Introduction
Why did the overwhelming majority of Hadith narrators and learned scholars in the Imami community, many sincere individuals among them, prominent even before the beginning of the ghayba (occultation), coalesce around the belief in the existence of a hidden Imam whom they had not personally seen?
It is this faction, after all, which became the overwhelmingly dominant one in the community, with all alternative splinters dying out relatively soon.
There are many factors which can be considered, however, the role of ‘extraordinary’ encounters and occurrences connected with the nāḥiya, the network of men representing and working for the hidden Imam during the minor occultation, should not be overlooked.
Consider the case of Abū Ghālib al-Zurārī (b. 285, d. 368) who hailed from a very prominent household (i.e. the Bayt Aʿyan) to which the famous companion of al-Bāqir and al-Ṣādiq called Zurāra belonged.
Abū Ghālib al-Zurārī’s life spanned most of the minor occultation, with al-Ṭūsī (d. 460) describing him as:
شيخ أصحابنا في عصره، وأستاذهم، وثقتهم، وفقيههم، ونقيبهم، وبقيتهم، وصنف كتبا، منها: كتاب التاريخ، ولم يتمه، وقد خرج منه نحو ألف ورقة …
“The shaykh of our fellows in his time, their teacher,[1] their thiqa, their faqīh, their chief, their remnant. He authored numerous works. Among them: Kitāb al-Taʾrīkh which he did not finish, about a thousand pages of it are available …”[2]
Abū Ghālib al-Zurārī narrates the following autobiographical account from the early part of his life which survives in three different transmissions in al-Ṭūsī’s (d. 460) Kitāb al-Ghayba:
A. The Transmission of Ibn ʿAyyāsh[3] (d. 401)
Ṭūsī would have copied this account from the now-lost work of Ibn ʿAyyāsh called Akhbār Wukalāʾ al-Aʾimma al-Arbaʿa (‘The Reports Concerning the Four Agents’). Ibn ʿAyyāsh heard it from Abū Ghālib al-Zurārī directly.
[Abū Ghālib said:] I came up (to Baghdad) from Kufa as a young man in one of my trips and with me was a man from our brothers. [Ibn ʿAyyāsh forgot his name]. This was in the incumbency of the shaykh Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥusayn b. Rūḥ (i.e. the third safīr), when he had gone into hiding and had appointed Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, famously known as al-Shalmaghānī, (to deputize for him).
He (i.e. Shalmaghānī) was upright at the time, there had not manifested from him what later manifested of kufr (apostasy) and ilḥād (heresy), and the people would approach him and meet him, because he was the associate of the shaykh Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥusayn b. Rūḥ and a safīr between them (i.e. the people) and him (i.e. al-Ḥusayn) in their needs and requirements.
My companion asked me: “Do you wish to meet Abū Jaʿfar (i.e. Shalmaghānī) and to renew your pledge (of allegiance)? As he is the one appointed for this ṭāʾifa (sect) currently and I want to ask him to write to the nāḥiya with a request for supplication”
I responded (saying): “Yes”
So we entered in his (i.e. Shalmaghani’s) presence and found a group of our fellows with him. We greeted him and sat down. He turned towards my companion and asked: “Who is this young man with you?” He replied: “A man from the household of Zurāra b. Aʿyan” He turned to me and asked: “How are you connected to Zurāra?” I replied: “O my master, I am a descendant of Bukayr b. Aʿyan, the brother of Zurāra” He exclaimed: “An honourable household with a great status in this order!”
Then my companion faced him and asked: “O our master, I wish to write regarding a request for supplication”
He responded: “Yes”
When I heard this I thought to ask for the same, and I thought in my heart of that which I had not disclosed to anyone from among the creatures of Allah, which is, the attitude of the mother of my son Abū al-ʿAbbās, for she (i.e. my wife) was very obstinate and quick to get angry at me, whereas I held her in esteem, so I said to myself: “I will request for supplication regarding a matter that is important to me but will not name it”
I said: “May Allah lengthen the life of our master, and I too have a request for something”
He said: “What is that?”
I said: “Supplication for me so as to get relief in a matter that is important to me”
So he took a scroll which was in front of him, and in which he had recorded the request of the (other) man, and wrote: “al-Zurārī requests supplication for him in a matter that is important to him”, then he folded it (i.e. the scroll), and we stood and left.
My companion said to me after a few days had passed: “Shouldn’t we return to Abi Jaʿfar and inquire about our requests which we had asked for?” So I went with him and we entered.
We had just sat in his presence when he brought out the scroll and in it were numerous petitions with the relevant responses interspersed (within the text). Then he (i.e. Shalmaghānī) turned towards my companion and read out to him the response for what he had requested, then he turned to me and read out: “As for al-Zurārī and the situation between husband and wife then may Allah reconcile the differences between them”
I was overcome by great astonishment. We stood up and left. He (i.e. my companion) said to me: “This matter has astonished you?” I said: “I am astonished by it!” He said: “How come?” I said: “Because it is a secret that no one knew of except myself and Allah, the exalted, but he has informed me of it!” He said: “Did you possess doubts regarding the nāḥiya? Relate the story to me this moment!” I related it to him and he too was astonished by it.
