Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 4: Twelve imams determined by Allah

    1 - أخبرنا أبو سليمان أحمد بن هوذة أبي هراسة الباهلي، قال: حدثنا إبراهيم بن إسحاق النهاوندي سنة ثلاث وسبعين ومائتين، قال: حدثنا أبو محمد عبد الله بن حماد الأنصاري سنة تسع وعشرين ومائتين، قال: حدثنا عمرو بن شمر، عن المبارك بن فضالة، عن الحسن بن أبي الحسن البصري يرفعه قال :

    أتى جبرئيلُ النبيَّ فقال: يا محمدُ إن الله يأمرُك أن تزوّجَ فاطمةَ من عليٍّ أخيكَ. فأرسَلَ رسولُ الله إلى عليّ فقال له: يا عليُّ، إنّي مُزوّجُك فاطمةَ ابنتي سيدَةَ نساءِ العالمين وأحبَّهُن إلى بعدَك، وكائنٌ منكما سيّدا شبابِ أهل الجنة والشّهداء المضرّجونَ المقهورون في الأرض مِن بعدي والنجباءُ الزّهرُ الذين يطفئُ الله بهم الظلمَ ويُحيى بهم الحقَ ويُميتُ بهم الباطل؛ عِدَّتُهم عدّة أشهُر السنةِ، آخرُهم يصلّي عيسى بن مريم خلفه .

(1) Abu Sulayman bin Hawtha al-Bahili narrated from Ibraheem bin Iss’haq an-Nahawandi from Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Hammad al-Ansari from Amr bin Shimr from al-Mubarak bin Fudhala that al-Hasan bin Abul Hasan al-Basri had said:

“Gabriel came to the Prophet (S) and said: “O Muhammad! Allah orders you to marry Fatima to your brother Ali.” The Prophet (S) sent for Ali and said to him: “O Ali, I will marry my daughter Fatima, the head lady of the women of the world and the most beloved one to me, to you and there will be from you (your offspring) the two masters of the martyrs of Paradise, the oppressed bloodstained martyrs on the earth after me and the highborn progeny, with whom Allah will defeat injustice, revive the truth and finish off the untruth. Their number is like the number of the months of a year. Behind the last one of them Prophet Jesus the son of Blessed Virgin Mary (as) will offer the prayer.”1

    2 - أخبرنا عبد الواحد بن عبد الله بن يونس الموصلي قال: حدثنا محمد بن جعفر قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن خالد، قال: حدثنا أبو هاشم داود بن القاسم الجعفري، عن أبي جعفر محمد بن علي عن آبائه قال :

    أقبل أمير المؤمنين ذات يوم ومعه الحسن بن علي وسلمان الفارسي، وأمير المؤمنين متكئ على يد سلمان فدخل المسجد الحرام فجلس، إذ أقبل رجلٌ حسن الهيئة واللباس فسلّم على أمير المؤمنين وجلس بين يديه وقال: يا أمير المؤمنين أسألك عن ثلاث مسائل .

    قال أمير المؤمنين: سلني عمّا بدا لك .

    فقال الرجل: أخبرني عن الإنسان إذا نام أين تذهب روحه؟ عن الرجل كيف يذكر وينسى؟ وعن الرجل كيف يشبه ولده الأعمام والأخوال؟

    فالتفت أمير المؤمنين إلى الحسن وقال: أجِبه يا أبا محمد .

    فقال أبو محمد للرجل :

(2) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah bin Younus al-Moossili narrated from Muhammad bin Ja'far from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Khalid from Abu Hashim Dawood bin al-Qassim al-Ja’fari that Imam Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (as) had narrated from his fathers (as):

“One day Amirul Mo’mineen came with his son al-Hasan and Salman al-Farisi where Amirul Mo’mineen was leaning on Salman’s hand. They came into the mosque and sat down. A handsome and neat man came, greeted Amirul Mo'mineen and sat before him. He said: “O Amirul Mo'mineen, I want to ask you three questions.”

Amirul Mo'mineen said: “Ask whatever you like.”

The man said: “Would you tell me if man sleeps where his soul goes to? How does man remember and forget? How do man’s children look like their uncles; their father’s brothers and mother’s brothers?”

Amirul Mo'mineen (as) turned to his son al-Hasan (as) and said to him: “O Abu Muhammad, answer him!”

Imam al-Hasan (as) said to the man:

    أمّا ما سألتَ عنه عن أمر الرجل إذا نام أين تذهب روحه، فإنّ روحَه معلّقة بالريح، والريح بالهواء معلقة إلى وقت ما يتحرك صاحبها باليقظة، فإنْ أذِن الله تعالى بردِّ تلك الروحِ على ذلك البدَن جذبت تلك الروح الريح، وجذبت الريح الهواء فاستكنت في بدن صاحبها، وإنْ لم يأذن الله بردِّ تلك الروح على ذلك البدن جذب الهواء الريح، وجذبت الريح الروح فلا ترد على صاحبها إلى وقت ما يبعث .

“As for your question that when man sleeps whereto his soul goes, his soul is hanging in the air until he moves during his wake, so when Allah permits that that soul is to go back to the body, the soul attracts the air to settle in its body but if Allah does not permit that soul to get back to that body, the air will attract the soul away from the body until the Day of Resurrection.

    وأما ما ذكرت من أمر الذّكر والنسيان، فإن قلبَ الانسانِ في حُقّ وعلى الحق طبق، فإذا هو صلّى على محمّد وآل محمد صلاةً تامّة انكشف ذلك الطبق عن ذلك الحق فأضاء القلبَ وذكّر الرجل ما نسيَ، وإن هو لم يصلِّ على محمد وآل محمد أو انتقصَ من الصلاة عليهم وأغضى عن بعضها انطبق ذلك الطبقُ على الحق فأظلم القلب وسهى الرجل ونسيَ ما كان يذكره .

But as for what you asked about remembering and forgetting, the heart of man has been created to comply with the truth and there is a cover on the truth. If he prays Allah to have blessing upon Muhammad and his family in a perfect way, that cover will be removed from upon the truth and the heart will shine then one will remember what he has forgotten but if he does not pray Allah to have blessing upon Muhammad and his family or his prayer is imperfect, the cover will get closed on the truth and the heart will be dark and then he will forget what he has remembered.

    وأما ما ذكرتَ من أمر المولود يشبه الأعمامَ والأخوالَ، فإن الرجل إذا أتى أهله فجامعها بقلب ساكن وعروق هادئة وبدن غير مضطرب استكنت تلك النطفةُ في جوف الرحم فخرج المولود يشبه أباه وامه، وإن هو أتى زوجته بقلب غير ساكن وعروق غير هادئة وبدن مضطرب اضطربت تلك النطفة فوقعت في حال اضطرابها على بعض العروق؛ فإنْ وقعت على عِرقٍ من عروق الأعمام أشبهَ المولودُ أعمامه، وإن وقعت على عرق من عروق الأخوالِ أشبه الولدُ أخوالَه .

As about a newborn baby that looks like the uncles, if a man goes to bed with his wife with calm heart, tranquil nerves and undisturbed body, his sperm will settle inside the womb and the baby will looks like either its father or its mother. If a man goes to bed with his wife with upset heart, unquiet nerves and disturbed body, the sperm also will upset and fall on some veins. If it falls on a vein of the father’s brothers, the baby will look like the father’s brothers and if it falls on a vein of the mother’s brothers, the baby will look like the mother’s brothers.”

    فقال الرجل: أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، ولم أزل أشهد بها، وأشهد أن محمداً رسول الله ، ولم أزل أشهد بها وأقولها، وأشهد أنك وصيُّ رسول الله والقائمُ بحجته، ولم أزل أشهد بها وأقولها. وأشار بيده إلى أمير المؤمنين وقال: أشهد أنّك وصيُّه والقائم بحجّته ولم أزلْ أقولها. وأشار بيده إلى الحسن وقال: وأشهد على الحسين بن عليّ أنه وصيّه والقائمُ بحجته ولم أزل أقولها. وأشهد على عليّ بن الحسين أنه القائم بأمر الحسين، وأشهد على محمّد بن على أنه القائم بأمر علي، وأشهد على جعفر أنه القائم بأمر محمد، وأشهد على موسى أنّه القائم بأمر جعفر، وأشهد على عليّ أنه وليُّ موسى، وأشهد على محمد أنه القائم بأمر علي، وأشهد على عليٍّ أنه القائم بأمر محمد، وأشهد على الحسن أنه القائم بأمر عليٍّ، وأشهد على رجلٍ من ولد الحسَين لا يُسمّى ولا يُكنى حتى يُظهرَ الله أمرَه، يملأُ الأرضَ عدلاً وقسطاً كما مُلئت جوراً وظُلماً، والسلام عليك يا أمير المؤمنين ورحمة الله وبركاته .

The man said: “I witness that there is no god but Allah and I will keep on that. I witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and I will keep on that. (He pointed to Imam Ali (as) with his hand and said) I witness that you are the guardian of the messenger of Allah and the successor of his authority and I will keep on it. (He pointed to Imam al-Hasan (as) and said) I witness that you are his guardian and the successor of his authority and I will keep on it. I witness that al-Husayn bin Ali is his (al-Hasan’s) guardian and the successor of his authority and I will keep on that. I witness that Ali bin al-Husayn is the guardian of al-Husayn. I witness that Muhammad bin Ali is the guardian of Ali bin al-Husayn. I witness that Ja'far is the guardian of Muhammad (bin Ali). I witness that Musa is the guardian of Ja'far. I witness that Ali (bin Musa) is the guardian of Musa. I witness that Muhammad (bin Ali bin Musa) is the guardian of Ali (bin Musa). I witness that Ali (bin Muhammad) is the guardian of Muhammad. I witness that al-Hasan is the guardian of Ali and I witness that a man from among the offspring of al-Husayn, who is not named or surnamed until he appears by the will of Allah to spread justice allover the earth after it has been filled with injustice and oppression, is the guardian of al-Hasan bin Ali. Peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you, O Amirul Mo'mineen.”

    ثم قام فمضى. فقال أمير المؤمنين للحسين: يا أبا محمد، اتّبِعه فانظر أين يقصد، قال: فخرجتُ في أثره فما كان إلا أن وضع رجلُه خارج المسجد حتى ما درَيت أين أخذ من الأرض، فرجعت إلى أمير المؤمنين فأعلمتُه، فقال: يا أبا محمد تعرفه؟ قلت: لا، واللهُ ورسوله وأمير المؤمنين أعلم، فقال: هو الخضر .

Then he left. Then Amirul Mo'mineen said to Imam al-Hasan: “O Abu Muhammad, follow after him and see where he goes to!” Imam al-Hasan said: “I followed after him, but since he put his leg out of the gate of the mosque I could not know where he disappeared. I came back and told Amirul Mo'mineen (as). He said to me: “O Abu Muhammad, do you know who he is?” I said: “No, Allah, His messenger and Amirul Mo'mineen are more aware.” He said: “He is al-Khidr (as).”

    3 - وأخبرنا محمد بن يعقوب الكليني، عن عدة من رجاله، عن أحمد بن أبي - عبد الله محمد بن خالد البرقي، عن الحسن بن العباس بن الحريش، عن أبي جعفر محمد ابن علي ، عن آبائه أن أمير المؤمنين قال لابن عباس :

    إنّ ليلةَ القدرِ في كلّ سنة وإنّه ينْزِلُ في تلك الليلة أمرُ السّنة وما قُضي فيها، ولذلك الأمرِ ولاةٌ بعدَ رسول الله .

    فقال ابن عباس: مَن هم يا أمير المؤمنين؟ فقال :

    أنا وأحدَ عشرَ مِن صلبى أئمةٌ محدّثون .

(3) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni narrated from some of his companions from Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Khalid al-Barqi from al-Hasan bin al-Abbas bin al-Huraysh from Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (as) from his fathers (as) that Amirul Mo'mineen (as) had said to ibn Abbas:

“The Night of Predestination comes every year. In this night all that concerns the year and that will occur is revealed. This matter has guardians after the Prophet (S).”

Ibn Abbas asked, “O Amirul Mo'mineen, who are they?” He said:

“I and eleven ones of my progeny; divinely inspired imams.”2

    4 - وأخبرنا محمد بن يعقوب، قال: حدثنا علي بن محمد، عن عبد الله بن محمد بن خالد قال: حدثني نصر بن محمد بن قابوس، عن منصور بن السندي، عن أبى داود المسترق، عن ثعلبة بن ميمون، عن مالك الجهني، عن الحارث بن المغيرة، عن الأصبغ بن نباتة، قال: أتيت أمير المؤمنين علياً ذات يوم فوجدته مفكراً ينكت في الأرض، فقلت: يا أمير المؤمنين تنكت في الأرض أرغبةً منك فيها؟ فقال :

    لا واللهِ، ما رغبتُ فيها ولا في الدّنيا ساعةً قط، ولكنّ فكري في مولودٍ يكون مِن ظهري هو المهدي الذي يملأها قسطاً وعدلاً كما مُلئتْ ظلماً وجوراً، تكون له حَيرةٌ وغيبة، يضلّ فيها أقوام ويهتدي فيها آخرون .

(4) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Ali bin Muhammad from Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Khalid from Nasr bin Muhammad bin Qaboos from Mansoor bin as-Sindi from Abu Dawood al-Mustarraq from Tha’laba bin Maymoon from Malik al-Juhani from al-Harith bin al-Mugheera that al-Asbugh bin Nabata had said: “One day I came to Imam Ali (as) and I found him pondering and scratching up the ground. I said: “O Amirul Mo'mineen, you are scratching up the ground. Do you like it (the ground)?” He said:

“No, by Allah. I have not liked it nor have I liked this worldly life a moment. But I am pondering on someone that will be born from my progeny. He will be the eleventh son of mine (descendant-eleventh successor in the imamate). He will be al-Mahdi, who will spread justice and equity allover the world after it has been filled with injustice and oppression. There will be confusion and disappearance for him. Some people will go astray and others will be guided.”

    فقلت: يا أمير المؤمنين فكم تكون تلك الحيرة والغيبة؟ فقال :

    سبتٌ من الدهر .

    فقلت: إنّ هذا لكائنٌ فقال :

    نعم! كما أنه مخلوق .

    قلت: أدرك ذلك الزمان؟ فقال :

    أنّى لك يا أصبغ بهذا الأمرِ؟ أولئك خيارُ هذه الأمّةِ مع أبرارِ هذه العترة .

    فقلت: ثمّ ما ذا يكون بعد ذلك ؟ قال :

    يفعلُ الله ما يشاءُ، فإنّ له إراداتٍ وغايات ونهايات .

I said: “O Amirul Mo'mineen, how long will that confusion and that disappearance last?”

He said: “A period of time.”

I said: “Will that really occur?”

He said: “Yes, it will. It has already been determined.”

I said: “Shall I be alive until that time?

He said: “How far it is to you, O Asbugh! Those (the companions of al-Mahdi) are the best of this umma with the pure ones of the Prophet’s progeny.”

I said: “Then what will happen after that?”

He said: “Then Allah will do what He wills. He has wills, wishes and ends.”3

    5 - وحدثني موسى بن محمد القمي أبو القاسم بشيراز سنة ثلاث عشرة وثلاثمائة، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله الأشعري، عن بكر بن صالح، عن عبد الرحمن بن سالم، عن أبى بصير، عن أبي عبد الله جعفر بن محمد قال: قال أبي لجابر بن عبد الله الأنصاري إنّ لي إليك حاجةً فمتى يخفُّ عليك أن أخلوَ بك فيها فأسألك عنها. قال جابر: في أيّ الأوقات أحببت. فخلا به أبي يوماً فقال له :

    يا جابرُ أخبرني عن اللّوح الذي رأيتَه بيدِ فاطمةَ بنت رسول الله وعمّا أخبرتْكَ أمّي فاطمةُ به ممّا في ذلك اللوح مكتوبٌ .

(5) Musa bin Muhammad al-Qummi Abul Qassim told me in Shiraz in 313 AH., from Sa’d bin Abdullah al-Ash’ari from Bakr bin Salih from Abdurrahman bin Salim from Abu Baseer that Abu Abdullah Ja'far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) had said: “My father said to Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari: “I need you for something. Whenever you are not busy, let me be alone with you to ask you about something.” Jabir said: “Whenever you like!” One day he was alone with him. He said to him: “O Jabir, tell me about the tablet you have seen in the hand of Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter (as). What has my mother Fatima (as) told you about that has been written in that tablet?”

    فقال جابر: أشهِدُ اللهَ الذي لا شريك له إني دخلت على أمّك فاطمةَ في حياةِ رسول الله فهنّيتُها بولادة الحسين ورأيتُ في يدها لوحاً أخضرَ ظنَنتُ أنّه من زمرّد، ورأيتُ فيه كتابةً بيضاءَ شبيهةً بنورِ الشّمس، فقلتُ لها: بأبى أنتِ وأمّي ما هذا اللوحُ؟ فقالت: هذا لوحٌ أهداه الله إلى رسوله فيه اسمُ أبي واسمُ بَعلي واسمُ ولْدي واسمُ الأوصياء من ولدي، أعطانيه أبي ليبَشّرَني بذلك. قال جابر: فدفعَتهُ إليَّ أمُّك فاطمةُ فقرأتُه ونسختُه. فقال له أبي: يا جابرُ فهل لك أن تعرضَه عليَّ؟ قال: نعَم. فمَشى معه أبي إلى منْزله فأخرجَ أبي صحيفةٌ مِن رقّ فقال: يا جابرُ انظر في كتابك حتى أقرأ أنا عليك، فقرأه أبي عليه فما خالف حرفٌ حرفاً. فقال جابر: فأُشهد الله أني هكذا رأيتُه في اللوح مكتوبا :

Jabir said: “I swear by Allah, Whom there is no god other than, that I had come to your mother Fatima (as) when the Prophet (S) was alive to congratulate her for the birth of al-Husayn (as) and I found a green tablet in her hand. I thought it was of emerald. It had a white writing like the light of the sun. I said to her: “My father and mother may be sacrificed for you! What is this tablet?” She said: “This tablet has been gifted by Allah the Almighty to His messenger (as). It has the names of my father, my husband, my two sons and the names of the guardians of my grandsons. My father has given it to me to make me delighted with it.” Jabir said: “Your mother Fatima (as) gave it to me. I read it and copied it.” My father (as) said to him: “O Jabir, would you show it to me?” Jabir replied: “Yes.” My father (as) went with Jabir to his house. My father took out a tablet of leather and said to Jabir: “Look at the book with you until I read to you from my tablet.” My father read to him and there was no even one letter different from Jabir’s book. Jabir said: “I swear by Allah that I have seen the following written in the tablet:

    بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، هذا كتاب من الله العزيز الحكيم لمحمّد نبيّه ونورِه وحجابِه وسفيرِه ودليله، نزل به الروح الأمين مِن عند رب العالمين، يا محمد عظّم أسمائي، واشكر نعمائي، ولا تجحد آلائي، إني أنا الله لا إله إلا أنا، قاصمُ الجبارين، ومديل المظلومين، وديّان يوم الدين، وإني أنا الله لا إله إلا أنا، فمَن رجا غير فضلي أو خاف غير عدلي عذبتُه عذاباً لا أعذبه أحداً من العالمين، فإيّاي فاعبد، وعليَّ فتوكّل .

