إسماعيل بن محمد الإسكاف

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once said to me, £ 0 Hisham, even if you find yourself in the two armies facing each other to fight, you must not neglect working for your sustenance on such day.’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘If one drinks intoxicating liquor and dies when there is something of wine inside him because of which he has not repented, he will be raised from his grave confused, his mouth bent to one side, his saliva flowing and crying woes and destruction.’”

Abu Abdullah (asws) said that: ‘Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic has said; “I (azwj) do not Accept every wise statement, but rather I (azwj) Accept his wish and his concern, for if his wish and his concern is within My (azwj) Pleasure, I (azwj) Makes his concern to be an Extolling of Holiness and a Glorification’.

I asked `A’isha about `Ali b. Abi Talib (as), so she said: That is the best of people; no one disputes that except a disbeliever.

“Abu basir askked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) and I was listening. ‘Do you think I will meet Al-Qa’im (a.s.) ?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “O abu Basir, ‘Do you not know who your Imam is?” He said, “By Allah, your are my Imam while holding his hand.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Then you must worry for not leaning against your sword in the shadow of Al-Qa’im’s tent.”

“Once I heard Abu Baseer asking Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “Do you think that I live until al-Qa’im appears?” Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) said to him: “O Abu Baseer, Do you not know your imam?” Abu Baseer said: “I know him. By Allah, it is you.” Abu Abdullah (as) took Abu Baseer’s hand and said: “O Abu Baseer, by Allah, never mind if you are not under the shadow of al-Qa’im’s tent with your sword!”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Wishing and longing is an act of Satan. Eating clay is of the greater part of the hunting devices of Satan. It causes illness in the body and accelerates pain. If one because of eating clay loses his power that he had before eating clay and fails to work as he did before eating clay he will be made to suffer proportionate to the amount of power that he had lost because of eating clay.’”

Once ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) passed by a group of people among whom was Salman, may Allah bless him with mercy. So Salman told them: "Be attached to this man (i.e. ‘Ali) for no one else will inform you of the intimate things about your Prophet except he."

“Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), once said to me, ‘You must not buy anyone from al-Sudan, but if you must buy, then buy from al-Nawbah; they are of those about whom Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has said, “Of those who have said, ‘We are helpers’, We took a covenant from them; then they forgot the share of what they were reminded.” (5:14) However, they will remember that share and they, a group of them, will come out with the rise of al-Qa’im with divine authority from us. You must not marry anyone of the Kurds; they are a species of Jinn from which the cover is removed.’”

When Ali ibn al-Husayn (as) was on his deathbed, he took out a box or chest that was with him and said, "O Muhammad, carry this chest." So he carried it between four men. When he passed away, his brothers came claiming what was in the chest and said, "Give us our share of the chest." He replied, "By God, you have no share in it. If you had a share in it, he would not have entrusted it to me." In the chest were the weapons of the Messenger of God (saw) and his books.

“When Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) was about to leave this world he took out a basket or a box that was with him. He then said, “O Muhammad take this box. “ The narrator has said that then he (Muhammad) took the box with four people. When The Imam (a.s.) died his sons came asking for the box and said, “Give us our share from the box.” He (Muhammad) then said to them, “By Allah, there is nothing for you in it. Had there been anything for you he would not have given it to me.” In the box there was the weapon of the Messenger of Allah (sw).”

“Once a man came to the Messenger of Allah and said, O Messenger of Allah, ‘I have become a hypocrite.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘By Allah, you have not become a hypocrite, otherwise, you would not have come to me to tell me what has made you suspicious. I think the present enemy has come to you asking, “Who has created you?” You said, ‘Allah has created me,’ and he asked, “Who has created Allah?” The man said, ‘Yes, by the One Who has sent you with the truth, it was just like that.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Satan comes to you through the deeds and fails to overpower you. Then he comes to you from this aspect to make you slip, if this happens you must speak of Allah alone (and say, ‘No one deserves to be worshipped except Allah).”’