Then it was decreed that we return to Kufa and I entered my house. The mother of Abū al-ʿAbbās had been angry at me and residing in her family’s house, but she came back to me, mollified me, apologized, reconciled with me, and did not oppose me thereafter till death did us part.[4]
B. The Transmission of Abū al-Faraj Muḥammad b. al-Muẓaffar[5] (d. n/a)
Al-Ṭūsī copied this account from a written transcript which Abū Ghālib al-Zurārī dictated to a number of his students, including Abū al-Faraj Muḥammad b. al-Muẓaffar, on Sunday, the 5th of Dhū-l-Qaʿda 356, at Abū Ghālib’s home in Suwayqa Ghālib, Baghdad.
[Abū Ghālib said:] I married the mother of my son, and she was the first woman I ever married, when I was still young, not yet 20 years old. I consummated the marriage in the house of her father, and she remained in her father’s house for a number of years, even though I was pleading with them to shift her to my house but they would not agree to that.
She conceived during this time and gave birth to a daughter who lived only for a short duration before dying. I could not attend her birth or her funeral. I did not even get to see her from the moment she was born until she died, because of the dispute that was between myself and them.
Then we came to a settlement that they would transfer her to my house. So I entered their house (with this expectation) but they resisted handing over the woman to me. It was destined for the woman to conceive in spite of the situation being what it was. I demanded them to transfer her to my house as per our agreement but they refused doing that, so the dispute between us reignited and I left them. She gave birth to a daughter while I was away, and we remained in a state of ill-will and conflict for a number of years during which I could not take her.
Then I entered Baghdad. The ṣāḥib (i.e. agent) for Kufa in those times was Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-Zajūzajī, may Allah have mercy on him, and he was like an uncle or a father to me. I took up residence at his place in Baghdad and complained to him about what I was going through with regards the dispute between myself and my wife and the in-laws. He said to me: “You will write a small petition note requesting for supplication in it”
I wrote a note in which I described my condition and what I was going through with regards the opposition of the group towards me and their refusal to transfer the woman to my house. Abū Jaʿfar (i.e. al-Zajūzajī) and I took it (i.e. the note) to Muḥammad b. ʿAlī (i.e. Shalmaghānī), and he was the wāsiṭa (intermediary) between us and al-Ḥusayn b. Rūḥ, may Allah be pleased with him, who was the wakīl (i.e. chief agent) at the time. We handed it to him and asked him to deliver it. He took it from me.
The response delayed for a number of days, so I met up with him (i.e. Shalmaghānī) and said: “The delay in response has disappointed me!” He said to me: “Do not let this disappoint you for this (i.e. delay) is better for both you and me” and intimated to me that when the response hastens it is from al-Ḥusayn b. Rūḥ, may Allah be pleased with him, and when it delays it is from the ṣāḥib (i.e. the hidden Imam). I left.
Sometime after that, and I do not recall the exact duration, except that it was not too long thereafter, Abū Jaʿfar al-Zajūzajī, may Allah have mercy on him, sent for me. I went to him. He took out a fragment from a document and said to me: “This is the answer to your petition, so if you wish to copy it then do so and return it to me” I read it and found written in it: “The husband and the wife, may Allah reconcile the differences between them” I copied the script and returned the fragment to him.
We entered Kufa and Allah made it easy for me to transfer the woman with the least bit of effort! She lived with me for many years and we got many children together. I used to vex her and burden her with all that which women cannot stand but there did not occur between us any harsh word, nor with anyone from her family, until the passage of time parted us.[6]
C. The Transmission of Ibn Nūḥ (d. ca. 415-425)[7]
Ṭūsī would have copied this account exactly as it was found in the now-lost work of Ibn Nūḥ called Akhbār al-Abwāb (‘The Reports Concerning the Gates to the Imam’).[8] Note how Ibn Nūḥ’s personal comment is interjected immediately after the report with no prior announcement. This must also have been the last report in a chapter of Ibn Nūḥ’s book (or perhaps, the last report overall) since Ibn Nūḥ ends his comment with praise and ṣalawāt, which normally demarcated endings in written works. Ibn Nūḥ heard the account from Abū Ghālib directly, but also consulted others who attended the session since as he admits he had not written it down and it was a paraphrase as opposed to verbatim.
[Abū Ghālib said:] There used to occur much argumentation and quarreling between myself and the mother of Abū al-ʿAbbās [meaning his son] such that there seemed to be no hope of conciliation. This escalated and increased to such an extent that I got fed up and wrote at the hand of Abū Jaʿfar requesting for supplication (on my behalf).
The response delayed for a time. Then Abū Jaʿfar met up with me and said: “The response to your request has arrived” I went to him and he brought out a scroll which he kept unrolling until he showed me a section of it in which was written: “As for the husband and wife then may Allah bring about a reconciliation between them”
She remained steadfast (in obedience to me) from then on. There did not occur between us, after that, what used to occur before. I would even deliberately provoke her at times but this would not evoke any reaction from her.
[This is the gist of Abi Ghalib’s words or close to it]
[Ibn Nūḥ said:] I used to think that he (i.e. Abū Ghālib) had written at the hand of Abū Jaʿfar b. Abī al-ʿAzāqir before his fall from grace and excommunication, as per what Ibn ʿAyyāsh transmitted.
Until one of those who heard this account (from Abū Ghālib) with me informed me that he (i.e. Abū Ghālib) meant Abū Jaʿfar al-Zajūzajī, may Allah be pleased with him, and that the letter was written from Kufa.
