سورة الحج

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrates from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The first successor of Allah upon the earth was the son of Adam (peace be upon him). Every prophet had a successor, and the number of prophets is 120,000, of whom five — namely Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) — are ulu al-'azm (of firm resolve).

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Allah the Mighty and Majestic created one hundred and twenty-four thousand prophets, and I am the most honored of them before Allah, and I do not boast of it; and Allah the Mighty and Majestic created one hundred and twenty-four thousand successors (awsiya), and Ali (peace be upon him) is the most honored and superior of all of them before Allah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ibn Abi Ya'fur said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) saying: "The chiefs of the prophets and messengers (peace be upon them) are five, and they are the Ulul-'Azm among the messengers, and the millstone of prophethood turns upon the axis of their existence: Nuh (peace be upon him), Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Musa (peace be upon him), Isa (peace be upon him), and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) — Allah's blessings be upon him and his household and upon all the prophets."

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I came into the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) while he was sitting alone in the mosque, and I took the seclusion with him as a prize"... I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! How many are the prophets?" He said: "One hundred and twenty-four thousand." I said: "How many of them are messengers (a prophet who has the mission of proclaiming and calling to his creed)?" He said: "Altogether they are three hundred and thirteen." I said: "Who was the first of the prophets?" He said: "Adam (peace be upon him)." I said: "Was he among the messengers?" He said: "Yes; Allah created him with His own [hand of power] and breathed into him from His spirit." Then he said: "O Abu Dharr! Four of the prophets are Syriac: Adam (peace be upon him), Shith (peace be upon him), Ukhnukh — who is Idris (peace be upon him) and is the first who wrote with the pen — and Nuh (peace be upon him); and four of the prophets are Arab: Hud (peace be upon him), Salih (peace be upon him), Shu'ayb (peace be upon him), and your prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family); and the first prophet from among Bani Isra'il was Musa (peace be upon him) and the last of them was Isa (peace be upon him), and [in between the two] there were six hundred prophets."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Imam Rida (peace be upon him) narrated from his forefathers: Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him) was in the Jami' Mosque of Kufa when a man from the people of Sham stood up and said: O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! I have several questions for you... and [one of his questions was that] he asked: "Who are the six prophets who have two names?" His Eminence said: "Yusha' ibn Nun (peace be upon him), whose [other name] is Dhul-Kifl; Ya'qub (peace be upon him), whose [other name] is Isra'il; al-Khidr (peace be upon him), whose [other name] is Armiya; Yunus (peace be upon him), whose [other name] is Dhul-Nun; Isa (peace be upon him), whose [other name] is al-Masih; and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), whose [other name] is Ahmad."... Another question he asked was: "Who are the five prophets who spoke in Arabic?" His Eminence said: "Hud (peace be upon him), Shu'ayb (peace be upon him), Salih (peace be upon him), Isma'il (peace be upon him), and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Zayd al-Shahham said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: "Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, chose Ibrahim (peace be upon him) for His servitude before He honoured him with [the rank of] prophethood, and He chose him as a prophet before granting him the station of messengership, and He made him His messenger before choosing him as His friend, and He chose him as His friend before appointing him as imam and leader [of the people]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whoever loves that one hundred and twenty-four thousand prophets (peace be upon them) shake hands with him should visit [the grave of] Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) on the night of the middle of Sha'ban, for [on such a night] the souls of the prophets (peace be upon them) seek permission from Allah to visit Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), and Allah [too] grants them permission.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Ibn Abbas recited the verse in this way: وَ ما أَرْسَلْنا مِنْ قَبْلِکَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَ لا نَبِیٍّ وَ لَا مُحَدَّثٍ [And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet or muhaddath (one spoken to by an angel)].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Burayd [ibn Mu'awiya] narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): I said to the Imam (peace be upon him): "May I be your ransom! We do not recite this verse as وَ ما أَرْسَلْنا مِنْ قَبْلِکَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَ لا نَبِیٍّ وَ لَا مُحَدَّثٍ [And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet or muhaddath]! Who is [meant by] the rasul (messenger), the nabi (prophet) and the muhaddath (one spoken to)?" The Imam said: "The rasul is the one to whom the angel [of revelation] appears and speaks to him; the nabi is the one who sees [the angel of revelation] in a dream; and sometimes [the stations of] prophethood and messengership are combined in a single person; and the muhaddath is the one who hears the voice [of the angel] but does not see his face." I said: "May Allah keep you well! How does he know that what he has seen in his dream is true and is from the angel?" The Imam said: "He is granted the ability [by Allah] for this so that he understands it; Allah has sealed the heavenly scriptures with your Book (the Quran) and sealed the [chain of] prophets (peace be upon them) with your Prophet."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurara ibn A'yan said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about this saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic [where He said]: "And he was a messenger and a [great] prophet." (Maryam/54): "Who is the rasul and who is the nabi?" The Imam said: "The nabi is the one who sees [the angel of revelation] in a dream and hears his voice, but does not see the angel with his eye [while awake]; and the rasul is the one who hears the voice and [sometimes] sees [the angel] in a dream and [sometimes] sees the angel with his eye [while awake]." I asked: "What is the rank of the imam?" He said: "He hears the voice, but neither sees the angel in a dream nor while awake." Then he recited this verse [thus]: وَ ما أَرْسَلْنا مِنْ قَبْلِکَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَ لا نَبِیٍّ وَ لَا مُحَدَّثٍ [And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet or muhaddath].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Ahwal (Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Nu'man) said: "I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about the rasul (messenger), the nabi (prophet) and the muhaddath (one spoken to)." The Imam said: "The rasul is the one to whom Jibra'il comes face to face, so he sees him and speaks with him; this is the rasul. As for the nabi, he is the one who sees in his sleep — like the dream of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), and like what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) used to see of the means and causes of prophethood before receiving revelation — until Jibra'il brought him the message from Allah. And when prophethood was gathered for Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and the message came to him from Allah, Jibra'il would convey the rulings of the message to him and speak with him face to face. Some of the prophets, who hold only the rank of prophethood, are in contact with Ruh al-Qudus in the world of dreams and speak with him, without seeing Ruh al-Qudus in wakefulness. As for the muhaddath, he is the one who is addressed [by the angel] and hears [its voice], but neither sees [the angel] in wakefulness nor in his sleep."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Ismail ibn Marrar said: Al-Hasan ibn al-Abbas al-Ma'rufi wrote a letter to Imam Rida (peace be upon him): "May I be your ransom! Inform me, what is the difference between a rasul (messenger), a nabi (prophet) and an imam?" The Imam wrote [in reply], or said [orally]: "The difference between a rasul, a nabi and an imam is this: the rasul is the one upon whom Jibra'il descends, and [while] he sees Jibra'il and hears his speech, revelation is sent down upon him; sometimes he may also see [the angel of revelation] in a dream, like the dream of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). The nabi is the one who sometimes hears the speech and sometimes sees the angel but does not hear a voice. And the imam is the one who hears the speech but does not see the angel."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Muslim said: "In the presence of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), mention was made of the muhaddath (one spoken to [by an angel]). The Imam said: 'The muhaddath is the one who hears the voice [of the angel] but does not see him.' I said: 'May I be your ransom! How does he know that it is the speech of an angel?' He said: 'Tranquillity of heart and composure are granted to him so that he realises it is the speech of an angel.'"

