A Comprehensive Compilation of Reliable Narrations

[Islamic Salvation]

3.60. Sukayn al-Nakhai

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/sukayn-al-nakhai

 

[1/177] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن الفضل بن شاذان، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن إبراهيم بن عبد الحميد قال: حججت و سكين النخعي فتعبد و ترك النساء و الطيب و الثياب و الطعام الطيب و كان لا يرفع رأسه داخل المسجد إلى السماء فلما قدم المدينة دنا من أبي إسحاق فصلى إلى جانبه فقال: جعلت فداك إني أريد أن أسألك عن مسائل قال: اذهب فاكتبها و أرسل ها إلي، فكتب: جعلت فداك رجل دخله الخوف من الله عز و جل حتى ترك النساء و الطعام الطيب و لا يقدر أن يرفع رأسه إلى السماء و أما الثياب فشك فيها، فكتب: أما قولك في ترك النساء فقد علمت ما كان لرسول الله من النساء، و أما قولك في ترك الطعام الطيب فقد كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم يأكل اللحم و العسل، و أما قولك إنه دخله الخوف حتى لا يستطيع أن يرفع رأسه إلى السماء فليكثر من تلاوة هذه الآيات الصَّابِرِينَ وَ الصَّادِقِينَ وَ الْقانِتِينَ وَ الْمُنْفِقِينَ وَ الْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالْأَسْحارِ

[1/177] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from al-Fadhl b. Shadhan from Ibn Abi Umayr from Ibrahim b. Abd al-Hamid who said: I made the Hajj with Sukayn al-Nakhai who became engrossed in worship [took on asceticism] and abandoned women, perfume, good clothes, good food, and used not to raise his head to look up at the sky when in the Masjid [out of fear of Allah]. When he (Sukayn) reached Madina [after making the Hajj] he came near to Abu Ishaq (al-Sadiq) عليه السلام and prayed by his side [in the Masjid of the prophet] then he said: may I be made your ransom - I want to ask you a few questions? He عليه السلام said: go [back to Kufa] and write them down then send them to me. So he (Sukayn) later wrote: may I be made your ransom, fear of Allah has entered the heart of a man such that he has abandoned [cohabiting with] women, good food, and he cannot raise his head to look at the sky, as for good clothes - he is doubtful about wearing them. So He عليه السلام wrote: as to your words about leaving women then you are well aware what the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم had of women [multiple wives], and as for your words about leaving good food then know that the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم used to eat meat and honey, and as for your words that fear has entered his heart until he cannot raise his head to the sky then he should increase in the recitation of this verse “the patient, the true ones, the obedient ones, those who spend [in the way of Allah], and those who seek forgiveness by dawn” (3:17).

NOTES:

It is undeniable that the prophet loved intimacy with Allah but everything in Islam is in moderation. His devotion to Allah did not stop him from partaking in the affairs of the world, in fact, this is true Zuhd, where one remains in the world and interacts with it, but is constantly in communion with Allah in his heart. It is also true that the believers have not been forbidden to enjoy the good things of this life provided they do not lead to Ghafla. The prophet took comfort in his wives and did eat 'meat and honey' as the Imam mentions [increasing their sense of gratitude to Allah thereby], but it should be noted that this diet was the exception since their material status was not very good and Islam wishes us to live lightly without forming crippling attachments with the deceptive allure of this world.  

Edited July 10, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.61. Simak b. Kharasha

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/simak-b-kharasha

 

[-/1] علل الشرائع: أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني، عن علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن أبيه، عن أحمد بن محمد بن أبي نصر البزنطي ومحمد بن أبي عمير، عن أبان بن عثمان، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: لما كان يوم أحد انهزم أصحاب رسول الله حتى لم يبق معه إلا علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام وأبو دجانة سماك بن خرشة فقال له النبي صلى الله عليه وآله: يا أبا دجانة أما ترى قومك؟ قال: بلى قال: الحق بقومك قال: ما على هذا بايعت الله ورسوله قال: أنت في حل قال: والله لا تتحدث قريش بأني خذلتك وفررت حتى أذوق ما تذوق فجزاه النبي خيرا. وكان علي عليه السلام كلما حملت طائفة على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله استقبلهم وردهم حتى أكثر فيهم القتل والجراحات حتى انكسر سيفه فجاء إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وآله فقال: يا رسول الله إن الرجل يقاتل بسلاحه وقد انكسر سيفي فأعطاه سيفه ذا الفقار فما زال يدفع به عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله حتى أثر وانكر فنزل عليه جبرئيل وقال: يامحمد إن هذه لهي المواساة من علي لك فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وآله: إنه مني وأنا منه فقال جبرئيل: وأنا منكما وسمعوا دويا من السماء لا سيف إلا ذو الفقار ولا فتى إلا علي

[1/-] Ilal al-Sharai: Ahmad b. Ziyad b. Ja`far al-Hamdani from Ali b. Ibrahim b. Hashim from his father from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abi Nasr al-Bazanti and Muhammad b. Abi Umayr from Aban b. Uthman from Abi Abdillah عليه السلام who said: All the companions of the messenger of Allah ran away on the day of Uhud - no one was left among them except Ali b. Abi Talib عليه السلام and Abu Dujana Simak b. Kharasha. The prophet صلى الله عليه وآله said to him: O Aba Dujana - don’t you see your people? he said: I do, he said: join up with them, he said: this is not what I gave my pledge of allegiance to Allah and His messenger for! he said: you are released [from your pledge], he said: by Allah the Quraysh will never get the opportunity to say that I abandoned you and ran away until I taste what you taste! Then the prophet صلى الله عليه وآله prayed for a good recompense for him. Whenever a group used to attack the messenger of Allah - Ali عليه السلام would face them and repel them until he had killed a large number of them and injured others. He continued this way until his sword broke so he came to the prophet صلى الله عليه وآله and said: O messenger of Allah – a man can only fight with his weapon but my sword has broken! So he (the prophet) gave him his sword Dhu al-Fiqar and he (Ali) kept on defending the prophet using it until marks [wound traces] were inflicted on him and he became unrecognizable [because of a multitude of injuries]. Jibril descended and said: O Muhammad this is an incomparable support from Ali to you! so the prophet said: he is from me and I am from him, Jibril said: and I am from you both, and they heard a voice from heaven saying: there is no sword but Dhu al-Fiqar and the there is no young champion except Ali.            

NOTES:

With the notable exception of Ali, Abu Dujana and a few others whose names can be found in the history books, most of the companions fled on the day of Uhud including the big wigs. Something which must remain a source of eternal shame to them who left their prophet exposed.

Note that the prophet tests Abu Dujana's loyalty by giving him a chance to leave but does not do this to Ali. the reasoning is simple, Abu Dujana was after a foreigner in some sense while Ali is from and of the prophet.

Abu Dujana was from the Banu Sa`ida of the Ansar. He was a famed warrior who showed bravery in all the battles including Badr. He used to wear a red hand-band as a sign of distinction in the field. Abu Dujana died in 12 AH in the battle of Yamama.

Edited July 12, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.62. Sahl b. Hunayf

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/sahl-b-hunayf

 

[-/1] التهذيب: المفيد، عن أبي القاسم جعفر بن محمد، عن أبيه، عن سعد بن عبدالله، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن محمد بن اسماعيل بن بزيع، عن علي بن النعمان، عن أبي مريم الانصاري قال: سمعت أبا جعفر عليه السلام يقول: ... وان عليا عليه السلام كفن سهل بن حنيف في برد احمر حبرة

[1/-] al-Tahdhib: al-Mufid from Abi al-Qasim Ja`far b. Muhammad from his father from Sa`d b. Abdallah from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa from Muhammad b. Ismail b. Bazi` from Ali b. al-Nu`man from Abi Maryam al-Ansari who said: I heard Aba Ja`far عليه السلام saying: … Ali عليه السلام enshrouded Sahl b. Hunayf in a red Hibara cloak.    

NOTES:

Hibara is a type of fine cloth made of cotton in the Yaman. Ali used it for the prophet and later al-Hasan b. Ali used it for Usama b. Zayd.

Another special honour which Ali reserved for Sahl is making a multiple of five Takbirat over his body [in the Salat al-Mayyit]. This was only done for truly great individuals, for instance, the prophet did the same for his uncle Hamza.

محمد بن مسعود، عن محمد بن نصير، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن حماد، عن الحلبي، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: كبر علي عليه السلام على سهل بن حنيف و كان بدريا خمس تكبيرات، ثم مشى به ساعة ثم وضعه ثم كبر عليه خمس تكبيرات أخر، فصنع به ذلك حتى بلغ خمسا و عشرين تكبيرة

Muhammad b. Masud - Muhammad b. Nusayr - Muhammad b. Isa - Ibn Abi Umayr - Hammad - al-Halabi - Abi Abdillah عليه السلام who said: Ali عليه السلام made over Sahl b. Hunayf - who was a Badri -  five Takbirs [in the first Salat al-Mayyit]. Then he walked with him [in the procession of his body] for a while, before putting him down again and making five other Takbirs over him. He kept on doing that to him until it reached twenty five Takbirs [he prayed five different Salats for him - each with five Takbirs].

Sahl was an Ansari companion of the prophet who fought at Badr and was among the handful of companions who remained defending the prophet at Uhud. The prophet gave him and Abu Dujana the Fayy of Banu Nadhir, the only two Ansaris to be given it, because of their poverty. Sahl was loyal to Ali who made him his governor designate over Syria. This was when Ali reversed the Quraysh-first policy of his predecessors who had sidelined the Ansar despite there being among them men who had precedence in Islam and had given more sacrifice than the Tulaqa aristocracy. Sahl also fought by Ali's side at Jamal and Siffin.

Edited July 13, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.63. Salih b. Muhammad b. Sahl

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/salih-b-muhammad-b-sahl

 

[1/178] الكافي: محمد بن يعقوب، عن علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه قال: كنت عند أبي جعفر الثاني عليه السلام إذ دخل عليه صالح بن محمد بن سهل، وكان يتولى له الوقف بقم، فقال: يا سيدي اجعلني من عشرة آلاف في حل فإني أنفقتها، فقال له: أنت في حل، فلما خرج صالح، قال أبو جعفر عليه السلام: أحدهم يثب على أموال حق آل محمد وأيتامهم ومساكينهم وفقرائهم وأبناء سبيلهم فيأخذه ثم يجئ فيقول: اجعلني في حل، أتراه ظن أني أقول: لا أفعل؟ والله ليسألنهم الله يوم القيامة عن ذلك سؤالا حثيثا

[1/178] al-Kafi: Muhammad b. Ya`qub from Ali b. Ibrahim from his father who said: I was with Abi Ja`far the Second [al-Jawad] عليه السلام when Salih b. Muhammad b. Sahl entered to see him - and he [Salih] used to oversee the Waqf [endowments] for him in Qum - he [Salih] said: O my master! relieve me and do not hold me to account over ten thousand [Dirhams] for I have spent it, he [the Imam] said to him: you are relieved [not liable to hand it over]. When Salih had left Abu Ja`far عليه السلام said: one of them receives the wealth which is the right of the family of Muhammad, their orphans, poor, needy, travelers who are stranded - takes it [for himself] then comes and says: ‘relieve me’. Look at him - he thought that I would say: ‘no I will not’, by Allah! Allah will ask them about that on the day of judgment with a swift reckoning. 

NOTES:

Sahl, a Wakil of the Imam in Qum, comes to the Imam of his own volition asking ten thousand of the collected amount to be overlooked as it has been used - expecting the Imam to refuse and almost asking for the rift. But the Imam does the opposite which must have caught him by surprise. 

This is explained away as Maslaha [greater public good] since there was nothing preventing Salih - after being refused permission - to disappear away with the rest of the money and leave the Imam stranded. The Imam was forced to appease him and accept the minor loss so as to keep him on board i.e. allow him to get away with it while still being under the shadow of the Imam who can then recoup the greater amount at a later date.

This is the Madhlumiyat of the latter `Aimma of the final period who were under constant surveillance and far away geographically from the regional centers which meant having to depend on agents. Some of these were unscrupulous [corrupted by power] and could behave in this way with them. There were some Wukala who cultivated prestige and power and the Imam had to be careful in response to them so as not to let them to use their clout to misguide followers.

One also has to understand that the Imam has full sovereignty with that money and he can forgive such misuses. But he reminds us that Allah may not act so favourably.

[Islamic Salvation]

3.64. Sa`sa`a b. Suhan

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/sasaa-b-suhan

 

[1/179] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن أبو جعفر حمدان بن أحمد، عن معاوية بن حكيم، عن أحمد بن أبي نصر قال: كنت عند أبي الحسن الثاني عليه السلام قال: ولا أعلم إلا قام ونفض الفراش بيده ثم قال لي: يا أحمد أن أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام عاد صعصعة بن صوحان في مرضه، فقال: يا صعصعة لا تتخذ عيادتي لك أبهة على قومك، قال: فلما قال أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام لصعصعة هذه المقالة، قال صعصعة: بلى والله أعدها منة من الله علي وفضلا، قال: فقال له أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام: إني كنت ما علمتك إلا لخفيف المؤونة حسن المعونة، قال: فقال صعصعة: وأنت والله يا أمير المؤمنين ما علمتك إلا بالله عليما، وبالمؤمنين رؤوفا رحيما

[1/179] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Abu Ja`far Hamdan b. Ahmad from Muawiya b. Hukaym from Ahmad b. Abi Nasr who said: I was with Abi al-Hasan the Second عليه السلام - when he stood and shook the bed-wrap by his own hand [to remove the dust and get it ready for me to sleep on] and said to me: O Ahmad the commander of the faithful عليه السلام visited Sa`sa`a b. Suhan in his illness and said: O Sa`sa`a do not take my visiting you as a source of pride over your people, he [the Imam] said: when the commander of the faithful عليه السلام had said these words to Sa`sa`a  - Sa`sa`a said: indeed, by Allah I will count it as a divine grace from Allah on me and a favour. Then the commander of the faithful عليه السلام said to him: I have not known you except as one scanty in resources yet great in support [of the truth] so Sa`sa`a said: and you O commander of the faithful I have not known you except cognizant of Allah and to the believers both compassionate and merciful. 

NOTES:

Sa`sa`a b. Suhan (d. 60) was one of the closest companions of Ali. He had a lofty genealogy within his tribe of Abd al-Qays which originated from Bahrayn. Even before the Khilafa of Ali, he was already noted for his opposition to Uthman in Kufa and was exiled by its governor to Sham together with prominent companions who later came to form the nucleus of Ali’s closest followers including Malik b. Ashtar al-Nakhai.

Sa`sa`a participated in the battles of Jamal, Siffin and Nahrawan but he was most famous for his consummate oratory and his poems about Ali are well known. His meetings with Muawiya as an emissary to him before battle and after his accession are legendary. He never stopped extolling Ali’s merit and failed to accept any other leader after him.

One only needs to consider what al-Sadiq is attributed to say about him to gleam his status:

محمد بن مسعود، قال حدثني علي بن محمد قال حدثني محمد بن أحمد بن يحيى، عن العباس بن معروف، عن أبي محمد الحجال، عن داود بن أبي يزيد قال: قال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: ما كان مع أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام من يعرف حقه إلا صعصعة و أصحابه

Muhammad b. Masud - Ali b. Muhammad - Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Yahya - al-Abbas b. Maruf - Abi Muhammad al-Hajjal - Dawud b. Abi Yazid who said: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: there was no one with the commander of the faithful عليه السلام who recognized his right (i.e. Imama) except Sa`sa`a and his associates.

I recount here an episode he had with Uthman when the delegations all converged in Madina demanding the besieged Caliph to renounce his family members and rectify his conduct. It reflects his quick wit, turn of phrase and deep understanding of the Qur`an at a very young age to be chosen to the position of spokesman at such a critical time.

al-Tusi narrates in his Amali:

أخبرنا محمد بن محمد قال: أخبرني أبو الحسن علي بن خالد المراغي قال: حدثنا محمد بن أحمد البزاز الفلسطيني قال: حدثنا أحمد أبن الصلت الحماني قال: حدثنا صالح بن أبي النجم قال: حدثنا الهيثم بن عدي، عن عبد الله بن اليسع، عن الشعبي، عن صعصعة بن صوحان العبدي رحمه الله قال: دخلت على عثمان بن عفَّان في نفر من المصريِّين، فقال عثمان: قدِّموا رجلاً منكم يكلِّمني، فقدّموني، فقال عثمان: هذا! وكأنّه استحدثني.

Muhammad b. Muhammad  - Abu al-Hasan Ali b. Khalid al-Maraghi – Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Bazzaz al-Filastini – Ahmad b. Salt al-Hammani – Salih b. Abi al-Najm – al-Haytham b. Adi – Abdallah b. al-Yasa – al-Sha`bi – Sa`sa`a b. Suhan al-Abdi may Allah have mercy on him said: I entered in to see Uthman b. Affan together with a number of Egyptians. Uthman said: pick a man from among you to speak to me, so they picked me, Uthman said: this one! as though he considered me too young.

فقلت له: إنَّ العلم لو كان بالسن لم يكن لي ولا لك فيه سهم، ولكنَّه بالتعلم. فقال عثمان: هات فقلت: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم : الَّذِينَ إِن مَّكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ فقال عثمان: فينا نزلت هذه الآية. فقلت له: فَمُر بالمعروف وانْهَ عن المنكر. فقال عثمان: دَعْ هَذا وهات ما معك. فقلت له: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِن دِيَارِهِمْ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ إِلَّا أَن يَقُولُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ فقال عثمان: وهذه أيضاً نزلت فينا فقلت له: فأعطنا بما أخذت من الله

I said to him: if knowledge were dependent on age then we would have no share in it [even you in your senior age cannot compete with the vastness of knowledge] but it is dependent on learning. Uthman said: go ahead [say what you have to say], I said: in the name of Allah the beneficent the merciful – “those whom if We establish on the land keep up the prayer, give out alms, instruct the doing of good and forbid the evil and with Allah rests the outcome of all affairs” (22:41) Uthman said: this verse was revealed about us [the generation of the companions], I said to him: then instruct the doing of good and forbid the evil! Uthman said: let that be – what do you want to say? I said to him: in the name of Allah the beneficent the merciful – “those who were driven out of their homes without any justification beyond them saying: our Lord is Allah, and if it were not that Allah checks some people via others then many monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is oft-remembered, would have been destroyed, verily Allah will help those who help His cause, verily Allah is strong and mighty” (22:40) Uthman said: this was also revealed about us, I said to him: then give us what you had sworn an oath on Allah to do!

فقال عثمان: يا أيَّها الناس، عليكم بالسمع والطاعة، فإنَّ يد الله على الجماعة وإنَّ الشيطان مع الفذ، فلا تستمعوا إلى قول هذا، وإنَّ هذا لا يدري مَن الله ولا أين الله فقلت له: أما قولك : (عليكم بالسمع والطاعة ) فإنّك تريد منَّا أن نقول غداً: رَبَّنَا إِنَّا أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَاءنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِيلَا وأمَّا قولك: (أنا لا أدري من الله) فإنَّ الله ربُّنا وربُّ آبائنا الأولين وأمَّا قولك: (إني‏ لا أدري أين الله) فإنَّ الله تعالى بالمرصاد قال: فغضب وأمر بصرفنا، وغلق الأبواب دوننا

Uthman said: O people, upon you is to hear and to obey, for the hand of Allah is over the group and the devil is with the solitary, do not listen to the words of this one, for he does not know who Allah is nor where Allah is! I said to him: as for your words ‘upon you is to hear and obey’ then do you want us to say tomorrow: “O our Lord we obeyed our leaders and elders so they misguided us from the path” (33:67)?! and as for your words that I ‘do not know who Allah is’ then Allah is is our Lord and the Lord of our forefathers, and as for your words that I ‘do not know where Allah is’, then Allah the Elevated is on a watch-tower [ever vigilant] [allusion to 89:14]. So he [Uthman] became angry and ordered us to be sent away and closed the doors on us.

