Muhammad Ibn Abi U’mair Served Three Imams (a.s.)

Muhammad Ibn Abi U’mair Served Three Imams (a.s.)

 

Muhammad Ibn Abi U’mair had the opportunity of serving Imam Kadhim, Imam Ridha and Imam Jawad (a.s.) and both, the Sunnites and the Shiites, have attested to his trustworthiness and uprightness.

 

He was a cloth-merchant by profession and financially very well off.   He wrote ninety-four books on traditions and jurisprudence.  Due to his stateliness, and his knowledge of the names of the Shiites, he used to be greatly troubled during the period of Haroon Al-Rashid and Mamun; he would be abused, imprisoned and his property would be seized.  He was asked to become a judge, but he declined the offer; since he was familiar with the Shiites of Iraq, he was asked to reveal their names, but he refused to comply so they flung him into prison and, on numerous occasions, he was whipped so severely that he was barely left alive.  Once, upon the orders of Haroon Al-Rashid, Sindi Ibn Shaahak subjected him to a hundred and twenty lashes and he had to purchase his freedom by paying one thousand dirhams.  Financially, he suffered a loss of a hundred thousand dirhams and his captivity extended for a period of four years.

 

His sister (Sa’eedah or Minnah) gathered all his books and concealed them, but it so happened that one day it rained and all his books were ruined.  Later, the traditions that he used to narrate were either from the sharp memory, which he possessed, or from copies, which others had transcribed from his original books before their destruction

Muntahal Aa’maal, vol. 2, pg. 358.

Yunus Ibn A’bd al-Rahmaan

Yunus Ibn A’bd al-Rahmaan

When Imam Kadhim (a.s.) departed from the world, his representatives had huge sums of wealth in their possession. As a result of their greed some of them began to deny the Imam’s death and thereby laid the foundation of a sect known as Waaqifiyyah. Ziyaad Qandi possessed seventy thousand gold coins while A’li Ibn Abi Hamzah had thirty thousand.

Meanwhile, Yunus Ibn A’bd al-Rahmaan invited the people towards the Imamate of Imam Ridha (peace be upon him) and regarded the Waaqifiyah sect as false and erroneous. When Ziyaad Qandi and A’li Ibn Abi Hamzah realised what Yunus was doing, they sent him a message asking:

“Why do you invite the people towards Imam Ridha (a.s.)? If your objective is to acquire riches, we will make you rich.”

They pledged to give him ten thousand gold coins if he kept quiet and refrained from inviting the people towards the Imam (a.s.).

Yunus Ibn A’bd al-Rahmaan(Imam Ridha (peace be upon him) had said: Yunus Ibn A’bd al-Rahmaan, in his time, is as Salman Farsi was, in his own.) replied to them by quoting a narration from Imam Baqir (a.s.) and Imam Sadiq (a.s.), which says:

‘When innovations manifest themselves amongst the people, it is imperative for the elders and leaders to manifest what they know (so that people refrain from evil) and if they fail to do so, God shall take away from them, the light of faith.’ Under no circumstances shall I abandon jihad in the path of religion and the affairs of God.”

After receiving this forthright and explicit reply from Yunus, Ziyaad Qandi and A’li Ibn Abi Hamzah became his enemies.

Muntahal Aa’maal, vol. 2, pg. 253.

Bishr Haafi

Bishr Haafi 

Once, Imam Kadhim (a.s.) was passing by the house of Bishr Haafi, when he heard the sound of dance and music coming from inside.

 

At that very moment a slave-girl came out of the house to throw some garbage.

 

“Is the owner of this house a free person or a slave?” the Imam (a.s.) asked her.

 

The slave-girl replied, “He is a free man.”

 

Hearing this, the Imam (a.s.) remarked, “You speak the truth, for had he been a slave, he would have feared his Master.” 

 

When the slave-girl came back inside the house, Bishr, who had been consuming wine, asked her what took her so long. As soon as the slave-girl related what had happened, Bishr immediately got up and ran bare-footed after the Imam (a.s.).  Once he had caught up with the Imam, he expressed shame and repentance over his acts, sought forgiveness and amended his wrongful ways

Darsi Az Akhlaaq, pg. 128; Minhaaj al-Karaamah (of A’llamah Hilli).

Recompense for the Poems

Recompense for the Poems

One Nawroz day, Mansur Dawaaniqi, the Abbasid Caliph who took over the caliphate after his brother Abu al-A’bbas Saffaah, ordered Imam Musa Kadhim (a.s.) to present himself in the gathering of the Eid of Nawroz. This was so that the people could come and greet him and offer their gifts to him, which he should accept.

The Imam (a.s.) told Mansur, “Nawroz is the customary Eid of the Iranians and nothing has been said about it in Islam.”

To which Mansur replied, “This act is politically motivated and is intended to keep my soldiers happy. I place you under the oath of the Great God that you accept my request and present yourself at that gathering.”

The Imam (a.s.) agreed and arrived at the assembly. The army generals, nobles and the common masses arrived in his august presence, greeted him, and presented their gifts to him.

In the meantime, Mansur had ordered one of his slaves to position himself near the Imam (a.s.) and maintain a record of the money and gifts presented to him. The last person who had come to meet the Imam (a.s.) was an old man, who said to him:

“O’ Son of the Messenger of Allah! I am an impoverished person and lack the money to present you with gifts, but my gift for you today are three verses of elegy, which my grandfather had composed for your grandfather, Husain Ibn A’li(a.s.).”

Having said this, he then recited the verses.عَجِبتُ لِمَصقُولٍ عَلاَكَ فرِندُهُ يَوْم الْهياَجِ عَلاَکَ غُباَر

The Imam (a.s.) responded appreciatively, saying, “I have accepted your gift,” after which he prayed for the man.

Then, turning to the slave, he instructed, “Go to Mansur, inform him of these gifts and ask him what has to be done about them?”

The slave did as he was told and upon returning, said to the Imam (a.s.):

“The Caliph has said: I have given them to you (Imam Musa Kadhim) as gifts. Spend them as you desire.”

The Imam (a.s.) told the old man, “Take these riches and gifts, for I am giving them all to you as gifts.”

Muntahal Aa’maal, vol. 2, pg. 187