علي بن أحمد بن عبد الله البرقي

Whoever awakes and finds the coolness of our love upon his heart should praise Allah for the beginning of blessing. It was said: What is the beginning of blessing? So, he said: A pure birth.

Three people should not ride on a riding animal together. Should they do so, the one who is sitting ahead of the other two is cursed.”

A man came to al-Rida (AS) and enquired: “Does Your Lord have the power to place the heavens and the Earth and whatever is between them inside an egg?” Hence, he (AS) replied, Of course he can! In fact, He has placed it in something even smaller than an egg. He has placed it all in your eye, while it is smaller than an egg. For when you open it, you see the Heavens and the Earth and whatever is in between them. IF he has willed, He would have blinded you from it all.

Everything in this book that narrates the incident where a group of Jews came to the Messenger of Allah (swt), peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and asked him various questions - including when they asked: "O' Muhammad, for what reason do you perform ablution on these four limbs?" and similar questions - has been transmitted by me from Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abdullah Al-Barqi - may Allah (swt) be pleased with him - from his father, from his grandfather Ahmad ibn Abi Abdullah, from his father, from Abu Al-Hasan Ali ibn Al-Husayn Al-Barqi, from Abdullah ibn Jabala, from Mu'awiyah ibn Ammar, from Al-Hasan ibn Abdullah, from his forefathers, from his grandfather Al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon them.

Gabriel descended upon Adam (MGB) and said, ‘O Adam! I have been ordered to let you choose one of three things. Choose one and let go of the other two.’ Adam (MGB) asked, ‘O Gabriel! What are they?’ Gabriel said, ‘The intellect, shyness and religion.’ Adam said, ‘I choose the intellect.’ Gabriel told shyness and religion to return. They replied, ‘O Gabriel! We are ordered to be wherever the intellect is.’ Gabriel said, ‘Do as you please.’ And then Gabriel returned.”

Everything in this book that is narrated from Muhammad ibn Muslim Al-Thaqafi has been transmitted by me from Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Abi Abdullah, from his father, from his grandfather Ahmad ibn Abi Abdullah Al-Barqi, from his father Muhammad ibn Khalid, from Al-Ala ibn Razin, from Muhammad ibn Muslim.

He who believes in seven things is (regarded as) believer: the disavowal of the Jibt and Taghut, the declaration of the divine leadership (of the Imams), the belief of rajaa, the legality of the temporary marriage, the illegality of the (flesh of) eel, and the illegality of passing the (wet) hands over the slippers (during the ritual ablutions).

"Ten things from carrion are clean: the bones, the hair, the wool, the feathers, the horns, the hooves, the eggs, the rennet, the milk, and the teeth."

The one who wakes up at the morning, finding the coolness of our love upon his heart, let him praise Allah for the initiator of graces. It was said: And what is the initiator of graces? He said: Having a good birth.

al-Sadiq Ja`far b. Muhammad (as) said: Hope to Allah that He does not entice you to sin and be fearful to Allah that He does not deprive you of His mercy.

“There were four kings on the Earth: two of the believers and two of the atheists. The two of the believers were Solomon - the son of David (MGB) and Zul-Qarnayn. The name of Zul-Qarnayn was Abdullah ibn Zahhak ibn Ma’d. The two atheists were Nimrood and Bakht ul-Nasr.”

“Why is Divine Leadership in the lineage of Al-Husayn, and not that of Al-Hassan?” Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) replied, “Indeed the Honorable the Exalted God established Divine Leadership in the lineage of Al-Husayn (a.s.), and God cannot be questioned regarding what He does.”

Abu `Abdillah al-Sadiq (as) said: He who says “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, one without partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger (la ilaha illallah wahdahu la shareekalah, wa ashhadu anna muhammadan `abduhu wa rasuluh)” in the market, Allah records one million good deeds for him.

If you want something of good, then do not delay in it, for if a worshiper fasts on a hot day wanting what is with Allah, Allah will free him from the Fire; and if he gives in charity wanting the face of Allah, Allah will free him from the Fire.

Whoever sits with one who looks for faults in us, or compliments one who denies us, or connects with one who cuts us off, or cuts off from one who connects with us, or befriends one who opposes us, or opposes one who befriends us has disbelieved in Him who revealed the Seven Oft-Coupled verses and the Great Quran.

Abu `Abdillah al-Sadiq (as) said: Whoever says: “O Allah! Forgive the believing men and women, and the Muslim men and women (Allahummaghfir lil mu’minin wal mu’minat wal muslimin wal muslimat)” twenty-five times in a day, Allah will record [a reward] for every believer that has passed and every believer that will remain until the Day of Resurrection, and He will erase a sin from him, and elevate him by a degree.

“Verily, nothing resembles Allah. Indecent language is better than words which give the Creator a created body or image composed of parts. Exalted from these, the High, the Great.”

I asked Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) about the claim that Allah, the Mighty and High, created Adam (AS) in His Image; hence, he said: That was a recently created image. Allah favored it, and chose it over all different images. Then He attributed it to Himself like He attributed the Ka`bah and the Sprit to Himself. Thus, He said: My House.1 And said: And when I breathed into him My Spirit.2

I heard Aba Ja`far Muhammad b. `Ali al-Baqir (as) say: A man entered a mosque wherein which was the Messenger of Allah (s) and lightened (hastened) his prostration in a way that was unbefitting for a prostration. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) said: He pecked like the pecking of a crow. If he dies upon this, then he dies upon a religion other than the religion of Muhammad.

When Musa b. `Imran (as) wanted to part from al-Khidr (as), he said to him: Advise me. So, from among that which he advised him, he said to him: Beware of bickering, and of walking (traversing) without need, and of laughing without astonishment. Remember your mistakes and beware of [mentioning] the mistakes of the people.