محمد بن يحيى

I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام say: Whoever recites Qul Huwa l-Llāhu Aḥad a hundred times when he betakes himself to his bed-spread (i.e. before sleeping) - it is forgiven for him what he has committed (of sins) fifty years prior to that. Yahya said: I asked Sama’a about that, so he (i.e. Sama’a) said: Abu Basir narrated (it) to me and said ‘I heard Aba Abdillah saying that’ and he (i.e. the Imam) added: O Aba Muhammad (i.e. Abu Basir) indeed if you were to try it you will find it to be true .

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘With the existence of a mother or father or son or daughter no one else inherits except the husband and wife. The one-half share of the husband is not reduced if there are no children; and from one-fourth of a wife nothing is reduced if there are no children; but if there is a child with them then one-fourth is the share of a husband and one-eighth is the share of a wife.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a house which is not yet distributed and a certain one of the people of the house gives his share as charity. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is permissible.’ I then asked, ‘What happens if it is a grant?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is permissible.’ I then asked him (the Imam) about a man who allows another man to use his house for his lifetime. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is permissible but he cannot evict him.’ I then asked, ‘Can it be for him and those whom he leaves behind?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is permissible.’ I then asked about the case in which one gives permission to another person to use a house without the mention of time duration. He (the Imam) said, ‘He can ask him to leave if he wants him to vacate the house.’”

What is meant by ‘taking a bath often’ is taking a bath every other day. Should you take a bath every day you would lose weight.”

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the case of a man whose death approaches him on a journey. He gives his assets to a man of the merchants saying, ‘This asset belongs to so and so son of so and so. Nothing of it, little or more, belongs to me. You must give it to him, he will place it as he wants’; and he dies, but his friend to whom he has sent the asset does not know anything, there is no instruction and the friend does not know why he has done so. How must he deal with it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He can spend it as he likes when he has not received any instructions.’”

“Do you want me to teach you the root of Islam, its branch and its peak? I said, ‘Yes, may Allah take my soul in service for your cause.’ The Imam said, ‘Its root is prayer, its branch is al-Zakat (charity) and its peak is Jihad (the hard work in defense and preaching of the belief).’ The Imam then said, ‘If you want 1 can teach you about the gates to all good.’ I said, ‘Yes, please, May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, do so.’ “The Imam said, ‘Fasting is a shield against fire, charity removes sins and of the gates to good is to stand up (for worship) during the night to speak of Allah.’ He then read (the words of Allah) ‘They do not allow their sides to rest in bed (but they stand up at night to pray to Allah).”’ (32:16)

I, Hisham bin Hakam and Ali bin Yaqtin were in Baghdad, when Ali bin Yaqtin said: I was with Abdus Salih [Imam Musa Kadhim (a.s)] when his son, Ali entered. Imam (a.s) said: O Ali bin Yaqtin, this Ali, is the chief of my children and I have given to him my agnomen (both were called Abul Hasan). [In another narration:] Hisham struck his face with the palm of his hand and said: Shame on you, how can you say that? ‘By God, I heard it from him, just as I said it,’ replied Ali bin Yaqtin. ‘Then, by God, the authority is for him after (Musa),’ said Hisham.

“I asked Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), ’What is the best thing through which a servant of Allah may become closer to his Lord that is also most beloved to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious?’ The Imam replied, 'I do not know anything after knowing (knowing Allah and His religion) more excellent than this prayer. Consider what the pious servant of Allah, Jesus son of Mary has said, “He (the Lord) has advised me to pray and pay Zakat as long as I live.'"

“Al-‘ Abbas ibn Musa took me and commanded to hit my mouth, so my teeth became shaky and I could not chew food. I then saw my father in my dream. There was an old man with him whom I could not recognize. My father, may Allah grant him mercy, said to me to offer greeting of peace to him.’ I then asked, ‘Father, who is he?’ He replied, ‘He is abu Shaybah al-Khurasaniy (of companions of abu Ja‘far (a.s.)).’ I offered him greeting of peace and he asked, ‘Why do I see you in this condition?’ I replied, ‘Sinful al-‘Abbas ibn Musa commanded to hit on my mouth and my teeth have become shaky.’ He said, ‘Tie them down with cyperus.’ In the morning I rinsed my teeth with al-Sa‘d and my teeth calmed down.’”

