إبراهيم بن عيسى

“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Allah, most Blessed, most High, dislikes a dress that causes public abhorrence.”’

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘Certain youth from the children of Israelite kings were devoted worshippers. Worshipping was a practice among the children of the Israelite kings. These youth decided to travel around in the land. They passed by a gravesite above the road. Winds had almost wiped out its marks. They said to each other, “We should pray to Allah to bring out our fellow from his grave so that we can ask him about his experience of dying.” They prayed to Allah and their prayer was as follows: “You are our Lord. O Lord, no one other than You is our Lord. You are the eternal inventor, never unaware, the ever living who never dies. Every day You work. You know all things without being taught. Please bring this deceased out of his grave by Your power.’” The Imam said that a man with hairs of his head and beard all gray came out of the grave shaking dust off his head, terrified and gazing to the sky and asked them, “What has made you stand on my grave?” They replied, “We called you so we can ask about your experience of facing death.” He replied, “I have remained in my grave for ninety-nine years, but the pain and hardship of experiencing death have not gone away, and its bitterness is still in my throat.” They asked, “Were your hairs of head and beard all gray on the day you died?” He replied, “No, but when I heard the cry, ‘come out,’ the ashes of my bones came together with my soul (spirit) and I took a breath in it and then came out, terrified and gazing to the sky following the voice that called me and that made my hairs to turn all gray.’””

O People! Indeed, a month has come in which each night is better than a thousand months. It is the month of Ramazan. God has prescribed fasting during it for you. Whoever stays up one night during that month and prays will receive the reward of one who has stayed up for seventy nights in other months and prayed. If you do any good deeds during that month, you will receive the reward of one who has done seventy good deeds in other months. If you perform any obligatory deeds in that month, your reward will be that of seventy similar cases in other months. It is the month of patience. The reward of patience is Paradise. Ramazan is the month of sympathy. It is the month in which God increases the share of a believer’s daily bread. Whoever feeds another believer (to break his fast) shall be given the rewardof freeing a slave. His past sins will also be forgiven.’ It was said to him (MGB), ‘O Prophet of God! Not all of us are able to feed another believer to break his fast!’ The Prophet (MGB) said, ‘Indeed the Honorable the Exalted God is generous. He would even give this reward to those of you who have nothing but a cup of milk, some juice, water or a date to feed another believer to break his fast. Whoever helps his slave with his duties during this month will be rewarded by God with an easier Reckoning. It is the month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is answering and releasing from the Fire. In it you are in need of four qualities: two qualities with which to please God, and two qualities with which you ask for the fulfillment of your own needs. The two qualities with which to please God are: testify that there is no god but God, and that I (Muhammad) am God’s Prophet. And the two qualities with which you may ask for the fulfillment of your needs are: Ask God for your needs and Paradise during that month. Also ask God to protect you from the Fire of Hell.’”

When the Prophet (MGB) had been appointed to Prophethood he (MGB) fasted day after day so much that they thought he will no longer break his fast. He (MGB) sometimes did not fast for so many days that they thought he (MGB) will no longer fast. Then he (MGB) started to fast one day and not fast the other days like the fasting of David (MGB). He (MGB) later stopped this and fasted on two Thursdays and a Wednesday in between them each month.”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who asked for a loan. He left al-Rahn (security deposit) like a servant or utensils or cloths. The party needed to benefit from them, so he asked permission and he gave permission. He (the Imam) said, if permission is given without compulsion it is not unlawful/ I then said, in our area people see it as if every loan brings benefits. Is it invalid?’ He (the Imam) said, is it not a fact that the best loans are those which attract benefits?’”

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘. . . We took from you a ghaliz (thick) pledge and oath from you.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘The pledge or oath refers to the term by which marriage is declared and ‘ ghaliz ’ (thick) refers to the liquid that flows from man to woman.’”

