Hadith 68: (Al A’mash said,) “(Abu Jafar) al Mansur called for me. I said to his messenger, ‘What does Amir al Muʾminin want from me?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ I said, ‘Inform him that I am coming. …

Hadith 68

وجه إلي المنصور فقلت للرسول: لما يريدني أمير المؤمنين؟، قال: لا أعلم، فقلت: أبلغه أني آتيه، ثم تفكرت في نفسي، فقلت: ما دعاني في هذا الوقت لخير! ولكن عسى أن يسألني عن فضائل أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه، فإن أخبرته قتلني!، قال: فتطهرت ولبست أكفاني وتحنطت، ثم كتبت وصيتي، ثم صرت إليه فوجدت عنده عمرو بن عبيد، فحمدت الله تعالى على ذلك، وقلت: وجدت عنده عون صدق من أهل النصرة، فقال لي: ادن يا سليمان! فدنوت، فلما قربت منه أقبلت على عمرو بن عبيد أسائله، وفاح مني ريح الحنوط، فقال: يا سليمان ما هذه الرائحة؟ والله لتصدقني وإلا قتلتك. فقلت: يا أمير المؤمنين أتاني رسولك في جوف الليل، فقلت في نفسي: ما بعث إلي أمير المؤمنين في هذه الساعة إلا ليسألني عن فضائل علي، فإن أخبرته قتلني! فكتبت وصيتي، ولبست كفني وتحنطت، فاستوى جالسا وهو يقول: لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله العلي العظيم. ثم قال: أتدري يا سليمان ما اسمي؟ قلت: نعم يا أمير المؤمنين! قال: ما اسمي؟ قلت: عبد الله الطويل ابن محمد بن علي بن عبد الله بن عباس بن عبد المطلب، قال: صدقت، فأخبرني بالله وبقرابتي من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كم رويت في علي من فضيلة من جميع الفقهاء، وكم يكون؟ قلت: يسير يا أمير المؤمنين، قال: على ذاك، قلت: عشرة آلاف حديث وما زاد. قال: فقال: يا سليمان لأحدثنك في فضائل علي رضي الله عنه حديثين يأكلان كل حديث رويته عن جميع الفقهاء، فإن حلفت لي أن لا ترويهما لأحد من الشيعة حدثتك بهما، فقلت: لا أحلف ولا أخبر بهما أحد ا منهم. فقال: كنت هاربا من بني مروان، وكنت أدور البلدان أتقرب إلى الناس بحب علي وفضائله، وكانوا يؤوونني، ويطعمونني، ويزودونني، ويكرمونني ويحملونني، حتى ودرت بلاد الشام، وأهل الشام كلما أصبحوا لعنوا عليا رضي الله عنه في مساجدهم، لأن كلهم خوارج وأصحاب معاوية، فدخلت مسجدا وفي نفسي منهم ما فيها، فأقيمت الصلاة، فصليت الظهر وعلي كساء خلق، فلما سلم الإمام اتكأ على الحائط، وأهل المسجد حضور، فجلست فلم أر أحدا منهم يتكلم توقيرا لإمامهم، فإذا بصبيين قد دخلا المسجد فلما نظر إليهما الإمام! قال: ادخلا مرحبا بكما ومرحبا بمن أسماكما بأسمائهما، والله ما سميتكما بأسمائهما إلا بحب محمد وآل محمد. فإذا أحدهما يقال له: الحسن، والآخر: الحسين. فقلت فيما بيني وبين نفسي: قد أصبت اليوم حاجتي، لا قوة إلا بالله، وكان شاب إلى يميني فسألته: من هذا الشيخ؟ ومن هذان الغلامان؟ فقال: الشيخ جدهما، وليس في هذه المدينة أحد يحب عليا رضي الله عنه غير هذا الشيخ، ولذلك سماهما الحسن والحسين، فقمت فرحا، وإني يومئذ لصارم لا أخاف الرجال، فدنوت من الشيخ، فقلت: هل لك في حديث أقر به عينيك؟ قال: ما أحوجني إلى ذلك، وإن أقررت عيني أقررت عينك. فقلت: حدثني أبي عن جدي عن أبيه عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقال لي، من والدك؟ ومن جدك؟ فما عرفت أنه يريد أسماء الرجال، فقلت: محمد بن علي بن عبد الله بن العباس، قال: كنا مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فإذا فاطمة رضي الله عنها قد أقبلت تبكي، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ما يبكيك يا فاطمة؟ قالت: يا أباه إن الحسن والحسين قد عبرا أو قد ذهبا منذ اليوم ولا أدري أين هما؟ وإن عليا يمشي على الدالية منذ خمسة أيام يسقي البستان، وإني قد طلبتهما في منازلك فما حسست لهما أثرا! وإذا أبو بكر عن يمينه، فقال: يا أبا بكر قم فاطلب قرتي، ثم قال: يا عمر قم فاطلبهما، يا سلمان، يا أبا ذر، يا فلان، يا فلان، قال: فأحصينا على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم سبعين رجلا بعثهم في طلبهما، وحثهم فرجعوا ولم يصيبوهما. فاغتم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لذلك غما شديدا، ووقف على باب المسجد وهو يقول: بحق إبراهيم خليلك، وبحق آدم صفيك، وإن كانا قرتي عيني، وثمرتي فؤادي أخذا برا، أو بحرا، فاحفظهما أو سلمهما، فإذا جبريل عليه السلام قد هبط فقال: يا رسول الله إن الله يقرئك السلام ويقول لك: لا تحزن، ولا تغتم، الصبيان فاضلان في الدنيا، فاضلان في الآخرة، وهما في الجنة، وقد وكلت بهما ملكا يحفظهما إذا ناما وإذا قاما. ففرح رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فرحا شديدا، ومضى وجبريل عن يمينه، والمسلمون حوله، حتى دخل حظيرة بني النجار، فسلم على ذلك الملك الموكل بهما، ثم جثا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم على ركبتيه، وإذا الحسن معانق ا للحسين، وهما نائمان، وذلك الملك قد جعل أحد جناحيه تحتهما، والآخر فوقهما، وعلى كل واحد منهما دراعة من شعر أو صوف، والمداد على شفتيهما، فما