محمد بن الحسن بن أبي سارة

Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Moving mountains is easier than bringing hostile hearts together.

“I heard abu al-Hassan Musa (a.s.), say, ‘O Lord, I pray to You to grant me comfort at the time of death and forgiveness at the time of issuing judgments repeatedly.”

first to express this belief was Ali bin Hamza Bataini (and Ziyad bin Marwan Qandi and Uthman bin Isa Rawasi) who were greedy for money and also attracted the attention of some people. Those persons also entrusted them with their wealth and they like, Hamza bin Bazi, Ibn Makari, Kiram Khathami etc. misappropriated public funds.

I asked Abu Al-Hasan (as) about a woman who fears pregnancy and drinks medicine to cause a miscarriage. Imam (as) replied: "No." I said: "It is only a drop of fluid (nutfah)." Imam (as) said: "Indeed, the first stage of creation is a drop of fluid (nutfah)."

Among them Ali bin Abi Hamza Bataini, Ziyad bin Marwan Qandi and Uthman Rawasi These three were representatives of Abul Hasan Musa bin Ja’far (a.s) and were having a large amount of the Imam’s funds in their possession. When Imam Kadhim (a.s) passed away, they, in greed of the Imam’s funds did not accept that he is martyred and did not believe in the Imamate of Imam Ridha (a.s) as we mentioned previously and its repetition again would prolong the book unduly.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘When you see a man who takes out from his assets in obedience to Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, then you must be certain that he has earned it by lawful ways, and when he takes it in disobedience to Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, you must rest assured that he has earned it in unlawful ways.’”

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said: Those who go to (the Ziyārah of) Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.) and perform Wuďū and Ghusl with the water of the Euphrates (River) do not raise their foot or place it down without Allāh registering a Hajj and an ‘Umrah for them.

H 2 - Yunus bin Abdur Rahman said: Husain bin Ali Rawasi was present in the funeral of Imam Kadhim (a.s): [He says:] When the purified body of Imam (a.s) was placed besides the grave; a messenger of Sandi bin Shahik (l.a.) arrived and Abil Maza, who was the successor [or assistant] of Sandi and who was with the purified body of Imam (a.s) said: Before you bury him, expose his face to the people so that they may see that his body is uninjured and that his death was not through torture and that he died a natural death. After that they opened the shroud and I recognized the illuminated face of our Imam. Then they covered it and interred him in the grave. May excess of divine blessings be on Imam Kadhim (a.s).

O my Allāh ! Sustainer of the high sky and the suspended firmament which Thou hast made a shelter for the night and the day, an orbit for the sun and the moon and a path for the rotating stars, and for populating it Thou Nast created a group of Thy angels who do not get weary of worshipping Thee. O Sustainer of this earth which Thou hast made an abode for people and a place for the movement of insects and beasts and countless other creatures seen and unseen. O Sustainer of strong mountains which Thou hast made as pegs for the earth and (a means of) support for people. If Thou givest us victory over our enemy, save us from excesses and keep us on the straight path of truth. But if Thou givest them victory over us, then grant us martyrdom and save us from mischief.

I heard Abu Abdillah Ja’far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, say: "Whenever I came across any judgement given by ‘Ali, peace be upon him, I always found it based on the principle of (Prophet’s) tradition." Then he said: ‘Ali used to say: "If two disputants brought a case to me and I gave my judgement, and then if they came with the same case to me after years, I would give the same judgement, because judgement never expires nor does it disappear."

Abu Abdillah Ja’far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Among the signs of certitude is that you will never please the people by earning the wrath of Allah, Most High, nor will you blame them if Allah did not grant you from His favour. Because sustenance is not led by the greed of the avaricious, nor is it prevented by the aversion of someone grudging. If anyone from you were to run away from his sustenance, the way he runs away from death, it would find him out, the way death would."