“Once I sat on the side of the road waiting for abu Muhammad (a.s.) to pass by so that I can present before him my complain against a need. When he was passing by I presented my complain before him and swore that I did not have even a Dirham, nothing for lunch or dinner.” The narrator has said that the Imam (a.s.) said, “You falsely swore by Allah. You have buried two hundred Dinars. These my words are not to deny you any grants. Young man, give him whatever is with you. His servant, give me one hundred Dinars. He then turned to me and said, “You will be deprived of it in your worst days.” He meant those Dinars that I had buried for a difficult day. What he said was true. I had buried two hundred Dinars thinking that they would only be used in a very difficult day. When I faced such a difficult day and all the ways to find a living was closed I went to take out the two hundred Dinars but soon I found that there was not even a single Dinar. In fact, my son had learned about where the Dinars were buried and he had taken them and had ran away. I could not benefit from any of those Dinars.”

I once called upon Amirul Mu’mineen, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, and said: "Salaam upon you, O Amirul Mu’mineen and His mercy and blessing, how are you? He said: "I am in a state of loving those who love us, and hatred for those who hate us. And our friends are in a state of rejoicing in the mercy of Allah which they were expecting and our enemies are in a state of founding their edifice on the crumbling brink and that brink will fall down with him into the fire of hell. The gates of Paradise are opened for those who belong to it. So happiness and delight for the people who have earned their mercy of Allah, and ruination be for those who are in hell. O Hanash, whoever wishes to know whether he is our lover or not, he should search his own heart. If he loves our friend and partisans, then he is not our enemy, but if he hates our friends and partisans, then he is not our lover. Allah has a covenant with our lovers for our friendship, and has written the names of our adversaries in the record. We are the ones of noble descent, and our ancestors are the ancestors of the Prophets."

I heard Abu Muhammad, al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, addressing the people on Friday after they had sworn allegiance to him: "We are the victorious party of Allah, and the nearest kinfolk of His messenger, and the inmates of his pure and immaculate household. We are one of the two invaluable things the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, left behind for his Ummah. The other one is the Book of Allah in which is expounding of all things, no falsehood can come to it from before it or from behind it. So whoever depends on us for its interpretation will find that we do not fall prey to conjecture, we speak of its realities with certainty. Obey us, for our obedience is ordained, and is coupled with obedience to Allah and His Prophet. Allah says (in the Qur’an): ’O people who have believed, obey Allah and obey His Prophet and those entrusted with the authority among you. But if there arises any dispute about anything, refer it to Allah and His Prophet.’ (5:59) ’If they had referred to the Messenger and to those in the authority among them, those capable of inferring would have known it’ (5"63). And I warn you against listening to the yelling of Satan, for he is indeed your open enemy. If you do, you will be like his friends to whom he said: ’No one can overcome you today, truly I am your protector,’ but when the two hosts confronted each other, he turned upon his heels, saying: ’I have nothing to do with you, I see that which you cannot see’ (8:48). Then you will fall prey to the lances, minced by the swords, shattered by the shafts and targeted by the arrows. Then: ’it shall not profit a soul to believe, who did not believe before, or has not earned in its faith any goodness’ (6:158)."

“If a believer creates a barrier between himself and another believer, Allah creates between him and paradise seventy thousand walls each of which will be as thick as the distance of a one thousand year journey, and of the same length will be the distance from one wall to the other wall.”

