`A§§¡r Naysh¡b£r¢
In praise of Ibn Mu¦ammad, Ja`far al-¯¡diq
(He is) the king of the nation of the Chosen Prophet, proof of prophethood, truthful agent, scholar of research, fruit of the hearts of Allah’s Favorites, dear child of prophets, explicator of `Al¢, inheritor of prophet, mystic lover, Ja`far al-¯¡diq (a.s). We have already said that we need a separate book to give the full account of prophets, companions and Ahl al-Bayt. Since Ja`far al-¯¡diq (a.s) is one of Ahl al-Bayt, a wayfarer and is reported on more occasions, we will say a few words about him.
Those who follow Imam al-¯¡diq are Twelvers; that is a Sh¢`ite Muslim who believes in the Imamate of Twelve Imams. If we wish to use just one epithet to describe his character, the truthful (unaffected) would be the best. He was trustworthy and a perfect leader. He was the guide of spiritual followers, the Imam of Muslims, a man of letters, mentor of Divine lovers, prayer leader, the most noble of the pious, a man of truth, and a peerless interpreter of the Holy Qur’¡n. He has quoted Imam al-B¡qir on many occasions. It is strange that the Twelvers have this impression that Sunni Muslims have nothing to do with Ahl al-Bayt. This is a wrong impression. I know that whoever believes in Mu¦ammad but does not believe in his offspring does not truly believe in Mu¦ammad. A Shafiite love for Ahl al-Bayt was to the extent that he was accused of being heretic hence put in jail. He too composed a line of poem saying:
لَوْ كَانَ رَفْضاً حُبُّ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ فَلْيَشْهَدِ الثَّقَلأنِ أنِّي رَافِضِي
If love for Mu¦ammad’s Family is heresy, let all jinn and men testify to my heresy.
{ { {
It has been reported that once D¡w£d al-±¡’¢ came to Imam al-¯¡diq (a.s) saying, “O son of Allah’s Messenger! Give me a piece of advice, for my heart has turned black. You have an excellence over all creatures hence you have a right to give us pieces of advice.” The Imam said, “Ab£-Sulaym¡n! I fear that on the Judgment Day my great grandfather will reproach me as to why I have not observed the right of adherence. Only Allah is the most deserving of all treatments and dealings.” D¡w£d burst into tears and said, “O Allah! One whose entire being is from the Holy Prophet, whose constitution is based on proof and reason, whose grandfather is Allah’s Messenger and whose mother is the All-chaste Lady is this much humble; can D¡w£d be proud of his deed!
{ { {
It is reported that they saw al-¯¡diq wearing a precious fur coat. They said, “O Son of Allah’s Messenger! This is not becoming for Ahl al-Bayt!” The Imam took the hand of the person into his sleeve. He had worn coarse woolen clothes stinging the arm. Al-¯¡diq (a.s) said,
هَذَا لِلْحَقِّ وَهَذَا لِلْخَلْقِ!
“This is for Allah, and that is for people.”
In praise of Imam Mu¦ammad al-B¡qir (a.s)
(He is) the proof of the people of dealings with Allah, reason of the people of vision, Imam who is the offspring of the prophet, chosen of the followers of `Al¢, companion of the manifest and hidden, Ab£-Ja`far Mu¦ammad B¡qir whose other name was Ab£-`Abdull¡h and he was called al-B¡qir.
