The presence of Imām Zamān (mGehr) in Sayyid Baḥr al-ʿUlūm’s house

The nineteenth event was, the story of the scholar Baḥr al-ʿUlūm (mGmhs) in Mecca and his meeting with that Prophet (pbuh&h), narrated by Mr. Jalāl Akhund Mulla Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn Salmāsī from supervisor of the scholar Baḥr al-ʿUlūm during the days, when he was staying near Mecca.

The Mulla said:

Even though he was in exile and cut off from his family and relatives, he was extremely generous and granted the things a lot. He didn’t pay attention to the large number of expenses and the increase in expenses.

Anyway, once I had nothing with me for the whole day. And I explained the situation to Sayyid, that there are a lot of expenses and nothing in hand. Well, he didn’t sell anything

Sayyid used to perform Ṭawāf around the Ka’ba every morning, then he come home and go to his own room. After that, we used to bring him a hookah, and he smoke it, then he go out of his room and sit in another room, where students from different religions gathered around him. And he taught each group according to their religion.

The day after when I had complained about the penury, when he came back from Ṭawāf, I prepared a hookah for him out of habit. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Sayyid got anxious and told me, ‘Take that hookah out of here’. Then he quickly got up and went to the door and opened it.

There, a glorious man in the shape of Arabs entered and settled in Sayyid’s room. Then Sayyid sat by the door with extreme humility, modesty, and courtesy, and pointed to me, not to bring hookah to him. So they sat there for an hour and talked to each other. Then the man got up, and also Sayyid got up in a hurry and opened the door of the house and kissed his hand. Then he got him on the camel, that was sitting in the house, and he left.

Sayyid came back with a pale face and gave me a receipt, and said, ‘That is a remittance for the money changer who lives in the mount of Safa. Go to him and get what has been transferred to him’.

So, I got that spiritual transfer and took it to the same man. When he got, looked at, kissed it and said, “Go and bring some porters.” Then I went and brought four porters.

They worked as much as they could. Therefore, he offered some French Riyâls and took them. And one French Riyâl equals five Ajami* Qerun and some more. However, those porters brought the Riyâls to the house.

Once, I went to that money changer to greet that man and ask him who had send the remittance for me. I didn’t see any money changer or a store; so, I asked the individual who was there, how money changer was. He wondered, ‘We haven’t ever seen any money changer here! Usually, such a man sits here. There, I realized that was of the secrets of Lord of the world [God].

Also the vigilant Faqīh and well known scholar, the author of the excellent books/poems “Shaykh Muḥammad Huṣayn Kadhim”, who had superior virtue and lived in Najaf al- Ashraf** narrated from some trustworthy people and they narrated  it from the mentioned person.

So I waited for a while, then I came out secretly to know about condition of the Sayyid. I saw that the chamber door was closed, so I looked through the crack in the door and saw that the light was still on. But there was no one in the chamber.

There, I entered the chamber and knew from his condition that he has not slept that night. Then I hid myself and went to search for Sayyid with bare feet. First, I entered the blessed courtyard, but I saw that the doors of Al-‘Askariyyayn’s (pbu th) dome were closed.

Then I searched the area around the [Holy] shrine, but found no trace of him! So I entered the courtyard of Sardab1 and saw that its doors are open. After that, I went down the stairs slowly in a quiet and noiseless way.

There, I heard a voice from the side of Sardab; as if someone was talking to others, and I could not make out the words, until I was three or four steps before [Sardab] and I was walking extremely slow. But suddenly the voice of Sayyid rose from that place, ‘O’ Sayyid Murtaḍā! What are you doing, and why did you leave the house?’

So I stopped in my place, stunned and still like a dry wood. I decided to go back before I have to answer, but I told myself, ‘How would you remain concealed from someone who knew you through Unseen Knowledge? Then, I answered him with apologies and regret’

And I went down the stairs, while I was excusing, till I saw the safe. There, I saw the Sayyid who was alone and his was facing Qiblah. There was nobody seen. So I learned that he was talking with Imām [Mahdī (mGehr) who is absent from sights.

 

1.      It was a cellar in the northwest of the shrine of `Askariin (pbu th), in Sāmarrāʾ. It was the residence and worship place for Imam Hādī and al-Askarī (pbu th) during the hot summer days. According to reports, Imam Mahdī (mgehr) was also seen there, in the time of his father’s life. That is the reason for naming the place “The Holy Sardab”, in The Occultation Era.

*It is an Arabic word meaning mute, which today refers to someone whose mother tongue is not Arabic

**Ashraf means dignified.