العباس بن عامر

I heard Abu Ja’far al- Baqir (as) saying: “Al-Qa’im disappears before his rising.” I asked: “Why?” He said: “He fears” and he pointed with his hand at his abdomen. He meant “killing”.

Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s) said to me: “By Allah, people will be broken up like glass, however glass can be joined together again. By Allah, people will be broken up like earthen pots; which if once broken cannot be joined again. By Allah, you people shall be crushed; by Allah, you shall be sieved, like wheat is sieved from the chaff.”

“Once I was with Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as) when al-Qa’im (as) was mentioned before him. I said to him: “I hope that he (al-Qa’im) appears sooner without being preceded by the rising of as-Sufyani.” He said: “By Allah, that will not be! It is an inevitable thing.”

“When as-Sufyani conquers the five districts, then you count to him nine months (the period of his rule)” Hisham claimed that the five districts were Damascus, Palestine, Jordan, Hims and Halab.

“By Allah, you are going to be broken like glass but glass is remade and it returns as before. By Allah, you are going to be broken like the breaking of pottery but pottery is never remade as before. By Allah you are going to be sifted, to be clarified and to be purified until none of you remain save the least. (He shrank his hand.)” O people of Shia, pay much attention to these traditions narrated from Amirul Mo’mineen (as) and the infallible imams (as) after him. Ponder on them too much. They warn strongly of turning away from their Sharia by saying: “one believes in our matter in the morning and recants it in the evening or he believes in it in the evening and when morning comes he recants it.” It is a clear evidence showing neglecting the system of the imamate with all its concerns that lead to the straight path. Then Amirul Mo’mineen (as) gives an example when saying: “By Allah, you are going to be broken like glass but glass is remade and it returns as before. By Allah, you are going to be broken like the breaking of pottery but pottery is never remade as before.” Those, who believe in the doctrine of the infallible imams and then recant it and then they repent and return to the true belief when the mercy of Allah declares to them the purity of what they deny and the darkness of what they enter into, are like broken glass that it can be remade as before but those, who recant the true belief and remain in their confusion without repenting until death, are like broken pottery that cannot be remade as before because there is no repent after death.

I said to him, ‘Your Shi‘a (followers) in Iraq are many. By Allah, there is no one like you in your family. Why do you not rise (for leadership)?” The narrator has said that he said, “O ‘Abdallah ibn ‘Ata’, you have began to open your ears to silliness. Yes, by Allah, I am not your companion (the one who will rise with Divine Authority).” The narrator has said that I said to him, “Who then is our companion (the one who will rise with Divine Authority)?” The Imam (a.s.) then said, “Find out whose time and place of birth is unknown to people, such person will be your companion (the one who will rise with Divine Authority). There is no one among us towards whom people point out their fingers so much and tongues will mention him so much, but that has died in frustration or due sorrow for being neglected.”

“I came from Wassit to perform the hajj. I visited Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali (al-Baqir) (as). He asked me about the people and the markets there. I said: the people have looked forward to you. If you rise, a great number of people will follow you.” He said: “O bin Atta’, you have spread your ears to the fools. By Allah, I am not your man. None of us, who is pointed at with fingers or towards whom eyebrows are stretched, unless he is killed or he dies because of anger until Allah will send one, whose birth will be vague.” I said: “And who is he, whose birth will be vague?” He said: “See who that people do not know whether he is born or not. That will be your man.”

"When I came to Medina, I went to the house of Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (a.s). I found that his mule was saddled at the door. I sat in front of the house. He came out. I greeted him. He got down from his mule and came towards me. He asked me: 'Where are you from?' I said: 'I am from Iraq.' He said: 'Which part of Iraq?' I said: 'From Kufa.' He said: 'Who has accompanied you on your way?' I said: 'Some people of al-Muhaditha.' He asked: 'What is al-Muhaditha?' I said: 'Al-Murji'a.' He said: 'Woe unto these Murji'a! To whom will they resort tomorrow when our Qa'im (a.s) appears?' I said: 'They say: If that occurs, we and you will be the same before justice.' He said: 'Whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance; whoever conceals hypocrisy, Allah damns him, and whoever announces something of hypocrisy, his blood is to be shed.' Then he said: 'By Allah, he (a.s) will slaughter them as a butcher slaughters a sheep.' He pointed to his throat with his hand. I said: 'They say: If he appears and controls the affairs, he will not shed even a drop of blood.' He said: 'It is not as they say. I swear by Him, in Whose hand my soul is! It will be so terrible until we and you wipe blood and sweat together.' And he gestured with his hand towards his forehead."