"I have experienced [having] both light-skinned and dark-skinned maidservants, and there was a difference between them." (Allama al-Majlisi says: It means both of them have a preference)

I heard Abu Ja’far (a.s.) saying that: ‘Yazid Ibn Muawiya (la) entered Al-Medina and he wanted to perform the Pilgrimage. So he sent for a man from Quraysh who came to him. So Yazid (la) said to him, ‘Do you accept that you are my slave, and if I wish I can sell you, and if I wish I can promote you?’ So the man said to him (la), ‘You are no more prestigious than me among the Quraysh in nobility, nor was your father more preferable than my father during the era of ignorance and Al-Islam, and neither are you (la) more preferable than me in the Religion, nor better than me. So how can I accept what you are asking of me?’ So Yazid (la) said to him, ‘By Allah (azwj)! If you do not accept me, I shall kill you’. So the man said to him (la), ‘Your killing me would not be greater than your killing of Al-Husayn Ibn Ali (a.s.) the so of Rasulallah (s.w)’. So he ordered that he be killed, may Allah Curse him. Then he sent for Ali Ibn Al-Husayn (a.s.). So he said to him similar to what he had said to the Qurayshi. Ali Ibn Al-Husayn (a.s) said to him: ‘Do you see that if I do not accept you, you kill me just as you (la) killed the man yesterday?’ Yazid (la) said to him, ‘Yes’. So Ali Ibn Al-Husayn (a.s.) said to him: ‘I have accepted to you (la) with what you asked. I am a humble slave (of Allah), so if you wish captivate me or if you wish, release me’. So Yazid (la) said to him, ‘It is of a higher level (referring to the one whom he had killed the day before) even if I (kill) or spare your blood it would not reduce your nobility.'"

“Allah is Merciful and He grant this reward to that person also who gives a little milk or a glass of drink or a few dates to others for Iftar. A person who is kind to slaves in this month, the Almighty Allah would be kind to him in accounting of his deeds. This is a month whose beginning is with mercy, middle is forgiveness and the end is with acceptance of supplications and freedom from Hell. There are four characteristics, which you cannot avoid. With two of them, you can please Allah and you cannot neglect the other two also. They are bearing witness that there is no lord except Allah and that I am His Messenger. And the two things, which you cannot avoid, are that you seek Paradise and protection against the fire of Hell from Allah.”

“I said to Abū Jaʿfar (a), ‘May I be your ransom! Inform me of something that I may benefit from.’ So he said, ‘O Abā ʿUbaydah, remember death often, for a person does not remember death often but that he detaches himself from the [yearnings of the material] world.’”

“No two fierce wolves in a flock of sheep without a shepherd, one wolf on either side is as quick (to destroy them) as the love of property and honor (popularity) is to destroy the religion of a believer.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that you should dictate to your dying people, ‘Only Allah is the Lord to be worshipped.’ We, however, (in addition) dictate to our dying people, ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’”

Of the deaths of the believers that Satan loves most, is the death of a Faqih (a knowledgable person of islamic laws)."

"Whoever commits fornication with a close relative (one prohibited in marriage) until intercourse occurs, he is to be struck with the sword in a blow that takes from him whatever it takes. And if she consented to him, she is to be struck with the sword in a blow that takes from her whatever it takes." It was asked: "And who carries out the punishment upon them when they have no accuser?" Imam (as) replied: "That is up to the Imam when the case is presented to him."

"He is liable for one legal punishment for accusing her. As for his statement, 'I have committed adultery with you,' there is no legal punishment for that unless he testifies against himself four times for committing adultery before the Imam."

I heard Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) say: "I purchased a piece of land, and when I finalized the purchase, I stood up and walked a few steps, then returned. I did this to make the sale binding at the time of separation."

I heard abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) say, “‘If an occultation reaches you all regarding the Master of this command, then do not reject it.”

“I heard abu Ja‘far (a.s.), saying, ‘I once purchased something from someone; then I got up and walked a few steps, then returned to the meeting place so that the deal becomes binding.’”

“Certain persons of our people once asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the case of a Muslim man who likes a beautiful woman; if he can marry her and she is insane. He (the Imam) said, ’No, however, if he has an insane slave-girl he can go to bed with her but must not seek her children (he must use contraceptives).”’

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘Whoever intentionally changes the will of a deceased person, has committed a sin. Allah is All-hearing and All-knowing. 5 (2:181) He (the Imam) said, ‘The following verse is a (modified) copy of this verse: ‘One who is afraid of the testator’s deviations and sin and settles the matter among the parties involved, he has not committed a sin. Allah is All-forgiving and All- merciful. 5 (2:182) If the executor fears for the testator’s deviation from the law in his will, then it is not a sin for the executor to bring it in conformity with the truth according to the happiness of Allah and following the path of virtue. 555