زال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يلثمهما حتى استيقظا، فحمل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم الحسن، وحمل جبريل الحسين، وخرج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من الحظيرة. قال ابن عباس: وجدنا الحسن عن يمين النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، والحسين عن يساره، وهو يقبلهما ويقول: من أحبكما فقد أحب رسول الله، ومن أبغضكما فقد أبغض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقال أبو بكر: يا رسول الله أعطني أحدهما أحمله، فقال له رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: نعم المحمولة، ونعم المطية تحتهما، فلما أن صار إلى باب الحظيرة لقيه عمر، فقال له مثل مقالة أبي بكر، فرد عليه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كما رد على أبي بكر، فرأينا الحسن متشبثا بثوب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، متكيا باليمين على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، ووجدنا يد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم على رأسه. فدخل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم المسجد فقال: لأشرفن ابني اليوم كما شرفهما الله، فقال: يا بلال، علي بالناس، فنادى بهم فاجتمع الناس، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: معشر أصحابي؛ بلغوا عن نبيكم محمد، سمعنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: ألا أدلكم اليوم على خير الناس جدا وجدة؟ قالوا: بلى يا رسول الله، قال: عليكم بالحسن والحسين، فإن جدهما محمد رسول الله، وجدتهما خديجة بنت خويلد، سيدة نساء أهل الجنة، هل أدلكم على خير الناس أبا وأما؟ قالوا: بلى يا رسول الله، قال: عليكم بالحسن والحسين، فإن أباهما علي بن أبي طالب، وهو خير منهما، شاب يحب الله ورسوله، ويحبه الله ورسوله، ذو المنفعة والمنقبة في الإسلام، وأمهما فاطمة بنت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، سيدة نساء أهل الجنة، معشر الناس ألا أدلكم على خير الناس عما وعمة؟، قالوا: بلى يا رسول الله، قال: عليكم بالحسن والحسين، فإن عمهما جعفر ذو الجناحين، يطير بهما في الجنان مع الملائكة، وعمتهما أم هانئ بنت أبي طالب، معشر الناس ألا أدلكم على خير الناس خالا وخالة؟ قالوا: بلى يا رسول الله، قال: عليكم بالحسن والحسين، فإن خالهما القاسم ابن رسول الله، وخالتهما زينب بنت رسول الله، ألا يا معشر الناس أعلمكم أن جدهما في الجنة، وجدتهما في الجنة، وأبوهما في الجنة، وأمهما في الجنة، وعمهما في الجنة، وعمتهما في الجنة، وخالهما في الجنة، وخالتهما في الجنة، وهما في الجنة، ومن أحب ابني علي فهو معنا غدا في الجنة، ومن أبغضهما فهو في النار، وإن من كرامتهما على الله أنه سماهما في التوراة شبرا وشبيرا. فلما سمع الشيخ الإمام هذا مني قدمني، وقال: هذه حالك وأنت تروي في علي هذا؟ فكساني خلعة، وحملني على بلغة بعتها بمائة دينار، ثم قال لي: أدلك على من يفعل بك خيرا! هاهنا أخوان لي في هذه المدينة، أحدهما كان إمام قوم، وكان إذا أصبح لعن عل يا ألف مرة كل غداة، وإنه لعنه يوم الجمعة أربعة آلاف مرة، فغير الله ما به من نعمة، فصار آية للسائلين، فهو اليوم يحبه، وأخ لي يحب عل يا منذ خرج من بطن أمه، فقم إليه ولا تحتبس عنده. والله يا سليمان لقد ركبت البغلة، وإني يومئذ لجائع، فقام معي الشيخ وأهل المسجد حتى صرنا إلى الدار، وقال الشيخ: انظر لا تحتبس، فدققت الباب، وقد ذهب من كان معي، فإذا شاب آدم قد خرج إلي، فلما رآني والبغلة قال: مرحبا بك، والله ما كساك أبو فلان خلعته، ولا حملك على بغلته، إلا أنك رجل تحب الله ورسوله، لئن أقررت عيني لأقرن عينك. والله يا سليمان إني لأنفس بهذا الحديث الذي يسمعه وتسمعه: أخبرني أبي، عن جدي، عن أبيه، قال: كنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم جلوسا بباب داره، فإذا فاطمة قد أقبلت وهي حاملة الحسين، وهي تبكي بكاء شديدا، فاستقبلها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فتناول الحسين منها، وقال لها: ما يبكيك يا فاطمة؟ قالت: يا أبه عيرتني نساء قريش، وقلن: زوجك أبوك معدما لا شيء له. فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: مهلا وإياي أن أسمع هذا منك، فإني لم أزوجك حتى زوجك الله من فوق عرشه، وشهد على ذلك جبرائيل وميكائيل وإسرافيل، وإن الله تعالى اطلع إلى أهل الدنيا، فاختار من الخلائق أباك فبعثه نبيا، ثم اطلع الثانية فاختار من الخلائق عليا، فأوحى إلي فزوجتك إياه، واتخذته وص يا ووزيرا. فعلي أشجع الناس قلبا، وأعلم الناس علما، وأحلم الناس حلما، وأقدم الناس إسلاما، وأسمحهم كفا، وأحسن الناس خلقا. يا فاطمة إني آخذ لواء الحمد، ومفاتيح الجنة بيدي، فأدفعها إلى علي، فيكون آدم ومن ولد تحت لوائه. يا فاطمة إني غدا مقيم عل يا على حوضي، يسقي من عرف من أمتي، يا فاطمة وابنيك الحسن والحسين سيدا شباب أهل الجنة، وكان قد سبق اسمهما في توراة موسى، وكان اسمهما في الجنة