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Chapter 4
Fourth Assembly

(This is) From what he dictated at a gathering on Saturday, the middle of the month (Ramadhan), when I was not present, but I copied it down and read it over to him. And my son Abul Fawaris, may Allah keep him, heard it on Thursday, the 5th of Shawwal, this year. The great Sheikh al-Mufid, Abu Abdillah, Muhammad b. Muhammad al-No'man, may Allah continue to bless him with beneficent care, reported to us this day, which was then read over to him:

1. The status of the seeker

He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Je'abi reported to me from Abul Abbas, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Saeed al-Hamadani, who reported from Abu Musa, Harun b. Amru al-Majaashei, who reported from Muhammad b. Ja'far b. Muhammad, from his father, who reported from his grandfather that:

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), said: "A learned man among the ignorant people is like a living person among the dead. And everything, including the fish, the poisonous vermins, the wild beasts and the cattle pray for the forgiveness of the one who seeks knowledge. So, seek knowledge, for surely, it is a conducive mean between you and Allah, Most High. And surely, seeking of knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim."

2. A deed performed with taqwa

He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Je'abi reported to me from Abul Abbas, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Saeed, who reported from Muhammad b. Harun b. Abdul Rehman al-Hijazi, who reported from his father, who reported from Isa b.Abul Ward, from Ahmad b. Abdul Aziz, who reported from Abu Abdillah (AS) that:

Amirul Mo'mineen, peace be upon him, said: "A deed when performed with Taqwa (i.e. being mindful of one's duties towards Allah, and guarding oneself from sins for the fear of Allah) is not (of) less (importance). And how can that be less which has been accepted (by Allah)?"

3. Three groups within the Ummah

He said: Al-Sharif Abu Abdillah, Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Jawani reported from Abu Talib al-Muzaffar b. Ja'far b. al-Muzaffar al-Alawi al-Umri, from Ja'far b. Muhammad b. Masood, (from his father), who reported from Nasr b. Ahmad who reported from Ali b. Hafs, who reported from Khalid al-Qatwai, who reported from Yunus b. Arqam, who reported from Abdul Hamid b. Abu al-Khansa, who reported from Ziyad b. Yazid, who reported from his father, from his grandfather Farwah al-Zifari who reported that:

I heard Salman, may Allah bless him with mercy, say: The Prophet (Peace be upon him and his progeny), said: "My Ummah will be divided into three groups: a group on the absolute Truth, from which falsehood can reduce nothing. They will love me and my Ahlul Bait, and their likeness is that of pure gold, which when put to the (test of) burning fire, increases in brilliance. And a group upon the false path, where Truth will reduce nothing. They will hate me and my Ahlul Bait, and their likeness is that of iron, which when put to fire, increases nothing but evil. And a group like the rolling stones, following the path of Samiri. They would not say: 'Touch me not', they would say: 'No fighting (for the just cause).' Their leader will be al-Ash'ari. (i.e. Abu Musa al-Ash'ari)."

4. Saints & Nobles

He said: Abu Bakr, Muhammad b. Umar al-Je'abi, reported to me from Abul Abbas, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Saeed, who reported from Umar b. Isa b. Uthman, who reported from his father, who reported from Khalid b. Amir b. Abbas, from Muhammad b. Swaid al-Ash'ari who said:

Fatr b. Khalifa and I called upon Ja'far b. Muhammad(AS), and he presented some dates to us which we ate, and gave some to Fatr. Then he said to him (Fatr): "What about the tradition which Abu al-Tufail, may Allah bless him with mercy, narrated to me about the saints?" Fatr said: I heard Abu al-Tufail say: "I heard Ali, Amirul Mo'mineen say that Abdal (the saints) are from the people of Sham and the noble ones are from the people of Kufa. Allah will rally them together on a day which will be the worst day for our enemies."

Then Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS) said: "May Allah have mercy upon you. With us begins the (severe) test, and then with you, and with us shall begin the relief and then with you. May Allah bless those with His mercy who endear us to the people, and do not cause them to detest us."

