Muhammad b. Musa b. al-Mutawakkil narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. Ja`far al-Asadi narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. Isma`il al-Barmaki narrated to us. He said: `Abdullah b. Ahmad al-Shami narrated to us. He said: Isma`il b. al-Fadl al-Hashimi narrated to us. He said: I asked Aba `Abdillah al-Sadiq about Musa b. `Imran : When he saw their ropes and their staffs, why did he sense fear in himself when Ibrahim did not sense it when he was cast into the fire? So, he said: When Ibrahim was cast into the fire, he was relying on the lights of the Proofs of Allah that were in his loins. That was not the case for Musa , and this is why he sensed fear in himself yet Ibrahim did not.

My father narrated to us. He said: `Ali b. Ibrahim b. Hashim narrated to us from his father Ibrahim b. Hashim from Abi Hadiyya. He said: I saw that Anas b. Malik was afflicted with leprosy, so I asked him about that, and he said: This is [due to] the supplication of `Ali b. Abi Talib . So, I said: How did that happen? So, he said: I was a servant for the Messenger of Allah (s). He was gifted a cooked bird, so he said: O Allah! Bring me the most beloved of Your creation to You and to me to eat from this bird with me. So, `Ali came, but I said to him: The Messenger of Allah is too busy to see you. I wanted it to be a man from my community. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) raised his hands a second time and said: O Allah! Bring me the most beloved of Your creation to You and to me to eat from this bird with me. So, `Ali came, and I said to him: The Messenger of Allah is too busy to see you. I wanted it to be a man from my community. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) raised his hands a third time and said: O Allah! Bring me the most beloved of Your creation to You and to me to eat from this bird with me. So, `Ali came, and I said to him: The Messenger of Allah is too busy to see you. I wanted it to be a man from my community. So, `Ali raised his voice and said: What busies the Messenger of Allah? So, the Messenger of Allah (s) heard him and said: O Anas! Who is this? So, I said: `Ali b. Abi Talib. He said: Permit him [to come in]. When he entered, he said to him: O `Ali! I supplicated to Allah three times, asking Him to bring me the most beloved of His creation to Him and to me to eat from this bird with me. Had you not come the third time, I would have supplicated to Allah by your name to bring you to me. So, `Ali said: O Messenger of Allah! I came three times. Every time, Anas would turn me away, saying: The Messenger of Allah is too busy to see you. So, the Messenger of Allah (s) said to me: O Anas! What caused you to do this? So, I said: O Messenger of Allah! I heard the supplication, and I wanted it to be a man from my community. So, on yawm al-dar, `Ali asked me to bear witness [to his leadership]. So, I hid it and said: I have forgotten about it. So, `Ali raised his hand to the sky and said: O Allah! Afflict Anas with a leprosy that he cannot hide from the people. Then, he uncovered the [signs of] leprosy from his head and said: This is the supplication of `Ali, this is the supplication of `Ali, this is the supplication of `Ali.

My father narrated to us. He said: `Abdullah b. al-Hasan al-Mu’addab narrated to us. He said: Ahmad b. `Ali al-Isfahani narrated to us from Ibrahim b. Muhammad al-Thaqafi. He said: Abu Raja’ Qutayba b. Sa`id narrated to us from Hammad b. Zayd from `Abd al-Rahman al-Sarraj from Nafi` from Ibn `Umar. He said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Whoever prefers one of my companions over `Ali has disbelieved.

Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. Ishaq al-Talaqani narrated to us. He said: Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Sa`id al-Hamadani the servant of Bani Hashim narrated to us. He said: Al-Mundhir b. Muhammad informed us. He said: Ja`far b. Isma`il al-Bazzaz al-Kufi narrated to me. He said: `Abdullah b. al-Fadl narrated to me from Thabit b. Dinar from Sa`id b. Jubayr from `Abdullah b. `Abbas. He said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: He who denies the Imamate of `Ali after me is like him who denies my prophethood in my lifetime; and he who denies my prophethood is like him who denies the lordship of his Lord.