(In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This is a book from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise to His messenger, His light, His screen, His deputy and His guide Muhammad. The Archangel Gabriel has revealed it from the Lord of the worlds. O Muhammad, glorify My attributes, be grateful to My blessings and do not deny them. I am Allah. There is no god but Me. I am the Destroyer of the arrogants, the Supporter of the oppressed, the Master of the Day of Judgement and I am Allah; there is no god but Me. Whoever expects for other than My favor or fears other than My justice, I will subject him to such a torment that I will never torture any one of people with; therefore worship Me and rely on Me.

    إني لم أبعث نبيّاً فأكملتُ أيامه وأنقضت مدته إلاّ جعلتُ له وصياً، وإني فضّلتُك على الأنبياء، وفضّلت وصيَّك على الأوصياء، وأكرمتك بشبلَيك وسبطَيك الحسن والحسين، فجعلت الحسن معدنَ علمي بعد انقضاء مدة أبيه، وجعلت حُسيناً معدنَ وحيي فأكرمتُه بالشهادة وختمتُ له بالسعادة، فهو أفضل مَن استُشهد فيَّ، وأرفعُ الشهداء درجة عندي، جعلت كلمتي التامةَ معه وحجتي البالغةَ عنده، بعترته أُثيب وأُعاقب .

I have never sent a messenger unless I have appointed his guardian when his days were about to end. I have preferred you to all of the prophets. I have preferred your guardian to all of the guardians. I have granted you with your two grandsons; al-Hasan and al-Husayn. I have made al-Hasan the vessel of My knowledge after the end of his father’s time and made al-Husayn the essence of My revelation and so I have honored him with martyrdom and concluded his life with happiness. He is the best of those, who are martyred for the sake of Me. He has the highest rank among the martyrs near Me. I have put My perfect Word with him and My irrefutable proof near him. By the means of his progeny I reward and punish.

    أوّلُهم عليٌّ سيد العابدين وزين أوليائي الماضين وابنه سميّ جده المحمود محمد الباقر لعلمي والمعدن لحكمتي، سيهلك المرتابون في جعفر، الرادُّ عليه كالراد عليَّ، حقَّ القولُ مني لأكرمنَّ مثوى جعفر ولأسرنَّهُ في أشياعه وأنصاره وأوليائه، أتيحت بعده فتنة عمياء حندس لأنَّ خيط فرضي لا ينقطع وحجتي لا تخفى وأن أوليائي بالكأس الأوفى يُسقَون، أبدال الأرض، ألا ومَن جحد واحداً منهم فقد جحدني نعمتي، ومَن غيَّر آيةً من كتابي فقد افترى عليَّ .

The first of them is Ali, the master of the worshippers and the best of My previous saints. His son has the same name of his praiseworthy grandfather; Muhammad al-Baqir, who gets deep through My knowledge and wisdom. Those, who doubt Ja'far, will perish. One, who denies him, as if denies Me. It is a promise of Me that I will honor the abode of Ja'far. I will make him pleased with his followers and assistants. After him there will be a dark sedition. Definitely the thread of My guidance will never be cut and My proof will never disappear. My saints will drink with the full cup. They are My deputies on the earth. Whoever denies any one of them, denies My favors and whoever changes a verse of My Book fabricates lies against Me.

    ويلٌ للمفترين الجاحدين عند انقضاء مدة عبدي موسى وحبيبي وخيرتي، إن المكذبَّ به كالمكذِّب بكل أوليائي، وهو وليّي وناصري ومَن أضع عليه أعباءَ النبوة وأمتحنه بالاضطلاع بها، وبعده خليفتي عليُّ بن موسى الرضا يقتله عفريتٌ مستكبر، يُدفن في المدينة التي بناها العبد الصالح ذو القرنين، خيرُ خلقي يُدفن إلى جنب شرّ خَلقي، حقَّ القولُ مني لأ قرَّنَّ عينه بابنه محمدٍ وخليفته من بعده ووراث علمِه وهو معدن علمي وموضعُ سرّي وحجّتي على خلقي .

Woe unto the fabricators and deniers when the time of My slave, beloved and choice Musa has elapsed. He, who mistrusts him, as if he has mistrusted all My loyal saints. He is My guardian and supporter and it is he, whom I try with the burdens of prophethood. After him is My deputy Ali bin Musa ar-Redha. He will be killed by an arrogant devil. He will be buried in the city, which has been built by My benevolent slave (Alexander the Great) Thul Qarnayn. The best of My people is buried beside the worst of My people.4 It is My promise that I will delight his eyes with his son Muhammad; the caliph after him and the heir of his knowledge. He is the vessel of My knowledge, the trustee of My secret and My proof and authority before My people.

    جعلتُ الجنة مثواه وشفّعتُه في سبعين ألفاً مِن أهل بيته؛ كلُّهم قد استوجبوا النار، وأختمُ بالسعادةِ لابنه عليٍّ وليّي وناصري والشاهدِ في خلقي وأميني على وحيي، أُخرج منه الداعيَ إلى سبيلي والخازنَ لعِلمي الحسنَ، ثمَّ أكمِلُ ذلك بابنه رحمةً للعالمين، عليه كمالُ موسى وبهاءُ عيسى وصبرُ أيّوب، تُستذلّ أوليائي في زمانه، وتتهادى رؤوسُهم كما تتهادى رؤوسُ التّرك والديلم فيُقتلون ويحرّقون، ويكونون خائفين وجِلين مرعوبين، تُصبغ الأرض مِن دمائهم ويفشو الويلُ والرنّة في نسائهم، أولئك أوليائي حقّاً وحقَّ عليَّ أن أرفعَ عنهم كلَّ عمياءَ حندس وبهم أكشفُ الزلازل وأرفع عنهم الآصار والأغلال، اولئِك عليهم صلواتٌ من ربهم ورحمةٌ، واولئك هم المهتدون .

    قال أبو بصير: لو لم تسمع في دهرك إلاّ هذا الحديث الواحد لكفاك، فصُنه إلاّ عن أهله .

I have made Paradise as his abode and have accepted his intercession for seventy thousand ones of his relatives, who all deserve to be in Hell. I will end the life of his son Ali with contentment. He is My guardian and supporter. He is My witness among My people and the trustee, to whom My revelation is entrusted. I will make his son al-Hasan a propagandist for My mission and a keeper of My knowledge. Then I will complete that with his son; My mercy to My peoples. He has the perfection of Moses, the beauty of Jesus Christ and the patience of Ayyoob (Job). In his time my saints are despised and their heads fall like the heads of the Turks and the Daylams.5 They are killed and burned. They are always afraid. The ground is dyed with their bloods. Grief and wail spread among their women. Those are my real saints and I have to rid them of every dark sedition and all loads and restrictions. (Those are they on whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord, and those are the followers of the right course).6

Abu Baseer said: “If you have not heard along your age except of this tradition, it will have sufficed you. You are to keep it secret except for those, who are qualified for it.”7

    6 - وأخبرنا أحمد بن محمد بن سعيد بن عقدة الكوفي، قال: حدثنا يحيى بن زكريا بن شيبان من كتابه سنة ثلاث وسبعين ومائتين، قال: حدثنا علي بن سيف بن عميرة، قال: حدثنا أبان بن عثمان، عن زرارة، عن أبي جعفر الباقر عن آبائه قال: قال رسول الله :

    إنّ مِن أهل بيتي اثنا عشر محدّثاً .

    فقال له رجل يقال له عبد الله بن زيد وكان أخا عليِّ بن الحسين من الرضاعة: سبحان الله محدثاً؟ - كالمنكر لذلك - قال: فأقبل عليه أبو جعفر فقال له: أما والله إنّ ابن أمّك كان كذلك - يعني عليَّ بن الحسين -.

(6) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed bin Oqda al-Kufi narrated from Yahya bin Zakariyya bin Shayban from Ali bin Sayf bin Omayra from Abban bin Uthman from Zurara from Imam Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) from his fathers (as) that the Prophet (S) had said:

“From among my progeny there will be twelve inspired men.”

A man called Abdullah bin Zayd, who was the foster-brother of Ali bin al-Husayn as-Sajjad8 (as), said to him (to Imam al-Baqir): “Glory be to Allah! Inspired!” as if he denied that.

Imam Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) said to him: “By Allah, the son of your mother -he meant Ali bin al-Husayn (as)- was indeed inspired.”9

    7 - أخبرنا محمد بن همام، قال: حدثنا أبي وعبد الله بن جعفر الحميري، قالا: حدثنا أحمد بن هلال، قال حدثني محمد بن أبي عمير سنة أربع ومائتين، قال: حدثني سعيد بن غزوان، عن أبي بصير، عن أبي عبد الله، عن آبائه قال: قال رسول الله :

    إن الله إختارَ مِن كلّ شيء شيئاً؛ إختار من الأرض مكةَ، واختار من مكّة المسجدَ، واختار من المسجد الموضعَ الذي فيه الكعبةُ واختار من الأنعام إناثَها ومن الغنم الضأنَ واختار من الأيام يوم الجمعة، واختار من الشهور شهرَ رمضان، ومن الليالي ليلةَ القدر، واختار من الناس بني هاشم، واختارني وعليّاً من بني هاشم، واختار مني ومن عليٍّ الحسنَ والحسين ويكمّله اثني عشر إماماً من ولد الحسين، تاسعهم باطنُهم وهو ظاهرهم وهو أفضلهم وهو قائمهم .

(7) Muhammad bin Hammam narrated from Abu Abdullah bin Ja'far al-Himyari from Ahmad bin Hilal from Muhammad bin Abu Omayr from Sa'eed bin Ghazwan from Abu Baseer from Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) from his fathers (as) that the Prophet (S) had said:

“Allah the Almighty has chosen a thing from every thing. He has chosen Mecca from the earth, the mosque from Mecca and the place, in which the Kaaba is, from the mosque. He has chosen the females from among the cattle and the ewe from among the sheep. He has chosen Friday from among the days, Ramadan from among the months and the Night of Predestination from among the nights. He has chosen the Hashimites10 from among the peoples, has chosen me and Ali from among the Hashimites, has chosen al-Hasan and al-Husayn from me and Ali and then He completed the twelve imams from the progeny of al-Husayn. The ninth of them (of al-Husayn’s progeny) is the hidden and the apparent and the best of them. He is the expected imam.”

The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Hammam and Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Jumhoor from al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Jumhoor from Ahmad bin Hilal from Muhammad bin Abu Omayr from Sa'eed bin Ghazwan from Imam Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as).11

    8 - ومن كتاب سليم بن قيس الهلالي ما رواه أحمد بن محمد بن سعيد بن عقدة، ومحمد بن همام بن سهيل، و عبد العزيز وعبد الواحد ابنا عبد الله بن يونس الموصلي - عن رجالهم - عن عبد الرزاق بن همام، عن معمر بن راشد: عن أبان بن أبي عياش، عن سليم بن قيس .

(8) From the book of Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali12 there was a tradition narrated by Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed bin Oqda, Muhammad bin Hammam bin Suhayl and Abdul Aziz and Abdul Wahid the sons of Abdullah bin Younus al-Moossili from their companions; Abdurrazak bin Hammam, Ma’mar bin Rashid, Abban bin Abu Ayyash and Sulaym bin Qayss.

    وأخبرنا به من غير هذه الطرق هارون بن محمد قال: حدثني أحمد بن عبيد الله بن جعفر بن المعلى الهمداني، قال: حدثني أبو الحسن عمرو بن جامع بن عمرو بن حرب الكندي، قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن المبارك شيخ لنا كوفي ثقة، قال: حدثنا عبد الرزاق بن همام شيخنا، عن معمر، عن أبان بن أبي عياش، عن سليم بن قيس الهلالي. وذكر أبان أنه سمعه أيضا عن عمر بن أبي سلمة. قال معمر: وذكر أبو هارون العبدي أنه سمعه أيضا عن عمر بن أبي سلمة، عن سليم :

From another way the tradition was narrated by Haroon bin Muhammad from Ahmad bin Obaydillah bin Ja'far bin al-Mu’alla al-Hamadani from Abul Hasan Amr bin Jami’ bin Amr bin Harb al-Kindi from Abdullah bin al-Mubarak from Abdurrazak bin Hammam from Ma’mar from Abban bin Abu Ayyash from Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali. Abban said that he also had heard it from Umar bin Abu Salama. Ma’mar said that Abu Haroon al-Abdi had also heard it from Umar bin Abu Salama that Sulaym had said:

    أن معاوية لما دعا أبا الدرداء وأبا هريرة ونحن مع أمير المؤمنين علي بصفين فحمّلهما الرسالة إلى أمير المؤمنين علي وأدّياه إليه، قال: قد بلغتماني ما أرسلكما به معاوية فاستمعا مني وأبلغاه عني كما بلغتماني، قالا: نعم فأجابه علي الجواب بطوله حتى إذا انتهى إلى ذكر نصب رسول الله إيّاه بغدير خم بأمر الله تعالى قال :

“When Mo’awiya sent for Abud Darda’ and Abu Hurayra, while we were with Amirul Mo'mineen (as) in (the battle of) Siffeen, and gave them a letter to be given to Amirul Mo'mineen Ali (as), Imam Ali said to the two messengers after receiving the letter: “You informed me of what Mo’awiya have sent with you. Then listen to me and inform him of what I shall say to you.”

They said: “Yes, we do.”

Imam Ali (as) replied with a long answer until he mentioned the matter when the Prophet (S) had appointed him (Imam Ali) in Ghadeer Khum as the guardian and the caliph after him (after the Prophet) according to the order of Allah. He said:

    لما نزلَ عليه

    إِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ

    قال الناس: يا رسول الله، أخاصةٌ لبعض المؤمنين أم عامّة لجميعهم؟ فأمر الله تعالى نبيه أن يعلّمهم ولايةَ مَن أمرَهم الله بولايته، وأن يفسر لهم من الولاية ما فسر لهم من صلاتهم وزكاتهم وصومهم وحجهم. قال علي فنصبني رسول الله بغدير خم وقال :

    إن اللهَ أرسلني برسالةٍ ضاق بها صدري وظننتُ أنّ الناس مكذبوني، فأوعدني لأبلّغنَّها أو ليُعذبني، قُم يا عليُّ .

“When this verse “Only Allah is your guardian and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay the poor-rate while they bow,”13 was revealed to the Prophet (S), the people asked him: “O messenger of Allah, does it concern some of the believers particularly or the all in general?” Then Allah ordered His messenger to declare for them the guardian, whom Allah had chosen, and to explain for them the matter of guardianship as he had explained the matters of prayer, zakat, fasting and hajj. Imam Ali (as) said: “The Prophet (S) appointed me (as guardian) in Khum14 and said:

“Allah the Almighty has revealed to me something, which my chest became unable to bear and I thought that people would not believe me if I announced, then Allah threatened me either to announce it or He would punish me.”

    ثمّ نادى بأعلى صوته بعد أن أمر أن يُنادى بالصلاة جامعة، فصلى بهم الظهر، ثم قال :

    يا أيها الناس إنّ الله مولاي، وأنا مولى المؤمنين، وأنا أولى بهم منهم بأنفسهم، مَن كنتُ مولاه فعليٌّ مولاه، اللهم والِ مَن والاه وعادِ مَن عاداه .

    فقام إليه سلمان الفارسي فقال: يا رسول الله ولاءُ ماذا؟ فقال :

    مَن كُنت أولى به من نفسه فَعَليٌّ أولى به من نفسه .

    فأنزل الله

    الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا   فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِإِثْمٍ  فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

He ordered his companions to call for the prayer. He led them in offering the Dhuhr15 prayer and then he asked Ali to get up. He said to the people very loudly: “O people, Allah is my guardian and I am the guardian of the believers. I am worthier of them than themselves. Whoever I am his guardian, Ali is to be his guardian. O Allah, support whomsoever supports him and be the enemy of whoever opposes him!”

Salman al-Farisi got up and said: “O messenger of Allah, what guardianship is it?”

The Prophet (S) said: “Whoever that I am worthier of than himself, has to consider Ali as worthier of him than himself.”

Then Allah revealed, “This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.”16

    فقال له سلمان: يا رسول الله، أنَزَلَت هذه الآيات في عليٍّ خاصة؟ قال :

    بلْ فيه وفي أوصيائي إلى يوم القيامة .

    فقال: يا رسول الله، بيِّنْهم لي. قال :

    عليٌّ أخي ووصيّي ووارثي وخليفتي في أمّتي ووليُّ كلِّ مؤمن بعدي، وأحدَ عشرَ إماماً مِن ولده، أوَّلُهُم ابني حسن ثم ابني حُسين، ثمّ تسعةٌ من ولد الحسين واحداً بعد واحدٍ؛ هُم مع القرآنِ والقرآنُ معهم لا يفارقونه ولا يفارقهم حتى يردوا عليَّ الحوضَ .

Salman said: “O messenger of Allah, have these verses been revealed about Ali?”

The Prophet (S) said: “About him and about my guardians until the Day of Resurrection.”

Salman asked: “O messenger of Allah, would you please tell me about them?”

The Prophet (S) said: “They are my brother, guardian, son-in-low, heir, the caliph of my umma and the guardian of every believer after me, Ali and eleven imams of my progeny; the first of them is my son Hasan then my son Husayn and then nine imams from al-Husayn’s progeny one after the other. They are with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with them. They will never part with it nor will it part with them until they will come to me at the pond in Paradise.”

    فقام اثنا عشر رجلاً من البدريين فقالوا: نشهد أنا سمعنا ذلك من رسول الله كما قلتَ يا أمير المؤمنين، سواء لم تزد ولم تنقص، وقال بقية البدريين الذين شهدوا مع عليٍّ صفين: قد حفظنا جُلَّ ما قلتَ، ولم نحفظ كله، وهؤلاء الإثنا عشر خيارُنا وأفاضلُنا. فقال عليٌّ: صدقتم ليس كل الناس يحفظ، وبعضهم أفضل من بعض. وقام من الاثني عشر أربعةٌ: أبو الهيثم بن التيهان، وأبو أيوب، وعمار، وخزيمة بن ثابت ذو الشهادتين فقالوا: نشهد أنا قد حفظنا قولَ رسول الله يومئذ، والله إنه لقائمٌ وعليّ قائمٌ إلى جانبه وهو يقول :

Twelve men from among those, who had fought with the Prophet (S) in the battle of Badr, got up and said: “O Amirul Mo'mineen, we witness that we have heard this from the Prophet (S) exactly as you say no word more no word less.”

The rest of companions (of Badr) said: “We have memorized the most of what you said but not all of it. These twelve men are the best of us.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “You are right. Not all of the people can memorize everything. Some are better than the others (in memorizing).”

