Sea of Galilee 

Part 3

Imam Hasan Askari (SBUH)- after telling his son Hazrat Mahdi (SBUH): “Then the morning of the Truth shall breathe and the darkness of falsehood shall disappear”- continued and told his son that at his hand, Allah would break the backbone of obstinacy and disobedience of God, and would reestablish the practice of true believing; and that by him the perseverance of horizons would appear and peace and reconciliation of consistent groups would become manifest.

Imam askari (SBUH) then said that babies in cradles would wish to rise and go next to Mahdi (SBUH), and the wild would desire to find a way toward him, and the world would become green and luxuriant by him, and the branches of honor would be underway by his appearance, and the bases of the Truth would be established in their proper places, and those who had shied and run away from the Religion would return to their nests.

Hazrat Mahdi continued that his father (SBUT) told him that the clouds of victory would pour on him; enemies would be extinguished and friends would be victorious; no oppressive tyrant and ungrateful repudiator and malicious enemy and malevolent contumacious adversary would remain on earth.

Then the Imam (SBUH) recited the following Verse of Qur’an:

وَ مَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْراً.

Qur’an 65:3 … And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will fulfill His Amr (Divine Matter …). Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.

Hazrat Mahdi (SBUH) then requested abu-Ishaaq, Ibrahim ibn Mahdiyaar to keep that meeting concealed and only talk about it to adherents to acknowledgement and acceptance (of the Truth) and sincere brothers in the Religion. Imam (SBUH) then told him to hurry, with his brothers, toward him when indications of Appearance would become manifest, toward the center of the light of certitude and the clarity of the lights of Religion so that he might achieve growth and perfection.

Let us pay attention here … years has passed from that beautiful meeting and abu-Ishaaq has passed away … one wonders does this mean that he is going to be one of the companions of the Imam (SBUH) at time of the Appearance! Allah Knows best …

The narrator of this Hadith has said that Ibrahim ibn Mahdhiyar said that he remained next to the Imam (SBUH) for a while and learned in regard to the clear proofs an truth and blessed religious precepts; watering the garden of his heart with the Imam’s (SBUH) pleasant nature and beneficent wisdom and fine knowledge until he became worried that his family in Ahvaaz might suffer from the length of his absence; so he sought permission from the Imam (SBUH) to leave while expressing his pain and loneliness from that unavoidable separation. Ibrahim said that the Imam (SBUH) granted permission and beautifully prayed for him and Ibrahim wished that beautiful prayer would Allah-Willing be reserved for him and his progeny.  

The day Ibrahim was leaving, for one last time he went to the Imam and once again pledged his sincere allegiance, and offered his (personal) money to the Imam; the Imam (SBUH) smiled and told him to keep it for his long trip and the vast desert he had ahead; the Imam- while telling him that he (SBUH) was thankful and would remember his pure kindness- asked Ibrahim not to be sad for the Imam’s rejection of his money and prayed that Allah might bless what He had bestowed upon him and make it to be lasting, and that Allah might write for him the best reward and result of the goodhearted obedient, and that he might return to his friends in perfect health and sufficient (spiritual) benefit, and that Allah might make his journey without any difficulty; and the Imam trusted him to God’s Grace So that Allah-Willing he might never be corrupted.

The Imam (SBUH)- while reminding Ibrahim that Allah had made them (the AhlulBayt) independent from their friends’ financial aid and assistance- told Ibrahim ibn Mahdhiyar that from his friends and followers he (SBUH) expected sincere intentions, fair benevolence, piety, purity, honor and their guarding of the matters pertaining to the Hereafter.

Let us pay attention that ibn Mahdhiyar was offering his own personal money out of the love he had for the Imam, and that the financial obligation of Khums, which is to be given to the Infallible Imam of each time, is another issue and is used, under the direction of the Imam (SBUH), to help the matters related to the Shi’ah.

Abu-Ishaaq said that he started his journey back while he was thankful for Allah’s guidance and while he knew that Allah would never leave His earth in vain and without a clear Hojjat (Divine Proof) and living Imam.

(Kamaal al-Deen wa Tamaam al-Ne’mah of Shaikh Sadooq; Pahlavaan translation, vol. 2, pp. 179-188; …)