The Promised Mahdi (part One)

23

Chapter Twenty-three: Those who have seen His Eminence (a.s.)

1- Ghaibat Tusi: The venerable Shaykh, Muhammad bin Hasan Tusi writes in his Ghaibat:

“A group of scholars has narrated from Harun bin Musa Talakbari and he has narrated from Ahmad bin Ali Razi that he said that once a venerable man in Rayy came to Abul Husain Muhammad bin Ja’far Asadi (a representative of Imam Zaman) and narrated two incidents in connection with Imam Zaman (a.s.) and I also heard them and I think that this occurred before the year 300 A.H. approximately.

An elderly man narrated from Ali bin Ibrahim Fadki that Oodi said:

“I was performing the Tawaf of the Kaaba. I had completed six rounds and was starting on the seventh when I saw a young man on the right side of the Kaaba and fragrance was coming from him. His awe had affected the people and they had surrounded him so that they may speak to him. I have not heard anyone speak in a more pleasant way nor seen anyone with a better demeanor. I also went there so that I may also get a chance to speak to him, but the crowd pushed me back. I asked the people who he was. People said he is son of Allah’s Messenger, who comes here for one day every year to meet his special followers and speak to them. I called out: My chief, I

also want to speak to you so that you may guide me. When he heard this he threw some pebbles towards me which I picked up. People asked: What did he throw towards you? I said: Pebbles. And I opened my fist but saw that they were pieces of gold. I began to follow him till I joined him. He said: Now my proof is complete on you, the truth has become manifest and your blindness is gone. Do you know who I am? I said: No, by Allah.

He said: I am the same Mahdi. I am the Qaim who would fill the earth with justice and equity as it would be fraught with injustice and tyranny. Know that the earth is never without Divine Proof. And people cannot remain on nature for more than the period Bani Israel remained in the Tiyah desert (forty years). The time of my reappearance has arrived. What I have said is a trust with you, which you must convey to your Shia brothers.”

This traditional report is also mentioned in theKharaij of Fadaki and inIkmaaluddin narrated from Taliqani quoting from Ali bin Ahmad Khadiji Kufi from Azdi.

The author says: “The time of my reappearance has arrived” is perhaps statement in which Bada has occurred and His Eminence (a.s.) has informed about a matter, which was not definite and was subject to condition. And it is possible that ‘reappearance’ implies the matter becoming clear to the people through the envoys of His Eminence (a.s.).

An elderly man in Fustat City

2- Ghaibat Tusi: From the same chains, it is narrated from Ahmad bin Ali Raazi from Muhammad bin Ali from Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Khalaf that he said:

“We went the Abbasid Mosque, which is at a distance of two stages from Fustat and our servants left us alone. Only a Persian was left with us in the Mosque. I noticed a gentleman in the corner of the mosque and he was engrossed in devotions. When it was noon, I prayed the Noon Prayer at the earliest time and invited that gentleman for dinner. He accepted the invitation.

After dinner I asked him what his name was and his father’s name and his nativity and profession etc. He replied: My name is Muhammad bin Ubaidullah, I am from Qom and I am in search of truth since the last thirty years. I have lived in various places during this period and spent around twenty years in Mecca and Medina and studied the traditional reports. In the 29th year, I circled the Kaaba and when I reached Maqam Ibrahim, I prayed there. After that I dozed a little bit and then I heard someone reciting a supplication that I had never heard before. I was startled and I saw that it was a young handsome man of medium height who was reading that Dua. Then he came out of the Haram and started Sayy. I followed him, because the Almighty Allah inspired me that he was the master of the age. When he completed the Sayy, he set out from there and I followed him; but as I neared him I was stopped by a tall man of black skin who said: “What do you want?”

I began to tremble in fear and halted in my steps and that gentleman disappeared. I remained standing there in bewilderment for a long time. At last I returned from there condemning my own self, that why I was cowed

down by a black. I returned and prayed to the Almighty Allah: I invoke You in the name of Your Prophet, please don’t waste my efforts and show me that which will satisfy and show him to me again.

After some years, I visited the tomb of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.). One day I was seated between his tomb and his pulpit when I dozed. Someone shook my arm. When I opened my eyes, I saw that same black man. He asked:

“How are you?”

“All right, but I was angry at you.”

“You should not have done that. I was commanded to scold you. You should thank Allah and be pleased that you have seen him; it is enough.”

Then he mentioned one of my brothers in faith and asked him how he was.

“He is in Barqa.”

“You are right.”

Then he mentioned another friend of mine who was a very pious man.

“He is in Alexandria.”

He asked about many of my friends and then asked me about a stranger that “how that Nakhfur was.”

“I don’t know him.”

“Yes, how can you know him? He is Roman and the Almighty Allah will guide him and he will come from Constantine to render help.”

Then he asked about another person and I again said that I had no clue who he was.

“He is from the Hayyat area and he is a helper of my lord and master. Now you may tell your associates that we are hopeful that the Almighty Allah will take revenge from the oppressors and permit us to help the oppressed. I have just conveyed the same message to a some of our associates. You must not worry much; continue to obey the Almighty Allah and the time of reappearance is near.”

Yusuf bin Ahmad Ja’fari

3- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from Ahmad bin Abdun from Abul Hasan Muhammad bin Ali Shajjai Katib from Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ibrahim Nomani from Yusuf bin Ahmad Ja’fari that he said:

“I performed the Hajj in 306 A.H. and then stayed in Mecca till 309 A.H. and then moved to Syria. I was on the way when I missed the Morning Prayer. When I descended from the litter to perform it, I saw four persons riding on a litter. I was very surprised. One of them asked: Why are you surprised? You have missed your prayer and have gone against your religion.

I said: How do you know about my religion?

He said: You want to see the Master of your Age.

I said: Yes, that is true.

He indicated to one of his companions.

I said: But he is having many signs.

He asked: What sign do you want to see? Do you want to see this she-camel rise up to the heavens along with its litter; or only this litter should rise up to the sky?

I said: Whatever of these happens will be a sign for me.

As soon as I said this, I saw the she-camel rise up to the sky along with the litter.

Ahmad bin Abdullah Hashmi

4- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from Ahmad bin Ali Raazi from Muhammad bin Ali from Muhammad bin Abde Rabb Ansari Hamadani from Ahmad bin Abdullah Hashmi a descendant of Abbas that he said:

“One day in Sarmanra when His Eminence, Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) passed away I went to his house. When his bier was taken out of his chamber and placed outside, we were thirty-nine persons who come to attend the funeral. Just then a child who apparently seemed to be ten years old, came out with a sheet on his shoulder and face. As soon as he entered, such an awe struck us that we rose up to welcome him. He stood up and all of us stood behind him. He recited the funeral prayers and then went away. But he did not go back into the room from which he had emerged; he went into another room.”

Abu Abdullah Hamadani says: “I met Ibrahim bin Muhammad Tabrizi in Maragha and he also narrated to me the above report of Ahmad bin Abdullah Hashmi verbatim.”

Abu Nuaim Ansari

5- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from Ali bin Ayez Razi and he has narrated from Hasan bin Wajna Nasibi and he from Abu Nuaim Muhammad bin Ahmad Ansari that:

“We were in Mecca sitting near the spout with a group of thirty Umrah pilgrims among whom were Mahmoodi, Allaan Kulaini, Abu Haitham, Abu Ja’far Ahwaal Hamadani, Muhammad bin Qasim Alawi comprising 30 persons. Except for Muhammad bin Qasim Alawi Aqiqi none of them was Shia. It was the 6th of Zilhajj of the year 293 A.H. A young man approached us wearingIhraam dress and carrying his slippers in his hands. He came among us and due to his awe and majesty we stood up and greeted him withSalaam . He glanced to the left and right and sat down among us. He asked: ‘Do you know what His Eminence, Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) used to say in his supplication?’ We asked: ‘What did he recite?’ He said: ‘He used to say:

O Allah, indeed I ask You by Your name due to which the sky and the earth stand, and by which it is possible to distinguish between right and wrong. Due to which different and separated people come together and by which there develops differences and dispersion in cohesive groups; and through which are calculated the number of sand particles in the desert, the weight of the mountains and the measure of water in the oceans. Bless Muhammad and the Progeny of Muhammad and widen and ease all my affairs for me.’

Then the handsome youth stood up and we also followed by way of respect. He began to perform the circumambulation*(Tawaf).* As a result of his awe we forgot to ask him who he was. The next day at the same time, he completed theTawaf and came to us and sat down among us in the same way. Then he glanced to the right and left and asked: ‘Do you know what supplication Amirul Momineen used to recite after the obligatory prayers?’ We asked: ‘What did he recite?’ He said: ‘He used to recite as follows:

O Allah, it is towards You that voices are raised. Supplications are addressed to You alone. Before You only are cheeks placed in submission. Humility and lowliness is shown to You. Your command is honored in all the matters. O the best of those who are beseeched and One Who is better than all those who bestow. O the true one, O the forgiving one. O one who never breaks His promise. O one who also commands to ask from Him and also promises the fulfillment of supplications. O one who has said: ‘Call upon Me, I will answer you.’ O one who said: ‘And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way.’ O one who said: Say: ‘O my servants! Who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving the Merciful.’

Then he looked to the right and the left and asked: ‘Do you know what Amirul Momineen used to recite in the prostration of thankfulness*(Sajdah Shukr)?* ‘Please tell us what he used to say,’ we replied. He said: ‘He used to say:

The weeping of those who weep does not increase anything except Your generosity and kindness. O one who has the treasures of the heavens and the earth. O one whose mercy is widespread. My sins cannot restrain Your favors from reaching me for which I pray to You. Regarding my affairs, do what befits You. You are powerful over every type of punishment and You have complete right upon all of them. I have no argument to support my case in Your court and neither have I an opportunity to present excuse. I present my sins to You and I confess of having committed them so that You may forgive them and You are the best of those who know. I dissociate myself of all the sins that I have committed and all the mistakes I made and all the evils deeds I have performed. O my Lord, forgive me and have mercy on me and overlook all that You know for You are the most powerful and kind.’

After that the young man arose and began to circle the Kaaba. We all also rose up to pay respect. The next day he again came to us at the same time and like the previous day we welcomed and greeted him. He sat down in our company and glanced at the right and left. Then he said: Ali Ibnul Husain, Chief of those who prostrate (Sayyid us-Saajideen) used to recite this at this place in prostration (so saying he pointed to the Black Stone):

‘Your slave is at Your threshold, Your destitute is at Your door, You are asked for those things over which none except You have power.’

Then he looked to the right and the left and glanced at Muhammad bin Qasim Alawi from among us and said: ‘O Muhammad bin Qasim, you are,Insha Allah on the right path.’

Then he arose and entered the circling of the Kaaba. There was none among us that had not learnt by heart the supplications he had recited, but we forgot to ask him about himself everyday.

Mahmoodi asked us: ‘Do you know this man?’ ‘No,’ we replied. He said: ‘By Allah, he is the Master of your time.’ We asked: ‘How do you know, O Abu Ali?’ He said: ‘I prayed to my Lord for seven years to let me have the glimpse of the Master of the Age.’

Then he said: ‘Seven years ago that same gentleman was reciting the supplication ofIsha in Arafat. I asked him: ‘Who are you?’ He replied: ‘I am a human being.’ I asked: ‘From which race of human beings?’ He said: ‘From the Arabs.’

Then I asked: ‘From which Arab clan?’ He said: ‘From the most noble and high clan.’ I asked: ‘Which is that?’ He replied: ‘Banu Hashim.’ I asked: ‘From which branch of Banu Hashim?’ He said: ‘That which is the highest in giving counsel and worthy of praise in its loftiness.’ I asked: ‘From which of these persons?’ He said: ‘From those who split the heads, fed the poor and prayed in the dead of the night when the people slept.’

I said to myself that he was an Alawite and I was inclined to the Alawites. Then he disappeared. I don’t know whether he went to the sky or into the earth. I asked those who were around him whether they knew that Alawite gentleman. ‘Yes,’ they replied, ‘He comes with us every year on foot to perform the Hajj.’ I told them that I didn’t see their footprints. Then I went towards Muzdalifah in a condition of grief and sorrow. That same night I saw the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) in dream. He said: ‘O Ahmad, you have seen what you desired.’ I said: ‘My master, who was he?’ He replied: ‘The one you saw yesterday at Asr was the Imam of your time.’

Abu Nuaim the narrator of this tradition says: When I heard this from Abu Ali Mahmoodi, I scolded him why he did not inform us about it. Abu Ali said: I also forgot it when you were talking to him.

Also the Shaykh says: inGhaibat : Harun bin Musa Talakbari from Abu Ali Muhammad bin Hamam and he from Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Malik Kufi from Muhammad bin Ja’far bin Abdullah from Abu Nuaim Muhammad bin Ahmad Ansari has narrated the same lengthy tradition.

Ikmaaluddin : Narrated to us Ahmad bin Ziyad bin Ja’far Hamadani: Narrated to us Abul Qasim Ja’far bin Ahmad Alawi Riqqi Uruzi: Narrated to me Abul Hasan Ali bin Ahmad Aqiqi: Narrated to me Abu Nuaim Ansari Zaidi that:

“We were in Mecca sitting near the spout with a small group of Umrah pilgrims among whom were Mahmoodi, Allaan Kulaini, Abu Haitham, Abu Ja’far Ahwaal Hamadani, Muhammad bin Qasim Alawi comprising 30 persons. Except for Muhammad bin Qasim Alawi none of them was a Shia…”

After that he narrated the same report just as the Shaykh has narrated and then he said: This incident was narrated to us by Ammar bin Husain bin

Ishaq from Ahmad bin Khizr from Muhammad bin Abdullah Iskafi from Sulaym from Abu Naeem Ansari. And I have also heard it from Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Hatim from Ubaidullah bin Muhammad bin Qasbani from Ali bin Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Husain from Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali Munqazi Hasani. And also Tabari has mentioned it inDalailul Imamah quoting from Harun bin Musa Talakbari.

Ali bin Mahziyar Ahwazi

6- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from a group of scholars from Talakbari from Ahmad bin Ali Raazi from Ali bin Husain from a man from Qazwin from Habib bin Muhammad bin Yunus bin Shazan Sanani that he said:

“I came to Ali bin Ibrahim bin Mahziyar Ahwazi and asked him about the progeny of Abu Muhammad (a.s.) and he replied: “Brother, you have indeed asked me about a great matter. Listen, I performed twenty Hajjs hoping to meet Imam Zamana (a.s.) but I was not successful. One night I dreamt that a caller was saying: O Ali bin Ibrahim, the Almighty Allah has permitted me to perform the Hajj.

I could not understand that statement that night but in the morning, when I got the import of it, I began to wait eagerly for the Hajj season.

When the Hajj season arrived, I prepared for the journey and set out to Medina. When I reached Medina, I inquired from the people about the descendants of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) but could not get any information. I was very much worried and at last set out for Mecca. On the way, one day at Johfa when I headed for Ghadeer, which is at a distance of four miles from Johfa. I reached there and prayed in the Masjid and after that I supplicated the Almighty Allah very fervently; but the aim was not fulfilled there also. So I went to Asqalan and thus passing each stage in turn, reached Mecca. I stayed there for some days and remained busy in performing the Tawaf and other devotions.

One night, when I was doing the Tawaf, I noticed an extremely handsome and fragrant young man walking about and doing the Tawaf of the Kaaba. Some feelings arose in my heart; I moved towards him and touched him.

He asked: Where do you belong to?

I said: Iraq.

He asked: Where in Iraq?

I said: Ahwaz.

He asked: Do you know Ibne Khazib.

I said: May Allah have mercy on him, he has passed away.

He also expressed regret and said: May Allah have mercy on him, he used to spend the nights in worship and was a sincere supplicant. Do you know Ali bin Ibrahim Mahziyar also?

I said: I am Ali bin Ibrahim.

He said: O Abul Hasan, may Allah keep you in health. Where is the sign that you received from Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.)?

I said: It is with me.

He said: All right, take it out.

When I took it out and he saw it, he was moved by it.

After that he said: O Mahziyar, the order for you is that you go on your way and make preparations. When a part of the night has passed, you should come to the pass of Bani Aamir. You will find me there.

Thus, I returned to my lodging and when it was past midnight, I prepared my mount, loaded my belongings and sat astride the animal to set out for the pass of Bani Aamir. On reaching there, I found that same youth calling out for me, saying: O Abul Hasan, come this side.

I turned my mount in that direction. When I reached him, he greeted me and said: Follow me, brother.

We set out from there making conversation, passing the mountains of Arafat and finally reached the mountains of Mina. The dawn was about to break when we were between the hills of Taif.

That youth asked me to dismount and recite the Midnight Prayer.

