahdī. Ibn al-Athīr writes: “The word can be pronounced as khalaf as well as Khalf and (both) mean ‘anyone that comes (or replaces) after someone goes (or dies).’ The only difference is that when you say khalaf, it means (a successor of) goodness and khalf indicates (a successor of) badness. It is used like this: a khalaf of goodness and a khalf of badness.” Maybe, this title is used to refer exclusively to him because he is the successor of all the prophets and imams and will come after all of them.

3. Al-Manāqib, vol. 4, pp. 425-426; Mustadrak al-wasā’il (first edition), vol. 3, p. 527; Riyāḍ al-`ulamā, vol. 4, p. 7; Rauḍāt al-jannāt (first edition), vol. 3, p. 377; Majālis al-mu’minīn, 5th session, p. 195; al-Kunā wa l-alqāb, p. 217.

4. Ithbāt al-waṣiyya, p. 206 (From the old edition); Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 45, p. 501, no. 27. In some copies ‘Khadīja’ has been recorded while in others it is ‘Ḥalīma’ or ‘Ḥakīma.’ Khadīja is more correct; al-Ghayba, p. 230, no. 196, through two chains (of narrators). Although ‘Khadīja’ has been recorded but the researcher of the latest edition has corrected it in accordance with Biḥār al-anwār and other books and has changed it to ‘Ḥakīma.’ This is merely his assumption and we have to rely on the original manuscripts of the book; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 16, pp. 363-364, no. 11; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, p. 506, no. 313, citing al-Ghayba which has also recorded ‘Khadīja.’

Section Twenty-Three: The traditions that indicate he is the son of the ‘Master of the Maids’ and the Best of them

Comprised of eleven traditions

572. Sharḥ nahj al-balāgha (by ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd)1 : And from it [i.e. from his sermons some of which have been mentioned by al-Raḍī]:

Then pay attention to the Ahl al-Bait of your Prophet. If they stay put, then you should also stay put and if they seek your help, then you should help them. Indeed, Allah will remove the fitna through a person from us Ahl al-Bait. May my father be sacrificed for the son of the best of the maids! He will not bestow upon them but swords-with much bloodshed-and he will carry [a sword] on his shoulder for eight months.

The Quraish will say,“Had he been from the descendants of Fāṭima, he would have had mercy on us.” Allah will dispatch him against the Umayyads until he crushes them and breaks them apart:“[They are] cursed (mal`ūnīn); wherever they are found, they will be seized and killed a [horrible] killing. [Such has been] the tradition of Allah amongst those who have passed before and you will not find any change in the traditions of Allah.” 2

573. Yanābī` al-mawadda3 : Al-Madā’inī has narrated in al-Ṣiffīn that after the battle of Nahrawān was over, Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī, peace be on him, delivered a sermon and mentioned some of the fierce battles [that will occur]. Then, he said:

This is the affair of Allah and it will occur in a joyful time. O Son of the Best of the Maids! Until when will you wait? I give you glad tidings about a help that is near from a Merciful Lord. May my father and mother be sacrificed because [of those] who are few in number! Their names are unknown on earth. Indeed, their appearance is drawing near. There will be a great marvel between [the months of] Jamādī and Rajab because of the gathering of the scattered ones, the harvesting of the crops, and the voices followed by voices. (Then, he said:) Indeed, the decision has already been made(sabaqa al-qaḍā’u sabaqa) .

[On hearing the above] a person from Baṣra said to a person from Kūfa beside him,“I testify that he is a liar.” The one from Kūfa says,“By Allah, `Alī, peace be on him, had barely descended from the pulpit when the person from Basra became paralyzed and he died the same night.”

The author of Yanābī` al-mawadda says:“If we wanted to record his predictions about the hidden things whose truth the [people] have clearly witnessed, many volumes would be needed.”

574. Kamāl al-dīn4 : Aḥmad b. Ziyād b. Ja`far al-Hamdānī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim, from his father, from Abū Aḥmad Muḥammad b. Ziyād al-Azdī who said:

I asked my master (Imam) Mūsā b. Ja`far, peace be on him, about the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He,“and bestowed upon you His favors both apparent and hidden?” 5 He replied,“The apparent favor is the apparent Imam and the hidden favor means the hidden Imam.” I asked,“Amongst the Imams, will there be a hidden one?”