5. The final Rites for our Prophet (SAW)

He said: Ali b. Muhammad al-Qarshi reported to me, by way of permission (to transmit further) from Abul Hasan Ali b. al-Hasan b. Faddhal, who reported from al-Husain b. Nasr, who reported from his father, who reported from Ahmad b. Abdulla b. Abdul Malik, who reported from Abdul Rehman al-Masoodi, from Amru b. Hurayth al-Ansari, from al-Husain b. Salemah al-Banani, from Abu Khalid al-Kabuli, from Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Ali Al-Baqir, peace be upon him, who said:

When Amirul Mo'mineen finished giving Ghusl, Kafan and Hunoot to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, he allowed people in, and said: "Enter in the grou of tens for offering your prayers upon him." They entered, and Amirul Mo'mineen stood between him (i.e. the Prophet) and them and recited: 'Surely, Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe, you should also send blessings and peace upon him.' (al-Ahzab V:56)"

People repeated what he said. Abu Ja'far said: "This was the prayer offered on him, peace be upon him and his progeny."

6. Asserting ones creed (and about Zaid b. Ali)

He said: Abu Ghalib Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Zarari reported to me from Abul Qasim, Hamid b. Ziyad, who reported from al-Hasan b. Muhammad, who reported from Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Ziyad al-Attar, from his father al-Hasan b. Ziyad who said:

When Zaid b. Ali advanced upon Kufa, some reservation entered my mind about it. He says: Then I went to Makkah, and passed by Madinah to call upon Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, who was then ill. I found him lying prone on his bed, with nothing left between his skin and the bones. I said: "I wish to assert before you my creed." He turned on his side, and looking at me, said: "O Hasan, I always thought that you did not need this anymore." Then he said: "Proceed." So I said: "I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." He, peace be upon him, said: "The same with me, also." Then I said: "I confirm the truth of all that Muhammad b. Abdillah came with." He kept silent. Then I said: "And I testify that Ali is the Imam after the Prophet, and obedience to him is obligatory. Whoever doubts about him is gone astray, and whoever disputes his authority is an unbeliever." He kept silent. Then I said: "I testify that al-Hasan and al-Husain, peace be upon them, have the same position (as Ali)", and then I continued till I reached his name, and said: "And I testify that you are in the same position as al-Hasan and al-Husain and the Imams preceding you."

He said: "Enough. You know exactly what you wish, you wish me to give my undertaking on this?" I said: "If you do so, then I will have fulfilled my desire." He said: "I give you my undertaking over it." I said: "May I be your ransom, I was worried about the uprising." He said: "Why?" I said: "Because if Zaid and his companions won the battle, then we would have been in the worst situation. And if Banu Umayya won, we would have been no better." He said: "Go, no harm will reach you from either."

 

7. Helping Ahlul Bait with one's tongue

He said: Ali-Sharif Abu Muhammad al-Hasan b. Hamza al-Tabari reported to me from Abul Hasan Ali b. Hatim al-Qazwaini, who reported from Abul Abbas Muhammad b. Ja'far al-Makhzoomi, who reported from Muhammad b. Shammoon al-Basri, from Abdullah b. Abdul Rehanm, reported from al-Husain b. Zayd from Ja'far b. Muhammad (AS) from his father (AS) who said:

"Whoever helped us with his tongue, against our enemy, Allah will let him speak out his argument when he will stand before Him (i.e. on the Day of Judgement)."

8. Love Ahlul Bait with your heart and help with your hand & tongue

He said: Al-Sharif Abu Muhammad al-Hasan b. Hamza reported to me from Ahmad b. Abdullah, from his grandfather Ahmad b. Abdullah, who reported from his father, who reported from Dawood b. al-No'man, from Amru b. Abu al-Miqdam, from his father who reported that al-Hasan b. Ali (AS) said:

"He who loves us with his heart, and helps us with his hands and tongue, will be with us (in Paradise) at the same lodging. And he who loves us with his heart and helps us with his tongue will be at a lower level. And he who loves us with his heart, but does not put his hand and tongue to use for us, he will be in Paradise." (i.e. in an ordinary station).

9. Spare your speech

He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar b. Salim reported to me from Abul Abbas Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Saeed, who reported from Ahmad b. Yusuf, who reported from Muhammad b. Yazid who reported from Ahmad b. Rizq, from Abu Ziyad al-Fuqaymi, from Abu Abdillah, Ja'far b. Muhammad (AS), from his father (AS), from Ali b. al-Husain (AS) who reported that:

The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "When you see a person not engaging in a purposeless chatter, then that is the sign of his excellent (understanding of) Islam."