أحمد بن محمد بن سعيد

And whatever is narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Saʿid Al-Hamadani, I have narrated it from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Ishaq Al-Ṭalqani - may Allah (swt) be pleased with him - from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Saʿid Al-Hamadani Al-Kufi, the freed slave of Banu Hashim.

I heard Abu Abdillah Ja’far ibn Muhammad (as) say: "The person mentioned by Allah in the verse: ’And mention in the Book, Ismail; indeed he was true to his promise, and he was a messenger Prophet.’ [19:54] he was the one who Allah tested by his people, so they pulled off the skin from his face and scalp. Then Allah sent His angel unto him, who said: "The Lord of the entire creation greets you with peace; and says: I have seen what your people have done to you, so ask Me whatever you want." He said: "O Lord of the worlds, I have an ideal in the person of al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon them." Then Abu Abdillah said: "He was not Ismail the son of Ibrahim, peace be upon our Prophet and upon both of them."

“We are the ones who are the Masters in this world and the Rulers in the Hereafter.”

For the Imam are signs: that he is the most knowledgeable among the people, the wisest among people, the most godfearing among the people, the most forbearing among the people, the bravest among all people the most munificent among the people and the most worshipping among the people. He is begotten circumcised; purified; sees from behind him like how he sees before his hands; he has no shadow; when he falls unto the ground from the belly of his mother, he falls on his palms, raising his voice with the two testimonies; he does not have nocturnal emission; his eye sleeps but his heart does not sleep; he is spoken to; the armor of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, is evend to him; urine nor feces are seen form him, because Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, has, certainly, assigned the earth to swallow what leaves him; his fragrance is better than the fragrance of musk; he has more authority upon people than they have over themselves; the most compassionate among the people than their fathers and mothers; the most humble among the people to Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He; he is the one who among people who takes them most to what He commands, and the one most repelling among the people from what He forbids; and his prayer is answered, to the extent that if he recites a prayer against a rock, it would split in two halves. With him is the weapon of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, and his sword, Dhu’l-Faqqar; with him is a journal in which are the names of his Shi’a till the Day of Resurrection, and a journal in which are the names of his enemies till the Day of Resurrection; with him is Al-Jami’a, which is a journal whose length is 70 arms, in it lies all what the sons of Adam will need. With him shall be the Major and Minor Cipher, the skin of the goat and the skin of the sheep in which lies all knowledge, even indemnity for a scratch, and even for the whip’s hit, half of the whip’s hit and third of the whip’s hit, and with him shall be the Journal of Fatima, peace be upon her.

“Say to him: He, who has told us of that, is the truthful although you deny it!”

I heard Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) saying: “There will be two cries; one at the beginning of night and the other will be at the end of the second night.” I asked: “How will that be?” He said: “One will be from the Heaven and the other will be from Iblis.” I said: “How one will be distinguished from the other?” He said: “He, who has known about them before they occur, will know which of them is from the Heaven.”

“The inevitable things that must occur before the appearance of al-Qa’im are the rising of as-Sufyani, the sinking of the desert, killing the pure innocent man and the call that will come from the Heaven.”

“While people are standing on Arafat, a rider on a quick she-camel will come to inform them of the death of a caliph, after whose death the deliverance of Muhammad’s progeny and the deliverance of all the people will come.” He also said: “When you see a sign in the sky; a great fire burning for some nights in the east, then deliverance will come. It will occur a little before the appearance of al-Qa’im (as).”

“Once I was with Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as) and he said that two signs would appear before the appearance of al-Qa’im that had never appeared since Allah had sent Adam down to the earth. He said that the sun would be eclipsed in the middle of Ramadan and the moon would be eclipsed in the end of Ramadan. A man said: “O son of the messenger of Allah, it is the moon that will be eclipsed in the middle of Ramadan and the sun will be eclipsed in the end of it.” Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as) said: “I do know what I say. They are two signs that have never occurred since Adam (as) has descended to the earth.”

“Al-Qa’im will not appear except after that every class of people will have ruled over people so that no one may say: “If we have ruled, we will have spread justice” then al-Qa’im will rise to rule with truth and justice.”

“Once I asked Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) if the call (from the Heaven) would be true. He said: “Yes, by Allah, until every nation will hear it with its own language.” He also said: “Al-Qa’im will not appear unless nine tenths of people perish.”

