إبراهيم بن أبي محمود الخراساني

“I heard abu al-Hassan, al-Rida (a.s.), say, ‘One should get rid of remaining feces and urine by washing what is outside of the buttocks and there is no need to enter one’s fingers inside.’”

“I once asked al-Rida (a.s.), ‘Is it permissible for one after experiencing sexual relation to come in contact with perfume, oils or such things as chewing-gum or freshener, then take Ghusl (bath)? What happens if such one afterwards finds pieces left on one’s body or marks of rubbing oil or perfumes and so on?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not harmful.’”

“I once asked al-Rida (a.s.), about how one should deal with velvet-like carpet and the beds that come in contact with urine, which are thick and bulky. He (the Imam) said, ‘Whatever is on the surface of such items must be washed clean.’”

“I saw abu al-Hassan (a.s.), when leaving through the door of Masjid. He bowed down in prostration. He then stood up and turned his face to al-Ka‘bah and said, ‘O Allah, I go back with my affirmation that no one deserves worship except You.’”

A believer is one who rejoices over doing good deeds, and repents from doing wicked deeds. A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands the Muslims are secure. Whomsoever whose neighbors are not secure from him, does not belong to our nation.”

I asked Abul Hassan Al-Ridha (s) aboutthe Sublime God’s words, ‘…and left them in utter darkness. So they could not see.’” The Imam (s) said, “Indeed the Blessed the Sublime God cannot be described using such expressions as ‘left’ as His creatures can. But when God knows that they will not quit their atheism and lose, God will deprive them of His Assistance and Favor, and abandon them to do as they please.”I asked the Imam (s) about the Honorable the Exalted God’s words, ‘God hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing,…’ The Imam (s) said, “What is meant here by ‘seal’ is what is placed on their hearts as a chastisement for their blasphemy as the Honorable the Exalted God said, ‘Nay, Allah hath set the seal on their hearts for their blasphemy, and little is it they believe.’” I asked him (s) whether the Honorable the Exalted God forces His servants to commit sins? The Imam (s) said, “No. He gives them a choice, but gives them time to repent.”I asked, “Does God oblige His servants to do what they cannot stand to do?” The Imam (s) said, “How could He do that when He Himself has said, ‘…nor is thy Lord ever unjust (in the least) to His servants.’” The Imam (s) then added, “My father Musa ibn Ja’far (s) quoted on the authority of his father Ja’far ibn Muhammad (as-Sadiq) (s) that you should not eat any of the offerings of or accept the testimony of, or pray behind, or give any alms taxes to whoever thinks that God forces His servants to commit sins or obliges them to do what they cannot stand to do.”

I entered upon Abi Ja’far (i.e. al-Jawad) عليه السلام and with me were letters to him from his father, he began reading them and placing the bigger letters upon his eyes and saying: ‘the handwriting of my father – by Allah’ and crying until his tears reached his cheeks, so I said to him: may I be made your ransom, your father would sometimes say to me, in a single seating, numerous times: ‘may Allah lodge you in Jannah – may Allah make you enter Jannah’, he (Ibrahim) said: so he said: and I also say: ‘may Allah make you enter Jannah’. Then I said: may I be made your ransom, do you guarantee for me from your lord that you will make me enter the Jannah? he said: yes, he (Ibrahim) said: so I took his legs and kissed them.

“Do vomiting, nosebleeds, pus and blood void the ablutions?” The Imam (s) replied, “No. Neither one of these will void the ablutions.”

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about a man who is in the state of Ihram: if he can use shadow and pay ransom if the sun and rain are harmful for him. He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, he can do so.’ I asked, ‘How much is the ransom?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is one sheep.’”

“I once asked al-Rida’ (a.s.), about the two Rak‘at Salat (prayer) after obligatory Tawaf behind Maqam (station) of Ibrahim ‘Alayhi al-Salam where it is today or where it was in the time of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause’. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is where it is today.’”