I recited the Midnight Prayer and he asked me to recite the Watr Prayer; which I also performed.

Then he said: Recite the dawn recitations and perform the prostration of thanks, which I also completed.

After that he mounted and asked me also to mount my beast. Then we set out from there till we reached the mountain peaks of Taif. He asked: Can you see anything?

I replied: Yes, I can see a sand dune on which a woolen tent is fixed through which light is filtering and this sight is pleasing to me.

He said: That is our destination. Then he said: All right brother, move on. He started and I followed him till we came down from the mountains and he said: Now dismount from your beast as even tyrants have to show humility here. And leave the rein free.

I asked: Who is there to take care of my beast?

He said: This is the sanctuary of Imam Qaim (a.s.) and none but a believer can enter and neither will anyone leave it except for a believer.

I left the rein and the two of us began to walk till that youth reached the entrance of the tent asking me to wait outside. He returned after a few moments and asked me to enter the tent. When I entered, I saw a person dressed in a waist cloth, with a sheet that was covering him. He was wheaten complexion, medium height, round head, wide forehead, eyebrows joined, prominent nose, full cheeks, and a mole on his right cheek; it seemed as if a grain of musk was placed on Amber.

When I noticed His Eminence, I greeted him and he replied to me and asked me about the people of Iraq.

I said: Maula, the people of Iraq are living a life of disgrace and they are the most degraded of all.

He said: O Ibne Mahziyar, one day you will rule them just as they are ruling you today and that day, they shall be humiliated.

I said: Master, you are very remote from your country and this will take a long time.

He said: O Ibne Mahziyar, my father, His Eminence, Abu Muhammad (a.s.) has told me not to live in the community on which the Almighty Allah is infuriated and that which is failure in the world as well as the hereafter; and a painful chastisement is reserved for them.

He has also told me to live in inaccessible mountains away from habitations. Allah is your helper, live in dissimulation till the Almighty Allah allows me to reappear.

I asked: When will this reappearance be?

He replied: When you would be denied access to Kaaba. When the sun and the moon come together and will be surrounded by planets and stars.

I asked: Son of the Messenger of Allah, when will this come about?

He replied: In so-and-so year, when Dabbatul Ardh will appear between Safa and Marwah. Who would be having the staff of Prophet Musa (a.s.), the ring of Prophet Sulaiman (a.s.). He will usher the people to the field of gathering.

The narrator says: I stayed there for some days, after which I was ordered to return. I came back to my lodge and then set out from Mecca to Kufa. My servant was present to serve me on the way and throughout the journey I was in absolute comfort. May the Almighty Allah bless Muhammad and his Purified Progeny.”

7- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from a group of scholars from Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Quluwayh etc. from Muhammad bin Yaqub Kulaini from Ali bin Qays from some official of Sawad that he said:

“I just saw Nasim in Sarmanra that she broke the door of the house of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) and he (Imam Zamana (a.s.)) came out and seeing her with the axe asked: What are you doing in my house?

Nasim said: “Ja’far thinks that your father has passed away without leaving any issue. I am sorry if this is your house; I will leave immediately.”

8- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from the same chains from Ali bin Muhammad from Muhammad bin Ismail bin Musa Ibne Ja’far - he was the oldest leader of the family of Muhammad in Iraq - who said:

“I (Muhammad bin Ismail bin Musa) saw the son of Hasan bin Ali bin Muhammad Askari (a.s.) between the two mosques (Mecca and Medina). He was a youth.”

9- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from the same chains from the servant of Ibrahim bin Abda Nishapuri that he said:

“I was standing with Ibrahim on Safa mountain when a youth came and stood over Ibrahim. He took hold of his book of rituals of Hajj and told him about some matters.”

10- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from the same chains from Ibrahim bin Idris that he said:

“I saw him after the passing away of Abu Muhammad Askari (a.s.) when he had grown up; I kissed his hand and his head.”

11- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from the same chains from Abu Ali bin Mutahhar that he said:

“I saw him,” and he went on to describe him.

12- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from Ahmad bin Ali Raazi from Abu Zar Ahmad bin Abi Surah, same is reported by Muhammad bin Hasan bin Abdullah Tamimi and he was a Zaidiyyah; that he said:

“Once I went to Heer and saw a handsome youth praying there. After that the two of us reached Mashra. He asked: O Abu Surah, where are you headed?”

I said: To Kufa.

He asked: But with whom?

I said: With other people.

He said: No, you will travel with us.

I asked: What do you mean: ‘with us’?

He replied: With me.

Thus the two of us set out from there and when we reached the graveyard of Masjid Sahla, he said: That is your destination, if you want you may proceed.

He also said: You should go to Ibne Raazi Ali bin Yahya, who will give to you some money which is with him.

I asked: Why would he give me anything?

He replied: You mention the amount, where it is placed and with which it is covered.

So I asked: Who are you?

He replied: I am Muhammad bin Hasan Askari.

I asked: What if refuses to give me anything in spite of the signs?

He said: I am behind you.

Ibne Abi Surah says: When I went to Ibne Raazi and mentioned the signs, he gave that amount to me. I told him that he had said that he was behind me.

Ibne Raazi: After this sign there is no need of any verification as other than the Almighty Allah no one had any knowledge of it.

In another report it is added that Abu Surah said: That young man asked about my well being and I mentioned my precarious finances. We continued our journey till we reached Nawawis at dawn. When we sat down at a spot, he dug in the sand with his fingers and water appeared. He performed the ablution and prayed thirteen units of prayer. Then he said: Go to Abul Hasan Ali bin Yahya, convey my greetings to him and say that that person has told him to give you a hundred dinars from the seven hundred dinars that are buried at such and such place.

So I went to his place immediately, knocked at his door and maid called out from inside: Who is there?

I said: Tell your master that Abu Surah has come to meet him.

Then I heard Abul Hasan remark: What does Abu Surah have to do with me?

But in spite of that he came out and I narrated the whole story to him. He went inside and brought a hundred dinars and gave them to me. Then he asked: Did you shake hand with the Imam? Yes, I said.

He took my hand and rubbed it on his face and eyes.

Ahmad bin Ali says that Abdullah bin Hasan bin Bashar Khazzaz has also narrated the same report to Muhammad bin Ali Ja’fari.

A similar report is mentioned inAl-Kharaij wal Jaraih as well.

13- Ihtijaaj & Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from Muhammad bin Yaqub directly from Zuhri that he said:

“I made great efforts and spent a lot to meet Imam Zamana (a.s.). Thus I went to Amari and remained in his service. After a long time, I expressed to him the wish to see the Master of the Age (a.s.). He said: There is no way you can meet him.

When I continued to insist, he said: Come tomorrow at early dawn.

So I came to him next morning and found a young man in his company dressed as a trader and carrying some trading goods below his arms. I came near to Amari and he gestured to me. I moved towards that gentleman and asked him whatever I wanted. He replied and when he was about to go inside Amari said: If you want to ask him anything, ask him now; you will never see him again.

Thus as I was about the ask him something, he said the following and entered the room without listening to me:

“Accursed, accursed is the one who delays the Maghrib Prayer so much that stars become visible. Accursed, accursed is the one who delays the Morning Prayer so much that stars disappear.”

Abu Sahl Naubakhti

14- Ghaibat Tusi: Ahmad bin Ali Razi has narrated from Muhammad bin Ali from Ubaidullah bin Muhammad bin Jaban Dahqan from Abu Sulaiman Dawood bin Ghassan Bahrani that he said:

“Abu Sahl Ismail bin Ali Naubakhti told me that Imam M-H-M-D bin Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) was born in Samarrah in 256 A.H. His mother was Saiqal; his patronymic is Abul Qasim and the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) had mentioned the same patronymic and said: His name will be same as mine, his patronymic will be same as mine and his title will be Mahdi. He will the Divine Proof, the Awaited one and the Master of the Age.

Ismail bin Ali further says: When Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) was in his fatal illness, I was present with him. He summoned his servant, Aqeed, who was a Nubian black. Prior to this he was in the employ of Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.). It was he that had brought up Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.). Imam (a.s.) told him: “O Aqeed, boil for me some mastic water.” Aqeed obeyed and after the water was procured, Saiqal, the mother of Imam-e-Zamana (a.t.f.s.) brought it to His Eminence.

His Eminence took hold of the vessel but his hands shook so much that the bowl clattered against his teeth. The Imam let go of the vessel and said to Aqeed: “Go inside the house where you will find a boy in prostration. Bring him to me.”

Abu Sahl says: Aqeed said: When I went inside to bring that boy I saw that the boy was in a prostration and he had raised his index finger to the sky. I saluted him. He shortened his Prayer. I said respectfully: “The master has called you.” At that moment his mother arrived and taking his hand brought him to his father.

Abu Sahl says: When the boy came to His Eminence, he saluted him. I saw that his face was glowing like a pearl, he had short hair and wide teeth. When the eyes of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) fell upon him, he wept and said: “O master of my family, give me this water so that I may proceed to my Lord.” The young master complied and taking up the bowl of mastic water brought it to the lips of his father so that he may drink it. Then Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) said: “Prepare me for the ritual prayer.” That child kept a towel before the Imam and made ablution for him by washing his face and hands in turn. Then he didMasah of his head and both feet. The Imam said: “O my son, I give you glad tidings that you are the Master of the Time and the Proof of Allah on the face of the earth. You are my son and successor. You are born from me and you are M-H-M-D the son of Hasan son of Ali son of Muhammad son of Ali son of Musa son of Ja’far son of Muhammad son of Ali son of Husain son of Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) and you are from the progeny of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and the last of the Purified Imams (a.s.). And the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) gave glad tidings about you and informed about your name and patronymic. This was told me by my father from his purified forefathers - blessings of Allah be on Ahle Bayt. Indeed our Lord alone is worthy of praise and glorification.”

Imam Hasan bin Ali Askari (a.s.) spoke these sentences and passed away at that very moment. May Allah bless them all.

Yaqub bin Yusuf Ghassani

14 (2) [^2] - Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from Abul Husain Muhammad bin Ja’far Asadi that he said: Narrated to me Hasan bin Muhammad bin Aamir Ashari Qummi that he said: Narrated to me Yaqub bin Yusuf Zarrab Ghassani on his return from Isfahan that:

“I performed Hajj with some Sunni of my town in 281 A.H. When we reached Mecca, one of our companions took for us a house on rent in the Sauqul Lail street. It was a fortunate chance that the house was a property of Ummul Momineen Lady Khadija (s.a.) and which was now known as Darul Reza and was occupied an old lady. When I came to know that the house was called Darul Reza, I asked that old lady how she was related to the owner of the house and why it was called Darul Reza?

She said: I am one of the slave girls of the owner of the house and this house belongs to Ali Ibne Musa Reza (a.s.). Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) has accommodated me in it, because I have remained his service.

When I heard this, I was impressed by that old lady, but I did not disclose it to my Sunni friends. Whenever I used to return from Tawaf at night, I used to sleep in the verandah with them. We used to close the door and also place a huge stone behind it. One night I saw a lamp in the verandah where we slept. Then I saw the door being opened automatically and a medium stature, wheat complexion and physically fit young man who had a mark of prostration, wearing a shirt, a wrap and wearing shoes without socks, enter and ascend to the attic occupied by the old lady. She had told us not to go up, as her daughter lived there.

When the man went to the attic, I noticed that the light that was present in the verandah had now reached the attic. My friends also noted this and

they thought that the man was visiting the daughter of that old lady and it seemed as if he had done a Mutah marriage with her. And that this Alawite lady considered it lawful, ‘although it was not so’.

Thus we saw that man regularly, but when we checked the door, we found it closed and the stone was also intact.

I became curious and I decided to ask the old lady about that man.

One day I said: O so-and-so, I want to ask you something in private, but I don’t get a chance as others are also present. So when you notice that I am alone, you should come down from the attic.

She also said: I also want to speak to you in private, but I don’t get a chance.

I asked: What do you want to talk to me about?

She said: See, don’t mention this to anyone; he has told you not to fight with your companions and associates.

I asked: Who has told this?

She replied: I say it.

Since I was suspicious from before, I did not dare to ask anything else. I just asked what she meant by companions? (I was thinking that she was implying my present companions.). But she said: The companions who live with you in your house in your town. (and the fact was that I had regular controversies with them about religious matters).

So they complained about me and I ran away from there and went into hiding and now I understood that she was talking about them.

I asked: What is your concern with Imam Ali Reza (a.s.)?

She said: I am the maid of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.).

When I became certain that she was connected to that family, I asked her about the hidden Imam and said: I adjure you, please tell me if you have really seen him yourself. She said: Although I have never seen him myself, because when I had left that place, my sister was pregnant. But Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) had given me the glad tiding that I will see the hidden Imam at the end of my life that I will be to him same as I was to Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.).

Then she said: At present I live in Egypt, and I have come here because he sent a letter and thirty dinars to me with a Khurasani man unfamiliar with Arabic, and asked me to perform the Hajj. I came here hoping to see him as well.

Now I became sure that the man who frequented the attic was the Imam of the time. I took out the ten dirhams from which six were reserved from Imam Zamana (a.s.). I had initially vowed to put them at Maqam Ibrahim but later I thought that the best way was to spend them on the descendants of Lady Fatima (s.a.).

So I gave the ten dirhams to that lady and said: Give them to one who in your view is most deserving from the descendants of Lady Fatima (s.a.). I was expecting that she would give to the man who visited her place regularly.

She took the money to the attic and returned after sometime and said: I am not entitled to take it, you may put it where you had vowed to. Although you can take change it from dirham Razavia into another currency and put it

there. (I did that and said to myself that whatever you have been ordered was from that gentleman only.)

Then I also had a copy of an epistle, which came from Qasim bin Alaa in Azerbaijan. I said to that lady: Show this copy to him, he definitely would be familiar with the writings of Imam Zamana (a.s.).

She said: Give it, I am familiar with it.

I showed it her and was thinking that perhaps she will be able to read it.

She said: I cannot read it here.

Then she took it upstairs and then came down after sometime and said: Yes, it is correct. And I also have some good news to you, which is beneficial to you and also beneficial to others as well.

After that the lady said: He is asking how you invoke blessings on your Prophet?

I replied: I do it as follows: Allaahumma Salli alaa Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad wa Baarik Alaa Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad ka Afzali maa Sallaita wa baarakta wa tarahamta alaa Ibrahima wa aali Ibrahima innaka hameedum Majeed. (O Allah, bless Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and sanctify Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad with the best of the blessings with which You bless and sanctify Ibrahim and the progeny of Ibrahim. Indeed You are the praised one and the majestic.)

She said: No, but when you invoke blessings, you should mention each name separately.

I said: All right.

The next day when she came down, she had a small chit with her.

She said: He says: When you invoke blessings on your Prophet, you should do so according to this formula.

I accepted the note and began to act accordingly. Then on many nights I saw him descend from the attic and the light accompanied him. I used to open the door and follow the light. But I could only see a light and that person did not become visible to me, till he reached the courtyard of the Kaaba. I also saw people of various countries visit the house and hand over their requests to that old lady. And I also saw that she used to return them to applicants along with their replies and spoke to them in a language, which I could not understand. I also met some of them on way back home till I reached Baghdad.

The Durood which was written by Imam Zamana (a.s.) for me is as follows:

“In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. O Allah, bless Muhammad who is the chief of the messengers and the proof of the Lord of world. Who was selected on the day of the covenant, who is the chosen and the selected one from the shaded springs. Purified from every trouble, immune from every defect, hopeful for salvation and the one having discretion of intercession in the religion of Allah.

O Allah accord honor to the edifice of his religion and grant respect to those evidences and give salvation to his proof, and exalt his status. Illumine his effulgence further and make his face more illuminated and increase his merits. And also increase his honor and raise up the effectiveness of his

intercession and make his position the praised one, that the formers and the latters may envy.

And bless Amirul Momineen Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) and the successor of the divine messengers and the one who had a brilliant countenance and the leader of the worshippers and the chief of the successors and the proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Hasan bin Ali, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Husain bin Ali, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Ali Ibnul Husain, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Muhammad Ibne Ali, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Ja’far Ibne Muhammad, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Musa Ibne Ja’far, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Ali Ibne Musa, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Muhammad Ibne Ali, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Ali Ibne Muhammad, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Hasan Ibne Ali, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

And bless Khalaf Salih (righteous successor), the guide and the guided, Imam of the believers, successor of the messengers and proof of the Lord of the worlds.

O Allah bless Muhammad and his Ahle Bayt (a.s.), the guiding Imams and guided ones, the truthful learned, the righteous and pious, supports of Your religion, pillars of Your Oneness, interpreters of Your revelation, Your proofs on Your creatures and Your representatives on Your earth, whom You have chosen for Yourself, and selected them from Your servants, satisfied them with Your religion, specialized them with Your recognition, bestowed them with Your nobility, humbled them with Your mercy, fed them with Your blessing, nourished them with Your wisdom, dressed them up in Your light, raised them with Your kingdom, surrounded them with Your angels, honored them with Your Prophet.

O Allah bless Muhammad and exceeding blessings be upon them, eternal, pure, no one is surrounded with it except You and none can encompass it except Your knowledge and no one can encompass it other than You.

O Allah bless Your Wali, enlivener of Your Sunnah, establisher of Your command, caller towards You, proof upon You and proof on Your creatures, Your caliph on Your earth and witness on Your servants.

O Allah exalt his help, increase his lifespan, and embellish the earth by increasing his survival. O Allah suffice him from the greed of the jealous,

protect him from the mischief of plotters, prevent from him the intentions of the oppressors and deliver him from the hands of the tyrants.

O Allah, bestow him in his self, his progeny, his followers, his subjects, his confidants, his common ones, his enemies and all the people of the world whatever is near to his view and which is easy for his self and fulfill the best of his aspirations in the world and the hereafter, indeed You are powerful over everything.

O Allah! Put back, through him, in original form that which has been uprooted from Your religion, put in order again through him the confusion created in Your Book. Make clear, through him, the distortions made in Your commandments, so that Your religion regains its true spirit, on his hands, blooming and full of tenderness, progressive, up to date, liberated, savior, without doubts and uncertainties, without suspicions and obscurities, there being no falsehood lingering around him, nor any subversive activities in his presence.

O Allah! Enlighten the world with his truth and make oppression and tyranny take fright and flee, put a stop to reversal and subversion by relying upon him, once for all, pull down the edifice of corrupt wickedness forever by giving him a free hand, through him break up entirely totalitarianism, let him deal the death-blow and wipe out the existence of the damned and accursed, and put an end to oppression perpetrated by the unjust tyrants, and set up justice and fairplay, put in force his “rule of life”, far and wide, everywhere, over all jurisdictions, make all authorities serve to promote his sovereignty. O Allah, whoso runs away from him should be discredited and put to shame, whoso undermines his mission should be eliminated, whoso looks upon him with envy, and quarrel, may be cornered, back to the wall, whoso knows but denies his right may rot and disintegrate, make lighter and easy his mission, make haste to set in motion blossoming of his truth, let his glory shine in full brightness.

O Allah! Send blessings on Muhammad, the Chosen, on Ali, who pleased (Allah) better than others, on Fatima, the bright and beautiful, on Hasan, the agreeing, on Husain, the refined, and on all the rest of the closely connected appointed guardians, the favorite confidants, the signs leading unto guidance, the lighthouse of piety and wisdom, the trustworthy and safe handles, the strong rope, the right path. Bless Your dearest intimate friend, the authority You promised to protect, and (bless) the Imams, his children, spread their creed, build up their cause, let their thoughts and deeds reach far and wide, to the four corners of the world, in the matter of religion, in the worldly affairs and at the time of Final Judgment, verily You are able to do all things.”

15- Amali Tusi: Abu Muhammad Fahham said: Narrated to me Abu Tayyib Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Batta that he never entered the shrine; he performed the Ziyarat from the window. He says:

“Once on the day of Ashura at noon when the sun was at its peak and the roads were deserted, I came out to perform the Ziyarat of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) at his shrine. But I dreaded the tyrants and oppressors of the town. Thus I came to the surrounding wall that led into the orchard. When I

looked from there, I saw a man sitting at the door with his back to me. And as if he was looking at something in his notebook. Then he addressed me: O Abu Tayyab, where are you going?

His voice was very similar to that of Husain bin Ali bin Abu Ja’far bin Reza. I said to myself that perhaps it was Husain who had come for the Ziyarat of his brother. So I said: My chief, I am going to do the Ziyarat from the window. When I come back I will fulfill your rights also.

He said: Why from the window? Why not from inside?

I replied: There is an owner of this house and I cannot enter without his permission.

He said: You are our true devotee and follower. Would we disallow you to enter our place? Go in and perform the Ziyarat.

So I came upto the door and found no one there. I was worried and called for the sentry who opened the door for me and I entered.

Then we used to tell Abu Tayyab: You never used to go in. You did the Ziyarat from outside only?

He said: The owner of the house had given permission to me and you people remain.”

Ahmad bin Ishaq Qummi

16- Ikmaaluddin: Saduq (r.a.) has narrated from Ali bin Abdullah Warraq from Saad bin Abdullah Ashari from Ahmad bin Ishaq Qummi that he said:

“I went to Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) and wanted to inquire about his successor. His Eminence, preceded me in the matter and said as follows: “O Ahmad bin Ishaq! The Almighty Allah has not left the earth without a Divine Proof since the creation of Adam (a.s.) and would not leave it without a Divine Proof till the hour shall be established (Day of Judgment). Through the Divine Proof calamities are repelled from the inhabitants of the Earth, rain falls and the bounties of the earth come out.”

Ahmad asked: “Who is the Imam and Caliph after you?” Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) arose and hurried inside his house and returned after a short while, carrying on his shoulders a boy, whose face seemed to be like the full moon and he looked three years old. After that, His Eminence, Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) said:

“O Ahmad! If you were not having a special and exalted position before Allah and the Proof of Allah, I would not have shown this son of mine to you. His name and patronymic is the same as that of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.). He would fill the earth with justice and equity, as it would be fraught with injustice and oppression. O Ahmad! In this community his example is like that of Khizr and Dhulqarnain. By Allah! He will have an occultation and none shall be safe from destruction; but one whom Allah has kept steadfast in the belief of his Imamate and given the divine opportunity*(Taufeeq)* to pray for his reappearance.”

Ahmad immediately asked, “Is there any sign or symbol so that it may satisfy my heart?”

Just then the boy, who looked like a full moon, began to speak and he said:

“I am the remnant of Allah on His earth and the avenger from His enemies and do not demand proof after what you have seen…”

After hearing these words of the Proof of Allah, Ahmad went out of the house of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) in such a condition that his complete being was surrounded by joy. When again he came to Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) the next day, he said: “O son of Allah’s Messenger! I was very much pleased with the favor you bestowed me that day. Thus what is the continuing practice of Khizr and Dhulqarnain?”

Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) said, “Prolonged occultation.”

Ahmad at once said: “O son of Allah’s Messenger, would the occultation of the Promised Imam (a.s.) be also prolonged?”

Imam (a.s.) replied, “By my Lord! Yes, so much so, that even those who had accepted him, would turn away from their belief and none shall remain except one from whom Allah has taken the covenant of our guardianship and in whose hearts is rooted our love and those who support it with their hearts.

O Ahmad bin Ishaq! This is the command of Allah and one of the divine secrets and one of the Unseen matters of Allah. So remember what I am telling you and keep it confidential and conceal it from those who are not worthy of it. And be thankful of this bounty so that tomorrow in Qiyamat you may reside in Paradise with us.”

Shaykh Saduq (a.r.) says: I heard this tradition only from Ali bin Abdullah Warraq and found it only in his writings. So I asked him about it and he narrated it to me from Saad bin Abdullah from Ahmad bin Ishaq (r.a.) which I have mentioned.

Yaqub bin Manfus

17- Ikmaaluddin: Saduq has narrated from Abu Talib Muzaffar bin Ja’far bin Muzaffar Alawi Samarqandi: Narrated to us Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Masud from his father Muhammad bin Masud Ayyashi: Narrated to us Adam bin Muhammad Balkhi: Narrated to me Ali bin Husain bin Harun Daqqaq: Narrated to us Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Qasim bin Ibrahim bin Malik Ashtar that he said: Narrated to me Yaqub bin Manfus[3] that he said:

“I went to Abi Muhammad Hasan bin Ali (a.s.) to find him sitting at his usual place in his house. There was a room to his right with a curtain at its entrance.

I asked the Imam: Who is the master of this affair? He replied: Lift that curtain. When I lifted the curtain, I saw a boy aged eight or ten years, having a broad forehead, fair complexion, pearl-like upper lip. Soft and clear palms, broad shoulders, long knees, a mole on the right cheek, hair reaching to the forehead, who came out and went on to sit in the Imam’s lap. The Imam said: This is your master. Then he said to the child: Son, go back till the appointed Hour. So the child arose and went into the room. I was looking at him continuously. Then the Imam said to me: Yaqub, go and look in the room. When I entered that room, there was no one there.”

Abu Harun

18- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Ali bin Hasan bin Faraj Muezzin (r.a.) that he said: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Hasan Karkhi:

“Abu Harun - a person who belongs our school of thought - said: “I saw His Eminence, the Master of the Age while his face shone like a full moon and I saw a line of hair on his navel. When I removed the cover, I saw that he was circumcised. When I asked Abu Muhammad (a.s.) about it, he said: This is the way he was born and this is the way we all (Imams) are born. But we moved the knife over him just in keeping up with the practice.” This traditional report is also mentioned in theGhaibat of Shaykh Tusi from a group of scholars quoting from Shaykh Saduq (a.r.).

19- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Muhammad bin Ali Majiluwayh (r.a.) that he said: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Yahya Attar: Narrated to me Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Malik Fazari: Narrated to me Muawiyah bin Hakim and Muhammad bin Ayyub Ibne Nuh and Muhammad bin Uthman Amari (r.a.), they said:

“Abu Muhammad Hasan Askari (a.s.) acquainted us, forty persons, with his newborn son, His Eminence, Mahdi, while we were present at his house. He said: ‘This son of mine is my Imam and Caliph for you after me. Obey him and after me do not become disunited in your religion, that you be destroyed. But you should know that, after this day, you will not see him.’ They said: We left his place and after only a few days he [Imam Askari (a.s.)] passed away.”

Muhammad bin Uthman

20- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Ibne Walid from Himyari that he said:

“I was with Ahmad bin Ishaq in the presence of Amri (r.a.). I said to Amri: I ask you about a subject, as Allah, the Mighty and the High has said in the story of Ibrahim (a.s.): So you not believe? He said: Yes, but in order to satisfy my heart. Have you seen my Master? He said: Yes, and he has a neck like this, pointing with both of his hands to his own neck.”

A Man from Fars

21- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Ali bin Ahmad Daqqaq and Muhammad bin Muhammad Isaam Kulaini and Ali bin Abdullah Warraq - May Allah be pleased with them - they said: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Yaqub Kulaini: Narrated to me Ali bin Muhammad: Narrated to me Muhammad and Hasan sons of Ali bin Ibrahim in the year 279: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Ali bin Abdur Rahman Abdi from Abde Qais - from Zau bin Ali Ijli from a man of Fars, whom I heard saying:

“I reached Surra Man Raa and came to the house of Abu Muhammad (a.s.). Before I could seek the permission to enter, the Imam called me from inside. I entered and greeted him. He asked me: How are you? Then he told me to sit and inquired about the well being of my family. Then he said: How do you happen to come here? I said: I have come to serve you. He said:

Then stay here only. I began to live in his house with the servants. One day I returned from the market after buying the necessary things. When I entered the house, the Imam called me out to stop where I was. And that neither should I go out nor come in. Then a maid came out carrying something wrapped in a cloth. Then the Imam called me and also called the maid. When she came back, he told her: Reveal that which you have in your arms. When she removed the cloth, I saw a beautiful child in her arms. I saw his belly on which there was a line of hair from the chest to the navel. The hair was green and not black. The Imam said: This is your Master (after me). Then he told the maid to take him away. After that I did not see the child till the Imam (a.s.) passed away.

Zau bin Ali says: I asked this Persian: What was the age of the Qaim at that time? He replied: Two years. Abdi says: I asked Zau bin Ali: What would be his age today? He replied: Fourteen years. Abu Ali and Abi Abdullah say: At this time his age must be twenty-one years.”

This traditional report is also mentioned inGhaibat of Shaykh Tusi.

Abu Saeed Ghanim bin Saeed Hindi

22- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Hatim (r.a.): Narrated to us Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ja’far: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Ja’far Farsi: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Ismail bin Bilal: Narrated to us Azhari Masroor bin Aas: Narrated to us Muslim bin Fadl that he said:

“I went to meet Abu Saeed Ghanim bin Saeed Hindi in Kufa and asked him about his well being and asked him about what has passed on him. He said: I entered a city of India, called Kashmir and I was among the forty advisors of the king…”

Saduq has also mentioned in the same book that:

Narrated to us my father (r.a.) from Saad bin Abdullah from Allaan Kulaini from Ali bin Qays from Ghanim bin Saeed Hindi who said that according to the statement of a Allaan and group from Muhammad bin Muhammad Ashari has narrated from Ghanim that he said:

“Thus I was in Kashmir with the Indian king and I was one of the forty persons who sat around him in his court. We were scholars of Taurat, Injeel and Zabur. Once there was a discussion among us with regard to Prophet Muhammad and we said that we have found him mentioned in our books. Thus it was decided that I should go and find him and ask him about the correct religion. So I set out with some money. On the way I was robbed and I somehow managed to reach Kabul. From Kabul I moved to Balkh which was ruled by Ibne Abu Shoor. I went to him and told him about myself. He summoned the scholars to have a discussion with me on Islam. So I asked them about Prophet Muhammad. They said that he was their Prophet and that he has passed away. So I asked them who his successor was. They said: Abu Bakr. I told them to mention his lineage. They took his lineage upto the Quraish. I said: Then the person whose successor is Abu Bakr, was not a prophet, because we have found in our books that his successor would be his cousin, the husband of his daughter and the father of his sons. All of them went to the king and said: This person has come out of

polytheism and gone into disbelief. Therefore he must be executed. I said: I am following one religion and my aim is only to spread my knowledge.

So the king sent for Husain bin Askib and said: O Husain have a discussion with this man. Husain said: He has been surrounded by the scholars and jurists, how can I have a discussion with him? Take him aside and have a discussion with him as I have told you, and be lenient with him. Thus Husain bin Askib took me aside and I asked him about Prophet Muhammad. He said: As the scholars have informed you, he was our Prophet. But his successor is his cousin, Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.), the husband of his daughter, Fatima and the father of his sons, Hasan and Husain (a.s.). I said: I testify that there is no god, except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. He took me to the king and I declared my acceptance of Islam. Then I came with Husain bin Askib to his house. He explained the teachings of Islam. I said: We have read in our books that there is a successor for every caliph. So who is the successor of Ali? He replied: Hasan, then Husain and then he mentioned each of the names till he reached the name of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) and then he said: Now you yourself search for the successor of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.). So I set out to search for him.”

Muhammad bin Muhammad said: And he came upto Baghdad with us. He told us that he had a friend who was helping him in this matter, but during the same time I became fed up with some of his habits and I separated from him.

He said: One day I was walking on the bridge in Baghdad in a contemplative mood when a man approached and said to me: Come to your master. He led me to a house which had a garden. Suddenly I saw my master sitting there. When he saw me, he spoke to me in Hindi and he greeted me. He addressed me by my name and asked about each of the forty persons separately. Then he said: You are planning to go for Hajj this year with the people of Qom. Don’t go for Hajj this year. Go to Khurasan and perform the Hajj next year. Throwing a small pouch to me he said: You may use it for your expenses and don’t stay in anyone’s house in Baghdad. And don’t tell anyone what you have seen. We set out from Uqbah and our Hajj was not complete and Ghanim went to Khurasan and he performed the Hajj the following year. Then he came to us kindly and did not enter Qom and neither did he go for Hajj. He went to Khurasan instead and died there. May Allah have mercy on him.

Muhammad bin Shazan from Kabul said: I saw him with Abu Saeed, who remembered that I was in search of the true religion that I had found in Injeel and for which I had left Kabul. Muhammad bin Shazan said: I have received news that he has reached till here. I continued to search for him till I found him and asked him about his story. He said that he was still in search. He settled down in Medina. Whomever he mentioned this to, ridiculed him. Till he met a Shaykh of Bani Hashim named Yahya bin Muhammad Areezi. He said: The person you are looking for is in Sariya. He said: I came to Sariya and went to a threshold that was sprayed with water. I felled myself at the place. A black servant emerged from the house and told me to go away from there. I said I would not go anywhere. At last he told

me to come inside. When I entered, I saw my master seated at the center of the house. He addressed me by name which no one knew except my people in Kabul. Then he informed me about a few things. I said: My master, my livelihood is lost, please give me something. He said: It is lost because of your falsehood. Then he gave me rations and even though I had lost everything previously the rations Imam gave me lasted for me. Then I returned. But when I went to Medina the following year and went to that house, I could not find anyone there.”

