Chapter On The Invalidity of the Belief to see God (Ru’yah of Allah)

1. Muhammad ibn abu ‘Abdallah has narrated from Ali ibn abu al-Qasim from Ya’qub ibn Ishaq who wrote to Imam abu Muhammad al-‘Askari and asked. “How can a worshipper worship his Lord, Whom he does not see?” The Imam wrote in reply, “O abu Yusuf, my Lord, my Master, and my Benefactor and the Benefactor of my ancestors, is far exalted and is above being seen.” I (Ya’qub ibn Ishaq) asked him, “Had the Messenger of Allah (s.a.) seen his Lord?” The Imam replied in writing and signed, “Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, showed His Prophet, in his heart, the light of His Greatness as much as He liked.”

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

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ali ibn Ma’bad from Wasil ibn Sulayman who has said the following: “Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘Read the Holy Quran in a distinct elocution (tartil ). . . .’ (73:4) The Imam said: ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn Abu Talib (a.s.) has said, 'It is to pronounce clearly and distinctively. Do not rush it like poems or scatter like pebbles but shake up your hard hearts thereby instead of your rushing to finish the chapter.'"

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 Hammad from al-Halabiy who has said the following: “Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when one is about to die, before he dies, you should dictate to him the two testimonies: ‘No one, other than Allah who has no partners, deserves to be worshipped and Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.’”

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

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Husayn ibn al-Mukhtar who has said that Isma‘il ibn Jabir narrated to him the following: “In between Makkah and al-Madinah, my companion and I were discussing about people called al- Ansar. One of us said that they were individuals from different people who did not belong to well- known tribes, and one of them said that they were from the people of Yemen. We then arrived near abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.). He was sitting under a tree and he initiated the conversation, even though we had not asked him any questions. He (the Imam) said, ‘When Tubba‘ came from Iraq, along with him came men of learning and children of prophets. When he arrived in this valley of al- Hudhayl, people from certain tribes came to him and said, “You have come to the people of a town wherein they have played on people for a long time. They call their land as Sacred and their buildings as a male or female Lord.” He then said, “If that is true I will kill their fighter, take their offspring as captives and destroy their building.’” He (the Imam) said, ‘When he said this, his eyes came out of their place down on both sides of his face.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He called the men of learning from the offspring of prophets to think and find out why it has happened to him.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘They refused to tell him anything until he begged and pleaded before them. They then asked him, “Tell us about what you were saying to yourself before this happened to you?” He replied, “I said to myself that I will kill their fighters, take their offspring as captives and destroy their building.” They said, “The only reason for what has happened to you is what you said to yourself.” He then asked, “Why is it so?” They replied, “The land is the Sacred place of Allah, the House is the House of Allah, and its inhabitants are offspring of Ibrahim, the friend of the Beneficent.” He then said, “You have spoken the truth. How can I get out of what I have fallen into?” They said, “You must speak to yourself about something other than what you have done. There is hope that Allah may return you to your previous condition.’” He (the Imam) said, ‘He then spoke to himself about good things, his eyes returned back to their sockets and settled back therein.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He summoned the people who had asked him to destroy it and then he killed them all. He then went to the House, provided it with covering and served food to people for thirty days, every day with one hundred camels. The food was so much that they carried large containers of food to the mountaintops for the wild beasts there, and spread valuable items in the valley for the beasts. He then returned from Makkah to al-Madinah and asked the people from Yemen of the people of Ghassan to disembark and they are al-Ansar people.’” In another Hadith it says he covered it with al-Nata‘ (a covering with fragrance).

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 ibn Faddal from ibn al-Qaddah who has said the following: “Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Two Rak’at Salat (prayer) performed by a married person is more virtuous than seventy Rak’at Salat (prayer) performed by a non-married person.’” “A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Ash’ariy from ibn al-Qaddah from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), a similar Hadith.”

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

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from ‘Abbad ibn Suhayb who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who shoots a prey and mentions the name of Allah, but misses it and hits another one. He (the Imam) said, ‘He can use it for food.’”

