Twelve imams determined by Allah

Kitāb al-Ghayba|Volume 1|Book 2|Chapter 4

Kitāb al-Ghayba

Book 2, Chapter 4

Twelve imams determined by Allah

Hadith #30

30 - وأخبرنا أبو العباس أحمد بن محمد بن سعيد، قال: حدثنا حميد بن زياد من كتابه وقرأته عليه، قال: حدثني جعفر بن إسماعيل المنقري، عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي نجران، عن إسماعيل بن علي البصري عن أبي أيوب المؤدب، عن أبيه - وكان مؤدباً لبعض ولد جعفر بن محمد - قال قال: لما توفي رسول الله دخل المدينة رجلٌ من ولد داود على دين اليهودية، فرأى السكك خالية فقال لبعض أهل المدينة: ما حالكم؟ فقيل: توفي رسول الله . فقال الداودي: أما إنه توفي في اليوم الذي هو في كتابنا، ثم قال: فأين الناس؟ فقيل له: في المسجد. فأتى المسجدَ، فإذا أبو بكر وعمر وعثمان وعبد الرحمن بن عوف وأبو عبيدة بن الجراح والناس، قد غصّ المسجد بهم، فقال: أوسعوا حتى أدخلَ وأرشدوني إلى الذي خلّفه نبيكم، فأرشدوه إلى أبي بكر، فقال له: إنني من ولد داود على دين اليهودية، وقد جئتُ لأسأل عن أربعة أحرف، فإن خبرت بها أسلمتُ. فقالوا له: انتظر قليلاً. وأقبل أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب من بعض أبواب المسجد، فقالوا له: عليك بالفتى. فقام إليه، فلمّا دنا منه قال له: أنت علي بن أبي طالب؟ فقال له عليّ: أنت فلان بن فلان بن داود؟ قال: نعم. فأخذ عليٌّ يده وجاء به إلى أبي بكر، فقال له اليهودي: إني سألتُ هؤلاء عن أربعة أحرف فأرشدوني إليك لأسألك. قال: اسأل. قال: ما أوّل حرفٍ كلّم الله به نبيّكم لمّا أسري به ورجع من عند ربه؟ وخبِّرني عن الملك الذي زحم نبيكم ولم يسلم عليه، وخبرني عن الأربعة الذين كشف عنهم مالك طبقاً من النار وكلّموا نبيكم؟ وخبّرني عن منبر نبيّكم أي موضع هو من الجنة؟ قال علي: أوّل ما كلّم الله به نبيّنا قول الله تعالى آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ ۚ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ قال: ليس هذا أردتُ. قال: فقولُ رسول الله آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ ۚ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ قال: ليس هذا أردتُ. قال: اتركِ الأمرَ مستوراً. قال: لَتخبِرنّي أو لستَ أنت هو. فقال: أما إذ أبيتَ فإن رسول الله لمّا رجع من عند ربه والحجبُ ترفع له قبل أن يصير إلى موضع جبرئيل ناداه ملَك: أحمد، قال: إن الله يقرء عليك السلامَ ويقول لك: أقرأ على السيد الوليّ منّا السلامَ، فقال رسولُ الله: مَن السيد الولي؟ فقال الملَك: عليّ بن أبي طالب. قال اليهودي: صدقتَ والله إني لأجدُ ذلك في كتاب أبي. فقال علي: أما الملَك الذي زحم رسول الله فملك الموت جاء به من عند جبارٍ من أهل الدينا قد تكلم بكلام عظيم فغضب الله، فزحم رسول الله ولم يعرفه، فقال جبرئيل: يا ملك الموت، هذا رسولُ الله أحمد حبيب الله ، فرجع إليه فلصق به واعتذر وقال: يا رسول الله إني أتيت ملِكاً جباراً قد تكلّم بكلام عظيم فغضبتُ ولم أعرفكَ، فعذره. وأما الأربعة الذين كشف عنهم مالك طبقاً من النار فإن رسول الله مرّ بمالك ولم يضحك منذ خلق قط، فقال له جبرئيل: يا مالكُ، هذا نبيّ الرحمة محمدٌ، فتبسم في وجهه ولم يتبسم لأحدٍ غيره، فقال رسول الله: مُره أن يكشف طبقاً من النار، فكشف فإذا قابيل ونمرود وفرعون وهامان، فقالوا: يا محمد اسأل ربّك أن يردّنا إلى دار الدنيا حتى نعمل صالحاً، فغضب جبرئيلُ فقال بريشة من ريش جناحه فردّ عليهم طبق النار. وأما منبر رسول الله فإن مسكن رسول الله جنةُ عدن وهي جنة خلقها الله بيده ومعه فيها اثنا عشر وصياً، وفوقها قبة يقال لها: قبة الرضوان، وفوق قبة الرضوان منْزل يقال له: الوسيلة، وليس في الجنة منْزل يشبهه وهو منبر رسول الله . قال اليهودي: صدقتَ واللهِ إنه لفي كتاب أبي داود يتوارثونه واحد بعد واحد حتى صار إليّ. ثم أخرج كتاباً فيه ما ذكره مسطوراً بخط داود، ثم قال: مدَّ يدك، فأنا أشهد أن لا إله إلاّ الله وأن محمداً رسول الله، وأنه الذي بشّر به موسى ، وأشهد أنّك عالم هذه الأمة ووصيُّ رسول الله. قال: فعلّمه أمير المؤمنين شرايعَ الدين.

