منة

“Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not harmful to drink water after food but do not drink water excessively on things other than food.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Consider, the man who eats this much’ — he brought his hands close to each other and did not join them and did not keep them much apart - ‘then he does not drink water, his stomach may burst.’”

“Once we visited abu Ja‘far (a.s.), and he (the Imam) asked for dates which we then ate with him (the Imam), but quite a lot of it. The Imam then said that the Messenger of Allah has said, ‘I like a man who is a man of dates (likes dates).”’

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘A man wants to wash himself clean after using toilet. How should he sit?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He sits just as he does when defecating.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘He only needs to wash the outside and not the inside.’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘It is certain that a lie destroys fasting (invalidates it).’ I then said, ‘Who is he among us who is not such a person?’ The Imam said, ‘It is not as you think it is. It is forging lies against Allah, the Messenger of Allah and ‘A’immah, recipients of divine supreme covenant.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Ghusl (bath), hunut, and shroud are done for people stoned to death, male or female, prior to executing stoning, then Salah (prayer) is performed. Ghusl (bath), hunut, shrouding and Salah (prayer) for one executed because of retaliation are also done before the execution.”’

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about ‘Aynah saying, ‘Our merchants in general these days provide ‘Aynah. I like to explain how it is done. He (the Imam) said, ‘Go on and explain.’ I said, ‘A man comes who works in Musaxvamah (fixed price regardless of capital) who wants merchandise on the basis of Musawamah but we do not have any goods and he says, “I give you a profit of dah yazdah” and I say “I give dah dawazdah.” He continues bargaining and we also do so. When we complete I say to him, “Which merchandise you want me to buy for you?” He says, “I like silk because we do not find anything else less depreciating than silk.” I agree and form a contract without selling.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Is it possible that if you did not like you can refuse to give him and if he does not like he does not take from you?’ I replied, ‘Yes, it is possible. I then go and buy for him that silk and then bargain as much as I can and then I come to my home then sell it to him perhaps with an increase a little more than what is contracted, or perhaps give him for what is contracted, and perhaps we become difficult then nothing happens. ‘Then if he buys from me he cannot find anyone else asking higher price than the one, from whom I bought it, to sell to him. He comes and takes the dirhams and gives it to him or perhaps he comes with an assignment on me.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must not give it to anyone else beside the owner of silk.’ I then said, ‘Perhaps the sale does not take place between us. I ask him and he agrees.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Is it possible that if he likes, he does not do so and if you want you do not return?’ I replied, ‘Yes, it is possible. If he dies it is from my assets.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is lawful; if you do not violate the condition, then it is not unlawful.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘In Salah (prayer) for a deceased say Takbir (Allah is great beyond description), then say, “O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause,” then say, “O Lord, this is Your servant the son of Your male and a female servant. I do not know about him except good but You know more about him than I know. O Lord if he is a person of good deeds, increase his good deeds, but if he is a person of bad deeds, forgive his sins, grant him mercy, make his grave spacious and make him of the friends of Muhammad, O Allah grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause.” Then say the second Takbir (Allah is great beyond description). Then say, “O Lord, if he is a person of purity, purify him but if he is a sinner forgive him.” Then say the third Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) and say, “O Lord, do not deprive us of receiving rewards because of him and do not put us to trial after him.” Then say the fourth Takbir (Allah is great beyond description). Then say, “O Lord, write him (his name) with You among those of high status and replace him in his children whom he has left behind and make him of the friends of Muhammad, O Allah grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause.” Then say the fifth Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) and end the Salah (prayer).’”

“I once asked abu al-Hassan, Musa ibn Ja‘far, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, something about divorce. He (the Imam) said, ‘When a man divorces his wife in a manner because of which he cannot go back to her, she becomes stranger to him in the hour divorce is pronounced and she takes control of her affairs and he has no way to her. She can complete her waiting period where she wants. He does not owe her maintenance.’ He (the narrator) has said that I then said, ‘Does Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, not say, ‘. . . do not send them out of their houses and they must not go out’? He (the Imam) said, ‘It means she is divorced after being divorced. She is the one who must not be sent out of her house and must not go out of her house until the third divorce. When the third divorce is pronounced she becomes stranger to him and he does not owe her maintenance. A woman whom a man divorces once then leaves so that her waiting period is complete is the kind of woman who must stay in the house of her husband and she must be paid maintenance and lodging until waiting period is complete.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said that Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, ‘I have made the world a borrowing (place) for My servants. Whoever gives Me a loan I will return it ten times over up to seven hundred times over, and more if I so wish. Those who do not lend Me a loan I will take something forcibly from them. If they then exercise patience I will give three such rewards of which if I gave only one to My angels they would all become happy with Me.’ The narrator has said that Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) recited the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy: ‘. . . those who when suffering hardship say, “We are the servants of Allah and to Him we shall all return,” (2:156) it is they who will receive blessing, [one of the three rewards], and mercy from Allah, [the second of the three rewards], and who have recieved the right guidance (2:157) [the third of the three rewards]. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) then said, ‘This is when Allah takes something from one forcibly.’”

