Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

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.).