Amir-ul-Momineen (asws) replied when he (asws) was asked, ‘Where do the clouds come from?’ He (asws) as said: ‘They are on the dense trees, on the dunes, and on the shores which are a resort for them. So if Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic Intends to Send a wind which stirs them, and Allocates Angels to these who strike it by ‘Al-makhareeq’, and it is the lightning. So they rise up’. Then he (asws) recited this verse: “[35:9] And Allah is He Who sends the winds so they raise a cloud, then We drive it on to a dead country, and therewith We give life to the earth after its death”, the Verse. And the Angel, its name is ‘Al-Ra’ad’ (The Thunder)’.

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who performs Salah (prayer) and in front of him there is an open copy of Quran. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, it is not permissible.’ I then asked, ‘What happens if it is in a cover?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, it is permissible.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘One is not to perform Salah (prayer) with a fire in front of him, or iron.’ He (the Imam) was asked about a man who performs Salah (prayer) with a chandelier hanging in his front with fire in it except that it is his view. He (the Imam) said, ‘When it is higher it is evil. One is not to perform Salah (prayer) with it in one’s view.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘It is in the book of Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) “praise comes before asking for favors. Whenever you like to pray and plead before Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, for help, speak of His glory.” The narrator has said that I asked the Imam, ‘How should we speak of His glory?’ The Imam said, ‘Say, O You Who are closer to me than my jugular veins, O the One Who does without fail as He wishes, O the One Who stands between a man and his heart, O the One Who is on a high position and the One like Whom is no creature.”’

“One of the two Imam, (abu Ja’far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has said that the waiting period for women of the following condition is three months. Of such women is one who experiences Hayd (menses) once every three, six or seven months. Another is one who experiences Istihadah and has not reach the age of experiencing Hayd (menses) also one who experiences Hayd (menses) in one month but not in the other month as well as one who has no hope to have a child. Another is one in her menopause who thinks that she is not of such age and the one who sees a yellowish discharge whose Hayd (menses) is not straight’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘He or any of his dependents should not eat from the meat of ‘Aqiqah. One-third of the meat is for al-Qabilah (the special nurse). If the special nurse is the mother of the father of the newborn or a family member, then there is nothing for such nurse. It should be made in parts, cooked and distributed. It should be given only to those who are of the people of Walayah (people who believe in the divine authority of ‘A’immah).’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Everyone can eat from the meat of ‘Aqiqah except the mother.’”

“I once went to visit ’Amir al-Mu’minin and before him (the Imam) there was roasted meat. He (the Imam) said to me, ‘Come close and eat.’ I said, ‘O ’Amir al-Mu’minin, this thing is harmful for me.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Come close. I will teach you certain words with which not even one thing will harm you of which you are afraid. Say, ‘In the name of Allah, the best of names, to the fill of the earth and sky, the Beneficent, the Merciful, the one with whose name not even one thing and illness harms.’ Now you can have lunch with us.’”

“This is about the case of a man who dies, with a will to a man, leaving behind a small son who becomes mature. He goes to the executor of the will asking him to handover to him his assets so he can marry. However, the executor of the will refuses and he goes to fornicate. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Two-thirds of the sins of fornication is upon the executor of the will because of his refusal to handover to him his assets so he can marry.’”

“The Messenger of Allah would look to every one of his companions in equal proportions of time. He would look to this and then to that person. The Messenger of Allah was never seen stretching his legs in a gathering of his companions. When he would shake hands, with a person, the Messenger of Allah would not pull back his hand before the other man. When they noticed it thereafter a man shaking hands with him would pull his hand away quickly.”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who sends his dog to catch a prey which the dog catches; but he does not have a knife to slaughter it and about if he can leave it alone for the dog to kill and eat thereof. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful because Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has said, ‘Eat what they catch for you’, but it is not proper to eat what a cheetah has killed.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If the wife of one you is pregnant, during the fourth month ask her to face al-Qiblah (al-Ka‘bah) and read verse 255 of Chapter two, then tap on her side and say, ‘O Lord, I have named him Muhammad.’ Allah will make him a boy. If he keeps the name as he had promised Allah grants him blessings but if he changes his mind about the name Allah will have the choice to decide to keep the child alive or take him back.”’

You only owe to her half of the mahr (dower).’ He said, ‘You married her during a hot hour.’”