That (i.e. my prior misunderstanding) was because Abū Ghālib had said to us: “We used to meet with Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥusayn b. Rūḥ, may Allah be pleased with him, before the matter (i.e. his going into hiding) was decreed for him, then we began meeting Abū Jaʿfar b. al-Shalmaghānī and ceased meeting him (i.e. Ibn Rūḥ)”
He (i.e. Abū Ghālib) narrated these two accounts to us by way of mudhākara (informal conversation). I did not write them down at the time while others (who attended the session) did. However, he used to recount them both and narrate them (formally) frequently, such that I heard them from him an uncountable number of times!
All praise and thanks belong to Allah, and peace and blessings of Allah upon Muḥammad and his family![10]
Commentary
It is evident from the number of times Abū Ghālib would repeat this anecdote (as per Ibn Nūḥ) that it was a source of great solace for his faith in the hidden Imam. He attributed the instantaneous sea-change which he observed in his wife and in-law’s attitude to the supplication of the Imam on his behalf. He even, somewhat childishly, tested the efficacy of this change by deliberately provoking his wife as he admits!
It was this continued faith in the existence of the hidden Imam of such trusted and prominent scholars as Abū Ghālib and his ilk that in turn enhanced the faith of their students and the masses in those difficult times, which perhaps explains why the Imam would grant such ‘signs’ to a select number of them.
I must also draw the attention of the reader to an important point. This particular correspondence is representative of numerous others that we come across in this genre (‘written petition to the Imam’). What our early predecessors requested from the hidden Imam was not his direct assistance as has become common in our age (e.g. ‘O Imam, please make my wife reconcile with me’), rather, what we find is a request for the Imam to supplicate on their behalf, with the Imam responding in this case ‘May Allah reconcile …’
Analyzing the Transmissions
A careful reader may have noticed a significant discrepancy[11] between the respective transmissions of Ibn ʿAyyāsh and Abū al-Faraj which I have personally not seen any scholar highlighting before.
Ibn ʿAyyāsh has Abū Ghālib withholding the exact problem he was requesting supplication for, with the eventual identification of the problem in the Imam’s response eliciting a response of great ‘amazement’ which is given as the crux of the ‘miracle’.
This important detail is not found in Abū al-Faraj which has Abū Ghālib describing the problem in his petition and the ‘miracle’ lying in the efficacy of the Imam’s supplication.
Is it possible that Abū Ghālib, formally dictating this account in the year 356 (he would be 71 years old at the time), had forgotten to include the dramatic high-point of his story? The events described likely happened between the years 306 to 311,[12] which means that Abū Ghālib was recounting something that had occurred 40 to 50 years ago. Studies show that the human memory is particularly fragile, but we also tend to remember what is more emotively compelling and I cannot fathom how Abū Ghālib would leave this out in his dictation!
We must also keep in mind what Ṭūsī noted in Ibn ʿAyyāsh’s entry:
كان سمع الحديث وأكثر، واختل في آخر عمره
He heard Hadith and became prolific in it. He became ‘unbalanced’ in the last part of his life[13]
This ‘unbalance’ is likely a reference to his adoption of certain beliefs in exaggerating the status of the Imams that were considered unsound.
This is confirmed when we note that Najāshī reproduces Ṭūsī’s sentence but uses a synonym ‘iḍṭirāb’ which is commonly associated with issues in madhhab i.e. ghuluww:
كان سمع الحديث وأكثر، واضطرب في اخر عمره
He heard Hadith and became prolific in it. He became ‘confused’ in the last part of his life[14]
It is for this reason that our early scholars, who were serious about the authenticity of Hadith, and understood intimately how individuals dabbling in ghuluww were compromised in their reporting, boycotted their reports.
Najāshī continues:
رأيت هذا الشيخ، وكان صديقا لي ولوالدي، وسمعت منه شيئا كثيرا، ورأيت شيوخنا يضعفونه، فلم أرو عنه شيئا وتجنبته، وكان من أهل العلم والادب القوي وطيب الشعر وحسن الخط، رحمه الله وسامحه
I saw this shaykh and he was a friend of mine and of my father’s. I heard a lot of things (i.e. ḥadīth) from him. Then I saw our shuyūkh weakening him. So I did not transmit anything on his authority and I avoided him. He was among the people of knowledge, strong in adab (literary skills), good at poetry, having a fine handwriting. May Allah have mercy on him and forgive him[15]
Even though Najāshī, who encountered Ibn ʿAyyāsh in his youth, had not personally seen anything problematic with Ibn ʿAyyāsh himself, he was right to heed the directive of his more world-weary seniors.
As the learned Tustarī comments:
أحسن النجاشي في تجنّبه عن الرواية عنه؛ و قد روى الشيخ في مصباحه عنه في أدعية شهر رجب دعاء «اللهم إنّى أسألك بمعاني جميع ما يدعوك به ولاة أمرك» و هو دعاء مختلّ الألفاظ و المعاني، و فيه فقرة منكرة «لا فرق بينك و بينها إلاّ أنّهم عبادك»
Najāshī did well in avoiding to narrate from him! The shaykh (i.e. Ṭūsī) narrated from him (i.e. Ibn ʿAyyāsh) in his Miṣbāḥ, in the section on the supplications for the month of Rajab, the supplication which begins: “allāhumma innī asʾaluka bi-maʿānī jamīʿi mā yadʿūka bihi wulat amrika …” and it is a supplication that is ‘unbalanced’ in terminology and meaning. In it is a statement which is munkar (objectionable): “there is no difference between you (i.e. Allah) and them (i.e. your signs = the Imams) except that they are your servants …”[16]
This means that Ibn ʿAyyāsh would not be above tampering with the account he received from Abū Ghālib to make it punchier.
