(This chapter) deals with the one who undertook (the office of the Imamate) (alqā’im) after Abū Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, the date of his birth and the evidence for his Imamate. It will mention an extract from the reports about him, his occultation (ghayba), his life at the time of his appearance (qiyam) and the period of time of his state.

The Imam after Abū Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, is his son who is named with the name of the Apostle of Allāh, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, and given his kunya. His father did not leave a son who was publicly acknowledged or secretly, except him. He was left behind away from view (ghā’ib) and secretly as we have already mentioned. He was born on the night of 15th of Sha‘bān in the year 255 A.H. (869). His mother was a slave-wife (umm walad) called Narjis. At the time of the death of his father, he was five years old.

Allāh endowed him with wisdom and the distinction of speech. He made him a sign to the worlds. He endowed him with wisdom as He had endowed John the Baptist while still a boy. He made him an Imam while still in the state of apparent childhood just as He made Jesus, son of Mary, a prophet in the cradle. The nomination of him had been given earlier to the community of Islam by the Prophet of guidance, peace be on him, then by the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, and the Imams, consecutively one after another, down to his own father, al-Ḥasan (al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, had nominated him. His father had nominated him in front of the trusted and close members of his Shī‘a. Information about his occultation (ghayba) was established before his existence. (Information) about his state was widespread before his occultation (ghayba). He is the leader with the sword (ṣāḥib al-sayf) from the Imams of guidance, peace be on them, the one who will undertake the achievement of truth (al-qā’im bi-al-ḥaqq), the one who is awaited (al-muntaẓar) to (bring about) the state of faith.

Before his appearance (qiyām), he will have two occultations. One of them will be longer than the other as is reported in the traditions. The shortest of them was from the time of his birth to the end of the period of direct representation (sifāra) between him and his Shī‘a, and the end of the representatives (sufarā’) through death. As for the longer (occultation), it will be after the first and at the end of it. he will arise with the sword (yaqūm bi-al-sayf). Allāh, the Mighty and High, has said: We want to favour those who were weak on earth. We give them Imams and We give them heirs. We give them power on earth. We show Pharoah and Hāmān and their soldiers but they will not be warned (XXVIII 5-6). He, exalted be His name, said: We have written in the Psalms after the message (to Moses): My righteous worshippers will inherit the earth (XXI 105). The Apostle of Allāh, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, said: “The days and nights will never end until Allāh sends a man from my House, whose name will be the same as mine. He will fill (the earth) with justice and fairness as it was filled with oppression and tyranny.” He, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, said: “If only a single day remained for the world, Allāh would lengthen that day so that He could send on it a man from my descendants, whose name is the same as mine. He will fill the world with justice and fairness as it was filled with oppression and tyranny.”

Extract from the Evidence for the Imamate of the one who will undertake to (bring about) Truth (al-Qā’im bi-al-Ḥaqq) the Son of al-Ḥasan, Peace be on them.

Among the evidence for that is what is required by reason through sound logical deduction (istidlāl) with regard to the existence in every age of an Imam, who is infallible, perfect and one who has no need of his subjects with regard to the laws and knowledge, because of the impossibility of those given responsibility (to act) being without an authority by whose existence they may come closer to righteousness and further from corruption. Everyone who is deficient has need of one who will punish criminals, who will correct the disobedient, who will quieten the seducers, who will teach the ignorant, who will remind the careless, who will warn those who have gone astray, who will administer the revealed penal law (ḥudūd), who will carry out the laws, who will separate people in dispute, who will appoint the (military) commanders, who will hold the frontiers, who will safeguard property, who will defend the land of Islam, who will join with the people in societies and festivals. The chief proposition in support of the evidence that he is protected from errors is, by agreement, his own lack of need for an Imam. That requires his protection (from sin) without any doubt and by the necessity of the textual definition for every creature who can consider it as a means (of proof) and by virtue of the miracles which he performs in order to distinguish himself from others. The lack of these qualities in everyone except the one whose Imamate was confirmed by the followers of al-Ḥasan b. ‘Alī (al-‘Askarī), peace be on him - and he is his son the Mahdī (the one who is guided and guides) - is based on what we have explained. This is a principle which, nonetheless, requires, with regard to the Imamate, the narration of nominations and the reckoning of the reports which are given concerning them, in order to confirm itself with regard to rational judgement and its validity by the corroboration of logical deduction.

There have been handed down narrations concerning the nomination of the son of al-Ḥasan (al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, in ways by which excuses (for not accepting it) are removed. Allāh willing, I will present an extract from them according to the method used earlier of giving a brief outline.

The Reports of the Nomination of the Imamate of the Leader of the (Rest) of Time (Ṣāḥib al-Zamān) the Twelfth of the Imams, the Blessings of Allāh on them all, and an Explanation of the Evidence.
[Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb al-Kulaynī, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Ibrāhim, on the authority of Muḥammad b. ‘Īsā, on the authority of Muḥammad b. al-Faḍl, on the authority of Abu Ḥamza al-Thumālī, on the authority of Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him:] He (i.e. al-Bāqir) said: “Allāh, may His name be mighty, sent Muḥammad to jinn and mankind. After him He made twelve testamentary trustees of authority (waṣī). Of these some have already come before and others remain (to come). A practice has been in operation for each testamentary trustee of authority (waṣī). The testamentary trustees of authority (awṣiyā’) who came after Muḥammad, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, were accordmg to the practice (established) by Jesus, peace be on him, and they (the awṣiyā’ of Jesus) were twelve. Thus, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, was (the first waṣī after Muḥammad) according to the practice (established) by (Jesus), the Messiah, peace be on him.”

[Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb on the authority of Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, on the authority of Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ‘Īsā, Muḥammad b. ‘Abd Allāh, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn, all on the authority of Sahl b. Ziyād, on the authority of al-Ḥasan b. al-‘Abbās, on the authority of Abū Ja‘far the second (i.e. Muḥammad al-Jawād), on the authority of his father back to the authority of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on them, who said:] The Apostle of Allāh, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, said to his Companions: “Believe in the Night of Decision (laylat al-qadr). On it the command for the religious practice (sunna) was revealed and because of that order there exist friends of Allāh (wulāt) after me - ‘Alī b. Abī Ṭālib and eleven of his descendants.”

[With the same chain of authorities (isnād):] The Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, told Ibn ‘Abbās, may Allāh have mercy on him: “The Night of Decision is (concerned) with every religious practice (sunna). On that night, the command for the religious practice (sunna) was revealed and because of that order there are friends of Allāh (wulāt) after the Apostle of Allāh, may Allāh bless Him and His Family.” “Who are they?” asked Ibn ‘Abbās. “Myself and eleven (descended) from my loins. Imams who are addressed (by the angels),” he answered.

[Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb on the authority of Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, on the authority of Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, on the authority of Ibn Maḥbūb, on the authority of Abū al-Jarūd, on the authority of Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad b. ‘Alī (al-Bāqir), peace be on him, on the authority of Jaīr b. ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī, who said:] I (i.e. Jaīr b. ‘Abd Allāh) visited Fāṭima, the daughter of the Apostle of Allāh, may Allāh bless Him and His Family. In her hands was a tablet (lawḥ) in which was (inscribed) the testamentary trustees of authority (awṣiyā’), the Imams from her offspring. I counted twelve names, the last of them was the one who will undertake the office for the rest of time (al-qā’im). Of the descendants of Fāṭima, three of the (names) were Muḥammad and three of them were ‘Alī. [Abū al-Qāsim informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of Abū ‘Alī al-Ash‘arī, on the authority of al-Ḥasan b. ‘Ubayd Allāh, on the authority of al-Ḥasan b. Mūsā al-Khashshāb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Sumū‘a, on the authority of ‘Alī b. al-Ḥasan b. Ribāṭ, on the authority of Ibn Udhayna, on the authority of Zurāra, who said:] I (i.e. Zurāra) heard Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him, say: “The twelve Imams from the family of Muḥammad, all of whom are addressed (by the angels) are ‘Alī b. Abī Ṭālib and eleven of his descendants. The Apostle of Allāh and ‘Alī b. Abī Ṭālib are the two progenitors (of them), peace be on them both.” [Abū al-Qāsim informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Ibrāhīm, on the authority of his father (Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim), on the authority of Ibn Abī ‘Umayr, on the authority of Sa‘īd b. Ghazwān, on the authority of Abū Baṣīr, on the authority of Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him:] He (al-Bāqir) said: “After al-Ḥusayn, there will be nine Imams, the ninth of them will be the one of them who will undertake the office for the rest of time (qā’im).”

[Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Mu‘allā b. Muḥammad, on the authority of al-Washshā, on the authority of Abān, on the authority of Zurāra, who said:] I (i.e. Zurāra) heard Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him, say: “There will be twelve Imams. Among them are al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn. Then the Imams are from the descendants of al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him.”

[Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Muḥammad b. ‘Alī b. Bilāl, who said:] There came to me (i.e. Muḥammad b. ‘Alī b. Bilāl) (information) from Abu Muḥammad al-Ḥasan b. ‘Alī al-‘Askarī, peace be on him, informing me of his successor after him two years before his death. Then (again) three days before his death there came to me information (from him) informing me of his successor after him.

[Abū al-Qāsim (Ja‘far b. Muḥammad) informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, on the authority of Aḥmad b. Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū Hāshim al-Ja‘farī, who said:] I (Abū Hāshim al-Ja‘farī) said to Abu Muḥammad al-Ḥasan b. ‘Alī (al-‘Askarī), peace be on them: “Your exaltedness prevents me from questioning you. Would you permit me to question you?” “Ask.” he said. “My lord, have you a son?” I asked. “Yes,” he answered. “If anything happens to you, where will I ask about him?” I said “In Medina,” he replied. [Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Ja‘far b. Muḥammad al-Kūfī, on the authority of Ja‘far b. Muḥammad al-Makfūf, on the authority of ‘Amr al-Ahwāzī, who said:] Abu Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, showed me his son and said: “This is your leader after me.” [Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Ḥamdān al-Qalānisī, on the authority of al-‘Umarī, who said:]9 (al-‘Umarī) said: “Abu Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, has died and has left his son as his successor.” [Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Mu‘allā b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ‘Abd Allāh, who said:]10 (An announcement) came from Abu Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, when al-Zubayrī (i.e. al-Muhtadī), may Allāh curse him, was killed: “This is the reward of one who is bold before Allāh, the Exalted, in (his treatment of) His friends (awliyā’). He claimed that he would kill me and that I did not have any offspring. How does he consider the power of Allāh now with regard to (that son)?”

[(Aḥmad b.) Muḥammad b. ‘Abd Allāh added:] A son was born to him. [Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of those who report it, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-‘Alawī, on the authority of Dāwud b. al-Qāsim al-Ja‘farī (Abū Hāshim), who said:]11 I (i.e. Dāwud b. al-Qāsim al-Ja‘farī) heard Abū al-Ḥasan ‘Alī b. Muḥammad (alHādī) say: “The successor after me is al-Ḥasan. But how will it be for you with regard to the successor after the successor?” “May Allāh make me your ransom, why?” I asked. “You will not see his person,” he said, “nor will the mentioning of his name be permitted to you.” “Then how will we refer to him?” I enquired. “Say - the proof from the family of Muḥammad, peace be on them,” he told me.

*****

This is an extract which comes from the reports handed down concerning the nominations of the twelfth of the Imams, peace be on them. The narrations about that are numerous. The followers of this group have written them and confirmed them in the books which they have compiled. Among those who have presented them with explanation and detail is Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm, whose kūnya is Abu ‘Abd Allāh al-Nu‘manī, in the book which he compiled on the occultation (ghayba). There is no need for us, in view of what we have mentioned, to present them in detail in this place.

An Account of those who saw the Twelfth Imam, Peace be on him, an Extract from the Evidence and Proof for him. [Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ismā‘īl b. Mūsā b. Ja‘far - he was the oldest leader (shaykh) of the family of Muḥammad in Iraq - who said] I (Muḥammad b. Ismā‘īl b. Mūsā) saw the son of al-Ḥasan b. ‘Alī b. Muḥammad (al-‘Askarī), peace be on them, between the two mosques (i.e between Mecca and Medina). He was a youth.

[Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, on the authority of al-Ḥasan b. Rizq Allāh, who said: Mūsā b Muḥammad b. al-Qāsim b. Ḥamza b. Mūsā b. Ja‘far told me: Ḥakīma, daughter of Muḥammad b. ‘Alī (al-Jawād), peace be on them, and aunt of al-Ḥasan (al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, told me:]13 She (Ḥakīma) saw the one who will undertake the office of the Imamate for the rest of time (al-qā’im) on the night of his birth and later. [Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Ḥamdān al-Qalānisī who said:]14 I (i.e. Ḥamdān al-Qalānisī) asked Abū ‘Amr al-‘Umarī, may Allāh have mercy on him: “Has Abū Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, died?” “He has died,” he answered, “but he has left a successor among you, one whose neck is like this.” He indicated (his own neck) with his hand (i.e. the successor is already mature).

[Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Fatḥ, the retainer (mawlā) of al-Zurārī, who said:]15 I (i.e. Fatḥ) heard Abū ‘Alī b. Muṭahhar mention that he had seen him and he described his stature. [Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Shādhān b. Nu‘aym, on the authority of the maid-servant of Ibrāhīm b. ‘Abīda al-Nīsābūrī - she was one of the righteous women - who said:]16 I (i.e. the maidservant of Ibrāhīm b. ‘Abīda ) was standing with Ibrāhīm on alṢafā (in Mecca) and the one who possesses authority, peace be on him, came and stood over Ibrāhīm. He took hold of his book of rituals for the pilgrimage and told him about some things.

[Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Muḥammad ‘Alī b. Ibrāhīm, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh b. Ṣāliḥ:]17 He (i.e. Abū ‘Abd Allāh b. Ṣāliḥ) saw him opposite the (Black) stone (of the Ka‘ba) and the people were struggling with one another to get to it. He said: “They were not ordered to do this.”

[Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Aḥmad b. Ibrāhīm b. Idrīs, on the authority of his father (Ibrāhīm b. Idrīs), who said:]18 I (i.e. Ibrāhīm b. Idrīs) saw him, peace be on him, after the death of Abū Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, when he had grown up. I kissed his hand and his head.

[Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh b. Ṣāliḥ and Aḥmad b. al-Nadr, on the authority of al-Qanbarī, who said:]19 A discussion took place about Ja‘far b. ‘Alī (the brother of al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī). He (an unidentified person) blamed him (i.e. Ja‘far) (for claimmg the Imamate). I (i.e. al-Qanbarī) said: “There is not anyone else except him.” “Yes, there is,” he asserted.

“Who.” I asked. “And have you see him?” “I have not seen him,” he replied, “but someone else has.” “Who is that?” I asked. “Ja‘far has seen him twice,” he declared. [Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Ja‘far b. Muḥammad al-Kūfī, on the authority of Ja‘far b. Muḥammad al-Makfūf, on the authority of ‘Amr al-Ahwāzī, who said: Abū Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, showed me his son and said: “This is your leader (after me).” [Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, on the authority of al-Ḥasan b. ‘Alī al-Nīsābūrī, on the authority of Ibrāhīm b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Abū Naṣr Ẓarīf al-Khādim:]21 He (i.e. Abū Naṣr Ẓarīf al-Khādim) saw him.

