علي بن الحكم الكوفي

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said, ‘In the sight of Allah there is no worship more virtuous than chastity in matters of stomach and genital organs.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), was asked about a man who leads people in Salah (prayer) and makes a mistake. He (the Imam) said, ‘Those behind him open it up for him (help to correct him).”’

“Once, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), led us in al-Maghrib Salah (prayer). He read al-M‘udhatayn (chapters 113, 114) and said that they are of al-Quran.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when a man stands up for Salah (prayer) but considers it insignificant, Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, says to His angels, ‘Look at this servant of Mine. It seems as if he thinks someone other than Me is a person in charge of fulfilling his needs. Does he not know that I am the One who fulfills all of his needs by My own hand?”’

“The Messenger of Allah (sw) performed the Dhuhr and ‘Asr prayers when the sun declined (toward the west at noontime) in congregation without any reason. He also performed the Maghrib and Isha’ prayers in congregation before disappearing of al-Shafaq (redness) without any reason to do so. The Messenger of Allah (sw) did so to make it easier for his followers.”

There are five Takbirs (saying God is Great) in the prayer over the dead. Do you know why there are five?’ I said, ‘No.’ The Imam (MGB) said, ‘The five has been derived from the five daily prayers - one Takbir from each.’”

“Once I accompanied abu al-Hassan, Musa ibn Ja‘far, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, to see some of his properties. He readied himself for noontime Salah (prayer). When he finished he bowed down to prostrate before Allah. I heard him saying with a sad voice and tears causing an unevenness of sound in his throat, ‘O Lord, I have disobeyed You with my tongue. Had You wanted, I swear by Your majesty, You could have made it dumb. I have disobeyed You with my eyes. Had You wanted, I swear by Your majesty, You could have made them blind. I have disobeyed You with my ears. Had You wanted, I swear by Your majesty, You could have made them deaf. I have disobeyed You with my hands. Had You wanted, I swear by Your majesty, You could have crippled them. I have disobeyed You with my legs. Had You wanted, I swear by Your majesty, You could have paralyzed them. I have disobeyed You with my genital organ. Had You wanted, I swear by Your majesty, You could have made it barren. I have disobeyed You with all parts of my body which You have gifted me with and this is not the way I should have returned Your favors.’ The narrator has said that I counted his saying ‘al-‘Afw’ one thousand times. He then made the right side of his face touch the ground and I heard him saying in a sad voice, T have come to You with sin and bad deeds, I have done injustice to myself so forgive me; no one is able to forgive sins except You, O my Lord’- three times. Then he made the left side of his face touch the ground and I heard him say, ‘(O Lord,) forgive the one who has bad deeds and has accumulated sins but is humble and has confessed his sins’- three times. Then he raised his head.”

“Once I said to abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), may Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, about this thing that has appeared on my face, people say that Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, does not allow it to cause suffering to one who means anything to Him.’ The Imam said, ‘No, that is not so. The fingers of the believing person among the people of Pharaoh were such that bones were visible and he would speak to people extending his hand forward: “O people, follow the messengers’” (36:20). The Imam then said, ‘When it is the beginning of the last third of the night, make Wudu’ and stand up for prayer that you (usually) perform. In the last Sajdah (prostration) of the first two Rak‘at say, “O the Most High, O the Most Great, O the Beneficent, O the Merciful, O the Hearer of the pleas for help. You are the conferrer of the good, grant al-Salah (favors) upon Muhammad and his family. Facilitate for me of the good things of this and of the good things of the next world that much which You deem proper. Divert away from me the evil of this and the next world that much that You deem proper and relieve me from this pain;’ - mention it by its name - ‘it has caused me anguish and sadness,’ and be persistent in your pleading and prayer.’” The narrator has said that before his reaching al-Kufa Allah had totally relieved him from that illness.’”

“Once Imam abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said to me, ‘Write down.’ He dictated to me the following. ‘It is of our Hadith that Allah will, justifiably, hold people accountable for what He has given and made known to them. Allah then sent His messenger to them and sent down books upon them in which He has commanded and prohibited them. He has commanded them to perform prayers and fast. The messenger of Allah (a.s.), remained sleeping until the time for prayer expired and Allah said, ‘I make you sleep and wake you up. When you wake up then perform the prayer so that they can learn if such thing happened to them what they should do.’ “It is not the way that they say, ‘If one remains asleep (at the time of prayer) one is destroyed.’ In the same way is fasting. ‘I (Allah) cause you to become ill and when I give you good health then you will make up for the fast that you missed during your illness.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said, ‘So also is, if you look at all things you will find that Allah has caused no constrictions to anyone. You will not find anyone against whom Allah may not have enough justification to hold him accountable with His wish therein. I do not say that they can do whatever they wish. “The Imam then said, ‘Allah guides and misleads.’ He further said, ‘People are not ordered to do what they are not capable of. For everything that people are ordered to do they have the capability for it and anything of which they are not capable is removed and lifted up from them but there is not much good in people.’ He (the Imam) then recited from the Holy Quran: ‘People who are weak or sick and those who do not have the means to take part in the fighting are exempt from this duty . . .’ (conditions of people exempt are mentioned) ‘Righteous people shall not be blamed. Allah is All-forgiving and All-merciful.’ (9:91) So also relieved of the duty are ‘Those who come to you (Muhammad), asking to be taken to the battle . . .’ (9:92) they do not have the means.’”