Prophet (SA) sent a group for battle [sariyah], and instead `Ali (AS) as its head. When they returned, he (SA) enquired about the mission. Hence, they answered: “Everything went well, except that he (AS) recited (the chapter): Say: He, Allah is One, in every prayer he lead.” He (SA) therefore, asked: “O `Ali, why did you do that?” Consequently, he (AS) answered: “Out of love for the chapter: Say: He, Allah is One.” The Prophet (SA) then said: “You only loved it, because Allah, the Mighty and High, loved you.”

When Abu Ibrahim (a.s) passed away, Ziyad Qandi was having seventy thousand dinars with him and Uthman bin Isa Rawasi had thirty thousand dinars and five slave girls and he lived in Egypt. Imam Ali Ridha (a.s) sent a message to them: That which is deposited with you from the wealth of my father and that which you hold from cash and slave girls and other things, send it all to me as I am his successor and I will distribute the inheritance of the Imam. [It is a hint that I know what amount you are having]. You don’t any more have any excuse for keeping that which is deposited with you and from his inheritance; and he issued such commands. But Ibn Abi Hamza originally denied and did not admit having that, which was in his possession. Same was the case of Ziyad Qandi. But Uthman bin Isa wrote to Imam Ridha (a.s): Your father (a.s) is alive and established; and one who believes in his death is having false beliefs. If you say since he is dead, I should act on it [and accept his death], he did not instruct me to hand over anything to you [this was with regard to cash] and as for the slave girls, I have emancipated them and taken them as wives.

The Commander of the Believers (a.s.) asked me, “Do you go and establish prayers in the mosque that is behind your house?” I replied, “O Commander of the Believers! Only women go to that mosque.” The Commander of the Believers (a.s.) said, “O Mālik! No anguished person goes to this mosque, prays in it, and supplicates to Allāh without Allāh relieving him of his grief and granting him his request.” Mālik added: I swear to Allāh that I did not go to that mosque nor did I pray in it until one night when I was extremely grieved over a matter. Suddenly, I remembered the words of the Commander of the Believers (a.s.). I got up in the middle of the night and performed WUĎŪ`. When I left the house, I found a lamp outside the door of my house. The lamp started moving (on its own) and I followed it until I arrived at the mosque. The lamp stopped in front of me so I prayed there. After I finished (praying), the lamp started moving in front of me until I arrived at my home but it disappeared as soon as I entered my home. After this night, every time I would leave my house, I would find this lamp leading my way and Allāh granted my request.

Uthman bin Isa said to me in a report: Ziyad Qandi and Ibn Muskan said to me: We were in the company of Abu Ibrahim (a.s) when the Imam said: At this moment, the best of the folk of the earth is with you. Then Abu Hasan Ridha (a.s), who was yet a child, came there. We said: The best of the folks of the earth? After that Abul Hasan Ridha (a.s) came near. Imam Musa Kadhim (a.s) hugged and kissed him and said: Dear son, do you know what these two said? He replied: Yes, my master. They have doubt about me. Ali bin Asbat said[a]: I mentioned this tradition to Hasan bin Mahbub and he also said: The tradition is incomplete. It is not as such; on the contrary, it is that: Ali bin Raab said to me: Abu Ibrahim (a.s) said to those two persons: If you deny his right or are dishonest with him, the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people would be on you. O Ziyad, you and your companions would never earn respect. After that Ali Raab said: I met Ziyad Qandi and said: I have received information that Abu Ibrahim (a.s) said this and that to you? Ziyad replied: I think you have lost your mind. Then he went away and avoided me after that. I also never spoke with him or pursued him. Hasan bin Mahbub said: We were always waiting for the curse of Imam (a.s) to be proved true about Ziyad; till during the time of Imam Ridha (a.s) Ziyad died an apostate.

