The Birth of abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad (a.s.)

قَدِمْتُ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع الْمَدِينَةَ فَقَالَ لِي مَا خَبَرُ الْوَاثِقِ عِنْدَكَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ خَلَّفْتُهُ فِي عَافِيَةٍ أَنَا مِنْ أَقْرَبِ النَّاسِ عَهْداً بِهِ عَهْدِي بِهِ مُنْذُ عَشَرَةِ أَيَّامٍ قَالَ فَقَالَ لِي إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْمَدِينَةِ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ مَاتَ فَلَمَّا أَنْ قَالَ لِيَ النَّاسَ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ هُوَ[1] ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي مَا فَعَلَ جَعْفَرٌ قُلْتُ تَرَكْتُهُ أَسْوَأَ النَّاسِ ح

“Once I went to al-Madina to see abu al-Hassan (a.s.). He asked me, “What is the news from Ali-Wathiq (Abbassid ruler)?” I said, may Allah take my soul in service for your cause, I left him in good health and I am of all people the latest who met him. I met him just ten days ago.” The narrator has said that the Imam (a

دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع فَقُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فِي كُلِّ الْأُمُورِ أَرَادُوا إِطْفَاءَ نُورِكَ وَ التَّقْصِيرَ بِكَ حَتَّى أَنْزَلُوكَ هَذَا الْخَانَ الْأَشْنَعَ خَانَ الصَّعَالِيكِ فَقَالَ هَاهُنَا أَنْتَ يَا ابْنَ سَعِيدٍ[2] ثُمَّ أَوْمَأَ بِيَدِهِ وَ قَالَ انْظُرْ فَنَظَرْتُ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِرَوْضَاتٍ آنِقَاتٍ وَ رَوْضَاتٍ بَاسِرَاتٍ‌[3] فِيهِنَّ خَيْرَاتٌ عَطِرَاتٌ وَ وِلْدَانٌ كَأَنَّهُنَّ اللُّ

“Once I went to see abu al-Hassan (a.s.) and I said, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, in all matters they wanted to extinguish your light and be unjust towards you. So much so that they have lodged you in this disgraceful place for the homeless.” He said, “O ibn Sa‘id, here. He pointed out with his ha

اشْتَرَيْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع غَنَماً كَثِيرَةً فَدَعَانِي فَأَدْخَلَنِي مِنْ إِصْطَبْلِ دَارِهِ إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ وَاسِعٍ لَا أَعْرِفُهُ فَجَعَلْتُ أُفَرِّقُ تِلْكَ الْغَنَمَ فِيمَنْ‌ أَمَرَنِي بِهِ فَبَعَثَ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ[1] وَ إِلَى وَالِدَتِهِ وَ غَيْرِهِمَا مِمَّنْ أَمَرَنِي ثُمَّ اسْتَأْذَنْتُهُ فِي الِانْصِرَافِ إِلَى بَغْدَادَ إِلَى وَالِدِي وَ كَانَ ذَلِكَ يَوْمَ التَّرْوِيَةِ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ تُقِيمُ غ

“Once I bought a large number of sheeps for abu al-Hassan (a.s.). He called and admitted me into the barn area of his house into a vast location that I could not recognize. He ordered me to distribute the sheep among certain people and of such people were abu Ja‘far and his mother and others. Thereafter I requested per

مَرِضَ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ مِنْ خُرَاجٍ خَرَجَ بِهِ وَ أَشْرَفَ مِنْهُ عَلَى الْهَلَاكِ فَلَمْ يَجْسُرْ أَحَدٌ أَنْ يَمَسَّهُ بِحَدِيدَةٍ فَنَذَرَتْ أُمُّهُ إِنْ عُوفِيَ أَنْ تَحْمِلَ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ مَالًا جَلِيلًا مِنْ مَالِهَا وَ قَالَ لَهُ الْفَتْحُ بْنُ خَاقَانَ لَوْ بَعَثْتَ إِلَى هَذَا الرَّجُلِ فَسَأَلْتَهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَخْلُو أَنْ يَكُونَ عِنْدَهُ صِفَةٌ يُفَرِّجُ بِهَا عَنْكَ فَبَع

“ Al-Mutawakkil became ill because of a boil so seriously that he was about to die and no one would have the courage to touch to operate him. His mother vowed to sent a large sum of money to abu al-Hassan (a.s.) from her own property if her son would recover. Fath ibn Khaqan had advised him to ask him (the Imam (a.s.)