I asked my maternal uncle, Hind, Abu Halah, and he was a describer [1], about the ornaments of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family. And I was told by Hasan bin Abdullah bin Sa’eed al-Askari, that he said: We were informed by Abu’l-Qasim, Abdullah bin Muhammed bin Abdul-Aziz bin Manee’, that he said: I was told by Isma’il bin Muhammed bin Ishaq bin Ja’far ibn Muhammed bin Ali bin Hussain, peace be upon them, in the city of Allah’s Messenger, that he said: I was told by Ali bin Musa bin Ja’far ibn Muhammed bin Ali, from Musa bin Ja’far, from Ja’far bin Muhammed, from his father, from Ali bin Hussain, peace be upon them, that he said: Hasan bin Ali, peace be upon them both, said: I asked my maternal uncle, Hind bin Abi Halah, from the ornament of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family. And I was told by Hasan bin Abdullah bin Sa’eed, that he said: We were told by Abdullah bin Ahmad ‘Abdan and Ja’far bin Muhammed al-Bazzaz al-Baghdadi, that they both said: We were told by Sufyan bin Wakee’, that he said: I was told by Jumay’ bin Umair al-‘Ajali, that he said: I was told by a man from the sons of Tamim, from the sons of Abu Halah, from his father, from Hasan bin Ali, peace be upon them both, that he said: I asked my maternal uncle, Hind bin Abi Halah al-Tamimi, and he was a describer of the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family: I seek that you describe to me from him something, that I might be connected to him. So he said: The Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him was magnificent, dignified; his face pearling like the pearling of the moon at a night of a full moon; longer than one of mid-height; shorter than one of thinness and long-height; having a great head; crook-haired; if his gathered hair is separated, it separates, otherwise, his hair would not cross the meat of his ear if grew it; his color was lightening [2], wide-foreheaded, having long brows, perfect, not being joined; between them is moisture, poured by anger; having a hooked nose; having a light above him; he who does not contemplate on him considers him highborn; thick-bearded; flat-cheecked; big-mouthed; ashnab [3]; gap-toothed; having a sound torso hair; his neck was in good image of clear silver; he was of moderate build; having a solid body; having even belly and chest; distanced between the shoulder flanks; having large metaphysis; wide-chested; having brightening bare skin; connected between the upper chest and the navel with hair flowing like a line, bare-breasted and bare-bellied from other than that; hairy on the upper arms, shoulder flanks and upper chest; having long forearms; having a spacious palm; coarse in the palms and feet; having fluent sides; having extended bones; having a raised sole; having even feet, from which water flows away; if he is to go, he goes firmly; stepping in harmony and walking calmly; walking with big steps, as if he steps into deep spots; if he turns to look, he turns wholly; having a lowered side; his look was towards the ground, longer than his look towards the sky; most of his looking was observation; he takes initiative to send peace to whom he meets. He said: Then I said: Then describe to me his speech. So he said: He, peace be upon him, was continuously sad; always thinking; having no rest; long-lastingly silent; not speaking while there is no need; opening and sealing the speech with the mouth corners; speaking with inclusive terms, separating, having no overage nor short-doing; kind, mild, not being gross nor humiliating; the grace is magnified for him, even if it is tiny; he would not hide from it anything, except that he used to not condemn a taster nor praise him, nor is he angered by the world and what is for it; if a right was involved into, none would recognize him; nothing arose due to his anger except that he would gain victory for it; if he was to point, he would point with his whole palm; if he is amazed, he would turn it; if he speaks, he would connect to it, and he would hit with his right the inward of his left thumb; if he was angered, he would ignore and turn away; if he became joyful, he looked aside; most of his laughing was smiling; his laugh would be like the uncovering of clouds. Until here is what Abu’l-Qasem bin Manee’ narrated from Isma’il bin Muhammed bin Ishaq bin Ja’far bin Muhammed, and the the rest is the narration of Abdul-Rahman until its end. Hasan, Allah’s blessings be upon him: I concealed it from Hussain, peace be upon him, for a while and then I told him of it, and I found that he had preceded me to it, so I asked him of what he had asked him of, and I found that he had asked his father about the entrance of the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, and his exiting, sitting and shape, and he did not leave anything from him. Hussain, peace be upon him, said: I asked my father, peace be upon him, about the entrance of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, so he said: His entrance for himself was that he was given permission for that. When he would go to his home, he divided his entrance into three parts: I part for Allah, a part for his family and part for himself, and then he divided the part between himself and between the people, and he would then teach this to the specific (people) for the general (people to be taught), and he would not keep from them anything. It was from his tradition with the part of the nation to be benevolent towards the people of virtue by his permission and division on the basis their virtue in religion. Among them were those of one requirement, and among them were those of two requirements, and among them were those of (several) requirements, and so he would be kept busy with them and keep them busy with what is best to them, and so with the nation with regards to his questioning about them and informing of them with what should be, and he would say: Let the witnessing among