*****

Such reports with the meaning which we have mentioned are numerous. The selection which we have given is sufficient for our purpose, since the support of his existence has already been presented by us and what would follow would be merely additional confirmation. If we do not present it, it is not without explanation.

Extract from the Evidence, Proof and Signs for the Leader for the (Rest of) Time [Abū al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad b. Qūlawayh informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ḥamawayh, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Mahziyār, who said:] I (i.e. Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Mahziyā) doubted (if there was a successor) at the death of Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan b. ‘Alī (al-‘Askarī) peace be on them. A great deal of money (for the Imam) had been gathered with my father. He took it and went by boat. I went with him to say farewell to him. He became seriously weakened by a fever. He said: “My son, take me back, it is death.” Then he said: “Fear Allāh with regard to this money,” and he entrusted it to my (safe-keeping).

Three days later he died. I said to myself. “It is not possible for my father to entrust me with something for safe-keeping which is not true. I will take this money to Iraq. I will hire a house on the (river) bank and I won’t tell anyone anything. If something becomes clear to me like it was clear at the time of Abū Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan b. ‘Alī (al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, I will hand it over. If not, I will spend it on enjoying myself and entertainmg myself.” I went to Iraq and hired a house on the river-bank. I remained there for several days. Then suddenly a letter (was brought) by a messenger: “Muḥammad, you have such-and-such . . . . . . . . . . .” (It went on) to describe everything I had, even what I was not aware of, being included in it. I handed it over to the messenger. I remained for some days without a head being raised to me (in greeting) and I was grieved. Then (a message) came to me: “We have put you in the position of your father. So praise Allāh.”

[Muḥammad b. Abī ‘Abd Allāh reported on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh alNisā’ī:]23 I (i.e. Abū ‘Abd Allāh) gave some things to al-Marzubānī al-Ḥārithī, among which was a bracelet of gold. They were accepted. However, the bracelet was returned to me and I was told to break it. I broke it. There in the middle of it were weights of iron, copper and brass. I took that away and handed over the gold after that. It was accepted.

[‘Alī b. Muḥammad reported:] A man from the Sawād (of Iraq) handed over money and it was returned to him. He was told: “Take from it what is due to your nephews. It is four hundred dirhams.”

The man had possession of an estate in which his nephews had a share which he had withheld from them. He reflected. When he took out the four hundred dirhams which belonged to his nephews and handed over the rest, it was accepted.

[Al-Qāsim b. al-‘Alā’ reported:] A number of sons were born to me. I used to write to (the Hidden Imam) and ask for prayers for them. However, he never wrote to me anything about their affair and they all died. When my son al-Ḥusayn was born, I wrote to ask for prayers. I received an answer and he survived. Praise be to Allāh. [‘Alī b. Muḥammad (reported) on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh b. Ṣāliḥ, who said:] One year I (i.e. Abū ‘Abd Allāh b. Ṣāliḥ) went to Baghdād. (At first) I had asked permission to go but it had not been granted to me. So I remained for twenty-two days after the departure of the caravan towards al-Nahrawān. Then I received permission to depart on the Wednesday. I was told to go with it. I set out in despair at catching it up. I reached al-Nahrawān and the caravan was still there. I only had time to feed my camel before the caravan set out and I set out with it. He (the Hidden Imam) had prayed for my safety. Therefore I came to no harm. Praise be to Allāh.

[‘Alī b. Ibrāhīm (reponed) on the authority of Naḍr b. Ṣabbāḥ al-Bajalī, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Yūsuf al-Shāshī, who said:] Tumours came out on my boltom. I showed them to the doctors and spent a great deal of money to do that. They said that they did not know of any medicine to cure them. I wrote a letter (to the Hidden Imam) to ask him to pray (for me). He sent me a signed letter: “May Allāh clothe you in health. May He make you with us both in this world and the next.”

Before Friday came, I was well again and the place where there had been tumours became as smooth as the palm of my hand. I summoned a doctor (who was one) of our colleagues and showed him that. He said: “We do not know of any medicine for that. Health could only have been restored through Allāh directly.” [‘Alī b. Muḥammad (reported) on the authority of ‘Alī b. al-Ḥusayn al-Yamānī, who said:] While I (i.e. ‘Alī b. al-Ḥusayn al-Yamānī) was in Baghdād, a caravan of Yamānīs was being prepared for departure. I wanted to go with them. I wrote to ask permission for that and (the message) came: “Do not go with them. No good will come to you through going with them. Stay in Kūfā.” I stayed there and the caravan departed. The Banū Ḥanẓala attacked them and destroyed them.

I wrote to ask permission to make a journey by water and was not given permission. I asked about the boats which were leaving that year by sea but I knew that no boat was safe, for a group of people called al-Bawāriḥ used to attack them and stop them.

[‘Alī b. al-Ḥusayn reported:] I (i.e. ‘Alī b. al-Ḥusayn) went to al-‘Askar (Sāmarrā’). I came in by a by-street at dusk. I had spoken to no one and I was not known to anyone. I was praying in the mosque after I had finished my visitation (to the graves of the two Imams al-Hādī and al-‘Askarī), when a servant came to me. He said to me. “Arise.” “To where?” I asked. “To the house,” he answered. “Who am I?” I said. “Perhaps you have been sent to someone else.” “No, I have only been sent to you,” he said. “You are ‘Alī b. al-Ḥusayn (the messenger of Ja‘far b. Ibrāhīm”. He went with me until he installed me in the house of al-Ḥusayn b. Aḥmad).29 I did not know what he said to him until he brought everything I needed. I remained there for three days. Then I asked permission to make a visitation inside the house (where the two Imams were buried). Permission was granted and I made my visitation at night. [Al-Ḥasan b. al-Faḍl (b. Zayd al-Yamānī) reported:]30 My father (i.e. al-Faḍl b. Zayd ) wrote a letter in his own handwriting. The reply from the (Hidden Imam) came. (Then I, Al-Ḥasan b. al-Faḍl - wrote in my handwriting, the reply from the Hidden Imam came). Then one of the outstanding scholars among our colleagues wrote in his handwriting and no answer came back. We reflected on that. Indeed the man had changed and become a Qarmaṭī.

[Al-Ḥasan b. al-Faḍl mentioned:] I (i.e. Al-Ḥasan b. al-Faḍl) went to Iraq (and I went to Tūs). I knew that I would only leave with clear evidence (of an improvement) in my situation and success in my needs even though I might have to stay there untill I had to beg for alms. During that time, my heart became oppressed with my stay and I began to fear that I would miss the pilgrimage. One day I went to Muḥlammad b. Aḥmad - he was the representative of the Hidden Imam (safīr) at that time - so that I might get money from him. He said to me: “Go to such-and-such a mosque. There a man will meet you.”

I went there. A man came up to me. When he looked at me, he laughed and said: “Don’t be worried. You will make the pilgrimage, this year and you will return safely to your family and children.”

I was relieved and my heart quietened. I said: “This is the real proof of that man.” Then I went to al-‘Askar (Sāmarrā’). A bag was sent to me, in which were some dīnārs and some clothes. I was perplexed and said to myself: “Is my reward only that in the eyes of the people (i.e. the Shī‘a leaders)?” I pretended ignorance and sent it back. Then I regretted my action very much. I said to myself: “I have been guilty of unbelief in sending it back to my master.” I wrote a letter apologising for my action, acknowledging my sin and seeking forgiveness for it. Then I sent it. I performed the noon prayer. At that time I was thinking to myself and saying: “If the dīnārs were returned to me, I would not untie the knot (of the purse). I would not do anything with it until I had taken it to my father. He knows better than I.”

