علي بن محمد بن حفص

“Repeating ablution for Isha prayer wipes the sins concerning oaths (yes, by Allah; no, by Allah)”

“When abu al-Hassan Musa (a.s.) was brought before al-Mahdi the first time he was accommodated in Zabala and I talked to him. He found me depressed and asked, “O abu Khalid, why is it that I see you are depressed?” I said, “How can I be not depressed when you are being take to this transgressor and I do not know wha will happen to you.” He said, “I will be alright. In so and so month and day come to me on one mile’s distance.” I then had no worries but count the months and days pass by until that particular day. I then went up to a mile’s distance and spent the day there until it was almost sun set. Suddenly, Satan caused temptations to my heart and I was afraid to doubt in what he had said. At this point I saw figures coming from the direction of Iraq. I went to meet them and abu al-Hassan (a.s.) was in front of them on a mule. He said, “Is it you O abu Khalid” I said, “Yes, grand son of the Messenger of Allah.” He said, “ Do not doubt; Satan loved that you had doubts.” I then said, “Thanks to Allah Who saved you from them.” He said, “I will have a return to them in which I will not find any safety.”

What is manliness? We said: We do not know. He said: Manliness is that a man places his dining table in the unroofed space of his home. Manliness is (consisting of) two (dimensions of) manlinesses. Then he mentioned the like of the narration that preceded.

We mentioned the matter of adolescence at his place, and so he said: Do you assume that adolescence is by grieve sinfulness and immorality? Manhood and adolescence are only a placed meal, a spent attainer, a good righteous matter and an abstained harm. As for that, it is slyness and grieve sin. Then he said: What is manhood? We said: We do not know. He said: Manhood is, by Allah, that a man places his desk at the end of his house.

“ I heard ‘Abdallah ibn Ja‘far al-Tayyar say, ‘we were in the court of Mu‘awiya I al-Hassan, al-Husayn, ‘Abdallah ibn ‘Abbass, ‘Umar ibn ’Umm Salama and ’Usama ibn Zayd. A conversation started between me and Mu‘awiya, and I said to Mu‘awiya’, ’I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘I have more authority over the believers’ souls than they themselves do. Then my brother Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) will have more authority over the believers’ souls than they themselves will have. When Ali (a.s.), will become a martyr al-Hassan ibn Ali will have more authority over the believers’ souls than they themselves will have. Thereafter my son al-Husayn after him (al-Hassan) will have more authority over the believers’ souls than they themselves will have. When he will become a martyr, his son Ali ibn al-Husayn after him (al-Husayn) will have more authority over the believers’ souls than they themselves will have. O Ali, you will see him. Thereafter his son Muhammad ibn Ali will have more authority over the believers’ souls than they themselves will have. O al-Husayn, you will see him. Then the twelve will complete the number of Imams. Nine will be of the descendants of al-Husayn.” ‘Abdallah ibn Ja‘far said, “I asked al-Hassan, al-Husayn, ‘Abdallah, ibn ‘Abbass, Umar ibn ’Umm Salama and ’Usama ibn Zayd to bear witness. They all bore witness for me before Mu‘awiya.” Sulaym ibn Qays has said, “I heard such Hadith from Salman, abu Dharr and al- Miqdad who said that they heard such Hadith from the Messenger of Allah.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Whenever you may come face to face with a wild beast, read verse 255 of Chapter 2 of the Holy Quran to its face and say, “I swear you by the oath of Allah, the oath of Muhammad (a.s.) the oath of Solomon son of David, the oath of Amir al-Mu’Mini, Ali ibn abu Talib and A ’immah, the clean ones (of all sins), after the Holy Prophet.” The beast will turn away from you by the will of Allah.’ I (the narrator) went out and a wild beast came face to face with me. I then swore it and said to it to turn and move out of the way without harming me. I looked at the beast, who had bent his head down, with the tail between the two legs and turned away.’”

