إسماعيل بن إبراهيم

“I asked, ‘O Prophet of God! How was the beginning of your affair?’ The Prophet (MGB) replied, ‘The prayers of my (great grand)father Abraham (MGB); the glad tidings of Jesus - the son of Mary (MGB); and the dream of my mother who saw that a ray of light extending out of her body and illuminating the palaces in Syria.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Any believing person who prays for the believing people male and female, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, returns to such person a reward equal to the reward for a likewise prayer with which all believing people, male and female have been praying from the beginning of time and all who will do so in future up to the Day of Judgment. A servant will be ordered and dragged to the fire and the believing people male and female will say, ‘O Lord, this is the one who prayed for us, accept our intercession for him and Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will accept their intercession about him and he will be saved.’”

I was with the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, and a man passed by whilst saying: «O Allah, I ask You for patience». Then the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, said: You have asked for affliction, so ask Allah for comfort. He, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, also passed by whilst he was saying: «O Allah, I ask you for the perfection of the grace.» Then he said: (O) Son of Adam, and do you know what the perfection of the grace is? (It is) Salvation from the Fire and entrance to Paradise. He, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, passed by a man whilst he was praying and saying: «O the One of Glory and Generosity». Then he said to him: «It has been responded to you, so ask.»

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘When the sins of a servant (of Allah) increase and he does not have enough good deeds to expiate them, Allah causes him to suffer sadness and depression.’”

I went to the Mosque of Kufa where I found a man in the seventh row standing in prayer. He was bowing and prostrating in a goodly way. So, I went to look at him, and he prostrated just before I got there. I heard him say in his prostration: “O Allah! If I have ever disobeyed You, [know that] I have obeyed You in the things that are most beloved to You, which is belief in You. I did thusly out of Your grace over me, and not as a favour from me to You. I do not disobey You in the things that are most hateful to You. I did not attribute a son to You, nor did I attribute a partner to You. I did thusly out of Your grace over me, and not as a favour from me to You. I did not disobey You in things out of needlessness or arrogance, nor out of condescension toward Your worship, nor out of denial of Your lordship. Rather, I followed my caprice, and Satan weakened me after comprehensive proof and clarity. If You punished me for my sin, that would not be oppressing me, but if You have mercy over me, it would be by Your magnanimity and Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful ones.” Then, he turned and left through the gate of Kindah. I followed him until he reached the camels of Banu Kalb. So, he passed by a black person and ordered him to do something that I did not understand. So, I said: Who is this? So, he said: This is `Ali b. al-Husayn. So, I said: May Allah make me your sacrifice! What made you come to this place? So, he said: That which you saw.

The Messenger of Allah (s) said: There is not a believing man nor woman who has passed from the beginning of time till the Day of Resurrection except that they are an intercessor for those they mentioned in their supplication: “O Allah! Forgive the believing men and women.” A believer will be ordered to the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, but the believing men and women will say: “O our Lord! This is one who would pray for us, so accept our intercession for him.” So, Allah will accept their intercession and they will be saved.

I asked Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, about the saying of the Commander of the Believers, peace be upon him: «Indeed, our matter is difficult and complicated; it is not acknowledged except by an Angel who is brought near (to Allah), or a Prophet that is sent (with a Divine Message), or a servant whom Allah has tested his heart with faith.» He said: Because among the Angels are those who are brought near and those who are not brought near, and among the Prophets there are those who are sent and those who are not sent, and among the believers there are the tested and the untested. Hence, this matter of yours was presented to the Angels, and none acknowledged it except for those who are brought near, and (it was presented) upon the Prophets, and none acknowledged it except for those who were sent, and it was presented upon the believers, and none acknowledged it except for those who were tested. He said: He then said to me: Continue in your conversation.

“Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.), commissioned me as collector of zakat (charity) for Ban Qiya (al-Qadisiyah today) and suburbs of al-Kufah. In the presence of people he said to me, Take good care of taxes and do not disregard even one dirham.’ However, see me before you leave for your work.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I went to see him and he said to me, “Whatever you heard me say to you was for protective measures only. Never ever beat up a Muslim, a Jew, or a Christian taxpayer for a dirham of tax or buy an animal for work for a dirham. We only receive taxes in ease.’”” (The following chapters are best explained by fatwa.)

