محمد بن أبي بكر همام بن سهيل

On a certain day, I came to Abul Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad (a.s) and said: “O my master, many a time I go away and then come to your vicinity, yet I am still not able to get access to you every time I come. So whose word should we accept and whose order should we obey?” The Imam (a.s) said: “This is Abu Amr. He is trustworthy and honest. He is the trustworthy man of the past and my man of trust in my lifetime and after my death. Whatever he says to you, he says it from us; whatever he delivers to you, he does so from us.” When Imam Hadi (a.s) passed away and the Imamate was transferred to his son, Imam Hasan Askari (a.s), I came to him one day and mentioned what his respected father had said. Imam Hasan Askari (a.s) also said: “This is Abu Amr. He is trustworthy and honest. He is the trustworthy man of the past and my man of trust in my lifetime and after my death. Whatever he says to you, he says it from us; whatever he delivers to you, he does so from us.” Abu Muhammad Harun said: Abu Ali said: Abul Abbas Himyari said: We would often discuss this narration and extol the eminence of Abu Amr.

In a certain year, after the demise of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s), we performed Hajj. I went to Ahmad Ibn Ishaq at Baghdad and saw Abu Amr with him. I said: “This Shaykh,” pointing to Ahmad Ibn Ishaq, “and he is a trustworthy and admirable man before us, has narrated to us,” such and such. I narrated to him all of the narrative, which we mentioned above on the account of the eminent position of Abu Amr. I said: “You are now someone whose word and truthfulness is not dubitable. I beseech you for the sake of Allah and the sake of the two Imams who have declared you trustworthy, have you seen the son of Abu Muhammad, who is the Master of the Age?” He wept and then said: “You cannot inform anyone with this regard as long as I am alive.” I said: “Sure so.” He said: “I have verily seen him and his neck is like this.” He wanted to say that he has the most beautiful and wholesome of the necks. I asked, “And the name?” He said: “You have been forbidden from that.”

“You are going to be tried with a great test. You are going to be tried with the fetus while still in its mother’s womb and with the suckling until it is said: he has disappeared and he has died. They say: “There is no Imam.” The Prophet (S) has disappeared and disappeared and I am going to die as well.”

Imam ar-Redha (as) said: “O Hasan, There will be a dark sedition, in which close friends and near relatives will perish. That will occur when the Shia miss the fourth descendant of mine. The people of the earth and the inhabitants of the Heaven will be sad for missing him. Many faithful men and faithful women will be regretful, confused and sorrowful because of missing him.” He pondered for a while and then he raised his head and said: “He is the namesake of my grandfather (Prophet Muhammad). He looks like me and looks like Prophet Moses (as). Upon him there are rays of light emitting from the light of the Divine holiness. As if I see that people despair of him so much but they will be called with a call heard by the all whether far or near they are. He will be as mercy upon the believers and as torment upon the unbelievers.” I said: “May my father and mother die for you! What will that call be?” He said: “There will be three sayings in the month of Rajab; the first is “Now surely the curse of Allah is on the unjust,” the second is “The threatened Hour is nigh, O believers!” and the third is that people will see a protruding hand with the disk of the sun calling: “Allah has sent so-and-so to destroy the unjust”. Then deliverance comes to the believers and Allah relieves their hearts and takes distresses away from them.”

“When my son Ali dies another lamp will shine after him and then disappearance will be there. Woe unto the doubter and blessed is he, the stranger and the fleer with his religion. After that there will be terrible events that make the young old and make mountains move from their places.” Which confusion is greater than this one, which has made masses of people deviate from the straight path because of doubting, weak faith and impatience before sufferings? Only the sincere believers, and how few they are, has succeeded in this test and has kept to the path of Muhammad (as) and the progeny of Muhammad (as).

I entered in to see Abi al-Hasan Ali b. Muhammad صلوات الله عليه one day and said: O my master, I am sometimes absent and at other times present, even when present I am not able to meet you at all times, so whose words do we accept? and whose orders do we follow? He said to me: that one is Abu Amr – the trustworthy and dependable, so whatever he says to you then he is saying it on my behalf, and whatever he entrusts you then he is entrusting it on my behalf. When Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام passed on I went to his son Abi Muhammad al-Hasan al-Askari عليه السلام one day and said to him the same as I had said to his father, so he said to me: that one is Abu Amr – the trustworthy and dependable, trustee to the one who has gone by [the previous Imam] and trustee to me both in life and after death, so whatever he says to you then he is saying it on my behalf, and whatever he entrusts you then he is entrusting it on my behalf.

