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Imam Ali (A.S.) on the Shoulders of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.A.)
From the book "Certainty Uncovered", the translation of "Kashf al-Yaqin"
Author: Allamah Jamal al-Din ibn Yusuf Hilli
Abu-Hurayrah has been quoted by Khawarizmi as saying: The Messenger of Allah on the day of conquest of Mecca said to ‘Ali: Can you see the idol on the top of Ka’bah? ‘Ali said: Yes. The Holy Prophet said: To unseat and to overthrow it, I have to raise you! ‘Ali said: O Messenger of Allah! Should you allow, I will raise you.
The Messenger of Allah said: If the tribes of Rabi’ah and Mudar join hands and wish to put any part of my body on their shoulders they will never be able to do so! But you, ‘Ali! Rise up. ‘Ali rose up on the Holy Prophet’s order. The Messenger of Allah took ‘Ali’s legs and raised him in a way that his armpit became manifest, saying: O ‘Ali, what do you see? ‘Ali said: O Messenger of Allah! I see that due to your holiness God Almighty has blessed me with such a dignity that I can even touch the sky with my hand. At this time, the Holy Prophet said: O ‘Ali, unseat the idol and throw it down! ‘Ali obeyed his order.
Then the Holy Prophet cast ‘Ali in the air and he himself went to a side. ‘Ali fell on the ground with a smile on his lip. The Holy Prophet asked: Why do you smile? ‘Ali said: Because I fell from the roof of Ka’bah but I was not hurt! The Messenger of Allah said: O ‘Ali, how can you be hurt while Muhammad raised you up and Gabriel brought you down?152
Mentioning and Looking at ‘Ali; sorts of Worship
A’ishah has been quoted by Khawarizmi as saying: The Messenger of Allah said: To remember ‘Ali and to have his name on one’s tongue is worship.153
Khawarizmi on the authority of Mu’adh ibn Jabal said: The Messenger of Allah said: Looking at ‘Ali is worship.154
A’ishah, Imran ibn Husayn, Jabir and Wa'ilah ibn Asqa’ have quoted the Holy Prophet as saying the same thing.155
The Holy Prophet has been quoted by Abdullah ibn Mas’ud as saying: To look at ‘Ali’s face is worship.156
A’ishah has been reported as saying: I saw Abu-Bakr keep on looking at ‘Ali’s face. I said: Dear father, your looking at ‘Ali’s face amazes me. Is there any reason for it? Abu-Bakr said: Yes, my daughter. I heard the Messenger of Allah say: Looking at ‘Ali’s face is worship.157
A’ishah kept on saying to people: Adorn your gathering with the remembrance and name of ‘Ali.158
‘Ali’s Station on the Day of Judgment
The Holy Prophet has been reported by Sahl ibn Abi-Hathmah as saying: God Almighty on the Day of Judgment will make a vault of red gold for me on the right side of the throne, and a vault for my father, Ibrahim, on the left side of the throne and a dome of red gold for ‘Ali between these two. Behold the position of ‘Ali which is between two friends.159
The Messenger of Allah has also been quoted by Sahl ibn Abi-Hathmah as saying: On the Day of Judgment, God Almighty will make a dome of red gold for me on the right side of the throne and a vault for my father, Ibrahim, and a dome of olivine for ‘Ali. Now what do you think of the beloved between these two friends?160
Seeking Guidance from ‘Ali
Khawarizmi has reported on the authority of Zayd ibn Arqam: I and a group of people were in the presence of the Holy Prophet. His holiness said: Would you like me to guide you to a person who will never mislead you if you seek guidance from him or consult with him? We said: Certainly. The Holy Prophet said: Your guide is this person and then pointed to ‘Ali. Then the Messenger of Allah said: Your salvation lies in that you will be bother to him, accept what he says, follow his conduct, enjoin people to follow him, help him in difficult situations and hardships and be his counselor, for Gabriel has informed me of it.161
Harith has quoted the Messenger of Allah on the authority of ‘Ali: In Paradise, there is a stage called medium (resort) which is especially for the messenger. I hope I am that messenger. Invoke it in your prayer. The Holy Prophet’s companions asked: O Messenger of Allah! Who has the same rank and stage with you there? The Holy Prophet said: Fatimah, ‘Ali, Hasan, and Husayn.162
The Story of a Dinar ‘Ali Found
Khawarizmi reports on the authority of Abu-Sa’id Khidri: ‘Ali was badly in need. So he left home in the hope of gaining something. On his way, he found one Dinar. To find its owner, he made a public call. But there was no one to claim it. Being informed of it, Fatimah said: Now that no one claims it, take it for yourself and buy some flour with it. if anyone claims it later, we will compensate. So ‘Ali went out to buy some flour. He went to one who had flour and asked the price of it. The seller told him the amount and price of the flour. Imam ‘Ali said: Weigh the flour for me and gave him the Dinar in return.
The seller said: By God, I will not charge you! ‘Ali came home and told Fatimah the whole story. After praising God and expressing surprise, Fatimah said: O ‘Ali, you took the flour and returned the money! ‘Ali said: What should be done? He took an oath not to charge me!
‘Ali once again publicly announced that he had found one Dinar in the hope that someone would claim it but it was useless. Having consumed the whole flour, ‘Ali once again went to the market to buy food with the same Dinar. This time, the same story happened. Returning home, he informed Lady Fatimah of the event. Again Fatimah praised God and said: You have brought the flour and money together!
‘Ali said: What can I do when the seller took an oath by God that he would not charge me. The third time, ‘Ali went out to find the person who had lost that one Dinar. But no one claimed it. When ‘Ali took the Dinar to market to buy flour for the third time, Fatimah said to ‘Ali: O ‘Ali, this time you take an oath by God that he must charge you. It so happened that the same man with the same amount of flour and price was on the market.
But this time, ‘Ali said to the seller: By God, you must take this one Dinar, throwing it towards him and returned home. Following this event, the Messenger of Allah met ‘Ali, saying: O ‘Ali, what was the story of Dinar? ‘Ali told the story in detail. The Holy Prophet said: Did you recognize the seller of flour? ‘Ali said: No. the Holy Prophet said: He was Gabriel and this one Dinar was the share God Almighty had sent for you! By God, if you had not taken an oath by God, that Dinar would have remained with you and Gabriel would have given you the flour.163
Abu-Sa’id Khidri has reported: There was no food in ‘Ali and Fatimah’s house! At this time, Lady Fatimah said: O ‘Ali, we do not have anything at home! I wish you would go out and gain something! ‘Ali left the house and on his way found one Dinar. He made it public to people but no one claimed it. Being desperate, ‘Ali came home and told Fatimah the whole story. Lady Fatimah said: O ‘Ali, take it as a loan against one Dinar and buy some food for us. ‘Ali went to the market and saw an old man selling flour.
‘Ali bought the flour but the seller did not take the Dinar. He came home and told Fatimah the story. Lady Fatimah said: May God have mercy on that old man who recognized you and did not take the Dinar.
They consumed the flour. Lady Fatimah again said: Can you borrow this one Dinar? ‘Ali went to the market for the second time to buy food and met the same man. ‘Ali took the flour and the seller returned that one Dinar to him. On his return, ‘Ali told Fatimah the whole story. They consumed the flour and ‘Ali went to the market but this time the old man took an oath not to receive the Dinar!
