We frequently find the word ‘Amma or Al-Amma’ in Ahadith, so who are they? In Ahadith these are those who killed the Prophets-as, and the generality (Al-Amma) is a name derived from the blindness (Al-A’ama). Allah-azwj was not Pleased that He-azwj resembles them with the cattle until He-azwj Said: But they are more straying of the way [25:44]’’. Below we cite some Ahadith on Amma.
الأمالي للشيخ الطوسي جَمَاعَةٌ عَنْ أَبِي الْمُفَضَّلِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الثَّالِثِ ع قَالَ: سَمِعْتُهُ بِسُرَّمَنْرَأَى يَقُول
الْغَوْغَاءُ قَتَلَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَ الْعَامَّةُ اسْمٌ مُشْتَقٌّ مِنَ الْعَمَى مَا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ أَنْ شَبَّهَهُمْ بِالْأَنْعَامِ حَتَّى قَالَ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُ
(The book) ‘Al-Amaali’ – of the sheykh Al-Tusi – A group, from Abu Al-Mufazzal, from Abdullah Bin Muhammad Bin Ubeyd,
‘From Abu Al-Hassan-asws the 3rd, he (the narrator) said, ‘I heard him-asws saying at Surmanrayy: ‘The mob killed the Prophets-as, and the generality (Al-Amma) is a name derived from the blindness (Al-A’ama). Allah-azwj was not Pleased that He-azwj resembles them with the cattle until He-azwj Said: But they are more straying of the way [25:44]’’.[1]
The pious ones from Amma will find no refuge in the Hereafter
31- مل، كامل الزيارات مُحَمَّدٌ الْحِمْيَرِيُّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سَالِمٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْأَصَمِّ عَنْ مِسْمَعٍ كِرْدِينٍ قَالَ: قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَا مِسْمَعُ أَنْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ أَ مَا تَأْتِي قَبْرَ الْحُسَيْنِ قُلْتُ لَا أَنَا رَجُلٌ مَشْهُورٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ وَ عِنْدَنَا مَنْ يَتْبَعُ هَوَى هَذَا الْخَلِيفَةِ وَ أَعْدَاؤُنَا كَثِيرَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ القَبَائِلِ مِنَ النُّصَّابِ وَ غَيْرِهِمْ وَ لَسْتُ آمَنُهُمْ أَنْ يَرْفَعُوا عَلَيَّ حَالِي عِنْدَ وُلْدِ سُلَيْمَانَ فَيُمَثِّلُونَ عَلَيَ
(The book) ‘Kamil Al Ziyaraat’ – Muhammad al HImeyri, from his father, from Ali Bin Muhammad Bin Salim, from Muhammad Bin Khalid, from Abdullah Bin Hammad, from Abdullah al Asamma, from Misma’a Kirdeyn who said,
‘Abu Abdullah-asws said to me: ‘O Misma’a! You are from the people of Al-Iraq. Don’t you go to the grave of Al-Husayn-asws?’ I said, ‘No. I am a famous man from the people of Al-Basra, and with us there is one who pursues the whims of this caliph, and our enemies are a lot from the people of the tribes, from the Nasibis (Hostile ones) and others, I don’t trust them that they might raise my state against me in the presence of Suleyman, so they would be setting an example (punish) upon me’.
قَالَ لِي أَ فَمَا تَذْكُرُ مَا صُنِعَ بِهِ قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَ فَتَجْزَعُ قُلْتُ إِي وَ اللَّهِ وَ أَسْتَعْبِرُ لِذَلِكَ حَتَّى يَرَى أَهْلِي أَثَرَ ذَلِكَ عَلَيَّ فَأَمْتَنِعُ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ حَتَّى يَسْتَبِينَ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِي
He-asws said: ‘Don’t you mentioned what had happened with him-asws?’ I said, ‘Yes’. He-asws said: ‘Do you get gloomy?’ I said, ‘Yes, by Allah-azwj, and I shed tears for that until my family sees the impact of that upon me-asws. I refuse to eat the food until that is manifested (grief is shown) in my face’.
