Trusty of Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) in Samarra in Iraq

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: Welcome my dear friends. Do you know me and my story? Well, I think you don't. I will tell you but you have to pay attention to what I will say.

My name is Abu al-Adian al-Basry. I am from Basrah in Iraq. I was a servant for my master Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) in Samarra in Iraq. My mission was bringing the letters which were written by my master Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) to his Shias and lovers. Similarly make sure the letters written by his Shias were reaching to Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) from everywhere. Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) trusted in me so much, therefore, he gave me this mission.

In Safar 260 AH/874 AD, Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) fell ill because of the poison, which was given to him by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutamid. Therefore, Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) called me.

When I entered, I saw Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) was in front of Qiblah in the bed.

Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh): Abu al-Adian, take this letter to a person who is called Ahmad bin al-Hasan in Madain and give him this packet and wait for his reply.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: Ok my lord, but what if I don't find him or get no reply?

Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh): Don't come back until you get the reply. Some of my Shias will give you some letters to bring them to me.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: Do I bring them?

Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh): Yes, and you have to know that you will come back after fifteen days. In the day of your coming back, you will hear the sound of cry from my home.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: For what my lord?

Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh): Because I will die before your entrance to Samarra. You will find me lying in the mortuary.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We are to God, and we are to Him returning). I can't stand without you my lord.

Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh): Do what I have ordered you to do.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: But if that happen, to whom should I give the letters?

Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh): Give them to the person who will ask them from you.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: How will I know him?

Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh): I'll give you another sign. The person who prays on me is the Imam after me.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: Is there another sign?

Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh): The person who will tell you what is in the yellow packet is the Imam after me.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: You know, the Imam introduced to me three signs of the coming Imam, but the Imam's awe didn't let me to ask him about another sign. Now you have to remember these signs. Well, they are:

First: He should request the letters from, which I bring them with me from Madain.

Second: He should be the person who prays on Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) after his death.

Third: He should know how much money is in the yellow packet.

After that, I left Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) and then, I left Samarra. I moved toward Baghdad. I stayed in Baghdad for a day and a night. Then, I moved toward Madain in the next day. Madain is an ancient city, which is near to Baghdad. It contains the shrine of Salman al-Mohamady and Iwan Kasra.

When I arrived there, I asked about Ahmad bin al-Hasan. When I found him, I gave him the letter. Ahmad bin al-Hasan kissed the letter, put it on his eyes, and passed it on his face. He entered me his house and stayed there for a few days. I was thinking about my lord Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh). Then, Ahmad bin al-Hasan asked me to move to the house of one of his followers, because of the fear from being discovered. When the lovers and the Shias of Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh) knew my being in Madain, they started visiting me secretly and writing letters, and they asked me to bring the letters to Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh). When the time was over, Ahmad bin al-Hasan gave me the reply of the Imam's letter. Then I took it and returned to Samarra. I entered there at 8th Rabi al-Awal in 260 AH/874 AD, and it was the fifteenth day since my exit from Samarra like the Imam's saying.

When I reached near the door of the home, I heard the sound of crying from the home, then I entered and I saw the Imam in the mortuary. I cried a lot. When I saw Jafar bin Ali the brother of Imam al-Hasan al-Askary (pbuh), was at the door of the home and people were mourning his brother's death and were greeting him for his being Imam. I told myself: If Jafar is the Imam, so the imamate became invalid, because I know Jafar well, he was stealing in the castles and was drinking wine and was gambling and playing with the music instruments.

I walked toward him, mourned his brother's death, and greeted him for his being Imam, but he didn't ask me anything. Then the servant got out of the home.

The servant: My lord! Your brother was enshrouded. Come and pray on him.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: Jafar bin Ali, the Shias and the people entered the home. They saw Imam al-Hasan al-Askary's (pbuh) body in the pall. Jafar walked forward to pray on his brother. He was going to say Allah Akbar, but a little brown boy, came out from inside and caught the Jafar's clothes.

The child: Go back uncle; I have the right to pray on my father more than you.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: It was a shock for Jafar bin Ali, so he moved back, but the characters of his face got changed. The child moved forward and prayed on his father as well as possible. Then, he carried the pall and buried the hilly body beside his grandfather Imam Ali al-Hadi (pbuh). The child looked at me.

The child: al-Basry! Give me the letters, which you had brought them with you.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: I gave him the letters and I told myself that two signs have done but one. Then, I walked toward the door and I saw Jafar bin Ali and some of the Shias, which surrounded him, were shocked.

One of the Shias: My lord! Who is the child who prayed on your brother?

Jafar bin Ali: I swear I never had seen him before and I don't know him.

A Shia: Why don't we ask him to be a proof on him?

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: While people were talking to each other, a group of people arrived. It was clear that they were in a long journey. The group contained an old doyen. The doyen moved forward and greeted Jafar bin Ali; He replied.

The doyen: We are from Qom and we are Imam al-Hasan al-Askary's (pbuh) shia. We came to ask about him.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: When they knew about his death, they started crying.

The doyen: Now, after the Imam's death, whom we mourn?

Jafar bin Ali: I am his brother Jafar bin Ali and the Imam after him.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: The doyen started mourning his brother's death and greeting him for being Imam.

The doyen: If you are the Imam after him, so tell us the name of the letters' writer, which I brought them with me, and how much money is in this yellow packet. If you answer the questions, so you are the real Imam after him.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: Jafar bin Ali stood up while he was shaking his clothes and said: You want me to know prescience? A servant got out of the home, started saying the names of the letters' owner, requested the yellow packet, and said: It contains one thousand and ten dinars. Then, they gave him the letters and the packet.

The doyen: you're right; Who has sent you?

The servant: Imam al-Mahdi al-Hujjah bin al-Hasan (pbuh) has sent me.

Abu al-Adian al-Basry: When Jafar bin Ali heard that, he went to the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutamid and told him the story. Therefore, the knights and the soldiers attacked Imam al-Mahdi al-Hujjah bin al-Hasan's (pbuh) home to catch him, but he got hidden.