أبان بن عثمان الاحمر البجلي

In his illness, which ended up with his death, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, laid his head on the laps of Ummul Fadhl, and then he fainted. Tears from Ummul Fadhl’s eyes fell on his cheeks, so he opened his eyes and said: "What is the matter with you, O Ummul Fadhl?" She said: "You have told us about your death, so if things are going to remain in our favour, give us good tidings. And if events will turn against us, then counsel us." He said, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, told her: "You will all be subdued and weakened after I have gone."

"He who inquires after the well being and whereabouts of the others, people inquire after him when they miss him! And he who does not prepare himself to face the worldly afflictions with patience, ends up helpless. And if you have a habit of passing abrasive comments against other people, then be ready for their remarks. And even if you left them, they would not leave you!" He said: "Then what shall I do?" He (i.e. Imam) said: "Keep them away from your honour, and leave it for your Day of Hunger and Want (i.e. leave it for the Day of judgement)."

Allah forgave a man from the people of the desert because of two phrases he would supplicate with: “O Allah! If You punish me, then that is what I deserve, but if You forgive me, then that is what You deserve (Allahumma in tu`adhibani fa ahl dhalik ana, wa in tughfir li fa ahl dhalik anta).” So, Allah forgave him.

A man came to the Messenger of Allah (s), and he (s) had a tattered garment. So, he gave him twelve silver coins. So, he said: O `Ali! Take these silver coins and purchase a garment with it for me. `Ali (as) said: I went to the market and bought a shirt with the twelve silver coins for him. I took it to the Messenger of Allah. He looked at it and said: O `Ali! I would like something different than this. Do you think the owner will take it back? I said: I do not know. So, he said: Go and see. I went back to the owner and I said: The Messenger of Allah (s) does not like this. He wants another shirt. Please take it back and return the silver coins. So, I went back to the Messenger of Allah (s) and walked with him to the market to buy a shirt, when we saw a slave girl sitting on the street crying. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) said to her: What is your issue? She said: O Messenger of Allah! My master gave me four silver coins to purchase a thing for him, but I lost it, and I do not dare to return to them. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) gave her four silver coins, and he said: Return to your master. The Messenger of Allah (s) went to the market to purchase a shirt with four silver coins. He wore it, and praised Allah. [On his way back,] he saw a naked man. He was saying: Whoever clothes me, may Allah clothe with the garments of Paradise. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) removed his shirt that he had bought and clothed the beggar. Then, he returned to the market to purchase a shirt with the remaining four silver coins. He wore it and praised Allah. Upon his return to his house, he saw the slave girl who was sitting on the street crying. So, he (s) said to her: Why haven’t you returned to your master? She said: O Messenger of Allah! I have delayed in returning to them, and I fear that they will beat me. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) said: Walk in front of me and guide me to your master. The Messenger of Allah (s) went until he stopped at the door of the house. Then he said: Peace be with you, O people of the house. No one responded to him. The Messenger of Allah repeated the greeting, and no one responded, and he repeated the greeting, and they said: And peace, mercy, and blessings be with you, O Messenger of Allah. So, he (s) said: Why didn't you answer my greeting the first and second [time]? So, they said: O Messenger of Allah! We loved to hear you speak again. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) said: Here is your slave girl. She has delayed in returning to you, but do not harm her. So, they said: O Messenger of Allah, we will free her because you came. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) said: Praise be to Allah! Look at what a great blessing these twelve silver coins were. This has clothed two naked people and has freed a person.

The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Whoever blesses me without blessing my family will not find the fragrance of Paradise. Its fragrance could be found at the travel distance of five hundred years away.

Abu Abdillah Ja’far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: On the Day of Judgement, Allah will bring together the first and the last people on one plane and then He will cause an announcement to be made: "Cast down your glances and lower your heads, so that Fatimah(peace be upon her), daughter of Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny, crosses the Bridge (al-Sirat)." He said: "People will cast down their glances and then Fatimah, peace be upon her, will arrive seated on one of the highbred animals of Paradise, followed by 70 thousand angels. Then she will make a distinguished pause at one of the high stations on the Day of Judgement, dismount and take the blood soiled shirt of al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali peace be upon him, in her hands, saying: "O Allah! This shirt belongs to my son, and You know what was done to him." There will be proclamation from Allah, Most High: "O Fatimah, you have My pleasure." She will say: "Help me avenge from those who killed him." Allah will then command a flame from hellfire to leap forth and devour all the killers of al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, the way a bird devours a seed. The flame will take them back into the hellpit, subjecting them to various chastisements. Then Fatimah, peace be upon her, will ride again and proceed to enter Paradise, accompanied by the angels following her, her descendants before her and her friends and partisans on her right and on her left."