قَالَ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ دَمْعَتَكَ أَمَا إِنَّكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ يُعَدُّونَ فِي أَهْلِ الْجَزَعِ لَنَا وَ الَّذِينَ يَفْرَحُونَ لِفَرَحِنَا وَ يَحْزَنُونَ لِحُزْنِنَا وَ يَخَافُونَ لِخَوْفِنَا وَ يَأْمَنُونَ إِذَا أَمِنَّا
He-asws said: ‘May Allah-azwj have Mercy on your tears. But, you are from those who are being counted as being the people of the sorrow for us-asws, and those who are happy at our-asws happiness and are grieving for our-asws grief, and are fearing for our-asws fear, and are feeling safe when we-asws are safe.
أَمَا إِنَّكَ سَتَرَى عِنْدَ مَوْتِكَ وَ حُضُورِ آبَائِي لَكَ وَ وَصِيَّتِهِمْ مَلَكَ الْمَوْتِ بِكَ وَ مَا يَلْقَوْنَكَ بِهِ مِنَ الْبِشَارَةِ مَا تَقَرُّ بِهِ عَيْنَكَ قَبْلَ الْمَوْتِ فَمَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ أَرَقُّ عَلَيْكَ وَ أَشَدُّ رَحْمَةً لَكَ مِنَ الْأُمِّ الشَّفِيقَةِ عَلَى وَلَدِهَا
As for you, you will be seeing during your death, and the presenting of my-asws forefathers-asws to you, and their-asws advising the Angel of death about you, and glad tidings of what you will be facing with and what your eyes will be getting delighted with before the death. So, the Angel of death will be kinder upon you and more intensely merciful to you than the compassionate (mother) upon her child’.
قَالَ ثُمَّ اسْتَعْبَرَ وَ اسْتَعْبَرْتُ مَعَهُ فَقَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي فَضَّلَنَا عَلَى خَلْقِهِ بِالرَّحْمَةِ وَ خَصَّنَا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ بِالرَّحْمَةِ
He (the narrator) said, ‘Then he-asws shed tears and I shed tears with him-asws. He-asws said: ‘The Praise is for Allah-azwj Who Merited us-asws over His-azwj creatures with the Mercy and Specialised us-asws, People-asws of the Household.
يَا مِسْمَعُ إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ وَ السَّمَاءَ لَتَبْكِي مُنْذُ قُتِلَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحْمَةً لَنَا وَ مَا بَكَى لَنَا مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَكْثَرُ وَ مَا رَقَأَتْ دُمُوعُ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُنْذُ قُتِلْنَا وَ مَا بَكَى أَحَدٌ رَحْمَةً لَنَا وَ لِمَا لَقِينَا إِلَّا رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ الدَّمْعَةُ مِنْ عَيْنِهِ فَإِذَا سَالَ دُمُوعُهُ عَلَى خَدِّهِ فَلَوْ أَنَّ قَطْرَةً مِنْ دُمُوعِهِ سَقَطَتْ فِي جَهَنَّمَ لَأَطْفَأَتْ حَرَّهَا حَتَّى لَا يُوجَدَ لَهَا حَرٌّ
O Misma’a! The earth and the sky have been crying since the killing of Amir Al-Momineen-asws as a Mercy for us-asws, and what the Angels are crying for us-asws is more, and whatever recurrence of the tears of the Angels since we-asws were killed, and whatever everyone cries is a mercy for us-asws, and what we-asws have faced, except it is a Mercy of Allah-azwj, before the emergence of the tears from his eyes. So when his tears do flow upon his cheeks, even if a single drop of his tears were to fall into Hell, it would extinguish its heat until there will not be found any heat being for it.
وَ إِنَّ الْمُوجَعَ قَلْبُهُ لَنَا لَيَفْرَحُ يَوْمَ يَرَانَا عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ فَرْحَةً- لَا تَزَالُ تِلْكَ الْفَرْحَةُ فِي قَلْبِهِ حَتَّى يَرِدَ عَلَيْنَا الْحَوْضَ وَ إِنَّ الْكَوْثَرَ لَيَفْرَحُ بِمُحِبِّنَا إِذَا وَرَدَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى إِنَّهُ لَيُذِيقُهُ مِنْ ضُرُوبِ الطَّعَامِ مَا لَا يَشْتَهِي أَنْ يَصْدُرَ عَنْهُ
And the pain of his heart for us, he would be happy on the day he sees us-asws during his death, with such a happiness, that happiness will not cease to be in his heart until he returned to us-asws at the Fountain, and that the Kawser will be joyful with the one loving us-asws when he returns to it, until it makes him takes from a variety of foods what he would not desire to be going away from him.
