Things that Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, gave Adam at the Time of Repentance

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Jamil ibn Darraj from ibn Bukayr from abu ‘Abd Allah or abu la’ far (a.s.) who has said the following: “Adam said, ‘O Lord, you have made Satan dominate me and made him flow in me like blood, so make something for me also.’ The Lord said, ‘O Adam, for your benefit I have given your offspring the advantage of not writing down against them any sin if they only intend to commit an evil deed. If they actually commit an evil deed only one evil deed is written against them. If anyone of them intends to perform a good deed one good deed is written down for him even if he did not perform it. If, however, he actually performs it ten good deeds are written for him.’ Adam said, ‘O Lord, increase favors upon me.’ The Lord said, ‘I have also assigned for your benefit that if anyone of your offspring commits a sin and then pleads before Me for forgiveness I forgive him.’ Adam said, ‘Lord, grant me more favors.’ The Lord said, ‘I, for their advantage, have made repentance available to them’ or he (the Imam) said that the Lord said, ‘I have extended the time for repentance in their favor up to the time the soul reaches this (throat).’ Adam then said, ‘Lord, this is sufficient for me.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

193. Ali Bin Al-Husayn Al-Mozab, and someone else, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Khalid, from Ismail Bin Mahraan, from Abdullah Bin Abu Al-Haris Al-Hamdany, from Jabir, who has narrated the following: Abu Ja’far (asws) says that Amir-ul-Momineen (asws) gave a sermon saying: ‘Praise be to Allah (azwj), the Abaser, the Raiser, the Harmer, the Benefitter, the vastly Benevolent, Majestic is His (azwj) Praise, True are His (azwj) Names, Overwhelming by the Hidden and what approaches the hearts, the One Who (azwj) Made the death to be in the midst of His (azwj) creatures with Justice, and Favoured them with the life. So He (azwj) Bestows life and Brings upon death and Measures out the sustenance by His (azwj) Knowledge by an Estimation, and Mastered by His (azwj) Wisdom the measure of it. He (azwj) is All-Aware, All-Seeing. He (azwj) is Eternal without cessation, and the Remaining without an end. He (azwj) Knows what is in the earth, and what is in the Heaven, and what lies between the two and what is (covered) underneath the soil. I (asws) Praise Him (azwj) sincerely with the treasured Praise, by what the Angels and the Prophets (as) Praised Him (azwj). A Praise which cannot be numbered, nor can time pass it by, and no one has even come with the like of it. I (asws) believe in Him (azwj) and place reliance upon Him (azwj), and Guided by Him (azwj), Sufficed by Him (azwj), and Judged by Him (azwj) with good, and by His (azwj) Pleasure. And I (asws) testify that there is no god except Allah (azwj), One with no associates to Him (azwj), and I (asws) testify that Muhammad (saww) is His (azwj) servant and His (azwj) Messenger (saww) having Sent with the Guidance and the Religion of the Truth to Make it overcome all of the other Religions even though the Polytheists may be averse to it. May greetings be upon him (saww) and his (saww) Progeny (asws)’. O you people! The world is not a house for you to settle in, but rather you are in it like passengers of a caravan, which have been asked to move on soon after being disembarked. They came to it lightly (without luggage) and would be exiting from it lightly (with empty hands), not finding a way to divert from the journey, or a way to return to what they had left behind. Take them seriously, for they relied upon the world and did not prepare until they were taken by the throat, and their conclusion was that they ended-up in a house of people for whom the pens have dried up (nothing to be written anymore for them). There remains neither any news for most of them nor any traces of them. They were in the world only for a little while and were dispatched to the Hereafter in a hurry. So you have become residents in their houses, following in their footsteps like a herd of animals travelling on a journey in which there is neither ‘Where’ (are we going?) and no ‘How far’ (are we going?). Your days are tiring upon yourselves and your nights are an escape for your souls. So in the morning your condition is what their condition used to be and you just follow their ways as examples. So do not let the life of the world deceive you, for you are only travelers in it. Death would descend among you and shoot its arrows, and herd you all to the House of the Reward, and the Punishment, and the Recompense, and the Accounting’. May Allah (azwj) have Mercy upon the person who is concerned about his Lord (azwj) and moved away from his sins, and (likes to) argue against his own desires and rejects his own yearnings. A person who harnessed himself with the reins of piety for fearing for the Sake of Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic, led to His (azwj) obedience by its reins, raising his head towards the Return with his eyes expecting the approach of death at all times, permanently thinking about it with a prolonged vigilance, abstaining from the world, earnestly working for the Hereafter. A person who has made the patience to be his ride to salvation, and the piety as his preparation for his death and as a medication for his (spiritual) illness. He learned a lesson, and considered, and left the world and the people. He learnt it for understanding and steadfastness, and his heart had respected the remembrance of the Return. He folded up his mattress, separated himself from his pillow, stood up on his feet and entered in its surroundings, fearful for the Sake of Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic, displaying humbleness between his face and the two palms in secret to his Lord (azwj) shedding tears and making his heart as a strong enclave in a prolonged fear of Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic. His interest is great regarding what is in the possession of Allah (azwj) whilst his fear for Pleasing Him (azwj) is intense. He suffices himself with the subsistence for his affairs and displays other than what he conceals, being content with the minimum from what he knows. These are the trusted ones of Allah (azwj) in His (azwj) land, by whom He (azwj) Defends His (azwj) servants. If one of them were to swear upon Allah (azwj) Majestic is His (azwj) Mention, he would fulfill it, or if he were to supplicate against anyone, Allah (azwj) would Help him. He (azwj) Listens to him when he whispers to Him (azwj) and Answers Him (azwj) when he calls upon Him (azwj). Allah (azwj) has Made the Good Ending to be for the pious and the Paradise for its deserving ones. “[10:10] Their cry in it shall be the best of the calls Glory to Thee, O Allah! Their calling out to the Master (azwj) for what He (azwj) would have Bestowed upon them, and their greeting in it shall be: Peace; and the last of their cry shall be: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds”.

