If Christians knew what the bells say …

Part 1

Harith Hamdani, one of Hazrat ‘Ali (SBUH)’s special students and companions, has said that in a trip to Heerah accompanying Hazrat, they came across a church in which the bell was being played. Amir al-Mo’menin (SBUH) asked Harith if he knew what the bell was saying. Harith said that indeed Allah SWT and His Rasool and his cousin (SBUT) knew best.

Hazrat ‘Ali (SBUH) then asserted that the bell was narrating the story of the world and its blights, and it was saying:

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ حَقّاً حَقّاً صِدْقاً صِدْقاً

إِنَّ الدُّنْيَا قَدْ غَرَّتْنَا

وَ شَغَلَتْنَا

وَ اسْتَهْوَتْنَا

وَ اسْتَغْوَتْنَا

يَا ابْنَ الدُّنْيَا مَهْلًا مَهْلًا

يَا ابْنَ الدُّنْيَا دَقّاً دَقّاً

يَا ابْنَ الدُّنْيَا جَمْعاً جَمْعاً

تَفْنَى الدُّنْيَا قَرْناً قَرْناً

مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ يَمْضِي عَنَّا إِلَّا أَوْهَى مِنَّا رُكْناً

قَدْ ضَيَّعْنَا دَاراً تَبْقَى

وَ اسْتَوْطَنَّا دَاراً تَفْنَى

لَسْنَا نَدْرِي مَا فَرَّطْنَا

فِيهَا إِلَّا لَوْ قَدْ مِتْنَا

No deity but Allah: It is true, true, it is right, right.

Indeed the world has deceived us;

and has preoccupied us;

and has enchanted us;

and has deviated us.

Slow down! Slow down! O son of the world!

Strike! Strike! O son of the World!

Take away! Take away! O son of the world!

Century by century, the world passes away;

Not a day passes unless one of our foundations rots away.

The eternal abode, we’ve destroyed;

and the transient abode, we’ve taken as home.

How much we’ve underdone in this world, we don’t know;

Unless indeed when we die (,then we’ll know).

Harith asked the Amir al-Mo’menin (SBUH) if the christians themselves knew this meaning? Hazrat ’Ali (SBUH) asserted:

“IF THEY KNEW THEY WOULD HAVE NEVER TAKEN MASEEH (CHRIST) A GOD OTHER THAN ALLAH.”

Harith said that the next day he went back to the Bell-ringer at the church and asked him in Maseeh’s right and worth to him to play the bell the way he was playing the day before; and he did so.

Harith continued that the churchman played and he recited word by word the statements of Hazrat ‘Ali (SBUH) to the end.

The bell-ringer asked Harith in the right of his Prophet to him, to inform him who had taught him those statements; Harith told him, the man who was with him the day before. He then asked Harith whether that man was of his Prophet’s kin; Harith told the churchman that he was the Prophet’s cousin.

The churchman again asked Harith in the right of the Prophet to him, to tell him whether that man (Hazrat ‘Ali SBUH) had heard those statements from the Prophet (SBUH & HP); and Harith told him yes.

 As soon as the churchman heard that, he became a Muslim and swore by God that he had read in the Torah that at the end of Prophets, the Last Prophet would interpret what the bell says.

(Amali Shaikh Sadooq, session 40, p. 225; …)

There are other Hadiths which state that Amir al-Mo’menin (SBUH) in different times and places expressed to his companions the interpretations of church bells; and when his companions narrated the interpretations to churchmen they embraced Islam.

In one of such Hadiths, narrated by ‘Ammaar Yaasir, it is stated that the churchman said that he had a hand written document from Haaroon (SBUH), Aaron the brother and minister of Moses (SBUH), stating that the Last Prophet would interpret what the bells say. (Mashaariq al-Anwar, p.127; …)

In another Hadith the interpretation starts with: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ حَقّاً حَقّاً إِنَّ الْمَوْلَى صَمَدٌ يَبْقَى which glorifies Allah from having children or anything similar to Him, and states that Allah is Independent and Everlasting. (Bihar al-Anwar, Beirut edition, vol. 40, p. 172; …)

In a Hadith it is stated that Amir al-Mo’menin (SBUH) was in Deylam in Fars and the churchman confessed that he had seen virtues of Hazrat ‘Ali (SBUH) in Injeel (Gospel) and then he embraced Islam. (Bihar al-Anwar, Beirut edition, vol. 41, p. 312; …)

We are counting the moments eagerly, obediently and patiently until the moment of Mahdi (SBUH)’s Appearance when he shall interpret so many matters …

To be continued …