يَا مِسْمَعُ مَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ شَرْبَةً لَمْ يَظْمَأْ بَعْدَهَا أَبَداً وَ لَمْ يَشْقَ بَعْدَهَا أَبَداً وَ هُوَ فِي بَرْدِ الْكَافُورِ وَ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ وَ طَعْمِ الزَّنْجَبِيلِ أَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَلِ وَ أَلْيَنُ مِنَ الزُّبْدِ وَ أَصْفَى مِنَ الدَّمْعِ وَ أَذْكَى مِنَ الْعَنْبَرِ
O Misma’a! One who drinks a drink from it will not be thirsty after it, ever, and will not be distressed after it, ever, and he would be in the coolness of camphor, and aroma of musk, and taste of Al-Zanjabeel (which is) sweeter than the honey, and softer than the butter, and clearer than the tears, and purer than the ambergris.
يَخْرُجُ مِنْ تَسْنِيمٍ وَ يَمُرُّ بِأَنْهَارِ الْجِنَانِ تَجْرِي عَلَى رَضْرَاضِ الدُّرِّ وَ الْيَاقُوتِ فِيهِ مِنَ الْقِدْحَانِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ عَدَدِ نُجُومِ السَّمَاءِ يُوجَدُ رِيحُهُ مِنْ مَسِيرَةِ أَلْفِ عَامٍ قِدْحَانُهُ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَ الْفِضَّةِ وَ أَلْوَانِ الْجَوْهَرِ يَفُوحُ فِي وَجْهِ الشَّارِبِ مِنْهُ كُلَّ فَائِحَةٍ يَقُولُ الشَّارِبُ مِنْهُ لَيْتَنِي تُرِكْتُ هَاهُنَا لَا أَبْغِي بِهَذَا بَدَلًا وَ لَا عَنْهُ تَحْوِيلًا
He will come out from Tasneem and passed by rivers of the Gardens flowing upon gravel of gems and rubies from (number of) cups more than the number of stars of the sky. He will sense its aroma from a travel distance of a thousand years. Its cups are of gold and silver and a variety of gems. It would exude in the face of the drinker with every exuding. The drinker from it would say, ‘If only I could be left to be over here! I would neither seek any replacement with this nor any transfer away from it’.
أَمَا إِنَّكَ يَا كِرْدِينُ مِمَّنْ تَرْوَى مِنْهُ وَ مَا مِنْ عَيْنٍ بَكَتْ لَنَا إِلَّا نُعِّمَتْ بِالنَّظَرِ إِلَى الْكَوْثَرِ وَ سُقِيَتْ مِنْهُ مَنْ أَحَبَّنَا فَإِنَّ الشَّارِبَ مِنْهُ لَيُعْطَى مِنَ اللَّذَّةِ وَ الطَّعْمِ وَ الشَّهْوَةِ لَهُ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يُعْطَاهُ مَنْ هُوَ دُونَهُ فِي حُبِّنَا
As for you, O Kirdeyn, are from the one you will be seeing from it, and there is none from an eye crying for us-asws except it would be in bliss by looking at Al-Kawser. And the one loving us-asws would be quenched from it, would be given the pleasure, and the taste, and the desire for it, more than what he would be given, the one who is below him in loving us-asws.
وَ إِنَّ عَلَى الْكَوْثَرِ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع وَ فِي يَدِهِ عَصًا مِنْ عَوْسَجٍ يَحْطِمُ بِهَا أَعْدَاءَنَا فَيَقُولُ الرَّجُلُ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّي أَشْهَدُ الشَّهَادَتَيْنِ فَيَقُولُ انْطَلِقْ إِلَى إِمَامِكَ فُلَانٍ فَاسْأَلْهُ أَنْ يَشْفَعَ لَكَ فَيَقُولُ يَتَبَرَّأُ مِنِّي إِمَامِيَ الَّذِي تَذْكُرُهُ
And (in charge) upon Al-Kawser would be Amir Al-Momineen-asws, and in his-asws hand there would be a stick of boxthorn. He-asws will be repelling our-asws enemies with it. The man from them would be saying, ‘I testified the two testimonies!’ He-asws will say: ‘Go to your imam so and so, and ask him if he can intercede for you’. He would say, ‘My imam, the one you are mentioning, has disavowed from me’.
