Kitab Al-irshad 1

Some of the Miracles of the Commander of the Faithful

(The following are) some of the signs of God, the Exalted, and His clear proof of the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, which indicate his position with regard to God, the Mighty and High, and his special endowment with miracles by which he was set apart from everyone else through the call for obedience to him, to remain steadfast in respecting his authority and closeness to God (wilaya), to recognise his rights and the certainty of His Imamate, and to be aware of his protection (from error), perfection and the demonstration of the proof of him.,

**The Miracle of his Wisdom while still a Boy ** Among these are some qualities which make him equal to two of the prophets, apostles and proofs of God to His creatures and about the authenticity and correctness of which there can be no doubt. God, the Mighty and High, said in mentioning Jesus, son of Mary, the spirit (ruh) and word of God, and the prophet and apostle of God to His creatures, when He mentioned the story of his mother's conceiving and giving birth to him and the miraculous nature of that:

She said: How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me and I have not been adulterous. He answered: As it (shall be), for your Lord said: That will be easy for Me and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from us. It is a matter which is decreed (XIX 21).

Among the signs of God, the Blessed and Exalted, concerning the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, peace be on him, was his speaking in the cradle. By that normal human behaviour was transcended and in it there was great wonder and an illustrious miracle to the minds of men.

Among the signs of God concerning the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, was the perfection of his intellect, dignity and knowledge of God and His Apostle, His blessing and peace be on him and his family, despite his youth and his being in outward form still only a child when the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, summoned him to believe in him and acknowledge him, and made him responsible for knowing his rights, and recognising his Creator and His unity. (He also) entrusted him with the secrets of His religion, the defence and preservation of it, and the fulfilment of the trust in it. At that time, he, peace be on him, was according to some statements a boy of seven years of age, according to others a boy of nine but according to the majority he was a boy of ten. The perfection of his intellect, peace be on him, (at that age) and the occurrence (in a boy of that age) of the ability to acknowledge God and His Apostle, may God bless him and his family, is an illustrious sign from God which transcends normal human behaviour, and thus indicates his position with Him, his special endowment and his being worthy for what he was nurtured for the Imamate of the Muslims, and the proof (of God) to all mankind. In this transcendence of ordinary human behaviour which we have mentioned there is a similarity with Jesus and John the Baptist as we have described. If it was not for the fact that at that (time) he was perfect, complete and (capable of) acknowledging God, the Exalted, the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, would not have made him responsible to acknowledge his prophethood, nor would he have bound him to believe in himself and to accept his mission, nor would he have summoned him to accept his rights, nor would he have begun his mission with him before every other person except his wife, Khadija, peace be on her.

Because the Prophet of God, may God bless him and his family, entrusted him with his secret which he ordered him to protect and because he set him apart by that from all the other children of his time and endowed him apart from all others as we have mentioned, that indicates that he, peace be on him, was perfect despite his youth, (capable of) acknowledging God, the Exalted and His Prophet, may God bless him and his family, before adolescence. This is the meaning of the words of God, the Exalted concerning John the Baptist, peace be on him: We gave him wisdom while still a boy (XIX 12). There is no wisdom dearer than knowledge of God, nor more obvious than the knowledge of the prophethood of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, nor more celebrated than the ability of rational deduction, nor more discerning than the understanding of speculation (nazar) and consideration and the knowledge of the aspects of elucidation, by which one is able to arrive at the realities of the unknown. If the matter is as we have explained it, it confirms that God, the Exalted, caused ordinary human behaviour to be transcended in the case of the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, by an illustrious sign which is equivalent to His two prophets whom the Qur'an speaks of in its great verses as we have explained.

The Miracle of his Military Prowess

Among the signs of God, the Exalted, concerning the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, which transcend ordinary human behaviour is that He never endowed anyone else, with regard to fighting in single combat against one's rivals and against heroes, with what is known about him, peace be on him, in terms of the vast amount of (fighting) which he had to engage in during the course of time. Among those who have engaged in warfare there can only be found men to whom it brings disgrace and who acquire wounds and deformities through it except the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him. Despite the length of time which he fought against his enemies, he acquired no ugly wound nor was anyone able to do him any harm until there occurred what happened at his assassination by Ibn Muljam, may God curse him. This is a marvel by which God set him apart through this sign and endowed him with illustrious knowledge of its meaning. By that He indicated his position with regard to Him and his being characterised by miracles, the favour of which set him apart from all other men.