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Humran [ibn A'yan] said: Hakam ibn Uyayna narrated to us from Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) that he said: "The knowledge of Ali (peace be upon him) is in a verse of the Quran." But Hakam concealed that verse from us. Humran [continued]: "We (the Shi'a) used to hold gatherings and study the verses of the Quran, but we could not find that verse; until I came into the presence of Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and said: 'Hakam ibn Utayba narrated to us from Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) that the knowledge of Ali (peace be upon him) is in a verse of the Quran; but he concealed that verse from us.' Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: 'Humran, recite.' So I recited: وَ ما أَرْسَلْنا مِنْ قَبْلِکَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَ لا نَبِیٍّ [And We did not send before you any rasul or nabi]. Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) [then recited it thus]: وَ ما أَرْسَلْنا مِنْ قَبْلِکَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَ لا نَبِیٍّ وَ لا مُحَدَّثٍ [And We did not send before you any rasul, nor nabi, nor muhaddath]. I said: 'Was Ali (peace be upon him) a muhaddath?' He said: 'Yes.' I came to our companions and said: 'I have found what Hakam was concealing from us; Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: Ali (peace be upon him) was a muhaddath.' They said to me: 'You have done nothing! You should have asked who spoke with him.' After that, I came to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and said: 'Did you not tell me that Ali (peace be upon him) was a muhaddath?' He said: 'Yes, I said so.' I said: 'Who spoke with him?' He said: 'An angel spoke with him.' I said: 'Then shall I say that he was a nabi or a rasul?' He said: 'No, rather his case is like the case of the companion of Sulayman (peace be upon him) [Asaf ibn Barkhiya], the companion of Musa (peace be upon him) [Yusha ibn Nun], and Dhul-Qarnayn.'