Muhammad bin Uthman Amari

23- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Muhammad bin Musa bin Mutawakkil (r.a.): Narrated to us Abdullah bin Ja’far Himyari that:

“I asked Muhammad bin Uthman Amari: “Have you the seen the master of this affair?” He replied: “Yes, and the last time I saw him, he was besides the Holy House of Allah and praying: O my Lord, fulfill the promise that You made to me.”

And also from the same chain of narrators it is narrated from Muhammad bin Musa bin Mutawakkil (r.a.): Narrated to us Abdullah bin Ja’far Himyari that:

I heard Muhammad bin Uthman Amari (r.a.) say: “I saw His Eminence (a.s.) holding the curtain of the Kaaba below the spout and praying: O my Lord, take revenge from my enemies.”

InGhaibat of Shaykh Tusi these two traditional reports are narrated from Himyari from a group of scholar from Shaykh Saduq from his father and Ibne Mutawakkil and Ibne Walid Qummi.

Nasim the Maidservant

24- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Muzaffar Alawi from Ibne Ayyashi from his father from Adam bin Muhammad Balkhi from Ali bin Hasan Daqqaq from Ibrahim bin Muhammad Alawi that he said: Narrated to me Nasim, maidservant of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) that:

“A night after the birth of the Master of the Time (a.s.) I came to him. I sneezed and he said to me: ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’” Nasim says: “I was very pleased at this.” His Eminence asked: “Shall I not give you glad tidings about your sneeze?” I asked: “What is it?” He said: “You are secure from death for three days.”

Abu Nasar Taraif

25- Ikmaaluddin: Through the same chain of narrators, it is narrated from Ibrahim bin Muhammad Alawi that he said: Narrated to me Tareef Abu Nasr:

“I came to the Master of the time (a.s.) and he told me to bring red sandalwood which I did. Then he asked: Do you know me? I said: Yes. He asked: Who am I? I said: My master, and the son of my master. He said: I did not ask you this. Tareef said: I said: May I be sacrificed on you, tell me.

He said: I am the seal of the successors. And through me will Allah, the Mighty and Sublime ward off calamities from my family and my Shia.”

This traditional report is mentioned inGhaibat of Shaykh andDawat . Rawandi has also narrated it from Allaan Razi from the servant, Taraif Abu Nasar.

Names of those who have seen His Eminence

26- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Muhammad bin Muhammad Khuzai (r.a.) from Abu Ali Asadi from his father from Muhammad bin Abi Abdullah Kufi that he mentioned the names of those who were familiar with the miracles of the Master of the Age (a.s.) and who have met the Imam. They were as follows:

“Among the representatives were: Uthman bin Saeed Amari and his son, Hajiz, Bilali and Attar from Baghdad.

From Kufa, Asimi.

From Ahwaz, Muslim bin Ibrahim bin Mahziyar.

From Qom, Ahmad bin Ishaq.

From Hamadan, Muhammad bin Salih.

From Rayy, Bassami and Asadi, that is Abu Ali Asadi, the narrator of this report himself.

From Azerbaijan, Qasim bin Alaa.

From Nishapur, Muhammad bin Shazan.

Among the non-representatives were: from Baghdad, Abul Qasim bin Abi Habis, Abu Abdullah Kindi, Abi Abdullah Juniadi, Harun Qazzaz, Neeli, Abul Qasim bin Dubais, Abi Abdullah bin Farookh, Masroor Tabbakh, slave of Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.), Ahmad and Muhammad, sons of Hasan, Ishaq Katib from Bani Naubakht, Sahib-e-Nawa and Sahib-e-Surratil Makhtooma.

From Hamadan was Muhammad bin Kashmard, Ja’far bin Hamadan and Muhammad bin Harun bin Imran.

From Dainawar was Hasan bin Harun and his nephews Ahmad and Abul Hasan.

From Isfahan, Ibne Badshala.

From Saimara, Zaidan.

From Qom, Hasan bin Nazar, Muhammad bin Muhammad, Ali bin Muhammad bin Ishaq and his father and Hasan bin Yaqub.

From the people of Rayy were: Qasim bin Musa and his son, Abu Muhammad bin Harun, Sahib-e-Hisaar, Ali bin Muhammad Kulaini and Abu Ja’far Rafa.

From Qazwin, Mardas and Ali bin Ahmad.

From Qabis, two persons.

From the city of Zor, Ibne Khal.

From Faris, Majrooh.

From Merv, owner of a thousand dinars, owner of money and the white letter, and Abu Thabit.

From Nishapur, Muhammad bin Shuaib bin Salih.

From Yemen, Fadl bin Yazid, his sons Hasan, Ja’fari, Ibne Ajami and Shamshati.

From Misr, father of two children, owner of property in Mecca and Abu Rajaa.

From Kashan, Abu Muhammad bin Wajna.

From Ahwaz, Husaini.”

Hasan bin Wajna

27- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Taliqani from Ali bin Ahmad Kufi from Salman bin Ibrahim Riqqi from Hasan bin Wajna Nasibi that he said:

“I was in my fifty-fourth Hajj and supplicating in prostration under the spout of the Kaaba after Isha prayer. I was lamenting and beseeching when all of a sudden somebody shook me and said: “O Hasan bin Wajna, get up.” He said: I got up and saw a slave girl of pale complexion and thin stature. I thought she was more than forty years of age. She began to walk before me. And without asking any questions, I followed her till she reached the house of Her Eminence, Lady Khadija (s.a.).

There was a room in that house with an open door in the center of the wall. The slave girl went above. I heard a voice calling out: O Hasan, come up. So I went up and stood at the door of the room and His Eminence, the Master of the Time (a.s.) said: “O Hasan, you thought that you were hidden from me? By Allah, I had been with you every time you came for Hajj.” Then he described my circumstances.

I fell down unconscious on the face. Then I felt a hand touching me; I got up. He said to me: “Stay in Medina at the house of Ja’far bin Muhammad (a.s.) and do not worry about food, water and clothes.”

Then he gave me a paper on which were writtenDua Faraj and recitations of benedictions on His Eminence. And he said: “Recite this supplication and send benedictions upon me in this manner. And do not show this paper to anyone except deserving ones among our Shia. As Allah, the Mighty and Sublime will give youTaufeeq. ”

I said: “O my master, would I never see you after this?” He replied: “O Hasan, whenever Allah wills, (you will see me).” Hasan says: After concluding my Hajj, I went to Medina and stayed at the house of Ja’far bin Muhammad (a.s.). I always went to the Masjid and except for three things I did not return to the house. For making ablution, rest and sleep, and for meals.

When I entered my room at the time of breaking the fast (Iftar ) I found a bowl one-fourth filled with water and upon it was kept a loaf of bread and food that I felt like having that day. I consumed it till satiation. Winter clothes arrived in winter and summer clothes in summer. During the day, I used to enter the water for bathing and sprinkle the water in the house also. I used to take the empty cup and fill it with food and whatever exceeded my needs I gave it away to the poor so that those with me may not come to know of my circumstances.”

Ibrahim bin Mahziyar

28- Ikmaaluddin: Saduq (a.r.) has narrated from Musa bin Mutawakkil from Himyari from Ibrahim bin Mahziyar that he said:

“I reached the city of the Prophet (Medina) with the purpose to investigate the traditional reports of Abu Muhammad Hasan bin Ali, the second (a.s.) but I could not get any lead. I was finally compelled to move to Mecca. Once while circling the Kaaba, I saw a wheat complexioned, handsome and cultured young man. I moved towards him to consult him about my present problem. I caught him up and greeted him. He responded to my greeting in the most cheerful way and asked me where I was from. I said that I was a resident of Iraq. Then he asked me from which city I hailed. I said that I was from Ahwaz. He was pleased with this and he exclaimed a nice welcome and said: May Allah bless you for my meeting with you. Do you know a person in Ahwaz called Ja’far Hamadan Husaini? I replied in the positive. I said I knew him well, but he was deceased. He said: May Allah’s mercy be on him. He spent all his time in worship and lived a pious life. Due to those good deeds Allah, the Mighty and Sublime gave him the best rewards. After that he asked: Do you know Ibrahim bin Mahziyar? I said I was him. He embraced me at once and said: Welcome, O Abu Ishaq, where is the sign through which there was connection between you and Abu Muhammad (a.s.)? I said: Perhaps you mean the finger ring by which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime graced me through Abu Muhammad Hasan bin Ali (a.s.). I don’t desire any other thing. So I took out the ring and the youth took it up very eagerly and lovingly touched it to his eyes and kissed it. Then he read all that was written on the edge of this ring. The holy names of Allah, Muhammad and Ali were engraved upon it. After that he said: May my life be sacrificed on them. I presented my questions to him and he gave satisfactory replies. I also discussed the various aspects of relating traditional reports. Finally he said: O Abu Ishaq, tell me about the great aim that you intend to achieve after completing your Hajj. I said I would not conceal anything from him. He said that was only proper. Right now you can ask me whatever you want and I will, Insha Allah, explain to you everything in detail. I asked him what he knew about the children of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.). He replied: By Allah, he has two sons, Muhammad and Musa and I have seen both of them. I have been sent by them only. They have called you. If you want to meet them and gain from them you can come with me to Taif, but don’t let your companions know anything about it.

Ibrahim says: I immediately set out with this young man towards Taif. After crossing the vast expanses of the desert, we reached a spot where the desert ended. I saw there a magnificent tent of fur pitched on raised ground due to which the surrounding area looked fresh and inhabited. When we halted there, my companion youth went inside the tent and announced my arrival. The elder of the two gentleman emerged from the tent. He was M-H-M-D, Ibnul Hasan (a.s.). He had a clear and youthful countenance. The color of his purified body was absolutely clear, eyebrows joined, soft cheeks, high nose. There was a mole on his right cheek which shone like a star and seemed to be a particle of musk on a mirror. The hair reached to the ear lobes and I saw such signs as I had never seen before and I had never before been familiar with such elegance and modesty. I rushed to him, fell at his feet and began to kiss them. He said: O Abu Ishaq, congratulations to

you. I was eager to meet you since a long time. Even though you lived far away, your face was always there in my imagination. As if no moment was without the best conversation and meeting. I thank my Lord who is the owner of praise that He saved me from meetings and discord. And that he bestowed me the opportunity to remain successful in the coming circumstances.

After this discourse, he inquired about the other believers of Ahwaz. I said: Master, as soon as Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) passed away I set out in search of you, leaving my home and people and I have been roaming about till date, therefore I cannot tell you anything about those people. But today Allah, the Mighty and Sublime has fulfilled my aim.

After that he took me in private, made me sit down comfortably and then said: The fact is that my respected father - may Allah bless him - took oath from me that I would not reside in one place but in hidden and far off lands. So that I may protect myself from the deceit and plots of deviated and rejected people that are present in wayward communities. Thus I was sent to the highlands and I considered the barren areas necessary for myself. I was shown the causes through which problems are solved and calamities dispelled.

His Eminence (a.s.) also made me familiar about the treasures of wisdom and the fine points of sciences that I was unaware of or had superficial knowledge of. My father gave me from the treasures of unseen secrets and wisdom, such that if I taught even a part of it to you, O Abu Ishaq, you will not be in need to ask anyone in the world. My father said: Allah, the Mighty and Sublime had at no time left any part of the world in no circumstances without His Proof, who may help them in religious and worldly affairs, and who is their leader in the world and the hereafter. That is why I can tell you that I am certain that my son, after me you are from those who are sent by Allah, the Mighty and Sublime till today, one after the other, to distinguish truth and falsehood. These Imams distinguish truth from falsehood and destroy the basis of recognition of falsehood. They douse the fire of disbelief and apostasy. In order to be safe from the calamities of the time, it is necessary for you to live in far off hidden places, because in every age every representative of God also has an enemy who is always ready for confrontation with the divine appointees. It is so because the latter considers it his religious duty to fight the enemies of Allah. So the exceeding number of your enemies should not frighten you. You must also be assured that the hearts of the sincere believers are as eager to meet you as the birds are eager to reach their nests. And the people with the perfect faith and absolute sincerity are those who apparently live ordinary lives and in difficult circumstances in the world. But in the view of Allah these people have an exalted status and much value even though in the view of the people, they are helpless and needy. They have contentment and they keep away from sins. It is they who nurture the religion of God and are prepared to fight the enemies of faith. Allah, the Mighty and Sublime has secured them through patience and forbearance. They shall remain in the world with the same qualities till the Almighty Allah conveys them to their eternal abode in Paradise. They have been endowed with patience so that in times of distress

they may display the jewels of their patience and bear all the calamities of the world without any reaction, and crossing each stage reach to the stages of the hereafter. So gain from knowledge. O son, dispel the darkness of calamites and humility with the light of patience so that the Almighty Allah may remove that calamity from you and be assured that all the calamities and problems that befall you, all of them increase your honor because you are famous in the world as a righteous one. That is why your excellences are spoken of in all the areas. O son, as I can see that you have been defended verbally that is why you have been able to gain an upper hand over your enemies. As if I can see the yellow and white flag in the vicinity of the Kaaba. Your followers are very loyal and sincere to you. They gather around you like pearls and they glance at your house in hope of refuge like people stretch their hands towards the Hajarul Aswad. Allah, the Mighty and Sublime has created their hearts with pure love and blessed essence and has kept it purified of every contamination and impurity of hypocrisy. They readily accept the ways of religion and its dos and don’ts and they are away from mischief and corruption. Due to their acceptance of divine laws their countenances are always shining. Due to excellence their bodies are strong and active. They are the ones who bring faith on the religion of truth and it is these who will rush to pay allegiance to you. Allah, the Mighty and Sublime has strengthened their bodies and increased their life spans. They would pay allegiance to you under a tree with thick branches near the Tiberius Sea and as a result of their allegiance, the people of innovation and deviation will be scattered. The rise of reality will begin at this time and the darkness of ignorance and misguidance will come to an end, through which the Almighty Allah will remove all the corruption from the earth and after being erased completely, the ways of faith and religion will be established afresh. All this would happen through you. People will be involved in spiritual maladies at this time, but your followers and helpers will not be affected with them. Your acceptance will be so widespread that even an infant in the cradle will be desirous of coming to you to pay the allegiance. But those who are away from the straight path and like beasts, they will not be inclined to you. The rest of the world will through serving you, obtain salvation and eternal joy. Due to you the branches of honor will become green once more and the edifice of respectability will remain firm in its location. Due to you the lost pages of religious law and divine commandments will be restored. The clouds of success and help will rain for you. At that time you will strangle your enemies and help your followers. At that time on the whole of earth, there will not remain any oppressor that deviates from truth and neither will there be any denier that considers the true commands debased. No enemy of yours will remain and neither will be anyone that points out defects. No opponent will be left to oppose you.

“And whoever trusts in Allah, He is sufficient for him; surely Allah attains His purpose…” (Surah Talaq 65:3)

Then he said: O Abu Ishaq, keep this location and this meeting secret, except from those who are reliable from among your brothers in faith. And

when the signs of reappearance and advent become apparent to you, do not lag behind your brothers in reaching me, and make haste to obtain the effulgence of certainty and religion so that you may obtain guidance, if Allah wills. Ibrahim bin Mahziyar says: I stayed with His Eminence for sometime to gain points of wisdom and clarification of many problems and obtained the revival of faith in my heart. After that I became nostalgic for my people and with regret of separation from the Imam asked him to allow me to leave. The Imam accorded me permission and also gave me a supplication which carries untold spiritual benefits and which will be a source of blessing for my children and relatives.

I had with me an amount of 50000 dirhams which I presented to the Imam who smiled and said that I should use it for my expenditure in the return journey. He said that I must not think that the Imam has not accepted it. He said: May Allah increase your wealth and make it last for you ever. May He give you the rewards of the righteous and grant you the traits of the obedient ones. All the excellence belongs only to Him. And I pray that Allah makes you reach home safely without any problem. I entrust you to Allah. You will never be deprived of His mercy and blessings, if Allah wills.

O Abu Ishaq, we have adopted contentment due to His great favors and benefits of thankfulness. And we have protected our selves through the company of divine saints, purity of intention and unadulterated advice. And we have guarded that which is absolutely clean and whose mention is very lofty.

Abu Ishaq said: I thank Allah, the Mighty and Sublime that He showed me the right path. I returned after meeting the Imam with a certainty that the Almighty Allah will not allow His earth to decay and nor would He keep it devoid of His clear proof. I publicized this report in order to increase the insight of the people of faith and to increase the recognition of the purified progeny of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.). It was a kind of returning the trust that I held. So I decided to submit to that which had become clear to me so that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime grants me the strength of determination, helps my intention and increases the belief in infallibility.