Among the signs of God, the Exalted, concerning him, peace be on him, is the fact that there is not mentioned a single contestant during the battles whom he met as an opponent, whom he did not overcome at one time and did not overcome at another time. He did not give any of his enemies a wound unless that man died of it immediately or recovered after a time. No rival escaped from him in battle, no one could escape his blow. For that it is appropriate that there was no doubt about his victory over every rival who came against him and his killing of every hero who fought. This is also among the things by which he, peace be on him, was set apart from all other men and by which God caused ordinary human behaviour to be transcended at every time and occasion. It is among the clear indications of his (position).

Among the signs of God, the Exalted, concerning him is the fact that despite the long period in which he was engaged and occupied in warfare and in which he was tested by the bravery of his enemies and their leaders, and by all the efforts which they made to gather against him and to bring about his death through deceit, he never turned his back and fled from one of them, nor did he weaken in his position or show fear to any of his rivals. He never met any opponent in battle without transfixing him at one time or turning aside from him (to another part of the battle) at another time. He would advance against him immediately and attack him at that time. Since his conduct was as we have described, it confirms what we have mentioned about his being set apart by an illustrious sign and a clear miracle transcending ordinary human behaviour by which God indicated his Imamate and revealed the duty to obey him. By that He set him apart from all mankind.

The Miracle of the Survival of his Reputation and his Family despite Suppression and Oppression

Among the signs and indications of him, peace be on him, by which he was set apart from those who opposed him is the clear appearance of his outstanding qualities to both the Shi'a (khassa) and the general populace ('amma). (This has been sufficient) to force the people to transmit reports of his merits and his qualities endowed by God and for them to be admitted to even by opponents of the proof that there is in them. It has occurred despite the great number who have attempted to deviate from him and oppose him and the great number of occasions they have been prompted to suppress his merit and deny his rights. (It has occurred when) the (control of the) world has been in possession of his rivals and has been turned aside from his friends(awliya ). (Despite this) his opponents who possess authority over the world and the narrators of the people, have not been able to put out his light and to deny his career (amr). God has caused ordinary human behaviour to be transcended by spreading his merit and revealing his outstanding qualities, by forcing everyone to recognize that and to admit its truth, and to refute the deceitful attempts of his enemies to conceal his outstanding qualities and to deny his rights so that the proof of him may be brought about and the justification of his rights may be revealed. Because the normal view among those who agree to render his career obscure continues to oppose what we have mentioned, and yet it has not been able to bring that about with regard to the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, and the normal view has been transcended, that indicates his being apart from the rest of men through the illustriousness of the sign which we have described.

The report is well-known and widespread on the authority of al-Sha'bi that he used to say:

"I (i.e. al-Sha'bi) used to hear the preachers of the Umayyads curse the Commander of the faithful, 'Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be on him, on their pulpits." He would raise his finger to the sky and (go on): "I used to hear them praising their ancestors on their pulpits as if they could reveal their corpses."

One day al-Walid b. 'Abd al-Malik said to his sons: "My sons, your duty is to religion. I do not see that religion has built anything which the world has destroyed. I see that the world has built a building which religion has destroyed. I still hear our followers and the members of our family curse 'Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be on him, suppress his merits and urge the people to hate him. Yet that does not bring the people's hearts anything but closeness (to him). They strive to bring the spirits of the people closer to themselves. Yet that does not bring their hearts anything except (to make the people) more distant from them."

The manner of suppressing the merits of the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, of the deception practised by the religious scholars and of their spreading of what seemed authentic to a rational being reached the extent that when a man wanted to report a tradition on the authority of the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, he was not able to refer to him either by mentioning his name or his family background. Necessity required him to say: "A man from the Companions of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, told me." Or he might say: "A man from Quraysh told me." Some used to say: "Abu Zaynab told me."