Abu-Harun Abdi says: Abu-Sa’id related this story to me. After hearing this story, I found out the others had heard it too. I was returning home when a man of Ansar saw me on the way, asking: What did Abu-Sa’id tell you? I told the story on the authority of Abu-Sa’id. He said: If you promise to keep the secret, I will tell you who that seller was. I said: I promise. He said: He was Gabriel (a.s).164
Lady Fatimah has been reported by Abu-Sa’id Khidri as saying: I went to the presence of my father and after greeting him said: By God, o prophet, there has been no food in ‘Ali’s house for the past five days. We have neither a sheep nor a camel. The Holy Prophet (S) said: My daughter, come closer and put your hand on my back. I put my hand on his back. I found that a stone was hanging between his two shoulders extending to his breast!
Fatimah cried out: Woe, there has been no fire made in the house of Muhammad for the past two month! At this time, the Messenger of Allah said: Do you know ‘Ali’s position to me? He accompanied me when he was at the age of twelve. He was hardly sixteen when he fought the enemies with his sword and he was seventeen when he defeated the brave men of the Arabs. He was twenty two when he removed sorrow from my heart while there were only fifty men with him.
Hearing ‘Ali’s merits, Fatimah’s face became illuminated. She stood where she was listening carefully to what her father said when ‘Ali arrived. Seeing that the house was illuminated by the light of Fatimah’s face, ‘Ali asked Fatimah: When I left home, you did not have such a light on your face? Lady Fatimah said: O ‘Ali! My face is shining because my father was expressing your merits for me. My shining face shows my happiness!165
Imran ibn Husayn has reported: I went to the presence of the Holy Prophet and greeted him. The Holy Prophet said: O ‘Imran! You have a special position to me! Do you like to go together and see my daughter, Fatimah? I said: May my parents be ransom for you, yes. The Messenger of Allah rose up and we went to Fatimah’s house.
When we reached there, the Holy Prophet (S) greeted his daughter, saying: My daughter! Can we enter? Lady Fatimah said: Come in please. The Holy Prophet said: Someone is with me. Fatimah said: Who is he? The Holy Prophet said: ‘Imran ibn Husayn Khuza’i. Fatimah said: Dear father, by God who appointed you as a prophet, I have no gown at home except a cloak! The Holy Prophet said: Cover yourself with it. Fatimah said: I can only cover my body with it. What shall I do with my head? The Holy Prophet gave her a piece of cloth, saying: Use it as a headscarf. We then entered the house.
The Holy Prophet asked after Fatimah’s health. Fatimah said: I do not feel very well but I am more suffering from hunger, for there is nothing to eat at home! Hearing this, the Messenger of Allah started weeping. I started weeping too. Then, the Holy Prophet said: I have glad tidings for you, o Fatimah. Rejoice and grieve not! My daughter, by the God who appointed me as a prophet, I have not eaten anything for the past three days, though my position to God is above yours.
If I ask for food, He will provide me with it but I have preferred the hereafter to this world! O Fatimah, do not complain from hunger. By God who appointed me as a prophet, you are the princess of the world women. Being extremely pleased, Fatimah put her hands on her head, saying: Then I wish I had not said so. But what is the position of Asiyah, Pharaoh’s wife, and Mary, ‘Imran’s daughter? The Messenger of Allah said: Asiyah was the princess of the women of her time, Marry was the princess of the women of her time, Khadijah was the princess of the women of her time but you are the princess of the women of your time. You four ladies will abide in houses built from reed. There will be no harms in these houses.
Fatimah asked: Dear father! What is Qassab? The Holy Prophet said: It is an empty pearl shaped like a reed and there is no harm of suffering in it. Putting his hand on Fatimah’s shoulder, the Holy Prophet said: O my daughter! By God who appointed me as a prophet, I married you to a man who is the lord of the world and master of the hereafter.166
‘Ali during the Night Journey
The Messenger of Allah has been quoted by Abu-Umar Zahid as saying: During the Night Journey, I passed by a crowd in whose mouths fire was blazing. Asked Gabriel who they were, Gabriel said: They are the backbiters who eat the flesh of the dead! I passed by another group who were crying out. I said: Who are they? Gabriel said: These are unbelievers! Then we continued our way till we reached the fourth heaven where I saw ‘Ali who was praying!
I asked Gabriel: Is it ‘Ali who has overtaken us and reached here before us? Gabriel said: This is not ‘Ali. I said: Who is he then? Gabriel said: Since archangels and cherubim heard ‘Ali’s merits especially when you said about him: ‘Ali’s position to me is as Harun to Moses except that there will be no prophet after me, they longed for meeting ‘Ali. Hence, God Almighty created an angel like ‘Ali so that when the angels long to see ‘Ali, to come and see him.167
The Holy Prophet (S) has been quoted by Ibn Abbas as saying: During the night I was taken to heavens (Night Journey), I saw an inscription on the gate of paradise which read: There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, ‘Ali is beloved of Allah, Hasan and Husayn are the chosen of Allah, Fatimah is a heavenly lady. May curse of Allah be upon their enemies and those who have rancor against them.168
The Holy Prophet’s Sacrificing his father for ‘Ali and promising him with Paradisiacal gardens The Holy Prophet (S) said to ‘Ali: May my father be ransom for you. He then gave him good tidings about gardens in paradise. A’ishah has reported: I saw the Messenger of Allah hugging ‘Ali and kissing him while saying: May my father be ransom for the martyr who is lonely and has no helper.169
Imam ‘Ali (a.s) has been reported as saying: I was accompanying the Messenger of Allah in Medina. We passed by an orchard with fruitful trees. I said: O Messenger of Allah! How beautiful this orchard is! The Holy Prophet said: Your garden in paradise is more beautiful than it! We passed by another orchard. I said: O Messenger of Allah, this orchard is beautiful too! The Holy Prophet (S) said: It is not more beautiful than your garden in paradise. We passed by the third, fourth, and seventh orchard and I repeated what I had said. The Holy Prophet too repeated the same answer.
When we passed by all gardens, he put his arms round me and started weeping! I said: O Messenger of Allah! Why are you weeping? The Holy Prophet said: A group of these people have your rancor in their hearts but do not disclose it till I pass away. I said: Will it harm my religion. The Holy Prophet said: No.170
The Holy Prophet and ‘Ali’s Merits
The Holy Prophet and ‘Ali’s Merits (God Decrees the Holy Prophet to Express ‘Ali’s Merits)
The Messenger of Allah has been quoted by Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari as saying: Gabriel came down to me, saying: God Almighty has commissioned you to express ‘Ali’s merits among your companions so that they will convey your message to the future generations. He has also decreed all angels to listen to you when you speak of ‘Ali’s merits. God Almighty has revealed to you, saying: O Muhammad! Whoever opposes you about ‘Ali’s merit will be in fire and whoever obeys you will be in paradise.
The Messenger of Allah immediately ordered a crier to gather the people. Then the Holy Prophet went up the pulpit and began his sermon, saying: I seek refuge to God from the outcast Satan. In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. O people! I am bearer of good news and a warner. I am an unschooled prophet who has not learnt reading and writing from anyone. I am commissioned by my Lord to speak of the merits of a man whose flesh is my flesh and whose blood is my blood and he is a treasure of my knowledge, a man whom God has chosen, has guided and loves.
God Almighty created me and him and blessed each of us with a merit. I was appointed as prophet and he was charged with propagating my mission. He appointed me as the city of knowledge and ‘Ali as the gate of the city. God appointed him as receptacle of my knowledge from which erudition and injunctions of religion are derived. He appointed ‘Ali as my successor and decreed I should convey these recommendations to you. The Compassionate God warns his enemies of torment and will bless his friend with a supreme position, forgives his followers and orders people to obey him.
O people, know that God Almighty states: Enmity with ‘Ali is enmity with Me and love for him is love for Me; whoever curses him, has cursed Me and whoever opposes him, has opposed Me; whoever rebels against him, has rebelled against Me; whoever harms him, has harmed Me; Whoever has rancor against him, has had rancor against Me; whoever longs for him, has longed for Me. Whoever plays tricks in him, has played trick on Me; whoever helps him, has helped Me.