The messenger, who had brought the purse to me, came to me again. He said to me: “I would throttle you since you do not acknowledge the man (i.e. the Hidden Imam). Sometimes we do that to our followers who have deserted in the first place. Sometimes they ask us to do it to gain relief through it. However, (a message) has come to me that you made a mistake in sending back our beneficence. If you seek the forgiveness of Allāh, then Allāh, the Exalted will forgive you. However, if it is your resolve and your firm intention not to do anything with what we brought to you and not to spend it on your journey, we will deprive you of it. As for the clothes, take them in order to use as the robes for consecration in the pilgrimage (tuḥrim fihi.).” [Al-Ḥasan b. al-Faḍl reported:] I (i.e. al-Ḥasan b. al-Faḍl) wrote about two problems and wanted to write about a third. However, I stopped myself fearing that that might not be liked. The answer came explaining the two problems and the third which I had kept back. Praise be to Allāh. [Al-Ḥasan b. al-Faḍl reported:] I (i.e. al-Ḥasan b. al-Faḍl) agreed with Ja‘far b. Ibrāhīm al-Nīsābūrī in Nīsābūr to ride with him to the pilgrimage and give him companionship. When I reached Baghdād, I changed my mind. So I went to look for a partner. Ibn Wajnā’ met me. (Earlier) I had gone to him and asked him to hire someone for me. However, he had been unwilling. Now he said: “I have been looking for you, for I was told (i.e. by an instruction from the Hidden Imam) that he (i.e. al-Ḥasan) will be your colleague (within the caravan) so be kind to him and find a partner for him and hire him for him.”

[‘Alī b. Muḥammad (reported) on the authority of al-Ḥasan b. ‘Abd al-Ḥamīd, who said:] I (i.e. al-Ḥasan b. ‘Abd al-Ḥamīd) doubted about the authority of Ḥājiz. I collected some (dues for the Hidden Imam) and went to al-‘Askar. (A message) came to me: “There should be no doubt about us nor about those who act on our behalf with our authority. Return what you have to Ḥājiz b. Yazīd.” [‘Alī b. Muḥammad (reported) on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ, who said:] When my father died and his authority came to me (i.e. Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ), my father had been holding bills of exchange (which had been given) by people (instead of money) as part of the money owed to the creditor - i.e. the leader of the affair (ṣāḥib al-amr), peace be on him. Al-Shaykh al-Mufīd, may Allāh have mercy on him, explained: This expression (al-gharīm - the creditor) is a symbol which the Shī‘a had known for a long time among themselves. Their addressing him by it was a form of precautionary dissimulation (taqiyya).

I (i.e. Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ) wrote to him (the Hidden Imam) to inform me (about what to do). He wrote to me: “Seek them out and get them to pay.” The people paid me except for one man. He owed (the redemption of) a bill of exchange for four hundred dīnārs. I went to him to ask for it. He put off paying me and his son made light of me and ridiculed me. I complained about him to his father. His father said: “What was that?”

I grabbed hold of his beard and took hold of his leg and dragged him to the middle of the house. His son went out to get help from the people of Baghdād. He was shoulmg: “A Qummī, a Rāfiḍite, has killed my father.”

A large crowd of them gathered against me. I got on my horse and shouted: “Well done, people of Baghdād, siding with a wrong-doer against a wronged stranger. I am a man from the people of Hamdān from the people of the sunna (i.e. non-Shī‘a). This man makes claims of me being from the people of Qumm and accuses me of being a Rāfiḍite so that he may take away my rights and my money,”

They began to turn against him and they wanted to go into his shop until I quietened them. The man whose bill of exchange it was came to me and swore by the oath of divorce that he would pay me my money (to redeem the bill) so that I would take them away from him.

[‘Alī b. Muḥammad (reported) on the authority of a number of our colleagues on the authority of Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan and al-‘Alā’ b. Rizq Allāh, on the authority of Badr, the servant of Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan, on the authority of the latter:]33 I (i.e. Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan) came to al-Jabal. I did not yet profess (the doctrine of) the Imamate, nor did I have any love for them (the Shī‘a) at all until Yazīd b. ‘Abd Allāh died. In his illness, he made (me a trustee of) his will that his horse, his sword and his belt should be given to his Master (i e. the Imam). I was afraid that if I did not give the horse to Udhkūtkīn, he would punish me. I valued the horse, sword and belt in my own view for seven hundred dīnārs and I told no one about it. I gave the horse to Udhkūtkīn. Suddenly there was a letter which came to me from Iraq: “Send seven hundred dīnārs, of the price of the horse, sword and belt which were ours before you.”

[‘Alī b. Muḥammad reported: One of our col1eagues told me:]34 A son was born to me (i.e. one of the Shī‘a). I wrote to ask permission to have him circumcised on the seventh day. (The answer) came: “Do not do that.” The child died on the seventh or eighth day. I wrote about his death. The answer came: “He will be followed by another and another. Name the first Aḥmad and the one after Aḥmad, Ja‘far.” It happened just as he said. [One of our colleagues reported:] I (i.e. one of the Shī‘a) had got ready for the pilgrimage. I said farewell to the people and wrote to depart. (The answer) came “We are averse to that but the decision is yours.”

My heart was heavy and I was grieved. I wrote “I remain as one who listens and obeys. However, I am grieved at staying behind from the pilgrimage'” There came a signed message: “Let your heart not be heavy. You will make the pilgrimage next year. Allāh willing.”

Next year I wrote to ask permssion. Permission came. I wrote (to ask) if I could take Muḥammad b. al-‘Abbās as a companion as I trusted in his religious faith and self-restraint. (The answer) came: “The man of the tribe of Asad would be the better companion. If he comes, do not hire (Muḥammad b. al-‘Abbās).” The man of Asad came and l took him as a companion.

[Abu al-Qāsim Ja‘far b. Muḥammad reported to me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of al-Ḥasan b. ‘Īsā al-‘Urayḍī, who said:] When Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan b. ‘Alī (al-‘Askarī), peace be on them, died, a man from the people of Egypt brought money to Mecca for the leader of the affair (ṣāḥib al-amr), peace be on him. I (i.e. al-Ḥasan b. ‘Īsā al-‘Urayḍī) used to visit him. He said: “Some of the people (say) that Abū Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, died without a successor. Others say that the successor after him is Ja‘far. Others say that the successor after him is his son. A man with the kunya Abū Ṭālib was sent to al-‘Askar (Sāmarrā’) to study the matter and (find out) the truth about it. He had a letter with him. The man went to Ja‘far and asked him for proof (ofhis Imamate). He answered: ‘It is not yet ready for me.’ The man went to the door and he sent the letter to our colleagues who are charged with direct representation of the Hidden Imam (sifāra). The message came to him: ‘May Allāh reward you through your leader.’ Then the man died and he entrusted the money which was with him to do with what he was intending (i.e. pay it to the agents of the Hidden Imam). His letter had been answered and the matter was as he had been told.”

[With the same chain of authorities (isnād) on the authority or ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, who said:] A man from the people of Āba brought some things to hand over to him (the Hidden Imam). He forgot his sword which he had also intended to give. When the things arrived, he was informed by letter of their arrrival. In the letter it also said: “What is the news of the sword which you forgot?” [With the same chain of authorities (isnād) on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Shādhān al-Nīsābūrī, who said:]37 I (i.e. Muḥammad b. Shādhān) had collected five hundred dirhams less twenty. I did not want to send them while they were less (than five hundred). so I paid out twenty dirhams of my own and sent them to al-Asadī. I did not write about what was my own (money) in (the sum). The reply came: “ Five hundred dirhams have arrived, of which twenty belongs to you.”