“…and Allah guides whom He pleases to the right path.” (Surah Baqarah 2:213)

Abdullah Suri

29- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Muzaffar Alawi from Ibne Ayyashi from his father from Ja’far bin Maruf that he said:

Abu Abdullah Balkhi wrote for me that Abdullah Suri has narrated to me that “One day when I went to the orchard of Banu Aamir I saw boys playing in the pond and a youth was sitting on the prayer carpet with his sleeve on his mouth. I asked: Who is that? The boys replied: M.H.M.D. Ibne Hasan (Askari). He resembled his father.”

Rashid Hamadani

30- Ikmaaluddin: It is mentioned that one of the prominent tradition scholars, Ahmad bin Faras Adeeb said:

“I heard the following incident in Hamadan and after that I narrated it to one of our brothers in faith who insisted that I write it down for him in my own hand. I could not reject his request and in the view of the one who had narrated it to me the first time there was no difference in that story:

There is a tribe in Hamadan, which is called Banu Rashid. All of its members are Shia Imamiyah, when I asked them the reason for their Shiaism an elder of their community whom I found righteous and honest, told me: It is narrated from our forefather, Rashid Hamadani that he said: When I was returning from Hajj and covering the distances through the desert, I was experiencing delight in halting and moving on. I covered a long distance on foot till I was tired and needed some rest. So I decided to sleep for sometime to regain strength. I said to myself: When the last part of the caravan passes by me, I will get up and join them. I was finally awakened by the intense sun and I could not see anyone there. I was terrified, because I didn’t know the way. So I relied on Allah, the Mighty and Sublime and decided to move in the direction I was facing. After sometime I reached greenery that had recently received rainfall. The earth was fragrant. In the middle of that I saw a palace glittering like a sword. I said to myself: If only I could know about this palace, which I have never seen before and neither have I heard anything about it. When I came to the gate, I saw fair-complexioned servants. I greeted them and they replied to me in a cheerful manner. They said: Sit down, Allah has wished you well. A servant went into the palace and then returned to say: Come inside. I entered the palace and saw that its foundations were the best type of foundations and its construction was also the best. The servant stood at the curtain of an entrance. Then he lifted the curtain and told me to go in. I entered the room and saw a young man sitting there in such a way that a long sword was hanging above his head and he seemed to be a full moon shining in the dark. I saluted him and he responded in a kind manner. Then he asked: Who am I? I said: By Allah, I don’t know. He said: “I am that Qaim of Aale Muhammad who would appear in the last period of time and through this sword fill the earth with justice and equity as it would be fraught with injustice and tyranny.”

I fell down on my face. He said: Don’t. Get up. You are a resident of Hamadan and your name is Rashid. I said: My lord and master, you are right. He asked: Would you like to return to your family? I said: Yes, my lord and master, and I would tell them of that with which I have been blessed. He gave me a pouch and gestured to the servant who walked a few steps with me. I decried mounds, trees and minarets of the mosque. The servant asked me: Do you recognize this town? I said: It seems to be like my town, Asadabad. The servant said: O Rashid, this is Asadabad, you may proceed now. When I turned back I could see him no more.

I entered Asadabad. There were forty or fifty dinars in the pouch. I went to Hamadan. I gathered my family members and conveyed the good news to them. Till the time these dinars lasted, we remained in peace and security.”

The author says: Perhaps Astabad is the same place that is mentioned as Asadabad. We should know that Qutubuddin Rawandi (r.a.) has also narrated a similar report from the people of Hamadan.

Servant of Imam Ali Reza (a.s.)

31- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Muzaffar Alawi from Ibne Ayyashi from his father from Ja’far bin Maruf from Abu Abdullah Balkhi from Muhammad bin Salih bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Qambar, the elder, servant of Imam Ali Reza (a.s.) that he said:

“The Master of the Age came to Ja’far Kazzab from an unknown place when the latter was claiming inheritance after the passing away of Abu Muhammad (a.s.). The Imam said to him: O Ja’far, why are you claiming that which is our right? Ja’far was absolutely confounded. After that the Imam disappeared from his sight. Ja’far searched for him among the people, but could not find him.

When his grandmother, the mother of Hasan passed away after having willed that she must be interred in the house, Ja’far argued: This is my house and no one will be buried here. So the Imam (a.s.) came to Ja’far and said: O Ja’far, is it your house? After that he disappeared from his sight and he never saw him again.”

Ali bin Mahziyar

32- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Abul Husain Ali bin Musa that he said: I found in the book of my father (r.a.): Narrated to us Muhammad bin Ahmad Tawal from his father from Hasan bin Ali Tabari from Abi Ja’far Muhammad bin Hasan bin Ali bin Ibrahim bin Mahziyar that he heard his father say: I heard my grandfather Ali bin Ibrahim bin Mahziyar say:

“One night I dreamt that someone was telling me: O Ali bin Ibrahim, go for Hajj and there you shall meet the Master of the Age (a.s.). I was very happy at this dream and after performing the Morning Prayer went out to inquire about the people who were going for Hajj. I came to know that a caravan was just about to set out for Hajj. I hurriedly prepared for the journey and set out with the first group of people. After traveling for sometime we reached Kufa. I alighted from my beast and entrusting my luggage to a reliable person and set out in search for the children of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.). I asked each and everyone, but no one had any knowledge about it. At last we departed for Medina but when we reached there, I was so tired that I did even feel capable of dismounting. But I got down at last and keeping my belongings with a reliable person set out in search of information about the progeny of Abu Muhammad. I continued my search without success till a group set out for Mecca and I accompanied them. On reaching Mecca, again I put aside my belongings and set out in search of the progeny of Abu Muhammad, but again met failure. One night I was sitting in despair, when I thought to myself that I should go and perform the Tawaf of Kaaba and pray to the Almighty Allah regarding my desire. He would surely give me the recognition of my hope. When I set out, I was facing the direction of the Kaaba. At that moment I saw an elegant young

man. He was wearing a pleasing fragrance and was covered with a sheet and trying for another sheet. He put one sheet over his shoulder and shook it. He looked at me and asked: Where are you from? I said that I was from Ahwaz. He asked: Do you know Ibne Khaseeb? I said: May Allah have mercy on him. He has passed away. He said: May Allah’s mercy be on him. He fasted during the days and prayed during the nights. He recited the Quran and had love and regard for us. After that he asked: Do you know Ibrahim bin Mahziyar? I said I was him. He said: Welcome, O Abul Hasan, do you know the two sons of the Imam? I said: Yes. He asked: Who are they? I replied: They are Muhammad and Musa. He asked: Where is the sign that Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) had given you? I said: It is with me. He said: Show it to me. I took out the ring on which the names of Muhammad and Ali were engraved. On seeing the ring he began to weep and said: Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on you. You are a just Imam, the son of an Imam and the father of Imam. May Allah admit you to Paradise of Firdaus with your holy forefathers.

Then he said: O Abul Hasan go back to your quarters and be ready to depart with me after three of the six parts of the night have passed. I returned to my quarters and remained in deep thought for a long time. When it was time to go, I prepared my mount and reached the designated place at the appointed time. I found the young man waiting for me there. He said: Welcome, O Abul Hasan, congratulations, you have gained the permission to meet the Imam. Both of us mounted and crossing the Arafat and Mina neared the foothills of Taif. The youth told me to alight there. We got down and recited the Midnight Prayer. Then the youth told me to pray the Morning Prayer also but in brief. So I prayed the Morning Prayer in brief. The young man applied dust to his face, mounted his beast and also told me to mount. I mounted and both of us set out again. When we reached the desert, he asked me if I could see anything. I said: Yes, my chief, I can see a green area. He asked: Can you see something on it? I said: I can see a tent of fur pitched on a sand dune. And that light is coming out from this tent. He asked me: Can you see anything else? I said: I can see such and such thing. He said: O Ibne Mahziyar, may Allah purify your soul and cool your eyes, we have reached our destination. Dismount! When I dismounted, he said: Ibne Mahziyar, leave the reins of your beast. I said: How can I leave it just like that? There is no one here to take care of it. He said: This is a sanctuary and no one apart from the saints of Allah can enter this place. So I left the beast alone and we moved to the tent. When we reached there, he said: Wait here. Let me get permission for you. He went inside and came back almost immediately and said: Congratulations, you have got the permission. I entered and saw the Imam of the Age (a.s.) seated on a leather rug. I saluted him and he replied. I saw that his face was luminous as the moon and there was no sort of wrinkle in it. Neither was his face too long nor too broad or flat. He was of a tall stature. He had a very holy appearance. The color of his skin was fair. He had a broad forehead and his eyebrows were joined with each other. His cheeks were soft and eyes large. His nose was raised. On his right cheek was a mole. When I saw him for the first time, I was completely amazed at his personality. The Imam asked me: O Mahziyar,

how are your brothers in Iraq? I said: Master, they are following wrong views about you and the progeny of the satan is dominating them. Imam (a.s.) said:

“May Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!” (Surah Taubah 9:30)

I can see that a community will come, which will slay them in their city. The divine command shall apprehend them at any time of the day. I said: O son of Allah’s Messenger, when will this happen? He replied: It would be when between you and the route of the Kaaba, a people will come who are such that Allah and His messenger are immune from them. Redness will be visible in the skies for three days continuously. A pillar will be seen in this, like a pillar of silver from which light would emanate. Then Saruwi will rise from Armenia and Azerbaijan who will try to reach the black mountains at the rear of Rayy. These mountains are facing the red mountains and just next to the Taliqan district. After that there will be a fierce battle between him and Maruzi, in which children will grow old and the old will become weak. There will be terrible bloodshed between them. At that time you must await the reappearance of the Master of the Age, who will first head for Zaura. From there he would move to Mahan and from there to Wasit in Iraq. He will stay there for around a year. From there he will march forward and reach Kufa, from there to Najaf and from there to Haira and Gharra. At this place, there will be a fierce battle between the two groups. As result of which, both the armies will be destroyed. Those who survive this battle will be cut into pieces by the Almighty Allah. Then he recited the following verse:

“Our command comes to it, by night or by day, so We render it as reaped seed-produce, as though it had not been in existence yesterday.” (Surah Yunus 10:24)

I said: O son of Allah’s Messenger, what does ‘Amr’ أَمْر denote? He replied: We are the Amr of Allah and His army. Then I asked: Sir, has that time arrived? He recited the following verse:

“The hour drew nigh and the moon did rend asunder.” (Surah Qamar 54:1)

The author says: The difference in names of the narrators of this incident is perhaps due to reporters who have reported this.

Grandfather of Abul Hasan Wajna

33- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Ali bin Hasan bin Ali bin Muhammad Alawi that he said: Narrated to us Abul Hasan Ali bin Hasan bin [Ali bin] Muhammad bin Ali bin Husain bin Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) that: I heard Abul Husain Hasan bin Wajna say:

“Narrated to us my father from his grandfather that he was in the house of Hasan bin Ali (a.s.), when some people attacked. Among them was Ja’far Kazzab bin Ali also. They began to plunder the house. Just then I saw the Imam of the time (a.s.) coming out of a door. At that time he was six years old. After that no one saw him.”

Delegation of the people of Qom and Jabal

34- Ikmaaluddin: It is narrated from Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Husain bin Abdullah from Zaid bin Abdullah Baghdadi from Ali bin Sinan Musili from his father that he said:

“After Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) had been martyred, a delegation from Qom departed for Samarrah carrying some monies as trusts and religious payments of Shia to visit His Eminence, Imam Hasan Askari and to deliver him the monies. But when they reached, Samarrah they learnt that Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) has passed away. Some servants of Ja’far told them that after him the Imam was Ja’far. At that same time Ja’far has gone out with his singers and musicians to entertain himself on the banks of Tigris River. That is why the delegation of Qom did not believe that Ja’far could be the Imam, because they knew that an Imam and a Divine Proof is aloof from sinful acts and disobedience. Thus they decided to see him and learn the truth about him. So they arrived when Ja’far returned home and met him saying: We are a group of Shia from Qom and we bring some monies for our master, Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.). Ja’far did not let them complete the sentence and asked in haste: Where are the monies? “With us”, they replied but they requested Ja’far to tell them about the amount of money they had brought and who had given it to them. Because previously whenever they came to Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) he used to inform them all these things. Ja’far was dumbfounded and did not know what to do. Ja’far protested that they were lying and the knowledge of the unseen was only for Allah; and his brother was not having such knowledge. The delegation of Qom was further perplexed and they looked at each other. But Ja’far told them in an angry and harsh tone to hand him the money. The group said that they were representatives of the people of Qom and that they would hand him the monies only if he could furnish some signs like Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) used to do. Therefore if he were their Imam he should prove that he is the Imam, otherwise they would return the monies to their respective owners. On hearing this reply Ja’far hurried to the Abbaside Caliph and informed him about the matter concerning the group from Qom. Ja’far sought his help in taking hold of the monies from the Qummi group. The Caliph also pressured the Qummis and said to them, “Give this money to Ja’far.” The Qom delegation said that they were representatives and agents of the people of Qom. “They have requested us not to give these monies to anyone without getting a proof of Imamate. And this same procedure was prevalent during the time of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.).”

“What was that sign that Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) presented?” The group said: “Without us saying anything, His Eminence used to inform us the details of whatever we had brought. And when we used to be reassured that the Imam is perfectly knowing those things, we used to hand them over

to him. Now if this man is the owner of Guardianship (Wilayat) like his brother, he should inform us about these things and explain their quantity and condition so that we can hand it over to him. Otherwise we would take it back to the owners.”

Ja’far was infuriated and he turned to the Caliph and said: “O Master of believers! These people attribute falsehood to my brother, because this is knowledge of the unseen and my brother had no such knowledge.”

The Caliph paid no attention to the statement of Ja’far but said: “They are agents and they are not the owners, so they could not be held responsible for their decision.”

The delegation implored the Caliph to help them leave the city in safety and security. The Caliph ordered they be taken out of the city under police protection and none should obstruct their passage.

The Qom delegation left the boundaries of the city and all of a sudden they decried a handsome young man who mentioned each of their names and said: “Accept your Master!” The group said: “Are you the master of Guardianship?” The youth replied, “Refuge of Allah (No)! Rather I am the slave and the obedient one of your Master, so come with me to our Master.”

The Qom group happily followed the young man. When they reached the house of Imam (a.s.), they saw the Imam was seated on a platform, wearing a green dress. His face shone like a full moon. They saluted the Holy Imam (a.s.) and after they had made themselves comfortable the Imam informed them about the amount of monies with them and the details of other items as well.

The Qom group fell into prostration of thanks for Almighty Allah for having given them the recognition of their Imam and the Divine Proof. After that they posed some religious queries to His Eminence and His Eminence provided the replies. Then they handed over the monies and goods to the Imam. His Eminence instructed them that in future they must not bring anything to Samarrah, but that it should be handed over to the Imam’s representative in Baghdad. The Imam’s written communications must also be taken from this representative. In that same gathering Imam (a.s.) gave a shroud and camphor to Abu Abbas Muhammad Ibne Ja’far Qummi Himyari and said: “May Allah magnify your rewards...”

After having received these favors, the group bid farewell to His Eminence and departed for Iran and Qom and during the journey when they reached between Uqbah and the area of Hamadan, the above-mentioned gentleman, Abu Abbas died. After that we used to send our religious payments to Baghdad to the representative of the Imam and from there the Imam’s epistles were issued.”

The author (Shaykh Saduq) says: This report proves that the caliph of that time was aware of the existence of the Imam of the Age (a.s.) and that is why he did not oppose the delegation that had brought the monies and he did not pay attention to Ja’far’s claims so that this matter is not publicized, lest the common people become attentive towards the Imam.

After the passing away of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.), when Ja’far brought 20000 dinars for the caliph and in exchange of that asked him to allow him to keep the position of his deceased brother [Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.)], the

caliph said: “Your brother’s position was not granted by us. It was a divine appointment. You can see that I exhausted all my capabilities to bring down the status of your brother, but all my efforts were in vain. On the contrary his respect and piety went on increasing. If in the view of the followers of your brother you also had those qualities you would not have needed any help from us. And if in their view you don’t have the qualities your brother had, even if I appoint you on the post of Imamate, it would be of no use to you.”

Kamil bin Ibrahim Madani

35- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Malik from Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Ja’far from Muhammad bin Ahmad Ansari that he said:

“A group of Mufawweza sent Kamil bin Ibrahim Madani to His Eminence, Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.). Kamil bin Ibrahim says: I said to myself: I will ask the Imam if only those who have the same beliefs as us will enter Paradise?

He says: When I met the Imam, I saw that he was wearing a rich garment. I said to myself: The Wali of Allah and the proof of Allah is himself wearing such garments and prohibits us from them. And he also tells us to be equitable with our brothers in faith.

As I was engrossed in these thoughts, the Imam said smiling and turned up his sleeve: O Kamil, look here. I found that below the rich garment was a coarse shirt that was in contact with his body. “See this coarse garment is for the Almighty Allah and the rich dress is for you people.”