Then, the Holy Prophet said: O people! Listen to what I say and obey me, for I am warning you against the severe chastisement as God states: “On the day that every soul shall find present what it has done of good and what it has done of evil, it shall wish that between it and that (evil) there were a long duration of time; and Allah makes you to be cautious of (retribution from) Himself” (3:30).
Then the Holy Prophet (S) raised the hand of ‘Ali and said: O people! This man is the leader of the believers and God’s proof for all the people. He will fight the unbelievers!
The Messenger of Allah raised his hands in prayer and said: O Lord! You are a witness that I have acted according to Your decree and carried out this mission. These are Your servants and You have the power to transform them. I now seek forgiveness for you and myself. Then, the Holy Prophet came down from the pulpit. Concurrently Gabriel came down and conveyed God’s message to him in relation to communicating the mission, saying: O Muhammad! God Almighty greets you and says: You will be rewarded for carrying out this decree; Hail to you that you conveyed our divine mission; you made necessary recommendations to your Ummah, pleaded the believers, and disappointed the unbelievers.
O Muhammad, your cousin will be put to test and he will pass the test. We will put the people to test through him. O Muhammad, praise your Lord at all times and all places and say: Praise be to Allah, “and they who act unjustly shall know to what final place of turning they shall turn back” (26:227).171
The Messenger of Allah has been quoted by Ibn Abbas as saying: God Almighty blessed me with five features and blessed ‘Ali with five features too. He blessed me with comprehensive and meaningful words, and blessed ‘Ali with comprehensive knowledge; he blessed me with prophethood, and blessed ‘Ali with guardianship; he blessed me with Kawthar fountain, and blessed ‘Ali with Salsabil fountain; he blessed me with revelation, and blessed ‘Ali with inspiration; he called me to Himself on the Night Journey, and he opened the ways to heavens for ‘Ali and removed the veils in a way that he saw me and I saw him!
Then the Holy Prophet’s eyes were filled with tears! I said: May my parents be ransom for you. Why are you weeping? The Holy Prophet said: O Ibn Abbas! The first thing God told me was to look down. I saw that all the veils had been removed and the doors of heavens were open; ‘Ali had raised his head towards me; he was speaking to me; I was speaking to him too, and God was speaking to me! I said: What did God say to you?
The Holy Prophet said: God said: O Muhammad! I appointed ‘Ali as your successor, vizier, and executor. Convey these words of mine to him, for he is listening to you! I conveyed God’s message to him while he was in God’s presence. Bowing down, ‘Ali said: I do obey God’s decree and accept His command. At that time God ordered to angels to hail him and they hailed ‘Ali too and ‘Ali hailed them too. I saw angels giving good news to one another. They hailed me wherever I passed by them.
O Muhammad! By God who appointed you as a prophet, the angels were rejoicing for the leadership of ‘Ali. I saw the bearer of the throne lowering their heads towards the earth. I asked Gabriel: Why are they looking at the earth? He said: They call on God to see ‘Ali and God too gave them a chance to see ‘Ali. He informed me of the event to the letter. I found out that I had not taken a step without ‘Ali being informed of it!
Ibn Abbas reports: I said: O Messenger of Allah! Please guide me. He said: It is incumbent on you to have the love for ‘Ali! Again I said: O Messenger of Allah! Please guide me to what is good and fair! The Holy Prophet said: It is incumbent on you to have the love for ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib! By God who appointed me as prophet, He will not accept any good deed from a servant without asking about his love for ‘Ali though He knows better. The reason He asks about love for ‘Ali is that if a servant confesses he loves ‘Ali, his deeds are accepted, for nothing is hidden for God to ask about. If the answer is negative, he will be sent to hell!
O Ibn Abbas! By God who appointed me as a prophet, the fire of hell is more furious to ‘Ali’s enemy than to a person who believes God has a son!
O Ibn Abbas! Should the archangels and the apostles be unanimously hostile to ‘Ali, God will throw all of them into the fire of hell. I said: O Messenger of Allah, can anyone be ‘Ali’s enemy? The Holy Prophet said: ‘Ali’s enemies are those who have no real share of Islam, though they apparently consider themselves Muslims and my Ummah. O Ibn Abbas! A sign of their enmity with ‘Ali is that they prefer people of lower rank to him! By God who appointed me as a prophet, He has not created any prophet more honorable than me and no prophet’s successor more honorable than ‘Ali. Ibn Abbas reports: I always cherished this advice of the Holy Prophet by having a love for ‘Ali and his leadership. I do not know any better act for myself than ‘Ali’s love!
Ibn Abbas reports: It was not long before that the Messenger of Allah was on the verge of departing from this world. I went to his presence and said: O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be ransom for you. Now that your days are numbered, what is your advice to me? The Holy Prophet said: O Ibn Abbas! Oppose ‘Ali’s enemies and never support them. Do not take them your friends!
I said: O Messenger of Allah! Why don’t you advise people to forsake ‘Ali’s enmity at this sensitive juncture of time given that there is no obstacle? The Messenger of Allah started weeping so much so that he almost fainted! He then said: O Ibn Abbas: It has been so destined that the sworn enemies of Islam will oppose ‘Ali in the future! By God who appointed me as a prophet, no denier of ‘Ali’s right will ever die without God deny him the blessing He has given him.
O Ibn Abbas! Should you wish to meet your Lord while He is pleased with you, adopt the path of ‘Ali; be always with him; be pleased with his leadership; be hostile to his enemies, and be a friend of his friends. Have no doubt about ‘Ali and his leadership, for any doubt about ‘Ali is doubt about God.172 Salman Farsi has reported: We swore an oath of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah not to fail to be benevolent to Muslims, consider ‘Ali as our leader and love him.173
The Holy Prophet has been quoted by Imam Sadiq (a.s) on the authority of his father and grandfather as saying: During my Night Journey when I reached Sidrat al-Muntaha, the herald of God said: O Muhammad! Make necessary recommendation about ‘Ali, for he is the master of the Muslims, the leader of the pious, and the head of the prosperous on the Day of Judgment.174
The Messenger of Allah has been quoted by Abd al-Rahman Ansar on the authority of his father as saying: God has blessed me with nine merits which are gathered in ‘Ali; three merits in this world and three merits in the hereafter; I wish two merits for him and I am worried about the one merit remaining!
As for the three worldly merits, ‘Ali will conceal my private parts (implying that he will do everything related to my burial), he is the guardian of my Ahl al-Bayt, and my executor. As for three merits of hereafter, I am given the banner of al-Hamd which I will give to him, I will trust ‘Ali in intercession, and he will help me with carrying the keys of paradise and dividing them among those who deserve paradise. As for the two things I wish for him, ‘Ali will never go astray or become unbeliever. As for the last one, I fear that Quraysh will maltreat and betray him after me.175
Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi- Layla has quoted his father as saying: On the day of Khaybar battle, the Messenger of Allah gave the banner to ‘Ali and God made him victorious. On the day of Ghadir Khum, the Holy Prophet while introducing ‘Ali said: He is the master of every believing man and women.
Addressing ‘Ali, the Holy Prophet said: O ‘Ali, you are from me and I am from you. You will fight for the interpretation of the Holy Qur’an after me in the same way that I fought for the revelation of the Holy Qur’an. He also said: O ‘Ali! Your position to me is as Harun to Musa. Peace with you is peace with me and war against you is war against me. You are the firm rope of Allah to whom people should clutch. You solve people’s problems when they are at a loss. You are the guardian of every believing man and woman. You are the one about whom God revealed the verse “and an announcement from Allah and His apostle to the people on the day of the greater pilgrimage” (9:3).