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

2. Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdal Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya who has said that abu Qurrah (Musa ibn Tariq al-Yamani al-Zabudi, d. 203/818), a narrator of Hadith, asked me to take him to abul Hassan al-Rida (a.s.). I sought permission from the Imam (a.s.) and an audience was granted. He asked the Imam about what is lawful and unlawful and the rules in Islamic laws. His questions came to Oneness of Allah (God). Abu Qurrah said, “We (the narrators of Hadith) narrate that Allah, the Almighty has divided His being seen al-Ru’yah and His al-kalam, speech between the two prophets. He gave Musa (Moses) the opportunity to hear His speech, and Muhammad (s.a.) the opportunity to see Him.” Imam abu al-Hassan (a.s.) said, “Who conveyed the message from Allah to the two heavy communities; mankind and the Jinn that says: ‘The eyes can not comprehend Him.’ (6:103) “They can not limit Him through their knowledge.” (20:110) ‘There is nothing similar to Him.’ (42:11) “Was it not Muhammad (s.a.)?’” Asked the Imam (a.s.). Abu Qurrah then replied, “Yes, He was Prophet Muhammad (s.a.). “ The Imam said, “How can a person who brought such messages to all creatures and told them that he has brought such messages from Allah and called them to Allah by His commands and said, “The eyes can not comprehend Him.” (6:103) “They can not limit Him through their knowledge.” (20:110) “There is nothing similar to Him.” (42:11), then he would say, “I saw Him with my own eyes? I did limit Him in my knowledge and that He is similar to a man? Should you not be ashamed of yourselves? Even the atheist have not said that the Prophet first brought one thing from Allah and then announced from Him other things contrary to the first.” Abu Qurrah then said, “Does Allah Himself not say, ‘And indeed he (the Prophet) saw him in another descent.?” (53: 13) Imam abu al-Hassan (a.s.) said, “The other verses point out what the Prophet actually saw. Allah has said, “His heart did not lie about what he saw” (53: 11) It means that the heart of Muhammad did not belie what his eyes saw. Therefore, Allah in the subsequent verse has said, “Indeed he saw of the greatest signs of his Lord.” (53:18) The signs of Allah are different from Allah Himself. Allah has also said, “They can not limit Him in their knowledge.” (20:110) If the eyes could see Him, then people might limit Him in their knowledge and He could be fully defined.” Abu Qurrah asked, “Do you disregard Hadith?” Imam abu al-Hassan (a.s.) replied, “If Ahadith are contrary to Quran, I disregard them. Besides, all Muslims believe that Allah cannot be limited by knowledge, that eyes can not see Him and that nothing is similar to Him.”

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 those whom he has mentioned (in his book) from abu ‘Abd Allah who has said the following: “The Holy Quran has come down with sadness, thus, you should read it with sadness.”

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

2. It is narrated from the narrator of the previous Hadith from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from abu Ayyub from Muhammad ibn Muslim from Abu Ja’far, and from Hafs ibn al-Bakhtariy who said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that you should dictate to your dying people, ‘Only Allah is the Lord to be worshipped.’ We, however, (in addition) dictate to our dying people, ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’”

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 Abi ‘Umayr from Muhammad ibn Humran and Hisham ibn Salim who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when the Ethiopian king came with elephants to destroy the Ka‘bah, they passed by the camels of ‘Abd al-Muttalib and took them for themselves. ‘Abd al-Muttalib went to the king, asking him to release his camels. He asked permission for a meeting, which was granted. He (the king) was informed that he (‘Abd al-Muttalib) is the chief honorable man of Quraysh, an intelligent and kind man. The king received him honorably and allowed him to sit very near to the king. He then said to his translator, ‘Ask him what he needs?’ He (‘Abd al- Muttalib) said, ‘Your people when passing by my camels have taken them away. I like you to return them to me.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘The king was surprised because of what he had asked, “Return my camels to me.” He said, ‘You think he is the chief of Quraysh and a very intelligent man. He neglects asking me to change my decision about his house of worship. Had he asked me to return back and change my decision I would have done so for his sake. The translator informed him (‘Abd al- Muttalib) of what the king had said. ‘Abd al-Muttalib said, “This house has an owner who protects it. I ask you to release my camels because I need them.” The king ordered the release of his camels and ‘Abd al-Muttalib returned back. On the way, he saw the elephant on the border of the Sacred area. He said to the elephant, “O Mahmud.” The elephant moved its head in response. He asked, “Do you know why they have brought you?” The elephant with its head said, “No, I do not know.” He said, “They have brought you to destroy the house of your Lord with you. Will you destroy it?” The elephant with its head said, “No, I will not do so.” He (the Imam) said, ‘’Abd al-Muttalib then left. They brought the elephant to enter the Sacred area, but when on the edge of the Sacred area, it refused to enter. They tried to force it but it refused to enter. They took the elephant in a circle around the Sacred area. On every point that they tried to force it to enter, it refused to do so and it did not enter. Allah then sent birds like swallows with stones in their beaks of the size of beans or so, and when on top of the head of a man, they released the stone and it pierced all the way down to come out of his anus. It continued until no one was left from them except one man, who fled and kept telling people about what he had seen. Suddenly one of those birds arrived above him. He raised his head and said, “This is one of them.” The bird came closer over his head and released the stone which pierced down all the way to come out from his anus and he died.”

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

2. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Bandar has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Khalid from al-Jamuraniy from al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn abu Hamzah from Kulayb ibn Mu‘awiyah al-Asadiy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah (sw) said, ‘By getting married one secures one-half of his religion.’ In another Hadith it is said that one must thereafter maintain piety before Allah about the other one-half.”

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

3. Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn Sayf from Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd who has said the following. “I wrote to abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) and asked him about the belief in eye-witnessing Allah’s self. Is it is possible to see Allah’s self with one’s own eyes as is traditionally narrated in the affirmative by the Sunni Muslims (al-’ammah) and the Shi‘ah Muslims (al-khassah) who are contrary. I requested him to explain the matter. The Imam answered in his own handwriting. “All agree and there is no dissension among the people that eye-witnessed knowledge of things is certainly knowledge without doubt. It is the form of knowledge that does not require logical proofs. If it is true that seeing Allah’s self with the eyes is possible then it becomes a necessity to acknowledge that Allah becomes entirely known and defined through eye-witnessed process. Now, can eye-witnessed knowledge of Allah’s self be considered faith or not? If the knowledge of Him as such, i.e. eye-witnessed knowledge (which according to Sunni Muslims will happen on the Day of resurrection) be considered faith, then faith in Allah in this world, which comes through non-eye-witnessed knowledge is not faith. It is contrary to eye-witnessed knowledge and faith (contrary things do not exist at the same time). Thus, there would be no one who would have faith in Allah in this world because no one has seen Him, Majestic is Whose name. If the eye-witnessed knowledge and understanding would not be considered faith then the non-eye-witnessed faith and knowledge formed and acquired must go away in the next life, but, in fact, it will not go away on the Day of resurrection. This is proof that Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, can not be seen because it will lead to (the kind of confusion) what we just mentioned.”

