عبد الله بن محمد بن عمارة

“Once I met abu Ibrahim (a.s.) on our way to al-‘Amrah, and I said, “‘May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, is the matter with which we deal established?” He said, “Yes, but are you established firmly?” I said, “Yes, I and my father met you at this place with abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) with his brothers present. My father said to him, “‘May Allah take my soul and the souls of my parents in service for your cause, you all of you are purified Imams. However, no one immune from death. Say to me few things that I may say to my predecessors so that they may not go astray.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Yes, O abu ‘Abdallah, these are my sons and this one is their master. He pointed to you. He has been taught laws, understanding, generosity and the knowledge of what people need, and how to settle their disputes in the matters of religion and the worldly matters. In him there are good moral qualities and good answers. He is a gate of the gates of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, and in him there is another quality that is better than all of these.” My father asked, “What that quality is, may Allah take my soul and the souls of my parents in service for your cause?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, will bring about from him the savior of this ’Umma and her blossom, her knowledge and her excellence and her wisdom. He will be the best new born and the best flourishing. Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, will spare through him lives, bring peace among the hostile parties, harmonize the divisiveness, fill up the gap of differences, clothe the naked, feed the hungry and give protection to the frightened. Through him Allah will send down rain and mercy to the servant (of His). He will be the best as an aged man and the best of the flourishing ones. His words are rules and his silence is knowledge. He clarifies for people their differences and he will administer his relative (associates) before his age of puberty.” My father asked, “May Allah take my soul and the souls of my parents in service for your cause, is he yet born?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Yes, he is born and several years have passed.” Yazid has said, “At this point a person came with whose could speak.” Yazid has said, “I then said to abu Ibrahim (a.s.), ‘Inform me just as your father informed you.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Yes, I can do so. My father lived in a time that was not like this time.” I said , “ Whoever would agree with what you said may Allah’s condemnation be up on him.” He (Yazid) has said, “The Imam (a.s.) laughed quite intensely.” Then he said, “O abu ‘Umara, I can inform you that when I came out of my house, I gave my will to my son, so and so and in public. I allowed my other sons to take part in my instructions with him but I gave my directive will to him in private and wanted him to be alone. Had it been up myself I would have placed my directive will with my son al-Qasim because of my love for him and sympathy. However, it is up to Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, who places it ((Leadership with Divine Authority) wherever He wants. The Holy Prophet (s.a.) has brought me this information. He showed him to me as well as his the people of who would be with him. Such it is with us. No one of us places his directive will to any one until the Messenger of Allah brings its news and so would my great, great, great, great grandfather Ali (a.s.). With the Messenger of Allah I saw a ring, a sword, a staff, a book and a turban. I asked, “What is it, O the Messenger of Allah ?” He replied, “The turban is the authority of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High,. The sword is the majesty of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High,. The book is the light of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High. The staff is the power of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High. The ring consists all of the above matters.” Then he said to me, “The task has left you for one other than you.” I then asked, “O the Messenger of Allah, show me which of them is he?” The Messenger of Allah said, “ I have not seen any of the Imams more impatient for the departure of this task from them more you are. Had Imamat been based on love, Isma‘il had been more beloved to your father than you were. However, that is from Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High.” Then abu Ibrahim said, “I saw all of my sons, the living and the dead. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) said to me, “This one is their master, and he pointed to my son Ali, thus, he is from and I am from him and Allah is with the people of good deeds.” Yazid has said, “Then abu Ibrahim said, “O Yazid, this a trust with you. Do not inform about it anyone other than a person of reason or a servant (of Allah) who you know is truthful. Would you be asked to testify to it you must do so as Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has said, “God commands you to return that which had been entrusted to you to the rightful owners.. .” (4:58) He also has said, “Who is more unjust than one who refuses to testify to the truth that God has given to him?. .”(2:140) He has said that abu Ibrahim then said, “ I then went close to the Messenger of Allah and asked, ‘May Allah take my soul and the souls of my parents in service for your cause, you have mentioned them in a polural form. Which one of them is them is he (the Imam)?” The Messenger of Allah said, “It is he who sees with the light of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, hears with His undesrstanding and speaks with His wisdom. He finds the truth without making mistakes, he knows ,thusm, he is not ignorant. He is taught the rules and knowledge. He is this, and he held the hand of my son , Ali. Then he said, “How little is (the time) you will be with him! When you will return from your journey (of Makka) prepare your directive will, organizes your affairs and complete whatever you intended to complete. You are about to move away from them to become the neighbors of people other than them. When you will make such a dicision call Ali to give a bath, shroud you because it will cleanse you and any thing otherwise will not be acceptable. This is a well established tradition of the past. Thereafter lie back before him and line up his brothers and uncles behind him and then command him to say Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great) nine times over you. This estblishes his position as the executor of your will and as your guardian when you still are alive. Then call all of your sons after them to bear the testimony and ask Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, to bear testimony aand Allah is a sufficient witness.” Yazid has said that abu Ibrahim (a.s.) then said to me, “In this year I will be take (to the next life) and the task (of Leadership with Divine Authority) will blong to my son Ali synonymous with Ali aand Ali. The first Ali is Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) and the othe Ali is Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.). He has received the and intelligence like the first Ali a forebearance like him, a victory like him and sufferings like his suuferings. He also received a suffering like the other Ali, a patience like him against diappointments and he must not speak soon after the death of Harun at least for four years.” “The the Imam (a.s.) said, “O Yazid, when ever you will pass through this place and meet and you will soon meet himgive him the glad news of the birth of trust worthy son to him, a protected and holy one. He will inform you of your meeting with me. You then inform him that the girl from whom this boy will be born is a girl from the family of Mary (Maria), the maiden girl of the Messenger of Allah, mother of Ibrahim. If will be able to convey my greetings to her you may do so.” Yazid has said, “After the death of abu Ibrahim I met Ali (al-Rida) (a.s.) and he began to speak to me.” He said, “O Yazid, “What do you say about performing ‘Umra (visit to Makka out of Hajj season)?” I said, “May Allah take my soul and the souls of my parents in service for your cause, it is up to you. I do not have the means to journey.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Glory belongs to Allah, We would not have asked you without first taking the rsponsibility for your exoenses.” We then left for ‘Umra until we reached that place. The Imam (a.s.) began to speak and he said, “This is the place wherein you would meet your neighbors and uncles very often.” I said, “Yes, it is true and then I related to him the story.” He then said to me, “The girl has not come as yet. When she will come I will convey his greetings to her.” Then we left for Makka and he bought her that year. Shortly afterwards she give borth to the that boy.” Yazid has said, “Brothers of Ali (al-Rida) wanted to have a part in the leadership and they became my enemies for no good reason. Ishaq ibn Ja‘far told them, by Allah, I have seen him sit so near to abu Ibrahim that even I could sit so close.”