محمد بن خالد بن عبد الرحمن

I visited Amir al-Mu’minin `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) during the ailment in which he passed away. He settled from his injury, so I said to him: O Amir al-Mu’minin! How is your injury, and how much pain are you in? So, he said to me: O Habib! I, by Allah, will depart from you in this moment. He said: So, I wept at that, and Umm Kulthum wept; and she was attending to him. So, he said to her: What makes you weep, my daughter? So, she said: You mentioned, father, that you will be departing from us at this moment, so I wept. So, he said to her: O my daughter! Do not weep, for by Allah, if you see what your father sees, you would not weep. Habib said: So, I said to him: What do you see, O Amir al-Mu’minin? So, he said: O Habib! I see the angels of heaven and the prophets, each following the other, standing to meet me. This is my brother, Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (s) sitting with me, saying: “Come forth, for what is before you is better than what you are in.” He said: So, I did not leave him until he (as) passed away. The next morning, al-Hasan (as) got up to give a sermon on the pulpit. He praised Allah and commended Him, then said: O people! On this night, the Quran was revealed, and on this night, `Isa b. Maryam (as) was raised up, and on this night, Yusha` b. Nun was killed, and on this night, my father, Amir al-Mu’minin `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) died. By Allah! None of the deputies before him will reach Paradise before him, nor will any after him. Surely, when the Messenger of Allah (s) would send him out to the battlefield, Gabriel would fight by his right side and Michael would fight by his left side. He neither left behind a gold coin nor a silver coin, except for seven hundred silver coins that were left over from what was given to him which he was gathering to purchase a servant for his family.

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said: When you go to the graves, say Salām and recite (the following): Salām upon the people of the graves. Salām upon the believers and the Muslims in the graves. You have preceded us and we shall follow you and (soon) we will join you. Verily we are Allāh’s and to Him we shall return. O those who are in graves after having lived in palaces! O those who are in graves after having enjoyed the blessings and the pleasures! O people of the graves! Now that you are in the graves, how did you find the taste of death?!!! Then say, “Woe unto those who have gone to Hell.” And then cry and leave.