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Faddal from those whom he has mentioned (in his book) from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘If one repents one year before his death, Allah accepts his repentance.’ Then he said, ‘One year is a long time. Whoever repents one month before his death Allah accepts his repentance.’ Then he said, ‘One month is a long time. Whoever repents one week before his death, Allah accepts his repentance.’ Then he said, ‘One week is a long time. Whoever repents one day before his death, Allah accepts his repentance.’ Then he said, ‘One day is a long time. Whoever repents before he sees (the consequences), Allah accepts his repentance.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Jamil from Zurara from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following: “When the soul reaches this - pointing to his throat - there will be no repentance for one who has knowledge, however, there will be repentance for an ignorant person.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Sinan from Mu’awiyah ibn Wahab who has said the following: “Once we left for Makka and with us there was an old man, very religious and worshipping but did not know this cause (Shi’a Muslim belief). He would pray full (not in reduced form) on a journey and with him there was the son of his brother, also a Muslim. The old man became ill and I said to the son of his brother, ‘If you introduce this cause to your uncle perhaps Allah may grant him freedom.’ All of them said, ‘Leave the old man alone to die in his condition; he looks just fine.’ The son of his brother did not wait and said, ‘Uncle, people after the Messenger of Allah proselytized (gave up their religion) except a very few people. Ali ibn abu Talib must have been obeyed just like the Messenger of Allah had been obeyed. After the Messenger of Allah it was the right of Ali to be obeyed.’ “The narrator has said that the old man sighed deeply and said, ‘I am upon this (belief),’ and he died. We then went in the presence of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) and Ali ibn al-Sariy narrated the story before Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) and he said, ‘He was a man of paradise.’ Ali ibn al-Sariy said, ‘He had no knowledge of this cause except for one Sa’ah there. ’ The Imam said, ‘What else do you want from him. He, by Allah, has entered paradise.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.