[Islamic Salvation]

3.65. Safwan b. Mihran al-Jammal

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/safwan-b-mihran-al-jammal

 

[1/180] رجال الكشي: حمدويه، عن محمد بن إسماعيل الرازي، عن الحسن بن علي بن فضال، عن صفوان بن مهران الجمال قال: دخلت على أبي الحسن الأول عليه السلام فقال لي: يا صفوان كل شي‏ء منك حسن جميل ما خلا شيئا واحدا قلت: جعلت فداك أي شي‏ء؟ قال: إكراؤك جمالك من هذا الرجل يعني هارون قلت: و الله ما أكريته أشرا و لا بطرا و لا لصيد و لا للهو، و لكني أكريه لهذا الطريق يعني طريق مكة، و لا أتولاه بنفسي و لكن أنصب معه غلماني، فقال لي: يا صفوان أيقع كراؤك عليهم؟ قلت: نعم جعلت فداك، قال: فقال لي: أتحب بقائهم حتى يخرج كراؤك؟ قلت: نعم، قال: فمن أحب بقائهم فهو منهم و من كان منهم كان ورد النار، قال صفوان: فذهبت و بعت جمالي عن آخرها، فبلغ ذلك إلى هارون، فدعاني فقال لي: يا صفوان بلغني أنك بعت جمالك قلت: نعم، فقال: لم؟ قلت: أنا شيخ كبير و أن الغلمان لا يفون بالأعمال فقال: هيهات أيهات إني لأعلم من أشار عليك بهذا أشار عليك بهذا موسى بن جعفر! قلت: ما لي و لموسى بن جعفر فقال: دع هذا عنك فو الله لو لا حسن صحبتك لقتلتك!

[1/180] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh from Muhammad b. Ismail al-Razi from al-Hasan b. Ali b. Fadhal from Safwan b. Mihran - the cameleer - who said: I entered upon Abi al-Hasan the First عليه السلام - he said to me: O Safwan everything from you is good and well except one thing. I said: may I be made your ransom - what thing is that? he said: you renting out your camels to this man - meaning Harun [al-Rashid, the Abbasid caliph]. I said: by Allah I did not rent them out to him cheerfully or arrogantly, nor did I rent them out for him to hunt with or amuse himself through them, rather I rent them out to him for the road to Makka [i.e. for Hajj], and I do not attend to him personally, rather I send to him with my servants. He said to me: O Safwan does the payment of your rent accrue on them? I said: yes, may I be made your ransom, he said: do you wish for their survival until they pay you your rent? I said: yes, he said: whoever desires their survival then he is one of them, and whoever is with them his abode is the hell-fire. Safwan said: so I went and sold all my camels, every last one of them. Harun was informed of this, he called me and said to me: O Safwan I hear that you have sold all your camels? I said: yes, he said: what is the reason? I said: I am an old man and the servants are not up to the job, he said: how far! how far! I do know the one who directed you to do this - it is Musa b. Ja`far who directed you to do this! I said: what do I have to do with Musa b. Ja`far!? he said: leave out the excuses, for by Allah if it was not for your good companionship in the past I would have had you killed!

NOTES:

“ ... and do not incline to those who are unjust lest you be touched by the fire …” (11:113)

The words of the Imam serve as a warning to us not to partake in global systems that perpetuate oppression. Unfortunately these are have become so firmly enmeshed with our daily lives that they are quite difficult to escape. If even renting out camel to the unjust ruler is a crime what then of actively propping them up and allying with them.

Life was so cheap at the time that a tyrant like Harun could have chopped Safwan's head for no discernible reason. These we are supposed to believe were the successors of the prophet of mercy and the guardians of the lofty ideals of Islam?!

Edited July 18, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.66. Safwan b. Yahya

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/safwan-b-yahya

 

[1/181] رجال الكشي: محمد بن قولويه، عن سعد، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن الحسين بن سعيد، عن معمر بن خلاد قال: قال أبو الحسن عليه السلام: ما ذئبان ضاريان في غنم قد غاب عنها رعاؤها بأضر في دين المسلم من حب الرياسة ثم قال: لكن صفوان لا يحب الرياسة 

[1/181] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Qulawayh from Sa`d from Ahmad b. Muhammad from al-Husayn b. Sa`id from Muammar b. Khallad who said: Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام said: two ravenous wolves set free in a flock of sheep whose shepherd is absent are not more dangerous to a man's religion than his love for leadership [desire to rule over others], then he said: but Safwan (b. Yahya) does not love leadership.

NOTES:

I quote verbatim from al-Najashi’s entry on him in his Fihrist to get a sense of the greatness of the man.

صفوان بن يحيى أبو محمد البجلي بياع السايري، كوفي، ثقة ثقة، عين، روى أبوه عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام، وروى هو عن الرضا عليه السلام، وكانت له عنده منزلة شريفة، ذكره الكشي في رجال أبي الحسن موسى عليه السلام، وقد توكل للرضا وأبي جعفر عليهما السلام وسلم مذهبه من الوقف، وكانت له منزلة من الزهد والعبادة، وكان جماعة الواقفة بذلوا له مالا كثيرا، وكان شريكا لعبد الله بن جندب وعلي بن النعمان، وروي أنهم تعاقدوافي بيت الله الحرام أنه من مات منهم صلى من بقي صلاته وصام عنه صيامه وزكى عنه زكاته، فماتا وبقى صفوان، فكان يصلي في كل يوم مائة وخمسين ركعة، ويصوم في السنة ثلاثة أشهر ويزكي زكاته ثلاث دفعات، وكل ما يتبرع به عن نفسه مما عدا ما ذكرناه تبرع عنهما مثله وحكى بعض أصحابنا أن إنسانا كلفه حمل دينارين إلى أهله إلى الكوفة، فقال: إن جمالي مكراة وأنا أستأذن الأجراء، وكان من الورع والعبادة على ما لم يكن عليه أحد من طبقته رحمه الله، وصنف ثلاثين كتابا ... مات صفوان بن يحيى رحمه الله سنة عشرة ومائتين

Safwan b. Yahya, Abu Muhammad al-Bajali, the seller of Shapuri clothing. Kufan. Thiqatun Thiqa, Ayn. His father narrated from Abi Abdillah عليه السلام while he himself narrated from al-Ridha عليه السلام and had an esteemed status in his [al-Ridha's] eyes. al-Kashshi mentioned him among the narrators from Abi al-Hasan Musa عليه السلام. He acted as a Wakil [agent] for both al-Ridha عليه السلام and Abi Ja`far [al-Jawad] عليه السلام. His Madhhab was saved from Waqf [he did not fall into the error of “stopping” at al-Kadhim like so many companions]. He had a high standing in renunciation [of the world] and worship. The Waqifi group had offered him a lot of wealth [enticing him to join them and forsake al-Ridha].

He [Safwan b. Yahya] was a partner of Abdallah b. Jundab and Ali b. al-Nu'man. It is narrated that they made a pact in the sanctified House of Allah - that whoever dies from among them - those who remain will pray the prayers for the departed (on his behalf), and fast for him his fasts, and give out Zakat for him, so they both died, and Safwan remained, so he used to pray in every day one hundred and fifty Rak'at (i.e. 50*3), and fast in every year three months, and pay the Zakat in three portions, and whatever (thing of) righteousness that he did for himself - apart from what we have mentioned - he used to also do for them (on their behalf) its like.

One of our companions reported that a man entrusted him with two silver coins to take to his family which was in Kufa so he [Safwan] said: I have rented out my camel and I will ask the owner for permission to carry this! [noting his scrupulousness in meeting the rights of others]. No one from among his peers could equal him in matters of self-restraint [from sins] and worship. He authored thirty books … Safwan b. Yahya - may Allah have mercy on him - died in the year 210. 

 

[2/182] تهذيب الاحكام: باسناده عن محمد بن احمد بن يحيى عن محمد بن عيسى اليقطيني قال: بعث الي ابوالحسن الرضا عليه السلام رزم ثياب وغلمانا وحجة لي وحجة لاخى موسى بن عبيد وحجة ليونس بن عبدالرحمن فامرنا ان نحج عنه فكانت بيننا مائة دينار اثلاثا فيما بيننا فلما اردت ان اعبي الثياب رايت في اضعاف الثياب طينا فقلت للرسول: ما هذا؟ فقال: ليس يوجه بمتاع إلا جعل فيه طينا من قبر الحسين عليه السلام ثم قال الرسول: قال ابوالحسن عليه السلام: هو امان باذن الله، وامرنا بالمال بامور من صلة اهل بيته وقوم محاويج لايؤبه لهم، وامر بدفع ثلاثمائة دينار إلى رحم امرأة كانت له وامرنى ان اطلقها عنه وامتعها بهذا المال، وامرنى ان اشهد على طلاقها صفوان ابن يحيى وآخر، نسي محمد بن عيسى اسمه

[2/182] Tahdhib al-Ahkam: Via his chain to Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Yahya from Muhammad b. Isa al-Yaqtini who said: Abu al-Hasan al-Ridha عليه السلام sent me a bundle of clothes, servants and money covering [the expenses of] my Hajj, that of my brother Musa b. Ubayd, and for Yunus b. Abd al-Rahman - ordering us to make the Hajj on his behalf, so we had a hundred gold coins to be divided up three ways between us. When I wanted to ready the clothes [for the journey] I saw between them some soil, I said to the messenger: what is this? he said: he [the Imam] does not send out any item except that he places in it some soil from the grave of al-Husayn عليه السلام, then the messenger said: Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام said: it [the soil] is to provide you safety by the permission of Allah. He also handed us some additional amount to be used to maintain relation with the people of his house and to assist a group who were needy and went un-cared for [in Madina]. He ordered that three hundred gold coins be given to a relation of a woman who was under him [his wife] and ordered me to divorce her on his behalf and provide for her from this amount. He ordered me to make Safwan b. Yahya and another man - whose name Muhammad b. Isa forgot - as witnesses to the divorce.

NOTES:

This last narration confirms the Istihbab of using the soil of Karbala for Tabarruk as was done by the Imam. Also, the permissibility of deputizing someone to divorce on your behalf. The Imam had to this because he had been summoned from Madina to Khurasan by Ma`mun who would never allow him out of his sight again. The Imam had many dependents in Madina and did not cut ties of relation with them. There were also a group of needy with whom no one bothered with except for the Imam. The fact that the Imam nominates Safwan as one of the witnesses to the divorce being done on his behalf shows that he considered him to be Adil. 

Edited July 19, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.67. Dhurays b. Abd al-Malik

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/dhurays-b-abd-al-malik

 

[1/183] رجال الكشي: حمدويه، عن يعقوب بن يزيد، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن علي بن عطية قال: قال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام لعبد الملك بن أعين: كيف سميت ابنك ضريسا؟ فقال كيف سماك أبوك جعفرا؟ قال: إن جعفرا نهر في الجنة و ضريس اسم شيطان

[1/183] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh from Ya`qub b. Yazid from Ibn Abi Umayr from Ali b. `Atiyya who said: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said to Abd al-Malik b. A`yan: how did you come to name your son Dhurays? he said: how did your father come to name you Ja’far? he [the Imam] said: Ja`far is a river in paradise while Dhurays is a name of a devil!

NOTES:

There was a level of impertinence in the question of Abd al-Malik to the Imam and he got what was coming to him i.e. a telling off.

However, this does not negate from the fact that both Abd al-Malik b. A`yan and Dhurays were prominent companions of the `Aimma and have been praised by them.

حمدويه، قال: سمعت أشياخي يقولون: ضريس إنما سمي بالكناسي لأن تجارته بالكناسة، وكان تحته بنت حمران، وهو خير، فاضل، ثقة

[al-Kashshi] Hamduwayh said: I heard my teachers saying: Dhurays was called al-Kunasi because his business was in in Kunasa [a district in Kufa with vast marketplaces]. He married the daughter of Humran [b. A`yan] [i.e. He married his cousin because Abd al-Malik and Humran were brothers]. He was good, merituous, and trust-worthy [Thiqa].

[Islamic Salvation]

3.68. A`sim b. Umar al-Bajali and Ka`b al-Ahbar

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/asim-b-umar-al-bajali-and-kab-al-ahbar

 

[1/184] الكافي: علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه ; ومحمد بن إسماعيل، عن الفضل بن شاذان جميعا عن ابن أبي عمير، عن عمر بن اذينة، عن زرارة قال: كنت قاعدا إلى جنب أبي جعفر عليه السلام وهو محتب مستقبل الكعبة، فقال: أما إن النظر إليها عبادة فجاءه رجل من بجيلة يقال له: عاصم بن عمر فقال لابي جعفر عليه السلام: إن كعب الاحبار كان يقول: إن الكعبة تسجد لبيت المقدس في كل غداة، فقال أبوجعفر عليه السلام: فما تقول فيما قال كعب؟ فقال: صدق، القول ما قال كعب فقال أبوجعفر عليه السلام: كذبت وكذب كعب الاحبار معك وغضب ; قال زرارة مارأيته استقبل أحدا بقول كذبت غيره ...

[1/184] al-Kafi: Ali b. Ibrahim from his father and Muhammad b. Ismail from al-Fadhl b. Shadhan all together from Ibn Abi Umayr from Umar b. Udhayna from Zurara who said: I was seated at the side of Abi Ja`far عليه السلام who was seated with his legs drawn up to the belly [enfolding them with his hands] while facing the Ka`ba when he [the Imam] said: looking at it [the Ka`ba] is a form of worship. Then a man from Bajila called A`sim b. Umar came to him and said: Ka`b al-Ahbar used to say: the Ka`ba prostrates to Bayt al-Maqdis every morning, Abu Ja`far عليه السلام said: what is your opinion about what Ka`b said? He [A`sim] said: he spoke the truth - it is as Ka`b said, so Abu Ja`far عليه السلام said: you have lied and Ka`b al-Ahbar has lied with you, and he became angry, Zurara said: I had never seen him saying to someone ‘you have lied’ to his face other than to him [i.e. A`sim] …

NOTES:

The Imam is very clear in accusing Ka`b al-Ahbar of being a liar. Islam has incurred a lot of damage because of the Israiliyyat that were introduced by this “Rabbi” from Yemen its body. It is known that a lot of the reports of Abu Hurayra for example, such as about the creation of the world, are actually the Haggadic musings of Ka`b which were then attributed to the prophet to give them greater authority and have now become indistinguishable from authentic material. It is only because we are blessed in following the guardians of the true Sunnah that we are protected from this pitfall.

Ka`b is the one who claimed to have read a prophesy about the redeeming qualities of Umar [hence his title Faruq] in the books of the Bani Israil [most likely apocalyptic pseudopigrapha] when he conquered and rode into Jerusalem. He later became a partisan of Uthman and had Muawiya’s ear for his advertised ability to predict the names of future rulers based on his reading of the scriptures. As he is supposed to have said: “"Every event that has taken place or will take place, on any foot of the earth, is written in the Torah, which Allah revealed to His Prophet Moses”.

One of the genre popularized by such story-tellers is that of the Fadhail [merit] of Bayt al-Maqdis, the temple mount and Sham as a whole. This was initiated by Muawiya who gave patronage to Ka`b and asked him to narrate what he knows so as to justify his seat of government being in Sham and placate the mixed population of the area. It was then accelerated by the Marwanid project to surmount the precedence of the Ka`ba which was under Zubayrid control in the counter-Caliphate. On the other hand, in our corpus, you find that it is the ancient sites in Hijaz and the Iraq [where past previous prophets are known to have lived] which are given more importance.   

[Islamic Salvation]

3.69. `Amir b. Wathila

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/amir-b-wathila

 

[-/1] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن علي بن الحسين علي بن فضال، عن عباس بن عامر، عن أبان بن عثمان، عن شهاب بن عبد ربه قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام كيف أصبحت جعلت فداك؟ قال: أصبحت أقول كما قال أبو الطفيل عامر بن واثلة: 

 

و إن لأهل الحق لا بد دولة *** على الناس إياها أرجى و أرقب

 

قال: أنا و الله ممن يرجى و يرقب 

[1/-] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Ali b. al-Hasan b. Ali b. Fadhal from Abbas b. `Amir from Aban b. Uthman from Shihab b. Abd Rabbi who said: I said to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام: may I be made your ransom - how do you feel this morning? he said: I have woken up repeating what was said by Abu al-Tufyal `Amir b. Wathila: 

There must undoubtedly be for the People of Truth a period of rule over the masses

For which I am ever hopeful and constantly in wait

He [al-Sadiq] said: by Allah I am one of those hoping and waiting.

NOTES:

`Amir b. Wathila lived through eight years of the life of the prophet صلى الله عليه وآله having been born in the year of the battle of Uhud (3 AH). 

حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ الْقَوَارِيرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى بْنُ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى، عَنِ الْجُرَيْرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ، قَالَ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَا عَلَى وَجْهِ الأَرْضِ رَجُلٌ رَآهُ غَيْرِي ‏.‏ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ فَكَيْفَ رَأَيْتَهُ قَالَ كَانَ أَبْيَضَ مَلِيحًا مُقَصَّدًا

Ubaydallah b. Umar al-Qawariri - Abd al-A`la b. Abd al-A`la - al-Jariri - Abu Tufayl who said: I saw the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and there is no one on the face of the Earth [alive currently] who had seen him except me! he [al-Jariri] said: I said to him: how did you find him to be? he said: he had a bright complexion, good-looking and of moderate height. [Sahih Muslim]

قَالَ مُسْلِمُ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ: مَاتَ أَبُو الطُّفَيْلِ سَنَةَ مِائَةٍ وَكَانَ آخِرَ مَنْ مَاتَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

Muslim b. al-Hajjaj said: Abu Tufayl died in the year one hundred [100 AH], and he was the last to die among all the companions of the messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

He became a faithful companion to Ali عليه السلام and participated in all three battles [Jamal, Siffin, Nahrawan] with him.

محمد بن سلام الجمحي عن عبد الرحمن الهمداني قال: دخل أبو الطفيل على معاوية فقال: كيف حبك له؟ قال: حب أم موسى لموسى، وإلى الله أشكو التقصير

Muhammad b. Salam al-Jumhi - Abd al-Rahman al-Hamdani who said: Abu Tufayl entered in to see Muawiya [after the latter had become Caliph] who said to him: how was your love for him [Ali]? he said: like the love of the mother of Musa for Musa! and to Allah I complain for the deficiency [i.e. yet my love is not as he deserves]. [Ta`rikh Madinat Dimashq]

Despite Abu Tufayl being a companion, this did not stop some of the proto-Sunni traditionists from feeling uneasy about his beliefs. He is accused of 'crimes' ranging from believing in the superiority of Ali among all the Sahaba to the acceptance of the Raj`a [return of the dead]. Mughira al-Dhabbi rejected his narrations and Ibn Qutayba includes his name among the Ghulat [extremists] among the Rafidha, and

All this caused Ibn Hajar to exclaim: صحابي أخطأ من تكلم فيه

He was a companion. The one who talks negatively about him is mistaken.

What must have rankled them also must have been his close association with al-Mukhtar b. Abi Ubayda [which led to Ibn Hazm rejecting his narrations]. al-Kashshi goes a step further and says:

كان عامر بن واثلة كيسانيا ممن يقول بحياة محمد بن الحنفية، و له في ذلك شعر، و خرج تحت راية المختار بن أبي عبيدة ...

`Amir b. Wathila was a Kaysani who believed in the continuing existence of Muhammad b.al-Hanafiyya and had poems expressing that belief. He came out under the banner of al-Mukhtar b. Abi Ubayda ...

