حماد بن عيسى

I heard Aba Ja’far عليه السلام saying: From the matters are matters which are deferred with Allah. He brings forward from them what He wills and puts back from them what He wills.

I heard Aba Ja’far عليه السلام saying: Knowledge is of two kinds. A knowledge with Allah which is hidden. No one has seen into it among his creation. And a knowledge which He taught His angels and messengers. So as for that which He taught His angels and messengers then it must occur. He does not belie Himself, nor His angels, nor His messengers. As for the hidden knowledge with Him then He brings forward from it what He wills and puts back from it what He wills, and He establishes what He wills.

I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام saying: Allah Mighty and Majestic cannot be described (as He truly is). And how can He be described when He says in His book: “they have not estimated Allah His true estimate” [39:67]? Thus He is not described with an estimate except that He is greater than that.

I said to him: the one who does not know whether he is in the fourth or the second (Rak’a) but is sure that he has completed two [what should he do]? He said: he will perform two units and four prostrations and he stands reciting al-Fatiha and makes the Tashahud, and there is nothing further upon him, and if he does not know whether he is in the third or the fourth but he is sure that he has completed three – he stands and adds another (unit) to them and there is nothing further upon him. Certainty is not overriden by doubt and doubt does not enter certainty, one of them does not mix with the other, rather doubt is overriden by certainty, and one completes upon certainty building upon it, and doubt is regarded in any situation whatsoever.

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘Can I read the Holy Quran in one night?’ The Imam said, ‘I do not like your reading it in less than a month’s time.’”

“If the quantity of water is more than a Rawiyah, then it does not become unclean because of things falling in it, regardless of whether they have disintegrated or not, unless the smell of such things overwhelms the smell of water.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that as long as water overwhelms the smell of a dead animal you can take Wudu’ with it and drink it, but when the smell changes as well as its taste, then do not take Wudu’ with it and do not drink it.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) said to me, ‘O Bahr, excellent moral behavior is prosperity. Would you like me to teach you a Hadith which is not found in the hands of any of the people of Madina?’ I said, ‘Yes, please do so.’ The Imam said, ‘Once the Messenger of Allah was in the Mosque when a girl from the people of Ansar came in and he was standing there. She held to one end of his (the Messenger of Allah’s) cloth, the Holy Prophet stood up. She did not say anything and he (the Holy Prophet) also did not say anything to her (he then sat down). She repeated it three times and at the fourth time the Holy Prophet stood up for her and she was behind him. She then took a piece from his cloth and returned back. People rebuked her saying, “May Allah do to you what He may decide to do. You held the Messenger of Allah as your captive. You did it three times. You said nothing to him nor did he say anything to you. What did you want from him?” She then said, “We had a patient and our people sent me to get a piece from his (the Messenger of Allah’s) cloth to be used to cure the patient. When I wanted to get the piece he saw me and stood up. I then felt shy to take what I wanted when he would see me. I did not like to demand anything from him. At last I took what I wanted to get.’””

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Wudu’ is one of the boundaries Allah has established so that He finds out who obeys or disobeys Him. The believing people do not allow it (their body) to remain unclean. It is sufficient to use a small amount of water like rubbing oil on one’s body.’”

“I once asked him (the Imam) about the limits of the face that must be washed for Wudu’ about which Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has also spoken. He (the Imam) said, ‘The face which Allah, most High, has commanded to wash to the limits of which no one has permission for addition or reduction; for addition one cannot receive any reward and for reduction one commits a sin. That limit is the area of the face which one’s forefinger, middle finger and thumb cover in width and in depth from the hairline on the forehead down to one’s chin and the area of the face over which the two fingers (middle finger and thumb) pass downward is of the face, besides this is not of the face.’ I (the narrator) then said, ‘Is the temple not of the face?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘No, it is not (part) of the face.’”

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), ‘Can a man pray Salaat with one Ablution (Wudhu), (including) all of the night and day prayers’. He said: ‘Yes, for as long as an event does not occur (breaking his ablution)’. I said, ‘Can he pray with one Tayammum, all of the night and day prayers?’ He said: ‘Yes, for as long as an event does not occur (breaking his Tayammum), or he finds water’. I said, ‘Supposing he does find the water and hopes that he would be able to find another water, and if he thinks that he would be to every time, but that is difficult upon him?’ He said: ‘That would break his Tayammum, and upon him is to repeat the Tayammum’. I said, ‘Supposing if he finds the water and already entered into the Salaat?’ He said: ‘Let him leave it for as long as he has not performed a bowing. If it was so that he had performed a bowing, let him continue his prayer, for the Tayammum is one of the two purifiers’.”’

‘He (saww) (Good News) is the Messenger (saww) of Allah (azwj)’.

“The kingdom of these men will not disappear until they slaughter people in Kufa on Friday. It is as if I was looking at heads falling between the Gate of al-Feel and (the place of) the soap-sellers.

“Once ibn abu al-‘Awaja’ asked me, ‘Why is it that the destitute and weak woman’s share of the legacy is half as much as the share of man?’ He (the narrator) has said that certain persons of our people mentioned to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), who said, ‘It is because there is no Jihad on women and maintenance expenses and wergild to be paid by the relatives of the murderer; which is on men.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘When a man dies, his sword, ring, holy book, his books, his personal belongings, his stumper and clothes belong to his eldest son and if the eldest among his children is a girl then such items belong to the next eldest son.’”

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), ‘Why is the House called free House?’ He (the Imam) replied, ’It is a free house. It is free from people; no one owns it.’”

“I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘I have settled my soul upon performing Hajj every year by myself or along with a man from my family with my expenses. He (the Imam) asked, ‘Is the decision you have made a firm one?’ I replied, ‘Yes, it is a firm decision.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If you have done so, I give you the glad news of enjoying a great wealth.’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Zakat is not due on gems even if it becomes a large amount.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ’Every time Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, sent a Prophet it was in the knowledge of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, that in the case of completing His religion wine must have been made unlawful. It had to remain unlawful, however, religion is to change the habits one after the other. Were such change to take place all at once, people would boycott religion as a whole.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the meaning of the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, ‘Two just people among you. . .’ (5:96) He (the Imam) said, ‘The just person is a reference to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, and the Imam after him.’ He then said, ‘A mistake is made in it by the scribes (interpreters).”’