When the Prophet (s) was raised up, and he ended up where Allah willed for him, his Lord whispered to him. Then, when he descended to the fourth heaven, He called out to him: O Muhammad! He said: I am at your service, my Lord. He said to him: Who from your Nation have you chosen to be your vicegerent (khalifa) after you? He said: Choose that for me, so that You may be the decider for me. So, He said to him: I have chosen the best of you for you – `Ali b. Abi Talib (as).

There is not a man who bears false witness over the wealth of a Muslim man to cut him off except that Allah decrees a place for him in the Fire.

The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Whoever wants a way (tawassul) to me and wants my hand in his intercession on the Day of Resurrection should connect with my Ahl al-Bayt and bring joy to them.

A man came to him and said to him: May my mother and my father be sacrificed for you, O son of the Messenger of Allah! Teach me a proverb. So, he (as) said: Surely, Allah has guaranteed sustenance, so why are you worried? And if sustenance is allotted, then why be stingy? And if the Judgment is true, then why go to gatherings? And if the reward is from Allah, then why are you lazy? And if the future is truly from Allah, then why be miserly? And if the punishment from Allah is the Fire, then why sin? And if death is true, then why be gleeful? And if the offer of Allah is true, then why plot? And if Satan is the enemy, then why be heedless? And if passing through the Path is true, then why be astonished? And if all things are destined, then why be sorrowful? And if this world is fleeting, then why be content with it?

Amir al-Mu’minin (as) would say in his prostration: I whisper to You, My Master, just as a servile slave whispers to his master. I request from You whilst knowing that You give without decreasing what is with You. I repent to You whilst knowing that none forgive sins except You. I rely on You whilst knowing that You have power over all things.

Iblis (may Allah curse him) would penetrate the seven heavens. When `Isa (as) was born, he was blocked off from three heavens, and he would instead penetrate four heavens. When the Messenger of Allah (sw) was born, he was blocked off from all seven, and the devils were thrown into the stars [of this lower heaven]. Quraysh said: “This is the Hour that we would hear the people of the scriptures mention.” `Amr b. Umayya, who was of the most rebuked persons of Jahiliyya, said: “Look to these stars by which one can be guided and know the timings of winter and summer. If they were thrown into, then that would lead to the destruction of everything. But, if they remain, and they were thrown elsewhere, then it is a new Order.”
On the morning of the birth of the Prophet (sw), all the idols had fallen on their faces. That night, an earthquake shook the Iwan of Khosrow, and fourteen balconies fell from it. Lake Sawa receded, and the valley of Samawah was flooded. The fire of Persia was extinguished, and that had not happened for one thousand years. The Zoroastrian Mobed saw a dream that night of camels leading Arabian horses across the Tigris into their country, cutting the ring of King Khosrow from the middle. That night, a light dispersed from the direction of the Hijaz, going eastward. There was not a bed of a king from the kings except that it was flipped. The kings were silenced and could not speak that day.
The knowledge of priests was removed, the magic of sorcerers was invalided; and no soothsayer remained in Arabia except that she was barred from her partner. The Quraysh were made glorious among the Arabs, and they were called “The Family of Allah.” Abu `Abdillah al-Sadiq (as) said: Surely, they were only called “the Family of Allah” because they were in the Sanctified House of Allah. Amina said: My son, by Allah, was born and upheld himself on the ground with his own hand. Then, he raised his head to the sky and looked at it. Then, a light left me that illuminated everything for him. I heard a speaker in the light saying: “You have given birth to the Master of People, so name him ‘Muhammad.’”
`Abd al-Muttalib came to look at him, and he was told about what Amina said. So, he took him and placed him in his Hijr. Then, he said: “Praise be to Allah who gave me this pure boy who has prevailed over the boys while in the cradle.” Then, he sought refuge for him by the foundations of the Ka`ba and said: “There are poems in it.” He said: Iblis (la) screamed out to his devils. So, they gathered to him and said: “What has troubled you, master?” So, he said to them: “Woe to you all. On this night, I have been denied from the heavens and the Earth. Something great has occurred on Earth – nothing like it has occurred since the ascension of `Isa b. Maryam. So, go and find out what has happened.” So, they went out and came back to him, saying: “We did not find anything.” So, Iblis said: “I will find out.”
So, he plunged into the world and went through it until he ended up at the Sanctuary. He saw the Sanctuary surrounded by angels. He tried to go in, but they screamed at him, so he went back. Then, he took on the form of a bird, and he entered from the direction of Mount Hira. So, Gabriel said to him: “Behind you – may Allah curse you.” So, he said to him: “Let me ask you, Gabriel, what is this that has happened on Earth tonight?” So, he said: “Muhammad (sw) was born.” So, he said to him: “Do I have a share in him?” He said: “No.” So, he said: “Then [do I have a share] in his Nation?” He said: “Yes.” So, he was pleased.

