علي بن علي

17 – Ismāʿīl b. ʿAlī b. ʿAlī, al-Diʿbilī [ibn Akhī Diʿbil]. He resided in Wāsiṭ, and was responsible for its treasury. He was a liar, fabricator of ḥadīths. What he narrates from his father from al-Riḍā عليه السلام is not regarded, nor is other than that (to be regarded), nor what he authored.

“I came to Imam Hasan Askari (a.s) at Samarrah and congratulated him for the birth of his son, Qaim (a.s).”

“Give seventy Dinars to Hassan ibn Ali ibn Ali ibn al-Hussein known as Aftaes, and so on.” Then she asked him: “Will you also give to one who attempted to attack you with a knife?” He said: “Have you not read the Quran?” She said: “Yes.” He said: “Have you not read the Almighty God's statement: “Those who join together those things which God hath commanded to be joined, hold their Lord in awe, and fear the terrible reckoning.” [The Holy Quran: Ra'd 13:21]

"I was with Abu Abdullah (as), when death approached Him (as), and he fell unconscious. When He (as) regained consciousness, He (as) said: "Give Hasan ibn Ali ibn Ali ibn Al-Husayn (who was known as Al-Aftas) 'seventy dinars.'" I said: "Will you give to a man who once raised a blade against you?" Imam (as) replied: "Woe to you! Do you not read the Qur'an?" I said: "Yes." Imam (as) said: "Have you not heard the saying of Allah (swt), the Mighty and Glorious: 'And those who join that which Allah (swt) has commanded to be joined and fear their Lord (azj) and dread the terrible reckoning'" (Surah Ar-Ra'd 13:21).

When the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, fell seriously ill in his last days, he once woke up while we were crying around him. So he said: "What makes you cry?" We said: "O Prophet of Allah, we are crying helplessly, we cry because you will soon leave us behind, and the heavenly news will cease to come to us. And we cry over the fate of the Ummah after you have gone." The Prophet, peace upon him and his progeny said: "Be it clear to you that you will be suppressed and weakened after I have gone."

I was present at the time of the passing away of Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s) when the Imam was in a swoon in his last moments. After that he regained his consciousness and gave seventy dinars to Hasan bin Ali bin Husain – or the same Hasan Aftas – to give such and such amount to so and so person and such and such amount to so and so person. I asked: Would you give money to one who attacked you and wanted to slay you? He replied: Don’t you want me to be one, about whom Almighty Allah has said: “And those who join that which Allah has bidden to be joined and have awe of their Lord and fear the evil reckoning.” (13:21) Yes, O Salima, Allah, the Mighty and Sublime has created Paradise and purified and made it fragrant in such a way that the fragrance of Paradise reaches upto a distance of two thousand years’ of travel, but it will not reach to those who are disowned by parents and those who cut off relationships.

I was with Amir al-Mu’minin `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) in Hira when we came across a monk striking the bell of his monastery. So, `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) said: O Harith! Do you know what this bell is saying? I said: Allah, His Messenger, and the cousin of His Messenger know best. He said: He strikes like this world and its ruin, and it says: “There is no god but Allah, truly, truly, verily, verily. Surely, this world has deceived us and busied us. We have become capricious and astray. O son of this world – easy, easy! O son of this world – reduce, reduce! O son of this world – gather, gather! This world will be annihilated, century after century. Not a day passes except that it weakens our pillars. We have lost the abode that remains, and we have taken residence in the abode that perishes. We will not know what we have left until we die.” Al-Harith said: O Amir al-Mu’minin! Do the Christians know this? He said: Had they known this, they would not have taken the Messiah as a god besides Allah. He said: So, I went to the monk and I said to him: By the right that the Messiah has upon you – strike the bell from the side that you have struck it. He said: So, he began striking it, and I said [the earlier saying] letter by letter until I reached “until we die.” So, he said: By the right of your Prophet – who informed you of this? I said: The man who was with me yesterday. So, he said: Does he have a relation to the Prophet? I said: He is his cousin. He said: By the right of your Prophet – did he hear this from your Prophet? He said: I said: Yes. So, he converted to Islam, then said to me: By Allah! I saw in the Torah that there will be a final prophet who will interpret what the bell says.

I was with the Messenger of Allah (s) and two men from among his companions on a dark night when the Messenger of Allah (s) said to us: Go to the door of `Ali. So, we went to the door of `Ali (as), and one of us knocked on it gently. `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) came out to us dressed in two woolen garments, and the sword of the Messenger of Allah (s) was in his hand. So, he said to us: Did something happen? We said: Good. The Messenger of Allah ordered us to come to your door, and he is coming. The Messenger of Allah (s) came froward and said: O `Ali. He said: I am at your service. He said: Tell my companions about what happened to you yesterday. `Ali (as) said: O Messenger of Allah! I am embarrassed. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) said: Allah does not cause embarrassment from the truth. `Ali (as) said: O Messenger of Allah! I was afflicted with janaba yesterday from Fatima the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, so I sought water in the house, but I did not find water. So, I sent al-Hasan here and al-Husayn there. They took a long time, so I lay on my back. Then, a voice from the darkness of the house said: Stand, `Ali, and take the pail and bathe. So, I found a bucket full of water with a veil of silk atop it. So, I took the bucket and bathed, and I wiped my hands on the veil. I returned the veil to the top of the bucket, and then it was taken by the wind. A drop fell from the bucket and landed on my head; and I felt its coolness on my heart. So, the Prophet (s) said: Bravo, bravo, Ibn Abi Talib. Gabriel has become your servant. As for the water, it is from the river of al-Kawthar. As for the bucket and the veil, they are from Paradise. This is what Gabriel informed me of, this is what Gabriel informed me of, this is what Gabriel informed me of.