`Ali b. `Isa al-Qummi narrated to us. He said: `Ali b. Muhammad Majiluwayh narrated to me. He said: Ahmad b. Abi `Abdillah al-Barqi narrated to me from his father from Khalaf b. Hammad al-Asadi from Abi’l Hasan al-`Abdi from Sulayman b. Mehran from al-Sadiq Ja`far b. Muhammad from his father from his forefathers from `Ali . He said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: O `Ali! You are my brother, my inheritor, my deputy, and my vicegerent (khalifa) among my family and my Nation, in my lifetime and after my death. Love for you is love for me, and hatred for you is hatred for me. O `Ali! You and I are the two fathers of this Nation. O `Ali! I, yourself, and the Imams from your descendants are masters in this life and kings in the Hereafter. He who recognizes us has recognized Allah, and he who denies us has denied Allah.

Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Sinani narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. Abi `Abdillah al-Kufi narrated to us. He said: Musa b. `Imran al-Nakha`i narrated to us from his uncle al-Husayn b. Yazid from `Ali b. Salim from his father from Aban b. `Uthman from Aban b. Taghlub from `Ikrama from Ibn `Abbas. He said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Allah said: “Had all the people gathered upon the wilaya of `Ali, I would not have created the Fire.”

Ja`far b. Muhammad b. Masrur narrated to us. He said: Al-Husayn b. Muhammad b. `Amer narrated to us from his uncle `Abdullah b. `Amer from Muhammad b. Abi `Umayr from Ibrahim b. Ziyad al-Karkhi. He said: I heard Aba `Abdillah Ja`far b. Muhammad al-Sadiq say: If an enemy of `Ali were to go to the Euphrates while it is flowing in abundance, and it flows over its banks, and he went to it for a drink and says “In the name of Allah (bismillah)”, and he drinks it, and he says “Praise be to Allah (alhamdulillah)”, it will surely be [impure like] the dead, bloodshed, or the flesh of swine.

Al-Husayn b. Ibrahim b. Ahmad b. Hashim al-Mu’addab narrated to us. He said: Hamza b. al-Qasim al-`Alawi al-`Abbasi narrated to us. He said: Ja`far b. Muhammad b. Malik al-Fizari al-Kufi narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. al-Husayn b. Yazid al-Zayyat al-Kufi narrated to us. He said: Sulayman b. Hafs al-Maruzi narrated to us. He said: Sa`d b. Turayf narrated to us from al-Asbagh b. Nubata. He said: `Ali b. Abi Talib was asked why he had buried Fatima the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (s) at night. So, he said: Surely, she was angry with the people, and she disliked having them present at her funeral. It is also forbidden for those who align with them to pray over one of her descendants.

`Ali b. Ahmad b. `Abdullah b. Ahmad b. Abi `Abdillah al-Barqi narrated to us from his father from his grandfather Ahmad b. Abi `Abdillah from his father Muhammad b. Khalid from Khalaf b. Hammad from Abi’l Hasan al-`Abdi from al-A`mash from `Abaya b. Rabi`i from `Abdullah b. `Abbas. He said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Gabriel came to me, and he was happy and cheerful. So, I said to him: My beloved Gabriel! With regards to the happiness you are currently feeling, what is the status of my brother and my cousin `Ali b. Abi Talib with his Lord? So, Gabriel said: O Muhammad! By Him who sent you with prophethood and chose you with messengership, I did not descend at this time except for this reason. O Muhammad! Allah, the Exalted, the Highest, recites the salaam to you, and He says: “Muhammad is the prophet of My mercy, and `Ali is the establisher of My proof. I will not punish one who aligns with him if he disobeys Me, nor will I have mercy on one who opposes him if he obeys Me.” Ibn `Abbas said: Then, the Messenger of Allah (s) said: On the Day of Resurrection, Gabriel will come to me with the Banner of Praise in his hand. It consists of seventy strips, each of which is wider than the Sun and the Moon. He will give it to me, and I will take it and give it to `Ali b. Abi Talib. So, a man said: O Messenger of Allah! How will `Ali be able to handle carrying the Banner when you said that it consists of seventy strips, each of which is wider than the Sun and the Moon?! So, the Messenger of Allah (s) became angry and said: O man! On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will give `Ali strength like that of Gabriel , beauty like that of Yusuf , forbearance like that of Ridwan, and a voice like that of Dawud . Had Dawud not been the reciter of Paradise, `Ali would have been given a voice like his. `Ali will be the first to drink from the Salsabil and the ginger [of Paradise]. Surely, `Ali and his Shi`a have a status with Allah that the former and latter peoples will be envious of.

Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Ahmad b. al-Walid narrated to us. He said: Al-Hasan b. Matil al-Daqqaq narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. al-Husayn b. Abi’l Khattab narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. Sinan narrated to us from Ja`far b. Sulayman al-Nahdi. He said: Thabit b. Dinar al-Thumali narrated to us from the Master of Worshipers `Ali b. al-Husayn from his father . He said: One day, the Messenger of Allah (s) looked to `Ali b. Abi Talib and came forward while a group of his companions were around him. So, he said: He who wants to see Yusuf in his beauty, Ibrahim in his generosity, Sulayman in his delight, and Dawud in his strength should look to this one.

Ja`far b. Muhammad b. Masrur narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. `Abdullah b. Ja`far b. Jami` al-Himyari narrated to us from his father from Ya`qub b. Yazid. He said: Al-Hasan b. `Ali b. Faddal narrated to us from Abi’l Hasan `Ali b. Musa al-Rida from his father from his forefathers . He said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: `Ali is from me, and I am from `Ali. May Allah fight him who fights `Ali. May Allah curse him who opposes `Ali. `Ali is the Imam of the creatures after me. He who approaches `Ali has approached me, and he who departs from him has departed from me. He who has preferred him has preferred me. I am at peace with him who is at peace with him, and I am at war with him who is at war with him. I am the ally of him who aligns with him, and I am the enemy of him who is enemies with him.

Ahmad b. `Ali b. Ibrahim narrated to us. He said: My father narrated to us from Yasir. He said: When al-Rida became the crown prince, he raised his hands to the sky and I heard him say: O Allah! Surely, You know that I dislike and despair this. So, do not hold me accountable, just as You did not hold Your servant and prophet Yusuf accountable when he came into power in Egypt.

Al-Husayn b. Ahmad al-Bayhaqi narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. Yahya al-Sawli narrated to us. He said: Abu Dhakwan narrated to us. He said: I heard Ibrahim b. al-`Abbas say: I have never seen al-Rida asked about anything except that he knew its answer. I have never seen one more knowledgeable than him since his time and age. Al-Ma’mun would test him by asking him about everything, and he would answer him. His words, his answers, and his metaphors were all from the verses of the Quran. He would complete [reciting] it every three days, and he would say: Had I wanted to finish it in fewer than three days, I would have done so. However, I do not ever pass by a verse without thinking about it, why it was revealed and when – and for that reason, I finish it every three days.

Al-Suli said: Al-Husayn b. al-Jahm narrated to us. He said: My father narrated to us. He said: Al-Ma’mun climbed the pulpit to inaugurate `Ali b. Musa al-Rida . So, he said: O people! The inauguration of `Ali b. Musa b. Ja`far b. Muhammad b. `Ali b. al-Husayn b. `Ali has come to you. By Allah, had these names been recited over the deaf and the dumb, they would be cured by Allah’s permission.

Al-Husayn b. Ahmad al-Bayhaqi narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. Yahya al-Suli informed us. He said: Harun b. `Abdullah al-Mahlabi narrated to me. He said: De`bal b. `Ali al-Khuza`i narrated to us. He said: When I was staying in Qum, the news of the death of `Ali b. Musa al-Rida came to me. So, I said this visionary poem: I see that [Bani] Umayya are excused if they kill, But I see no excuse for Bani al-`Abbas. Sons of Harb, Marwan, and their kin, Bani Mu`it are the masters of hatred and grudges, The firsts of them were killed upon Islam, Once they came to power, they were able to disbelieve [again]. Head to Tus, to the grave of the pure, If you were there, you would find two graves in Tus, The best of all the people, and the grave of the worst of them. This is a lesson that impurity cannot benefit from nearness to purity, Nor can the pure be harmed by nearness to impurity. No way! Every soul will reap what its hands sow, So, harvest what you wish, or sow a seed.