The ‘written’ transmission of Abū al-Faraj, who wrote it down under dictation of Abū Ghālib himself, should therefore be given precedence over the ‘oral’ transmission of Ibn ʿAyyāsh which falls under suspicion.
What further speaks to the authenticity of Abū al-Faraj’s transmission is that it aligns with the briefer account of Ibn Nūḥ; fills in missing details e.g. the ‘companion’ whose name Ibn ʿAyyāsh forgot is identified as Abu Jaʿfar al-Zajūzajī, an important figure who was the head of the nāḥiya in Kufa; and is more detailed as to points that would matter to Abū Ghālib, such as the exact chronology of his disagreement with his wife and in-laws, how many children were born in the interim etc., but which would be irrelevant to a potential fabricator.
Ibn ʿAyyāsh has Abū Ghālib describe his first interaction with the infamous Shalmaghānī (a figure who requires a separate lengthy analysis) in detail, something which is missing in Abū al-Faraj’s transmission. There is no reason to suspect Ibn ʿAyyāsh for this necessarily. Abū Ghālib may once have expanded on this point when relaying the account to Ibn ʿAyyāsh, but it would be natural for Abū Ghālib to wish to elide over his deferential interaction with Shalmaghānī in his formal dictation of the account, seeing as Shalmaghānī had become the proverbial ‘black sheep’ of the community whose name is worthy of being blotted out.
The fact that Shalmaghānī is mentioned in both transmissions actually lends authenticity to Abū Ghālib’s core account per the ‘criterion of embarrassment’ well-established in Biblical studies, since this is a detail which a fabricator making up the account out of thin air would not have included considering the unanimously negative reputation that Shalmaghānī came to have.
Finally, it becomes clear why Ibn Nūḥ was held in such high regard by his student Najāshī who calls his teacher ‘mutqin (highly accurate) in what he transmits’. Here we get a glimpse of a proper muḥaddith at work: He states clearly that his account is a precis of Abū Ghālib’s account as opposed to something reproduced verbatim; He reiterates that it was by way of mudhākara as opposed to a formal transmission; He has put some thought in attempting to solve puzzling issues within the account, such as the identity of Abū Jaʿfar, as opposed to passively passing it down; He is aware of Ibn ʿAyyāsh’s report and compares it to his own recollection; He explains his own thinking in identifying Abū Jaʿfar as Shalmaghānī at first before noting what his fellow student had told him which he deems a sufficient correction.
Alas, Ibn Nūḥ was not in possession of Abū al-Faraj’s written note, and I have the honour of correcting the correction: Ibn Nūḥ’s first hunch was correct. Abū Ghālib had written the petition at the hand of Abu Jaʿfar al-Shalmaghānī who acted as the go-between between him and the safīr. Albeit the idea that a petition should be written came from Abu Jaʿfar al- Zajūzajī. His interlocutor is wrong in believing that the petition was written from Kufa. Rather Abū Ghālib had met up with the Kufan Abu Jaʿfar al-Zajūzajī in Baghdad where they had proceeded to go to Abu Jaʿfar al-Shalmaghānī together.
The problem is the shared kunya between these two figures who both occur in the account leading to confusion.
His interlocutor is correct only in so far as the second Abu Jaʿfar at whose hand Abū Ghālib accessed the response was al-Zajūzajī. It makes sense that Shalmaghānī would have handed over all the responses to do with Kufa to this principal agent from Kufa.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that such encounters and occurrences did have a role to play in strengthening the faith of many among the community. But this should not be taken to be the principal reason to believe, which in my opinion was the existence of reports from books pre-dating the ghayba which scholars could point to as prophecies which came to be fulfilled, as I hope to document at some point in the future, God-willing.
Footnotes
[1] The famous Imami scholar, al-Mufīd (d. 413), was just one of Abū Ghālib’s numerous students.
[2] Fihrist al-Ṭūsī, pp. 77-78, n. 94 (https://lib.eshia.ir/14010/1/78).
[3] Ṭūsī describes Abū ʿAbdallāh Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ʿUbaydallāh b. al-Ḥasan b. ʿAyyāsh b. Ibrāhīm b. Ayyūb as a prolific narrator of Hadith from a prominent Baghdadi family. His mother, Sakīna bt. al-Ḥusayn b. Yūsuf, was the niece of the famous qāḍī of Baghdad: Abī ʿUmar Muḥammad b. Yūsuf (d. 320), a descendant of the famous Basran proto-Sunni Hadith narrator Ḥammād b. Zayd (d. 177). See Fihrist al-Ṭūsī, pp. 79-80, n. 99 (https://lib.eshia.ir/14010/1/79); Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, v. 14, p. 555, n. 319 (https://shamela.ws/book/10906/9260).
[4] Al-Ghayba, pp. 302-304 (https://lib.eshia.ir/15084/1/302).
[5] Abū al-Faraj Muḥammad b. al-Muẓaffar b. Nafīs al-Miṣrī is not mentioned in the books of rijāl, but a study of the chains reveals that he is a shaykh of al-Ṣadūq who refers to him as al-faqīh (‘the jurist) in the chain of one report. See Kamāl al-Dīn wa Tamām al-Niʿma, v. 2, pp. 519-520, n. 48 (https://lib.eshia.ir/27045/2/519). Al-Ṣadūq also sends taraḥḥum on him in the chain of another report. See ʿIlal al-Sharāʿi, v. 1, p. 145, n. 12 (https://lib.eshia.ir/10107/1/145).