The Prophet (s) became ill with the illness from which he passed away. So, Fatima the Mistress of Women (as) visited him, and with her were al-Hasan and al-Husayn (as). She took al-Hasan by her right hand and she took al-Husayn by her left hand. They walked, and Fatima was between them, until they entered the house of `A’isha. So, al-Hasan (as) sat to the right of the Messenger of Allah (s) and al-Husayn (as) sat to the left of the Messenger of Allah (s). They began kissing the body of the Messenger of Allah (s), but the Prophet (s) did not awake from his sleep. So, Fatima said to al-Hasan and al-Husayn: “My beloveds! Your grandfather has fallen asleep. So, go for a moment until he awakes, then return to him.” So, they said: “We are not going at this time.” So, al-Hasan lay on the right side of the Prophet (s) and al-Husayn lay on his left side until they fell asleep. They awoke before the Prophet (s), and Fatima (sa) had gone back to her house when they had slept. So, they said to `A’isha: “What did our mother do?” She said: “When you both fell asleep, she returned to her house.” So, they left in the darkness of a night that was muddled in thunder and lightning. The sky had loosened its rain and a light dazzled for them. They did not stop walking in that light, while al-Hasan’s right hand held al-Husayn’s left hand. They both walked and talked until they reached the yard of Bani Najjar. When they reached the yard alone, they did not know where they had gone. So, al-Hasan said to al-Husayn: “We have been alone [for so long] that we reached this point. We do not know where to go. So, let us sleep at this moment until we awake.” So, al-Husayn (as) said to him: “Go ahead, brother, I will do the same.” So, they both lay down, and each of them embraced the other, and they slept. The Prophet (s) then awoke from his sleep and he sent for them in the house of Fatima, but they were not there. He longed for them, so the Prophet (s) stood on his feet and he said: “My God, my Master, and my Lord! These two are my cubs, and they have gone due to shortage and starvation. O Allah! You are my guardian over them.” So, a light spread out for the Prophet (s), and he remained in it until he reached the yard of Bani Najjar and found them sleeping, embracing one another. The sky had folded over them like a plate, and even though it was raining intensely – more than anyone had seen before – Allah had prevented the rain from coming onto the land that they had been sleeping in. Not a single drop landed on them. They were encompassed by a serpent that had hair like a tree rich with reeds and two wings: one wing was covering al-Hasan, and one wing was covering al-Husayn. When the Prophet (s) saw them hemmed in, the serpent withdrew, saying: “O Allah! I bear witness to You and to Your angels that these two are the cubs of Your Prophet, and I protected them and I handed them over safely and healthily.” So, the Prophet (s) said to it: “O serpent! Who are you?” It said: “I am the messenger of the Jinn to you.” He said: “Which of the Jinn?” It said: “From the Jinn of Nusaybin, from a delegation of Bani Malih. We forgot a verse from the Book of Allah. So, they sent me to you so that you may teach us what we have forgotten from the Book of Allah. When I reached this place, I heard a caller call out: ‘O serpent! These two are the cubs of the Messenger of Allah, so protect them from pests, impairments, and disasters of the night and day.’ So, I protected them and I have handed them over safely and healthily to you.” Then, the serpent took the verse and left. The Prophet (s) took al-Hasan and put him on his right shoulder and put al-Husayn on his left shoulder. So, `Ali (as) came out and followed the Messenger of Allah (s). One of his companions said to him: “May my mother and my father be your sacrifice! Give me one of your cubs so that I may lighten [the load] for you.” So, he said: “Go, for Allah has heard your words and recognized your status.” Then, `Ali (as) met him and said: “May my mother and my father be your sacrifice, O Messenger of Allah! Give me one of my cubs and your cubs so that I may lighten for you.” So, the Prophet (s) turned to al-Hasan (as) and said: “O Hasan! Would you like to go to the shoulder of your father?” So, he said to him: “By Allah, grandfather, your shoulder is more beloved to me than the shoulder of my father.” Then, he turned to al-Husayn (as) and said: “O Husayn! Would you like to go to the shoulder of your father?” So, he said: “By Allah, grandfather, I say the same as my brother – your shoulder is more beloved to me than the shoulder of my father.” So, he took them to the house of Fatima (sa), and she had prepared dates for them and put them in front of them. They ate until they were satiated and happy. Then, the Prophet (s) said to them: “Stand now and wrestle.” So, they stood and wrestled – and Fatima (sa) had gone out for a need of hers – so, she entered, and she heard the Prophet (s) saying: “Yes, Hasan, strengthen yourself against al-Husayn, and wrestle with him.” Then, she said to him: “O father! I am astonished. You are encouraging this one over that one, the older against the younger?!” So, he said to her: “O my daughter! Are you not pleased that I am saying: ‘O Hasan! Strengthen yourself against al-Husayn, and wrestle with him’ while my beloved Gabriel is here saying: ‘O Husayn! Strengthen yourself against al-Hasan, and wrestle with him.’?”

“O Abu Ali, do you not see the wonders in which we are? Do you not consider the affair of this man (Imam Musa) and relieve us from his worry?” So he advised correctly and guided him to a good deed, saying to him: “Commander of the faithful, I think that you have to be kind to him and to link to his womb relatives. For, by Allah, he has spoiled the hearts of our followers against us.” Harun Rashid responded to his advice, saying to him: “Go to him, remove the iron from him, give him my regards, and say: ‘Your cousin says: I have sworn by Allah concerning you that I will not release you unless you admit that you have mistreated me. You must ask me to forgive your past deeds. There is no disgrace in your admitting (that), nor is there any defect in your asking me for that. This is Yahya bin Khalid, my trustworthy one, minister and head of my affairs. So ask him in as much as I get rid of my oath and you would also be able to return to Medina safely.”’

The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "Death is an expiateon for the sins of the believers."

When Amir al-Mu’minin (as) inspected the graveyards, he said: O people of the dust! O people of estrangement! As for your houses, they have been reinhabited. As for your wives, they have been remarried. As for your wealth, it has been distributed. This is the news from our side, what about the news from your side? Then, he turned to his companions and said: If they were permitted to speak, they would have informed you that the best provision is God-wariness.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), has said, ‘If a woman dies and in her belly is a child that moves, her belly is cut open to take the baby out.’ He (the Imam), about the case of a woman in whose belly the baby dies and there is fear for her life, has said, ‘A man can use his hand to take out the dead baby (if needed) cut in pieces.’”

Indeed, the true happiness is that an individual seals his deed with happiness, and the true misery is that an individual seals his deed with misery.

There are five things that I will not abandon until my death. They are: eating on the ground along with other people; riding saddled donkeys, personally milking she-goats; wearing woolen clothes and greeting children. This is done so that these become common practice for them after me.”

