الفضل بن يونس الكاتب البغدادي

“Once, abu al-Hassan (a.s.), had lunch with me. When lunch was complete, toothpicks were brought and I asked, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, what are the limits of toothpicks?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O Fadl, whatever remains in your mouth when you turn your tongue on it you can eat it; but whatever does not come out with the tongue, then take it out with a toothpick; and you have the choice to eat or throw it away.’”

Ibn Abil Awja was among the students of al-Hasan al-Basri but then deviated from Tawhid. It was said to him: You have left the Madhhab of your fellow (Hasan al-Basri) and entered into that (belief) which has no authentic origin nor any reality. He said: My fellow was confused. Sometimes he would assert belief in free-will and sometimes predestination. I have not known him to hold on to a position and stick to it. He traveled to Makka and began showing arrogance and opposition to those making the pilgrimage. The scholars would dislike sitting and debating with him because of the vulgarity of his tongue and his corrupt heart (intentions). He came to Aba Abdillah عليه السلام and sat in his presence (circle) together with a number of his peers. He said: O Aba Abdillah, discussions are conducted with guarantee of protection (against persecution for what is said) and it is incumbent for every one who has a question to ask. Do you allow me to speak? Al-Sadiq عليه السلام said: Speak whatever you wish (freely) … Ibn Abil Awja said: You spoke of Allah and thus settled (put your hand) upon one who is Hidden. Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: Woe be upon you! How can He be hidden one who is witnessed (evident) through His creatures, and is closer to him (his creature) than the jugular vein. He hears their speech, observes their forms and knows their secrets. Ibn Abil Awja said: That would mean He is everywhere. Is it not the case that if He were in heaven how can He also be on earth? And if He is on earth how can He be in heaven (at the same time)? Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: You have described a created thing which if it departs from a place then one place is occupied by him and another place becomes empty of him, and he cannot know what is happening in the place he used to be in from the place he has moved to. As for Allah The Great in Stature, the King and Judge, then no space is empty of Him, nor does He occupy space, nor is He closer to one point with respect to another.

I was in the presence of Abu Abdullah (asws) when a letter of Abu Muslim came to him (asws)’. So he (asws) said: ‘There is no answer to your letter. Exit from us (asws)’. So some of us left the others. He (asws) said: ‘Which thing are you walking upon, O Fazl? Allah (azwj) does not Make Haste due to the hastiness of the servants. And removing a mountain from its place is easier than toppling a government whose term has not ended’. Then said: ‘So and so, son of so and so’ – until he (asws) reached seven from the sons of so and so’. I said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you (asws), so what are the signs with regards to what is in between us and you (asws)?’ He (asws) said: ‘The earth will not depart (end), O Fazl, until the Sufyani comes out. So if the Sufyani comes out, so answer to us (asws) (to our (asws) call)’. And he (asws) said it thrice: ‘And it is inevitable’.

“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), has said, ‘A slave is not obligated to perform al-Hajj or al-‘Umrah until he is free.’”

“When abu al-Hassan (a.s.), had lunch and the hand-basin was brought, he (the Imam) was the first to wash his hand while he (the Imam) was sitting in the middle of the assembly room, and he (the Imam) said, ‘Begin with one who is on your right side . 5 When one made wudu the servant wanted to remove the hand-basin, but abu al-Hassan (a.s.), said to him, ‘Leave it so that you can wash your hands in it . 555

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about a man who is referred to Sultan who has held him unjustly on the day of ‘Arafah from attending. He is sent to Makkah in jail. On the day of al-Nahr (offering sacrifice) he is released. What should he do? He (the Imam) said, ‘He must catch up to stay at the gathering place (‘Arafat), then return to Mina, throw pebbles, slaughter, shave and there is nothing on him.’ I then asked, ‘What happens if he is released on the day of departure?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He is an al-Masdud (prevented) person. If he had entered Makkah for al-Hajj al- Tamattu‘ (advantageous), he must perform Tawaf around the House seven times, do Sa‘y between al- Safa’ and al-Marwah seven times, shave his head and slaughter a sheep. If he was for performing al- Mufrid al-Hajj, he is not required to offer for slaughtering and there is nothing on him.’”

“I once asked abu al-Hassan, al-Awwal (a.s.), about the case of a woman who finds herself Hayd (menses) free just before sunset. What must she do for Salah (prayer)? He (the Imam) said, ‘If she finds herself Hayd (menses) free after four steps have passed from noon-time, she only performs al-‘Asr Salah (prayer). It is because the time for al-Dhuhr Salah (prayer) arrived when she was not Hayd (menses) free and it passed when she still was not Hayd (menses) free so it is not obligatory for her to perform al-Dhuhr Salah (prayer). It is because Allah has exempted her from Salah (prayer) when she was most of the time bleeding? He (the Imam) then said, ‘If a woman finds blood discharge after four steps from the time for al-Dhuhr passed, she must stop performing Salah (prayer). However, when she becomes Hayd (menses) free she must compensatory prayer that al-Dhuhr Salah (prayer) because it was time for al-Dhuhr when she was Hayd (menses)-free. It (time) passed while she was Hayd (menses)-free, so she lost al-Dhuhr Salah (prayer). Therefore she must compensatory prayer it.’”

"I asked Abu Ibrahim (as) about the method of carrying a bier (funeral procession). He said: 'If you are in a situation of taqiyya, start with the right hand, then the right foot, then return from your place to the right side of the deceased. Do not pass behind his feet at all until you face the bier again and take his left hand, then his left foot, then return from your place and do not pass behind the bier at all until you face it again, doing as you did before. If you are not in a situation where you need to practice taqiyya, the proper way according to the Sunnah for carrying the bier is to start with the right hand, then the right foot, then the left foot, then the left hand, making a complete circle around it.'"