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

3. Ali has narrated from his father from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Hariz from Zurarah who has said the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘If you find a man in dying condition, dictate to him the relieving words: ‘Allah, the Most Forbearing, the Most Honorable, is the only Lord who must be worshipped. Allah, the Most High, the Most Great, is the only Lord who must be worshipped. It is Allah, Lord of seven heavens and seven earths, all that is between them and beneath them, Lord of the great Throne who is free of all defects, and it is only Allah, Lord of the worlds who deserves all praise.’ Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), then said, ‘Had you met ‘Ikrimah in his dying condition you could have benefited him.’ He was asked, ‘In what way he could benefit him?’ The Imam replied, ‘By dictating to him the matters of your belief.’”

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

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Nu’man from Sa‘id ibn ‘Abd Allah al-’A‘raj who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that during the days of ignorance Quraysh had destroyed the House, but when they wanted to rebuild, something came between them and the House. They were frightened so much that someone among them said, ‘Everyone should bring the best and purest of his properties which he has earned free from involvement in misuse of good relations with relatives or unlawful matters. They did so and were allowed to build. They built up to the place for the Black Stone and they began to disagree about who should set it in place. The disagreement rose to an evil level; so they decided to settle it by the advice and judgment of the first person who comes through the door of the Masjid. The first person coming through that door was the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. When he was among them, he asked for a piece of cloth, which he spread on the ground, then placed the Black Stone in the middle. Then the tribes holding from the edges of the cloth lifted up the Black Stone; thereafter, he picked it up and placed it in its place and in this way Allah granted him a privilege.”

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

3. It is narrated from the narrator of the previous Hadith from Muhammad ibn Ali from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Khalid from Muhammad al-Asamm who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘The worthless dead among you are the unmarried ones.’”

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

4. It is narrated from the same narrator (Ahmad ibn Idris) from Ahmad ibn Ishaq who has said the following. “I wrote to Imam abul Hassan the 3rd and asked him about eye-witnessing Allah’s self and the differences among people about this issue. The Imam (a.s.) answered in writing.” “Eye-witnessing Allah’s self is not possible until there is air (light-carrier medium) that would let the light reach the eye. If air is remove from (space between) the viewer and the object, no eye-witnessing will take place. In this is ground for similarity. When the viewer and the object in view would have the same medium that make eye-witnessing possible a similarity must exist therein. (When applying this to the case of Allah) it is an analogy and similarity. The means must have a connection with the source.”

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

4. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn Hassan ibn Shammun who has that narrated to him Ali ibn Muhammad al- Nawfali from abu al-Hassan (a.s.) who has said the following: “Once accents and voices were mentioned before abu al- Hassan (a.s.) and he said, ‘Once Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) was reading and someone passing by suffered a shock due to the beauty of his voice. If the Imam were to manifest such reading people could not bear its beauty.’ I (the narrator) then said, ‘The Messenger of Allah during his prayer would not raise his voice in reading the Holy Quran.’ The Imam said, ‘The Messenger of Allah would make people behind him do only what they could tolerate.’”

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

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Dawud ibn Sulayman al-Kufiy, from abu Bakr al-Hadramiy who has said the following: “A man from my family fell ill and I went to visit him and told him, ‘Son of my brother, I have an advice for you and I hope you accept it.’ He said, ‘I accept it.’ I then asked him to say, ‘It is only Allah who must be worshipped and He has no partner.’ He then testified to this fact. I then said, ‘This will not be of any benefit unless you are certain about it.’ He said that he is certain about it. I then asked him to say, ‘I testify that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.’ He then testified to this fact also. I then said that this would not benefit you unless you are certain about it. He said that he is certain about it. I then asked him to say, ‘I testify that Ali is the executor of the will of the Messenger of Allah, his successor and the Imam who after the Messenger of Allah must be obeyed.’ He testified to such facts. I then said that this would not benefit you unless you are certain about it. He said that he was certain about it. I then mentioned all ’A’immah one by one. He testified and said that he is certain about them. Not very long thereafter, he passed away. His family began to cry intensely and mourn for him. I then left them and after a while visited, offered them my condolences, inquired as how they have been and asked the woman (of the house) how she was. She said, ‘His death was a great loss for us and very difficult to bear - may Allah grant him mercy - of things that provided relief for me was that one night I saw a dream.’ I then asked, ‘What did you see in your dream?’ She said, ‘I saw him - the deceased - living and sound. I asked him, “Did you not die?” He replied, ‘Yes, I died but I was saved by the words that abu Bakr dictated to me. Were it not for those words I would have (most certainly) been destroyed.””