Your father has not died yet.’ Imam Al-Ridha (s) wrote a letter to him and said, ‘My father (s) has passed away and we have divided up his possessions. There is correct news to confirm his death.’ Imam Al-Ridha (s) presented some proofs. Uthman wrote to him (s) in reply, ‘If your father is alive, you have no rights over his property. If he (s) has died as you say, he (s) has not given me any orders to dispose of these possessions to you. I freed the slave maids and married them.’”The author of this book (Sheikh Sadooq) said, “Musa ibn Ja’far (s) was not a man who would collect wealth. However, he lived during the region of (Harun) Ar-Rashid and had a lot of enemies. He could not give the collected property to the deprived, so he gave them secretly to a few to divide among the poor people. This is how this wealth was collected. He did not want to do what the ill-wishers told Ar-Rashid about him. Things like ‘he has collected a lot of wealth’, ’he believes he is the Imam’, ’and he incites the people to revolt against you,’ etc. If it were not for these accusations, he would have given the wealth to various people. Rather it consisted of gifts that his friends had brought for him in order to honor him.”

“:Once Hubayra became angery with me and swore to kill me. I ran away from him in fear and sought refuge with abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.). I informed him of my story and he said, “Go back and convey my greetings to him and say to him, on my behalf, “I haven given refuge and protection against you to your slave, Rufayd. Do not harm him with your anger.” I said to him, May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, he is a Shami, (from Damascus) and his filthy opinions.” He said, “Go to him and say what I have told you to say.” I them returned back and on the way in the wilderness I met an Arab man who asked me, “Where are you going? I see the face of man to be killed.” He then said, “show me your hand.” I showed him my hand. He said, “The hand of a person to be murdered.” He then said, “Show me you foot.” I showed him my foot. He said, “The foot of a person to be murdered.” He then said, “show me your tongue.” I showed him my tongue. He said, “Go on. Nothing will happen to you. On your tongue there is a message that if you would take to the tall mountains they will obey you.” The narrator has said, “I then went on until I was at the door of ibn Hubayra and I asked permission to see him and then I went in his presence.” He said, “The traitor has come on his one legs. “O slave, get the leather rope and the sword.” He shouted. He ordered to tie up my hands and head. The sword man stood over my head to cut off my head. I said, “O commander, you have not capture me just like that. I came to you from a living person. There is a certain matter that I want to mention to you thereafter it would be up to you to do whatever you may chose.” He said, “Say it.” I said, “First, you must allow me to speak to you in private.” He ordered everyone go out of the room and they went out. I said, “Ja‘far ibn Muhammad (a.s.) asked me to convey his greetings to you. He also said, “I have given protection against to your slave, Rufayd. Do not harm him with your words.” He thensai, “I swear you to Allah, did Ja‘far (ibn Muhammad), really say these words and conveyed greetings to me?” I then swore before him and he asked Allah to grant Ja‘far ibn Muhammad peace. He did so three times. Then he opened my hands and then said, “This does not convince me until you do to me what I just did to you.” I said, “My hands will not move for such things and my conscience will not accept it.” He said, “By Allah, my conscience will not agree unless you do what I asked.” I then did what he done to me and then released him. He then gave me his own seal and said, “All of my affairs will be in your hands to manage as you would like.”

