أحمد بن الحسن بن إسماعيل

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has stated this Hadith. ‘The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, when the table was moved would say, “O Lord, you have granted a great deal, have made it very good, blessed it, made us satisfied and quenched. All praise belongs to Allah who feeds and is not fed.’””

I heard the Commander of the Believers (a.s.) in Ruḥbah reading this verse, “Neither did the heavens weep over them, nor the earth, nor were they granted respite” (44:29), when Ḥusain (a.s.) entered from one of the doors of the mosque. The Commander of the Believers (a.s.) said, “As for him (Ḥusain (a.s.)), verily he will be killed and the heavens and the earth will weep over him.”

The Almighty Allah saved Bani Israel from the mischief of Firon through Musa (a.s) and He would save this community from its Firon also through a person named Musa.

I visited Umm Hamida to console her over [the death of] Aba `Abdillah al-Sadiq (as). She wept, and I wept due to her weeping. Then, she said: O Aba Muhammad! If you had seen Aba `Abdillah (as) at his death, you would have observed something astonishing. He opened his eyes and said: “Gather all of my relatives.” She said: We did not leave anyone except that they were gathered. She said: Then he looked at them and said: “Surely, our intercession does not reach one who takes prayers lightly.”

In fact, the Honorable the Exalted God has forbidden the forbidden things, has allowed the allowed things, and has made incumbent the incumbent deeds. One cannot rely on or act according to any traditions which allow what God has forbidden, or forbid what God has allowed. One cannot cancel any of the incumbent deeds which God has made incumbent (upon the people) in His Book and are clearly supported by traditions for which there are no instances of having been cancelled. God’s Prophet (s) never allowed what God forbade, never forbade what God allowed, and never changed any of God’s Decrees or anything which God made incumbent (upon the people). He was completely subject to God’s revelations and decrees and only delivered them (to others) from God. That is what the Honorable the Exalted God said, ‘…I follow but that which is revealed to me by inspiration…’ The Prophet (s) followed only God and delivered what God had ordered him to deliver.”Ahmad ibn Al-Hassan al-Maythami added, “I asked the Imam (s), ‘What should we do in instances in which there is a ruling on something from you - the Members of the Holy Household - which does not exist in God’s Book, but it is in the traditions and there is also an opposite tradition narrated on your authority.” The Imam (s) answered, “Yes, sometimes God’s Prophet (s) admonished against something. That is a kind of admonishing which is like that of God. It is no longer permitted to do what the Prophet (s) has admonished against. He (s) has also ordered to do things which are considered to be like the orders of the Sublime God’s. His orders are according to the Sublime God’s orders. Therefore, whenever there is an admonishment by God’s Prophet (s) for which there is a tradition which opposes it, acting according to that tradition is not permissible. The same holds true for what the Prophet (s) has allowed. That is because we (Members of the Holy Household) never allow (the people to do) what God’s Prophet (s) has not allowed (them) to do, and never order (the people) to do the opposite of what God’s Prophet (s) has ordered (the people) to do - except for in conditions in which there is some fear of harm (cases of concealment of faith ). It will never be the case that we allow what God’s Prophet has forbidden or forbid what God’s Prophet (s) has allowed, since we (- Members of the Holy Household -) are all the followers of God’s Prophet (s). We submit to the Prophet’s (s) orders and admonishments, just as God’s Prophet (s) submitted to the Honorable the Exalted Lord’s orders. The Honorable the Exalted God said, ‘…So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you…’ Indeed God’s Prophet (s) has admonished against things, which are not forbidden, but are not good to do. He (s) has also ordered to do things, which are not incumbent upon one to do, but are better to be done to be more noble. He (s) has then left the people free to chose to do them or not, whether or not they are excused from doing those things. There are cases in which God’s Prophet (s) has admonished against something since it is not good to do, or has ordered to do what is not forbidden to do or not incumbent upon one not to do. Therefore, if there are two traditions from us (Members of the Holy Household) in which one has ordered you to do something, while in the other one he (s) has admonished you against doing it, and someone has compiled both these traditions in the same book and has not denied either one of them; then you can follow either one if the tradition narrators are reliable. You are allowed to submit toGod’s Prophet’s (s) words or reject his knowledge and ours on that issue whenever the duty is not clear. Whoever refuses to submit due to being stubborn or wanting to deny God’s Prophet (s) is, in fact, a polytheist regarding the Majestic God. Therefore, you should first review the traditions that are narrated to you for which there is also an opposite tradition related to what is in God’s Book. Then use the one which agrees with God’s Book regarding what is forbidden and what is allowed and act accordingly. If you cannot find it in God’s Book, then refer to the traditions of the Prophet (s). Use the tradition which is in agreement with the traditions of the Prophet (s) regarding its being allowed or forbidden. However, when there is something which has been admonished against in the traditions, but then a tradition has come opposite to that, this is a permission to do what God’s Prophet (s) has admonished against, but has not forbidden to do. In such cases you can rely on either one. The person is allowed to chose, since both traditions are narrated on the authority of God’s Prophet (s). However, in cases which are neither of the above, you should leave the knowledge regarding them to us - Members of the Holy Household - and do not issue your own decrees, since we are more deserving to do so. You must be careful and stop at the doubtful instances, wait to understand them and search about them, until you get enough clarifications on them by us – Members of the Holy Household.”The author of this book (Sheikh Sadooq) - may God be pleased with him - said, “My Sheikh Muhammad ibn Al-Hassan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Waleed - may God be pleased with him - did not have a good opinion of Abdullah Mesma’ee who narrated this tradition. However, when I picked out this tradition from the book called KITAB AR-RAHMA and recited it for him, he did not object to it and let me include it here.