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

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim and others have narrated through various chains of narrators have narrated in a marfu‘ manner the following: “They have said that Quraysh had demolished al-Ka‘bah because of flood that would come from the upper part of Makkah and enter al-Ka‘bah. Damages would take place and a deer made of gold with its legs made of diamond was stolen. The walls were not high enough. This happened thirty years before Allah commanded His prophet, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, to rise. Quraysh wanted to demolish al-Ka‘bah to rebuild and increase the size of its floor, but they were afraid of the coming of misfortune upon them because of using spades and shovels to dig. Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah said, ‘Allow me to try. If Allah is happy I will not be hurt; otherwise we will stop the work.’ He climbed on al-Ka‘bah and moved a stone there, a serpent came upon him, and the sun became dark. When they saw this, they cried and pleaded, saying, ‘O Lord, we only want to repair.’ The serpent disappeared; they demolished and removed the stones until they could see the foundations that Ibrahim had set. When they wanted to increase the size of its floor and moved the foundations that Ibrahim had put in place, a severe earthquake took place with darkness. They then gave up on the idea of increasing its floor. The length of the foundation that Ibrahim had set was thirty yards, its width twenty-two yards and its height nine yards. Quraysh wanted to increase its height. When the walls reached up to the Black Stone, they disagreed about setting it in place. Each tribe said that it had the right to set it in place. When the disagreement increased, they then decided to settle their disagreement by the first person entering through the door of banu Shaybah. The Messenger of Allah appeared to them through that door and they said, ‘This is al-Amin (most trusted person) coming to you.’ They asked him to decide the case; he then spread his gown, and someone said, ‘It is a Taruniy’ (name of a particular fabric). He placed the Black Stone on it and said, ‘One person from each Rab‘ (block of city) should come forward.’ The people who came forward were, ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah ibn ‘Abd al- Shams, al-Aswad ibn al-Muttalib from banu Asad ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzza’, abu Hudhayfah ibn al-Mughirah from banu Makhzum and Qays ibn ‘Adiy from banu Sahm. They lifted up the Black Stone and the Holy Prophet set it in its place. On the other hand, the king of Rome had sent a ship with building material and builders to Ethiopia to built a temple for him there. The wind had blown the ship to the shore where it had run aground. Quraysh learned about it. They went to the shore and found certain materials useful for al-Ka‘bah, like wood, decorative materials and other things. They bought them and brought them to Makkah. The length of the wood was of the same measure as needed except al-Hijr. When they built it, they covered it with al-Wasa’id (a certain kind of fabric) which were in gowns.”

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

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘When Yusuf met his brother, he asked, “How did you marry women after me?” He replied, “My father commanded me to do so and said, ‘If you can have so many children who will load the earth heavily with Tasbih (Allah is free of all defects), then you must do so.”””

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

5 - Ali ibn Ibrahim reported from his father, from Ali ibn Ma’bad, from Abdullah ibn Sinan, from his father, who said: I was present with Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as) when a man from the Khawarij entered upon him and said: “O Abu Ja’far, what do you worship?” He said: “Allah, the Exalted.” The man asked: “Have you seen Him?” He replied: “No, but the eyes do not perceive Him through physical sight, but the hearts have seen Him through the realities of faith. He cannot be known through analogy, nor can He be comprehended by the senses, nor can He be compared to people. He is described by the signs and known by the indications; His judgment does not err. That is Allah; there is no deity except Him.” The man then left, saying: “Allah knows best where He places His message.”

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

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Sulaym al-Farra’ from those whom he has mentioned (in his book) from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Read the Holy Quran with clarity; it is Arabic.’”

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

5. It is narrated from him (narrator of the above Hadith) from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Qasim ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn abu ffamzah from abu Basir who has said the following: “Humran and we were present before abu Ja’far (a.s.), when a servant came in. He said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, ‘Ikrimah is in dying condition and he believes in the point of view of the al-Khawarij. However, he is (also) inclined to abu Ja‘far (a.s.) .’ The Imam then said to us, ’Wait until I return to you.’ We agreed and after a while the Imam returned and said, ’Had I met ‘Ikrimah before the soul reached where it was to reach, I could have taught him the words that would have benefitted him but I met him when the soul had already reached where it was to reach.’ I then asked, ’May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, what are those words?’ The Imam said, ’They, by Allah, are the (testimonies) of your belief. You must dictate to those in dying condition the testimony, “It is Allah alone who must be worshipped, and al-Walayah” (belief in the fact that ’A’immah possess Divine Authority).”’

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

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn abu Nasr from Dawud ibn Sarhan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, took part with Quraysh in building the House. The share of the Messenger of Allah was from the door of al-Ka‘bah up to half of the way between al-Yemeniy corner to the Black Stone.” In another Hadith, it is said that the share of banu Hashim was from the Black Stone to al-Shamiy corner.

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

5. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Qasim ibn Yahya from his grandfather, al-Hassan ibn Rashid from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), has said, ‘You must become married because the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, “Whoever wants to follow my Sunnah, must take notice that of my Sunnah is marriage.’””