شبرا وشبيرا، فسماهما الحسن والحسين، لكرامة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم على الله تعالى، ولكرامتهما عليه. يا فاطمة يكسى أبوك حلتين من حلل الجنة، ويكسى علي حلتين من حلل الجنة، ولواء الحمد في يدي، وأمتي تحت لوائي، فأناوله عل يا لكرامته على الله تعالى، وينادي مناد: يا محمد نعم الجد جدك إبراهيم، ونعم الأخ أخوك علي. وإذا دعاني رب العالمين دعا عليا معي، وإذا جثوت جثا علي معي، وإذا شفعني شفع عليا معي، وإذا أجبت أجيب علي معي، وإنه في المقام عوني على مفاتيح الجنة، قومي يا فاطمة إن عل يا وشيعته هم الفائزون غدا. وقال: بينما فاطمة جالسة إذ أقبل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى جلس إليها، فقال: يا فاطمة ما لي أراك باكية حزينة؟ قالت: يا أبي وكيف لا أبكي وتريد أن تفارقني؟ فقال لها: يا فاطمة لا تبكي ولا تحزني، فلا بد من مفارقتك. قال: فاشتد بكاء فاطمة عليها السلام، ثم قالت: يا أبه أين ألقاك؟ قال: تلقينني في تل الحمد أشفع لأمتي، قالت: يا أبه فإن لم ألقك! فقال: تلقينني على الصراط، وجبرائيل على يميني، وميكائيل عن يساري، وإسرافيل آخذ بحجزتي، والملائكة من خلفي، وأنا أنادي: يا رب أمتي أمتي، هون عليهم الحساب! ثم أنظر يمينا وشمالا إلى أمتي، وكل نبي يومئذ مشتغل بنفسه، يقول: يا رب نفسي نفسي، وأنا أقول: يا رب أمتي أمتي. فأول من يلحق بي من أمتي يوم القيامة أن ت، وعلي، والحسن والحسين، فيقول الرب: يا محمد! إن أمتك لو أتوني بذنوب كأمثال الجبال لعفوت عنهم ما لم يشركوا بي شيئا، ولم يوالوا لي عدوا. قال: قال فلما سمع الشاب هذا مني، أمر لي بعشرة آلاف درهم، وكساني ثلاثين ثوبا، ثم قال لي: من أين أنت؟ قلت: من أهل الكوفة. قال: عربي أنت أم مولى؟ قلت: بل عربي، قال: فكما أقررت عيني أقررت عينك، ثم قال لي: ائتني غدا في مسجد بني فلان، وإياك أن تخطئ الطريق، فذهبت إلى الشيخ وهو جالس ينتظرني في المسجد، فلما رآني استقبلني، وقال: ما فعل معك أبو فلان؟ قلت: كذا وكذا، قال: جزاه الله خيرا، جمع الله بيننا وبينهم في الجنة. فلما أصبحت يا سليمان ركبت البغلة، وأخذت في الطريق الذي وصف لي، فلما صرت غير بعيد، تشابه علي الطريق، وسمعت إقامة الصلاة في مسجد، فقلت: والله لأصلين مع هؤلاء القوم، فنزلت عن البغلة ودخلت المسجد، فوجدت رجلا قامته مثل قامة صاحبي، فصرت عن يمينه. فلما صرنا في ركوع وسجود إذا عمامته قد رمي بها من خلفه، فتفرست في وجهه، فإذا وجهه وجه خنزير، ورأسه، وخلقه، ويداه، ورجلاه، فلم أعلم ما صليت، وما قلت في صلاتي، متفكرا في أمره، وسلم الإمام، وتفرس في وجهي، وقال: أنت أتيت أخي بالأمس فأمر لك بكذا وكذا؟ قلت: نعم، فأخذ بيدي وأقامني، فلما رآنا أهل المسجد تبعونا، فقال للغلام: أغلق الباب، ولا تدع أحدا يدخل علينا، ثم ضرب بيده إلى قميصه فنزعه، فإذا جسده جسد خنزير. فقلت: يا أخي ما هذا الذي أرى بك؟ قال: كنت مؤذن القوم، فكنت كل يوم إذا أصبحت ألعن عل يا ألف مرة بين الأذان والإقامة. قال: فخرجت من المسجد، ودخلت داري هذه، وهو يوم جمعة، وقد لعنته أربعة آلف مرة، ولعنت أولاده، فاتكيت على الدكان، فذهب بي النوم، فرأيت في منامي كأنما أنا بالجنة قد أقبلت، فإذا علي متكئ، والحسن، والحسين معه متكئين بعضهم ببعض، مسرورين تحتهم مصليات من نور، وإذا أنا برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم جالس، والحسن والحسين قدامه، وبيد الحسن كأس. فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم للحسن: اسقني فشرب، ثم قال للحسين: اسق أباك عل يا فشرب، ثم قال للحسن: اسق الجماعة فشربوا، ثم قال: اسق المتكئ على الدكان فولى الحسن بوجهه عني، وقال: يا أبه كيف أسقيه وهو يلعن أبي في كل يوم ألف مرة! وقد لعنه اليوم أربعة آلاف مرة. فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: ما لك لعنك الله تلعن عل يا وتشتم أخي؟ لعنك الله تشتم أولادي الحسن والحسين؟، ثم بصق النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فملأ وجهي وجسدي!! فانتبهت من منامي، ووجدت موضع البصاق الذي أصابني من بصاق النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قد مسخ كما ترى!!، وصرت آية للسائلين. ثم قال: يا سليمان سمعت في أعجب من هذين الحديثين؟ يا سليمان حب علي إيمان، وبغضه نفاق، لا يحب عليا إلا مؤمن، ولا يبغضه إلا كافر، فقلت: يا أمير المؤمنين الأمان؟ قال: لك الأمان، قال: قلت: فما تقول يا أمير المؤمنين في من قتل هؤلاء؟ قال: في النار لا أشك، فقلت: فما تقول فيمن قتل أولادهم وأولاد أولادهم؟ قال: فنكس رأسه، ثم قال: يا سليمان الملك عقيم، ولكن حدث عن فضائل علي بما شئت، قال: فقلت فمن قتل ولده فهو في النار، قال عمرو بن عبيد: صدقت يا سليمان، الويل لمن قتل ولده، فقال المنصور: يا عمرو أشهد عليه أنه في النار، فقال عمرو: وأخبرني الشيخ الصدق يعني الحسن عن أنس: أن من قتل أولاد علي لا يشم رائحة الجنة، قال: فوجدت أبا جعفر وقد حمض وجهه، قال: وخرجنا، فقال أبو جعفر: لولا مكان عمرو ما خرج سليمان إلا مقتولا.