He was known as well-versed in all sciences, knowledge, and fine points. He was renowned for argumentation and demonstrative proof. Commenting on this holy verse:
Whoever disbelieves in Shaitan and believes in Allah…
Imam al-B¡qir says: What deters you from Allah is Satan. Behold, which veil has kept you from Him. Try to remove that veil, for one who has a veil before his eyes cannot claim nearness to Allah.[1]
Mu¦ammad al-Ghazz¡l¢
Ab£’l-°asan Mad¡’in¢ reports: °asan, °usayn and `Abdull¡h ibn Ja`far—may Allah be pleased with them all—were on pilgrimage to Mecca. Leaving their camel load in a place, they went to an Arab old woman hungry and thirsty. They asked her, “Do you have anything for drink?” She said, “Yes, I do.” She milked her sheep and gave them milk. Again they asked, “Do you have anything to eat?” The old woman said, “I have no food but you can slaughter the sheep and eat it.” So, they slaughtered the sheep and ate of it, saying, “We are from the tribe of Quraysh. When we go back from pilgrimage, come to us. We will treat you nicely.” Then they left. When the old woman’s husband came home, he became angry saying, “You have given the sheep to people you do not know.” After a while, the old woman and her husband came to Medina out of poverty. They had to pick up droppings of camels and sell them to make their ends meet. One day when the old woman was passing through the alley, °asan who was sitting at the door noticed her and said, “Do you know me?” She said, “No, I do not.” °asan said, “I am the one whom you hosted.” He then ordered a thousand sheep and a thousand Dinars to be given to her and then he sent her along with his servant to °usayn. “What did my brother give to you?” °usayn asked. She replied, “A thousand sheep and a thousand Dinars.” °usayn gave her the same.”[2]
Addressing Lady F¡§imah, the Holy Prophet said, “I give you the good news that you are the doyenne of the women in Paradise.” F¡§imah said, “What are ªsiyah and Mary then?” Allah’s Messenger said, “Each of them was the doyenne of the women of her time; but you are the doyenne of all women in the world. You are all in houses, adorned with precious stones with no suffering or preoccupation.” Then, Allah’s Messenger said, “I have given you in marriage to my cousin who is a master in this world and the master of my ummah in the Hereafter.”[3]
{ { {
Whenever `Al¢ ibn °usayn performed ablution for prayer, he would look pale in face. When he was asked about it, he would say, “Do you not know before whom we are standing?”[4]
{ { {
One day when `Al¢ ibn °usayn was on his way to mosque, a man swore at him. The servants made an attempt to do something but the Imam said, “Stop it! What is hidden to you from us is more! Are you in need of anything?” The man was ashamed. So `Al¢ ibn °usayn gave him a thousand Dirhams and a garment. The man was going away saying, “I bear witness that he is but the son of Prophets.”[5]
Ab£-Sa`¢d Ab£’l-Khayr
B¡b¡ °asan was prayer leader of our spiritual guide (Sheikh), Ab£-Sa`¢d. Under the Sheikh, Sufis followed his leadership. One day when he was performing the Morning Prayer, he came to qun£t (Communion) saying, “Blessed and Exalted is our Lord, greetings be upon Mu¦ammad.” He went into prostration. When he completed his prayer, our Sheikh asked him, “Why did not you send greeting upon the Household of Mu¦ammad, and why did not you say: O Allah send greetings upon Mu¦ammad and upon the Household of Mu¦ammad?” Baba said, “The companions have different opinions as to whether or not to say ‘The Household of Mu¦ammad’ in the first tashahhud’ and qun£t and to be on the safe side, I did not say it.” Our Sheikh said, “We will not attend any assembly where the names of Mu¦ammad’s Household are no mentioned.”[6]
{ { {
Our Sheikh has reported: A Jew came to Am¢r al-Mu’min¢n `Al¢ (a.s), asking, “Who is Allah the glorified?” At this question, the Imam’s face turned pale saying, “Allah existed without the attribute of ‘existence’ and without the quality as He exists forever. Nothing precedes Him, for He is before everything. He is infinite. He exceeds all extremes. Did you understand, Jew?” The Jew said, “I bear witness that whoever says anything but this is false. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.”[7]
Our Sheikh, Ab£-Sa`¢d, said: I saw in dream that whoever sends greetings upon Allah’s Messenger a thousand times every Friday night will see him in his dream. We repeatedly did so and saw the Holy Prophet in our dream with F¡§imah sitting near him. He was rubbing his hand on the head of F¡§imah saying, “This is the doyenne of the women of the worlds.”[8]
Mustaml¢ Bukh¡r¢
`Al¢ ibn Ab£-±¡lib is the master of the mystics. The ummah unanimously agree that he has the authority of all prophets, for he has said that which no one has ever said and no one will ever say.