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

6. A group of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn abu Nasr from abu al-Hassan al-Muwsali from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said, “Once a rabbi (hibr) came to Imam Ali (a.s.) and asked, ‘O Amir al-mu’minin, have you seen your Lord when worshipping Him?’” Imam Ali (a.s.) replied, “This is not a proper question. I would not have worshipped a Lord whom I could not see.” He then asked, “How did you see Him?” Imam Ali (a.s.) said, “This is not a proper statement. Eyes can not see Him in eye-witnessing process but hearts see Him in the realities of faith.”

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

6. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ali ibn Ma’bad from ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Qasim from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, sent revelation to Moses son of ‘Imran, peace be upon him, ‘Whenever you stand before me, do so like a humble and poor person, whenever you read the Torah, read it with sad voice.’”

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

6. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Bandar has narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ’Abd Allah from Muhammad ibn Ali from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn abu Hashim from abu Khadijah who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that at the time of everyone’s death, Satan assigns one of his devils to urge the dying person to disbelief and tries to make him doubt his religion until the time his soul departs. The devil is not able to control a believing person. When you find one of you in dying condition you should dictate him the testimony of belief, ‘It is only Allah who must be worshipped, and that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger’ until he passes away.’” In another Hadith it states, ‘The Imam said, “You should dictate to him the words of relief, the two testimonies and explain to him to profess the Divine Authority of ’A’immah one by one until he passes away.’””

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

6. Ali ibn Ibrahim and others in a marfu‘ manner have narrated the following: “He (the Imam) (a.s.), has said that in al-Ka‘bah there were two gazelles made of gold and five swords. When Khuza‘ah dominated Jurhum in the Sacred area, Jurhum threw the two deer and the swords in the well of Zamzam. They threw stones in it, filled it up and disguised its marks. When Qusay dominated Khuza‘ah, they did not know where Zamzam was, so it remained unknown to them. When ‘Abd al-Muttalib became dominant, furnishings for him were arranged in the shadow of the walls of al-Ka‘bah, and this was not done for anyone before. Once, when he was sleeping in the shadow of al-Ka‘bah, he saw in his dream that someone came and said to him, ‘Dig ‘Barrah.’ He asked, ‘What is Barrah?’ Next day he came in his dream and said, ‘Dig ‘Taybah.’ On the third day, he came in his dream and said, ‘Dig ‘Al-Masunah.’ He asked what is al-Masunah?’ Then on the fourth day, he came in his dream and said, ‘Dig ‘Zamzam,’ which will not dry up and will not be disliked. Great people performing Hajj will drink thereby near the red-footed crows that land near the colony of ants.’ There was a rock near Zamzam, on which red-footed crows would land every day to pick up ants for food. The ants had their colony under the rock near Zamzam. When ‘ Abd al-Muttalib saw this, he recognized the place of Zamzam. He then said to Quraysh, ‘I am told in four nights in my dream to dig Zamzam. It is our heritage and an honor for us; come, so we together dig the well.’ They declined his call and he himself began to dig the well and his only son, al-Harith, helped him in the digging. When digging became difficult, he moved to the door of al-Ka‘bah, raised his hands, pleaded before Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, and made a vow. In his vow he had said that if Allah will give him ten sons, he will offer the most beloved one among them as a sacrificial offering as an act of moving closer to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious. When he in his digging reached the walls of the well built by Isma‘il, he came to know of his reaching the water. He said Takhir (Allah is great beyond description) and Quraysh also said Takhir (Allah is great beyond description), saying, ‘O abu al-Harith, this is of our heritage and we have a share in it.’ He replied, ‘You did not help me, so you do not have any share in it, and it is for me and my children forever.’”

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

6. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated and others have narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah al-Barqiy form ibn Faddal and Ja’far ibn Muhammad from ibn al-Qaddah who has said the following: “Once, a man came to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and he (the Imam) asked, ‘Are you married?’ The man replied, ‘No, I am not married.’ My father said, ‘I do not like to have the whole world but spend one night without wife.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘Two Rak’at Salat (prayer) performed by a married man is better than an unmarried man’s performing Salat (prayer) the whole night and fasting during the day.’ My father gave him seven dinars and said, ‘You must get married with this.’ My father then said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Find a wife because it is helpful to increase your sustenance.’”

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

7. Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya from ‘Asim ibn Hamiyd who has said the following. “I discussed with Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about what he says to eye-witnessing Allah’s self. The Imam said, “The light of the sun has a ratio equal to one seventieth of the light of the Kursi (the throne). The same is the ratio of the light of Kursi to al-‘Arsh, the light of which is of the same ration to that of al-Hijab the light of which is of the same ration to the light of al-Satr. If they tell the truth let them fill their eyes with the light of the sun without a curtain in between.”

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

7. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Ali ibn Ma’bad from ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Qasim from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘What my followers have received is no less than three things: Beauty, attractive voice and memorization. ’”

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

7. A number of our people has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Ash’ariy from ‘Abd Allah ibn Maymun al- Qaddah who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), would find any member of his family in dying condition, he would ask him to say, ‘It is Allah, the Most High, the Most Great, alone who must be worshipped. It is Allah, Lord of seven heavens and the Lord of seven earths, all that is between them and the Lord of the great Throne who is free of all defects. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.’ Upon the patient’s saying this, he (the Imam) then would say, ‘Go on. You do not have to worry about anything.’”