No banner proceeded to battle against Amir al-Mu’minin (as) except that Allah defeated it [through him] and made him triumphant over its companions and made them turn back in shame. None struck by Amir al-Mu’minin’s sword, the dhulfiqar, prevailed. When he would fight, Gabriel would fight on his right side, Michael would be on his left side, and the Angel of Death would be in front of him.

Al-Husayn b. `Ali (as) was asked – it was said to him: How was your morning, O son of the Messenger of Allah? He said: I awoke with a Lord above me, the Fire before me, death seeking me, and the Judgment staring at me. I am dependant upon my deeds. I cannot find what I love, nor can I repel what I hate. The affairs are in the hand of one other than me – if He wills, He may punish me, and if He wills, He may pardon me. Which poor person is poorer than me?!

On the day that Amir al-Mu’minin (as) passed away, the place was jolted in weeping. The people were frightened, just like in the day that the Prophet (s) passed away. A weeping man came hurriedly. He was saying: Today, the vicegerency of prophethood has been cut off. Then, he stood at the door of the house that Amir al-Mu’minin (as) was in. So, he said: May Allah have mercy on you, Aba’l Hasan. You were the first of the people to enter Islam, the sincerest of them in faith, the most intense of them in certainty, the most Godfearing of them, the greatest of them in effort, the most prudent of them over the Messenger of Allah (s), the most protective over his companions, the best of them in virtues, the most honourable of them in precedent, the highest of them in rank; the nearest of them to the Messenger of Allah (s), the most similar to him in guidance, character, resemblance, and actions, the most noble of them in status, and the most favoured of them to him. So, may Allah reward you with goodness on behalf of Islam, its Messenger, and the Muslims. You were strengthened when his companions became weakened, you emerged forth when they settled down, you rose when they languished, and you stuck to the way of His Messenger when they were his companions. You were truly his vicegerent. You did not quarrel nor plead despite the presence of the hypocrites, the anger of disbelievers, the hatred of enviers, and the malevolence of transgressors. You established the order when they failed, you spoke when they stuttered, you forged ahead with the light of Allah when they halted – so they followed you and were guided. Your voice was the quietest of them, you were the best of them in forthrightness, you spoke the least of them; you were the most correct of them in speech, the best of them in opinion, the boldest of them in heart, the most intense of them in certainty, the best of them in actions, and the most knowledgeable of them in matters. You were, by Allah, a leader of the religion – the first when the people would disperse, and the last when they would fail. When the believers would come to you like children, you were a merciful father to them. You carried the burdens that they were too weak to carry. You preserved what they had lost. You were aware of what they had neglected. You strove when they gathered, you rose when they were terrified, you were patient when they hurried, you comprehended whatever they differed about, and they sought you in that which they did not understand. For the disbelievers, you were an outpouring punishment. For the believers, you were [like] rain and arability. By Allah, you were formed for its blessing, you succeeded for its love, you became its precedent, and you went in its virtues. Your argument never failed, your heart never went astray, your insight was never weakened, and you were never cowardly or traitorous. You were like a mountain: storms cannot shake it, and sieges cannot wipe it out. You were as he (s) said: Weak in your constitution, strong in the order of Allah, humble in your self, great with Allah, grand in the Earth, and majestic with the believers. None can find faults in you, nor can one claim to find corruption in you. For you, the weak and servile are great and glorious (important), until they are given their rights; and the great and glorious are weak and servile (unimportant), until their rights are taken away from them. The distant and the near equal to you. Your way is truth, honesty, and affability. Your words are judgment and decisive. Your affair is forbearance and determination. Your opinion is knowledge and integrity. Because of you, the path has been established, hardships have been eased, fires have been extinguished, the religion has been balanced, and Islam and Muslims have been strengthened. You have gone ahead, and you have caused great weariness for those behind you. You are too great for our tears. Your mourning is great is heaven, and your tragedy has threatened the people. So: to Allah we belong, and to Him will we return. We are pleased with what Allah has destined, and we have submitted to His order. By Allah, the Muslims will never be afflicted with something like this again after you. For the believers, you were a fortified cave, and for the disbelievers, you were a toughening rage. May Allah reunite you with His Prophet, and not deprive us of your reward, and not misguide us after you. The people were silent until he completed his words. He wept, and he made the companions of the Messenger of Allah (s) weep. Then, they sought after him, but they did not find him.

Giving Sadaqah with hand keeps away unpleasant death. It keeps away seventy types of calamities and opens Satanic mouths all stopping the person from giving Sadaqah.”