The Prohibited Waters

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Harun ibn Muslim from Mas’adah ibn Sadaqah 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, prohibited seeking cures from the hot fountains which are in mountains in which the smell of sulfur is found.’ It is said that it is of the smell of hell.”

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 has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from all from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Sa‘d ibn Hisham ibn al-Hakam who has narrated 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, ‘I must judge among you on the basis of evidence and oath. Certain ones among you make more mistakes in their argument than others. For whomever I cut off (takes away) from the assets of his brother, I only cut off for him thereby a piece of the fire.’”

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

2. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from ibn Mahbub from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘Nuh, Alayhi al-Salam, in the days of flood called all waters and they all replied except water of the sulfur and bitter water which then he condemned.’”

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

2. Ali has narrated from his father from certain persons of his people from ‘Asem ibn Humayd from Muhammad ibn Qays who has narrated the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that once one of the prophets complained before his Lord saying, ‘How can I judge in matters about which I am not informed how to deal with/ He said, ‘Leave them for Me and add them to My name by which they must swear and take an oath.’”

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

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Hamdan ibn Sulayman al-Naysaburiy from Muhammad ibn Yahya from Zakariya and a number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah from his father all from Muhammad ibn Sinan from abu al- Jarud from abu Sa‘id ‘Aqisa’ al-Tamimiy who has said the following: “I once passed by al-Hassan and al-Husayn, Alayhim al-Salam, who were in soaked wraparound cloths. I then said to them, ‘Grandchildren of the Messenger of Allah, you have ruined your wraparound cloths.’ They said to me, ‘O abu Sa‘id, ruining our wraparound cloths is more preferable to us than ruining the religion. Water has inhabitants like earth.’ They then asked, ‘What do you want?’ I replied, ‘I want to go in this water.’ They asked, ‘What is this water?’ I replied, ‘I need a cure for an illness and I want to drink this bitter one, perhaps the body becomes light and the belly soft.’ They said, ‘We do not think Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has placed cure in a thing which He has condemned.’ I then asked, ‘Why is that so?’ They said, ‘When Allah, most Blessed, most High, was angered with the people of Noah, Alayhi al-Salam, He opened the sky with pouring water and sent revelation to earth, but certain fountains disobeyed and He then condemned them and turned them into salty and bitter ones.’ In the Hadith from Hamdan ibn Sulayman it is said that they said, ‘O abu Sa‘id, you come to something which rejects our divine authority three times a day. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, presents our divine authority before waters and that which accepts it becomes sweet and fine, but what rejects it Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, makes it bitter, salty and burning.’”

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 ibn Faddal ibn Ayyub from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from those who narrated to him who has narrated the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that it is in the book of Ali (a.s.), that one of the Prophets complained before his Lord about adjudication saying, ‘How can I judge about what my eyes have not seen and my ears have not heard?’ He told him to judge among them by means of evidence and testimony and make them to swear by His name. He (the Imam) then said that Dawud ‘Alayhi al-Salam, once said, ‘O Lord, show me the reality as it is so I can judge accordingly.’ The Lord said, ‘You will not be able to bear it.’ He insisted that the reality be shown to him. A man then came with a complaint against another man for taking his assets. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, revealed to Dawud ‘Alayhi al-Salam, that the plaintiff has killed the father of the defendant and has taken his assets. He then issued a judgment that required the plaintiff to be executed and his assets must be given to the defendant. He (the Imam) said, ‘People were confused and they spoke about it until it reached Dawud ‘Alayhi al-Salam. He felt uncomfortable about it so he prayed before the Lord to remove what he had asked for (showing the reality). Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, then commanded him to judge on the basis of evidence and asking them to swear by His name.’”

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 Sinan from those whom he has mentioned who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘My father, Alayhi al-Salam, disliked seeking cures from bitter water and water of sulfur and would say, ‘Noah, Alayhi al-Salam, in the days of the flood called the waters and all of them answered except bitter water and sulfur water, so he prayed against them.’”

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

4. It is narrated from the narrator of the previous Hadith from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Hisham ibn Salim from Sulayman ibn Khalid who has narrated the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that it is in the book of Ali (a.s.), that one of the Prophets complained before his Lord saying, ‘O Lord, how can I judge among people what I have not witnessed?’ Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, then sent him revelation that said, ‘Judge among them by means of my book and making them to swear by My name.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘This is in the case of those who cannot establish evidence and testimony.’”

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