“I said to Imam al-Ridha (as), "O’ son of the Messenger of Allah (sw), what do you say about the narration that people relate from the Messenger of Allah (sw), that Allah (swt), Blessed and Exalted, descends to the sky of the world every Jumu’ah night?" Imam (as) replied: "May Allah (swt) curse those who distort words from their proper places. By Allah (swt), the Messenger of Allah (sw) did not say that. What he did say was: 'Indeed, Allah (swt), Blessed and Exalted, sends an angel to the sky of the world every night during the last third of the night, and on the night of Jumu’ah at the beginning of the night. He commands the angel to call out: Is there anyone who asks that I may grant him? Is there anyone who repents so that I may accept his repentance? Is there anyone seeking forgiveness so that I may forgive him? O’ seeker of good, come forward, and O’ seeker of evil, desist.' The angel continues to call out until the break of dawn, and when dawn breaks, he returns to his place in the celestial realm." My father narrated this to me from my grandfather, from his forefathers, from the Messenger of Allah (sw).

“Al-Rida’ (a.s.), once asked us, ‘Which food is of greater preference?’ Certain ones among us said that it is meat, others said that it is oil, yet others said it is milk. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, it is salt.’ We then went outside for freshness and a certain one of servants forgot salt. They slaughtered a sheep for us which was the most fat one and we could not benefit thereof anything until we returned back.’”

I saw Al-Ridha (s) say farewell to the House (of God). When he wanted to leave the mosque door, he (s) fell into prostration. Then he stood up, faced the Qibla - direction of prayer - and said, ‘O my God! I will return with the belief that there is no god but Thee.’”

al-Rida (as) said: Muharram is the month in which the people of the Jahiliyya would prohibit fighting, but our blood was deemed lawful in it, our sanctity was violated in it, our offspring and our women were made captives in it, fire was ignited in our marquees and what was in them of our provision was plundered. And (despite our relationship) to the Messenger of Allah (s), the sanctity in our affair was not observed. Surely, on the day of Husayn, our eyelids were wounded, our tears made to flow, our beloved abased in the land of suffering and affliction. Suffering and affliction were rained down on us. So, those who lament should lament on the like of Husain till the day of termination (i.e. the last day of this world), for surely the crying diminishes the great sins. Then, he (as) said: When the month of Muharram would enter, my father (as) would not be seen laughing, and intense grief would overcome him until ten days had passed from it. So, when it would be the tenth day, that day would be the day of his affliction and his mourning and his lamenting. And he would say: This is the day on which Husayn (as) was killed.

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), ‘How is working for these people ? 5 He (the Imam) said, ‘If you do not have any choice, you must observe caution about properties of al-Shi 5 ah . 5 He (the narrator) has said that Ali told me, ‘He would collect funds from al-Shi 5 ah in public, then return it to them secretly . 555

Blessed the Sublime God descends from the heavens to this world every Friday night?” The Imam (s) replied, “May God damn those who rearrange the words of the traditions. By God, the Messenger of God (s) has not said this. However, the Prophet (s) said, ‘In fact, the Sublime God will send down an angel from the heavens to this world on the last third part of every night, and from the beginning of every Thursday night. By God’s order, the angel will call out, ‘Are there any callers whose wants I shall fulfill? Are there any repenters whose repentance I shall accept? Are there any people asking for forgiveness to be granted? O the ones seeking the good! Come this way. O the ones seeking evil! Step back!’ This angel will keep on calling out until dawn. It will return to its own location in the heavens at dawn. I have heard this tradition from my father (s), who narrated it on the authority of my grandfather (s), on the authority of his forefathers (s), on the authority of God’s Prophet (s).’”

