زرارة بن أعين

11. The narrator asked Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.), “Allah says, ‘Surely We revealed it (Quran) on a blessed night’,so which is that blessed night?” Imam (a.s.) replied, “It is the night of Qadr (power), which is one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. The Holy Quran was revealed in the night of Qadr only. Allah, the Mighty and Sublime says, ‘The fate of everything would be decided by the Divine order in this night’. All the good and bad, obedience and disobedience, birth and death, earnings etc. are decided by the Will of Allah for the whole year in this night only.” The narrator asked, “What is the meaning of verse: ‘The grand night is better than a thousand months’?” Imam (a.s.) replied, “The reward of good deeds performed in this night is better than that of doing the same for a thousand months without the night of Qadr. If the Almighty Allah wouldn’t have multiplied the reward for a believer they wouldn’t have got it but He multiplies the reward for them.”

Hadith.1800 - Muhammad ibn Muslim and Zurara ibn A‘yan asked Abu Ja‘far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about fasting on the Day of Ashura. Imam (as) said: "Its fasting was practiced before the Month of Ramadan, but when the Month of Ramadan was prescribed, it was abandoned."

1. Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) narrates that Amirul Momineen (a.s.) said, “One who recites Surahs while attending Congregation Prayer behind an Imam, will not be considered a follower of Islam after his death.”

51. Zurarah narrated: I was seated in the presence of Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) when he was asked concerning the words of Allah [M.G]: Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it… [Holy Quran 6/160], 'Does it apply to those whom do not confess of this affair (of Wilayah)?’'It is exclusively for believers,' he replied.

Hadith.600 – Zurarah ibn A'yan said: I asked Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) to inform me of what Allah (swt), the Exalted, has made obligatory regarding prayers." Imam (as) replied: "Five prayers in the night and day." I asked him, "Did Allah (swt) name them and clarify them in His Book?" Imam (as) said: "Yes, Allah (swt), the Mighty and Majestic, said to His Prophet : 'Establish prayer at the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night' (Surah Al-Isra 17:78). The decline (duluk) of the sun refers to its noon passing, so from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night, there are four prayers (Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha) that Allah (swt) has named and specified their times. The darkness of the night is its midpoint. Then Allah (swt) said: "And the recitation at dawn, for the recitation at dawn is witnessed by angels˺." (Surah Al-Isra 17:78) - This is the fifth prayer. Allah (swt) said regarding this: "Establish prayer ˹O’ Prophet˺ at both ends of the day and in the early part of the night." (Surah Hud 11:114) - and its two ends are Maghrib (sunset) and Fajr (dawn). "And during parts of the night," (Surah Hud 11:114) which refers to the Isha prayer. Allah (swt) also said: "Guard the prayers and especially the middle prayer," (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:238) - which is the noon (Dhuhr) prayer, and this is the first prayer that the Messenger of Allah (sw) performed. It is between two daytime prayers: the Fajr prayer and the Asr prayer." He continued: "In some recitations, it reads 'Maintain the prayers and the middle prayer and the Asr prayer' (Qur'an 2:238). Stand for Allah (swt) with devotion during the middle prayer." It is said that this verse was revealed on a Jumu’ah when the Messenger of Allah (sw) was traveling, and he performed Qunoot in it, keeping it in both travel and residency, and added two units for non-traveler. The two units added by the Prophet on Jumu’ah for non-travelers are due to the two sermons with the Imam. Whoever prays on Jumu’ah without a congregation should perform four units as one would perform Dhuhr on other days."

Everything in this book that is narrated from Zurara ibn A'yun has been transmitted by me from my father - may Allah (swt) be pleased with him - from Abdullah ibn Ja'far Al-Himyari, from Muhammad ibn 'Isa ibn 'Ubayd, Al-Hasan ibn Zhurayf, and Ali ibn Isma'il ibn 'Isa, all from Hammad ibn 'Isa, from Hariz ibn Abdullah, from Zurara ibn A'yun.

