<p class='libAr' dir='rtl'>قال مصنف هذا الكتاب - قدس الله روحه - : حكى محمد بن بحر الشيباني، عن محمد بن عبد الواحد صاحب أبي العباس تعلب في كتابه الذي سماه كتاب الياقوتة أنه قال: حدثني أبو العباس تعلب، قال: حدثني ابن الاعرابي [و] قال: العترة قطاع المسك الكبار في النافجة وتصغيرها عتيرة، والعترة: الريقة العذبة وتصغيرها عتيرة والعترة شجرة تنبت على باب وجار الضب. وأحسبه أراد وجار الضبع لان الذي للضب مكو وللضبع وجار - ثم قال: وإذا خرجت الضب وجارها تمرغت على تلك الشجرة فهي لذلك لا تنمو ولا تكبر والعرب تضرب مثلا للذليل والذلة فيقولون: " أذل من عترة الضب " قال: وتصغيرها عتيرة. والعترة ولد الرجل وذريته من صلبه فلذلك سميت ذرية محمد صلى الله عليه وعلى آله من علي وفاطمة عليهما السلام، عترة محمد صلى الله عليه وعلى آله. قال تعلب: فقلت لابن الاعرابي: فما معنى قول أبي بكر في السقيفة " نحن عترة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وعلى آله " قال: أراد بلدته وبيضته. وعترة محمد صلى الله عليه وعلى آله لا محالة ولد فاطمة عليهما السلام، والدليل على ذلك رد أبي بكر وإنفاذ علي عليه السلام بسورة براءة، وقوله صلى الله عليه وعلى آله: " أمرت ألا يبلغها عني إلا أنا أو رجل مني " فأخذها منه ودفعها إلى من كان منه دونه، فلو كان أبو بكر من العترة نسبا - دون تفسير ابن الاعرابي أنه أراد البلدة - لكان محالا أخذه سورة براءة منه ودفعها إلى علي عليه السلام. وقد قيل: إن العترة: الصخرة العظيمة يتخذ الضب عندها جحرا يأوي إليه وهذا لقلة هدايته، وقد قيل: إن العترة: أصل الشجرة المقطوعة التي تنبت من أصولها وعروقها، والعترة في [غير] هذا المعنى قول النبي صلى الله عليه وعلى آله: " لا فرعة ولا عتيرة " قال الأصمعي: كان الرجل في الجاهلية ينذر نذرا على أنه إذا بلغت غنمه مائة أن يذبح رجبيته وعتائره فكان الرجل ربما بخل بشاته فيصيد الظباء ويذبحها عن غنمه عند آلهتهم ليوفي بها نذره. و أنشد الحارث بن حلزة: عنتا باطلا وظلما كما تعتر عن حجرة الربيض الظباء. يعني يأخذونها بذنب غيرها كما يذبح أولئك الضباء عن غنمهم. وقال الأصمعي: والعترة الريح، والعترة أيضا شجرة كثيرة اللبن صغيرة تكون نحو القامة ، ويقال: العتر: [الظباء] الذكر، عتر يعتر عترا إذا نعظ. وقال الرياشي: سألت الأصمعي عن العترة. فقال: هو نبت مثل المرزنجوش ينبت متفرقا. قال مصنف هذا الكتاب - رضي الله عنه والعترة علي بن أبي طالب وذريته من فاطمة وسلالة النبي صلى الله عليه وعلى آله، وهم الذين نص الله تبارك وتعالى عليهم بالإمامة على لسان نبيه صلى الله عليه وعلى آله، وهم اثنا عشر أولهم علي وآخرهم القائم عليهم السلام على جميع ما ذهبت إليه العرب من معنى العترة، وذلك أن الأئمة عليهم السلام من بين جميع بني هاشم ومن بين جميع ولد أبي طالب كقطاع المسك الكبار في النافجة، وعلومهم العذبة عند أهل الحل والعقد وهم الشجرة التي [قال] رسول الله صلى الله عليه وعلى آله: [أنا] أصلها وأمير المؤمنين عليه السلام فرعها والأئمة من ولده أغصانها وشيعتهم ورقها وعلمهم ثمرها، وهم عليهم السلام أصول الاسلام على معنى البلدة والبيضة، وهم عليهم السلام الهداة على معنى الصخرة العظيمة التي يتخذ الضب عندها جحرا يأوي إليها لقلة هدايته: وهم أصل الشجرة المقطوعة لأنهم وتروا وظلموا وجفوا وقطعوا ولم يوصلوا فنبتوا من أصولهم وعروقهم ولا يضرهم قطع من قطعهم وإدبار من أدبر عنهم إذ كانوا من قبل الله منصوصا عليهم على لسان نبيه عليه السلام، ومن معنى العترة هم المظلومون المأخوذون بما لم يجرموه ولم يذنبوه، ومنافعهم كثيرة وهم ينابيع العلم على معنى الشجرة الكثيرة اللبن، وهم عليهم السلام ذكران غير إناث على معنى قول من قال: إن العترة هو الذكر، وهم جند الله عز وجل وحزبه على معنى قول الأصمعي: " إن العترة الريح " قال النبي صلى الله عليه وعلى آله: الريح جند الله الأكبر - في حديث مشهور عنه عليه السلام - والريح عذاب على قوم ورحمة لآخرين وهم عليهم السلام كذلك كما في القرآن المقرون إليهم بقول النبي صلى الله عليه وعلى آله: " إني مخلف فيكم الثقلين كتاب الله وعترتي أهل بيتي " قال الله عز وجل: " وننزل من القرآن ما هو شفاء ورحمة للمؤمنين ولا يزيد الظالمين إلا خسارا " وقال عز وجل: " وإذا ما أنزلت سورة فمنهم من يقول أيكم زادته هذه إيمانا فأما الذين آمنوا فزادتهم إيمانا وهم يستبشرون وأما الذين في قلوبهم مرض فزادتهم رجسا إلى رجسهم وماتوا وهم كافرون "، وهم عليهم السلام أصحاب المشاهد المتفرقة على معنى الذي ذهب إليه من قال: إن العترة