He replied,“Yes. His figure will be concealed from the eyes of the people but his memory will not be concealed from the hearts of the believers. He is the twelfth from us. For him, Allah will ease all strains, degrade all difficulties, reveal the treasures of earth, and bring close all the distant things. Through him, He will destroy all oppressive tyrants and annihilate every rebellious devil. He is the son of the Master of the Maids and his birth will be hidden from the people. It will not be permissible for them to say his name until Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, makes him appear. Then, he will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness.”

575. Kamāl al-dīn6 : Narrated to Aḥmad b. `Imrān, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah al-Kūfī, from Mūsā b. `Imrān al-Nakha`ī, from his (paternal) uncle al-Ḥusayn b. Yazīd al-Naufalī, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, from his father, from Abū Baṣīr, who said:

(Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah (al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him, said,“Whatever occurred for the prophets, peace be on them, concerning their occultation’s, will also occur for the Qā’im from us, in the exact same manner. 7 ” I asked,“O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Who is the Qā’im from you Ahl al-Bait?” He answered,“O Abū Baṣīr! He is the fifth descendant of my son Mūsā; the son of the Master of the maids. He will have an occultation in which the people of falsehood will become skeptical.

Then, Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will make him appear and Allah will make him conquer the Easts of the earth and its Wests. The Spirit of Allah, Jesus, son of Mary, peace be on him, will descend and pray behind him. The earth will shine with the light of its Lord. There will not remain a part of the earth in which anyone other than Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, is worshipped except that Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will be worshipped in it. Religion-in its entirety-will be only for Allah even if the polytheists detest it.”

576. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī8 : Informed us `Abd al-Wāḥid b. `Abd-Allah b. Yūnus, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Rabāḥ al-Zuhrī, from Aḥmad b. `Alī al-Ḥimyarī, from al-Ḥakam-the brother of Mushma`il al-Asadī-from `Abd al-Raḥīm al-Qaṣīr who said:

I asked (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him,“Does the saying of Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, ‘May my father be sacrificed for the son of the Master of the Maids,’ refer to Fāṭima? He responded, “(No,) indeed, Fāṭima, peace be on her, was the best of the free women. Rather, it refers to the one whose stomach is wide and whose complexion is reddish. May Allah have mercy on so and so.”

577. Ghaybat al-Shaykh9 : Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā b. `Ubaid, from Ismā’īl b. Abān, from `Amr b. Shimr, from Jābir al-Ju`fī, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, who said:

`Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb asked Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī, peace be on him,“Inform me about the Mahdī, what is his name?” He replied,“As for his name, then certainly my beloved [i.e. the Messenger of Allah] took a covenant from me that I should not say his name until Allah sends him.” He asked again,“Inform me about his attributes.” He answered,“He is a medium-sized youth and handsome with beautiful hair. His hair flows over his shoulders and the light of his face covers the blackness of his hair and beard; may my father be sacrificed for the son of the Master of the Maids.”

The traditions with the following numbers also show the above concept: 539, 553, 554, 568, and 651.

References

1. Sharḥ nahj al-balāgha, vol. 2, p. 179; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 96, p. 498. Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd writes: “If it is asked, ‘Who from the Umayyads will be present in that time that [`Alī, peace be on him,] mentions regarding them that so and so and has spoken about this man [i.e. the Mahdī] taking revenge on them to such an extent that they would wish `Alī had ruled over them instead of him?’ The answer is: The Imāmiyya (Shias) believe in the raj`a and think that when their awaited Imam returns, a group from the highest ranking Umayyads will be resurrected from their graves. From them, he will cut the hands and feet of a group, take out the eyes of others, and crucify some of them and thus take revenge from the enemies of the family of Muḥammad-both the early ones and the latter ones.”