“Once I bought a large number of sheeps for abu al-Hassan (a.s.). He called and admitted me into the barn area of his house into a vast location that I could not recognize. He ordered me to distribute the sheep among certain people and of such people were abu Ja‘far and his mother and others. Thereafter I requested permission to leave for Baghdad to see my father. It was the day of Tarwiya (eighth of the month of Dhi al-Hajj). He wrote to me, “Stay with us tomorrow thereafter leave.” I stayed that day and then it was the day of ‘Arafa (ninth of Dhi al-Hajj but I stayed with them that day as well as the tenth night in the balcony of his house. At dawn he came to me and said, “O Ishaq, wake up.” I then got up.” The narrator has said that I then opened my eyes and found myself at my own door in Baghdad. I went inside and met my father and I was among my people and I told them I spent the day of ‘Arafa (ninth of Dhi al-Hajj) in the army camp (Samarra) and for ‘Id (tenth of Dhi al-Hajj) I am in Baghdad.”

with regard to the verse: “Say: Have you considered if your water should go down, who is it then that will bring you flowing water?” (67:30) He asked: “What are you going to do when you lose your Imam and don’t see him?”

“O Jabir, keep quiet until you see some signs that I will mention to you-if you remain alive until then: The first is the disagreement of the Abbasids. I do not think that you live until then but narrate this from me after my death. Other signs are a call from the Heaven, a cry comes from the direction of Damascus, one of the villages of Sham called al-Jabiya sinks, a part of the mosque of Damascus falls down, a group of the Turks apostates and then commotion in Rome. The Turks come and occupy the island whereas the Romans come to settle in ar-Ramla. O Jabir, that year will be full of events everywhere from the direction of the west. The first country that will be ruined is Sham. Then people will disagree and divide into three armies; the army of the reddish one, the army of the spotted one and the army of as-Sufyani. As-Sufyani will fight the spotted one and he will kill him with his followers and then he will fight the reddish one and he will kill him. Then he will move towards Iraq. He will pass by Qarqeesiya’. A fight will break out. As-Sufyani will kill about one hundred thousands of the arrogants. Then he will send an army of seventy thousand warriors towards Kufa. They will kill, crucify and capture many of the people of Kufa. While they are doing so, an army will come from the direction of Khurasan. With this army there will be some companions of al-Qa’im. A faithful man from Kufa with weak followers will revolt but he will be killed by the leader of as-Sufyani’s army between Kufa and Heera. As-Sufyani will send a troop to Medina. Al-Mahdi will flee from Medina to Mecca. The leader of the army will be informed that al-Mahdi has gone to Mecca so he will send a troop to follow after him but with no use. Al-Mahdi will enter Mecca frightfully and cautiously like Prophet Moses (as). The army of as-Sufyani will stop in the desert. A caller from the Heaven will call out: “O desert, destroy these people!” The desert will sink with the army and none of them will escape death except three persons, whom Allah will turn their faces towards their backs. It is about them that this verse has been revealed, ‘O you who have been given the Book! believe that which We have revealed, verifying what you have, before We alter faces then turn them on their backs.’ On that day al-Qa’im will be in Mecca leaning his back against the Kaaba. He will announce: “O people, we resort to Allah to make us succeed. Whoever of you wants to support us, let him join us. We are the progeny of your Prophet Muhammad (as). We are worthier of Allah and Muhammad than other people. Whoever argues with me about Adam, I am the worthiest of Adam. Whoever argues with me about Noah, I am the worthiest of Noah. Whoever argues with me about Abraham, I am the worthiest of Abraham. Whoever argues with me about Muhammad (as), I am the worthiest of Muhammad (as). Whoever argues with me about the prophets, I am the worthiest of the prophets. Has Allah not said in his Book, ‘Surely Allah chose Adam and Noah and the descendants of Abraham and the descendants of Imran above the nations; offspring one of the other; and Allah is Hearing, Knowing?’ I am a remainder of Adam, a relic of Noah, elite of Abraham and a choice of Muhammad, peace be upon them all. Whoever argues with me about the Book of Allah, I am the worthiest of the book of Allah. Whoever argues with me about the Sunna of the messenger of Allah, I am the worthiest of the Sunna of the messenger of Allah. I adjure everyone, who hears my speech today, to inform the absent of it. I ask you with the right of Allah, the right of His messenger and with my right, for I have a right of kinship to the messenger of Allah, to support us and to protect us from those, who have wronged us. We have been wronged, offended, expelled from our homes, separated from our families, deprived of our rights and our honor and virtues have been distorted by the evil people. For the sake of Allah, do not fail us. Support us that may Allah supports you!” Allah will make his (al-Mahdi’s) three hundred and thirteen companions join him without any previous appointment. O Jabir, it is the verse that Allah has revealed in His Book, ‘Wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together; surely Allah has power over all things.’ People will pay homage to him between the corner (of the Kaaba) and the temple (of Abraham). With him there will be a covenant from the Prophet (S) that has been inherited by the descendants; one after the other. O Jabir, al-Qa’im is one of al-Husayn’s descendants. Allah will make him succeed within a night. O Jabir, if people doubt all that, let them not doubt his descending from the Prophet (S) and his inheriting knowledge from the ulama (the infallible imams) one after the other. If all these things become confusing to them, then the call that will come from the Heaven and will call out his name and his parents’ names certainly will not be confusing to them at all.”

