The Followers
وَ رَأَيْتُ فِي كِتَابِ سُلَيْمِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ قَالَ أَبَانُ بْنُ أَبِي عَيَّاشٍ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ ع وَ عِنْدَهُ أَبُو الطُّفَيْلِ عَامِرُ بْنُ وَاثِلَةَ صَاحِبُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ كَانَ مِنْ خِيَارِ أَصْحَابِ عَلِيٍّ ع وَ لَقِيتُ عِنْدَهُ عُمَرَ بْنَ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ ابْنَ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ زَوْجَةِ النَّبِيِّ ص فَعَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ كِتَابَ سُلَيْمِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ
And in the book of Suleym Bin Qays Al-Hilali – Aban Bin Abu Ayyash said, ‘I entered to see Ali-asws Bin Al-Husayn-asws and in his-asws presence were Abu Al-Tufayl Aamir Bin Wasila, a companion of Rasool-Allah-saww, and he was from the good companions of Ali-asws, and I met Umar Bin Abu Salama in his-asws presence son of Umm Salama-ra wife of the Prophet-saww. I presented the book of Suleym Bin Qays to him-asws.
فَقَالَ لِي صَدَقَ سُلَيْمٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّهُ يَضِيقُ صَدْرِي بِبَعْضِ مَا فِيهِ لِأَنَّ فِيهِ هَلَاكَ أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ص رَأْساً مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَ الْأَنْصَارِ رَأْساً وَ التَّابِعِينَ غَيْرَكُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ شِيعَتِكُمْ
He-asws said to me, ‘Suleym spoke the truth, may Allah-azwj have Mercy on him’. I said to him-asws, ‘May I be sacrificed for you-asws! It has constricted my chest, part of what is in it, because in it is destruction of the community of Muhammad-saww, heads of the Emigrants, chiefs and ‘التَّابِعِينَ’ the followers, apart from you-asws People-asws of the Household and your-asws Shias’.
فَقَالَ يَا أَخَا عَبْدِ الْقَيْسِ أَ مَا بَلَغَكَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص قَالَ إِنَّ مَثَلَ أَهْلِ بَيْتِي كَمَثَلِ سَفِينَةِ نُوحٍ فِي قَوْمِهِ مَنْ رَكِبَهَا نَجَا وَ مَنْ تَخَلَّفَ عَنْهَا غَرِقَ وَ كَمَثَلِ بَابِ حِطَّةٍ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ مَنْ حَدَّثَكَ فَقُلْتُ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ مِائَةٍ مِنَ الْفُقَهَاءِ
He-asws said: ‘O brother of Abdul Qays! Has it not reached you that Rasool-Allah-saww said that an example of the People-asws of my-saww Household is like an example of the ship of Noah-as among his-as people. One who sails it is saved and one who stays behind from it drowns, and like an example of the door of Hitta among the children of Israel?’ I said, ‘Yes’. He-asws said: ‘Who narrated to you?’ I said, ‘I heard it from more than a hundred from the jurists’.
فَقَالَ مِمَّنْ فَقُلْتُ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ حُبَيْشِ بْنِ الْمُعْتَمِرِ وَ ذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَهُ مِنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ وَ هُوَ آخِذٌ بِحَلْقَةِ الْكَعْبَةِ يُنَادِي بِهِ نِدَاءً يَرْوِيهِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص
He-asws said: ‘From who?’ I said, ‘I heard it from Hubeysh Bin Al-Mo’tamar, and he mentioned that he had heard it from Abu Zarr-ra while he-ra had grabbed the knocker of the Kabah, calling out with it with a calling, reporting it from Rasool-Allah-saww’.
فَقَالَ وَ مِمَّنْ فَقُلْتُ وَ مِنَ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الْبَصْرِيِّ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ مِنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ وَ مِنَ الْمِقْدَادِ بْنِ الْأَسْوَدِ وَ مِنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ع
He-asws said: ‘And from whom?’ I said, ‘And from Al-Hassan Bin Abu Al-Hassan Al-Basry, he heard it from Abu Zarr-ra, and from Al-Miqdad Bin Al-Aswad-ra, and from Ali-asws Bin Abu Talib-asws’.
فَقَالَ وَ مِمَّنْ فَقُلْتُ وَ مِنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ وَ عَلْقَمَةَ بْنِ قَيْسٍ وَ أَبِي ظَبْيَانَ الْحُسَيْنِيِ وَ مِنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى كُلُّ هَؤُلَاءِ أَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَهُ مِنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ
He-asws said: ‘And from whom?’ I said, ‘And from Saeed Bin Al-Musayyab, and Alqamah Bin Qays, and Abu Zabyan Al-Husayni, and from Abdul Rahman Bin Abu Layli, each of them informed that he heard it from Abu Zarr-ra’.
قَالَ أَبُو الطُّفَيْلِ وَ عُمَرُ بْنُ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ وَ نَحْنُ وَ اللَّهِ سَمِعْنَاهُ مِنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ وَ سَمِعْنَاهُ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ ع وَ الْمِقْدَادِ وَ سَلْمَانَ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عُمَرُ بْنُ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ فَقَالَ وَ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ سَمِعْتُهُ مِمَّنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ كُلِّهِمْ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص سَمِعْتُهُ إِذْ نَادَى وَ وَعَاهُ قَلْبِي
Abu Al-Tufayl and Umar Bin Abu Salama said, ‘And we, by Allah-azwj, heard it from Abu Zarr-ra, and we heard it from Ali-asws, and Al-Miqdad-ra, and Salman-ra’. Then Umar Bin Abu Salama turned and said, ‘By Allah-azwj! I had heard it from the one who is better than all of them. I heard it from Rasool-Allah-saww. I heard it when he-saww called out and my heart retained it’.
فَأَقْبَلَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ ع فَقَالَ أَ وَ لَيْسَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ وَحْدَهُ يَنْتَظِمُ جَمِيعَ مَا أَفْظَعَكَ- وَ عَظُمَ فِي صَدْرِكَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْأَحَادِيثِ اتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَا أَخَا عَبْدِ الْقَيْسِ فَإِنْ وَضَحَ لَكَ أَمْرٌ فَاقْبَلْهُ وَ إِلَّا فَاسْكُتْ تَسْلَمْ وَ رُدَّ عِلْمَهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَوْسَعَ مِمَّا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَ الْأَرْضِ
Ali-asws Bin Al Husayn-asws turned and said: ‘Or isn’t this Hadeeth alone organising the entirety of what has constricted and is grievous in your chest from those Ahadeeth? Fear Allah-azwj, O brother of Abdul Qays! When a matter is clear to you, then accept it, or else be silent, submit and refer its knowledge to Allah-azwj, for you would be in leeway from what is between the sky and the earth’’.[1]
[1] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 23, The book of Imamate, P 1 Ch 7 H 52