(Al A’mash said,) “(Abu Jafar) al Mansur called for me. I said to his messenger, ‘What does Amir al Muʾminin want from me?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ I said, ‘Inform him that I am coming. Thereafter, I thought to myself, ‘He has not called me at this time for something good. Perhaps he will ask me regarding the virtues of Amir al Muʾminin, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib radiya Llahu ‘anhu. If I inform him (about this), he will kill me!’ And so I fixed/cleaned myself up and shrouded myself with my kafan (white sheets) (i.e. in preparation for death). After that, I wrote out my will. I set out to meet him and (when I arrived) I noticed ‘Amr ibn ‘Ubaid was by him. I praised Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala for this and said, ‘I have found a truthful person (by him) for support.’ He said to me, ‘Come close, O Sulaiman.’ I approached him. When I came near to him, I began asking ‘Amr ibn ‘Ubaid questions. He (al Mansur) smelled the fragrance (of the shrouded sheets) emanating from me and said, ‘O Sulaiman, what is this smell? By Allah, you will tell me the truth or else I will kill you!’ I said, ‘O Amir al Mu’minin, your messenger came to me in the middle of the night, and so I said to myself, ‘Amir al Muʾminin did not call for me at this time except to question me regarding the virtues of ‘Ali. If I tell him, he will kill me!’ And so I wrote my will and put on my kafan and shrouded myself (therein). He straightened himself up (while sitting) and said, ‘La hawla wa la quwwata illa biLlah al ‘Ali al ‘Azim (there is neither strength nor power except with Allah, the Most Great, the Mighty).’ Then he said, ‘Do you know my name, O Sulaiman?’ I said, ‘Yes, O Amir al Mu’minin.’ He said, ‘What is my name?’ I said, ‘‘Abdullah al Tawil ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib.’ He said, ‘Correct. Inform me, by Allah and by my familial relations with the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, how much have you narrated regarding the virtues of ‘Ali from all the fuqahaʾ (Muslim jurists), and how many (in total)?’ I said, ‘Not much, O Amir al Muʾminin.’ He said, ‘Nevertheless (How much?)’ I said, ‘Ten thousand hadith and more.’ He said, ‘O Sulaiman, I will narrate two hadith to you regarding the virtues of ‘Ali that will consume everything you have narrated from all the fuqahaʾ (Muslim jurists). If you promise me that you will not narrate them to anyone of the Shia, I will narrate them to you.’ I said, ‘I will not take an oath (but) I will not inform anyone of them of these two hadith.’ He said, ‘I was fleeing from Banu Marwan and I used to visit the various towns, getting close to people by virtue of the love and virtues of ‘Ali; they would accommodate me, feed me, and supply me with adequate provisions (for my subsequent journeys). They would honour me and carry me (out of respect), until I visited Sham. Every morning, the people of Sham would curse ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu in their masajid because all of them were khawarij (dissenters) and companions of Muawiyah. I entered the masjid with the (negative) feelings I was harbouring against them (still) inside of me. Salah commenced. I prayed Salat al Zuhr wearing a shabby garment. When the imam completed the salah, he leaned against the wall. All of the people of the masjid were present. I sat down (after the salah); I did not see one of them speak out of respect for their imam. Suddenly, two young boys entered the masjid. When the imam looked towards them, he said, ‘Enter! Welcome! And welcome to the one who named you two after their two names. By Allah, I did not name you two with their names except out of love for Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.’ One of their names was Hassan and the other Hussain. I said to myself, ‘I have acquired my needs today, wa la quwwata illa biLlah (and there is no power except with Allah).’ There was a youngster sitting to my right; I asked him, ‘Who is this sheikh? And who are these two young boys?’ He said, ‘The sheikh is their grandfather. There is no one in this town that loves ‘Ali except for this sheikh. For that reason, he named them Hassan and Hussain.’ I stood out of happiness. On that day, I was very brave and stern, I feared no one. I approached the sheikh and said, ‘Can I narrate a hadith for you through which I can cool your eyes?’ He said, ‘How in need I am of that! If you cool my eyes, I will cool your eyes (i.e. by narrating a hadith to you).’ I said, ‘My father narrated to me, from my grandfather, from his father, from the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.’ He said, ‘Who is your father? And who is your grandfather?’ When I realized he wanted (their) names, I said, ‘Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al ‘Abbas. He (i.e. ibn al ‘Abbas) said: ‘We were with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha came. She was crying. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘What makes you cry, O Fatimah?’ She said, ‘O my beloved father, verily (I think) Hassan and Hussain have died or they have been missing the whole day, I do not know where they are!? Moreover, ‘Ali has been walking the trellis, watering the garden for the past five days. I searched for them in your houses and found no trace of them.’ Abu Bakr was to the right of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said to him, ‘O Abu Bakr, get up and look for the coolness of my eyes (i.e. Hassan and Hussain).’ Then he said, ‘O ‘Umar, get up and look for them. O Salman, O Abu Dharr, O so-and-so, O so-and-so.’ (Ibn ‘Abbas) said, ‘I counted seventy men that the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam sent and encouraged in search of them. They (eventually) returned not having found them. On account of that, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam became extremely grief-stricken. He stood by the door of the masjid saying: ‘By the right of Ibrahim, and Your Khalil (close friend), and by the right of Adam, Your Safi (bosom friend), if the coolness of my eyes, and the fruits of my heart have taken to the land or sea, protect them or bring them back.’ All of a sudden, Jibril ‘alayh al Salam descended and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, verily Allah sends His salam (greetings) to you and says: ‘Do not be sad nor should you grieve; I have appointed an angel for the two virtuous young boys in the world and the hereafter—who will be in Jannat—to protect them, when they sleep and when they stand.’ The Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam became extremely happy (on hearing this). Jibril walked to the right of him and the Muslims were around him (walking). He (eventually) entered the compound of Banu al Najjar. The appointed angel (of Hassan and Hussain) greeted them. At that point the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam kneeled on his knees. Suddenly (they saw) Hassan was embracing Hussain while they were both asleep. The appointed angel placed one of his wings underneath them, and the wing over them. They were wearing a cilice or wool garment. They had some sort of ink on their lips. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam continued covering them up until they woke up. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam carried Hassan and Jibril carried Hussain. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam exited the compound. Ibn ‘Abbas said, ‘We found Hassan to the right of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and Hussain to his left. He was kissing them and saying, ‘Whoever loves you has loved the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. And whoever hates you has hated the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.’ Abu Bakr said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, give me one of them, I will carry him.’ The Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said to him, ‘How great a thing to carry! How great a mount under them!’ When he reached the door of the compound, ‘Umar met him. He said something similar to what Abu Bakr said. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam responded to him the same way he responded to Abu Bakr. We saw Hassan clinging to the garment of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, leaning with his right (side) on the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. We found the hand of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam on his head. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam entered the masjid and said, ‘I will honour my two sons today as Allah honoured them.’ He said, ‘O Bilal, gather the people.’ He called them and they gathered. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘O my Companions, convey on behalf of your Prophet, Muhammad.’ We heard the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, ‘Shall I not indicate to you who the greatest grandfather and grandmother are?’ They said, ‘But of course, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘Keep to Hassan and Hussain, for their grandfather was Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and their grandmother was Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, the leader of the women of Jannat. Shall I not inform you of the greatest father and mother?’ They said, ‘But of course, O Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.’ He said, ‘Keep to Hassan and Hussain, for their father was ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib. And he was better than them. He is a young man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him, a person of immense benefit and virtue in Islam. Their mother, Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is the leader of the women of Jannat. O people, shall I not indicate to you the greatest paternal uncle and aunt?’ They said, “But of course, O Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.’ He said, ‘Keep to Hassan and Hussain, for their paternal uncle, Jafar, the possessor of two wings, would fly with them in Jannat with the angels. Their paternal aunt was Umm Haniʾ, the daughter of Abu Talib. O people, shall I not indicate to you the greatest maternal uncle and aunt?’ They said, ‘But of course, O Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.’ He said, ‘Keep to Hassan and Hussain, for their maternal uncle was al Qasim, the son of the Messenger of Allah. And their maternal aunt was Zainab, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah. O people, shall I not inform you that their grandfather is in Jannat, and their grandmother is in Jannat, and their father is in Jannat, and their mother is in Jannat, and their paternal uncle is in Jannat, and their paternal aunt is in Jannat, and their maternal uncle is in Jannat, and their maternal aunt is in Jannat, and they are in Jannat. Whoever loves the two sons of ‘Ali, he will be with us tomorrow in Jannat. And whoever hates them, he will be in the Fire (of Jahannam). From the favours they enjoy from Allah is that He named them in the Tawrah Shabar and Shubayr.’