“Once I met Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali (al-Baqir) (as) in a season of hajj or a minor hajj. I said to him: I became so old and weak and I do not know whether I meet you again or not. Please promise me and tell me when deliverance will be.” He said: “The homeless, fugitive and alone man, who will be separated from his family, who will lose his father, who will be surnamed with his uncle’s name and whose name will be like a prophet’s name, will be the man of the banners.” When he finished his talk, he looked at me and said: “Did you memorize it or shall I write it down to you?” I said: “If you like!” He asked for a piece of leather or a tablet. He wrote down what he said to me and gave me the book.” Salim said: “Hussayn showed us the book. He read what there was in it before us and then said: This is the book of Abu Ja’far (al-Baqir) (as).”

Abu Abdillah peace be upon him, said: "Be it known to you that Allah hates a person who is unsteady and fickle. Never slip away from the truth and its partisans. Whoever, rules and oppresses with the aid of untruth, and his people shall perish, and shall lose (all that he may have gained from) this world, and leave the world low and humbled."

“It is not a questioner asked….it is a flowing that flowed and it is a fire that will flame in ath-Thawiyya and then it will move to the tribe of Asad and then to the tribe of Thaqeef. It will burn the enemies of Muhammad’s progeny. This will be before the appearance of al-Qa’im (as).”

“I heard Imam ar-Redha (as) saying: “Before this matter (the appearance of al-Mahdi) there will be (bayooh).” I did not know the meaning of (bayooh). When I went to offer the hajj, I heard a nomad saying: “This is a (bayooh) day.” I asked him: “What does (bayooh) mean?” He said: “It means very hot.”

“Before the appearance of al-Qa’im, there will be the risings of as-Sufyani, al-Marwani, al-Yamani and Shu’ayb bin Salih. Then how does this one (Muhammad bin Ibraheem bin Issma’eel known as ibn Tabataba) claim such a thing (to be al-Qa’im)?”

“Before the year of the cry (from the Heaven), there will be a sign in the month of Rajab.” He was asked: “What is it?” He said: “A face will appear on the moon and a protruding hand.”

“One day I accompanied Abul Hasan Musa bin Ja’far al-Kadhim (as) from Mecca to medina. He said to me: “O Ali, if the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth revolt against the Abbasids, the earth will be watered with their bloods (without defeating the Abbasids) until as-Sufyani rises.” I said to him: “O my master, is his rising inevitable?” He said: “Yes, it is.” He pondered for a while then he raised his head and said: “The rule of the Abbasids is based on cunning and deceit. It will go until it will be said that nothing of it has remained and then it will return as if nothing has happened.”

“When as-Sufyani rises, he will send an army to fight us (the Hashemites) and an army to fight you (the Shia). If that takes place, hurry to us by any means!”

“The rising of as-Sufyani is inevitable. He will rise in Rajab.” A man asked: “O Abu Abdullah, when he rises, what shall we do?” He said: “When he rises, you are to keep to us (Ahlul Bayt).”

“When Imam Ali (as) met with the people of Basra (in the battle of al-Jamal-the camel), he raised the banner of the Prophet (S) and their (people of Basra’s) legs began to shake. They were so until before the sunset when they said: “O ibn Abu Talib, safeguard!” Then Imam Ali (as) said to his army: “Do not kill the captives. Do not finish off the wounded. Do not follow after the fleers. Whoever lays down his arms is to be safe and whoever closes his door (stays at home) is to be safe.” When the battle of Siffeen broke out, Imam Ali’s companions insisted on him to raise the banner of the Prophet (S) but he refused. They sent to him his two sons al-Hasan and al-Husayn (as) and his close companion Ammar bin Yassir as mediators. He said to al-Hasan: “O my son, the people have a term that they must reach. No one is to raise this banner after me except al-Qa’im (as).”

“Once I was with Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) when an old man came to him and said: “My sons became undutiful to me and my brothers turned away from me.” Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) said: “Do you not know that the truth has a government and the untruth also has a government? Each of them is low in the state of the other. Whoever enjoys the ease of the untruth will be punished in the state of the truth.”

“I said to one of them-Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) or Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as): “Can this matter (imamate) be entrusted to one, who is not adult yet?” He said: “It will be so.” I said: “How does he (the young imam) act?” He said: “Allah grants him with knowledge and wisdom and does not make him follow his fancies.”

“The imamate will be entrusted to one, who is so young and obscure.” The infallible imams (as) have confirmed that al-Qa’im (as) will be entrusted with the imamate while he is too young yet and that his mention is so obscure to the most of people. None of the other imams has been entrusted with the imamate when he is as young as al-Mahdi (aj). When they mention that he is the obscurest one among them, they refer to his disappearance and that his news will be unknown by people. The traditions about this concern are too many, true and current. Doubting this matter must be away from the minds of the believers, whom Allah has guided and lit their hearts.

God’s Prophet (sw) said, “How can a nation that begins with me, Ali and eleven of my progeny who are all men of understanding and ends with the Messiah - the son of Mary - perish? However anyone who does not belong to my nation, and I am not associated with, will perish.”