هو نبت مثل المرزنجوش ينبت متفرقا، وبركاتهم منبثة في المشرق والمغرب.The compiler of this book, may Allah sanctify his soul, said: Muhammed bin Bahr al-Shaybani spoke of Muhammed bin Abdil-Wahid, the companion of Abu’l-Abbas, Ta’lib, in his book that he named Al-Yaqoutiya, that he said: I was told by Abu’l-Abbas, Ta’lib, that he said: I was told by Ibn al-A’rabi, and he said: ‘Itra [1] are the big pieces of musk in the musk container, and its belittling term is ‘utayra. ‘Itra is also delightful saliva, and its belittling term is ‘utayra. ‘Itra is also is a tree that vegetates at the opening of the mastigure’s lair. I assume that he intended the hyena’s lair, because what is for the mastigure is a burrow, and for the hyena is a lair. Furthermore, he said: When the mastigure leaves its lair, it wallows at that tree, and for that it neither grows nor becomes bigger. Arabs give an example to the humiliated and humiliation, and so they said: «More humiliated than the ‘itra of the mastigure». He said: And its belitting term is ‘utayra. ‘Itra is also the children of a man and his offspring from his spine. Due to that, the offspring of Muhammed, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, from Ali and Fatima, peace be upon them both, were called the Family of Muhammed, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family. Ta’lib said: Then I said to Ibn al-A’rabi: So what is the meaning of Abu Bakr’s saying in the Saqifa [2]: «We are the Family of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family»? He said: He meant his country and birthplace. The Family of Muhammed, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, are undoubtedly the sons of Fatima, peace be upon them, and the evidence to that is the dismissal of Abu Bakr and accomplishment of Ali, peace be upon him, to Surat Bara’a [3], and the saying of him, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family: «I have been commanded that none conveys it on my behalf except for me or a man from me» after which he took it from him and gave it to whom was closer to himself than him. If Abu Bakr was from the Family out of lineage – excluding the interpretation of Ibn al-A’rabi that he intended the country – it would have been impossible for him to have taken Surat Bara’a from him and give to Ali, peace be upon him. It was said: The ‘itra is the great rock at which a mastigure has a lair it seeks refuge to, due to its limited ability of guidance. It has been said: The ‘itra is the root of a cut tree that vegetates from its roots and veins. The ‘itra is, in other than this meaning, the saying of the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family: «It is not a branch, nor an ‘ateera [4].» Asma’i said: A man in the Jahiliya used to make a vow that if his sheep reach a hundred, he is to slaughter his Rajab sacrifice and ‘ata’ir [5]. Perhaps it would be that a man becomes greedy with his sheep, and so he would hunt for a gazelle and slaughter on behalf of his sheep at their gods, that he may fulfil his vow with it. Harith bin Halza recited: «They were distressed, out of falsehood and oppression, like how it is slaughtered, on behalf the sheep, a gazelle.» It means that they would take her for the sin of another, like how those gazelles are slaughtered on behalf of their sheep. Asma’i said: The ‘itra is also wind, and the ‘itra is also a tree with much milk, small, like a stature. It is said: ‘Itr is the male gazelle. «He erected, he erects, an erejction» if he is sexually aroused. Riyashi said: I asked Asma’i about the ‘itra, so he said: It is a plant like marjoram that vegetates dispersedly.» The compiler of this book, may Allah be pleased with him: The ‘itra is Ali bin Abi Talib and his offspring from Fatima and the progeny of the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, and