Muhammad b. `Ali Majiluwayh narrated to us. He said: `Ali b. Ibrahim narrated to me from his father Ibrahim b. Hashim from Abi’l Salt al-Harawi. He said: I was standing before Abi’l Hasan `Ali b. Musa al-Rida when he said to me: O Aba’l Salt! Enter this dome in which is the grave of Harun [al-Rashid] and bring me dust from its four sides. He said: So, I went and brought it to him. When I came before him, he said to me: Give me the dust that is at the gate. So, I brought it to him, and he took it, smelled it, then dropped it. Then, he said: A grave will be dug for me here, and a rock will appear. Were you to bring every pickaxe in Khurasan, you would not be able to uproot it. Then, he said: [The dust] that is at the person is like that which is at the head. Then, he said: Bring me this dust, for it is from my dust. Then, he said: [A grave] will be dug up for me at this place. So, order them to dig seven steps deep and create space for a tomb. If they refuse and offer a regular grave, then order them to extend the regular grave by two armlengths and a handspan, for Allah will extend it for me however He pleases. If they do it, you will see a creek at [the place for] my head. So, speak the words that I will teach you, and the water will fill up the grave. You will see small fish therein. So, feed them the bread that I will give to you. When none of it is left, a large whale will come and devour the small fish until none are left. Then, it will leave. Once it leaves, put your hand in the water, and speak the words that I will teach you, and it will recede until nothing is left of it. Do not do this except in the presence of al-Ma’mun. Then, he said: O Aba’l Salt! Tomorrow morning, I will visit this transgressor. If my head is uncovered when I leave, then speak to me and I will speak to you. If my head is covered, then do not speak to me. Abu’l Salt said: When we awoke the next morning, he got dressed and sat waiting in his prayer-niche. He remained there until the slave of al-Ma’mun entered and said to him: Answer the commander of the faithful. So, he put on his sandals and his cloak, and he walked while I followed him. He entered the place of al-Ma’mun, and before him was a plate with grapes on it and plates with fruits on them. In his hand were a bunch of grapes, and he had eaten some and left some. When he saw al-Rida (s), he embraced him and kissed his forehead. He sat him with him and passed the bunch to him, saying: O son of the Messenger of Allah! Have you seen grapes more beautiful than these? So, al-Rida said to him: Perhaps beautiful grapes came from Paradise. So, he said to him: Eat from it. So, al-Rida said to him: Would you excuse me from [eating from] it? So, he said: There is no need for that. What prevents you from it? Do you accuse us of something? He took it back and ate from it. Then, al-Rida ate three grapes from it. Then, he put it away and stood up. So, al-Ma’mun said to him: Where are you going? He said: To where you had sent me. So, he left with his head covered. I did not speak to him until he entered the house. He ordered that the gate be locked, so it was locked. Then, he slept on his bed. So, I remained standing in the courtyard, concerned and distressed; until a youth with a beautiful face and short hair entered. He was the person who resembled al-Rida the most. I rushed to him and said to him: Where did you enter from, considering the gate is locked? So, he said to me: The One who brought me here from Medina in this time is the same One who brought me into the house when the gate was locked. So, I said to him: Who are you? So, he said to me: I am the Proof of Allah over you, Aba’l Salt. I am Muhammad b. `Ali. Then, he went in the direction of his father and entered. He commanded me to enter with him. When al-Rida saw him, he embraced him, held him tightly to his chest, and kissed his forehead. Then, he brought him to his bed; and Muhammad b. `Ali kissed him and whispered something to him that I did not understand. On the lips of al-Rida , I saw butter that was whiter than snow, and I saw Aba Ja`far [Muhammad b. `Ali al-Jawad] lick it with his tongue. Then, he brought his hand between his robe and his chest, took out something that resembled a bird, and had Abu Ja`far swallow it. Then, al-Rida passed away. Abu