فَيَقُولُ ارْجِعْ وَرَاءَكَ فَقُلْ لِلَّذِي كُنْتَ تَتَوَلَّاهُ وَ تُقَدِّمُهُ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ فَاسْأَلْهُ إِذْ كَانَ عِنْدَكَ خَيْرُ الْخَلْقِ أَنْ يَشْفَعَ لَكَ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْخَلْقِ حَقِيقٌ أَنْ لَا يُرَدَّ إِذَا شَفَعَ فَيَقُولُ إِنِّي أَهْلِكُ عَطَشاً فَيَقُولُ زَادَكَ اللَّهُ ظَمَأً وَ زَادَكَ اللَّهُ عَطَشاً
He-asws will say: ‘Return behind you, and tell the one you used to befriend and forwarding him upon the creatures, and ask him, when there was a better creature in your presence to intercede for you, for the best of the creatures is real. He-asws does not reject when he-asws is called to intercede’. He would say, ‘I am dying of thirst!’ He-asws will say: ‘May Allah-azwj Increase your darkness and may Allah-azwj Increase your thirst!’
قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ وَ كَيْفَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى الدُّنُوِّ مِنَ الْحَوْضِ وَ لَمْ يَقْدِرْ عَلَيْهِ غَيْرُهُ
I said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you-asws! And how will he be able to go nearer to the Fountain and others would not be able upon it?’
قَالَ وَرِعَ عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ قَبِيحَةٍ وَ كَفَّ عَنْ شَتْمِنَا إِذَا ذَكَرَنَا وَ تَرَكَ أَشْيَاءَ اجْتَرَأَ عَلَيْهَا غَيْرُهُ وَ لَيْسَ ذَلِكَ لِحُبِّنَا وَ لَا لِهَوًى مِنْهُ وَ لَكِنْ ذَلِكَ لِشِدَّةِ اجْتِهَادِهِ فِي عِبَادَتِهِ وَ تَدَيُّنِهِ وَ لِمَا قَدْ شَغَلَ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِ النَّاسِ فَأَمَّا قَلْبُهُ فَمُنَافِقٌ وَ دِينُهُ النَّصْبُ بِاتِّبَاعِ أَهْلِ النَّصْبِ وَ وَلَايَةِ الْمَاضِينَ وَ تَقَدُّمِهِ لَهُمَا عَلَى كُلِّ أَحَدٍ.
He-asws said: ‘Abstaining from ugly things, and refraining from reviling us-asws, and leaving the things others were audacious upon, and that wasn’t due to his love for us-asws nor for any pleasure from it, but that was due to the intensity of his struggle in his worship his piety, and due to what he had pre-occupied himself with from mentioning the people. As for his heart, it is hypocritical, and his religion, it is the hostility by following the hostile people and the wilayah of the hostile ones (Nasibis), and his forwarding the two of them (Abu Bakr and Umar) over every one’’.[2]
– ما، الأمالي للشيخ الطوسي جَمَاعَةٌ عَنْ أَبِي الْمُفَضَّلِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَاسِينَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سَيِّدِي أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الرِّضَا ع بِسُرَّمَنْرَأَى يَقُولُ الْغَوْغَاءُ قَتَلَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَ الْعَامَّةُ اسْمٌ مُشْتَقٌ مِنَ الْعَمَى مَا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ أَنْ شَبَّهَهُمْ بِالْأَنْعَامِ حَتَّى قَالَ بَلْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا.
A group, from Abu Al Mufazzal, from Abdullah Bin Muhammad Bin Ubeydullah Bin Yaseen who said,
‘I hear my Master-asws Abu Al-Hassan Ali-asws Bin Muhammad-asws Bin Al-Reza-asws at Sur Man Rayy, saying: ‘The lowest of the people killed the Prophets-as, and the term ‘Al-Amma’ (general Muslims) is a name derived from ‘Al-Amma’ (the blind). Allah-azwj was not Pleased for them to be resembled with the animals until He-azwj Said: ‘But, they are more straying of the way [25:44]’’.[3]
[1] Bihar Al-Anwaar V 67 – The book of Eman and Kufr – Ch 42 H 12
[2] Bihar Al Awaar – V 44, The book of History – Al Hassanasws, Ch 34 H 31
[3] Bihar Al Anwaar – V 1, The book of intellect, and the knowledge, and the ignorance, S 2 Ch 2 H 17