[al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad al-Ash‘arī reported:] A letter from Abū Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, came about entrusting a salary to al-Junayd, who assassinated Fāris b. Ḥātim b. Māhawayh, to Abū al-Ḥasan and my brother. After Abū Muḥammad (al-Ḥasan al-‘Askarī), peace be on him, died, a message came, renewing the salary of Abū al-Ḥasan and his companion. Nothing came with regard to the affairs of alJunayd. I was troubled at that but then (another message) came later announcmg the death of al-Junayd.

[‘Alī b. Muḥammad (reported) on the authority of Abū ‘Aqīl ‘Īsā b. Naṣr, who said:] ‘Alī b. Ziyād al-Ṣīmarī wrote asking for a shroud. (The reply) was written to him: “You will need it in the year (2)80 A.H.” He died in the year (2)80 A.H. and the shroud was sent to him before his death. [‘Alī b. Muḥammad (reported) on the authonty of Muḥammad b. Hārūn b. ‘Imrān al-Hamdānī, who said] I (i.e. Muḥammad b. Hārūn) owed five hundred dīnārs to (the Hidden Imam). I did not have enough money to pay it. Then I said to myself: “I have several shops which I had bought for five hundred and thirty dīnārs I could give them (to the Hidden Imam) instead of the five hundred dīnārs.” However, I did not say anythjng about them. (A message) was written to Muḥammad b. Ja‘far: “Take the shops from Muḥammad b. Hārūn for the five hundred dīnārs which be owes us.” [Abū al-Qāsim (Ja‘far b. Muḥammad) informed me on the authority of Muḥammad b. Ya‘qūb, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad, who said:]41 An announcement was issued: “It is prohibited to make visitations to the cemetery of Quraysh and Karbalā’ (al-Hā’ir).” Some months later the vizier summoned al-Baqṭānī. He said to him: “Go to (the families of) the Banū Furāt and the people of al-Burs and tell them not to visit the cemetery of Quraysh. The caliph has ordered that everyone who visits it should be searched out and arrested.”

*****

The Signs
Reappearance (Qiyām) of the (Imam) who undertakes the Office (al-Qā’im), Peace be on him, the Period of Time of his Appearance, an Explanation of his Life and an Extract of what is revealed about his State. of the Traditions have been reported mentioning the signs for the time of the appearance of the Imam who will arise (qā’im), peace be on him, and the events which will take place before his appearance, together with the indications and features of it. Among them are: The Sufyānī will come out in revolt; the Ḥasanid will be killed; the ‘Abbāsids will dispute over worldly kingdom; there will be an eclipse of the sun in the middle of the month of Ramaḍān; there will be an eclipse of the moon at the end of that month in contrast to ordinary happenings; the land will be swallowed up at al-Bayḍā’; it will be swallowed in the east - it will be swallowed up in the west; the sun will stay still from the time of its decline to the middle of the time for the afternoon prayer; it will rise from the west; a pure soul (nafs zakiyya) will be killed in the outskirts of Kūfā with seventy righteous men; a Hāshimite will be slaughtered between the corner (of the Ka‘ba and the station of Abraham); the wall of the mosque of Kūfā will be destroyed; black standards will advance from Khurāsān; al-Yamānī will come out in revolt; al-Maghribī will appear in Egypt and take possession of it from Syria; the Turk will occupy the region of al-Jazīra; the Byzantines will occupy Ramla; the star will appear in the east giving light just like the moon gives light; then (the new moon) will bend until its two tips almost meet; a colour will appear in the sky and spread to its horizons; a fire will appear for a long time in the east remaining in the air for three or seven days; the Arabs will throw off the reins and take possession of their land, throwing out the foreign authority; the people of Egypt will kill their ruler and destroy Syria; and three standards will dispute over it (Syria); the standards of Qays and the Arabs will come among the people of Egypt; the standards of Kinda (will go) to Khurāsān; horses will come from the west until they are stabled in al-Ḥīra; the black standards will advance towards them from the east; the Euphrates will flood so that the water comes into the alleys of Kūfā; sixty liars will come forward, all of them claiming prophethood, and twelve will come forward from the family of Abū Ṭālib, all of them claiming the Imamate; a man of important rank of the supporters of the ‘Abbāsids will be burnt between Jalūlā’ and Khāniqīn; the bridge next to Karkh in the city of Baghdād will be established; a black wind will raise it at the beginning of the day and then an earthquake will occur so that much of it will be swallowed up; fear will cover the people of Iraq and Baghdād; swift death (will occur) there and there will be a loss of property, lives and harvests; locusts will appear at their usual times and at times not usual so that they attack agricultural land and crops and there will be little harvest for what the people planted; two kinds of foreigners will dispute and much blood will be shed in their quarrel; slaves will rebel against obedience to their masters and kill their masters (mawālī); a group of heretics (ahl al-bida‘) will be transformed until they become monkeys and pigs; slaves will conquer the land of their masters; a cry (will come) from the sky (in such a way) that all the people will hear it in their own languages; a face and a chest will appear in the sky before the people in the centre of the sun; the dead will arise from their graves so that they will return to the world and they will recognize one another and visit one another; that will come to an end with twenty-four continous rainstorms and the land will be revived by them after being dead and it will recognize its blessings; after that every disease will be taken away from those of the Shī‘a of the Mahdī, peace be on him, who believe in the truth; at that time they will know of his appearance in Mecca and they will go to him to support him. (These signs) are as the reports have mentioned. Among the total of these events are some which are bound (to happen) and other which are conditional. Allāh knows best what will take place. We have only mentioned them on the basis of what is recounted in basic sources of tradition (uṣūl) because of their inclusion in traditions which have been handed down. From Allāh we seek help and Him do we ask for success.

[Abū al-Ḥasan ‘Alī b. Bilāl al-Muḥallabī informed me: Muḥammad b. Ja‘far al-Mu’addib told me on the authority of Aḥmad b. Idrīs, on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad b. Qutayba, on the authority of al-Faḍl b. Shādhān, on the authority of Ismā‘īl b. al-Ṣabbāḥ, who said: I heard an old man among our colleagues mention on the authority of Sayf b. ‘Umayra, who said:] I (i.e. Sayf b. ‘Umayra) was with Abu Ja‘far al-Manṣūr and he said to me of his own accord: “There will certainly be a voice calling from the sky the name of a man from the descendants of Abū Ṭālib.” “May I be your ransom, Commander of the faithful,” I said, “do you relate that?” “Indeed, by Him in Whose hands is my life,” he replied, “because my own ears have heard it.” “Commander of the faithful,” I said, “this tradition which you have heard is before my time.” “Sayf, it is the truth,” he told me. “When it happens, we will be the first to answer it. Indeed the call will be for a man from the descendants of our uncle.” “A man from the descendants of Fāṭima, peace be on her?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied. “Sayf, if it was not for the fact that I have heard from Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad b. ‘Alī (al-Bāqir), who told me about it, even though all the people of the earth have told me about it, I would not accept it from them. However it was Muḥammad b. ‘Alī (al-Bāqir), peace be on them, (who told me).”

