سفيان بن إبراهيم بن مرثد الأزدي الجريري

I heard Ja’far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him say: "Tests and trials begin with us and then with you, and the times of ease begin with us and then with you. And by the oath of Him where oath is usually taken, Allah will triumph through you the way He triumphed through the stones (of clay)." (Refer to Surah al-Fil).

The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.) ordered me to love Ḥasan and Ḥusain (a.s.). Therefore, I love them and I love those who love them because of the Messenger of Allāh’s love for (Ḥasan and Ḥusain (a.s.)).

“And by the Lord of the heavens and the earth! it is most surely the truth, just as you do speak.” (51:22-23) “This is the verse of the Qaim from Aale Muhammad (a.s) and the following verse is about him: Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He made rulers those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion, which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; they shall serve Me, not associating aught with Me…” (24:55)

I heard Zaid bin Ali bin Husain (a.s) say, “The Awaited Savior is from the progeny of Husain Ibn Ali, from the children of Husain and from the heirs of Husain. Husain is the victim, about whom Allah said: “…and whoever is slain unjustly, We have indeed given to his heir…” (17:33) His heir is a man from his progeny, from his children. Then he recited: “And he made it a word to continue in his posterity…” (42:28) “…authority, so let him not exceed the just limits in slaying…” (17:33) Zaid (a.s) said: “His authority is in his proof over all God’s creation, so much so that his proof will prevail over all people and no one will have a reason against him.”

I heard the Messenger of Allah (s) say from the pulpit: Mahdi is from my descendants and Ahle Bayt (a.s). He would stage an uprising in the last period of time. The sky will send down rain for him and the earth would put forth its vegetation for him. He would fill the earth with justice and equity just as others would have fraught it with injustice and oppression.

There are ten parts in blessedness. Nine-tenths are in commerce and the next one-tenth is in the skin.”The compiler of the book - may God be pleased with him - asked, “What is meant here by the skin is the skin of sheep. This is certified by another narration which has been cited on the authority of God’s Prophet who said, ‘The nine portions of one’s sustenance comes from commerce and the last part is in the skin - that is the skin of sheep.’”

Sufyan Jurairi that he said: I heard Muhammad bin Abdur Rahman Ibn Abi Laila say, “By Allah, the Mahdi will not be, but from the progeny of Husain (a.s).”

“During the rule of the Abbasids there will be ease and wealth. Their state will be so strong that even if the Turks, the Daylams, the Sindese, the Indians, the Berbers and the Taylasanese unite together, they will not shake it. They will still live at ease until their followers and commanders deviate from them and until Allah empowers a severe man, who will rise from the place, in which their rule has been established. He will conquer every town he passes by. He will defeat every army standing against him. He will remove every ease and wealth. Woe will be upon whoever resists him. He will still do so until he triumphs. Then he will deliver his victory to a man from my progeny, who will say the truth and will act according to the truth.”

I entered the Ka'ba with my father, and so he prayed on the red marble between the two pillars and said: It was in this place that the people agreed that if the Messenger of Allah (s) were to die or be killed, then the matter (i.e. rulership) would never be given to someone from his Ahl al-Bayt. He (al-Harith) said: I said: And who were they [that agreed upon this]? He said: They were the first, the second, Abu Ubaydah b. al-Jarrah and Salim b. al-Habibah. [Translation not by Muhammad Sarwar]

he heard his father say: “Nafse Zakiyyah (the pure soul) is a young man from the Progeny of Muhammad (s), his name is Muhammad bin Hasan, who would be killed without any crime and sin and when they slay him, they shall neither have any excuse in the heavens nor would they have any friend in the earth. At that time the Almighty Allah will send the Qaim of Aale Muhammad with a group that in the view of the people would be softer than antimony. When they come out, the people will weep at their condition as they would think that they would very soon be eliminated at the hands of the enemies. However, the Almighty Allah will conquer the easts and the wests of the earth for them. Know that they are the true believers. Know that the best of the Jihads shall be in the last period of time.”

I heard Amir-ul- Momineen (asws) again and again, and he (asws) was saying with his (asws) fingers clasped at each other: ‘My (asws) ease is my (asws) constraint, and my (asws) constraint is my (asws) ease’. Then said; ‘Destroyed are the expectants who expect it now, and rescued are the expectants who expect it soon and are steadfast upon their pegs. I swear by Allah (azwj) by a true oath that after the grief would be a wonderful victory (Al-Qaim (asws))’.

Indeed, we wish that this matter remains in you and that none quarrel with you over it, ever. Then he said: Far is such from the truth – in a speech of his – how could that be when you will be afflicted with the bald? They said: O Commander of the Believers, and what is the bald? He said: Your property will be taken forcibly, and you will not prevent (it from happening).

“Our state is the last of the states, no House will remain, except that it would rule before us, so that no one gets an opportunity to say when they observe our acts: If we had ruled, we would have also acted in the same way. It is the word of Allah, the Exalted: “…and the end is for those who guard (against evil).” (7:128)