'Ikrima reported on the authority of 'Aisha in her account of the sickness and death of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, that she said in a sentence of it: "The Apostle came out, leaning on two men from his House, one of whom was al-Fadl b. al-'Abbas." When he (i.e. 'Ikrima) reported that on her authority to 'Abd Allah b. al-'Abbas, the later asked: "Do you know the other man?"

"No," he replied, "she did not name him."

"That was 'Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be on him," he told him. "'Our mother' would not mention any good of him while she could (avoid it)."1

The tyrannical governors would flog anyone who mentioned any good of him. Indeed their heads were cut off for doing that and exposed to the people to make them disassociate themselves from him. The normal course (of events) followed this pattern for it to become accepted that no good should be mentioned of him in any way much less his outstanding merits be mentioned, his qualities be reported and proof of his rights be set out. Yet since the appearance of his merits and the spreading of his qualities has taken place as we have mentioned its being widespread both among the Shi'a (khassa) and the general populace ('amma), and since the compulsion of both enemy and friend to report it is now established, (this) has transcended the normal course of events as far as he is concerned and the nature of the proof of this idea is explained by the illustrious sign (of God) as we have said before.

Another of the signs of God, the Exalted, concerning him, peace be on him, is that no one has suffered such tribulation with regard to his sons and his offspring as he, peace be on him, suffered with regard to his sons and offspring. The fact is that no terror is known to have encompassed the group of children of any prophet, of any Imam, of the king of any period whether pious or profligate like the terror which encompassed the offspring of the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him. Nor were any so much subjected to being killed, to being pursued from their houses and lands, and to being terrorised as the offspring and sons of the Commander of the faithful were subjected to. The different kinds of severity meted out to them did not occur for any other group of people. They were killed by murderous treachery, by treason and by deception. It was done to most of them during their lifetimes as an example. They were tormented by hunger and thirst until their lives were taken by death. This required them to scatter throughout the land and to become separated from their houses, their families and their countries. (It required) their family background to be kept secret from the majority of the people. The fear surrounding them extended to keeping themselves hidden from those who loved them in addition to their enemies. Their flight extended from their lands to the furthest east and west, to places which lacked civilisation and where the majority of the people were without knowledge of them. They avoided bringing such people close to them and mixing with them, out of fear for their own lives and their offsprings' from the tyrants of those times. All of these are the reasons which should bring about the disruption of their organisation, the pulling out of their roots, and the paucity of their numbers. Yet they, despite everything we have described, are the most numerous offspring of any one of the prophets, the righteous men and the friends (of God). Indeed they are more numerous than the offspring of anyone else among the people. They have extended across the lands through their great number and have become more numerous than the offspring of most men. They have done this despite their marriages within their (family circles) to the exclusion of those outside them and by limiting them to those possessing their own genealogies of the nearer members of the relations. In that the normal practice has been transcended as we have explained. It is proof of the illustrious sign concerning the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, as we have already described and explained.

This is something about which there can be no doubt. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.