[Yaḥyā b. Abī Ṭālib reported on the authority of ‘Alī b. ‘Āṣim, on the authority of ‘Aṭā’ b. al-Sā’ib, on the authority of his father on the authority of ‘Abd Allāh b. ‘Umar, who said:] The Apostle of Allāh, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, said: “The hour (of the end of the world) will not arise until the Mahdī from my descendants comes forth. The Mahdī will not come forth until sixty liars come forward, all of them declaring: ‘I am a prophet.’” [al-Faḍl b. Shādhān reported on the authority of one who reported it on the authority of Abū Ḥamza al-Thumālī, who said:] I (i.e. Abū Ḥamza al-Thumālī) asked Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him: “Is the revolt of the Sufyānī one of the things which must happen?” “Yes,” he replied. “The call is one of the things which must happen as is the rising of the sun from the west one of the things which must happen. The dispute of the ‘Abbāsids over the state is also one of them and the killing of the pure soul (al-nafs al-zakiyya). The appearance of the one who will arise (al-qā’im) from the family of Muḥammad, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, is another of the things which must happen.” “How will the call be?” I asked. “There will be a call from the sky at the beginning of the day - indeed the truth is with ‘Alī and his Shī‘a,'” he said. “Then at the end of the day, Satan will call from the earth - indeed the truth is with ‘Uthmān and his supporters. At that the false one will feel doubt.” [al-Ḥasan b. ‘Alī al-Washshā’ (reported) on the authority of Aḥmad b. ‘Ā’idh, on the authority of Abū Khadīja, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far alṢādiq, peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Sadiq) said: “The one who will arise (al-qā’im) will not come forth until twelve of the Banū Hāshim come forth before him, all of them summoning men to themselves.”

[Muḥammad b. Abī al-Bilād (reported) on the authority of ‘Alī b. Muḥammad al-Azdī, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, who said:] The Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, said: “Before the one who will arise (al-qā’im), there will be red death and white death; there will be locusts at their usual time and at their unusual time like the colours of blood. As for red death that is (from) the sword,while white death is (from) plague.” [al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb (reported) on the authority of ‘Amr b. Abī Miqdām, on the authority of Jābir al-Ju‘fī on the authority of Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him:]

(Al-Bāqir) said: “Stay close to the ground. Don’t move an arm or a leg until you see the signs which I will mention to you - I don’t think that you will live until that time. The ‘Abbāsids will dispute; a voice will call from the sky; one of the villages of Syria called al-Jābiyya will be swallowed up; the Turks will occupy the region of al-Jazīra; the Byzantines will attack al-Ramla; at that time there will be much conflict throughout the land until Syria is destroyed. The cause of its destruction will be the meeting of three standards there: the standard of the Red, the standard of the Spotted and the standard of the Sufyanī.” [‘Alī b. Abī Ḥamza (reported) on the authority of Abū al-Ḥasan Mūsā, peace be on him:] Concerning the words of Him, the Mighty and High: We will show them our signs on the horizons and in themselves so that it will become clear to them that it is the truth [XLI 53], (Mūsā) said: “(There will be) a disturbance on the horizons and the enemies of truth will be changed in form.” [Wahb b. (Abī) Ḥafṣ (reported) on the authority of Abū Baṣīr, who said:] I (i.e. Abū Baṣīr) heard Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir) speak concerning the words of Him, the Exalted: If We wish, We will send down on them signs from the sky, and their necks will remain bent submissively to them (XXVI 4). He said: “Allāh will do that to them.” “Who are they?” I asked. “The Umayyads and their supporters,” he answered. “What is the sign?” I asked. “Between the decline of the sun (at noon) and the time of the afternoon prayer, the sun will remain still,” he said. “The chest and face of man will appear in the centre of the sun, who will be recognized by his standing and genealogy. That will occur in the time of the Sufyani. At that moment his destruction will occur and the destruction of his people.”

[‘Abd Allāh b. Bukayr (reported) on the authority of ‘Abd al- Malik b. Ismā‘īl, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Sa‘īd b. Jubayr:] (Sa‘īd b. Jubayr) said: “In the year in which the Mahdī will rise, twenty rain storms will rain on the earth. You will see their effects and benefits.” [al-Faḍl b. Shādhān (reported) on the authority of Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Abī Naṣr , on the authority of Tha‘laba al-Azdī, who said:] Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him, said: “Two signs will come before the one who will arise (al-qā’im), peace be on him: there will be an eclipse of the sun in the middle of the month of Ramaḍān and an eclipse of the moon at the end of it.”

“Son of the Apostle of Allāh,” I said, “usually the eclipse of the sun occurs at the end of the month and the eclipse of the moon occurs in the middle of it?” “I know what I have said,” replied Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him. “They are signs which have not occurred since Adam came down.” [Tha‘laba b. Maymūn (reported) on the authority of Shu‘ayb al-Ḥaddād, on the authority of Ṣāliḥ b. Maytham, who said:] I (i.e. Ṣāliḥ b. Maytham) heard Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him, say: “There is no longer than fifteen nights between the appearance of the one who will rise (al-qā’im), peace be on him, and the killing of the pure soul (al-nafs al-zakiyya).” [‘Amr b Shāmir (reported) on the authority of Jabīr (al-Ju‘fī) who said:] I (i.e. Jabīr al-Ju‘fī) said to Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him: “When will this event occur?” “Jabīr, that will occur at a time when the killing between al-Ḥīra and Kūfā is considerable,” he replied. [Muḥammad b. Sinān (reported) on the authority of al-Ḥusayn b. al-Mukhtār, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “When the wall of the mosque of Kūfā, which adjoins the house of ‘Abd Allāh b. Mas‘ūd is destroyed, then at that time the ruler of the people will disappear. At his disappearance, the one who will rise (al-qā’im), peace be on him, will come forth.” [Sayf b. ‘Umayra (reported) on the authority of Bakr b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “There will be three appearances in one year, one month and one day - the Sufyānī, the Khurasānī and the Yamānī. The standard of guidance will not be among them, except the standard of the Yamānī, because he will summon (people) to the truth.”

[al-Faḍl b. Shādhān (reported) on the authority of Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Abī Naṣr, on the authority of Abū al-Ḥasan al-Riḍā, peace be on him:] (Al-Riḍā) said: “What you stretch your necks for will not occur until you are able to discern and to be tested. Only a few of you will remain.” Then he recited: Alif Lam. Do the people consider that they can abandon saying “We believe” whenever they are tempted? [XXIX 1-2]. He said: “Among the signs of the relief is an event which will occur between the two mosques (of Mecca and Medina). So-and-so from the descendants of so-and-so will kill fifteen leaders of the Arabs.”

[Al-Faḍl b. Shādhān (reported) on the authority of Mu‘ammar b. Khallād, on the authority of Abū al-Ḥasan (al-Riḍā), peace be on him:] (Al-Riḍā) said: “(It is as if I see) standards, dyed green, coming from Egypt until they come to the Syrian (standards). Then they will be guided to the descendant of the one who gave the testamentary bequests of authority (to the Imams).” [Ḥammād b. ‘Īsā (reported) on the authority of Ibrāhīm b. ‘Umar al-Yamānī on the authority of Abū Baṣīr, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “The kingdom of these men will not disappear until they slaughter people in Kūfā on Friday. It is as if I was looking at heads falling between the Gate of al-Fīl and (the place of) the soap-sellers.” [‘Alī b. Asbāṭ (reported) on the authority of (Abū) al-Ḥasan b. al- Jahm, who said:] A man asked Abū al-Ḥasan (Mūsā), peace be on him, about the relief. He asked: “Do you want most of it or shall I give you a summary?” “Would you give me a summary?” he said. “(It will be) when the standards of Qays are carried in Egypt and the standards of Kinda in Khurāsān,” he replied. [Al-Ḥusayn b. Abī ‘Alā’ (reported) on the authority of Abū Baṣīr, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “Because of the sons of so-and-so there will be a battle at your mosque - meaning the mosque of Kūfā. On one Friday four thousand will be killed between the Gate of al-Fīl to (the place of) the soap-sellers. Beware of this street. Avoid it. Those who are in the best situation will take the street of the Anṣār.”

