GLIMPSES OF SHIA ISLAM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I nt r oduct i on
Chapt er 1: The Last Apost l e of God
Chapt er 2: The Lady of Par adi se, Fat i ma Zahr a
Chapt er 3: The Fi r st I mam
Chapt er 4: The Second I mam
Chapt er 5: The Thi r d I mam
Chapt er 6: The Four t h I mam
Chapt er 7: The Fi f t h I mam
Chapt er 8: The Si xt h I mam
Chapt er 9: The Sevent h I mam
Chapt er 10: The Ei ght h I mam
Chapt er 11: The Ni net h I mam
Chapt er 12: The Tent h I mam
Chapt er 13: The El event h I mam
Chapt er 14: The Twel f t h I mam
Chapt er 15: The Compani ons

I N THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE GRACI OUS, THE MERCI FUL

Say: " He, God, i s One.
God, t he Needl ess.
He beget s not , nor i s He begot t en.
And t her e i s none l i ke Hi m.
( Sur a 112 - Al I khl as)


There are two major divisions in Islam: The Shias and the Sunnis. This book aims at
providing an insiders look at Shiism and Shia thought.
According to Shia theology, religions roots are five:
1. Tawheed (Unity of God)
2. Adalat (J ustice of God)
3. Nabuwat (Divine Messengers of God)
4. Imamat (Divine Leadership)
5. Qayamat (Day of J udgement)

Tawheed, or Oneness of God is the primary principle of Islam. In simple terms, oneness
means that God is indivisible, unique, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. He knows what
is best for his creations and in His infinite J ustice, he sent infallible Messengers to guide his
sentient creatures and help them achieve greatness. Muhammad was the last Messenger. Quran
was the last Divine Revelation. The need after the last Message was to safeguard the Message
until the Day of J udgement and for that purpose God appointed Divine Leaders or the infallible
Imams. According authentic traditions, there are twelve Imams or successors of Muhammad and
the last of them, whose title is Mahdi, has been given a long life. He is in occultation and will re-
appear to fill the world with justice when it will be rampant with injustice. This, in a nutshell, are
the tenets of Shiism.
The beliefs and the ideal day-to-day lifestyle of a Shia are based on the teachings found
in Quran and the sayings and actions of the fourteen infallibles, i.e. Muhammad, his daughter
Fatima, and the twelve Imams.
Who are these twelve Imams or divine leaders?

THE TWELVE SUCCESSORS OF MOHAMMAD: A Br i ef Di scussi on

The Apost l e of I sl amst at ed t hat hi s successor s wi l l be t wel ve i n number .
Thi s t r adi t i on i s quot ed f r omnumer ous sour ces i n numer ous i mpor t ant books of
Ahl al - Sunna, i ncl udi ng Bukhar i , Musl i m, Masnad e- Ahmed Hambal , Abu- Daoud,
Ti r mi dhi , Tabar ani , Masnad al - Hami di , Must adr ak of Haki m, et c. Some wr i t er s
have count ed up t o mor e t han t wo hundr ed and sevent y nar r at i ves of t hi s
t r adi t i on. Thi s makes t hi s t r adi t i on i r r ef ut abl e.
Who, t hen, ar e t hese t wel ve successor s of t he hol y Apost l e?
Unquest i onabl y, Al i i bn Abi Tal i b i s t he f i r st successor of t he Apost l e
of I sl am, as i s cl ear f r omnumer ous cl ear t r adi t i ons, chi ef among t hembei ng
t he t r adi t i on of Ghadeer e- Khum.
J ust a f ew mont hs bef or e hi s passi ng away, t he Apost l e per f or med t he l ast
Haj of hi s l i f e. On hi s cal l , t housands of Musl i ms f r omnear and f ar j oi ned
hi mf or t he Haj j . Af t er t he Haj j , t he Apost l e and t he Musl i ms l ef t f or

Madi na. They had not gone ver y f ar when, at God' s command, t he Apost l e of
I sl amst opped t hemal l at a pl ace cal l ed Ghadi r Khum. Her e, he or der ed a
pedest al t o be made of t he pal anqui ns f r omt he camel s. When t hi s was r eady,
t he Apost l e cl i mbed up t he pedest al and del i ver ed a ser mon. Then he r ai sed
Al i i bn Abi Tal i b hi gh up on hi s hands and sai d:
" Thi s Al i i s t he mast er of t hose of whomI amt he mast er . "
And t hen he r ai sed hi s hands i n suppl i cat i on t o God, and sai d:
" O Al l ah! Love hi mwho l ove Al i and be t he enemy of t he enemy of Al i ;
hel p hi mwho hel ps Al i , and f or sake hi mwho f or sakes Al i . "
And t hus, i n t he pr esence of t housands of Musl i ms, t he Apost l e appoi nt ed
Al i as hi s successor .
Thi s t r adi t i on i s quot ed i n count l ess aut hent i c books of Ahl al - Sunna
( t he Sunni s) , some of whi ch ar e:
Musl i m: Sahi h
Ahmed Hanbal : Masnad
Ni sai : Ki t ab al - Khasai s
Haki mNi shapur i : Must adr ak
Haki mHakani : Shawahi d al - Tanzi l
Syut i : Taf si r Dur r al - Mant hoor
Raazi : Taf si r Kabi r
Mohammad Abduh: Taf si r al - Mi nar
I bn Asaker Shaf a' i : Hi st or y of Damascus
I bn Tal ha Shaf a' i : Mat al i b al - Suool
I bn Sabagh Mal i ki : Fusool al - Muhi mma
Sul ai man Qandozi Hanaf i : Yanabi ' al - Muwadda
I bn J ur ai r Tabar i : Ki t ab al - Wi l aya
Badr uddi n Hanaf i : Umdat al - Qar i f i Shar h al - Bukhar i
Abdul wahhab Bukhar i : Taf si r al - Qur ' an
Haf i z Abu Na' eem: Nuzool al - Qur ' an
Humwai ni : Far ai d al - Si mt ai n
Thi s t r adi t i on has been nar r at ed di r ect l y f r omt he hol y Apost l e by at
l east one hundr ed and t en compani ons of t he Messenger of God. For mor e
det ai l s, Al l ama Ami ni ' s book, Al - Ghadeer , may be r ef er r ed.
The second and t he t hi r d successor s ar e I mamHasan and I mamHussai n, sons
of Al i and Fat i ma. Thi s i s cl ear f r omt he many st at ement s of t he Last
Messenger of God, one of whi ch i s gi ven bel ow:
" Al i i s my br ot her and my i nher i t or and successor and l eader of al l
bel i ever s af t er me; t hen Hasan; t hen Hussai n; t hen ni ne f r omt he sons of
Hussai n: t he Qur ' an i s wi t h t hemand t hey ar e wi t h t he Qur ' an, and wi l l not
par t t i l l t hey ar r i ve at t he pool ( of Kaut har ) . " ( Humwai ni )
Concer ni ng t he ni ne successor s bei ng t he descendent s of Hussai n, l et me
quot e one mor e t r adi t i on ( out of many) : I n t he books of Syed Al i Hamdan,
Shaaf a' i , Akht ab Khwar i zm, et c. , i t i s r epor t ed f r omSal man may God bl ess
hi m) , t hat he once saw t he Apost l e such t hat Hussai n was si t t i ng on hi s
l ap and t he Apost l e was ki ssi ng hi s eyes and l i ps sayi ng, " You ar e sayyed*
and son of sayyed. You ar e I mamand son of I mam. You ar e huj j at ( of God) and
son of huj j at and f at her of ni ne huj j at s, t he ni net h of whomi s Qaem. "
Di d t he Apost l e ever i ndi cat e al l hi s t wel ve successor s by names?
Agai n, t he answer i s: yes.
A J ew whose name was Na' t hal , asked t he Apost l e some quest i on. Dur i ng t he
quest i ons, he asked about t he successor s of t he Apost l e. The Apost l e sai d:
" Af t er me, my successor i s Al i i bn Abi Tal i b and af t er hi mmy t wo sons Hasan
and Hussai n, and t hen t her e wi l l be ni ne I mams f r omt he pr ogeny of Hussai n. "
Na' t hal asked t hei r names. The Apost l e r epl i ed: " When Hussai n wi l l l eave t he
wor l d, hi s son Al i wi l l be hi s successor ; when Al i wi l l l eave t he wor l d, hi s

son Mohammad wi l l be hi s successor ; when Mohammad wi l l l eave t he wor l d, hi s

son J a' f ar wi l l be hi s successor ; when J a' f ar wi l l l eave t he wor l d, hi s son
Moosa wi l l be hi s successor ; when Moosa wi l l l eave t he wor l d, hi s son Al i
wi l l be hi s successor ; when Al i wi l l l eave t he wor l d, hi s son Mohammad wi l l
be hi s successor ; when Mohammad wi l l l eave t he wor l d, hi s son Al i wi l l be hi s
successor ; when Al i wi l l l eave t he wor l d, hi s son Hasan wi l l be hi s
successor ; when Hasan wi l l l eave t he wor l d, hi s son . . . Al - Mahdi wi l l be hi s
successor . These ar e t he t wel ve. " ( Qandozi : Yanabi ' al - Muwadda)
( The t er m, Syed, used above i s an honor i f i c used f or t he pr ogeny of Al i
i bne- Abi Tal i b) .
Ther e shoul d be no doubt s now about t he names of t he t wel ve successor s of
t he Apost l e of I sl am.

ABOUT THE PRESENT BOOK: The best and most accurate way to study Shiism is to look at
these teachings found in the various events, incidents and anecdotes in the lives of the fourteen
infallibles. The next fourteen chapters present such anecdotes for contemplation. The final
chapter presents more anecdotes, this time from the lives of staunch companions of the Apostle
and Imams, for further insights into Shia faith. Sources are stated at the end of each anecdote.
Some of the chapters are preceded by translations of appropriate Quranic verses.


Ahmed A. Khan
Emai l : khan. ahmeda@gmai l . com

Chapter 1

THE LAST APOSTLE OF GOD
MOHAMMED IBN ABDULLAH

o Birth: 570 AD
o Passed away: 632 AD
o Age at the time of death: 62 years

And we sent you not ( O' Our Messenger Mohammad! )
but a Mer cy unt o ( al l ) t he wor l ds.
( 21: 107)

Er r s not your Compani on ( Our Messenger Mohammad)
nor i s he l ed ast r ay; And nor he speaks of ( hi s
own) i ncl i nat i on; I t ( t he wor di ng) i s naught but
a r evel at i on r eveal ed ( t o hi m) .
( 53: 2- 4)

*
When t he Apost l e of I sl amwas 35 year s ol d, i t was deci ded t hat Ka' aba
was i n need of r econst r uct i on. Al l t he t r i bes of Qur ai sh j oi ned f or ces i n
t hi s endeavour and ever yt hi ng pr oceeded smoot hl y t i l l i t was t i me t o f i x t he
sacr ed " Bl ack St one" ( Haj r Aswad) i nt o t he wal l of Ka' aba.
Di sput e er upt ed over whi ch t r i be woul d get t he honour of f i xi ng t hi s
st one. I t seemed t hat st r eams of bl ood woul d soon f l ow, when t he most aged
per son of t he Qur ai sh pr esent ed t he i dea: " Let us sel ect as adj udi cat or t he
f i r st per son t o ent er t he mosque now and l et us agr ee t o accept what ever he
decr ees concer ni ng t he pl acement of t he Bl ack St one. " Ever ybody accept ed t hi s
suggest i on and began wai t i ng t o see who woul d ent er t he mosque.
J ust t hen, t he Apost l e ent er ed and ever yone of t he Qur ai sh sai d: " O, t hi s
i s t he t r ust wor t hy one ( ami n) , t hi s i s Mohammed. We gl adl y accept hi s
decr ee. "
They pr esent ed t he pr obl emt o t he Apost l e who t hen sai d, " Br i ng a sheet
of cl ot h. "
The sheet was br ought . The Apost l e spr ead t he sheet on t he gr ound and
pl aced t he Bl ack St one over i t . Then he sai d, " Let t he l eader s of al l t he
t r i bes l i f t t he sheet so t hat each t r i be has equal shar e i n t he honour . "
Thi s way, t he Bl ack St one was br ought t o t he wal l of Ka' aba, wher eupon,
t he Apost l e hi msel f l i f t ed up t he st one i n hi s bl essed hands and f i xed i t i n
pl ace. ( Seer at I bn Hi sham)
*
A man once appr oached t he Apost l e and compl ai ned about t he har sh mean
t r eat ment of hi s nei ghbour t owar d hi m.
" Have pat i ence. Don' t make l oud compl ai nt s agai nst your nei ghbour , but
change your at t i t ude t owar d hi ma l i t t l e. "
Af t er a f ew days, t he man agai n appr oached t he Apost l e and r ei t er at ed hi s
compl ai nt . Once agai n, t he Apost l e advi sed hi mt o have pat i ence.
A f ew days passed, and t he man appr oached t he Apost l e f or t he t hi r d t i me.
" O Messenger of God! " he sai d. " My nei ghbour doesn' t st op hi s
mi st r eat ment and cont i nues t o har r ass me and my househol d. "

Thi s t i me, t he Apost l e sai d, " I t i s Fr i day. You go t o your house, t ake
your bel ongi ngs out and put t hemby t he si de of t he r oad at such a spot wher e
your bel ongi ngs can be obser ved by ever ybody comi ng and goi ng on t he r oad.
Seei ng your bel ongi ngs scat t er ed t hus, t hey wi l l ask you why you have br ought
t hemout of your house. When peopl e ask t hi s, you shoul d t el l t hemt hat you
ar e har r assed by t he bad t r eat ment of your nei ghbour . Thi s way you wi l l
convey your compl ai nt t o t he popul ace. "
The man f ol l owed t he Apost l e' s i nst r uct i ons and di d as he was t ol d. The
st or y of t he bad t r eat ment of t he nei ghbour began t o ci r cul at e and soon
r eached t he ear s of t he t r oubl esome nei ghbour hi msel f . Hear i ng t hi s and
r eal i si ng t hat i f t hi s cont i nued, hi s name woul d be spoi l t i n t he communi t y,
he came r unni ng t o t he man and st ar t ed pl eadi ng wi t h hi mt o t ake t he
bel ongi ngs back t o t he house, pr omi si ng t hat hi s nei ghbour wi l l never agai n
f ace bad t r eat ment f r omhi m. ( Usool e- Kaf i )
*
One day, when t he Apost l e vi si t ed t he house of Al i , he saw t hat Al i and
Fat i ma ar e t ur ni ng t he wheel of t he gr i nder t oget her .
" Bet ween you, who i s mor e t i r ed?" asked t he Apost l e .
" Fat i ma, O Messenger of God, " sai d Al i .
" Get up, my daught er , " sai d t he Apost l e. Fat i ma got up. The Apost l e sat
down i n her pl ace and began t ur ni ng t he wheel of t he gr i nder wi t h Al i . ( Bi har
ul Anwaar )

Chapter 2

LADY OF PARADISE
FATIMA ZAHRA

o Birth: 615 AD
o Martyred: 632 AD, as a result of injuries caused by the door of
her house battered in by enemies of Islam while she was behind
the door.
o Age at time of death: 17 years

The Apost l e sai d:
" God i s di spl eased when Fat i ma i s di spl eased
and He i s pl eased when Fat i ma i s pl eased. "
( Kashf al - Ghumma)

*
J abi r i bn Abdul l ah Ansar i r epor t s:
One day, t he Apost l e sai d hi s Asr pr ayer wi t h us. Af t er t he pr ayer , t he
Messenger of God was si t t i ng on hi s pr ayer mat and peopl e wer e gat her ed al l
ar ound hi m. J ust t hen, f r omamong t he Ar ab i mmi gr ant s, an ol d Ar ab wear i ng
r agged cl ot hes appr oached t he Apost l e. He was so ol d and weak t hat he coul d
har dl y wal k. The Apost l e t ur ned t o hi mand asked of hi s wel l - bei ng.
He sai d, " I amhungr y, I want f ood. I amuncl ot hed, gi ve me cl ot hs. I am
needy, gr at i f y me. "
The Apost l e sai d, " I do not have anyt hi ng t hat I can gi ve you. But I wi l l
gui de you, as one who gui des t owar ds good deeds i s si mi l ar t o one who
per f or ms good deeds. Go t o t he house whi ch i s bef r i ended by by God and Hi s
Messenger , and whi ch bef r i ends God and Hi s Messenger . They sacr i f i ce i n t he
way of God. Go t o t he house of Fat i ma. "
The house of Hazr at Fat i ma was next door t o t he house of t he Apost l e.
The Apost l e sai d, " O Bi l al ! Go, t ake hi mt o t he house of Fat i ma. "
Accompani ed by Bi l al , t he ol d Ar ab came t o t he house of Fat i ma Zahr a and
cal l ed out , " Peace be upon you O househol d of t he Apost l ehood, O cent r e of
angel s, O dest i nat i on of Gabr i el , O dest i nat i on of t he r evel at i ons of God,
peace be upon you. "
Fat i ma r epl i ed, " Peace be upon you t oo. Who ar e you?"
The Ar ab sai d, " I aman ol d Ar ab. Har dshi ps and wor r i es made me mi gr at e
and come t o your hol y f at her , t he mast er of t he uni ver se. O daught er of
Mohammed ! I amver y hungr y. I do not have cl ot hs t o wear . Gr at i f y me. May
God send down hi s bl essi ngs upon you. "
Thi s was t he t i me when t he Apost l e, Al i and Fat i ma AS) had not eat en
anyt hi ng f or t hr ee days as t her e was not hi ng t o eat i n t he house.
Ther e was a f l eece of l amb on whi ch Hasan and Hussai n used t o sl eep.
Fat i ma pr of er r ed t hi s f l eece t o t he ol d Ar ab.
The Ar ab sai d, " O daught er of Mohammed ! I compl ai ned of hunger and you
ar e gi vi ng me f l eece of l amb. What wi l l I do wi t h i t t o assuage my hunger ?"
Fat i ma t hen r eached f or her neckl ace. Thi s neckl ace had been pr esent ed t o
her by her aunt y Fat i ma, t he daught er of t he Apost l e' s uncl e, Hamza. Fat i ma
gave t hi s neckl ace t o t he Ar ab and sai d, " Sel l t hi s; I amhopef ul t hat God
wi l l gi ve you bet t er t han t hi s. "

The Ar ab t ook t he neckl ace and r et ur ned t o t he mosque wher e t he Apost l e

was si t t i ng ami dst hi s compani ons. He sai d, " O Messenger of God, Fat i ma has
gi ven me t hi s neckl ace sayi ng ' Sel l t hi s; I amhopef ul t hat God wi l l gi ve you
bet t er t han t hi s. ' "
Tear s f el l f r omt he eyes of t he Apost l e of I sl am. He sai d, " How i s not
possi bl e t hat God wi l l not f ul f i l l your needs when t hi s neckl ace has been
gi ven t o you by one who i s t he l eader of al l daught er s of Adam. "
Ammar Yasi r ( May God Bl ess Hi m) got up and sai d, ' O Messenger of God! Do
you per mi t me t o buy t hi s neckl ace?"
The Apost l e sai d, " O Ammar ! Buy i t . I f al l t he J i nn and humans shar e i n
t he pur chase of t hi s neckl ace, God wi l l f r ee t hemal l f r omt he f i r es of
hel l . "
Ammar sai d, " O Ar ab! For how much wi l l you sel l t hi s neckl ace?"
He r epl i ed, " As much meat and br ead as t o f i l l me up, a cl oak of Yemen t o
cover my body and t o enabl e me t o say t he pr ayer s of t he Lor d, and one Di nar
wi t h whi ch I may r et ur n t o my house. "
Ammar sai d, " I n r et ur n f or t he neckl ace, I wi l l gi ve you t went y Di nar s
and t wo hundr ed Di r hams, one cl oak of Yemen and one camel whi ch wi l l car r y
you home, and I wi l l f eed you wi t h meat and br ead t oo. "
" You ar e ver y gener ous, " sai d t he Ar ab. He went wi t h Ammar who gave hi m
al l t hat had been pr omi sed. He r et ur ned t o t he Apost l e who asked hi m, " I s
your hunger assuaged? Di d you get your dr ess?"
The Ar ab st at ed hi s f ul l sat i sf act i on.
" Pr ay f or Fat i ma, " sai d t he Apost l e .
" O Al l ah! You ar e al ways our God. I wor shi p none but you. You ar e our
Pr ovi der i n ever y way. O God! Gi ve t o Fat i ma such t hi ngs as no eye has
behol den and no ear had hear d of . "
The Apost l e sai d Amen, t ur ned t o hi s compani ons and sai d, " God has gi ven
t o Fat i ma i n t hi s wor l d i t sel f t he meani ng of t hi s pr ayer . I amher f at her
and no one i n t he wor l d i s l i ke me. Al i i s her husband and had t her e not been
Al i , t her e woul d have been none equal t o Fat i ma. God has gi ven t o Fat i ma sons
l i ke Hasan and Husai n, none i n t he wor l d i s l i ke t hem. Bot h of t hemar e t he
mast er s of t he sons of Apost l es and bot h of t hemar e t he mast er s of t he yout h
of par adi se. "
Mi qdad, Ammar and Sal man wer e si t t i ng i n f r ont of t he Apost l e. He t ur ned
t o t hemand sai d, " Shal l I r el at e mor e exal t at i ons of Fat i ma ?"
" Of cour se, O Messenger of God! " was t he eager r epl y.
Sai d he, " Gabr i el has i nf or med me t hat when Fat i ma wi l l di e and wi l l be
bur i ed and t he i nt er r ogat i ng angel s wi l l come i nt o t he gr ave and ask ' Who i s
your God?' , she wi l l r epl y, ' Al l ah i s my God. '
" Quest i oned ' Who i s your Apost l e?' she wi l l r epl y, ' My f at her . '
" Quest i oned ' Who i s your I mamand Wal i ?' she wi l l r epl y, ' t hi s who i s
st andi ng by t he si de of my gr ave, Al i i bn Abi Tal i b ' . "
The Apost l e of I sl amsai d, " Know t hat I want t o r el at e f or you mor e
exal t at i ons of Fat i ma.
" God has or dai ned a gr oup of angel s t o pr ot ect Fat i ma f r omal l si des.
These angel s ar e wi t h her dur i ng her l i f e and wi l l r emai n on her gr ave af t er
her deat h, r eci t i ng mul t i t udi nous bl essi ngs on her , on her husband and on her
chi l dr en. Whoever vi si t s me af t er my deat h, i t i s as i f he has seen me dur i ng
my l i f e. Whoever vi si t s Al i i bn Abi Tal i b, i t i s as i f he has vi si t ed Fat i ma.
Whoever vi si t s Hasan and Hussai n, i t i s as i f he has vi si t ed Al i , and whoever
vi si t s t he sons and descendent s of Hasan and Hussai n, i t i s as i f he has
vi si t ed t hembot h. "

Ammar t ook t he neckl ace, spr i nkl ed i t wi t h musk, wr apped i t i n a pi ece of

cl ot h f r omYemen and handed i t over t o hi s sl ave named Saham, sayi ng, " Take
t hi s t o t he Apost l e. You t oo bel ong t o t he Apost l e f r omt oday. "
Sahambr ought t he neckl ace t o t he Apost l e and r el ayed Ammar ' s message.
The Apost l e sai d, " Take i t t o Fat i ma, and you t oo bel ong t o Fat i ma. "

The sl ave t ook t he neckl ace t o Fat i ma and r el ayed t he Apost l e' s message.
Fat i ma t ook t he neckl ace and f r eed t he sl ave. The sl ave st ar t ed l aughi ng.
" Why ar e you l aughi ng?" asked Fat i ma.
He r epl i ed, " I aml aughi ng wi t h j oy, seei ng t he gr eat bl essedness of t hi s
neckl ace. I t f ed a hungr y per son, cl ot hed an uncl ot hed per son, f ul f i l l ed a
needy per son, f r eed a sl ave, and r et ur ned back t o i t s owner . "
( Bi har ul Anwaar )

Chapter 3
THE FIRST IMAM:
ALI IBN ABI TALIB

o Birth: 600 AD
o Martyred: 661 AD, assassinated while he was bent in prayers
o Age at time of death: 61 years


Ver i l y, Ver i l y, your guar di an i s ( none el se but )
God and Hi s Apost l e ( Mohammad) and t hose who
bel i eve; t hose who est abl i sh pr ayer and pay t he
poor - r at e whi l e t hey be bowi ng down ( i n pr ayer ) .
( 5: 55)

*
One of t he wi se men of t he J ews quest i oned Ami r al - Momi neen ( Commander of
t he Fai t hf ul ) Al i .
" How many year s af t er t he Apost l e wi l l hi s successor l i ve? Wi l l he di e a
nat ur al deat h or wi l l he be ki l l ed?"
I mamsai d: " The descendent of t he Apost l e wi l l l i ve 30 year s af t er t he
Apost l e. And t hi s bear d wi l l t ur n wi t h bl ood f r omt hi s head, " he poi nt ed t o
hi s head and bear d.
The j ew got and sai d, " I bear wi t ness t hat t her e i s no God but Al l ah and
Mohammad i s Hi s messenger and you ar e hi s successor . "
( Asbat al - Hudaat )