 

[2/185] الخصال: محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد، عن محمد بن الحسن الصفار، عن محمد بن الحسين بن أبي الخطاب ويعقوب بن يزيد جميعا، عن محمد بن أبي عمير، عن عبد الله بن سنان، عن معروف بن خربوذ، عن أبي الطفيل عامر بن واثلة، عن حذيفة بن أسيد الغفاري قال: لما رجع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله من حجة الوداع ونحن معه أقبل حتى انتهى إلى الجحفة فأمر أصحابه بالنزول فنزل القوم منازلهم، ثم نودي بالصلاة فصلى بأصحابه ركعتين، ثم أقبل بوجهه إليهم فقال لهم: إنه قد نبأني اللطيف الخبير أني ميت وأنكم ميتون، وكأني قد دعيت فاجبت وأني مسؤول عما ارسلت به إليكم، وعما خلفت فيكم من كتاب الله وحجته وأنكم مسؤولون، فما أنتم قائلون لربكم؟ قالوا: نقول: قد بلغت ونصحت وجاهدت فجزاك الله عنا أفضل الجزاء ثم قال لهم: ألستم تشهدون أن لا إله إلا الله وأني رسول الله إليكم وأن الجنة حق؟ وأن النار حق؟ وأن البعث بعد الموت حق؟ فقالوا: نشهد بذلك، قال: اللهم اشهد على ما يقولون، ألا وإني اشهدكم أني أشهد أن الله مولاي، وأنا مولى كل مسلم، وأنا أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم، فهل تقرون لي بذلك، وتشهدون لي به؟ فقالوا: نعم نشهد لك بذلك، فقال: ألا من كنت مولاه فإن عليا مولاه وهو هذا، ثم أخذ بيد علي عليه السلام فرفعها مع يده حتى بدت آباطهما ثم قال: اللهم وال من والاه، وعاد من عاداه، وانصر من نصره واخذل من خذله، ألا وإني فرطكم وأنتم واردون علي الحوض، حوضي غدا وهو حوض عرضه ما بين بصرى وصنعاء فيه أقداح من فضة عدد نجوم السماء، ألا وإني سائلكم غدا ماذا صنعتم فيما أشهدت الله به عليكم في يومكم هذا إذا وردتم علي حوضي، وماذا صنعتم بالثقلين من بعدي فانظروا كيف تكونون خلفتموني فيهما حين تلقوني قالوا: وما هذان الثقلان يا رسول الله؟ قال: أما الثقل الاكبر فكتاب الله عزوجل، سبب ممدود من الله ومني في أيديكم، طرفه بيد الله والطرف الآخر بأيديكم، فيه علم ما مضى وما بقي إلى أن تقوم الساعة، وأما الثقل الاصغر فهو حليف القرآن وهو علي بن أبي طالب و عترته عليهم السلام، وإنهما لن يفترقا حتى يردا علي الحوض. قال معروف بن خربوذ: فعرضت هذا الكلام على أبي جعفر عليه السلام فقال: صدق أبوالطفيل رحمه الله هذا الكلام وجدناه في كتاب علي عليه السلام وعرفناه

[2/185] al-Khisal: Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Ahmad b. al-Walid from Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Saffar from Muhammad b. al-Husayn b. Abi al-Khattab and Ya`qub b. Yazid from Muhammad b. Abi Umayr from Abdallah b. Sinan from Ma`ruf b. Kharrabudh from Abi Tufayl `Amir b. Wathila from Hudhayfa b. Asid al-Ghiffari who said: We were with the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله when he was returning from his farewell pilgrimage. He went forth until he reached Juhfa where he ordered his companions to decamp. The call for prayer was made and he led his companions in a two-unit prayer. After that he turned his face to them and said: The Kind and All-Aware has informed me that I am to die and you too will one day die. It is as though I have been called and have responded. I am to be asked about that which I was sent with for you and also what I leave behind in your midst including the Book of Allah and His proof - and you too shall be asked - so what are you going to reply to your Lord? They said: we will say ‘you have conveyed, counselled and struggled, so may Allah reward you on our behalf the best of rewards’.      

Then he said to them: do you bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that I am the messenger of Allah? that the Paradise is a reality, the Fire is a reality and the resurrection after death is reality? They said: we bear witness to that, he said: O Allah witness what they say. Behold! I make you witnesses that I myself bear witness that Allah is my Mawla, and that I am the Mawla of every Muslim, and that I have a greater claim over the believers than their own selves, do you admit to that and bear witness to it about me? They said: yes, we witness that to be true about you. He said: Behold! To whomsoever I am a Mawla then Ali is also his Mawla, and he is this one, and he took Ali by the hand and raised it with his own hand until their armpits became visible, then he said: O Allah – be a guardian to whomever takes him to be a guardian, and be an enemy to whomever takes him to be an enemy, aid the one who aids him and abandon the one who abandons him.    

Behold! I will proceed you but you will catch up with me at the reservoir – my Lake-fount – tomorrow. It is a Lake-fount whose breadth is like the distance between Busra and San`a. In it are goblets made of silver like the number of stars in the sky. Behold! I will ask you tomorrow about what you did in regards that which I made Allah bear witness to - over you - in this day of yours when you reach my Lake-fount.

And also about what you did with regards the ‘Two Weighty Things’ after me, so take care of how you will preserve my legacy in them when you meet me. They said: and what are these ‘Two Weighty Things’ O the messenger of Allah? he said: as for the greater weighty thing then it is the Book of Allah Mighty and Majestic, a rope extending from Allah and myself in your hands, one end of it is by the hand of Allah and the other end is in your hands, in it is the knowledge of what has passed and what is left until the Hour comes. As for the smaller weighty thing it is the ally of the Qur`an, and that is Ali b. Abi Talib and his descendants عليهم السلام – the two will not separate until they return to me at the Lake-fount. 

Ma`ruf b. Kharrabudh said: I relayed these words to Abi Ja`far عليه السلام so he said: Abu Tufayl has spoken the truth - may Allah have mercy on him - we have found this speech in the book of Ali and do recognize it.

Edited July 24, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.70. `Abbad al-Basri

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abbad-al-basri

 

[1/186] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن عبد الله بن محمد، عن الحسن بن علي الوشاء، عن ابن سنان قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: بينا أنا في الطواف إذا رجل يجذب ثوبي، فالتفت فإذا عباد البصري، قال: يا جعفر بن محمد تلبس مثل هذا الثوب و أنت في الموضع الذي أنت فيه من علي صلوات الله عليه قال: قلت: ويلك هذا ثوب قوهي أشتر بدينار و كسر، و كان علي عليه السلام في زمان يستقيم له ما لبس فيه، و لو لبست مثل ذلك اللباس في زماننا لقال الناس هذا مراء مثل عباد!

[1/186] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Abdallah b. Muhammad from al-Hasan b. Ali al-Washsha from Ibn Sinan who said: I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام saying: while I was making the Tawaf someone started pulling my garment. I turned to look at him and discovered that he was `Abbad al-Basri. He [`Abbad] said: O Ja`far bin Muhammad - you wear this type of cloth while you are who you are in terms of your close relation with Ali صلوات الله عليه [i.e. are his descendant]? He عليه السلام said: I said to him - woe be upon you, this is a cloth from Kuhistan that I have bought by a Dinar and a few [Dirhams], Ali عليه السلام was in an age wherein what he wore was befitting for it, but if I were to wear a similar type of attire in this age the people would say - this one is a pretender of piety [show off] like `Abbad!

NOTES:

Every age has its convention. Ali was in an age where poverty was rampant because Islam had not gained the supremacy it would later acquire - he wanted to show his support for the poor. Wearing such a type of cloth in the time of al-Sadiq would be an open show of ostentation. Obviously, real humility is in the heart.

[Islamic Salvation]

3.72. - 3.73. Abd al-Hamid b. Salim and Muhammad b. Ismail b. Bazi`

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abd-al-hamid-b-salim-and-muhammad-b-ismail-b-bazi

 

[1/187] تهذيب الاحكام: باسناده عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن العباس بن معروف عن علي بن مهزيار عن محمد بن اسماعيل بن بزيع قال: ان رجلا من اصحابنا مات ولم يوص فرفع امره إلى قاضي الكوفة فصير عبدالحميد بن سالم القيم بماله وكان رجلا خلف ورثة صغارا ومتاعا وجواري، فباع عبدالحميد المتاع فلما اراد بيع الجواري ضعف قلبه في بيعهن ولم يكن الميت صير اليه وصيته وكان قيامه بها بامر القاضي لانهن فروج قال محمد: فذكرت ذلك لابي جعفر عليه السلام فقلت: جعلت فداك يموت الرجل من اصحابنا فلا يوصي إلى أحد وخلف جوارى فيقيم القاضي رجلا منا لبيعهن أو قال يقوم بذلك رجل منا فيضعف قلبه لانهن فروج فما ترى في ذلك؟ فقال: اذا كان القيم مثلك ومثل عبدالحميد فلا باس

[1/187] Tahdhib al-Ahkam: Via his chain to Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa from al-Abbas b. Ma`ruf from Ali b. Mahziyar from Muhammad b. Ismail b. Bazi` who said: a man from among our companions [fellow Shia] died and did not leave a will. His case was referred to the judge [Qadhi] of Kufa [a Sunni] who appointed Abd al-Hamid b. Salim as the supervisor of his [the dead man’s] wealth. The man had left behind small children as inheritors, some house-hold items and slave-women. Abd al-Hamid sold the items but when he wanted to sell off the slave-women his heart had misgivings about selling them because they were Furuj [had had a relation of a sexual nature with the master] and the deceased had not appointed him as executor of his will - the matter had only fallen to him because of the order of the judge. Muhammad said: I relayed this to Abi Ja`far عليه السلام and said: may I be made your ransom - a man from among our companions dies without willing to anyone and has left behind slave-women, it happens that the judge appoints a man from among us to over-see their sale but his heart has misgivings because they are Furuj - what is your ruling about that? he said: if the supervisor is someone like you or Abd al-Hamid then there is no problem.  

NOTES:

This Hadith has been used as one of the evidences in discussions concerning the extent of the Wilaya (guardianship) of the Faqih in the age of the Ghayba, needles to say, this is not the place to delve into that. In our Fiqh, when the inheritors are incapacitated and cannot assume direct ownership of their inheritance, the responsibility falls to the Hakim [ruler] to act on their behalf. What is meant by the ruler is the Just Sultan [the Imam] or his appointed deputy. Historical reality meant that the `Aimma were not in power and could not discharge their prerogative. Naturally, the lacuna was filled by unsanctioned temporal rulers and their subordinates, calling into question the legality of the decisions they make.

A fallible supervisor could be over-riding the wishes of the deceased [who has not left a will] or going against the best interests of the minor inheritors. The Imam has been divinely appointed as a guardian of the Umma, he has more of a right to their possessions than even themselves, his decisions faithfully speak for the minor who cannot speak for himself, they will be considered final and cannot be overturned at any point in time, but from where do these ‘others’ derive their ability to intervene into the affairs of others?

Abd al-Hamid b. Salim had misgivings about the slave-women in particular because they had enjoyed sexual relations with their master. Selling them off without knowing their exact status is more perilous Fiqhi-wise than inanimate objects. For example, the master might have made some unverifiable promise to them, or one of them could be pregnant, in which case the offspring is considered the lawful reproductive issue of the master and the Umm Walad [this slave woman who has given birth to the master's son] should be freed as a consequence of the master’s death [having fallen into the son’s share of the inheritance].

Another potential difference between the sale of slave-women and other assets is as follows: the legality of using assets purchased by a sale contract which was void - can be retrospectively maintained through the consent of the 'previous' owner, the same is not true in the case of slave-women, if the sale contract is void it means that all relations proceeding thereafter such as marriage, offspring are called into question

The Imam gives a general dispensation to some of his followers to assume such positions of stewardship on behalf of minors provided they fulfill certain requirements. The clause ‘if it is someone like you …’ has been taken to mean - at the very least - the requirement of Wathaqa [trust-worthiness] and administrative capability for a guardian [this is what Aql demands]. It is clear that this was possessed by both Muhammad b. Ismail b. Bazi` and Abd al-Hamid b. Salim. The Imam trusts them to dispense with the matter in a correct and judicious manner after due diligence.

Why should not the Imam trust someone like Muhammad b. Ismail b. Bazi` when we are told about him:

محمد بن إسماعيل بن بزيع ... كان من صالحي هذه الطائفة وثقاتهم، كثير العمل ...

[Najashi] Muhammad b. Ismail b. Bazi` was one of the most righteous men in this sect and their most trust-worthy. He performed a lot of virtuous acts …

أخبرنا والدي رحمه الله، قال: أخبرنا محمد بن علي بن الحسين، قال: حدثنا محمد بن علي ماجيلويه، عن علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن علي بن معبد، عن الحسين بن خالد الصيرفي قال: كنا عند الرضا عليه السلام ونحن جماعة فذكر محمد بن إسماعيل بن بزيع، فقال: وددت أن فيكم مثله

[Najashi] My father - Muhammad b. Ali b. al-Husayn - Muhammad b. Ali b. Majilwayh - Ali b. Ibrahim - his father - Ali b. Ma`bad - al-Husayn b. Khalid al-Sayrafi who said: a group of us were in the presence of al-Ridha عليه السلام when he [the Imam] mentioned Muhammad b. Ismail b. Bazi` and said: I would love it if there was someone like him among you. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.74. Abd al-Khaliq b. Abd Rabbi

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abd-al-khaliq-b-abd-rabbi

 

[-/1] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن عبد الله بن محمد، عن أبي، عن إسماعيل بن عبد الخالق قال: ذكر أبو عبد الله عليه السلام أبي فقال: صلى الله على أبيك ثلاثا

[1/-] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Abdallah b. Muhammad from his father from Ismail b. Abd al-Khaliq who said: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام remembered my father and said: may Allah bless your father - thrice.

NOTES:

al-Najashi says the following in the entry of his son Ismail b. Abd al-Khaliq:

إسماعيل بن عبد الخالق بن عبد ربه بن أبي ميمونة بن يسار، مولى بني أسد، وجه من وجوه أصحابنا، وفقيه من فقهائنا، وهو من بيت الشيعة، عمومته: شهاب، وعبد الرحيم، ووهب، وأبوه عبد الخالق، كلهم ثقات، رووا عن أبي جعفر وأبي عبد الله عليهما السلام ...

Ismail b. Abd al-Khaliq b. Abd Rabbi b. Abi Maymuna b. Yasar, a client of the Bani Asad, an eminent head among our companions, and a jurist among our jurists, he is from a large clan of the Shia, his paternal uncles - Shihab, Abd al-Rahim, Wahb and his father Abd al-Khaliq were all Thiqa, they narrated from Abi Ja`far and Abi Abdillah عليهما السلام …

[Islamic Salvation]

3.75. Abdallah b. Abi Ya`fur

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abdallah-b-abi-yafur

 

[89/188] رجال الكشي: حمدويه، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن صفوان، عن حماد الناب قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام: عبد الله بن أبي يعفور يقرئك السلام قال: و عليه السلام

[89/188] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh from Muhammad b. Isa from Safwan from Hammad al-Nab who said: I said to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام: Abdallah b. Abi Ya`fur sends you greetings of peace, he said: and upon him be peace. 

 

[90/189] رجال الكشي: حمدويه بن نصير، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن سعيد بن جناح، عن عدة من أصحابنا و قال العبيدي حدثني به أيضا عن ابن أبي عمير: أن ابن أبي يعفور و معلى بن خنيس كانا بالنيل على عهد أبي عبد الله عليه السلام فاختلفا في ذبائح اليهود، فأكل معلى و لم يأكل ابن أبي يعفور، فلما صارا إلى أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أخبراه، فرضي بفعل ابن أبي يعفور و خطا المعلى في أكله إياه

[90/189] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh b. Nusayr from Muhammad b. Isa b. Ubayd from Sa`id b. Janah from a number of our companions [al-Ubaydi said: Ibn Abi Umayr also narrated this to me]: Ibn Abi Ya`fur and Mu`alla b. Khunays were travelling by the Nile in the lifetime of Abi Abdillah عليه السلام when they differed over eating the meat slaughtered by Jews. Mu`alla ate it but Ibn Abi Ya`fur did not. They informed Abi Abdillah عليه السلام of this when they met him, he was pleased with what Ibn Abi Ya`fur had done and rebuked al-Mu`alla for eating it.

NOTES:

This is what al-Najashi has to say about Abdallah:

عبد الله بن أبي يعفور العبدي - واسم أبي يعفور واقد وقيل وقدان - يكنى أبا محمد، ثقة ثقة، جليل في أصحابنا، كريم على أبي عبد الله عليه السلام، ومات في أيامه، وكان قارئا يقرئ في مسجد الكوفة ...

Abdallah b. Abi Ya`fur al-Abdi. Abi Ya`fur’s name was Waqid. It is also alternatively said that it was Waqdan. He had the agnomen Aba Muhammad. Thiqatun Thiqa. Esteemed among our companions. Honourable in the eyes of Abi Abdillah عليه السلام. He died in his [al-Sadiq’s] lifetime. He was a Qur`an reciter teaching the Qur`an in the Masjid of Kufa …

The narrations included below, despite having some defects in their chains, are consistent with the general character and status of the man:

أبو محمد الشامي الدمشقي، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن علي بن الحكم، عن زياد بن أبي الحلال قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: ما أحد أدى إلينا ما افترض الله عليه فينا إلا عبد الله بن أبي يعفور

Abu Muhammad al-Shami al-Dimashqi – Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa – Ali b. al-Hakam – Ziyad b. Abi al-Hallal who said: I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام saying: no one has fulfilled what Allah has made incumbent on him concerning us except Abdallah b. Abi Ya`fur.

حدثنا أبو الحسن علي بن محمد بن قتيبة النيسابوري، قال: حدثنا أبو محمد الفضل بن شاذان، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن عدة من أصحابنا، قال: كان أبو عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: ما وجدت أحدا يقبل وصيتي ويطيع أمري إلا عبد الله بن أبي يعفور

Abu al-Hasan Ali b. Muhammad b. Qutayba al-Naysaburi – Abu Muhammad al-Fadhl b. Shadhan – Ibn Abi Umayr – a number of our companions who said: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام used to say: I have not found anyone accepting my instructions and obeying my orders except Abdallah b. Abi Ya`fur.

حمدويه، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسين، عن الحكم بن مسكين الثقفي، قال: حدثني أبو حمزة معقل العجلي، عن عبد الله بن أبي يعفور قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام: والله لو فلقت رمانة بنصفين فقلت هذا حرام وهذا حلال لشهدت أن الذي قلت حلال حلال، وأن الذي قلت حرام حرام، فقال: رحمك الله رحمك الله

Hamduwayh – Muhammad b. al-Husayn – al-Hakam b. Miskiyn al-Thaqafi – Abu Hamza Ma`qil al-Ijli – Abdallah b. Abi Ya`fur who said: I said to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام: I swear by Allah! if you were to split a pomegranate into half and say: ‘this half is Haram and that half is Halal’, I would have borne witness that the one which you said is Halal is indeed Halal and the one which you said is Haram is indeed Haram! So he said: may Allah have mercy on you, may Allah have mercy on you.

حمدويه، قال: حدثنا أيوب بن نوح، عن محمد بن الفضيل، عن أبي أسامة قال: دخلت على أبي عبد الله عليه السلام لأودعه، فقال لي: يا زيد مالكم وللناس قد حملتم الناس علي؟ إني والله ما وجدت أحدا يطيعني ويأخذ بقولي إلا رجلا واحدا - رحمة الله عليه - عبد الله بن أبي يعفور فإني أمرته وأوصيته بوصية فاتبع أمري وأخذ بقولي

Hamduwayh – Ayyub b. Nuh – Muhammad b. Fudhayl – Abi Usama who said: I entered upon Abi Abdillah عليه السلام to bid him farewell, he said to me: O Ziyad, what do you have to do with the people! you have turned the people against me! I have – by Allah – not found anyone obeying me and taking on my words except a single man – may Allah have mercy on him – Abdallah b. Abi Ya`fur, for I had ordered him and instructed him with a set of instructions and he followed my command and took on my words.

Edited August 1, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.76. Abdallah b. al-Imam al-Sadiq

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abdallah-b-al-imam-al-sadiq

 

[1/190] ارشاد المفيد: ابن قولويه، عن الكليني، عن محمد بن يحيى، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن أبي يحيى الواسطي، عن هشام بن سالم قال: كنا بالمدينة بعد وفاة أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أنا ومحمد بن النعمان صاحب الطاق، والناس مجتمعون عند عبد الله بن جعفر أنه صاحب الامر بعد أبيه، فدخلنا عليه والناس عنده فسألناه عن الزكاة في كم تجب؟ قال: في مائتين درهم خمسة دراهم، فقلنا ففي مائة درهم؟ قال: درهمان ونصف، قلنا: والله ما تقول المرجئة هذا فقال: والله ما أدري ما تقول المرجئة، قال: فخرجنا ضلالا ... قلت: جعلت فداك إن عبد الله أخاك يزعم أنه الامام بعد أبيه فقال: عبد الله يريد أن لا يعبد الله ... وبقي عبد الله لا يدخل إليه من الناس إلا قليل

[1/190] Irshad al-Mufid: Ibn Qulawayh from al-Kulayni from Muhammad b. Yahya from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa from Abi Yahya al-Wasiti from Hisham b. Salim who said: Muhammad b. al-Nu`man Sahib al-Taq and I were in Madina after the death of Abi Abdillah عليه السلام and the people had gathered around Abdallah b. Ja`far - considering him to be the master of the affair after his father. We entered in to meet him while the people were with him, we asked him about the Zakat - at what amount is it to be levied? He said: five silver coins for every two hundred, we said: what about in a hundred silver coins? he said: two and a half silver coins, we said: by Allah this is what the Murjia say! he said: by Allah I do not even know what the Murjia say! He [Hisham] said: so we came out feeling lost … I said: may I be made your ransom, your brother Abdallah claims that he is the Imam after his father, he [al-Kadhim] said: Abdallah wants that Allah not be worshipped … and the people abandoned Abdallah and no one entered in to see him except very few.  