{ { {
°asan ibn `Al¢ was given poison six times. On five occasions, the poison was not effective but on the sixth time, it was when °usayn ibn `Al¢ came to his bed saying, “O brother! Tell me who has given you poison, so that I will take complete vengeance on him!” °asan said, “O my brother! Neither my father `Al¢ nor my mother F¡§imah nor my grandfather Mu¦ammad nor my grandmother Khad¢jah nor any of our Household was talebearer. If Allah forgives me on the Judgment Day, I will not enter Paradise unless I forgive one who gave me poison.”
{ { {
One day, °asan was eating a piece of bread. At this moment, a man came to him saying, “I have a debt of ten thousand Dirhams.” °asan said, “Give him ten thousand Dirhams to pay his debt.” They gave the money to the man and he went away.
{ { {
To say something about the morality of °usayn, one day when he was having his food, a slave girl was standing over his head with a bowl in her hand. Suddenly, the bowl fell off her hand. °usayn had a look at her. The slave girl quoted a section of the holy verse, “Those who restrain the anger.” °usayn said, “I forgive you.” The slave girl added, “And Allah loves the benefactors.” °usayn said, “You are free for the sake of Allah.”
What can we say about the virtues and excellent qualities of those who are parts of the Holy Prophet?”
Abul °asan Hajw¢r¢ Ghaznaw¢
A few words in praise of Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt enjoy a high rank for having been purified. Each of them has an excellence in spirituality and they are all models among their own tribe. I wish to mention parts of their virtues, Allah willing.
The dear one of the Holy Prophet, the sweet basil of the well-pleased Imam, the apple of the eye of the Luminous Lady, Ab£-Mu¦ammad al-°asan ibn `Al¢—May Allah honor his dignity—was well-versed in the spiritual path and interested in the delicate points. When determinists took over and people of seclusion were dispersed across the world, °asan al-Ba¥r¢ wrote a letter to °asan ibn `Al¢ (a.s) saying:
Peace of Allah be to you, son of Allah’s Messenger and apple of his eye. Mercy and blessing of Allah be to you. You, members of Ban£-H¡shim, are like ships floating on seas and you are like shining stars and guidance. Whoever follows you will be rescued, like those who were aboard Noah’s Ark. O son of Allah’s Messenger, we are at a loss and we would like to know what you think on this issue, for you are from the issue of the Prophet and your link will never be cut off. Your knowledge comes from that of Allah Who is your protector.
Receiving the letter, °asan wrote back:
Whoever does not believe in destined good and evil on the part of Allah is an unbeliever; and whoever attributes his sins to Allah is wicked; that is to say, denying the fate. What we have accepted in our religion is fate. Attributing sins to Allah is determinism. Therefore, a servant is free in acquisition to the extent of his capability given by Allah. Thus religion is in between determinism and fate.
{ { {
It is reported that a Bedouin was passing by while °asan was sitting at the threshold of the house. The Bedouin started swearing at him and his parents. °asan rose up, saying, “O Bedouin! If you are in need of food, I will give you food and if you are thirsty, I will give you water. What is the matter with you?” The Bedouin kept on abusing °asan and his parents. °asan told his servant to bring a purse of golden coins and said, “O Bedouin! I beg your pardon, this is all we have at home and I offer it to you.” Hearing this, the Bedouin said, “I bear witness that you are the son of Allah’s Messenger and I have come here to test your forbearance. This is the virtue of the great ones for whom praise or blame is equal and they never change because of unkind words.”
{ { {
The candle of the Mu¦ammad’s Household and the master of his time; Ab£-`Abdull¡h al-°usayn ibn `Al¢ ibn Ab¢-±¡lib—may Allah be pleased with them—was Allah’s favorite, the center of the people of tribulation, and one slain in the plain of Karbal¡’. Those who have heard this story unanimously agree that as long as the truth was manifest, he was a follower of truth but when truth was missing, he drew his sword and did not find comfort until he sacrificed his dear life for the sake of Allah. His virtues are too known to be mentioned here.
The inheritor of Prophethood, the torch of the ummah, the wronged master, the deprived Imam, the ornament of the servants of Allah, Abul-°asan `Al¢ ibn al-°usayn ibn `Al¢ ibn Ab£-±¡lib was the most honorable worshipper of his time. He is known for his intuition of delicate points. A story tells us that when °usayn along with his children were killed in the plain of Karbal¡’ and there was no one to look after the women, he was ill and °usayn called him `Al¢ the junior (`Al¢ A¥ghar).
