Chapter Four: Miscellaneous

Encyclopedia of Imam Ali (AS), written by Muhammad Muhammadi Rayshahri, abridged by Mahdi Gholamali, translated by Zaid Alsalami and Safyullah Khan, edited by Hamid Reza Salarkia and published by NORPUB.

أ ـ رُؤيَةُ نورِ الوَحيِ

Seeing the Light of Revelation

860. الإمام عليّ عليه السلامـ في خُطبَتِهِ المُسمّاةِ بِالقاصِعَةِ ـ:

860. Imam Ali (AS) said, in his sermon known as ‘The Crushing Sermon’:

ولَقَد كانَ ] صلى الله عليه و آله [ يُجاوِرُ في كُلِّ سَنَةٍ بِحِراءَ ،

“Every year the Messenger of God (SA) would go into seclusion to the cave of Hira’,

فَأَراهُ ولا يَراهُ غَيري .

where I saw him to the exclusion of others.

ولَم يَجمَع بَيتٌ واحِدٌ يَومَئِذٍ فِي الإِسلامِ غَيرَ رَسولِ اللّهِ صلى الله عليه و آله وخَديجَةَ وأنَا ثالِثُهُما ؛

Islam has not then brought except the Messenger of God (s.a.w) and Khadija, and I was the third of them.

أرى نورَ الوَحيِ وَالرِّسالَةِ ،

I used to see the light of revelation and the message

وأشُمُّ ريحَ النُّبُوَّةِ .

and smell the scent of prophethood.

 ولَقَد سَمِعتُ رَنَّةَ الشَّيطانِ حينَ نَزَلَ الوَحيُ عَلَيهِ صلى الله عليه و آله ،

When the revelation descended on him (s.a.w), I heard the plaintive cry of Satan,

فَقُلتُ : يا رَسولَ اللّهِ ، ما هذِهِ الرَّنَّةُ ؟

so I said: ‘O Messenger of God, what is this plaintive cry?’

فَقالَ : هذَا الشَّيطانُ قَد أيِسَ مِن عِبادَتِهِ .

He replied: ‘This is Satan who has lost all hope of being worshipped. 

إنَّكَ تَسمَعُ ما أسمَعُ ، وتَرى ما أرى ،

Indeed, you see what I see and you hear what I hear,

إلّا أ نَّكَ لَستَ بِنَبِيٍّ ،

except that you are not a prophet,

ولكِنَّكَ لَوَزيرٌ ،

but you are a minister

وإنَّكَ لَعَلَى خَيرٍ .

and you are surely on [the path of] good.’ ”

نهج البلاغة : الخطبة 192 .

Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 192.

ب ـ إمدادُ المَلائِكَةِ

Assistance of Angels

861. الإمام عليّ عليه السلام :

861. Imam Ali (AS) said:

لَقَد قُبِضَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه و آله وإنَّ رأسَهُ لَفي حِجري ،

“The Prophet (SA) passed away with his head on my lap.

ولَقَد وُلّيتُ غُسلَهُ بِيَدي ،

I undertook to ritually wash him with my hands,

تُقَلِّبُهُ المَلائِكَةُ المُقَرَّبونَ مَعي .

while the archangels were turning him sideways with me.”

الأمالي للمفيد : ص235 ح5 .

Al-Amali by al-Mufid, p. 235, h. 5.

ج ـ إحياءُ الشَّجَرَةِ اليابِسَةِ

 

862. إرشاد القلوب عن الحارث الأعور الهمداني :

862. Irshad al-Qulub, reporting from al-Harith al-A‘war al-Hamdani, who said:

خَرَجنا مَعَ أميرِ المُؤمِنينَ حَتّى انتَهَينا إلَى العاقولِ  (العاقُول : مَعطِف الوادي والنهر . وقيل : عاقول النهرِ والوادي والرمْلِ : ما اعوجَّ منه ، وكلّ مَعطِف وادٍ عاقولٌ، تاج العروس : ج15 ص509) .

“We went out with the Commander of the Faithful until we arrived at al-Aqul [Al-‘Aqul is a twist which is a sharp bend in a (river) valley or a river. (See Taj al-‘Arus‚ vol. 15‚ p. 509.)]

بِالكوفَةِ عَلى شاطِئِ الفُراتِ ،

in Kufah on the bank of the Euphrates.

فَإِذا نَحنُ بِأصلِ شَجَرَةٍ ،

We came across the roots of a tree

وقَد وقَعَ أوراقُها وبَقِيَ عودُها يابِسا ،

which had lost its leaves whose branches were dry.

فَضَرَبَها بِيَدِهِ المُبارَكَةِ وقالَ لَها :

The Imam tapped it with his blessed hands and said to it:

اِرجِعي بِإِذنِ اللّهِ خَضراءَ ذاتَ ثَمَرٍ !

‘By the permission of God, return green fruitful!’

فَإِذا هِيَ تَخضَرُّ بِأَغصانِها مُثمِرَةً مورِقَةً

All of a sudden its branches became green, fruitful, with leaves,

وحَملُها الكُمَّثَرى الَّذي لا يُرى مِثلُهُ في فَواكِهِ الدُّنيا !

and its yield was pears unparalleled among the fruits of this world!

وطَعِمنا مِنهُ وتَزَوَّدنا وحَمَلنا .

We ate from it and took provisions therefrom.

فَلَمّا كانَ بَعدَ أيّامٍ عُدنا إلَيها فَإِذا بِها خَضراءُ فيهَا الكُمَّثرى !

After a few days we returned to it and found that it was [still] green with pears.”

إرشاد القلوب : ص278 .

Irshad al-Qulub, p. 278.