3. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from more then one person of our people of Qumm from Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-‘Amiri from abu Sa‘id Ghanim al-Hindi who has said the following. “I lived in interior Kashmir, India. My friends would sit on chairs on the right and left of the King. They were forty people and all of them would read the four books, Torah, Gospel, Psalms and the books of Abraham. We would judge among the people and provide them understanding of their religion and issue fatwas for them in the lawful and unlawful matters. All people would seek assistance from us including their King. Once we discussed about the Messenger of Allah and said that this prophet who is mentioned in the books has remained obscure to us. We must investigate about him and lead a fact finding task in his affairs. We agreed that I should go out and lead the fact finding task. I then left out with large amount of money and journeyed for twelve months until I reach near Kabul. Turkish bandits rubbed wounded me seriously. They pushed me to Kabul where their King saved me when he learned about me he sent me to Balkh which was under the control of Dawud ibn al-‘Abbass ibn abu al-Aswad. Information about me had reached him that I have come out of India in search for religion and that I have learned Persian and have debated the scholars of law and theology. Dawud ibn al-‘Abbass sent for me and summoned me to his presence. He gathered the scholars of law against me. They debated me. I then informed them that I have come to find about the prophet about whom we have learned in the books” He asked, “Who is he and what is his name?” I said, “His name is Muhammad.” They said, “He is our prophet that you search for.” I asked them about his laws and they informed me about them. I said, “I know that Muhammad is the prophet but I do not know the one you describe to me is he or not. You should show where he is so I can go and find out whether the signs that I have about him is found in him or not. If he would the one I am looking for I will accept his religion.” They said, “He has passed away.” I asked them, “Who is the executor of his will and his successor?” They said, “Abu Bakr is his successor.” I asked them, “Tell me about his name. Is this (Abu Bakr) his Kunya?” They said, “It is ‘Abdallah ibn ‘Uthman.” They ascribed him to Quraysh.” I then asked them to tell me about the genealogy of Muhammad. They informed me of his genealogy. I said this is not the person I am looking for. The one I am searching for is the one whose successor is his brother in religion and his cousin genealogically, the husband of his daughter and the father of his sons. This prophet will have no children on earth except the sons of this man who is his successor.” He has said that they attacked me and said, “O commander, this man has come out polytheism and has entered disbelief. It is lawful to spill his blood.” I said to them, “O people I already have a religion and I strongly believe in it. I do not want to give it up until I can find a religion stronger than this. I have found the description of this man in the books that Allah has revealed to His prophets. I came out of my country, India leaving behind all the honor and respect that I had only to find him. When examined your prophet the way you described him to me I found out that his description as you presented does not match the description of the prophet mentioned in the books. So leave me alone.” The agent sent for a man called al-Husayn ibn Eshkib and said to him, “Debate this Indian man.” He said, “May Allah grant you well being. There are the scholars of the law and the other scholars. They know better how to debate him.” He said to him, “Debate him as I say, and you can meet privately and be kind to him.” Al-Husayn ibn Eshkib said to me after our consultations, “The prophet that you are looking for is the one these people have described for you but their description of his successor is not the way they have described. This prophet is Muhammad ibn‘Abdallah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. His successor is Ali ibn abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. He is the husband of Fatema, daughter of Muhammad and the father of al-Hassan and al-Husayn, the grandsons of Muhammad .” Ghanim abu Sa‘id has said, “I then said, “Allahu Akbar.” (Allah is great). This is the one I have been looking for.” I then returned to Dawud ibn al-‘Abbass and said to him, “O commander, I have found what I was searching for. I testify that there is no lord besides Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” The narrator has said that he treated and helped me with kindness and asked al-Husayn to look after me.” The narrator has said that thereafter I went to him until we were acquainted properly and he taught me understanding of the law of the matters that I needed such as prayer, fasting and the obligations.” The narrator has said that I said to him, “We read in our books that Muhammad is the last of the prophets and there will be no other prophets after him. The task of leadership after him will be with the executor of his will, his successors and heirs and thereafter it will be with the executor of the will of the previous one and so on in their descendants until the end of the world. Who is the executor of the will of the executor of the will of Muhammad ?” He said, “They are al-Hassan then al-Husayn the grandsons of Muhammad .” He then continued speaking of the executors of the will of the Holy Prophet until the Sahib al-Zaman (the one who possesses Divine Authority today). Then he explained to me what had happened (with the Imams). Thereafter I hand no other goal but to search for the holy location. He (‘Amiri) has said that he came to us in Qumm. He sat with our people in the year two hundred sixty four AH. He then left with them and arrived in Baghdad with his friend from al-Sind who had accompanied him in religion. ‘Amiri has said that Ghanim said to me, “I disliked certain things about my companion and I departed him and went out to al-‘Abbassia and prepared my self for prayer. I began the prayer but I was anxious and thoughtful about my goal. At this time someone came to me and called me with my Indian name. I replied, “Yes, it is I.” He said, “Your master is calling you.” I went with him and he would walk from this to that street until he came to house and a garden and I saw him sitting.” He said, “Well come, O so and so, in Inddian language. How are you? How was so and so until he mentioned all the forty people. He then asked me about every and each of them. Then he told all that had happened among us all in Indian language. Then he asked, “Did you want to perform Hajj with people of Qumm?” I said, “Yes, my master.” He then said, “Do not go to Hajj with them this year. Go back and perform Hajj in future.” He then gave me a bag of money that was in front of him and said to me, “Spend it for your needs and do not go to Baghdad to so and so.” He mentioned his name and said, “Do not tell him anything.” ‘Amiri has said that he came to us at Qumm. He then informed us of the triumph and that our people had returned from al-‘Aqaba. Ghanim went ‘Uthman Khurasan. Next year he went for Hajj and sent us souvenirs from Khurasan. He lived there for sometimes and then he died. May Allah grant him blessings.”