[6] Al-Ghayba, pp. 304-306 (https://lib.eshia.ir/15084/1/304).
[7] Aḥmad b. ʿAlī (b. Muḥammad b. Aḥmad) b. al-ʿAbbās b. Nūḥ al-Sīrāfī is described by Najāshi as being a faqīh “who possessed insight in ḥadīth and riwāya”. The latter continues: “He was our ustādh (teacher), shaykh, and among those from whom we benefitted” See Rijāl al-Najāshī, pp. 86-87, n. 209 (https://lib.eshia.ir/14028/1/86).
[8] Al-Ṭūsī had written in his Fihrist that all of Ibn Nūḥ’s works (including the book entitled Akhbār al-Abwāb) were in draft form, not published (i.e. transmitted to students), since he could not access them. He also bemoans the fact that Ibn Nūḥ had died recently in Basra and that he could not meet him. See Fihrist al-Ṭūsī, pp. 84-85, n. 117 (https://lib.eshia.ir/14010/1/84). But Ṭūsī was mistaken, for Ibn Nūḥ had indeed published his books. For instance, Najāshī, who was Ibn Nūḥ’s student, did have access to the latter’s books. Ṭūsī himself must have later obtained Akhbār al-Abwāb as there are numerous instances (apart from the report under discussion) in his Ghayba where Ṭūsī quotes Ibn Nūḥ directly by stating “Ibn Nūḥ said: …” for e.g. Al-Ghayba, p. 307 (https://lib.eshia.ir/15084/1/307). Such quotations are clearly taken from Ibn Nūḥ’s book: Akhbār al-Abwāb. This must mean that Ṭūsī forgot to update his entry on Ibn Nūḥ in the Fihrist. Note that such direct citations do not mean that he obtained the book by wijāda, for there are numerous other instances where Ṭūsī does give the name of his sole intermediary to Ibn Nūḥ. See for e.g. Al-Ghayba, p. 371 (https://lib.eshia.ir/15084/1/371); ibid, p. 386 (https://lib.eshia.ir/15084/1/386); ibid, p. 401 (https://lib.eshia.ir/15084/1/401); ibid, p. 408 (https://lib.eshia.ir/15084/1/408). This intermediary is one al-Ḥusayn b. Ibrāhīm al-Qummī. See Al-Ghayba, p. 367 (https://lib.eshia.ir/15084/1/367) for the nisba. We infer from this that al-Ḥusayn must have given Ṭūsī an ijāza to this particular book. ʿAllāma Ḥillī lists al-Ḥusayn among the teachers of Ṭūsī in his ijāza to the Banī Zuhra. See Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 104, pp. 136-137 (https://lib.eshia.ir/71860/104/137). Shaykh Ḥurr labels him fāḍil (meritorious) and jalīl (eminent). See Amal al-Āmil, v. 2, p. 86, n. 227 (https://lib.eshia.ir/14013/2/86).
[9] The other account Ibn Nūḥ is referring to has to do with a separate correspondence that Abū Ghālib had with the nāḥiya before being taken captive by bandits. See Al-Ghayba, pp. 306-307 (https://lib.eshia.ir/15084/1/306). I have not translated this account.
[10] Al-Ghayba, pp. 323-324 (https://lib.eshia.ir/15084/1/323).
[11] There are other minor discrepancies. Ibn ʿAyyāsh has Abū Ghālib receiving the response directly from Shalmaghānī, whereas Abū al-Faraj has him receive it at the hand of Abū Jaʿfar al-Zajūzajī.
[12] The third safīr likely had to go underground between the years 306-311 in the tenure of the vizier Ḥāmid b. al-ʿAbbās (d. 311) who was more inimical to the Shia, which is when Shalmaghānī would have deputized for him. Shalmaghānī was excommunicated in 312.
[13] Fihrist al-Ṭūsī, p. 79, n. 99 (https://lib.eshia.ir/14010/1/79).
[14] Rijāl al-Najāshī, p. 85, n. 207 (https://lib.eshia.ir/14028/1/85).
[15] Rijāl al-Najāshī, p. 86, n. 207 (https://lib.eshia.ir/14028/1/86).
[16] Qāmūs al-Rijāl, v. 1, p. 623 (https://lib.eshia.ir/10508/1/623). Ibn ʿAyyāsh narrates the supplication via one obscure intermediary and introduces it as follows: “From among that which issued at the hand of the grand shaykh Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad b. ʿUthmān b. Saʿīd (al-Amrī) (i.e. the second safīr), may Allah be pleased with him, from the holy nāḥiya is …” See Miṣbāḥ al-Mutahajjid, pp. 803-804 (https://lib.eshia.ir/10267/1/803). I say: Ibn ʿAyyāsh also authored a work called Akhbār Jābir al-Juʿfī which judging by the title would be another source of takhlīṭ (problematic material).