(30) Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from Hameed bin Ziyad from Ja’far bin Issma’eel al-Minqari from Abdurrahman bin Abu Najran from Issma’eel bin Ali al-Basri from Abu Ayyoob al-Mu’addib that his father, who was a teacher (mu’addib) of some of Imam Ja’far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq’s children, had said: “When the Prophet died, a Jew man of the descendants of Dawood (Prophet David) came to Medina and saw the streets empty. He asked what the matter was. It was said to him that the Prophet had died. He said: “Indeed he has died on the same day mentioned in our Book.” Then he asked where people were. It was said to him that they had been in the mosque. He came to the mosque where there were Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Abdurrahman bin Ouff, Abu Obayda bin al-Jarrah and a great crowd of people. He said: “Make way to let me come in and lead me to the one, whom your prophet has entrusted with his umma!” They led him to Abu Bakr. He said to Abu Bakr: “I am a Jew and I am from the descendants of Prophet David . I have come to ask about four things. If you answer me, I become a Muslim.” He was asked to wait a little. Then Amirul Mo’mineen Ali came in from one of the gates of the mosque. People said to the Jew: “Go to this young man!” When he came near to him, he asked: “Are you Ali bin Abu Talib?” Imam Ali said to him: “Are you so-and-so the son of David ?” He said: “Yes, I am.” Imam Ali took the Jew’s hand and came with him to Abu Bakr. The Jew said to Imam Ali : “I asked these people about four things but they sent me to you.” Imam Ali said: “Please ask!” The Jew asked: “What was the first thing that was revealed to your prophet when he came back from his Lord after his Ascension? Who was the angel that pushed your prophet away and did not greet him? Who were the four men, from above whom Angel Malik had removed a cover of Fire and who had talked with your prophet? In which position of Paradise will the minbar of your prophet be?” Imam Ali said: “The first thing that Allah has revealed to our prophet after the Ascension is: (The messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord).” The Jew said: “It is not this that I mean.” Imam Ali said: “Then it is (and (so do) the believers; they all believe in Allah).” He said: “It is not this that I mean.” Imam Ali said: “Then let the matter be hidden.” The Jew said: “You are to tell me the truth. Are you not the one, whom I mean?” Imam Ali said: “As you insist on that, I shall tell the truth. When the Prophet came back from his Lord, where the screens were opened before him, and before he got to the place of Gabriel, an angel had called: “O Ahmad!” The Prophet said: “Here I am.” The angel said: “Allah sends you His greeting and says to you: “Deliver Our greeting to the master of guardians.” The Prophet asked: “Who is the master of guardians?” The angel replied: “He is Ali bin Abu Talib.” The Jew said to Imam Ali : “You are right. I have found that in my father’s book.” Imam Ali said: “As for the angel, who had pushed the Prophet away, he was the Angel of Death. He had come from an arrogant of the people of the earth, who had uttered something that made Allah angry. Then Gabriel said to the Angel of Death: “This is Ahmad, the beloved messenger of Allah.” The Angel of Death came back, embraced the Prophet , apologized and said to him: “O messenger of Allah, I went to a tyrant king, who uttered bad things that made me very angry so that I did not know you.” The Prophet accepted his apology. As for the four men, from above whom Angel Malik had removed a cover of Fire, that when the Prophet passed by Angel Malik, who had never smiled since he had been created at all, Gabriel said: “O Malik, this is Muhammad, the prophet of mercy.” Then Malik smiled to the Prophet and he did never smile to anyone else than Muhammad . The Prophet said to Gabriel: “Order him to uncover a layer of Fire!” He uncovered a layer of Fire and there appeared Qabeel (Cain), Nimrod, Pharaoh and Haman. They said: “O Muhammad, ask your god to send us back to the worldly life in order to do good!” Gabriel became angry and with a feather of his wing he returned the layer of Fire upon them. As for the minbar of the Prophet , the abode of the Prophet is the Garden of Eden, which Allah has created with His (hand). There are twelve guardians will be with the Prophet in this Garden. Above this abode there is a dome called the dome of ar-Radhwan (contentment). Above the dome there is a house called al-Wasseela (the means), which no house in Paradise looks like it. It is the minbar of the Prophet .” The Jew said: “By Allah, you are right. This has been mentioned in the book of my father David . The book has been inherited by one after the other until it has reached me.” Then he took out a book written by Prophet David and said to Imam Ali : “Give me your hand! I witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. It is he, of whom Prophet Moses has informed. And I witness that you are the jurisprudent of this umma and the guardian of the messenger of Allah.” Then Imam Ali began to teach him the laws of Islam.” The Book of Allah, the traditions of the Prophet , Imam Ali and all the imams one after the other had confirmed that the number of the imams is twelve. No one among the Shia denies that the book of Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali is considered as one of the important books of the doctrine of the Shia. All that is mentioned in the book has been narrated from the Prophet , imam Ali , al-Miqdad, Salman al-Farisi Abu Tharr and their likes, who have accompanied the Prophet and Amirul Mo’mineen . It is one of the sources that the Shia have depended on and referred to.