ARead English translationHide English translationMuhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn⌄
35. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from certain persons of his people from Muhammad ibn Sukayn who has said the following: “I asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about an expression about the death of a person, ‘Allah has given preference to so and so.’ The Imam said, ‘It is not desirable.’ Someone then asked about the expression, ‘So and so is ready to give away his soul generously.’ The Imam said, ‘There is no offense in such expression. Is it not a fact that a dying person opens his mouth once, twice or three times? Giving away of one’s soul generously happens when one observes his rewards with Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, when before, one was so tightfisted about it.’”
ARead English translationHide English translationMuhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn⌄
36. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘ Umayr from Hisham ibn Salim who has said the following: “Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that a people in the past had asked their prophet, Tray to your Lord to stop death from ending our lives.’ He prayed and death was stopped from ending their lives. Their number multiplied and it caused congestion to their dwellings and birth rate increased so much so that a man needed to feed his father, grandfather, mother, grandfather of his grandfather, take care of their hygiene and look after them. It stopped them from working to make a living. They then asked their prophet to appeal to his Lord to return them to their previous conditions. Their prophet asked his Lord. He then returned them to their previous conditions.’”
ARead English translationHide English translationMuhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn⌄
37. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from certain persons of our people from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Rabi’ ibn Muhammad from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sulaym al-‘Amiriy who has said the following: “Jesus, son of Mary, went to the gravesite of John, son of Zachariah, and he had asked the Lord to bring him back to life for him. He called him and he replied, came out of his grave and asked, ‘What do you want from me?’ He replied, ‘I want you to comfort me as you did before your death.’ He said, ‘O Jesus, the heat of death which took me still has not calmed down and you want me to return to the worldly life; thus the heat of death returns to me again.’ He (Jesus) left him alone and he (John) returned to his grave.’”
ARead English translationHide English translationMuhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn⌄
38. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn Mahbub from abu Ayyub from Yazid al-Kunasiy who has said the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘Certain youth from the children of Israelite kings were devoted worshippers. Worshipping was a practice among the children of the Israelite kings. These youth decided to travel around in the land. They passed by a gravesite above the road. Winds had almost wiped out its marks. They said to each other, “We should pray to Allah to bring out our fellow from his grave so that we can ask him about his experience of dying.” They prayed to Allah and their prayer was as follows: “You are our Lord. O Lord, no one other than You is our Lord. You are the eternal inventor, never unaware, the ever living who never dies. Every day You work. You know all things without being taught. Please bring this deceased out of his grave by Your power.’” The Imam said that a man with hairs of his head and beard all gray came out of the grave shaking dust off his head, terrified and gazing to the sky and asked them, “What has made you stand on my grave?” They replied, “We called you so we can ask about your experience of facing death.” He replied, “I have remained in my grave for ninety-nine years, but the pain and hardship of experiencing death have not gone away, and its bitterness is still in my throat.” They asked, “Were your hairs of head and beard all gray on the day you died?” He replied, “No, but when I heard the cry, ‘come out,’ the ashes of my bones came together with my soul (spirit) and I took a breath in it and then came out, terrified and gazing to the sky following the voice that called me and that made my hairs to turn all gray.’””