Excellence of Shi’ah and their prominent positions

‘I was in the presence of Abu Abdullah (asws), when Abu Baseer came up to him (asws), and he was panting. So when he took his seat, Abu Abdullah (asws) said to him: ‘O Abu Muhammad, what is this heavy breathing for?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), O son (asws) of the Messenger (saww) of Allah (azwj), great is my age, and my bones are creaking, and my term (death) is approaching, besides that I do not know what will happen to me from the matters of the Hereafter’. Abu Abdullah (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, and you are saying this?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), and how can I not say this?’ He (saww) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, but do you know that Allah (azwj) the High has Honoured the young ones among you, and is Bashful towards the elderly?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you, so how has He (azwj) Honoured the young, and been Bashful towards the elderly?’ He (asws) said: ‘Allah (azwj) has Honoured the young ones (too much) to Punish them, and is too Bashful towards the elderly to bring them to the Reckoning’. He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), is this especially for us, or for (all) the people of Tawheed (Believe in the Unity of Allah (azwj))?’ He (asws) said: ‘No, by Allah (azwj), it is only for you (Shiites) especially, apart from the whole world’. He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), we are being named by a name which is breaking our backs, and killing our hearts, and our blood has been declared lawful to be shed in the Hadeeth which are being narrated to them from their scholars’. Abu Abdullah (asws) said: ‘Is it ‘Al-Rafiza’ (the rejectors)?’ He said, ‘Yes’. He (asws) said: ‘No, by Allah (azwj), they are not the ones who have named you as such, but it is Allah (azwj) Who has Named you all with it’. But, do you know, O Abu Muhammad that seventy men from the Children of Israel rejected the Pharaoh (la) and his people, when they detected his misguidance. So they attached themselves with Musa (as) when they detected his (as) guidance. So they were named (referred to) in the army of Musa (as) as Al-Rafiza (The Rejectors) because they had rejected the Pharaoh (la), and they were the most intense worshippers in that army, and very intense in their love for Musa (as) and Haroun (as) and their (as) offspring. So Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic Revealed unto Musa (as) that: “Establish this name for them in the Torah, for I (azwj) has Named them with it, and have Gifted it to them”. So Musa (as) established the name for them, then Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic Reserved this name for you all to the extent that we (asws) have gifted it to you. O Abu Muhammad, they rejected the good, and you have rejected the evil. All the people have separated into sects, and they all divided into branches. You have branched out with the People (asws) of the Household of your Prophet (saww), and you did what they did, and you chose what Allah (azwj) had Chosen for you, and you wanted what Allah (azwj) wanted. So received glad tidings upon glad tidings, for By Allah (azwj), you (Shiites) are ones with whom Allah (azwj) has been Merciful, the ones whose good deeds will be Accepted, and the sins being Overlooked. The one who does not come to Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic, with what you are upon, on the Day of Judgement, the good deeds will not be Accepted from him, nor will his sins be Overlooked. O Abu Muhammad, have I (asws) made you happy?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. He (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic has Assigned Angels to cut-off the sins from the backs of our (asws) Shiites just like the leaves get cut-off in the autumn by the wind, and that is His (azwj) Statement, the Mighty and Majestic: “[40:7] Those who bear the Throne and those around Him celebrate the praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask protection for those who believe”. By Allah (azwj), their Seeking of Forgiveness is for you (Shiites) apart from the other creatures. O Abu Muhammad, have I (asws) made you happy?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. He (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, Allah (azwj) has Mentioned you (Shiites) in His (azwj) Book. He (azwj) said: “[33:23] Of the believers are men who are true to the covenant which they made with Allah: so of them is he who accomplished his vow, and of them is he who yet waits, and they have not changed in the least” You all have been loyal to the Covenant which Allah (azwj) has Taken from you, of our (asws) Wilayah, and you never exchanged us (asws) for others. Had you not done that, Allah (azwj) would have Reproached you just as He (azwj) Reproached them where He (azwj), Majestic is His (azwj) Remembrance, Said: “[7:102] And We did not find in most of them any (faithfulness to) covenant, and We found most of them to be certainly transgressors”. O Abu Muhammad, have I (asws) made you happy?