From among those twelve men four men; Abul Haytham bin at-Tayhan, Abu Ayyoob, Ammar and Khuzayma bin Thabit got up and said: “We witness that we have memorized the saying of the Prophet (S) then. He said while he was standing up and Ali was standing beside him:

    يا أيُّها الناسُ، إنّ الله أمرني أنْ أُنصّبَ لكم إماماً يكون وصيّي فيكم وخليفتي في أهل بيتي وفي أمّتي من بعدي، والذي فرض الله طاعتَه على المؤمنين في كتابه وأمرَكم فيه بولايته، فقلتُ: يا ربّ خشيتُ طعنَ أهلِ النفاق وتكذيبَهم، فأوعَدني لأبلّغنّها أو لَيعاقبني. أيّها الناس إن الله أمرَكم في كتابه بالصّلاة، وقد بيَّنتُها لكم وسننتُها لكم، والزكاةَ والصوم، فبيّنتُهُما لكم وفسّرتُهما، وقد أمركم اللهُ في كتابه بالولاية، وإني أُشهِدكم أيّها الناس إنها خاصّةٌ لهذا ولأوصيائي من ولدي وولده، أوّلُهم ابني الحسن ثم الحسينُ ثم تسعةٌ من ولد الحسين، لا يفارقون الكتابَ حتى يردوا عليَّ الحوضَ .

“O people! Allah has ordered me to appoint for you an imam, who will be my guardian among you and the successor in my family and my umma after me. Allah has imposed upon the believers, In His Book, to obey him and ordered them to submit to him. I said: O my God! I fear that the hypocrites may not believe me. Then He threatened me either to inform of it or He would punish me.

O people, Allah has ordered you in His Book to offer prayers, which I have explained to you. He has ordered you of zakat and fasting, which also I have explained to you. He has ordered you, in His Book, of the guardianship and I call you, O people, to witness that this concerns particularly this (Ali) and the guardians of my progeny and his progeny. The first of them is my son al-Hasan then al-Husayn and nine of al-Husayn’s progeny. They will never part with the Book until they come to me at the pond (in Paradise).

    يا أيها الناس إني قد أعلمتُكم مفزعَكُم بعدي، وإمامَكم ووليَّكم وهاديَكم وهو عَليّ بنُ ابي طالب أخي، وهو فيكم بمنْزِلتي، فقلّدوه دينَكم وأطيعوه في جميع أمورِكم، فإنَّ عنده جميعَ ما علّمني الله ، أمرني اللهُ أن أعلّمَه إيّاه وأنْ أعلِمَكم أنّه عنده، فَسَلوه وتعلَّموا منه ومِن أوصيائه، ولا تُعلّموهم ولا تتقدَّموا عليهم، ولا تتخلَّفوا عنهُم فإنَّهم مع الحقِّ والحقُّ معهم، لا يُزايلُهم ولا يزايلونه .

O people, I have informed you of your resort, your imam, guardian and guide after me. He is Ali bin Abu Talib. He is my brother and he is among you as I have been among you. Entrust him with your religion and obey him in all of your affairs. He has all what Allah has taught me. Allah has ordered me to teach it to him and to inform you that he has learned it. Ask him and learn from him and from his guardians. Do not try to teach them. Do not precede them and do not lag behind them because they are with the truth and the truth is with them. They never part with the truth nor will it part with them.”

    ثمّ قال عليٌّ صلوات الله عليه لأبي الدّرداء وأبي هريرة ومَن حوله :

    يا أيّها الناس، أتعلمونَ أنّ الله تبارك وتعالى أنزل في كتابه

    وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَىٰ   وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ  إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ ت َطْهِيرًا

    فجمعني رسول الله وفاطمة والحسن والحسين في كساء ثم قال: اللهم هؤلاء أحبّتي وعترتي وثقلي وخاصّتي وأهلُ بيتي فأذهِبْ عنهم الرجسَ وطهّرهم تطهيراً. فقالت أمُّ سلمة: وأنا، فقال لها: وأنتِ إلى خير، إنمّا أنزلت فيَّ وفي أخي عليّ وفي ابنتى فاطمة وفي ابنيَّ الحسن والحسين وفي تسعة من ولد الحسين خاصة، ليس فيها معنا أحد غيرنا .

Then Imam Ali (as) said to Abud Darda’, Abu Hurayra and those around him:

“O people, do you know that when Allah revealed in His Book, “Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! and to purify you a (thorough) purifying,”17 the Prophet (S) gathered me, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn with him under one garment and said: “O Allah, these are my beloved family, my weighty thing I have left and the people of my house. O Allah, keep away the uncleanness from them and purify them.”

Umm Salama18 said: “And Me!”

The Prophet (S) said: “You will be of a pleasant fate. This verse has been revealed concerning me, my brother Ali, my daughter Fatima, my sons al-Hasan and al-Husayn and nine ones of al-Husayn’s progeny and no one else.”

    فقام جلُّ الناس فقالوا: نشهد أن أمّ سلمة حدثتنا بذلك، فسألنا رسول الله فحدّثنا كما حدثتْنا أمُّ سلمة. فقال علي :

    ألستم تعلمون أنّ الله أنزل في سورة الحج

    يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ارْكَعُوا وَاسْجُدُوا وَاعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَافْعَلُوا الْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

    وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ   هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ  مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ  هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَفِي هَٰذَا لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ   فَأَقِيمُوا الصّ َلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِاللَّهِ هُوَ مَوْلَاكُمْ   فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ

Most of people available there got up and said: “We witness that Umm Salama has narrated this for us. We asked the Prophet (S) and he confirmed what Umm Salama had narrated.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “Do you not know that Allah has revealed in the sura of al-Hajj these verses, “O you who believe! bow down and prostrate yourselves and serve your Lord, and do good that you may succeed. And strive hard in (the way of) Allah, (such) a striving a is due to Him; He has chosen you and has not laid upon you any hardship in religion; the faith of your father Ibraheem; He named you Muslims before and in this, that the Messenger may be a bearer of witness to you, and you may be bearers of witness to the people.”19

    فقام سلمان عند نزولها فقال: يا رسول الله، مَن هؤلاء الذين أنتَ شهيد عليهم وهم شهداءُ على الناس الذين اجتباهم الله ولم يجعل عليهم في الدين من حرج ملّةَ أبيهم إبراهيم؟ فقال رسول الله :

    عنيَ اللهُ تعالى بذلك ثلاثة عشر إنساناً: أنا وأخي عليّاً وأحد عشر من ولده؟

    فقالوا: اللهم نعم! قد سمعنا ذلك من رسول الله .

    فقال عليّ: أنشد كم بالله تعلمون أن رسول الله قام خطيباً ثم لم يخطبْ بعد ذلك، فقال :

    أيّها الناس إني قد تركتُ فيكم أمرَين لن تضلّوا ما إنْ تمسّكتم بهما؛ كتاب الله وأهل بيتي، فإنّ اللطيف الخبير قد أخبرني وعهِد إليّ أنهما لن يفترقا حتى يردا عليَّ الحوضَ؟

And then Salman asked the Prophet (S): “O messenger of Allah, who are these people, whom you are the witness on and who are the witnesses on people and whom Allah has chosen and has not laid upon them any hardship in religion; the faith of their father Ibraheem?”

The Prophet (S) said: “Allah has meant by that thirteen persons; me, my brother Ali and eleven ones of his progeny.”

They said: “Yes, by Allah, we have heard that from the Prophet (S).”

Imam Ali (as) said: “I adjure you before Allah! Have you known that the Prophet (S) has made a speech that he has not made other speech after it when he said: “O people, I have left among you two things; the book of Allah and my family. If you keep to them, you will never go astray at all. The Archangel Gabriel has informed me and promised me that they will never separate until they come to me at the pond (in Paradise)”?

    فقالوا: نعم اللهم، قد شهِدنا ذلك كلَّه من رسول الله ، فقام اثنا عشر رجلاً من الجماعة فقالوا: نشهد أن رسول الله حين خطب في اليوم الذي قُبض فيه قام عمر بن الخطاب شِبه المُغضب فقال: يا رسول الله، لكلّ أهل بيتك؟ فقال: لا، ولكن لأوصيائي منهم: عليٌّ أخي ووزيري ووارثي وخليفتي في أمّتي ووليُّ كل مؤمن بعدي، وهو أوّلهم وخيرهم، ثم وصيّه بعده ابني هذا -وأشار إلى الحسنِ- ثم وصيّه ابني هذا -وأشار إلى الحسين-، ثم وصيه ابني بعده سميُّ أخي، ثم وصيّه بعده سميّي، ثم سبعة من ولده واحد بعد واحد حتى يردوا عليَّ الحوضَ، شهداء الله في أرضه وحججه على خلقه، مَن أطاعهم أطاع الله، ومَن عصاهم عصى الله .

They said: “Yes, by Allah, we have witnessed all that from the Prophet (S).”

Then twelve men got up and said: “We witness that when the Prophet (S) made a speech in the last day of his life, Umar bin al-Khattab got up angrily and said: “O messenger of Allah, all the people of your house?”

The Prophet (S) said: “No, only my guardians; Ali, my brother, vizier, heir, the caliph of my umma and the guardian of every believer after me, who is the first of them and the best of them, and then his guardian after him; my son-he pointed to al-Hasan- then his guardian; my son-he pointed to al-Husayn- then his guardian, whose name is like the name of my brother (Ali) then his guardian after him, whose name is like mine then seven ones; his (Muhammad bin Ali’s) son and (six) grandsons one after the other until they come to me at the pond. They are the witnesses of Allah on His earth and the authorities over His people. He, who obeys them, obeys Allah and he, who disobeys them, disobeys Allah.”

    فقام السبعون البدريّون ونحوهم من المهاجرين فقالوا: ذكّرتمونا ما كنّا نسِيناه! نشهد أنّا قد كنا سمِعنا ذلك من رسول الله فانطلق أبو الدرداء وأبو هريرة فحدّثا معاوية بكل ما قال عليٌّ وما استشهد عليه وما ردَّ عليه الناسُ وشهِدوا به .

Seventy men, who had fought with the Prophet (S) in the battle of Badr, and nearly the same number of al-Muhajireen20 got up and said: “You reminded us of what we have forgotten. We witness that we have heard that from the Prophet (S).”

Abud Darda’ and Abu Hurayra left and told Mo’awiya of all that Imam Ali (as) had said and that the people had witnessed of.”21

    9 - وبهذا الإسناد عن عبد الرزاق بن همام قال: حدثنا معمر بن راشد، عن أبان بن أبى عياش، عن سليم بن قيس الهلالي قال :

    لما أقبلنا من صفين مع أمير المؤمنين نزل قريباً من دَير نصرانيٍّ إذ خرج علينا شيخ من الدير جميل الوجهِ حسَنُ الهيئة والسمت معه كتاب، حتى أتى أميرَ المؤمنين فسلّم عليه ثم قال: إني من نسل حواريّ عيسى بن مريم وكان أفضلَ حواريّ عيسى - الإثني عشر - وأحبَّهم إليه وآثرَهم عنده، وأنّ عيسى أوصى إليه ودفع إليه كتبه وعلَّمَه حكمتَه، فلم يزل أهلُ هذا البيت على دينه متمسّكين بملّته لم يكفروا ولم يرتدّوا ولم يغيِّروا .

(9) The same previous series of narrators from Abdurrazak bin Hammam from Ma’mar bin Rashid from Abban bin Abu Ayyash that Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali had said:

“When we were coming back with Amirul Mo'mineen (as) from (the battle of) Siffeen, we stopped for a time to rest near a monastery. A handsome and neat old man came out of the monastery. He had a book in his hand. He came to Amirul Mo'mineen, greeted him and said: “I am from the progeny of one of the disciples of Jesus Christ (as). He was the best of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ and the most beloved one to him. Jesus Christ (as) had entrusted him with his wills, given him his books and taught him his knowledge and wisdom. The progeny of this disciple had been still keeping to the faith of Jesus Christ. They had never disbelieved or apostatized from his religion.

    وتلك الكتبُ عندي إملاءَ عيسى بن مريم وخطّ أبينا بيَده، فيها كلُّ شيء يفعل الناس من بعده، واسم ملك ملك من بعده منهم، وأنّ الله تبارك وتعالى يبعث رجلاً من العرب من ولد إسماعيل بن إبراهيمَ خليلِ الله من أرضٍ يقال لها: تهامة، مِن قرية يقال لها: مكّة، يقال له: أحمد، له اثنا عشر اسماً، وذَكَر مبعثَه ومولدَه ومهاجرتَه ومَن يقاتله ومن ينصُره ومن يعاديه، وما يعيش، وما تَلقى أمّتُه بعده إلى أن ينْزلَ عيسى بنُ مريم من السماءِ .

The books are still with me. They had been written by the hand of our forefather according to the dictation of Jesus Christ (as) himself. Every thing that would happen after him had been mentioned in these books and the names of all the kings, who would rule after him, one after the other. It had been mentioned that Allah the Almighty would send a man from among the Arabs as a prophet. He would be from the progeny of Ishmael the son of Abraham. He would be from a land called Tehama and a village called Mecca. His name would be Ahmad. He would have twelve names. His advent, birth, emigration, who would fight him, who would support him, who would be his enemies, how long he would live and what his umma would face after him until Jesus Christ (as) would descend from the Heaven had been mentioned in these books.

    وفي ذلك الكتب ثلاثة عشر رجلاً من ولد إسماعيل بن إبراهيم خليل الله مِن خيرِ خلق الله ومِن أحبّ خلق الله إليه، واللهُ وليٌّ لمن والاهم وعدو لمَن عاداهم، من أطاعهم اهتدى ومَن عصاهم ضلَّ، طاعتُهم لله طاعةٌ ومعصيتُهم لله معصية، مكتوبةٌ أسماؤهم وأنسابهم ونعوتهم وكَم يعيش كلُّ رجلٍ منهم واحد بعد واحد وكم رجل منهم يستتر بدينه ويكتُمه من قومه، ومَن الذي يظهرُ منهم وينقاد له الناسُ حتىّ ينْزلَ عيسى بن مريم على آخرِهم فيُصلّي عيسى خلفه ويقول: إنّكم لأئمَّةٌ لا ينبغى لأحدٍ أن يتقدَّمَكم، فيتقدّمُ فيُصلي بالناس وعيسى خلفه في الصف .

The names of thirteen men of the progeny of Ishmael the son of Abraham had been mentioned in the book and that they were the best of all of the peoples and the most beloved ones to Allah. Allah would be the guardian of whoever believed in them and would be the enemy of whoever opposed them. Whoever obeyed them would be guided and whoever disobeyed them would go astray. Obeying them would mean obeying Allah and disobeying them would mean disobeying Allah.

Everything about them had been mentioned such as their names, lineage, aspects, how long each one of them would live, how many ones of them would conceal their faith before their people and which one of them would appear and then all the peoples would submit to him until Jesus Christ (as) would descend from the Heaven and then he (Jesus Christ) would offer prayers behind him and would say: “You are the imams and no one is to precede you.” Then he would advance to lead the people in offering the prayer and Jesus Christ (as) would stand behind him in the first row.

    أولُهم وخيرُهم وأفضلهم - وله مثلُ أجورِهم وأجورِ مَن أطاعهم واهتدى بهم - رسول الله: اسمه محمّد وعبدُ الله ويۤس والفتّاح والخاتم والحاشر والعاقب والماحي والقائد ونبيُّ الله وصفيُّ الله وحبيب الله، وأنّه يُذكر إذا ذكر، مِن أكرمِ خلقِ الله على الله وأحبّهم إلى الله، لم يخلقِ الله ملَكاً مكرّماً ولا نبيّاً مرسَلاً مِن آدم فمن سِواه خيراً عند الله ولا أحبَّ إلى الله منه، يُقعده يوم القيامة على عرشه، ويشفّعُه في كلّ مَن يشفع فيه. باسمه جرى القلمُ في اللوح المحفوظ: محمّدٌ رسولُ الله، وبِصاحب اللّواء يوم الحشر الأكبرِ أخيه ووصيه ووزيره وخليفته في أمّته .

The first of them and the best of them is the messenger of Allah. His names are Muhammad, Abdullah, Yasseen, al-Fattah (the conqueror), al-Khatam (the last), al-Hashir (the resurrector), al-Aaqib (the successor), al-Mahi (the eraser), al-Qa’id (the leader), the prophet of Allah, the best friend of Allah and the beloved of Allah. He is the most honored of all the people before Allah and the most beloved to Him. Allah has never created an honored angel or a prophet since Adam better than him near Allah or more beloved to Allah than him.

Allah will seat him on His Throne on the Day of Resurrection and will accept his intercession for everyone he intercedes for. With his name; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, the Pen writes on the Divine Tablet and with the keeper of the banner on the Day of the Great Resurrection, his guardian, vizier and successor for his umma.

    ومن أحب خلق الله إلى الله بعده عليّ ابن عمّه لأمّه وأبيه، ووليّ كل مؤمن بعده، ثم أحد عشر رجلاً من ولد محمّد وولده، أوّلُهم يسمّى باسم ابنَي هارون؛ شبر وشبير، وتسعة من ولد أصغرِهما واحد بعد واحد، آخرهم الذي يصلّي عيسى بنُ مريم خلفه …

    وذكر باقي الحديث بطوله .

The most beloved one to Allah after him, Ali; his cousin and the guardian of every believer after him and then eleven men of Muhammad and Ali’s progeny, the first two of them are named as the names of the two sons of Aaron; Shubbar and Shubayr, and nine of the progeny of the youngest of them one after the other, behind the last of whom Jesus Christ will offer the prayers.”

Then he mentioned the rest of the tradition.22

    10 - وبهذا الإسناد عن عبد الرزاق، عن معمر، عن أبان، عن سليم بن قيس الهلالي قال: قلت لعلي: إنّي سمعتُ من سلمان ومن المقداد ومن أبي ذرّ أشياء من تفسير القرآن ومن الرواية عن رسول الله غيرَ ما في أيدي الناس ثم سمعتُ منك تصديقاً لما سمعت منهم، ورأيتُ في أيدى الناس أشياء كثيرةً من تفسير القرآن ومن الأحاديثِ عن رسول الله يخالفونهم فيها ويزعُمون أن ذلك كان كلّه باطلاً، أفَتُرى أنّهم يُكذّبون على رسول الله متعمّدين ويفسّرون القرآن بآرائهم؟

(10) The previous series of narrators from Abdurrazak from Ma’mar from Abban that Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali had said:

“I said to Ali (as): “I have heard from Salman, al-Miqdad and Abu Tharr some interpretations of the Qur'an and some traditions of the Prophet (S) different from what the people have had with them and I heard from you what confirmed that I have heard from those men. In the meanwhile I found among the people some interpretations of the Qur'an and some prophetic traditions, in which they denied those interpretations and traditions (narrated by those three men) and claimed that they were false. Do you think that they (the people) ascribed false things to the Prophet (S) and interpreted the Qur'an according to their own opinions?”

    قال: فأقبلَ عليٌّ وقال: قد سألتَ فافهمِ الجوابَ: إنّ في أيدي الناس حقاً وباطلاً وصِدقاً وكذباً وناسخاً ومنسوخاً وخاصّاً وعامّاً ومُحكَماً ومتَشابهاً وحِفظاً ووَهماً، وقد كُذب على رسول الله على عهده حتى قام خطيباً فقال: أيّها الناس، قد كثُرتْ عليَّ الكذابةُ، فمَن كذب عليَّ متعمّداً فلْيتبوَّءْ مقعدَه من النارِ. ثم كُذبَ عليه مِن بعده .

