Searching for Imām Zamān (mgehr)

The fourteen is, they also have narrated from Alī ibn Sinān al-Mawṣilī, that he said on behalf of his father, ‘When His Majesty Abū Muḥammad (pbuh) passed away, a crowd of people just arrived from Qom and cities of Jabal[1], bringing some possessions [to pass His Majesty], as it was a custom then. They were not aware of His Majesty’s demise. Once they arrived in Samarra, they asked about His Majesty, and they were told that he has passed away.

They asked, “Who will succeed him?”. They returned, “Jaʿfar, his brother”. Then, they asked about him. They said, “He has made an excursion. He is sitting in a skiff in Tigris, is drinking, and the musicians are playing for him”. So, the crowd consulted together and wondered that it is not the characteristic of an Imām. Some of them even intended to return and give the possessions back to the owners.

There, Abū ol ‘Abbās Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Ḥimyarī Qummi said: “Be patient until that man gets back, so we can investigate the truth”. When the man returned, they went to him and said hello and said, “O’ our Sayyed! We are from Qom, and we are a group of both Shia and non-Shia. Wpe have brought some possessions for our Sayyid, Abū Muḥammad (pbuh). Then he asked: “Where are the possessions?”. They returned: “They are with us”. He said: “Pass them to me?

‘We are hired and agents of our lord. These stuff and properties belong to the crowd, and they ordered us not to hand over them, unless through the sign and proof that is appointed with Abi Muhammah (pbuh)’. Then the caliph asked, ‘What was the appointed proof of Abi Muhammad (pbuh)?’

The people said, ‘He would describe the golden coins and their owners, and the properties and the amount. As he did so, we would hand over the property to him. We had visited him some times and it was our appointed sign with him. Now he was passed away, so if this man is the owner of it, then he has to do the same as, what his brother used to do for us. Otherwise, we will return the properties to the owner who sent it by us.’

Ja’far said, ‘O Master of believers! These are mendacious people ascribing false things to my brother. This is Knowledge of Unseen!’ The caliph replied, ‘These are the messengers’ and the messenger’s duty is only to communicate” [5:99]’. Then Jafar was stunned and found no answer. Those people said, ‘May master of the believers do a favour for us and order someone to accompany us, until we leave this city.’

He then ordered a caretaker to take them out of the city. As soon as they left, a young boy came to them whose face was the best amongst all people. And he seemed to be a servant. There, He called them with their names and their fathers names, ‘Comply your master!’

So they wondered, ‘Are you our Mawlā [lord and guardian]?’ ‘I seek refuge to Allah! [of such a claim], ‘I am a servant of your Mawlā. Now go to His Excellency’, he said.

They related, ‘We accompanied him until we entered the house of our Mawlā, Imām Haṣan (pbuh). Then we saw his son, Qā’im[2] (mgehr), sitting on a throne, like a piece of moon, wearing a green garment. So we said Salām [Hello], and he responded.

Then he (mgehr) stated, ‘All the property is such an amount, and it is so and so!  He constantly described [the property], until he did the all. Then he described our clothes and steeds, and all the four- legged that were with us. There, we lied prostrate for The Almighty God, and kissed the earth before him.

Afterward, we asked whatever we wanted and he answered all. Then we handed over the property to him. He ordered us not to bring anything to Surah Man Ra’ā[3] anymore, and appointed someone in Baghdad to transport the property[4] to him and receive Tawqī’āt[5] from him.’

They said, ‘Before we turn back from His Excellency, he (mgehr) granted Abu’l ‘Abbās Muḥammad ibn Ja’far Ḥimyarī, grave clothes and Ḥanūṭ[6] And he told him, ‘May Allah reward your soul greatly.’

The narrator said, ‘As soon as Abu’l ‘Abbās reached to the defile of Hamedan, he got fever and passed away. Afterward, the property would be transported to his appointed agent in Baqdād and Tawqī’āt would be received from them’.

 

1. Cities of Jabal (Belad Jabal), an area which includes cities of Qom, Qazvin, Hamedan, Kordestan, and Kermanshah.
2. Lexical meaning; the rising one. It is an attribute of Imam Mahdi (mgehr).
3. The place of Imam Mahdi (mgehr) during his minor occultation.
4. Muslims’ obligatory tax
5. Responses of Imam Mahdi (mgehr) to people’s queries.
6. Camphor is rubbed on the seven prostration-places of Muslims’ dead body.