The Messenger of Allah (s) visited Salman al-Farisi (rh) in his illness, so he said: O Salman! Surely, in your illness, you have three characteristics: (1) You are in a state of remembering Allah, (2) your supplications in it are accepted, (3) the illness will not leave you until it causes your sins to fall. May Allah gratify you with wellness until your time expires.

When the Messenger of Allah (s) was taken up to Bayt al-Maqdis, Gabriel had mounted him on the Buraq, and they reached Bayt al-Maqdis. He was given the prayer-niches of the prophets and he prayed with it. Then, he returned, and passed by a camel belonging to Quraysh. He found a vessel with water belonging to them. They were looking for a camel that belonged to them. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) drank from that water and left some remaining. When the Messenger of Allah (s) awoke, he said to Quraysh: Surely, Allah has taken me to Bayt al-Maqdis, and He showed me the relics of the prophets and their stations. I also passed by a camel belonging to Quraysh in such-and-such a place. It had strayed away from them, so I drank some of their water and I left some remaining. So, Abu Jahl said: He has given you an opportunity [to expose him], so ask him how many lanterns and candles it had? So, they said: O Muhammad! We have someone here who has entered Bayt al-Maqdis, so describe for us, how many lanterns, candles, and prayer-niches does it have? So, Gabriel (as) came and put the image of Bayt al-Maqdis before his face. So, he began describing what they had asked him regarding it. When he informed them, they said: Wait for the caravan, and we will ask them about what you have said So, the Messenger of Allah (s) said to them: It is true that the caravan will come to you with the sunrise. It is led by a grey camel. The next day, they proceeded to look to the hitch, and they said: The Sun rises at this hour. Then they saw the caravan as the Sun rose, led by a grey camel. So, they asked them about what the Messenger of Allah (s) said, and they said: It is as so. We lost a camel in such-and-such a place, and we had put water [with it], and we found that some water had remained. That did not increase anything in them but wickedness.

Whoever says: “in the name of Allah (bismillah)” when he leaves his house, the two angels say: “You have been guided.” When he says: “there is no ability nor power except by Allah (la hawla wala quwwata illa billah)”, they say: “You have been safeguarded.” When he says: “I rely on Allah (tawakkaltu `alallah)”, they say: “You have been sufficed.” Then, Satan will say: “How could I handle a worshiper who is guided, safeguarded, and sufficed?!”

If you want something of good, then do not delay in it, for if a worshiper fasts on a hot day wanting what is with Allah, Allah will free him from the Fire; and if he gives in charity wanting the face of Allah, Allah will free him from the Fire.