Hadith.3533 - Zurarah narrates from one of the Imams (as), peace be upon them, that Imam (as) said regarding a foundling: "She is free and cannot be bought or sold. However, if a child is born to you from her through unlawful relations, then you may keep or sell the child if you wish, as he is your slave."

Hadith.3817 - Zurara narrated: "I said to Abu Abdullah (as): A man buys a slave along with his wealth. Imam (as) replied: 'There is no harm in it.' I asked: 'What if the wealth of the slave is greater than the price he was purchased for?' Imam (as) replied: 'There is no harm in it.'

Hadith.5267 - Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) was asked about a slave who injured two men. Imam (as) said: "He is to be divided between them if his crime equals his full value." It was asked: "What if he injured one man in the morning and another in the evening?" Imam (as) replied: "He is to be divided between them as long as the governor has not ruled regarding the first injured person. But if the governor had already ruled and handed the slave over to the first injured party due to his injury, and then the slave committed another injury afterward, then his liability for that second injury falls upon the latter victim."

Hadith.3034 - In a narration by Zurara from Humran, from Abu Ja'far (as): "The tafath refers to a man's avoidance of perfumes. Once he has completed his rites, perfume becomes permissible for him."

Zurarah narrates that he asked Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.), “What deed Allah likes best?” Imam (a.s.) replied, “His glorification.”

“Once I was in the presence of abu Ja‘far (a.s.). A man from Kufa asked him about the words of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), “Ask me whatever you would like. Whatever you may ask I will give you the answer.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “No one has any piece of knowledge of anything that has not come through Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) People may go wherever they may like, however, by Allah, the truth comes from no where else except from here, he pointed out with his hand towards his house.”

“The angel does not write down except that which he hears. Allah, to Whom belong might and majesty, said: Remember your Lord inwardly, in humility and awe… (Q7:205). Indeed, no one knows the reward of that remembrance within the heart of a servant other than Allah, the Exalted.”

“Prophet Dāwūd (a) said, ‘I will surely worship Allah today with such a worship, and will recite such a lovely recital, the likes of which I have never done before.’ So he entered his prayer niche and did so. When he had completed his prayer, he [suddenly] saw a frog in the prayer niche. It said to him, ‘O Dāwūd, are you pleased with yourself today due to your worship and recitation?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied. It said, ‘Do not be pleased [or impressed] by it, for verily I glorify Allah every night one thousand times, and with each glorification of mine three thousand praises branch out. And [at times] when I am in the depths of the water and a bird makes a sound in the air, I assume that it might be hungry so I come up to the surface of the water in order for it to eat me, while having committed no sin [to deserve that].’”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘Islam is founded on five isssues. It is founded on Salat (prayer), zakat, al-Hajj, Fasting and al-Wilayat (belief in Divine Authority of ’A’immah). The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Fasting is a shield against the fire of hell.”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, named a people ‘disobedient’ when they fasted when he stopped fasting and reduced his Salat (prayer).’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘They are disobedient till this day and will remain so till the Day of Judgment. I know their children and the children of their children up to this, our day.’”

“I swear by Allah that I have never seen anyone like abu Ja‘far, Alayhi al-Salam. I once, said to him (the Imam), ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, what is edible of birds?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You can use for food all that flap their wings in flight, and do not eat what keeps its wings straight in flight.’ I then asked about eggs. He (the Imam) said, ‘All eggs with ends of similar shapes are not edible and those that have their ends of different shapes are edible.’ I then asked about the birds of water. He (the Imam) said, ‘All that have gizzards are edible and that which have no gizzard are not edible.’”

“I once asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the eggs that I may find in the wilderness. He (the Imam) said, ‘Do not eat whatever has its both ends of the same shape and eat that which has the ends of different shapes.’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has stated this Hadith. ‘If a rat falls in ghee and dies in it, if it is solid, it (the rat) then must be thrown away as well as whatever has come in contact with it. If it is fluid you must not use it for food but you can use it for lighting during the night and so also is the case about oil.”’

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has created the child of Adam hollow.’”