أحمد بن محمد بن رباح

“He, who spreads our (secret) traditions, is like one, who denies our right.”

“Every banner that is raised before the banner of al-Qa’im will be of an oppressive arrogant.”

“Al-Qa’im will appear after when twelve men will have agreed upon that they have seen him but they will be considered as liars.”

“The man of this matter will have a house called the house of al-Hamd (the praise). It will have a lamp shining and without being put 0ut since his birthday until the day when he will rise with the sword.”

“Al-Qa’im disappears twice. In one of them it will be said: He has perished or it is unknown which valley he has followed.”

“Al-Qa’im (as) disappears twice. He comes back after one of them but in the second disappearance, no one knows where he is. He attends the seasons of hajj. He sees the people but they do not see him.”

I said to Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as): Does the saying of Amirul Mo’mineen (as) “May my father die for him! The son of the best of bondmaids,” refer to Fatima (sa)?” He said: “Fatima (sa) is the best of free ladies. He (al-Mahdi) is the one with a big abdomen and a red face. May Allah have mercy upon so-and-so!”

Once al-Qa’im (as) was mentioned before Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as). He said: “If he appears people will say: How can that be whereas his bones have been perished since so and so?”

“When al-Qa’im (as) rises, he will recite, “So I fled from you when I feared you, then my Lord granted me wisdom and made me of the messengers.” These traditions confirm the traditions saying: “…he has an aspect of Prophet Moses…he is afraid and lying in wait.”

“Our Shia (followers) are like a threshing-floor having some grains. The grains are afflicted with worms. They are purified and then are afflicted with worms until very little remains that will never be harmed by the worms. So are our Shia. They are clarified and purified until a very few of them remain, who will never be affected by seditions.”

“I asked Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as): Are you al-Qa’im?” He said: “The messenger of Allah has begotten me. I am the one, who avenge the blood. Allah does whatever He wills.” I repeated my question. He said: “You have known where to go. Your man is the one with the big abdomen and with dandruff in his head. He is the son of the imams. May Allah have mercy upon so-and-so!”

“Al-Qa’im (as) has two marks; dandruff and a mole on his head and a mole between his two shoulders on the left side. Under the left shoulder there is a mole like the leaf of a myrtle tree.”

“I asked Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) about the saying of Allah (But they reject the hour, and We have prepared a burning fire for him who rejects the hour). He said: “Allah has divided the year into twelve months, the night into twelve hours, the day into twelve hours and He has chosen from us twelve inspired imams. Imam Ali (as) was an hour from among those hours.”

I said to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “Someone believes in your guardianship, exempts himself from your enemy, permits what you have permitted, refrains from what you have prohibited and thinks that the imamate is still among you and will never go to other than you but he says: They (the infallible imams) have disagreed among themselves while they are the leading imams. If they agree upon a man and say that it is he (the imam), we will say that it is he.” Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) said: If this someone remains with this opinion, he will die as an unbeliever.

“I heard al-Mufadhdhal bin Umar asking Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “Does Allah impose (upon people) to obey someone and then the divine revelation keeps that secret?” Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) said: “Allah is more glorified, merciful and kinder to His people than to impose upon them obeying someone but the divine revelation keeps that secret day and night.” Then his son Abul Hasan Musa (as) appeared. Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) said to al-Mufadhdhal: “Would you like to look at the keeper of Imam Ali’s book?” Al-Mufadhdhal said: “And is there anything else that makes me more delighted than this?!” Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) said: “This is the keeper of Ali’s hidden book, about which Allah has said, ‘None shall touch it save the purified ones.’”

Once I was with Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) in his meeting and there were others. He said to us: “Beware of allusion!” He meant with the name of al-Qa’im. I noticed that he had intended other than me. He said to me: “O Abu Abdullah, beware of allusion! By Allah, he (al-Qa’im) will be hidden (by the will of Allah) for a period of time and he will be ignored until it will be said that he has died or perished or (it is unknown that) which valley he has followed. The believers will weep bitterly for him. There will be turning-over as a ship among the waves of the sea until no one will be saved except those, who has promised Allah sincerely, whom Allah has assisted with a mercy of Him and in whose hearts Allah has fixed faith. Twelve suspicious banners will be raised, none of which will be distinguished from the other.” (Al-Mufadhdhal said) I began to cry. He said to me: “What for are you crying?” I said: “May I die for you! How do I not cry whereas you say that twelve suspicious banners will be raised that none of them will be distinguished from the other?” He looked at an aperture in the house, from which the sun shined into the place of his meeting, and said: “Is this the sun that is shining?” I said: “Yes, it is.” He said: “By Allah, our matter (the imamate of al-Mahdi) is brighter than the sun.”

“He will act as the Prophet (S) has acted. He will annul all what has been established before him as the Prophet (S) has annulled all that has been established in the pre-Islamic age. He will resume Islam anew.”