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘The Messenger of Allah has said that in a son of Adam there are three hundred sixty veins of which one hundred eighty are moving and one hundred eighty are quiet. If a moving vein becomes quiet one cannot sleep and if a quiet one moves one cannot sleep’. The Messenger of Allah in the morning would say, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds, a great deal of praise in all conditions, three hundred sixty times and so also he would do in the evening.’”

When Allah Mighty and Majestic ordered these verses to go down to the Earth they attached themselves to the Throne and said: ‘O Lord - where are you sending us down to? To the people of mistakes and sins?!’ So Allah Mighty and Majestic revealed to them: ‘Go down - for by My Might and Majesty - no one from the Family of Muḥammad and their Shīʿa (followers) will recite you at the end of what I have obligated on him of the Maktūba (obligatory prayers) every day except that I will glance at him with my Hidden Eye, in every day seventy glances, I fulfill for him in each glance seventy wishes and accept him despite what he has of sins’. They (the verses) are: Umm al-Kitāb (The Mother of the Book), “Allah witnesses that there is no God except Himself, (so do) the angels, and the possessors of Knowledge …” (3:18), Āyat al-Kursī (The Verse of the Chair), and Āyat al-Mulk (The Verse of the Kingdom)

“I heard from Yahya ibn Aktham, the judge in the city of Samarra, Iraq his words herein below. It happened only after serious debates, conversations, maintaining good relations and asking him about the knowledge of the members of the family of Muhammad (s.a). He said, “Once when was walking around the grave of the Messenger of Allah I saw Muhammad ibn Ali al-Rida (a.s.) also walk around the grave of the Messenger of Allah. We debated over the issues that I needed to understand. He explained them to me. I then said, “By Allah, I want to ask you a question, but I swear by Allah that I feel shy.” He then said, “I can tell you what you want to ask before you will ask me about it. You want to ask me about Imamat (Leadership with Divine Authority).” I then said, “By Allah, this is it?” He said, “I am he.” I then asked, “Is there any evidence and proof to support it?” He had a staff in his hand and it spoke, “My master certainly is the Imam of this time and he is the Hujja (Leader with Divine Authority)>“

“When Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, commanded certain verses of the Holy Quran to descend to earth, they clung to the Throne asking, ‘O Lord, why are You sending us to people of sins and evil deeds.’ Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, inspired them to descend saying, ‘I swear by My Majesty and Glory that any Shi’a (followers) of Ahl al-Bciyt (family of Muhammad, recipients of divine supreme covenant), who reads you after an obligatory prayer every day I will look at him with My hidden eyes (special favor) everyday seventy times and in every look fulfill his seventy wishes and accept him with whatever sins he may have. The verses are Chapter One of the Holy Quran, verses 18-19 and 26-27 of Chapter 3 and verse 255 of Chapter 2 of the Holy Quran.’”

