STORY OF ALI AL BAGHDADI
In this connection, it seems suitable to mention the story of Hajj ‘Ali al-Baghdadi, the delighted, righteous, elite, and pious man whose story has been mentioned by our mentor in his two books of Jannat al-Ma’wa and al-Najm al-Thaqib. In the latter book, he writes, “Even if this book does not comprise anything except this authentically and accurately reported story, which contains abundant advantages and took place in this age, the book will still be highly valuable and precious.”
After some introductory words, the author starts narrating the story:
Hajj ‘Ali, may Allah support him, narrated the following: An amount of eighty Tumans (Persian currency) that I was liable to pay as khumus (one-fifth) tax amassed on me. I therefore traveled to the holy city of al-Najaf to defray twenty Tumans of them to His Eminence Shaykh Murtaza the epitome of true guidance and piety, may Allah raise his status. I defrayed other twenty Tumans to His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad Husayn al-Mujtahid al-Kazimi and other twenty Tumans to His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad al-Shuruqi. So, only twenty Tumans remained with me, which I had the intention to pay to Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Al-Yasin al-Kazimi, may Allah support him, when I would return from al-Najaf. As soon as I arrived in Baghdad, I wished to pay the rest of the khumus tax that I was liable to pay. So, I went directly to al-Kazimiyyah on that day, which was Thursday, and visited the two great Imams; al-Kazim and al-Jawad. I then came to His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad Hasan, may Allah save him, and gave him a part of that amount of twenty Tumans. I also promised him that I would defray the remainder, by giving it to the beneficiaries respectively, as soon as I would sell some goods of mine. I then prepared myself to leave al-Kazimiyyah after I had refused the Shaykh’s insistent invitation to stay with him. My excuse was that I had to pay the employees in my textile factory their wages, since I had already decided to pay the employees their weekly wages on Thursday afternoons.
I therefore took my way to Baghdad. After I covered a third of the way, I saw a handsome-looking sayyid turning his way towards me while he was directing towards al-Kazimiyyah. He approached me, greeted me, and stretched his hand to shake hands with me. He also embraced and welcomed me, saying, “Welcome!” He then embraced me to his chest and we exchanged kisses.
Turbaned with a vividly green turban and having a big black mole on the face, the man stopped and asked me, “Hajj ‘Ali, where are you heading for?”
“I have visited al-Kazimayn and I am now on my way to Baghdad,” I answered.
“Go back to al-Kazimayn,” the sayyid ordered. “It is Friday night.”
“I cannot go back,” I said.
“Yes, you can,” the sayyid said, “so that I will witness for your being one of the loyalists to my grandfather the Commander of the Faithful and to us. The shaykh will also witness for you, because the All-exalted Lord has said, ‘And call in to witness two witnesses.’”
This was an insinuation to what I have already hoped from the shaykh to write for me a piece of paper so that I would place it in my shroud in which he would witness for me that I am one of the loyalists to the Ahl al-Bayt. I therefore asked him, “How do you know me and how can you witness for me?”
The sayyid answered, “Is it possible for one to ignore those who have carried out their duty towards him?”
“What kind of duty do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean the financial duty that you have defrayed to my deputy,” he answered.
“Who is your deputy?” I asked.
“Shaykh Muhammad Hasan,” he answered.
“Is he your deputy?” I asked.
“He is,” he answered. “So is Sayyid Muhammad.”
As a matter of fact, I had not known this man before but he called me by name; therefore, I thought that we had probably known each other earlier. I also said to myself that the man might have wanted me to give him a part of the khumus duty. I therefore wished to give him something of the Imam’s share of that duty. I thus said to him, “Sayyid, I am liable to pay something of your financial due. I had referred to His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad Hasan to allow me to pay this remaining amount to you.”
The sayyid smiled in my face and said, “Yes, you have defrayed a portion of our due to our deputies in the holy city of al-Najaf.”
“Has that portion which I have paid been accepted?” I asked.
“Yes, it has been accepted,” he answered.
I then noticed that this sayyid had been referring to the master scholars as his deputies. This was hard for me to consent. However, I returned to inadvertence of what was going between him and me.
The sayyid then asked me to go back with him to visit his grandfather. I therefore complied with his desire and returned with him. All the way back to al-Kazimiyyah, my left hand was grasping the sayyid’s right hand. While we were walking, I found to our right side a river of pure water. I also found trees of lemon, bitter orange, grapes, pomegranate, and other fruits overshadowing us and all of these trees were fruitful although it was not the season of their fruiting. When I asked the sayyid about this, he answered, “The river and the trees accompany every one of our loyalists when he visits our grandfather and us.”
I then said, “I have a question that I would like to put before you.”
“Yes,” the sayyid said. “Go ahead.”
