BELL

BELL

1.8.1. It is reported that al-Harith al-A‘war said, “I was travelling with the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib(a.s.) in Hirah when we came upon a monk who was ringing a church bell.

‘Ali ibn Abu Talib(a.s.) said, ‘O Harith! Do you know what this church bell is saying?’ I said, ‘Allah, His Apostle and the son of the uncle of His Apostle know better.’ He said, ‘It strikes the metaphore of this world and its destruction and it says, “There is no god but Allah, really, really, truly, truly. Surly this world has beguiled us, has occupied us, has made itself alluring to us. O son of this world! Take your time! Take your time! Ring, ring. O son of this world! Gather,

النَّاقوس

1-8-1- لي [الاَمالي للصدوق] مع [معَاني الاَخبار] صَالِحُ بْنُ عِيسَي الْعِجْلِي, عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِىٍّ الْفَقِيهِ, عَنْ أبِى نَصْرِ الشَّعْرَانِيِّ, عَنْ سَلَمَةِ بْنِ الْوَضَّاحِ, عَنْ أبِيهِ, عَنْ أبِى إسْرَائِيلَ, عَنْ أبِى إسْحَاقَ, عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ ضَمْرَةٍ, عَنْ الْحَارِثِ اْلاَعْوَرِ, قَالَ: «بَيْنَا أنَا أسِيرُ مَعَ أمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ, عَلِىِّ بْنِ أبِى طَالِبٍ (ع), فِى الْحِيْرَةِ؛ إذَا نَحْنُ بِدِيْرَانِىٍّ يَضْرِبُ بِالنَّاقُوسِ.»

قَالَ: «فَقَالَ عَلِىُّ بْنُ أبِى طَالِبٍ (ع): ’يَا حَارِثُ, أتَدْرِى مَا يَقُولُ هذَا النَّاقُوسُ؟‘ قُلْتُ: ’اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَإبنُ عَمِّ رَسُولِهِ أعْلَمُ.‘ قَالَ: ’إنَّهُ يَضْرِبُ مَثَلَ الدُّنْيَا وَخَرَابِهَا, وَيَقُولُ: ’لاَ إلَهَ إلاَّ اللَّهُ, حَقًّا حَقًّا صِدْقًا صِدْقًا. إنَّ الدُّنْيَا قَدْ غَرَّتْنَا, وَشَغَلَتْنَا

gather. The world is annihilated moment by moment. No day passes us without a pillar falling. We have ruined the everlasting house and we made our homes in a transitory realm. We do not know how much we have fallen short in it until we die.’[1]

Harith said, ‘O Commander of the Faithful! Do the Christians know this?’ He said, ‘If they knew it, they would not have taken Christ as a god other than Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent.’

Harith said, ‘Then I went to the monk and said to him, “By the right of Christ over you! Ring the church bell in the way that you do.”

Then he started ringing it, and I said word for word [what Imam ‘Ali had told him] to ‘until we die.’ Then the monk said, ‘By the right of your Prophet over you! Who informed you of this?’ I said, ‘That man who was with me yesterday.’ He said, ‘Is that man kin to the Prophet?’ I said, ‘He is the son of his uncle.’ He said, ‘By the right of your Prophet! Did he hear this from your prophet?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ Then he became a Muslim. Then he said to me, ‘By Allah! I found in the Torah that at the end of the prophets there is a prophet who interprets what the church bell says.’”

(Bihar, 14, 334, 1)

[1] This interpretation of the sound of the church bell is in a rhymed sing-song rhythm.

وَاسْتَهْوَتْنَا. يَا ابْنَ الدُّنْيَا مَهْلاً مَهْلاً, يَا ابْنَ الدُّنْيَا دَقًّا دَقًّا. يَا ابْنَ الدُّنْيَا جَمْعًا جَمْعًا, تَفْنَي الدُّنْيَا قَرْنًا قَرْنًا. مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ يَمْضِى عَنَّا, إلاَّ أوْهَي مِنَّا رُكْنًا. قَدْ ضَيَّعْنَا دَارًا تَبْقَي, وَاسْتَوْطَنّا دَارًا تَفْنَي. لَسْنَا نَدْرِى مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِيهَا، إلاَّ لَوْ قَدْ مِتْنَا.‘

قَالَ الْحَارِثُ: ’يَا أمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ! النَّصَارَي يَعْلَمُونَ ذَلِكَ؟‘ قَالَ: ’لَوْ عَلِمُوا ذَلِكَ, لَمَا اتَّخَذُوا الْمَسِيحَ إلَهًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ, عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.‘»

قَالَ: «فَذَهَبْتُ إلَي الدَّيْرَانِيّ, فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: ’بِحَقِّ الْمَسِيحِ عَلَيْكَ, لَمَّا ضَرَبْتَ بِالنَّاقُوسِ عَلَي الْجَهَةِ الَّتِى تَضْرِبُهَا.»

