علي بن أبي المغيرة الزبيدي الأزرق

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Of the misfortunes in the worldly life is a small and congested house.’”

Once I came to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as). He said to me: What (news) do you have?” I said: “Good news about your uncle Zayd! He claims that he is a son of a bondmaid. He claims that he is al-Qa’im of this umma and that he is a son of the best of the bondmaids.” He said: “He has told a lie. He is not as what he has said. If he rises, he will be killed.”

I heard binte Hasan bin Ali (a.s) say: “The matter, for which you are waiting for, will not occur till you do not get fed up of each other, till you don’t curse each other, till you don’t spit at each other’s face and call each other disbelievers.” I (the narrator) said: “There is nothing positive about it!” He said: “There is indeed, because at that time our Qaim will reappear and all that will end.”

“I heard al-Husayn bin Ali (as) saying: “The matter that you are expecting will not occur until a time comes that you disavow each other, spit at the face of each other, declare unbelief against each other and curse each other.” I said to him: “There will be no goodness in that time!” He said: “All the goodness will be in that time. Our Qa’im will rise and do away with all of that.”

“I once said to abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, is it permissible to benefit from dead animals?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘No, it is not permissible.’ I then said, ‘It is narrated to us from the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, that he (the Messenger of Allah) passed by a dead sheep and said, “What was wrong with the owners of this sheep? If they could not benefit from its flesh why did they not benefit from its skin?”’ He (the Imam) said, ‘That sheep belonged to Sawdah daughter of Zam‘ah, wife of the Holy Prophet. The sheep was very skinny and weak and its flesh was not useful; so they left it until it died. The Messenger of Allah then said, “What was wrong with the owners of this sheep. If they could not benefit from its flesh why did they not benefit from its skin?”’

Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (as) said to me: "O Bishr, what will be the state of Quraysh when the Qāʾim al-Mahdī comes and brings forward five hundred of them and executes them by beheading? Then he brings forward another five hundred and executes them by beheading. Then he brings forward another five hundred and executes them by beheading." Bishr said: "I said to him: 'May Allah set you right, will their number really reach that amount?' Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (as) replied: 'Their master (leader) is among them.'" Bishr ibn Ghālib's brother, Bashīr ibn Ghālib, said: "I bear witness that al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī counted six sets for my brother — or he said six exact numbers (the narrations differ on this phrase)."

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said to me, “O Abā ‘Umārah! Recite a poem for me about Ḥusain (a.s.).” I recited a poem for him and he started to cry. Then I recited another poem and he cried (more). Then I recited another poem for him and he cried (even more). I swear to Allāh that I kept reciting poems for him and he kept crying, and I also heard (others) crying from inside the house as well. Then the Imam (a.s.) said to me: O Abā ‘Umārah! Anyone who recites a poem about Ḥusain (a.s.) and makes fifty people cry will be rewarded with Paradise. Anyone who recites a poem about Ḥusain (a.s.) and makes forty people cry will be rewarded with Paradise. Anyone who recites a poem about Ḥusain (a.s.) and makes thirty people cry will be rewarded with Paradise. Anyone who recites a poem about Ḥusain (a.s.) and makes twenty people cry will be rewarded with Paradise. Anyone who recites a poem about Ḥusain (a.s.) and makes ten people cry will be rewarded with Paradise. Anyone who recites a poem about Ḥusain (a.s.) and makes one person cry will be rewarded with Paradise. Anyone who recites a poem about Ḥusain (a.s.) and cries will be rewarded with Paradise. Anyone who recites a poem about Ḥusain (a.s.) and tries to cry will be rewarded with Paradise.

I said to Abī ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)), “I am a man with many illnesses and diseases and there is not any medicine that I have not tried.” Imam (a.s.) said: Why have you not used the dust (from the grave) of Ḥusain (a.s.)?! Verily it contains the cure for every disease and it is protection against any fear. When you take from it you should say: O Allāh! I ask You through the right of this clay, through the right of the angel who took from it, through the right of the Prophet who held it, and through the right of the Successor who is lying in it to send Your blessing on Muḥammad and his family and to make it my cure against every disease and my protection against any fear. Then Imam (a.s.) added: The angel who took from it was Jabra`īl who showed it to the Prophet (s.a.a.w.) and said, “This is the dust of this son of yours. Your nation will kill him after you.” The prophet who held it was Muḥammad (s.a.a.w.) and the successor who is lying in it is Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.), the Master of the Martyrs. I said, “I understand that it is a cure for every disease but how is it a protection against any fear?” Imam (a.s.) replied: If you fear a ruler or anything similar to that, do not leave your house without carrying some of the clay of the grave of Ḥusain (a.s.). When you take from it, you should say: O Allāh! This is the clay of the grave of Ḥusain, Your Walī and the son of Your Walī, and I have carried it as protection against that which I fear and that which I do not. Imam (a.s.) added, “Verily it is possible that a tragedy which you do not fear might befall you.” So I took it as he had ordered and I swear to Allāh that I became healthy. It was also my protection against that which I feared and against that which I did not fear, just as the Imam (a.s.) had said. Praise be to Allāh that I have not seen any misfortune ever since.