(26) Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Sa'id narrated to us, saying: Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Taymili narrated to us from his book in Rajab of the year 277 AH. He said: Muhammad ibn 'Umar ibn Yazid, the seller of Sabrī (a type of cloth), and Muhammad ibn al-Walid ibn Khalid al-Khazzaz both narrated to us, saying: Hammad ibn Uthman narrated to us from Abdullah ibn Sinan. He said: Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Abi Bilad narrated to me. He said: My father narrated to me from his father, from al-Asbagh ibn Nubata that he heard Imam Ali say:

"Before the appearance of the Qa'im (Imam Al-Mahdi), there will be deceitful years in which the truthful will be called liars, and the liars will be believed, and those who deceive will be brought closer (and in another narration: the 'ruwaybida' will speak)." So I asked: "What is the 'ruwaybida' and the 'mahil'?" He said: "Do you not read the Quran? It refers to deceit." I asked: "And what is the 'mahil'?" He said: "It refers to the deceiver."