**The Prophecies and Inner Knowledge of the Commander of the Faithful ** Among the illustrious signs of God concerning him, peace be on him, and the special characteristic by which he has been set apart, the miraculous nature of which is evidence for his Imamate, for the duty to obey him, and for the confirmation of his proof, are the group of arguments by which God, the Exalted, makes known prophets and apostles, peace be on them, and which He gives as signs of their truthfulness. Of these are the widespread reports of him, peace be on him, concerning the unknown and (foretelling) things which will happen before they happen. He never asserted anything of that without his statement agreeing with the report of the event so that in this way his truthfulness was established. This is one of the most illustrious of the miracles of prophets, peace be on them. Will you not look at the words of God, the Exalted, in which He makes manifest Jesus, son of Mary, peace be on him, through illustrious miracles and signs which indicate his prophethood? I will tell you what you will eat and what you will store in your houses (III 49). He, may His name be mighty, made similar miraculous signs for the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, when he said at the defeat of the Romans' (i.e. Byzantines) horsemen: Alif Lam mim, Rome has been conquered in the lower lands (of its empire) but in a few years after their defeat they will conquer (XXX 1-4). The matter turned out just as God, the Mighty and High, had said. He, may His name be mighty, said of those who took part in the Battle of Badr before the battle (occurred): The groups (of the enemy) will be defeated and they will turn their backs (in flight) (LIV 45). The matter occurred just as God, the Exalted, had said without there being any difference in it. He, the Mighty and High, said: Indeed you will enter the Sacred Mosque in safety, if God wills, with your heads shaved or shortened, without fear (XLVIII 27). The matter took place as God, the Exalted said. He, may He be praised, said: When the help of God comes and victory, you will see the people entering the religion of God in parties (CX 1-3). The event occurred as He, the Exalted, described. He, may He be praised, said, giving information about the inner feelings of the Hypocrites: They say within themselves: If it was not for the fact that God would punish us for what we say (LVIII 8). Thus He gave information about the inner feelings and the secrets which they kept hidden. He, may the mention of Him be extolled, said concerning the story of the Jews: Say: O those who have been guided, if you claim that you are friends of God apart from other people, then you should seek death if you are truthful. Yet they do not seek it in an attempt to escape from (the crimes) which their hands have committed. Indeed God is aware of the wrongdoers (LXII 5-7). The matter happened as God, the Exalted, had said and not one of them dared to seek it. That established (the reliability of the prophet's) reports and by it He made clear his truthfulness. He gave evidence of his prophethood, peace be on him, with similar examples, which, to present in this book, would make it too long.

(The evidence for) this kind (of miracle) by the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, is such that it can only be denied through stupidity, ignorance, slander and obstinacy. Can you not see what the reports have made public knowledge, what traditions have been widespread and what everybody hands down about him, peace be on him?

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He said before fighting against the three groups after the pledge of allegiance had been made to him: "I have been ordered to fight against those who break their pledges, those who are unjust and those who deviate (from the truth)."

He, peace be on him, fought against them and the matter was just as he had predicted.

He, peace be on him, said to Talha and al-Zubayr, when they asked permission to leave to go on the lesser pilgrimage: "By God, you are not going to make the lesser pilgrimage, you are going to Basra."

The matter was as he had said.

He, peace be on him, also said to Ibn 'Abbas when informing him about their asking for permission to go on the lesser pilgrimage: "I have given them permission despite knowing of the treachery they harboured within themselves. I have appealed for the help of God against them. Indeed God, the Exalted, will rebuff their plotting and give me victory against them."

The matter happened as he predicted.

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At Dhu Qar, he said while sitting to receive the pledge of allegiance: "Exactly a thousand men will come from the direction of Kufa to pledge themselves to me until death."

[Ibn 'Abbas commented:]

I (i.e. Ibn 'Abbas) was disturbed at that and was afraid that if the number of the people was less or more, the matter would bring failure on us. The anxiety to count them continued to trouble me so that when the first of them came, I began to count them. Their number reached nine hundred and ninety-nine and then the people stopped coming. I said: "We belong to God and to Him we will return. What is the interpretation of what he said!"

As I was thinking that I saw a person coming towards us. He was a man wearing a woollen cloak and he had a sword with him, a shield and (other) weapons. He went up to the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, and said: "Stretch out your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you."

"On what conditions do you make the pledge of allegiance to me?" the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, asked him.

"To hear and to obey and to fight before you until I die or God grants you victory," he replied.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Uways," he answered.

"You are Uways al-Qarani," he said.

"Yes," he replied.

"God is greater (Allahu akbar)," he said. "My dear friend, the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, told me that I would meet a man from his community called Uways al-Qarani who would be of the party of God and His Apostle, who would die in martyrdom and the number who would gain his intercession was like the number of the tribes of Mudar and Rabi'a."

[Ibn 'Abbas reported:]

Then, by God, (my anxiety) left me.

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Another example of that is what he, peace be on him, said when the Syrians raised copies of the Qur'an and a group of his followers began to have doubts (about their position) and insisted (that he agree) to making a truce: "Shame on you, this is a deceitful trick. Those people do not really mean (to settle the issue by) the Qur'an because they are not people (who accept) the Qur'an. Fear God and carry out your decision to fight against them. If you do not, you will be separated into (different) groups and you will regret it when regret will not bring any advantage."