“One day,” I said, “I joined the class of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaq, one of the teachers, and could hear him saying, ‘Even if one dedicates his entire lifetime to observing fasting in days and spending the whole nights with acts of worship, and goes on hajj for forty times, and goes on ‘umrah for forty times, and dies while he is standing between Mount al-Safa and Mount al-Marwah, but he was not loyalist to the Commander of the Faithful, he will have no reward at all for all that.’ Is this accurate?”
“Yes, it is,” answered the sayyid. “Such one will have no reward at all.”
I then asked him about one of my relatives whether he is loyalist to the Commander of the Faithful or not. The sayyid answered, “Yes, he is as well as all those who relate to you.”
I then said, “May I ask you another question, sayyid?”
“Yes, you may,” he answered.
I said, “The orators in the consolation ceremonies of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) have narrated that a man came to Sulayman al-A’mash and asked him about visiting the tomb of the Chief of Martyrs (i.e. Imam al-Husayn), but Sulayman answered that it was an unfounded innovative. The man then saw in sleep a hodaw between the sky and the earth carrying Lady Fatimah al-Zahra’ and Lady Khadijah al-Kubra. When he asked where these two ladies were going, he was informed that they were going to visit al-Husayn (‘a) at that very night, which was Friday night. He also saw pieces of paper falling on the earth from that hodaw with the following inscription: This is security against Hellfire for those who visit al-Husayn (‘a) at Friday nights. This is security against Hellfire on the Resurrection Day. Is this tradition authentic?”
The sayyid answered, “Yes, it is completely authentic.”
“Sayyid,” I asked, “Is it true that whoever visits al-Husayn (‘a) on Friday nights will be secured?”
“Yes, it is,” he answered, his eyes shed tears, and he wept.
“May I ask another question, sayyid?” I asked.
“Yes, you may,” he answered.
In the year 1269, we were on our way for visiting Imam al-Rida (‘a). In the city of Durud, we met an Arab man who hosted us. When we asked him about the loyalty to Imam al-Rida (‘a), he answered, ‘Paradise is the loyalty to him!’ He then added, ‘This is the fifteenth day on which I have been feeding on the food of Imam al-Rida (‘a). How dare then Munkar and Nakir approach me in my grave? My flesh and bone have grown on the food of Imam al-Rida (‘a) in his guest house.’ Is it true that Imam al-Rida (‘a) will come to this man in his grave to save him from Munkar and Nakir?”
“Yes, it is true,” the sayyid answered. “I swear it by Allah; my grandfather guarantees (salvation from torment).”
I then said, “Sayyid, there is another short question that I would like to put before you, if you permit.”
“You may ask,” he answered.
“As for my visit to Imam al-Rida (‘a), has it been acceptable?” I asked.
“It is acceptable, Allah willing,” he answered.
“May I ask another question?” I said.
“Yes, you may,” he answered.
“Has the visit of Hajj Muhammad Husayn Bazzaz Bashi, the son of the late Hajj Ahmad Bazzaz Bashi been accepted? I accompanied him on my way to the shrine of Imam al-Rida (‘a); we therefore distributed expenditure between us.”
The sayyid answered, “The visit of the righteous servant is accepted.”
“May I ask another question?” I said.
“Yes, you may ask, in the name of Allah,” he answered.
I thus asked, “Has the visit of so-and-so from Baghdad been accepted? He was with us on our way to Khurasan.”
However, the sayyid kept silent. He did not answer this question.
“May I ask another question?” I said.
“Yes, you may ask, in the name of Allah” he answered.
“Have you heard my previous question? Has the visit of that man been accepted?” I asked.
The sayyid did not answer this question either.
The man about whom I asked the sayyid was one of the rich people of Baghdad. Throughout our journey to Imam al-Rida (‘a), he and his friends used to play and amuse themselves profligately. The man was the killer of his mother.
We then reached an open road facing the city of al-Kazimiyyah and surrounded by orchards from both sides. A side of this road, which lies to the right of those coming from Baghdad, had been owned by some orphan sayyids but the ruling authorities usurped it from them to make it part of the public way. Hence, the religious, pious people of al-Kazimiyyah used to refrain from walking in this side of the road. However, my companion did not refrain from walking in that side; I therefore said to him, “Sir, this place is owned by some orphan sayyids and it is thus improper to use it.”
He answered, “It is owned by my grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful, his descendants, and our sons; therefore, it is permissible to our loyalists to use it.”
Near this place, there was to the right side an orchard owned by a man named Hajj Mirza Hadi, one of the rich Persians who lived in Baghdad. Hence, I said, “Sayyid, is it true that the land of this orchard is originally owned by Imam Musa ibn Ja’far (‘a)?”