NOTES: 

The full narration will come in the book of Imama. Abdallah al-Aftah (d. 149) was the second eldest son of al-Sadiq and claimed the Imama after the death of his father. “al-Aftah” which was his title most probably refers to a physical trait and is taken by most scholars to mean that he was broad-footed. A lot of the companions accepted him as his father’s successor and he only began losing support when he faced questions such as the above and failed to answer them satisfactorily.

One way of investigating the veracity of someone claiming the Imama was for the senior companions to test the knowledge of the pretender, in this case, the Nisab of Zakat. Zakat is 5 Dirhams on 200. This is 2.5%. Analogically extending this rate to a 100 Dirhams would line up with Abdallah's answer of 2.5 Dirhams. However, Zakat is only due when the amount has reached at least 200 Dirhams, so the correct answer would have been 0, not 2.5 as answered. A true Imam wouldn’t have made this mistake. al-Aftah falls short, essentially disqualifying him from the position.

Another factor which led to disillusionment with him was when he went on to die very soon after the death of al-Sadiq, some seventy days later. Despite this, there remained some companions who continued to believe in his Imama and added him to the list of legitimate Imams, these were the Fathiyya who considered al-Kadhim to be the eigth Imam after his brother. A  number of important scholars were drawn from their ranks and they were virtually indistinguishable from the “conventional” Imamis because the short tenure of al-Aftah meant that he did not impact Shi’i jurisprudence in any significant way.  

Edited August 2, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.77. Abdallah b. Jundab

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abdallah-b-jundab

 

[1/191] رجال الكشي: حمدويه بن نصير، عن يعقوب بن يزيد، عن الحسن بن علي بن يقطين - و كان سيئ الرأي في يونس رحمه الله - قال: قيل لأبي الحسن عليه السلام و أنا أسمع: أن يونس مولى آل يقطين يزعم أن مولاكم و المتمسك بطاعتكم عبد الله بن جندب يعبد الله على سبعين حرفا، و يقول إنه شاك قال: فسمعته يقول: هو و الله أولى بأن يعبد الله على حرف ما له و لعبد الله بن جندب إن عبد الله بن جندب لمن المخبتين

[1/191] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh b. Nusayr from Ya`qub b. Yazid from al-Hasan b. Ali b. Yaqtin - and he [al-Hasan] had a negative opinion of Yunus may Allah have mercy on him - said: it was said to Abi al-Hasan عليه السلام while I was listening: Yunus the client of the family of Yaqtin claims that your follower and the one who holds on to your obedience - Abdallah b. Jundab - worships Allah on seventy edges [allusion to Q. 22:11] and also says that he [Abdallah] is a doubter, so I heard him [the Imam] saying: he [Yunus] is by Allah more likely to worship Allah on the edge! what does he have to do with Abdallah b. Jundab! verily Abdallah b. Jundab is one of the humble ones [allusion to Q 22:34].

NOTES: 

Worshipping Allah on the edge is a metaphor for unsteady faith. A man questions whether he should descend or turn back to safety being unsure of what to do. This comes from the verse: “And of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge. If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face [to the other direction]. He has lost [this] world and the Hereafter” (22:11). If a good thing happens to such a man he associates his fortune to the worship of Allah, but if he faces setbacks he again links it to his worship and considers it to be ineffective, deciding thereby to turn away from the path of Allah. This is a faith which is predicated on worldly gains, the wind blows it whichever way, instead of acting as the bed-rock sustaining him under all circumstances.

There is no doubt about the lofty status of Abdallah b. Jundab.

الشيخ في كتاب الغيبة، في فصل ذكر طرف في أخبار السفراء، في قسم المحمودين: ومنهم عبد الله بن جندب البجلي وكان وكيلا لأبي إبراهيم وأبي الحسن الرضا عليهما السلام، وكان عابدا رفيع المنزلة لديهما على ما روي في الاخبار

The Shaykh al-Tusi says about him in his Kitab al-Ghayba in the section to do with an account of the praised Sufara: among them was Abdallah b. Jundab al-Bajali. A Wakil [agent] for Abi Ibrahim and Abi al-Hasan al-Ridha عليهما السلام. He was a worshipper having a high status in their [the `Aimma's] estimation as has come in the reports.

What then are we to make of Yunus’s negative assessment of Abdallah b. Jundab and the consequent implicit censure of Yunus by the Imam?

Firstly, this narration is called into question because we have a report narrated by Yunus in which his high regard for Abdallah b. Jundab is clear.

محمد بن سعد بن مزيد أبو الحسن عن محمد بن أحمد بن حماد المروزي قال: روى أبي رحمه الله عن يونس بن عبد الرحمن قال: رأيت عبد الله بن جندب و قد أفاض من عرفة ... قال يونس: فقلت له: قد رأى الله اجتهادك منذ اليوم ... 

Muhammad b. Sa`d b. Maziyd Abu al-Hasan - Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Hammad al-Marwazi - my father - Yunus b. `Abd al-Rahman: I saw `Abdallah b. Jundab when he had departed from `Arafa ... Yunus said: so I said to him: Allah has surely observed your efforts (in Ibada) since the beginning of the day ...

Secondly, the man who claims to have heard Yunus speak such words about Abdallah b. Jundab is not named. The anonymous man could well be lying about Yunus with the intention of baiting the Imam into repudiating Yunus whilst defending Abdallah b. Jundab. This possibility is magnified in light of the fact that Yunus was a controversial man and there were many who wanted to blacken his name. Consider the report below which is enough to demonstrate this phenomenon:

علي بن محمد القتيبي حدثني أبو محمد الفضل بن شاذان حدثني أبو جعفر البصري - وكان ثقة فاضلا صالحا - قال: دخلت مع يونس بن عبد الرحمن على الرضا علیه السلام فشكا إليه ما يلقى من أصحابه من الوقيعة فقال الرضا علیه السلام: دارهم فان عقولهم لا تبلغ

Ali b. Muhammad b. Qutayba - Abu Muhammad al-Fadhl b. Shadhan - Abu Ja`far al-Basri: I entered together with Yunus b. Abd al-Rahman to meet al-Ridha علیه السلام and he [Yunus] complained to him [the Imam] about what he faces from his fellow Shias in terms of abuse! So al-Ridha said to him: indulge them for their intellects cannot comprehend.

It is pertinent to mention that Yunus’s most active detractors were the Qummis who attacked him because of what they perceived were his independent theological views, especially in matters of Tawhid.

Thirdly, there seems to be a clear manuscriptal error in the Hadith. What raised my suspicion to this is the description of al-Hasan b. Ali b. Yaqtin as having a negative opinion of Yunus. But it is very doubtful that al-Hasan could have a negative opinion of Yunus.

It is known that Yunus was the Mawla [client] of the family of Yaqtin, in this way he shares the bond of Wala with all its members, including al-Hasan b. Ali b. Yaqtin. Furthermore, the family of Yaqtin took Yunus as a teacher in the religion and especially in matters of Kalam. It is hard to see al-Hasan narrating a report condemning someone who was virtually part of the family and a mentor.

Consider also that al-Hasan b. Ali b. Yaqtin occurs in the alternate strand of a report which has the Imam giving Yunus the ultimate validation.

محمد بن مسعود، قال: حدثني محمد بن نصير، قال: حدثنا محمد بن عيسى، قال: حدثني عبد العزيز بن المهتدي القمي، قال: محمد بن نصير قال: محمد بن عيسى - وحدث الحسن بن علي بن يقطين بذلك أيضا - قال: قلت لأبي الحسن الرضا عليه السلام: جعلت فداك إني لا أكاد أصل إليك أسألك عن كل ما أحتاج إليه من معالم ديني، أفيونس بن عبد الرحمن ثقة، آخذ عنه ما أحتاج إليه من معالم ديني؟ فقال: نعم

Muhammad b. Mas`ud - Muhammad b. Nusayr - Muhammad b. Isa - Abd al-Aziz b. al-Muhtadi [and al-Hasan b. Ali b. Yaqtin also narrated it]: I said to Abi al-Hasan al-Ridha عليه السلام: may I be made your ransom, I cannot always reach you to ask you all that which I need of the teachings of my religion, is Yunus b. Abd al-Rahman trustworthy and can I take from him what I need from the teachings of my religion? He said: yes. 

How could al-Hasan b. Ali b. Yaqtin have narrated such a report about Yunus and continued to have a bad opinion of him?

To whom then could the phrase “he had a negative opinion of Yunus” be referring to?

When I thought about the matter a possible solution came to me which is that it is referring to Ya`qub b. Yazid [who also occurs in the chain] and not al-Hasan b. Ali b. Yaqtin.

Circumstantial evidence for this are numerous:

Ya`qub b. Yazid authored a book titled ‘Criticism against Yunus’

يعقوب بن يزيد بن حماد الأنباري السلمي ... له كتاب البداء ... وكتاب الطعن على يونس

The book can be partially reconstructed by looking for Ya`qub in the chains of reports about Yunus in al-Kashshi. When this is done one finds all of them to be negative about Yunus [they are incidentally all weak apart from this one under discussion which is itself arguable]. This is enough to support the theory.

We also have a clear statement of Ya`qub’s feelings towards Yunus as below:

جعفر بن معروف قال: سمعت يعقوب بن يزيد يقع في يونس ويقول: كان يروي الأحاديث من غير سماع

Ja`far b. Ma`ruf said: I heard Ya`qub b. Yazid attacking Yunus and saying: he used to transmit narrations without having heard them.   

Now Ya`qub b. Yazid is Thiqa in of himself and I am not accusing him of lying per se, but he seems to be biased against Yunus, such that it drove him to compile a whole book on the subject. He quotes Yunus's prominent detractors without giving Yunus's supporters the opportunity to explain themselves.

All these points taken together are enough to weaken this report.

Edited August 5, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.78. Abdallah b. al-Hasan b. al-Hasan al-Mujtaba

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abdallah-b-al-hasan-b-al-hasan-al-mujtaba

 

[1/192] اقبال السيد رضي الدين علي بن طاوس: باسانيده إلى أبي جعفر الطوسي، عن المفيد محمد بن محمد بن النعمان والحسين بن عبيد الله، عن أبي جعفر محمد بن علي بن الحسين بن بابويه، عن محمد بن الحسن بن الوليد، عن محمد بن الحسن الصفار، عن محمد ابن الحسين بن أبي الخطاب، عن محمد بن أبي عمير، عن إسحاق بن قال: إن أبا عبد الله جعفر بن محمد عليهما السلام كتب إلى عبد الله بن الحسن رضي الله عنه حين حمل هو وأهل بيته يعزيه عما صار إليه: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم إلى الخلف الصالح والذرية الطيبة من ولد أخيه وابن عمه: أما بعد فلإن كنت تفردت أنت وأهل بيتك ممن حمل معك بما أصابكم ما انفردت بالحزن والغيظة والكآبة وأليم وجع القلب دوني، فلقد نالني من ذلك من الجزع، والقلق وحر المصيبة مثل ما نالك ... فعليكم ياعم وابن عم وبني عمومتي وإخوتي بالصبر والرضا والتسليم والتفويض إلى الله عزوجل والرضا بالصبر على قضائه ، والتمسك بطاعته ، والنزول عند أمره أفرغ الله علينا وعليكم الصبر ، وختم لنا ولكم بالاجر والسعادة ، وأنقذنا وإياكم من كل هلكة ، بحوله وقوته إنه سميع قريب ، وصلى الله عليه صفوته من خلقه محمد النبي وأهل بيته 

[1/192] Iqbal of Sayyid Radhi al-Diin Ali b. Tawus: Via a number of his chains to Abi Ja’far al-Tusi from al-Mufid Muhammad b. Muhammad b. al-Nu’man and al-Husayn b. Ubaydallah from Abi Ja’far Muhammad b. Ali b. al-Husayn b. Babawayh from Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. al-Walid from Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Saffar from Muhammad b. al-Husayn b. Abi al-Khattab from Muhammad b. Abi Umayr from Ishaq b. Ammar who said: Aba Abdillah Ja’far b. Muhammad عليهما السلام wrote a letter of condolence to Abdallah b. al-Hasan - may Allah be pleased with him - for what had happened to him when he was deported together with the people of his household: In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful, to the righteous successor and the pure descendant from the son of his brother and uncle: now then, if you and the people of your house who were deported together with you are alone in that which has befallen you, then know that you are not alone in grief, anger, sadness and pain of a suffering heart, for I too have been touched with anxiety, worry and the heat of tribulation [for what has happened to you] as has touched you … 

So I recommend you - O uncle and the son of an uncle, the children of my uncles and my brothers - towards patience, acceptance, submission and leaving the matter to Allah Mighty and Majestic. Be accepting and patient over His decree, holding on to His obedience, alighting as per His order. May Allah pour upon you and us patience. May He conclude for you and us with reward and felicity. May He save you and us from every peril. By His Might and Power. Verily He is All-Hearing Near. May Allah send blessings on his select among his creation Muhammad the prophet and the people of his House.      

NOTES: 

This is part of a long letter preserved by Ibn Tawus which has been truncated here for the sake of brevity. It was sent by al-Sadiq in the aftermath of the arrest of Abdallah b. al-Hasan and others among his relations by al-Mansur [the second Abbasid Caliph], who took them prisoner and deported them from their homes in Madina in the year 144 AH. They were detained in Kufa where most of them were to perish under terrible conditions after several years of captivity while others were executed.

The early historian al-Haytham b. Adi describes where they were held:

They were locked by al-Mansur in subterranean passages under the face of the earth, unable to distinguish between day and night. It was located close to al-Kufa bridge, a place which is still visited. They did not have a well for water nor a drinking tank. They used to urinate and relieve their bowels in the same place, and if one of them died he could not be buried and his body was consumed … while they were watching … the decay started at their feet and went up their bodies until it reached their hearts and they died. 

al-Mansur did this as a consequence of the suspected rebellion of Abdallah b. al-Hasan’s son i.e. Muhammad Nafs al-Zakiyya, who together with his brother Ibrahim, disappeared from Madina and began preparing forces to announce a counter-Caliphate with the active encouragement of their father. Al-Mansur demanded to know the whereabouts of the two brothers and when this was not forthcoming had the whole wider family punished. 

Seeing such a large proportion of the prophet’s grand children being carried away by the tyrant - among them Abdallah b. al-Hasan, Sulayman b. al-Hasan, Hasan b. al-Hasan, Ibrahim b. al-Hasan, Dawud b. al-Hasan, Ali b. al-Hasan, Sulayman b. Dawud b. al-Hasan, Ali b. Ibrahim b. al-Hasan, al-Hasan b. Ja’far b. al-Hasan, Tabataba Ibrahim b. Ismail b. al-Hasan, Abdallah b. Dawud and others - chained with iron collars, carried on camels without proper saddles, paraded so that the masses could abuse them, lashed on the back and head, and then thrown into dark dungeons, could not but have moved al-Sadiq and it is said that he wept for them profusely. 

Abdallah b. al-Hassan [called al-Mahdh i.e. pure blood, because his parents were al-Hasan b. al-Hasan and Fatima bt. al-Husayn] was older than al-Sadiq and considered by many to be the leader of the prophet’s family in his time. He in turn cultivated relations with proto-Sunnis and the militant Zaydiyya attempting to convince them to unite around his son Muhammad whom he declared to be the Mahdi. He set himself up as an authority and loosened his stance against the early Khulafa and companions so as to attract wider parts of the Umma to his cause.

The Imam had warned the Bani Hasan that the rule would not be for them at the meeting of Banu Hashim at Abwa. He later repeated his warning to Abdallah against standing up to al-Mansur and had predicted the fate that would meet his son Muhammad, but they ignored him and accused him of jealousy. There was a rivalry between Abdallah b. al-Hasan and the Imam for this reason and they behaved badly with him, despite this, the Imam always tried to maintain his ties of relation with them without legitimizing their political intrigue.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.79. Abdallah b. Saba

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abdallah-b-saba

 

[1/193] رجال الكشي: محمد بن قولويه، عن سعد بن عبد الله، عن يعقوب بن يزيد و محمد بن عيسى، عن علي بن مهزيار، عن فضالة بن أيوب الأزدي، عن أبان بن عثمان قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: لعن الله عبد الله بن سبإ إنه ادعى الربوبية في أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام و كان و الله أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام عبدا لله طائعا، الويل لمن كذب علينا و إن قوما يقولون فينا ما لا نقوله في أنفسنا، نبرأ إلى الله منهم نبرأ إلى الله منهم

[1/193] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Qulawayh from Sa’d b. Abdallah from Ya’qub b. Yazid and Muhammad b. Isa from Ali b. Mahziyar from Fadhala b. Ayyub al-Azdi from Aban b. Uthman who said: I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام say: may Allah curse Abdallah b. Saba because he claimed divinity for the commander of the faithful عليه السلام, but the commander of the faithful عليه السلام was - by Allah - nothing more than an obedient slave to Allah. Woe be upon the one who lies about us, there is a group that says about us what we do not say about ourselves, we disassociate to Allah from them, we disassociate to Allah from them.

 

[2/194] رجال الكشي: محمد بن قولويه، عن سعد بن عبد الله، عن يعقوب بن يزيد، عن ابن أبي عمير، و أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن أبيه و الحسين بن سعيد، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن هشام بن سالم، عن أبي حمزة الثمالي قال: قال علي بن الحسين عليه السلام: لعن الله من كذب علينا، إني ذكرت عبد الله بن سبإ فقامت كل شعرة في جسدي، لقد ادعى أمرا عظيما ما له لعنه الله؟! كان علي عليه السلام و الله عبدا لله صالحا، أخو رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ما نال الكرامة من الله إلا بطاعته لله و لرسوله، و ما نال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم الكرامة من الله إلا بطاعته

[2/194] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Qulawayh from Sa’d b. Abdallah from Ya’qub b. Yazid from Ibn Abi Umayr AND Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa from his father and al-Husayn b. Said from Ibn Abi Umayr from Hisham b. Salim from Abi Hamza al-Thumali who said: Ali b. al-Husayn عليه السلام said: may Allah curse the one who lies about us, I remembered Abdallah b. Saba - so all the hair-lets in my body stood up [in apprehension], he had claimed a grave matter, what is [wrong] with him?! may Allah curse him, Ali عليه السلام was - by Allah - a righteous slave of Allah, and the brother of the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم, he did not attain any honor from Allah except through his obedience to Allah and to his messenger, and the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم did not attain any honor from Allah except through obedience to Allah.

 

[3/195] رجال الكشي: محمد بن قولويه، عن سعد بن عبد الله، عن يعقوب بن يزيد و محمد بن عيسى، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن هشام بن سالم قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول و هو يحدث أصحابه بحديث عبد الله بن سبإ و ما ادعى من الربوبية في أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام فقال: إنه لما ادعى ذلك فيه استتابه أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام فأبى أن يتوب فأحرقه بالنار 

[3/195] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Qulawayh from Sa’d b. Abdallah from Ya’qub b. Yazid and Muhammad b. Isa from Ibn Abi Umayr from Hisham b. Salim who said: I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام say while relating to his companions the affair of Abdallah b. Saba and his claim about the divinity of the commander of the faithful Ali b. Abi Talib عليه السلام: when he claimed that about him - the commander of the faithful عليه السلام gave him a chance to repent but he refused to repent so he burnt him with fire.

NOTES:

Al-Muhsini: One of the researchers (may Allah support him) weakened these narrations in the second volume of his book entitled “Abdallah b. Saba” [this is Allama Murtadha Askari] making the argument that al-Kashshi is accused of narrating from weak individuals. I [al-Muhsini] say: but this point would only be correct if he [al-Kashshi] was narrating these reports with a disconnection in the chain or from an unknown narrator [this is when his propensity to narrate from weak individuals could be used against him], as for the fully connected chains above then the matter revolves around whether al-Kashshi himself can be considered a liar or truthful [the other narrators are all Thiqa], and all scholars are agreed that he is trust-worthy, thus, the refutation of this learned researcher is not acceptable. I had made this point to him directly (may Allah have mercy on him) in my house in the town of Qum, and he did not have any answer to it.  Having said this, his book, despite this defect, remains a useful one and can be considered an essential read, so may Allah recompense him with a goodly reward.

In summary, Abdallah b. Saba was not a figment of someone’s imagination, rather he existed, what is fabricated is what the `Amma [proto-Sunnis] attributed to him, blaming and tracing his hidden hand in every troublesome event that occurred in early Islam - mostly at the instigation of the sinful Bani Umayya and their like - so as to explain it away in a trivial way. As for the Hadith of Wasiya [succession of the prophet to a chosen deputy], Ukhuwwa [brotherhood between the prophet and Ali] and the Raj`a [messianic return of the dead] etc. these are all the teachings of the gracious prophet and do not originate from Ibn Saba as has been claimed.