God’s Prophet (s) said, “O Ali! You are the oppressed one after me. Woe be to whoever oppresses you! Blessed be whoever follows you and does not prefer anyone else over you. O Ali! You are the one with whom others will fight with after me. Woe be to whoever fights against you and blessed be whoever fights along with you. O Ali! You are the one who will speak using my words and will talk using my tongue. Woe be to whoever rejects your words and blessed be whoever accepts your words. O Ali! You are the Master of this nation after me. You are their Divine Leader. You are their Caliph. Whoever leaves you will leave me on the Resurrection Day. Whoever stays with you will stay with me on the Resurrection Day. O Ali! You are the first man who believed in and acknowledged me. You are the first man who assisted me in my affairs and fought along with me against my enemies. You are the first man who prayed with me in the days when the people were ignorant.O Ali! You are the first one who will raise your head out of the dirt along with me on the Resurrection Day. You are the first man who will pass over the Bridge along with me. In fact, my Lord - the Honorable the Exalted - has sworn that no one will pass over the Bridge, unless he gets the pass of salvation from the Fire with the Mastery of you (Ali (s)) and the Mastery of the Divine Leaders from your progeny. You will be the first one to enter my Pool (‘Kawthar) and quench the thirst of your friends with it and drive away your enemies from it. You will accompany me when I rise at the Praised Position (‘Al-Maqam Al-Mahmood). You will intercede on behalf of our friends, and your intercession on their behalf will be accepted. You will be the first one to enter Paradise holding the Flag of Praise (‘Lewa ul-Hamd) which has seventy parts, each of which is greater than the Sun and the Moon. You are the owner of the ‘Tooba Tree in Paradise. Its root will be in your house and its branches will extend out into the homes of your lovers and followers.”Ibn Abi Mahmood added, “I told Al-Ridha (s), ‘O son of the Prophet of God! There are traditions with us about the nobility of the Commander of the Faithful (s) and the nobilities of you - the Members of the Holy Household - which I do not observe in you. Should we believe in those traditions?”The Imam (s) said, ‘O Ibn Abi Mahmood! My father (s) narrated that his father (s) quoted on the authority of his grandfather (s) that God’s Prophet (s) said, ‘Whoever listens to someone’s speech is worshipping him. If the speaker is talking on behalf of God, then he has worshipped God. However, if the speaker is talking on behalf of Satan, then he has worshipped Satan.’’The Imam (s) then added, ‘O Ibn Abi Mahmood! Our enemies have faked three types of traditions regarding our nobilities which are of the following types: 1- boasting 2- belittling and 3- the wickedness of our enemies and swearing at them. When the people hear their traditions boastings about us, they will denounce us and say that the Shiites believe in the divinity of their Divine Leaders. When they hear their traditions belittling us, they will believe them. They will swear at us - the Members of the Holy Household - when they hear the traditions about the wickedness of our enemies and their being sweared at, while the Honorable the Exalted God has said, ‘Revile not ye those whom they callupon besides God, lest they out of spite revile God in their ignorance….’”O Ibn Abi Mahmood! Follow our way when the people deviate to the right or left. We will be with whoever follows us. We will separate from whoever separates himself from us. The least thing that might lead one to abandon faith is to say that a pebble is an atom, believe it and stay away from those who oppose him. O Ibn Abi Mahmood! Safeguard what I have told you since I have given you what is best for you in this world and the Hereafter.”

I asked al-Rida (AS): “O son of the Messenger of Allah! What do you say about the tradition which people narrate from the Messenger of Allah (SA) that he said: `Verily, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, comes down from the heaven of this world every night?’” Thus, he (AS) replied, May the curse of Allah be upon those who alter words from their place! By Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, sends down an angel from heaven to this world during the third part of every night, and the first part of Friday night. Hence, He commands him, so he calls, “Is there any supplicant on whom I can bestow his wish? Is there anyone who is repenting so that I can forgive him? Is there anyone seeking forgiveness so that I may forgive him? O seekers of goodness, come! O seekers of evil, abstain!” He constantly proclaims this till dawn breaks. When dawn breaks, he return to his place in the realm of heaven. My father related to me this on the authority of my grandfather from the Messenger of Allah (SA).

I said to al-Rida (as): O son of the Messenger of Allah! What do you say about the ḥadith that the people narrate from the Messenger of Allah (s), which says: "Allah descends on the eve of Fridays to the heaven of this world?" So, he (as) said: May Allah curse those who distort the words from their places! By Allah, the Messenger of Allah (s) has not said that. Rather, he said: "Allah sends down an angel to the Earth’s atmosphere in the last third of every night, and the first part of Friday eve. He commands him to call: 'Is there an asker, so that I may grant him?’; ‘Is there a repenter, so that I may forgive him?’; Is there one asking for forgiveness, so that I can pardon him? O ones who seek good, come forward! O ones who seek evil, keep away!' He does not stop calling this until the sunrise. At sunrise, he returns to his position in the kingdom of heaven." This was narrated to me by my father from his grandfather from his forefathers (as) from the Messenger of Allah (s).

`Ali b. Musa al-Rida (as) said, regarding the saying of Allah, "The faces on that day will be bright, looking at their Lord" (75:22-23). He said: Meaning, [their faces will be] illuminated, looking at the rewards of their Lord.