Arabic Transcripts of the three Transmissions
[ا]
حكاية أَبُو غَالِب الزُّرَارِيِّ من كتاب اخبار وکلاء الأئمة الأربعة لإبن عيّاش الجوهري
أَخْبَرَنِي جَمَاعَةٌ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَيَّاشٍ عَنْ أَبِي غَالِبٍ الزُّرَارِيِّ قَالَ: قَدِمْتُ مِنَ الْكُوفَةِ وَأَنَا شَابٌّ إِحْدَى قَدَمَاتِي وَمَعِي رَجُلٌ مِنْ إِخْوَانِنَا قَدْ ذَهَبَ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ اسْمُهُ وَذَلِكَ فِي أَيَّامِ الشَّيْخِ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ رَوْحٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَاسْتِتَارِهِ وَنَصْبِهِ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ الْمَعْرُوفَ بِالشَّلْمَغَانِيِّ وَكَانَ مُسْتَقِيماً لَمْ يَظْهَرْ مِنْهُ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهُ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ وَالْإِلْحَادِ وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَقْصِدُونَهُ وَيَلْقَوْنَهُ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ صَاحِبَ الشَّيْخِ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ رَوْحٍ سَفِيراً بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَهُ فِي حَوَائِجِهِمْ وَمُهِمَّاتِهِمْ. فَقَالَ لِي صَاحِبِي: هَلْ لَكَ أَنْ تَلْقَى أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ وَتُحْدِثَ بِهِ عَهْداً فَإِنَّهُ الْمَنْصُوبُ الْيَوْمَ لِهَذِهِ الطَّائِفَةِ؟ فَإِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ شَيْئاً مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ يَكْتُبُ بِهِ إِلَى النَّاحِيَةِ. قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: نَعَمْ. فَدَخَلْنَا إِلَيْهِ فَرَأَيْنَا عِنْدَهُ جَمَاعَةً مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا فَسَلَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَجَلَسْنَا فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَى صَاحِبِي فَقَالَ: مَنْ هَذَا الْفَتَى مَعَكَ؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ آلِ زُرَارَةَ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ. فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ: مِنْ أَيِّ زُرَارَةَ أَنْتَ؟ فَقُلْتُ: يَا سَيِّدِي أَنَا مِنْ وُلْدِ بُكَيْرِ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ أَخِي زُرَارَةَ. فَقَالَ: أَهْلُ بَيْتٍ جَلِيلٍ عَظِيمِ الْقَدْرِ فِي هَذَا الْأَمْرِ. فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِ صَاحِبِي فَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا سَيِّدَنَا أُرِيدُ الْمُكَاتَبَةَ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ؟ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: فَلَمَّا سَمِعْتُ هَذَا اعْتَقَدْتُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَ أَنَا أَيْضاً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ وَكُنْتُ اعْتَقَدْتُ فِي نَفْسِي مَا لَمْ أُبْدِهِ لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ حَالَ وَالِدَةِ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ ابْنِي وَكَانَتْ كَثِيرَةَ الْخِلَافِ وَ الْغَضَبِ عَلَيَّ وَ كَانَتْ مِنِّي بِمَنْزِلَةٍ فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي أَسْأَلُ الدُّعَاءَ لِي فِي أَمْرٍ قَدْ أَهَمَّنِي وَ لَا أُسَمِّيهِ فَقُلْتُ: أَطَالَ اللَّهُ بَقَاءَ سَيِّدِنَا وَ أَنَا أَسْأَلُ حَاجَة.ً قَالَ: وَمَا هِيَ؟ قُلْتُ: الدُّعَاءَ لِي بِالْفَرَجِ مِنْ أَمْرٍ قَدْ أَهَمَّنِي. قَالَ: فَأَخَذَ دَرْجاً بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ كَانَ أَثْبَتَ فِيهِ حَاجَةَ الرَّجُلِ فَكَتَبَ: وَالزُّرَارِيُّ يَسْأَلُ الدُّعَاءَ لَهُ فِي أَمْرٍ قَدْ أَهَمَّهُ. قَالَ: ثُمَّ طَوَاهُ فَقُمْنَا وَانْصَرَفْنَا. فَلَمَّا كَانَ بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ قَالَ لِي صَاحِبِي: أَلَا نَعُودُ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ فَنَسْأَلَهُ عَنْ حَوَائِجِنَا الَّتِي كُنَّا سَأَلْنَاهُ؟ فَمَضَيْتُ مَعَهُ وَ دَخَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ فَحِينَ جَلَسْنَا عِنْدَهُ أَخْرَجَ الدَّرْجَ وَ فِيهِ مَسَائِلُ كَثِيرَةٌ قَدْ أُجِيبَ فِي تَضَاعِيفِهَا فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَى صَاحِبِي فَقَرَأَ عَلَيْهِ جَوَابَ مَا سَأَلَ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ وَ هُوَ يَقْرَأُ فَقَالَ: وَأَمَّا الزُّرَارِيُّ وَ حَالُ الزَّوْجِ وَالزَّوْجَةِ فَأَصْلَحَ اللَّهُ ذَاتَ بَيْنِهِمَا. قَالَ: فَوَرَدَ عَلَيَّ أَمْرٌ عَظِيمٌ وَقُمْنَا فانصرفنا. فَقَالَ لِي: قَدْ وَرَدَ عَلَيْكَ هَذَا الْأَمْرُ فَقُلْت:ُ أَعْجَبُ مِنْهُ! قَالَ: مِثْلُ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ؟ فَقُلْتُ: لِأَنَّهُ سِرٌّ لَمْ يَعْلَمْهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَ غَيْرِي فَقَدْ أَخْبَرَنِي بِهِ! فَقَالَ: أَتَشُكُّ فِي أَمْرِ النَّاحِيَةِ أَخْبِرْنِي الْآنَ مَا هُوَ. فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَعَجِبَ مِنْهُ. ثُمَّ قَضَى أَنْ عُدْنَا إِلَى الْكُوفَةِ فَدَخَلْتُ دَارِي وَكَانَتْ أُمُّ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ مُغَاضِبَةً لِي فِي مَنْزِلِ أَهْلِهَا فَجَاءَتْ إِلَيَّ فَاسْتَرْضَتْنِي وَاعْتَذَرَتْ وَوَافَقَتْنِي وَلَمْ تُخَالِفْنِي حَتَّى فَرَّقَ الْمَوْتُ بَيْنَنَا
[ب]
حكاية أَبُو غَالِب الزُّرَارِيِّ مما كتبه أَبُو الْفَرَجِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُظَفَّر
وَأَخْبَرَنِي بِهَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةِ جَمَاعَةٌ عَنْ أَبِي غَالِبٍ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ الزُّرَارِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِجَازَةً وَكَتَبَ عَنْهُ بِبَغْدَادَ أَبُو الْفَرَجِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُظَفَّرِ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ بِسُوَيْقَةِ غَالِبٍ فِي يَوْمِ الْأَحَدِ لِخَمْسٍ خَلَوْنَ مِنْ ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ سَنَةَ سِتٍّ وَخَمْسِينَ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ تَزَوَّجْتُ بِأُمِّ وَلَدِي وَ هِيَ أَوَّلُ امْرَأَةٍ تَزَوَّجْتُهَا وَأَنَا حِينَئِذٍ حَدَثُ السِّنِّ وَسِنِّي إذْ ذَاكَ دُونَ الْعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً فَدَخَلْتُ بِهَا فِي مَنْزِلِ أَبِيهَا فَأَقَامَتْ فِي مَنْزِلِ أَبِيهَا سِنِينَ وَأَنَا أَجْتَهِدُ بِهِمْ فِي أَنْ يُحَوِّلُوهَا إِلَى مَنْزِلِي وَهُمْ لَا يُجِيبُونِّي إِلَى ذَلِكَ. فَحَمَلَتْ مِنِّي فِي هَذِهِ الْمُدَّةِ وَوَلَدَتْ بِنْتاً فَعَاشَتْ مُدَّةً ثُمَّ مَاتَتْ وَلَمْ أَحْضُرْ فِي وِلَادَتِهَا وَلَا فِي مَوْتِهَا وَلَمْ أَرَهَا مُنْذُ وَلَدَتْ إِلَى أَنْ تُوُفِّيَتْ لِلشُّرُورِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَهُمْ. ثُمَّ اصْطَلَحْنَا عَلَى أَنَّهُمْ يَحْمِلُونَهَا إِلَى مَنْزِلِي فَدَخَلْتُ إِلَيْهِمْ فِي مَنْزِلِهِمْ وَدَافَعُونِي فِي نَقْلِ الْمَرْأَةِ إِلَيَّ وَقُدِّرَ أَنْ حَمَلَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ مَعَ هَذِهِ الْحَالِ ثُمَّ طَالَبْتُهُمْ بِنَقْلِهَا إِلَى مَنْزِلِي عَلَى مَا اتَّفَقْنَا عَلَيْهِ فَامْتَنَعُوا مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَعَادَ الشَّرُّ بَيْنَنَا وَانْتَقَلْتُ عَنْهُمْ وَوَلَدَتْ وَأَنَا غَائِبٌ عَنْهَا بِنْتاً وَبَقِينَا عَلَى حَالِ الشَّرِّ وَالْمُضَارَمَةِ سِنِينَ لَا آخُذُهَا. ثُمَّ دَخَلْتُ بَغْدَادَ وَكَانَ الصَّاحِبَ بِالْكُوفَةِ فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الزجوزجيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَكَانَ لِي كَالْعَمِّ أَوِ الْوَالِدِ فَنَزَلْتُ عِنْدَهُ بِبَغْدَادَ وَشَكَوْتُ إِلَيْهِ مَا أَنَا فِيهِ مِنَ الشُّرُورِ الْوَاقِعَةِ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ الزَّوْجَةِ وَبَيْنَ الْأَحْمَاءِ فَقَالَ لِي: تَكْتُبُ رُقْعَةً وَ تَسْأَلُ الدُّعَاءَ فِيهَا. فَكَتَبْتُ رُقْعَةً وَذَكَرْتُ فِيهَا حَالِي وَمَا أَنَا فِيهِ مِنْ خُصُومَةِ الْقَوْمِ لِي وَامْتِنَاعِهِمْ مِنْ حَمْلِ الْمَرْأَةِ إِلَى مَنْزِلِي وَمَضَيْتُ بِهَا أَنَا وَأَبُو جَعْفَرٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ وَ كَانَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَاسِطَةَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ رَوْحٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ إِذْ ذَاكَ الْوَكِيلُ فَدَفَعْنَاهَا إِلَيْهِ وَسَأَلْنَاهُ إِنْفَاذَهَا فَأَخَذَهَا