قَالَ لِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْفَرَجِ‌ إِنَّ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ كَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ يَا مُحَمَّدُ أَجْمِعْ أَمْرَكَ وَ خُذْ حِذْرَكَ‌[1] قَالَ فَأَنَا فِي جَمْعِ أَمْرِي وَ لَيْسَ أَدْرِي مَا كَتَبَ إِلَيَّ حَتَّى وَرَدَ عَلَيَّ رَسُولٌ حَمَلَنِي مِنْ مِصْرَ مُقَيَّداً وَ ضَرَبَ عَلَى كُلِّ مَا أَمْلِكُ‌[2] وَ كُنْتُ فِي السِّجْنِ ثَمَانَ سِنِينَ ثُمَّ وَرَدَ عَلَيَّ مِنْهُ فِي السِّجْنِ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ يَا مُحَمَّدُ لَا تَنْزِل

“Muhammad ibn al-Faraj told me that abu al-Hassan (a.s.) has written to him this. “O Muhammad, organize you affairs and be careful.” He said that he began to organize his affairs and did not know what the Imam (a.s.) meant thereby until police came to me and took me out of Egypt as a captive. All of my belongings were

رَأَيْتُهُ يَعْنِي مُحَمَّداً قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ بِالْعَسْكَرِ فِي عَشِيَّةٍ وَ قَدِ اسْتَقْبَلَ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ع فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ وَ اعْتَلَّ مِنْ غَدٍ فَدَخَلْتُ إِلَيْهِ عَائِداً بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ عِلَّتِهِ وَ قَدْ ثَقُلَ فَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ بَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ بِثَوْبٍ- فَأَخَذَهُ وَ أَدْرَجَهُ وَ وَضَعَهُ تَحْتَ رَأْسِهِ قَالَ فَكُفِّنَ فِيهِ قَالَ أَحْمَدُ قَالَ أَبُو يَعْقُوبَ رَأَيْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ع مَعَ ا

“Abu ya‘qub informed me saying, ‘ I saw him (Muhammad) before his death in the army camp in an evening. Abu al-Hassan received him and looked at him and he became ill the next day. After several days I went to visit him during his illness and his illness was worsening. He informed me that he (abu al-Hassan (a.s.) has s

أَخَذْتُ نُسْخَةَ كِتَابِ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الثَّالِثِ ع مِنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ هَرْثَمَةَ فِي سَنَةِ ثَلَاثٍ وَ أَرْبَعِينَ وَ مِائَتَيْنِ وَ هَذِهِ نُسْخَتُهُ‌ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ* أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَارِفٌ بِقَدْرِكَ رَاعٍ لِقَرَابَتِكَ مُوجِبٌ لِحَقِّكَ يُقَدِّرُ مِنَ الْأُمُورِ فِيكَ وَ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِكَ مَا أَصْلَحَ اللَّهُ بِهِ حَالَكَ وَ حَالَهُمْ وَ

7. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from a number of our people the following. “I took a copy of the letter of Al-Mutawakkil to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), the third from Yahya ibn Harthama in the year two hundred forty three that read as follows. “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Thereafter, Amir al-Mu’min

كَانَ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ يَقُولُ وَيْحَكُمْ قَدْ أَعْيَانِي أَمْرُ ابْنِ الرِّضَا[1] أَبَى أَنْ يَشْرَبَ مَعِي أَوْ يُنَادِمَنِي أَوْ أَجِدَ مِنْهُ فُرْصَةً فِي هَذَا فَقَالُوا لَهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْ مِنْهُ فَهَذَا أَخُوهُ مُوسَى قَصَّافٌ عَزَّافٌ‌[2]- يَأْكُلُ وَ يَشْرَبُ وَ يَتَعَشَّقُ قَالَ ابْعَثُوا إِلَيْهِ فَجِيئُوا بِهِ حَتَّى نُمَوِّهَ بِهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَ نَقُولَ ابْنُ الرِّضَا[3] فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ وَ أُشْخِص

“Al-Mutawakkil would say, “Woe is you, the ibn (the son of) al-Rida, (Ali al-Hadi (a.s.)) has frustrated me. He refuses to share a drink (liquor) with me and associate with me and I never get a chance in it.” They (his associates) told him, “If he does not give you a chance his brother, Musa plays music, sings, eats, d

مَرِضْتُ فَدَخَلَ الطَّبِيبُ عَلَيَّ لَيْلًا فَوَصَفَ لِي دَوَاءً بِلَيْلٍ آخُذُهُ كَذَا وَ كَذَا يَوْماً فَلَمْ يُمَكِّنِّي فَلَمْ يَخْرُجِ الطَّبِيبُ مِنَ الْبَابِ حَتَّى وَرَدَ عَلَيَّ نَصْرٌ بِقَارُورَةٍ فِيهَا ذَلِكَ الدَّوَاءُ بِعَيْنِهِ فَقَالَ لِي- أَبُو الْحَسَنِ يُقْرِئُكَ السَّلَامَ وَ يَقُولُ لَكَ خُذْ هَذَا الدَّوَاءَ كَذَا وَ كَذَا يَوْماً فَأَخَذْتُهُ فَشَرِبْتُهُ فَبَرَأْتُ:" قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِ

“I became ill and a doctor came to see me at night. He prescribed a medicine for me to be taken at night for so and so many days. I could not find the medicine that night. The physician was still there that Nasr came in with a bottle that contained the medicine that the physician had prescribed for me and said, “Abu al