The matter turned out just as he had predicted. This group of people fell into disbelief after the arbitration (between 'Ali and Mu'awiya) and they regretted the action which they had previously hastily embarked on and made him accept. They were separated into different groups and destruction came to them soon after.

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He, peace be on him, said as he was setting out to fight against the Kharijites: "If it was not for the fact that I am afraid that you would just carry on discussions and abandon (all other) action, I would tell you the decision God has made through the words of His Prophet, peace be on him, concerning those who fight against these people (i.e. against the Kharijites) as a result of seeing them to be misguided. Indeed, among them is a man with a stunted arm who has breasts like the breasts of a woman. They are the wickedest of creatures and the one who fights against them is the closest in relationship to God among His creatures."

The malformation of the man (mukhdaj) had not been known to the people. After the battle, he, peace be on him, caused a search to be made for him among those killed saying: "By God, I have not lied nor have I been lied to."

Eventually (his body) was found among those people and his shirt was torn open, On his shoulder there was a swelling like the breast of a woman, on which were hairs. When the hairs were pulled, his shoulder came forward with it. When they were left, his shoulder went back to its position. When he was found, he said: "God is greater. In this there is a warning for anyone who reflects."2

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[The historians (ashab al-sira) report in their account on the authority of Jundub b.'Abd Allah al-Azdi, who said:]

I (i.e. Jundub b.'Abd Allah) took part with 'Ali in the battles of the Camel and Siffin. I never had any doubts about fighting against those who fought him until I took part in the battle of al-Nahrawan (against the Kharijites). Then doubts came to me about fighting against these people. I said: "It is our reciters of the Qur'an and our choice men whom we are killing. This matter is dreadful."

In the morning I went for a walk, (taking) some vessels of water with me, until I left the lines (of the army). Then I fixed my spear in the ground, fitted my shield on it and shaded myself from the sun. While I was sitting, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, came along. He said to me: "Brother from (the tribe of) al-Azd, do you have water for ritual purification with you?"

"Yes," I answered and I gave him a vessel.

He went aside so that I could not see him. Then he came back after he had purified himself. He sat down in the shade of the spear. Suddenly a horseman appeared asking for him. I said: "Commander of the faithful, there is a horseman who wants you."

"Make a sign to him (to come here)," he told me.

I made a sign and he came. He said: "Commander of the faithful, the people have crossed the river."

"No," he retorted, "they have not crossed."

"Yes, by God, they have crossed," (the man) insisted.

"You are lying," he said.

Then another man came. He said: "Commander of the faithful, the people have crossed."

"No," he replied, "they have not crossed."

"By God," (the man) said, "I did not come to you until I saw the standards and the baggage on that side."

"By God," he declared, "they have not done so. (What you want) is to kill them and shed their blood."

Then he arose and I arose with him. I said to myself: "Praise be to God, who has given me insight into this man and enabled me to recognise his affair. He is one of two men: he is either a thoroughgoing liar or (one given) evidence (for his authority) by his Lord and a covenant by his Prophet. O God, I give You a solemn undertaking which You can ask me about on the Day of Resurrection. If I find that the people have crossed, I will be the first to fight against him, the first to thrust my spear into his eye. If the people have not crossed, then I will go forth with him and fight alongside him."

We returned to the lines (of the army) and we found that the standards and baggage were as they had been (before).

He took me by the scruff of the neck and pushed me. Then he said: "Brother of (the tribe of) al-Azd, has the matter become clear to you?"

"Yes, Commander of the faithful," I replied.

"Your business is with your enemy," he said.

I killed one man from those people (i.e. the Kharijites) and then I killed another. I and another of them were exchanging blows. I struck him and he struck me. We both fell together. My comrades carried me back. By the time I recovered consciousness, there were none of the people (i.e. the Kharijites) left (there).

This is a famous account which has a wide circulation among the reporters of historical traditions (athar). In it the man tells of his own solemn undertaking towards the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, and (what happened) after that. There is no way that it can be rejected or its truthfulness denied. In it (the Commander of the faithful) provides information about the unknown, gives clear evidence of his knowledge of the inner conscience (of man) and his knowledge of what is in men's souls. The evidence in it is outstanding which could only be equalled by evidence of a similar nature in terms of the greatness of the miracle and its clear proof.