You are the one who acts according to my Sunnah and will defend my nation.
The Holy Prophet said: O ‘Ali, on the Day of Judgment, I am the first one who will be raised to life and you will be raised to life with me too. I am at the Pond and you will be with me too. The Messenger of Allah said: O ‘Ali, I am the first person who will enter paradise. You, Hasan, Husayn, and Fatimah will enter paradise after me. God has revealed to me to make your merits public and I have carried out this mission accordingly.
O ‘Ali, beware of rancor some people have in their hearts against you and this will become manifest only after my departure from this world. May the curse of Allah be upon them. Then the Holy Prophet started weeping and when the reason was asked, he said: Gabriel informed me that the rancorous people will bother ‘Ali and will deny his indisputable right. They will fight ‘Ali and will kill his children! Gabriel also informed me the oppression against his children will continue till the uprising of the Riser. But after the uprising of the Riser (Imam Mahdi) they will gain power and people’s love for them will increase. On that day, their ill-speakers will be few, their enemies will be abased and their eulogizers will be numerous.
This prophecy will be materialized when there is an apocalypse and the oppressed people lose their hope of a better world. Then the Riser of Ahl al-Bayt will reappear among them and turns despair into hope. The Messenger of Allah said: The name of the Riser would be the same as my name and the name of his father is the same as the name of my father and he will be one of the sons of my daughter, Fatimah. At that time, truth will become manifest by him and falsehood will be removed by his sword and all the people, whether they wish or not, will follow him.
The narrator reports: At this time, the Holy Prophet stopped weeping. Addressing the believers, he said: I will give you good news about the rule of the Riser, for this uprising is a divine promise with no violation. This victory is imminent. Then, the Holy Prophet raised his hands in prayer, saying: O Lord! These are my household (Ahl al-Bayt), remove uncleanness from them and have mercy on them. Help them in their plights, give them honor, for You have power over everything.176 Ummu-Salamah was informed that her male servant was speaking ill of ‘Ali.
She called him and kindly said to him: I have heard that you speak ill of ‘Ali. He said: Yes, I do. Ummu-Salamah said: May your mother mourn you! Sit here so that I will tell you what the Messenger of Allah has said about ‘Ali! Then you are free to choose any way you wish! On the day and night the Messenger of Allah was in my house, I asked for permission to enter the room but he did not give me permission.
This made me upset, saying to myself: Perhaps I have disobeyed him or a verse has been revealed about me! I asked for permission to enter the room for the second time but I heard the same answer! For the third time, I asked for permission. This time, the Holy Prophet gave me permission to enter the room. I saw ‘Ali sitting on his knees facing the Messenger of Allah. ‘Ali was saying: May my parents be ransom for you! What should I do if such and such things happen! The Messenger of Allah too was inviting him to patience and self-restraint.
‘Ali repeated what he had asked but he received the same answer. When ‘Ali repeated what he has asked for the third time, the Holy Prophet said: O ‘Ali! if the opponents do not stop their behavior, put your sword on your shoulder and behead them step by step till you will meet me and till blood is dropping from your sword!
After speaking with ‘Ali, the Messenger of Allah turned to me, saying: O Ummu-Salamah, why do I see signs of worry on your face? I said: Why should I not be worried. I asked for permission to enter the room two times but you did not give me permission! The Holy Prophet said: By God! You have not done anything wrong, for God and His messenger always have a good impression of you. But you came at a time when Gabriel was sitting on my right side and ‘Ali on my left side. Gabriel was informing me of the unpleasant events that would happen after me, saying: these events will happen about ‘Ali.
Gabriel told me to inform ‘Ali of them and to make a testament! Ummu-Salamah, listen and be a witness that ‘Ali is my brother in the world and in the hereafter. Ummu-Salamah, listen and be a witness that ‘Ali is the standard bearer in the world and bearer of the banner of al-Hamd on the Day of Judgment. O Ummu-Salamah, listen and be a witness that ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib is my successor and executor. He is the one who will fulfill my promises and will reject some people from the Pond!
O Ummu-Salamah, listen carefully and be a witness that ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib is the master of Muslims, leader of the pious, and the head of prosperous ones. He is the one who will fight the breachers, deviant, and apostates after me.
I said: O Messenger of Allah! Will you say who these three groups are? The Holy Prophet said: The breachers are those who pledge allegiance with him in Medina but they will break their allegiance in Basrah and will fight him. Then, I asked who the deviant are. The Holy Prophet said: Mu’awiyah and his aiders who are deviators and do not pledge allegiance with him. I asked who the apostates are!
The Holy Prophet said: They are Khawarij, that is, the companions of Nahrawan. Hearing this, Ummu-Salamah’s servant prayed for her, saying: May God reward you who guided me to the truth. May you be happy forever. From now on I will never speak ill of ‘Ali.177
‘Ali’s Arch-Enemy, Zubayr ibn Bakkar
Zubayr ibn Bakkar ibn Abdullah ibn Mus’ab ibn Thabit ibn Abdullah ibn Zubayr ibn ‘Awwam had no match in enmity with Imam ‘Ali. In fact, he was Imam ‘Ali’s arch-enemy.
Ibn Abbas has been reported by Zubayr ibn Bakkar as saying: I was walking hand in hand with Umar ibn Khattab in one of the alleys of Medina. Addressing me, he said: O Ibn Abbas! I do not think there is any one more wronged than your master, ‘Ali! I said to myself I should answer him immediately. Therefore, I said: O Amir al-Mu’minin, return to ‘Ali what you have taken from him (usurped) with injustice! Being upset and as a sign of protest, he withdrew his hand from my hand. He went a few steps forward, stopped and said: I do not see the reason behind his being wronged as anything but humiliation! I said to myself: By God, what you are saying is worse than what you had said before. So I retorted: By God, on the day he was ordered to take Surah -Bara'ah from your comrade and to convey it to the atheists, God did not humiliate him!
Ibn Abbas reports: Hearing this answer, he turned his face from me, did not say anything, parted with me and went his way.178 Ibn Abbas has been reported by Ahmad ibn Tahir in Tarikh Baghdad, as saying: During the first days of Umar’s caliphate, I went to him while there was a bowl of dates before him.
He offered me to eat and I took just one date while he ate up all the dates and drank a jug of water after it. Leaning on a pillow, he turned to me and said: Where do you come from? I said: I am coming from the mosque. He said: Why did you leave your cousin? I had the impression that he was talking about Abdullah Ja’far. I said: He was busy with his grandchild. He said: I do not mean him. I mean great man of Ahl al-Bayt (‘Ali). I said: He is busy with irrigation of the trees as well as recitation of the Holy Qur’an. He said: O Abdullah, the blood of the camels sacrificed be in your charge (swearing by at that time) if you do not answer my question.
I said: Ask your question. He said: Is he still thinking of caliphate? I said: Yes. He said: Does he think that the Messenger of Allah has appointed him as caliph? I said: Yes and added: I asked my father about ‘Ali’s right to caliphate and he said: ‘Ali is right! Umar said: The Holy Prophet sometimes uttered certain words for which there was no proof or excuse! In fact, he used to point out this issue once in a while. Even in his deathbed, he wanted to explicitly mention his name but as I was worried about Islam and feared that it might be threatened, I stopped him from mentioning his name expressly!