Then, ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd answers what has been questioned about the beliefs of his companions-after explaining that the Mahdī, peace be on him, is from the descendants of Fāṭima and will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice. That he will take revenge on the oppressors and will punish them using the severest of punishments and that he is the sole child of his mother, as has been mentioned in this and other traditions, and that his name is Muḥammad, etc.- by stating that he will appear after most of Islam will be dominated by a person from the Umayyads and he is none other than the Sufyānī who has been spoken about in a reliable tradition and who is a descendant of Abū Sufyān b. Ḥarb b. Umayya. The Faṭimī Imam will kill him and his followers who are from the Ummayads and other (groups), after which Jesus will descend from the sky, the conditions of the Hour will become apparent, and the Creature of the Earth (dābbat al-arḍ) will emerge, etc...”; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 13, p. 229, no. 11, and similar to it in Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, p. 121, under no. 23.

2. Quran 33:61-62.

3. Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 99, p. 512.

4. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 34, pp. 368-369, no. 6; Kifāyat al-athar, chap. “What has been narrated from Mūsā b. Ja`far, peace be on him,” p. 266, no. 3, from Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah b. Ḥamza, from his (paternal) uncle al-Ḥasan b. Ḥamza, from `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 7, pp. 150-151, no. 2.

5. Quran 31:20.

6. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, pp. 345-346, no. 31.

7. Al-Ḥākim has recorded in al-Mustadrak, “Kitāb al-īmān,” vol. 1, p. 37, through his chain of narrators from Abū Huraira that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said: “You will certainly follow the customs (sunan) of those before you identically and similar in every manner, to an extent that even if they have entered the hole of a lizard you will certainly enter it with them.” He was asked, “O Messenger of Allah! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He replied, “Who else (do I mean).”

Al-Ḥākim says: “This tradition is correct (ṣaḥīḥ) according to the criteria set by Muslim but neither of them [i.e. al-Bukhārī and Muslim] have recorded it with this wording.”

I say: This tradition has been narrated in the books of both sects with different wordings.

8. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī , chap. 13, pp. 228-229, no. 9.

9. Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 281, no. 5; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 4, p. 36, no. 6, citing al-Nu`mānī and al-Shaykh; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 56, p. 468, no. 3. He has recorded the beginning of the tradition with some variations in the wording; I`lām al-warā, p. 434; al-Kharā’ij, vol. 3, p. 1152 (short version); al-Irshād by al-Mufīd, p. 363; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, p. 464; Rauḍat al-wā`iẓīn, vol. 2, p. 266; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 34, sect. 6, p. 730, no. 71. Know that there is no contradiction between this tradition and numerous other traditions that mention his longevity. We can reconcile between these by saying that such a tradition points to the brightness of his color and his handsome looks and that he will appear young and energetic and his face will not age with the passing of days.

Section Twenty-Four: The traditions that mention when the three names, Muḥammad, `Alī, and al-Ḥasan, come after one other, then the fourth of them will be the Qā’im

Comprised of 2 traditions

578. Dalā’il al-imāma1 : Narrated to us Abū l-Mufaḍḍal, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Kūfī, from Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah al-Farsī, from Yaḥyā b. Maimūn al-Khurāsānī, from `Abd-Allah b. Sinān, from his brother Muḥammad b. Sinān al-Zuhrī, from our master, (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far b. Muḥammad, from his father, from his grandfather, from his father al-Ḥusayn, from al-Ḥasan, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said to `Alī, peace be on him:“O `Alī! When the eleven Imams from your descendants are completed, the eleventh will be the Mahdī from my Ahl al-Bait.”

And through the same chain of narrators from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said:“When the four names, Muḥammad, `Alī, and al-Ḥasan come consecutively, then the fourth of them will be the Qā’im, the wished, the awaited.”

579. Kamāl al-dīn2 : Narrated to us Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Isḥāq, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Abū `Alī Muḥammad b. Hammām, from Aḥmad b. Mābundād, from Aḥmad b. Hilāl, from Umayyat b. `Alī al-Qaysī, from Abū l-Haytham al-Tamīmī, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:“When three names Muḥammad, `Alī, and al-Ḥasan come consecutively, the fourth of them will be their Qā’im.” 3

References

1. Dalā’il al-imāma, chap. “Ma`rifat wujūb al-Qā’im,” p. 236, no. 9; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 9, sect. 69, p. 103, no. 832, citing the book Manāqib Fāṭima wa wuldihā through his chain of narrators from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family.

2. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 32, p. 334, no. 3 and similar to it, pp. 333-334, no. 2. He has recorded it in the preface of Kamāl al-dīn from ibn Qubba in his answers to the objections of ibn Bashshār: “When the three names Muḥammad, `Alī, and al-Ḥasan come consecutively, the fourth will be the Qā’im” (vol. 1, p. 55); Kifāyat al-athar, p. 280, under the fourth tradition from the chapter on what has come from Imam Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Riḍā, peace be on him: “Through his chain of narrators from Abū al-Haytham al-Tamīmī who said that (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, said, ‘When the three names come consecutively, the fourth of them will be their Qā’im: Muḥammad, `Alī, and al-Ḥasan.’”; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, p. 179, no. 26; I`lām al-warā, p. 403. He has recorded ‘come together’ instead of ‘come consecutively’.

3. It is clear who these names refer to: Muḥammad refers to Imam Muḥammad b. `Alī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā, `Alī refers to his son Imam `Alī b. Muḥammad b. `Alī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā, and al-Ḥasan refers to his son Imam al-Ḥasan al-`Askarī, Allah’s blessings be on them all.

Section Twenty-Five: The traditions that indicate he is the twelfth and last Imam, peace be on them

Comprised of 151 traditions

580. Al-Ghayba by Faḍl b. Shādhān1 : Narrated to us Ṣafwān b. Yaḥyā, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Ibrāhīm b. Abī Ziyād, from Abū Ḥamza al-Thumālī, from Abū Khalid al-Kabulī who said:

I went to see my master (Imam) `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, and asked,“O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Inform me about those-whose obedience and love Allah has made compulsory and has made following them obligatory for His servants-after the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family.” He replied,“O Kabulī! Surely, those who possess authority (aulī l-amr) whom Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, has appointed as leaders for the people and made their obedience obligatory are: Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, then my uncle al-Ḥasan, my father al-Ḥusayn, and then the affair reached us.”

Saying this, he became silent. I said,“O my master! It has been narrated to us from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him, that the earth will not become empty of a proof from Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, upon His servants. So, who is the proof and Imam after you?” He said,“My son Muḥammad and his name in the earlier [Holy] Books is Bāqir. He will split knowledge, a thorough splitting. He is the Proof and the Imam after me. After Muḥammad, it will be his son Ja`far and he is known to the inhabitants of the sky as al-Ṣādiq.”

I asked,“O my master! Why is he only called as al-Ṣādiq (the Truthful) whilst all of you are truthful?” He answered,“Narrated to me my father, from his father, peace be on them, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said, ‘When my son, Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib is born, name him al-Ṣādiq because his fifth descendant-who will also have the name Ja`far-will falsely claim to be an Imam and will dare [to disobey] Allah and lie against Him. To Allah, he will be known as Ja`far the liar (al-Kadhdhāb), the one who forges lies against Allah and claims the position for which he was not eligible. He will oppose his father and will be jealous of his brother. He is the one who will desire to disclose Allah’s secret, Majestic be His Majesty, during the occultation of the Guardian [appointed] by Allah.’”

Saying this, (Imam) `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, cried intensely and continued,“As if I am with Ja`far al-Kadhdhāb who will be assisting the tyrants of his time to find out about the Guardian [appointed] by Allah; the one who will be concealed in the protection of Allah and be in charge of his father’s dependents while [Ja`far] will be ignorant about his birth and seeks to kill him if he can get his hands on him, and will have greed for the inheritance of his brother which he will wish to seize unjustly.”

I asked,“O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Will these really happen?” He answered,“Yes, by my Lord! All this is written in the manuscript we possess which mentions the afflictions that will be inflicted on us after the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family.” I said,“O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Then what will happen?” He replied,“Then, the occultation of the twelfth Guardian [appointed] by Allah will be prolonged. He will be from the heirs of the Messenger of Allah after him. O Abū Khālid! The people who believe in his Imamate and await his reappearance during his occultation, are the best people of all times.