Ali (as) said: “With people there are truth and falsehood, abrogating and abrogated verdicts, special and general verdicts, allegorical and clear Qur’anic verses, memorization and illusion. False things were ascribed to the Prophet (S) when he was still alive until he made a speech saying: “O people, the fabricators, who ascribed false things to me, became so many. Let him, who ascribes false things to me intendedly, take his seat in Hell.” Nevertheless many people ascribed false things to him after his death.

    وإنما أتاك بالحديث أربعةٌ ليس لهم خامس: رجلٌ منافق مظهر للإيمان متصنّع للإسلام باللسان، لا يتأثّم ولا يتحرّج أن يكذبَ على رسول الله متعمداً، فلو علِم الناسُ أنه منافق كاذب ما قبِلوا منه ولم يصدقوه، ولكنّهم قالوا: هذا قد صحبَ رسولَ الله وقد رآه وسمع منه، وأخذوا عنه وهُم لا يعرفون حاله وقد أخبرك الله عن المنافقين بما أخبرك ووصفهم بما وصفهم، فقال :

    وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ تُعْجِبُكَ أَجْسَامُهُمْ   وَإِنْ يَقُولُوا تَسْمَعْ لِقَ وْلِهِمْ   كَأَنَّهُمْ خُشُبٌ مُسَنَّدَةٌ  يَحْسَبُونَ كُلَّ صَيْحَةٍ عَلَيْهِمْ  هُمُ الْعَدُوُّ فَاحْذَرْهُمْ  قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ  أَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ

ثم بقُوا بعد رسول الله وتقرّبوا إلى أئمة الضلال والدعاة إلى النار بالزور والكذب والبهتان حتى ولَّوهُم الأعمال وحملوهم على رقاب الناس وأكلوا بهم الدنيا، وإنما الناس مع الملوك والدنيا إلاّ مَن عصم اللهُ ، فهذا أحد الأربعة .

The narrators of traditions are of four kinds; one is a hypocrite showing faith with his tongue only. He does not refrain from ascribing false things to the Prophet (S) intendedly. If people know that he is a hypocrite and a liar, they will never believe him or accept anything from him but they see that he has accompanied the Prophet (S), has seen him and heard from him; therefore they trusted in him without knowing his reality. Allah has told us about the hypocrites and described them to us when saying,

“And when you see them, their persons will please you, and If they speak, you will listen to their speech; (they are) as if they were big pieces of wood clad with garments; they think every cry to be against them. They are the enemy, therefore beware of them; may Allah destroy them, whence are they turned back.”23

They kept on that after the Prophet (S) and approached to the deviant rulers, who invited people towards Hell via lies and fabrications. They entrusted them with positions and authorities and imposed them on people by force. They hastened towards the pleasures of this worldly life. In fact most of people follow the kings and look forward to the pleasures of this life except a few, whom Allah has guided.

    ورجلٌ سمع من رسول الله شيئاً ولم يحفظْه على وجهه فتوهّم فيه ولم يتعمّد كذباً فهو في يديه ويقول به ويعمل به ويرويه ويقول: أنا سمعته من رسول الله فلو علِم المسلمون أنّه وهم فيه لم يقبلوا منه، ولو علم هو أنه وهمٌ لرفضه .

    ورجل ثالث سمع من رسول الله شيئاً أمرَ به ثم نهى عنه وهو لا يعلم أو سمعه ينهى عن شيء ثم أمرَ به وهو لا يعلم، فحفظ المنسوخَ ولم يحفظ الناسخَ، ولو علم أنه منسوخ لرفضه، ولو علم الناس إذا سمعوا منه أنه منسوخ لرفضوه .

The other kind is a man, who heard something from the Prophet (S) and could not memorize it correctly. He mistook when narrating it without intending to fabricate it. If the Muslims knew that he had mistaken, they would not accept a tradition from him and if he himself knew that his tradition was incorrect, he would deny it.

The third is a man, who heard the Prophet (S) ordering of something and then the Prophet (S) prohibited it but the man did not know or he heard the Prophet (S) prohibiting something and then he permitted it but the man did not know; therefore he memorized the abrogated verdict and ignored the abrogating verdict. If he knew that it had been abrogated, he would deny it and if people, when hearing it, knew that it had been abrogated, they would deny it.

    ورجل رابعٌ لم يكذب على الله ولا على رسوله بُغضاً للكذب وخوفاً من الله وتعظيماً لرسول الله ولم يسْهُ، بل حفظَ الحديثَ على وجهه فجاء به كما سمعه لم يزِد فيه ولم يُنقصْ منه، وحفظ الناسخَ والمنسوخ، فعمل بالناسخ ورفض المنسوخ، وإن أمْرَ رسول الله ونهيَه مثلُ القرآن ناسخ ومنسوخ وعام وخاص ومحكم ومتشابه، قد كان يكون مِن رسول الله الكلام له وجهان: كلام عام وكلام خاص مثل القرآن، قال الله في كتابه

    مَا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَىٰ فَلِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ كَيْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةً بَيْنَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ مِنْكُمْ   وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا   وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ  إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

    يسمعه مَن لا يعرف ولم يدرِ ما عنيَ الله ولا ما عنيَ به رسولُ الله .

The fourth one is he, who never fabricates the sayings of Allah or the sayings of His messenger because he hates lying, fears Allah and glorifies the Prophet (S). He does not forget but he keeps the tradition as he hears it. He narrates it with no word more and no word less. He knows the abrogating and the abrogated verdicts. He acts according to the abrogating verdicts and refuses the abrogated ones. The orders and prohibitions of the Prophet (S) are like those of the holy Qur'an; among them there are abrogating and abrogated verdicts, particular and general, allegorical and clear sayings. Allah says, “Whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back.”24 Many people hear the allegorical sayings and do not know what Allah and His messenger mean.

    وليس كلُّ أصحابِ رسول الله كان يسأله عن الشيءَ فيفهم، وكان منهم مَن يسأله ولا يستفهم حتى أنهم كانوا ليُحبّون أن يجيء الأعرابيُّ أو الطاري فيسأل رسولَ الله حتى يسمعوا، وقد كنتُ أنا أدخل على رسولِ الله كل يوم دخلة وكل ليلة دخلة فيخليني فيها خلوةً أدور معه حيث دارَ وقد علِم أصحابُ رسول الله أنه لم يكن يصنع ذلك بأحدٍ من الناس غيري، فربما كان ذلك في بيتي، يأتيني رسول الله أكثر من ذلك في بيتي، وكنتُ إذا دخلت عليه بعضَ منازله أخلاني وأقام عنّي نساءَه، فلا يبقى عنده غيري .

Not all of the Prophet’s companions used to ask about many things to understand them well. They often liked that a nomad or a passerby might ask the Prophet (S) so that they would hear the answer. I used to come to the Prophet (S) once in the day and once in the night. He let me alone with him. The Prophet’s companions knew well that the Prophet (S) did not do that with anyone else than me. The Prophet (S) often came to my house and when I came to him in one of his houses, he asked his wives to leave us alone.

    وإذا أتاني للخلوةِ معي في منْزلي لم تقُم عني فاطمةُ ولا أحدٌ من ابنيَّ وكنتُ إذا ابتدأتُ أجابني وإذا سكتُّ عنه وفنِيت مسائلي ابتدأني ودعا الله أن يحفظني ويفهمني، فما نسيتُ شيئاً قط مذ دعا لي، وإني قلتُ لرسول الله: يا نبيَّ الله إنك منذ دعوتَ الله لي بما دعوتَ لم أنْسَ ممّا علمتني شيئاً وما تُمليه عليَّ فلِم تأمرني بكتبه أتتخوف عليّ النسيان؟ فقال: يا أخي لست أتخوّف عليك النسيانَ ولا الجهل، وقد أخبرني الله أنه قد استجاب لي فيك وفي شُركائِك الذين يكونون مِن بعدك، وإنما تكتبه لهم .

But when he (as) came to my house, Fatima would stay with us and would not leave nor would any of my sons. If I began asking, he would answer me and if I finished my questions and became silent, he would begin talking to me and praying Allah to make me perceive and memorize. Since he has prayed Allah for me, I have never forgotten anything at all. Once I said to the Prophet (S): “O messenger of Allah, since you have prayed Allah for me, I have never forgotten anything of what you have taught me and dictated to me. But you have not ordered me to write it down. Do you not fear that I may forget?” He said: “O my brother, I do not fear that you may forget or ignore any thing. Allah has revealed to me that He has responded to my praying for you and your partners coming after you. But you are to write it down for them.”

    قلتُ: يا رسول الله ومَن شركائي؟ قال: الذين قرنهم الله بنفسه وبي، فقال :

    يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ   فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ  ذَٰلِكَ خ َيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا {59 }

    فإنْ خِفتم تنازعاً في شيء فأرجِعوه إلى الله وإلى الرسول وإلى أولي الأمر منكم، فقلت: يا نبي الله ومَن هم؟ قال: الأوصياءُ إلى أن يرِدوا عليَّ حوضي، كلُّهم هادٍ مُهتدٍ، لا يضرُّهم خذلانُ مَن خذلهم، هم مع القرآن والقرآنُ معهم لا يفارقونه ولا يفارقهم، بهم تُنصر أمّتي ويُمطرون، ويُدفع عنهم بعظائم دعواتهم. قلتُ: يا رسول الله سمِّهم لي، فقال: ابني هذا - ووضع يدَه على رأس الحسن - ثم ابني هذا - ووضع يدَه على رأس الحسين -، ثم ابنٌ له على اسمِك يا عليّ، ثم ابنٌ له محمّد بن علي .

I asked: “O messenger of Allah, who are my partners?”

He said: “They are those, whom Allah has connected with Himself and me when He said: (O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority from among you).25 If you fear that you may quarrel about something, then refer it to Allah, the Messenger and those of authority among you.”

I said: “O messenger of Allah, who are they?”

He said: “They are the guardians, one after the other, until they come to me at the pond (in Paradise). Every one of them is guided and he is a guide for people. They will not be affected by disappointment of anyone, who will disappoint them. They are with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with them. They will not part with the Qur'an nor will it part with them. By them my umma will win and by their praying the heaven will rain for people and calamities will be away from them.”

I said: “O messenger of Allah, would you tell me their names?”

He said: “My son; this-and he put his hand on al-Hasan-then my son; this-he put his hand on al-Husayn-then his son, whose name will be like your name, O Ali, then Muhammad the son of Ali.”

    ثمّ أقبل على الحسين وقال: سيولد محمّد بن علي في حياتك فأقرِئه مني السلام، ثم تكمله اثني عشر إماماً. قلت: يا نبيّ الله سمِّهم لي، فسمّاهم رجلاً رجلاً. منهم، واللهِ يا أخا بني هلال، مهديُّ هذه الأمّةِ الذي يملأُ الأرضَ قسطاً وعدلاً كما مُلئتْ ظلماً وجوراً .

Then he turned towards al-Husayn (as) and said: “Muhammad bin Ali will be born during your life. Give him my regards! Then will be the rest of the twelve imams.”

I said: “O messenger of Allah, would you tell me their names?”

He mentioned their names one after the other. O Sulaym, by Allah, from them is al-Mahdi of this umma. He will spread justice and equity allover the world after it has been filled with injustice and oppression.”26

    11 - وبإسناده، عن عبد الرزاق، قال: حدثنا معمر بن راشد، عن أبان بن أبي عياش، عن سليم بن قيس :

    أنّ علياً قال لطلحة في حديث طويل عند ذِكر تفاخر المهاجرين والأنصار بمناقبهم وفضائلهم :

    يا طلحة، أليس قد شهدتَ رسولَ الله حين دعانا بالكتف ليكتبَ فيها ما لا تضِلّ الأمّةُ بعده ولا تختلف، فقال صاحبك ما قال "إنّ رسول الله يهجرُ" فغضبَ رسول الله وتركها؟

    قال: بلى قد شهدته .

    قال: فإنكم لمّا خرجتُم أخبرني رسولُ الله بالذي أراد أن يكتبَ فيها ويُشهدَ عليه العامّة، وأن جبرئيل أخبره بأن الله تعالى قد علِم أن الأمةَ ستختلف وتفترق، ثم دعا بصحيفة فأملى عليَّ ما أراد أن يكتب في الكتف، وأشهَدَ على ذلك ثلاثةَ رهط: سلمان الفارسي وأبا ذر والمقداد، وسمّى مَن يكون مِن أئمة الهدى الذين أمر المؤمنين بطاعتهم إلى يوم القيامة فسمّاني أوّلَهم، ثم ابني هذا حسن، ثم ابني هذا حسين، ثم تسعة من ولد ابني هذا حسين، كذلك يا أبا ذر وأنت يا مقداد؟

(11) Abdurrazak narrated from Ma’mar bin Rashid from Abban bin Abu Ayyash that Sulaym bin Qayss had said: “Ali (as) said to Talha in a long tradition when mentioning the pride of al-Muhajireen and al-Ansar27 about their virtues:

“O Talha, have you not witnessed the Prophet (S) when he asked for a tablet to write a decree, by which the umma would not go astray nor would it disagree after him, and then your friend28 said: “The Prophet (S) is raving” then the Prophet (S) became angry and gave it up?”

Talha said: “Yes, I have witnessed that.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “When you (all) went out, the Prophet (S) told me about the decree he wanted to write before the public to witness it. He said to me that Gabriel had told him that Allah had known that the umma would disagree and separate after him (the Prophet). He asked for a sheet of paper and dictated to me what he wanted to write in the tablet before people. He let three persons witness that. They were Salman al-Farisi, Abu Tharr and al-Miqdad. He mentioned the names of the imams of guidance, whom he ordered the believers to obey until the Day of Resurrection. He mentioned my name as the first of them then my son Hasan and then my son Husayn and then nine ones from the progeny of my son Husayn. Was it not so, O you Abu Tharr and you al-Miqdad?”

    قالا: نشهد بذلك على رسول الله .

    فقال طلحة: والله لقد سمعتُ من رسول الله يقول لأبي ذر: ما أقلّتِ الغبراءُ ولا أظلَّتِ الخضراءُ ذا لهجة أصدقَ ولا أبرَّ من أبي ذرٍ. أشهد أنهما لم يشهدا إلاّ بالحقّ، وأنت أصدقُ وأبرُّ عندي منهما .

They said: “We witness that the Prophet (S) has done so.”

Talha said: “By Allah I have heard the Prophet (S) saying to Abu Tharr: “By Allah, the earth has not carried nor has the sky shaded one more truthful or more pious than Abu Tharr.” I witness that they (Abu Tharr and al-Miqdad) have not said but the truth and you are more truthful and more pious to me than them both.”29

    12 - وبإسناده، عن عبد الرزاق بن همام، عن معمر بن راشد، عن أبان ابن أبي عياش، عن سليم بن قيس قال: قال عليّ بن أبي طالب: مررتُ يوماً برجل - سمّاه لي - فقال: ما مثلُ محمّد إلاّ كمثلِ نخلةٍ نبتَتْ في كباة. فأتيتُ رسولَ الله فذكرت ذلك له، فغضب رسول الله وخرج مغضباً وأتى المنبر ففرغت الأنصارُ إلى السلاح لما رأوا من غضبِ رسول الله ، قال :

(12) Abdurrazak bin Hammam narrated from Ma’mar bin Rashid from Abban bin Abu Ayyash from Sulaym bin Qayss that Imam Ali (as) had said:

“One day I passed by a man, who said: “The example of Muhammad is like the example of a date-palm growing in a dunghill.” I came to the Prophet (S) and told him of that. He became very angry. He went to the minbar. Al-Ansar took up their arms when they saw the Prophet (S) so angry. He said:

    فما بالُ أقوام يعيروني بقرابتي وقد سمعوني أقول فيهم ما أقول من تفضيل الله تعالى إيّاهم وما اختصّهم به من إذهاب الرجس عنهم وتطهير الله إياهم؟ وقد سمعوا ما قلتُه في فضل أهل بيتي ووصيّي وما أكرمه الله به وخصّه وفضّله من سِبقه إلى الاسلام وبلائه فيه وقرابته مني وأنه مني بمنْزلة هارون من موسى، ثم يمر به فزعم أن مثلي في أهل بيتي كمثل نخلة نبتت في أصل حُشٍّ؟

“Why do some people criticize my close relatives after they have heard me mentioning that Allah has preferred them to all of the people and has favored them by purifying them and taking uncleanness away from them? They have heard me mentioning the virtues of my family and the virtues of my guardian, whom Allah has honored and preferred because of his precedence in being a Muslim, his defending Islam, his kinship to me and that he is to me as has Aaron been to Moses. After all, someone of you claims that I am, among my family, like a date-palm growing in a dunghill!

    ألا إن الله خلق خلقه وفرّقهم فرقتين فجعلني في خير الفرقتين، وفرّق الفرقة ثلاث شعب، فجعلني في خيرها شعباٍ وخيرها قبيلة، ثم جعلهم بيوتاً، فجعلني في خيرها بيتاً حتى خلصت في أهل بيتي وعترتي وبني أبي أنا وأخي علي بن أبي طالب، نظر الله سبحانه إلى أهل الأرض نظرةً واختارني منهم، ثمّ نظر نظرة فاختار علياً أخي ووزيري ووارثي ووصيي وخليفتي في أمتي ووليُّ كلّ مؤمن بعدي، مَن والاه فقد والى الله ومَن عاداه فقد عادى الله ومن أحبّه أحبه اللهُ ومن أبغضه أبغضه الله، لا يحبه إلاّ كل مؤمن ولا يبغضه إلا كلّ كافر، هو زرّ الأرض بعدي وسكنها وهو كلمة التقوى وعروة الله الوثقى،

    يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى اللَّهُ إِلَّا أَنْ يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ {32 }

     يريد أعداءُ الله أن يطفِئوا نور أخي ويأبى الله إلاّ أن يتمّ نوره .

Allah has created his creation and divided them into two parties. He has made me in the best of them. Then He has divided this party into three groups and made me in the best of them and in the best tribe. Then He divided them into families and made me in the best of them until I have been purified with my brother Ali bin Abu Talib from among the family. Allah the Almighty looked at the people of the earth and chose me from among them and then He looked again and chose Ali; my brother, vizier, heir, my caliph for my umma and the guardian of every believer after me.

Whoever obeys him, obeys Allah and whoever opposes him, opposes Allah. Whoever loves him will be loved by Allah and whoever hates him will be hated by Allah. No one loves him except the believers and no one hates him except the unbelievers. He is the basis of the earth and its ease after me. He is the word of piety and the firmest handhold of Allah. “They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah will not consent save to perfect His light.”30 The enemies of Allah want to put out the light of my brother but Allah will not consent save to perfect his light.

