The Imams (a.s.) possess Divine authority, they are Envied and Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has spoken of them

1. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn ’Amir al-Ash’ari has narrated from MuAlia ibn Muhammad who has said that al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Washsha’ narrated to him from Ahmad ibn ‘A’idh from ibn ’Udhayna from Burayd al-‘Ijli who said that he asked abu Ja’far (a.s.) about the meaning of the following words of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, “Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those who possess (Divine) authority among you.” (4:59 Holy Quran). The read the following words of Allah. “Have you seen how those who had been given a share of the Book believe in idols and Satan and who say, “The disbelievers are better guided than the believers” (4:51) ‘The say that the leaders of misguidance and those who call people to Hell’ “God has condemned them. No one can help one whomGod has condemned. (4:52) Do they have a share in the Kingdom (Divine authority and Imamat)? Even if they did, they would not have given the smallest thing to the people.” (4:53) “ People is a reference to us and the word ‘Naqir’ means the seed inside the nutt.” The Imams (a.s.) explained and added. “Do they enviey the favors that God has done to some people?” ‘We are the ones who are envied because of the Divine authority that Allah has given us exclusively.’ The Imams (a.s.) commented. “We have given to the family of Abraham the Book, Wisdom, and a great Kingdom (4:54). Aliah says that from the descendents of Abraham He has made His Messengers, Prophets and Imams. How is it that these people acknowledge the case about the descents of Abraham but they refuse to accept the leadership (Imamat) in the family of Muhammad?’ The Imams (a.s.) further explained. “Some have believed, others have disbelieved and tried to prevent people from believing. For these people, only the intense fire of hell is a sufficient punishment (4:55). We will make those who reject Our revelations suffer in hell fire. As soon as the fire destroys their skins, We will give them new skins so that they may suffer more of the torment. God is Majestic and All-wise.” (4:56 Holy Quran)

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

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father all from ibn Mahbub from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘It is of honoring Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, to honor a Muslim man advanced in age.’”

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

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father and Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il from Fadl ibn Shadhan all from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Hariz from Zurarah who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘When you stand up for Salah (prayer) you should be prepared (attentive) for prayer; what will be counted in your favor of prayer will be only that in which you were attentive. You should not play during Salah (prayer) with your hands, head and beard, and do not speak in your soul. You should not yawn, stretch or fold your hands one over the other; this is what the Zoroastrians would do. You should not mask your face, feel urged (for urination), keep your feet far apart from each other like camels do, should not sit on your heels, place your arms flat on the ground, crack your fingers; anyone of such things causes a defect in Salah (prayer). You should not stand for Salah (prayer) in a lazy mode, slumbering or feeling burdened; each one of such things is of behaviors of hypocrites. Allah, the Most Glorious, has forbidden the believers to stand up for prayer in a lazy mode, that is, feeling sleepy. He has said about the hypocrites, “When they stand up for Salah (prayer) they do so in a lazy mode and just to show off to people and they do not speak of (remember) Allah but very little” (4:141).’”

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 al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Muhammad ibn al-Fudayl from abu al-Hassan (a.s.) who has said the following about the words of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, Or are they envious of the people whom Allah has granted of His bounties? ( 4:54 Holy Quran) “We are the envied ones.”

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

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Nawfali from al-Sakuni from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Whoever recognizes the excellence of an old person due to his age and treats him with dignity, Allah will grant him protection against the horror on the Day of Judgment.’”

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

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Hassan ibn abu al-Hassan al-Farisiy from those who narrated to him who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Allah has made twenty-four things contemptible for you to do and has forbidden you to do them. Allah dislikes that you act as playful during Salah (prayer).’”

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

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Yahya al-Halabi from Muhammad al-Ahwal from Humran ibn A‘yan who has said that when he asked Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about the meaning of the words of Allah that say, “We have given to the family of Abraham the Book, Wisdom, and a great Kingdom.” (4:54) The Imams (a.s.) said, “It means Prophet-hood.” I then asked about the meaning of ‘wisdom’. The Imams (a.s.) said, “It means understanding and judgment.” I then asked about the meaning of ‘great kingdom.’ The Imams (a.s.) said, “It means obedience.”