قَالَ: «فَأخَذَ يَضْرِبُ, وَأنَا أقُولُ حَرْفًا حَرْفًا, حَتَّي بَلَغَ إلَي قَوْلِهِ: ’إلاّ لَوْ قَدْ مِتْنَا.‘ فَقَالَ: ’بِحَقِّ نَبِيِّكُمْ, مَنْ أخْبَرَكَ بِهَذَا؟‘ قُلْتُ: ’هَذَا الرَّجُلُ الَّذِى كَانَ مَعِىَ أمْسِ.‘ قَالَ: ’وَهَلْ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ النَّبِىِّ مِنْ قَرَابَةٍ؟‘ قُلْتُ: ’هُوَ إبْنُ عَمِّهِ.‘ قَالَ: ’بِحَقِّ نَبِيِّكُمْ, أسَمِعَ هذَا مِنْ نَبِيِّكُمْ؟‘» قَالَ: « قُلْتُ: ’نَعَم.‘ فَأسْلَمَ, ثُمَّ قَالَ لِى (ع)’ وَاللَّهِ, إنِّى وَجَدْتُ فِى التَّوْرَاةِ أنَّهُ يَكُونُ فِى آخِرِ اْلاَنْبِيَاءِ نَبِيٌّ, وَهُوَ يُفَسِّرُ مَا يَقُولُ النَّاقُوسُ.‘»

(بحار الانوار، 14، 334، 1)

Their Denial

1.9.2.2 Muhammad ibn Ja‘far said, “Abu ‘Abd Allah(a.s.) narrated to us from his fathers, peace be with them, ‘I heard from ‘Ali that he said to the cfief of the Jews, ‘How many sects did you split into?’ He said, ‘So and so many sects.’ ‘Ali(a.s.) said, ‘You lie.’

إنْكَارُهُم

1-9-2-2- حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ: «حَدَّثَنَا أبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (ع).» قَالَ الْمَجَاشِعِي: «وَحَدَّثَنَا الرِّضَا (ع), عَنْ أبِيهِ مُوسَي, عَنْ أبِيهِ أبِى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، جَعْفَرٍ, عَنْ ءَابَائِهِ (ع)، قَالَ: ’سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا يَقُولُ لِرَاْسِ الْيَهُودِ: ’عَلَي كَمْ إفْتَرَقْتُمْ؟‘ فَقَالَ: ’عَلَي كَذَا وَكَذَا فِرقَةً.‘ فَقَالَ عَلِىٌّ (ع): ’كَذِبْتَ.‘

Then he faced the people and said, ‘By Allah! If the seat [of government] is returned to me, I will judge among the people of the Torah by their Torah, among the people of the Gosple by their Gosple and between the people of the Qur’an by their Qur’an.

The Jews split into seventy-one sects, seventy of them will be in the Fire. One of them will be saved and will be in heaven and it is the sect that followed Yusha‘ ibn Nun, the executor of Moses. The Christians split into seventy-two sects. Seventy-one of them will be in the Fire and one of them will be in heaven, and it is the sect that followed Simon, the executor of Jesus. And this community will split into seventy-three sects. Seventy-two of them will be in the Fire. One of them will be in heaven, and it is the sect that follows the executor of Muhammad.’

Then he beat his breast with his hand and said, ‘Thirteen sects, among the seventy-three sects, will accept my kindness and love, but one of them will be in heaven. It is the middle rite, and the twelve sects will be in the Fire.’”