When the sheikh/imam heard this from me, he brought me forward and said, ‘This is your condition (i.e. you are wearing such a shabby garment), and you are narrating this (great incident) regarding ‘Ali?’ He dressed me in a robe of honour and mounted me on to a female mule which I (eventually) sold for one hundred dinars. Then he said to me: ‘I will guide you to a person who will treat you well. I have two brothers in this city; one of them is the imam of a community. When he wakes up, he curses ‘Ali one thousand times every morning. Once, he even cursed him four thousand times on the day of jumu’ah. Allah changed his condition of enjoying bounties; he has now become ‘a sign for those who ask’. Today, he loves him (‘Ali). My (other) brother loved ‘Ali since he came out of his mother’s womb. Go to him and do not stay long. By Allah, O Sulaiman, I have mounted a mule and I am extremely hungry today. The sheikh stood with me and the people of the masjid until we reached the house. The sheikh said, ‘Look and do not hold back.’ I knocked on the door. Whoever was with me had already left. Suddenly, a youngster with tawny skin came out towards me. When he saw me and the mule, he said, ‘Welcome! By Allah, the father of so-and-so did not clothe you with his robe of honour, nor did he mount you on his mule except because you are a man that loves Allah and His Messenger.’ (Abu Jafar continued) If you cool my eyes I will cool your eyes. By Allah, O Sulaiman, I will not cover up this hadith which I heard and which you are hearing; my father informed me, from my grandfather, from his father: ‘We were seated with the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam by the door of his house. Suddenly, Fatimah approached carrying Hussain. She was crying profusely. The Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam faced her and took Hussain from her. He said to her, ‘What makes you cry, O Fatimah?’ She said, ‘O my beloved father, the women of Quraysh are condemning me and saying, ‘Your father married you to a pauper.’ The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Easy! I need not hear this from you! Verily I did not marry you off until Allah married you off from above His ‘Arsh (Throne) (first). Jibril, Mikaʾil and Israfil were witnesses to it. Moreover, Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala inspected the people of the world and chose from all of creation your father as a Nabi. Thereafter, for a second time, He inspected the people of the world and chose ‘Ali from all of creation. Allah sent wahi (revelation) to me and so I married you to him and selected him as a wasi (executor) and a wazir (minister). ‘Ali has the bravest of hearts; he is the most knowledgeable; the most forbearing; he was the first to embrace Islam; he is the most generous; he has the best character. O Fatimah, verily I will take hold of the standard of al hamd and the keys of Jannat with my hands. Thereafter, I will hand it to ‘Ali; ʾAdam and his descendants will all be under his standard. O Fatimah, I will appoint ‘Ali to my Hawd (Pond); he will give to drink who he knows from my Ummah. O Fatimah and your two sons Hassan and Hussain, the leaders of the youth of Jannat. Their names were mentioned in the Tawrah of Musa. Their names will be Shabar and Shubayr in Jannat. He named them Hassan and Hussain because of the favour of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and them from Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. O Fatimah, your father and ‘Ali will be clothed with two garments from the garments of Jannat. The standard of al hamd will be in my hand while my Ummah will be underneath my standard. I will hand it to ‘Ali because of the favour he enjoys with Allah. A caller will call out, ‘O Muhammad, the best grandfather is your grandfather, Ibrahim. The best brother is your brother, ‘Ali. When the Lord of the worlds calls me, He will call ‘Ali with me. When I kneel, ‘Ali will kneel with me. When He grants me intercession, ‘Ali will intercede with me. When I respond, ‘Ali will respond with me. He will be my support in the standing (before Allah) for the keys of Jannat. Stand, O Fatimah; verily ‘Ali and his Shia are the successful people (al faʾizun) tomorrow.’ ‘While Fatimah was seated, the Messenger of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala approached until he sat by her. He said, ‘O Fatimah, What is with you that I see you sad and crying?’ She said, ‘O my father, how can I not cry when you intend on separating from me?’ He said to her, ‘O Fatimah, do not cry and do not be sad; it is necessary to separate from you.’ The cry of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha intensified, then she said, ‘O my beloved father, where shall I meet you?’ He said, ‘You will meet me in the hill of al hamd; I will be interceding for me Ummah.’ She said, ‘O my beloved father, what if I do not meet you?’ He said, ‘You will meet me on the (Bridge of) Sirat; Jibril will be to my right, Mikaʾil will be to my left, Israfil will hold me by hips while the rest of the angels will be behind me. I will call out, ‘O my Lord, my Ummah, my Ummah. Make their reckoning (hisab) easy for them. Then I will look right and left towards my Ummah. Every Nabi on that day will be preoccupied with himself saying, ‘O my Lord, nafsi, nafsi (save me, save me). I will be saying, ‘O my Lord, my Ummah, my Ummah.’ The first person to meet me on the Day of Reckoning will be you, ‘Ali, Hassan, and Hussain. The Lord will say, ‘O Muhammad, if your Ummah comes to Me with sins the likes of the mountains, I would forgive them as long as they do not associate any partners unto Me and they do not befriend an enemy of mine.’