you inform the absent, and inform me of the requirement of the one who is not able to inform of his requirement, for indeed, the one who informs a ruler of the requirement of the one who is not able to inform of it, Allah will fasten his feet on the Day of Resurrection. Nothing other than that would be mentioned at his presence. He would not restrict from anyone accidentally. They would enter by seeking, not disperse except after tasting and they would leave having been guided. He said: Then I asked him about the exiting of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family: How did he do it? So he said: The Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, used to keep his tongue except from that which concerns him; concord with them and not shun them away; be generous with the generous one from every people and appoint him over them; be warned of people and guarded from them without concealing for anyone his extroversion nor manners; check on his companions; ask the people about what goes on among people; declare the good as good and strengthen it; declare the horrid as horrid and degrade it; be moderate in his matter; not be contrasting; not be heedless out of fear that they become heedless or bored; not make short towards the truth, nor exceed it. Those who followed him among the people were the best of them, the best of them to him being the most inclusive in assistance to the Muslims, and those with the greatest position among them to him being the best of them in consolation and aid. Then I asked him about his sitting, so he said: He, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, did not sit nor stand except by performing a remembrance (of Allah); he would not settle in places and prohibit settling in them; if he ends up at a people, he would sit where the gathering ends at, and he would instruct that; he would give all who sit with him his portion; he would not assume from those who sit with them that anyone of them is more generous to him than he is over them. The one who would sit with him, he would remain patient with him until he is the one to leave him. The one who asks him for a need did not return except that he had it or with simple speech. The people were enriched from him due to his manners; he became to them a father; they became to him in creation, equal. His gathering was a gathering of forbearance, modesty, truthfulness and trust; voices were not raised in it, nor were sanctities disgraced, nor were its slight faults spoken of; they were equivalent; being continuously in godfearness during it; humble; they would revere the old and be merciful to the small; they would be benevolent to the one with a requirement; and they would protect the stranger. Then I said: Then how was his tradition with regards to those who sit with him? So he said: He was always extrovert, easy-mannered, mild-sided, not gross, nor harsh, nor screaming, nor obscene, nor excessively disgracing nor praising, ignoring what he does not desire, by which it is not despaired of him, nor disappointing to those who are hopeful in him. He made himself abandon three: quarreling, overage and that which does not concern him, and he abandon three to perform in people: he used to not condemn anyone, nor disgrace him nor seek (to know) his slight faults nor his blemishes. He did not speak except in what he sought its reward; when he would speak, those who sit with him were held themselves as if birds are on their heads; and when he would become silent, they spoke, and they would not quarrel in conversation at his presence; the one who would speak, they listened to him until he is finished; their conversation in his presence would be the conversation of the first of them; he would smile to what they smile to, and be amazed at what they are amazed at; he would be patient to the stranger for his lack of interest in asking him and in his speech, until his companions would draw them; and he would say: If you see a seeker of a need seeking it, then give him. He did not accept commendation, except from one who remunerates, and he would not cut anyone from his speech until it would be permissible, and so he would cut him by prohibition or rising up. He said: Then I asked him about the silence of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family. He said: His silence was due to four: for forbearance, caution, estimation and reflection. As for estimation, it was with regards to having equal look and listening between people, and as for his reflection, it was about what is to remain and what is to terminate. Forbearance was joined for him along with patience, and so nothing would anger him nor provoke him. Caution was joined for him in four: his taking of goodness that he might be followed in it; his abandoning of the horrid that it might be stopped; his diligence in deducing (sound) opinion for the good of his nation; and to perform what was gathered for them from the best of this world and the Hereafter. This is the last of what ‘Abdan narrated. We were also told by Abu Ali, Ahmad bin Yahya, the Teacher, that he said: We were told by Muhammed bin Haitham al-Anbari, that he said: We were told by Abdullah bin Saqr al-Sukkari, Abu’l-Abbas, that he said: We were told by Sufyan bin Wakee’ bin Jarrah, that he said: I was told by Jumay’ bin ‘Umayr al-‘Ajali, dictating from his book, that he said: I was told by a man from the sons of Tamim, from the sons of Abu Halah al-Tamimi, from his father, from Hasan bin Ali bin Abi Talib, peace be upon them both, that he said: I asked my uncle, Hind bin Abi Halah al-Tamimi, that he said – and he was a describer of the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family – while I had desired that he describes to me something of him that I might be connected to him, and so he said: The Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him, was magnificent, dignified. And he mention the same narration with its length.