Thus I greeted him and sat down near a door across which a curtain hung. Just then a gust of wind moved the curtain away. I saw a four-year-old handsome boy who called out: O Kamil bin Ibrahim, (I began to tremble and automatically said: Labbaik Yaa Sayyidi) Here I am, O my master.

The boy said: You have come to the Wali of Allah and the proof of Allah with the query if those who don’t have the same belief as us will enter Paradise.

I said: By Allah, I wanted to ask this only.

He said: If it is so, very few people will enter Paradise. No, by Allah, even the Haqqiya will enter Paradise.

I asked: Who are Haqqiya?

He replied: Who love Imam Ali (a.s.) and who swear by his right, but they don’t know what his rights and merits are.

Then that boy remained quiet for sometime and then said: And you also came here to ask about the belief of Mufawweza. Thus you should know that they are liars. And our hearts are abodes of divine intention and when Allah intends something, we are also ready for it.

“And you do not please except that Allah please…” (Surah Dahr 76:30)

Then the curtain, which had moved away by the breeze, returned to its position and I did not dare move it away again.

After that Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) smiled at me and said: O Kamil, why are you sitting here. Your questions were answered by the one who will be the divine proof and the Imam after me.

Kamil says: After that I came out from there and never saw him again.

Abu Naeem says: I met Kamil and asked him about this tradition and he narrated the same to me.

36- Ghaibat Tusi: It is narrated from Muhammad bin Yaqub from Ahmad bin Nazar that he asked Qambari a son of Qambar the elder, servant of Imam Ali Reza (a.s.):

“Have you seen the Master of the Age (a.s.)?

He replied: Not me, but someone else has.

I asked: Who is that?

He replied: Ja’far, and he saw him twice.

It is narrated from Rashiq of Madarai that he said: Motazid sent a messenger to the three of us and ordered us to mount on our horses and not to take anything with us except the prayer mat and reach so and so house and such and such locality of Samarrah. “There you will find a black servant. You should besiege that house and apprehend anyone you see there and bring him to me.”

Thus we reached Samarrah and made way to the house Motazid had specified. On the doorstep was a black servant spinning threads. We asked him who was present in the house.

He replied: The owner. And by Allah, he did not stop us in any way. We entered the house as we had been ordered. The house was absolutely clean and there was a curtain in the front; so beautiful as we had never seen before. As if it was just made at that moment. There was no one in the house and we pulled the curtain aside. We saw a huge room with a stream of water and at the end of which was a mat which seemed to be floating on the water. Upon the mat stood the most handsome man engrossed in prayers. He neither paid attention to us nor the means we had. At that moment Ahmad bin Abdullah, a person among us stepped into the water in order to enter the room but he began to drown. He struggled with all his might to prevent himself from drowning till we stretched out our hands and pulled him out. He fell down unconscious for sometime. The second time another member of our group repeated this. He also tried to step in the water to enter the room and he also fell down in the same condition. I was shocked and awed. Then I addressed the owner of the house: I seek forgiveness for you in the court of Allah, by Allah I don’t know what the matter is and to whom we have come and indeed I beg Allah for forgiveness.

However he did not give any response to what I had said and he did not come out of his condition. Due to this a terrible awe struck us and we came out of there. Motazid was waiting for us and he had instructed the sentry that as soon as we returned, we should be taken to him immediately. We reached him in the middle of the night. He asked us about what had passed. We related to him everything in detail. He cried: Woe be unto you, did anyone see you before me? And did anyone else hear this from you? We said: No. He said: I am not the grandson of my grandfather - and he took a

great oath - if I ever hear it, I shall cut off your heads. We also did not dare to relate this matter to anyone as long as Motazid was alive.

37- Al-Kharaij: A similar report is narrated from Rashiq the owner of Madarai that:

“A large army was sent along with him and when that army entered the house of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.), the sound of the Holy Quran was heard from the cellar. So they blocked the passage to the cellar so that no one may enter or leave it. The commander stood sentry and waited for his men to pray after which they may take action. When the soldiers started praying, Imam Zamana (a.s.) came out from the door and walking before them disappeared. When they finished the prayers, the commander told them to enter the cellar. They said: O chief, he went away in front of your eyes; did you not see him? He said: No, I didn’t see him, but why did you allow him to escape?

They said: We thought that you have seen and you are allowing him to escape.”

38- Kitabun Nujoom: The author ofKitabun Nujoom says that he has met a number of people who claim to have seen Imam Mahdi (a.s.) and some of them have also received letters from him:

“Thus one of them who did not allow his name to be mentioned, says: I prayed to the Almighty Allah to give me the honor of seeing Imam Mahdi (a.s.). He dreamt that someone was saying: When it is time to see him, you will be signaled.

So when the time approached, he was in the shrine of Imam Musa Kazim (a.s.). He heard the same voice he had heard reciting the Ziyarat at the grave of Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.). He went inside immediately and stood at the feet of the grave and with regard to the one about whom it was certain that only he is Imam Mahdi (a.s.) and is busy reciting the Ziyarat, when he came out, there was another person with him. But this man could not speak to him, because of extreme humility.

Another person is Rashid Abul Abbas bin Maimoon Wasiti who told us on way to Samarrah that his grandfather Shaykh Warram bin Abu Faras (q.s.) being tired of hostilities, left Hilla and stayed in Kazmain shrines for seven weeks. So I set out from Wasit towards Surre man raa. It was winter season and I met him in Kazmain shrine. When I told him of my intentions, he said: I want to write a plea for you, which you should tie in the corner of your garment, and when you reach Samarrah you should enter the shrine in the evening and stay there. When all leave after performing the Ziyarat, you should come out last and cast this chit near the dome. And if you see the chit missing the next day, you should not say anything to anyone.

The narrator says: I did as instructed and the next morning that chit was missing. Now I began to visit my family and that Shaykh whose chit I had carried, had returned home before me. When I met him at his residence, he told me that the purpose for which he had written the chit is fulfilled.

Abul Abbas says: Thirty years have passed after the death of that Shaykh, but I have never narrated this story to anyone before. This is the first time I am narrating it.

There is another gentleman whose veracity is proved to me. He says: I used to pray to the Master of the Time, Imam Mahdi (a.s.) that he should include me among his servants and supports during the time of his occultation, but I had not divulged this desire to anyone else. On 29th Rajab 635 A.H. on Thursday, Rashid Abul Abbas Wasiti came to me and without me saying anything remarked: He has told you with love and affection that if you remain patient, your wish would be fulfilled.

I asked: On whose behalf do you say this?

He replied: I say this on behalf of my master, Imam Mahdi (a.s.).

There is another person of proved veracity in my view. He narrated that he sent a written plea to Imam Mahdi (a.s.) in which he mentioned many of his problems and requested him to reply to this letter himself. And he took the letter to the cellar in Sar man raa. But since he feared that if he left it there, someone else may get hold of it and destroy it, he brought it out again and placed it under a stone in the mausoleum. It was a Friday eve. When it was midnight, a servant came running and said: Give your Ariza to me.

But I was engrossed in prayer at that time and when I concluded the prayer and came out I could neither see any servant nor any master. (this report implies that Imam Mahdi (a.s.) knew about his Ariza about which no one knew and he had sent his servant to collect it).

The aged Kufian - Sharif Umar bin Hamza

39- Tanbiyatul Khaatir: Sayyid Ajal Ali son of Ibrahim Areezi Alawi Husaini reports from Ali son of Ali son of Numa that he said:

“Hasan bin Ali bin Hamza Aqsasi related this incident in the house of Shareef Ali bin Ja’far bin Ali Madaini Alawi that there was a short-stature Shaykh in Kufa who was well known for his piety, he liked sight-seeing, was an ardent worshipper and preferred seclusion. And he was always in pursuit of historical information and traditional reports.

One day it so happened that I was in the gathering of my father when this gentleman arrived and began to converse with my father and the latter was listening to him intently.

The senior gentleman said: One night I was in Masjid Jofa, which is an ancient Masjid on the outskirts of Kufa. Half the night had passed and I was engrossed in secluded prayers when suddenly three persons entered. When they reached the center of the courtyard, one of them squatted and began to move the soil to the right and the left. A spring of water appeared and water gushed out of it.

He performed the ritual ablution with this water and gestured to the other two persons and they also performed the ablution. Then he stood in the front and the other two stood behind him to pray. I also went and stood at the back and recited the prayers with them.

Since I was astonished at the erupting of the spring, when the prayer was concluded, I asked the man to my right: Who is that gentleman? He told me: He is the Master of the Affair, son of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.). So I went

forward and kissed the blessed hands of His Eminence and asked very respectfully: O son of Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.), what is your opinion about Shareef Umar, son of Hamza? Is he on the right faith? He replied: No, but it is possible he may come to the right path. However it is sure that he would not die without seeing me.

The narrator says: We wrote down this interesting tradition, and some time passed after this incident till Shareef Umar bin Hamza expired and it was not heard that he had seen Imam-e-Zamana (a.s.). One day I met that old gentleman at a place and reminded him about that incident and asked: Did you not say that Shareef would see Imam-e-Zamana (a.s.) before his death? The aged gentleman replied: How do you know that he did not meet His Eminence? After that, one day I met Shareef Abul Manaqib son of Shareef Umar son of Hamza and discussed about his father with him.

Shareef Abul Manaqib said: One night I was with my father when he was in his terminal illness. It was the last part of the night. The physical strength of my father was sapped and his voice had become feeble. All the doors of the house were shut when suddenly a man came to us and I was overwhelmed by his awe. We were so astonished that we didn’t even ask him how he managed to enter the house when all the doors were closed and what the purpose of his visit was. That gentleman sat besides my father, spoke softly to him and my father wept. Then he arose and went away. And when he went out of our sight, my father shook terribly and asked me to make him sit up. I helped him to sit up. He opened his eyes and asked: Where is that gentleman who was sitting near me? I replied that he had left. He said: Go after him. I went after him but could not find him again as all the doors were closed. I returned to my father and related the matter to him. Then I asked him who that gentleman was. He said: He is the Master of the Affair (a.s.). After that his illness intensified again and he became unconscious.

40- Al-Kharaij: It is narrated from Abul Hasan Mustariq Zarir that he said:

“I was present in the assembly of Hasan bin Abdullah bin Hamadan Nasirud Daula and we mentioned the matter of Imam Zamana (a.s.) and I made fun of it. Meanwhile one day, my uncle, Husain paid a visit to me and I discussed the same topic with him. He said: Son, I was also having the same view before. Once I was appointed as a governor of Qom, since the Sultan was in trouble and anyone who came to Qom on behalf of him was chased away by the people there.

So I was given an army and I set out for Qom. When I reached the Tarz province I camped there for sometime. One day when I went hunting, I came across a river. I climbed into it and continued to follow the prey. As much as I moved ahead, the stream deepened and widened and then I saw a rider mounted on a red horse, in such a way that only his eyes were visible and he was wearing red socks. As soon as he came, he called out: O Husain. That is he neither addressed me by my title or my patronymic; on the contrary he called me in an insulting manner. I asked: What do you want?

He replied: Why do you make fun of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) and why do you not pay the Khums to my men?

Husain says: Although I was a brave and daring man, the awe of that rider overcame me and I began to fear a little. Yet I put up a brave face and said: My lord, I will do as you say.

He said: All right, you may go wherever you like, but you must pay the share of the deserving from whatever you receive.

I accepted with all humility.

Then he said: Go on, may Allah guide you to the right path.

Saying this, he turned his horse and went away. I looked here and there, but he had suddenly disappeared. Afterwards I forgot about that incident.

When I reached Qom, I realized that I would have to fight that community. But as soon as I reached there, the people of Qom came to me and said: We opposed all the governors so far. But now that you have come, we don’t intend to fight you. You may come in a take over the administration.

So I remained there and made unexpected wealth, but the army chiefs complained to the Sultan about me and they were jealous that I was living there since years and making money.

Hence I was dismissed and I returned to Baghdad. I first attended the court of the Sultan and then came home. People came to meet me. Among them was Muhammad bin Uthman Amari (who was one of the four special deputies of Imam Zamana (a.s.)). He came and sat down reclining on my pillow, which I found to be extremely audacious. People continued to come and go and my anger continued to increase. When all had left, he came to me and said: I want to speak to you in private.

“You may say what you like.”

He said: “Once you had met a rider on a red horse in a stream. His message for you is that he has fulfilled his promise. You must also fulfill yours.”

As soon I heard this, I recalled that incident and I began to tremble. And I said: “With all humility.” Then I arose, held his hand and brought him to my treasure trove. He started taking out a fifth of everything till he calculated the Khums of the monies that I had forgotten. After that he went away.

After this incident, in my view, the existence of the Master of the Affair was confirmed for me and no doubt remained in my mind.

The narrator says: Since I heard this from my uncle, my doubt was also dispelled.

41- Al-Kharaij: It is narrated from Abul Qasim Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Quluwayh that he said:

“In the year 337 A.H. I had the honor of performing the Hajj and enroute to it reached Baghdad. That year after the destruction of Qaramtians, they had returned Hajar al-Aswad to its prior place. Most of my efforts were aimed to find someone who would fix that stone in its original spot. Because I had learnt from books that except for the Divine Proof of the time, no one can fix it in its original spot. As was seen during the time of Hajjaj when

Imam Zainul Abideen (a.s.) placed it in its original spot. But I fell severely ill and began to fear for myself, and in that condition I was not able to continue my journey. Then I learnt that Ibne Hisham was traveling to Mecca. Therefore, I wrote a letter, sealed it and entrusted it to him. In that letter I had asked about the span of my life, that whether I was destined to die during this illness or not. And I told Ibne Hisham: My endeavor is that this letter should reach the hands of one who fixes the Hajar al-Aswad. And for this job I have summoned you.

Ibne Hisham says: When I reached Mecca and came to the place where Hajar al-Aswad was supposed to be fixed, I gave an amount of cash to the caretakers of the Haram to allow me to remain there at that fixed time. I took up a location from where I could see who fixes that stone. I told the guards to remain with me so that they may take me away from the crowd. I saw that everyone was trying to fix the stone but none was able to do so and it used to fall down. Then a young man of wheat complexion and an elegant appearance approached; he took the stone and placed it in the proper spot. It became so well fixed that I imagined it must not have been so even in the beginning. Clamor arose from the people due to that and that young man headed towards the exit. I rose from where I was sitting and went after him. I pushed people to right and left and they thought I had gone insane. People were making way for him and I did not let him get out of my sight till he separated from the people. I was walking very fast and he moved calmly and with composure. When he reached a place where none could see him except me, he turned to me and said: Give me that which you are carrying. I presented the letter to him. Without looking at it he said: Tell him that there is no danger for him in this illness and the death from which he is helpless would come after thirty years. Tears filled up my eyes and I could not even move. He left me in this condition and went away.

Abul Qasim says: This incident was related to me by Ibne Hisham.

The narrator adds: Thirty years after that mysterious incident Abul Qasim fell ill. So he gathered his affairs, wrote down his will and he made exceptional efforts in this regard. They asked him: “What fear is that? We expect that the Almighty Allah would again give you good health.” He replied: “This is the year about which I was warned.” He passed away in that illness. May Allah have mercy on him.

42- Al-Kharaij: It is mentioned in this books as follows:

“Abu Muhammad Da-alji, who was a good co-religionist of us, was a traditionist and he had two sons. One was named Abul Hasan and he was a righteous man who had a lawful profession and washed the dead bodies. The other son indulged in unlawful activities. A sum of money was sent to Abu Muhammad to perform Hajj on behalf of the Imam of the Time (a.t.f.s.) and this custom was prevalent among the Shia. So, Abu Muhammad gave some of this money to his errant son, and then he went to perform the Hajj. When he returned from there, he reported the following incident: I was standing in Arafat, when I saw an elegant young man of wheaten complexion standing besides me and busy in supplication and worship. When people departed from Arafat, he turned to me and said: O Shaykh, are

you not ashamed? I said: My master, for what? He replied: From the money someone sent to do Hajj on my behalf you gave an amount to a person who is a transgressor and drinks wine? Very soon you will lose this eye. And he pointed to one of my eyes. From that day I am living in dread. Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Muhammad Noman, Shaykh Mufeed also heard of this. The narrator says: Not even forty days passed after his return that from the same eye which was pointed to, pus came out and it became blind.”

43- Al-Kharaij: It is narrated from Abu Ahmad bin Rashid from some of brothers in faith from Madayan that he said:

“I was on a Hajj pilgrimage with some of my associates when we noticed a young man wearing a pair of trousers and a covering sheet and both were worth a hundred and fifty dinars according to our estimation. He was also wearing a pair of yellow slippers which were spotless. Meanwhile a beggar approached him and the young man picked up something and gave it to the beggar and the latter invoked exceeding blessings for him. After that the youth arose and went away from there and disappeared from sight.