“I was present in the funeral procession of abu Bakr the day it took place. I was also present when ‘Umar took oath of allegiance and Ali (a.s.) was sitting on the side. A young, good looking, well dressed Jewish boy came. He was a descendant of Harun and he stood (on a place that was) above ’Umar and asked, “O Amir al-Mu’minin, are you the most knowledgeable person in this nation in their book and the commands of their prophet?” The narrator has said that ’Umar kept his head down. He then said, “I meant you.” He repeated his words. ’Umar said, “Why is that?” He said, “I have doubts about my relgion and I have come to you for guidance.” He (‘Umar said, “Go to this young man.” He said, “Who is this young man?” He said, “He is Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.), the cousin of the Messenger of Allah and he is the father of al-Hassan and al-Husayn the grandsons of the Messenger of Allah and he is the husband of Fatima daughter of the Messenger of Allah.” The young Jewish man then went to Ali (a.s.) and said, “Are you such a person?” He said, “Yes, I am such a person.” He said, “I want to ask you about three and three and one.” The narrator has said that Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) then smiled a different smile and said, “O Haruni, what prevents you from saying ‘seven’?” He said, “I ask about three. If you answered me then I will ask you about the rest. If you could not answer then will assume that there is no scholars among you.” Ali (a.s.) said, “I swear you to the Lord in whom you believe, if will answer whatever you will ask, will then leave your religion and accept our religion?” He said, “I have come for no other reason but that.” Ali (a.s.) said, “Ask your questions.” He said, “Tell me about the first drop of blood that was spilled on earth what drop was that? Tell me about the first fountain that gushed out of earth which one was it?” Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) answered him. He then said, “Tell me about the other three. Tell me about Muhammad. How many Imams who possess the quality of justice will be there as his successors? In which paradise he will be? Who will be with him in paradise?” He said, “O Haruni, there will twelve just Imams as successors of Muhammad. No one’s betrayal will harm them and they will not feel frightened because of people’s opposition to them. In the matters of religion they will be stronger than the firm mountains on earth. In Paradise Muhammad will dwell with the twelve Imams who possess the noble quality of justice.” He then said, “You have spoken the truth by Allah, besides whom there is no lord. I find them in the book of my father Harun. He has written it in his own hand writing. My uncle Moses had dictated to him.” He then said, “Tell me about the ‘one’. Tell me about the executor of the will of Muhammad. For how long he will live after him? Will he die or will he be killed?” He Ali (a.s.), “O Haruni, he will live after him thirty years, not one day less and not one day more. Then he will be hit with an strike here –meaning over his head- and then this will be stained with this.” The Jewish man screamed loudly and broke his Kustija (a Jewish religious object) and he would say, “I testify that there is no lord besides Allah Who is One and has no partner and I testify the Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger and that you are the executor of his will. You must be above all and no one must be above you. Your greatness must be acknowledged and you must not be weakened.” The narrator has said that Ali (a.s.) then took him to his house and taught him the Divine guidance.”