“Verily, Allah has sent a gift to you.” Hence, he (SA) asked, “What is that gift, O Jibra’il?” He answered, “Words from the Treasures of the Throne. Allah honors you by them.” The Prophet (SA) enquired, “What are they, O Jibra’il?” He said: Say: O One who reveals beauty, and hides ugliness! O One who does not punish the offender, and who does not ear the veil (from sins)! O Most Great in pardoning! O Best of the Overlookers! O All-Embracing in Forgiveness! O One who Opens His Hands in Mercy! O Hearer of all Whispers! O One whom all complaints are made! (O Last Resort of the Fallen!). O Noble One! O Possessor of Great Favor! O One who Blessed before anyone deserves it! O our Lord! O our Master! O our Guardian! O Goal of our Desires! I beseech You, O Allah, not to make me ugly by means of the Fire. The Messenger of Allah (SA) asked, “O Jibra’il! What are the virtues of these words?” Jibra’il replied, So great! So great! The virtues of these words are impossible to describe. Even if the angels from the seven heavens and the seven earths joined together to describe the virtues of these words until the Day of Judgment, they would not be able to describe even a thousandth part of them. Therefore, when a man says: “O One who reveals beauty, and hides ugliness,” Allah covers him up with His Mercy in this world, and makes him beautiful in the Hereafter. Allah covers his defects with a thousand veils in this world, and the Hereafter. When he says: “O One who does not punish the offender, and does not tear the veil (from sins),” Allah will not hold him accountable on the Day of Judgment, and on the Day all Veils are Torn, He will not tear his veil. And when he says: “O Most Great in Pardoning,” Allah will forgive his sins even if they are as much as the foam from the sea. When he says: “O Best of the Overlookers,” Allah will forgive him even sins such as theft, drinking wine, worldly frights, and other major sins. And when he says: “O All-Embracing in Forgiveness,” Allah, the Mighty and High, will open seventy gates of Mercy to him in a way that he will be overwhelmed by Allah, the Mighty and High’s Mercy till he parts this world. When he says: “O One who Opens His Hands in Mercy,” Allah opens His Hands of Mercy to him. And when he says: “O Hearer of all Whispers, O One to who all Complaints are made,” Allah will bestow upon him the reward of every afflicted, unaffiliated, sick, blind, destitute, and poor person till the Day of Judgment. When he says: “O Noble One,” Allah will make him noble like the prophets. When he says: “O Possessor of Great Favor,” Allah will bestow upon him His Protection, and the protection of the created on the Day of Judgment. And when he says: “O One who gives blessings before anyone deserves it,” Allah will grant him rewards equal to the number of those who thanked Him for His Blessings. When he says: “O our Lord, O our Master,” Allah will say: “My angels! Bear witness that I forgave him, and I will give him rewards similar to the numbers of those who are in Paradise, and Hell, the seven heavens and the seven earths, the sun, the moon, the stars, rain drops, creatures, mountains, pebbles, soil, and other than these, as well as the Empyrean and the Throne. And when he says: “O our Guardian,” Allah will fill his heart with faith. When he says: “O Goal of our Desires,” Allah will fulfill his desire, and give him the reward equal to the reward of all the creatures on the Day of Judgment. And when he says: “I beseech You, O Allah, not to make my being ugly by means of Fire,” the Supreme, may His glory be glorified, will say: My Servant has asked Me to free him from Fire. O My angels! Bear witness that I set him, his parents, his brothers, his sisters, his household, his children, and his neighbors free from the Fire, and accepted his intercession for a thousand others who deserved punishment by fire, and saved them from it. O Muhammad! Teach this supplication to the pious, and do not teach it to the hypocrites. For it is supplication which will be granted to the ones that pronounce it, by the will of Allah. This is the supplication of the inhabitants of the Flourishing House [al-Bayt alMa’mur], when they circumambulate it. The Compiler of this book says: The proof that Allah – the Exalted, the Mighty, and the Most High – is All-Knowing, Ever-Living, and All-Powerful in and of Himself – not by knowledge, power, and life, that is other than Him – is that if He were All-Knowing by means of knowledge, then His Knowledge could only be two things: eternal or created. If His Knowledge is created then He, glorified be His Praise, was without knowledge before it creation. This is an imperfect attribute, and every imperfection is caused, as we explained previously. If His Knowledge is eternal, then it becomes necessary for other than Allah, the Mighty and High, to be eternal. This is infidelity by consensus. The same argument can be applied to the AllPowerful and His Omnipotence and the Ever-Living and His Life. The proof that He, the Exalted, has always been All-Powerful, All-Knowing and Ever-Living is that it has been proved that He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful, and Ever-Living, in and of Himself. Hence, it is correct by evidence that He, the Mighty and High, is Eternal. Therefore, He has always been All-Knowing as Knowledge is part of His Essence, Which has always been. This indicates that He has always been All-Powerful, and Ever-Living.