By the Lord of this Ka’bah, Quraysh had never unanimity about ‘Ali’s caliphate. If he were in charge of affairs, all the Arabs from around Medina would oppose him and break their allegiance. As the Messenger of Allah noticed that I knew his intention, he did not say anything in this relation, so what God had destined was implemented! The author of the book says these words of Umar refer to ink, pen, and paper which had to be brought on the order of the Holy Prophet but Umar stopped him, saying: This man is saying delirium because of much pain. The book of God is sufficient for us.179
This is an indication to the famous incident when Umar prevented the Holy Prophet from writing down his will, claiming that the Holy Prophet was hallucinating!
Let us go back to what Zubayr ibn Bakkar has related. He has quoted his uncle Mus’ab as saying: The agent of Mu'nisah summoned a man to the court presided over by Sharik ibn Abdullah as judge, filing a suit against him. The judge was carefully listening to the statements of both parties to avoid any mistake. Amid this, Mu’nisah’s agent who had the upper hand and his support, arrogantly attacked the other party, yelling at him.
Finding that the agent’s moves were against the court’s order and disrespect for the judge, Sharik protested by saying: Shut up! The agent said: Do you know who I am? I am the agent of Mu’nisah! The judge ordered the slave in charge of executing the court’s order to give him some slaps in the face. The slave too did so.
The agent left the court for Mu’nisah’s house with humiliation and filed a complaint against the judge. Mu’nisah immediately wrote a letter to Mahdi, the Abbasid ruler, complaining of the judge’s attitude towards his agent. Mahdi too dismissed the judge from his position with a reproach to the effect: Should a person like you judge among Muslims? The judge said: For what reason, o Amir al-Mu’minin? Mahdi said: Your opinion is against all people in relation to caliphate and have your own idea of Imamate!
Sharik said: I have no religion other than that of all people. How can I oppose them then? As for the question of Imamate and leadership, I should say that I have no Imam or leader except the Book of Allah and the tradition of the Holy Prophet. As for your saying that I am not competent for judgment, it is you who have appointed me! If you have committed any mistake, you have to ask for forgiveness. Furthermore, if you have not made any mistake in your choice, you are bound to it and have to reinstate me!
Mahdi asked: What is your opinion about ‘Ali? Sharik said: My opinion is the same as that of your grandfathers, Abbas and Abdullah. Mahdi said: What was their opinion on this issue? Sharik said: As for Abbas, when he died he believed that ‘Ali was the best among the companions and stood by this belief till the end of his life, for the elderly companions and Muhajir were in need of ‘Ali in solving the most complicated problems and in all events but ‘Ali was not in need of anyone!
As for Abdullah Ibn Abbas, he is the one who fought alongside ‘Ali and was present actively in all the battles, carried out ‘Ali’s orders and considered ‘Ali as his leader. Disobeying ‘Ali’s orders was a great sin for him! If ‘Ali’s Imamate was unjust, the first person involved in this issue, was your father Abdullah, for he was a jurisprudent and well-versed in the divine injunctions! Hearing this, Mahdi, the Abbasid ruler, kept silent and Sharik left the court. Between this debate and his dismissal, it was only one week.180
Zubayr ibn Bakkar has related: Addressing Ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Zubayr said: It was you who fought Umm al-Mu’minin (the mother of the believers) and the disciples of the Holy Prophet (Talhah and Zubayr) and voted in favor of temporary marriage!
Abdullah said: You, your father, and you maternal uncle brought her to the battlefield. She was called the mother of believers by us and it was thanks to us she was honored with this title. We too were good children for her. May God forgive her. It was you and your father who fought ‘Ali. If ‘Ali was a virtuous and believing man, you have then gone astray. If ‘Ali was an unbeliever, you have then brought yourselves the wrath of God by fleeing from fighting him. As for temporary marriage, I heard the Messenger of Allah allowing it and deeming it lawful; therefore, I issued so.181
Mutrif ibn Mughirah ibn Shu’bah has been quoted by Zubayr as saying: My father and I went to see Mu’awiyah. My father regularly visited him, talked to him, and after leaving him informed me of their discussion. He spoke well of Mu’awiyah and praised his witticism. One night when he came home, he was upset and refused to eat dinner. An hour passed but neither he nor I said anything.
This silence was not without reason. I thought I had done something wrong so I mustered courage and asked the reason. He said: My son, tonight I have come from the presence of the most evil person on the earth. I said: Who is he? He said: It is Mu’awiyah. I said: Why? He said: After an hour of speaking to him, I said: O Amir al-Mu’minin! Now that your honor has reached its climax, how good it would be for you to dispense justice, to improve your behavior and to be engaged in good deeds.
Mu’awiyah said: What do you mean? I said: It would be appropriate for you to do favor to your brethren from Banu-Hashim who have long been wronged under your rule and to observe bonds of relationship, for they have no power to be feared from!
Mu’awiyah said: Never such an offer is acceptable to me. A man of Taym tribe (Abu-Bakr) took the power and dispensed justice. He did what he should have done. But by God, soon he passed away, was hidden under the earth, and his name was buried too. If he is sometimes remembered they only say: Abu-Bakr did such and such. Then a man from Banu-’Adi tribe (Umar) came to power. He endeavored much and during his ten-year rule rendered valuable services. But by God, soon there was no name of him and if he is sometimes remembered it is said: Umar did such and such.
Then the power came to Uthman, a man of Umayyad like whom there is no one in terms of lineage! He did what he should have done. But by God, soon he passed away and there is no name of him and of his performance. But this brother of Banu-Hashim, that is the Messenger of Allah, is remembered well five times a day on the minarets of Mosque as “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”! Is there any hope for me not to hear this name! May you mourn your mother for giving me such an offer! No, by God, I will not remain calm unless this name is buried and there is no sign of it. These words of him about the Messenger of Allah do not mean anything other than his weak belief in him.182
Zubayr has quoted the distinguished men of Hadith as saying: One day Mihqan ibn Abi-Mihqan Dabbi went to see Mu’awiyah, saying: O Amir al-Mu’minin! Now that I am in your presence I am coming to you from the presence of a man who is the meanest, the most avaricious, the feeblest in speech, and the most timid among Arabs! Mu’awiyah said: Who is he? Mihqan said: ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib! Finding these words in his own favor, Mu’awiyah said to the people of Syria: Listen what this Iraqi brother is saying!
Take care to give him due honor. Then Mu’awiyah asked Mihqan to repeat what he had said. Mihqan repeated what he had said! Mu’awiyah said: Woe to you, o fool! How do you consider ‘Ali as the meanest while his father is Abu-Talib, his grandfather is Abdul Muttalib, and his wife is Fatimah the daughter of the Messenger of Allah?
How do you consider ‘Ali as the most avaricious man among the Arabs while by God, if there is a house filled with gold and another house filled with straw at his disposal, he will give away the gold before the straw. Can you accuse him of being timid while by God, if two hostile groups stand face to face, the only valiant man who will boldly attack the enemy is no one but ‘Ali?
And how can you consider ‘Ali the feeblest in speech while by God no one introduced the art of eloquence among Quraysh except him. Then he said: The mother of Mihqan bore a son who is meaner, more avaricious, more timid, and feebler in speech! By God, if it were not for what you know, I would certainly have you beheaded. Take care not to repeat this again! May God curse you. Mihqan said: By God! You have done more injustice to him than me, for you know how supreme his position is; yet, you fought him!
Mu’awiyah said: Enmity with him is over power and domination not over anything else! Mihqan said: Have you traded power with divine wrath and painful punishment? Mu’awiyah said: It is not so.
I know something about God which you do not know, for He stated “My mercy encompasses all things” (7:156).
