Visiting a Friend (Pilgrimage to Imam Mahdi)

Author: Syed Ali Akbar Qureshi

It should not be forgotten that many of the great men of the time saw the Imam of the Age (a.s.) during the five years of his father’s life and during the 69 years of his minor occultation. Therefore, we see that the writers of his life and history have each compiled a chapter under the title “Chapter on the Path of the Twelfth Imam (a.s.)”. Such as Thiqa al-Islam al-Kulaini, who died in 328 or 329 AH, who said in al-Kafi: Vol. 1, p. 329: “Chapter on the Naming of the Path of the Twelfth Imam (a.s.)” and also the late Saduq, who died in 381 AH, who dedicated chapter 44 to this subject in Kamal al-Din, Vol. 2, p. 433, and named it “Chapter on the Mention of the Witness of the Rising (a.s.) and the Path and the Word” and narrated twenty-six cases in it. And also the late Sheikh Mufid, who died in 413 AH, who said in al-Irshad: p. 329: “Chapter on the Opinion of the Twelfth Imam (a.s.)” and then He has narrated narrations, and also the late Sheikh of the Ta’ifah who died in 460 AH, who said in the book of occultation: page 152: “The news of some of the opinions of the master of the time (AS)…” and other great scholars. Similarly, many people came to the service of the Imam during the period of the great occultation and recognized him, and some later came to know that he was the unseen Mahdi (AS); there is more information in this regard than can be mentioned in this book. The late Muhaddith Noori, the author of Mustadrak, wrote a book on this subject called “Jannat al-Mawi fi dhikr min faz balqaa al-Hujjah (AS) au mujadahtah fi ghaybah al-kubra” in which he says 59  He narrated a story about those who met the Imam of the Time (peace be upon him) during the period of the Great Occultation. This book is narrated in Volume 53 of Bihar al-Anwar, a new edition, as a continuation. It should be noted that in these stories it is mentioned that some of the visitors saw and knew the Imam, such as the late Bahr al-Ulum and others, while in the Tawqi’ of Ali ibn Muhammad Samri it is mentioned that the Imam (peace be upon him) wrote to him: “Whoever claims to have seen him before the departure of al-Sufyani and the call, he is a liar and a forger.” The late Nuri, at the end of Jannat al-Mawi, responded to this issue in several ways, including quoting the words of Allama Majlisi who, in Bihar, Volume 52, Page 151, after quoting the Tawqi’ of Mubarak, said: Perhaps this statement is related to someone who claims to have seen him and says: I am the representative of the Imam in conveying his messages to the Shiites, like the four representatives, so as not to contradict the narrations that have passed and will come. The author says: The possibility of the deceased is close to certainty. However, the author brings here a few stories from what the late Kulayni, Mufid, Saduq, Sheikh Tusi, Majlisi, Nouri and their likes have narrated, may God have mercy on them. The purpose of mentioning these stories is to know that the absence of the Imam is a simple and ordinary matter, and he is among us in an absent and unknown manner, and between us and our God, he is a mediator of grace, may God’s prayers be upon him and his pure ancestors. In these stories, it is mentioned that some of the visitors saw and recognized the Imam, such as the late Bahr al-Ulum and others, while in the taqiq of Ali ibn Muhammad Samri it is mentioned that the Imam The Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote to him: “Whoever claims to have seen the Prophet before the departure of Sufyani and the sound of the call is a liar and a forger.” The late Nouri, at the end of Jannah al-Mawi, gave a number of answers to this question, including the words of Allama Majlisi, who in Bihar, vol. 52, p. 151, after quoting the blessed signature, said: Perhaps this statement refers to someone who claims to have seen the Prophet and says: I am the representative of that Imam in conveying his messages to the Shiites, like the four representatives, so as not to contradict the narrations that have passed and will come. The author says: The possibility of the deceased is close to certainty. However, the author brings here a few stories from what the late Kulayni, Mufid, Saduq, Sheikh Tusi, Majlisi, Nouri and their likes have narrated, may God have mercy on them. The purpose of mentioning these stories is to know that the absence of the Holy Prophet is a simple and ordinary matter, and he is among us in an absent and unknown manner, and between us and our God, he is a mediator of grace, may God’s prayers be upon him and upon his pure ancestors.