May Allah curse wretched sectarianism.    

[Islamic Salvation]

3.80. Abdallah b. Shubruma

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abdallah-b-shubruma

 

[-/1] الكافي: علي بن محمد، عن صالح بن أبي حماد، عن علي بن مهزيار، رواه عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: قيل له: إن رجلا تزوج بجارية صغيرة فأرضعتها امرأته، ثم أرضعتها امرأة له أخرى، فقال ابن شبرمة: حرمت عليه الجارية وامرأتاه، فقال أبو جعفر عليه السلام: أخطأ ابن شبرمة، حرمت عليه الجارية وامرأته التي أرضعتها أولا، فأما الأخيرة فلم تحرم عليه، كأنها أرضعت ابنته

[1/-] al-Kafi: Ali b. Muhammad from Salih b. Abi Hammad from Ali b. Mahziyar raising it to Abi Ja`far [al-Baqir] عليه السلام. He [Ali b. Mahziyar] said: it was said to him [the Imam]: a man marries a small girl who goes on to be breast-fed by one of his wives and then by another wife, Ibn Shubruma said [about this]: the small girl and both of his wives are prohibited for him [he cannot continue in marriage with them]. Abu Ja`far عليه السلام said: Ibn Shubruma has made a mistake, only the small girl and the wife who breast-fed her first are prohibited for him, as for the other wife [who breast-fed second] she is not prohibited for him because it is as though she breast-fed his daughter.  

NOTES:

Abdallah b. Shubruma (d. 144) was a Qadhi appointed over Kufa and was considered one of its main Fuqaha in the early period. All these government-backed scholars cannot compare to the true guidance given by our `Aimma and that is why they make mistakes when they rule based on their own fallible intellect.

ى الله عليه وآله، وخط علي عليه السلام بيده إن الجامعة لم تدع لاحد كلاما، فيها علم الحلال والحرام، إن أصحاب القياس طلبوا العلم بالقياس فلم يزدادوا من الحق إلا بعدا، إن دين الله لا يصاب بالقياس

Al-Kulayni narrates via his chain to Abi Shayba who said: I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام say: the knowledge of Ibn Shubruma amounts to nothing in the face of the Jamia, it [the Jamia] is the dictation of the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله and the writing of Ali عليه السلام with his hand, the Jamia did not leave room for anyone to talk anything [because everything is found in it], in it is the knowledge of the Halal and the Haram. Verily the people of Qiyas [analogical reasoning] sought knowledge using Qiyas, consequently they achieved nothing other than becoming farther away from the truth. The religion of Allah is not attained through Qiyas.

As for the Hadith itself, it is about a case wherein someone who has two wives goes on to marry a young girl [even a baby] who is then breast-fed by both his wives in turn. Ibn Shubruma considered all three to have become prohibited to him, but the Imam corrects his mistake. This is because when the first wife breast-feeds the baby - the baby becomes his foster daughter [because she is breast-fed by the wife of the man] and simultaneously the woman becomes his foster mother-in-law [because she is the foster mother of his wife i.e. the baby], thus both become prohibited for him [as wives], but when the second wife goes on to breast-feed the baby nothing changes Fiqhi wise because it is like she is breast-feeding someone who has already become the man's foster daughter, so she is not prohibited for him and continues as his wife.  

Edited August 10, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.81. - 3.82. Abdallah b. Ajlan and Muyassir b. Abd al-Aziz

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/abdallah-b-ajlan-and-muyassir-b-abd-al-aziz

 

[1/196] رجال الكشي: حمدويه بن نصير، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن النضر بن سويد، عن يحيى الحلبي، عن ابن مسكان، عن زرارة، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: رأيت كأني على رأس جبل، و الناس يصعدون عليه من كل جانب، حتى إذا كثروا عليه تطاول بهم في السماء، و جعل الناس يتساقطون عنه من كل جانب حتى لم يبق عليه منهم إلا عصابة يسيرة، يفعل ذلك خمس مرات، و كل ذلك يتساقط الناس عنه و تبقى تلك العصابة عليه، أما أن ميسر بن عبد العزيز و عبد الله بن عجلان في تلك العصابة فما مكث بعد ذلك إلا نحوا من سنتين حتى هلك صلوات الله عليه

[1/196] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh b. Nusayr from Muhammad b. Isa from al-Nadhr b. Suwayd from Yahya al-Halabi from Ibn Muskan from Zurara from Abi Ja`far عليه السلام who said: I saw in a dream as though I was on the summit of a mountain and the people were climbing to get to it from every side, when they increase in number - it [the mountain] stretches upwards towards the sky, and they begin to fall off it from all sides, until no one is left on it among them except a small group, this happened five times, and each time people fell away while that group remains, verily Muyassir b. Abd al-Aziz and Abdallah b. Ajlan are among that group [which remains]. So he did not remain long after that except something like two years and he died صلوات الله عليه

NOTES:

This narration has two other variants, one found in al-Kashshi and the other in al-Kafi. They are included below:

جعفر بن محمد، قال حدثني علي بن الحسن بن فضال، عن أخويه محمد و أحمد عن أبيهم، عن ابن بكير، عن ميسر بن عبد العزيز قال: قال لي أبو عبد الله عليه السلام رأيت كأني على جبل، فيجي‏ء الناس فيركبونه، فإذا كثروا عليه تصاعد بهم الجبل، فينتثرون عنه فيسقطون، فلم يبق معي إلا عصابة يسيرة أنت منهم و صاحبك الأحمر يعني عبد الله بن عجلان

[al-Kashshi] Ja`far b. Muhammad [sic. Muhammad b. Masud] – Ali b. al-Hasan b. Fadhal – his two brothers Muhammad and Ahmad – their father – Ibn Bukayr – Muyassir b. Abd al-Aziz: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said to me: I saw as though I was on a mountain and the people come and attempt to climb it, when they crowd on it - the mountain rises while they cling on and are scattered from it and fall down, no one among them remains with me except a small group, you are one of those who remain together with your reddish fellow meaning Abdallah b. Ajlan.

عدة من أصحابنا، عن البرقي، عن أبيه، عن النضر، عن الحلبي، عن ابن مسكان، عن زرارة، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: رأيت كأني على رأس جبل، والناس يصعدون إليه من كل جانب، حتى إذا كثروا عليه ، تطاول بهم في السماء وجعل الناس يتساقطون عنه من كل جانب، حتى لم يبق منهم أحد إلا عصابة يسيرة ففعل ذلك خمس مرات في كل ذلك يتساقط عنه الناس وتبقى تلك العصابة، أما إن ميسر وعبد الله بن عجلان في تلك العصابة، فما مكث بعد ذلك إلا نحو من خمس حتى هلك

[al-Kafi] A number of our companions – al-Barqi – his father – al-Nadhr b. Suwayd – al-Halabi – Ibn Muskan – Zurara – Abi Ja`far عليه السلام: I saw as though I was on the summit of a mountain and the people were attempting to climb it from every side, when they increase in number - it extends upwards towards the sky and they begin to fall off it from every side, until no one is left among them except a small group, this happened five times, each time the people fall away and the same group remains, verily Muyassir and Abdallah b. Ajlan are in that group, so he did not remain after this except something like five and died.

The following are some observations which can be made when the three reports are looked at collectively:

There seems to be an error as to the identity of the Imam who had the dream in question. He must have been al-Sadiq and not al-Baqir as the report from Muyassir, himself a protagonist of the dream of the Imam,  shows.

There is also a question as to the one referred to when the narrator’s voice says: ‘so he did not remain long after that except something like two years and he died’. The first Kashshi report has the blessings clause صلوات الله عليه at the end of the report, which would indicate that it is talking of the Imam himself. But the Kafi report does not have this, which leaves the room open to the possibility that it is one of the copyists who may have added صلوات الله عليه at the end of the report, mistakenly assuming that the pronoun refers to the Imam himself.

I would argue that a more natural reading would be to consider it speaking about the fate of one of the two named companions, either Muyassir or Abdallah b. Ajlan, with Muyassir being more likely, as he seems to be the one who was actually present at the Imam’s telling [see the second Kashshi report]. This is because the dream of the Imam must be predicting something about them not the Imam, the narrator wishes to confirm that it happened as predicted.

Another variation which is important to flag is between the Kafi report where it says ‘he did not remain after this except something like five and died’ and the ‘something like two years’ of the first Kashshi report. The former has more to recommend it because it ties in with the symbology of the dream since the mountain was raised five times, though it is not clear from it whether it is five days, months or years.

What is the interpretation of the dream?

al-Majlisi proposes that the dream presages a great deviation [Fitna] that will occur among the Ashab of Abi Abdillah عليه السلام after his death causing a schism among his followers [them falling from the mountain], only a few will avoid destruction [the small group that does not fall], these are those who are fortunate to to die before the Imam and are consequently saved from seeing that terrible day [hence the narration hints at how long it took before ‘he’ died]. This is actually what happened with the splitting of the main body into the Ismailiyya and the Fathiyya with only a few companions initially accepting al-Kadhim as the Imam.

This interpretation is confirmed when we see that Muyassir is said to have died in the lifetime of al-Sadiq.

As the Shaykh says:

ميسر بن عبد العزيز بياع الزطي، مات في حياة أبي عبد الله عليه السلام

Muyassir b. Abd al-Aziz, the seller of clothes made by Indian Jhats, he died in the lifetime of Abi Abdillah عليه السلام

As for Abdallah b. Ajlan, who was also in that group which remained with Muyassir, the narration below confirms that he shared the same fate of dying in the lifetime of al-Sadiq.

 

[-/2] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن علي بن الحسن بن فضال، عن العباس بن عامر، عن أبان بن عثمان، عن الحارث بن المغيرة، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قالا: قلنا لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام: إن عبد الله بن عجلان مرض مرضه الذي مات فيه و كان يقول إني لا أموت من مرضي هذا فقال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: أيهات أيهات إن ذهب ابن عجلان لا عرفه الله قبيحا من عمله، إن موسى بن عمران اختار قومه سبعين رجلا، فلما أخذتهم الرجفة كان موسى أول من قام منها، فقال: يا رب أصحابي قال: يا موسى إني أبدلك منهم خيرا قال: رب إني وجدت ريحهم و عرفت أسماءهم - قال ذلك ثلاثا - فبعثهم الله أنبياء

[2/-] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Ali b. al-Hasan b. Fadhal from al-Abbas b. A`mir from Aban b. Uthman from al-Harith b. al-Mughira from Abi Abdillah عليه السلام. They both [al-Harith and another] said: we said to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام: when Abdallah b. Ajlan fell sick - the sickness due to which he went on to die - he used to say [while sick]: I am not going to die because of this sickness of mine, so Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: how far! how far! [was Ibn Ajlan’s opinion compared to the reality], if Ibn Ajlan has gone then may Allah not acquaint him with any evil arising out of his actions. Verily Musa b. Imran chose seventy men from among his people, so when the earthquake overtook them Musa was the first to stand up after it, he said: O my Lord my companions! He said: O Musa I will substitute them with better than them for you, he said: my Lord! I have gotten used to their scent and familiarized myself with their names, repeating this thrice, so Allah resurrected them as prophets.     

NOTES:

al-Muhsini considers the chain disconnected [hence the dash in the numbering], claiming that Ali b. al-Hasan could not have narrated from a companion of al-Sadiq like Aban b. Uthman via a single intermediary. This is a surprising error from him, he himself has authenticated countless Hadiths with the same chain, and there is nothing amiss in someone in Tabaqa 7 like Ali b. al-Hasan narrating from a junior companion of al-Sadiq like Aban [Tabaqa 5] via a single intermediary. This Hadith should be considered Mu’tabar.

As to the significance of the Hadith, it would seem to indicate that whatever his faults, the Imam had great appreciation for Abdallah b. Ajlan and considered him one of his closest companions, likening him to the seventy elders of Bani Israil whom Musa took when they demanded to ‘see’ God and for whom he prayed because of how close he was to them. It would explain why Ibn Shahr Ashub includes his name among the Khawwas [closest companions] of al-Sadiq in his Manaqib.

Note also that prophecy at the time of Bani Israil was a gift that was widely available, and we have reports of hundreds of prophets [in the sense of ‘prophet to oneself’ who could divine the future] in the OT before this became rarer in the later period. 

Edited August 13, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.83. Abdallah b. Umayr al-Laythi

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abdallah-b-umayr-al-laythi

 

[1/197] تهذيب الاحكام: باسناده عن الكليني عن علي عن ابيه عن ابن ابي عمير عن عمر بن اذينة عن زرارة قال: جاء عبدالله بن عمير الليثي إلى ابى جعفر عليه السلام فقال له: ما تقول في متعة النساء؟ فقال: احلها الله في كتابه وعلى لسان نبيه صلى الله عليه وآله فهي حلال إلى يوم القيامة فقال: يا ابا جعفر مثلك يقول هذا وقد حرمها عمر ونهى عنها! فقال: وان كان فعل قال: واني اعيذك بالله من ذلك أن تحل شيئا حرمه عمر قال: فقال له: فانت على قول صاحبك وانا على قول رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله فهلم ألاعنك ان القول ما قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وان الباطل ماقال صاحبك قال: فأقبل عبدالله بن عمير فقال: يسرك ان نساءك وبناتك واخواتك وبنات عمك يفعلن ذلك؟ فاعرض ابوجعفر عليه السلام حين ذكر نساءه وبنات عمه

[1/197] Tahdhib al-Ahkam: Via his chain to al-Kulayni from Ali from his father from Ibn Abi Umayr from Umar b. Udhayna from Zurara who said: Abdallah b. Umayr al-Laythi came to Abi Ja`far عليه السلام and said to him: what do you say about Mut`a of women? He said: Allah made it Halal in His book and upon the tongue of His prophet صلى الله عليه وآله - so it is Halal up to the day of judgment. He said: O Aba Ja`far - someone like you says this while Umar forbade it and prohibited others from it! he said: even if he had done so! He said: I seek refuge for you with Allah from permitting something which was forbidden by Umar, he [Zurara] said: so he [al-Baqir] said to him: then you are upon the verdict of your man [Umar] while I am upon the verdict of the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله - come forth I challenge you to an imprecation [Mubahila] confirming that the truth is that which the messenger of Allah said and that what your man said is false, so Abdallah b. Umayr drew near to him and said: would it please you that your women-folk, daughters, sisters, and cousins do that? so Abu Ja`far turned away from him when he brought up his women-folk and cousins.    

NOTES:

al-Muhsini: perhaps the man [Abdallah b. Umayr al-Laythi] was ignorant or a rebellious fool, however the same objection is also raised by those who claim knowledge for themselves, indeed one of the Egyptian scholars had asked this question of me in Madina so I said to him: I would not like my daughter to do Mut`a because even though Mut`a is permissible not everything which is permissible should be sought actively, however if the Law-giver had made it obligatory we would have gladly accepted it, submitting to the command of Allah. Do you wish to wear clothes which barely cover your private parts and run along the whole of the Abi Dharr street [the place where we were having our conversation] - for that too is permissible? He said: No. I said to him: would you agree to permanently marry off your daughter, paternal aunt and maternal aunt in one seating - for the Qur’an has legalized that so long as they consent to it? he said: No. I then said: why do you feel repulsed by Mut`a and not permanent marriage, you agree to the permanent marriage of your daughter and not a temporary one while the temporary one means a lesser degree of cohabitation and intercourse? So he laughed and apologized, he attributed his ignorance to the propaganda of the Saudi Wahhabis.

I say: Look how the views of Umar were given precedence even to what is in the Book and the Sunna because of their attachment to him. The Imam was even ready to challenge him to a contest in which the curse of Allah is called for on the liar. This shows that there was no Taqiyya about Mut`a. The Imam ceased talking and turned away when the man exposed his vulgar nature by broaching a topic of a personal matter and giving examples of the honourable ladies whom he does not even know of.

[Islamic Salvation]

3.84. Abd al-Malik b. Jurayj

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/abd-al-malik-b-jurayj

 

[1/198] الكافي: علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن عمر بن أذينة، عن إسماعيل بن الفضل الهاشمي قال: سألت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام عن المتعة فقال: إلق عبد الملك بن جريح فسله عنها فإن عنده منها علما، فلقيته فأملى علي منها شيئا كثيرا في استحلالها ... فأتيت بالكتاب أبا عبد الله عليه السلام فعرضت عليه فقال: صدق وأقر به

[1/198] al-Kafi: Ali b. Ibrahim from his father from Ibn Abi Umayr from Umar b. Udhayna from Ismail b. al-Fadhl al-Hashimi who said: I asked Aba Abdillah عليه السلام about Mut`a so he said: go and see Abd al-Malik b. Jurayj and ask him about it for he has some knowledge in it, so I met him and he (Ibn Jurayj) dictated a lot of material in regards its permissibility to me ... then I came with the book to Aba Abdillah عليه السلام and presented its contents to him, so he said: he (Ibn Jurayj) is truthful, and he (al-Sadiq) affirmed it.  

NOTES:

Ibn Jurayj, ʿAbd al-Malik b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, was an early Meccan scholar considered to be from the Taba’ Tabi’ina. According to the sources he was born in the city in 80/699 and died in 150/768. His grandfather Jurayj (George) had been a slave of Byzantine origin who belonged to a woman of the Meccan Khālid b. Asīd clan, part of the Banū Umayya of Quraysh. Either Jurayj or his son was set free, and thus became a client (mawlā) of this clan, a legal status that their offspring inherited.

The narration in question should not be taken to mean that he was a full-blown Shi’i in the sense of being a follower of the `Aimma as al-Kashshi explains:

محمد بن إسحاق، ومحمد بن المنكدر، وعمرو ابن خالد الواسطي وعبد الملك بن جريح، والحسين بن علوان الكلبي هؤلاء من رجال العامة، إلا أن لهم ميلا ومحبة شديدة، وقد قيل إن الكلبي كان مستورا ولم يكن مخالفا

Muhammad b. Ishaq, Muhammad b. al-Munkadir, Amr b. Khalid al-Wasiti, Abd al-Malik b. Jurayh (sic. Jurayj) and al-Husayn b. Ulwan al-Kalbi, these were men from the `Amma (proto-Sunnis), except that they had an inclination and excessive love (for the Ahl al-Bayt), and it is said that al-Kalbi was hiding (his faith) and was not of the Mukhalifin.

Ibn Jurayj narrated a few narrations from al-Sadiq and his main teacher Ata b. Abi Rabah did the same with al-Baqir. Both are associated with the “Meccan school” of jurisprudence which is said to be allied to the teachings of Ibn Abbas. This ancient school has a number of parallels to the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt [consider the issue of Mut`a] which should be investigated further.

[Islamic Salvation]

3.85. Uthman b. Sa`id al-Amri

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/uthman-b-said-al-amri

 

[-/1] رجال الكشي: حكى بعض الثقات بنيسابور أنه خرج لإسحاق بن اسماعيل من أبي محمد عليه السّلام توقيع: يا اسحاق بن اسماعيل سترنا اللّه و اياك بستره ... فلا تخرجن من البلدة حتى تلقي العمري رضى اللّه عنه برضاي عنه، و تسلم عليه و تعرفه و يعرفك فانه الطاهر الامين العفيف القريب منا و إلينا، فكل ما يحمل إلينا من شي‏ء من النواحي فاليه يصير آخر أمره، ليوصل ذلك إلينا ...

