Hayyan al-Sarraj

I entered upon Abi Abdillah عليه السلام so he said to me: if you had come in a little earlier you would have met Hayyan al-Sarraj, he (Burayd) said: and he (al-Sadiq) pointed out a place in the room and said – he (Hayyan) was sat there, then he (Hayyan) brought up Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyya and talked about his life (continued existence), and he began praising him and extolling him. So I (al-Sadiq) said to him: O Hayyan! don’t you and others claim and narrate: ‘there is nothing that happened to the Bani Israil except that it is also to occur in this Umma’, he (Hayyan) replied: yes, so I (al-Sadiq) said: then have we or you seen or heard – a Scholar (divine leader) – who died in the estimation of the people (as far as the people were concerned), and his wives were married off, and his inheritance was redistributed, while he was still alive not dead?!, so he (Hayyan) stood up (to leave) and did not answer me anything.

Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: one of the sons of my paternal uncle came to me seeking permission to allow Hayyan al-Sarraj to meet me so I granted it to him. He (Hayyan) said to me: O Aba Abdillah – I want to ask you something about which I have knowledge but would like you to confirm it, inform me about your paternal uncle – Muhammad b. Ali – did he die? He (al-Sadiq) said: I said: my father (al-Baqir) informed me that he was in one of his farm lands when they came to him and said: go to your paternal uncle, he (al-Baqir) said: so I came to him, and he was overcome by unconsciousness, then he regained his senses, he (Ibn al-Hanafiyya) said to me: return to your property, he (al-Baqir) said: I refused, but he said: you must return, so I left, I had not reached the property when they came to me again and said: go to him, I came to him and found that his tongue had been seized (he could not talk anymore), he called for a tray and began writing his will. I did not leave until I had closed his eyes, washed him, enshrouded him, prayed over him, and buried him, so if this is death – then he has – by Allah – died! He (al-Sadiq) said: so he (Hayyan) said to me: may Allah have mercy on you, it was made to appear so to your father, I said: glory be to Allah! you turn away from your own heart! he said to me: and what is turning away from the heart? I said: lying (to it).