    أيها الناس ليبلغ مقالتي شاهدُكم غائبَكم، اللهم أشهد عليهم، ثم إنّ الله نظر نظرة ثالثة فاختار أهل بيتي من بعدي، وهم خيار أمتي: أحد عشر إماماً بعد أخي واحداً بعد واحد، كلّما هلك واحد قام واحد، مثلُهم في أمتي كمثل نجوم السماء، كلّما غاب نجم طلع نجم، إنهم أئمة هداة مهديون لا يضرهم كيدُ مَن كادهم ولا خذلانُ من خذلهم، بل يضر الله بذلك من كادهم وخذلهم، هم حجج الله في أرضه وشهداؤه على خلقه، مَن أطاعهم أطاع الله، ومن عصاهم عصى الله، هم مع القرآنِ والقرآنُ معهم لا يفارقهم ولا يفارقونه حتى يردوا عليَّ حوضي، وأولُ الأئمة أخي علي خيرهم ثم ابني حسن، ثم ابني حسين، ثم تسعة من ولد الحسين - وذكر الحديث بطوله .

O people, let the present inform the absent of my speech! Then Allah looked thirdly and chose some ones from among my family after me. They are the best of my umma; eleven imams after my brother (Ali) one after the other. Whenever one of them leaves to the better world another one will replace him. Their example is like the stars of the sky; whenever a star sets another will shine. They are guided and guiding imams. They will never be affected by the disappointment of their opponents nor by the plotting of their enemies. They are the authorities of Allah on the earth and His witnesses over His people. Whoever obeys them, obeys Allah and whoever disobeys them disobeys Allah. They are with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with them. They will never part with the Qur’an nor will it part with them until they come to me at the pond (in Paradise). The first of the imams is my brother Ali, who is the best of them, then my son Hasan, then my son Husayn and then nine ones from the progeny of Husayn.” He mentioned all the tradition.31

    13 - أخبرنا عبد الواحد بن عبد الله بن يونس الموصلي، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن رباح الزهري، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن علي الحميري، قال: حدثنا الحسن بن أيوب، عن عبد الكريم بن عمرو الخثعمي، عن المفضل بن عمر، قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله: ما معنى قول الله :

    بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِالسَّاعَةِ   وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِمَنْ كَذَّبَ بِالسَّاعَةِ سَعِيرًا {11 }

    قال لي :

    إن الله خلق السنة اثنَي عشر شهراً وجعل الليل اثنتي عشرة ساعة وجعل النّهار اثنتي عشرة ساعة، ومنّا اثنا عشر محدّثاً، وكان أمير المؤمنين من تلك الساعات .

(13) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah bin Younus al-Moossili narrated from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Rabah al-az-Zuhri from Ahmad bin Ali al-Himyari from al-Hasan bin Ayyoob from Abdul Kareem bin Amr al-Khath’ami that al-Mufadhdhal bin Umar had said:

“I asked Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) about the saying of Allah (But they reject the hour, and We have prepared a burning fire for him who rejects the hour).32 He said: “Allah has divided the year into twelve months, the night into twelve hours, the day into twelve hours and He has chosen from us twelve inspired imams. Imam Ali (as) was an hour from among those hours.”33

    14 - وبه عن عبد الكريم بن عمرو، عن ثابت بن شريح، عن أبي بصير، قال: سمعت أبا جعفر محمد بن علي الباقر يقول :

     منّا اثنا عشر محدثاً .

(14) Abdul Kareem bin Amr narrated from Thabit bin Shurayh that Abu Baseer had said: I have heard Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (as) saying:

From among us there are twelve inspired ones.34

    15 - أخبرنا عبد الواحد بن عبد الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن جعفر القرشي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسين بن أبى الخطاب، عن عمر بن أبان الكلبي عن ابن - سنان، عن أبي السائب قال: قال أبو عبد الله جعفر بن محمد :

    الليلُ اثنتا عشرة ساعة، والنهار اثنتا عشرة ساعة، والشهور اثنا عشر شهراً، والأئمة اثنا عشر إماماً، والنقباء اثنا عشر نقيباً، وإن علياً ساعة من اثنتي عشرة ساعة، وهو قول الله :

    بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِالسَّاعَةِ   وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِمَنْ كَذَّبَ بِالسَّاعَةِ سَعِيرًا

(15) Abdul Wahid bin Abdullah narrated from Muhammad bin Ja'far al-Qarashi from Muhammad bin al-Husayn bin Abul Khattab from Amr bin Abban al-Kalbi from ibn Sinan from Abus-Sa’ib that Imam Abu Abdullah Ja'far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) had said:

“A night is twelve hours, a day is twelve hours, a year is twelve months, the imams are twelve and the disciples are twelve. Imam Ali (as) is an hour of the twelve hours as Allah has said, “But they reject the hour, and We have prepared a burning fire for him who rejects the hour.”35

    16 - أخبرنا علي بن الحسين قال: حدثنا محمد بن يحيى العطار بقم، قال: حدثنا محمد بن حسان الرازي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن علي الكوفي، قال: حدثنا إبراهيم بن محمد بن يوسف، قال: حدثنا محمد بن عيسى، عن عبد الرزاق، عن زيد الشحام، عن أبي عبد الله ، وقال محمد بن حسان الرازي: وحدثنا به محمد بن علي الكوفي، عن محمد بن سنان، عن زيد الشحام قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله: أيهما أفضل الحسن أو الحسين؟ قال :

    إنّ فضلَ أوّلنا يلحق فضل آخرنا، وفضلُ آخرنا يلحق فضل أوّلنا فكلٌّ له فضل .

    قال: قلت له: جعلت فداك وسّع عليّ في الجواب، فإني والله ما أسألك إلاّ مرتاداً، فقال :

(16) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya al-Attar from Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali al-Kufi from Ibraheem bin Muhammad bin Yousuf from Muhammad bin Eessa from Abdurrazak from Zayd ash-Shahham that Abu Abdullah (as) had said (the same, which had been also narrated) by Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali al-Kufi from Muhammad bin Sinan that Zayd ash-Shahham had said: I asked Abu Abdullah (as): “Who is better; al-Hasan or al-Husayn?” He said:

“The virtue of the previous one of us joins the next one of us and the virtue of the next one of us joins the previous one. Each one of us has his virtue.”

I said: “May my soul be sacrificed for you! Would you explain the answer more to me because I look for the truth?” He said:

    نحن مِن شجرة برأنا اللهُ من طينة واحدة، فضلُنا من الله وعلمُنا من عند الله، ونحن أمناءُ الله على خلقه والدعاةُ إلى دينه والحجابُ فيما بينه وبين خلقه، أزيدك يا زيد؟

    قلت: نعم، فقال :

    خلقُنا واحد وعِلمنا واحد وفضلُنا واحد، وكلنا واحد عند الله .

    فقلت: أخبرني بعدّتِكم، فقال :

    نحن اثنا عشر - هكذا - حول عرشِ ربّنا جلّ وعزَّ في مبتدء خلقِنا، أوّلنا محمد، وأوسطُنا محمد، وآخرنا محمد .

“We are from one tree. Allah has created us from one clay. Our virtue and knowledge are from Allah. We are the deputies of Allah over His people, the propagandists for His religion and the means between Allah and His people. Do I say more to you O Zayd?”

I said: “Yes!” He said:

“Our creation is the same. Our knowledge is the same. Our virtue is the same and we all are the same before Allah.”

I asked: “Would you tell me how many you are?” He said:

“We are twelve ones. So has been determined around the Throne at the beginning of the Creation. The first of us is Muhammad. The middle is Muhammad and the last of us is Muhammad.”36

    17 - أخبرنا علي بن الحسين، قال: حدثنا محمد بن يحيى العطار قال: حدثنا محمد بن حسان الرازي، عن محمد بن علي الكوفي، عن إبراهيم بن محمد بن يوسف، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن عبد الرزاق، عن محمد بن سنان، عن فضيل الرسان، عن أبي حمزة الثمالي قال :

    كنت عند أبي جعفر محمد بن علي الباقر ذات يوم فلما تفرق من كان عنده قال لي: يا أبا حمزةَ، مَن المحتوم الذي لا تبديل له عند الله قيام قائمنا، فمَن شكّ فيما أقول لقيَ اللهَ سبحانه وهو به كافر وله جاحد. ثم قال: بأبي وأمي المُسمّى باسمي والمكنّى بكُنيتي، السابعُ مِن بعدي، بأبي مَن يملأُ الأرضَ عدلاً وقِسطاً كما مُلئت ظلماً وجوراً. ثم قال: يا أبا حمزة، مَن أدركه فلمْ يسلّمْ له فما سلم لمحمد وعليّ ، وقد حرّم الله عليه الجنةَ ومأواه النارُ وبئس مثوى الظالمين .

(17) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya al-Attar from Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali al-Kufi from Ibraheem bin Muhammad bin Yousuf from Muhammad bin Eessa from Abdurrazak from Muhammad bin Sinan from Fudhayl ar-Rassan that Abu Hamza ath-Thimali had said:

“One day I was with Imam Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (as). When the all left, he said to me: “O Abu Hamza, what is inevitable and that Allah will not change is the advent of the last imam of ours; al-Mahdi. Whoever doubts this matter, will be unbeliever before Allah. I swear that his name will be like mine and his surname will be like mine. He will be the seventh after me. He will fill the world with justice and equity after it has been filled with injustice and oppression. O Abu Hamza, he, who will attend his (Imam al-Mahdi’s) appearance and will not submit to him, has not submitted to Muhammad and Ali (peace be upon them) and then he will be forbidden from being in Paradise, his abode will be the fire, and evil is the abode of the unjust!”37

Clearer than this is the saying of Allah:

    إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ   ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ  فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنْفُسَكُمْ  وَقَاتِلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ كَافَّةً كَمَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ كَافَّةً  وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ

“Surely the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah's ordinance since the day when He created the heavens and the earth, of these four being sacred; that is the right religion; therefore be not unjust to yourselves regarding them.”38

Knowing the months is not to be considered as the right religion because the Jews, the Christians, the Magi and all peoples know the number and the names of the months. They are but the twelve imams, who are the guardians of the religion. Among the four sacred ones is Imam Ali (as), whose name Allah has derived from His name as He has derived the name of the Prophet (S). Three other imams have the name Ali. They are Ali bin al-Husayn, Ali bin Musa and Ali bin Muhammad. So this name (Ali), which has been derived from one of the attributes of Allah, has deserved to be sacred. Peace and blessing be upon Muhammad and his progeny, the pure, the sacred.

    18 - أخبرنا سلامة بن محمد قال: حدثنا أبو الحسن علي بن عمر المعروف بالحاجي، قال: حدثنا حمزة بن القاسم العلوي العباسي الرازي، قال: حدثنا جعفر بن محمد الحسني، قال: حدثنا عبيد بن كثير، قال: حدثنا أبو أحمد بن موسى الأسدي، عن داود بن كثير الرقي، قال :

    دخلتُ على أبي عبد الله جعفر بن محمد بالمدينة، فقال لي: ما الذي أبطأ بك يا داود عنّا؟

    فقلت: حاجة عرضت بالكوفة .

    فقال: مَن خلّفت بها؟

(18) Salama bin Muhammad narrated from Abul Hasan Ali bin Umar al-Haji from Hamza bin al-Qassim al-Alawi al-Abbasi ar-Razi from Ja'far bin Muhammad al-Hasani from Obayd bin Katheer from Abu Ahmad bin Musa al-Assadi that Dawood bin Katheer ar-Riqqi had said:

I came to Abu Abdullah Ja'far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) in Medina and he said to me: “Why have you not visited us since so long, O Dawood?”

I said: “I had something to do in Kufa.”

He said: “Whom did you leave in Kufa?”

    فقلت: جُعلتُ فداك، خلفتُ بها عمّك زيداً تركتُه راكباً على فرس متقلّداً سيفاً ينادي بأعلى صوته: سلوني سلوني قبل أن تفقدوني، فبين جوانحي علمٌ جمٌّ قد عرفتُ الناسخَ من المنسوخ والمثانيَ والقرآنَ العظيم، وإني العلم بين الله وبينكم .

    فقال لي: يا داود، لقد ذهبتْ بك المذاهبُ. ثم نادى يا سماعة بن مهران ايتني بسلّة الرطب، فأتاه بسلة فيها رطب، فتناول منها رطبة فأكلها، واستخرج النواة مِن فيه فغرسها في الأرض، ففلقت وأنبتت وأطلعت وأغدقت، فضرب بيده إلى بسرة من عذق فشقّها واستخرج منها رقاً أبيض ففضّه ودفعه إلي، وقال: اقرأه .

I said: “May my soul be sacrificed for you! I have left your uncle Zayd. I left him riding on a horse with his sword and calling loudly: “Ask me before you will miss me. I have great knowledge. I have known the abrogating and abrogated verdicts, the oft-repeated verses and the great Qur'an. Knowledge is between Allah and you.”

He said to me: “O Dawood, things have affected you!”

Then he called: “O Suma’a bin Mihran, bring me a basket of ripe dates!”

He brought him a basket of ripe dates. He took one, ate it, took the kernel out of his mouth and stuck it into the ground. It grew and fruited. He picked an unripe date from one of the bunches. He split it and took a piece of parchment out of it. He spread it, gave it to me and said to me: “Read it!”

    فقرأته وإذا فيه سطران؛ السطر الأول "لا إله إلاّ الله، محمد رسول الله" والثاني

    أمير المؤمنين عليّ بن أبي طالب، الحسن بن علي، الحسين بن علي، علي بن الحسين، محمد بن علي، جعفر بن محمد، موسى بن جعفر، علي بن موسى، محمد بن علي، علي بن محمد، الحسن بن علي، الخلف الحجة .

    ثم قال: يا داود أتدري متى كُتب هذا في هذا؟

    قلت: الله أعلم ورسوله وأنتم .

    فقال: قبل أن يخلق الله آدمَ بألفَي عام .

It had two lines. The first line was (There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah). The second line was (Surely the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah's ordinance since the day when He created the heavens and the earth, of these four being sacred; that is the right religion); Amirul Mo'mineen Ali bin Abu Talib, al-Hasan bin Ali, al-Husayn bin Ali, Ali bin al-Husayn, Muhammad bin Ali, Ja'far bin Muhammad, Musa bin Ja'far, Ali bin Musa, Muhammad bin Ali, Ali bin Muhammad, al-Hasan bin Ali, al-Khalaf al-Hujjah (al-Mahdi).

Then he said: “O Dawood, do you know when this has been written in this piece of parchment?”

I said: “Allah, His messenger and you are more aware!”

He said: “Two thousand years before Allah had created Adam.”39

    19 - أخبرنا سلامة بن محمد قال: أخبرنا الحسن بن علي بن مهزيار، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمد السياري، عن أحمد بن هلال قال: وحدثنا علي بن محمد بن عبيد الله الخبائي، عن أحمد بن هلال، عن أمية بن ميمون الشعيري عن زياد القندي قال: سمعت أبا إبراهيم موسى بن جعفر بن محمد يقول :

    إن الله خلق بيتاً من نور جعل قوائمه أربعة أركان كتب عليها أربعة أسماء: "تبارك وسبحان والحمد والله" ثم خلق من الأربعة أربعة، ومن الأربعة أربعة. ثم قال :

    إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ

(19) Salama bin Muhammad narrated from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Mihziyar from Ahmad bin Muhammad as-Sayyari from Ahmad bin Hilal, also from Ali bin Muhammad bin Obaydillah al-Khaba’iy from Ahmad bin Hilal from Umayya bint Maymoon ash-Shu’ayri that Ziyad al-Qandi had said: I heard Abu Ibraheem Musa bin Ja'far bin Muhammad (Imam al-Kadhim)40 (as) saying:

“Allah has created a house of light. He has made four pillars for it. Four names has been written on them; Tabarak, Subhan, al-Hamd and Allah. Then he has created four ones from those four and then four from these four then He has said: (Surely the number of months with Allah is twelve months).”

    20 - أخبرنا علي بن الحسين، عن محمد بن يحيى، عن محمد بن حسان الرازي، عن محمد بن علي، عن محمد بن سنان، عن داود بن كثير الرقي قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله جعفر بن محمد: جعلت فداك أخبرني عن قول الله

    وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولَٰئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ

    قال :

    نطقَ الله بها يومَ ذرأَ الخلقَ في الميثاق قبل أن يخلُق الخلقَ بألفي عام .

    فقلت: فسِّرْ لي ذلك، قال :

    إنّ الله لما أراد أن يخلق الخلق خلقَهم من طين، ورفع لهم ناراً فقال: ادخلوها، فكان أولَ مَن دخلها محمدٌ رسول الله وأمير المؤمنين والحسن والحسين وتسعةٌ من الأئمة إمام بعد إمام، ثم أتبعهم بشيعتهم، فهم والله السابقون .

(20) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya from Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali from Muhammad bin Sinan that Dawood bin Katheer ar-Riqqi had said: I said to Abu Abdullah Ja'far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq (as): “May I die for you! Would you tell me about (the meaning of) the saying of Allah, “And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter). These are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)”?41 He said:

“Allah has said that on the day when He has determined the creation in the Covenant two thousand years before creating the creatures (people).”

I said: “Would you explain this for me?” He said:

“When Allah had willed to create people, He made them of clay and made a fire for them. He ordered them to enter into fire. The first ones, who had entered into it, were Muhammad, Ali, al-Hasan, al-Husayn and nine imams one after the other and then their followers followed them. By Allah they are the foremost.”42

    21 - حدثنا أبو علي أحمد بن محمد بن يعقوب بن عمار الكوفي قال: حدثني أبي، قال: حدثنا القاسم بن هشام اللؤلؤي، عن الحسن بن محبوب، عن إبراهيم الكرخي قال: دخلت على أبي عبد الله جعفر بن محمد فإني عنده جالس إذ دخل أبو الحسن موسى وهو غلام فقُمت إليه فقبّلتُه وجلستُ، فقال لي أبو عبد الله :

    يا إبراهيم أما إنه صاحبُك من بعدي، أما ليهلكنّ فيه أقوام ويسعد آخرون، فلعن الله قاتله وضاعف على روحه العذاب، أما ليخرجن الله مِن صُلبه خيرَ أهل الأرض في زمانه، سميَّ جدّه ووارث علمه وأحكامه و قضاياه ومعدن الإمامة ورأس الحكمة، يقتله جبار بني فلان بعد عجائب طريفة حسداً له، ولكنّ الله بالغُ أمره ولو كره المشركون، يُخرج الله من صلبه تكملةَ اثني عشر إماماً مهدياً اختصهم الله بكرامته وأحلهم دار قدسه، المنتظِر للثاني عشر الشاهر سيفه بين يديه كان كالشاهر سيفَه بين يدي رسول الله يذب عنه .