[1/-] Rijal al-Kashshi: One of the trustworthy narrators in Naysabur relayed that a Tawqi [signed rescript] came out addressed to Ishaq b. Ismail from Abi Muhammad عليه السلام saying: O Ishaq b. Ismail, may Allah protect both you and us with His protection … so do not leave town without meeting and conveying to al-Amri رضى اللّه عنه my satisfaction with him, greeting him, and getting mutually acquainted with him, for he is the pure, the dependable, the chaste, close from us and to us. Whatever is directed to us of anything from the different regions [of the dues] ultimately goes through him so that he can deliver it to us … 

 

[2/199] غيبة الطوسي: جماعة، عن أبي محمد هارون بن موسى، عن أبي علي محمد بن همام الاسكافي، عن عبدالله بن جعفر الحميري، عن أحمد بن إسحاق بن سعد القمي قال: دخلت على أبي الحسن علي بن محمد صلوات الله عليه في يوم من الايام فقلت: يا سيدي أنا أغيب وأشهد ولا يتهيأ لي الوصول إليك إذا شهدت في كل وقت، فقول من نقبل؟ وأمر من نمتثل؟ فقال لي: هذا أبو عمرو الثقة الامين ما قاله لكم فعني يقوله، وما أداه إليكم فعني يؤديه. فلما مضى أبوالحسن عليه السلام وصلت إلى أبي إبنه محمد الحسن العسكري عليه السلام ذات يوم فقلت له مثل قولي لابيه، فقال لي: هذا أبوعمرو الثقة الامين ثقة الماضى وثقتي في المحيا والممات، فما قاله لكم فعني يقوله، وما أدى إليكم فعني يؤديه

[2/199] Ghayba of al-Tusi: A large number from Abi Muhammad Harun b. Musa [al-Tali`ukbari] from Abi Ali Muhammad b. Hammam al-Iskafi from Abdallah b. Ja`far al-Himyari from Ahmad b. Ishaq b. Sa`d al-Qummi who said: I entered in to see Abi al-Hasan Ali b. Muhammad صلوات الله عليه one day and said: O my master, I am sometimes absent and at other times present, even when present I am not able to meet you at all times, so whose words do we accept? and whose orders do we follow? He said to me: that one is Abu Amr - the trustworthy and dependable, so whatever he says to you then he is saying it on my behalf, and whatever he entrusts you then he is entrusting it on my behalf. When Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام passed on I went to his son Abi Muhammad al-Hasan al-Askari عليه السلام one day and said to him the same as I had said to his father, so he said to me: that one is Abu Amr - the trustworthy and dependable, trustee to the one who has gone by [the previous Imam] and trustee to me both in life and after death, so whatever he says to you then he is saying it on my behalf, and whatever he entrusts you then he is entrusting it on my behalf.        

 

[3/200] الكافي: محمد بن عبدالله ومحمد بن يحيى جميعا، عن عبدالله بن جعفر الحميري قال: اجتمعت أنا والشيخ أبوعمرو رحمه الله عند أحمد بن إسحاق فغمزني أحمد بن إسحاق أن أسأله عن الخلف فقلت له: يا أبا عمرو إني اريد أن أسألك عن شئ ... وقد أخبرني أبوعلي أحمد بن إسحاق عن أبي الحسن عليه السلام قال: سألته وقلت: من اعامل أو عمن آخذ وقول من أقبل؟ فقال له: العمري ثقتي فما ادى إليك عني فعني يؤدي وما قال لك عني فعني يقول، فاسمع له وأطع، فإنه الثقة المأمون، وأخبرني أبوعلي أنه سأل ابا محمد عليه السلام عن مثل ذلك، فقال له: العمري وابنه ثقتان، فما أديا إليك عني فعني يؤديان وما قالا لك فعني يقولان، فاسمع لهما وأطعمها فإنهما الثقتان المأمونان، فهذا قول إمامين قد مضيا فيك. قال: فخر أبوعمرو ساجدا وبكى ...

[3/200] al-Kafi: Muhammad b. Abdallah and Muhammad b. Yahya from Abdallah b. Ja`far al-Himyari who said: We gathered - myself and the Shaykh Abu Amr رحمه الله at Ahmad b. Ishaq’s place. Ahmad b. Ishaq gestured at me me to ask him [Abu Amr] about the successor [the Mahdi], so I said to him: O Abu Amr, I want to ask you about something … and Abu Ali Ahmad b. Ishaq has informed me from Abi al-Hasan [al-Naqi] عليه السلام saying: I asked him [the Imam] and said: whom do I emulate or from whom do I take? whose words do I accept? So he [al-Naqi] said to him: ‘al-Amri is my trustee, so what he gives you on my behalf then his giving is truly on my behalf, and what he says to you on my behalf then his saying is truly on my behalf, so listen to him and obey him, for he is both trustworthy and reliable’. Abu Ali [Ahmad b. Ishaq] also informed me that he had asked Aba Muhammad [al-Askari] عليه السلام about the same matter so he said to him: ‘al-Amri and his son are two trustees, so what they give you on my behalf then their giving is truly on my behalf, and what they say to you on my behalf then their saying is truly on my behalf, so listen to them and obey them, for they are both trustworthy and reliable’. These are the words of the two Imams said previously about you [O Abu Amr]. He said: so Abu Amr prostrated himself and cried …

NOTES:

Abu Amr Uthman b. Sa`id al-Amri of Banu Asad was the first Naib Khass of the final Imam [three more were to follow in the period of the minor occultation]. He had served several Imams prior to that. The total confidence that they had in him can be gleamed from the reports included above.

Al-Tusi includes his name among the companions of al-Hadi and says:

 خدمه عليه السلام وله إحدى عشر سنة

He began serving him [the Imam] عليه السلام when he was just eleven years old.

This points to the long pedigree of service Uthman had in the household of the Imam in Samarra, perhaps initially as a servant, and rising through the ranks, later becoming  his gate‑keeper and chamberlain.

He also includes him among the companions of al-Askari saying:

جليل القدر، ثقة، وكيله (العسكري) عليه السلام

Elevated in status, trustworthy, his i.e. al-Askari’s Wakil (agent).

It is clear from the first Hadith above that he had risen to the top of the hierarchy by the time of al-Askari.

Uthman. Saʿīd is also described as al-Zayyat “The Oil Merchant” or sometimes al-Samman “The Fat Merchant”. This it is made clear, is a profession he took on later in his life as a cover for his duties to the Imam.

ويقال له: ( السمان ) لأنه كان يتجر في السمن تغطية على الأمر، وكان الشيعة إذا حملوا إلى أبي محمد عليه السلام ما يجب عليهم حمله من الأموال أنفذوا إلى أبي عمرو فيجعله في جراب السمن وزقاقه ويحمله إلى أبي محمد عليه السلام تقية وخوفا

And he was called “The Fat-Merchant” (al-Sammān) because he traded in [cooking] fat as a way of concealing the Imamate (amr). And when the Shiʿa sent the money which they were obliged to send to Abū Muḥammad [al-ʿAskarī] عليه السلام, they dispatched it to Abū ʿAmr [Uthmān b. Saʿīd] and he put it the oil sacks (jurāb al-saman) and oil skins (ziqāq) and carried it to Abū Muḥammad [al-ʿAskarī] عليه السلام out of taqiyya and fear.

When he died, a Tawqi came out appointing his son Muhammad to take his place:

وخرج التوقيع إلى الشيخ أبي جعفر محمد ابن عثمان العمري في التعزية بأبيه رضِي الله عنهما في فصل من الكتاب: ... عاش أبوك سعيدا ومات حميدا ...

A Tawqi [signed rescript] came out to the Shaykh Abu Ja`far Muhammad b. Uthman al-Amri condoling him for the death of his father رضِي الله عنهما and it was written in a part of the letter: your father lived a felicitous life and died whilst being worthy of praise …  

[Islamic Salvation]

3.86. Uthman b. Madh`un

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/uthman-b-madhun

 

[1/201] رجال الكشي: حميد بن زياد، عن الحسن بن محمد بن سماعة، عن غير واحد، عن أبان، عن أبي بصير، عن أحدهما عليه السلام قال: لما ماتت رقية ابنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: الحقي بسلفنا الصالح عثمان بن مظعون وأصحابه ...

[1/201] Rijal al-Kashshi: Humayd b. Ziyad from al-Hasan b. Muhammad b. Sama`a from more than one from Abi Basir from one of them عليه السلام who said: when Ruqayya the daughter of the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله died, the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله said: meet up with our righteous predecessors Uthman b. Madh`un and his fellows ...

NOTES:

It is said that Uthman b. Madh`un was the fourteenth man to accept Islam. He is counted among those who made two Hijras i.e. both to Abyssinia and Yathrib. He died shortly after the battle of Badr in the year 2 AH and the prophet grieved for him publicly. He was the first to be buried at al-Baqi. The prophet purposely buried both his daughter Ruqayya and his son Ibrahim near to him. This speaks to his elevated station.

[Islamic Salvation]

3.87. Urwa b. Yahya al-Nakhkhas al-Dihqan

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/urwa-b-yahya-al-nakhkhas-al-dihqan

 

[-/1] رجال الكشي: حكى بعض الثقات بنيسابور أنه خرج لإسحاق بن اسماعيل من أبي محمد عليه السّلام توقيع: يا اسحاق بن اسماعيل سترنا اللّه و اياك بستره ... فإذا وردت بغداد فاقرأه على الدهقان وكيلنا و ثقتنا و الذي يقبض من موالينا ...

[1/-] Rijal al-Kashshi: One of the trustworthy narrators in Naysabur reported that a Tawqi [signed rescript] came out addressed to Ishaq b. Ismail from Abi Muhammad عليه السلام saying: O Ishaq b. Ismail, may Allah protect both you and us with His protection … so when you reach Baghdad then read it [this Tawqi] to al-Dihqan, our Wakil [agent], our Thiqa [trustworthy one], and the one who collects from our followers [the dues] …

NOTES:

Urwa b. Yahya al-Nakhkhas (the slave merchant) was at one time a trusted Wakil of al-Askari in Baghdad as can be confirmed from the above. But he subsequently sold his religion for the petty price of the world and betrayed the Imam.

al-Tusi says in his entry on him:

عروة النخاس الدهقان، ملعون غال

Urwa al-Nakhkhas al-Dihqan - an accursed Ghali

al-Kashshi narrates the following reports which confirm his fall from favour:

- حدثني محمد بن قولويه الجمال، عن محمد بن موسى الهمداني: أن عروة بن يحيى البغدادي المعروف بالدهقان لعنه الله و كان يكذب على أبي الحسن علي بن محمد بن الرضا عليهم السلام و على أبي محمد الحسن بن علي عليهما السلام بعده، و كان يقطع أمواله لنفسه دونه و يكذب عليه، حتى لعنه أبو محمد عليه السلام و أمر شيعته بلعنة، و الدعاء عليه لقطع الأموال، لعنه الله

Muhammad b. Qulawayh the cameleer - Muhammad b. Musa al-Hamdani: Urwa b. Yahya al-Baghdadi, famously known as al-Dihqan - may Allah curse him, used to lie about Abi al-Hasan Ali b. Muhammad b. al-Ridha عليهم السلام and about Abi Muhammad al-Hasan b. Ali عليهما السلام after him. He used to keep a portion of his (the Imam’s) wealth (collected dues) for himself and lie about that. This led Abu Muhammad عليه السلام to curse him and to order his Shia to curse him and supplicate against him for withholding (and keeping to himself) the collected amount - may Allah curse him.

قال علي بن سلمان بن رشيد العطار البغدادي كان يلعنه أبو محمد عليه السلام و ذلك أنه كانت لأبي محمد عليه السلام خزانة، و كان يليها أبو علي بن راشد رضي الله عنه، فسلمت إلى عروة، فأخذ منها لنفسه ثم أحرق باقي ما فيها، يغايظ بذلك أبا محمد عليه السلام فلعنه و بري‏ء منه و دعا عليه، فما أمهل يومه ذلك و ليلته حتى قبضه الله إلى النار، فقال عليه السلام: جلست لربي ليلتي هذه كذا و كذا جلسة فما انفجر عمود الصبح و لا انطفى ذلك النار حتى قتل الله عدوه لعنه الله

Ali b. Sulayman b. Rashid al-Baghdadi the perfumer said: Abu Muhammad عليه السلام used to curse him. That was because Abi Muhammad عليه السلام had a saved-up amount (of collections) which used to be overseen by Abu Ali b. Rashid - may Allah be pleased with him. This was handed to Urwa (fell in his hands for safe-keeping), so he took from it for himself and then destroyed (burnt) the rest of it, seeking to anger Aba Muhammad عليه السلام thereby. Because of this he [the Imam] cursed him, disassociated from him, and supplicated against him. He [Urwa] was not given respite for even a single day or night before Allah seized him unto the fire. He عليه السلام said: I sat in vigil to my Lord this night of mine - such and such a seating (of worship i.e. describing it), so the light of day did not break nor did that fire (of lamp burnt at night) go out (extinguish) except that Allah had already killed his enemy - may Allah curse him.

The following is also found in a letter sent by al-Askari about Ahmad b. Hilal:

و قد علمتم ما كان من أمر الدهقان عليه لعنة الله و خدمته و طول صحبته، فأبدله الله بالإيمان كفرا حين فعل ما فعل، فعاجله الله بالنقمة ولم يمهله، و الحمد لله لا شريك له، و صلى الله على محمد و آله و سلم

… and you have known what the status of al-Dihqan was - may Allah curse him, his service, and the long period of his companionship, but then Allah transformed his belief into disbelief, when he committed what he committed, so Allah hastened in retribution to him and did not grant him any respite. All praise is due to Allah who has no partner, and may Allah send blessings on Muhammad and his family.

What this shows is that being a Wakil of the Imam does not mean that one is Thiqa forever and cannot change into a worse state. We ask Allah to secure us from having high stations but ending in disgrace.

Edited August 23, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.88. `Ilba b. Darra` al-Asadi

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/ilba-b-darra--al-asadi

 

[1/202] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن إبراهيم بن محمد بن فارس، عن يعقوب بن يزيد، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن شهاب بن عبد ربه، عن أبي بصير قال: إن علباء الأسدي ولي البحرين فأفاد سبعين ألف دينار و دواب و رقيقا، قال: فحمل ذلك كله حتى وضعه بين يدي أبي عبد الله عليه السلام ثم قال: إني وليت البحرين لبني أمية و أفدت كذا و كذا و قد حملته كله إليك و علمت أن الله عز و جل لم يجعل لهم من ذلك شيئا و أنه كله لك، فقال له أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: هاته، فوضع بين يديه، فقال له: قد قبلنا منك و وهبناه لك و أحللناك منه و ضمنا لك على الله الجنة قال أبو بصير: فقلت ما بالي، فبكيت، ثم قلت: جعلت فداك ألست الكبير السن الضرير البصر فاضمنها لي قال: قد فعلت، قلت: أضمنها لي على آبائك و سميتهم واحدا واحدا، قال: قد فعلت، قلت: فاضمنها لي على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم قال: قد فعلت، قلت: أضمنها لي على الله، قال: قد فعلت

[1/202] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. Faris from Ya`qub b. Yazid from Ibn Abi Umayr from Shihab b. Abd Rabbi from Abi Basir who said: `Ilba al-Asadi assumed the governorship of Bahrayn and gained seventy thousand gold coins, livestock and slaves. He carried all that with him until he had placed it in front of Abi Abdillah عليه السلام and said: I was appointed the governor of Bahrayn by Bani Umayya and have gained such and such, I have brought it all to you because I know that Allah Mighty and Majestic did not give anything of it to them rather it all belongs to you. Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said to him: hand it over [the gold coins], so he [`Ilba] placed it in front of him, he [the Imam] said to him: we have accepted from you, and we have gifted it back to you, and we have permitted you to make use of it, and we have guaranteed paradise on behalf of Allah for you. Abu Basir said: so I said: what is wrong with me! and I began crying and continued: may I be made your ransom, am I not the old in age? weak in sight [he was blind]? so guarantee it for me as well, he [the Imam] said: I have done so, I said: guarantee it to me on behalf of your forefathers - and I named them one after the other, he said: I have done so, I said: guarantee it for me on behalf of the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم, he said: I have done so, I said: guarantee it for me on behalf of Allah, he said: I have done so. 

NOTES:

An alternative version of the same report is provided below:

حدثني محمد بن مسعود، قال حدثني أحمد بن منصور، قال حدثني أحمد بن الفضل، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن شعيب العقرقوفي، عن أبي بصير قال: حضرت يعني علباء الأسدي عند موته فقال لي: إن أبا جعفر عليه السلام قد ضمن لي الجنة فاذكره ذلك قال: فدخلت على أبي جعفر عليه السلام فقال: حضرت علباء عند موته؟ قال: قلت: نعم فأخبرني أنك ضمنت له الجنة و سألني أن أذكرك ذلك قال: صدق قال: فبكيت، ثم قلت: جعلت فداك ألست الكبير السن الضرير البصر فاضمنها لي قال: قد فعلت، قلت: أضمنها لي على آبائك و سميتهم واحدا واحدا، قال: قد فعلت، قلت: فاضمنها لي على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم قال: قد فعلت، قلت: أضمنها لي على الله، قال: قد فعلت  

Muhammad b. Masud – Ahmad b. Mansur – Ahmad b. al-Fadhl -  Ibn Abi Umayr – Shuayb al-Aqraqufi – Abi Basir who said: I attended to `Ilba al-Asadi when he was in the pangs of death so he said to me: Aba Ja`far عليه السلام has guaranteed paradise for me so remind him of that. He [Abi Basir] said: I entered in to meet Abi Ja`far عليه السلام so he said to me: were you there when `Ilba was dying? I said: yes, and he [`Ilba] informed me that you had guaranteed paradise for him and asked me to remind you about that, he [the Imam] said: he has spoken the truth. He [Abi Basir] said: so I began crying and said: may I be made your ransom! What about me? am I not old in age, weak in sight [he was blind]? so guarantee it for me as well! He [the Imam] said: I have done so, I [Abu Basir] said: guarantee it for me on behalf of your forefathers, and I named them one after the other, he said: I have done so, I said: guarantee it for me on behalf of the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم, he said: I have done so, I said: guarantee it for me on behalf of Allah, so he said: I have done so.

This narration proves that the Imam can guarantee paradise for someone. It also indicates the high station of this `Ilba who is otherwise unknown in our sources.

There is a question here as to whether the Imam concerned was Abi Ja`far or Abi Abdillah [the two narrations differ on this]. This issue can be resolved by looking at the Khulasa of al-Allamah who narrates the same incident via another chain.

وروى علي بن أحمد العقيقي، عن أبيه، عن أيّوب بن نوح، عن صفوان بن يحيى، عن شعيب بن أعين ، عن أبي بصير أنّ الباقر عليه‌ السلام ضمن لعلباء بن درّاع الجنّة.

Ali b. Ahmad al-Uqayqi – his father – Ayyub b. Nuh – Safwan b. Yahya – Shuayb b. A`yan [sic. Al-Aqraqufi] – Abi Basir that: al-Baqir عليه‌ السلام guaranteed for `Ilba b. al-Darra` paradise.

[Islamic Salvation]

3.89. Ali b. Abi Hamza al-Bataini

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/ali-b-abi-hamza-al-bataini

 

علي بن أبي حمزة - واسم أبي حمزة سالم - البطائني أبو الحسن مولى الأنصار، كوفي، وكان قائد أبي بصير يحيى بن القاسم، وله أخ يسمى جعفر بن أبي حمزة، روى عن أبي الحسن موسى وروى عن أبي عبد الله عليهما السلام، ثم وقف، وهو أحد عمد الواقفة

Najashi: Ali b. Abi Hamza – and the name of Abi Hamza was Salim – al-Bataini. Abu al-Hasan. The client of the Ansar. Kufan. He was the guide of Abi Basir Yahya b. al-Qasim [who was blind]. He had a brother with the name Ja`far b. Abi Hamza. He [Ali] narrated from Abi al-Hasan Musa and also Abi Abdillah عليهما السلام then he “stopped” [became a Waqifi]. He was one of the pillars of the Waqifa.

علي بن أبي حمزة، لعنه الله أصل الوقف، وأشد الخلق عداوة للولي من بعد أبي إبراهيم عليهما السلام

Ibn al-Ghadhairi: Ali b. Abi Hamza, may Allah curse him. The originator of Waqf. The person who showed the most enmity of all to the successor after Abi Ibrahim [al-Kadhim] i.e. al-Ridha عليهما السلام

روى الثقات ان أول من أظهر هذا الاعتقاد علي بن أبي حمزة البطائني، وزياد بن مروان القندي، وعثمان بن عيسى الرؤاسي، طمعوا في الدنيا! ومالوا إلى حطامها واستمالوا قوما فبذلوا لهم شيئا مما اختانوه من الأموال

Tusi: the trustworthy ones narrate that the first to announce this belief [i.e. al-Kadhim had not died and was the expected Qaim] were Ali b. Abi Hamza al-Bataini, Ziyad b. Marwan al-Qandi and Uthman b. Isa al-Ruwasi. They became greedy for the world and inclined towards its ruins. They attracted a group [to their beliefs] by bribing them with some of the money they had stolen …

One motivation for claiming that al-Kadhim was not dead and would return as the Mahdi was to avoid handing over to al-Ridha the wealth they had collected from the believers as Wukala [agents]. The narrations below are to be read with this context in mind.

 

 [1/203] غيبة الطوسي: باسناده عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن سعد بن سعد، عن أحمد بن عمر قال: سمعت الرضا عليه السلام يقول في ابن أبي حمزة: أليس هو الذي يروى أن ... وقال: إن أبا إبراهيم عليه السلام يعود إلى ثمانية أشهر! فما استبان لهم كذبه؟!