they are those for whom Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, affirmed the Imamate on the tongue of His Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family. They are Twelve, their first is Ali and their last is the Rising, peace be upon them, according to all that the Arabs have reached with regards to the meaning of ‘itra. That is due the Imams, peace be upon them, among all of the sons of Hashim and among all the sons of Abu Talib are like big parts of musk in the musk container, and their delightful knowledge according to the People of Loosing and Binding, and they are the tree about which Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family: I am its root, the Commander of the Believers, peace be upon him, is its branch, the Imams from his sons are its twigs, their Shi’a are its leaves and their knowledge is its fruit. They, peace be upon them, are the root principles of Islam according to the meaning of country and birthplace. They, peace be upon them, are the Guides according to the meaning of the great rock at which a mastigure has a lair to seek refuge to due to its limited ability of guidance. They, peace be upon them, are the roots of the cut tree, because they were killed, wronged, estranged and cut off, and they were not connected by which they could grow from their roots and veins, and they are not harmed by the cutting of those who cut them off and the retreat of those who retreated from them, as they are affirmed of by Allah on the tongue of His Prophet, peace be upon him. Among the meaning of ‘itra are those who are wronged and taken for that crime which they did not perform nor sin. Their benefits are many and they are the springs of knowledge according to the meaning of the tree with much milk. They, peace be upon them, are males, not females, according to the meaning of the saying of those who said: ‘Itra is the male. They are the soldiers of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, and His Party according to the meaning of Asma’i’s saying: «‘Itra is the wind.» The Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, said: «The wind is the Greatest Soldier of Allah» in a well-known narration of him, peace be upon him. The wind is a torment upon one people and a mercy to others, and they, peace be upon them, are like that, as in the Qur’an that is paralleled to them by the saying of the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family: «Indeed, I am appointing as successors among you Two Weighty Things: the Book of Allah; and my Family, my Household.» Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, said: «And We send down from the Qur’an what is a healing and a mercy to the believers, and it does not increase the unjust but with loss.» (17:82) He, Exalted and Glorious is He, also said: «And when a chapter is sent down, then among them are those who say: Which of you has this increased with faith? And as for those have believed, it has increased them with faith, while they are rejoicing, and as for those in whose hearts is sickness, it has increased them impurity to their impurity, and they died while they were disbelievers.» (9:124-125) Moreover, peace be upon them, are the people of the dispersed positions of witnessing according to the meaning reached by those who said: ‘Itra is a plant like marjoram, vegetating dispersedly. Their blessings are spread in the East and the West.

[1] The Arabic term used for Family[2] Saqifa linguistically means a pergola, a roofed passage or dwelling place. Historically it refers to a place of this kind used by hypocrites among the Prophet’s companions in the process of hijacking the caliphate.[3] A name given to chapter 9 of the Qur’an[4] Pagan sacrifice performed during the Rajab month at the Jahiliya era.[5] Plural form of ‘ateera.