*
Dur i ng t he t i me of t he cal i ph Omer i bn al - Khat t ab, a gr oup of J ewi sh
schol ar s appr oached t he cal i ph and sai d, " We have a f ew quest i ons. I f we get
t he answer s t o t hese quest i ons, we wi l l accept t he I sl ami c f ai t h. "
" Ask what ever you want t o ask, " sai d t he cal i ph.
They asked t he f ol l owi ng quest i ons:
1. What ar e t he l ocks and keys of t he heavens?
2. Who was t hat messenger who was nei t her of t he human nor of t he j i nn,
and who war ned hi s peopl e?
3. Whi ch ar e t he f i ve bei ngs who wer e cr eat ed wi t hout t he ai d of ovar i es?
4. What ar e one, t wo, t hr ee, f our , f i ve, si x, seven, ei ght , ni ne, t en,
el even and t wel ve
The cal i ph t hought over t he quest i ons f or a t i me, t hen sai d, " Pl ease
excuse me, as I do not know t he answer s t o t hese quest i ons. However , I wi l l
t ake you t o a man who i s t he most knowl edgeabl e i n t he commandment s of God
and t he Apost l e and t he gr eat est among us. "
The cal i ph t hen br ought t he j ews t o Al i i bn Abi Tal i b and pr esent ed t he
mat t er t o hi m. Al i answer ed t hus:
1. The l ocks of t he heavens ar e bel i ef s i n mor e t han one God, and i t s keys
ar e t he l et t er s of " LA I LAHA I LLALLAH, MOHAMMAD UR- RASOOLULLAH" .
2. The messenger who war ned hi s peopl e i s t he ant who, when Sol omon' s ar my
was passi ng by, sai d t o hi s peopl e, " Ent er your houses so t hat t he ar my may
not st amp you out ( wi t hout i nt ent i on) " . So God st at es ( i n t he hol y Qur ' an) :
" Unt i l t hey came t o t he val l ey of t he Ant s, sai d an Ant ( addr essi ng t he

ot her ant s of t he val l ey) : ' O you ant s! ent er i nt o your dwel l i ngs, so t hat
Sol omon and hi s host s may not cr ush you ( al l ) whi l e t hey know i t not . " ( An-
Naml : 18)
3. The f i ve bei ngs who wer e not bor n of ovar i es ar e: Adam, Eve, t he st af f
of Moses whi ch used t o change i nt o a pyt hon, t he camel of Sal eh and t he sheep
of Abr aham( whi ch was sent by God t o become t he r ansomof t he l i f e of
Abr aham' s son, I smael ) .
4. One i s God who has no par t ner s. Two ar e Adamand Eve. Thr ee ar e t he
subst ances ( i . e. non- l i vi ng mat t er , pl ant s and ani mal s) . Four ar e t he
heavenl y books: Tor ah of Moses, Bi bl e of J esus, Zubour of Davi d and Qur ' an of
Mohammed. Fi ve ar e t he f i ve dai l y pr ayer s ( of Musl i ms) . Si x ar e t he si x days
of cr eat i on of t he heavens and ear t h, as per t he ver se of Qur ' an: " And i ndeed
We cr eat ed t he heavens and t he ear t h and what i s bet ween t hemt wo, i n si x
per i ods and t ouched us Us not any f at i que. " ( Qaf : 38) . Seven ar e t he seven
heavens, i n t he l i ght of t he Qur ' ani c ver se: " And We have er ect ed above you
t he seven st r ong ones. " ( An- Naba' : 12) . Ei ght ar e t hose angel s who bear t he
heavens, as per t he Qur ' ani c ver se: " And t he angel s shal l be on t he si des of
i t ; and aove t hemshal l bear t hat Day ' Ar sh' ( t he Thr one of Aut hor i t y) of
your Lor d, ei ght ( of t hem) . " ( Al - Haqqah: 17) . Ni ne ar e t he ni ne si gns gi ven t o
Moses as st at ed by God: " And i ndeed We gave Moses ni ne cl ear Si gns
( mi r acl es) ; so ask t he chi l dr en of I sr ael when he came t o t hem, Phar aoh sai d
t o hi m; ' Ver i l y I deemyou O' Moses one bewi t ched. ' " ( Bani - I sr ael : 101) . Ten
ar e t he t en days, i . e. God had pr omi sed Moses t hat he woul d st ay on t he
mount ai n of Toor f or t hi r t y days, and l at er added t en mor e days t o t hi s
dur at i on, as i t i s st at ed i n Qur ' an " And We made appoi nt ment wi t h Moses f or
t hi r t y ni ght s and compl et ed i t wi t h t en ( mor e) ; Thus was compl et ed t he t er m
of hi s Lor d, f or t y ni ght s, and ( bef or e he went up) Moses sai d t o hi s br ot her
Aar on: ' You t ake my pl ace among my peopl e, act r i ght l y and f ol l ow not t he
pat h of t he mi schi ef - maker s. ' " ( Al - A' r af : 142. El even ar e t he el even br ot her s
of t he Apost l e J oseph, son of J acob, as Qur ' an st at es: " When sai d J oseph t o
hi s f at her ( J acob) : ' O' my f at her ! Ver i l y I di d see ( dr eam) el even st ar s and
t he sun and moon, I saw t hem( al l ) pr ost r at i ng t o me. ' " ( Yusuf : 4) . Twel ve
ar e t he t wel ve wat er - spr i ngs mani f est ed by t he st af f of Moses, as God st at es:
" And ( r emember ) when Moses sought wat er f or hi s peopl e; sai d We, ' St r i ke t he
r ock wi t h your st af f ! ' Then gushed out t her ef r omt wel ve spr i ngs; each peopl e
knew t hei r ( r espect i ve) dr i nki ng pl ace; ' Eat and dr i nk of God' s pr ovi si on,
and commi t not evi l i n t he ear t h act i ng mi schi evousl y! ' " ( Al - Baqar ah: 60
When t he J ew schol ar s hear d t he r epl i es of Ami r ul - Momi neen Al i i bn Abi
Tal i b, t hey sai d: " We bear wi t ness t hat God i s one and Mohammad i s Hi s
messenger and Al i i s t he ' wasi ' and successor of t he messenger of God, as
Har oun was t he ' wasi ' of Moses. "
And t hey became Musl i ms. ( Ahsan ul - Ki bar , Kaukab e- Dur r i )

*
On t he way t o Nahr awan ( t o f i ght t he " Khawar i j " ) , Ami r al - Momi neen Al i
passed a monast er y. An ol d Chr i st i an monk was st andi ng at op t he monast er y. He
shout ed, " O ar my of I sl am! Ask your l eader t o come t o me. " Upon hear i ng t hi s,
Ami r al - Momi neen t ur ned hi s hor se t o t he monast er y and appr oached t he monk.
" Wher e do you go?" asked t he monk.
" To f i ght t he enemi es of I sl am. "
" Do not f i ght now, because at t hi s moment t he st ar s do not f avour t he
Musl i ms. Wai t f or a f ew days when t he st ar s wi l l become f avour abl e f or you. "
Ami r al - Momi neen sai d, " Si nce you pr of ess knowl edge of t he st ar s, t el l me
about t he movement of so and so st ar . "

The ol d man sai d, " By God! I have never even hear d t he name of t hi s
st ar . "
Ami r al - Momi neen asked hi manot her quest i on about t he ski es and when t he
ol d man f ai l ed t o r epl y, sai d: " I t i s now known t hat you do not know about
t he ski es. Shal l I ask you somet hi ng about t he ear t h? Tel l me, do you know
what i s bur i ed beneat h your f eet at t he spot wher e you st and?"
" By God! I do not know, " sai d t he ol d man.
" Ther e i s a vessel f i l l ed wi t h so many Di nar s, and t he coi ns bear s such
and such embl em, " sai d Ami r al - Momi neen.
" How do you know?"
" By God' s gr ace. "
Then Ami r al - Momi neen pr oceeded t o say t hat i n t he ensui ng f i ght , l ess
t han t en per sons f r omt he I sl ami c ar my woul d be ki l l ed wher e as l ess t han t en
per sons f r omt he opposi ng ar my woul d escape. The ol d man l i st ened ast oni shed.
As per Al i ' s command, when t he ear t h beneat h t he ol d man' s f eet was dug, a
vessel f i l l ed wi t h coi ns was f ound exact l y as descr i bed by Ami r al - Momi neen.
The ol d Chr i st i an monk i mmedi at el y l ef t t he monast er y and accept ed I sl am.
Ami r al - Momi neen pr oceeded t o Nahr awan i n al l hi s gl or y and gr andeur , and
i n t he ensui ng f i ght , t he Khawar i j wer e t hor oughl y def eat ed. Out of t he f our
t housand men of t he Khawar i j , onl y ni ne escaped, and onl y ni ne men of t he
I sl ami c ar my wer e ki l l ed i n t hi s bat t l e.
( Rawdhat al - Shuhada, Kaukab e- Dur r i )

*
Ceasar of Rome sent a l ot of weal t h as a gi f t t o t he Apost l e. By t he t i me
t he del egat i on r eached Madi nah, t he Apost l e had passed away. The del egat i on
wr ot e back t o t he ki ng of Rome and asked f or f r esh i nst r uct i ons. The Ceasar
sent back t he or der t o handover t he weal t h t o anybody who answer ed t hr ee
quest i ons. The quest i ons wer e:
What i s t he t hi ng t hat i s not f or God?
2. What i s t he t hi ng t hat God does not have?
3. What i s t he t hi ng t hat God does not know?
The del egat e of Ceasar went t o Abu Bakr and asked: " Ar e you t he successor
of t he Apost l e ?" Upon r ecei vi ng a posi t i ve r epl y, t hey pr esent ed t he t hr ee
quest i ons t o Abu Bakr . As soon as Abu Bakr hear d t he quest i ons,
mani f est at i ons of anger appear ed on hi s f ace.
" Thi s i s bl asphemy t hat you say, " sai d he, and t r eat ed t he Ceasar ' s
del egat e ver y badl y. Omer i bn Khat t ab al so t r eat ed hi mwr at hf ul l y.
I bn Abbas sai d, " What ki nd of j ust i ce i s t hi s t hat you t r eat t hi s way
someone who asks somet hi ng? Si mpl y say t hat you do not know t he answer s. "
" Do you t hen know t he answer s?" asked Abu Bakr and Omer .
" No, but I know someone who i s mor e a man of knowl edge t han any of us,
and he i s Al i i bn Abi Tal i b. "
" Spoken t r ul y, " sai d Abu Bakr and Omer .
The del egat e of t he Ceasar was br ought t o Ami r al - Momi neen who hear d t he
quest i ons and r epl i ed:
1. That whi ch i s not f or God i s hi s par t ner .
2. That whi ch God does not have i s t yr anny.
3. That whi ch God does not know i s your ( Chr i st i ans' ) st at ement t hat J esus
i s t he son of God, and God says t hat He does not know t hi s.
Hear i ng t he r epl i es, t he Ceasar ' s del egat e bor e wi t ness t o hi s f ai t h i n
Al l ah, t he Apost l e and Al i , and handed over t o Al i t he weal t h sent by t he
Ceasar , and Al i i mmedi at el y di st r i but ed t he weal t h among t he bel i ever s.
( Ahsan ul - Ki bar , Kaukab e- Dur r i )

*
I bn Abbas r epor t s:
Dur i ng t he t i me of cal i ph Omer i bn Khat t ab, t her e was a man f r om
Azer bai j an who owned a camel . The l i vel i hood of hi s f ami l y depended on t he
r ent al s f r omt he camel . One day, t he camel br oke i t s r ei ns and t ook t o t he
wi l der ness. The man t r i ed hi s best t o cat ch t he camel but f ai l ed.
Fi nal l y hi s r el at i ons advi sed hi m, " Dur i ng t he t i me of t he Apost l e of
I sl am, we woul d t ake our pr obl ems and t r oubl es t o t he Apost l e who woul d pr ay
t o God, and by t he bl essi ngs of hi s pr ayer s, God woul d ease t he t r oubl es.
Now, t hough t he Apost l e i s no l onger wi t h us, hi s successor i s t her e, and you
shoul d go t he successor of t he Apost l e and seek hi s ai d. "
The man came t o Madi nah, met cal i ph Omer and pr esent ed hi s pr obl emt o
hi m.
Omer sai d, " You shoul d ask God' s par don f r omyour si ns. Thi s wi l l sol ve
your pr obl ems. "
The man sai d, " I have done t hi s, but I coul d not get back my camel . "
Omer sai d, " I wi l l wr i t e you a l et t er . Put t hi s l et t er bef or e t he camel
so t hat you get what you desi r e, " and he wr ot e a l et t er and handed i t t o t he
man. The l et t er sai d: " O gr oup of J i nn and O gr oup of devi l s! Thi s l et t er i s
addr essed t o you f r omAmi r al - Momi neen Omer . You shoul d t ame t he di sobedi ent
camel and hand i t over t o i t s owner . Fear di sobedi ence of my command. "
The man t ook t he l et t er and pr oceeded t o Azer bai j an.
I bn Abbas says:
I went t o Ami r al - Momi neen Al i i bn Abi Tal i b and r el at ed t he i nci dent .
Ami r al - Momi neen sai d, " Apost l e' s mi r acl es ar e not mani f est ed except t hr ough
t he t r ue successor . "
I began wai t i ng f or someone t o come f r omAzer bai j an, i n or der t o get some
news of t he camel . One day, I saw t he same man comi ng. I met hi mand asked
hi mabout t he camel .
He sai d, " As soon as I put t he l et t er bef or e t he camel , i t became wi l d
and at t acked me, maul ed and wounded me. My br ot her and some ot her men saved
me wi t h gr eat di f f i cul t y. I was i l l f r ommy wounds f or a l ong t i me. These
mar ks t hat you see on my f ace ar e r emi nder s of t hat i nci dent . When I became
bet t er , I t hought I woul d r el at e t he mat t er t o Ami r al - Momi neen Omer , and
ar r ange some means of l i vel i hood f or my f ami l y. "
I went wi t h hi mt o Omer , who, af t er l i st eni ng t o t he woes of t he man,
sai d, " For ever y wor k, God has made a man. O i bn Abbas! Take t hi s man t o Al i
i bn Abi - Tal i b and r el at e t he mat t er bef or e hi m. "
We went t o Hazr at Al i who smi l ed when he saw us, and sai d, " Go t o wher e
your camel i s, and say t hi s suppl i cat i on t o God:
[ O God! I appr oach you t hr ough your Apost l e, who i s an Apost l e of Bl essi ngs,
and t hr ough hi s Househol d ( Ahl al - Bai t h) whomyou have gi ven super i or i t y over
al l wor l ds. O God! Ease my t r oubl e and del i ver me f r omi t s bad ef f ect s, f or
You ar e t he Del i ver er , t he Rest or er , t he Domi nant , t he Mi ght y. ]
The man memor i zed t hi s suppl i cat i on and l ef t f or Azer bai j an. Next year ,
we saw hi mcome f or haj wi t h hi s camel , br i ngi ng wi t h hi mgi f t s f or Moul a
Al i .
Al i sai d t o t he man, " Wi l l you r el at e your ci r cumst ances or shal l I ?"
He sai d, " O Ami r al - Momi neen! You r el at e. "
" When you saw t he camel , you sai d t he suppl i cat i on. The camel came t o you
wi t h doci l i t y and squat t ed bef or e you and bowed i t s neck i n obedi ence t o
you. "
The man excl ai med, " By God! I t happened exact l y t he way you have sai d. "
Lat er , t he man used t o come f or haj ever y year , and he became qui t e
pr osper ous f r omhi s camel ' s ear ni ngs.

Ami r al - Momi neen Al i sai d t o me, " O Abdul l ah! I f any man f aces any
di f f i cul t y i n any wor k, or l oss of pr oper t y, or some i l l ness i n t he f ami l y,
t hen he shoul d say t he sai d suppl i cat i on t o God wi t h al l si ncer i t y, humi l i t y
and t ear s, he wi l l get what he desi r es"
( Ki f ayat al - Momi neen, Kaukab e- Dur r i )

*
An Et hi opi an sl ave came t o Hazr at Al i and sai d, " O Ami r al - Momi neen! One
day, under t he i nf l uence of gr eed, I had st ol en somet hi ng whi ch was not mi ne.
I r equest you t o puni sh me and pur i f y me f r ommy si n. "
When t he sl ave conf essed hi s si n t hr ee t i mes, Al i or der ed hi s hand t o be
cut , as per I sl ami c l aw. ( I n I sl ami c l aw, as puni shment f or st eal i ng a hand
i s cut f r omt he f i nger s and not f r omt he wr i st or el bow, as some peopl e
mi sunder st and) . A ser vant sever ed hi s r i ght hand and t he sl ave l ef t , wi t h
dr ops of bl ood dr i ppi ng f r omhi s sever ed hand. Abdul l ah i bn Abbas saw hi mand
asked, " Who sever ed your hand?"
The sl ave sai d, " My hand was sever ed by Ami r al - Momi neen, Successor of
t he Leader of Apost l es, Leader of peopl e wi t h r adi ant f aces, Mast er of al l
j i nn and humans, Lor d of Lor ds, Al i i bn Abi Tal i b. "
I bn Abbas sai d wonder i ngl y, " He has cut your hands and st i l l you pr ai se
hi m?"
The sl ave r epl i ed, " Why shoul d I not pr ai se hi m, when hi s l ove i s
i ngr ai ned i n my f l esh and bl ood. Hi s cut t i ng my hand i s r i ght and j ust . "
I bn Abbas went t o Ami r al - Momi neen and r el at ed t he wor ds of t he sl ave t o
hi m.
Al i sai d, " O br ot her ! Some of our f r i ends ar e such t hat even i f t hey ar e
t or n i nt o pi eces i n t he way of our l ove, no t hought wi l l cr oss t hei r mi nds
except our l ove. And some of our enemi es ar e such t hat even i f we l oad t hem
wi t h our benef i cence, our enemi t y wi l l r ei gn supr eme i n t hei r hear t s. "
Lat er , he sent I mamHussai n t o br i ng t he sl ave t o hi m. When t he sl ave
came, Al i sai d, " I had sever ed your hand yet you pr ai se me?"
The sl ave sai d, " Who amI t o cl ai mt hat I can pr ai se hi mwho i s pr ai sed
by God and hi s Messenger "
Al i put t he sever ed par t of t he sl ave' s hand i n pl ace, cover ed i t wi t h a
sheet , and r eci t ed t he sur at al - Fat i ha over i t . I mmedi at el y, t he sl ave' s hand
was whol e once agai n, as i f i t had never been sever ed.
( Zahr at - al - Ri yadh, Ki f ayat al - Momi neen, Kaukab e- Dur r i )

*
Ami r al - Momi neen Al i and hi s ar my wer e r et ur ni ng af t er wi nni ng t he bat t l e
of Nahr awan. On t he way t hey came t o a poi nt wher e t wo r oads di ver ged. Wat er
was avai l abl e al ong one r oad, and was not avai l abl e al ong t he ot her r oad.
Ami r al - Momi neen sel ect ed t he r oad devoi d of wat er and began t o pr oceed at a
f ast pace. Af t er some t i me, t he sol di er s began f eel i ng t hi r st , and t he
hypocr i t es among t hemst ar t ed cr i t i ci si ng Ami r al - Momi neen. Thei r t al k
saddened t he t r ue- bel i ever s among t hem, who t hen appr oached Ami r al - Momi neen
and r el at ed t he ci r cumst ances.
Ami r al - Momi neen cal l ed al l t he ar my t oget her . Then he poi nt ed a spot t o
Qanber and or der ed hi mt o di g t her e. Qanber f ound a bi g r ock. Ami r al -
Momi neen l i f t ed t he r ock up and t hr ew i t f ar away. Peopl e saw t hat under neat h
t he r ock was a st ai r case.
Al i sai d, " Qanber , go i n, l ook ar ound and r el at e t he ci r cumst ances t o
us. "
Qanber went i n, r et ur ned and r epor t ed, " Af t er goi ng down t hi r t y f i ve
st eps, I saw a door whi ch was l ocked. I do not know wher e we can f i nd t he key

t o l ock, and wi t hout t he key, t he openi ng of t hat door i s ver y di f f i cul t , may
be i mpossi bl e. "
Al i gave a key t o Qanber and sai d, " Go t o door and br i ng a cup of wat er . "
Qanber once agai n went i n. When he opened t he door wi t h t he key, he saw a
r eser voi r of wat er . And he saw Al i by t he si de of t he r eser voi r . Ami r al -
Momi neen gave a cup f ul l of wat er t o Qanber and sai d, " Take t hi s wat er and
quench t he t hi r st of t he t hi r st y. "
Qanber came out and saw Ami r al - Momi neen st andi ng at hi s pl ace. He
opened hi s mout h t o expr ess hi s wonder , but Ami r al - Momi neen st opped hi m
sayi ng, " Have you not hear d of t he i nci dent of Azer na? Why do you wonder
now?"
Then Al i began suppl yi ng wat er t o hi s ar my f r omt he cup. Al l of t he men
of hi s ar my, and t he hor ses t oo, dr ank t o t hei r f ul l but t he cup r emai ned
f i l l ed wi t h wat er . ( Fouhat al - Quds, Kaukab e- Dur r i )
( The i nci dent of Azer na - or Ar zena - i s gi ven bel ow. )

*
One day, when Al i was t went y seven year s, he was si t t i ng on t he bal cony
of hi s house eat i ng dat es. Sal man was si t t i ng beneat h t he bal cony. Al i good
humour edl y dr opped a dat e seed on Sal man.
Sal man sai d, " I amol d i n year s and you ar e a yout h. I t i s not seeml y of
you t o behave wi t h me t hi s way. "
Al i sai d, " Sal man! You t hi nk you ar e ol d and I amyoung. I t seems you
have f or got t en t he t er r i bl e event s of Azer na and i t i s not known t o you who
i t was who had saved you f r omt he t i ger and gave you a new l i f e. "
Ast oni shed, Sal man sai d, " Ami r al - Momi neen! Pl ease t el l me about Azer na
and t he t i ger . "
" Sal man! " sai d Al i , " You wer e i n wat er and a t i ger was f r i ght eni ng you.
You pr ayed t o God t o save you f r omt he t i ger . Your pr ayer was answer ed. I was
passi ng t hr ough t he j ungl e at t hat t i me. I was t hat r i der on whose shoul der s
was an ar mour and car r i ed a swor d i n hand, and r i d you of t he t i ger by
cut t i ng i t i n t wo. "
" Pl ease gi ve me mor e si gns and i ncr ease my ast oni shment , " sai d Sal man.
Ami r al - Momi neen t ook out f r omhi s sl eeve a bouquet of f r esh f l ower s and
sai d, " Thi s was your gi f t whi ch you gave t o t hat r i der . "
Thi s sent Sal man deep i n t hought . Suddenl y he hear d a voi ce t el l i ng hi m
t o go t o t he Apost l e and r el at e t he i nci dent t o hi m. Sal man went t o t he
Apost l e and sai d:
" I had r ead about you i n t he Bi bl e and became your t r ue admi r er . I l et go
of al l f ai t hs and accept ed your f ai t h f or mysel f . I hi d t hi s f act f r ommy
f at her but somehow, he got wi nd of i t and want ed t o ki l l me f or i t . ( He t r i ed
t o get r i d of me i n var i ous ways) . At l ast , I l ef t my count r y and st ar t ed
j our neyi ng. Dur i ng t hi s j our ney, I passed t he pl ai ns of Azer na. Her e, I went
t o sl eep f or somet i me. . . Af t er I woke up, I went t o a st r eam, ent er ed i t and
st ar t ed bat hi ng mysel f . Whi l e I was bat hi ng, a man- eat i ng t i ger appear ed and
came t owar d me, and st opped by t he st r eamnear my cl ot hes. Faced wi t h t hat
si t uat i on, I f er vent l y pr ayed t o God t o save me f r omt he t i ger . J ust t hen, a
r i der appear ed and wi t h hi s swor d, cut t he t i ger i n t wo. I came out of t he
wat er and ki ssed hi s st i r r ups. I t was spr i ngt i me and t he j ungl e was f ul l of
f l ower s. I pr epar ed a bouquet and pr esent ed i t t o t he r i der . Then t he r i der
vani shed f r ommy si ght . I sear ched f or hi mever ywher e i n t he j ungl e but coul d
not f i nd hi m. I t i s now t hr ee hundr ed year s f r omt he t i me of t hi s i nci dent ,
and I have never r el at ed i t t o anybody t i l l now, and yet your cousi n j ust
r emi nded me of i t and ast ounded me. Whof r omdi d he get t he knowl edge of t he
hi dden? Wher ef r omdi d he l ear n t he secr et s?"