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Of a similar kind are the narrations which have been reported on a wide scale (tawatur) about him, peace be on him, announcing his own death before it took place and giving information about the event and the fact that he would leave the world as a martyr through a blow on the head, the blood from which would colour his beard. The event came to happen exactly as he described.

Among the expressions which the reporters report concerning that are his words, peace be on him: "By God, this will be coloured by this." He put his hand on his head and his beard.

(Similarly) there are his words, peace be on him: "By God, it will colour it from above." He indicated his white hair. "The most wretched of the community will not be prevented from colouring it with blood from above."

(Other) of his words, peace be on him are: "The most wretched (of the community) will not be prevented from colouring it with blood from above."

He, peace be on him, (also) said: "The month of Ramadan has come to you. It is the lord of the months and the beginning of the year. In it the mill of authority will change. (Next) year, you will make the pilgrimage in one rank (i.e. there will be no Imam). The sign of that will be that I will not be among you."

His followers began to say that he was announcing his own death. He, peace be on him, was struck down on the night of the 19th of the month of Ramadan and he died on the night of the 21st of that month.

On the same (subject) is what trustworthy men report about him, peace be on him. During this month he used to break his fast one night with al-Hasan, one night with al-Husayn, peace be on them, and one night with 'Abd Allah b. Ja'far, may God be pleased with him. He never used to have more than three mouthfuls. One of his two sons, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, peace be on them, commented on that. He replied: "My son, God's command (to leave the world) is coming and I am enduring hunger (in preparation for it)."

It was only one night or two later when he was struck down.

[The historians (ashab al-athar) also report:]

Ja'd b. Ba'ja, one of the Kharijites, said to the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him: "Fear God, 'Ali, for you will die."

"By God," said the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him. "Rather I will be killed by a blow on this which will colour this." He put his hand on his head and his beard. "It is a promise which will be fulfilled. Let anyone who lies despair."

(Similarly) there are his words, peace be on him, on the night at the end of which the wretched man struck him. He had set out for the mosque and the geese screeched in his face. The people drove them away from him but he said: "Leave them, they are wailing at death."

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In a similar vein is the account which al-Walid b. al-Harith and others report on the authority of the men (whom they cite):

When the Commander of the faithful learnt what Busr b. Arta'a had done in Yemen, he said: "O God, Busr has sold his religion for the world, so take his reason away. Do not let there remain to him in his religion anything by which he would merit Your mercy. May Busr survive until his mind becomes disordered."

(Later) Busr used to ask for a sword and a sword of wood would be brought to him. He would strike with it until he became unconscious. When he recovered consciousness, he would say: "The sword, the sword." It would be given to him and he would strike with it. He continued like that until he died.

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The report of these words of his is also well-known: "After I (am gone) you will be exposed to my being cursed. For they will curse me. If they give you the opportunity to disassociate yourselves from me, do not do so, for I was born for (the service of) Islam. Whoever is given the opportunity to disassociate himself from me, let him (rather) stretch out his neck (for his head to be cut off). The man who does disassociate himself from me will gain neither this world or the next."

That matter turned out as he, peace be on him, described.

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There is another report of his words, peace be on him, with the same implication: "People, I have called you to the truth and you turned your backs away from me. I have flogged you and you have made me tired. After me rulers will rule you. They will not be satisfied with this (attitude) from you so that they will torment you with whips and iron. Whoever torments people in this world will be tormented by God in the next. The sign of that will be that the ruler of Yemen will come against you to settle in your midst. A man called Yusuf b.'Umar will seize the tax-collectors and those who collect the taxes of the tax-collectors."

That happened as he, peace be on him, predicted.

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Then there is the report which the religious scholars recount:

Juwayriyya b. Mishar stood at the gate of the palace.

"Where is the Commander of the faithful?" he asked.

"Sleeping." was the reply.

