Hadeeth About Imam Hussain

Here is a BEAUTIFUL hadeeth, the grading of this hadeeth is Hasan (Good). This hadeeth is fairly lengthy, so I have broken down the Arabic and translation, that way it is easier on the eyes and easier to read.

In this hadeeth there are many things we can see. One thing is that here is another authentic hadeeth from Shee`ah books that has the famous hadeeth al-thaqalayn (two weighty things). Another thing is that it gives the number of the Ahl Al-Bayt (عليهم السلام) who died in Karbalaa’ on `Aashoorah with Imaam Al-Hussayn (عليه السلام). Also, this hadeeth gives the permissibility of mourning for Imaam Al-Hussayn (عليه السلام), while making mourning for others makrooh (disliked).

The reason why this hadeeth is Hasan (Good) is because of Aboo/Abee Muhammad Al-AnSaaree. He is praised (madH), and the rest of the narrators are thiqaat (pl. thiqah).

May Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) make us all TRUE lovers of the Ahl Al-Bayt (عليهم السلام) like the shaykh (old man) in this hadeeth. Aameen.

حدثنا محمد بن محمد، قال: حدثنا أبو القاسم جعفر بن محمد بن قولويه (رحمه الله)، قال: حدثني أبي، قال: حدثني سعد بن عبد الله، عن أحمد بن محمد ابن عيسى، عن الحسن بن محبوب الزراد، عن أبي محمد الأنصاري، عن معاوية بن وهب، قال: كنت جالسا عند جعفر بن محمد (عليهما السلام) إذ جاء شيخ قد انحنى من الكبر، فقال: السلام عليك و رحمة الله و بركاته. فقال له أبو عبد الله: و عليك السلام و رحمة الله و بركاته، يا شيخ ادن مني، فدنا منه فقبل يده فبكى، فقال له أبو عبد الله (عليه السلام): و ما يبكيك يا شيخ قال له: يا ابن رسول الله، أنا مقيم على رجاء منكم منذ نحو من مائة سنة، أقول هذه السنة و هذا الشهر و هذا اليوم، و لا أراه فيكم، فتلومني أن أبكي!

From Mu`aawiyah bin Wahab said: “I was sitting with Ja`far bin Muhammad (عليه السلام) when a shaykh (an old man) who was bent from being old came. So he (the old man said) said: ‘Assalaamu `alayka wa raHmatullaahi wa barakaatuh’ So Aboo `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) said to him: ‘Wa `Alayka Assalaam wa raHmatullaahi wa barakaatuh, O Shaykh come to me’. So the old man came to him (عليه السلام) and kissed his (عليه السلام) hand and cried. So Aboo `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) said to him: ‘O Shaykh, why are you crying?’ He (the old man) said to him: ‘O son of the Messenger of Allaah, I have been wishing to be with you for about 100 years. I (kept) saying (to myself): ‘This is the year, this is the month, this is the day, and I did not see you. And (now) you censure/stop me from crying?!’

قال: فبكى أبو عبد الله (عليه السلام) ثم قال: يا شيخ، إن أخرت منيتك كنت معنا، و إن عجلت كنت يوم القيامة مع ثقل رسول الله (صلى الله عليه و آله). فقال الشيخ: ما أبالي ما فاتني بعد هذا يا ابن رسول الله.

He (the narrator) said: Aboo `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) started to cry and then said:’O Shaykh, You will be with us. And that you will hurry to be with the weight (thaqal) of the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) on the Day of Judgment. So the shaykh said: ‘I will take heed and after today I wlll not (cry) O son of the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)’

فقال له أبو عبد الله (عليه السلام): يا شيخ، إن رسول الله (صلى الله عليه و آله) قال: إني تارك فيكم الثقلين ما إن تمسكتم بهما لن تضلوا: كتاب الله المنزل، و عترتي أهل بيتي، تجي‏ء و أنت معنا يوم القيامة.

So Aboo `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) said: ‘O Shaykh, The Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: ‘Verily, I am leaving with you two weight things (thaqalayn), and if you hold on to them you will NEVER go astray: (they are) The Book of Allaah revealed, and My `itratee, the Ahl Al-Bayt. I will come and you will be with us on the Day of Judgment.’

قال: يا شيخ، ما أحسبك من أهل الكوفة. قال: لا. قال: فمن أين أنت قال: من سوادها جعلت فداك.

He (عليه السلام) said: “O Shaykh, I do not think that you are of the people of Koofa? He (the shaykh) said: ‘No’. He (عليه السلام) said: ‘Then where are you from?’ He (the shaykh) said: “May I be sacrificed for you, from Sawaaduhaa (?)’

قال: أين أنت من قبر جدي المظلوم الحسين (عليه السلام) قال: إني لقريب منه.

قال: كيف إتيانك له قال: إني لآتيه و أكثر.

He (عليه السلام) said: “Where are you (in regards) to my oppressed grandfather’s grave, Al-Hussayn (عليه السلام)” He (the shaykh): “I am close to it (the grave).” He (عليه السلام) said: ‘How (often) do you go to him (grave of Al-Hussayn)’ He (the shaykh) said: “I go there frequently”

قال: يا شيخ، ذاك دم يطلب الله (تعالى) به، ما أصيب ولد فاطمة و لا يصابون بمثل الحسين (عليه السلام)، و لقد قتل (عليه السلام) في سبعة عشر من أهل بيته، نصحوا لله و صبروا في جنب الله، فجزاهم أحسن جزاء الصابرين،

He (عليه السلام) said: “O Shaykh, Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) will seek the blood of him (Al-Hussayn), there is no calamity for the children of FaaTimah (عليها السلام) like the calamity of Al-Hussayn (عليه السلام). And 17 members of his Ahl Al-Bayt (i.e. family) were killed. They have patiently (strove) on the side of Allaah. And He (سبحانه و تعالى) has rewarded them the best of rewards for the patient ones.

