عبد الله بن بكر، الأرجاني

I accompanied Abā ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) from Madīnah to Makkah. On our journey, we stopped in an area called ‘Usfān and then we passed by a black, frightening mountain which was to the left of the road. I said to him, “O son of the Messenger of Allāh! How frightening this mountain is! I have never seen anything like this on our route.” Imam (a.s.) asked, “O son of Bukayr! Do you know which mountain this is?” I replied, “No.” Imam (a.s.) said: This is a mountain called Kamad and it overlooks one of the valleys in Hell which contains the killers of my father, Ḥusain (a.s.). The liquids of Hell flow under the killers of my father (in this valley). These liquids include Ghislīn, Sadīd, Ḥamīm, that which emerges from the Putrid Well, that which comes out from the sins in Falaq, that which comes out from the clay of Khabāl (pus), that which comes out from Jahannam, that which comes out from the blazing fires, that which comes out from Ḥuťamah, that which comes out from Saqar, that which comes out from Ḥamīm, that which comes out from Hāwiyah, and that which comes out from Sa’īr. Every time I pass by this mountain on my journey, I stop and see those Two seeking refuge with me and I look at the killers of my father (a.s.), and I say to the two of them: Verily you established the foundations for that which they (the killers of Ḥusain (a.s.)) did. You showed us no mercy at the time of your ruling. You killed us, denied and usurped our rights, and you tyrannized over our affairs by deposing us. May Allāh not have mercy on those who have mercy on the two of you. (Now) taste the evil results of that which you brought forth because Allāh is not unjust to (any of His) slaves. Sometimes I climb the mountain of Kamad which is where those two are located, and I stand there to soothe some of that which is in my heart, and the second one begs and succumbs to despair more intensely. I asked, “May I sacrifice myself for you! What do you hear when you climb this mountain?” Imam (a.s.) replied: I hear the voices of those two. They call out, “Come toward us so that we can talk to you, verily we repent.” And (then) I hear a call from the mountains which cries out, “Answer them and tell them, ‘Remain condemned in it, and speak not to me’ (23:108).” I asked, “May I sacrifice myself for you! Who else is with them?” Imam (a.s.) replied, “Every tyrant pharaoh whose actions Allāh has mentioned (in the Qur’an) and everyone who taught disbelief to the slaves of Allāh.” I asked, “Who are they?” Imam (a.s.) replied: The likes of Bulis who taught the Jews that “…the hand of Allāh is tied up!” (5:64); the likes of Nasťūr who taught the Christians that ‘Ǐsā “…Al-Masīḥ is the son of Allāh” (9:30) and told them that they are three; the likes of Fir’awn (at the time) of Mūsā who said, “I am your lord, the most high” (79:24); and the likes of Numrūd who said, “I have overpowered everyone on earth and I have killed those in the heavens”; and the killer of the Commander of the Believers (a.s.), the killer of Fāťimah and Muḥsin (a.s.), and the killers of Ḥasan and Ḥusain (a.s.); and (also) Mu’āwiyah and ‘Amr (ibn ‘Ās), who have no hope of being saved, and anyone who incited animosity against us and helped (our enemies) with his tongue, wealth, or hand against us will also be with them. I asked, “May I sacrifice myself for you! You hear all of this and you are not frightened?” Imam (a.s.) replied: O son of Bukayr! Our hearts are not like the hearts of the people. We are Allāh’s obedient, purified, and chosen slaves. We see that which people do not see and we hear that which people do not hear. The angels come down to us (while we are travelling) on our conveyances. They roll in our beds. They witness us when we eat, they attend our funerals, and they bring the news of that which will take place in the future to us. They establish prayers with us, they pray for us, they place their wings over us, and our children roll over their wings. They prevent the animals from coming near us. They bring various types of seasonal fruits for us from different lands and they bring water from every land for us which we find in our jugs. There is not any day nor hour nor any prayer time when the angels are not prepared (to serve us). The news of every land and that which takes place in it, the news of the Jinn, and the news of all of the angels in the heavens are brought to us every night. Whenever an angel dies in any land and is replaced with another angel, we are informed of it, and we are informed about the performance of this angel in comparison with the angel that he replaced. The news of all of the six earths all the way to the seventh earth is brought to us (at all times). I asked, “May