The Apost l e sai d: " O Sal man! Don' t consi der as st r ange t he occur r ance of
such t hi ngs f r ommy br ot her , because I have wi t nessed st anger t hi ngs f r om
hi m. O Sal man! When I was cal l ed on Mer aj , passi ng t hr ough Si dr at al - Munt aha
I r eached t he pl ace wher e even Gabr i el coul d not accompany me any f ur t her and
I pr oceeded al one t owar ds " Ar sh" and was t ot al l y separ at ed f r omt he wor l d of
bei ng. I was r el at i ng secr et s t o God and hear i ng hi s r epl i es. I n t hi s
condi t i on, I saw a l i on st andi ng bef or e me. When I l ooked cl osel y, I f ound i t
was t he Li on of God, Al i i bn Abi Tal i b. When I r et ur ned f r omMer aj and
r eached my bed, Al i ent er ed t he r oom, gr eet i ng me wi t h r espect . . . Lat er , Al i
r el at ed wor d f or wor d t he secr et s t hat t aken pl ace bet ween God and me. O
Sal man! Fr omt he t i me of Adamt o t he pr esent , whoever of t he God' s sel ect ed
ones wer e i n t r oubl e, i t was Al i who del i ver ed t hemf r omt he di f f i cul t i es and
t r i bul at i ons. So God has sai d t o me " O Ahmed! I sent Al i secr et l y wi t h al l my
Apost l es and wi t h you I sent hi msecr et l y as wel l as openl y. "
( Ahsan ul - Ki bar , Kaukab e- Dur r i )

*
One day, t he Apost l e of God was eat i ng dat es wi t h hi s compani ons and
good- humour edl y pi l i ng i n f r ont of Al i t he seeds of al l t he dat es t hat he
at e. At hi s si gnal , hi s compani ons wer e f ol l owi ng sui t .
Af t er t he dat es had been eat en, t he Apost l e t ur ned t o hi s compani ons and
asked, " Who has eat en t he most dat es?"
The compani ons r epl i ed, " He who has got mor e dat e seeds i n f r ont of hi m. "
" No, " count er d Al i , " but he who has eat en t he seeds al ong wi t h t he
dat es. "
The Apost l e smi l ed, " I t i s ver y di f f i cul t t o beat my br ot her i n wor ds,
f or I amt he ci t y of knowl edge and Al i i s i t s gat e. "
( Lat ai f at - Tawai f , Kaukab e- Dur r i )

*
Asbagh i bn Nabat a r epor t s t hat Ami r al - Momi neen Al i once sai d:
" Af t er me, t he best among peopl e, and t hei r l eader wi l l be t hi s son of
mi ne" , poi nt i ng t o I mamHasan. " Bewar e t hat soon af t er me, he wi l l be
oppr essed by t yr anny as I was oppr essed by t yr anny af t er t he Apost l e. And
af t er my son Hasan, t he best among peopl e i s my son Husai n who, af t er hi s
br ot her , wi l l be sl ai n wi t h t yr anny on t he l and of Kar bal a. Know t hat he and
hi s compani ons wi l l be t he l eader s of mar t yr s on t he day of r esur r ect i on
( qi yamat ) . " ( Asbat al - Hudaat )

Chapt er 4

THE SECOND I MAM:
HASAN I BN ALI

o Birth: 625 AD
o Martyred: 670 AD, poisoned at the behest of Muawiya ibn Abu
Sufyan
o Age at time of death: 45 years

*
One day I mamHasan was r i di ng on hi s hor se. A j ew who was l i vi ng a l i f e
of pover t y and dest i t ut i on, caught hol d of t he r ei ns of I mam' s hor se and
sai d, " O son of t he Apost l e ! I have a quest i on and I want a j ust r epl y. "
" What i s your quest i on?" asked I mam.
" I s i t not t he sayi ng of your ancest or t hat t he wor l d i s a j ai l f or t he
bel i ever and heaven f or t he unbel i ever ? Accor di ng t o your f ai t h, you ar e a
bel i ever and I aman unbel i ever . You have hor ses, ser vant s, good cl ot hes,
beaut i f ul house, mai ds, t ast y di shes and var i ous decor at i ve t hi ngs. For you
t hi s wor l d has become heaven and f or me, because of my pover t y, i t has become
hel l . What do you say about t hi s?"
I mamr epl i ed i mmedi at el y, " I f you coul d see t he magni f i ci ence t hat God
has i n st or e f or us i n t he af t er wor l d, t he comf or t s of whi ch you cannot even
i magi ne, you woul d sur el y know t hat ( compar ed t o t hose comf or t s) t hi s wor l d
i s l i ke a j ai l t o me. And i nspi t e of your t r oubl es, i f you coul d see t he
puni shment s whi ch ar e i n st or e i n t he af t er wor l d f or t he unbel i ever s and t he
hypocr i t es, t hen you woul d under st and t hat ( compar ed t o t hose puni shment s)
t hi s wor l d i s heaven f or you. "
( Hadeeqat al - Shi ' a)

*
One day, a man came t o Ot hman bi n Af an when he was si t t i ng by t he door of
t he mosque, and asked hi mf or char i t y. He gave t he man f i ve Di r hams. The man
sai d, " Gui de me t o ot her char i t abl e per sons. "
Ot hman poi nt ed t owar ds t hr ee young men who wer e si t t i ng i n a cor ner of
t he mosque. These t hr ee young men wer e Hasan, Hussai n and Abdul l a i bn J af ar .
The man appr oached t hemand gr eet ed t hem, t hen pr esent ed hi s pl ea f or
char i t y.
Hasan e- Muj t aba sai d, " Beggi ng f or char i t y i s not per mi t t ed except under
one of t hr ee condi t i ons: bl ood r ecompensat i on t hat hol ds you down; debt t hat
ul cer at e you wi t h wor r y; pover t y t hat der ogat es you. Whi ch of t hese
condi t i ons ar e you suf f er i ng f r omt hat you ask f or char i t y?"
The man admi t t ed t hat he di d suf f er f r omone of t he t hr ee st at ed
condi t i ons.
Hear i ng t hi s, I mamHasan gave hi mf i f t y Di nar s, I mamHusai n f or t y ni ne
Di nar s and Abdul l a i bn J af ar f or t y ei ght di nar s.
When t he man l ef t car r yi ng t hi s weal t h wi t h hi m, he once agai n came
acr oss Ot hman who asked, " What di d you r ecei ve?"
The man sai d, " You gave me what you had t o gi ve and you di d not even
i nvest i gat e my needs. The man wi t h t he l ong hai r s ( I mamHasan) t aught me
f i r st t hat aski ng f or char i t y i s not per mi t t ed except i n t hr ee condi t i ons and
when I conf i r med t hat one of t he t hr ee condi t i ons appl i ed t o me, one of t hem
gave me f i f t y Di nar s, t he second one gave me f or t y ni ne Di nar s and t he t hi r d
one gave me f or t y ei ght Di nar s. "

Ot hman sai d, " Who can equal t hem. They ar e mast er s of knowl edge, wi sdom
and char i t y. " ( Khi sal )

*
Once I mamHasan had t o go t o Shaam( Syr i a) . Ther e, Muawi ya handed hi ma
l i st of val uabl es and sai d, " I pr esent al l t hese t hi ngs t o you. "
As I mamst ar t ed l eavi ng, a ser vent of Muawi ya dust ed I mam' s shoes and
pl aced t hembef or e hi mt o put on. I mamhanded Muawi ya' s l i st t o t he ser vent
and sai d " Col l ect al l t hese t hi ngs. They ar e now your s. " And t he I maml ef t .
( Al - Shaheed al - Masmoom, by Mazher Hasan Moosavi )

*
A man f r omSham( Syr i a) saw I mamHasan r i di ng and began t o i nsul t hi m,
but t he I mamdi d not answer hi m. When t he man had f i ni shed, I mamHasan l ooked
at hi mand smi l ed and sai d, " O Shaykh! I t hi nk you ar e a st r anger and per haps
you have some mi sunder st andi ng, so i f you have some cr i t i ci sms we shal l
accept what you say, and i f you ask f or somet hi ng we shal l gi ve i t t o you,
and i f you want t o r i de we can gi ve you a mount , and i f you ar e hungr y we can
f eed you, and i f you have no cl ot hes we can pr ovi de you wi t h some; i f you
need somet hi ng we can hel p you, and i f you have no r ef uge we can pr ot ect you;
i f you have any ai mwe can assi st you, and i f you come and be our guest unt i l
such t i me as you wi sh t o l eave i t wi l l be an excel l ent i dea because we have a
l ar ge pr oper t y wi t h many ser vant s and pr ovi si ons. "
When t he man hear d t hi s he wept and sai d, " I t est i f y t hat you ar e
vi ceger ant of Al l ah on ear t h - Al l ah knows best wher e t o put Hi s message. You
and your f at her wer e t he most hat ed of men f or me, but now you ar e t he most
bel oved of cr eat ur es f or me. "
He t ook hi s baggage t o t he I mam' s house and was hi s guest unt i l t he t i me
t hat he cont i nued hi s j our ney, and he bel i eved i n and l oved t he I mams. ( The
Fai t h of Shi ' a I sl am, by Al l ama Muhammad Ri da al - Muzaf f ar )

*
A Syr i an once asked I mamHasan some quest i ons. One of t hemwas:
" What i s t he di st ance bet ween t he ear t h and t he sky?"
I mamsai d, " The l i mi t of your si ght , or t he cur se of a t yr anni zed
per son. " ( Her e, I mamseems t o have t aken i nt o account bot h t he physi cal and
t he i domat i c meani ngs of t he t er m" sky" or " heaven" . )
" What i s t he di st ance bet ween east and west ?"
" A day' s movement of t he sun. " ( Al - Shaheed al - Masmoom)

Chapter 5
THE THI RD I MAM:
HUSSAI N I BN ALI - THE MARTYR OF KARBALA

o Birth: 626 AD
o Martyred: 680 AD, at the historic battle of Karbala fighting
against the army of Yazid ibn Muawiyah to safeguard the teachings
of Islam fighting against all odds: 72 hungry and thirsty
people facing an army of at least 30,000. This martyrdom is
commemorated every year in the Muslim world on the 10
th
of the
Islamic month of Muharram. This day is called Ashoora.
o Age at time of death: 55 years


*
" Tr ue f or me was t he sayi ng of t he Apost l e t hat ' Af t er sal aat h, t he best
act i on i s t o gl adden t he hear t s of t he bel i ever s i n ways whi ch ar e not
agai nst God' s commands. ' " sai d I mamHussai n.
He t hen r el at ed t hat once he saw a sl ave who was f eedi ng a dog al ong wi t h
hi msel f . The I mamasked hi mabout i t , so he r epl i ed, " O son of t he Messenger
of God, I amsad. I amseeki ng my happi ness by maki ng t hi s dog happy. My
mast er i s a J ew and I want t o f r ee mysel f f r omhi m. "
Hear i ng hi s pl ea, t he I mami mmedi at el y went t o t he J ew and bought t he
sl ave f r omhi mf or 200 gol d pi eces and t hen set hi mf r ee. Seei ng t hi s, t he
J ew was i mpr essed and sai d, " I gi ve t hi s sl ave t o you as gi f t , and I gi ve
t hat gar den t o hi m, and I gi ve t he money back t o you. "
" I gi f t you t he money, " sai d I mamHussai n.
" I accept , " sai d t he J ew, " and gi ve i t t o t he sl ave. "
The I mamsai d, " I f r ee t he sl ave wi t h al l t hi s weal t h. "
The wi f e of t he J ew was wat chi ng t he pr oceedi ngs f r ombehi nd t he door .
She bur st out , " I wai ve al l of my mahr ( dower ) t o my husband and I accept t he
f ai t h of I sl am. "
Seei ng t hi s, t he J ew got up and sai d, " I t oo accept t he f ai t h of I sl am
and I gi f t my house t o my wi f e. " ( Zi bhe Azeem)

*
I mamJ af ar al - Sadeq f r omI mamMohammad Baqi r , and he f r omI mamZai n al -
Abedeen, r epor t s:
Once peopl e of Kuf a came t o Ami r al - Momi neen and compl ai ned of scar ci t y
of r ai ns, and r equest ed Al i t o pr ay t o God t o al l evi at e t hi s pr obl em.
Al i t ur ned t o I mamHussai n and sai d, " You get up and pr ay f or r ai ns. "
I mamHussai n st ood up and del i ver ed a ser mon and r ai sed up hi s hands and
pr ayed f or r ai ns.
I t st ar t ed t o r ai n bef or e I mamHussai n' s pr ayer had ended, and wat er
over f l owed f r omt he l akes and val l eys of Kuf a. * ( Ayoun al - Mu' j i zat , Bi har al -
Anwar )

*
A man came t o I mamHussai n and sai d, " O son of t he Messenger of God! I
have a commi t ment , t he payment of whi ch i s beyond my power . I deci ded t o seek
hel p f r omone who i s t he most char i t abl e of per sons. I ponder ed and f ound no
one bet t er t han you. "

Hussai n sai d, " I wi l l ask you t hr ee quest i ons. I f you answer one quest i on
cor r ect l y, I wi l l gi ve you one t hi r d of your needs, i f you answer t wo
quest i ons, I wi l l gi ve you t wo t hi r ds and i f you answer al l t hr ee quest i ons,
I wi l l gi ve you ever y t hi ng you r equi r e. "
The man sai d, " O son of t he Messenger of God! A schol ar l i ke you wi l l
quest i on an i gnor ant per son l i ke me?"
I mamsai d, " I have hear d f r ommy gr andf at her ( t he Apost l e PBUH) t hat
char i t y shoul d be met ed out i n pr opor t i on t o t he knowl edge of t he seeker of
hel p. "
The man sai d, " O son of t he Messenger of God! Ask what ever you want t o
ask. I f I know t he answer , I wi l l t el l you, and i f I don' t know, I wi l l ask
you and memor i se i t . "
" Of t he good deeds, what deed has pr ecedence over ot her s?"
" O Moul a! Bel i evi ng i n God and acknowl edgi ng hi s Uni t y. "
" What l eads a man t o sal vat i on?"
" Tr ust and r el i ance i n God l ead t o sal vat i on. "
" What i s t he or nament of man?"
" Knowl edge wi t h cor di al i t y and equani mi t y. "
" I f he doesn' t possess such knowl edge?"
" Then he shoul d possess weal t h t o do good deeds wi t h. "
" I f he doesn' t possess weal t h?"
" Then pover t y wi t h pat i ence i s hi s or nament . "
" What i f he doesn' t even possess pover t y wi t h pat i ence?"
" Then, " sai d t he man, " may l i ght ni ng st r i ke hi mand bur n hi mdown, f or
t hat i s al l he deser ves. "
I mamHussai n smi l ed at hi s answer s and gave hi mone t housand Di nar s al ong
wi t h a r i ng he had bean wear i ng on hi s hand.
" Use t hese Di nar s t o set t l e your debt s, and use t he val ue of t he r i ng f or
your f ami l y. "
The man l ef t sayi ng, " God knows best wher e t o pl ace Hi s Apost l ehood. "
( J aami - al - Akhbar , Bi har al - Anwar )

*
One day, I mamHussai n ( i n hi s chi l dhood) was si t t i ng on t he l ap of t he
Apost l e and t he Apost l e of God was Pl ayi ng wi t h hi mmaki ng hi ml augh.
Seei ng t hi s, Ai sha ( a wi f e of t he Apost l e) sai d, " O Messenger of God! How
much do you l ove t hi s chi l d. "
The Apost l e sai d, " How shoul d I not l ove hi m? I do not l i ke t he way you
speak. He i s t he l i ght of my eyes, t he appl e of my hear t . My f ol l ower s wi l l
mar t yr hi m. Hence, whoever wi l l vi si t hi s shr i ne af t er hi s mar t yr dom, God
wi l l add t o t he pi l gr i m' s document of deeds a r ewar d equi val ent t o t he
r ewar d of one of my own haj . "
" O Messenger of God! A pi l gr i mof Hussai n deser ves so much?" wonder ed
Ai sha.
" But t he r ewar d of t wo of my haj . "
" The r ewar d of t wo of your haj ?" Ai sha asked wi t h i ncr easi ng wonder .
" But t he r ewar d of f our of my haj . " The Apost l e sai d.
I t went on t hus f or some t i me, and at ever y expr essi on of wonder , t he
Apost l e i ncr eased t he r ewar d t hat a pi l gr i mof Hussai n woul d r ecei ve f r om
God, t i l l f i nal l y t he Apost l e decl ar ed t hat God woul d gr ant t he pi l gr i mof
Hussai n t he r ewar d equi val ent t o ni net y of t he Apost l e' s haj whi ch had been
per f or med al ong wi t h Umr ah. ( Kami l az- Zi ar aat , Bi har al - Anwar )

Chapter 6


THE FOURTH IMAM:
ZAIN UL-ABIDEEN, ALI IBN HUSSAIN

o Birth: 659 AD
o Martyred: 713 AD, poisoned by the ruler of the time, Walid ibne
Abdul Malik ibne Marwan
o Age at time of death: 55 years

*
Hi shambi n Abdul Mal i k, t he son of t he cal i ph of t hat t i me, Abdul Mal i k
bi n Mar wan, came t o Maccah f or haj j . Ther e was a huge cr owd r ound t he Ka' bah
and no mat t er how much he t r i ed, Hi shamcoul d not r each " Haj r al - Aswad" . At
l ast , he gave up and went t o a si de wi t h hi s ent our age, wai t i ng f or a t i me
when t he cr owd woul d t hi n out .
J ust t hen I mamZai n ul - Abedeen ent er ed t he hol y mosque and pr oceeded
t owar ds Ka' bah. Hi s st eps wer e sl ow, cal mand sur e. As he r eached Ka' bah, t he
cr owd st ar t ed par t i ng, maki ng way f or hi m, t he way t he wat er s of Ni l e had
par t ed f or Moses. I mamper f or med hi s " t awaf " , and ki ssed " Haj r al - Aswad" .
Seei ng t hi s scene, f l ames of hat r ed and j eal osy f i l l ed Hi sham' s mi nd.
J ust t hen one of hi s ent our age, who had al so wi t nessed t hi s scene, t ur ned t o
Hi shamand asked: " Who i s t hi s man who commands such i mmense r espect f r om
peopl e?"
Hi shamknew t hat t he man was I mamZai n ul - Abedeen but hi s j eal osy made
hi msay i r r i t abl y, " I don' t know. "
The poet , Abu Fer as Far azdaq, hear d Hi sham' s wor ds and coul d not cont ai n
hi msel f . Thr owi ng t o t he wi nds t he f ear of deat h at t he hands of t he cal i ph,
Far azdaq st ood up and began r eci t i ng a poemext empor e i n pr ai se of t he I mam,
sayi ng ( among ot her t hi ngs) :

" He i s one whose f oot pr i nt s ar e r ecogni zed by Maccah
And Ka' aba and i t s sur r oundi ngs and t he mosque know hi m
He i s t he son of t he best of t he ser vant s of God
He i s God- f ear i ng, sacr osanct , pur e, l eader
Li ght of gui dance emer ges f r omt he l i ght of hi s br ow
Li ke sun, i t spl i t s t he dar kness
Bef or e hi mt he gr eat ness of t he Apost l es pal es
And hi s f ol l ower s ar e t he gr eat est of f ol l ower s
I f you do not know hi m, he i s son of Fat i ma
Hi s ancest or i s t he l ast of t he Apost l es of God
I f you anger hi m, i t i s bet t er t o f ace a l i on
Deat h i s pr ef er abl e t o hi s i r e
Your sayi ng ' Who i s he?' i s not har mf ul t o hi m
Al l Ar abi a and Per si a knows whomyou deni ed
He bear s t he bur den of nat i ons t hat ar e wei ght ed down
Sweet i s hi s mi en and sweet hi s bl essi ngs
I f t he God- f ear i ng ar e count ed, t hen he i s t hei r l eader
Or i f asked who i s best of t he peopl e of t he wor l d, i t i s he
I n t i mes of need, he i s a r ai ni ng cl oud
And i n t i mes of war , he i s a l i on
Who ar e t he peopl e who ar e not hi s ser f s
He who bel i eves i n God, knows t hi s man
And nat i ons obt ai n r el i gi on f r omhi s house"

Ver se af t er beaut i f ul ver se f l ew f r omt he l i ps of Far azdaq whi l e Hi sham
st ood t her e, sweat i ng wi t h f r ust r at i on.
As expect ed, Far azdaq was ar r est ed and put i n j ai l . I mamsent some gi f t s
t o Far azdaq whi ch Far azdaq r et ur ned, sayi ng, " What ever I sai d, Moul a, was i n
t he way of seeki ng t he f avour and pl easur e of God and t he Apost l e . "
I mamsent t he gi f t s t o hi magai n, sayi ng, " Keep t hese gi f t s, and your
r ewar d i n t he her eaf t er i s al so secur e. "
Far azdaq accept ed t he gi f t s wi t h t hanks.
( Amal i of Syed Mur t aza, Hul i at al - Abr ar , Sawaeq e- Muhar r aqa)

*
Once, t he cal i ph, Abdul Mal i k i bn Mar wan, whi l e per f or mi ng " t awaf " of
Ka' bah, obser ved t he f our t h I mamwho was per f or mi ng t awaf , payi ng no heed t o
t he Abdul Mal i k. Thi s anger ed Abdul Mal i k.
Lat er , he cal l ed I mamt o one si de and sai d angr i l y, " You saw me but
i gnor ed me. Di d you not f ear t hat I woul d ki l l you t he same way t hat Yazi d
i bn Mu' awi ya ( may God' s chast i sement s on hi mi ncr ease) ki l l ed your f at her ?"
I mamsai d, " The man who ki l l ed my f at her dest r oyed my f at her ' s wor l dl y
l i f e, and my f at her dest r oyed t he ki l l er ' s af t er - l i f e. I f you t oo want t o
become l i ke hi m( Yazi d) , go ahead. "
Abdul Mal i k f el t f ear . He sai d, " I woul d never want t hat . I n f act , I wi l l
obt ai n benef i t f or my af t er - l i f e f r omyou and I wi l l gr ant you f avour i n t hi s
wor l d.
I mamspr ead hi s cl oak on t he gr ound, put some pebbl es on i t and pr ayed,
" O God! Show t hi s man t he st at i on of your f r i ends. "
Abdul Mal i k saw t hat t he pebbl es had t ur ned t o gems. I mamsai d, " He whose
st at i on near God i s such, why woul d he become dependent upon t he peopl e of
t he wor l d?" and became engr ossed i n pr ayer s.
( Hadeeqat al - Shi ' a)

*
Zahr i r epor t s:
Once, dur i ng t he t i me of haj , i n t he pl ace of Ar af at , I was st andi ng near
I mamZai n al - Abedeen, wat chi ng t he pi l gr i ms.
" Moul a! How many t housands of pi l gr i ms t her e ar e and what a t r emendous
t umul t t her e i s! "
I mamsai d, " Come near me. "
When I went near hi m, he passed hi s hand over my f ace and sai d, " Look
now. "
When I l ooked agai n at t he pi l gr i ms, I saw onl y one i n t en t housand of
t hemas human. The r est I saw as ani mal s mi l l i ng about - monkeys, dogs,
swi nes, wol ves, et c. I was amazed.
I mamsai d, " Li st en! Those who per f or mpi l gr i mage wi t hout t r ue i nt ent i on
and t r ue f ai t h, t hey ar e l i ke t hi s. O Zahr i ! Wi t hout good i nt ent i on and
wi t hout l ove f or us, al l deeds ar e usel ess.
( Taf si r e- I mamHasan Askar AS)

Chapter 7

THE FIFTH IMAM:
MOHAMMAD IBN ALI

o Birth: 676 AD
o Martyred: 733 AD, poisoned by the ruler of the time, Hisham ibne
Abdul Malik
o Age at time of death: 56 years

*
Once, t he Apost l e sai d t o hi s compani on, J abi r i bn Abdul l ah al - Ansar i , " O
J aber ! God has gr ant ed you a l ong l i f e. You wi l l have t he good f or t une of
seei ng my son, Mohammad i bn Al i i bn al - Hussai n i bn Al i i bn Abi Tal i b, whose
name i n Tor ah i s ' Baqi r ' . When you meet hi m, convey my sal aamt o hi m. "
Many year s af t er t he passi ng away of t he Apost l e, J abi r one day went t o
t he house of I mamZai n al - Abi deen. Ther e, he saw a boy of young age. As soon
as he saw t he boy, J abi r sai d, " Pl ease come her e. "
Then he sai d, " Pl ease go back a l i t t l e. "
Then he sai d, " By t he God of Ka' ba! He i s t he exact pi ct ur e of t he
Apost l e "
Then J abi r asked I mamZai n al - Abedeen, " Who i s he?"
I mamsai d, " Thi s i s my son, Mohammad Baqi r , who wi l l be your I mamaf t er
me. "
Hear i ng t hi s, J abi r got up and ki ssed t he f eet of t he boy and conveyed t o
hi mt he sal aamof hi s ancest or , Apost l e Mohammad.
I mamMohammad Baqi r ' s eyes f i l l ed wi t h t ear s. He sai d, " May God' s
bl essi ngs and sal aambe upon my hol y ancest or as l ong as t he ear t h and t he
sky r emai n. And sal aamon you t oo, J abi r , who conveyed t hi s sal aamt o me. "
( Amal i of Shei kh Saduq)
*
The cal i ph of t he t i me wr ot e t o hi s gover nor i n Madi nah, i nst r uct i ng hi m
t o send I mamMohammad Baquer t o hi mi n Syr i a. I mamt ook wi t h hi mhi s son
J af ar , who was of ver y young age at t hat t i me.
Near Yemen, I mamsaw a ver y bi g monast er y. A huge cr owd was gat her ed at
t he monast er y. I t was f ound t hat t hey had gat her ed t her e t o see a monk. Thi s
monk was ver y ol d and l ear ned, and he came out of hi s monast er y onl y once a
year and on t hat day, peopl e asked hi mquest i ons and he answer ed t hem.
I mamt oo j oi ned t he cr owd. J ust t hen, t he monk came out . Due t o age, hi s
br ows hung over hi s eyes. He gl anced at t he cr owd, and hi s eyes became f i xed
on t he f ace of I mam.
" Ar e you one of us?" he asked.
" I amof t he f ol l ower s of Mohammed, " r epl i ed t he I mam.
" Ar e you a schol ar or an i gnor ant ?"
I n r epl y, I mamsai d, " I amnot i gnor ant . "
" May I ask you cer t ai n t hi ngs?" sai d t he monk.
" Of cour se, " sai d I mam.
" Tel l me, whi ch i s t he t i me t hat i s nei t her day nor ni ght ?"
" I t i s t he t i me bet ween t he end of t he ni ght and t he sunr i se. Thi s i s of
heavenl y t i mes. Thi s i s t he t i me when t he i l l r ecei ve a l i t t l e ease; t he
pai ni ng r ecei ve a l i t t l e r el i ef ; one who has not sl ept t he whol e ni ght ,
becomes sl eepy; and t hi s i s a speci al t i me f or t hose who t ur n t hei r awar eness
t owar ds God. "
" Musl i ms bel i eve t hat i n par adi se, peopl e wi l l eat and dr i nk but wi l l not
r equi r e t o excr et e. I s t her e any si mi l e t o t hi s i n t hi s wor l d?"

" A baby i n t he womb of i t s mot her , " sai d t he I mam.