Mu`adh b. Jabal visited the Messenger of Allah (s) weeping. He greeted him with the salaam and he responded with the salaam. Then, he said: Why are you crying, O Mu`adh? So, he said: O Messenger of Allah! At the door, there is a youth who has a good physique, a clean complexion, and a good appearance. He is weeping over his youthhood as a bereaved mother weeps over her child, and he wants to visit you. So, the Prophet (s) said: Let the youth enter, O Mu`adh. So, he let him enter, and he greeted him with the salaam and he responded with the salaam. Then, he said: What is causing you to cry, O youth? He said: How can I not cry when I have committed sins that Allah would send me to the Fire of Hell for just one of them? He will not see me except that He will take me and never forgive me. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) said: Have you associated any partners with Allah? He said: I seek refuge in Allah that I should associate any partners with my Lord. He said: Did you kill a soul that Allah has prohibited you from killing? He said: No. So, the Prophet (s) said: May Allah forgive your sins, even if they are like large mountains. So, the youth said: Surely, they are greater than large mountains. So, the Prophet (s) said: May Allah forgive your sins, even if they are like the seven Earths, their oceans, their grains of sand, their trees, and whatever is in them. He said: Surely, they are greater than the seven Earths, their oceans, their grains of sand, their trees, and whatever is in them. So, the Prophet (s) said: May Allah forgive your sins, even if they are like the seven heavens and its stars, even if they are like the Throne and the Seat. He said: They are greater than that. He said: So, the Prophet (s) looked at him angrily, then said: Beware, O youth. What is greater, your sins or your Lord? So, the youth fell on his face, saying: May my Lord be glorified! There is nothing greater than my Lord. My Lord is greater, O Prophet of Allah, than every great thing. So, the Prophet (s) said: Can anyone other than the great Lord forgive a great sin?! The youth said: No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah. Then, the youth went silent. So, the Prophet (s) said to him: Woe to you, O youth! Will you inform me of one of your sins? He said: Of course, I will inform you. I was a grave robber for seven years. I would exhume the dead and take off their shrouds. A young woman from the girls of the Ansar had died. When she was carried to her grave and buried, her family left, and night came. I came to her grave, exhumed her, and took from her shrouds. I left her alone at the edge of her grave. Time passed, and Satan came to me, and he began to make her more pleasing to me, saying: "Did you see her stomach and her whiteness? Did you see her hips?" He did not stop saying this to me until I returned to her. I could not control myself, until I had intercourse with her and left her in her place. Then, I heard a voice from behind me, saying: "O youth! Beware of the debts of the Day of Religion; the day you and I will be raised. You left me naked on the frontiers of death, emptied me from my grave, took my shrouds, and left me in a state of impurity until my Judgment. Woe to your youthhood from the Fire." So, I do not think that I will ever smell the scent of Paradise. What do you see for me, O Messenger of Allah? So, the Prophet (s) said: Get away from me, O wretched one! Surely, I fear that I will get burned by your fire. How near you are to the Fire, how near you are to the Fire! He (s) did not stop speaking to him and pointing to him until he left his presence and went to Medina, picked up some things from it, and went to one of its mountains to worship therein; wearing a cloak made of hair. He bound his hands together to his neck and called: O Lord! This is your servant, Bahlul, and I am bound before You. O Lord! You are the one that knows me and my errors. O my Master, O Lord! I have become regretful, and I have come repentant to Your Prophet, but he sent me away and increased my fear. So, I ask You by Your name, Your majesty, and the greatness of Your power, to not diminish my hope, my Master; and to not invalidate my supplication, and to not deprive me of Your mercy. He did not stop saying this for forty days and nights. The lions and the beasts would weep for him. When forty days and nights had passed, he raised his hands to the sky and said: O Allah! What will you do regarding my need? Have you accepted my supplication and forgiven my mistake? If so, then send a revelation to Your Prophet. But, if You will not answer my supplication nor forgive my mistake, then I want my punishment; so, bring a fire that will burn me or a punishment in this world that will destroy me. Deliver me from the furor of the Day of Resurrection. So, Allah revealed to His Prophet (s): "As for those who perform indecency" - meaning, fornication - "or wrong themselves" - meaning, commit a sin greater than fornication, grave robbing, and stealing shrouds - "remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins" - meaning, those who fear Allah and quickly repent - "who can forgive sins except Allah?" (3:135). He said: "My servant came to you repentant, O Muhammad, and you sent him away. So, where would he go, who should he seek, and who should he seek forgiveness for his sin besides Me?" Then, He said: "[and those] who do not persist in what they have done once they become cognizant." (3:135) - meaning, they no longer commit fornication, nor exhume graves, nor steal shrouds - "their reward is with their Lord - gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally - excellent is the reward of the doers of good" (3:136). When this verse was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (s), he came out reciting it and smiling. So, he said to his companions: Who will direct me to that repentant youth? So, Mu`adh said: O Messenger of Allah! We were told that he was in such-and-such place. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) went with his companions until they ended up at that mountain; and they climbed it in search of the youth. They found the youth standing between two rocks with his hands bound to his neck. His face was blackened, and his eyelashes had fallen from weeping. He was saying: “O my Master! You have perfected my form, and made my form beautiful, so what will You do with me? Will You burn me in the Fire, or will You settle me in Your proximity? O Allah! You have bestowed me with much goodness, and You have blessed me; so, what will be my end – will You dress me in Paradise, or have me driven by the Fire? O Allah! My mistake is greater than the heavens, the Earth, Your widespread Seat and Your great Throne. So, will You forgive my mistake, or will You scandalize me with it on the Day of Resurrection?” He did not stop saying this, weeping and covering his head with dust. The lions surrounded him, and the birds lined up above him, weeping at his weeping. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) came close, took his hands off his neck, and cleaned the dust off his head, and said: O Bahlul! Be happy, for Allah has freed you from the Fire. Then, he (s) said to his companions: This is how you redress your sins, just as Bahlul redressed them. Then, he recited what Allah revealed to him, and gave him glad tidings of Paradise.

