علي بن سليمان

“I once complained before abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about rutubah (acidity) and he (the Imam) commanded me to eat thyme complete and uncrushed.”

“I wrote to the man (Imam) (a.s.), ‘What do you say about reading Salah (prayer) of Tasbih while sitting in a carriage on the back of camel?’ He wrote back, ‘If you are on a journey you can perform it (in such carriage).”’

“Abu al-Hassan, al-Awwal (a.s.), has said, ‘Feed one who is suffering from fever with the meat of al-Qabaj (a kind of partridge) because it strengthens the legs and dispels fever completely.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘There has not been any Prophet sent from Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, who did not have the fragrance of quince.’”

“I once wrote to him (in a muzmar manner) (a.s.), and asked about a person who dies in ‘Arafat. Should he be buried in ‘Arafat or moved to al-Haram (the sacred area) and which one is more proper?’ He wrote back, ‘Moving to al-Haram (the sacred area) is more proper.

“I once heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ‘It is not unlawful to eat the meat of al- Habara ’ (bustard). It is good for hemorrhoids and back-pain and it helps increase the ability to go to bed with one’s wife.’”

“I once said to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), ‘My young daughter does not experience Hayd (menses) anymore.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Apply hair dye to her head with henna; her Hayd (menses) will return.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘She followed the instruction and her Hayd (menses) came back.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Banu Israel would begin their food with vinegar and end with it but we begin with salt and end with vinegar.’”

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘What (deed) establishes belief firmly in a servant (of Allah)?’ The Imam said, ‘It is restraint from the worldly attractions (sins).’ I then asked, ‘What (kind of thing) removes belief from a person?’ The Imam said, ‘It is greed.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘A white rooster which is called afraq protects its house and seven houses around it, however, a vibration from a spotted pigeon is better than seven white roosters.”’

Ali Ibn Sulaiman Razi recounted to us on the authority of Ali Ibn Sadaqah Qummi, who said: A letter came to Muhammad Ibn Uthman Amari without any inquiry from him and commanded him to inform the people who were inquiring about the name of the Imam to either be silent and attain Paradise or either talk and be condemned to the Fire. For if they discern the name, they will spread it, and if they discover the place, they will lead others to it.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Fatimah, ‘Alayha al-Salam, said to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, ‘You have given me in marriage for a very little mahr (dower).’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘I have not given you in marriage but it is Allah who has given you in marriage from the heaven and has assigned one-fifth of the world as your mahr (dower) for as long as there are the skies and the earth.’”

There are three groups of thieves: those that block the payment of the alms-tax; those who consider it right to devour their wife’s nuptial gift; and those who borrow money and plan not to return it.”

I heard Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, say: "He who resorts to the way of obeying those who disobey Allah has no religion at all, and he who invents lie against Allah has no religion at all, and he who adopts the way of repudiating anything from the Signs of Allah, has no religion at all."

“The Prophet of God (MGB) had two rings. On one of them it was written in Arabic ‘There is no God but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God’ and on the other one it was written in Arabic ‘God Speaks the Truth.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said to say this when offering ‘Aqiqah, ‘0 Lord, it is from You and for You is what You have granted. O Lord, accept it from us on the Sunnah of Your prophet, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. We seek refuge with Allah against Satan, condemned to be stoned.’ Thereafter mention the name of the newborn , then slaughter the offering for ‘Aqiqah and say, Tor You I have spilled the blood and no one is Your partner. All praise belongs to Allah, Cherisher of the worlds. O Lord, drive away Satan, condemned to be stoned.’”

Are you an Imam?” “Yes,” said the Imam. He said: “But I have heard your grandfather say that Imam is only one who has an issue and heir.” He said: “O Shaykh, have you forgotten? This is not what he said; His Eminence, Ja’far has said something besides this. He said: No one becomes imam [true or false], but that he should have a successor, except for the [false] imam against whom Husain bin Ali (a.s) rose up. He did not have a successor.” He said: “You have said the truth, may I be sacrificed on you. I heard in the same way from your grandfather.”

I said, ‘They say that when Adam (s) first descended to the Earth in India, he (s) cried for Paradise. His tears flowed, dropped on the Earth and penetrated the Earth in the form of roots which then turned into good scent.’ The Imam (s) said, ‘It is not as they say. Eve used to tie up her hair with leaves from the trees in Paradise. When she descended to the Earth and committed a sin, then she started to menstruate. She was ordered to perform the ritual ablution. She undid her hair. The Honorable the Exalted God sent a wind which caused her hair to move around. Then God had it settle down and spread the good scent wherever the Honorable the Exalted God willed. This is the root of good scent.”

“I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), Allah has commanded me in His book and I love to obey that command. He (the Imam) asked, ‘What is that commandment?’ I replied, ‘It is the words of Allah. “Then spruce up and comply with your vows.’” He (the Imam) said, ‘Spruce up’ means visit your Imam, ‘comply with your vows’ means perform the acts of al-Hajj.’ ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan has said, ‘I visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and asked, “I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause. What is the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘Spruce up and comply with your vows?”” He (the Imam) replied, ‘It means trimming one’s mustache and nails, and so on.’ I (the narrator) then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause. Dharih al-Muharibiy narrated to me that you have said to him, “Spruce up” means visiting the Imam, “comply with your vows” means performing acts of al-Hajj.’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘Dharih has spoken the truth and you have spoken the truth. Al-Quran has apparent and hidden meanings. Who is he to bear what Dharih is able to bear?””

“I once wrote to him (the Imam), abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I do not have any children and I have assets that I inherited from my father and myself earned a certain amount, but I do not feel safe from something happening. If something happens to me and I have no children, what do you think I must do, I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause? Can I make a certain amount of it an endowment for the needy, of the oppressed brothers (in belief) or sell it and spend upon them in my lifetime? I fear that endowment may not be managed properly after I die and if I make an endowment for my own survival will I be able to eat thereof?’ He (the Imam) (a.s.), wrote, ‘I understood your letter in the matter of your assets. You cannot eat from charity (endowment), if so the law of endowment is not followed just as if you had heirs. You can sell and give as charity a certain amount of the proceeds in your lifetime. If you give as charity you can keep for yourself for your sustenance just as ’Amir al-Mu’minin had done.’”