Prayer Against the Enemy

“Once I complained before Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about my neighbor and what 1 had suffered from him. The narrator has said that the Imam said, ‘Pray and plead before Allah against him.’ I did so and did not have any results and I went back to the Imam to complain. He said, ‘Pray against him.’ I said, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, I have already done but have not seen any result.’ The Imam said, ‘How did you pray against him?’ I said, ‘When I met him I prayed against him.’ The Imam said, ‘Pray against him when he moves away from you.’ 1 then did as I was told and Allah very soon granted me relief.’”

“When any of you prays against the other person he should say, ‘O Lord, strike him with peerless misfortune in the night and allow his defenses to be ransacked.’”

“Once I said to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘I have a neighbor from Quraysh from the family of Muhriz who propagates against me negatively. Whenever I pass by he calls me a Rafida (rejecting successors to the Holy Prophet who are not special members of his family) and that I collect funds for Ja’far ibn Muhammad (a.s.).’ The Imam said, ‘Pray to Allah against him in the last Sajdah (prostration) of the second Rak’at of Tahajjud (nightly prayer). Praise Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, and glorify Him and say, ‘O Lord, so and so, son of so and so propagates against me negatively, he has caused me anger and has exposed me to danger, O Lord, strike him a quick arrow to divert him away from me, O Lord, bring the time of his death closer, eliminate his traces and make it fast, O Lord, in this hour, in this hour!’ When I arrived in al-Kufa during the night and asked my family about him, how is so and so doing? They told me that he was ill. My words were not finished when I heard crying from the house of that man. They said that he had died.”’

“Once I was in the presence of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) and al-‘Ala’ ibn Kamil said to him, ‘So and so acts against me again and again, if you consider it proper, pray to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy.’ The Imam said, ‘This is more than enough for you. Say, “O Lord, You are sufficient for everything and nothing is sufficient for You. Suffice me in the matters of so and so with whatever You wish, in whatever way You wish, from wherever You wish and whenever You wish.’”

when Dawud ibn Ali killed al-Mu’alla’ ibn Khunays, Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) said, ‘I will pray to Allah against whoever has murdered my Mawla (servant) and has seized my property.’ Dawud ibn Ali then said, ‘You threaten me with your prayer! (But I am not afraid).’ Hammad has said that al-Misma’i said that Mu’attib said to me, ‘Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) that night continued his Ruku ’ and Sajdah and, when it was morning, I hear him saying in Sajdah (prostration) “O Lord, I ask You through Your power that is strong, through Your glory that is intense, that has humbled Your creatures, grant favors to Muhammad and his family and seize him (the enemy) in this hour! Seize him in this hour!’ He had not yet raised his head that we heard crying and wailing from the house of Dawud ibn Ali. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) raised his head and said, ‘I prayed to Allah with a prayer and Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, sent an angel over him to hit his head with an iron bar that ruptured his bladder and caused his death.’” Note: Dawud ibn Ali was the governor of Madinah during the rule of abu al- ‘Abbas al-Saffah. He ordered al-Mu’alla to identify for him every Shi’a (follower A ’ immah ) of abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.). He refused saying, ‘Even if they were under my foot I would not raise it to expose them.’ He was murdered and the properties of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) with him was seized.