We approached the beggar and asked him what that man had given to him.

He replied: These pieces of gold.

We calculated that they must definitely weigh twenty mithqals. I said to my companion: Our Imam is with us in the Hajj this year, but we have not recognized him. Let us go and search for him.

We searched for him all over the area but could not find him and at last returned to our lodging. We asked those who had sat near him. They only told us that he was an Alawite young man who came to Hajj from Medina on foot every year.”

44- Al-Kharaij: It is narrated from Ja’far bin Hamadan from Hasan bin Husain that he said:

“Once I was performing the Tawaf of the Kaaba when a doubt appeared to me about the correctness of my ritual. Just then a handsome youth came and said: Perform the seven rounds (Tawaf ) again.”

45- Irshad: Ibne Quluwayh has narrated from Muhammad bin Yaqub from Ali bin Muhammad from Hamadan bin Qalanisi that he said:

I asked Abu Amr Amari: Has Abu Muhammad (a.s.) died?

“He has died,” he answered, “but he has left a successor among you and whose neck is like this.” He indicated his own neck (i.e. the successor is already mature).

46- Irshad: It is narrated from the same chains from Ali bin Muhammad from Muhammad bin Ali bin Ibrahim from Abu Abdullah Salih that:

“I saw him opposite Hajar Aswad and the people were struggling with one another to get to it. I said: They were not ordered to do this.”

47- Irshad: It is narrated from the same chains from Abu Abdullah bin Salih and Ahmad bin Nazr from Qambari that he said:

“A discussion took place about Ja’far bin Ali (brother of Imam Hasan Askari). He (an unidentified person) blamed Ja’far for claiming Imamate.

I (Qambari) said: “There is not anyone else except him.”

“Yes, there is,” he asserted.

“Who?” I asked, “And have you seen him?”

“I have not seen him,” he replied, “but someone else has.”

“Who is that?” I asked.

“Ja’far has seen him twice,” he declared.

48- Irshad: It is narrated from the same chains from Ali bin Muhammad from Ja’far bin Muhammad Kufi from Ja’far bin Muhammad Makfuf from Amr Ahwazi that he said:

Abu Muhammad, Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) showed me his son and said: “This is your leader after me.”

49- Irshad: It is narrated from Ibne Quluwayh from Kulaini from Muhammad bin Yahya from Hasan bin Ali Nishapuri from Ibrahim bin Muhammad from Abu Nasr Zarif Khadim that he (Zarif) saw him.

50- Muhajjud Dawat: The author of Muhajjud Dawat says:

“I was in Sarmanra when I heard Imam Qaim (a.s.) reciting a supplication at the time of dawn and I memorized it; in that he invoked in favor of the living and the departed believers that may the Almighty Allah enliven them during the time of his rule.”

51- Kashful Ghumma: The author of Kashful Ghumma writes: I will narrate two incidents of miracle cures which occurred in recent times and which some trustworthy scholars have narrated to me.

“Ismail bin Hasan Harqali, a resident of Tigris area, who died during my time, but whom I did not have the chance to meet. His son, Shamsuddin narrated to me that his father said that an abscess came up on his left thigh and became as big as a fist. This abscess was there for a long time and it particularly used to give him severe pain during the spring season. He used to lose a lot of blood through it. He said that he wasn’t able to properly offer his mandatory prayers because of the abscess. He worried so much about this that he went from his village to the town of Hilla. There he met Sayyid Raziuddin Ibne Tawus, who was the most eminent scholar of the Shia during those days although he wasn’t recognized as their Pontiff, only, perhaps because he abstained from issuing edicts to the believers. Ismail Harqali met him and explained his problem to him. Sayyid Raziuddin called all the physicians of Hilla and sought their advice. They suggested that the only possible cure was the amputation of the abscessed limb. But they also said that there was great risk even in the amputation, because there was the risk of severance of some vital veins in the process of amputation. The physicians were believer, and they didn’t want to give him careless advice.

Sayyid Raziuddin told Ismail Harqali that “the Shariah gives permission to offer your prayers despite the impurity of the pus oozing from the abscess.” He said, in fact, prayers in such excruciating conditions will be doubly felicitous. Now there was only one city, Baghdad, where there could perhaps be a possibility of his finding a cure. Baghdad was the capital of the realm of Islam and scholars of all the disciplines were assembled there. Ismail Harqali thought that he must head for Baghdad. He met the personal physician of the Caliph and went to heavy expenses to take his treatment. He spent all his money, but the cure was not in sight. He had spent all his funds and was then subject to abject penury.

He now thought that he would go and seek the help of the Imam Zamana (a.s) in Samarrah. Therefore he proceeded from Baghdad to Samarrah. Many days he continued to pay visits to the Mausoleum of the Imams (a.s) and also visited the cellar from where the Last Imam (a.s) went into hiding. Although the cellar at Samarrah isn’t the abode of the Imam (a.s), it is certainly associated with his memory. Many days went by when he thought that there was no hope of his recovery from the abscess and he was thinking of returning home disappointed. He thought that he had left his wife and children at home long enough and that he must go back to them.

Therefore the next morning, early with the sunrise, he went out of the ramparts of the city. Near the ramparts was flowing the river Tigris. He took a bath there and wanted to visit the mausoleums to bid adieu to the Imams (a.s). He changed into a clean dress and carried water in a pitcher for cleaning the abscess if it suppurated.. This was as a caution for his entering the mausoleum in a clean state. As he entered the ramparts of the town, he found four persons cantering on horses towards him. Their personalities and garments were different from those of the Samarrans. He thought that they must be some travelers passing through the town. They came near him and suddenly stopped. Two of them were youths. They came and stood on his left. There was one elderly person who stood on the other side.

The fourth person, who was neither a youth nor an old person, stood in front of him. He asked him about the condition of the abscess and that he would like to inspect it. He replied that the abscess was increasing by the day. Ismail thought that he had just cleaned himself and was going for the Ziyarat. He was wondering if he would lose his cleanliness if the person touched his abscess. He therefore refused to oblige. Now the person strongly protested why he wasn’t willing to show them his abscess? Then the person bent low, pushed aside the garment from his thigh, held the abscess in his hands. Suddenly the pus gushed out from the abscess. He felt pain for a while but was relieved soon thereafter. Then the person put his hand over the area of the abscess and it looked completely cured. The person put back his garment in its place and said, “O Ismail! You are now fully healed!” He wondered who this person was? How could he know his name? He asked, puzzled and amazed, “How is it that you know me by name?!” The elderly person standing on his right said, “Ismail! Greet him! He is your Imam Zamana (a.s)!” Ismail greeted the Imam (a.s). But replying to his greeting he swiftly mounted the steed and the four persons sped away from sight in no time! Ismail tried to sprint behind the horse of the Imam (a.s). For once the

Imam (a.s) stopped his horse and asked him to turn back. He continued to run behind the Imam’s steed. He stopped a second time, and a third time when he said angrily, “O Ismail! I am your Imam-e-Zamana and I have asked you twice not to follow me! Even then in sheer disobedience you continued to follow us!” Ismail was taken aback. He turned back towards Samarrah. It was early morning and people were stirring out of their homes. He asked them if they had seen the four persons speeding through the town on their steeds. They replied in the affirmative. Ismail asked them if they knew the four riders? They said that they didn’t know them but their faces and their attire indicated that they were not from that area. Then Ismail said that they had deprived themselves the opportunity of meeting Imam Zamana (a.s). The persons gathered around him and asked if he had been able to meet the Imam (a.s). He told them that he was visiting Samarrah seeking a cure for the abscess on his thigh. He informed them that the Imam (a.s) himself touched the abscess and it was instantly cured. The persons removed the cloth from his thigh to see if that was the case. They also inspected the other thigh. There wasn’t any sign if ever there was an abscess on any of his thighs. The persons snatched away small pieces of his garment to keep with themselves as a memento. They said that Ismail was the fortunate person whose body was touched by the Imam (a.s). He went with difficulty to the inn, changed into a fresh garment and started moving towards Baghdad.

When he reached the Baghdad Bridge, he saw a wondrous scene. The story of his miraculous cure had reached much before he reached there and there was a huge crowd waiting for him on the bridge. Whenever any traveler reached the bridge, they would ask his name and then let him pass. Ismail didn’t know why they were asking the name of the new arrivals. When he told them that he was Ismail Harqali, they caught hold of him as was done by the men in Samarrah. It was almost a stampede and he was about to swoon and fall down. Then he noticed Sayyid Raziuddin Ibne Tawus coming towards him with a big crowd following him. He asked the men to allow him some fresh air.

Hearing his admonition, the men moved away from Ismail. Sayyid Raziuddin caught hold of his shoulder and took him to his house in Baghdad. He told Ismail that the entire populace in Baghdad knew about his miraculous cure. Ismail related to him the entire episode. He told him that not only the story was correct but the Imam (a.s) had sent a personal message for Sayyid Raziuddin. Sayyid Raziuddin immediately offered a prayer of thanksgiving and took him along to the caliph.

The caliph was a follower of the Aale Mohammed (s.a). Sayyid Raziuddin recounted the entire event to the vizier. The vizier informed about it to the caliph. The caliph called them immediately to his court and ordered all the eminent physicians of Baghdad to immediately report at the court. They all came there. The caliph asked them if they remembered Ismail who approached them some days ago for the treatment of the abscess on his thigh. They confirmed that they did inspect the abscess and also that they thought that it wasn’t possible to treat it. The only alternative was the amputation of the limb. The caliph asked, if the abscess had healed, what

would have been the result? They replied that if the abscess really healed, it would leave an ugly mark on the spot for at least two months or more, which would then turn into a white mark that the person would carry for his entire life. Now the caliph asked Ismail to move his garment from the spot where the abscess was. The physicians inspected it minutely and were surprised that there wasn’t any mark of the abscess there and the skin was as healthy as that of a healthy person.

One of the physicians was a Christian. He said that what happened could only be a miracle of Hazrat Isa (a.s). Now the team of the physicians was sent away. The caliph wanted to give to Ismail a thousand Dinars as a gift, which he politely refused. The caliph was surprised why he was not accepting the gratuity. He said that the one who cured him has ordered him not to accept any gift. Ismail now went back to the place of Sayyid Raziuddin Ibne Tawus. He wrote a letter to Ali Ibne Owais who sent to Ismail a purse containing 1,000 Dinars. When Ismail Harqali returned to his village, his son saw the thigh and was surprised that the abscess had totally disappeared and there was no mark left! Even hair had grown at that spot as it normally does.

Ali bin Isa says: I asked Safiuddin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Bashir Alawi Musawi and Najmuddin Haider Ibne Aisar about this incident. These two were my friends among the important personalities of that time and they had seen Ismail bin Hasan in that illness and healthy after that and they testified it.

Also his son, Shamsuddin narrated: After this incident, my father used to remain very sorrowful due to the separation. Thus he used to go and stay in Baghdad during the whole of winter and travel to Samarrah everyday and perform the Ziyarat. This year he has performed Ziyarat for the fortieth time only in the hope that perhaps he gets the same chance again to see Imam Zamana (a.s.). But may Allah have mercy on him, he passed away this year.

Second Incident

Sayyid Baqi bin Atwa Hasani has narrated from his father that:

“One day we were sitting together at the time of Isha when Atwa shouted. When we went to him, he said: Your Imam Zamana (a.s.) has just left me. Hurry up so that you might be able to meet him.

We went out and looked here and there but could not see anyone. We came back to him and asked him to tell us the whole story.

He said: A few moments ago a person came to me and said: O Atwa!

I asked: Who are you?

He replied: I am the Imam of your sons (Atwa was from the Zaidiyyah sect and his sons were Imamite). He said: I have come to get you cured from this malady.

He then touched my navel and pressed it a little and then went away.

Now when I touched and felt it, I saw that I was completely cured. Then this incident became very famous. I asked about it from other than the sons of Atwa also and they also verified it.

Hence there are many incidents of Imam Zamana (a.s.) granting miracle cure, but they are all not mentioned here for the sake of brevity.”

52- Al-Kafi: It is narrated from Ali bin Muhammad from Abu Muhammad Wajnai that he said:

“Someone who had seen [the Mahdi] informed me that he (the Imam) came out of his house ten days before the martyrdom of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) saying: ‘O Allah, You know that this is one of the most beloved places [for me], if only I was not driven away…’or words to this effect.”

Abul Adyan the Servant

53- Ikmaaluddin: Abul Adyan said:

“I was a servant of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.), and carried his letters to different cities and environs. I had the honor to attend to his service in his last illness. He gave the letters to me and said: ‘Go to Madayan. Your journey will last for fifteen days. On the fifteenth day, you will return to Samarrah. Here, wails and cries from my house will greet you. You will see me in the room where corpses are given the ritual bath.” I asked, ‘Master! In such a case, who will be the Imam after you?’ Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) responded, ‘One who will ask you about the replies to my letters will be my successor.’ I requested, ‘Please provide me more details.’ Imam (a.s.) replied, ‘He will lead my funeral prayers.’ I pleaded again, ‘Please furnish more information.’ He retorted, ‘He will inform you about what is there in the bag.’ The awe-inspiring personality of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) prevented me from further inquiry about the bag.

I took the letters to Madayan and procured the ripostes. On the 15th day, just as Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) had predicted, I entered Samarrah. Loud voices of wailing and crying echoed from the house of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.). I saw Ja’far, the brother of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.), standing on the door and receiving condolences and consolation from the local Shia. I said to myself, ‘If this man is the Imam, then it will be clear that the position of Imamate has undergone a change. For, I have seen him drink wine, gamble and play musical instruments.’ I went near him and offered my condolences. He did not ask me anything. Afterwards Aqeed emerged from the house and said: ‘Master! Your brother has been shrouded. Come and lead his funeral prayers.’ Ja’far went ahead to lead the prayers. Around him were some Shia including Samman and Hasan bin Ali alias Salma, whom Mutamid killed.

When I entered the Imam’s house I saw that his corpse had been shrouded and Ja’far bin Ali went forward to pray the funeral prayer. As he was about to announce the Takbeer, a young boy with a wheatish complexion, curly hair, broad teeth, shining like a brilliant moon, came out of the house. He caught hold of Ja’far’s robe and pushed him aside, saying, ‘Uncle! Move aside. I am more worthy of leading the funeral prayers of my father.’ Ja’far withdrew in a corner and his face went colorless.

The child went ahead to recite the prayers on his father’s dead body and buried him next to his father’s (10th Imam’s) grave. Thereafter, he turned towards me and said: ‘O Basri! Give me the replies of the letters that are with you.’ I handed the letters to him and said to myself, ‘Two prophecies are already fulfilled. Now only the third one about the contents of the bag, remains.’ I went to Ja’far bin Ali and saw him sighing. Hajiz Washsha said to him: O master, who is that lad? So that I can establish the proof on him.

He said: By Allah I had never seen him and I don’t know who he is. We were sitting when some residents of Qom arrived and asked about the condition of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.). When they were informed about his demise, they inquired about the Imam after him. People guided them towards Ja’far Ibne Ali. They saluted him and offered their condolences. They wanted to know from him about the money that they had brought along with themselves, to whom did it belong and how much? Ja’far stood up from his place, and while gathering his clothes, he said: ‘They expect me to know the unseen!’ Afterwards, a servant emerged from the house of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) and announced, ‘The letters of so and so are in your possession. You also have a bag containing a thousand dinars. Of which, only ten dinars are pure. They gave the letters and money to this servant saying, ‘The one who has sent you must be an Imam.’ Ja’far bin Ali came to Mutamid and narrated everything. Mutamid sent his soldiers to the Imam’s house who arrested and brought Saqeel. Mutamid told her to surrender the child but she denied having given birth to any child and she claimed that she was pregnant so that Mutamid would give up the pursuit of the child. So he gave her in custody of Ibne Abi Shawarib the Qadi, till Ubaidullah bin Yahya bin Khaqan died all of a sudden. The owner of Zanj revolted in Basra. All these circumstances made him unconcerned with Saqeel and she was released. And praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds and there is no partner for Him.”

54- The author says: in the book of one of our scholars, Husain bin Hamadan has narrated from Abu Muhammad Isa bin Mahdi Jauhari that he said: “I set out for Hajj in the year 260 A.H. and I also intended to visit Medina, because we had received the correct report that the Master of the Time has reappeared. I had traveled some distance from the Fayd Fort that I fell ill[4] and wished I could obtain fish and dates from somewhere. I reached Medina in the same condition and met my brothers-in-faith. They also gave me the good news of the reappearance of the Master of the Time that he has reappeared in Sabar.