[Mu’awiyah does not know that this verse will not include him, for the rest of the verse is “so I will ordain it (especially) for those who guard (against evil)”]183
The Messenger of Allah has been quoted by Bakkar on the authority of Ammar ibn Yasir as saying: “I advise the Imamate of ‘Ali to one who believes in Allah and has accepted my prophethood, for whoever accepts ‘Ali’s Imamate has accepted my Imamate and whoever accepts ‘Ali’s Imamate is certainly under the Imamate of God. Whoever has love for ‘Ali in his heart, it is mixed with his love for me and whoever has love for me has love for God.184
‘Ali’s Valor
All the people unanimously believe that during the battle of Uhud, Gabriel came down, saying: There is no man more valorous than ‘Ali and there is no sword sharper than that of ‘Ali. Khawarizmi has quoted Muhammad ibn ‘Ubaydullah ibn Abi-Rafi’ as saying: On the day of Uhud, Gabriel with a loud voice declared: There is no man more valorous than ‘Ali and there is no sword sharper than that of ‘Ali. This narration has been frequently related.185
Abu-Umar Zahid has reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas as saying: One day, the Messenger of Allah rejoicingly said: I am a valorous man, the son of a valorous man, and the brother of a valorous man. As for saying: I am a valorous man, he was unanimously believed to be a valorous man among Arabs. As for saying: I am the son of a valorous man, as we know he is the son of prophet Ibrahim, the friend of Allah, for God describes him so in the verse “They said: We heard a youth called Ibrahim speak of them” (21:60).
As for calling himself the brother of a valorous man, he is ‘Ali’s brother, for Gabriel, the divine caller, on the day of Badr when he was rejoicingly going up the heaven, said%: There is no man more valorous that ‘Ali and there is no sword sharper than that of ‘Ali.186
Ibn Abbas has been quoted as saying: I saw Abu-Dharr Ghifari while he was clutching Ka’bah’s curtain, saying: Those who know and do not know me! I am Abu-Dharr. If you people keep on fasting in a way your statures become as thin as a thread and keep on praying so much that your backs become crooked, it will not benefit you unless you have the love for ‘Ali.187
The author of the book says: If a man like Abu-Umar Zahid, a Sunni Muslim considers ‘Ali as the most pious and relates such a narration, is it fair to ignore it? Verily, it is love for the world and mammonism which keep the truths in the veil of ignorance.
‘Ali’s Posthumous Miracles
The learned Sheikh ibn Babawayh who is a scholarly man and one of the grandchildren of the great author, Abu-Jafar Muhammad ibn Babawayh, has written a book on the merits of Imam ‘Ali. He has bound himself to relate forty Hadiths, each narrated by forty men! In this book, a wonderful story has been recounted as follows: The poet, Bubbagha' used to visit a king once a year. During one of those visits, the king happened to be in the hunting-ground. The vizier informed the king of the poet’s coming and he ordered to accommodate the poet in one of the palace rooms. He would sleep in that room at nights. This room had a door to the palace gate. The palace watchman used to raise his voice at midnight, crying out: O the unmindful, remember God. He would then say: Curse of God be upon the enemies of Mu’awiyah, and cursed ‘Ali!
The poet was being tormented by his voice but he had no option other than being patient. The poet happened to see in his dream the Messenger of Allah along with ‘Ali at the gate of palace. The Holy Prophet ordered ‘Ali to give the watchman a blow between the shoulders for cursing him for forty years. ‘Ali too did so. The poet woke up frightened! The next night, the poet expected to hear the same cry but there was no sign of the watchman and his crying.
The next morning, there was a hubbub in palace. Everyone was rushing to the watchman’s room. The poet asked about the event. He was told that a blow of the size of a hand palm had been dealt between the two shoulders of the watchman which had taken away peace from him. The scar was bleeding too! It was long before he died and went to hell! This was witnessed by forty people.188
In the city of Mosel, there was a man named Hamdan ibn Hamdun ibn Harth Adawi who had a severe rancor against ‘Ali. One of the residents of the city, who was intent to make a Hajj pilgrimage, went to see him for farewell, saying to him: I will meet your requests if you have any? Hamdan said: I want you to do something for me which is easy.
When you go to Medina for the visitation of the Messenger of Allah after you have completed your Hajj rituals, convey my message to the Holy Prophet by telling him: What feature of ‘Ali pleased you that you married your daughter to him? Was it his big belly, his slim legs, and his bald head that attracted you to do so? Hamdan emphasized his request and asked the Hajj pilgrim not to fail to do so.
After his arrival in Medina, visitation of the Holy Prophet’s shrine, and expressing his own needs, the man forgot Hamden’s message. At night, the man saw in his dream Imam ‘Ali who said: Why did you not convey Hamden’s message? So next day the man went to the holy shrine and conveyed Hamden’s message to the Messenger of Allah, returned home and went to bed. Again in his dream he saw Imam ‘Ali holding his hand and taking him to Hamden’s house. Opening the door, ‘Ali beheaded him with the knife he had in his hand. Cleaning the knife with the bed sheet, he put it in a corner of the ceiling and went out of the house. The pilgrim woke up and told his friends the whole story. He also noted down the date of the dream.
As for the house of Hamdan in Mosel, there was such a wailing that the ruler of Mosel woke up and asked for the reason. He was told that the owner of the house had been beheaded in his bed! The ruler ordered necessary investigation and arrest of suspected people. The people of Mosel were surprised as to how the event had happened, for neither the lock of the door had been broken nor was there any trace of the killer in the house. The ruler was at a loss! No one had entered the house and nothing had been stolen! The suspected neighbors were also in prison. There was no solution for this puzzle till the Hajj pilgrims returned home. The dreamer noticed that the neighbors were in prison! He asked the reason. He was told Hamdan had been beheaded in his house and the neighbors were in prison for investigation.
Being surprised and saying “God is the Greatest”, the man took out his note of dream and read it loudly. They all noticed that Hamdan had been killed exactly the same night the Hajj pilgrim had his dream. They went to the house of Hamdan, took out the bed sheet stained with blood. He told them about his dream and then told people to bring down the knife from the ceiling. The ruler ordered all those held in prison to be free, for they found out that it was a true dream in which there was no doubt. Then people confessed to the truthfulness of ‘Ali. This was a divine favor to the household of the Messenger of Allah.189
Abu-Dulaf had a son who had a rancor against ‘Ali. One day, a group of Dulaf’s friends were speaking about friendship and enmity with ‘Ali. One of them related a Hadith from the Holy Prophet who had said: O ‘Ali no one has love for you but he who is a pious believer and no one is your enemy but one who is the offspring of menstruation or a bastard!
Being furious with this, the son of Abu-Dulaf roughly said: What do you think of Abu-Dulaf’s wife? Has anyone had unlawful relation with her so as to give birth to a bastard. At this time, Abu-Dulaf entered and was informed of the matter. He said: There is no doubt about this narration. This son of mine is both the offspring of menstruation and a bastard! When I was sick and resting in my brother’s house a slave girl who was charged with doing my chores, entered the room. My heart was inclined to her. I told her about my desire. She refused and said she was menstruating. But I did not take heed of it and stressed my own position. Hence I went to bed with her. This son is the offspring of that intercourse. Therefore, he is both the offspring of menstruation and a bastard.
The author of the book says: My father told me a story as follows: Being accompanied by my friends, I was going through the streets of Baghdad one day. On the way, I felt thirsty. I told one of my friends to fetch me water from one of the houses. He knocked the door of a house and asked for water. The other friends and I sat in a corner, waiting for him. We caught sight of two boys who were playing. One of them said: The Imam and leader after the Messenger of Allah is ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib and the other one said: Abu-Bakr.