Abu `Abdillah al-Sadiq (as) said: Whoever says: “O Allah! Forgive the believing men and women, and the Muslim men and women (Allahummaghfir lil mu’minin wal mu’minat wal muslimin wal muslimat)” twenty-five times in a day, Allah will record [a reward] for every believer that has passed and every believer that will remain until the Day of Resurrection, and He will erase a sin from him, and elevate him by a degree.

I asked Abu al-Hasan (as): "I have female servants with me in Mecca. Should I instruct them to enter into the state of Ihram for Hajj on the Day of Tarwiyah and take them out to witness the rites, or should I leave them behind in Mecca?" Imam (as) said: "If you take them out with you, that is better. However, if you leave them behind with someone trustworthy, there is no harm in that. There is no obligation of Hajj or 'Umrah on a servant until they are freed."

“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) once said to me, ‘Say very often, “O Lord, do not place me among those whose belief is temporary and do not take me out of shortcomings.” I (the narrator) then asked, ‘I know who the people of temporary belief are, but what is the meaning of, ‘Do not take me out of shortcomings?’ The Imam said, ‘In every good deed you may perform just for the sake of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, you should feel within yourself as falling far short; all people in their deeds between them and Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, fall far short from perfect.’”

“Abu al-Hassan, Musa (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not obligatory upon a slave to perform al-Hajj or al-‘Umrah until he is free.’”

“You should say very often, ‘O Lord, do not include me among those whose beliefs are temporary and do not make me feel free of shortcomings.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘I know the meaning of people whose beliefs are temporary. They come into a religion and then abandon it. What is the meaning of, “Do not make me feel free of shortcomings?”’ The Imam said, ‘It is when after all the worship of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, that you may do, you still think that you are falling far short of doing true worship. All people fall far short in their worshipping Allah truly except those to whom Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has granted protection.’”

“I once had lunch with abu al-Hassan (a.s.), and the dish was brought with bread underneath the dish. He (the Imam) said, ‘You must revere bread and do not allow it to be placed under the dish.’ He (the Imam) then said to me to command the slave to take the bread from underneath the dish.”’

"Convey that which is good, and speak that which is good and do not be Imma’ah! I said: "What is Imma’ah?" He said: "Do not have a habit of saying: I am from the people and I am just like any one of them. Surely, the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: O people, there are but two paths: path of good and path of evil. What is the matter with you that I find the path of evil is more loved by you than the path of good?" Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds and may Allah bless our master, Muhammad and his pure progeny, and salutations upon them.

I asked Abu al-Hasan Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim (as) about a man who married a woman but did not consummate the marriage, and then she committed adultery. Imam (as) said: "They shall be separated, she shall receive the prescribed punishment, and she is not entitled to a dowry."

Ibn Abi’l `Awja’ was from the students of al-Hasan al-Basri. He deviated from monotheism. It was said to him: You abandoned the school of your companion to enter that which has no basis and no reality? So, he said: Surely, my companion was confused – he would venture into free will, then he would venture into fatalism. I do not think he has a school that he [consistently] remains upon. He said: He came to Mecca to disturb and denounce the pilgrims. The scholars hated sitting with him and receiving his questions due to his filthy tongue and corrupted thinking. So, he met al-Sadiq Ja`far b. Muhammad (as) and sat with a group of his peers. Then, he said to him: O Aba `Abdillah! Gatherings are trusts, and everyone that has a cough must cough. So, do you permit me to speak? So, al-Sadiq (as) said: Say what you wish. So, Ibn Abi’l `Awja’ said: Until when do you want to continue stepping on here, taking refuge to this stone, worshiping this House made of mud and clay; running around it like donkeys? If anyone were to think or reflect on this, he would know that this action is not founded on wisdom or insight. So, speak, for you are the head and the pillar of this matter, and your father founded it and organized it. So, al-Sadiq (as) said: He who is led astray by Allah, who blinds his heart, hates the truth and is uncomfortable with it. Satan becomes his friend, and he leads him to the avenues of destruction. This is the House that Allah chose to examine the worship of His creatures and their obedience in coming toward it. He encourages them to venerate it and visit it. He made it the place of His prophets and the qibla of those who pray to Him. It is a way to His satisfaction and a path that leads to His forgiveness. It is derived from the uprightness of perfection and the gathering of greatness. Allah created it two thousand years before He stretched out the Earth. He is more rightful to be obeyed in what He commands and what He prohibits and rebukes, for Allah is the Originator of spirits and forms. So, Ibn Abi’l `Awja’ said: You have spoken, Aba `Abdillah, by resorting to that which absent. So, he said: Beware – how could He be absent when He is the witness over His creation? He is nearer to them than the jugular vein. He hears their words, He sees their persons, and He knows their secrets. It is only the creation that moves away from a place, and becomes busy with a place, and becomes absent from a place, and becomes heedless of what happens in the place he moved away from. As for Allah, the Great, the King, the Judge, no place is absent from Him and no place busies Him, so no place is closer to Him than another. By Him who commissioned him with firm signs and clear proofs, and aided him with His support, and chose him to preach His message, we have validated his claim that his Lord sent him and spoke to him. So, Ibn Abi’l `Awja’ walked away from him, and said to his companions: Who threw me into this ocean? I asked you to seek wine for me, yet you threw me onto a hot coal. They said: You were a fool in his gathering. He said: Surely, he is the son of the one who shaved the heads of those you see.