ثُمَّ أقْبَلَ عَلِىٌّ عَلَي النَّاسِ، فَقَالَ: ’وَاللَّهِ لَوْ ثُنِّيَتْ لِى الْوَسَادَةُ، لَقَضَيْتُ بَيْنَ أهْلِ التَّوْرَاةِ بِتَوْرَاتِهِمْ وَبَيْنَ أهْلِ الاِنجِيلِ بِإنْجِيلِهِمْ وَبَيْنَ أهْلِ الْقُرْءَانِ بِقُرْءَانِهِمْ.

إفْتَرَقَتِ الْيَهُودُ عَلَي إحْدَي وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، سَبْعُونَ مِنْهَا فِى النَّارِ، وَوَاحِدَةٌ نَاجِيَةٌ فِى الْجَنَّةِ، وَهِىَ الَّتِى إتَّبَعَتْ يُوشَعَ بْنَ نُونَ وَصِىَّ مُوسَي. وَافْتَرَقَتِ النَّصَارَي عَلَي إثْنَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، إحْدَي وَسَبْعُونَ فِرْقَةً فِى النَّارِ، وَوَاحِدَةٌ فِى الْجَنَّةِ، وَهِىَ الَّتِى إتَّبَعَتْ شَمْعُونَ وَصِىَّ عِيسَي. وَتَفْتَرِقُ هَذِهِ اْلاَمَّةُ عَلَي ثَلاَثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، إثْنَتَانِ وَسَبْعُونَ فِى النَّارِ، وَوَاحِدَةٌ فِى الْجَنَّةِ، وَهِىَ الَّتِى إتَّبَعَتْ وَصِىَّ مُحَمَّدٍ.‘

وَضَرَبَ بِيَدِهِ عَلَي صَدْرِهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: ’ثَلاَثَةَ عَشَرَ فِرْقَةً مِنَ الثَلاَثِ وَالسَّبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، كُلُّهَا تَنْتَحِلُ مَوَدَّتِى وَحُبِّي. وَاحِدَةٌ مِنْهَا فِى الْجَنَّةِ، وَهُمُ النَّمَطُ اْلاَوْسَطُ، وَإثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ فِى النَّارِ. ‘‘»

Their Extremism 1

1.9.3.4. It is reported that Hasan ibn al-Juhm said, “One day, I was present at a session with Ma’mun, and ‘Ali ibn Musa al-Rida(a.s.) was beside him. Jurists and theologians of various sects were gathered, and some of them questioned him(a.s.)...

Ma’mun said to him, ‘O Abu al-Hasan! I have heard that there is a group that exaggerates and goes beyond the bounds about you.’ Rida(a.s.) said to him, ‘My father, Musa ibn Ja‘far reported from his father Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, from his father Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, from his father, ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, from his father, al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali, from his father, ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib, that the Apostle of Allah(a.s.)

1-9-3-4- ن [عيون أخبار الرضَا عليه السلام] تَمِيمُ الْقُرَشِي, عَنْ أبِيهِ, عَنْ أحْمَدَ بْنِ عَلِىٍّ اْلاَنْصَارِيِّ, عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ الْجُهْمِ، قَالَ: «حَضَرْتُ مَجْلِسَ الْمَأْمُونِ يَوْمًا وَعِنْدَهُ عَلِىُّ بْنُ مُوسَي الرِّضَا (ع)، وَقَدِ اجْتَمَعَ الْفُقَهَاءُ وَأهْلُ الْكَلاَمِ مِنَ الْفِرَقِ الْمَخْتَلِفَةِ. فَسَألَهُ بَعْضُهُمْ...

قَالَ لَهُ الْمَأْمُونُ: ’يَا أبَا الْحَسَنِ، بَلَغَنِى أنَّ قَوْمًا يَغْلُونَ فِيكُمْ وَيَتَجَاوَزُونَ فِيكُمُ الْحَدَّ.‘ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرِّضَا (ع): ’حَدَّثَنِى أبِى مُوسَي بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ, عَنْ أبِيهِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ, عَنْ أبِيهِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ, عَنْ أبِيهِ عَلِىِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ, عَنْ أبِيهِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ, عَنْ أبِيهِ عَلِىِّ بْنِ أبِى طَالِبٍ (ع)، قَالَ: ’قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (ص): ’لاَ تَرْفَعُونِى

said, “Do not exalt me above what is my right, Allah, the blessed and exalted, took me as a servant before He took me as a prophet. Allah, the blessed and exalted, says, (It is not for a man that Allah should give him the Book and Judgment and apostleship and yet he should say to people, “Be worshippers of me besides God;” but rather, “Be lordly that you teach the Book and what you read”/ And nor would he enjoin you that your should take the Angels nad the Apostles for lords. What! Would he enjoin you with disbelief after you submitted?). (3:79-80)”