When they were brought on bare camels to Syria before Yaz¢d ibn Mu`¡wiyah—may Allah abase him—a person said, “How is your day, O `Al¢ from the Household of Mercy?” He said, “Because of unkindness of our people, our morning was like that of the people of (Prophet) M£s¡ because of the blight of the people of Pharaoh who killed their children and unveiled their women in a way we do not know the day from the night.”
{ { {
Hush¡m ibn `Abd al-Malik ibn Marw¡n, the story goes on, was circumambulating the Holy Ka`bah. He wished to kiss the Black Stone but failed to find his way to it due to the huge crowd. So he went up the pulpit and delivered a sermon. After some time, Zayn al-`ªbid¢n `Al¢ ibn °usayn entered the Mosque for circumambulation with a face as bright as moon and a garment with sweet scent. When he came near the Black stone, the pilgrims made room for him to kiss it out of respect for him. Observing such a scene, a man from Syria said to Hush¡m, “The pilgrims did not make room for you who are a governor. Who is that good looking young man for whom the pilgrims evacuated the Black stone?” Hush¡m said, “I do not know him.” He had the intention that the people of Syria do not recognize or follow him nor show interest in his Imamate. Farazdaq, the poet who was standing there, said, “I know him.” They said, “Who is he?” Farazdaq said, “He is the one whom the land of revelation and even the Sacred House know very well…” He also composed some lines in praise of Imam and Ahl al-Bayt. Hearing this, Hush¡m became angry and had him jailed in a prison between Mecca and Medina. When the Imam heard the story, he sent him twelve thousand Dirhams with a message saying that we did not have more than this. Farazdaq sent back the silver coins saying, “O son of Allah’s Messenger! I have composed many poems for silver with false eulogy; however, what I have composed is for the sake of Allah and love for His Messenger and his offspring.” When the message reached Zayn al-`ªbid¢n, he said, “Send these silver coins back and say: O Ab£-Fir¡s! If you love us, do not ask me to take back what I have given away from our property.” It was then that Farazdaq was convinced to take the silver coins.[9]
The virtues of Zayn al-`ªbid¢n are too numerous to be mentioned here.
Sa`d¢ of Sh¢r¡z
Sa`d¢ do not suppose that the way of Chastity.
Is anywhere but following Mustafa.
Who is honorable in character,
Beautiful in qualities,
The Prophet of people, and mediator of followers.
The Imam of all Prophets, the leader of the way.
The trustee of Allah, the descending place of Gabriel.
The intercessor of men, the Lord of Resurrection Day,
The guiding leader, high judge of the court of Accounts,
The inter-locator whose Mount Sinai is the whole universe,
and all rays are the reflection of His light,
the orphan who had not compiled the Qur’¡n,
and washed away the holy books of several nations
One night he rode, and rose to high heaven
And in worth and rank was elevated above angels.
He rode so swiftly in the land of proximity to Allah,
That Gabriel was left behind at Sadreh
What admirable eulogy can I offer you?
O people’s prophet, peace be upon You!
The salutation of angels be upon your soul,
On your descendants and followers.
O Allah; I beg you by the children of F¡§imah
To end my life with devotion to the Prophet’s lineage.
Whether you grant my wish or not
I shall make my entreaty to the family of the Prophet.[10]
[1] Tadhrkirat al-Awliy¡’: 20,125.
[2] K¢my¡ye Sa`¡dat: 167/2.
[3] K¢my¡ye Sa`¡dat; 186.
[4] K¢my¡ye Sa`¡dat: 414/2.
[5] K¢my¡ye Sa`¡dat: 421.
[6] Asr¡r al-Taw¦¢d: 204/1.
[7] Asr¡r al-Taw¦¢d: 248/1.
[8] Asr¡r al-Taw¦¢d: 268/1.
[9] Kashf al-Ma¦j£b: 85-95.
[10] Boostan of Sa’adi translated into English by Aladdin Pasargadi, Rahnama Publication, 2000.