“What is your business with this issue?” the sayyid replied and refused to answer my question.
We then reached a rivulet on the Tigris used for irrigating the farms and orchards. This rivulet crossed that road making it ramify into two streets; namely, the sultanic street and the street of the sayyids. My companion headed for the street of the sayyids after he had refused my invitation to take the other street. He thus said to me, “Let us take this street.”
A few steps ahead, we found ourselves in the courtyard of the holy shrine of Imam al-Kazim (‘a) near the shoes store without having passed by any market or alley. So, we entered the passage from the eastern side of the gate that is known as Bab al-Murad, which is to the side of the Imam’s feet. My companion did not stop there to ask permission of entrance of the holy portico. He then stopped at the gate of the holy shrine addressing at me with the following words: “You may now say the ziyarah form.”
“I cannot read,” I said.
“May I recite the ziyarah form for you?” he suggested.
“Yes, you may,” I answered.
So, he said, “O Allah, may I enter? Peace be upon you, O Allah’s Messenger. Peace be upon you, O Commander of the Faithful...”
He went on greeting the Holy Imams by this form. When he reached to Imam al-’Askari (‘a), he said, “Peace be upon you, O Abu-Muhammad al-Hasan al-’Askari.”
He then said to me, “Do you know the Imam of your age?”
“How come that I do not known him?” I said.
“So, greet him,” he asked.
I said, “Peace be upon you, O Allah’s Argument, Patron of the Age, and son of al-Hasan.”
He replied, “Peace and Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you, too.”
We then entered the holy shrine, threw ourselves on the holy tomb, and kissed it.
He then said to me, “You may now say the ziyarah form.”
“I cannot read,” I said.
“May I recite it for you?” he asked.
“Yes, you may,” I answered.
“Which form of ziyarah do you wish to say?” He asked.
“You may say the most favorite of them,” I answered.
“Ziyarah of Aminullah is the most favorite,” he remarked.
He then went on visiting the Imams (‘a) with this form of ziyarah, saying, “Peace be upon both of you, O Allah’s trustees in His land and His arguments against His servants...” up to the end of this form.
At that moment, the lanterns of the holy shrine were lit, but I noticed that these lanterns and candles did not add any light to that very holy place, which seemed to have been shone with sunlight and these candles seemed as if they were lit in daylight. Despite all these extraordinary matters, I was completely diverted that I could not pay attention to these things.
When he accomplished the ziyarah formula, he turned from the side of the Imam’s feet to the back of the holy tomb and stopped at the eastern side, “Will you visit my grandfather al-Husayn?” he asked.
“Yes, I will. This is Friday night,” I answered.
He therefore visited Imam al-Husayn (‘a) with the ziyarah form that is known as Ziyarah Warith.
At that moment, the caller to the Maghrib (sunset) Prayer finished from declaring the adhan (call to prayer). My companion then said to me, “Perform the prayer and join the congregation.” So, he came to the mosque that is situated behind the holy tomb where a congregational prayer was held. He stood alone to the right of the imam (leader of prayer) while I could find myself a place in the first line thus joining the congregation of the prayer. When I accomplished my prayer, I could not find my companion. So, I went out of the mosque and searched for him the entire shrine, but uselessly. I had the intention to give him a little amount of money and host him that night.
At that moment, I recovered my attention and began to think about the personality of that sayyid who had accompanied me to this place. Hence, the extraordinary events and miracles that I observed with the sayyid turned in my head. I thus remembered how I had surrendered to him totally and returned to al-Kazimiyyah forgetting the important matter that I had to do in Baghdad due to which I should not have come back to this city. The man called me by name although I had never seen him before. He also used the word, “the loyalists to us...” as well as other expressions such as, “I will witness for you.” He showed me the flowing river and the trees, which were fruitful in a time other than their seasons. All these clear-cut indications, as well as many others that I saw from this sayyid, prove undoubtedly that this sayyid was Imam al-Mahdi, especially that he asked me whether I recognize the Imam of my age; and when I answered in the affirmative, he asked me to greet him. When I did, he smiled and responded to my greeting.
However, I came to the custodian of the shoes store and asked him about my companion. He told me that he had just left. He then asked me whether he was actually my companion. I answered, “Yes, he was.” I then came to the house where I resided as guest and spent the night there.
The next morning, I headed for His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad Hasan and inform him of the whole story. He put his hand on his mouth and warned me against divulging this story. He added, “May Allah lead you to more success.” I therefore used to keep it secret and refrain from letting anybody know about it.
After one month of that incident, I met a reverent sayyid who approached and asked me, “What happened to you?” He was hinting at the incident, but I denied the matter, saying, “Nothing happened to me.” He repeated the same question and I repeated the same answer with more emphasis. He then hid himself and I could not see him after that.