When the young boy heard this from me, he ordered ten thousand dirhams (to be given) for me and he clothed me with thirty robes. Then he said, ‘Where are you from?’ I said, ‘from the inhabitants of Kufah.’ He said, ‘Arab or mawla (client of an Arab)?’ I said, ‘An Arab.’ He said, ‘Just as you cooled my eyes (with this hadith), I too will cool your eyes.’ Then he said to me, ‘Meet me tomorrow at the masjid of Bani so-and-so. And do not confuse the road (to get there).’ (The next day) I went to the sheikh; he was seated waiting for me in the masjid. When he saw me, he welcomed me and said, ‘What did the father of so-and-so do with you?’ I said, ‘Such-and such.’ He said, ‘Jazaka Allah khayr (May Allah reward him); may Allah unite us and them in Jannat.’ When I awoke, O Sulaiman, I mounted the mule and took the road (to the masjid) which he described for me. I just set out when the road suddenly became confusing (i.e. I forgot how he described it to me). I heard the iqamah of salah nearby in a masjid. I said, ‘By Allah, I will read salah with these people.’ I descended from the mule and entered the masjid. I found a man whole height was similar to the height of my companion. I went to his right. When we reached the ruku’ and sujud, he flung his turban behind him. I looked carefully at his face; he had the face of a pig, and his head, throat, hands, and feet. I did not know what I read and said in my salah because I was too busy thinking about this individual. The imam completed the salah (i.e. he made salam); he looked carefully into my face and said, ‘You came to my brother yesterday and he ordered for you to be given such and such an amount?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He took me by my hand and made me stand (and walk). When the people of the masjid saw us, they began following us. He said to the young boy, ‘Lock the door and do not permit anyone to enter in our presence.’ Then he struck his qamis (shirt) with his hand and then removed it. Suddenly, his body was that of a pig. I said, ‘O my brother, what is this that I see with you?’ He said: ‘I was the muʾadhdhin for a people. Every day, I would wake up and curse ‘Ali one thousand times between the adhan and the iqamah. I left from the masjid and entered this home of mine. It was the day of Jumu’ah. I had cursed him and his children four-thousand times. I leaned on this bench and fell asleep. I saw in my dream, it was as if I was in Jannat that was approaching. Suddenly, ‘Ali was reclining, Hassan and Hussain were with him (also) happily reclining on one another. There were carpets made from nur beneath them. Suddenly, I was seated with the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Hassan and Hussain were in front of him. There was a cup in the hand of Hassan. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said to Hassan, ‘Give me to drink.’ And so he drank. Then he said to Hussain, ‘Give your father ‘Ali to drink.’ And so he drank. Then he said to Hassan, ‘Give the jama’ah (group) to drink.’ And so they drank. Then he said, ‘Give the person reclining on the bench to drink.’ Hassan turned his face from me and said, ‘O my beloved father, how can I give him to drink when he curses my father one thousand times every day. And he cursed him four thousand times today.’ The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘What is with you, may Allah curse you. You curse ‘Ali and swear at my brother? May Allah curse you. You swear at my children Hassan and Hussain?’ Then the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam spat; it (i.e. the spit) filled my face and body!!’ Then I woke up from my dream. I found that the place of the spit which had hit me from the spit of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had transformed as you see! I became a ‘sign for those who ask.’