I asked my father, the Master of Worshipers (as), and I said to him: O father! Inform me about my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (s): When he ascended to heaven, and his Lord commanded him to do fifty prayers, why did he not ask Him to lighten the load on his Nation until Musa b. `Imran (as) told him: "Return to your Lord and ask him to lighten the load, for surely, your Nation cannot fulfill this"? So, he said: O my son! Surely, the Messenger of Allah (s) would not make suggestions to his Lord, nor would he return to Him with regards to something He had commanded him. So, when Musa (as) asked him, he became the intercessor of his Nation through him, and [thus] he was unable to reject the intercession of his brother Musa (as) (i.e. Musa interceded on behalf of the Muslim Nation, and the Prophet was unable to reject the plea of Musa). So, he returned to his Lord to ask him to lighten the burden, until it became five prayers. He said: So, I said to him: O father! Then why did he not return to his Lord to lighten it to less than five prayers, for Musa (as) told him to return to his Lord [again] to ask him to lighten it [further]? So, he said: O my son! He (s) wanted to lighten the burden on his Nation through the reward of fifty prayers, as Allah says, "He who comes with a good deed will have ten like it." (6:160) When he (s) descended to the Earth, Gabriel (as) came down to him and said: "O Muhammad! Surely, your Lord recites the salaam to you, and says: 'Surely, they are five [prayers worth] fifty. My words have not been exchanged, and I am not oppressive to the worshipers.'" He said: So, I said to him: O father! Isn't it the case that Allah is not described with a place? So, he said: Of course. May Allah be exalted above that. So, he said: So, what is the meaning of the saying of Musa (as) to the Messenger of Allah (s): "Return to your Lord"? So, he said: Its meaning is the [same] meaning as the saying of Ibrahim (as): "Surely, I am going to my Lord for guidance" (37:99), and the meaning of the saying of Musa (as): "I hasten to You, my Lord, so that You may be pleased." (20:84), and His saying, "So, hasten to Allah" (50:51) - meaning, make pilgrimage to the House of Allah. O my son! The Ka`ba is the House of Allah. Whoever makes pilgrimage to the House of Allah has made his intention toward Allah. The mosques are the houses of Allah, so whoever goes to them has gone to Allah and made his intention toward Him. The one who prays stands before Allah for the duration of his prayer. Those who stand at `Arafa stand before Allah. Surely, for Allah there are places in His heavens; whoever ascends to a place of His therein has ascended to Him. Have you not heard the saying of Allah, "The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him" (70:4)? He says in the story of `Isa (as), "Rather, Allah raised him to Himself" (4:158), and He says, "Goodly words ascend to Him and righteous deeds are raised up by Him" (35:10).

"When the sins of a servant of Allah multiply and grow in number, and he has nothing to expiate his sins with, Allah tests him with sorrow and grief, and thus expiate his sins."

I asked my father the master of the worshippers [Sayyid al-`Abidin] (AS): O father! Inform me about when our grandfather the Messenger of Allah (SA) ascended to heaven to meet His Lord, the Mighty and High, and He commanded him to complete fifty daily prayers. Why did he not ask for any relief for his Ummah, until Musa son of `Imran (AS) said to him to go back to his Lord and ask for relief as your Ummah does not have the strength for that? Thus, he (AS) answered, O son! Verily, the Messenger of Allah (SA) was not going to suggest anything to his Lord, the Mighty and High, nor reconsider anything He had commanded him to so. Therefore, when Musa (AS) asked him to do so, he had interceded for his Ummah to the Prophet (SA); it did not suffice for him to reject the intercession of his brother Musa (AS). So he (SA) returned to his Lord, the Mighty and High, and asked him for relief until He lowered the obligation to five daily prayers. He says, I then asked: “O father! Then why did he not return to his Lord, the Mighty and High, and ask Him for relief from five daily prayers?” He (AS) therefore, replied, O son! He (SA) intended to relieve his Ummah by means of the word of Allah, the Mighty and High: “Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it.” Do you not see that when he (SA) descended to the Earth, Jibra`il (AS) revealed to him: “O Muhammad! Verily, your Lord sends you His Greetings, and says: They are five for fifty, My word shall not be changed, nor am I in the least unjust to the servants.” He says: then I asked, “O father! Did Allah, the Exalted, not mention that He cannot be described in terms of space?” So he (AS) responded, “Of course, exalted is Allah from that.” Therefore, I asked, “Then what is the meaning of the word of Musa(AS) to the Messenger of Allah (SA): `Go back to your Lord?’” Thus, he (AS) replied, The meaning of this is the same as the Word of Ibrahim (AS): Surely I fly to my Lord; He will guide me, and the word of Musa (AS): And I hastened on to Thee, my Lord, that Thou might be pleased, and His Word, the Mighty and High: Therefore fly to Allah. This means pilgrimage to the House of Allah. O son! Verily, the Ka`bah is House of Allah; therefore, whoever makes pilgrimage to the House of Allah ahs endeavored to reach Allah. The mosque are House of Allah; therefore, whoever proceeds to them has proceeded to Allah, and endeavored to visit Him. The praying person, so long as he is prayer, is standing before Allah, Lofty be His Majesty. The people staying in the planes of `Arafat are standing before Allah, the Mighty and High. Verily, for Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, are places in His Heavens, whoever is ascended to them is ascended to Him. Do you not hear Allah, the Mighty and High, that To Him ascend the angels and the Spirit, and He, the Mighty and High, says: To Him do ascend the good words: and the good deeds, lift them up.

The Messenger of Allah (s) said: We, the Children of `Abd al-Muttalib, are the masters of the people of Paradise: The Messenger of Allah, Hamza the Master of Martyrs, Ja`far the one of two wings, `Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and the Mahdi.