“I once was with abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when fresh dates were brought. He (the Imam) began to eat, drink water and gave to me the bowl of water and I disliked to decline. Therefore, I drank until he (the Imam) did it several times. I then said, ‘I experience increased phlegm, and I complained about it before Ahran, the physician of al-Hajjaj and he asked me, “Do you have palm trees in the garden?” I replied, “Yes, there are.” He asked me to name them and I named until I mentioned al- Hirun (a certain tree) and he said, “Eat seven dates thereof when going to bed and do not drink water.” I followed his instruction and I did not have any moisture in my mouth to spit. I complained before him and he said drink a small amount of water and hold back from drinking more until your condition is balanced.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘I without water do not even mind if I did not taste it.’”

“A child was born to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), in Mina’. On the day of al-Nahr (slaughtering the offering, 10th of Dhu al-Hajjah) he (the Imam) sent us sweet mix with saffron in it and we had shaved. ‘Abd al-Rahman has said, ‘I ate but abu al-Kahiliy and Murazim abstained from eating. They said, “We have not visited the House yet.” Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), had heard our conversation, and he (the Imam) asked Musadif, the messenger who had brought the sweet mix. “What were they talking about?” He replied that ‘Abd al-Rahman ate the sweet but the other two abstained saying they have not visited the House yet. He (the Imam) said, “‘Abd al-Rahman has done the right thing.” He (the Imam) then said, “Does he not remember that on such a day a similar thing was brought for us? I ate from it and my brother ‘Abd Allah abstained from eating. When my father came, he provoked him against me saying, ‘Musa just ate sweet mix with saffron in it and he has not yet visited the House.’ My father said, ‘He is more knowledgeable in fiqh than you are. Is it not the fact that you have shaved your heads?”””

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) was born thirty years after the year of elephant. He was martyred in month of Ramadan twenty first Sunday night in the year fortieth after Hijra (migration). He was sixty three years at that time. He lived for thirty years after the death of the Holy Prophet (s.a). His mother was Fatima daughter of Asad Ibrahim ibn Hashim ibn ‘Abd Manaf. He was the first person whose both parents belonged to Hashim.

“Satan analogized himself with Adam saying, “Lord, You have created me from fire and created him from clay. In an analogical explanation if the substance from which Adam was made would be compared with fire it would come to light that it has more light and value than fire.”

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), say, ‘Of the pigeon of Makkah the domesticated are different from pigeon of al-Haram (the sacred area). If one slaughters one of them and he is not in the state of Ihram his paying charity is better than its price. If he is in the state of Ihram then there is one sheep for every bird.’”

“I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about the words of Allah, Most Glorious is Whose name, ‘. . . have fear of the One by whose name you swear to settle your differences and have respect for your relatives. Allah certainly keeps watch over you.’ (4:1) “The Imam said, ‘It refers to the relatives of people. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has commanded to maintain good relations with relatives and has mentioned it with greatness. Consider that He has placed it next to His own name together with piety.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the swine which comes out of water and passes on the road while water falls from it. What happens if I walk bare foot over such areas? He (the Imam) asked. ‘Are not there certain dry spots behind it?’ I replied, ‘Yes, there are such spots.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not harmful. Certain parts of earth cleanse other parts.’”

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about raisins; if it can be boiled to extract its sweetness, then that water is boiled until its two-thirds are evaporated and only one-third is left; then it is taken away to use for drink during the year. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful.’”

��I once heard abu Ja‘far (a.s.), saying, ‘There is no goodness in one who is born out of wedlock, not in his skin, his hair, his flesh, his blood and not in anything of him, the Ark (of Noah) failed to carry him even though dogs and pigs had embarked therein.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who passed through Miqat (place for assuming the state of Ihram). He forgot or was ignorant; so he did not assume the state of Ihram until he entered Makkah, then he was afraid of not being able to come back in time for al-Hajj . He (the Imam) said, ‘He must go outside al-Haram (the sacred area) to assume the state of Ihram and it is sufficient.’”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said that a man once visited Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), and found him sitting on a camel-load of date stones. He asked, ‘What is it on which you are sitting, O abu al-Hassan?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is a hundred thousand palm trees, by the will of Allah.’ He planted them and not one date stone failed sprouting.’”