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

7. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Qasim ibn Yahya from his grandfather al-Hassan ibn Rashid who has said the following: “I once heard abu Ibrahim (a.s.), say, ‘When ‘Abd al-Muttalib dug the well of Zamzam and reached its bottom, a foul odor emerged from one side of the well that frightened him severely. He could not bend himself down and his son, al-Harith, moved out of the well. He then dug until he found in the bottom of the well a fountain with the fragrance of musk. He then dug about a yard and sleep overcame him, so in his dream he saw a man with long hands, good looking hairs, beautiful face, fine dress and fragrance who was saying, “Dig, you will gain; work hard; you will be safe; and do not store it for distribution. The swords are for people other than you but the well is for you, the greatest of Arabs in honor, and from you will be the Prophet and people with Divine Authority, for the Arabs, as well as the noble ones; men of wisdom, great learning and great intelligent grandsons. The swords are for them and they are not today from you and not for you. However, in the next century from your time, Allah will brighten the land, expel Satans from its diameters, bring them low by its majesty, destroy it after its being strong, bring the idols low, eliminate the idol worshippers wherever they are found. Thereafter will remain a generation from your descendants who will be his brother and vizier, younger than him but powerful over the idols, who will not disobey him, not even one letter, or hide anything from him and will consult him in every matter that faces him.” ‘Abd al-Muttalib felt tired and he found thirteen swords leaned against one side of the well. He took them and decided to spread the matter. He (‘Abd al-Muttalib) then said to himself, “Why should I do this when I have not yet reached the water?” He then dug and after digging only about one foot, the horn of a deer appeared, as well as its head. He took it out and on it this was printed: “No one except Allah deserves worship and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, Ali is empowered with Authority of Allah and so and so is the deputy of Allah on earth.’” I (the narrator) then asked him, ‘The ‘so and so,’ when was he? Was he before or after him?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘He has not come yet, nor anything preliminary to his coming has yet come into existence.’ ‘Abd al-Muttalib then came out of the well with water coming after him and he encountered a black serpent with a long tail move before him quickly upward. He hit and cut most of its tail and then searched to find it but it disappeared. However, so and so is the one to eliminate it, if Allah so wills. It was of the decision of ‘Abd al-Muttalib to place the swords inside al- Ka‘bah against the walls to invalidate his dream in the well. Then Allah made sleep to overcome ‘ Abd al-Muttalib near al-Ka‘bah and he saw the same man in his dream who said, “O Shaybatu al-Hamd, praise your Lord; He will make you the tongue of the earth. Quraysh will follow you for fear, apprehension and for their greedy interest. Keep the swords in their place.” ‘Abd al-Muttalib woke up and answered him, saying, “He will come in dream; if he is from my Lord, it will be very beloved to me, but if it is from Satan, then I think it will be a tailless one.” He did not see anything and did not hear anything. When it was night he came in his dream with a number of men and children who said, “We are the followers of your children; we are the inhabitants of the sixth heaven. The sword is not for you. Marry in Makhzum people, you will be strong, work among Arabs. If you did not have money you have good relationships, so give these thirteen swords to the child from Makhzumiy people and no more than this will appear to you. One out of these swords is for you. It will fall off from your hand. You will not find any trace of it except that so and so mountain hides it. It then will be one of the preliminary issues prior to the rise of al-Qa’im, from the family of Muhammad (SAW), with divine authority.” ‘Abd al-Muttalib then woke up and left with the swords on his shoulder. He then went to a corner of the corners of Makkah and he lost one sword. It was the finest to him. It will appear from that place. He then entered Mu‘tamar (prepared to perform ‘Umrah), performed Tawaf around it, with it (swords) on his shoulder and the two deer, he made twenty-one Tawaf while Quraysh was looking at him; when he said, “O Allah, make your promise to come true, thus, establish my word, spread the word about me, strengthen my arms.” These were his repeated words. After his dream in the well, he did not do any Tawaf, while saying lines of poetry until he died. However, he spontaneously read a poem to his sons on the day he wanted to offer ‘Abd Allah, one of his sons, as a sacrificial offering. He gave all the swords to banu al-Makhzumiyah to al-Zubayr, to abu Talib, to ‘Abd Allah. Four of them went to abu Talib. One sword for abu Talib, one sword for Ali, one sword for Ja‘far, one sword for Talib, and for Zubayr there were two swords. For ‘Abd Allah there were two swords, then it returned and Ali had four swords. Of the rest, two were of Fatimah, ‘Alayha al-Salam, and two of her children. The sword of Ja’far fell off on the day he got hurt and no one knows in whose hand is it now. We say no one of our swords fell in the hands of one who is not one of us, except the man who helps us with it, but that it turns into charcoal.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘One of them is in the (special) location. It will come out like a serpent and an arm will appear from it or something similar to it. It will shine the earth many times, and then disappear, and then when it is night, it will do the same thing again. This is its manner until its owner comes. If I want I can give his name but I am afraid for you if I name him and then you will give his name, which then will be ascribed to one who is other than him.’”