[1/203] Ghayba of al-Tusi: Via his chain to Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa from Sa`d b. Sa`d from Ahmad b. Umar who said: I heard al-Ridha عليه السلام saying about Ibn Abi Hamza: isn’t he the one who narrates that … and he [Ibn Abi Hamza] also said: Aba Ibrahim [al-Kadhim] عليه السلام will return within eight months! has his lies not become apparent to you!?

NOTES:

This shows that Ibn Abi Hamza and other Waqifi leaders were expecting the return of their Qaim i.e. al-Kadhim within a short period of time. al-Bataini must have fixed this date only for his hopes to be dashed, which explains why most of the Ashab who had coalesced around him melted away and returned to believing in the Imama of al-Ridha. This false prediction was enough to have totally discredited him.  

 

[2/204] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن أبو الحسن علي بن الحسن بن فضال قال: علي بن أبي حمزة كذاب متهم و روى أصحابنا أن أبا الحسن الرضا عليه السلام قال بعد موت ابن أبي حمزة: إنه أقعد في قبره فسئل عن الأئمة عليهم السلام فأخبر بأسمائهم حتى انتهى إلي فسئل فوقف، فضرب على رأسه ضربة امتلأ قبره نارا

[2/204] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Abu al-Hasan Ali b. al-Hasan b. Fadhal who said: Ali b. Abi Hamza was an accused liar. Our companions narrated from Aba al-Hasan al-Ridha عليه السلام that he [the Imam] said after the death of Ibn Abi Hamza: He [Ibn Abi Hamza] was made to sit in his grave and asked about the `Aimma, he named them one after the other until he reached my name, when he was asked about it he stopped [did not name it], so he was hit on his head a single blow which caused the whole grave to be engulfed with fire.

 

[3/205] رجال الكشي: حمدويه، عن الحسن بن موسى، عن داود بن محمد، عن أحمد بن محمد قال: وقف أبو الحسن عليه السلام في بني زريق فقال لي و هو رافع صوته: يا أحمد قلت: لبيك قال: إنه لما قبض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم جهد الناس في إطفاء نور الله فأبى الله إلا أن يتم نوره بأمير المؤمنين عليه السلام فلما توفي أبو الحسن عليه السلام جهد علي بن أبي حمزة و أصحابه في إطفاء نور الله فأبى الله إلا أن يتم نوره، و إن أهل الحق إذا دخل فيهم داخل سروا به، و إذا خرج منهم خارج لم يجزعوا عليه، و ذلك أنهم على يقين من أمرهم، و إن أهل الباطل إذا دخل فيهم داخل سروا به، و إذا خرج منهم خارج جزعوا عليه، و ذلك أنهم على شك من أمرهم، إن الله جل جلاله يقول: فَمُسْتَقَرٌّ وَ مُسْتَوْدَعٌ، ثم قال: قال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: المستقر الثابت و المستودع المعار

[3/205] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh from al-Hasan b. Musa from Dawud b. Muhammad from Ahmad b. Muhammad who said: Abu al-Hasan [al-Ridha] عليه السلام stood at the place of Bani Zurayq [in Madina] and said to me whilst having raised his voice: O Ahmad, I said: at your service, he said: when the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم passed away the people strove to extinguish the light of Allah but Allah refused anything but to perfect His light through the Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام. Similarly, when Abu al-Hasan [al-Kadhim] عليه السلام passed away Ali b. Abi Hamza and his fellows strove to extinguish the light of Allah but Allah refused anything but to perfect His light. When a person joins the people of truth they get delighted because of him, but when he leaves them they do not feel sad because of him [leaving], that is because they are sure of their affair [the truth of their religion], however, when a person joins the people of falsehood they get delighted because of him, and when he leaves them they are grieved because of him, that is because they are in doubt about their affair. Allah Majestic is His Majesty says: “an enduring abode and a place of temporary lodging” (6:98), then he [the Imam] said: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: the enduring abode is the established [constant faith] while the temporary lodging is the rented out [faith which will not last].    

 

[4/206] عيون اخبار الرضا: ابن المتوكل، عن محمد العطار، عن ابن عيسى، عن الحسن بن علي الخزاز قال: خرجنا إلى مكة ومعنا علي بن أبي حمزة ومعه مال ومتاع فقلنا: ماهذا ؟ قال: للعبد الصالح عليه السلام أمرني أن أحمله إلى علي ابنه عليه السلام وقد أوصى إليه 

[4/206] Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha: Ibn al-Mutawakkil from Muhammad al-Attar from Ibn Isa from al-Hasan b. Ali al-Khazzaz who said: we came out heading towards Makka together with Ali b. Abi Hamza and he had with him some wealth and possessions, we said: what is this? he said: they belong to the Righteous Servant عليه السلام, he ordered me to hand them over to his son Ali عليه السلام and has made a testament in his favour.  

 

[-/5] غيبة النعماني: محمد بن عبدالله بن جعفر الحميري، عن أبيه، عن محمد بن عيسى بن عبيد بن يقطين، عن النضر بن سويد، عن يحيى الحلبي، عن علي بن أبي حمزة قال: كنت مع أبي بصير، ومعنا مولى لابي جعفر الباقر عليه السلام فقال: سمعت أبا جعفر عليه السلام يقول: منا اثنا عشر محدثا السابع من ولدي القائم، فقام إليه أبوبصير فقال: أشهد أني سمعت أبا جعفر عليه السلام يقوله منذ أربعين سنة   

[5/-] Ghayba of al-Nu`mani: Muhammad b. Abdallah b. Ja`far al-Himyari from his father from Muhammad b. Isa b. Ubayd b. Yaqtin from al-Nadhr b. Suwayd from Yahya al-Halabi from Ali b. Abi Hamza who said: I was with Abi Basir and there was a freed-slave of Abi Ja`far al-Baqir عليه السلام with us, so he [the freed-slave] said: I heard Aba Ja`far عليه السلام saying: from us are twelve Muhadath, the seventh of my descendants is the Qaim. So Abu Basir stood up facing him and said: I bear witness that I heard Abi Ja`far عليه السلام saying that forty years ago. 

NOTES:

The penultimate narration indicates that he was aware of al-Ridha’s position as al-Kadhim’s successor [in the lifetime of the former], while the last narration indicates that he was aware of there being twelve successors. This means that he was one of those who oppose the truth whilst being fully aware of it. May Allah preserve us.

Edited August 26, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.90. - 3.91. Ali b. Haska and al-Qasim al-Yaqtini

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/ali-b-haska-and-al-qasim-al-yaqtini

 

[1/206] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن محمد بن نصير، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى: كتبت إليه في قوم يتكلمون و يقرءون أحاديث ينسبونها إليك و إلى آبائك فيها ما تشمئز فيها القلوب، و لا يجوز لنا ردها إذا كانوا يروون عن آبائك عليهم السلام، و لا قبولها لما فيها ... و هو رجل يقال له علي بن حسكة، و آخر يقال له القاسم اليقطيني، من أقاويلهم أنهم يقولون إن قول الله تعالى إِنَّ الصَّلاةَ تَنْهى عَنِ الْفَحْشاءِ وَ الْمُنْكَرِ معناها رجل، لا سجود و لا ركوع، و كذلك الزكاة معناها ذلك الرجل، لا عدد درهم و لا إخراج مال، و أشياء من الفرائض و السنن و المعاصي تأولوها و صيروها على هذا الحد الذي ذكرت، فإن رأيت أن تبين لنا و أن تمن على مواليك بما فيه السلامة لمواليك و نجاتهم من هذه الأقاويل التي تخرجهم إلى الهلاك فكتب عليه السلام ليس هذا ديننا فاعتزله

[1/206] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Muhammad b. Nusayr from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa who said: I wrote to him [the Imam al-Askari - the following]: this is about a group who speak of narrations which they attribute to you and your forefathers, the contents of which repel the hearts, but it is not permissible for us to repudiate them as they are narrated on the authority of your forefathers, nor can we accept them because of what they purport … and it is a man called Ali b. Haska and another called al-Qasim al-Yaqtini. Among their beliefs is that they say the words of Allah the Elevated: “verily Salat safeguards from indecency and wrong-doing” (29:45) refers to a man [Salat is embodied in a man], not to prostration nor to bowing. Similarly, Zakat refers to that man, not to a set number of gold coins nor to the giving out of wealth. They have done likewise in regards injunctions concerning the obligatory, the recommended and the forbidden - they have interpreted and transformed it in a way akin to that which I have mentioned. So if you deem it proper to clarify for us and to favour your followers by that [answer] in which lies their safety and salvation from these beliefs which can lead them to perdition [then do so]. So he عليه السلام wrote: this is not our religion therefore disassociate from it.

NOTES:

We learn from this how careful the Ashab were when dealing with narrations. They preferred to make Tawaqquf [suspend judgment] before rejecting that which is attributed to the `Aimma, even though the narrations in question contained grave matters.

Who were Ali b. Haska and al-Qasim al-Yaqtini?

Ali b. Haska and al-Qasim al-Yaqtini claimed to be the Babs (doors) and prophets of the Imam - whom they considered to be God incarnated. These two influenced greatly the Nusayri beliefs that would arise.

It has come in al-Kashshi about them:

... و كان محمد بن فرات يدعي أنه باب و أنه نبي، و كان القاسم اليقطيني و علي بن حسكة القمي كذلك يدعيان لعنهما الله

… Muhammad b. Furat used to claim that he is a Bab and a prophet. al-Qasim al-Yaqtini and Ali b. Haska al-Qummi made the same claim. May Allah curse them all. 

علي بن حسكة الحوار القمي كان استاد القاسم الشعراني اليقطينى، وابن بابا ومحمد بن موسى الشريقي كانا من تلامذة علي بن حسكة، ملعونون لعنهم اللّه، وذكر الفضل بن شاذان في بعض كتبه أنّ من الكذّابين المشهورين: علي بن حسكة

Ali b. Haska al-Hawar al-Qummi was the teacher of al-Qasim al-Shi`rani al-Yaqtini. Ibn Baba and Musa al-Shariqi were also students of Ali b. Haska. They were all accursed, may Allah curse them. al-Fadhl b. Shadhan mentioned in one of his books that among the infamous liars was Ali b. Haska.

They were able to convince a large number of the lay community in Qum about their beliefs, showing that this was an episode of deep turmoil within the community which required the direct intervention of the Imam.

What was their belief about acts of worship like Salat?

They considered the one who possesses the secret knowledge about the Imam [i.e. that he is God] and accepts his “doors” and “prophets” to be a “perfect man” for whom all outward acts of devotion [which are a bane for the ignorant masses] become superfluous. This also allowed them to ignore the prohibitions of the Sharia and lead antinomian lifestyles e.g. drinking wine, homosexuality etc. All this was justified using Batini [mystical] Ta`wil to reinterpret the verses of the Qur`an allegorically.

حدثني الحسين بن الحسن بن بندار القمي قال: حدثنا سهل بن زياد الآدمي قال: كتب بعض أصحابنا إلى أبي الحسن العسكري عليه السلام جعلت فداك يا سيدي إن علي بن حسكة يدعي أنه من أوليائك، و أنك أنت الأول القديم، و أنه بابك و نبيك أمرته أن يدعو إلى ذلك، و يزعم أن الصلاة و الزكاة و الحج و الصوم كل ذلك معرفتك و معرفة من كان فيه مثل حال ابن حسكة فيما يدعي من البابية و النبوة، فهو مؤمن كامل سقط عنه الاستعباد بالصلاة و الصوم و الحج، و ذكر جميع شرائع الدين أن معنى ذلك كله ما ثبت لك، و مال الناس إليه كثيرا، فإن رأيت أن تمن على مواليك بجواب في ذلك تنجيهم من الهلكة قال، فكتب عليه السلام كذب ابن حسكة عليه لعنة الله و بحسبك أني لا أعرفه في موالي ما له لعنه الله فو الله ما بعث الله محمدا و الأنبياء قبله إلا بالحنيفية و الصلاة و الزكاة و الصيام و الحج و الولاية، و ما دعي محمد صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم إلا إلى الله وحده لا شريك له، و كذلك نحن الأوصياء من ولده عبيد الله لا نشرك به شيئا، إن أطعناه رحمنا و إن عصيناه عذبنا، ما لنا على الله من حجة بل الحجة لله عز و جل علينا و على جميع خلقه، أبرأ إلى الله ممن يقول ذلك و أنتفي إلى الله من هذا القول، فاهجروهم لعنهم الله و ألجئوهم إلى ضيق الطريق فإن وجدت من أحد منهم خلوة فاشدخ رأسه بالصخر

al-Husayn b. al-Hasan b. Bundar al-Qummi - Sahl b. Ziyad al-Adami who said: one of our companions wrote to Abi al-Hasan al-Askari عليه السلام  saying: may I be made your ransom, O my master, Ali b. Haska claims that he is one of your followers, and that you are the First Eternal, and that he is your door and prophet, and that you ordered him to invite others to accept that. He claims that the Salat, Zakat, Hajj and Sawm are in actuality your recognition and the recognition of the one who has the status held by such a one like Ibn Haska in his claim of doorship and prophethood. He also claims to be the perfect believer by virtue of which all acts of worship like Salat, Sawm and Hajj are dropped for him [he does not need to do them]. Not only this but that all the commandments of the religion are to be understood in the way I have just described for you. The people have inclined to him in great numbers, so if you deem it proper to favour your followers with an answer about this, saving them from perdition thereby.

He [Sahl] said: so he عليه السلام wrote: Ibn Haska - may the curse of Allah be upon him - has lied! It is enough for you to know that I do not consider him to be among my followers, what is wrong with him?! may Allah curse him! for by Allah - Allah did not send Muhammad and the prophets before him except with the Hanifiyya, Salat, Zakat, Siyam, Hajj and Wilaya. Furthermore, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم did not call the people except to Allah alone who has no partner, similarly we who are the Awsiya from his descendants are mere slaves of Allah, we do not associate anything with Him, if we obey Him He has mercy on us and if we disobey Him he punishes us. We do not have any authority over Allah, rather Allah Mighty and Majestic has authority over us and over all His creatures. I distance myself from the one who says such things and I disassociate to Allah from this belief. So exile them, may Allah curse them, and restrict them to the narrowness of the road, and if you find one of them alone then smash his head with a rock.   

Edited August 29, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.92. Ali b. Ubaydallah b. al-Husayn b. Ali b. al-Husayn al-Shahid

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/ali-b-ubaydallah-b-al-husayn-b-ali-b-al-husayn-al-shahid

 

[-/1] الكافي: عدة من أصحابنا، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن علي بن الحكم، عن سليمان بن جعفر قال: سمعت الرضا عليه السلام يقول: إن علي بن عبيد الله بن الحسين ابن علي بن الحسين بن علي بن ابي طالب عليهم السلام وامرأته وبنيه من أهل الجنة، ثم قال: من عرف هذا الامر من ولد علي وفاطمة عليهما السلام لم يكن كالناس

[1/-] al-Kafi: A number of our companions from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa from Ali b. al-Hakam from Sulayman b. Ja`far who said: I heard al-Ridha عليه السلام saying: Ali b. Ubdayallah b. al-Husayn b. Ali b. al-Husayn b. Ali b. Abi Talib عليهم السلام, his wife and their children are from the people of Janna. Then he [al-Ridha] said: the one who acknowledges this affair [Wilaya] from the descendants of Ali and Fatima عليهما السلام is not like the rest of the people [who are not their descendants].   

NOTES:

There is no doubt that the descendants of the prophet possess a sanctity as a result of their association with the prophet. However, with this identification comes a greater burden.

عدة من أصحابنا، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن ابن أبي نصر قال: سألت الرضا عليه السلام قلت له: الجاحد منكم ومن غيركم سواء؟ فقال: الجاحد منا له ذنبان و المحسن له حسنتان

A number of our companions from Ahmad b. Muhammad from Ibn Abi Nasr who said: I asked al-Ridha عليه السلام saying to him: the one who opposes [resists Wilaya] among you [the descendants of the prophet] and the rest - are they equal? He said: the one who opposes among us has two sins, while the righteous has two rewards.

As for this Ali b. Ubaydallah, al-Najashi has this to say about him:

علي بن عبيد الله بن الحسين بن علي بن الحسين أبو الحسن: كان أزهد آل أبي طالب وأعبدهم في زمانه، واختص بموسى والرضا عليهما السلام، واختلط بأصحابنا الامامية ... له كتاب في الحج يرويه كله عن موسى بن جعفر عليه السلام

Abu al-Hasan Ali b. Ubaydallah b. al-Husayn b. Ali b. al-Husayn: he was unmatched in renouncing the world among the family of Abi Talib in his time and their most avid worshipper. He attached himself to Musa and al-Ridha عليهما السلام and mingled with our companions the Imamiyya … he has a book about Hajj all of whose contents he transmits from Musa b. Ja`far عليه السلام …

The context in which the Imam spoke such words about the family of Ali b. Ubaydallah can be obtained from a narration in al-Kashshi.

قرأت في كتاب محمد بن الحسن بن بندار بخطه: حدثني محمد بن يحيى العطار، قال: حدثني أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن علي ابن الحكم، عن سليمان بن جعفر قال: قال لي علي بن عبيد الله بن الحسين بن علي بن الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب صلوات الله عليهم: أشتهي أن أدخل على أبي الحسن الرضا عليه السلام أسلم عليه، قلت: فما يمنعك من ذلك؟ قال: الاجلال والهيبة له، وأتقي عليه، قال: فاعتل أبو الحسن عليه السلام علة خفيفة، وقد عاده الناس، فلقيت علي بن عبيد الله، فقلت: قد جاءك ما تريد قد أعتل أبو الحسن عليه السلام علة خفيفة، وقد عاده الناس، فإن أردت الدخول عليه فاليوم، قال: فجاء إلى أبي الحسن عليه السلام عائدا، فلقيه أبو الحسن عليه السلام بكل ما يجب من المكرمة (التكرمة) والتعظيم، ففرح بذلك علي بن عبيد الله فرحا شديدا، ثم مرض علي بن عبيد الله فعاده أبو الحسن عليه السلام، وأنا معه، فجلس حتى خرج من كان في البيت، فلما خرجنا أخبرتني مولاة لنا أن أم سلمة امرأة علي بن عبيد الله كانت من وراء الستر تنظر إليه، فلما خرج خرجت وانكبت على الموضع الذي كان أبو الحسن عليه السلام فيه جالسا تقبله وتتمسح به قال سليمان: ثم دخلت على علي بن عبيد الله فأخبرني بما فعلت أم سلمة، فخبرت به أبا الحسن عليه السلام فقال: يا سليمان إن علي بن عبيد الله وامرأته وولده من أهل الجنة، يا سليمان إن ولد علي وفاطمة عليهما السلام، إذا عرفهم الله هذا الأمر لم يكونوا كالناس

I read in the book of Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Bundar in his own handwriting: narrated to me Muhammad b. Yahya al-Attar who said: narrated to me Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa from Ali b. al-Hakam from Sulayman b. Ja`far who said: Ali b. Ubaydallah b. al-Husayn b. Ali b. al-Husayn b. Ali b. Abi Talib صلوات الله عليهم said to me: I desire to enter and meet Abi al-Hasan al-Ridha عليه السلام to greet him, I [Sulayman] said: what is preventing you from doing that? he said: because of my reverence for him I feel in awe to be in his presence. He [Sulayman] said: then it happened that Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام fell ill with a slight sickness and the people started visiting him, so I met Ali b. Ubaydallah and said: you have obtained what you desire, Abu al-Hasan has fallen ill with a slight sickness and the people have started visiting him, so if you want to enter in to meet him then today is your chance. He [Sulayman] said: so he [Ali] came to visit Abi al-Hasan عليه السلام and Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام received him with honour and esteem which delighted Ali b. Ubaydallah greatly. Then it happened that Ali b. Ubaydallah fell ill so Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام went to visit him and I accompanied him, so he [the Imam] sat until such a time as all those who were in the house [who had come to visit] left, after we ourselves had left a woman follower of ours reported to me that Umm Salama the wife of Ali b. Ubaydallah was gazing at him [the Imam] whilst stood behind a curtain, so when he left she went to the place where Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام was sitting and applied herself to it kissing it and touching it, Sulayman said: later when I entered in to see Ali b. Ubaydallah he too informed me of what Umm Salama had done. I reported this to Aba al-Hasan عليه السلام so he said: O Sulayman - Ali b. Ubaydallah, his wife and children are from the people of Janna. O Sulayman - the descendants of Ali and Fatima عليهما السلام if Allah has acquainted them with this matter [Wilaya] are not like the rest of the people.               