Sayyid ibn Tawuy, may God have mercy on him, narrates from Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, from Muhammad ibn Harun al-Tal-Akbari, who said: Abu al-Husayn ibn Abi al-Baghl, the writer, said to me: I accepted a job from Abu Mansur ibn Salihan, a situation occurred between me and him, so I ran away from him and hid. He was chasing me, and for a while I continued to live in fear, still hiding. One night I went to the tombs of the Quraysh (Kadhimin); I intended to spend Friday night at the graves of the two Imams (peace be upon them), pray, and ask for help. It was a rainy night, andThe wind was blowing. I asked Abu Ja’far, the custodian of the shrine, to close the doors of the shrine and for no one to be in the shrine so that I could be alone and pray and supplicate with peace of mind and not be afraid of anyone coming. He closed the doors. The night was half over. The wind and rain prevented people from coming. I kept praying and visiting and praying. Meanwhile, I heard footsteps near the grave of Hazrat Musa ibn Ja’far (a.s.). Suddenly, a man entered, started to read the visiting, greeted Adam (a.s.) and the prophets and the first and foremost prophets. Then he greeted the Imams one by one until he reached the Master of the Time, but he did not greet him. I was surprised and said to myself: Maybe he forgot or did not recognize the Imam of the Time, or his religion is the same and he does not believe in the twelfth Imam. When he finished the pilgrimage, he prayed two rak’ahs, then he came to me and prayed two rak’ahs at the grave of Imam Jawad (a.s.) as in the previous pilgrimage and prayed two rak’ahs. I was afraid of him because I did not know him. He was a young man, dressed in white, with his turban tied to his chin and a cloak on his shoulders. Then he said to me: O Abu al-Hussein ibn Abi al-Baghl! Why are you heedless of the supplication for relief? I said: My master! Which one is it? He said: You pray two rak’ahs, then you say: “O He who brings out the beautiful and covers the ugly, O He who did not take the veil and did not touch the veil, O the Great in mercy, O the Generous in forgiveness, O the Good in transgression, O the Vast in forgiveness… I ask you by the virtue of these names and by the virtue of Muhammad and his pure family.”

“Otherwise, you will not reveal your Lord, and your soul will be troubled, and your sorrow will be relieved, and your state will be improved.” Then you pray and ask for your need. Then you put your right face on the ground and say a hundred times in that state: “O Muhammad or Ali, O Ali or Muhammad, suffice me, so that you will suffice me, and support me, so that you will support me.” Then you put your left face on the ground a hundred times and say: “Understand” and repeat it many times and say: “Al-Ghouth, Al-Ghouth, Al-Ghouth” until your soul is cut off. In this case, God, with His generosity, will fulfill your need, God willing. I did as he had said, then I went to Abu Ja’far al-Metwali to ask him who that person was? And how did he enter the shrine? I saw that all the doors were closed, I was surprised, then it occurred to me that perhaps he also had made his home in the shrine and I did not know. When I went to Abu Ja’far, he was coming out of the room where the olive oil was. I asked: Who was that man? And how did he enter the shrine? He said: All the doors are locked, I have not opened them yet. I told him about the man and his pilgrimage. He said: He is our master, the master of the time (a.s.). I have seen him many times in the dark nights. I regretted that I did not recognize him. In the morning, I left the shrine and went to my hiding place in the Karkh neighborhood of Baghdad. When the sun rose, I saw Ibn Salihan’s agents following me and asking me about my friends. They had brought a letter of protection in their hands from the minister (Mansur ibn Salihan) in his own handwriting. I went with someI went to the minister from among my companions. When he saw me, he stood up and embraced me and treated me with such kindness that I had never known before. He said: “Have you reached a point where you are complaining about me to the Master of the Time, may God bless him and grant him peace?” I said: “I have only prayed.” He said: “Woe to you!” My master, the Imam of the Time, may God bless him and grant him peace, came to me in my dream on Friday night, ordering me to be kind to you, and he spoke so harshly that I was afraid. I said: “There is no god but Allah, I bear witness that they are on the truth and the utmost truth.” Last night, I saw my master awake and he said to me thus and so. Then I explained the events of the night to him. He was very surprised. He was very kind to me, and with the blessings of his Holy Prophet, I achieved a goal from him that I had not expected. [1] .

The great and pious scholar, Zain al-Abidin ibn Muhammad Salmasi, who was one of the students and companions of the late Allamah Tabataba’i Sayyid Mahdi Bahr al-Ulum, narrates: I was in Najaf Ashraf in the assembly of the late Bahr al-Ulum, when suddenly the late Muhajib Qomi, the scholar of laws, entered the house of the Sayyid. It was the year when he had come to Iraq to visit Mecca and the graves of the Imams (peace be upon them). The attendees who were in the assembly dispersed and numbered more than a hundred people, only three remained, all of whom were pious and mujtahids. At that time, the late Muhajib said to Sayyid Bahr al-Ulum: You have attained both a spiritual and a physical birth from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and you have attained these two positions, both in outward and inward proximity.