I asked my maternal uncle, Hind ibn Abi Hala, about the looks of God’s Prophet (s). He was good at describing the looks of God’s Prophet (s). He said, ‘God’s Prophet (s) was magnificent. His face shined as bright as the full moon (on the fourteenth night of the month). He was taller than the medium-sized people and shorter than the thin and tall people. He had a big head. His hair was neither too curly nor was it too soft and straight. He (s) parted his hair when it grew long. Otherwise he left it alone. Whenever his hair grew long, he never let it grow lower than his earlobes. His complexion was shining brightly. He had a broad forehead. His eyebrows were long and curved, yet they were hairy but not attached to each other. Whenever he (s) got angry, the veins between his eyebrows got swelled up. His nose was slim and slightly raised in the middle. He possessed an illumination which always accompanied him in such a way that whoever did not ponder carefully over him thought he (s) was haughty.His beard was short but bushy. His cheeks were flat and thin. His mouth was big, and his teeth were bright white. He had a thin layer of hair extending from his chest down to his belly button. His neck looked like a silver jar. He had a balanced build. His body was strong, and his chest and stomach were in line with each other. He had wide muscular shoulders. His body was brilliant white. There was a thin layer of hair from his neck down to his belly button, but his lower chest and stomach had no hair. However, his upper chest and shoulders were hairy. His elbows were large, his palms were sturdy, his hands and feet were rough. His hands and legs were coordinated and his bones were straight without any crookedness. The sole of his feet were curved, and his heels were not chubby such that water passed under his feet and was not blocked.When he (s) moved he took firm steps. He leaned to one side slightly, and walked fast but gently as if he was moving fast downhill. When he turned to the right or left, he turned his whole body around. He lowered his eyes and looked to the Earth more than he looked up to the sky. He never stared, and greeted everyone he (s) saw.’Al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (s) added, ‘I asked him to tell me about the Prophet’s sayings. Hind ibn Abi Hala replied, ‘He (s) was always sad and was continuously thinking. He was never comfortable. He never spoke when not necessary. He was careful about when to start and when to stop talking. He never talked too much or too little. His words were to the point. He never said vulgar things. He always highly valued other people’s kindness and affection, even if it was very little. He never blamed any of them. He neither spoke good of nor spoke bad of the taste of food. He never got angry about the world. However, when there was a question of rights, nothing could stifle his anger until he established the right. He used all of his hand to point to things. He used to turn around his hands when he was surprised. He used to bring his right hand close to his left hand, and touch the palm of his left hand with his right thumb when he spoke. He used to turn his face around when he got angry. He used to look down when he was happy. Most of the time his laughter was just limited to a smile. He looked splendid when he laughed and also his white teeth could be seen.’Al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (s) added, ‘I hid this from Al-Hussein (s) for sometime, and then narrated it for him. However, I discovered that he (s) had already asked about the Prophet (s). I found out that he (s) had even asked our father (Ali ibn Abi Talib (s)) about the Prophet’s way of coming in, going out, sitting and his looks. He (s) had not left anything out.’Al-Hussein (s) said, ‘I asked my father (s) about God’s Prophet (s) way of coming in. He (s) said, ‘Only the Prophet (s) was allowed to go in and out from his place of entrance. When the Prophet (s) went home, he divided his time into three portions. One portion was for the Sublime God. Another portion was for his family, and the third portion was for himself. He (s) divided his own personal time into two parts - between himself and the people. First the elite entered and then the other people. He never withheld anything from them. Regarding the nation, he (s) preferred the noble ones by giving them a portion of his time according to their degree of nobility in religion. Some had only one request, others had two or more. He attended to their needs and pleased them by saying what would improve their affairs and the affairs of the nation. He also asked them about their health. He (s) would also ask those present to inform those who were absent, and to convey to him (s) the requests ofthe people who had no access to him (s). He (s) said that on the Resurrection Day, God will firmly establish the steps of whoever presents the requests of a needy one who cannot be present before the ruler. Nothing but these needs were presented to him. He did not accept any other thing to be presented there. He (s) always entered like the seeking scout with a full hand and knowing the religion, and left having guided the people.’’Al-Hussein (s) said, ‘I asked my father (s) about how God’s Prophet (s) after he left.’ He (s) said, ‘God’s Prophet (s) kept quiet except about what was relevant to him. He (s) sought the love of the people and never drove the people away from himself. He honored the noblest person in each tribe and appointed him as its head. He avoided the people without them feeling that they were not welcome. He asked about his companions and how they were doing. He asked the people about their affairs. He used to acknowledge good deeds and denounce wicked deeds without any exaggerations or underestimations. He was moderate. He was never negligent, fearing that the people might become negligent or get tired. He never forsook the right. His companions were of the best of the good-doing Muslims. To him the one who did the most good was the noblest. Whoever was more sympathetic and more helpful with others had a higher rank in his opinion.’’Al-Hussein (s) added, ‘I asked my father (s) about his meetings. My father (s) said, ‘The Prophet (s) was always remembering God in his meetings, whether he sat down or stood up. He never held meetings in public places and admonished against doing so. He always took a back seat whenever he attended a meeting. He always recommended this. He always treated his companions equally, so that no one thought that others were more honored than he is. Whenever he had company, he waited until they got up and left the meeting. Whoever asked him for something returned with full hands, or received a gentle verbal response. His manners were the same with everyone. He was like a kind father for the people. Everyone was the same in his sight as far as the right was concerned.His meetings were meetings of patience, shyness, honesty and trustworthiness. No one raised his voice there. No one was disrespected. No one’s faults were divulged. Everyone was humble to others due to piety.They respected the elder ones. They were kind with the younger ones. They preferred the needy to themselves and safeguarded the strangers.’’Al-Hussein (s) added, ‘I asked my father (s) about the way the Prophet (s) treated his companions? My father (s) said, ‘He was always cheerful, good tempered and easy-going. He was neither stern nor was he very harsh. He neither yelled nor did he swear. He never found faults with others. He neither made fun of anyone nor did he praise anyone. He ignored what he disliked. No one got disappointed with him. Those who placed hopes in him were never deprived. He never did the following three things with the people. He never blamed anyone; he never pursued the people’s minor faults or private affairs; and he only talked about things which he hoped deserved a good reward. Everyone was silent whenever he spoke. Others spoke only when he was silent. No one interrupted others’ words in his presence. When someone was talking in his presence, others remained silent until he finished talking, then they continued on. He laughed at whatever made others laugh. He got surprised at whatever made others get surprised. He was patient with strangers who did not talk or act properly. Even his companions sought such people (to assist them). The Prophet (s) used to tell them to assist needy persons who are trying to fulfill their needs when they see them. The Prophet (s) never accepted the praise of those weak in faith or the hypocrites. He never interrupted anyone unless they stopped talking themselves or the time passed by in which case he would get up to leave and the talk ended.’’Al-Hussein (s) added, ‘I asked my father (s) about the silence of God’s Prophet. My father (s) said, ‘The Prophet’s silence was due to four reasons: patience, avoidance and caution, testing and measurement, and thinking. Testing and measurement were done in the form of equally listening to and looking at different people. His thinking concerned the lasting and ephemeral affairs. He was patient and perseverant. He never got angry about anything and lose his temper. He acted with extreme caution in four situations: doing good deeds so that others follow suit; abandoning wicked deeds so that others abandon such deeds too; struggling to improve the affairs of his nation and attempting to do what was for the good of this world and the Hereafter for all. May God’s Blessings be upon him and his Holy Household.’’”(The author of the book Sheikh Sadooq said,) I have seen this tradition narrated by various Sheikhs with different chains of narrations which I have mentioned in my book Nubowwa. However, I have narrated the one on the authority of Al-Ridha (s) here since this book is about the best of his (s) traditions. I have included the interpretation of this tradition in my book Ma’ani al-Akhbar.