Then he said: ‘O Sulaiman, have you heard a hadith regarding the virtues of ‘Ali more amazing than these two hadiths? O Sulaiman, love of ‘Ali is iman and hatred of ‘Ali is hypocrisy; only a believer loves ‘Ali and only a disbeliever hates him.’ I said, ‘O Amir al Muʾminin, safety?’ He said, ‘You have safety.’ I said, ‘What do you say, O Amir al Muʾminin, regarding those who killed them?’ He said, ‘In the Fire, no doubt.’ I said, ‘What do you say regarding those who killed their children and the children of their children?’ He lowered his head and then said, ‘O Sulaiman, the empire is weak. However, narrate regarding the virtues of ‘Ali as you will.’ I said, ‘Whoever kills his son is in the Fire.’

‘Amr ibn ‘Ubaid said, ‘You have spoken the truth, O Sulaiman. Woe unto the person who kills his son.” Al Mansur said, ‘O ‘Amr, I bear witness that he is in the Fire.’ ‘Amr said, ‘The truthful sheikh, i.e. Hassan informed me, from Anas: ‘Whoever kills the children of ‘Ali, he will not smell the fragrance of Jannat.’

I found Abu Jafar’s face (looking) sour. We went out and Abu Jafar said, ‘Had it not been for the position of ‘Amr, Sulyman would not have left except he would have been killed.”

Ibn al Maghazili narrates this hadith — Abu Talib Muhammad ibn Ahmed ibn ‘Uthman ibn al Faraj ibn al Azhar al Sayrafi al Baghdadi informed us, he came to us in Wasit — Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al Hassan ibn Sulaiman — ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al ‘Akbari — Abu al Qasim ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Attab al ‘Abdi — ‘Umar ibn Shabbah ibn ‘Ubaidah al Numairi — al Madaʾini narrated to me al Mansur looked for al A’mash and called him

Muhammad ibn al Hassan narrated to us — ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al ‘Akbari narrated to us — ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Attab ibn Muhammad — al Hassan ibn ‘Arafah narrated to us — Abu Muawiyah narrated to us — al A’mash narrated to us, ‘Al Mansur sent for me’

Muhammad ibn al Hassan narrated to us — ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al ‘Akbari narrated to us — ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Itab ibn Muhammad al ‘Abdi narrated to us — Ahmed ibn ‘Ali al ‘Ammi narrated to us — Ibrahim ibn al Hakam narrated to us — Sulaiman ibn Salim narrated to me — al A’mash narrated to me, “Abu Jafar al Mansur sent for me…”

Some of their hadith entered into others. The wording is of ‘Umar ibn Shabbah.

(The author says) This hadith is concocted and fabricated. May Allah disgrace the person responsible for fabricating it. The pivot of all the variant chains of transmission is Muhammad ibn al Hassan ibn Sulaiman al Qazwini Abu Bakr. Regarding him, al Dhahabi said, “He is not to be depended upon. He has a juzʾ (selection of hadith); most of the chains of transmission and texts of his ahadith are jumbled up.”[1]

Ibn al Maghazili is da’if (weak).

This hadith is from the narration of al A’mash, from the Khalifah Abu Jafar al Mansur, from his father, from his grandfather, from his father. Abu Jafar al Mansur is not entitled to have hadith narrated from him.

Normally, a person who lies, he does so in a proper manner. However, this hadith is completely made up and evidently fabricated. What indicates to its false nature is the fact that he claims that the ahadith on the virtues of ‘Ali amount to more than ten-thousand. The words used in this hadith are completely antithetical to the eloquent nature of (actual) Prophetic words. I swear by Allah that this hadith is a lie that was forged and completely made up.

After some time, I read al Dhahabi’s statement regarding this incident, “Long, heavy, awkward, false story; forged by the ignorant story-tellers. This conspirator forged this hadith into some seven pages.”[2]

This is in accordance to what I said, and all praise is to Allah, in other words that it is fabricated and contains awkward wording.

NEXT⇒ Hadith 69

[1] Al Dhahabi: Mizan al I’tidal, 3/521.

[2] Ibid., 1/517.

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