I said to myself: The Messenger of Allah truly said: O ‘Ali, no one loves you but a believer and no one is your enemy but an offspring of menstruation. At this time, a woman came out of the house with a bowl of water in her hand. She offered the bowl to me saying: For God’s sake, tell me what you were saying to yourselves! I said: I related a narration from the Messenger of Allah. She insisted that I should relate it once again. Therefore, I repeated it to her. She said: O gentleman! This Hadith is truthful, for these two children are my sons. The one who has a love for ‘Ali is the one I conceived when I was pure, and the other son is the one whom I conceived when I was menstruating. Hence he is ‘Ali’s enemy.190
A pious man, who always admonished people, one day when he was delivering a sermon, started eulogizing ‘Ali and in this way quenched the thirst of people with the wholesome water of Wilayah. The sermon prolonged in a way the sun was about to set. At this time, the orator turned to the sun and said: O sun! Stop for moments so that I will bring to an end the eulogy of the Holy Prophet’s cousin and his son. Should you long for listening to his eulogy, hold your rein and listen to what I say to people. O sun, do you remember the day you stopped moving near sunset for my master, ‘Ali, so that he will perform his afternoon prayer? Let your pause today, be for his sake and his devotees!
Hearing the words of the orator, the sun returned to its former position, the sky became clearer and the sun stopped where it was till the eulogy of ‘Ali came to an end. This happened in the presence of a large group of people and they all saw it with their own eyes.
The author of the book says: In the city of Hillah there was a man known for his religiosity and recitation of the Holy Qur’an. The Jinn used to throw stones at him through the windows and tortured him every day in a way life had become hard for him but he had no way to escape from this plight! I saw stone-throwing with my own eyes. To stop the jinn’s’ persecution, the man resorted to supplication, prayers and recitation of the Holy Qur’an but it was useless! He then thought of threatening the jinn’s with ‘Ali. Hence, turning to them, he said: By God, if you do not stop throwing stones at me, I will seek help from ‘Ali and complain to him about you! After this, stone-throwing stopped and was not repeated again.
Once, the Emir of the city of Hillah went out for hunting. Seeing a bird on Mashhad al-Shams Tomb, he sent a falcon to chase it. The bird was flying away and the falcon chasing it. The little bird sought refuge in the house of ibn Nama, the renowned scholar but the falcon kept on chasing it till it caught the bird in its claws. Soon the falcon stopped moving, started shivering and became motionless! The entourage of Emir who were watching this scene with their own eyes reported the story to him. He realized that this place had a special sanctity with God! So he held the place in high esteem and had it repaired.191
Ibn Jawzi, the Hanbalite, in his book, Tadhkirat al-Khawas writes: Abdullah ibn Mubarak went on Hajj pilgrimage one year and took part in battle the next year. He kept on doing this for forty years. One year when it was time to go on Hajj pilgrimage, he went to a camel-sellers’ market to but a camel for Hajj journey with five hundred Dinars. On his way, he came across a ruined place and saw an Alawi woman who was plucking a dead duck!
Abdullah said: What are you doing with this corpse the eating of which is unlawful? She said: O Abdullah! Do not ask question about that which does not concern you! Something passed in my mind. Perhaps this Alawi woman is in need of this corpse. So I repeated my question. She said: Abdullah now that you insist, I have to disclose my secret to you. I am an Alawi woman without any guardian. I have four orphaned daughters. Their father has recently died. It is the fourth straight day that we are all hungry. As you know eating corpse under emergency is permissible. Hence, I have taken this dead duck to prepare a food with it!
Seeing this, I said to myself: O Abdullah, can you forget this scene? After thinking for a while I gave all my Dinars to her. The woman was so ashamed that she did not look at me. I returned home from that place while feeling that God had taken the desire of Hajj pilgrimage from me. After the Hajj season when all the Hajj pilgrims returned home, I went to see them to say: May God accept your Hajj pilgrimage. They too reciprocally said: May God accept your Hajj pilgrimage too, adding: We saw you in Arafat, Mina, and Mashar.
Knowing that I had not gone on Hajj pilgrimage, I said to myself: What does it all mean? During the same night, I saw the Messenger of Allah in my dream, saying to me: Abdullah! Don’t be surprised. As you helped one of my oppressed children, I called God to create an angel like you to go on Hajj pilgrimage as your deputy every year till the Day of Judgment. Now if you wish, you can go on Hajj pilgrimage and if you do not desire, don’t go, for that angel will do his duty.192
Ibn Jawzi has reported: In the lunar year 604, I told this story for Ahmad ibn Abdullah Moqaddas. He further reports: I read it in the book al-Moltaqal which I had inherited from my grandfather, Abul Faraj ibn Jawzi: An Alawi man was living with his wife and his daughters. After some time, he passed away. His wife reports: After the death of my husband, being afraid of the enemies’ reproach, I left Balkh for Samarqand. Our arrival in this city was concurrent with winter when the weather was very cold. As I did not know anyone in the city, I took my daughters to a mosque and went out to find some food. I was at a loss.
All of a sudden, I caught sight of a gentleman among people. I asked: Who is this man. They said: This man is the great Sheikh in this city. I went to him and told him about myself and my daughters. He said: Do you have anyone to witness that you are a Sayyidah (a female descendant of ‘Ali)? He said this and turned his face from me. Being desperate, I headed for the mosque where I had left my daughters. On the way, I saw a man sitting on a platform with people round him. I asked: Who is this man?
They said: This Zoroastrian man is the acting officer of the city. I said to myself: I will go to him. Perhaps he can do something for me. Therefore, I went to him, told the whole story of my life and what I had heard from that Muslim man adding that my daughters were in the mosque suffering from hunger and cold. Hearing it, the man called his servant, saying to him: Go home quickly and tell your Lady to come here. The servant went away and after some time, the wife of the man and some of her servants appeared. The Zoroastrian man said to his wife: Go with this woman to such and such mosque, take her and her daughters home and entertain them.
The Alawi woman says: The Zoroastrian woman came to the mosque with me, fondled my daughters and we all went to her house. She gave us a separate room, warmed water for us to take a bath, and brought precious gowns for us to wear. Then she prepared a delicious food for us. Having had the dinner, we went to our beds. That night was the best in our life!
As for the great Sheikh, that night he saw in his dream that the Day of Judgment had come and the Messenger of Allah was under the banner of al-Hamd. He saw a palace of emerald in his dream and asked whose it was. He was told: It is built for a monotheist Muslim. The Sheikh wanted to go to the presence of the Messenger of Allah but he turned his face from him. The Sheikh said: O Messenger of Allah! Why do you turn your face from me while I am a Muslim?
The Holy Prophet said: Bring a witness to prove that you are a Muslim? The Sheikh was so amazed that he did not know what to say.
Then the Holy Prophet said: Have you forgotten what you have said to that Alawi woman? Now, this palace is for the man who has accommodated that woman and her orphaned daughters at his house! The Sheikh woke up, frightened! Sheikh ordered his servants to search in the city to find that Alawi woman and the orphans hoping to find a sign of them! He himself went to look for them too! After a long search, they found out that the woman and her daughters were in the house of the deputy officer of the city.
The Sheikh went to his house hurriedly, asking: Where is that Alawi woman? The Zoroastrian man said: They are in my house. The Sheikh said: I want to take them to my house. The Zoroastrian man said: I will never allow it! The Sheikh said: Take this one thousand Dinars from me and let me take them! The Zoroastrian man said: By God, I will not do such a thing even if you give me a hundred thousand Dinars! The Sheikh insisted on his request. The Zoroastrian man said: I have had the same dream as you have had. That palace has been made for me. O sheikh! You were too sure of your faith! By God, no member of my family went to bed that night without converting to Islam thanks to this Alawi woman. We are all Muslims now and all the blessings have come to us due to this highly-respected lady!
