Believers as Offspring of Unbelievers

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ إِنَّ نُطْفَةَ الْمُؤْمِنِ لَتَكُونُ فِي صُلْبِ الْمُشْرِكِ فَلَا يُصِيبُهُ مِنَ الشَّرِّ شَيْ‌ءٌ[3] حَتَّى إِذَا صَارَ فِي رَحِمِ الْمُشْرِكَةِ لَمْ يُصِبْهَا مِنَ الشَّرِّ شَيْ‌ءٌ حَتَّى تَضَعَهُ فَإِذَا وَضَعَتْهُ لَمْ يُصِبْهُ مِنَ الشَّرِّ شَيْ‌ءٌ حَتَّى يَجْرِيَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَلَمُ.

‘The seed for a believer may exist in the loins of a pagan and it is not affected by any evil thing until it is transferred into the womb of a pagan woman wherein it is not affected by any evil thing also. Even until his birth it is not affected by any evil thing until the Pen begins writing about him. (He is responsib

قُلْتُ لَهُ إِنِّي قَدْ أَشْفَقْتُ مِنْ دَعْوَةِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَلَى يَقْطِينٍ وَ مَا وَلَدَ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ لَيْسَ حَيْثُ تَذْهَبُ إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُ فِي صُلْبِ الْكَافِرِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْحَصَاةِ فِي اللَّبِنَةِ يَجِي‌ءُ الْمَطَرُ فَيَغْسِلُ اللَّبِنَةَ وَ لَا يَضُرُّ الْحَصَاةَ شَيْئاً[4].

“Once I said to the Imam, ‘I am afraid of the prayer of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) against Yaqtin and his offspring.’ The Imam said, ‘O Abu al-Hasan, it is not as you think. A believer in the loins of an unbeliever is like a small piece of stone in a brick. Rain can wash away the brick but it never harms the solid piece of s