The Messenger of Allah (s) said one day to Jabir b. `Abdullah al-Ansari: O Jabir! Surely, you will remain until you meet my descendant Muhammad b. `Ali b. al-Husayn b. `Ali b. Abi Talib, known in the Torah as “Baqir” (the one who splits and dissects knowledge). When you meet him, then deliver my salaam to him. So, Jabir visited `Ali b. al-Husayn (as), and he saw Muhammad b. `Ali (as) with him as a young boy. So, he said to him: O boy! Come forward. So, he came forward. Then, he said to him: Come near. So, he came near. So, Jabir said: The [same] sublime qualities of the Messenger of Allah (shama’il rasulAllah), by the Lord of the Ka`ba. Then, `Ali b. al-Husayn (as) came forward. So, he (Jabir) said to him: Who is this? He said: This is my son and the patron of the Order after me, Muhammad al-Baqir. So, Jabir fell to his feet and kissed them, saying: May my soul be your sacrifice, O son of the Messenger of Allah! The salaam of your father has been accepted. Surely, the Messenger of Allah (s) delivers the salaam to you. He said: So, the eyes of Abi Ja`far (as) filled with tears. Then, he said: O Jabir! Peace be unto my father, the Messenger of Allah (s), so long as heaven and Earth persist; and to you to, Jabir, for delivering the salaam.

Whoever completes his fast with a good saying or a good action, Allah will accept his fast. So, it was said to him: O son of the Messenger of Allah! What is the good saying? He said: The testimony that there is no god but Allah; and the good action is giving out [zakat] al-Fitra.

The Messenger of Allah (s) sent Khalid b. al-Walid to a neighbourhood called Banu al-Mustalaq from Bani Judhayma, who had a rivalry with Bani Makhzum in Jahiliyya. When he was sent to them, they had followed the Messenger of Allah (s) and had taken letters from him [but they had yet to fully convert to Islam]. When Khalid was sent to them, he ordered a caller to call to prayer. He prayed and they prayed. When Fajr prayer came, he ordered his caller to call to prayer. So, he prayed and they prayed. Then, he called for a horse and started battling them. He killed and wounded [some of them]. They demanded their letter and they received it. It was given to the Prophet (s), and they had spoken about what Khalid b. al-Walid had done. So, he turned toward the qibla and said: O Allah! To You, I dissociate from what Khalid b. al-Walid has done. He said: Then, the riches and the spoils were brought to the Messenger of Allah. So, he said to `Ali (as): O `Ali! Go to Bani Jadhima from Bani al-Mustalaq and rectify them from what Khalid has done. Then, he (s) raised his feet and said: O `Ali! Put the judgment of the people of Jahiliyya beneath your feet. So, `Ali (as) went to them. When he got to them, he judged them by the judgment of Allah. When he returned to the Prophet (s), he said: O `Ali! Inform me of what you have done. So, he said: O Messenger of Allah! I gave blood money to everyone affected, a servant to every mother that miscarried, and money to everyone who was robbed. I had extra wealth, so I gave them containers to wash their dogs in and reins for their shepherds. I still had extra wealth, so I gave them until they could be pleased with you, O Messenger of Allah. So, he (s) said: O `Ali! You gave them so that they could be pleased with me. May Allah be pleased with you, O `Ali. You are to me as Aaron was to Moses, except there is no prophet after me.

Abu Abdullah, Ja’far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: On the Day of Resurrection, an announcer will announce from inside the Throne: "Where is the Khalifa of Allah on earth?" So Dawood, the Prophet, will stand up and the voice from Allah, Most High, will say: "We do not mean you, although you were Allah’s Khalifa." Then a second announcement will be made: "Where is Allah’s Khalifa on earth?" Then Amirul Mu’mineen, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, will rise. So a voice will come from Allah, Most High: "O people! This ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib is the khalifa of Allah on His earth and His proof over His slaves. So whoever adhered to his rope while on earth, should hang on to his rope here (also), so that he may have the benefit of his light and may follow him in the rising ranks of Paradise." He said: A group of people will rise who had adhered to his rope during life on earth, and will follow him into Paradise. Then there will be announcement from Allah, Most High: "O those who followed a leader while living on earth, follow him as he goes, and they will go with him." That will be the time when those who led will dissociate themselves from those who followed them, and they will see the chastisement, and all relations between them will be severed. ’And those who followed will say: if only we had one more chance, we would dissociate ourselves from them, as they have disowned themselves from us. Thus will Allah show them their deeds as anguish for them and never will they come out of the hellfire.’ (2:166,167).