(21) Abu Ali Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ya’qoob bin Ammar al-Kufi narrated from his father from al-Qassim bin Hisham al-Lu’lu’iy from al-Hasan bin Mahboob that Ibraheem al-Karkhi had said: Once I came to Abu Abdullah Ja'far bin Muhammad (as). While I was sitting with him, (his son) Abul Hasan Musa (al-Kadhim) came in. He was a young boy. I got up and kissed him and then I sat down. Abu Abdullah (as) said to me:

“O Ibraheem, he will be your companion after me. Because of him many people will perish and others will be pleased. May Allah damn his killer and double the torment for his soul! Allah will derive from him the best of the people on the earth in his time. His name will be like the name of his grandfather. He will be the heir of his grandfather’s knowledge, wisdom and judgements. He will be the essence of the imamate and the top of wisdom. He will be killed by the arrogant of so-and-so family after some wonders because of envy. But Allah will carry out His order even the polytheists are averse. Allah will derive from his progeny the rest of the twelve inspired imams, whom He will honor with dignity of His and will place in the sanctuary of His. He, who waits for the twelfth imam and fights with him, is as if he has fought with the Prophet (S) and defended him.”

    ودخل رجل من موالي بني أمية فانقطع الكلام، فعدت إلى أبي عبد الله إحدى عشرة مرة أريد أن يستتمّ الكلام فما قدرت على ذلك، فلما كان قابل السنة الثانية دخلت عليه وهو جالس، فقال :

    يا إبراهيم، هو المفرّج للكرب عن شيعته بعد ضنكٍ شديد وبلاء طويل وجور وخوف، فطوبى لمَن أدرك ذلك الزمان. حسبُك يا إبراهيم .

    قال: فما رجعت بشيء أسرَّ إليَّ من هذا لقلبي ولا أقرَّ لعيني .

Then a man of the freed slaves of the Umayyads came in and Imam as-Sadiq (as) stopped talking. I visited him eleven times wishing that he might complete his speech but I failed. In the next year I came to him. He said:

“O Ibraheem, he will relieve his Shia from their grief after long strait, affliction, oppression and fright. Blessed is he, who will attend at that time! O Ibraheem, this suffices you.”

I have never come back with something more pleasant to my heart and more delightful to my eye than this thing.”43

    22 - أخبرنا أحمد بن محمد بن يعقوب قال: حدثنا أبو عبد الله الحسين بن محمد قراءة عليه، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي قيس، عن جعفر الرماني، عن محمد بن أبي القاسم - ابن أخت خالد بن مخلد القطواني - قال: حدثنا عبد الوهاب الثقفي، عن جعفر بن محمد عن أبيه محمد بن علي أنه نظر إلى حمران فبكى، ثم قال :

    يا حمران، عجباً للناس كيف غفلوا أم نسوا أم تناسوا، فنسوا قول رسول الله حين مرض، فأتاه الناس يعودونه ويسلمون عليه حتى إذا غصّ بأهله البيتُ جاء عليٌّ فسلّم ولم يستطع أن يتخطّاهم إليه ولم يوسعوا له، فلما رأى رسول الله ذلك رفع مخدّته وقال: إليَّ يا عليُّ. فلما رأى الناس ذلك زحم بعضهم بعضاً وأفرجوا حتى تخطاهم وأجلسه رسول الله إلى جانبه، ثم قال: يا أيها الناس هذا أنتم تفعلون بأهل بيتي في حياتي ما أرى، فكيف بعد وفاتي؟

(22) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Abu Abdullah al-Husayn bin Muhammad from Muhammad bin Abu Qayss from Ja'far ar-Rummani from Muhammad bin Abul Qassim, the son of Khalid bin Mukhallad al-Qatawani’s sister, from Abdul Wahab ath-Thaqafi from Imam Ja'far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) that his father Imam Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (as) had looked at Hamran, cried and said:

“O Hamran, how odd of people it is! How have they ignored or forgotten the saying of the Prophet (S) on the last day of his life? When he fell ill, people came to visit him until the house became so crowded. Then Ali (as) came and offered greeting but he could not overstep the people to reach the Prophet (S) and the people did not let him pass. When the Prophet (S) saw that, he raised his pillow and said: “O Ali, come to me!” Then people pressed closed to let Ali pass. The Prophet (S) seated Ali (as) beside him and said: “O people, you do so to my family while I am still alive! Then what will you do to them after my death?

    واللهِ لا تقربو من أهل بيتي قربة إلاّ قربتم من الله منْزلة، ولا تباعدون عنهم خطوة وتعرضون عنهم إلاّ أعرض الله عنكم. ثم قال: أيها الناس اسمعوا ما أقول لكم، ألا إنّ الرضا والرضوانَ والجنة لمَن أحب علياً وتولاّه وائتمَّ به وبفضله وبأوصيائي بعده، وحقّ على ربي أن يستجيب لي فيهم، إنهم اثنا عشر وصياً، ومن تبعه فانه مني، إني من إبراهيم، وإبراهيمُ مني، وديني دينه ودينه ديني، ونسبته نسبتي، ونسبتي نسبته وفضلي فضله، وأنا أفضل منه، ولا فخر، يصدق قولي قول ربي

    ذُرِّيَّةً بَعْضُهَا مِنْ بَعْضٍ   وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

By Allah, whatever closer you approach to my family, you will be closer to Allah and whatever far you become and turn away from them, Allah will turn away from you. O people, listen to what I say to you! Contentment and love of Allah will be to whoever loves Ali, obeyed him and followed him and his guardians after him. Allah has promised to respond to me regarding them. They are twelve imams. Whoever follows them is from me. I am from Abraham and Abraham is from me. His religion is my religion and my religion is his. His lineage is mine and mine is his. My virtue is his and I am better than him without pride. Allah has confirmed my speech when saying, “Offspring one of the other; and Allah is Hearing, Knowing44 .”45

    23 - أخبرنا محمد بن همام، قال: حدثنا أبو علي الحسن بن علي بن عيسى القوهستاني قال: حدثنا بدر بن إسحاق بن بدر الأنماطي في سوق الليل بمكة - وكان شيخاً نفيساً من إخواننا الفاضلين، وكان من أهل قزوين - في سنة خمس وستين ومائتين قال: حدثني أبي إسحاق بن بدر، قال حدثني جدي بدر بن عيسى، قال سألت أبي عيسى بن موسى - وكان رجلا مهيبا - فقلت له: مَن أدركتَ من التابعين؟ فقال: ما أدري ما تقول لي ولكني كنت بالكوفة، فسمعت شيخاً في جامعها يتحدث عن عبد خير، قال: سمعت أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب صلوات الله عليه يقول: قال لي رسول الله :

    يا عليُّ، الأئمة الراشدون المهتدون المعصومون من ولدك أحدَ عشر إماماً وأنت أولهم، وآخرُهم اسمه اسمي، يخرج فيملأُ الأرضَ عدلاً كما مُلئت جوراً وظُلماً، يأتيه الرجل والمال كدس، فيقول: يا مهدي أعطني، فيقول: خذ .

(23) Muhammad bin Hammam narrated from Abu Ali al-Hasan bin Ali bin Eessa al-Qoohistani from Badr bin Iss’haq bin Badr al-Anmati from his father that his grandfather Badr bin Eessa had said: Once I asked my father, who was a very respectable man: “Whom have you met of the successors of the Prophet’s companions?” He said: “I do not know what you say but once I was in Kufa and heard an old man in the mosque talking about a good man. He said: “I have heard Amirul Mo'mineen Ali bin Abu Talib (as) saying: The Prophet (S) has said to me:

O Ali, the infallible guided imams of your progeny are eleven ones and you are the first of them. The name of the last of them is like my name. He will appear to fill the world with justice and equity after it has been filled with injustice and oppression. People will come to him asking for money, which will be accumulated. He will say to them: “Take (as you like)!”46

    24 - حدثنا أبو الحارث عبد الله بن عبد المك بن سهل الطبراني، قال: حدثنا محمد بن المثنى البغدادي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل الرقي، قال: حدثنا موسى بن عيسى بن عبد الرحمن، قال: حدثنا هشام بن عبد الله الدستوائي، قال: حدثنا علي بن محمد، عن عمرو بن شمر، عن جابر بن يزيد الجعفي، عن محمد بن علي الباقر ، عن سالم بن عبد الله بن عمر، عن أبيه عبد الله بن عمر بن الخطاب، قال: قال رسول الله :

    إنّ الله أوحى إليَّ ليلة أسرِي بي: يا محمد، مَن خلّفتَ في الأرض في أمّتك؟ - وهو أعلم بذلك - قلت: يا ربِّ أخي. قال: يا محمّد، عليُّ بن أبي طالب؟ قلت: نعم يا رب. قال: يا محمّد إني اطّلعتُ إلى الأرض اطلاعةً فاخترتك منها فلا أُذكَر حتى تُذكر معي؛ فأنا المحمود وأنت محمد، ثم إني اطّلعت إلى الأرض اطلاعة اخرى فاخترت منها عليّ بن أبي طالب فجعلتُه وصيّك؛ فأنت سيد الأنبياء، وعليٌّ سيد الأوصياء ثم شققتُ له اسماً من أسمائي، فأنا الأعلى وهو عليّ .

(24) Abul Harith Abdullah bin Abdul Melik bin Sahl at-Tabarani narrated from Muhammad bin al-Muthanna al-Baghdadi from Muhammad bin Issma’eel ar-Riqqi from Musa bin Eessa bin Abdurrahman from Hisham bin Abdullah ad-Dastuwa’iy from Ali bin Muhammad from Amr bin Shimr from Jabir bin Yazeed al-Ju’fi from Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (as) from Salim bin Abdullah bin Umar from his father that the Prophet (S) had said:

“Allah has revealed to me in the night of the Ascension: “O Muhammad, whom have you entrusted with your umma on the earth-(and He is aware)?”

I said: “O my God, I have entrusted my brother.”

He the Almighty said: “O Muhammad, is he Ali bin Abu Talib?”

I said: “Yes, he is. O my God!”

He said: “O Muhammad, I had a look at the earth and chose you from among its people. Whatever I mention, you are to mention with me. I am Mahmood and you are Muhammad.47 Then I had another look at the earth. I chose Ali bin Abu Talib and made him your guardian. You are the master of the prophets and Ali is the master of the guardians. Then I derived for him a name from my name; I am al-A’la (the highest) and he is Ali (high).

    يا محمد إني خلقتُ علياً وفاطمةَ والحسنَ والحسينَ والأئمّة من نور واحد، ثمّ عرضتُ ولايتهم على الملائكة، فمَن قبِلها كان من المقربين، ومن جحدها كان من الكافرين. يا محمد، لو أن عبداً من عبادي عبدني حتى ينقطع، ثم لقيني جاحداً لولايتهم أدخلتُه ناري. ثم قال: يا محمّد، أتحبُّ أن تراهم؟ فقلت: نعم. فقال: تقدَّم أمامَك، فتقدمت أمامي فإذا عليّ بن أبي طالب، والحسن، والحسين، وعلي بن الحسين، ومحمد بن علي، وجعفر بن محمد، وموسى بن جعفر، وعلي بن موسى، ومحمد بن علي، وعلي بن محمد، والحسن بن علي، والحجة القائم كأنّه الكوكب الدريّ في وسطهم. فقلت: يا رب مَن هؤلاء؟ قال: هؤلاء الأئمّة، وهذا القائم، محلّل حلالي ومحرِّم حرامي، وينتقم من أعدائي، يا محمد، أحبِبه فإني أحبّه وأحبُّ مَن يحبه .

O Muhammad, I have created Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan, al-Husayn and the rest of the imams from one light and then I offered their guardianship before the angels. Whoever of them accepted it became close to me and whoever denied it became among the unbelievers. O Muhammad, if one of My people worships me devotedly and then he meets Me denying their guardianship, I will throw him into Hell.” Then He said: “O Muhammad, do you like to see them?” I said: “Yes, O my Lord.” He said: “Go ahead!” I went ahead and I saw Ali bin Abu Talib, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Ali bin al-Husayn, Muhammad bin Ali, Ja'far bin Muhammad, Musa bin Ja'far, Ali bin Musa, Muhammad bin Ali, Ali bin Muhammad, al-Hasan bin Ali and al-Hujjah al-Mahdi, who was like a shining star in the middle of them. I said: “O my God, who are they?” He said: “These are the imams and this is al-Qa’im.48 He will permit what I have permitted, prohibit what I have prohibited and will revenge on My enemies. O Muhammad, love him because I love him and love whoever loves him.”49

    25 - وأخبرنا محمد بن يعقوب الكليني، قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن سعيد بن غزوان، عن أبى بصير، عن أبي جعفر الباقر قال :

    يكون تسعةُ أئمة بعد الحسين بن علي، تاسعُهم قائمُهم .

(25) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni narrated from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from his father from ibn Abu Omayr from Sa'eed bin Ghazwan from Abu Baseer that Imam Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) had said:

“Nine imams are after al-Husayn bin Ali. The ninth one is al-Qa’im.”50

    26 - أخبرنا محمد بن يعقوب، عن علي بن محمد، عن سهل بن زياد، عن محمد بن الحسين بن شمون، عن عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن الأصمّ، عن كرام قال: حلفتُ فيما بيني وبين نفسي ألاّ آكلَ طعاماً بنهار أبداً حتى يقومَ قائمُ آل محمد، فدخلتُ على أبي عبد الله فقلت له: رجل من شيعتك جعل لله عليه ألاّ يأكل طعاماً بنهار أبداً حتى يقوم قائم آل محمد. فقال :

    صُم يا كرام، ولا تصُم العيدَين ولا ثلاثةَ أيام التشريق، ولا إذا كنتَ مسافراً، فإن الحسين لما قُتل عجّت السماوات والأرض ومَن عليهما والملائكة، فقالوا: يا ربّنا أتأذن لنا في هلاك الخلق حتى نجذّهم من جديد الأرض بما استحلوا حرمتك وقتلوا صفوتك؟ فأوحى الله إليهم: يا ملائكتي ويا سمائي ويا أرضي اسكنوا. ثم كشف حجاباً من الحجب فإذا خلفه محمدٌ واثنا عشر وصياً له فأخذ بيد فلان مِن بينهم فقال: يا ملائكتي ويا سماواتي ويا أرضي بهذا أنتصر منهم لهذا - قالها ثلاث مرات -.

    وجاء في غير رواية محمد بن يعقوب الكليني: بهذا أنتصر منهم ولو بعد حين .

(26) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob narrated from Ali bin Muhammad from Sahl bin Ziyad from Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Shammoon from Abdullah bin Abdurrahman al-Assamm that Karram had said: I have promised myself not to eat any kind of food during the day at all until al-Qa’im of Muhammad’s family appears. I came to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) and said to him: “I am one of your Shia. I have promised Allah not to eat any kind of food at all during the day until al-Qa’im appears.” He said to me:

“O Karram, fast! But do not fast on the days of the two Eids51 nor the three days of al-Tashreeq52 or when you are on travel. When al-Husayn (as) was killed there was a clamor in the Heaven and on the earth. The angels said: “O our Lord, do You permit us to perish the human beings and to terminate them from on the earth for what they have committed when trespassing Your sanctity by killing the choice of Yours?” Allah revealed to the angels: “O My angels, My Heaven and My earth, be quiet!” Then He uncovered one of the covers. Behind it were Muhammad and twelve guardians of his. Allah held one from among them by the hand and said: “O My angels, My Heavens and My earth, with this one I will avenge this killed one upon his killers.” He repeated it three times.”53

    27 - أخبرنا محمد بن يعقوب، قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن أبيه، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن ابن أذينة، عن أبان بن أبي عياش، عن سليم بن قيس الهلالي قال: سمعت عبد الله بن جعفر الطيار يقول: كنا عند معاوية أنا والحسن والحسين وعبد الله بن عباس وعمر بن أم سلمة واسامة بن زيد، فجَرى بيني وبين معاوية كلام، فقلت لمعاوية: سمعت رسول الله يقول :

    أنا أولى بالمؤمنينَ مِن أنفسهم، ثم أخي عليّ بن أبي طالب أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم، فإذا استشهد عليٌّ فالحسن بن علي أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم، ثم ابني الحسين مِن بعده أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم، فإذا استشهد فابنه عليّ بن الحسين أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم وستدركه يا علي ثم ابنه محمّد بن علي أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم، وستدركه يا حسين، ثم تكمله اثني عشر إماماً تسعة من ولد الحسين .

    قال عبد الله بن جعفر: فاستشهدت الحسنَ والحسين وعبدَ الله بن عباس وعمر بن ام سلمة وأسامة بن زيد فشهدوا. قال سليم: وقد سمعت ذلك من سلمان الفارسي والمقداد وأبي ذر وذكروا أنهم سمعوا ذلك من رسول الله .

(27) Muhammad bin Ya'qoob narrated from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from his father from ibn Abu Omayr from Abban bin Ayyash that Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali had said: I have heard Abdullah bin Ja'far at-Tayyar saying: One day Al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Abdullah bin Abbas, Umar bin Umm Salama, Ussama bin Zayd and I were with Mo’awiya. I said to him: “I have heard the Prophet (S) saying:

“I am worthier of the believers than themselves then my brother Ali bin Abu Talib will be worthier of the believers than themselves. If he is martyred then his son al-Hasan will be worthier of the believers than themselves then after him al-Husayn will be worthier of the believers than themselves. If he is martyred, his son Ali bin al-Husayn will be worthier of the believers than themselves then his son Muhammad bin Ali will be worthier of the believers than themselves then the rest of the twelve imams, nine of whom are from the progeny of al-Husayn.”

I asked al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Abdullah bin Abbas, Umar bin Umm Salama and Ussama bin Zayd to witness of that (the Prophet (S) had said so) and they witnessed.” Sulaym said: “I have heard that from Salman al-Farisi, al-Miqdad and Abu Tharr that they have heard it from the Prophet (S).”54

    28 - محمد بن عبد الله بن جعفر الحميري، عن أبيه، قال: حدثنا محمد بن عيسى بن عبيد بن يقطين، عن النضر بن سويد، عن يحيى الحلبي، عن علي بن أبي حمزة قال: كنت مع أبي بصير، ومعنا مولى لأبي جعفر الباقر ، فقال: سمعت أبا جعفر يقول :

    منّا اثنا عشر محدثاً، السابع من بعدي ولدي القائم .

    فقام إليه أبو بصير فقال: أشهد أني سمعت أبا جعفر يقوله منذ أربعين سنة .

    وقال أبو الحسن الشجاعي - رحمه الله -: هذان الحديثان مما استدركهما أبو عبد الله - رحمه الله - بعد فراغه، ونسخي الكتاب .

(28) Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Ja'far al-Himyari narrated from his father from Muhammad bin Eessa bin Obayd bin Yaqteen from an-Nadhr bin Suwayd from Yahya al-Halabi that Ali bin Abu Hamza had said: Once I, Abu Baseer and a freed slave (mawla) of Imam al-Baqir (as) were together. The mawla said: I have heard Imam al-Baqir (as) saying:

“From us there are twelve inspired (imams). The seventh of my descendants is al-Qa’im.”

