Signs of Relief for the Shia

Here is a Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) ḥadīth that gives the timeline right before the coming of al-Qā’im (عليه السلام) and what happens afterwards. There is many things we can take from this ḥadīth, the first and foremost thing we can take is that the Shī`ahs will not have relief in this world until these events happen.

According to al-Majlisī’s Mir’āt al-`Uqūl in his commentary of this ḥadīth al-Shāmī is al-Sufyānī. This ḥadīth is very detailed in regards to the timeline just before and after the appearance of al-Qā’im (عليه السلام).

This ḥadīth also discussing the things that al-Qā’im (عليه السلام) will have with him that are from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).

وَ عَنْهُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ السَّرَّاجِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَتَى فَرَجُ شِيعَتِكُمْ قَالَ فَقَالَ إِذَا اخْتَلَفَ وُلْدُ الْعَبَّاسِ وَ وَهَى سُلْطَانُهُمْ وَ طَمِعَ فِيهِمْ مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَطْمَعُ فِيهِمْ وَ خَلَعَتِ الْعَرَبُ أَعِنَّتَهَا وَ رَفَعَ كُلُّ ذِي صِيصِيَةٍ صِيصِيَتَهُ وَ ظَهَرَ الشَّامِيُّ وَ أَقْبَلَ الْيَمَانِيُّ وَ تَحَرَّكَ الْحَسَنِيُّ وَ خَرَجَ صَاحِبُ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ إِلَى مَكَّةَ بِتُرَاثِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص فَقُلْتُ مَا تُرَاثُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص قَالَ سَيْفُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَ دِرْعُهُ وَ عِمَامَتُهُ وَ بُرْدُهُ وَ قَضِيبُهُ وَ رَايَتُهُ وَ لَامَتُهُ وَ سَرْجُهُ حَتَّى يَنْزِلَ مَكَّةَ فَيُخْرِجَ السَّيْفَ مِنْ غِمْدِهِ وَ يَلْبَسَ الدِّرْعَ وَ يَنْشُرَ الرَّايَةَ وَ الْبُرْدَةَ وَ الْعِمَامَةَ وَ يَتَنَاوَلَ الْقَضِيبَ بِيَدِهِ وَ يَسْتَأْذِنَ اللَّهَ فِي ظُهُورِهِ فَيَطَّلِعُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ بَعْضُ مَوَالِيهِ فَيَأْتِي الْحَسَنِيَّ فَيُخْبِرُهُ الْخَبَرَ فَيَبْتَدِرُ الْحَسَنِيُّ إِلَى الْخُرُوجِ فَيَثِبُ عَلَيْهِ أَهْلُ مَكَّةَ فَيَقْتُلُونَهُ وَ يَبْعَثُونَ بِرَأْسِهِ إِلَى الشَّامِيِّ فَيَظْهَرُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ صَاحِبُ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ فَيُبَايِعُهُ النَّاسُ وَ يَتَّبِعُونَهُ وَ يَبْعَثُ الشَّامِيُّ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ جَيْشاً إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَيُهْلِكُهُمُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ دُونَهَا وَ يَهْرُبُ يَوْمَئِذٍ مَنْ كَانَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ مِنْ وُلْدِ عَلِيٍّ ع إِلَى مَكَّةَ فَيَلْحَقُونَ بِصَاحِبِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ وَ يُقْبِلُ صَاحِبُ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ نَحْوَ الْعِرَاقِ وَ يَبْعَثُ جَيْشاً إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَيَأْمَنُ أَهْلُهَا وَ يَرْجِعُونَ إِلَيْهَا

From Ya`qūb al-Sarrāj said, I said to Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام): ‘When do your Shī`ahs get relief?’ So he (عليه السلام) said: ‘When there will be ikhtilāf (disagreement) with the children of al-`Abbās about their authority and greed among them. And those who did not show interest in them will show (interest). The `arabs will leave their reign lose, and whoever has a spur raises it. When the appearance of al-Shāmī, the drawing near of al-Yamānī, the movement of al-Hasanī, and the rise of the owner of this command (i.e. al-Qā’im) from al-Madīnah to Makkah with the legacy of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).’ So I (narrator) said: ‘What legacy of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)?’ He (عليه السلام) said: ‘The Messenger of Allāh’s (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) sword, his armor, his turban, his garment, his staff, his banner, his helmet and his saddle. He (عليه السلام) reaches Makkah, then he takes the sword from its sheath, and he wears the armor and hoists the banner. He (dresses) in the gown and turban, and he takes the staff with his hand, and seeks Allāh’s permission about his appearance. And he gets acquainted with few of his supporters, and al-Hasanī comes and informs him of the news. So al-Hasanī rushes to come out, but he is jumped by the people of Makkah, they kill him, and send his head to al-Shāmī. That is when the owner of this command (i.e. al-Qā’im) appears, the people do bay`ah (allegiance) to him, and they follow him. Al-Shāmī at that time sends an army to al-Madīnah, and Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) destroys them before reaching it (1). On that day the children of `Alī (عليه السلام) will flee from al-Madīnah to Makkah and stick with the owner of this command (i.e. al-Qā’im). The owner of this command (i.e. al-Qā’im) will approach near Iraq, and he (عليه السلام) will send an army to al-Madīnah whose people will believe in him, and return to it (al-Madīnah)”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 8, pg. 224-225, hadeeth # 285

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Hasan or Muwaththaq (Good or Reliable)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 26, pg. 156

Al-Majlisī says about the destroying of al-Shāmī’s army:

(1) أي قبل الوصول إلى المدينة بالبيداء يخسف الله به و بجيشه الأرض كما وردت به الأخبار المتظافرة.

”Means that before arriving to al-Madīnah, in the desert, Allāh will sink his army in the earth, like what is mention about it in the narration of al-Mutadhāfirah”