Ali ibn Musa ibn Ja’far Al-Ridha (MGB) regarding what is said about the Al-Aftas clan. The Imam (MGB) said, “The Honorable the Exalted God brought about twelve clans from the Children of Israel - that is Jacob the son of Isaac the son of Abraham (MGB). God established Prophethood and the Book amongst them. God also generated twelve clans from the progeny of Al-Hassan (MGB) and Al-Hussein (MGB) - the sons of the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (MGB) and the Blessed Fatimah (MGB) who was the daughter of God’s Prophet (MGB).” Then the Imam (MGB) added by naming the twelve clans from the Children of Israel as follows, “Reuben - the son of Jacob; Simeon - the son of Jacob; Judah - the son of Jacob; Isaac - the son of Jacob; Zebulun - the son of Jacob; Joseph - the son of Jacob; Benjamin - the son of Jacob; Naphtali - the son of Jacob; Dan - the son of Jacob.”He (MGB) added, “And six clans were brought about from the progeny of Al-Hassan (MGB). They are the clan of Al-Hassan ibn Zayd ibn al-Hassan ibn Ali; the clan of Abdullah ibn al-Hassan ibn al-Hassan ibn Ali; the clan of Ibrahim ibn al-Hassan ibn al-Hassan ibn Ali; the clan of Al-Hassan ibn al-Hassan ibn al-Hassan ibn Ali; the clan of Davood ibn al-Hassan ibn Ali; and the clan of Ja’far ibn al-Hassan ibn al-Hassan ibn Ali. All the progeny of Al-Hassan ibn Ali (MGB) come from them. Then he (MGB) counted the clans brought about from Al-Hussein ibn Ali (MGB) as follows: the clan of Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir ibn Ali ibn al-Hussein; the clan of Abdullah ibn al-Bahir ibn Ali; the clan of Zayd ibn Ali ibn al-Hussein; the clan of Al-Hussein ibn Ali ibn al-Hussein ibn Ali; the clan of Umar ibn Ali ibn al-Hussein ibn Ali; and the clan of Ali ibn Ali ibn al-Hussein ibn Ali. These are the six clans which the Honorable the Exalted God brought about from Al-Hussein ibn Ali (MGB).”

We were with the Messenger of Allah (s) one day when he said: I saw astonishing things yesterday. He said: So, we said: O Messenger of Allah! What did you see? Tell us – may we, our families, and our children be your sacrifice. So, he said: I saw a man from my Nation – when the Angel of Death came to take his soul, his goodness to his parents came and prevented it from occurring. I also saw man from my Nation – when the punishment of the grave came to him, his ablution came and prevented it from him. I also saw a man from my Nation who was surrounded by devils – when the remembrance of Allah came, it delivered him from them. I also saw a man from my Nation who was panting and surrounded by the angels of punishment – so his prayer came and prevented him from them. I also saw a man from my Nation who was panting and thirsty. Every time he would come to a pond, it would be prevented from him. Then, the fasting of the month of Ramadan came, fed him, and quenched him. I also saw a man from my Nation trying to gather with the prophets – every time he came to one, he was refused. So, bathing from sexual intercourse came, took him by the hand and sat him next to me. I also saw a man from my Nation with darkness before him, behind him, to his right, to his left, and beneath him – bogged down in darkness. So, his Hajj and `Umra came to him and took him out of darkness and brought him into light. I also saw a man from my Nation trying to speak to the believers, but they did not speak to him. So, his connecting with blood-relatives came to him and said: “O believers! Speak to him, for he would connect with his blood-relatives.” So, the believers spoke to him, made room for him; and he was among them. I also saw a man from my Nation who feared the glare and the evil of Hell, so his charity came, and it shaded his head and covered his face. I also saw a man from my Nation who was taken by the angels of punishment from all directions. Then, his enjoining of established virtues and prohibiting of evil (amr bil ma`ruf wa nahi `an al-munkar) took him out of their midst and took him to the angels of mercy. I also saw a man from my Nation who was on his knees with a veil between him and the mercy of Allah. So, the beauty of his character came, took him by the hand, and brought him into the mercy of Allah. I also saw a man from my Nation whose Book was placed to his left; so, his fear of Allah came and placed the Book to his right. I also saw a man from my Nation whose Scale was lightened, so his children who passed away before him came and made his Scale heavier. I also saw a man from my Nation standing at the edge of Hell, so his hope in Allah came and saved him from that. I also saw a man from my Nation fall into the Fire, so, the tears that he cried out of humility before Allah came and took him out of it. I also saw a man from my Nation trembling on the Path just as a ringworm trembles on the day of a storm. So, his good opinion of Allah came, stabilized him; and he passed through the Path. I also saw a man from my Nation creeping, crawling, and hanging on the Path – so his prayer came, stood him up on his feet; and he passed through the Path. I also saw a man from my Nation reaching the Gates of Paradise as though he came to a locked door; so, his sincere testimony that there is no god but Allah came and opened the gates; and he entered Paradise.