Abu Baseer said: “I witness that I have heard Abu Ja'far (as-Sadiq (as)) saying this forty years ago.”55

    29 - أخبرنا أبو العباس أحمد بن محمد بن سعيد بن عقدة الكوفي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن المفضل بن إبراهيم بن قيس بن رمانة الأشعري من كتابه، قال: حدثنا إبراهيم بن مهزم، قال: حدثنا خاقان بن سليمان الخزاز، عن إبراهيم بن أبي يحيى المدني، عن أبي هارون العبدي، عن عمر بن أبي سلمة ربيب رسول الله وعن أبي الطفيل عامر بن واثلة قال: قالا :

    شهدنا الصلاةَ على أبي بكر حين مات فبينما نحن قعود حول عمر وقد بويع إذ جاءه فتى يهوديٌّ من يهود المدينة كان أبوه عالمَ اليهود بالمدينة، يزعمون أنه من ولد هارون، فسلّم على عمر، وقال :

    يا أمير المؤمنين، أيّكم أعلمُ بكتابكم وسنّة نبيكم؟

    فقال عمر: هذا، وأشار إلى عليّ بن أبي طالب وقال: هذا أعلمُنا بكتابنا وسنّة نبينا .

(29) Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed bin Oqda narrated from Muhammad bin al-Mufadhdhal bin Ibraheem bin Qayss bin Rummana al-Ash’ari from Ibraheem bin Muhzim from Khaqan bin Sulayman al-Kharraz from Ibraheem bin Abu Yahya al-Madani from Abu Haroon al-Abdi that Umar bin Abu Salama, the Prophet’s foster-son, and Abut-Tufayl Aamir bin Wathila had said:

“We attended the prayer (for the dead) when Abu Bakr died. While we were sitting around Umar, who had been paid homage to be the caliph, a young Jew from the Jews of Medina, whose father was the jurisprudent of the Jews in Medina and the Jews claimed that he was one of Aaron’s descendants, came to Umar. He greeted him and said:

“O Amirul Mo'mineen,56 who is the most aware of your Book and the Sunna of your prophet among you?”

Umar said: “It is this one. (He pointed to Ali bin Abu Talib.) This is the most aware of our Book and our Prophet’s Sunna.”

    فقال الفتى أخبرني أأنت كذا؟

    قال: نعم سلني عن حاجتك .

    فقال: إنّي أسألك عن ثلاث وثلاث وواحدة .

    قال علي: أفلا تقول: أسألك عن سبع؟

    فقال الفتى: لا! ولكن أسألك عن الثلاث، فإن أصبتَ فيهن سألتُك عن الثلاث الأخَر، فإن أصبتَ فيهنّ سألتك عن الواحدة، فإن لم تُصب في الثلاث الأُول سكتُّ ولم أسألك عن شيءٍ .

The young Jew said (to Ali): “Would you answer my questions?”

Imam Ali (as) said: “Yes, I would. Ask me as you like.”

The young boy said: “I ask you about three things and three things and one thing.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “Why do you not say: I ask you about seven things?”

The young boy said: “No, but I ask you about the first three and if you give the right answers then I will ask you about the other three and if you give the right answers then I will ask you about the last one. If you fail to answer the first three ones, I will keep silent and not ask you about anything.”

    قال له علي: يا يهوديّ، فإن أخبرتك بالصواب وبالحق تعلم أني أخطأتُ أو أصبت؟

    قال: نعم .

    قال عليّ: فبالله لئن أصبتُ فيما تسألني عنه لتسلمنَّ ولتدعنّ اليهودية؟

    قال: نعم، لك الله عليّ لئن أصبتَ لأسلمن ولأدَعنّ اليهودية .

    قال: فأسأل عن حاجتك .

    قال: أخبرني عن أوّل حجرٍ وُضع على وجه الأرض وأوّلِ شجرة نبتت في الأرض وأولِ عين أنبعت في الأرض؟

Imam Ali (as) said: “If I give you the right answer, will you know that my answer is right or not?”

He said: “Yes, I will.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “I adjure you before Allah that if I give you right answers, you are to be a Muslim and to give up Judaism.”

He said: “I agree. I promise you to be a Muslim and to give up Judaism.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “Then ask me as you like.”

The young Jew said: “Would you tell me about the first stone that has been put on the surface of the earth, the first tree that has grown on the earth and the first fountain that has flowed on the earth?”

    قال عليّ: يا يهودي، أما أول حجر وضع على وجه الأرض فإن اليهود يقولون الصخرة التي في بيت المقدس، وكذبوا ولكنه الحجرُ الأسود، نزلَ به آدمُ من الجنة فوضعه في الركن، والمؤمنون يستلمونه ليجدّدوا العهدَ والميثاق لله بالوفاء. وأما قولُك أول شجرة نبتت في الأرض فإن اليهود يقولون: الزيتونة، وكذبوا ولكنّها النخلة العجوة، نزل بها آدم من الجنة وبالفحل، فأصل الثمرة كلّها العجوة. وأما العَين فإنّ اليهود يقولون بأنها العين تحت الصخرة، وكذبوا ولكنها عين الحياة التي لا يغمس فيها ميت إلاّ حيَّ وهي عينُ موسى التي نسيَ عندها السمكةَ المملوحة فلما مسها الماء عاشت وانسربت في البحر فأتبعها موسى وفتاه حين لقيا الخضر .

Imam Ali (as) said: “O Jew, as for the first stone that has been put on the surface of the earth, the Jews has claimed that it is the rock, which is in Jerusalem, but they have told a false thing. It is the Black Stone that Adam (as) has brought from Paradise and put in the corner (of the Kaaba). The believers kiss it to renew the covenant of being loyal to Allah. As for the first tree, the Jews have claimed that it is the olive tree but they have told a lie. It is the date-palm, which Adam (as) has brought with him from Paradise. And as for the first fountain, the Jews have claimed that it is the one under the rock (in Jerusalem) but they have told a lie. It is the fountain of life, in which a dead is dipped to be alive again. It is the fountain of Moses (as), beside which he has left the salted fish and when water touched it, it revived and slipped into the sea and then Moses (as) and his servant followed it when they met with al-Khidhr (as).”

    فقال الفتى: أشهدُ أنك قد صدقتَ وقلتَ الحق، وهذا كتاب ورثته عن آبائي إملاء موسى وخط هارون بيده وفيه هذا الخصال السبع، والله لئن أصبت في بقية السبع لأدعنّ ديني وأتبعنّ دينك .

    فقال علي: سل .

    فقال: أخبرني كم لهذه الأمّة بعد نبيها من إمامِ هدى لا يضرُّ هم خذلانُ مَن خذلهم؟ وأخبرني عن موضع محمد في الجنة أي موضع هو؟ وكم مع محمد في منْزلته؟

    فقال علي: يا يهودي، لهذه الأمة اثنا عشر إماماً مهدياً كلّهم هادٍ مهدي لا يضرهم خذلان من خذلهم، وموضع محمد في أفضل منازل جنة عدن وأقربها من الله وأشرفها، وأما الذي مع محمد في منْزلته فالإثنا عشر الأئمة المهديون .

The young Jew said: “I swear that you have said the truth. This is a book that I have inherited from my ancestors. It has been dictated by Moses (as) and written by Aaron (as). It has these seven things. By Allah, if you give right answers to the rest of the seven questions, I will give up my religion and believe in yours.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “Ask!”

The Jew said: “Would you tell me how many imams of guidance, who will not be harmed by the disappointment of the plotters, this umma will have after its prophet? In which position Muhammad will be in Paradise? How many ones will be with Muhammad in his position?”

Imam Ali (as) said: “This umma has twelve imams. All of them are guided and guiding imams and they will never be harmed by the disappointment of the plotters. The position of Muhammad (as) is in the best position of the Garden of Eden, the most honored and the closest to Allah. As for those, who will be with Muhammad in his position, they are twelve imams.”

    قال اليهودي: وأشهدُ أنك قد صدقتَ وقلت الحق، لئن أصبتَ في الواحدة كما أصبت في الستة واللهِ لأسلمنَّ الساعة على يدك ولأدعنّ اليهودية .

    قال له: اسأل .

    قال: أخبرني عن خليفة محمد كم يعيش بعده ويموت موتاً أو يقتل قتلاً؟

    قال: يعيش بعده ثلاثين سنة ويخضّب هذه من هذه - وأخذ بلحيته وأومأ إلى رأسه -.

    فقال الفتى: أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمداً رسول الله وأنك خليفة رسول الله على الأمة، ومَن تقدم كان مفترياً. ثم خرج .

The Jew said: “I swear that you have said the truth. If you answer the last one as you have done with these six, by Allah I will be a Muslim before you and give up Judaism.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “Ask!”

He said: “Would you tell me how long the successor of Muhammad will live after Muhammad? Will he die or be killed?”

Imam Ali (as) said: “He will live for thirty years and then this will be dyed (of blood) from this. (He grasped his beard and made a sign with his head.)”

The young Jew said: “I witness that there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and you are the caliph of the umma after the Prophet (S). Whoever precedes you, will be oppressive.” Then he left.57

    30 - وأخبرنا أبو العباس أحمد بن محمد بن سعيد، قال: حدثنا حميد بن زياد من كتابه وقرأته عليه، قال: حدثني جعفر بن إسماعيل المنقري، عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي نجران، عن إسماعيل بن علي البصري عن أبي أيوب المؤدب، عن أبيه - وكان مؤدباً لبعض ولد جعفر بن محمد - قال قال :

    لما توفي رسول الله دخل المدينة رجلٌ من ولد داود على دين اليهودية، فرأى السكك خالية فقال لبعض أهل المدينة: ما حالكم؟

(30) Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed narrated from Hameed bin Ziyad from Ja'far bin Issma’eel al-Minqari from Abdurrahman bin Abu Najran from Issma’eel bin Ali al-Basri from Abu Ayyoob al-Mu’addib that his father, who was a teacher (mu’addib) of some of Imam Ja'far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq’s children, had said:

“When the Prophet (S) died, a Jew man of the descendants of Dawood (Prophet David) came to Medina and saw the streets empty. He asked what the matter was.

    فقيل: توفي رسول الله .

    فقال الداودي: أما إنه توفي في اليوم الذي هو في كتابنا، ثم قال: فأين الناس؟

    فقيل له: في المسجد .

    فأتى المسجدَ، فإذا أبو بكر وعمر وعثمان وعبد الرحمن بن عوف وأبو عبيدة بن الجراح والناس، قد غصّ المسجد بهم، فقال: أوسعوا حتى أدخلَ وأرشدوني إلى الذي خلّفه نبيكم، فأرشدوه إلى أبي بكر، فقال له: إنني من ولد داود على دين اليهودية، وقد جئتُ لأسأل عن أربعة أحرف، فإن خبرت بها أسلمتُ .

    فقالوا له: انتظر قليلاً .

It was said to him that the Prophet (S) had died.

He said: “Indeed he has died on the same day mentioned in our Book.”

Then he asked where people were. It was said to him that they had been in the mosque.

He came to the mosque where there were Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Abdurrahman bin Ouff, Abu Obayda bin al-Jarrah and a great crowd of people. He said: “Make way to let me come in and lead me to the one, whom your prophet has entrusted with his umma!”

They led him to Abu Bakr.

He said to Abu Bakr: “I am a Jew and I am from the descendants of Prophet David (as). I have come to ask about four things. If you answer me, I become a Muslim.”

He was asked to wait a little.

    وأقبل أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب من بعض أبواب المسجد، فقالوا له: عليك بالفتى .

    فقام إليه، فلمّا دنا منه قال له: أنت علي بن أبي طالب؟

    فقال له عليّ: أنت فلان بن فلان بن داود؟

    قال: نعم .

    فأخذ عليٌّ يده وجاء به إلى أبي بكر، فقال له اليهودي: إني سألتُ هؤلاء عن أربعة أحرف فأرشدوني إليك لأسألك .

    قال: اسأل .

Then Amirul Mo'mineen Ali (as) came in from one of the gates of the mosque. People said to the Jew: “Go to this young man!”

When he came near to him, he asked: “Are you Ali bin Abu Talib?”

Imam Ali (as) said to him: “Are you so-and-so the son of David (as)?”

He said: “Yes, I am.”

Imam Ali (as) took the Jew’s hand and came with him to Abu Bakr.

The Jew said to Imam Ali (as): “I asked these people about four things but they sent me to you.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “Please ask!”

    قال: ما أوّل حرفٍ كلّم الله به نبيّكم لمّا أسري به ورجع من عند ربه؟ وخبِّرني عن الملك الذي زحم نبيكم ولم يسلم عليه، وخبرني عن الأربعة الذين كشف عنهم مالك طبقاً من النار وكلّموا نبيكم؟ وخبّرني عن منبر نبيّكم أي موضع هو من الجنة؟

    قال علي: أوّل ما كلّم الله به نبيّنا قول الله تعالى

    آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ   كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ  وَقَ الُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا   غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

    قال: ليس هذا أردتُ .

    قال: فقولُ رسول الله

    آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ   كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُ سُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ   وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا  غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

    قال: ليس هذا أردتُ .

The Jew asked: “What was the first thing that was revealed to your prophet when he came back from his Lord after his Ascension? Who was the angel that pushed your prophet away and did not greet him? Who were the four men, from above whom Angel Malik had removed a cover of Fire and who had talked with your prophet? In which position of Paradise will the minbar of your prophet be?”

Imam Ali (as) said: “The first thing that Allah has revealed to our prophet after the Ascension is: (The messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord).58 ”

The Jew said: “It is not this that I mean.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “Then it is (and (so do) the believers; they all believe in Allah).59 ”

He said: “It is not this that I mean.”

    قال: اتركِ الأمرَ مستوراً .

    قال: لَتخبِرنّي أو لستَ أنت هو .

    فقال: أما إذ أبيتَ فإن رسول الله لمّا رجع من عند ربه والحجبُ ترفع له قبل أن يصير إلى موضع جبرئيل ناداه ملَك: أحمد، قال: إن الله يقرء عليك السلامَ ويقول لك: أقرأ على السيد الوليّ منّا السلامَ، فقال رسولُ الله: مَن السيد الولي؟ فقال الملَك: عليّ بن أبي طالب .

    قال اليهودي: صدقتَ والله إني لأجدُ ذلك في كتاب أبي .

Imam Ali (as) said: “Then let the matter be hidden.”

The Jew said: “You are to tell me the truth. Are you not the one, whom I mean?”

Imam Ali (as) said: “As you insist on that, I shall tell the truth. When the Prophet (S) came back from his Lord, where the screens were opened before him, and before he got to the place of Gabriel, an angel had called: “O Ahmad!”60

The Prophet (S) said: “Here I am.”

The angel said: “Allah sends you His greeting and says to you: “Deliver Our greeting to the master of guardians.”

The Prophet (S) asked: “Who is the master of guardians?”

The angel replied: “He is Ali bin Abu Talib.”

The Jew said to Imam Ali (as): “You are right. I have found that in my father’s book.”

    فقال علي: أما الملَك الذي زحم رسول الله فملك الموت جاء به من عند جبارٍ من أهل الدينا قد تكلم بكلام عظيم فغضب الله، فزحم رسول الله ولم يعرفه، فقال جبرئيل: يا ملك الموت، هذا رسولُ الله أحمد حبيب الله ، فرجع إليه فلصق به واعتذر وقال: يا رسول الله إني أتيت ملِكاً جباراً قد تكلّم بكلام عظيم فغضبتُ ولم أعرفكَ، فعذره. وأما الأربعة الذين كشف عنهم مالك طبقاً من النار فإن رسول الله مرّ بمالك ولم يضحك منذ خلق قط، فقال له جبرئيل: يا مالكُ، هذا نبيّ الرحمة محمدٌ، فتبسم في وجهه ولم يتبسم لأحدٍ غيره، فقال رسول الله: مُره أن يكشف طبقاً من النار، فكشف فإذا قابيل ونمرود وفرعون وهامان، فقالوا: يا محمد اسأل ربّك أن يردّنا إلى دار الدنيا حتى نعمل صالحاً، فغضب جبرئيلُ فقال بريشة من ريش جناحه فردّ عليهم طبق النار .

Imam Ali (as) said: “As for the angel, who had pushed the Prophet (S) away, he was the Angel of Death. He had come from an arrogant of the people of the earth, who had uttered something that made Allah angry. Then Gabriel said to the Angel of Death: “This is Ahmad, the beloved messenger of Allah.” The Angel of Death came back, embraced the Prophet (S), apologized and said to him: “O messenger of Allah, I went to a tyrant king, who uttered bad things that made me very angry so that I did not know you.” The Prophet (S) accepted his apology. As for the four men, from above whom Angel Malik had removed a cover of Fire, that when the Prophet (S) passed by Angel Malik, who had never smiled since he had been created at all, Gabriel said: “O Malik, this is Muhammad, the prophet of mercy.” Then Malik smiled to the Prophet (S) and he did never smile to anyone else than Muhammad (as). The Prophet (S) said to Gabriel: “Order him to uncover a layer of Fire!” He uncovered a layer of Fire and there appeared Qabeel (Cain), Nimrod, Pharaoh and Haman. They said: “O Muhammad, ask your god to send us back to the worldly life in order to do good!” Gabriel became angry and with a feather of his wing he returned the layer of Fire upon them.

    وأما منبر رسول الله فإن مسكن رسول الله جنةُ عدن وهي جنة خلقها الله بيده ومعه فيها اثنا عشر وصياً، وفوقها قبة يقال لها: قبة الرضوان، وفوق قبة الرضوان منْزل يقال له: الوسيلة، وليس في الجنة منْزل يشبهه وهو منبر رسول الله .

    قال اليهودي: صدقتَ واللهِ إنه لفي كتاب أبي داود يتوارثونه واحد بعد واحد حتى صار إليّ .

    ثم أخرج كتاباً فيه ما ذكره مسطوراً بخط داود، ثم قال: مدَّ يدك، فأنا أشهد أن لا إله إلاّ الله وأن محمداً رسول الله، وأنه الذي بشّر به موسى ، وأشهد أنّك عالم هذه الأمة ووصيُّ رسول الله. قال: فعلّمه أمير المؤمنين شرايعَ الدين .

As for the minbar of the Prophet (S), the abode of the Prophet (S) is the Garden of Eden, which Allah has created with His (hand). There are twelve guardians will be with the Prophet (S) in this Garden. Above this abode there is a dome called the dome of ar-Radhwan (contentment). Above the dome there is a house called al-Wasseela (the means), which no house in Paradise looks like it. It is the minbar of the Prophet (S).”

The Jew said: “By Allah, you are right. This has been mentioned in the book of my father David (as). The book has been inherited by one after the other until it has reached me.” Then he took out a book written by Prophet David (as) and said to Imam Ali (as): “Give me your hand! I witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. It is he, of whom Prophet Moses (as) has informed. And I witness that you are the jurisprudent of this umma and the guardian of the messenger of Allah.”

Then Imam Ali (as) began to teach him the laws of Islam.”61

The Book of Allah, the traditions of the Prophet (S), Imam Ali (as) and all the imams one after the other had confirmed that the number of the imams is twelve.

No one among the Shia denies that the book of Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali is considered as one of the important books of the doctrine of the Shia. All that is mentioned in the book has been narrated from the Prophet (S), imam Ali (as), al-Miqdad, Salman al-Farisi Abu Tharr and their likes, who have accompanied the Prophet (S) and Amirul Mo'mineen (as). It is one of the sources that the Shia have depended on and referred to.

