عطاء بن السائب

And whatever is narrated from Aṭaʾ ibn Al-Saʾib, I have narrated it from Al-Husayn ibn Ahmad ibn Idris - may Allah (swt) be pleased with him - from his father, from Muhammad ibn Abi Al-Ṣuhban, from Abu Ahmad Muhammad ibn Ziyad Al-Azdi, from Aban Al-Ahmar, from Aṭaʾ ibn Al-Saʾib.

“The hour will not arise until the Mahdi from my descendants comes forth. The Mahdi will not come forth until sixty liars come forward, all of them declaring: I am a prophet.”

"When you are under oppressive rulers, then judge according to their rulings and do not expose yourselves, lest you be killed. However, if you conduct your dealings according to our rulings, it will be better for you."

`Ata’ b. al-Sa’ib informed me from Sa`id b. Jubayr from Ibn `Abbas. He said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said, when mentioning the virtues of Sha`ban to his companions with him: [This] month is honourable, and it is my month. The carriers of the Throne magnify it and recognize its right. It is a month in which the sustenance of the believers is increased, like the month of Ramadan. In it, Paradise is adorned. Surely, it was called Sha`ban because the sustenance of the believers branches out (tatasha`ab) therein. It is a month in which good deeds are doubled, rewards are seventyfold, evil deeds are rubbed away, sins are forgiven, good deeds are accepted, and the Powerful [God] boasts about His worshipers – He looks to those fasting and standing in prayer, and He boasts to the carriers of the Throne. So, `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) stood and said: May my mother and my father be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah! Describe something of its virtue so that it may increase our desire to fast and stand in prayer in it; and strive for His Majesty in it. So, the Prophet (s) said: Whoever fasts the first day of Sha`ban, Allah will record seventy deeds for him – each deed will be equivalent to one year of worship. Whoever fasts two days in Sha`ban, a perilous sin will be rubbed away for him. Whoever fasts three days in Sha`ban will be raised by seventy levels in a Paradise of pearls and rubies. Whoever fasts four days in Sha`ban, his sustenance will be widened for him. Whoever fasts five days in Sha`ban will be beloved among the worshipers. Whoever fasts six days in Sha`ban will be spared from seventy types of calamity. Whoever fasts seven days in Sha`ban will be protected from Iblis and his soldiers during his lifetime. Whoever fasts eight days in Sha`ban will not leave this world until he is made to drink from the Holy Ponds [of Paradise]. Whoever fasts nine days in Sha`ban, Munkar and Nakir will be gentle with him during the questioning. Whoever fasts ten days from Sha`ban, Allah will widen his grave by seventy armlengths. Whoever fasts eleven days in Sha`ban will have eleven towers of light upon his grave. Whoever fasts twelve days in Sha`ban, his grave will be visited by ninety-thousand angels everyday until the Trumpet is blown. Whoever fasts thirteen days in Sha`ban, the angels of the seven heavens will pray for forgiveness on his behalf. Whoever fasts fourteen days in Sha`ban, the creatures, the lions, and even the whales of the oceans will be inspired to pray for forgiveness on his behalf. Whoever fasts fifteen days in Sha`ban, the Lord of Glory will call to him: “By My majesty and My glory! I will not burn you in the Fire.” Whoever fasts sixteen days in Sha`ban, seventy oceans of the fire of Hell will be extinguished from him. Whoever fasts seventeen days in Sha`ban, all the doors of Hell will be locked from him. Whoever fasts eighteen days in Sha`ban, all the doors of Paradise will be opened for him. Whoever fasts nineteen days in Sha`ban will be given seventy thousand palaces of pearl and ruby in Paradise. Whoever fasts twenty days in Sha`ban will marry seventy thousand houris. Whoever fasts twenty-one days in Sha`ban will be welcomed by the angels; and they will wipe their wings on him. Whoever fasts twenty-two days in Sha`ban will wear seventy garments of silk and brocade. Whoever fasts twenty-three days in Sha`ban will be given a [riding] creature of light when he comes out of his grave, with which he will ride and fly to Paradise. Whoever fasts twenty-four days in Sha`ban will intercede for seventy-thousand monotheists. Whoever fasts twenty-five days in Sha`ban will be made to dissociate from hypocrisy. Whoever fasts twenty-six days in Sha`ban, Allah will write a permit for him for the Path. Whoever fasts twenty-seven days in Sha`ban, Allah will dissociate him from the Fire. Whoever fasts twenty-eight days in Sha`ban, his face will glow on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever fasts twenty-nine days in Sha`ban will receive the great pleasure of Allah. Whoever fasts thirty days from Sha`ban, Gabriel will call to him from before the Throne: “O you! Start your deeds anew, for Allah has forgiven your past and future sins”. The Majestic [God] will say: “If you had as many sins as there were stars in the sky, droplets of rain, leaves on trees, grains of sand and dust, and days in the world, I would have forgiven them for you; for there is nothing too great for Allah after your fasting of the month of Sha`ban.” Ibn `Abbas said: This is for the month of Sha`ban.

The Messenger of Allah (s) climbed the pulpit, and the people gathered. So, he (s) said: O believers! Surely, Allah has revealed to me that I will die, and my cousin `Ali will be killed. O people! I will inform you of something: if you act by it, you will be safe, but if you abandon it, you will be destroyed. Surely, my cousin `Ali is my brother and my vizier. He is my vicegerent. He is the one who speaks on my behalf. He is the Imam of the pious and the Leader of the shining believers. If you take his guidance, you will be guided, and if you follow him, you will be delivered. If you oppose him, you will be misguided. If you obey him, you will have obeyed Allah, and if you disobey him, you will have disobeyed Allah. If you pledge allegiance to him, you will have pledged allegiance to Allah, but if you renege on your allegiance to him, then you renege on your allegiance to Allah. Surely, Allah revealed the Quran to me; and he is the one who, if you disobey him, you go astray. Whoever takes knowledge from other than `Ali will be destroyed. O people! Hear my words and recognize the truth of my advice. Do not do anything after me regarding my Ahl al-Bayt except that which you have been ordered to do with regards to their protection, for they are my kin, my relatives, my brothers, and my sons. You will be grouped and asked about the Two Heavyweights, so look to how you treat them after me. They are my Ahl al-Bayt, so whoever harms them has harmed me, whoever oppresses them has oppressed me, whoever belittles them has belittled me, whoever cherishes them has cherished me, whoever honours them has honoured me, whoever supports them has supported me, and whoever lets them down has let me down. Whoever seeks guidance in other than them has belied me. O people! Fear Allah and look to what you say when you meet Him, for I am the adversary of one who harms them, and I will defeat anyone who I am the adversary of. I say this saying of mine, and I repent to Allah for me and for you.

“Two men once left something in trust with a woman and said, ‘Do not give it back unless we both are present.’ They remained absent; then one of them came to her and asked for the trust saying, ‘My friend has died.’ She refused and the argument became a great deal. She then gave it to him then the other one came and asked for the trust. She said, ‘Your friend took it saying that you have died.’ They brought it before ‘Umar who said, ‘I see that you are responsible,’ but she said, ‘We must leave it before Ali (a.s.),’ ‘Umar asked him (the Imam) to judge for them. Ali (a.s.), said, ‘She is in trust with me; you had commanded her not to give the trust to anyone of you without the presence of the other, so you must bring your friend (to get her).’ He (the Imam) did not hold her responsible. He (the Imam) said, ‘They only wanted to take away her assets.’”