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

7. It is narrated from the narrator of the previous Hadith from his father from ‘ Abd Allah ibn al-Mughirah who has said the following: “‘Abd Allah ibn al-Mughirah has narrated from abu al-Hassan (a.s.), a similar Hadith and added the following: Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I am not married.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘Do you not have slave-girls’ or that he (the Imam) asked, ‘Do you not have mothers of your children?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I have.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You then are not an unmarried man.’”

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

8. Muhammad ibn Yahya and others have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ibn abu Nasr from abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) who has said that the holy Prophet (sw) said, “When I ascended to the heavens, Jibril took me to a place where he had never stepped foot on before. Then it was unveiled to him and Allah showed him of the light of His greatness that which he loved.” On the words of Allah “ No mortal eyes can see Him, but He can see all eyes. He is All-kind and All-aware. (6:103)

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

8. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Ali ibn Ma’bad from Yunus from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muskan from abu Basir from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Holy Prophet has said, ‘The most beautiful thing in beauty is beautiful hair and the attractive tone of voice.’”

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

8. Sahl ibn Ziyad has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-ffassan ibn Shammun, from ‘Abd al-Rahman from ‘Abd Allah ibn Qasim from abu Bakr al-Hadramiy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘By Allah, even if a worshipper of an idol, in his dying condition, says what you say, fire will never consume anything from his body.’”

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

8. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from abu Ali Sahib al-Anmat from Aban ibn Taghlib who has said the following: “When al-Hajjaj destroyed al-Ka‘bah, people scattered its soil. When they wanted to rebuild it, a serpent came out on them, stopped people from rebuilding and they ran away. They went to al-Hajjaj and informed him of the matter. He feared that its rebuilding might have been prohibited. He went on the pulpit and swore people, saying, ‘I swear to Allah any servant who knows anything about the trial we are facing to inform us about it.’ He (the narrator) said, ‘An old man stood before him saying, “If anyone knows anything about this matter is the man whom I saw came to al-Ka‘bah, took something from it and went back.’” Al-Hajjaj asked, ‘Who is he?’ He replied, ‘He is Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.).” He said, ‘This is the source.’ He then sent his people for Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.), who came to him, and he informed him of Allah’s prohibiting them to rebuild al-Ka‘bah. Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.), said to him, ‘0 Hajjaj, you have destroyed the establishment of Ibrahim and Isma‘il and threw it on the road. You looted it as if it was your inheritance. Now go on the pulpit and swear people (everyone) to Allah, to bring back everything everyone has taken, they have taken away from al-Ka‘bah.’ He (the narrator) said, ‘He, Hajjaj did so and swore people to Allah and asked everyone who has taken anything from al-Ka‘bah to bring it back.’ He (the narrator) said, ‘They returned everything back.’ When he saw the soil collected, Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.), came, laid the foundation and commanded them to dig.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘The serpent then disappeared and they dug until they reached the site of the basis and foundations. Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.), told them to move aside. They moved, he went closer and covered it with his clothes. He wept, then covered it with soil with his hand, then called the workers and told them to lay the foundation. They built the walls; when the walls were raised, he commanded them to fill the inside with soil. For this reason the floor of al-Ka‘bah is higher than the ground around and it requires a ladder to climb in it.’”

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

9. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ibn abu Najran from ‘Abdallah ibn Sinan from Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following about the words of Allah. “No mortal eyes can see Him, but He can see all eyes. He is All-kind and All-aware.” (6:103) It means within what is called al-Wahm which in terms of the degrees of knowledge is less than fifty percent. Consider the words of Allah in: “Clear proofs have certainly come to you from your Lord.. .” (6:104) It does not mean eye-witnessed knowledge. Also consider, “Whosoever sees clearly, it is to his own gain.” (ibid) does not mean seeing with the eyes and in “Whosoever is blind, it is to his own loss’ (ibid ). Blindness does not mean deprivation of eye-sight. It means within the range of Wahm (mentioned above). As is commonly said, so and so is very keen-sighted in matters of poetry, and so and so is very keen-sighted in religion and jurisprudence. So and so has a keen eye for money, and so and so an eye for clothes. Allah is far great and above being eye-witnessed by people.”

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

9. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Ali Ma’bad from ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Qasim from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Holy Prophet has said, ‘For everything there is an ornament, the ornament of (reading) the Holy Quran is attractive tone of voice.’”

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

9. 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 that the Messenger of Allah once visited a man from the tribe of Hashim in his dying condition. The Messenger of Allah told him to say, ‘Allah, the Most Forbearing, the Most Honorable, is the only Lord who must be worshipped, Allah, the Most High, the Most Great is the only Lord who must be worshipped. It is Allah, Lord of seven heavens and seven earths, all that is between them and beneath them, Lord of the great Throne who is free of all defects, and it is only Allah, Lord of the worlds who deserves all praise.’ He said those words. The Messenger of Allah then said, ‘All praise belongs to Allah who saved him from the fire.’”

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

10. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Abu Hashim al-Ja‘fari who has said the following. “I asked Imam abul Hassan al-Rida (a.s.), about Allah if He can be described (defined in words). The Imam (a.s.) said, “Have you not read the Quran?” I replied, “Yes, I do read the Quran.” He then said, “Have you not read the words of Allah, the Most High, “No mortal eyes can see Him, but He can see all eyes. He is All-kind and All-aware.” (6:103) I replied, “Yes, I have read them.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Do they know the meaning of the eyes?” I replied, “Yes, they do.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “What is it?” I replied, “ It means seeing with the eyes.” Then the Imam said, the Awham (mentioned above) of the heart is far greater comprehensive in knowledge than eye-witnessing. It is not able to comprehend Him but He comprehends all things.”