I sacrifice myself for you! Where does this mountain end?” Imam (a.s.) replied, “In the seventh earth, and Hell is located in one of its valleys. There are many keepers who guard this valley. Their number is greater than the (number of) stars in the sky, drops of rain, creation in the seas, and the grains of soil in the earth. Every one of these keepers from among the angels has a dedicated duty which he carries out and never abandons.” I asked, “May I sacrifice myself for you! The angels report to all of you?” Imam (a.s.) said: No. They only report to the Owner of the Matter (the Imam of each time). Verily we are the rulers in matters over which none of the slaves of Allāh can rule. Whenever someone does not accept our ruling (about those specific matters), the angels force him to (carry out) our will and order the keepers who are dedicated to him, to force him to (carry out) our will. And if they are among the disbelieving Jinn, the angels put shackles around them and torture them until they submit to our ruling in those matters. I asked, “May I sacrifice myself for you! Can the Imam see everything from the East to the West?” Imam (a.s.) replied: O son of Bukayr! How can he be the Decisive Proof of Allāh over the entire earth without seeing and ruling over everyone?! And how can he be the Decisive Proof over people who are not in his presence, who cannot reach him, and over whom he has no power?! How can he convey the message of Allāh and act as Allāh’s witness over the creation if he cannot see them?! How can he be the Decisive Proof on the people if he is hidden from them while he has been appointed as the medium between the slaves and Allāh so that he carries out the orders of his Lord to them?! Allāh says, “We have not sent you but to all of mankind” (34:28). This verse refers to everything on earth (not only mankind). The Decisive Proof after the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.) fills the post of the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.) after him. He is the judge in that which the nation disagrees about, the one who gives people their rights, the one who carries out the orders of Allāh, and he is the one who justly rules between the people. And how can the (following) words of Allāh be fulfilled if the Imam is not among the people?! Allāh says, “Soon We shall show Our signs to them in the horizons, and within themselves” (41:53). And which sign other than us did Allāh show to the people in the horizons?! Allāh says, “And We did not show them any sign but it was greater than the other” (43:48). Which sign is greater than us?! I swear to Allāh that Banī Hāshim and Quraysh know well that which Allāh has bestowed upon us but jealousy destroyed them, just as it destroyed Iblīs. Verily they come to us when they are in distress and when they are in fear and they ask us (questions), and we clarify their questions for them. Then they say to us, “We testify that you are the people of knowledge.” Then they leave us and say, “We have not seen anyone more astray than those who follow them (the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.)) and accept their words.” I asked, “May I sacrifice myself for you! If the grave of Ḥusain (a.s.) was to be disinterred, would anything be found in it?” Imam (a.s.) replied: O son of Bukayr! Your questions are (always) about great matters. Verily Ḥusain (a.s.) along with his father, mother, and his brother, Ḥasan (a.s.), are with the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.) in his house and they are being rewarded and sustained, (just) as the Prophet (s.a.a.w.) is. If his grave would have been disinterred during his time, he would have been found there. However, today he is alive and sustained, and he is with his Lord. He looks at his camp (in Karbalā) and he also looks at the Throne until the time when it is ordered to carry him. Verily Ḥusain (a.s.) is hanging on to the right side of the Throne and says, “O my Lord! Fulfill Your promise to me.” Verily he looks at those who go to his Ziyārah and he knows them; he knows the names of their fathers, their ranks and their positions with Allāh, and that which they carry along with them even better than you know your own sons. Verily Ḥusain (a.s.) looks at those who cry over him and he seeks forgiveness for them as an act of mercy and he asks his father to seek forgiveness for them. And he says to them (those who cry over him), “O those who cry (over me)! If you knew that which has been prepared for you, your happiness would be greater than your restlessness.” Imam (a.s.) continued, “Verily all of the angels in the heavens and in the Ḥā`ir who hear those who cry on Ḥusain (a.s.) seek forgiveness for them, and they (the Zuwwār) will return with no sins.”