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. He (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, Allah (azwj) has Mentioned you in His (azwj) Book: “[15:47] (they shall be) as brethren, on raised couches, face to face”. And Allah (azwj) has not Intended by this other than you (Shiites), O Abu Muhammad. So, have I (asws) made you happy?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. He (asws): ‘O Abu Muhammad, “[43:67] The friends shall on that day be enemies one to another, except those who guard (against evil)”, and Allah (azwj) has not Intended by this other than you (Shiites). O Abu Muhammad, have I (asws) made you happy?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. He (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic has Mentioned us (asws) and our (asws) Shiites, and our (asws) enemies in a Verse from His (azwj) Book. The Mighty and Majestic Said: “[39:9] Are those who know equal with those who know not? But only men of understanding will pay heed”. So we (asws) are the ones who know, and our (asws) enemies are the ones who do not know, and our (asws) Shiites are the men of understanding. O Abu Muhammad, so have I (asws) made you happy?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you, increase it for me’. So he (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, By Allah (azwj), Allah (azwj) has not Made an Exception for anyone from the successors (as) of the Prophets (as) and their (as) followers except for Amir-ul-Momineen (asws) and his (asws) Shiites. So He (azwj) Said in His (azwj) Book, and His (azwj) Words are True: “[44:41] The day on which a friend shall not avail (his) friend aught, nor shall they be helped, [44:42] Save those on whom Allah shall have mercy; surely He is the Mighty the Merciful” Meaning by that Ali (asws) and his (asws) Shiites. O Abu Muhammad, have I (asws) made you happy?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. He (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, Allah (azwj) the High has Mentioned you all when He (azwj) Said: “[39:53] Say: O my servants! who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving the Merciful”. And Allah (azwj) has not Intended by this other than you (Shiites). So, have I (asws) made you happy, O Abu Muhammad’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. So he (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, Allah (azwj) has Mentioned you all in His (azwj) Book: “[17:65] Surely (as for) My servants, you have no authority over them; and your Lord is sufficient as a Protector”. And Allah (azwj) has not Intended by this but the Imams (asws) and their (asws) Shiites. So, have I (asws) made you happy, O Abu Muhammad?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. So he (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, Allah (azwj) has Mentioned you all in His (azwj) Book. He (azwj) Said: “[4:69] these are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favours from among the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the righteous, and a goodly company are they!” So the Messenger (saww) of Allah (azwj) in the Verse is ‘from among the Prophets (as)’, and we (asws), in this subject are the ‘truthful and the martyrs’, and you all are the ‘righteous’, therefore adopt this name by the righteousness as Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic has Named you. O Abu Muhammad, so, have I made you happy?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. He (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, Allah (azwj) has Mentioned you all when He (azwj) Narrated about your enemies in the Fire by His (azwj) Statement: “[38:62] And they shall say: What is the matter with us that we do not see men whom we used to count among the vicious? [38:63] Was it that we (only) took them in scorn, or have our eyes (now) turned aside from them?” And Allah (azwj) has not Meant, and not Intended by this other than you (Shiites). You have become as the evil people in the eyes of this world, and by Allah (azwj), you will be in the Paradise you will be in delight whereas in the Fire you will be sought. O Abu Muhammad, so have I (asws) made you happy?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. He (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, there is none from the Verses Revealed Which Guides to the Paradise, nor Mentions it addressees with goodness except that it is regarding us (asws) and regarding our (asws) Shiites. And there is none from the Verses Revealed Which Mentions its addressees with evil, or Points to the Fire except that it is regarding our (asws) enemies and the ones who are opposed to us (asws). So, have I (asws) made you happy, O Abu Muhammad?’ He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), increase it for me’. So he (asws) said: ‘O Abu Muhammad, There is no one upon the Nation of Ibrahim (as) except for us (asws), and our (asws) Shiites, whereas the rest of the people are remote from that. O Abu Muhammad, have I (asws) made you happy?’ And in another report, he (asws) said: ‘This is enough’.