[‘Alī b. Abī Ḥamza (reported) on the authority of Abū Baṣīr, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “Before (the coming of) the one who will rise (al-qā’im), peace be on him, there will be a year of abundant rain in which the fruits and the dates on the palms will be destroyed. But don’t complain of that.” [Ibrāhīm b. Muḥammad (reported) on the authority of Ja‘far b. Sa‘d, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “In the year of the Conquest (by the Mahdī) the Euphrates will flood so that the water goes into the alleys of Kūfā.” [It is reported in the account (ḥadīth) of Muḥammad b. Muslim, who said:] I (i.e. Muḥammad b. Muslim) heard Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him, say: “Before (the coming) of the one who will rise (al-qā’im) there will be a trial from Allāh.”

“May I be your ransom, what is that?” I asked him. He recited: Let Us test you with fear, with hunger, and with lack of money, of lives and of harvests. Good news will come to those who are steadfast [II 155]. Then he said: “The fear will be from the kings of the Banū so-and-so; the hunger will be as a result of exorbitant prices; the lack of money will be due to the failure of trade and the scarcity of surplus (goods) in it; the lack of lives will be because of swift death; the lack of harvest will be due to the great rains and the little benefit they bring to the crops.” Then he continued: “The good news for those who are steadfast is that the one who will rise (al-qā’im) will soon come forth.” [Al-Ḥusayn b. Sa‘īd (reported) on the authority of Mundhir al-Jawzī, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him:] (Mundhir al-Jawzī) said: I heard (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) say: “Before the coming of the one who will rise (al-qā’im), peace be on him, the people will be chided for their acts of disobedience by a fire which will appear in the sky and a redness which will cover the sky. It will swallow up Baghdād, it will swallow up Kūfā. There blood will be shed and houses destroyed. Death (fanā’) will occur amid their people and a fear will come over the people of Iraq from which they shall have no rest.”

The Year in which the Qā’im will arise. As for the exact year and day on which the one who will rise (al-qā’im), peace be on him and his fathers, rises, there have been handed down reports concerning that on the authority of truthful men. [Al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb reported on the authority of ‘Alī b. Abī Ḥama, on the authonty of Abū Baṣīr, on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “The one who will rise (al-qā’im) will not come forth in an odd year: one, three, five seven or nine.”

[al-Faḍl b. Shādhānn (reported) on the authority of Muḥammad b. ‘Alī al-Kūfī, on the authority of Wahb b. Ḥafṣ, on the authority of Abu Baṣīr, who said:] Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him, said: “(A voice) will summon the one who will rise (al-qā’im) on the night of the twenty-third of the month and he will rise on the day of ‘Āshūrā’, the day on which al-Ḥusayn b. ‘Alī, peace be on them, was killed. It is as if I could see him on Saturday, 10th of the month of al-Muḥarram, standing between the corner (of the Ka‘ba) and the station (of Abraham) and Gabriel, peace be on him, on his right will call for the pledge of allegiance to Allāh. His Shī‘a will come to him from the ends of the earth, rolling up in great numbers to pledge allegiance to him. Then Allāh will fill the earth with justice just as it was filled with injustice”.

The Direction from which the Qā’im will come.

The report has come that he, peace be on him and his fathers, will go from Mecca until he comes to Kūfā. He wil1 stay on its sand-dunes and scatter the soldiers into the cities.

[Al-Ḥajjāl has reported on the authority of Tha‘laba, on the authority of Abū Bakr al-Ḥaḍramī, on the authority of Abu Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him:] (al-Bāqir said:) “It is as if (I could see) the one who will rise (al-qā’im), peace be on him, on the sand dunes of Kūfā. He came there from Mecca with five thousand angels. Gabriel was on his right and Michael on his left. The believers were (standing) in front of him and he was scattering the soldiers into the land.” [It is reported on the narration (riwāya) of ‘Amr b. Shamir, on the authority Abu Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him:] al-Bāqir mentioned the Mahdī and said: “He will enter Kūfā and there there will be three standards which will have become confused. They will be clear to him. He will go in until he comes to the pulpit. Then he will preach but the people will not know what he says because of the weeping. On the second Friday the people Will ask him to pray the Friday prayer with them. He will order that a place of prostration be marked for him with red dye and he will pray there with them. Then he will order that a river should be dug from the back of the shrine of al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, which would flow to the Ghariyyayn so that the water would descend into al-Najaf. At its entrance bridges and mills would be working. It is as if I (could see) an old woman, on her head a basket, in which is wheat which is brought to those mills and they grind it without charging.” [In the narration of Ṣāliḥ b. Abī al-Aswad of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him:] (Ṣāliḥ b. Abī al-Aswad) said that (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) mentioned the mosque of alSahla. He described it as being of our leader (ṣāḥib) when he came with his people. [In the narration of al-Mufaḍḍal b. ‘Umar: the latter said:] I (i.e. al-Mufaḍḍal b. ‘Umar) heard Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him, say “When the one who will rise (qā’im) from the family or Muḥammad, peace be on him, rises, he will build a mosque in the outskirts of Kūfā, which will have a thousand doors and the houses of Kūfā will be connected to the river flow of Kalbalā’.”

The Dominion of the Qā’im.
Reports bave been handed down concerning the period of time of the dominion of the one who will rise (qā’im), peace be on him, his times, the circumstances of his Shī‘a during them and the position of the world and those on it.

[‘Abd al-Karīm al-Ju‘fī reported:] I (i.e. ‘Abd al-Karīm al-Ju‘fī) asked Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him: “How long will the one who will arise (qā’im), peace be on him, rule?” “Seven years,” he answered, “but the days will lengthen for him so that one of his years will be the same length as ten of your years. So the years of his dominion will be seventy of your years here. On his coming it will rain on the people during the month of Jumādā al-Ākhira and for ten days during the month of Rajab with rain, the like of which creatures have never seen. By it Allāh will bring forth the flesh and bodies of the believers in the graves. It is as if I could see them advancing from Juhayna shaking off the soil from their hair.” [Al-Mufaḍḍal b. ‘Umar reported:] I (i.e. al-Mufaḍḍal b. ‘Umar) heard Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him, “When the one of us who rises (qā’im) rises, the earth will shine with the light of its lord. Men will not need the light of the sun and darkness will vanish. In his dominion a man will live so that he could have a thousand male sons born to him without a female. The earth will show its treasures so that the people will see them on its surface. Men will search for some one among you to receive their money and to take their alms-tax (zakāt) but they will find no one to accept that from them. The people will not need it because of what Allāh has provided for them out of His beneficence.”

The Description of the Qā’im and His Appearance.
Reports have been handed down about the descriptIon of the one who will arise and his kindness, peace be on him. [‘Amr b. Shamir reported on the authority of Jābir al-Ju‘fī, who said:] I (i.e. Jābir al-Ju‘fī) heard Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him, say: “‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb questioned the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him. He said: ‘Tell me about the Mahdī, what is his name?’. He answered ‘As for his name (the Apostle), peace be on him, took a promise from me that I would never mention it until Allāh sent him’. ‘Umar said: ‘Give me his description.’ He answered: ‘He is a young man of medium stature with a handsome face and beautiful hair. His hair flows on to his shoulders. A light rises on his face. The hair of his beard and head is black. By my father, he is the son of the best of mothers.’