"You who are sleeping wake up," he shouted. "For by Him in Whose hands is my soul, a blow will be struck on your head from which your beard will be coloured with blood, as you have told us before."

The Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, heard that. He called out: "Come, Juwayriyya so that I can discuss with you what you are saying."

He came and (the Commander of the faithful) said to him: "By Him in Whose hands is my soul, you will be pulled before a rough harsh man. He will cut off your hand and your leg. Then you will be crucified below the tree trunk where an unbeliever (has already been crucified)."

Time went by after that until in the days of Mu'awiya, Ziyad became governor. He cut off his hand and his leg, then he crucified him on the tree trunk where Ibn Muka'bir (was crucified). It was a long trunk and he was under him.

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There is in addition this report:

Maytham al-Tammar was a slave of a woman from (the tribe of) Banu Asad. The Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, bought him from her and then gave him his freedom.

"What is your name?" he asked him.

"Salim," he replied.

"The Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, told me that the name which your father gave you in Persian was Maytham," he said.

"God and His Apostle are true and you are true, Commander of the faithful," he said. "By God that is my name."

"Go back to the name by which the Apostle of God referred to you and leave (the name) Salim," he told him.

He returned to (the name) Maytham and was given the kunya Abu Salim. On the same day, 'Ali, peace be on him, told him: "After me, you will be seized and crucified and stabbed by a spear. On the third day your nostrils and mouth will flow with blood which will colour your beard. So wait for that colour (to come). You will be crucified on the gate of the house of 'Amr b. Hurayth. You will be the tenth one of ten (crucified) men. You will have the shortest timber among them but you will be the nearest of them to the place for washing. Come so that I may show you the palm-tree on (the timber of) whose trunk you will be crucified."

He showed it to him. Maytham used to go there and pray at it. He used to say: "What a blessed palm-tree you are. I am created for you and you grew up for me."

He continued to frequent it until it was cut down and he knew the place in Kufa where he would be crucified. He used to meet 'Amr b. Hurayth and say to him: "I will be your neighbour, so show neighbourliness to me."

"You want to buy the house of Ibn Mas'ud or the house of Ibn Hakim," 'Amr used to say, because he did not understand what he meant.

In the year in which he was killed he made a pilgrimage. He visited Umm Salama, may God be pleased with her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Maytham," he said.

"By God, how often I heard the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, mention you," she said. "He used to commend you to 'Ali in the middle of the night."

Then he asked her about al-Husayn, peace be on him.

"He is at an estate of his," she said.

"Tell him that I would have liked to greet him and that we will meet before the Lord of the Worlds, if God, the Exalted, wills," he told her.

Umm Salama called for some perfume and she perfumed his beard.

"Soon it will be coloured by blood," she said.

He went to Kufa and 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad, may God curse him, had him arrested and brought to him. He had been told that that man was one of the closest people to 'Ali, peace be on him.

"For shame, is he not a Persian?" he said.

"Yes," he was told.

"Where is your master?" he asked him.

"He is looking down on every wrongdoer and you are one of the wrongdoers," he answered.

"Despite your foreign accent you say what you mean," he said. "What has your leader told you that I will do to you?"

"He told me that you would crucify me as the tenth one of ten men," he answered. "I will have the shortest timber among them but will be the nearest of them to the place for washing."

"We will oppose him" ('Ubayd Allah) declared.

"How could you oppose him?" he retorted. "He did nothing but give me information on the authority of the Prophet, may God bless him and his family, on the authority of Gabriel, peace be on him, on the authority of God, the Exalted. How could you oppose these? I know the place in Kufa where I will be crucified. I am the first of God's creatures to be bridled in Islam."

He imprisoned him and he imprisoned al-Mukhtar b. Abi 'Ubayda with him.

"You will escape," Maytham told him, "and you will rebel to avenge the blood of al-Husayn, peace be on him. Then you will kill this man who is going to kill us."

When 'Ubayd Allah called for al-Mukhtar to kill him, a messenger (barid) arrived with a letter for 'Ubayd Allah from Yazid, ordering him to free (al-Mukhtar). He freed him and ordered Maytham to be crucified.

A man who met (Maytham) said to him: "Would not something satisfy you rather than this, Maytham?"