Traditions narrated by the Sunnis

    31 - ما رواه محمد بن عثمان بن علان الدهني البغدادي بدمشق، قال: حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي خيثمة قال: حدثنا علي بن الجعد، قال: حدثنا زهير بن معاوية، عن زياد بن خيثمة، عن الأسود بن سعيد الهمداني، قال: سمعت جابر بن سمرة يقول: سمعت رسول الله يقول :

    يكون بعدي اثنا عشر خليفة كلهم من قريش .

    قال: فلما رجع إلى منْزله أتته قريش فقالوا له: ثم يكون ماذا؟

    قال: ثم يكون الهرج .

(31) Muhammad bin Uthman bin Allan ad-Duhni al-Bagdhadi narrated from Abu Bakr bin Khaythama from Ali bin al-Ja’d from Zuhayr bin Mo’awiya from Ziyad bin Khuthayma from al-Aswad bin Sa'eed al-Hamadani from Jabir bin Samra that the Prophet (S) had said:

“There will be twelve caliphs after me; all of them are from Quraysh.” When the Prophet (S) went home, the people of Quraysh came to him asking: “Then what will happen?” He said: “Commotion will be then.”62

    32 - أخبرنا محمد بن عثمان قال: حدثنا ابن أبي خيثمة، قال: حدثني علي بن الجعد، قال: حدثنا زهير بن معاوية، عن زياد بن علاقة وسماك بن حرب وحصين بن عبد الرحمن كلهم عن جابر بن سمرة أن رسول الله قال :

    يكون بعدي اثنا عشر خليفة .

    ثم تكلم بشيء لم أفهمه فقال بعضهم: سألت القوم فقالوا قال :

    كلهم من قريش .

(32) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from ibn Abu Olaqa, Sammak bin Harb and Hussayn bin Khaythama from Ali bin al-Ja’d from Zuhayr bin Mo’awiya from Ziyad bin Abdurrahman from Jabir bin Samra that the Prophet (S) had said:

“There will be twelve caliphs after me.” Then he (the Prophet (S)) said something that I could not understand. Some people said that the Prophet (S) had said: “All of them are from Quraysh.”63

    33 - أخبرنا محمد بن عثمان قال: حدثنا أحمد قال: حدثنا عبيد الله بن عمر قال: حدثنا سليمان الأعمش، قال: حدثنا ابن عون، عن الشعبي، عن جابر بن سمرة قال: ذكر أن النبي قال :

    لا يزال أهل هذا الدين ينصرون على من ناواهم إلى اثني عشر خليفة .

    - فجعل الناس يقومون ويقعدون - وتكلم بكلمة لم أفهمها، فقلت لأبي أو آخر: أي شيء قال؟ قال: فقال :

    كلهم من قريش .

(33) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from Ahmad from Obaydillah bin Umar from Sulayman al-A’mash from ibn Oun from ash-Shi’bi that Jabir bin Samra had said: “It was mentioned that the Prophet (S) had said:

“The people of the religion will still defeat their enemies until twelve imams (come).”

People began to stand up and sit down. He (the Prophet (S)) said something that I could not understand. I asked my father or someone else what the Prophet (S) had said. He replied that the Prophet (S) had said: “All of them are from Quraysh.”64

    34 - أخبرنا محمد بن عثمان قال: حدثنا أحمد بن أبي خيثمة، قال: حدثني يحيى بن معين، قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن صالح، قال: حدثنا الليث بن سعد، عن خالد بن يزيد، عن سعيد بن أبي هلال، عن ربيعة بن سيف، قال، كنا عند شفي الاصبحي قال: سمعت عبد الله بن عمرو يقول: سمعت رسول الله يقول :

    يكون خلفي اثنا عشر خليفة .

(34) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from Ahmad bin Abu Khaythama from Yahya bin Mo’een from Abdullah bin Salih from al-Layth bin Sa’d from Khalid bin Yazeed from Sa'eed bin Abu Hilal that Rabee’a bin Sayf had said:

“Once we were with Shufiy al-Assbahi. He said that he had heard Abdullah bin Umar saying: I heard the Prophet (S) saying: “After me there will be twelve caliphs.”65

    35 - أخبرنا محمد بن عثمان قال: حدثنا أحمد، قال: حدثنا عفان ويحيى بن إسحاق السالحيني قالا: حدثنا حماد بن سلمة، قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن عثمان عن أبى الطفيل قال: قال لي عبد الله بن عمرو: يا أبا الطفيل إعدد اثني عشر من بني كعب بن لؤي ثم يكون النقف والنقاف .

(35) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from Ahmad from Affan and Yahya bin Iss’haq as-Saleheeni from Hammad bin Salama from Abdullah bin Uthman from Abut-Tufayl that Abdullah bin Umar had said to him:

“O Abut-Tufayl, Count twelve ones of bani66 Ka’b bin Lu’ay and then fighting and killing occur.”67

    36 - أخبرنا محمد بن عثمان قال: حدثنا المقدمي عن عاصم بن عمر بن علي بن مقدام قال: حدثنا أبي، عن فطر بن خليفة، عن أبى خالد الوالبي، قال: حدثنا جابر بن سمرة قال: سمعت رسول الله يقول :

    لا يزال هذا الأمر ظاهراً لا يضره من ناواه حتى يكون اثنا عشر خليفة كلهم من قريش .

(36) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from al-Muqaddami from Aasim bin Umar bin Ali bin Miqdam from his father from Fitr bin Khaleefa from Abu Khalid al-Walibi that Jabir bin Samra had heard the Prophet (S) saying:

“This matter (the religion) will still prevail without being harmed by the enemies until there will be twelve caliphs; all of them are from Quraysh.”68

    37 - أخبرنا محمد بن عثمان قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن جعفر الرقي، قال: حدثنا عيسى بن يونس، عن مجالد بن سعيد، عن الشعبي، عن مسروق قال: كنا عند ابن مسعود فقال له رجل: أحدَّثكم نبيُّكم كم يكون بعده من الخلفاء؟ فقال: نعم وما سألني عنها أحد قبلك، فإنك للأحدث القوم سناً، سمعته يقول :

    يكون بعدي عدة نقباء موسى عليه السلام .

(37) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from Abdullah bin Ja'far ar-Riqqi from Eessa bin Younus from Mujalid bin Sa'eed from ash-Shi’bi that Massrooq had said: Once we were with ibn Mass’ood in his house. Someone asked him: “Have your prophet told you how many caliphs will be after him?” Ibn Mass’ood said: “Yes, He has. But no one has asked me about this matter before you. You are the youngest of these people. I have heard the Prophet (S) saying:

“After me there will be (caliphs) as the number of the chieftains of Prophet Moses (as).”69

    38 - أخبرنا محمد بن عثمان قال: حدثنا أحمد بن أبي خيثمة، قال: حدثنا الفضل بن دكين، قال: حدثنا فطر، قال: حدثنا أبو خالد الوالبي، قال: سمعت جابر بن سمرة السوائي يقول: قال رسول الله :

    لا يضر هذا الدين من ناواه حتى يمضي اثنا عشر خليفة كلهم من قريش .

(38) Muhammad bin Uthman narrated from Ahmad bin Abu Khaythama from al-Fadhl bin Dukayn from Fitr from Abu Khalid al-Walibi from Jabir bin Samra as-Sawwa’iy that the Prophet (S) had said:

“This religion will not be harmed by its enemies until twelve caliphs, who all are from Quraysh, pass away.”70

The traditions narrated by the Sunnis concerning this subject are so many.71 The traditions show clearly that the Prophet (S) has meant by the twelve caliphs the twelve imams of his descendants. The tradition, saying that commotion will take place, refers to the commotion that will happen after the end of the rule of Imam al-Mahdi (al-Qa’im), the commotion that will last for fifty years.

Several twelve rulers have ruled after the Prophet (S) or after Imam Ali (as), who has been the only true caliph. Definitely the Prophet (S) has referred by his sayings to the twelve infallible imams of his progeny, who are with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with them and who will never part with the Qur'an until they come to the Prophet (S) at his pond in Paradise.

Furthermore there are other evidences mentioned in the Torah confirming our subject.

It has been mentioned in the first book of the Old Testament when talking about the story of Ishmael and after the end of the story of Sara. Allah has addressed Prophet Abraham (as), concerning the matter of his wife and her child, by saying: (I have responded to your prayer regarding Ishmael. I have blessed him and I will do more and more. He will beget twelve great men. I will make them imams as a great nation.)

Abdul Haleem bin al-Husayn as-Samriy read to me what a Jew man called al-Husayn bin Sulayman, who was one of the Jewish jurisprudents, had dictated to him in Arrajan.72 The names and the number of the imams (as) had been mentioned in Hebrew. From among what he had read to me was this passage: “One of the descendants of Ishmael will be delegated (as a prophet). He is called Mabad or Mamad that it means Muhammad. He will be a master over people. From his progeny there will be twelve men. They will be imams and masters, whom people will imitate. Their names are: Taqobeet, Feethwa, Thabeera, Mafssora, Massmoo’a, Domoh, Thabo, Hathar, Yathmo, Bator, Nouqass and Qeedmuwa.”

The Jew had been asked about these names and he said that they had been mentioned in the story of Prophet Solomon (as). He had mentioned another passage of the story: (From the progeny of Ishmael a blessed boy is born. My blessing and mercy be upon him. Twelve men of his progeny are honored and glorified. The name of this man is elevated and glorified and his mention is exalted.)

This speech was read to Musa bin Imran bin Zakariyya the Jew and he confirmed it. Iss’haq bin Ibraheem bin Bakhtwayh Bahsoon al-Fasawi and Sulayman bin Dawood an-Noubenjani, who were Jews, confirmed it too.

The Qur'an, the traditions narrated by the Shia from the Prophet (S) and the infallible imams, the traditions narrated by the Sunnis, the previous divine Books and their followers has confirmed that the imams are twelve ones. After all, is there any excuse for the deniers and the resisters?

These are sufficient evidences for those, whom Allah has guided to His pure religion and straight path. Surely those, who deny the infallible imams, will lose. Allah has said addressing His prophet:

    وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ   إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ  وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ

You are only a warner and (there is) a guide for every people.73

In every age there is an imam, by whom Allah guides those who follow him and believe in him and He leaves those who deny him (the imam) and turn away from him to their own opinions and analogies.

    39 - أخبرنا أحمد بن محمد بن سعيد بن عبد الرحمن بن عقدة قال: حدثنا محمد بن سالم بن عبد الرحمن الأزدي في شوال سنة إحدى وثمانين ومائتين، قال: حدثنا عثمان بن سعيد الطويل، عن أحمد بن سير، عن موسى بن بكر الواسطي، عن الفضيل عن أبي عبد الله في قوله

    وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ   إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ  وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ

    قال :

    كلُّ إمام هادٍ للقرن الذي هو فيهم .

(39) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed bin Abdurrahman bin Oqda narrated from Muhammad bin Salim bin Abdurrahman al-Azdi from Uthman bin Sa'eed at-Taweel from Ahmad bin Sayr from Musa bin Bakr al-Wasiti from al-Fudhayl that Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) had said when talking about the Qur’anic verse (You are only a warner and (there is) a guide for every people):

“Each imam is a guide to the people of his age.”74

    40 - أخبرنا أحمد بن محمد بن سعيد بن عبد الرحمن بن عقدة قال: حدثنا محمد بن سالم بن عبد الرحمن الأزدي في شوال سنة إحدى وستين ومائتين، قال: حدثنا علي بن الحسن بن رباط، عن منصور بن حازم، عن عبد الرحيم القصير، عن أبى جعفر الباقر في قول الله تعالى

    وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ   إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ  وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ

    قال :

    رسولُ الله المنذرُ، وعليٌّ الهادي. أما واللهِ ما ذهبت منا وما زالت فينا إلى الساعة .

(40) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed bin Abdurrahman bin Oqda narrated from Muhammad bin Salim bin Abdurrahman al-Azdi from Ali bin al-Husayn bin Rabat from Mansoor bin Hazim from Abdurrahman al-Qasseer that Imam Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) had said when talking about the verse (You are only a warner and (there is) a guide for every people):

“The Prophet (S) is the warner and Ali is the guide. By Allah, it (the mission) has never been away from us and it will still among us until the Day of Resurrection. May Allah make us do what pleases Him!”

Notes

1. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.272, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.10 p.619, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.135.

2. A-Kafi, vol.1 p.247, 532, al-Khissal p.479, Kamal ad-Deen p.304, Kifayatul Athar p.220, al-Istinsar p.13-14, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.141.

3. Al-Kafi, vol.1 p.338, al-Hidaya al-Kubra p.88, Ithbat al-Wassiyya p.225, 229, Kamal ad-Deen p.228, Kifayatul Athar p.219, Dala’il al-Imama p.289, al-Ikhtisas p.209, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.164, Biharul Anwar, vol.51 p.117.

4. Imam ar-Redha (as) was buried in Tooss, a city in Iran, and then Haroon ar-Rasheed, the Abbasid caliph was buried beside him.

5. A dynasty in Iran.

6. Qur'an, 2:157.

7. Al-Kafi, vol.1 p.527, Kamal ad-Deen p.308, Oyoon Akhbar ar-Redha vol.1 p.41, al-Ikhtisas p.210, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.143, Manaqib by ibn Shahrashoop vol.1 p.296.

8. He is the fourth imam of the Shia.

9. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.272, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.228.

10. Hashim is the grandfather of the Prophet (S).

11. Ithbat al-Wassiyya p.225, 227, Kamal ad-Deen p.281, Dala’il al-Imama p.240, Muqtadhab al-Athar p.9-10, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.142, al-Istinsar p.8, al-Mukhtasar p.159.

12. Sulaym bin Qayss was one of Imam Ali’s companions. Al-Hajjaj bin Yousuf ordered to kill him. He fled and resorted to Abban bin Abu Ayyash. He remained hidden there until he was about to die where he said to Abban: “I am about to die and you have done me a great favor. O my nephew, after the Prophet (S) so and so had occurred…” He gave him a book. No one had ever narrated this from Sulaym except Abban.

13. Qur'an, 5:55.

14. Khum is a place between Mecca and Medina.

15. Dhuhr means Noon.

16. Qur'an, 5:3.

17. Qur'an, 33:33.

18. She is the Prophet’s wife.

19. Qur'an, 22:77-78.

20. Muhajireen: the first Muslims, who had emigrated from Mecca to Medina.

21. The book of Sulaym bin Qayss p.148, Kamal ad-Deen p.274, Biharul Anwar, vol.33 p.159, al-Yateema wed Durra ath-Thameena p.57.

22. The book of Sulaym bin Qayss p.152, al-Fadha’il by Shathan p.142-145, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.1 p.179, 204, Biharul Anwar, vol.15 p.236, vol.16 p.84.

23. Qur'an, 63:4.

24. Qur'an, 59:7.

25. Qur'an, 4:59.

26. The book of Sulaym bin Qayss p.103-108, al-Ayyash’s Tafseer, vol.1 p.14, Al-Kafi, vl.1 p.62, al-Mustarshid p.29-31, Kamal ad-Deen, vol.1 p.284, al-Khissal p.255, Tuhaf al-Oqool p.193-196, Nahjol Balagha p.325.

27. Al-Ansar: the people of Medina, who believed in the Prophet (S) and assisted him and his companions when emigrated from Mecca.

28. Umar bin al-Khattab.

29. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.277, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.210.

30. Qur'an, 9:32.

31. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.278, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.209.

32. Qur'an, 25:11.

33. Tafseer al-Burhan, vol.3 p.175, al-Mahajja p.153, Biharul Anwar, vol. 36 p.298, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.272.

34. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.399, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p.272.

35. Tafseer by al-Qummi, vol.2 p.112, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.1 p.622, Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.399, al-Mahajja p.153, 154.

36. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.399, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.273.

37. Biharul Anwar, vol.24 p.241, vol.36 p.393, vol.51 p.139, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.267.

38. Qur'an, 9:36.

39. Muqtadhab al-Athar p.30, Manaqib by ibn Shahrashoob, vol.1 p.307, Ta’weel al-Aayat, vol.1 p.203, Biharul Anwar, vol.24 p.243, vol.36 p.400, vol.47 p.141.

40. He is the seventh imam of the Shia.

41. Qur'an, 56:10-11.

42. Mukhtassar Bassa’ir ad-Darajat p.175, Ta’weel al-Aayat, vol.2 p.642, Tafseer al-Burhan, vol.4 p.275, Biharul Anwar, vol.35 p.333, vol.36 p.401.

43. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.401, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.275, vol.21 p.33.

44. Qur'an, 3:34.

45. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.279, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.243.

46. Al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.135, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1 p.547, 623, 676, Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.259, 281.

47. Mahmood and Muhammad mean praiseworthy.

48. Al-Qa’im is one of Imam al-Mahdi’s surnames.

49. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.280, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.35, 44.

50. Al-Khissal p.419, 480, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.140, Manaqib by ibn Shahrashoob, vol.1 p.296, Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.392, 395.

51. Eid al-Adha and eid al-Fitr.

52. Three days spent In Mina during the performance of hajj after the Day of Immolation.

53. Al-Kafi, vol.1 p.534, vol.4 p.141, Men la Yahdhuruhu al-Faqeeh, vol.2 p.127, al-Istibsar, vol.2 p.79, Tahtheeb al-Ahkam, vol.4 p.183.

54. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.231, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.101.

55. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.395, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.268.

56. He referred to Umar with this title.

57. Al-Kafi, vol.1 p.529, 531, Ithbat al-Wassiyya p.228, Kamal ad-Deen p.294, 297, 299, 300, al-Khissal p.476, Oyoon Akhbar ar-Redha, vol.1 p.52.

58. Qur'an, 2:285.

59. Qur'an, 2:285.

60. Ahmad is another name of the Prophet (S).

61. Biharul Anwar, vol.10 p.23.

62. Al-Istinsar p.25, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.127, Taqreeb al-Ma’arif p.174, Qissass al-Anbiya’ by ar-Rawandi p.369, Awalim al-Uloom, vol. 15/3 p.111, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.2 p.258.

63. Al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.128, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.1 p.545, Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.236, Ghayatul Maram p.200.

64. Al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.128, Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.237, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.1 p.546.

65. Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.237, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.108.

66. Bani means the family of or the tribe of.

67. Al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.131, Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.237, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.109.

68. Taqreeb al-Ma’arif p.175, Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.238, Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.110.

69. Taqreeb al-Ma’arif p.173, Biharul Anwar, vol.36 p.233.

70. Awalim al-Uloom, vol.15/3 p.110.

71. Refer to Sahih of Muslim, Sahih of al-Bukhari, Sunan of at-Tarmithi, Musnad of Ahmad bin Hanbal, vol.1 p.398, 406, vol.5 p.86-107.

72. A big city in Persia. Refer to Marasid al-Ittila’, vol.1 p.52.

73. Qur'an, 13:7.

74. Basa’ir ad-Darajat p.30, Al-Kafi, vol.1 p.191, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1 p.81, Biharul Anwar, vol.23 p.54.