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Hakam ibn Utaybah said: One day I came into the presence of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him). He said: "O Hakam! Do you know which verse it was by which Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) recognized his killer, and by which he came to know the great matters he used to tell people about?" I said to myself: "Truly I have come upon a piece of knowledge from the knowledge of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), by which I too shall be able to know great matters." So I said: "No, by Allah, I have no knowledge of it." Then I said: "O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Will you tell me that verse?" The Imam said: "By Allah, that verse is this word of Allah [in which He has said]: وَ مَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِکَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَ لَا نَبِیٍّ وَ لَا مُحَدَّثٍ [And We did not send before you any messenger, nor prophet, nor muhaddath (one spoken to by the angels)]; and Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) was a muhaddath." A man named Abdullah ibn Zayd, who was Imam Sajjad's (peace be upon him) brother from his mother's side (of course, what is meant is his milk-mother, meaning his mother had also suckled Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him)), said in a tone of denial: "Subhan Allah! Ali (peace be upon him) was a muhaddath?" At this Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) turned towards us and said: "By Allah! The son of your mother (Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him)) knew of that." When the Imam (peace be upon him) said this, that man fell silent. Then the Imam (peace be upon him) said: "This is the verse concerning which Abu al-Khattab (Muhammad ibn Miqlas, who believed that the Imams (peace be upon them) were prophets — for he had heard that they were muhaddath and imagined that every muhaddath is a prophet) fell into misguidance, and did not understand the true meaning of muhaddath and nabi."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Abi Ya'fur said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Was Ali (peace be upon him) such that [truths] were cast into his heart, or did they settle in his chest and ear?" The Imam said [in a veiled manner]: "Ali (peace be upon him) was a muhaddath." When I insisted [on getting an answer] from the Imam (peace be upon him), he said: "Ali (peace be upon him) is the one on the day of [the battle with] Banu Qurayzah and Banu Nadir, Jibra'il (peace be upon him) was on his right and Mika'il (peace be upon him) on his left, and they were speaking with him."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Ali ibn Ja'far al-Hadrami narrated from Sulaym ibn Qays al-Shami that he heard Imam Ali (peace be upon him) saying: "I and my successors from my descendants are all rightly-guided and muhaddath (spoken to by the angels)." Sulaym ibn Qays said: I asked, "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Who are your successors?" He said, "Hasan (peace be upon him) and Husayn (peace be upon him), then my son Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him)" — Sulaym said: on that day, Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) was still a suckling infant — "and after him eight Imams, one after the other. They are the ones by whom Allah has sworn, saying: وَ والِدٍ وَ ما وَلَدَ [And by the father and what he begot] (al-Balad/3). What is meant by 'the father' is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and what is meant by وَ ما وَلَدَ [and what he begot] is these successors (peace be upon them)." I asked, "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Is it possible for two Imams to hold the Imamate at one time?" He said, "No, unless one of them is silent and does not speak [as Imam] until the first passes away." Sulaym al-Shami said: I asked Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, "Was Ali (peace be upon him) muhaddath?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Do the angels speak to anyone other than the prophets?" He said, "Have you not read this verse: وَ مَا أرسَلنَا مِن قَبلِکَ مِن رَّسولٍ وَ لاَ نَبِیٍّ وَ لا مُحَدَّثٍ [And We did not send before you any messenger, nor prophet, nor muhaddath]?" I said, "So Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) was muhaddath?" He said, "Yes! And Fatimah (peace be upon her) was also muhaddathah, even though she was not a prophet."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "There has been no prophet or messenger except that he was commissioned to convey to the people our wilayah (guardianship) and our superiority — the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) — over others."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Imran said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) saying: "We are twelve Imams to whom the angel speaks."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): A zindiq (irreligious man) came to Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him) and said to him: "If there were no discrepancy and contradiction in the [verses of the] Qur'an, I would certainly convert to your religion!" His Eminence said to him: "Which discrepancy and contradiction?" He said: "... [One of the cases is that] Allah [on the one hand], in some verses, expresses the superiority of His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) [over other prophets (peace be upon them)], and [on the other hand], several times more than the verses in which He has praised His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), He addresses him in a way that causes his rebuke and diminishes his rank, and results in nothing but blame and reproach of him; and this while He has not addressed any other prophet in this way..." Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said [in reply to his questions]: "... As for the verses you said which indicate blame of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the diminishing of his rank and reproach of him, despite the fact that Allah in the Qur'an has given him superiority over other prophets (peace be upon them) [its answer is this]... Allah, through the verse: وَ ما أَرْسَلْنا مِنْ قَبْلِکَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَ لا نَبِیٍّ إِلاَّ إِذا تَمَنَّی أَلْقَی الشَّیْطانُ فی أُمْنِیَّتِهِ فَیَنْسَخُ اللهُ ما یُلْقِی الشَّیْطانُ ثُمَّ یُحْکِمُ اللهُ آیاتِهِ [And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet, but when he desired, Satan cast into his desire; but Allah annuls what Satan casts, then Allah establishes His verses], expresses to him what the enemies of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) will produce after him in the Qur'an [as interpretation and exegesis]; the meaning of the verse is that there has been no prophet who wished to be freed from the pain and hardship he endures from the hypocrisy and disobedience of his people and to migrate to the abode of eternity, except that Satan, who has continuously expressed his enmity [with that prophet], after the passing of that prophet enters [verses indicating] censure, blame and slander of him into the Book that was revealed upon that prophet; but Allah wipes those satanic insinuations from the hearts of the believers, and as a result the hearts of the believers do not accept those insinuations, and none but the hearts of the hypocrites and the ignorant will listen to them; and Allah makes His verses firm and steadfast, in that He protects His beloved ones against misguidance, hostility and association with the disbelievers and transgressors, the very disbelievers and transgressors whom Allah has not even been pleased to place on a par with cattle, and has said: Rather, they are more misguided than cattle. (Furqan/44) So grasp this truth and act according to it."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): ثُمَّ یُحْکِمُ اللهُ آیاتِهِ [Then Allah establishes His verses]; meaning Allah will help Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him).