" You al so bel i eve t hat t he f r ui t s i n par adi se wi l l not l essen f r om
eat i ng. Does t hi s t oo have a si mi l e i n t hi s wor l d?"
" Li ght t housands of l amps wi t h a si ngl e l amp, but t he l i ght of t he l amp
does not di mi ni sh. "
" Tel l me of t he t r ee, t he r oot s of whi ch ar e i n t he househol d of t he
Apost l e Mohammad and i t s br anches ar e ever ywher e. Does t hi s have a si mi l e?"
asked t he monk.
" The sun whose r ays ar e ever ywher e, i n ever y house. And I amt hat t r ee
who i s not onl y her e but ever ywher e. "
" I s t he key t o t he door of par adi se made of gol d or si l ver ?"
" Nei t her of gol d nor of si l ver , but of t he t ongue of t he bel i ever . The
door of t he par adi se opens when t he bel i ever speaks of God. "
" Now I wi l l ask you a ver y di f f i cul t quest i on, " sai d t he monk. " Pl ease
answer i t . "
" On t he condi t i on t hat you wi l l accept I sl am, " sai d t he I mam.
The monk agr eed and sai d, " Two br ot her s wer e bor n on t he same day and
di ed on t he same day but one of t hemwas aged 100 year s and t he ot her 200
year s. I s t hi s possi bl e?"
I mamsai d, " Yes. The t wo br ot her s wer e Apost l es. One of t hemwas cal l ed
Azi z and t he ot her Uzai r , who wer e bor n t oget her . When bot h of t hemr eached
t he age of f i f t y, one of t hemone day passed t hr ough a vi l l age whi ch was ver y
gr een, and t he peopl e of t he vi l l age had been ki l l ed f or t hei r di sobedi ence
of God. Ther e was no si gn of t hemexcept f or t hei r r ui ned bones. He t ook heed
of t he si ght . He pl ucked and at e some f r ui t s, and gat her ed a l i t t l e j ui ce
f r omt hemi n a vessel and l yi ng down i n t he shade of a t r ee, t hought : on t he
day of r esur r ect i on, how wi l l t hese peopl e l i ve agai n, whose bones t oo ar e
spoi l ed. He was j ust t hi nki ng t hi s when by God' s command, he was gi ven deat h.
Af t er a hundr ed year s, God or der ed an angel t o br i ng t he Apost l e back t o l i f e
and t hen t o ask hi mhow l ong had he sl ept . So, t he angel , as per t he Lor d' s
command, br ought hi mback t o l i f e and asked hi m, ' O Apost l e! How l ong had you
sl ept ?' Azi z saw t hat t he f r ui t j ui ce i s st i l l t her e i n t he vessel and when
he had gone t o sl eep, t he sun was set t i ng, and now i t was r i si ng, so he sai d,
' One ni ght . ' The angel sai d, ' No, a hundr ed year s. I f you do not bel i eve,
l ook at t he ass you r ode. ' Even i t s bones wer e spoi l ed. By t he Lor d' s
command, t he angel t hen br ought t he ass back t o l i f e. Azi z i mmedi at el y sai d,
' Ver i l y, God has power over al l t hi ngs. ' And r i di ng hi s ass, r et ur ned home
and l i ved f i f t y mor e year s, and when bot h t he br ot her s di ed on t he same day,
one of t hemwas hundr ed year s ol d and t he ot her was t wo hundr ed year s ol d. "
The monk came near t he I mamand asked, " Ar e you Mohammad, t he Messenger
of God?"
I mamsai d, " I amMohammad, but I amson ( descendent ) of Mohammad, t he
Messenger of God. "
The monk, and al l t he peopl e gat her ed t her e, accept ed t he f ai t h of I sl am.
The I mamr eached Damascus. When l at er , becomi ng af r ai d of t he I mam' s
ever - gr owi ng popul ar i t y among t he peopl e of Damascus, t he cal i ph sent hi m
back t o Madi nah, but t o ever y vi l l age and ci t y t hat f el l i n t he way, he sent
or der s not t o suppl y f ood or wat er t o t he I mam, so t hat by t he t i me t he I mam
and hi s son r each Madi nah, t hey woul d di e of hunger and t hi r st . But t he same
monk and hi s st udent s ai ded t he I mamand ar r anged f or t he I mamt o r each
Madi nah i n comf or t . ( Hadeeqat al - Shi ' a)

*
Dur i ng I mam' s st ay i n Damascus, one day, t he cal i ph, Hi shami bn Abdul -
Mal i k, cal l ed t hemt o hi s cour t . When t he f i f t h I mamand hi s son ent er ed t he
cour t , an ar cher y cont est was goi ng on.
Hi sham, wi t h a vi ew of der ogat i ng t he I mam, and under t he i mpr essi on t hat
t he f i f t h I mamwas a schol ar , and so, woul d not know much about weaponr y,
asked t he I mamt o par t i ci pat e i n t he cont est .
I mamat f i r st r ef used, sayi ng, " I amol d and my days of ar cher y ar e over .
Hi shami nsi st ed and asked one of hi s cour t i er s t o gi ve hi s bow and ar r ows
t o I mam.
I mamMohammad Baqi r t ook t he bow and f i t t ed an ar r ow. The ar r ow embedded
i t sel f i n t he exact cent r e of t he t ar get . I mamf i t t ed a second ar r ow. The
second ar r ow embedded i t sel f i n t he f i r st ar r ow. I maml et go a t hi r d ar r ow
whi ch pi er ced t he second ar r ow.
Hi sham' s f ace t ur ned pal e and t he cour t wat ched awe- st r uck as, one af t er
t he ot her , I mamshot ni ne ar r ows at t he t ar get , each ar r ow pi er ci ng and
embeddi ng i n t he pr ecedi ng ar r ow. ( Dal a' el al - I mama)

*
Abu Basi r says:
One day, I vi si t ed t he I mam( Mohammed Baquer ) and asked, " Ar e you of t he
hei r s of t he Messenger of God?"
He sai d, " Yes. "
I sai d, " The Messenger of God was t he hei r of al l t he Apost l es past . "
" Yes. "
I sai d, " Can you br i ng t he dead back t o l i f e and gi ve si ght t o t he
bl i nd?"
" Yes, " he sai d and cal l ed me near hi m. When I appr oached hi m, he r ubbed
hi s hol y hand on my eyes. I had been bl i nd f or a l ong t i me but suddenl y my
eyes l i ght ed up as i f I had never been bl i nd.
Then I mamsai d, " O Abu Basi r ! Do you want t o r emai n l i ke t hi s and on t he
day of r esur r ect i on, gi ve account of your l i f e bef or e God l i ke ot her s? Or do
you want t o be such t hat on t he day of r eckoni ng you ent er par adi se wi t hout
gi vi ng account of your l i f e?"
I sai d, " Son of t he Apost l e! I do not have t he st r engt h t o gi ve account
of my l i f e bef or e God. I amcont ent t o l i ve bl i nd. "
He once agai n passed hi s hand over my eyes and I became bl i nd as bef or e.
( Hadeeqat al - Shi ' a)

*
Abu Basi r r epor t s:
One day, I went t o t he mosque i n t he company of I mamMohammad Baqi r . A
huge cr owd was t her e.
I mamt ol d me, " Ask peopl e whomyou meet , i f t hey have seen me. "
I asked ever yone, " Have you seen t he I mam?"
Ever yone r epl i ed i n negat i ve even as I mamwas st andi ng besi de me.
J ust t hen Abu Har oun, who was a t r ue devot ee of t he I mam, came t her e. Abu
Har oun was bl i nd.
I mamsai d, " Ask Abu Har oun t oo. "
" Have you seen I mamAbu J af ar ?" I asked Abu Har oun.
" I sn' t he st andi ng t her e besi de you?" answer ed Abu Har oun i mmedi at el y.
" How di d you know?" I asked hi m.
Abu Har oun r epl i ed, " How woul d I not know hi m, when he i s a shi ni ng
l i ght ?" ( Bi har al - Anwar )
*

I bad bi n Kat hi r of Basr a r epor t s:

I vi si t ed I mamMohammed Baquer and asked hi m, " What i s t he r i ght of a
bel i ever on God?"
The I mamr emai ned si l ent . I asked hi magai n. He st i l l r emai ned si l ent .
I asked hi ma t hi r d t i me. Then t he I maml ooked at me car ef ul l y. " The
r i ght of a bel i ever over God i s t hat i f he commanded a t r ee t o come t o hi m,
t he t r ee shoul d come t o hi m, " t he I mamsai d, poi nt i ng t o a dat e t r ee.
By God, I saw t hat t r ee come t o I mam. I mamt hen commanded i t t o go back
and t he t r ee went back t o i t s or i gi nal pl ace. ( Kashf al - Ghumma)

*
Abdul l ah i bn Naf e' was one of Al i ' s st aunch enemi es and used t o say t hat
he woul d go t o anyone, anywher e, who coul d convi nce hi mt hat Al i was r i ght i n
ki l l i ng so many khawar i j ( pl ur al of Khar i j i ) i n t he bat t l e of Nahr awan.
Peopl e gui ded hi mt o I mamMohammad Baqi r . Abdul l ah came t o Madi nah wi t h
hi s f r i ends and desi r ed audi ence wi t h I mam. I mamor der ed one of hi s ser vant s
t o go and t el l t hemt o come t he next day.
Ear l y next mor ni ng, Abdul l ah and hi s f r i ends came t o I mam. I mamal so
gat her ed t oget her al l hi s compani ons.
Then I mamst ar t ed speaki ng. Fi r st , he pr ai sed t he Lor d, t hen he pr ai sed
t he Apost l e. Then he t ur ned t o t he gat her ed popul ace and asked t hemt o r el at e
what ever t hey r emember ed of Al i ' s vi r t ues and excel l ences.
One af t er t he ot her , t he peopl e began r eci t i ng var i ous t r adi t i ons about
Al i . When t he t al k r eached t he t r adi t i on of Khayber and when t he peopl e
r el at ed t hat dur i ng t he sei ge of Khayber , Apost l e had sai d, " Tomor r ow wi l l I
gi ve t he ' al am( f l ag) t o t he man who l oves God and Hi s Messenger , and whom
God and Hi s Messenger l ove, who wi l l at t ack agai n and agai n and who wi l l not
r un away and wi l l not t ur n back t i l l God gr ant s hi mvi ct or y. " The next day,
t he Apost l e handed t he f l ag t o Al i who t hen pr oceeded and conquer ed Khayber
and r et ur ned vi ct or i ous.
I mamt ur ned t o Naf e' . " What do you t hi nk about t hi s t r adi t i on?"
" The t r adi t i on i s absol ut el y t r ue, " sai d Naf e' , " but Al i l at er became an
i nf i del because he ki l l ed t he khawar i j unnecessar i l y. "
" May your mot her gr i eve f or you! " sai d t he I mam. " When God l oved Al i di d
God know t hat Al i woul d l at er ki l l t he khawar i j , or di d He not know?"
" God knew. "
" Di d God l ove Al i because he was an obedi ent ser vant of God, or because
Al i was - God gr ant r ef uge - di sobedi ent t o Hi m?"
" God l oved Al i because he was an obedi ent ser vant of God. "
" Then i f Al i was goi ng t o commi t a si n - God gr ant r ef uge - i n f ut ur e,
God woul d not have l oved Al i . The f act t hat God l oves Al i means t hat t her e
was no possi bi l i t y of Al i ever commi t t i ng a si n, and t her ef or e, Al i ' s ki l l i ng
of t he khawar i j was not a si n but was an act of obedi ence t o God. "
Then I mamsai d, " Now, get up. You have no answer t o t hi s, and t hi s one
ar gument i s enough t o r ef ut e your cont ent i on. "
When Abdul l ah got up t o l eave, he was r eci t i ng f r oma Qur ' ani c ver se:
" . . . unt i l t he whi t e st r eak ( of dawn) becomes mani f est t o you f r omt he bl ack
st r eak ( of ni ght ) . . . " ( Al - Baqar ah: 187) , and he kept on r epeat i ng: " . . . God
knows best wher e t o pl ace Hi s Apost l ehood. . . " ( Al - An' am: 125) . ( Kaf i )

*
Fr omI mamBaqi r ' s conver sat i on wi t h Sa' i d i bn al - Hasan:
I mam: Does i t happen t o you t hat one of you appr oaches hi s br ot her and
put s hi s hand i nt o hi s br ot her ' s pocket t o t ake some money of whi ch he i s i n
need, wi t hout hi s br ot her pr event i ng hi m?"

Sa' i d: I do not know of such a t hi ng.

I mam: Then t r ul y, t her e ar e no r eal Shi ' i among you.
( The Fai t h of Shi ' a I sl am, by Muhammad Ri da al - Muzaf f ar )

Chapter 8

THE SIXTH IMAM:
SADEQ E-AAL E-MOHAMMAD JAFAR IBN MOHAMMAD

o Birth: 702 AD
o Martyred: 765 AD, poisoned by the ruler of the time, Mansoor ad-
Dawaniqi
o Age at time of death: 63 years

*
Abu Basi r says: Shoeb came t o I mamal - Sadeq and pr esent ed hi mwi t h a bag
of di nar s.
" I s t hi s zakat or gi f t ?" I mamasked.
Af t er r emai ni ng si l ent f or a whi l e, Shoeb sai d, " I t i s bot h zakat and
gi f t . "
" We do not need zakat , " I mamsai d and put hi s hand i n t he bag, t ook out a
handf ul of di nar s and r et ur ned t hemt o Shoeb.
When we l ef t , we asked Shoeb about how much zakat was t her e i n t he bag.
Sai d: " As much as t he I mamhad r et ur ned t o me. By God, t her e was not a
pi ece mor e or l ess. " ( I t hbat al - Hudaat )

*
Abu Shaker Abdul l ah Desani one day came t o I mamJ af ar al - Sadeq and asked
I mamvar i ous quest i ons. One of hi s quest i ons was: God i s Al l - Power f ul . Can
He, i f He wi shes, accommodat e t he heaven and t he ear t h i n an egg?
I mamr epl i ed, " Desani ! An egg i s a bi g t hi ng; don' t you see t hat God has
accommodat ed t he heaven and t he ear t h i n t he pupi l of your eye. . . ?" ( Kashf
al - Ghumma)

*
Al i bi n Hamza says:
Of t he wor ker s of Bani Umai ya, a young man was my f r i end. One day he
asked me t o t ake hi mt o I mamal - Sadeq.
I obt ai ned I mam' s per mi ssi on and t ook t he young man t o hi m.
The young man sai d, " May I l ay down my l i f e f or you! I ama wor ker of
Bani Umai ya and I have gat her ed a l ot of weal t h. "
I mamsai d, " I f not f or peopl e l i ke you, Banu Umai ya woul d not have had
t he cour age t o sei ze f r omus our r i ght . I f peopl e had not hel ped t hemand had
l ef t t hemal one, t hey woul d not have got anyt hi ng. "
The young man sai d, " May I l ay down my l i f e f or you! I s t her e any
sal vat i on f or me?"
I mamsai d, " I f I t el l you, wi l l you act on i t ?"
" Assur edl y, I wi l l . "
" Gi ve back t o i t s r i ght f ul owner s al l t he weal t h t hat you amassed t hr ough
your wor k f or Bani Umai ya. Anyt hi ng t hat you cannot r et ur n t o t he owner s,
gi ve i t i n char i t y. I f you do t hi s, I guar ant ee you par adi se. "
The young man bowed hi s head. Af t er a whi l e, he l i f t ed hi s head and sai d,
" May I l ay down my l i f e f or you! I wi l l assur edl y do t hi s. "
The young man r et ur ned wi t h us t o Kuf a and made good hi s wor d. Ever yt hi ng
t hat coul d be r et ur ned, he r et ur ned t o t he r i ght f ul owner s, and gave t he r est
i n char i t y. As a r esul t , he became so poor and dest i t ut e t hat we had t o hel p
hi mi n hi s l i vel i hood. A f ew mont hs passed and t he young man t ook i l l . We
used t o vi si t hi mi n hi s i l l ness. One day, when we vi si t ed hi m, he was near

hi s deat h. He opened hi s eyes and sai d, " By God! I mamal - Sadi q has kept hi s
pr omi se. " Sayi ng t hese wor ds he di ed and we bur i ed hi m.
Af t er a t i me, I came t o I mamal - Sadi q. As soon as I mamsaw me, he sai d,
" I kept my pr omi se I had made t o t he young man. "
I sai d, " May I l ay down my l i f e f or you! You speak t he t r ut h. By God!
Thi s was exact l y what t he young man had sai d at t he t i me of hi s deat h. "
( Bi har al - Anwar )

*
Yunus bi n Yaqub r epor t s:
I was wi t h Abu Abd Al l ah ( I mamJ a' f ar ) when a Syr i an came up t o hi m. He
sai d, " I ama schol ar of t heol ogy, j ur i spr udence, and t he l awas of
i nher i t ance. I have come t o di sput e wi t h your f ol l ower s. "
" I s your t heol ogy f r omt he Apost l e of God, or f r omyour sel f ? Abu Abd
Al l ah asked.
" Par t l y f r omt he Apost l e of God and par t l y f r ommysel f , " r epl i ed ( t he
ot her man) .
" Then ar e you a par t ner of t he Apost l e of God ?" enqui r ed Abu Abd Al l ah.
" No, " he answer ed.
" Have you hear d i nspi r at i on ( di r ect ) f r omGod?"
" No, " he r epl i ed.
" I s obedi ence t o you r equi r ed as i s obedi ence t o t he Apost l e of God ?"
" No, " was t he answer .
Abu Abd Al l ah t ur ned t o me and sai d, " Yunus bi n Yaqub, t hi s man has
cont r adi ct ed hi msel f bef or e he has begun ( t he r eal busi ness) of di scussi ng. "
Then he sai d, " Yunus, i f you wer e good at t heol ogy, you shoul d speak t o hi m. "
How sad i t was, f or I sai d t o hi m, " My I l ay down my l i f e f or you, I have
hear d you f or bi d ( t aki ng par t i n) t heol ogy and say: Woe t o t he t heol ogi ans
who say t hat t hi s f ol l ows and t hat t hi s does not f ol l ow; t hat t hi s i s
ent ai l ed and t hat t hi s i s not ent ai l ed; t hat t hi s we accept as r at i onal and
t hi s we do not accept as r at i onal . "
" I onl y sai d, " Abu Abd Al l ah r emar ked, " ' Woe t o t hem, i f t hey abandon
what I say and adopt t hei r own wi shes. ' " Then he t ol d me, " Go out t o t he door
and l ook f or any of t he t heol ogi ans you can see, and br i ng t hemi n. "
I went out and f ound Humr an bi n A' yan who was good at t heol ogy and
Muhammad bi n al - Nu' man al - Ahwal ( al so known as Momi n Taaq) , who was a
t heol ogi an, and Hi shambi n Sal i mand Qays bi n al - Masi r , bot h t heol ogi ans. I
br ought t hemi n t o hi m. Af t er he had set t l ed us i n t he asembl y - we wer e i n
t he t ent of Abu Abd Al l ah at t he t op of a mount ai n on t he edge of t he
sanct uar y ( of Makkah) and t hat was ( a f ew) days bef or e t he days of t he
pi l gr i mage - Abu Abd Al l ah put hi s head out of t he t ent . Ther e appear ed at
t hat moment a camel dashi ng al ong. He cr i ed out , " Hi sham, by t he Lor d of t he
Ka' ba! "
We t hought t hat i t was Hi sham, one of t he sons of Aqi l , who l oved hi m
gr eat l y, but behol d, i t was Hi shambi n al - Hakamwho came. Hi s f ace st i l l
showed onl y t he f i r st t r aces of bear d. Al l of us t her e wer e ol der t han hi m.
Abu Abd Al l ah made r oomf or hi mand sai d, " ( Her e i s) one who hel ps us wi t h
hi s hear t , hi s t ongue and hi s hand. "
He t ol d Humr an, " Debat e wi t h t he man" - meani ng t he Syr i an. Humr an
debat ed wi t h hi mand over came hi m. Then ( t he I mam) sai d, " O my Taaq, debat e
wi t h hi m, " so Muhammad bi n al - Nu' man debat ed wi t h hi mand over came hi m. Next
he sai d, " Hi shambi n Sal i m, debat e wi t h hi m. " So t hey bot h ar gued t oget her .
Abu Abd Al l ah began t o smi l e at t hei r di scussi on as t he Syr i an sought t o
escape. He t ol d t he Syr i an, " Debat e wi t h t hi s l ad, " - meani ng Hi shambi n al -
Hakam.

" Yes, " r epl i ed t he Syr i an and sai d, " l ad, ask me about t he I mamat e of
t hi s man" - meani ng Abu Abd Al l ah.
Hi shamt r embl ed wi t h anger but t hen he sai d, " Fel l ow, does your Lor d l ook
af t er Hi s cr eat ur es or do t hey l ook af t er t hemsel ves?"
" I ndeed, " r epl i ed t he Syr i an, " my Lor d l ooks af t er Hi s cr eat ur es. "
" What does He do t o l ook af t er t hei r r el i gi on f or t hem?"
" He gi ves t hemdut i es and pr ovi des t hemwi t h pr oof ( huj j a) and evi dence
f or t he t hi ngs whi ch He has r equi r ed of t hem. He r emoves any weaknesses t hey
mi ght have about t hat . "
" What i s t he evi dence whi ch He has est abl i shed f or t hem?" Hi shamasked
hi m.
" I t i s t he Apost l e of God, " t he Syr i an answer ed.
" What af t er t he Apost l e of God?" enqui r ed Hi sham.
" The Book and t he sunna. "
" Do t he Book and t he sunna benef i t us t oday i n our di f f er ences so t hat
t he di f f er ences ar e r emoved f r omus and we ar e abl e t o agr ee?" asked Hi sham.
" Yes, " r epl i ed t he Syr i an.
" Then do we di f f er f r omyou, " r et or t ed Hi sham, " so t hat you have come t o
us f r omSyr i a t o di sput e wi t h us? You cl ai mt hat per sonal j udgement i s t he
met hod of r el i gi on whi l e you acknowl edge t hat per sonal j udgement does not
br i ng peopl e who di f f er t oget her i n one doct r i ne. "
The Syr i an was si l ent as i f he was t hi nki ng. So Abu Abd Al l ah asked hi m,
" Why ar en' t you debat i ng?"
" I f I say: We do not di f f er , " he answer ed, " I woul d be ( mer el y) bei ng
obst i nat e. I f I say: t he Book and t he sunna r emove our di f f er ences, I woul d
be wr ong because t he t wo bear ( di f f er ent ) i nt er pr et at i ons. However , I coul d
use t he same ar gument agai nst hi m. "
" Ask hi m, t hen, " Abu Abd Al l ah t ol d hi m. " You wi l l f i nd hi mcompet ent . "
So t he Syr i an asked Hi sham, " Who l ooks af t er Hi s cr eat ur es, t hei r Lor d or
t hemsel ves?"
" I ndeed t hei r Lor d l ooks af t er t hem, " r epl i ed Hi sham.
" Does He est abl i sh f or t hemsomeone who wi l l har moni se t hei r doct r i ne,
r emove t hei r di f f er ences and expl ai n t he t r ue f r omt he f al se t o t hem?"
demanded t he Syr i an.
" Yes, " r epl i ed Hi sham.
" Who i s t hat ?" asked t he Syr i an.
" At t he begi nni ng of t he shar i ' a ( t he r el i gi ous doct r i ne) , i t was t he
Apost l e of God but af t er t he Apost l e, i t was someone el se. "
" Who i s i t ot her t han t he Apost l e, who t akes hi s pl ace i n bei ng Hi s ( i . e.
God' s) pr oof ?" t he Syr i an asked.
" Now or bef or e?" Hi shamr esponded.
" At t he pr esent t i me, " answer ed t he Syr i an.
" Thi s man who i s si t t i ng her e, " sai d Hi sham- meani ng Abu Abd Al l ah. " He
i s t he one t o whomyou t r avel l ed; he i s t he one who t el l s us about heaven and
i s t he i nher i t or f r omf at her and gr andf at her . "
" How woul d I have knowl edge of t hat ?" asked t he Syr i an.
" Ask hi mabout anyt hi ng whi ch occur s t o you, " Hi shamt ol d hi m.
" You have st opped ( any) excuse of mi ne but I do have a quest i on, " t he
Syr i an decl ar ed.
" I wi l l di spense wi t h your quest i oni ng, " Abu Abd Al l ah t ol d hi m. " I wi l l
t el l you about your t r avel and your j our ney. You l ef t on such and such a day.
Your r oad was such and such. You passed so and so and such and such ( a man)
passed you. "

Ever y t i me he t ol d hi manyt hi ng about hi s af f ai r , t he Syr i an woul d say,

" Tr ue, by God. " Then t he Syr i an sai d t o hi m, " At t hi s moment I have submi t t ed
( asl amt u) t o God. "
" Rat her at t hi s moment you have f ai t h ( amant a) i n God, " sai d Abu Abd
Al l ah. I sl am( submi ssi on t o God) i s bef or e Eeman ( f ai t h i n God) . On t he basi s
of t he f or mer t hey ar r ange i nher i t ance and mar r i age; on t he basi s of f ai t h
men ar e r ewar ded. "
" Tr ue, " r epl i ed t he Syr i an, " at t hi s moment I t est i f y t hat t her e i s no
god but God, t hat Muhammad i s t he Apost l e of God, and t hat you ar e t he
( pr esent ) t r ust ee ( wasi of God) among t he t r ust ees ( appoi nt ed by God) . "
[ Lat er , I mamcomment ed on t he i ndi vi dual st yl es of debat e of each of hi s
f ol l ower s. ]
To Hi shambi n al - Hakam, he sai d, " Hi sham, you ar e har dl y l i kel y t o f al l ,
f or you t uck i n your l egs ( l i ke a bi r d) ; when you ar e about t o f al l , you f l y.
Ther ef or e a per son l i ke you shoul d debat e wi t h t he peopl e. Guar d agai nst
sl i ppi ng and i nt er cessi on wi l l be behi nd you. " ( Al - I r shad)

*
Hi shambi n Hakamr epor t s t hat I bn Abi l - I waj a and Abu Shaker Desani and
Abdul - Mal ak and I bn Muqaf f a came t o Maccah and wer e t hr owi ng t aunt s on t he
hol y Qur ' an and maki ng f un of t he peopl e who came f or haj j . I bn Abi l - I waj a
sai d, " Come l et each of us t ake one quar t er of t he Qur ' an and pi n- poi nt i t s
f aul t s and f al l aci es, and next year when agai n we meet her e, we woul d have
pr oven t he whol e of t he Qur ' an f aul t y. "
Next t hey gat her ed once agai n at Maccah and conf essed t o each ot her t hei r
i nabi l i t y t o f i nd any f aul t wi t h t he Qur ' an. At t hat t i me, I mamal - Sadeq
passed near t hem, nar r at i ng t hi s qur ' ani c ver se: " Say, ' I f men and t he j i nn
get uni t ed t hat t hey br i ng t he l i ke of t hi s Qur ' an, t hey woul d br i ng not t he
l i ke of i t , even t hough some of t hemt o t he ot her s be hel per s. " ( Bani I sr ael :
88)
They al l wept and sai d, " I f t her e i s any r eal i t y t o I sl am, t he
successor shi p of Mohammad bel ongs t o none but J af er i bn Mohammed. By God,
t her e never was a t i me when we saw hi mand wer e not awed by hi s magni f i cence
and our bodi es di d not t r embl e. "
( I t hbat al - Hudaat )

*
Mu' al l a i bn Khunays ( a cl ose compani on of t he si xt h I mam) r epor t s:
On a dar k, col d ni ght , I saw I mamJ af ar al - Sadeq wal ki ng t owar ds t he
l odge of ' Bani Sa' dah' ( whi ch was a st ayi ng pl ace of t he poor and dest i t ut e) .
He was car r yi ng a sack on hi s back. I deci ded t o f ol l ow t he I mam.
On t he way, somet hi ng f r omt he I mam' s sack f el l on t he gr ound. I hear d
I mam' s voi ce as he pr ayed, " O Lor d, gi ve me back t hat whi ch has f al l en on t he
gr ound. "
I went cl oser t o t he I mamand gr eet ed hi m. I mamr et ur ned t he gr eet i ng and
sai d, " I s i t you, Mu' al l a?"
" Yes, O son of t he Apost l e, " I r epl i ed.
" Sear ch on t he gr ound wi t h your hands gi ve me what ever you f i nd. "
When I sear ched, I f ound a f ew l oaves of br ead whi ch I gave t o I mam. I
not i ced t hat I mam' s sack was heavy and f ul l of br ead.
I asked hi m, " Lor d, wi l l you per mi t me t o car r y t he sack f or you?"
" No, " he sai d, " i t i s mor e f i t t i ng f or me t o car r y i t , but come wi t h me. "
I went wi t h I mamt i l l we r eached ' Bani Sa' dah' . Some pauper s wer e
sl eepi ng t her e. I mamput one or t wo br eads under neat h t he cl ot hes of al l t he
sl eeper s, wi t hout depr i vi ng a si ngl e per son t her e. Then we qui et l y r et ur ned.