He smiled and said, pointing to the palm tree: "I was created for it and it has grown for me.".

When he was put on the wood, the people gathered around him at the gate of 'Amr b. Hurayth.

"By God he used to say: I will be your neighbour," 'Amr said. After he had been crucified, he ordered a maidservant to sweep under the wood, to sprinkle it with water and to fumigate it.

Maytham began to speak of the virtues of Banu Hashim and it was reported to lbn Ziyad: "That slave has insulted you."

"Bridle him," he ordered.

He was the first of God's creatures to be bridled in Islam. Maytham, may God have mercy on him, was killed ten days before al-Husayn came to Iraq. On the third day after his crucifixion, he was stabbed with a spear, and He declared the greatness of God. At the end of that day blood flowed from his mouth and his nose. This is one of the group of reports about the unknown which have been preserved concerning the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him. Its reputation is extensive and the narration of it is widespread among the religious scholars ('ulama).

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[Another such report has been related by Ibn 'Abbas. It has been reported on the authority of Mujalid, on the authority of al-Sha'bi, on the authority of Ziyad b. al-Nadr al-Harithi, who said:]

I was with Ziyad when Rushayd al-Hijri was brought to him. Ziyad said to him: "What did your leader say to you?" -meaning 'Ali, peace be on him - "For we will do that to you."

"You will cut off my hands and my legs and then you will crucify me," he answered.

"By God, I will make his word false," declared Ziyad. "Free him."

When he was about to leave, Ziyad said: "By God, we do not find anything wrong with what his leader told him. Therefore cut off his hands and legs and crucify him"

"Wait a moment," Rushayd said to him, "I still have something (to tell) you which the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, told me."

"Cut out his tongue," ordered Ziyad.

"Now, by God, is the verification of the words of the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him," declared Rushayd.

This report has also been handed down by those friendly and those hostile on the authority of men they regard as trustworthy, on the authority of those persons whom we have named. Its content is well known to all the religious scholars. It is one of the group already mentioned of (his) miracles and giving information about the unknown.

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[A further account is reported by 'Abd al-Aziz b. Suhayb on the authority of Abu al-'Aliyya, who said: Mazra' b. 'Abd Allah told me:]

I (i.e. Mazra' b.'Abd Allah) heard the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, say: "By God, an army will advance so that when it is at al-Bayda' it will be swallowed up."

"You are telling me about the unknown," I said.

"Remember what I tell you," he said. "By God, what the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, tells you, will happen. A man will be taken. He will be killed and crucified between the two sides of the walls of the mosque."

"You are telling me about the unknown," I said.

"The trustworthy, the one protected by God, 'Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be on him, told me," he replied:

[Abu `Aliyya reported:]

Friday had not come when Mazra' was seized, killed and crucified between the two sides of the wall.

[(Abu 'Aliyya) said: He used to tell me about a third thing but I have forgotten it.]

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Yet a further example is reported by Jarir on the authority of al-Mughira, who said:]

When al-Hajjaj, may God curse him, became governor, he sought for Kumayl b. Ziyad. The latter fled from him. (al-Hajjaj) deprived his people of their allowances ('ata`). When Kumayl saw that, he said: "I am an old man and my life is nearly finished. It is not right for me to deprive my people of their allowances."

So he went and offered his hand to al-Hajjaj. When the latter saw him, he said: "I would have liked to have found a way to get you, myself."

"Don't gnash your teeth at me and don't threaten me," Kumayl replied. "What is left of my life is like mere specks of dust. Therefore give judgement as long as you are a judge. For there is an appointed time to be with God and after death there is the reckoning. The Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, told me that you would kill me."

"Then that is evidence against yourself," al-Hajjaj said to him.

"But the judgement is yours," answered Kumayl.

"Indeed," he retorted, "you were among those who killed 'Uthman b.'Affan. Strike off his head."

Then he was executed.

This report is also recorded by the non-Shi'a ('amma) which they report on the authority of men whom they regard as trustworthy. The Shi'a (khassa) participate in reporting it. Hence it has been included in this section where we mention miracles, proofs and evidence (concerning him).