You have found, grant us food from this vast table and some fruit from the fruits of this garden so that our breasts may be filled and our hearts may find peace. The venerable master immediately said: A few nights ago, I had gone to the Grand Mosque of Kufa for the night prayer. I intended to return to Najaf first thing in the morning so that the lesson would not be interrupted. His work was the same for many years. When I came out of the Kufa Mosque, it occurred to me to go to the Sahla Mosque, but I saw that in this case I might not be able to attend the lesson, but my desire gradually increased. While I was hesitating and in two minds, a dusty wind and a strong wind carried me towards the Sahla Mosque, and it was a stroke of luck that finally brought me to the Sahla Mosque. The mosque was empty, only one venerable person was engaged in worship. In his prayers, he used words that shook hard hearts, made tears flow from the eyes. My heart leapt, my mood changed, my knees became dry and my eyes shed tears. Hearing those words that I had never heard before, and I had never seen them in the transmitted prayers, the person praying was composing those words himself. I stood in my place and enjoyed listening to his prayers until he finished his prayers, then he turned to me and said in Persian: “Come, Mahdi.” I took a few steps towards him and stood. He said: “Come.” I took a few steps again and stood. He said: “Come forward, politeness is in obedience.” I advanced until my hand reached him and his noble hand reached me. He spoke a word.

He said. Here, the Sayyid suddenly changed his words and answered the other questions of the researcher who had asked him: Why are your works few? He gave several answers about that, the researcher said: Continue the previous speech, the Sayyid indicated with his hand that it was a secret that could not be told. [2] . The great scholar and owner of honors, Zainul-Abidin Salmasi, narrates: Once upon a time, when Sayyid Bahr al-Ulum was near Mecca, despite being a stranger, he was very cheerful and confident and did not feel bad about giving and giving. On some days, money was so scarce that we did not have even a single dirham. I told him the story and said what we would do with all these expenses. Sayyid did not answer. His habit was that after the morning, he would circumambulate the House of Allah and come home and sit in a room. We would bring him a hookah. After consuming it, he would go to another room. The students would gather and he would teach each sect according to their own sect. On the day when I had told him about the end of the money, when he returned from circumambulation, we prepared the hookah and he was smoking. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Sayyid got up anxiously and said, “Take the hookah out of here and take it out.” Then he ran to the door at full speed and without any respect for dignity and opened the door. The nobleman entered the Arab delegation and sat in the room. The Sayyid sat by the door with utmost humility and respect and motioned for me not to bring the hookah. They sat together and talked for an hour, thenThe man got up to go to the ceremony. The Sayyid quickly opened the way, kissed his hand, and put him on the sleeping camel. The man left. The Sayyid, still unconscious, returned and gave me a bill of exchange. He said: This is a bill to the money changer sitting on the side of Mount Safa. Go and bring what he is giving. I took the bill and brought it. When the money changer saw it, he kissed it and said: Go and bring some porters. I brought four porters. He brought the money, which was in French rials and each was worth five Persian Qurans. We brought the porters and bags of money to the house. A few days later, he went to the same place. I saw that there was no money changer there and there was no shop. I asked some people and they said: We have not seen a money changer here. Only one person sits here. Then I knew that it was one of the secrets of God and the grace of the Guardian of God (Imam of the Time, may God bless him and grant him peace). The

late Haji After narrating the incident, Nouri said: This story was also narrated to me by the great jurist Sheikh Muhammad Hussain Kazemi. [3]