Because Allah, Blessed and High be He, has granted them such intellect (`aql), understanding (fahm), and recognition (ma`rifa) that occultation for them is the same as observation. He (Allah) has made them in that time like the holy warriors who fought with their swords before the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family. They are truly the sincere ones, our real Shias, and the callers towards the religion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, secretly and openly.” He then said,“Awaiting the Relief is one of the best reliefs (intiẓār al-faraj min afḍal al-faraj).”

581. Kifāyat al-athar2 : Narrated to us `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad, from Hārūn b. Mūsā at Baghdad in the month of Safar, 381 AH, from Aḥmad [Muḥammad] [b. Makhzūm] b. Muḥammad al-Muqrī-the slave of Banī-Hāshim-in 324 AH, from Abū Muḥammad from both: (a) Abū Ḥafṣ `Umar [`Amr] b. al-Faḍl al-Ṭabarī, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Farghānī, from `Abd-Allah b. Muḥammad b. `Amr al-Balwī, and (b) `Abd-Allah [`Ubaid Allah] b. al-Faḍl b. Hilāl al-Ṭā’ī in Egypt, from `Abd-Allah b. Muḥammad b. `Umar [`Amr] b. Maḥfūẓ al-Balwī; from Ibrāhīm b. `Abd-Allah b. al-`Alā, from Muḥammad b. Bukair who recounts:

I went to see Zaid b. `Alī, peace be on him, while Ṣāliḥ b. Bishr was with him. I said hello to him and he intended to go Iraq. I said,“O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Narrate to me something which you have heard from your father.” He said,“Yes. My father narrated to me from his grandfather [or my father from his father from his grandfather] that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said, ‘On whoever Allah has bestowed a favor, he should praise Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He. One whose sustenance is delayed should seek forgiveness [from Allah. One who is grieved by an affair] should say, “There is no power and strength except by Allah.” ’”

I said,“Please tell me more, O Son of Allah’s Messenger!” He said,“Yes. My father narrated to me from his grandfather [or my father from his father from his grandfather] that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said, ‘I will intercede for four people on the Day of Judgment: He who respects my seed (dhurriyyatī), fulfills their needs, strives for them in their affairs when they need it, and loves them with his heart and his tongue.’” I said,“Please tell me more from the merits that Allah has bestowed upon you O Son of Allah’s Messenger.”

He said,“My father has narrated from his [father, from his] grandfather that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said, ‘Whoever loves us Ahl al-Bait for the sake of Allah will be gathered with us (ḥushira ma`anā) and we will take him to Paradise with us. O son of Bukair! He who fastens on to us will be with us in the highest of ranks.’ O son of Bukair! Verily, Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, chose Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, and selected us as his seed (dhurriyya). If it was not for us, Allah, the Exalted, would not have created the world and the hereafter. O son of Bukair! Through us Allah is recognized and through us Allah is worshipped. We are the path to Allah; from us is al-Muṣṭafā, [from us] is al-Murtaḍā, from us will be the Mahdī, the Qā’im of this nation.”

I enquired,“O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Did the Messenger of Allah inform you when your Qā’im will rise?” He answered,“O son of Bukair! You will not meet him and surely this affair will continue on for another six heirs (waṣīs). Then, [Allah] will make our Qā’im appear and he will fill [the earth] with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness.” I asked,“O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Aren’t you the master of this affair?” He replied,“I am from the progeny. I asked again and he answered the same. I asked, “Were the things that you said from yourself or from the Messenger of Allah?” He answered,“Had I known the unknown, I would have massed much good. These are a covenant that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, has taken from us.” Then, he recited the following poem

We are the chiefs of the Quraish

The foundation of truth is within us

We are the lights that

Existed before the existence of all creatures

From us is the chosen Muṣṭafā

And the Mahdī too is from us

Indeed, through us Allah is recognized

And we have stood with the Truth

Soon he will be thrown in the fire

He who turns away from us today

`Alī b. al-Ḥusayn says:“Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn al-Bazaufarī narrated this tradition to us in the shrine of our master, (Imam) al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī, peace be on him, from Muḥammad b. Ya`qūb al-Kulainī, from Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār, from Salmat b. al-Khaṭṭāb, from Muḥammad b. Khālid al-Ṭayālisī, from Saif b. `Umaira and Ṣāliḥ b. Uqba, all of them from `Alqamat b. Muḥammad al-Ḥaḍramī, from Ṣāliḥ [Ṣulḥ] who recounts: “I was with Zaid b. `Alī, peace be on him, when Muḥammad b. Bukair came to see him... (he then mentioned the previous narration).”