مِنِّي وَتَأَخَّرَ الْجَوَابُ عَنِّي أَيَّاماً فَلَقِيتُهُ فَقُلْتُ: لَهُ قَدْ سَاءَنِي تَأَخُّرُ الْجَوَابِ عَنِّي! فَقَالَ لِي: لَا يَسُوءُكَ هَذَا فَإِنَّهُ أَحَبُّ لِي وَلَكَ وَأَوْمَأَ إِلَيَّ أَنَّ الْجَوَابَ إِنْ قَرُبَ كَانَ مِنْ جِهَةِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ رَوْحٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَإِنْ تَأَخَّرَ كَانَ مِنْ جِهَةِ الصَّاحِبِ (ع). فَانْصَرَفْتُ. فَلَمَّا كَانَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ وَلَا أَحْفَظُ الْمُدَّةَ إِلَّا أَنَّهَا كَانَتْ قَرِيبَةً فَوَجَّهَ إِلَيَّ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ الزجوزجيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْماً مِنَ الْأَيَّامِ فَصِرْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَأَخْرَجَ لِي فَصْلًا مِنْ رُقْعَةٍ وَقَالَ لِي هَذَا جَوَابُ رُقْعَتِكَ فَإِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْ تَنْسَخَهُ فَانْسَخْهُ وَرُدَّهُ فَقَرَأْتُهُ فَإِذَا فِيهِ: وَالزَّوْجُ وَ الزَّوْجَةُ فَأَصْلَحَ اللَّهُ ذَاتَ بَيْنِهِمَا. وَنَسَخْتُ اللَّفْظَ وَرَدَدْتُ عَلَيْهِ الْفَصْلَ وَدَخَلْنَا الْكُوفَةَ فَسَهَّلَ اللَّهُ لِي نَقْلَ الْمَرْأَةِ بِأَيْسَرِ كُلْفَةٍ وَأَقَامَتْ مَعِي سِنِينَ كَثِيرَةً وَرُزِقَتْ مِنِّي أَوْلَاداً وَأَسَأْتُ إِلَيْهَا إِسَاءَاتٍ وَاسْتَعْمَلْتُ مَعَهَا كُلَّ مَا لَا تَصْبِرُ النِّسَاءُ عَلَيْهِ فَمَا وَقَعَتْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهَا لَفْظَةُ شَرٍّ وَلَا بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا إِلَى أَنْ فَرَّقَ الزَّمَانُ بَيْنَنَا
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حكاية أَبُو غَالِب الزُّرَارِيِّ من کتاب أخبار الأبواب لإبن نوح السيراف
وَأَخْبَرَنِي جَمَاعَةٌ عَنْ أَبِي غَالِبٍ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الزُّرَارِيِّ قَالَ: جَرَى بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ وَالِدَةِ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ يَعْنِي ابْنَهُ مِنَ الْخُصُومَةِ وَالشَّرِّ أَمْرٌ عَظِيمٌ مَا لَا يَكَادُ أَنْ يَتَّفِقَ وَتَتَابَعَ ذَلِكَ وَكَثُرَ إِلَى أَنْ ضَجِرْتُ بِهِ وَكَتَبْتُ عَلَى يَدِ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ أَسْأَلُ الدُّعَاءَ فَأَبْطَأَ عَنِّي الْجَوَابُ مُدَّةً ثُمَّ لَقِيَنِي أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ فَقَال: قَدْ وَرَدَ جَوَابُ مَسْأَلَتِكَ فَجِئْتُهُ فَأَخْرَجَ إِلَيَّ مُدْرَجاً فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يُدْرِجُهُ إِلَى أَنْ أَرَانِي فَصْلًا مِنْهُ فِيهِ: وَأَمَّا الزَّوْجُ وَ الزَّوْجَةُ فَأَصْلَحَ اللَّهُ بَيْنَهُمَا. فَلَمْ تَزَلْ عَلَى حَالِ الِاسْتِقَامَةِ وَلَمْ يَجْرِ بَيْنَنَا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ شَيْءٌ مِمَّا كَانَ يَجْرِي وَقَدْ كُنْتُ أَتَعَمَّدُ مَا يُسْخِطُهَا فَلَا يَجْرِي فِيهِ مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ
هَذَا مَعْنَى لَفْظِ أَبِي غَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَوْ قَرِيبٌ مِنْهُ
قَالَ ابْنُ نُوحٍ: كَانَ عِنْدِي أَنَّهُ كَتَبَ عَلَى يَدِ أَبِي جَعْفَرِ بْنِ أَبِي الْعَزَاقِرِ قَبْلَ تَغَيُّرِهِ وَخُرُوجِ لَعْنِهِ عَلَى مَا حَكَاهُ ابْنُ عَيَّاشٍ إِلَى أَنْ حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ مَنْ سَمِعَ ذَلِكَ مَعِي أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا عَنَى أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ الزجوزجيَّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَنَّ الْكِتَابَ إِنَّمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْكُوفَةِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ أَبَا غَالِبٍ قَالَ لَنَا: كُنَّا نَلْقَى أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْحُسَيْنَ بْنَ رَوْحٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُقْضَى الْأَمْرُ إِلَيْهِ صِرْنَا نَلْقَى أَبَا جَعْفَرِ بْنَ الشَّلْمَغَانِيَّ وَلَا نَلْقَاهُ
وحدثنا بهاتين الحكايتين مذاكرة لم أقيدهما بالكتابة وقيدهما غيري إلا أنه كان يكثر ذكرهما والحديث بهما حتى سمعتهما منه ما لا أحصي والحمد لله شكرا دائما وصلى الله على محمد وآله وسلم
Shiitic Studies 