The Actions and Manner of the Laws of the Qā’im at his Coming. The action of him, peace be on him, at his coming and the manner of his laws as well as his signs which Allāh, the Exalted, has explained have been recorded in traditions as we have said before.

[al-Mufaḍḍal b. ‘Umar al-Ju‘fī reported:] I (i.e. al-Mufaḍḍal b. ‘Umar al-Ju‘fī) heard Abū ‘Abd Allāh Ja‘far b. Muḥammad (al-Ṣādiq), peace be on them, say: “When Allāh gives the one who will rise (qā’im) permission to come forth, he will go up on the pulpit and summon the people to himself. He will commend them to Allāh and summon them to His truth. He will practise among them the practice (sunna) of the Apostle ofAllāh, may Allāh bless Him and His Family. Allāh, may His majesty be extolled, will send Gabriel, peace be on him, to go to him. He will come down on the wall of the Ka‘ba saying: ‘What are you calling people for?’ The Qā’im, peace be on him, will inform him. Gabnel will say: ‘I will be the first to pledge allegiance to you. Stretch out your hand.’ He will rub it. Three hundred and some tens of men will come to him and pledge allegiance to him. He will stay in Mecca until his followers number ten thousand (thousand) persons. Then he will go to Medina”

[Muḥammad b. ‘Ajlān reported on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far alṢādiq), peace be on him.] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, he will summon the people to Islam anew and guide them to a matter which had become lost and from which people had gone astray. He is only called the Mahdī (the one who guides) because he guides to a matter from which (men) have deviated. He is only called the Qā’im (the one who rises) because of his rising.” [‘Abd Allāh b. al-Mughīra reported on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him.] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “When the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad, the blessings of Allāh be on them, rises, five hundred members of Quraysh will come (against him) and he will strike off their heads. Then another five hundred will come (against him) and he will strike off their heads. A further five hundred will come (against him) until he has done that six times.” “Then the number of these men would be this?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied, “of them and of their retainers (mawāli).” [Abū Baṣīr reported:] Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, he will destroy the Sacred Mosque so that it is reduced to its foundations. He will move the station to the place in which it was. He will cut off the hands of the Banū Shayba and hang them on the Ka‘ba. On it he will write: ‘These are the thieves of the Ka‘ba.’

[Abū al-Jārūd reported on the authority of Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him, in a long account (ḥadīth):]: (al-Bāqir) said: “When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, he will go to Kūfā and some ten thousand persons called the Batriyya42 who will be wearing arms will come out (against him). They will say: ‘Go back where you came from. We have no need of the sons of Fāṭima.’ He will put them to the sword until he comes to the last of them. Then he will enter Kūfā. There he will kill every doubting hypocrite and he will destroy their palaces. He will kill those who fight for them until Allāh, the Mighty and High, is satisfied.” 42 Abū al-Jārūd became the founder of a sect of Zaydīs with strong Imāmī influence. Their opponents within the Zaydī movement were the Batriyya.

[Abu Khadīja reported on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, he will come with a new commandment (from Allāh) just as the Apostle of Allāh, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, summoned (men) to a new commandment (from Allāh) at the beginning of Islam.”

[‘Alī b. ‘Uqba reported on the authority of his father, who said:] (He - an Imam - said:) “When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, he will rule with justice. In his time, injustice will be removed and the roads will be safe. The earth will produce its benefits and every due will be restored to its proper person. No people of any other religion will remain without being shown Islam and confessing faith in it. Have you not heard Allāh, may He be praised. say: Those in the heavens and the earth submitted (aslama) to Him willingly and reluctantly To Him you will return (III 83). He will judge between the people with the judgement of David and the law of Muḥammad, may Allāh bless Him and His Family. At that time the earth will reveal its treasures and show its blessings. At that time men will not find any place to give alms nor be generous because wealth will encompass all the believers.” Then he added: “Our state is the last of the states, no House which has a state will remain except that they ruled before us, so that they will not be able to say when they see our actions, if we ruled, we would act in the same way as these. It is the word of Allāh, the Exalted: The final result is for those who are pious (VII 128).”

[Abū Baṣīr reported on the authority of Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him, to a long account:] (al-Bāqir) said: “When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, he will go to Kūfā. There he will destroy four mosques. There will not remain a mosque on the face of the earth which has a verandah except he will destroy it and make it flat. He will expand the main street and every (building) which juts out along the road will be destroyed. He will destroy the latrines and waste pipes (which jut out) on to the roads. There will be no innovation left which he does not remove and no religious practice (sunna) which he does not establish. He will conquer Constantinople, China and the mountains of al-Daylam. He will remam (doing) that for seven years, each year being ten of your years. Then Allāh will do what He wishes.”

“May I be your ransom, how will He lengthen the years?” I asked. “Allāh, the Exalted, will order the universe to slow down and lessen its movement and the days and the years will be longer because of that,” he answered.

“It is said that if the universe changes, it will be destroyed,” I said. “Those are the words of atheists (zanādiqa).” he replied. “There is no way for a Muslim to hold that view. Allāh, the Exalted, has split the moon for His Prophet, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, and He has sent the sun back to its earlier position for Joshua. He has informed us of the length of the day of the Resurrection. It will be like a thousand years in your reckoning.” [Jabīr (al-Ju‘fi) reported on the authority of Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir), peace be on him, to a long account:] (al-Bāqir) said: “When the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, arises, he will set up encampments and he will teach the people the Qur’ān as it was revealed by Allāh, the Mighty and High. The greatest difficulty will be for those who have learnt it as it is today, because it differs from its (original) composition.” [al-Mufaḍḍal b. ‘Umar reported on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far alṢādiq), peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “There will come with the Qā’im, peace be on him, from the outskirts of Kūfā, twenty-seven men. Fifteen of the people of Moses, who shed their blood for the truth and remained true to it, seven people from the cave, Joshua, Salmān, Abū Dujāna al-Anṣarī, al-Miqdād and Mālik al-Ashtar. They will act as helpers (anṣār) and judges in his presence.” [‘Abd Allāh b. ‘Ajlān reported on the authority of Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Ja‘far alṢādiq), peace be on him:] (Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq) said: “When the Qā’im of the family of Muḥammad, may Allāh bless Him and His Family, comes he will judge among the people with the judgement of David, peace be on him. Through the inspiration of Allāh, the Exalted, he will not need evidence. He will judge through his knowledge and he will inform each people about what is their innermost secret. He will know his friend from his enemy by a process of immediate recognition (tawassum). Allāh, may He be praised and exalted, said: Indeed in that there are signs for those capable of recognising them and they are a sure means (XV 75-76).”

*****

It is reported that the period of time of the state of the Qā’im will be nineteen years, whose days and months will be lengthened as we have already described. This is a matter which is hidden from us. From it, it has been made known to us that what Allāh, the Exalted, does is through the condition that He, may His name be exalted, knows the best interest. We do not positively assert anyone of the two matters (whether the state will be seven or nineteen years), even though the reports about the seven years are clearer and more numerous. There is no state to anyone after the state of the Qā’im, peace be on him, except that there is a narration of one under the control of his sons, if Allāh wishes that. However there is no positive assertion and proof for that. The majority of reports (maintain) that the Mahdī of the community will never depart except forty days before the Resurrection in which there will be ease and the dead arising and the coming of the Hour of Reckoning and Punishment. Allāh knows best what will happen. May Allāh bring success and correctness. Him do we ask for protection from error and we seek His help towards the path of guidance. May Allāh bless our lord, Muḥammad the Prophet, and his pure family.


Reference: Kitab al Irshad