إبراهيم بن مهزيار

9. Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) says at the end of a lengthy tradition, “In the month of Ramadan, the doors of heavens are opened, satans are shackled in chains and the deeds of believers are accepted. Ramadan is an excellent month. It was also called the al-Marzooq (a month in which bounties are given) during the time of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.).”

1. Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) said, “Allah will make three types of people enter Paradise without any accounting – a just leader, a truthful trader and an elderly person who spent his life in Allah’s obedience.”

Everything in this book that is narrated from Bahr Al-Saqqa' has been transmitted by me from my father - may Allah (swt) be pleased with him - from Sa'd ibn Abdullah, from Ibrahim ibn Mahziyar, from his brother Ali, from Hammad ibn 'Isa, from Hariz, from Bahr Al-Saqqa', who is Bahr ibn Kathir.

“There is nothing but that it has a measure and a weight except the tears. For indeed a drop of it can extinguish a sea of fire. And when ones eyes are filled with tears, his face will never see poverty or disgrace. And when tears are flowing, Allah prohibits the fire of Hell on it and even if one person is weeping the whole community is dealt with mercy (by Allah).”

“I heard abu Ja‘far (a.s.) say, “Fatima, daughter of the Holy Prophet (s.a) was born five years after the proclaimed to be the Messenger of Allah and she passed away when she was eighteen years and seventy five days old.”

I hear Aba Ja’far [al-Jawad] (a.s.) say when Abu al-Khattab was mentioned in his presence: May Allah curse Aba al-Khattab, curse his companions, curse those who question his cursing, and curse those who abstain from doing it [cursing him] doubting its propriety. Then he said: Here are Abu al-Ghamr, Ja’far b. Waqid and Hashim b. Abi Hashim! They have used us [our name] to take wealth from the people and have become callers calling the people to what Abu al-Khattab used to call to! May Allah curse him [Abu al-Khattab] and curse them with him, may He curse whoever accepts that from them. O Ali – do not feel any discomfort in cursing them – may Allah curse them – for they have been cursed by Allah. Then he said: the Messenger of Allah (s.w) said: Whoever refrains from cursing the one who is cursed by Allah [considering it a sin] then upon him be the curse of Allah.

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said to Ibn Abī Ya’fūr: Increasingly establish prayers in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.), for the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.) has said, “One Salāt in my mosque is equal to one thousand Salāt in any other mosque except Masjid Al-Ḥarām, for one Salāt in Masjid Al-Ḥarām is equal to one thousand Salāt in my mosque.”

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said to Ibn Abī Ya’fūr: Do not neglect going to the sites (around Madīnah) or the Mosque of Qubā, for it is the “mosque founded on piety from the very first day.” (Do not neglect) the Well of Um Ibrāhīm, the Mosque of Faďīkh, the graves of the martyrs, nor the Mosque of Aḥzāb which is the Mosque of Fatḥ.

The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.) said: Those who come to my mosque, the Mosque of Qubā, and pray two Rak’ah in it, will receive the reward of performing an ‘Umrah.

I wrote to Imam (as) asking about a slave who is near death, and his master frees him at that moment so that he leaves this world as a free man. Does the master earn a reward for freeing him, or is it better to leave him as a slave so that the master gains a greater reward if he dies while still owned? Imam (as) wrote: "It is better for the master to leave the slave as a servant at the time of his death, for this brings more reward to the master. Freeing him in such an hour offers no benefit."

“I once wrote to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, in our area there is a drink called al-Myabeh which is taken from quince which is peeled then is placed in water. Juice (grape juice) then is boiled until one-third (is left), then the quince is crushed. Its juice then is taken. Then the one-third water and quince, musk, spices and condiment, saffron and honey are cooked until its two-thirds are evaporated and only one-third is left; if it is lawful to drink it. He (the Imam) wrote, ‘It is not unlawful as long as it is not changed. 5 ”

“Abul Hassan Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) came (to Baghdad). I asked him in writing to grant me permission to go to Egypt to do business. In response he wrote, ‘Wait to see what God wills.’ I waited for two years. In the third year I wrote to him (a.s.) and asked for permission again. He wrote back, ‘Go. May this be blessed for you. God will change things for you.’ Then I left (for Egypt) and made a lot of profit. There was chaos in Baghdad and I was saved from that sedition.”

There are three groups of people whom God will let into Paradise without any Reckoning, and three whom God will throw into Hell without any Reckoning. The three whom God will let enter Paradise without any Reckoning are just leaders, honest businessmen and elderly men who have spent their whole life in obedience to the Honorable the Exalted God. And the three whom God will throw into Hell without any Reckoning are the unjust leaders, businessmen who lie, and elderly adulterers.”

The Honorable the Exalted God granted Pharaoh a forty year respite between saying the following two blasphemous statements, ‘I am your Lord, Most High’ and ‘No god do I know for you but myself.’ ... Then God seized him for the punishment of the world and the Hereafter. And there passed forty years from the time when God, the Almighty and Glorious, said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Accepted is your prayer’ until the time when God drowned Pharaoh.”Then the Imam (MGB) added, “Gabriel said, “I pleaded with my Lord strongly in the matter of Pharaoh and I said, `O Lord, do you leave him alone while he says, ‘I am your Lord, Most High’ ? God replied, ‘He is only saying it. He is just another creature like you.’”

“I once wrote to abu Muhammad (a.s.), saying, ‘Your follower, Ali ibn Mahziyar has said in his will to perform al-Hajj on his behalf from an asset of which one-fourth is for you, every year one al-Hajj up to twenty dinar. The road through al-Basra is cut off and the expenses have increased; people charge more than twenty dinar and so also many of your followers have said in their wills. He (the Imam) wrote in answer, ‘Three al-Hajj must be made as two al-Hajj by the will of Allah.’”

“I once asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), about a Jurmuq (a larger slipper worn over another one) if it is permissible to perform Salah (prayer) with it and I showed it to him (the Imam) and he (the Imam) said, ‘It is permissible to perform Salah (prayer) with it.’”

I said to Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, with regards to the saying of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He: «Then, let them end their tafath» (22:29). He said: It is to shave and what is in the skin of a person.

The greater pilgrimage is the Day of Adha.

Everything in this book that is narrated from Ali ibn Mahziyar has been transmitted by me from my father - may Allah (swt) be pleased with him - from Muhammad ibn Yahya Al-Attar, from Al-Husayn ibn Ishaq, the merchant, from Ali ibn Mahziyar. I have also narrated it from my father - may Allah (swt) be pleased with him - from Sa'd ibn Abdullah and Al-Himyari together, from Ibrahim ibn Mahziyar, from his brother Ali ibn Mahziyar. Additionally, I have narrated it from Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan - may Allah (swt) be pleased with him - from Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan Al-Saffar, from Al-Abbas ibn Ma'ruf, from Ali ibn Mahziyar Al-Ahwazi.

Everything in this book that is narrated from Ibrahim ibn Mahziyar has been transmitted by me from my father - may Allah (swt) be pleased with him - from Al-Himyari, from Ibrahim ibn Mahziyar.