582. Kamāl al-dīn3 : Al-Muẓaffar b. Ja`far b. al-Muẓaffar al-`Alawī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd, from his father, from Abū l-Qāsim-who recorded it from the book of Aḥmad al-Dahhān-from al-Qāsim b. Ḥamza, from ibn Abī `Umair, from Abū Ismā’īl al-Sarrāj, from Khaithamat al-Ju`fī, from Abū Ayyūb al-Makhzūmī [Abū Labīd al-Makhzūmī] who said:“(Imam) Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Bāqir, peace be on him, mentioned the biography of the twelve rightly guided successors, Allah’s blessings be on them. When he reached the last one he said, ‘The twelfth is the one behind whom Jesus, son of Mary, peace be on him, will pray. [Follow] his customs and the Noble Quran.’” The traditions with the following numbers also show the above concept: 81, 113, 118, 153-165, 181, 196, 205-309, 553-541, 543-545, 547, 549-556, 574, 668, 1168, and 1230.

References

1. Kifāyat al-muhtadī (al-Arba`īn), pp. 92-93, no. 20, which has some apparent mistakes. We have corrected it in accordance with the other references; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 21, pp. 319-320, no. 2, through two chains from al-Sayyid `Abd al-`Aẓīm al-Ḥasanī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Ṣafwān b. Yaḥyā; al-Iḥtijāj, vol. 2, pp. 317-318, both of them have recorded “and from the greatest of reliefs (min a`ẓam al-faraj)”; Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyā, sect. 15, pp. 365-366, up to his saying, “secretly and openly”; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 36, chap. 44, pp. 386-387, no. 1, which says: “and from the greatest of reliefs (wa min a`ẓam al-faraj)” and vol. 50, chap. 6, pp. 227-228, no. 2; I`lām al-warā, sect. 2, p. 224, up to his saying: “secretly and openly”; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 1, chap. 9, pp. 514-515, no. 247, from al-Faḍl b. Shādhān in Ithbāt al-ghayba, al-Ṣadūq in Kamāl al-dīn, al-Ṭabarsī in al-Iḥtijāj, and al-Rāwandī in Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyā, which say, “from the greatest (min a`ẓam)” ; al-Inṣāf, pp. 55-57, no. 47, which says, “from the greatest of deeds.”

2. Kifāyat al-athar, chap. 40, pp. 298-30, no. 1; Irshād al-qulūb, p. 414 (short version); Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 46, chap. 11, pp. 201-203, no. 77.

3. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 32, pp. 331-332, no. 17; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 1, chap. 9, p. 516, no. 251, which says: “follow his customs and the Wise Quran”; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 5, p. 137, no. 5. In the edition published by al-Maktabat al-Islāmiyya, vol. 1, p. 448, Abū Lubaid has been recorded instead of Abū Ayyūb. Also, “the one who will pray behind him will be Jesus, son of Mary, peace be on him, in the year of ‘Yāsīn, and by the Wise Quran’ (Quran 36:1-2).” This wording is in harmony with what is found in al-Inṣāf (chap. ‘al-Hamza,’ p. 9, no. 12). Apparently, this is due to the copyist’s error or his misjudgment, because the wording of the tradition-according to the copy that we have copied from which is the version corrected using the hand-written manuscript-are like this: “follow his customs and the Wise Quran.” Its editor has mentioned that its wording in the precious copy does not have the words “follow his,” thus, it will mean: Jesus, peace be on him, will act according to the Islamic sharia and pray behind him in accordance with his customs and the Noble Quran. What we mean by ‘his customs,’ are the customs of the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, or the customs of the Imam, peace be on him, which are none but the traditions of the Prophet, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. The versions in which the words “follow his” have been recorded are in accordance with Biḥār al-anwār and Ithbāt al-hudāt except that in its end ‘Wise’ is used instead of ‘Noble’.