(Prophet (sw) continued); " O' Ali (as), every intoxicant is forbidden, and whatever intoxicates in large quantities, then even a sip of it is forbidden. O' Ali (as), all sins have been placed in a house, and their key is alcohol consumption. O' Ali (as), there comes a time upon the drinker of alcohol when he does not recognize his Lord (azj), the Almighty and Glorious. O' Ali (as), the removal of mighty mountains is easier than the removal of a kingdom whose appointed term has not yet ended. O' Ali (as), whoever does not benefit you in your religion and your worldly life, there is no good for you in his companionship, and whoever does not regard you, do not regard him, and there is no honor for him. O' Ali (as), a believer should have eight qualities: dignity in times of turmoil, patience in affliction, gratitude in ease, contentment with what Allah (swt), the Almighty and Glorious, has provided him, not oppressing enemies, not burdening friends, his body is in toil while people are at ease from him. O' Ali (as), there are four whose supplications are never rejected: a just leader, a father for his child, a person who prays for his brother in his absence, and the oppressed. Allah (swt), the Almighty and Glorious, says, 'By My might and majesty, I shall surely grant you victory, even after some time.'" O' Ali (as), there are eight types of people who, if they are humiliated, should blame no one but themselves: the one who goes to a feast to which he was not invited, the one who interferes in the affairs of the master of the house, the one who seeks goodness from his enemies, the one who asks for favor from the miserly, the one who interferes in a secret matter between two people without being involved, the one who disrespects authority, the one who sits in a gathering where he does not belong, and the one who speaks to someone who does not listen to him. O' Ali (as), Allah (swt) has forbidden Paradise to every obscene and foul-mouthed person who does not care what he says or what is said to him. O' Ali (as), blessed is the one whose life is long and his deeds are good. O' Ali (as), do not joke too much, for it will take away your dignity, and do not lie, for it will take away your light. Beware of two traits: impatience and laziness. If you are impatient, you will not endure the truth, and if you are lazy, you will not fulfill your duties. O' Ali (as), every sin has a repentance except bad character, for its possessor, whenever he leaves one sin, enters into another. O' Ali (as), four types of people receive punishment the fastest: a man to whom you have done good, but he repays your kindness with evil; a man against whom you bear no ill will, but he bears ill will against you; a man with whom you made an agreement, and you fulfilled it, but he betrayed you; and a man who maintains ties of kinship, but they cut him off. O' Ali (as), whoever is overwhelmed by impatience, comfort departs from him. O' Ali (as), there are twelve qualities that a Muslim man should learn regarding dining: four of them are obligatory, four are recommended practices, and four are etiquettes. As for the obligatory ones, they are: knowing what one eats, saying the name of Allah (swt), expressing gratitude, and being content. The recommended practices are: sitting on the left leg, eating with three fingers, eating from what is in front of him, and licking the fingers. The etiquettes are: taking small bites, chewing thoroughly, avoiding looking at people's faces while eating, and washing the hands. O' Ali (as), Allah (swt), the Almighty and Glorious, created Paradise from two bricks: one of gold and one of silver, and made its walls of ruby, its roof of emerald, its pebbles of pearls, and its soil of saffron and fragrant musk. Then He (swt) said to it, "Speak!" and it said, There is no God but Allah (swt), the Ever-Living, the Sustainer. Blessed is the one who enters me. Allah (swt), the Glorious and Majestic, said: "By My Might and My Glory, none shall enter it who is addicted to alcohol, nor the slanderer, nor the cuckold, nor the oppressor, nor the effeminate, nor the grave robber, nor the tax collector, nor the one who severs ties of kinship, nor the Qadari (who denies divine predestination)." O' Ali (as), ten people from this nation have disbelieved in Allah (swt), the Almighty: the tale-bearer, the sorcerer, the cuckold, the one who engages in unlawful intercourse with a woman in her rectum, the one who has intercourse with an animal, the one who marries a woman who is forbidden to him, the one who incites discord, the one who sells weapons to the enemies in war, the one who withholds zakat, and the one who finds financial means but dies without performing Hajj. O' Ali (as), there should be no feast except in five cases: during a wedding, at the birth of a child, upon circumcision, when building or purchasing a house, and upon returning from a journey. The wedding feast is for marriage, the birth feast is for celebrating the birth of a child, the circumcision feast is for the ritual circumcision, the feast for building or buying a house is known as Wikar, and the feast upon returning from a journey is known as Rikaz.