And ‘Ali(a.s.) said, “Two will be destroyed because of me, although it is not my fault: The exorbitant lovers and the extreme haters.” We absolve ourselves from those who exaggerate about us, so that they exalt us above what is our position, just as Jesus the son of Mary absolved himself from the Christians. Allah, the mighty and magnificent, said, (And when Allah will say, ‘O Jesus son of Mary! Did you say to men, “Take me and my mother for two gods besides Allah?” He will say, “Glory be to You! It did not befit me that I should say what I had no right to say; if I had said it, You would indeed have known it; You know what is in my soul, and I do not know what is in your soul. Surely, You are the great Knower of the occult./ I did not say to them aught save what You did enjoin me with: to serve Allah, my Lord and your Lord, and I was a witness of them so long as I was among them, but when You caused me to die, You were the watcher over them, and You are the witness of all things.) (5:116-117).

And He, the mighty and magnificent, said, (The Messiah does by no means disdain that he should be a servant of Allah, nor do the angels who are near to Him, and whoever disdains His service and is proud, He will gather them all together to Himself.) (4:172).

And He, the mighty and magnificent, said, (The Messiah, son of Mary, is only an apostle; apostles before him have indeed passed away; and his mother was a truthful woman. They both used to eat food. See how We make the communications clear to them, then behold, how they are turned away.) (5:75).

فَوْقَ حَقِّى فَإنَّ اللَّهَ، تَبَارَكَ وَتعَالَي، إتَّخَََذَنِى عَبْدًا قَبْلَ أنْ يَتَّخِذَنِى نَبِيًّا. قَالَ اللَّهُ، تَبَارَكَ وَتعَالَي: (مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أنْ يُؤْتِيَهُ اللَّهُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحُكْمَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ لِلنَّاسِ: ’كُونُوا عِبَادًا لِى مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ.‘ وَلَكِنْ كُونُوا رَبَّانِيِّينَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تُعَلِّمُونَ الْكِتَابَ وَبِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَدْرُسُونَ. وَلاَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أنْ تَتَّخِذُوا الْمَلاَئِكَةَ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ أرْبَابًا. أيَأْمُرُكُمْ بِالْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ إذْ أنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ؟)‘

وَقَالَ عَلِىٌّ (ع): ’يَهْلِكُ فِى إثْنَانِ وَلاَ ذَنْبَ لِي: مُحِبٌّ مُفْرِطٌ وَمُبْغِضٌ مُفْرِطٌ.‘ وَإنَّا لَنَبْرَءُ إلَي اللَّهِ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، مِمَّنْ يَغْلُو فِينَا فَيَرْفَعُنَا فَوْقَ حَدِّنَا، كَبَرَاءَةِ عِيسَي بْنِ مَرْيَمَ (ع) مِنَ النَّصَارَي. قَالَ اللَّهُ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (وَإذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ: ’يَا عِيسَي بْنَ مَرْيَمَ، أأنْتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ إتَّخِذُونِى وَأُمِّىَ إلَهَيْنِ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ؟‘ قَالَ: ’سُبْحَانَكَ، مَا يَكُونُ لِى أنْ أقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِى بِحَقٍّّ. إنْ كُنْتُ قُلْتُهُ فَقَدْ عَلِمْتَهُ، تَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِى وَلاَ أعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِكَ، إنَّكَ أنْتَ عَلاَّمُ الْغُيُوبِ. مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إلاَّ مَا أمَرْتَنِى بِهِ، أنْ إعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ ربِّى وَرَبَّكُمْ. وَكُنْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ، فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِى كُنْتَ أنْتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ؛ وَأنْتَ عَلَي كُلِّ شَىْء شَهِيدٌ.)

وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (لَنْ يَسْتَنْكِفَ الْمَسِيحُ أنْ يَكُونَ عَبْدًا لِلّهِ وَلاَ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ.)

وَقَالَ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (مَا الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ إلاَّ رَسُولٌ، قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ، وَأُمُّهُ صِدِّيقَةٌ كَانَا يَأْكُلاَنِ الطَّعَامَ.)