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

3. Through the same chain of narrators it is narrated from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Whoever treats an old Muslim person with dignity, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will grant him protection against the horror of the Day of Judgment.’”

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 Hammad from al-Halabiy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when you are in your Salah (prayer), you must be humble and attentive in it; Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, has said, ‘Those who are humble during their Salah (prayer) (are of the true believers)’ (23:3).”

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

4. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from MuAlia ibn Muhammad from al-Washsha’ from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman from abu al-Sabah who has said that when asked Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about the meaning of the words Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, “Or are they envious of the people whom Allah has granted of His bounties? ( 4:54 Holy Quran) The Imams (a.s.) said, “O abu al-Sabah, we, I swear by Allah, are the people who are envied.”

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

4. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Muhammad ibn Ali from Muhammad ibn al-Fudayl from Ishaq ibn ‘Ammar who has said that he heard abu al-Khattab narrate from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) the following: “There are three kinds of people whose rights are not ignored, except by a hypocrite, well-known in hypocrisy: of such people is an old person in Islam, the carrier of the Holy Quran and the Imam who possesses the noble merit of justice.”

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

4. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and abu Dawud all from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Ali ibn abu Jahmah from Jahm ibn Hamid who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that his (Imam’s) father has said that when Ali ibn al- Husayn (a.s.), would stand up for Salah (prayer), he seemed like the trunk of a tree. Not anything of his body would move except what the wind would move.’”

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

5. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from abu Nahshal from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan who has said the following: “Once Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) said to me, ‘It is respecting Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, to respect an old believing person. Whoever honors an old believing person has begun (with) honoring Allah. Whoever disrespects an old believing person, Allah will send to him someone who will disrespect him before his death.’”

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

5. Muhammad ibn Isma’il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from Hammad ibn Isa from Rib‘i ibn ‘Abd Allah from al-Fudayl ibn Yasar who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.), would stand up for Salah (prayer), the color of his face change and in sajdah he remained so long until (his face) became drenched with perspiration (and tears).”

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

6. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ahmad ibn Ishaq from Sa’dan ibn Muslim from abu Basir and others from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “It is honoring Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, to honor an old Muslim.”

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

6. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Hammad from Hariz from Zurarah who has narrated the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said that when you face the direction of al-Qiblah (al-Ka’bah) you must not turn your face away from it; it destroys your Salah (prayer). Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has said to His Holy prophet, O Allah grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, about the obligatory Salah (prayer). ’You must turn your face to the Masjid al-Haram (the Sacred Masjid). Wherever you are you must turn your faces toward it.’ (2:144) Your eyes must be cast down instead of being raised to the sky and your eye must remain before your face on the place for your Sujud (prostrations).’”

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

7. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla’ ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’ from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from al-Fudayl ibn Yasar from one of the two Imam, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, who has said the following: “About a man’s yawning and stretching during Salah (prayer) the Imam (a.s.), has said, ’It comes from Satan over which he has no control (but one should control things that cause it to happen).”’

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

8. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn abu Nasr from abu al- Walid who has said the following: “I was sitting in the presence of abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when Najiyyah abu Habib asked the Imam saying, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, I have a flour-mill. During the night I wake up (for Salah (prayer)) and notice from the mill that the servant is gone to sleep. (Can) I then knock at the wall to wake him up?’ The Imam replied, ‘Yes, you are in the condition of obeying Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, when you are seeking to make a living.’” (Please consult a fatwa also.)

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

9. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa in a marfu‘ manner who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when you stand up for Salah (prayer), you must not play with your beard, your head or with pebbles while you pray, except when you prepare (pebbles) as you are about to do sajdah in which case it is not an offense.”

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