17. Muḥammad ibn ‘Abdillāh ibn Ja’far Al-Ḥimyari narrated to me from his father, from ‘Ali ibn Muḥammad ibn Sālim, from Muḥammad ibn Khālid, from ‘Abdillāh ibn Ḥammād Al-Basri, from ‘Abdillāh ibn ‘Abdil Raḥmān Al-Asam, from Abī ‘Ubaydah Al-Bazzāz, from Ḥarīz, who said: I said to Abī ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq ), “May I sacrifice myself for you! How short are your lives, O Ahlul Bayt! And how close are your deaths to one another while the entire creation needs you?!” Imam replied: There is a sheet for each one of us (the Imams ) which contains everything that we need to do during our time. Once every order on that sheet has been carried out, we know that our death is imminent. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ comes to us and informs us that our death has come and he informs us of the rewards that Allāh has prepared for us. Verily Ḥusain read the sheet that was entrusted to him, and that which would happen and that which was yet to come were explained to him. There were a few things left on Ḥusain’s sheet which had not been fulfilled when he rose to fight. Those matters were that the angels asked Allāh for permission to help Ḥusain (in fighting) and Allāh granted it to them. While they were preparing themselves for battle, Ḥusain was killed. When the angels descended (to earth), they found that Ḥusain’s time had passed and he had been killed. Therefore, they said (to Allāh), “O Lord! You gave us permission to descend to earth to support Ḥusain but when we arrived, You had already taken him back (to Yourself)?!” Allāh – the Most Exalted – revealed to them, “Stay by his grave until (the day) when you see him rise (again) and then support him. Cry over him and over losing the opportunity to support him. Verily you have been chosen to support him and to cry over him.” The angels were grieved and they cried and mourned over losing the opportunity to support Ḥusain . However, when he rises, they will be (among) his supporters.