Ja`far then said: Stand, Aba’l Salt, and bring me a water basin and water from the closet. So, I said: There is no water basin or water in the closet! So, he said: Do what I command you to do. So, I entered the closet and found a water basin and water. I brought it to him, and I tied my clothes to my waist so that I could bathe him with him. So, he said to me: Go, Aba’l Salt, for surely, I have someone else to assist me. So, he washed him, and then said to me: Enter the closet and bring me the basket that has his shroud and embalmment in it. So, I entered, and I saw a basket that I had not seen before in that closet. So, I carried it to him, and he shrouded him and prayed over him. Then, he said: Bring me the coffin. So, I said: Go to the carpenter so that he could prepare a coffin. He said: Stand, for there is a coffin in the closet. So, I entered the closet and I saw a coffin that I had not seen before. Then, I brought it to him. So, he took al-Rida after praying over him, and he placed him in the coffin and lined up his feet. He prayed two units and did not stop until the coffin was lifted up. The ceiling cracked open, and the coffin went away. So, I said: O son of the Messenger of Allah! At this hour, al-Ma’mun will come to us, and he will demand al-Rida from me. So, what should I do? So, he said: Be quiet, for he will return, Aba’l Salt. There is not a prophet who dies in the East who has his deputy die in the West except that Allah gathers their spirits and bodies together. He did not finish speaking until the roof cracked open [again] and the coffin came down. So, he stood, took the body of al-Rida out of the coffin, and placed it on his bed. It was as though he was not bathed or shrouded. He said: O Aba’l Salt! Stand and open the gate for al-Ma’mun. So, I opened the gate, and I found al-Ma’mun and slaves at the gate. So, he entered weeping, grieving, with his pocket ripped, striking his face, saying: O master! I have panicked over you, master. Then, he entered, sat at his head, and said: Take him and prepare him. He passed by the digging of the grave – and I had prepared the spot, and everything that al-Rida described had appeared. One of his guards said to him (al-Ma’mun): Do you not allege that he was an Imam? He said: Yes. He would not be an Imam if he had not been the head and the superior [of all people]. So, he commanded that a grave be dug facing the qibla. So, I said: He ordered me to dig seven steps deep and create space for a tomb. So, he said: Do as Abu’l Salt commands you to do, except regarding the tomb – dig a regular grave there. When he saw what appeared from the creek, the whale, and other than that, al-Ma’mun said: Al-Rida has not ceased in showing us his marvels in his life, to the point where he showed them to us after his death. So, a vizier who was with him said to him: Do you recognize what al-Rida is informing you through this? He said: No. He said: Surely, he is informing you that your kingdom – the Children of al-`Abbas – with your multitudes and the length of your term is like these [small] fish; until your ending comes and your state vanishes, and Allah empowers a man from us to finish every last one of you. He said to him: You have spoken the truth. Then, he said to me: O Aba’l Salt! Teach me the words that you spoke. I said: By Allah, I have forgotten the words in this moment – and I had spoken the truth. So, he ordered that I be imprisoned. Al-Rida was buried, and I was imprisoned for a year. The prison was narrow for me, and [one day,] I stayed up during the night. So, I supplicated to Allah with a supplication in which I mentioned Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad . I asked Allah, by their right, to relieve me. I did not conclude the supplication until Muhammad b. `Ali visited me. He said to me: O Aba’l Salt! Has your chest tightened? So, I said: Yes, by Allah. He said: Stand and exit. Then, he struck my shackles with his hand, and they loosened. He took me by my hands and took me out of the [prison] house. The guards and the slaves saw me, but they were unable to speak to me. I exited from the front door. Then, he said: Go, in the trust of Allah. You will not reach him, nor will he reach you, ever. Abu’l Salt said: I haven not met with al-Ma’mun [again] till this day.