I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) say the following: “Joking is a minor form of name-calling.”

O Lord, You are free of all defects, how good is Your trial for us. O Lord, You are free of all defects, and how great is what You have granted us, O Lord, You are free of all defects, how often it is that You give us good health, O Lord, expand our sustenance and for the poor believers, male and female and Muslims.’”

I heard Abu Abdullah Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (as) say: "Spend (in the way of Allah (swt)) and be certain of the replacement. Know that whoever does not spend in obedience to Allah (swt) will be tested by spending in disobedience to Allah (swt), the Almighty. And whoever does not walk to fulfill the need of a friend of Allah (swt) will be tested by walking to fulfill the need of an enemy of Allah (swt), the Almighty."

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘It is undesirable ( makruh ) to read Chapter 112 in one breath.”’

“O Commander of the Faithful! By Allah, verily there is a verse in the Book of Allah, the Mighty and High, that has destroyed my heart, making me doubt my religion.” `Ali (AS) said to him, “May your mother be bereaved of you and be deprived of you! What is that verse?” He replied, “The Word of Allah, the Exalted: The birds with expanded wings, each knows its own prayer, and its own glorification.” Imam `Ali (AS) responded, O son of al-Kawwa’! Verily, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has created angels in different shapes. There is an angel of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, in the shape of a rooster, which is hoarse and gray. Its talons are in the seventh lowly earth and its dual comb is below the Empyrean. It has two wings; one in the East and the other in the West. One is of fire and the other is of ice. When the time of prayer comes, it stands on its talons and raises its neck from below the Empyrean, and then it flaps its two wings like the roosters in your houses do. Neither the one that is from fire melts the ice, nor does the one form the ice put out the fire. At that point it calls: I bear witness that there is no got but Allah, He Alone, there is no associate with Him; and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Master of the Prophets and his successor is the Master of the Successors and that Allah is the Most Praised, the Most Holy, Lord of the Angels and the Spirit (Ruh). He said: Then the roosters in your homes flap their wings and answer him in his call, and that is the Word of the Exalted: The birds with expanded wings, each knows its own prayer and its own glorification” from the roosters in the earth.

The Jews asked the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله saying: Relate for us the geneology of your Lord. So he (the prophet) remained three days not answering them, then it was revealed this chapter (Surat Tawhid) to its end. I (Muhammad) said: What is the meaning of Samad? He said: The one who does not have cavity.

“About the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘A prostitute man cannot marry but a prostitute woman or a pagan,’ (24:4) abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, This is about well- known, and openly committing prostitution.’ He (the Imam) then said, ’If one after committing fornication repents he can marry as he wants.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who bails out a person assigning his own person as security, and the bailee says, ‘If you did not bring the bailed out person you must pay five hundred dirham . 5 He (the Imam) said, ‘The guarantor is required only to present himself and there is no dirham due on him. However, if the bailsman says, “I on failing to bring the bailed out person, will pay five hundred dirham , 55 payment of dirham becomes binding upon him if he does not present the bailed out person . 555

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, once said, ‘Make for me white capes and do not (make them of large size that require folding) break them; a master like me does not wear the broken one.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of three partners of whom two have testified against one. He (the Imam) said, ‘Their testimony is not admissible. ’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Al-Masdud (prevented) offers an animal for slaughtering wherever he is prevented and returns home. Women are lawful for him. Al-Mahsur (confined) sends his offering, sets up a certain time and when the offering reaches its place, he in his place comes out of the state of Ihram.’ I then asked, ‘What happens if they returned his dirhams and did not slaughter, but he has come out of the state of Ihram and has gone with women? He (the Imam) said, ‘He must do it again; there is nothing on him but for now he must stay away from women when he sends his offering.’”