زياد

What prevents a merchant among you who is busy in his market-place that he does not sleep when he returns back to his home until he recites a Chapter from the Qur’an? So it will be written for him in place of every verse that he recites ten good-deeds and ten evil-deeds will be effaced for him .

Amir al-Mu’minin (as) would say: The basis of mankind – his heart, his intellect, his religion, and his chivalry – is whatever he makes of himself. The days change, but the people are as Adam.

“This is concerning my question before abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the case of a man who proposes marriage to a man for his daughter for a certain amount of mahr (dower) but in the night of their going to bed he sends his other daughter who is from a slave-girl. He (the Imam) said, ‘He returns her to her father who must send his wife to him and her mahr (dower) is on her father.’”

I said to Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him: Inform me about the saying of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, with regards to Fatima that she is the Mistress of the women of all the worlds, is she the Mistress of the women of her world? So he said: That is for Maryam; she was the Mistress of the women of her world, whereas Fatima is the Mistress of the women of all the worlds, from the first and the last.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that all kinds of one’s spending for the sake of Allah, on any one of His causes, is not a good or successful spending. Allah, the most High says, ‘You must not throw yourselves in perdition. Do good; Allah loves those who do good.’ (2:195) “Doers of good” refers to those who observe moderation in spending.”

“The one, whom you want and expect, will rise (and set out) from Mecca. He will not rise until he sees what pleases him even if he is obliged to eat the leaves of the trees.” Is there another way clearer than the way, with which the infallible imams (as) have declared and explained the matter of the disappearance to their Shia? Will one doubt the disappearance and the reappearance of al-Qa’im (as) after all these clear traditions?

“The Honorable the Exalted God’s words, ‘When they disregarded the warnings that had been given them,…’ apply to three groups of people: those who accepted this and also informed others - they were saved; those who accepted this but did not inform others - their faces were distorted; and those who did not accept this and ordered others not to accept - they were destroyed.”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘The wine drinker on the Day of Judgment will be brought with his face all black, his tongue hanging down and his saliva flowing on his chest. It is a right on Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, to make him drink from tinah of Khabal or that he (the Imam) said, ‘from the well of Khabal’. I (the narrator) then asked, ‘What is well of Khabal ?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is a well in which the puss from the bottom of fornicators flows.’”

The Messenger of Allah (s) said: I give glad tidings to you; Mahdi will rise up when people would be involved in discord and bewilderment. He would fill the earth with justice and equity just as it would be fraught with injustice and oppression in such a way that the inhabitants of the earth and the heavens would be pleased with him.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If one, for the sake of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, fasts on a very hot day, causing him to experience a great deal of thirst, Allah assigns a thousand angels for his safety who wipe his face until he discontinues his fast.’ Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, then says, ‘How fine is your fragrance and spirit! O My angels, bear witness that I have granted him forgiveness.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If one, for the sake of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, fasts on a very hot day, causing him to experience a great deal of thirst, Allah assigns a thousand angels for his safety who wipe his face until the time he discontinues his fast. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, then says, “How fine is your fragrance and spirit! O My angels, bear witness that I have granted him forgiveness.””’

“I once said to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), that people of Makkah in the case of cows do Nahr (make a cut in the upper part of the chest); so what do you say about using it for food? He (the Imam) said, ‘They slaughtered it but they almost failed to do so thus, you must not eat unless it is slaughtered and it is not killed by means of Nahr.’”

“Once a group of people visited al-Husayn ibn Ali, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, and said, ‘O child of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, in your house we see such things that we dislike/ In his home there were pleasing spreading and cushions. He (the Imam) (a.s.), said, ‘We marry women and give them their mahr (dower). They buy whatever they want and we do not have anything to say about it.’”

“The cry (from the Heaven), the rising of as-Sufyani, the rising of al-Yamani, killing the pure innocent man and a hand appearing in the sky will be inevitable. There will be also a fright in Ramadan, which will awaken the sleepers, terrify the awake and bring the girls out of their veils.”

"I asked Abu Al-Hasan (as) about the Talbiyah and its reason. Imam (as) said: 'Indeed, when people enter Ihram, Allah (swt), Mighty and Majestic, calls out to them, saying, "My servants and handmaids, I will make you forbidden upon the Fire just as you have entered Ihram for Me." Thus, their saying, 'Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik' (Here I am, O Allah (swt), Here I am) is a response to Allah (swt), Mighty and Majestic, for His call to them.'

There will be twelve successors after me. All of them will be from the Quraysh tribe.” When the Prophet (s) returned home, Jabir ibn Samrah went to see him (s)in private and asked, “What will happen after them?” The Prophet (s) replied, “Then there will be chaos.”

I was with Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) when Al-Husayn ibn Khalid al-Sayrafi entered and said, ‘May I be your ransom! I intend to go to A’wadh.’ The Imam (a.s.) told him, ‘Stay wherever you have found health and security.’ He did not pay any attention to this recommendation and traveled towards there. Some highway robbers attacked him along the way and stole whatever he had.”

“’Isma‘il ibn abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), asked me for a gift and I gave him a Ra’Tbiy bird (a pigeon). Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), came in and said, ‘Keep this al-Ra’‘ibiy bird in the house with me for comfort.’ ‘Uthman has said, ‘I once visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when in front of him there was a pigeon for which he (the Imam) made the bread in pieces.’”

I heard the Prophet (MGB) say, ‘There will be twelve Leaders after me.’ Then the Prophet (MGB) lowered his voice. I asked my father, ‘What did he (MGB) say when he lowered his voice?’ My father said, ‘The Prophet (MGB) said, ‘They are all from the Quraysh.’”

I said to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام: Zurara has narrated something on your authority about Istita`a so we accepted it from him and considered him truthful in it, but I wish to present it to you [to confirm its validity], he said: go ahead, I said: he claims that he asked you about the words of Allah Mighty and Majestic “and pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed by Allah to the people – for whoever has the capacity to find a way to it” (3:97) so you said: [capacity means] whoever possesses provision and an animal to carry him, he said to you: whoever possesses provision and an animal then he is capable of performing Hajj even if he does not go on to perform it? you said: yes. He said: that is not what he asked me nor what I replied to him, he has lied about me by Allah, he has lied about me by Allah, may Allah curse Zurara, may Allah curse Zurara, may Allah curse Zurara, he had said to me: the one who possesses provision and an animal does he have the capacity for making the Hajj? I said: it has become obligatory upon him, he said: is he Mustati` [capable – wanting by it to infer a theological signification]? I said: no, until he is given permission [by Allah], I said: can I inform Zurara of this [conversation]? he said: yes, Ziyad said: so I traveled to Kufa and met up with Zurara, I informed him of what Abu Abdillah عليه السلام had said to me but did not include the Imam’s cursing of him, he said: verily, he [the Imam] has given me the doctrine of Istita`a without being aware of having done so, and this man of yours [al-Sadiq] is not familiar with the theological debates of the people.