" Ar e t hese shi ' as?" I asked.

" No, " he sai d. " Had t hey been our shi ' a, we woul d have gi ven t hemmor e
t han t hi s. " ( Kaf i , Bi har al - Anwar )

*
Abu Basi r r epor t s:
One day, I was i n t he pr esence of I mamal - Sadeq when t he t al k t ur ned t o
Mu' al l a i bn Khunays.
I mamsai d, " Wi l l you keep secr et what ever I t el l you about Mual l a i bn
Khunays?"
I sai d, " Moul a! I wi l l keep i t secr et . "
He sai d, " Mu' al l a wi l l r each hi s dest i nat i on when Daoud bi n Al i wi l l
cause hi mt r oubl e. "
" How wi l l Daoud bi n Al i t r eat hi m?" I asked.
" He wi l l have hi mbr ought t o hi s cour t , wi l l mar t yr hi mand wi l l have hi s
body hung. And t hi s i nci dent wi l l happen next year . "
One year l at er , Daoud bi n Al i came t o Madi nah as i t s gover nor . He cal l ed
Mu' al l a i bn Khunays t o hi s cour t and asked hi mt he names and addr esses of t he
shi ' as of I mamal - Sadeq. Mu' al l a r ef used.
Daoud t hr eat ened hi m" I f you do not t el l me, t hen I wi l l ki l l you. "
Mual l a sai d, " You t hr eat en me wi t h deat h! By God! I wi l l never r eveal t he
shi ' as t o you. . . And i f you ki l l me, I woul d be qui t e pl eased. That way, you
wi l l be br i ngi ng wr et chedness upon your sel f . "
And Daoud ki l l ed Mu' al l a. ( Bi har al - Anwar )

*
When Daoud bi n Al i bi n Abd Al l ah bi n Abbas ki l l ed Mu' al l a i bn Khunays and
t ook hi s pr oper t y, I mamal - Sadi q went t o hi mwhi l e he was pul l i ng at hi s
cl oak.
" You have ki l l ed my f ol l ower and t aken hi s pr oper t y, " I mamsai d t o hi m.
" Do you know t hat a man may sl eep when he has suf f er ed t he l oss of a chi l d
but he may not sl eep when he i s at war ? I wi l l pr ay t o God agai nst you. "
" Do you t hr eat en us wi t h your pr ayer ?" he r et or t ed as i f he was
r i di cul i ng hi s wor ds.
Abu Abd Al l ah ( I mamJ af ar al - Sadi q AS) went back t o hi s house and spent
t he whol e ni ght st andi ng and si t t i ng. Then, at dawn he was hear d sayi ng i n
hi s pr i vat e pr ayer : " O Possessor of mi ght y st r engt h, O Possessor of f i er ce
enmi t y, O Possessor of power bef or e whi ch al l Your cr eat ur es ar e humbl e, gi ve
me sat i sf act i on agai nst t hi s t yr ant and t ake vengeance on hi mf or me. "
I t was not an hour bef or e voi ces wer e r ai sed i n scr eechi ng ( l ament at i on)
and i t was announced t hat Daoud bi n Al i had j ust di ed.
( Al - I r shad)

*
Aban i bn Taghl ab r el at es:
Whi l e I was ci r cumambul at i ng t he Ka' bah wi t h I mamSadi q, one of our
f r i ends si gnal l ed me t hat I shoul d i mmedi at el y go wi t h hi mt o hel p hi m.
The I mamnot i ced and sai d t o me, " O Aban, does he mean you?"
I r epl i ed, " Yes. "
" Does he bel i eve i n what you bel i eve i n?"
" Yes. "
" Then go wi t h hi mand br eak your ci r cumambul at i on. "
I asked i f i t was i ncumbent on me t o do so, and he sai d t hat i t was. ( The
Fai t h of Shi ' a I sl am, by Al l ama Muhammad Ri da al - Muzaf f ar )

*
Suf i an i bn Yahya wr i t es t hat a man of Kuf a r epor t ed t o hi mt hus:
My wi f e sai d t o me, " We ar e wi t hhel d f r omseei ng our I mam( J af ar as- Sadeq
AS) . I f we go f or haj t hi s t i me, we wi l l be abl e t o get t he honour of seei ng
t he I mamt oo. "
I sai d, " By God, we do not have enough money t o make t he j our ney. "
Wi f e sai d, " I wi l l sel l al l my val uabl es i n or der t o obt ai n t hi s honor . "
So we ar r anged t he money f or t he j our ney and went f or haj . Af t er
per f or mi ng haj , when we r eached t he hol y Madi nah, my wi f e became ver y i l l
and was near her deat h. I r ent ed a house, l ef t my wi f e i n t he house and
vi si t ed t he I mam.
I mamenqui r ed of my heal t h and of my woman. I sai d, " I have come her e
l eavi ng her cl ose t o deat h. Per haps I wi l l not f i nd her al i ve when I r et ur n. "
Hear i ng t hi s, I mambowed hi s head and r emai ned si l ent f or some t i me. Then
he r ai sed hi s head and sai d, " Go, t hat t r ue- bel i evi ng woman i s now compl et el y
heal t hy. "
When I r et ur ned, I saw t hat my wi f e was si t t i ng, heal t hy and wel l .
" Tel l me, how di d you get wel l so f ast ?" I asked her .
Wi f e r epl i ed, " A st r ange i nci dent happened. I was cl ose t o my deat h when
an honor abl e man came and asked me, ' How ar e you?'
" I sai d, ' I amseei ng t he angel of deat h i n f r ont of me. '
" He sai d t o t he angel of deat h, ' Do you not have God' s command t o obey
us?'
" The angel of deat h sai d, ' Wi t hout a doubt , my l eader ! '
" The man sai d, ' Gi ve her a f ur t her t er mof t went y year s. ' Hear i ng t hi s,
t he angel of deat h went away si l ent l y. "
I t hen asked, " Tel l me about t he honor abl e man. "
She sai d, " He had a r adi ant f ace, wor e a r obe. "
I under st ood ( t hat i t was t he I mamJ af ar as- Sadeq AS) .
( Khar ai j , Hadeeqat al - Shi ' a)

*
Zai d Shi hamr epor t s:
One day I , accompani ed by a gr oup of peopl e f r omKuf a, was i n t he
pr esence of I mamal - Sadeq. Then J af ar i bn ' Af an came t her e. I mam, wi t h gr eat
consi der at i on, seat ed hi mdown besi de hi msel f and sai d, " O J af ar ! We have
come t o know t hat you compose ver y good poet r y i n el egy of I mamHussai n. "
" Yes, O son of t he Messenger of God! " sai d J af ar .
" Reci t e some poemi n el egy of I mamHussai n, " sai d I mamal - Sadeq.
When J af ar r eci t ed t he poem, I mamwept so much t hat hi s t ear s cour sed
down hi s bl essed bear d, and al l t hose who wer e pr esent wept .
And I mamsai d, " O J af ar ! By God, t he angel s cl ose t o God had come her e
and ever y one of t hemhear d t he poemyou r eci t ed, and t hey wept even mor e
t han us. God has made par adi se compul sor y f or you f r omt hi s moment , and has
f or gi ven your si ns. "
Then I mamsai d, " Shal l I r el at e mor e about your r ewar d?"
" Yes, O Moul a. "
" Whoever wr i t es one coupl et i n el egy of Hussai n and weeps and makes
ot her s weep, God makes par adi se compul sor y f or hi mf or gi ves hi s si ns. " ( Bi har
al - Anwar )

Chapter 9

THE SEVENTH IMAM:
MOOSA IBN JAFAR

o Birth: 746 AD
o Martyred: 799 AD, poisoned by the ruler of the time, Harun ar-
Rasheed
o Age at time of death: 53 years

*
Al i i bn Yaqt een was a devoi t f ol l ower of I mamMoosa Kazi mbut he was al so
t r ust ed by t he cal i ph Har oun Rashi d. I mam' s i nst r uct i ons t o hi mwer e t o
r emai n near t he cal i ph and t aki ng advant age of hi s t r ust , ai d t he f ol l ower s
of I mamwhenever possi bl e. Fol l owi ng I mam' s i nst r uct i ons, he hi d hi s t r ue
f ai t h f r omt he Har oun Rashi d.
One day, one of Har oun' s mi ni st er s spoke t o Har oun agai nst Al i i bn
Yaqt een, sayi ng t hat he was a shi ' a, and a f ol l ower of I mamMoosa Kazi m. At
t he same t i me, I mam' s l et t er r eached Al i i bn Yaqt een, commandi ng hi mt o
per f or mwuzu i n t he way of Abu Hani f a, f r omt hat moment on. Al i i bn Yaqt een
was sur pr i sed, but bei ng wel l - gui ded, knew t hat f ol l owi ng I mam' s commandment
i s wor shi p of God. So he i mmedi at el y changed hi s way of per f or mi ng wuzu.
On Har oun' s si de, di scussi on was goi ng on about how t o check t he t r ut h of
t he mi ni st er ' s st at ement . I t was f i nal l y deci ded t hat Al i i bn Yaqt een al ways
per f or ms wuzu at hi s house f or pr ayer s. Somehow Har oun woul d hi de hi msel f i n
i bn Yaqt een' s house and obser ve wi t h hi s own eyes how i bn Yaqt een per f or ms
wuzu. Thi s was ar r anged.
At l ast , Al i i bn Yaqt een came out t o per f or mwuzu, and as t he cal i ph
wat ched f r omhi s hi di ng pl ace, he per f or med wuzu i n t he way of Abu Hani f a.
Seei ng t hi s, Har oun Rashi d was sat i sf i ed, and r et ur ni ng t o hi s pal ace, he
i mmedi at el y or der ed t he deat h of t he mi ni st er who had spoken agai nst Al i i bn
Yaqt een.
At t hi s t i me, Al i i bn Yaqt een r ecei ved anot her l et t er f r omI mam,
commandi ng hi mt o r ever t t o t he t r ue way of per f or mi ng wuzu.
Lat er , t he cal i ph sai d t o Al i i bn Yaqt een, " Some peopl e had t r i ed t o
r evoke my t r ust i n you by compl ai ni ng agai nst you, but al l t hei r compl ai nt s
wer e basel ess. I amnow sat i sf i ed and wi l l not hear anybody' s compl ai nt s
agai nst you any mor e. " Then he r el at ed t he i nci dent of wuzu t o Al i i bn
Yaqt een, and Al i i bn Yaqt een under st ood why hi s mast er had commanded hi mt o
per f or mwuzu i n t he way of Abu Hani f a f or some t i me.
( Hadeeqat al - Shi ' a)

*
Al i i bn Hamza r epor t s:
A man was cr yi ng because hi s ass had di ed on t he r oad of Maccah.
" Why do you cr y?" I mam( Mousa Kazi mAS) asked hi m.
He r epl i ed, " My ass has di ed. "
" May be i t i s not dead. "
" You ar e maki ng f un of me. "
" Don' t you know of any i ncant at i on whi ch wi l l br i ng i t back t o l i f e?"
Hear i ng t hi s anger ed t he man. I mampi cked up a wooden st i ck and hi t t he
ass wi t h i t and t he ass i mmedi at el y st ood up.
" You have seen how we make f un, " sai d t he I mam. " Now r i de t he ass and go
your way. " ( Hadeeqat al - Shi ' a)

*
Har oun Rashi d asked I mamMoosa Kazi m, " How do you cal l your sel ves
descendent s of t he Messenger of God, when you ar e t he descendent s of Al i i bn
Abi Tal i b.
I mamquot ed t hi s ver se f r omQur ' an: We gave t o hi m( Abr aham) ( i ssues
l i ke) I saac and J acob; each We di d gui de; and Noah, We di d gui de bef or e, and
i n hi s pr ogeny, Davi d and Sol omon, and J ob and J oseph and Moses and Aar on;
and t hus do We r ewar d t hose who do good; And Zakar i ya and J ohn and J esus and
El i as; ever y one was of t he r i ght eous ( ones) . ( Al - Anam: 85, 86)
I mamsai d, " J esus had no f at her . " ( As per above ver se, J esus i s count ed
among t he pr ogeny of Abr aham, t hr ough Mar y) .
Then he quot ed anot her ver se f r omQur ' an: And t o hi mwho di sput es wi t h
you t her ei n af t er t he knowl edge has come t o you Say! ( O' Our Apost l e
Mohammad! ) ( t o t hem) ' Come, l et us summon our sons, and ( you summon) your
sons, and ( we summon) our women and ( you) your women, and ( we summon)
our sel ves and ( you) your sel ves and t hen l et us i nvoke and l ay t he cur se of
God on t he l i ar s! " ( Al e- I mr an: 61)
I mamsai d, " I n Mubahel a ( t he event t o whi ch t he above ver se r ef er s) , t he
hol y Apost l e di d not t ake anybody el se wi t h hi mexcept Al i , Fat i ma, Hasan and
Hussai n, hence, Hasan and Hussai n had t he st at us of hi s sons. " ( Ar j eh al -
Mat al i b)

*
Saf wan bi n Mahr an was a cl ose compani on of t he sevent h I mam, Mousa al -
Kazi m.
One day, I mamsai d t o Saf wan, " Ever yt hi ng about you i s excel l ent , ever y
f acet of your char act er i s br i ght and r adi ant , but i t i s not r i ght t hat you
r ent your camel s t o Har oun ( t he cal i ph of t he t i me) . "
Saf wan sai d, " Lor d, I j ust r ent ed hi mt he camel s f or haj , but I di d not
go wi t h hi m, nor wi l l I ever . "
I mamsai d, " Because you r ent ed hi myour camel s, you woul d wi sh Har oun t o
r emai n al i ve at l east t i l l t he t i me he r et ur ns f r omhaj and gi ves your camel s
back t o you. "
" Yes, t hat i s so, " Saf wan agr eed.
" Anybody who wi shes f or t he l i f e of a t yr ant wi l l al so be count ed wi t h
t he t yr ant . "
Saf wan i mmedi at el y sol d al l hi s camel s, so t hat no quest i on may ar i se
about r ent i ng camel s t o Har oun agai n. ( Ri j al Ki shi )

*
Sul ai man Mar ouzi r epor t s: I pr esent ed mysel f bef or e I mamKazi mand i t was
my i nt ent i on t o ask hi mabout who woul d be t he God' s huj j at af t er hi m. Bef or e
my aski ng, t he I mamsai d t o me: " O Sul ai man! af t er me, my son ( Al i ) i s my
successor and God' s ' huj j at ' on peopl e. "
( Ayoun Akhbar al - Ri da)

Chapter 10

THE EIGHTH IMAM:
AL-RIDA, ALI IBN MOUSA

o Birth: 765 AD
o Martyred: 818 AD, poisoned by the ruler of the time, Mamun ar-
Rasheed
o Age at time of death: 53 years

*
A man l i vi ng i n t he ci t y of Bal kh r epor t s he was wi t h I mamRi da dur i ng
hi s j our ney t o Khor asan. One day f ood was l ai d and I mamhad cal l ed al l hi s
ser vant s t o hi mand t hey wer e eat i ng t oget her .
Thi s man r espect f ul l y suggest ed t o t he I mamt hat i t woul d have been
bet t er i f f ood was l ai d out f or t he ser vant s separ at el y, away f r omt he
mast er .
I mamsai d " Be si l ent . The God of al l i s one, t he par ent s of al l ar e one
( Adamand Eve) , and ever yone wi l l be get what he deser ves f or hi s deeds. "
( Kaf i )

*
One day a man appr oached t he I mamas sai d: " I amone of your f ol l ower s
and I hol d l ove f or your ancest or s. I amnow r et ur ni ng f r omhaj j and al l my
f i nances f or t he j our ney ar e exhaust ed. I f you t hi nk i t pr oper , pl ease gi ve
me j ust enough money so t hat I can r each my home. Af t er r eachi ng home, I wi l l
gi ve away equi val ent money t o t he poor i n r et ur n. I amnot poor at home. I t
i s dur i ng my t r avel s t hat I have become poor . "
I mamgot up and went i nsi de t he house. He t hen cal l ed t he man t o t he
door , ext ended hi s hand f r ombehi nd t he door and handed some money t o t he man
sayi ng: " Take t hese t wo hundr ed Di nar s. These ar e your t r avel expenses, and
may t hese br i ng you t he bl essi ngs of God. And t her e i s no need t o gi ve away
equi val ent money t o t he poor . "
The man t ook t he money and l ef t . I mamcame out of t he house and r esumed
hi s seat . Peopl e asked: " Why di d you adapt a way such t hat t he man coul d not
see you whi l e t aki ng t he money?"
I mamr epl i ed, " I di d not want t o see t he shame of suppl i cat i on on hi s
f ace. "

*
Mohammed bi n Si nan r epor t s t hat dur i ng t he cal i phat e of Har oun, t hey once
war ned t he I mamabout decl ar i ng hi s I mamat e as t he cal i ph woul d t r y t o har m
t he I mam.
The I mamr epl i ed: " What gave me cour age ar e t he wor ds of t he Apost l e when
he sai d ' I f Abu J ehel ( an enemy of t he Apost l e) can har meven a hai r of my
head, t hen be wi t ness t hat I amnot t he Messenger of God. ' And I say t hat ' I f
Har oun can har meven a hai r of my head, t hen be wi t ness t hat I amnot I mam' " .
( Kaf i )
( And of cour se, Har oun di ed wi t hout bei ng abl e t o har mt he I mami n any
way) .

*

At t he behest of t he cal i ph Mamoun, I mamhad t o t r avel f r omMadi nah t o

Mar w. On t he way, many event s t ook pl ace. One of t he event s i s descr i bed
t hus:
A l ady, t he gr and- daught er of t he man at whose house I mamhad chosen t o
st ay f or a whi l e when at Ni shapur , r epor t s: " I mamhad sown an al mond i n one
cor ner of my house. By t he bl essi ngs of I mam, i t became a f ul l y gr own t r ee i n
one year and i t bor e f r ui t s. Peopl e obt ai ned heal i ng f r omt he al monds of t he
t r ee. " ( Ayoun Akhbar al - Ri da)

*
Aba- Sal t Har vi r epor t s t hat I maml ef t Ni shapur and when I mamr eached a
vi l l age cal l ed Di h- Sur kh, i t was t he t i me of t he Zuhr pr ayer .
I mamdescended f r omhi s seat and asked f or wat er t o per f or mwuzu. No
wat er coul d be f ound. Then I mamwi t h hi s hol y hands dug some ear t h and a
spr i ng of wat er st ar t ed gushi ng. I mamand al l hi s compani ons per f or med wuzu.
( Behar Al - Anwar , Ayoun Akhbar al - Ri da)
( Pr obabl y t hi s r ef er s t o t he pl ace near Ni shapur whi ch i s now cal l ed
Qadamgah. I t i s on a smal l hi l l ock. The spr i ng st i l l gushes and peopl e who
vi si t t he pl ace dr i nk f r omt he spr i ng f or bl essi ngs and f or obt ai ni ng cur e
f r omsi ckness. The pl ace al so pr eser ves t he hol y f oot pr i nt s of t he I mamon a
bl ack st one. )

*
Abd Al l ah i bn al - Mughi r ah says: " At t he t i me t hat I was a " waqi f " ( a sect
of I sl am) I went on haj j . On r eachi ng Makkah, somet hi ng maki ng my hear t
heavy, I pr essed mysel f agai nst al - Mul t azam( t he par t of t he wal l of Ka' bah
bet ween t he Bl ack St one and t he door ) and pr ayed, ' O God! You know what I
seek and You know my i nt ent . So gui de me t o t he best of f ai t hs! ' Then i t came
i nt o my mi nd t o go t o al - Ri da ( A) . Ther eupon I went t o Madi nah and st opped at
hi s door . I sai d t o t he sl ave, ' Tel l your mast er t hat t her e i s a man f r om
I r aq at t he door . ' Then I hear d hi m( t he I mam) cal l i ng, sayi ng, ' Come i n, O'
Abd Al l ah i bn al - Mughi r ah! Come i n, O' Abd Al l ah i bn al - Mughi r ah! ' So I went
i n, and he, on seei ng me, sai d t o me, ' God has answer ed your pr ayer and
gui ded you t o Hi s f ai t h. ' I sai d, ' I bear wi t ness t hat you ar e t he Huj j ah of
God and Hi s t r ust ee over Hi s cr eat ur es. ' " ( Kaf i )

*
Mi r Mo' eenuddeen Ashr af , who was one of t he vi r t uous guar di ans of t he
t omb of I mamRi da, r epor t ed t hat once he saw i n a dr eamt hat he emer ged f r om
t he hol y t omb and saw a number of peopl e ent er i ng t he bl essed cour t yar d.
Ahead of t hemwas a per son of r adi ance and i mmense gr andeur . The peopl e wer e
car r yi ng spades i n t hei r hands. When t hey ent er ed t he cour t yar d, t he l eader
poi nt ed t o a gr ave and or der ed, " Open t hat gr ave and t ake out t he scoundr el . "
When t hey st ar t ed di ggi ng t he gr ave, I went cl ose t o one of t he peopl e
t her e and asked hi m, " Who i s t hi s per son who has gi ven t hi s or der ?"
He r epl i ed, " Thi s i s Ami r al - Momi neen Al i . "
J ust t hen I saw t hat t he ei ght h I mam, al - Ri da emer ged out of hi s hol y
t omb, came t o Ami r al - Momi neen and gr eet ed hi mr espect f ul l y. Ami r al - Momi neen
r et ur ned t he gr eet i ng.
I mamRi da sai d, " Gr andf at her , I r equest you t o f or gi ve t hi s man because
he has sought r ef uge wi t h me. I hope t hat you wi l l f or gi ve hi mf or my sake. "
Ami r al - Momi neen sai d, " You ar e awar e t hat he i s a debaucher and
dr unkar d. "

I mamRi da r epl i ed, " I amawar e of t hi s, but bef or e dyi ng, he had
i nst r uct ed hi s i nher i t or s t o bur y hi mnear my t omb. I hope t hat you wi l l
f or gi ve hi m. "
" For your sake, I f or gi ve hi m, " Ami r al - Momi neen sai d, and l ef t .
Mo' eenuddi n Ashr af woke up f r omsl eep, gat her ed ot her guar di ans of t he
t omb of I mamand went t o t he pl ace wher e he had seen t he gr ave i n hi s dr eam.
Ther e t hey f ound a newl y dug gr ave of a man who had bur i ed t her e j ust t he day
bef or e.
( Manazi l e- Akhi r ah, by Shei kh Abbas Qummi )

Chapter 11

THE NINETH IMAM:
MOHAMMAD IBN ALI

o Birth: 811 AD
o Martyred: 835 AD, poisoned by the ruler of the time, al-Mutasim
o Age at time of death: 24 years