 إنه إذا كان يوم القيامة أقبل رسول الله (صلى الله عليه و آله) و معه الحسين (عليه السلام) و يده على رأسه يقطر دما فيقول: يا رب، سل أمتي فيم قتلوا ولدي.

‘And when the day of judgment (arrives), the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) will come with Al-Hussayn (عليه السلام), and his (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) hand on his (عليه السلام) head dripping with blood. Then he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) will say: ‘O Lord! Ask my ummah (nation) why did they kill my son?!’

و قال (عليه السلام): كل الجزع و البكاء مكروه سوى الجزع و البكاء على الحسين (عليه السلام).

And He (عليه السلام) said: “Every grief/sadness and crying is makrooh (disliked) except the grief/sadness and crying upon Al-Hussayn (عليه السلام)”

Source:

1.     Al-Toosi, Al-Amaalee, Majlis # 7, pg. 161 – 162, hadeeth#20(in majlis) & #268(in book)

Grading:

1.       Muhammad Hasan Al-Najafee said this hadeeth is Hasan (Good) à Jawaahir Al-Kalaam, vol. 4, pg. 371

2.       Al-Tabreezee said this hadeeth is SaHeeH (Authentic)

à SiraaT al-Najaa’, vol. 3, pg. 443, Question # 1268

3.     Al-Khoei said this hadeeth is Hasan (Good)

à Mawsoo`ah Al-Imaam Al-Khoei, vol. 9, pg. 342, Question # 1

4.     `Abd Allaah Al-Hussayn said All Narrators Are Thiqah except Aboo Muhammad Al-AnSaaree who is praised

à Rudda Al-AbaaTeel, pg. 54

About Aboo Muhammad Al-AnSaaree:

He has been said to be majhool (unknown) in Al-Kashee’s rijaal book called Ikhtiyaar Ma`arifah Al-Rijaal, pg. 613, tradition # 1140:

(ما روي في أبي محمد الأنصاري من أصحاب الرضا (ع

قال أبو عمرو قال نصر بن الصباح: أبو محمد الأنصاري الذي يروي عنه محمد بن عيسى العبيدي، و عبد الله بن إبراهيم، مجهول لا يعرف.

“What is narrated about Abee Muhammad Al-AnSaare from the companions of Al-RiDaa (عليه السلام):

Aboo `Amr (Al-Kashee) said, that NaSr bin Al-SabaaH said: Aboo Muhammad Al-AnSaaree is of those who Muhammad bin `Eesa Al-`Ubaydee and `Abd Allaah bin Ibraaheem narrates from, and he is majhool (unknown) and is not recognized.”

The issue is that the person who is weakening Aboo Muhammad Al-AnSaaree is NaSr bin Al-SabaaH, who himself is considered da`eef and a ghaali (exaggerator). And when a weak person is calling someone else weak or strong, his words hold no weight since he himself is weak.

نصر بن الصباح  (NaSr bin Al-SaBaaH) is Da`eef / Ghaali according to:

1.       Al-Toosi, Rijaal, pg. 449, person # 6385

2.      Al-Najaashee, Rijaal, pg. 428, person # 1149

3.      Al-Kashee, Ikhtiyaar Ma`rifah Al-Rijaal, pg. 18

4.      Al-Hillee, Al-Khulaasah, pg. 262, person # 2

5.      Al-Kashee, Ikhtiyaar Ma`arifah Al-Rijaal, pg. 322

On the other hand, there are proofs of Aboo Muhammad Al-AnSaaree having praise (madH). For example, there is a sanad (chain of narrators) in Al-Kulayni’s Al-Kaafi, vol. 3, pg. 127, hadeeth # 1, where Muhammad bin `Abd Al-Jabbaar (who is highly thiqah) says that Aboo Muhammad Al-AnSaaree is a good person (وَ كَانَ خَيِّراً).

أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ قَالَ وَ كَانَ خَيِّراً قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الْيَقْظَانِ عَمَّارٌ الْأَسَدِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص

Another example of praise is from Al-Sadooq, where either Ibraaheem bin Haashim or Al-Sadooq praises Aboo Muhammad Al-AnSaaree. This is seen in the chain of narrators as well in Al-Sadooq’s Ma`aanee Al-Akhbaar, pg. 142, hadeeth #1:

حدثنا أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني رحمه الله قال حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم عن أبيه قال حدثني أبو محمد الأنصاري و كان خيرا قال حدثني أبو اليقظان عمار الأسدي عن أبي عبد الله ع قال قال رسول الله ص

Scholars have taken these praises in the chain of narrators as a proof to Aboo Muhammad Al-AnSaaree’s being praised (madH). Scholars such as:

1.       Al-Haa’iree Al-Mazandaraanee (d. 1216 AH), Muntaha Al-Maqaal, vol. 7, pg. 239, person # 3768

2.      Al-Naraaqee (d. 1319 AH), Shu`ab Al-Maqaal, pg. 326, person # 444

3.      Al-Khoei, Mu`jam Rijaal Al-Hadeeth, vol. 23, pg. 40, hadeeth # 14786

4.      A Number of Scholars, Taareekh Al-Fuquhaa, pg. 488