The words of the lizard

305. From him, from Salih, from Al-Washa’, from Karraam, from Abdullah Bin Talha who said: I asked Abu Abdullah (asws) about the lizard, so he (asws) said: ‘Filthy, and it is a metamorphosed (creature), all of them. So if you were to kill it, wash yourself (Ghusl)’. My (asws) father was seated in Al-Hijr, and with him (asws) was a man to whom he (asws) was narrating. So a lizard started ululating with its tongue. So my (asws) father said to the man: ‘Do you know what this lizard is saying?’ He said, ‘I have no knowledge of what it is saying’. He (asws) said: ‘It is saying that if you mention Usman by insults, I will insult Ali (asws) until he goes from there’. He (asws) said: ‘And my (asws) father (asws) said: ‘There is none from the Clan of Umayya who dies, but he gets metamorphosed as a lizard. Abdul Malik Bin Marwaan, when death descended upon him, was metamorphosed into a lizard in front of the children who were in his presence. So when he was lost, that was a great (problem) for them as they did not know what to do. Then they met in a gathering, and decided to take a trunk and make it to look like a man. So they did that and clothed that with a coat of iron armour. Then they wrapped it in the shroud. So no one from the people knew about it except for myself (asws) and his children’.

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