Allama Majlisi (may Allah be pleased with him) said in Bihar: Some of the trustworthy scholars narrated to me a story from Bahrain and said that he was narrating it from a trustworthy and reliable person, namely: At a time when Bahrain was under the rule of the Afranjis – apparently the British colonialists – a wicked person and an enemy of the Ahl al-Bayt was appointed to the government there. He had a minister who was more wicked than himself and who was more disloyal than anyone from the people of Bahrain. The Shiite sect had fierce enemies and did not hesitate to kill and harm them. One day, that minister came to the governor’s palace and showed the governor a pomegranate on whose skin was naturally written: “There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr, Omar, and Othman, Ali is the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah.” The governor saw that this was not the work of man and had grown naturally on the pomegranate, as if it had been engraved in a stone. The incised lines were completely clear. The governor said to the minister: “This is the best evidence and the strongest argument for the invalidity of the Rafidi sect. What is your opinion on this?” He said: “By Allah, these are fanatical people who do not accept the evidence. It is better that you summon their elders and show them this pomegranate. If they accept and return to our religion, the reward will be yours. Otherwise, give them a choice between three things: either they pay the jizya like the Jews and Christians and remain in their religion, or they find an answer to this reason, or kill their men, take their women and children captive, and confiscate their property as booty.” The governor liked this opinion, and ordered that the scholars, scholars, and prominent Shia leaders be summoned. After they were present, he showed them the pomegranate and said: “If you bring a sufficient answer to this work of God, which no human hand has worked on, then bring it. Otherwise, you will pay the jizya like the infidels, or you yourselves will be killed, your women and children will be taken captive, and your property will be taken as booty.” They were overwhelmed by this event and had no answer. Their faces changed and their bodiesHe was shaken. Their elders said: “O Emir! Give us three days, perhaps we can find a sufficient answer that will satisfy you, and if not, the choice is in your hands.” The ruler gave them three days. They left the ruler’s presence, afraid and trembling. In the consultative assembly they arranged, they decided to choose ten righteous and ascetic people from among themselves. They also chose three people from among themselves, each of whom would go to the desert for a night and pray, cry and supplicate to the Imam of the Time, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and ask him for a cure for the pain. Perhaps the Imam would save them from this terrible event. On the first night, one of them cried, prayed and cried until morning. The Imam did not get any results. In the morning, he returned to them empty-handed. On the second night, which was the second turn, there was no news again, and this added to their anxiety and worry. On the third night, it was the turn of a pious and virtuous person named Muhammad ibn Isa. He Papyadah, with his head still open, went to the desert. It was a dark night. He prayed, cried and pleaded. He appealed to God to save those believers, asked for the solution to the calamity, and sought the help of the Master of the Time, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him. At the end of the night, he saw a man who addressed him and said: “O Muhammad ibn Isa! Why do I see you in such a distressed state? Why have you come to this desert?” He said: “O man! Leave me alone. I have come to this desert for a great event. Do not use it except forI will not call myself an Imam. And I will not complain except to the one who has the power to remove my troubles. The person said: O Muhammad bin Isa! I am the one in charge, tell me your need. He said: If you are the Imam of the time, there is no need to explain your need, you know it yourself. He said: Yes, you have come to find a solution for that pomegranate and what is written on it and for the threat of the Emir. Muhammad bin Isa says: When I heard this, I went to that noble man and said: Yes, my master! You know our misfortune, you are our Imam, our refuge, and able to solve our calamity. The Imam, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: O Muhammad bin Isa! The minister, cursed by Allah, has a pomegranate tree in his house. When the pomegranates bore fruit, he prepared a pomegranate-shaped mold from the flower and cut it in half. Inside each one, he wrote some of the writing in a prominent manner. He placed it on the pomegranate and tied it up. As the pomegranate grew, these lines were impressed on it and it

became like this. Tomorrow, when you go to the governor, say: I have brought the answer, but we will tell it in the minister’s house. When you go to the minister’s house, look to the right and you will see a booth. Tell the governor: I will tell the answer in the booth. You will see that the minister refuses to do this, but you insist that the answer will definitely be there. When the minister goes up, go up with him and do not let him go alone. When you enter the booth, you will see a shelf with a white bag in it. Take it and you willHe saw that there was a pomegranate mold in it. Place it in front of the governor and place the pomegranate in it so that the truth becomes clear. And also, O Muhammad bin Isa! Tell the governor: We have another miracle, and that is that this pomegranate is nothing but ash and smoke inside it. If you want to know, tell the vizier: Break it, when he breaks it, the ash and smoke will cover his face and beard. Muhammad bin Isa was happy upon hearing this news, kissed the blessed hands of the Imam (peace be upon him) and returned with joy and good news. When it was morning, they went to the governor, he carried out the Imam’s instructions to the letter, and the process was as the Imam had said. The governor said: How did you know this? He said: The Imam of our time informed me that the proof of God is upon us. He said: Which is your Imam? He counted all the Imams until he reached the Imam of the Age (a.s.). The governor said: Open your hand for the pledge of allegiance. “So I testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, and that the Caliph after him, in succession, is Amir al-Mu’mineen Ali (a.s.).” Then he confessed to all the Imams and his faith improved. He said: They killed the minister, and he apologized to the people of Bahrain and treated them well. The narrator of the story said: This story is famous among the people of Bahrain, and the grave of Muhammad ibn Jesus is famous among them. [4] .

[1] Bihar: Vol. 51, p. 304, the late Majlisi, after narrating this incident from the book of Al-Nujoom Ibn Tawus, said at the end: I found this news in the book of Tabari as it is.

Which Ibn Tawus has narrated from it.

[2] Bihar al-Anwar: Vol. 53, p. 235, the ninth story of the Paradise of the Sheltered.

[3] Bihar al-Anwar: Vol. 53, p. 237, the twelfth story of the Paradise of the Sheltered.

[4] Bihar al-Anwar: 52, p. 178.