Speaking of his dream, the man said: I saw the Messenger of Allah in my dream, saying to me: This palace has been built for you and your family, for you have been benevolent to my descendants. I give you the good news that you and your family will go to paradise, for God created you all believers from the very beginning.193
Sept ibn Jawzi has related another story as follows: A man saw the Messenger of Allah in his dream, who ordered to him to see such and such Zoroastrian man and to convey to him a message that his prayer has been answered! The man who had seen the Holy Prophet in his dream refused to convey the message thinking that the Zoroastrian man might have the impression that I expect something from him.
He saw the Messenger of Allah in his dream for the second and third time. Again the Holy Prophet emphasized that the man should convey his message without any delay, for it was incumbent on him to obey the Holy Prophet! This time, the dreamer went to the Zoroastrian man and privately conveyed the Holy Prophet’s message to him.
But the Zoroastrian man said: I do not believe in Islam and prophethood of Muhammad! I said: I know it but what should be done? The Messenger of Allah commissioned me three times to convey his message to you! The Zoroastrian man immediately pronounced the formula of the Islamic faith (there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) and became a Muslim. He invited his family and relatives to Islam, saying: Anyone of my relatives who converts to Islam can possess any portion of the property which he has at disposal or he will not have such a right, for I have found the truth!
With this message, all his relatives and friends converted to Islam. He also cancelled the marriage of his daughter to his grandchild, for marriage between two Mahrams (a near relative with whom one cannot marry) is forbidden!
Then he said to me: Do you know what that prayer which was answered was? I said: No, but I am willing to know it. The new convert said: Once I had married my daughter to a relative, I had given a wedding party, inviting people to come and have the dinner. A poor family was living in our neighborhood whom I had not invited. At dinner time, I told my servants to spread the tablecloth in the yard and to serve the food there. I heard the complaint of the little girl from the next door, who was saying to his mother: This Zoroastrian man is annoying us with the smell of their food. I immediately ordered my servant to take some food, clothing, and a certain amount of money for them. Once the little girl looked at the food, clothing, and money, she said: By God, we will not eat this food without praying for one who has sent them. Se they all raised their hands saying: O Lord! Associate this man with our ancestor, the Messenger of Allah. All those who were present said: Amen!194
Ibn Jawzi has quoted his grandfather, Abul Faraj on the authority of ibn Khasib as saying: I was in charge of the finance affairs of Mutawakkkil’s mother. When I was busy with account-books, one of the agents came and gave me a purse of one thousand Dinars, saying: The lady says: Divide this money among the needy, for they are from my purest property. By the way, send me their names so that I will give them some money later. Ibn Khasib reports: I took the purse, went home and invited my friends to introduce to me the needy people.
They did so and I divided 300 Dinars among them, keeping the rest with me and waiting for other needy people to come to me. It was midnight when someone knocked the door. I said: who is it? The answer was: I am an Alawi man. I said to myself: Perhaps it is my neighbor. But he has never come to me. What is the reason behind this untimely visit?
The servant opened the door and the man came to me. After exchanging greeting I said: How come you are here at this hour of night? He said: A descendant of the Messenger of Allah has come to see me. I had nothing at home to make food for him. So I have come here to borrow some money, however little, from you so as not to be ashamed before my guest.
I gave one Dinar to him, saying: It is free. He thanked me and headed for his house. Being informed of it, my wife said: Were you not ashamed that you gave only one Dinar to that Alawi man who badly needed it? She said: give him whatever money that is left with you. Her words had a great impact on me. So I immediately followed the man and gave him the whole money.
After returning home, I remembered something which made me regret what I had done. If they report me to Mutawakkil given his enmity with the descendants of the Holy Prophet, only God knows what they will do with me! Seeing the sign of worry in my face, my wife asked the reason. I informed her of my worry. She consoled me and said: Do not fear! Trust God and the ancestor of this Sayyid! We were speaking about it when the agents of the lady came to our house with torches in their hands, saying: You have been called by lady!
I was prepared to go but I was at a loss. My body was shivering. With each step I took, an agent would say: Mutawakkkil’s mother is impatiently waiting for you! When I reached the palace, the ushers led me from one room to the other. When I reached the special chamber of the lady, the servant who was with me said: Wait here for the lady. I was extremely depressed not knowing what will happen! But contrary to my expectation, the lady came, weeping. I was surprised with her weeping. Calling me, she said: O Ahmad (name of Abu-Khasib)! May Allah reward you and your wife. Moments ago, I saw the Messenger of Allah in my dream, who was saying: May Allah bless you, Ahmad, and his wife with a good reward.
Now tell me what is the interpretation of this dream? I told her the whole story. She started weeping! At this time, she gave me some money and clothing, saying: This money is for that Alawi Sayyid! This money and clothing is for you, and this money and clothing is for your wife. Her gift was a hundred thousand Dirhams on the whole!
After she thanked me and prayed for me, I said goodbye to her and rejoicingly headed for home, saying to myself: I should inform the Sayyid of the event. As soon as I reached the house of Sayyid and knocked the door, he came to welcome me with tears in his eyes. He said: O Ahmad! Give me whatever you have with you.
I asked the reason for his weeping. He said: When I returned home from your house, I informed my wife of the event. She said: Let both of us rise up, perform prayer, and pray for Mutawakkkil’s mother, Ahmad, and his wife. Having prayed, we went to our bed. In my dream, the Messenger of Allah said to me: My son, I thanked them for what they did to you! Now, Ahmad will bring you money from Mutawakkkil’s mother. Accept it and pray for her!
Notes:
152. Manaqib, ibn Shahr Ashub, vol. 1, pp. 135
153. Manaqib, Khawarizmi, chap. 23, pp. 370
154. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 206, Hadith 244
155. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 209,210, Hadith 248,250,254
156. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 209, Hadith 249
157. Manaqib, Khawarizmi, chap. 23, pp. 362
158. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 211, Hadith 255
159. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 219, Hadith 265
160. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 220, Hadith 266
161. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 245, Hadith 292
162. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 247, Hadith 295
163. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 366, Hadith 414
164. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 366, Hadith 415
165. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 379, Hadith 428
166. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 398, Hadith 453
167. Kifayat al-Talib, part 26, pp. 131-132
168. Manaqib, Khawarizmi, chap. 19, pp. 302, Hadith 297
169. Manaqib, Khawarizmi, chap. 6, pp. 64, Hadith 34
170. Manaqib, Muhammad ibn Soleyman Kufi, vol. 1, pp. 230, Hadith 144
171. Amali Sheikh Tusi, part 4, pp. 118, Hadith 39
172. Kashf al-Ghummah, Arbali, vol. 2, pp. 9
173. Amali Sheikh Tusi, part 6, pp. 155, Hadith 9
174. Tarikh Dimashq, vol. 2, pp. 256, Hadith 772-779
175. Amali Sheikh Tusi, part 8, pp. 212, Hadith 9
176. Amali Sheikh Tusi, part 12, pp. 361, Hadith 63
177. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 2, pp. 26
178. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 2, pp. 45
179. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 2, pp. 46
180. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 2, pp. 43
181. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 2, pp. 45
182. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 28, pp. 44
183. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 2, pp. 47
184. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 2, pp. 52
185. Manaqib, ibn Maghazili, pp. 197, Hadith 234
186. Amali,Majlis 36, Hadith 10
187. Taj al-’Arus, Zobaydi, vol. 3, pp. 159
188. Arba’in, Sheikh Muntajib al-Din, pp. 98, story 14
189. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, pp. 10
190. Manaqib, Khawarizmi, chap. 19, pp. 326, Hadith 336
191. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 41, pp. 191
192. Tadhkirat al-Khawas, pp. 328
193. Tadhkirat al-Khawas, pp. 330
194. Tadhkirat al-Khawas, pp. 371
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