Informed Regarding the Occurrence of the Occultationحَدَّثَنَا أَبِي وَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالا حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْخَطَّابِ عَنِ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ مِسْكِينٍ الثَّقَفِيِّ عَنْ صَالِحِ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عليه السلام قَالَ: لَمَّا هَلَكَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَ اسْتُخْلِفَ عُمَرُ رَجَعَ عُمَرُ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَعَدَ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِنِّي رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَ أَنَا عَلَّامَتُهُمْ وَ قَدْ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ مَسَائِلَ إِنْ أَجَبْتَنِي عَنْهَا أَسْلَمْتُ قَالَ وَ مَا هِيَ فَقَالَ ثَلَاثٌ وَ ثَلَاثٌ وَ وَاحِدَةٌ فَإِنْ شِئْتَ سَأَلْتُكَ وَ إِنْ كَانَ فِي قَوْمِكَ أَحَدٌ أَعْلَمَ مِنْكَ فَأَرْشِدْنِي إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ عَلَيْكَ بِذَلِكَ الشَّابِّ يَعْنِي عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عليه السلام فَأَتَى عَلِيّاً عليه السلام فَقَالَ لَهُ لِمَ قُلْتَ ثَلَاثٌ وَ ثَلَاثٌ وَ وَاحِدَةٌ أَلَّا قُلْتَ سَبْعاً قَالَ أَنَا إِذاً جَاهِلٌ إِنَّكَ إِنْ لَمْ تُجِبْنِي فِي الثَّلَاثِ اكْتَفَيْتُ قَالَ فَإِنْ أَجَبْتُكَ تُسْلِمُ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ سَلْ فَقَالَ أَسْأَلُكَ عَنْ أَوَّلِ حَجَرٍ وُضِعَ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ وَ أَوَّلِ عَيْنٍ نَبَعَتْ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ وَ أَوَّلِ شَجَرَةٍ نَبَتَتْ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ فَقَالَ عليه السلام يَا يَهُودِيُّ أَنْتُمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ أَوَّلَ حَجَرٍ وُضِعَ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ الْحَجَرُ الَّذِي فِي بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ وَ كَذَبْتُمْ بَلْ هُوَ الْحَجَرُ الَّذِي نَزَلَ بِهِ آدَمُ عليه السلام مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ وَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَبِخَطِّ هَارُونَ وَ إِمْلَاءِ مُوسَى عليه السلام قَالَ وَ أَنْتُمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ أَوَّلَ عَيْنٍ نَبَعَتْ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ الْعَيْنُ الَّتِي نَبَعَتْ بِبَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ وَ كَذَبْتُمْ هِيَ عَيْنُ الْحَيَاةِ الَّتِي غَسَلَ فِيهَا يُوشَعُ بْنُ نُونٍ السَّمَكَةَ وَ هِيَ الَّتِي شَرِبَ مِنْهَا الْخَضِرُ وَ لَيْسَ يَشْرَبُ مِنْهَا أَحَدٌ إِلَّا حَيِيَ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ وَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَبِخَطِّ هَارُونَ وَ إِمْلَاءِ مُوسَى عليه السلام قَالَ وَ أَنْتُمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ أَوَّلَ شَجَرَةٍ نَبَتَتْ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ الزَّيْتُونَةُ وَ كَذَبْتُمْ وَ هِيَ الْعَجْوَةُ نَزَلَ بِهَا آدَمُ عليه السلام مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ وَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَبِخَطِّ هَارُونَ وَ إِمْلَاءِ مُوسَى عليه السلام قَالَ فَالثَّلَاثُ الْأُخْرَى قَالَ كَمْ لِهَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ مِنْ إِمَامٍ هُدًى لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ قَالَ اثْنَا عَشَرَ إِمَاماً قَالَ صَدَقْتَ وَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَبِخَطِّ هَارُونَ وَ إِمْلَاءِ مُوسَى عليه السلام قَالَ وَ أَيْنَ يَسْكُنُ نَبِيُّكُمْ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ قَالَ فِي أَعْلَاهَا دَرَجَةً وَ أَشْرَفِهَا مَكَاناً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ وَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَبِخَطِّ هَارُونَ وَ إِمْلَاءِ مُوسَى عليه السلام قَالَ فَمَنْ يَنْزِلُ مَعَهُ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ قَالَ اثْنَا عَشَرَ إِمَاماً قَالَ صَدَقْتَ وَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَبِخَطِّ هَارُونَ وَ إِمْلَاءِ مُوسَى ع قَالَ السَّابِعَةُ قَالَ فَأَسْأَلُكَ كَمْ يَعِيشُ وَصِيُّهُ بَعْدَهُ قَالَ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ ثُمَّ يَمُوتُ أَوْ يُقْتَلُ قَالَ يُقْتَلُ فَيُضْرَبُ عَلَى قَرْنِهِ فَتُخْضَبُ لِحْيَتُهُ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ وَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَبِخَطِّ هَارُونَ وَ إِمْلَاءِ مُوسَى عليه السلام فَأَسْلَمَ الْيَهُودِيُّ.
Narrated to us my father and Muhammad bin Hasan -May Allah be pleased with them - they said: Narrated to us Saad bin Abdullah from Muhammad bin Husain bin Abil Khattab from Hakam bin Miskeen Thaqafi from Salih bin Uqbah from Ja’far bin Muhammad that he said:
“When Abu Bakr died after making Umar the caliph, one day Umar was sitting in the masjid when a man came and said: O master of believers, I am a Jew and the greatest scholar among them. I want to ask you a few things. If you answer them correctly I will accept Islam. Umar asked: What are those things? He said: I will ask three, three and one questions. You may answer the questions yourself or send me to anyone among your people who is more knowledgeable than you. Umar said: This young man (Ali) will reply to your questions. Ali came to the Jew and said: Why are you saying that you will ask three, three and one question? Why don’t you say that you will ask seven questions?
He replied: If you cannot reply the first three questions I will not ask the remaining. Ali said: If I reply will you accept Islam? “Yes,” he said. Ali said: You may ask. He said: Which was the first stone to come down to the earth? Which was the first spring of water that gushed out on the earth? And which was the first tree that grew on the earth? Ali said: O Jew, you people say that the first stone is that of Baitul Maqdas. It is a lie. The first stone is the one which came with Prophet Adam from Paradise. The Jew said: You are right. The same thing is mentioned in the scroll that Prophet Musa dictated to Harun .
Ali said: You people say that the first spring that gushed forth is the spring of Baitul Maqdas. You lie. The first spring is that in which Yusha bin Nun washed the fish and the water Khizr drank, and one who drinks this water never dies. The Jew said: You are right. The same was dictated by Musa to Harun . Ali said: You people say that the first tree that grew on the earth is olive. You lie. The first tree is Ajwa that came down with Adam . The Jew said: You are right. The same was dictated by Musa to Harun . Ali asked: What are the next three questions? He said: How many rightful Imams are there in this nation, whom the opponents will not be able to discourage? He replied: They are twelve. The Jew said: You are right.
The same was dictated by Musa to Harun . Now tell me in which Paradise your prophet will be? Imam said: He will be in Adn Paradise. The Jew said: You are right. The same was dictated by Musa to Harun . Now tell me who all will stay with him? Imam said: The twelve Imams. The Jew said: You are right. The same was dictated by Musa to Harun . Imam Ali said: What is your seventh question? He asked: For how many years will the successor of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ live? He replied: Thirty years. He asked: Would he have a natural death or will be murdered? Imam said: He will be assassinated. He would be hit on the head and his beard will be dyed in blood. The Jew said: You are right. The same was dictated by Musa to Harun . [Then he embraced Islam].