*
One day, when t he ni net h I mamMohammad al Taqi was ni ne year ol d, t he
cal i ph Mamoun Rashi d went hunt i ng. The I mamwas st andi ng si l ent l y by t he si de
of a r oad wher e some chi l dr en wer e busy pl ayi ng. The cal i ph' s ent our age came
t hat way. Seei ng t he sol di er s of t he cal i ph, al l t he chi l dr en r an away, but
I mamr emai ned at hi s pl ace.
Not i ng t hi s, Mamoun st opped hi s car r i age and asked, " Chi l d, why di d you
not r un?"
The I mamr epl i ed cal ml y, " Nei t her had I commi t t ed a cr i me, nor was I
bl ocki ng t he way. Then why shoul d I have r un or be af r ai d? And I know al so
t hat you wi l l unnecessar i l y cause t r oubl e. "
Mamoun Rashi d was sur pr i sed at t hi s mat ur e r epl y and asked, " What i s your
name?"
" Mohammad, " came t he r epl y.
" Whose son ar e you?"
" Son of Al i i bn Mousa. "
Mamoun r ode on. Dur i ng t he hunt , hi s hawk r et ur ned t o hi mwi t h a f i sh i n
i t s beak. Mamoun was sur pr i sed. He t ur ned back t owar d t he ci t y. Once agai n,
he f ound chi l dr en pl ayi ng on t he same spot , who r an away seei ng t he cal i ph' s
sol di er s, except I mamMohammad Taqi who r emai ned wher e he was. Mamoun hi d t he
f i sh i n hi s pal m, st opped hi s car r i age near t he I mamand sai d, " Tel l me, what
i s t her e i n my f i st ?"
The I mamsai d, " God cr eat ed r i ver bet ween ear t h and sky. The hawks of
ki ngs somet i mes cat ch f i sh f r omt her e and br i ng i t t o t he ki ngs. They hi de i t
i n t hei r f i st and ask t he househol d of t he Apost l ehood, ' Tel l me what i s
t her e i n my f i st ?' "
Mamoun Rashi d sai d, " Tr ul y, you ar e son of I mamAl i Raza. "
( Hadeeqat al - Shi ' a)

*
Af t er t he mar t yr domof t he ei ght h I mam, al - Ri da by poi son at t he hands of
cal i ph Mamoun Rashi d, Mamoun put Aba- Sel t , t he ser vant of t he ei ght h I mam, i n
pr i son.
Aba- Sel t r epor t s t hat af t er r emai ni ng i n pr i son f or a l ong t i me, I pr ayed
t o God t o f r ee me f r ompr i son, by t he r i ght of Mohammad and Al - e- Mohammad
( PBUT) . My pr ayer was answer ed and I mamMohammad Taqi appear ed bef or e me.
" Wear i ed of pr i son, Aba- Sel t ?" he sai d, and r emoved my chai ns. Openi ng t he
door of t he pr i son, he sai d, " Go wher ever you want t o go. No one can hur t you
now. " So af t er l eavi ng t he pr i son, I never saw Mamoun agai n and Mamoun never
sought me out .
( Hadeeqat al - Shi ' a)

*
Al i bi n Khal i d r epor t s:

I was at al - Askar ( Samar r a) and I was t ol d t hat t her e was a man i n pr i son
who had been br ought i n chai ns f r omt he di r ect i on of Syr i a. They sai d t hat he
had pr et ended t o be a Apost l e. I went and per suaded t he gat e- man unt i l I was
abl e t o go t o hi m. Ther e ( I f ound hi m) a man of under st andi ng and i nt el l ect .
I asked, " Fel l ow, what i s your st or y?"
" I was a man i n Syr i a, " he sai d, " who used t o wor shi p God, t he Exal t ed,
i n t he pl ace i n whi ch i t was sai d t hat t he head of Husai n was pl aced. One
ni ght I was i n my pl ace f aci ng t he mi hr ab, ment i oni ng God, t he Mi ght y and t he
Hi gh when I saw a per son st andi ng i n f r ont of me. I l ooked t owar ds hi mand he
t ol d me t o get up. I got up wi t h hi mand he wal ked wi t h me a l i t t l e way.
Suddenl y we wer e i n t he mosque of Kuf a.
" He asked me, ' Do you know t hi s mosque?'
" I answer ed, ' Yes, t hi s i s t he mosque of Kuf a. '
" He sai d, ' Let us pr ay. ' I pr ayed wi t h hi m.
" Then he l ef t and I l ef t wi t h hi m. He wal ked wi t h me a l i t t l e way.
Suddenl y we wer e i n t he mosque of t he Apost l e. He gr eet ed t he Apost l e and
pr ayed and I pr ayed wi t h hi m.
" Then he went out and I went out wi t h hi m. He wal ked a l i t t l e way.
Suddenl y we wer e i n Makkah. He made t he ci r cumambul at i on of t he ( Sacr ed)
House and I made i t wi t h hi m.
" Then he went out and wal ked a l i t t l e way. Suddenl y we wer e ( back) i n t he
pl ace i n whi ch I used t o wor shi p God i n Syr i a. The per son di sappear ed f r ommy
si ght and I was l ef t amazed and dazed at what I had seen.
" The next year I saw t hat per son agai n. I r ej oi ced ( t o see) hi m. He
cal l ed me and I answer ed hi m. He di d as he had done i n t he pr evi ous year .
When he was about t o l eave me i n Syr i a, I sai d t o hi m, ' I ask you by t he
t r ut h whi ch I est i mat e you t o have t hr ough what I have seen f r omyou, wi l l
you t el l me who you ar e?'
" He sai d, ' I amMuhammad bi n Al i bi n Musa bi n J a' f ar . '
" I t ol d one of t hose who came t o me, t hi s r epor t of hi mand he br ought a
char ge agai nst me of t hat t o Muhammad bi n Abd al - Mal i k al - Zayyat . He sent f or
me, ar r est ed me and put me i n chai ns. He t ook me t o I r aq and I was i mpr i soned
as you see now. I was char ged wi t h bei ng a cheat . "
I sai d t o hi m, " I wi l l r ai se your st or y wi t h Muhammad bi n Abd al - Mal i k
al - Zayyat . "
" Do so, " he t ol d me.
I wr ot e hi s st or y and I expl ai ned hi s par t i n i t and I sent i t t o
Muhammad bi n Abd al - Mal i k al - Zayyat . ( I t was sent back wi t h) an answer
wr i t t en on i t : " Tel l t he one who i n one ni ght t ook you f r omSyr i a t o Kuf a,
f r omKuf a t o Madi nah, f r omMadi nah t o Makkah and t hen t ook you back f r om
Makkah t o Syr i a t o t ake you f r omyour pr i son. "
That t r oubl ed me f or hi s af f ai r . I f el t ashamed and went away saddened
f or hi m. On t he next day I went ear l y t o t he pr i son t o t el l hi mt he si t uat i on
and t o encour age hi mt o be st eadf ast and pat i ent . I f ound sol di er s, guar ds,
war der s and a gr eat cr owd of peopl e hur r yi ng t o and f r o. I asked about t he
si t uat i on and was t ol d: " The man br ought f r omSyr i a who had pr et ended t o be a
Apost l e di sappear ed yest er day f r omt he pr i son. We do not know whet her t he
ear t h has swal l owed hi mor t he bi r ds have snat ched hi maway. "
[ Thi s man - meani ng Al i bi n Khal i d ( who has r epor t ed t he above) - was a
Zai di and t hen mai nt ai ned t he I mamat e when he saw t hat and hi s f ai t h became
sound. ] ( Al - I r shad)

Chapter 12

THE TENTH IMAM:
ALI IBN MOHAMMAD

o Birth: 827 AD
o Martyred: 868 AD, poisoned by the ruler of the time, al-Mutaz
o Age at time of death: 41 years

*
Dur i ng t he r ei gn of t he cal i ph Wat hi q Abbasi , one day Bagha, a Tur k
of f i cer of Wat hi q' s ar my was passi ng t hr ough Madi nah.
Abu Hashi mJ af f er i says: I was pr esent at t hat t i me. I mamHadi ( t he t ent h
I mamAl i i bn Mohammed AS) sai d, " Come, l et us see t he Tur k' s ar my" .
We came out and st ood. Al l t he ar my passed near us and Bagha r eahed t he
gat e.
I mamsai d somet hi ng t o hi mi n Tur ki sh l anguage. *
Bagha got down f r omhi s hor se and ki ssed t he f eet of I mam' s mount . I
asked Bagha under oat h about what t he I mamhad sai d t o hi m.
" I s he a Apost l e?" asked Bagha.
" No, " sai d I .
Sai d Bagha: " He cal l ed me by a name by whi ch I was known i n my r egi on i n
Tur key dur i ng my chi l dhood, and no one knows of t hi s t i l l now. " ( Asbat al -
Hudaat )
(According to the seventh Imam, Moosa ibn Jafar, one of the signs of Imamat
is that an Imam can speak all languages better than anybody.)

*
Ther e l i ved i n I sf ahan a man named Abd ar - Rahman, who had conver t ed t o
Shi ai sm. Peopl e asked hi mwhy he had become a Shi a.
" I wi t nessed a mi r acl e, " he r epl i ed.
" I was ver y poor , but I had t he power of speech, so peopl e of I sf ahan
chose me, al ong wi t h a f ew ot her s, t o go t o Mut awakki l ( t he cal i ph of t hat
t i me) and pl ead f or j ust i ce ( i n a mat t er ) .
" One day, as I st ood i n f r ont of Mut awakki l ' s pal ace, I hear d Mut awakki l
gi ve t he or der t o f et ch someone cal l ed Al i i bn Mohammed i bn Ri da ( I mamAl i
An- Naqi AS) .
" ' Who i s t hi s per son bei ng cal l ed?' I asked a man. ' He i s an Al awi . The
Raf ezi ( a der ogat or y name used f or Shi as by t hei r enemi es) cal l hi mt hei r
I mam, ' he sai d. ' Pr obabl y t he cal i ph i s cal l i ng hi mi n or der t o put hi mt o
deat h, ' he added.
" I deci ded I wi l l not move f r omt her e t i l l I see t hat Al awi . J ust t hen I
saw a man on hor se, appr oachi ng Mut awakki l ' s pal ace. Peopl e wer e f l anki ng
hi m, st andi ng r espect f ul l y as he passed. When my eyes f el l on hi m, my hear t
was f i l l ed wi t h l ove f or hi m. St andi ng wher e I was, I st ar t ed pr ayi ng t o God
t o save hi mf r omMut awakki l ' s mi schi ef .
" He was movi ng among peopl e but hi s eyes wer e f i xed on t he hor se' s mane.
He was not l ooki ng t hi s way or t hat . I was pr ayi ng cont i nuousl y.
" When he r eached near me, he t ur ned t o me and sai d, ' God has accept ed
your pr ayer s and has al so gr ant ed you i ncr ease i n age, weal t h and
of f spr i ngs. '
" Hear i ng t hi s, I st ar t ed t r embl i ng and swooned. Fr i ends asked me what had
happened t o me. ' Not hi ng, ' I r epl i ed.

" Af t er my r et ur n t o I sf ahan, God gave me a l ot of weal t h. At t hi s moment ,

my weal t h i nsi de t hi s house amount s t o 100, 000 ( Di nar s) . What I have out si de
t hi s house i s somet hi ng el se. Pr esent l y I have t en sons. My age i s mor e t han
sevent y. I bel i eve i n t he I mamat e of hi mwho i nf or med me on what was i n my
hear t , and whose pr ayer f or me was accept ed by God. "
( Bi har al - Anwar )

*
I s' haq bi n Abdul l ah Al awi ' Ar eezi vi si t ed I mamAl i al - Naqi i n Madi nah.
I mmedi at el y upon seei ng I s' haq, I mamsai d, " I know t hat t her e t ook pl ace
a di scussi on bet ween your f at her and hi s br ot her about t hose f ast s i n t he
year ( ot her t han t he compul sor y f ast s of t he mont h of Ramadan) , t he r ewar d of
whi ch i s i mmense. You have t o come t o me t o ask about t hi s. "
" O Moul a! " sai d I s' haq, " Thi s i s exact l y t he case. "
I mamsai d, " Li st en! Those ar e f our f ast s, keepi ng whi ch has been
st r essed:
1) The bi r t hday of t he hol y Apost l e, 17t h of Rabi ' ul - Awwal ;
2) The day of Bi ' t hat ( t he decl ar at i on of t he Apost l ehood) and Mi ' r aj of
t he Apost l e, 27t h of Raj ab;
3) The day when t he ear t h was spr ead, 25t h of Zi qa' dah;
4) The day of Ghadeer ( when t he Apost l e decl ar ed Ami r al - Momi neen Al i i bn
Abi Tal i b as hi s successor ) , 18t h of Zi l haj j . "
I mamcont i nued, " O ' Ar eezi ! When someone f ast s on any one of t hese days,
hi s si ns of si xt y and sevent y year s ar e f or gi ven. "
( Mi sbah of Shei kh Abu J af ar Tusi )

*
The cal i ph, Mut awakki l ( God' s cur ses upon hi m) wr ot e a l et t er t o I mamAl i
al - Naqi cal l i ng hi mf r omMadi nah t o Samar r a, and sent t he l et t er wi t h t hr ee
hundr ed sol di er s under t he l eader shi p of one Yahya bi n Har t hama, i n or der t o
f or ce t he I mami f he r ef used t o come.
The ar my was maki ng hast e t owar ds Madi nah. Wi t h t hemwas a scr i be who was
Shi ' a. A debat e ensued bet ween hi mand an of f i cer of t he ar my, cal l ed Shaadi ,
about t hei r bel i ef s. Thi s debat e cont i nued al most al l t he way t o Madi nah.
On t he way, t he ar my passed a gr eat val l ey whi ch was t ot al l y bar r en and
desol at e. Ther e wer e no habi t at i ons mi l es ar ound i t . I t was di f f i cul t even t o
pass t hr ough i t .
When t he ar my r eached t hi s val l ey, Shaadi t ur ned t o t he scr i be and sai d,
" Has not your I mamAl i sai d t hat t her e i s no val l ey i n t he wor l d wher e t her e
ar e no gr aves or wher e no gr aves woul d be made i n t he near f ut ur e?"
The scr i be sai d, " Of cour se, t hat i s t he sayi ng of our I mamAl i i bn Abi
Tal i b. "
Shaadi sai d, " Tel l me whose gr ave i s t her e i n t hi s val l ey, or whose gr ave
woul d be made her e? Your I mamj ust says t hese t hi ngs. "
The scr i be was chagr i ned.
The ar my r eached Madi nah. Yahya bi n Har t hama pr esent ed Mut awakki l ' s
l et t er t o I mam.
I mamsai d, " I amr eady t o come wi t h you, but gi ve me a day or t wo t o
pr epar e mysel f f or t he j our ney. "
Yahya agr eed.
I mamt hen or der ed hi s t ai l or t o pr epar e war mdr esses f or hi msel f , t o be
wor n dur i ng t he j our ney.
Yahya was shocked t o hear t hi s, because i t was summer t i me and I mamwas
or der i ng war mcl ot hes. He l ef t t he I mam, t hi nki ng, " How st upi d ar e t hese

I mami ya ( f ol l ower s of t he I mam) t o f ol l ow a man who doesn' t know whet her i t

i s summer or wi nt er . "
When Yahya vi si t ed t he I mamnext day, he f ound t hat al l t he wi nt er
dr esses wer e r eady, and I mamwas i nst r uct i ng hi s ser vant s t o pack t ent s and
ot her t hi ngs whi ch wer e used f or pr ot ect i on agai nst r ai ns. I mamt ol d Yahya t o
do l i kewi se.
Yahya once agai n l ef t t hi nki ng di sappoi nt i ng t hought s, " What has happened
t o hi m? I n t hese hot days, he i s t aki ng t hi ngs sui t abl e f or wi nt er and r ai ns.
And he asks me t o f ol l ow sui t . "
Fi nal l y, sur r ounded by Yahya' s ar my, t he I maml ef t Madi nah. On t he
j our ney, t he ar my once agai n r eached t he desol at e val l ey. As soon as t he ar my
r eached t hi s val l ey, t he weat her began t o change. Cl ouds gat her ed. Ther e wer e
t hunder cl aps and l i ght ni ng. I t became dar k.
As soon as t he si gns of t he comi ng r ai ns had been obser ved, I mamor der ed
hi s ser vant s t o unpack t he t ent s and t he war mcl ot hes. Of t hese, he gave one
war mdr ess each t o t he scr i be and t o Yahya bi n Har t hama.
I t began t o r ai n. And what a r ai n i t was! I t was a ver i t abl e del uge. The
col d was unbear abl e.
When at l ast t he r ai ns st opped, Yahya saw t hat 180 men of hi s ar my l ay
dead.
I mamsai d, " O Yahya bi n Har t hama! Bur y your dead. And know t hat t hi s i s
t he way God f i l l s ever y nook and cr any of t he ear t h wi t h gr aves. And t hi s i s
why my ancest or Al i i bn Abi Tal i b had sai d t hat t her e woul d be no par t of t he
ear t h wi t hout a gr ave i n i t . "
Yahya bi n Har t hama ki ssed I mam' s f eet and wi t nessed hi s bel i ef i n Al l ah,
t he Apost l e and t he I mam, and r emai ned a f ol l ower of t he I mamal l hi s l i f e.
( Kashf al - Ghumma)

Chapter 13

THE ELEVENTH IMAM:
HASAN IBN ALI

o Birth: 846 AD
o Martyred: 874 AD, poisoned by the ruler of the time, al-Mutamid
o Age at time of death: 27 years

*
Abu Hashi mJ af f er i r epor t ed:
One day, I pr esent ed mysel f bef or e Abu Mohammad ( I mamHasan Askar i
Al ai hi s Sal am) , and want ed t o ask f or some si l ver f r omt he I mam, t o make a
r i ng and keep i t wi t h me as a bl essed ar t i cl e. I sat down and f or got ( about
aski ng f or t he si l ver ) and when I got up t o l eave, I mamgave me a r i ng and
sai d, " You want ed si l ver . We ar e gi vi ng you a r i ng. You have pr of i t ed by
( savi ng on t he cost of ) t he st one and t he maki ng char ges. O Abu Hashi m! May
i t br i ng you bl essi ngs. "
I sai d, " O my l or d! I bear wi t ness t hat you ar e f r i end ( wal i ) of God, and
my I mam. I consi der obedi ence t o you as par t of r el i gi on. "
I mamsai d, " O Abu Hashi m, May God gr ant you absol vance. " ( Kaf i )

*
Abu Hashi mJ af ar i r epor t ed:
I compl ai ned t o Abu Muhammad al - Hasan bi n Al i ( al - Askar i AS) about my
needs. He r ubbed hi s whi p on t he gr ound. He t ook out f r omi t an i ngot whi ch
( was wor t h) f i ve hundr ed di nar s.
" Take i t , Abu Hashi m, " he sai d, " and f or gi ve us. " ( Al - I r shad)

*
Abu Hashi mJ af ar i r epor t ed:
( When i n pr i son) I compl ai ned t o Abu Muhammad ( t he el event h I mamAS)
about t he oppr essi veness of pr i son and t he har shness of t he chai ns.
He wr ot e t o me, " You wi l l pr ay t oday' s noon pr ayer i n your own house. "
I was r el eased at noon and pr ayed t he noon pr ayer i n my house as he had
sai d.
I was i n a di st r essed st at e and I want ed t o ask hi mf or hel p i n a l et t er
whi ch I had wr i t t en t o hi mbut I was ashamed t o send i t . When I went t o my
house, he sent me a hundr ed di nar s and he wr ot e t o me, " When you ar e i n need,
do not be ashamed and do not r ef r ai n ( t o ask f r omus) . Ask f or i t and you
wi l l be gi ven what you need, God wi l l i ng. "
( Al - I r shad)

*
Husai n bi n Zar i f r epor t s:
Two pr obl ems occupi ed my mi nd and I want ed t o wr i t e t o Abu Muhammad ( al -
Hasan al - Askar i AS) about t hem. I wr ot e t o ask hi mabout how when one who
woul d under t ake ( t he I mamat e f or t he r est of t he t i me) ( al - Qa' i mAS) woul d
under t ake hi s of f i ce, he woul d gi ve hi s j udgement s and how hi s assembl y woul d
be i n whi ch he gave j udgement s bet ween t he peopl e. I ( al so) want ed t o ask hi m
about somet hi ng f or t he quot i di an f ever . I f or got t o ment i on t he f ever .
The answer came:

" You asked about t he one who wi l l under t ake ( al - Qa' i mAS) . When he
under t akes hi s of f i ce, he wi l l gi ve j udgement s among t he peopl e t hr ough hi s
knowl edge j ust as Davi d j udged wi t hout aski ng f or evi dence.
" You want ed t o ask about t he quot i di an f ever but you f or got . Wr i t e on a
paper and hang i t over t he per son wi t h t he f ever ( t hi s Qur ' ani c ver se) : O
f i r e, be col d and a saf et y t o I br ahi m( Al - Anbi ya: 69) "
I wr ot e down t hat and hung i t over t he per son wi t h t he f ever . He woke up
r ecover ed. ( Al - I r shad)

*
The Abbasi ds went t o Sal i h bi n Wasi f when Abu Mohammad ( I mamHasan al -
Askar i ) , peace be on hi m, was i mpr i soned. They t ol d hi m: " Be har d on hi m.
Don' t gi ve hi many ease. "
" What can I do wi t h hi m?" Sal i h asked t hem. " I ent r ust ed hi mt o t wo of
t he evi l est men I coul d f i nd. They have become ( men) of wor shi p, pr ayer and
f ast i ng t o an amazi ng ext ent . "
Then he or der ed t hose t wo men who had been put i n char ge of t he I mamal -
Askar i t o be br ought . He sai d t o t hem: " Shame on you! What i s your
i nvol vement i n t he af f ai r s of t hi s man?"
They answer ed: " What can we say about a man who f ast s t hr ough t he day and
st ands ( i n pr ayer ) t hr ough t he ni ght , who does not speak and occupi es hi msel f
wi t h not hi ng except wor shi p? When he l ooks at us, our l i mbs shake and wi t hi n
us i s ( a f eel i ng) whi ch we have never had. "
When t he Abbasi ds hear d t hat , t hey l ef t i n despai r . ( Al - I r shad)

Chapter 14

THE TWELFTH IMAM
AL-HUJJAT IBN AL-HASAN

o Birth: 869 AD
o Still alive and in occultation

*
Syed Baqi i bn At wah r epor t s:
My f at her was of t he " Zai di " sect and he suf f er ed f r oma di sease whi ch
al l t he doct or s had f ai l ed t o cur e. Because we br ot her s wer e al l of t he
" I mami a" bel i ef , our f at her was al ways di spl eased wi t h us. One day, I t r i ed
t o expound our bel i ef t o hi m. He sai d, " Al r i ght , i f you and your I mamar e
t r ue, t hen ask your I mamt o cur e me of my di sease. "
One day, we br ot her s wer e gat her ed t oget her af t er t he " Maghr i b" pr ayer s
when we hear d t he shout s of our f at her , " Run, come f ast . "
We r an t o hi m. He sai d, " Run and meet t he I mam. He j ust l ef t f r omher e. "
We l ooked ever ywher e but f ound no t r ace of hi m. We asked our f at her about
what had happened. He sai d, " A man came t o me and sai d, ' O At wah! ' I was
sur pr i sed t o hear my name bei ng cal l ed, and asked hi m, ' Who ar e you?' He
r epl i ed, ' I amt he mast er of your sons and have come t o gi ve you heal t h. '
Sayi ng t hi s, he passed hi s hand on me and my di sease vani shed. "
Our f at her t hen gave up hi s " Zai di ya" bel i ef and became " I mami ya" .
( Kashf al - Ghumma)

Chapter 15

THE COMPANIONS

Those who f ol l ow t he Messenger Apost l e t he ' Ummi '
whomt hey f i nd wr i t t en ( i n t hei r own scr i pt ur es)
wi t h t hem, i n t he l aw and t he Evangel ; he commands
t hem( what i s) good and he pr event s t hemf r omevi l ,
and he made l awf ul t o t hemt he good t hi ngs, and he
pr ohi bi t s t o t hemt he bad ( i mpur e) ones, and he
r emoves f r omt hemt hei r bur den and t he yokes whi ch
wer e upon t hem: t o t hose who bel i eve i n hi m, and
honour hi m, and hel p hi m, and f ol l ow t he Li ght whi ch
has been sent down wi t h hi m, t hese ar e t hey who ar e
t he successf ul ones.
( 7: 157)

Some of t he wel l - known I sl ami c per sonai l i t i es t hat have been gl i mpsed at i n
t he f ol l owi ng sect i on of t he book ar e: Fi dhdha ( t he mai d of Fat i ma) , Qanber
( t he ser vant of Al i ) , Habi b i bn Mazahi r ( who was mar t yr ed al ong wi t h I mam
Husai n at Kar bal a) , Meet hamal - Tammar , Rushai d Hi j r , Adi bi n Hat i mTai , Sa' sa
bi n Souhan, Saeed bi n J ubai r , Hi shambi n Hakam, Buhl ol t he wi se.