Verily, I swear by the One that send my grandfather (SA) as a righteous prophet that Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, give sustenance to a servant according to his generosity. Verily, the help provided from Heaven is based on the extent of the need. And verily, patience must match the level of affliction.

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about a man who performs one Rak’at of Salah (prayer), then he remembers in the second Rak’at in Ruku’ (bowing down on one’s knees) position that he has omitted one Sajdah (prostration) of the first Rak’at. He said, ‘Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), would say that if you omit Sajdah (prostration) in the first Rak’at and do not know if it is one or two; perform Salah (prayer) again until it is correct to say that two Sajdah (prostrations) are performed.’”

The people mentioned chivalry (futuwwa) around him, so he said: Do you think that chivalry is immorality and indecency? No, rather, chivalry and masculinity (muru’a) are not but feeding much, taking little, doing good, and withholding from harm – everything else is evil and immoral. Then, he (as) said: What is masculinity? So, we said: We do not know. He said: Masculinity is, by Allah, when a man puts his brothers before himself. There are two [types of] masculinities: (1) masculinity whilst present, and (2) masculinity whilst travelling. As for masculinity whilst present, it is reciting the Quran, sticking to the mosques, walking to the needs of the brothers, and being good to the servant, for this is what brings joy to the friend and anguish to the enemy. As for that whilst travelling, it is increasing in provisions and giving it to those with you, keeping the secrets of the people after you have separated for them, and being light-hearted in a way that does not anger Allah. Then, he (as) said: By Him who truly raised my grandfather (s) as a prophet! Surely, Allah will give sustenance to the worshiper in proportion to [his] masculinity. Aid comes down from heaven in proportion to [his] masculinity. Surely, patience comes down in proportion to the intensity of [his] suffering.

If al-Sultan (the ruler) receives its Kharaj (taxes) there is not anything on you; but if al-Sultan (the ruler) does not receive anything, then you pay one out of ten of whatever is due.’”

I said to Abdullah bin Abbas: Why did the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, nickname Ali, peace be upon him, as the Father of Sand [1]? He said: Because is the Master of Earth, the Proof of Allah upon its people after him, by him is its remaining, and to him it is to keep it calm. I have, verily, heard Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, say: When the Day of Resurrection will be and the disbeliever sees what Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, has prepared for the Shi’a of Ali of rewards, nearness and dignity, he will say: I wish that I was sand. Meaning: I wish that I was from the Shi’a of Ali. That is the saying of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He: «And the disbeliever says: I wish that I was sand.» (78:40)