Edited August 31, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.93. Ali b. Yaqtin

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/ali-b-yaqtin

 

Who was Ali b. Yaqtin?

Ali b. Yaqtin (d. 182) was a very close companion of al-Kadhim عليه السلام and narrated a lot of narrations from him. He had a high-ranking job in the `Abbasid bureaucracy but was only working for them under Taqiyya with the blessings of the Imam. al-Kadhim guaranteed paradise for him in his lifetime [No. 1 and 2], al-Ridha confirmed that his father died whilst pleased with him [No. 3], and al-Kadhim notes that he supplicat for him at the holiest of all locations [No. 4].

 

[1/208] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن محمد بن نصير، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن محمد بن أبي عمير، عن عبد الرحمن بن الحجاج قال: قلت لأبي الحسن عليه السلام: إن علي بن يقطين أرسلني إليك برسالة أسألك الدعاء له فقال: في أمر الآخرة؟ قلت: نعم قال: فوضع يده على صدره، ثم قال: ضمنت لعلي بن يقطين ألا تمسه النار أبدا

[1/208] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Muhammad b. Nusayr from Muhammad b. Isa from Muhammad b. Abi Umayr from Abd al-Rahman b. al-Hajjaj who said: I said to Abi al-Hasan عليه السلام: Ali b. Yaqtin has sent me to you with a message - he asks that you supplicate for him, he [the Imam] said: concerning the hereafter? I said: yes, so he [the Imam] put his hand on his chest and then said: I guarantee for Ali b. Yaqtin that the fire will never touch him - ever.    

 

[2/209] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن الحسن بن محبوب، عن عبد الرحمن بن الحجاج قال: خرجت عاما من الأعوام و معي مال كثير لأبي إبراهيم عليه السلام، و أودعني علي بن يقطين رسالة سأله الدعاء، فلما فرغت من حوائجي و أوصلت المال إليه قلت: جعلت فداك سألني علي بن يقطين أن تدعو الله له فقال: للآخرة؟ قلت: نعم، قال: فوضع يده على صدره ثم قال: ضمنت لعلي بن يقطين ألا تمسه النار

[2/209] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Muhammad b. Isa from al-Hasan b. Mahbub from Abd al-Rahman b. al-Hajjaj who said: I came out one year with a lot of wealth belonging to Abu Ibrahim عليه السلام [in my possession]. Ali b. Yaqtin had also entrusted me with a message asking his [the Imam’s] supplication, so when I finished attending to my duties and handed over the wealth to him - I said: may I be made your ransom, Ali b. Yaqtin requested me to ask you to supplicate for him, he عليه السلام asked: for the hereafter? I said: yes, so he [the Imam] put his hand on his chest and then said: I guarantee for Ali b. Yaqtin that the fire will never touch him.

 

[3/210] رجال الكشي: محمد بن مسعود، عن محمد بن نصير و جبريل بن أحمد، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن يعقوب بن يقطين قال: سمعت أبا الحسن الخراساني عليه السلام يقول: أما إن علي بن يقطين مضى و صاحبه عنه راض يعني أبا الحسن عليه السلام 

[3/210] Rijal al-Kashshi: Muhammad b. Masud from Muhammad b. Nusayr and Jibril b. Ahmad from Muhammad b. Isa from Yaqub b. Yaqtin who said: I heard Abu al-Hasan al-Khurasani [al-Ridha] عليه السلام say: as for Ali b. Yaqtin then he left [this world] while his master was pleased with him - meaning by that Abu al-Hasan (i.e. al-Kadhim) عليه السلام

 

[4/211] رجال الكشي: حمدويه، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن يونس بن عبد الرحمن قال: قال أبو الحسن عليه السلام: من سعادة علي بن يقطين أني ذكرته في الموقف

[4/211] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh from Muhammad b. Isa from Yunus b. Abd al-Rahman who said: Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام said: of the felicities enjoyed by Ali b. Yaqtin is the fact that I remembered him [supplicated for him] at the Mawqif [the plains of Arafa in the Hajj].  

 

[5/212] رجال الكشي: حمدويه وابراهيم، عن أبو جعفر، عن الحسن بن علي: أن أباه علي بن يقطين رحمه‌ الله وجه الى جواريه حتى حمل حباءهن ممن باعه، فوجه اليه بما فرض عليه من مهورهن وزاد ثلاثة آلاف دينار للوليمة، فبلغ ذلك ثلاثة عشر ألف دينار في دفعة واحدة

[5/212] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh and Ibrahim from Abu Ja`far from al-Hasan b. Ali that: his father Ali b. Yaqtin - may Allah have mercy on him - sent to his female slaves [an instruction to hand over to him whatever they possessed of wealth] such that he even took away their gifts [given to them] by the one who sold them to him [their former master], then he sent to him [al-Kadhim] what he [the Imam] had enjoined on him of [collecting] their [al-Kadhim’s sons’ prospective wives’] dowries, and he added three thousand gold coins for the Walima [public lunch], so it all came to thirteen thousand gold coins in a single installment. 

NOTES:

The context of this Hadith is when al-Kadhim عليه السلام wanted to get three or four of his sons, including Abu al-Hasan the Second [al-Ridha] عليه السلام married. He wrote to Ali b. Yaqtin saying: ‘I have delegated preparing their dowries to you’. 

We see how hard Ali b. Yaqtin, who was the secret agent of the Imam in the palace of Harun, worked to collect money and risked his life by sending it to him clandestinely. The Imam needed this financial aid because of the restrictions imposed on him and other Alids.

Note that the possessions of a slave do not actually belong to him/her but are considered to be the property of the master who can assume control over them as need be [as was done here by Ali].

 

[6/213] الكافي: علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن علي بن يقطين، عن أبي الحسن موسى عليه السلام قال: قلت له: إني قد أشفقت من دعوة أبي عبد الله عليه السلام على يقطين وما ولد، فقال: يا أبا الحسن ليس حيث تذهب، إنما المؤمن في صلب الكافر بمنزلة الحصاة في اللبنة يجي المطر فيغسل اللبنة ولا يضر الحصاة شيئا

[6/213] al-Kafi: Ali b. Ibrahim from his father from Ibn Abi Umayr from Ali b. Yaqtin from Abi al-Hasan Musa عليه السلام. He [Ali b. Yaqtin] said: I said to him: I am fearful because of the supplication of Abi Abdillah عليه السلام against Yaqtin and his off-spring, so he [the Imam] said: O Aba al-Hasan [Ali b. Yaqtin] it is not as you think, verily the believer who arises from the back-bone [lineage] of a disbeliever is like the stone in a clay brick, when rain comes it washes away the clay [dissolves it to mud] but does not harm the stone in any way.

NOTES:

Ali’s father Yaqtin b. Musa (d. 185) was not a follower of the ` Aimma or a sympathizer of the Alids. He was a committed veteran of the ‘Abbasid cause. He participated in the revolution against the Umayyads and served the new Caliphs like al-Saffah, Mansur and Mahdi faithfully. He even carried the head of the pious Sayyid - Husayn b. ‘Alı Sahib Fakhkh who had revolted against the ‘Abbasids to Hadı after his defeat. 

We see in this narration that his son, ‘Alı, worried that a curse uttered by Ja‘far al-Sadiq upon those who brought the ‘Abbasids to power may fall on his descendants including himself and al-Kadhim has to explain why this would not extend to him, for he was like a goodly fruit from an accursed tree. 

Edited September 4, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.94. Ammar

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/ammar

 

[1/214] الكافي: عدة من أصحابنا، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن محمد بن إسماعيل، عن إبراهيم بن أبي البلاد، عن معاوية بن عمار قال: كنا عند أبي عبد الله عليه السلام نحوا من ثلاثين رجلا إذ دخل عليه أبي فرحب به أبو عبد الله عليه السلام وأجلسه إلى جنبه فأقبل عليه طويلا ثم قال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: إن لابي معاوية حاجة فلو خففتم، فقمنا جميعا فقال لي أبي: ارجع يا معاوية فرجعت، فقال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: هذا ابنك؟ قال: نعم وهو يزعم أن أهل المدينة يصنعون شيئا لايحل لهم، قال: وماهو؟ قلت: إن المرأة القرشية والهاشمية تركب وتضع يدها على رأس الاسود وذراعيها على عنقه، فقال أبو عبدالله عليه السلام: يا بني أما تقرأ القرآن؟ قلت: بلى، قال: اقرء هذه الآية لَّا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِنَّ فِي آبَائِهِنَّ وَلَا أَبْنَائِهِنَّ - حتى بلغ - وَلَا مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُنَّ ثم قال: يا بني لا بأس أن يرى المملوك الشعر والساق

[1/214] al-Kafi: A number of our companions from Ahmad b. Muhammad from Muhammad b. Ismail from Ibrahim b. Abi al-Ballad from Muawiya b. Ammar who said: we were about thirty men in the presence of Abi Abdillah عليه السلام when my father entered in to see him. Abu Abdillah عليه السلام welcomed him, made him sit by his side and turned to him [to talk] for a long time, then Abu Abdillahعليه السلام said: Abi Muawiya has a private request so if you could all leave us, we all stood but my father said to me: return O Muawiya, so I returned. Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: this one is your son? He [my father] said: yes, he claims that the people of Madina do something which is not permitted for them, he [the Imam] said: what is that? I [Muawiya] said: a Qurashi and a Hashimi woman mounts [a camel] by putting her hand on the head of a black slave and while her forearm is on his neck [for support]. Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: O son - do you read the Qur’an? I said: yes, he said: read this verse: “there is no blame upon women [to expose themselves to] their fathers or their sons … or those their right hands possess [slaves]” (33:55), then he said: O son, there is no harm if the slave sees the hair and the shin [of a non-Mahram woman].

NOTES:

The Hadith seems to preserve Muawiya b. Ammar’s first direct verbal exchange with the master under the prodding of his father - a man honoured by the Imam [as can be clearly seen above]. This was to mark the start of a long period of tutelage under the Imam at the end of which Muawiya could be rightfully considered a foremost student of the school of Ahl al-Bayt. Nothing can better demonstrate this last claim than the fact that he has no less than 964 surviving narrations in the four books attributed to him.

al-Najashi says about him:  

كان وجها في أصحابنا ومقدما، كثير الشأن، عظيم المحل، ثقة، وكان أبوه عمار ثقة في العامة

He was an eminent one among our companions and having precedence. Very meritorious and of great standing. Trustworthy. His father Ammar was considered trustworthy by the `Amma [proto-Sunnis].

Muawiya b. Ammar’s Kitab al-Hajj [i.e. containing his questions to al-Sadiq on the topic of Hajj] became one of the most widely transmitted books of the early period. A reconstruction of this book which has recently been published proves its comprehensiveness [there is next to no Bab in Hajj where we do not have a Hadith narrated by Muawiya]. In  fact one can claim without exaggeration that the true method of Hajj which the Shia perform today as taught to them by their `Aimma owes a lot to Muawiya's scholarship.

[Islamic Salvation]

3.95. Ammar b. Yasir

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/ammar-b-yasir

 

[-/1] رجال الكشي: حمدويه و إبراهيم ابنا نصير، عن أيوب، عن صفوان، عن معاوية بن عمار و غير واحد، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: كان عمار بن ياسر و محمد بن أبي بكر لا يرضيان أن يعصي الله عز و جل

[1/-] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh b. Nusayr and Ibrahim b. Nusayr from Ayyub from Safwan from Mu`awiya b. Ammar and another from Abi Abdillah عليه السلام who said: Ammar b. Yasir and Muhammad b. Abi Bakr could never tolerate that Allah Mighty and Majestic be disobeyed.

NOTES:

Ammar b. Yasir is more famous than to need introduction. Sayyid al-Khoei says in his Mu`jam: the narrations that have come in praise of Ammar are so numerous as to approach Tawatur in their general meaning. 

Muhammad b. Abi Bakr will have his own separate section.

I say: these words of the Imam were probably said in the context of the stance taken by both men against Uthman who had let loose his Umayyad relations on the wealth of the Muslims. They could not remain silent even if that was expedient and had to raise their voices and fulfill the obligation of Nahy anil Munkar. Ammar was hit until he developed a hernia in the stomach when he spoke out against Uthman’s innovations. Muhammad b. Abi Bakr played a critical role as the representative of the Egyptians who had come to Madina seeking redress of their grievances from the Caliph and subsequently in the discovery of the treacherous letter.  

Edited September 6, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.96. Isa b. Abi Mansur Shalqan

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/isa-b-abi-mansur-shalqan

 

[1/215] الفقيه: محمد بن الحسن، عن محمد بن الحسن الصفار، عن يعقوب ابن يزيد، عن ابن ابى عمير، عن إبراهيم بن عبد الحميد، عن عبد الله بن سنان، عن ابن أبي يعفور قال: كنت عند أبي عبد الله عليه السلام إذ اقبل عيسى بن أبي منصور فقال لى: إذا أردت أن تنظر خيارا في الدنيا خيارا في الآخرة فانظر اليه

[1/215] al-Faqih: Muhammad b. al-Hasan from Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Saffar from Ya`qub b. Yazid from Ibn Abi Umayr from Ibrahim b. Abd al-Hamid from Abdallah b. Sinan from Ibn Abi Ya`fur who said: I was with Abi Abdillah عليه السلام when Isa b. Abi Mansur approached, he [the Imam] said to me: if you want to catch a glimpse of someone who is the best in the world and the best in the hereafter then look at him. 

NOTES:

Isa b. Abi Mansur’s elevated status among the Shia becomes very clear from this narration found in the Mashyakha of al-Saduq. The same Matn with similar wording is alternatively transmitted in two reports in al-Kashshi and a single report in the Qurb al-Isnad of al-Himyari. Isa was a Kufan client. His Kuniyya was Abu Salih and Shalqan was his Laqab. His father Abi Mansur’s name was Sabih. He is confirmed as being the companion of al-Sadiqعليه السلام. We have about 13 surviving narrations in our books with this name in the chains.

Edited September 7, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Islamic Salvation]

3.97. Isa b. Abdallah al-Qummi

https://sites.google.com/site/mujamalahadith/vol1/book-of-narrators/isa-b-abdallah-al-qummi

 

[1/216] رجال الكشي: حمدويه بن نصير، عن محمد بن الحسين بن أبي الخطاب، عن أحمد بن محمد بن أبي نصر، عن يونس بن يعقوب قال: دخل عيسى بن عبد الله القمي على أبي عبد الله عليه السلام فأوصاه بأشياء ثم ودعه و خرج عنه، فقال لخادمه: ادعه فانصرف إليه فخرج إليه فأوصاه بأشياء ثم ودعه و خرج عنه، فقال لخادمه: ادعه فانصرف إليه فأوصاه بأشياء، ثم قال له: يا عيسى بن عبد الله إن الله عز و جل يقول وَ أْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلاةِ، و إنك منا أهل البيت، فإذا كانت الشمس من هاهنا مقدارها من هاهنا من العصر، فصل ست ركعات قال: ثم ودعه و قبل ما بين عيني عيسى فانصرف

[1/216] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh b. Nusayr from Muhammad b. al-Husayn b. Abi al-Khattab from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abi Nasr from Yunus b. Ya`qub who said: Isa b. Abdallah al-Qummi entered in to see Abi Abdillah عليه السلام who proceeded to exhort him about certain things then he [the Imam] bid him farewell and he [Isa] left. The Imam said to his servant: ‘call him back’ so he [the servant] went out after him and he [Isa] returned. He [the Imam] again exhorted him about certain things then bid him farewell and he [Isa] departed. He [the Imam] said to his servant for the second time: ‘call him back’ so he [the servant] went out after him and [when Isa returned] he [the Imam] exhorted him about certain other things then he [the Imam] said: O Isa b. Abdallah - Allah Mighty and Majestic says: “Enjoin your people to prayer” (20:132) and you are from us the Ahl al-Bayt [people of the House], so when the sun is on this side [i.e. west] and is this distant from such and such point in the afternoon then pray six units [of Nafila]. He [Ya`qub] said: then he [the Imam] bid him farewell and kissed the spot in between his [Isa’s] eyes before he [Isa] went his way.

NOTES:

His full name was Isa b. Abdallah b. Sa`d b. Malik. Sa`d [his grandfather] was the first pioneer to reside in Qum [among the Arabs]. They were from the influential Ash`ari tribe which who made Qum a Shi’i stronghold after their migration there. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa, the master of Hadith transmission in Qum, on whose authority al-Kulayni narrates thousands of Hadith in al-Kafi, was the grandson of this Isa under discussion.

This motif of Isa b. Abdallah being from the Ahl al-Bayt [similar to Salman al-Farsi] is also seen in other contexts.

محمد بن مسعود، عن علي بن محمد، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن موسى بن طلحة، عن أبي محمد أخي يونس بن يعقوب عنه قال: كنت بالمدينة فاستقبل جعفر بن محمد عليهما السلام في بعض أزقتها، قال: فقال: اذهب يا يونس فإن بالباب رجل منا أهل البيت، قال: فجئت إلى الباب فإذا عيسى بن عبد الله القمي جالس، قال: فقلت له: من أنت؟ فقال له: أنا رجل من أهل قم، قال: فلم يكن بأسرع من أن أقبل أبو عبد الله عليه السلام، قال: فدخل على الحمار الدار، ثم التفت إلينا فقال: ادخلا ثم قال: يا يونس بن يعقوب أحسبك أنكرت قولي لك إن عيسى بن عبد الله منا أهل البيت قال: قلت: إي و الله جعلت فداك لأن عيسى بن عبد الله رجل من أهل قم، فقال: يا يونس عيسى بن عبد الله هو منا حي و هو منا ميت

Muhammad b. Masud – Ali b. Muhammad – Ahmad b. Muhammad – Musa b. Talha – Abi Muhammad the brother of Yunus b. Ya`qub – Yunus b. Ya`qub who said: I was in Madina when I came across Ja`far b. Muhammad عليهما السلام approaching in one of the lanes, he [the Imam] said: go O Yunus [to my house] and you will find at the door a man from us the Ahl al-Bayt. He [Yunus] said: when I reached the door I found Isa b. Abdallah al-Qummi seated near it, I said to him: who are you? he said: I am a man from the people of Qum, it was not long before Abu Abdillah عليه السلام himself reached the place and entered the house riding on a donkey, then he turned to us and said: enter both of you. He [the Imam] said: O Yunus b. Ya`qub I presume that you dismissed the words I had said to you - ‘Isa b. Abdallah is from us the Ahl al-Bayt’? I said: indeed by Allah, may I be made your ransom, for Isa b. Abdallah is a man from the people of Qum! So he [the Imam] said: O Yunus - Isa b. Abdallah is from us alive and he is from us after death.   

The Imam had predicted the prominence of Qum for Shi’ism as well as the unconquerable character of the Ash`ari tribe who came to yield political authority in that enclave and kept it safe from external threats posed by Sunni ‘orthodoxy’.

محمد بن مسعود و علي بن محمد، قالا حدثنا الحسين بن عبيد الله، عن عبد الله بن علي، عن أحمد بن حمزة، عن المرزبان بن عمران، عن أبان بن عثمان قال: دخل عمران بن عبد الله القمي على أبي عبد الله عليه السلام، فقربه أبو عبد الله عليه السلام فقال: له كيف أنت و كيف ولدك و كيف أهلك و كيف بنو عمك و كيف أهل بيتك ثم حدثه مليا فلما خرج، قيل لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام من هذا قال هذا نجيب قوم نجباء ما نصب لهم جبار إلا قصمه الله

Muhammad b. Masud and Ali b. Muhammad – al-Husayn b. Ubaydallah – Abdallah b. ali – Ahmad b. Hamza – al-Marzuban b. Imran – Aban b. Uthman who said: Imran b. Abdallah al-Qummi [the brother of the Isa under discussion] entered in to see Abi Abdillah عليه السلام, so Abu Abdillah عليه السلام drew him near and said to him: how are you? how are your sons? how is your family? how are your cousins? how are the people of your household? then he conversed with him for a bit. When he [Imran] had left it was said to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام - who is this man? he [the Imam] said: this is a noble-one from a noble clan, no tyrant has ever targeted them except Allah destroys him.        

Edited September 11, 2017 by Islamic Salvation

[Panzerwaffe]

I have a request you can look into it when you have time , no rush

It's Ilba b haytham sadusi 

He's a early companions of Imam Ali and preached in his favor in kufa and he was killed in Jamal.He is important enough to be mentioned in a Letter by Ali after the battle

I found very little info on him in the common dictionaries 

Any hadith from him?