*
Fi dhdha was not j ust a ser vant of Fat i ma ( Sal amAl l ah Al ai ha) but had a
speci al pl ace wi t h t he Apost l e and hi s bl essed pr ogeny. The sur at ad- Dahr
( " Hal - ' At a) was sent i n honour of Al i , Fat i ma , Hasan, Hussai n and Fi dhdha.
Her name had been Mai mona, but t he Apost l e awar ded her t he name of
Fi dhdha, whi ch means si l ver . She had been a pr i ncess i n her own count r y.
Ther e ar e t wo r epor t s about her or i gi n. Some say t hat she was I ndi an but most
of t he hi st or i ans say t hat she was Nubi an.
She spent her whol e l i f e i n t he ser vi ce of Aal e Mohammad.
Af t er t he mar t yr domof Fat i ma , Al i mar r i ed Fi dhdha t o a nubi an named
Abu Thal i ba. A son was bor n of t hi s wedl ock, af t er whi ch Abu Thal i ba di ed.
Then Al i r emar r i ed Fi dhdha t o Abu Sal ai k al - Ghat f ani . ( Anwar al - Al awi ya)
The names of f our sons and one daught er of Fi dhdha ar e ment i oned i n t he
books: Daoud, Mohammad, Yahya, Moosa and Maska.
Once, dur i ng t he mont h of Ramadan, Ami r al - Momi neen Al i i bn Abi Tal i b
i nvi t ed t he Apost l e t o br eak t he f ast wi t h hi m. The Apost l e accept ed. The
next day, t he Apost l e was i nvi t ed by Fat i ma . On t he subsequent days, t he
Apost l e became t hei r guest at t he i nvi t at i on of Hasan and Hussai n. Seei ng
t hi s, Fi dhdha al so pr of er r ed her i nvi t at i on t o t he Apost l e and t he Apost l e
accept ed. That day, af t er t he pr ayer s of Maghr abai n, t he Apost l e came t o t he
house of Fat i ma , wher e Fi dhdha was wai t i ng at t he door t o wel come hi m.
Seei ng t he Apost l e, Al i , Fat i ma, Hasan and Hussai n gr eet ed hi mr espect f ul l y.
" Today, I amFi dhdha' s guest , " sai d t he Apost l e.
Ami r al - Momi neen t ur ned t o Fi dhdha and sai d, " You di d not i nf or mus, el se
we woul d have hel ped you i n ar r angi ng t he f east . "
" I amaf t er al l your ser vant , Moul a, " sai d Fi dhdha. " Ever yt hi ng wi l l be
ar r anged. "
And t hen she went i nsi de, spr ead t he pr ayer mat , per f or med t wo r ak' at s of
sal aat and pr ayed, " O Lor d! Pr ovi de f or t he f east of your l oved one. "

Her pr ayer was accept ed, and f ood of par adi se was sent down t o her , and
al l of t hemf east ed on t hi s.
Af t er war ds, t he Apost l e sai d, " Al l pr ai ses f or Al l ah! God had sent down
f ood f r omheaven f or t he ser vant of my daught er , l i ke He had done f or Mar yam,
daught er of I mr an ( Mar y, mot her of J esus) . "
( Ri ad al - Quds)

*
The Messenger of God was si t t i ng i n hi s house, sur r ounded by hi s
compani ons. J ust t hen, a dest i t ut e and poor l y dr essed Musl i ment er ed and
l ooked about f or a pl ace t o si t i n t he pr esence of t he Apost l e. He f ound a
pl ace and sat down. Thi s pl ace happened t o be besi de a weal t hy man. When t he
weal t hy man saw t he dest i t ut e per son si t down besi de hi m, he gat her ed hi s
cost l y r obes cl oser t o hi msel f .
The Apost l e was obser vi ng al l t hi s. He t ur ned t o t he weal t hy man.
" Wer e you af r ai d t hat hi s pover t y woul d cast i t s shadow on you?" asked
t he Apost l e .
" No, O Messenger of God! No. "
" Then why di d you move away f r omt hi s dest i t ut e man?"
" I er r ed, O Messenger of God! " sai d t he weal t hy man, cont r i t el y. " I
conf ess my er r or and amr eady t o r edr ess my of f ence by of f er i ng hal f of my
weal t h t o t hi s poor and needy br ot her of mi ne. "
" But I amnot r eady t o accept hi s weal t h, " t he dest i t ut e man sai d
i mmedi at el y.
" Why not ?" asked some of t he peopl e t her e.
" I f ear t he possi bi l i t y t hat excessi ve weal t h woul d one day make me pr oud
and I t oo woul d begi n t o t r eat my dest i t ut e Musl i mbr ot her s i n a si mi l ar
manner as t hi s man t r eat ed me t oday. " ( Usul e- Kaf i )

*
J owai bi r was a nat i ve of Yamamah wher e he came t o know about t he Apost l e
Mohammad and t he advent of I sl am.
He was poor , dar k and shor t , but at t he same t i me i nt el l i gent , t r ut h
seeki ng and a man of det er mi nat i on. He came t o Madi nah t o l ook at I sl amf r om
near . I n a shor t t i me, he embr aced I sl am.
One day, t he Apost l e sai d, " How ni ce i t woul d be i f you coul d mar r y and
est abl i sh a f ami l y, endi ng t he f or l or n and i sol at ed l i f e. You coul d f ul f i l
your nat ur al ur ges and al so she coul d hel p you i n your t empor al and spi r i t ual
needs and goal s. "
" O Messenger of God, I have nei t her weal t h nor beaut y; nor have I a nobl e
descent or l i neage, " sai d J owai bi r . " Who wi l l mar r y me? And what woman woul d
l i ke t o be t he wi f e of a poor , shor t , bl ack and ugl y man l i ke me?"
" O J owai bi r ! God has changed t he i ndi vi dual ' s wor t h t hr ough I sl am, "
r epl i ed t he Apost l e. " Many peopl e wer e hi gh pl aced i n t he pr e- I sl ami c soci et y
and I sl ambr ought t hemdown. Many wer e despi sed non- ent i t i es and I sl am
best owed t hemwi t h honour and hi gh r ank and br ought t hemup. I sl amabol i shed
t he un- I sl ami c di scr i mi nat i on and pr i de of l i neage. Now al l peopl e,
i r r espect i ve of t hei r col our and or i gi n, ar e equal . Nobody had super i or i t y
over ot her s but t hr ough pi et y and obedi ence t o God. Among t he Musl i ms, onl y
t hat per son woul d be hi gher t han you whose vi r t ues and deeds ar e bet t er t han
your s. Now do as I t el l you. "
The Apost l e t hen di r ect ed hi mt o t he house of Zi ad i bne Lubai d t o r equest
hi mf or hi s daught er ' s hand i n mar r i age.
Zi ad was one of t he weal t hi est per sons of Madi nah and commanded hi gh
r espect among hi s t r i bes. When J owai bi r ent er ed hi s house, he was sur r ounded

by hi s r el at i ves and some of hi s t r i besmen. J owai bi r t ook a seat , paused f or

a moment and t hen r ai si ng hi s head sai d, " I have br ought a message f r omt he
Apost l e. Do you l i ke t o hear i t conf i di ent i al l y or openl y?"
" A message f r omt he Apost l e i s an honour t o me, " sai d Zi ad. " Bet t er you
t el l i t openl y. "
" The Apost l e has sent me t o r equest you f or your daught er f or mysel f . "
" Di d he hi msel f make t hi s suggest i on t o you?"
" I don' t speak on my own accor d. Ever ybody knows me, I amnot a l i ar . "
" St r ange! We don' t gi ve our daught er s t o per sons of unequal st at us nor
out si de our t r i be. You go back. I shal l go t o t he Apost l e and have a t al k
wi t h hi mmysel f . "
J owai bi r l ef t t he house mur mur i ng, " By God, what ever t he Qur ' an t eaches
and what ever i s t he pur pose of t he Apost l e- hood of Mohammad, i s t ot al l y
agai nst what Zi ad says. "
Zal f a, t he l ovel y daught er of Zi ad, hear d t hese wor ds of J owai bi r . She
came t o her f at her and asked, " Fat her , what was t hat man who j ust went out
sayi ng? And what di d he mean?"
" He had come t o ask f or your hand i n mar r i age and was cl ai mi ng t hat t he
Apost l e had sent hi mf or t hi s pur pose. "
" I sn' t i t possi bl e t hat he had r eal l y send hi m, and t hus your r ej ect i on
may amount t o di sobedi ence of t he Apost l e' s or der ?"
" What do you f eel about i t ?"
" I f eel you shoul d br i ng hi mback bef or e he r eaches t o t he Apost l e and
t hen go your sel f t o f i nd out t he t r ut h. "
Zi ad br ought J owai bi r back t o hi s house wi t h due r espect , and t hen
hi msel f hur r i ed up t o t he Apost l e.
" O Messenger of God, " he sai d, " J owai bi r came t o my house and br ought
such and such a message f r omyou. I woul d l i ke t o i nf or myou t hat our cust om
i s t o gi ve our daught er s t o per sons of equal st at us and bel ongi ng t o our
t r i be, who ar e al l your hel per s and compani ons. "
" O Zi ad, J owai bi r i s a f ai t hf ul man. That di gni t y and honour whi ch you
ar e t al ki ng about has now been abr ogat ed. Ever y bel i ever man i s equal ( f or
mar r i age pur pose) t o ever y bel i ever woman. "
Zi ad r et ur ned t o hi s house and expl ai ned t he mat t er t o hi s daught er .
She sai d, " Pl ease do not r ej ect t he pr oposal put by t he Apost l e. Thi s
mat t er concer ns me. I accept J owai bi r what ever hi s condi t i on may be. I f t he
Apost l e i s pl eased wi t h i t , I amal so pl eased. "
The weddi ng was dul y sol emni zed. Zi ad pai d " Mahr " f r omhi s own weal t h and
of f er ed good ar t i cl es t o t he pai r .
" Have you got a house wher e t o t ake t he br i de?" J owai bi r was asked.
" No, I had never t hought t hat I woul d get a wi f e and set t l e down i n
domest i c l i f e. I t was t he Apost l e who came suddenl y and had a t al k wi t h me
and sent me t o Zi ad' s house. "
Zi ad ar r anged f or hi ma house equi pped wi t h compl et e house- hol d ef f ect s,
and t r ansf er r ed t he br i de t her e, super bl y ador ned wi t h or nament s and
per f umes.
Ni ght came. J owai bi r di d not know t he wher eabout s of t he house meant f or
hi m. He was gui ded t o t he house and l ed t o t he br i dal - chamber . When he saw
t he house and i t s equi pment and l ooked at t he dazzl i ng br i de, he was f i l l ed
wi t h a f eel i ng of t hankf ul ness t owar d God.
I n spi r i t ual ecst asy he went t o a cor ner of t he r oomand spent t he ni ght
i n r eci t at i on of t he Qur ' an and pr ayer . He f ast ed dur i ng t he next day.
When women came t o see Zal f a i n t he mor ni ng t hey f ound her unt ouched.
They kept t he mat t er secr et f r omZi ad.

Two ni ght s and days passed i n t he same manner . J owai bi r was f ast i ng
dur i ng t he day and pr ayi ng dur i ng t he ni ght .
The women of t he f ami l y of t he br i de wer e wor r i ed. They t hought per haps
J owai bi r was i mpot ent . At l ast , t hey put t he mat t er bef or e Zi ad. He i nf or med
t he Apost l e.
The Apost l e cal l ed J owai bi r and asked, " Don' t you have any desi r e f or
woman?"
" I nci dent al l y, I have ver y i nt ense desi r e of t hat ki nd, " r epl i ed
J owai bi r .
" Then why di dn' t you go near your br i de?"
" O Apost l e of God, when I ent er ed t he house I f ound mysel f ami dst t hat
af f l uence. A st at e of gr at i t ude and devot i on came over me. I t hought i t
necessar y t o of f er t hanks and pr ayer s t o God bef or e doi ng anyt hi ng. Toni ght I
shal l go near my wi f e. "
J owai bi r and Zal f a l i ved a most happy l i f e. When t he cal l f or a J i had
( hol y war ) came, J owai bi r par t i ci pat ed i n i t wi t h t he ent husi asmt ypi cal of a
br ave Musl i m, and achi eved mar t yr domunder t he banner of I sl am.
( condensed f r omDast an Rast an, by Mor t aza Mut ahhar i )

*
One day, t he Messenger of God, accompani ed by some of hi s compani ons, was
passi ng by when he saw some chi l dr en pl ayi ng by t he waysi de. The Apost l e sat
down near one of t he boys and ki ssed hi s f or ehead, put hi mi n hi s l ap and
showed gr eat l ove.
The compani ons asked t he r eason f or t he Apost l e' s shower i ng l ove on t hat
par t i cul ar chi l d.
The Apost l e sai d, " One day I saw t hi s boy pl ayi ng wi t h my Hussai n and he
was t aki ng t he dust beneat h Hussai n' s f eet and r ubbi ng i t on hi s f ace and
eyes. I l ove t hi s boy because he l oves my son Hussai n. Gabr i el has i nf or med
me t hat t hi s boy wi l l ai d my son Hussai n i n t he war of Kar bal a. "
The name of t he boy was Habeeb i bn Mazahi r . ( Bi har al - Anwar )

*
Fuzai l bi n Zubai r r epor t s:
One day, Meet hame- Tammar was r i di ng by on a hor se. Seei ng Meet ham,
Habeeb i bn Mazahi r got up f r omt he assembl y of Bani Asad and went f or war d t o
gr eet hi m. They t al ked t o each ot her f or a l ong t i me.
Habeeb sai d, " As i f I see an el der l y man who has no hai r i n t he f r ont of
hi s head . . . . . and sel l s f r ui t s near ' Dar Ri za' ( meani ng Meet hame- Tammar ) ;
he, f or hi s l ove of hi s Apost l e and t he househol d of t he Apost l e, wi l l be
hanged and hi s bel l y wi l l be sl i t . "
Meet hamsai d, " And I t oo know t hat man of r ed compl exi on whose hai r i s
spl i t i n t wo pl ai t s ( meani ng Habi b i bn Mazahi r ) and who has come f or t he ai d
of t he son of t he Messenger of God and has been mar t yr ed and hi s head i s
bei ng car r i ed ar ound i n t he l anes of Kuf a. "
And t hen t hey par t ed. Thei r audi ence was l ef t amazed and di sbel i evi ng.
J ust t hen Rushayd Hi j r i passed by, sear chi ng f or Habeeb and Meet ham, and
asked t he peopl e about t hem. The peopl e r el at ed t o Rasheed t he conver sat i on
t hey had wi t nessed bet ween Habeeb and Mai t ham.
Rushayd Hi j r i sai d, " God bl ess Meet hame- Thammar . What ever he sai d i s
t r ue but he f or got t o ment i on t hat whoever br ought t he head of t he man of r ed
compl exi on wi l l r ecei ve hundr ed Di r hams mor e i n r ewar d. "
Sayi ng t hi s, Rushayd l ef t , l eavi ng t he peopl e mor e conf ounded t han
bef or e. ( Ri j al Ki shi , Bi har al - Anwar )

*
On t he day of Ashoor a, wi t h deat h bef or e t hei r eyes, Habeeb bant er ed wi t h
Bur ai r .
Bur ai r sai d, " O Habeeb! Thi s i s not t he t i me f or f un. "
Habeeb sai d, " What t i me woul d be bet t er t han t hi s t i me when, bet ween us
and t he hour i es of par adi se i s onl y so much di st ance t hat t hese peopl e ( t he
enemy ar mi es) t ake up swor ds and at t ack us?"
( Bi har al - Anwar )

*
Rushayd Hi j r i was br ought t o Zi yad. Zi yad sai d t o hi m, " What di d your
l eader ( Al i ) say t o you? For we wi l l do t hat t o you. "
" You wi l l cut of f my hands and my l egs and t hen you wi l l cr uci f y me, " he
answer ed.
" By God, I wi l l make hi s wor d f al se, " decl ar ed Zi yad. " Fr ee hi m. "
When Rushayd was about t o l eave, Zi yad sai d, " By God, we do not f i nd
anyt hi ng wr ong wi t h what hi s l eader t ol d hi m. Ther ef or e cut of f hi s hands and
l egs and cr uci f y hi m. "
" Wai t a moment , " Rushayd sai d t o hi m, " I st i l l have somet hi ng t o t el l you
whi ch Ami r al - Momi neen t ol d me. "
" Cut out hi s t ongue, " or der ed Zi yad.
" Now, by God, i s t he ver i f i cat i on of t he wor ds of Ami r al - Momi neen, peace
be on hi m, " decl ar ed Rushayd. ( Al - I r shad)

*
Meet hamal - Tammar was a sl ave of a woman f r om( t he t r i be of ) Banu Asad.
Ami r al - Momi neen bought hi mf r omher and gave hi mhi s f r eedom.
" What i s your name?" asked Ami r al - Momi neen.
" Sal i m, " he r epl i ed.
" The Apost l e of God, may God bl ess hi mand hi s f ami l y, t ol d me t hat t he
name your f at her gave you i n Per si an was Meet ham. "
" God and Hi s Apost l e ar e t r ue and you ar e t r ue, O Ami r al - Momi neen, " he
sai d. " By God t hat i s my name. "
" Go back t o t he name by whi ch t he Apost l e of God r ef er r ed t o you and
l eave ( t he name) Sal i m. "
He r et ur ned t o ( t he name) Meet hamand was gi ven t he kunya Abu Sal i m.
On t he same day, Al i t ol d hi m, " Af t er me, you wi l l be sei zed and
cr uci f i ed and st abbed by a spear . On t he t hi r d day your nost r i l s and mout h
wi l l f l ow wi t h bl ood whi ch wi l l col our your bear d. So wai t f or t hat col our .
You wi l l be cr uci f i ed on t he gat e of t he house of ' Amr bi n Hur ayt h. You wi l l
be t he t ent h one of t en ( cr uci f i ed) men. You wi l l have t he shor t est t i mber
among t hem. . . . Come so t hat I may show you t he pal mt r ee on ( t he t i mber of )
whose t r unk you wi l l be cr uci f i ed. "
Al i showed i t t o Meet ham. Meet hamused t o go t her e . . . and say, " What a
bl essed pal m- t r ee you ar e. I amcr eat ed f or you and you gr ew up f or me. "
He cont i nued t o f r equent i t unt i l i t was cut down. . . He used t o meet ' Amr
bi n Hur ayt h and say t o hi m, " I wi l l be your nei ghbour , so show
nei ghbour l i ness t o me. "
" You want t o buy t he house of I bn Mas' ud or t he house of I bn Haki m, " ' Amr
used t o say, because he di d not under st and what Meet hammeant .
I n t he year i n whi ch he was ki l l ed he made a pi l gr i mage. He vi si t ed Umm
Sal ama, may God be pl eased wi t h her .
" Who ar e you?" she asked.
" I amMeet ham, " he sai d.

" By God, how of t en I hear d t he Apost l e of God, may God bl ess hi mand hi s
f ami l y, ment i on you, " she sai d. " He used t o commend you t o Al i i n t he mi ddl e
of t he ni ght . "
Then he asked her about Husai n.
" He i s at an est at e of hi s, " she sai d.
" Tel l hi mt hat I woul d have l i ked t o gr eet hi mand t hat we wi l l meet
bef or e t he Lor d of t he Wor l ds, i f God, t he Exal t ed, wi l l s, " he t ol d her .
UmmSal ama cal l ed f or some per f ume and she per f umed hi s bear d.
" Soon i t wi l l be col our ed by bl ood, " she sai d.
He went t o Kuf a and ' Ubai d Al l ah i bn Zi yad, may God cur se hi m, had hi m
ar r est ed and br ought t o hi m. He had been t ol d t hat t he man was one of t he
cl osest peopl e t o Al i .
" For shame, i s he not a per si an?" asked i bn Zi yad.
" Yes, " he was t ol d.
" Wher e i s your mast er ?" he asked Meet ham.
" He i s l ooki ng down on ever y wr ongdoer and you ar e one of t he
wr ongdoer s, " he answer ed.
" Despi t e your f or ei gn accent you say what you mean, " sai d i bn Zi yad.
" What has your l eader t ol d you t hat I wi l l do t o you?"
" He t ol d me t hat you woul d cr uci f y me as t he t ent h one of t en men, " he
answer ed. " I wi l l have t he shor t est t i mber among t hem. . . "
" We wi l l oppose hi m, " i bn Zi yad decl ar ed.
" How coul d you oppose hi m?" Meet hamr et or t ed wi t h t ot al assur ance. He di d
not hi ng but gi ve me i nf or mat i on on t he aut hor i t y of t he Apost l e, on t he
aut hor i t y of Gabr i el , on t he aut hor i t y of God, t he Exal t ed. How coul d you
oppose t hese? I know t he pl ace i n Kuf a wher e I wi l l be cr uci f i ed. I amt he
f i r st of God' s cr eat ur es t o be br i ddl ed i n I sl am. "
I bn Zi yad i mpr i soned hi m, and al so i mpr i soned Mukht ar bi n Abi ' Ubayda
wi t h hi m.
" You wi l l escape, " Meet hamt ol d Mukht ar , " and you wi l l r ebel t o avenge
t he bl ood of Husai n. Then you wi l l ki l l t hi s man who i s goi ng t o ki l l us. "
When Ubayd Al l ah i bn Zi yad cal l ed f or Mukht ar t o ki l l hi m, a messenger
ar r i ved wi t h a l et t er f or Ubayd Al l ah f r omYazi d ( God' s cur ses upon hi m) ,
or der i ng hi mt o f r ee Mukht ar . Ubayd Al l ah f r eed hi mand or der ed Meet hamt o be
cr uci f i ed.
A man who met ( Meet ham) sai d t o hi m, " Woul d not somet hi ng sat i sf y you
r at her t han t hi s, Meet ham?"
He smi l ed and sai d, poi nt i ng t o t he pal mt r ee, " I was cr eat ed f or i t and
i t has gr own f or me. "
When he was put on t he wood, t he peopl e gat her ed ar ound hi mat t he gat e
of ' Amr bi n Hur ayt h.
" By God he used t o say: I wi l l be your nei ghbour , " ' Amr sai d.
Cr uci f i ed as he was, Meet hambegan t o speak of t he vi r t ues of Banu Hashi m
and i t was r epor t ed t o i bn Zi yad: " That sl ave has i nsul t ed you. "
" Br i dl e hi m, " i bn Zi yad ( God' s cur ses upon hi m) or der ed.
Meet ham, became f i r st of God' s cr eat ur es t o be br i dl ed i n I sl am. He ( may
God have mer cy on hi m) was ki l l ed t en days bef or e Husai n came t o I r aq. On t he
t hi r d day af t er hi s cr uci f i xi on, he was st abbed wi t h a spear , and he decl ar ed
t he gr eat ness of God. At t he end of t he day, bl ood f l owed f r omhi s mout h and
hi s nose. ( Al - I r shad)

*
Adi bi n Hat i mwas t he l eader of t he t r i be of Tai . The per i od of hi s
l eader shi p co- i nci ded wi t h t he advent of t he Apost l e Mohammad. The Tai t r i bes

wer e i dol - wor shi pper s but Adi hi msel f was a Chr i st i an and kept hi s bel i ef s
secr et f r omhi s peopl e.
A t i me came when t he Musl i ms f ought t he Tai t r i bes and def eat ed t hem. Adi
managed t o escape wi t h hi s f ami l y, but i n t he conf usi on, f or got t o t ake hi s
si st er , Saf f ana, wi t h hi m.
Musl i ms br ought Saf f ana t o Madi nah al ongwi t h ot her capt i ves of t he Tai
t r i bes. The pr i soner s wer e shel t er ed i n a l ow- wal l ed compound near t he
Mosque. One day, t he Apost l e, whi l e goi ng t o t he Mosque passed besi de t he
encl osur e.
Saf f ana, i nt el l i gent and ar t i cul at e, sai d, " My f at her i s dead; my
guar di an i s hi di ng; be gener ous t o me, God wi l l be gener ous t o you. "
" Who i s you guar di an?" asked t he Apost l e
" Adi , son of Hat i m. "
" The one who has r un away f r omGod and Hi s Messenger ?"
Sayi ng t hese wor ds, t he Apost l e went away.
Next day, agai n she r epeat ed her wor ds and hear d t he same r epl y. The
t hi r d day, havi ng l ost her hopes, she deci ded t o r emai n si l ent . But a young
man wal ki ng behi nd t he Apost l e made si gns t o her t o r epeat her demand. She
r epeat ed her wor ds.
The Apost l e sai d, " Ver y wel l , I amwai t i ng f or some r el i abl e man f r om
your t r i be. As soon as such a man i s f ound I shal l send you wi t h hi mt o your
t r i be. I nf or mme i f you f i nd such a per son who has come t o Madi nah. "
She asked t he peopl e about t he young man wal ki ng behi nd t he Apost l e who
had encour aged her t o r epeat her demand. They sai d he was Al i .
Af t er some t i me, Saf f ana i nf or med t he Apost l e t hat some men of her t r i be
had come t o Madi nah. The Apost l e gave her a new dr ess, some cash f or meet i ng
t he expenses of t he j our ney and a camel t o r i de on. She went al ong wi t h t hem
t o her br ot her i n Syr i a.
When she saw her br ot her , she r epr oached hi mand sai d, " You br ought out
your wi f e and chi l dr en and f or got me, t he memor y of your f at her ! "
Adi apol ogi zed t o her . Then he asked her , " What do you advi se me t o do,
si nce you have seen Mohammad f r omnear ? Shoul d I j oi n hi mor keep al oof f r om
hi m?"
" I bel i eve you shoul d j oi n hi m, " sai d Saf f ana. " I f he i s a Apost l e of
God, i t wi l l be a cr edi t t o your honour and nobl eness. And i f he i s not a
Apost l e and onl y want s t o be a wor l dl y r ul er , t hen i n a pl ace ( Madi nah) whi ch
i s not f ar f r omYemen ( your pl ace) , nobody wi l l dar e t o di shonour you,
because of t he honour and r espect you have among t he peopl e of Yemen. Ei t her
way, your honour i s guar ant eed. "
The i dea appeal ed t o Adi and he went t o Madi na. He ent er ed t he mosque and
sal ut ed t he Apost l e. The Apost l e accor ded hi mdue r espect and t ook hi mt o hi s
house.
On t hei r way a haggar d woman caught hol d of t he gar ment of t he Apost l e
and ent er ed i nt o a di scussi on wi t h hi m. A l ong t i me passed, and t he Apost l e
answer ed al l her quest i ons wi t h ki ndness and pat i ence.
Adi sai d t o hi msel f , " Thi s i s one si gn f r omt he char act er of t hi s man
t hat he i s a Apost l e. Peopl e havi ng wor l dl y ambi t i ons do not have such a
di sposi t i on and t emper ament of r epl yi ng t o a poor ol d woman wi t h so much
pat i ence and ki ndness. "
When t hey ent er ed t he house, Adi f ound t he l i f e of t he Apost l e most
si mpl e and unpr et ent i ous. Ther e was onl y a qui l t whi ch t he Apost l e used t o
si t upon, but now he spr ead i t f or Adi t o si t . Adi i nsi st ed t hat t he Apost l e
shoul d si t upon t he qui l t , but he f l at l y r ef used. Ul t i mat el y, Adi sat upon
t he qui l t and t he Apost l e sat upon t he gr ound. Adi sai d t o hi msel f , " Thi s i s

t he second si gn of t he char act er of t hi s man. Thi s i s t he char act er of t he

