Allah’s Authorities and Means of Justification of Accountability in People

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from abu Shu’ayb al-Mahamili from Durust ibn abu Mansur from Burayd ibn Mu‘awiya from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), who said the following: “People are not accountable before Allah to know. It is up to Allah to make them know. Once Allah makes them know then people are responsible for accepting (their duties).”

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

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Sayf ibn ‘Amirah from Sa‘d ibn Tarif who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘One who provides shrouding (materials) for a believing person is like one whose dressing (needs) is guaranteed up to the Day of Judgment.’”

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

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Husayn af-Ahmasiy who has said the following: “Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that if people neglect al-Hajj they will not be given any chance to avoid the coming of torment upon them, or that he said, ‘torment will come upon them/”

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

1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from Sama‘ah from abu Basir who has said the following: “About the case of a free man who marries a slave-girl, abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ’It is not unlawful if it is an emergency.’”

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

A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Hajjal from Tha‘laba ibn Maymun from ‘Abd al-A‘la ibn ’A‘yan who said the following: “Once I asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘If a person does not know, will he be held responsible?’ He said, ‘No, he will not be held responsible.’”

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

2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Isma‘il from Hanan ibn Sadir from his father who has said the following: “I once mentioned the House before abu Ja‘far (a.s.), and he said, ‘If people neglect it one year, they will not be given any chance to avoid the coming of torment upon them.’”

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

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hammad from al-Halabiy who has said the following: “Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘A free woman can become a second wife, the first wife being a slave-girl; but a slave-girl cannot become a second wife, the first wife being a free woman. If one marries a slave-girl as a second wife, the first being a free woman, such marriage is invalid.’”

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

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ibn Faddal from Dawud ibn Farqad from abu al-Hassan Zakariyya from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), who said the following: “Whatever Allah has kept hidden from people they will not be held responsible for it.”

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

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hajjal from Hammad who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin would say to his sons, ‘My sons, take the House of your Lord in your consideration so it is not left without your presence therein; otherwise, you will risk coming of torment upon you.”’

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

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn abu Hamzah from abu Basir who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the marriage with a slave-girl. He (the Imam) said, ‘One can marry a free woman as a second wife, the first being a slave- girl, but he cannot marry a slave-girl as a second wife, the first being a free woman, and the marriage contract of slave-girl as a second wife, the first being a free woman, is invalid. If you have a free and a slave-girl wife, for the free wife are two days and for the slave-girl one day and it is not proper to marry a slave-girl without the permission of the master.’”

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

A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Aban al-Ahmar from Hamza ibn al-Tayyar who said the following: “Once Imam abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said to me, ‘Write down.’ He dictated to me the following. ‘It is of our Hadith that Allah will, justifiably, hold people accountable for what He has given and made known to them. Allah then sent His messenger to them and sent down books upon them in which He has commanded and prohibited them. He has commanded them to perform prayers and fast. The messenger of Allah (a.s.), remained sleeping until the time for prayer expired and Allah said, ‘I make you sleep and wake you up. When you wake up then perform the prayer so that they can learn if such thing happened to them what they should do.’ “It is not the way that they say, ‘If one remains asleep (at the time of prayer) one is destroyed.’ In the same way is fasting. ‘I (Allah) cause you to become ill and when I give you good health then you will make up for the fast that you missed during your illness.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said, ‘So also is, if you look at all things you will find that Allah has caused no constrictions to anyone. You will not find anyone against whom Allah may not have enough justification to hold him accountable with His wish therein. I do not say that they can do whatever they wish. “The Imam then said, ‘Allah guides and misleads.’ He further said, ‘People are not ordered to do what they are not capable of. For everything that people are ordered to do they have the capability for it and anything of which they are not capable is removed and lifted up from them but there is not much good in people.’ He (the Imam) then recited from the Holy Quran: ‘People who are weak or sick and those who do not have the means to take part in the fighting are exempt from this duty . . .’ (conditions of people exempt are mentioned) ‘Righteous people shall not be blamed. Allah is All-forgiving and All-merciful.’ (9:91) So also relieved of the duty are ‘Those who come to you (Muhammad), asking to be taken to the battle . . .’ (9:92) they do not have the means.’”

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

4. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Fadalah ibn Ayyub from abu al- Mighra’ from abu Basir who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that religion (al-Islam) will continue to exist as long as al-Ka‘bah is maintained.”

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

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Mahbub from Yahya al-Lahham from Sama‘ah who has said the following: “About the case of a man who marries a free woman and he has a wife who is a slave-girl and the free woman does not know that he has a slave-girl wife, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If the free woman wants to live with his slave-girl wife, she can do so and if she wants she can go to her family.’ I then asked, ‘If she did not like to live with his slave-girl wife and went to her family, is there a way for him to bring her back?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He has no way to bring her back if she does not agree when she finds out.’ I then asked, ‘Is her going to her family her divorce?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, when she goes out of his house, she commences her waiting period for three months or three cycles of menses then she can marry if she so chooses.’”

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

5. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from ‘Abd al- Rahman ibn abu ‘Abd Allah who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), if a man can marry a Christian woman as a second wife, the first being a Muslim woman or a slave-girl as a second wife, the first being a free woman. He (the Imam) said, ‘He cannot marry anyone of them as a second wife, the first being a Muslim woman. One can marry a Muslim woman as a second wife, the first being a slave-girl or a Christian woman. The Muslim woman will have two-thirds of the time, the slave-girl and the Christian woman one-third of the time.’”

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

6. Aban has narrated from Zurarah ibn ‘A‘yan who has said the following: “I once asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the marriage of a slave-girl. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, unless it is an emergency.’”

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

7. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Faddal from ibn Bukayr from certain persons of our people who have said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not proper today for a free man to marry a slave- girl. It was permissible as Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has said, ‘If one cannot find resources. . . .’ (4:25) Resources is a reference to mahr (dower). Today mahr (dower) is like the mahr (dower) of slave-girls or less.’”

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

8. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ‘Isma’il ibn Marrar and others from Yunus from ‘A’immah who has said the following: “He (the Imam) (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not proper for an affluent Muslim man to marry a slave-girl unless he cannot find a free woman. So also, it is not proper for him to marry a woman from the people of the book unless it is an emergency when he cannot find a free Muslim woman or a slave- girl.’”

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

9. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ‘Isma’il ibn Marrar from Yunus from ibn Muskan from abu Basir who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not proper for a free man to marry a slave-girl when he is able to marry a free woman, and it is not proper for him to marry a slave-girl as a second wife, the first being a free woman but it is not unlawful to marry a free woman as a second wife, the first being a slave-girl; and if he did so, two days of time is for the free woman and one day for the slave-girl.’”

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