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

10. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Musa ibn ‘Umar al-Sayqal from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Sakuni from Ali ibn Isma’il al-Maythami from a man from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, never sent a messenger who did not have attractive voice.”

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

10. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, from ‘Abd al- Rahman ibn abu Hashim from Salim ibn abu Salmah who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that a man was in a dying condition and the Messenger of Allah was informed about it. The Messenger of Allah decided to visit him along with a group of his companions and they found him fainted. The Messenger of Allah said, ‘O angel of death, do not do anything to him; I want to ask him a question.’ The man regained consciousness and the Holy Prophet asked, ‘What did you see?’ He replied, ‘I saw a great deal of white things and a great deal of black things.’ The Holy Prophet asked, ‘Which kind was closer?’ He replied, ‘The black things were closer.’ The Holy Prophet asked him to say, ‘O Allah, forgive me for the great deal of my disobedience to You and accept from me the small amount of good deeds of obedience to You.’ The man then fainted again. The Holy Prophet said, ‘O angel of death, relieve him so I can ask him a question.’ The man gained consciousness again. The Holy Prophet asked, ‘What did you see?’ He replied, ‘I saw a great deal of white things and great deal of black things.’ The Holy Prophet asked, ‘Which kind was closer?’ He replied, ‘The white kind was closer.’ The Messenger of Allah then said to his companions, ‘Allah has granted forgiveness to your friend.’ The narrator has said that abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘If you find a person in dying condition tell him to say the above words.’”

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

11. Muhammad ibn abu ‘Abdallah has narrated from the person whose name he mentioned from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Dawud ibn al-Qasim abu Hashim al-Ja‘fari who has said the following. “I mentioned the words of Allah , ‘No mortal eyes can see Him, but He can see all eyes. He is All-kind and All-aware.’ (6:103) to Imam abu Ja’far (a.s.). He said, “O abu Hashim, Awham (mentioned above) of hearts are keener and sharper than the perceptions of the eyes. Through the Awham of the heart you can perceive countries like Sind, Hind (India) and other cities which you have never seen with your eyes. How can your eyes see Him when the Awham of your heart cannot perceive Him?”

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

11. Sahl ibn Ziyad has narrated from al-Hajjal from Ali ibn ‘Aqabah from a man from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) was the best among the people for his attractive voice in reading the Holy Quran. The water carrier would stop in front of his door to listen to his reading and abu Ja’far (a.s.) was the best among the people for his attractive voice.”

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

12. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from some of his people from Hisham ibn al-Hakam who has said the following. “Things can be perceived by two means: (1) By the senses and (2) by the heart, intellect. Perceptions of the senses are of three kinds: (1) Perception in the form of penetration, (2) Perception in the form of touching, and (3) Perception without penetration or touCh Perception by means of sounds, smells and tastes are formed through penetration. Perception through touching comes from the knowledge of shapes, such as rectangular or triangular etc., and also softness, hardness, heat and cold. Perception without touch or penetration is that of sight which is capable of perceiving things without touching or penetration, directly or indirectly. Perception through sight needs a path and medium. Its path is air and its medium is the light. If the path is continuous between the viewer and the object and the medium then seeing takes place such as colors and persons. If light falls on something without a path, it will return reflecting what is behind (the observed), like an observer looking into a mirror. Light does not penetrate into the mirror, because it finds no path. So it returns reflecting what lies behind the observed. It is similar to looking into the clear water returns light that reflects what is at the rear. This happens because there is no path for the penetration of light. Intellect dominates the air. It perceives all that is in the air and forms his Wahm (intuitive form of perception). If the heart will not find any thing in the air it comes back and reflects what is in the air. A person of reason should not force his heart against what is not in the air of the issue of the Oneness of Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, otherwise, it will form his Wahm of what is there in the air as mentioned about the eye-witnessing. Allah, the Most High is far and above similarities with the creatures.”

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

12. Hamid ibn Ziyad has narrated from al-Hassan ibn Muhammad al-Asadi from Ahmad ibn al-Hassan al-Maythami from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from Muhammad ibn al-Fudayl who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘It is undesirable ( makruh ) to read Chapter 112 in one breath.”’

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

13. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn Mahbub from Ali ibn abu Hamza from abu Basir who has said the following: “Once I said to abu Ja’far (a.s.) ‘When I read the Holy Quran, I raise my voice. Satan comes and says, “You are only showing this off to people and your family.’” The Imam said, ‘O abu Muhammad, read in a middle of the way reading, so your family may hear. Give turns to your voice in reading the Holy Quran; Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, loves an attractive voice in which there is fluctuations and oscillations.’”

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

3. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ibrahim al-Ahmar from ‘Abd Allah ibn Hammad from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Read the Holy Quran with Arabic accent and voice. You must not read it with the accent of the sinful people who commit major sins. After me there will come people who will read the Holy Quran like singing, lamentations and in the monkish manner, which does not pass even their throats toward their hearts that are upside down and so are the hearts of those who like them.”

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