“Expect the cry to come to you surprisingly from the direction of Damascus. Then great deliverance will come to you.”

I said to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): Allah has said, ‘The chastisement of disgrace in this world’s life.’ What is the chastisement of disgrace in this life?” He said: “O Abu Baseer, is there a disgrace worse than that when a man is in his house and among his family and then his family begins to cry and weep and people ask what the matter is to be said to them that that man is metamorphosed?” I said: “Will that happen before or after the appearance of al-Qa’im (as)?” He said: “It will happen before the appearance of al-Qa’im (as).”

“Al-Qa’im does not appear until a caller from the Heaven will call out that everyone in the east and in the west will hear the call even the girls in their veils.”

“Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) said: “Al-Qa’im will not appear until the chain is completed.” I said: “How is the chain completed?” He said: “With ten thousand (fighters), Gabriel will be on his (al-Qa’im’s) right hand and Michael will be on his left hand. Then he will shake the banner and move. Every one in the east and in the west will curse the banner. It is the banner of the Prophet (S) that Gabriel has brought (from the Heaven) on the day (battle) of Badr. It is not of cotton, flax or silk.” I said: “Then what is it of?” He said: “It is of the leaves of Paradise. The Prophet (S) has spread it on the day of Badr and then he has folded it and given it to Imam Ali (as). It has been still with Imam Ali (as) until when he has spread it on the day of the battle of al-Jamal against the people of Basra and has gained victory. Then he has folded and kept it safe. It has been with us and no one is to spread it until al-Qa’im (as) appears. When he appears, he will spread it and then every one in the east and the west will curse it. Terror will move a month before it, a month behind it, a month on its right side and a month on its left side.” Then he said: “O Abu Muhammad, he (al-Qa’im) will appear depressed and angry because of the anger of Allah with the human beings. He will appear wearing the Prophet’s shirt, which the Prophet has put on in the battle of Badr, turban, armor and holding the Prophet’s sword Thulfaqar. He will unsheathe the sword for eight months. He will kill hurly-burly. He will begin with Bani Shayba. He will cut their hands and will hang them on the Kaaba. Then his caller will call out: “These are the thieves of the Kaaba.” Then he will move to kill the people of Quraysh. He will not leave any one of them safe from his sword. Al-Qa’im (as) will not appear except after that two books will have been read openly; one in Basra and the other in Kufa. By these books people will declare their acquittance of (believing in) Ali (as).”

“I heard Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) saying: “As if I see al-Qa’im on the hill of Kufa wearing a dress of brocade and the armor of the Prophet (S), riding a black horse and holding the banner of the Prophet (S).” I said: “Has the banner been kept somewhere or it will be brought then?” He said: “Gabriel will bring it. Its pole is from the poles of the Throne of Allah and the rest of it is from the assistance of Allah. Everything that he swoops on with this banner Allah will make it perish. Nine thousand and three hundred and thirteen angels will come down with the banner.” I said: “May I die for you! Will all these angels be with him?” He said: “Yes, they will. It is they, who have been with Prophet Noah (as) in the Ark, with Abraham (as) when he has been thrown into the fire, with Moses (as) when the sea has been cleft to him, with Jesus Christ (as) when he has been raised to the Heaven and four thousand angels, who have been with Prophet Muhammad (as) and three hundred and thirteen angels, who have fought with him in the battle of Badr besides four thousands that have ascended to the Heaven asking permission to fight with al-Husayn (as) but when they have descended they find that al-Husayn (as) has been martyred. They have remained near his tomb weeping for him until the Day of Resurrection. They are waiting for the appearance of al-Qa’im (as).”

“As if I see our Shia in the mosque of Kufa setting up pavilions to teach the people the Qur’an as it has been revealed but when our Qa’im appears, he will destroy it (the mosque) and level its mihrab to the ground.”

“Every one of you is to prepare himself for the appearance of al-Qa’im even with one arrow because if Allah knows that one intends that sincerely, He may prolong his life that he may live until the appearance of al-Qa’im and then he becomes one of his assistants and supporters.”

Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Saʿīd narrated to me, he said: The muḥaddiths used to nickname Abū Dāwud “the liar of al-Nakhaʿ”

“Surely Allah commands you to make over trusts to their owners and that when you judge between people you judge with justice; surely Allah admonishes you with what is excellent.” “It is the will that each one of us delivers to the other.”