Apost l es, not of ki ngs. "
The Apost l e t ur ned t o hi mand sai d, " But was not your r el i gi on
Chr i st i ani t y?"
Adi sai d, " Yes, why?"
" Then why, and on what gr ounds, wer e you t aki ng one- f our t h of t he i ncome
of your peopl e ( as t ax) ? I s i t not i nadmi ssi bl e i n your r el i gi on?"
Adi , who had kept hi s r el i gi on secr et even f r omhi s cl oses r el at i ves, was
sur pr i sed t o hear about i t f r omt he Apost l e. He sai d t o hi msel f , " Thi s i s t he
t hi r d si gn t hat t hi s man i s a Apost l e. "
Adi embr aced I sl amwi t h si ncer i t y.
( condensed f r omDast an Rast an, by Mor t aza Mut ahhar i )

*
Adi bi n Hat i mr emai ned a r espect ed compani on of t he Apost l e and a devout
f ol l ower of Ami r al - Momi neen Al i i bn Abi Tal i b t i l l t he t i me of hi s deat h. He
di ed at t he age of one hundr ed t went y year s i n t he year 67 or 68 of t he
Hej i r a, af t er seei ng t he t i mes of t he f i r st t hr ee of t he t wel ve I mams.
He had accompani ed Ami r al - Momi neen Al i i n t he war s of J amal , Si f f een and
Nahr awan. I n t he war of J amal , he l ost one of hi s eyes.
He was a f ear l ess and out spoken man whose r epar t ees of t en l ef t hi s
opponent s gaspi ng f or ai r .
Once, i n Muawi ya' s cour t , Abdul l ah i bn Zubai r sai d, " Shi ' a say t hat Adi
i s unpar al l el ed i n speech. Wi l l you per mi t me t o t est t hi s?"
Muawi ya sai d, " Don' t do i t . I have a not i on t hat you wi l l l ose your
f ace. "
Abdul l a i bn Zubai r di dn' t l i st en and t ur ni ng t o Adi , sai d, " O Aba Tar eef !
When di d your eye get spoi l ed?"
" On t he day when your f at her ( Zubai r bi n Awam) t ur ned t ai l and r an away
f r omt he bat t l e f i el d, " r epl i ed Adi . " On t he day when Mal i k Asht ar hi t you on
your bot t omwi t h hi s l ance. "
Then he pr oceeded t o compose i mpr ompt u a f ew coupl et s i n der ogat i on of
Zubai r and i bn Zubai r .
I bn Zubai r coul d do not hi ng but shut hi s mout h.
" Di dn' t I war n you agai nst bai t i ng Adi ?" sai d Muawi ya t o i bn Zubai r . ( Al -
Shaheed Al - Masmoom)

*
One day, Muawi ya, wi t h an ai mt o har ass Adi bi n Hat i m, asked hi m, " What
happened t o your t hr ee sons, Tar eef , Tur af a and Tur af ?"
" You know ver y wel l t hat t hey wer e ki l l ed i n t hei r suppor t and ser vi ce of
Ami r al - Momi neen Al i , " sai d Adi .
Muawi ya sai d, " I bn Abi Tal i b di d not do you j ust i ce. He had your sons
ki l l ed but l ef t hi s own sons saf e. "
Adi sai d, " No. I t i s I who di d not do j ust i ce t o Al i . He was mar t yr ed and
I amst i l l al i ve. "
( Aqd al - Far ai d of Syed Mur t aza, Al - Shaheed Al - Masmoom)

*
Sa' sa' bi n Souhan Abdi was a devout f ol l ower of Ami r al - Momi neen Al i . Hi s
t wo br ot her s, Zai d bi n Souhan and Sai han bi n Souhan wer e ki l l ed i n t he war of
J amal , whi l e f i ght i ng f or Al i . The si xt h I mamJ af ar al - Sadeq al so has Sa' sa'
f or hi s devot i on t o Al i .

I t has been obser ved t hat a gener al t r end among t he t r ue f ol l ower s of

Mohammed and Hi s Pr ogeny ( PBUT) i s t hei r f ear l essness even i n t he f ace of
mi ght y ki ngs. Sa' sa' t oo had t hi s qual i t y.
Once, i n Kuf a, Muawi ya commanded Sa' sa' t o mount t he pl at f or mof t he
mosque and cur se Al i .
Sa' sa went t o t he pl at f or mand sai d, " O peopl e! I come f r omhi mwho has
put evi l i n t he f r ont and has pushed back good. He commands me t o cur se Al i ,
I cur se hi m, and may God' s cur ses upon hi m. " And t he peopl e i n t he mosque
sai d " Amen! "
When Sa' sa r et ur ned, Muawi ya ( cur ses of God and angel s and t r ue- bel i ever s
upon hi m) sai d, " I t seems you have cur sed me and not Al i . Go back and cur se
Al i i n open wor ds. "
Sa' sa went back and sai d, " Muawi ya has t ol d me t o cur se Al i . Assur edl y I
cur se hi mwho cur ses Al i . " And once agai n, t he peopl e i n t he mosque sai d,
" Amen! "
When Muawi ya hear d t hi s, he i mmedi at el y or der ed Sa' sa' t o l eave Kuf a.
( Al - Shaheed Al - Masmoom)

*
Once, when Sa' sa was i l l , Ami r al - Momi neen Al i vi si t ed hi m.
Al i sai d, " O Sa' sa' ! Do not l et my vi si t become a cause of pr i de f or you
among your peopl e. "
" Why not , O Ami r al - Momi neen?" Sa' sa' sai d. " I wi l l count i t as God' s
Gr ace upon me. "
Al i sai d, " As f ar as I know, Sa' sa' , you ar e man wi t h f ew bur dens and
your ai d i s abundant . "
Sa' sa' sai d, " And you, By God, O Ami r al - Momi neen! As f ar as I have seen,
I have f ound you al l - knowi ng of God and compassi onat e and mer ci f ul on t r ue-
bel i ever s. " ( Ri j al Ki shi , Al - Shaheed Al - Masmoom)

*
Saeed bi n J ubai r was a compani on of t he f our t h I mam, Zai n ul - Abedeen. He
was a ver y f amous schol ar of hi s t i me.
I n t hose t i mes, Huj j aj Thaqaf i was t he t yr ant r ul er of Madi nah. One day,
Huj j aj had Saeed ar r est ed and br ought t o hi m. Par t of t he conver sat i on
bet ween Saeed and Huj j aj i s r epor t ed bel ow.
Huj j aj : What i s your bel i ef about t he cal i phs?
Saeed: AmI t hei r agent ?
Huj j aj : Whomdo you l i ke most among t he cal i phs?
Saeed: He whomGod l i kes most .
Huj j aj : Who i s i t t hat God l i kes most ?
Saeed: God knows bet t er .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Huj j aj : ( t o hi s ser vant s) Gi ve hi msome di amonds and j ewel s. ( Accor di ng
t o hi s wi sh, heaps of j ewel s wer e pl aced bef or e Saeed) .
Saeed: I f you have col l ect ed t hi s weal t h i nt endi ng t o use i t i n obt ai ni ng
gai n f or t he her eaf t er and pl easi ng God, t hen good, el se r emember t hat t he
day of j udgement i s so hor r i bl e t hat a mot her wi l l not t hi nk about her chi l d
i n t he weani ng age, br ot her wi l l be par t ed f r ombr ot her , and t hi s weal t h wi l l
not be of any use t o you. I nst ead, i t wi l l become a cause of woe f or you. But
of cour se, t he weal t h ear ned by l egi t i mat e means wi l l not cause har m.
Huj j aj : ( To hi s ser vant s) Br i ng out equi pment of pl easur e and musi c. ( As
soon as Saeed hear d t hi s, hi s eyes became f i l l ed wi t h t ear s) .
Huj j aj : Tel l me, how shal l I ki l l you?

Saeed: Any way you want , but j ust r emember one t hi ng. On J udgement Day,
God wi l l have you ki l l ed i n exact l y t he same way.
Huj j aj : I f you wi sh, I can f or gi ve you.
Saeed: I ask f or gi veness onl y f r omGod, not f r omyou.
On or der s of Huj j aj , Saeed was made t o si t on a mat
used f or execut i ons.
Saeed: ( r eci t i ng a Qur ' ani c ver se) " Ver i l y I have t ur ned my f ace whol l y
t o Hi mWho or i gi nat ed t he heavens and t he ear t h, bei ng up- r i ght and I amnot
of t he pol yt hei st s. " ( Al - Anam: 80)
Huj j aj : Tur n Saeed away f r omQi bl a ( t he di r ect i on of hol y Ka' bah) .
Saeed: ( r eci t i ng anot her Qur ' ani c ver se) " And God' s i s t he East and t he
West , t her ef or e wi t her soever you t ur n you f i nd t he Face of God; Ver i l y God i s
Al l - Per vadi ng, and Al l - Knowi ng. " ( Al - Baqar a: 115)
Huj j aj : Put Saeed on hi s f ace.
Saeed: ( cont i nui ng hi s r eci t al of Qur ' an) " Fr omi t ( t he ear t h) We cr eat ed
you, and i nt o i t wi l l We r et ur n you, and out of i t wi l l We br i ng you f or t h
f or a second t i me. "
( Ta' ha: 55)
Huj j aj : Take of f Saeed' s head.
Saeed: I wi t ness t hat t her e i s no God but Al l ah, He i s uni que, He has no
par t ner s; And I wi t ness t hat Mohammed i s Hi s ser vant and messenger . ( And t hen
he pr ayed) : O God! Do not l et Huj j aj oppr ess anybody el se And Saeed was
mar t yr ed. ( Rouzaat al - J annat , Ri j al Ki shi )

*
Once, Ami r al - Momi neen Al i wr ot e a l et t er t o Muawi yah, advi si ng hi mt o
di scont i nue hi s bad deeds. Al i gave t hi s l et t er t o hi s sl ave Qanber t o
del i ver i t t o Muawi yah.
When Qanber r eached Muawi yah, Muawi yah not ed Qanber ' s t al l ness and asked
t easi ngl y, " have you got any news of t he heavens?"
Qanber sai d, " Yes! Al i i s comi ng af t er you, and t he angel of deat h i s
sear chi ng f or you. "
Thi s si l enced Muawi yah. Then Qanber t r od, shoes and al l , on t he car pet t o
r each Muawi yah.
" Remove your shoes, " sai d Muawi yah.
" I s t hi s t he hol y val l ey?" Qanber sai d, r ef er r i ng t o God' s i nj unct i on t o
Moses t o r emove hi s shoes i n t he hol y val l ey of Tu' a.
And once agai n Muawi yah was shamed i nt o si l ence. ( Kaukab e- Dur r i )

*
Hi shambi n Hakamwas a cl ose compani on of t he si xt h and t he sevent h I mam
and was not ed f or hi s schol ar l y debat es and di scour ses.
Hi shamwas a young man dur i ng t he t i me of t he si xt h I mam, J af ar al - Sadeq.
Yunus bi n Yaqoub r epor t s t hat one day, peopl e wer e gat her ed ar ound t he
si xt h I mam, not ed among t hembei ng Humr an bi n A' een, Momi n Taaq ( Muhammed bi n
Al i bi n No' man) , Hi shambi n Sal em, Hi shambi n Hakam, et c.
I mamt ur ned t o Hi shambi n Hakamand sai d, " What di d you say t o Amr bi n
Ubai d? What quest i ons di d you ask?"
Hi shamsai d, " I f eel embar r assed t al ki ng about t hat bef or e you. I am
t ongue- t i ed. "
" Why shoul d you f eel embar r assed when I , mysel f , amcommandi ng you?
Rel at e t he i nci dent . "
Hi shambegan, " I had hear d t hat Amr bi n Ubai d di scour ses on schol ar l y
pr obl ems i n t he mosque of Basr a. I t was Fr i day when I r eached Basr a and went
t o t he mosque. I saw Amr bi n Ubai d sur r ounded by a cr owd. I made my way

t hr ough t he cr owd, sat down near Amr and sai d, ' O man of knowl edge and
wi sdom, I ama st r anger her e and have come f r omf ar . Wi l l you per mi t me t o
ask you some quest i ons?' ' Go ahead, ' sai d Amr . "
The di scour se t hen went t hi s way:
Hi sham: Do you have eyes?
Amr : Young man! What ki nd of a quest i on i s t hat ? Ask somet hi ng pr oper .
Hi sham: I wi l l ask t hese ki nd of quest i ons onl y.
Amr : Al r i ght ! Ask and I wi l l answer , t hough your quest i on i s f ool i sh.
Hi sham: Do you have eyes?
Amr : Yes.
Hi sham: Of what use ar e t hese?
Amr : They see col our s and shapes.
Hi sham: Have you nose?
Amr : Yes.
Hi sham: What i s i t used f or ?
Amr : To smel l .
Hi sham: Have you mout h?
Amr : Yes.
Hi sham: What do you use i t f or ?
Amr : To t ast e f ood.
Hi sham: Have you mi nd and i nt el l ect ?
Amr : Yes.
Hi sham: Of what use i s i t ?
Amr : Ever yt hi ng t hat I sense t hr ough my or gans ( eyes, nose, mout h,
et c. ) , I cogni ze wi t h my mi nd and i nt el l ect .
Hi sham: Don' t your or gans make you i ndependent of your i nt el l ect ?
Amr : No.
Hi sham: Why, when al l your or gans ar e i nt act ?
Amr : When t he or gans f ace a doubt , t hey r ef er t o t he i nt el l ect t o
r emove t he doubt and conf i r mt he t r ut h.
Hi sham: Thi s means t hat God has gi ven us i nt el l ect t o r emove t he doubt s of
our senses and t o i nf or mt hemof t he t r ut h.
Amr : Yes, of cour se.
Hi sham: So we ar e dependent on t he i nt el l ect i n al l ci r cumst ances.
Amr : Yes.
Hi sham: God has not l ef t our or gans and senses wi t hout an I mamwho can
cl ar i f y t hei r doubt s, but t he same God has l ef t hi s cr eat ur es ami dst t hei r
doubt s and di d not or dai n any I mamf or t hemwho coul d r emove t hei r doubt s and
conf i r mt he t r ut h?
Amr r emai ned si l ent f or some t i me, t hen asked Hi sham, " Wher e ar e you
f r om?"
" I amf r omKuf a, " sai d Hi sham.
" Per haps you ar e Hi sham?"
Then he seat ed Hi shami n hi s pl ace and as l ong as Hi shamr emai ned t her e,
he r ef used t o answer t he quest i ons of al l t he peopl e gat her ed ar ound hi m.
Af t er somet i me Hi shamcame away.
Af t er Hi shamhad r el at ed t hi s i nci dent t o I mamJ af ar al - Sadeq, I mam
smi l ed and sai d, " Who t aught you t hi s ar gument ?"
" No one, O son of t he Apost l e! " sai d Hi sham. " I t j ust came t o me
i mpr ompt u. "
I mamsai d, " By God! Thi s ar gument i s st at ed i n t he epi st l es of Abr aham
and Moses. " ( Ri j al Ki shi )

*

Hi s r eal name was Wahab but he became known t o t he wor l d as Buhl ol e- Dana
( Buhl ol , t he wi se) . He was r el at ed t o t he cal i ph, Har oun al - Rasheed but was a
devout compani on of I mamJ af ar al - Sadi q, and af t er hi m, of I mamMousa al -
Kazi m.
He was one t he most i nt el l i gent men of hi s t i mes, but once, when Har oun
al - Rashi d want ed t o pr ess hi mi nt o ser vi ce of t he gover nment , Buhl ol
i nt ent i onal l y put on a mant l e of madness over hi s i nt el l i gence, t o escape t he
i gnomi ny and si n of wor ki ng f or a t yr ant .
Buhl ol i s wel l - known f or hi s devot i on t o t he househol d of t he Apost l e,
hi s i nt el l ect , sagaci t y, wi t and wi sdom.
Cal i ph Har oun al - Rasheed was of t en at t he r ecei vi ng end of Buhl ol ' s wi t
and wi sdom. Buhl ol ' s encount er s wi t h Har oun al - Rasheed ar e cl assi cs of t hei r
ki nd.
Once, Har oun al - Rasheed and Buhl ol went t o a bat h.
I n a pl ayf ul mood, t he cal i ph asked Buhl ol , " Had I been a sl ave, what
woul d have been my pr i ce?"
" Fi f t y Di nar s, " r epl i ed Buhl ol .
" You ar e mad! " excl ai med t he cal i ph. " Thi s wr ap I amwear i ng cost s f i f t y
Di nar s. "
" I t oo had st at ed t he pr i ce of t he wr ap. The cal i ph has no val ue. "
r epl i ed Buhl ol cal ml y. ( Buhl ol e- Dana, by Syed Sal man Hyder )

*
One day, Buhl ol squat t ed by t he si de of a r oad, maki ng mud houses l i ke
chi l dr en do. J ust t hen, t he car r i age of Har oun al - Rashi d and hi s wi f e,
Zubai da, passed by. Zubai da was a t r ue bel i ever of t he Aal e- Mohammad.
Seei ng Buhl ol , Zubai da asked, " Buhl ol ! What ar e you doi ng?"
" Maki ng houses of par adi se, " sai d Buhl ol .
" Woul d you sel l t hem?"
" Yes. "
" For how much?"
Buhl ol st at ed a nomi nal f i gur e. Zubai da i mmedi at el y pai d Buhl ol . Thi s
i r r i t at ed Har oun al - Rashi d, but he r emai ned si l ent , t hi nki ng der i si vel y of
weak i nt el l ect and gul l i bi l i t y of women.
That ni ght , Har oun dr eamt t hat he was st andi ng near par adi se, and ahead
of hi mwas a pal ace. On t he gat e of t he pal ace was wr i t t en: " Thi s i s
Zubai da' s pal ace. " Har oun t r i ed t o ent er t he pal ace but was st opped by t he
door man.
" Thi s i s Zubai da' s pal ace and you do not have per mi ssi on t o ent er . "
" I amZubai da' s husband and she i s my wi f e, " sai d Har oun.
" Par adi se i s not obt ai ned t hr ough husband- wi f e r el at i ons but t hr ough good
deeds. "
Har oun al - Rashi d woke up f r omt he sl eep, st ar t l ed. He spent t he ni ght
r est l essl y. Next mor ni ng, he passed on t he same r oad wher e had met Buhl ol t he
pr evi ous day. Once agai n, he f ound Buhl ol busy maki ng mud houses.
" Buhl ol ! What ar e you doi ng?"
" Maki ng houses of par adi se, " sai d Buhl ol .
" Woul d you sel l t hem?"
" Yes. "
" For how much?"
Buhl ol st at ed an enor mous f i gur e whi ch was mor e t han t he val ue of
Har oun' s whol e ki ngdom.
" Yest er day, you sol d t o Zubai da at such and such amount onl y, " sai d
Har oun.

" That was t he val ue of good i nt ent i on, r ewar d f or bel i ef on t he unseen
and t r ust i n my wor ds, " sai d Buhl ol . " You now have come t o buy af t er seei ng
t he r eal i t y wi t h your own eyes. " ( Khazeenat al - J awahar )

*
Once, t he cal i ph sent t o Buhl ol var i ous exot i c di shes f r omhi s own
spr ead. The ki ng' s ser vant s bear i ng t he f ood f ound Buhl ol i n a desol at e
pl ace, wi t h l ot s of dogs r oami ng about . They pl aced t he f ood bef or e Buhl ol .
" What i s t hi s?" asked Buhl ol .
" The cal i ph has shower ed hi s gr ace upon you and has sent t o you speci al
di shes of f ood f r omhi s own spr ead. "
" Put t hi s f ood bef or e t he dogs. I have no need of cal i ph' s gr aces. "
The cal i ph' s ser vant s began pr ot est i ng t hat Buhl ol was i nsul t i ng t he
cal i ph and hi s gr aces.
" Shush! Tal k sof t l y, " sai d Buhl ol . " I f t he dogs hear t hat t hi s f ood has
come f r omt he cal i ph, t hey t oo wi l l r ef use t o eat i t . "
( Anees al - Wa' i zeen)

*
Buhl ol once f ound t he cal i ph Har oun al - Rasheed dr i nki ng wi ne.
I n a bi d t o j ust i f y hi s si n, Har oun al - Rasheed asked Buhl ol , " I s i t
f or bi dden t o eat gr apes?"
" No, " sai d Buhl ol .
" What i f wat er i s dr unk af t er eat i ng gr apes?"
" Ther e i s no har m. "
" Then why i s i t f or bi dden when gr apes ar e put i n wat er and l ef t i n t he
sunl i ght ?"
" I f a l i t t l e sand wer e t o be put on a man' s head, woul d i t hur t hi m?"
asked Buhl ol .
" No, " sai d t he cal i ph.
" Woul d i t hur t i f some wat er i s pour ed on hi s head af t er put t i ng t he
sand?"
" No. "
" What i f we t ake t he same sand, mi x i t wi t h wat er , make a br i ck out of i t
by dr yi ng i t i n t he sunl i ght , and t hen hi t a man on t he head wi t h i t ?" Buhl ol
asked. ( Buhl ol e- Dana, by Syed Sal man Hyder )

*
Shei kh J unei d Baghdadi ( a l eader of t he suf i sect ) , accompani ed by hi s
f ol l ower s, sought out Buhl ol . He f ound Buhl ol i n t he deser t , r ecl i ni ng, wi t h
a br i ck as a pi l l ow.
The conver sat i on t hat ensued bet ween t hemi s r ecor ded t hus:
Shei kh: Sal amal ai kum.
Buhl ol : Al ai kumsal am. Who ar e you?
Shei kh: I amJ unei d Baghdadi .
Buhl ol : Ar e you Abul - Qasi m?
Shei kh: Yes.
Buhl ol : Ar e you Shei kh Baghdadi who gui des peopl e?
Shei kh: Yes.
Buhl ol : Ar e you awar e of t he et hi cs of eat i ng f ood?
Shei kh: I eat f r omwhat i s bef or e me. I t ake smal l bi t es, eat wi t h my
r i ght hand, chew sl owl y. I do not l ook at what ot her peopl e ar e eat i ng. I do
not negl ect t he r emembr ance of God whi l e eat i ng. I say ' Pr ai se be t o Al l ah'
at ever y bi t e. I wash my hands bef or e and af t er eat i ng.

Buhl ol : ( Get t i ng up) You want t o l ead peopl e. When you your sel f do not
know t he pr i nci pl es of eat i ng, what wi l l you t each ot her s?
( Sayi ng t hi s Buhl ol l ef t t hem. Shei kh' s f ol l ower s wer e angr y at
Buhl ol but Shei kh f ol l owed Buhl ol who had once agai n sat down i n a desol at e
pl ace. )
Buhl ol : You do not know how t o eat . Do you know how t o speak?
Shei kh: I say what ever i s apt . I do not speak of anyt hi ng out of pl ace,
out of cont ext . I do not speak mor e t han necessar y. I speak accor di ng t o t he
i nt el l i gence and under st andi ng of t he l i st ener . I i nvi t e peopl e t owar d
cogni zance of God and Hi s Apost l e . . . .
Buhl ol : You di dn' t know how t o eat , and you do not know how speak t oo.
( Sayi ng t hi s, Buhl ol once agai n l ef t t hem, but t he Shei kh f ol l owed
hi m. )
Buhl ol : What do you want f r omme? You do not know how t o eat . You do not
how t o speak. Do you know how t o sl eep?
Shei kh: Af t er I f i ni sh my ' I sha pr ayer s and t he suppl i cat i ons, I r est on
my bed. . . ( and pr oceeded t o r ecount t he et hi cs of sl eep as known t o hi m) .
Buhl ol : I have now under st ood t hat you do not know t he pr i nci pl es of sl eep
t oo.
( Buhl ol began t o get up but Shei kh J unei d caught t he hemof hi s
dr ess. )
Shei kh: O Buhl ol ! I do not know. For t he sake of God, i nst r uct me.
Buhl ol : What ever you t ol d me about t he et hi cs of eat i ng, speaki ng and
sl eepi ng ar e t he br anches and not t he r oot s.
The basi c pr i nci pl es of eat i ng ar e: The f ood you eat shoul d be
hal al ( per mi t t ed by r el i gi on) . I f i t i s f or bi dden f ood, al l t he et hi cs of
eat i ng descr i bed by you ar e usel ess.
The basi c pr i nci pl es of speaki ng ar e: I n or der t o speak, t he mi nd
shoul d be cl ean, t he i nt ent i ons r i ght . What ever bei ng spoken shoul d be f or
t he f avour of God. I f your speech i s f or wor l dl y gai ns, si l ence wi t h good
i nt ent i s bet t er .
The basi c pr i nci pl es of sl eepi ng ar e: When you go sl eep, your
hear t shoul d be f r ee of host i l i t y and envy, ani mosi t y and hypocr i sy. Desi r e
f or t he wor l d and wor l dl y r i ches shoul d be absent . When you sl eep, t he Lor d' s
name shoul d be on your t ongue.
( Shei kh ki ssed Buhl ol ' s hands r ever ent l y. )
( Buhl ol e- Dana, by Syed Sal man Hyder )