Thus I set out towards Sabar. When I reached the valley, I saw some emaciated goats. Then I entered the boundaries of the fort, halted there and began to wait to see what happens; till it was time for prayers. I performed theMaghrib andIsha prayers and began to supplicate. Suddenly I saw the servant, Badr, calling me: ‘O Isa bin Mahdi Jauhari, come in.’ I said: ‘God is the Greatest’ and ‘There is no God except Allah’. And I praised and glorified the Almighty.

And when I reached the courtyard of the fort, I saw that dinner was laid out. The servant took me to the banquet and seated me there. He told me: ‘Your master orders you to eat about which you had doubts when you fell ill after leaving Fayd.’ I said: Only this proof is enough for me. Thus how can I eat while I do not see my master? Then His Eminence called out: ‘O Isa, eat your food, you will see me also.’

So I sat down on the dinner spread*(Sufra).* I saw that there were hot fried fishes, some dates and milk was also served. I thought to myself that since I was ill I should abstain from fish, dates and milk. A voice called out: ‘O Isa, you have doubts about us. Do you think you know more than me what is

beneficial for you and what is harmful?’ I began to weep and prayed to Allah for forgiveness.

Then I ate from all the dishes which were extremely delicious. I had never eaten anything more delicious. Thus I ate more than my normal appetite and restrained my hand as I felt ashamed to eat more. A voice came: ‘O Isa, do not feel shy. These are victuals of Paradise, no mortal has a hand in their preparation.’ Then I ate more and more but felt that I was not getting satiated. So I said: ‘Maula, I have had enough.’

Now His Eminence called out: ‘Come near me.’ I thought to myself: ‘Shall I meet my master without even washing up after dinner?’ The voice asked: ‘O Isa, look at your hands, is there anything sticking to them?’ I glanced at my hands and smelt them, but found them clean and smelling of musk and camphor. So I went into the presence of His Eminence and glanced at him. Such effulgence emanated from his face that I was absolutely stunned.

His Eminence said: ‘O Isa, if the deniers had not asked: ‘Where is he? When would he reappear? When was he born? Who has seen him? What did you receive from him? What message did he convey? What miracle he showed?, you would never have seen me.

And by Allah, people had seen same kinds of miracles performed by Amirul Momineen (a.s.), but in spite of that they preferred themselves over His Eminence. They deceived and plotted against him and at last martyred him. And in the same way, they misbehaved with my other purified forefathers also. They did not consider them truthful, they did not testify about them. And they labeled their miracles to be acts of magic; they alleged that they had Jinns under their control.

O Isa, tell my friends whatever you have seen and conceal it from my enemies.’ I said: ‘Please pray that the Almighty Allah keeps me steadfast.’ He said: ‘If you hadn’t been steadfast you wouldn’t have even seen me. Okay, now you go back.’ Isa says: ‘I left the place thanking God profusely.’”

55- Sayyid Ali bin Abdul Hameed, a person of faith, in the book of Sultan al-Mufarraj writes:

“Of all those who have seen Imam Zamana (a.s.), there is the most famous and well known incident of Abu Rahjeh Hamaami in Hilla, and it is narrated by a group of scholars and eminent people of that town. Among those eminent personalities is also the pious, senior and virtuous Shaykh Shamsuddin Muhammad bin Qaroon.

He says that there was a ruler in Hilla called ‘Marjaan, the younger’. Some people reported to him that Abu Rajeh abuses the companions of the Prophet. So he got Abu Rajeh arrested and ordered him to be beaten. They beat him so severely that each part of his body was injured and they hit at his mouth so much that his teeth were broken.

Then they pierced his tongue with a thick iron needle. Then they pierced his nose and put a rope through it. After that he was given over to the ruler’s men to take him around the lanes of Hilla in this manner and ordered that he should be thrashed from every side. It happened in this way and the poor man fell down exhausted; people thought that he was dead.

They informed the king and he ordered his execution. Those present in the court wanted to know what purpose would be served by his execution. Since he was an old man this much punishment was enough for him. He was already dead, so he should be left now, and he would die his natural death. Why should the king take the responsibility of his death? When people petitioned much, he ordered his release.

Since he was seriously injured, his relatives carried him home like a corpse, everyone was sure that he would not survive that night as no sign of life remained in his body. However when people came to see him the next day they found him in perfect health and physically fit, engrossed in ritual prayers. His teeth, that had been broken, were back in his mouth in a perfect condition. The wounds of his body and face had healed so completely as if he never had any injuries in the first place.

They were shocked at this and asked him how that came to be. He said: I was looking at death with my own eyes. Since my tongue could not move, I was unable to utter any supplication, so I prayed to Allah in my mind and beseeched my master. When the greater part of the night had passed, I saw that the complete house was lit by a luminosity and my master, His Eminence, the Master of the Time was stroking my face and saying: Now get up and go to your family. You are perfectly all right now. Thus when I got up in the morning, I was absolutely healthy as you can all see.

Shamsuddin Muhammad bin Qaroon says: By Allah, Abu Rajeh was a frail and thin man, having sallow complexion; he was very ugly and had a small beard. I used to visit the same public bath he frequented and I always saw him in the above condition. But that morning when I went to see him with other people, I saw him physically strong, his limbs powerful and his height had also increased. The beard was also bigger than before and the complexion had a pinkish hue. It seemed as if he were a young man of twenty years. And he remained like that till his end.

When the news of his miraculous recovery spread, the governor of Hilla summoned him; who one day before had seen him in a very serious condition; but now he was perfectly cured and there no sign of any injury and his teeth were also intact. The ruler was highly impressed by this and filled with awe. Previously when he sat at the place of Imam Zamana (a.s.) in Hilla, he used to turn his back to it, but after this incident, he used to sit facing it and he also changed his behavior with the people of Hilla. He used to forgive their mistakes and acted nicely with everyone in general. But all this was of no use to him and he died after some days.

Debate between Ibnul Khatib and Uthman

The respected practical scholar Shaykh Shamsuddin Muhammad bin Qaroon has also narrated another incident that Moammar bin Shams was one of the kings’ friends and he was also called by the title of Muzawwar. He was the trustee of Alawite properties and one of his assistants was called Ibnul Khatib and he had another servant named, Uthman; he was responsible for maintaining his accounts. Ibnul Khatib was a righteous believer whereas Uthman was a Sunni. They often argued on religious points.

One day it so happened that they had an argument at the Place of Ibrahim (a.s.) in public. Ibnul Khatib said: The truth will become clear just now. I will write the names of those whom I am devoted to, and they are Hasan and Husain (a.s.). And you may write the name of those to whom you are devoted: like Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman. Then both our hands will be tied up together and placed in the fire. Whoever’s hand is burnt will be considered false and one whose hand is unhurt will be on truth.

But Uthman refused to take up the challenge and people began to ridicule him. Uthman’s mother was observing this from above; thus when she heard the people make fun of her son she began to abuse them and while she was abusing them, she lost her eyesight and became totally blind. Now she began to scream in terror, but when her friends came to see what the matter was, they found that her eyes seemed to be all right; but nothing was visible from them.

Thus they helped her to come down and then took her to Hilla. When this news spread in her clan, they summoned the physicians of Baghdad and Hilla, but they could not do anything for her.

Then some believer ladies with whom she had acquaintance, told her: Only Imam Qaim (a.s.) has made you blind. Now if you accept the Shia faith and adopt Tawalla and Tabarra we will guarantee your salvation, the Almighty Allah will cure your malady. Without it your salvation is impossible.

She agreed on these conditions and on Friday eve, the ladies brought her below the dome and left her alone at the place of Imam Zamana (a.s.). Then they came outside and spent the night there.

When a quarter of the night had passed that lady came out and her sight was restored. She was able to see and recognize each of them.

The other ladies were elated at this miracle cure and they asked her to explain how it happened.

She explained: When you left me below the dome, I felt someone touching my arm and saying: Go out, the Almighty Allah has cured you.

As soon as he said this, my sight was restored and I saw the whole shrine illuminated with a bright light. Then I noticed a person there and asked him who he was.

He said that he was Muhammad bin Hasan, and after that he disappeared.

The ladies brought her back to her house and her son, Uthman also embraced the Shia faith and both proved sincere converts. This incident became famous in her community and all those who heard about it, became believers in the existence of Imam Zamana (a.s.). This incident occurred in 744 A.H.

Qari Najmuddin Ja’far is cured of Paralysis

It is an incident of 759 A.H. and it is narrated by Abdur Rahman Nomani and he wrote it down in his own hand and it is with me.

He writes: Faqir Abdur Rahman bin Ibrahim Qabaiqi narrated that he used to hear in Hilla Saifiya that Qari Najmuddin Ja’far bin Zohadri was down with paralysis. After the death of his father, his grandmother tried to get him cured but he showed no signs of recovery. People advised her to consult the physicians of Baghdad.

They summoned the Baghdad doctors and they treated him for a time, but it was of no use. Then she was told to take him to the dome of the place of Imam Zamana (a.s.) in Hilla. Perhaps the Almighty Allah will bestow cure to him at that auspicious place.

She did that and left him there for a night. The Master of the Age cured his malady and he became healthy once again.

I heard this incident from others but once I happened to meet that person also and he narrated to me that one night my grandmother left be alone in that dome and the Master of the Age arrived and said: Stand up, by the order of Allah.

Then he helped me to stand up and my paralysis was cured. Then people mobbed me in such way that I survived with a great difficulty. They snatched away my clothes as blessings. Others dressed me in their clothes and I returned home. And he narrated this incident a number of times.

Portico

A reliable gentleman has narrated this incident, although this report is famous among the people of Najaf Ashraf. The incident is as follows: The house in which I reside, in this year 789 A.H., once belonged to a virtuous and pious man named Husain Mudallil andSabaat Mudallil is named after him. And thisSabaat (a roof between two houses) is adjacent to the walls of the Holy mausoleum of Najaf. This person also had a family.

He became affected by such terrible paralysis that he could not even stand up. The members of his family used to assist him in fulfilling his necessary needs. He remained affected by this malady for a long time as a result of which his family had to face penury and to depend on charity.

In 720 A.H. when a quarter of the night had passed, he awoke his family members. They saw that the house and the ceiling were illuminated with such a bright light that it dazzled the eyes. They asked him what the matter was. He said: The Imam of the Time (a.s.) had come and he told me: O Husain, stand up. I said: My master, I am unable to stand up as you can see. He took my hand and made me stand up and all the signs of paralysis disappeared. Now I am perfectly healthy and cured.

The Imam (a.s.) also said: This canopy is my route to visit my grandfather, Amirul Momineen (a.s.) so you must close it every night. I said:We hear and obey Allah and you are our master! After that the man arose and by way of thanksgiving for this divine mercy and kindness he went to visit the mausoleum of His Eminence, Amirul Momineen (a.s.). And that canopy, till this day is a place where people pray during times of need and all those who make petitions at this spot achieve success by the blessings of the holy footsteps of the Qaim (a.s.).”

Restoration of eyesight

Shaykh Shamsuddin Muhammad bin Qaroon has narrated another incident. A person named Najm who had the title of Aswad lived in Waqusa a well known village on the banks of Euphrates. He was a righteous and a pious man. He wife, Fatima was also a very nice lady and they had two children, a boy named Ali and a daughter named Zainab. It so happened that

the couple lost their eyesight due to some reason and this happened in 712 A.H. They remained in this condition for a long time.

One day his wife observed that someone was passing a hand over her eyes and saying: Get up, the Almighty Allah has restored your eyesight; serve your husband with all sincerity.

When she opened her eyes she found the house illuminated by a powerful light and she understood it was due to the effulgence of Imam Zamana (a.s.).

Battle of Siffeen

People of our area have narrated from Muhyuddin Arbili.

He says that once he came to his father accompanied by another person and as they sat there, that person dozed and the turban fell down from his head and they noticed a deep wound on his head.

My father asked: “How and when did you receive this injury?”

He replied: “It was in Siffeen.”

He was asked: “How is that possible, the Battle of Siffeen occurred a long time ago?”

He said: “Listen, once I was traveling to Egypt when a person from Gaza also accompanied me. On the way mention was made about the Battle of Siffeen. He said: If I had been present in the Battle of Siffeen I would have quenched the thirst of this sword of mine with the blood of Ali and his followers.”

I said: “And if I had been present in the Battle of Siffeen, I would have quenched the thirst of this sword of mine with the blood of Muawiyah and his men. Since they are not present here, I and you represent both the parties. Let us fight and see who wins.

We stared a duel and I was hurt by his sword and fell down in a swoon.

I was lying in that condition when someone came and awakened me with the point of his spear. When I opened my eyes, he alighted from his mount. When he passed his hand over my wound, it was instantly cured. Then he told me to wait there.

He returned after sometime with the severed head and horse of my opponent.

He said: “Take the severed head of your enemy. Since you helped us, we also helped you and the Almighty Allah indeed helps those who help Him.”

I asked: “Who are you?”

He replied: “I am so-and-so, that is the Master of the Affair (Sahibul Amr ).”

Then he said: “If someone asks you where you got this wound from, you should say that you were injured in the Battle of Siffeen.”

Display of Alawite Fury

Sayyid Ali bin Muhammad bin Ja’far bin Tawus Hasani has stated in hisRabiul Albab that Hasan bin Muhammad Qasim narrated to him as follows:

Once he and a person named Ammar who was an inhabitant of Kufa were traveling out of Kufa on way to Hamalaya and they began to discuss about Imam Qaim Aale Muhammad (a.s.). He said: O Hasan, let me narrate an incident.

A caravan of the Tai tribe arrived and purchased from us goods in Kufa. There was a handsome man in that group and he was their leader. I told a man who sat at my shop to go to such and such Alawite and borrow the scale for me.

The Bedouin asked: “Do Alawites also live here?”

I replied: “What do you mean? The majority of the Alawites live in this region.”

That Bedouin said: “I have left the real Alawite at such and such place in the desert behind me.”

I asked: “Please explain to me who that is?”

He replied: “Once we three hundred riders came out to commit robberies and roamed about for three day without any food and water; but we could not find anything. At last we decided to draw lots and whoever’s name is drawn, we will slaughter and eat his horse. All accepted this proposal, but when the lots were drawn, my name was drawn. I said: You have not drawn in the right way. Thus it was drawn again and again my name came up. I rejected that draw also. Lots were drawn for the third time and then also my name came up. Actually my horse was worth more than a thousand dinars and I valued it more than my children.

I asked them to excuse me for sometime and spurred my horse and rode to a sand dune at a distance of one Farsakh from there. I saw a slave girl below that dune, picking dry twigs.

I approached her and asked: Who are you and to which family do you belong?

She replied: I am a slave girl of an Alawite gentleman who resides in this valley.

I returned to my associates and said: You may rejoice now, some people reside in the nearby valley. Let us go there immediately.

When we rode to that valley, we found a tent pitched in the center and a handsome young man emerged and greeted us warmly. I said: “Arab brother, we are extremely thirsty.”

He called for water immediately.

The maid brought two bowls of water. The man put his hand in them, one after another and passed them to us. The water was enough to quench the thirst of all of us. When we returned the bowl they were full to the brim and not a drop had reduced. After quenching our thirst we said that we were also hungry.

He went into the tent and returned with a basket of food. He placed his hand over it and said: Ten persons should eat at a time. We did that and all were satiated without causing any decrease in food. Then we asked him for directions and he obliged. After traveling for sometime, we said to each other: We had left our families to commit robberies; since now we are refreshed, let us stick to our original plans. So we turned back to rob the man who had given us food and water. When that young man saw us returning, he armed himself and mounted a red horse. Then he marched in our direction and sternly said: Don’t move a step with ulterior motives.

We were awestruck and we stepped back. Then he drew a line between us and said: I swear by my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) that I will strike off the head of anyone who crossed this line.

We returned from there in bewilderment and that man was a real Alawite and not like these Shia people.”

It is mentioned inFehrist Shaykh Muntajabuddin that Thairbillah Mahdi Ibne Thairbillah Husaini Jaballi belonged to the Zaidiyyah sect and then he became an Imamite. He also claimed to have seen Imam Mahdi (a.s.).

It is also written that Abul Hasan Ali bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Abul Qasim Alawi Sherani, who was a pious scholar, had also seen Imam Zamana (a.s.).

And Abul Faraj Muzaffar bin Husain Hamadani, a trustworthy person and an envoy of Imam Zamana (a.s.), who lived during the time of Shaykh Mufeed and attended the gatherings of Sayyid Murtadha and Shaykh Abu Ja’far Tusi. He had also seen Imam Zamana (a.s.).