During the time of Imam Musa ibn Jafar (peace be upon him), narrating hadith was extremely difficult, yet a number of hadiths have been transmitted from Lady Masumah (peace be upon her), all of which revolve around the axis of Imamate and wilayah. It appears that, by relating these hadiths, she sought to direct public thought toward the Imamate and wilayah that had been left in obscurity.
The Fatimah Narrations
One of the virtues of Lady Masumah (peace be upon her) is that she was a muhaddithah — a narrator of hadith. Among the traditions she related in defense of the wilayah of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) is the Hadith of Ghadir, which she narrated through a reliable chain of transmission from Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her).
Lady Fatimah al-Masumah, daughter of Imam al-Kazim (peace be upon him), narrated from Fatimah, daughter of Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him); from Fatimah, daughter of Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him); from Fatimah, daughter of Imam al-Sajjad (peace be upon him); from Fatimah, daughter of Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him); from Umm Kulthum, daughter of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him); from Fatimah, daughter of the Messenger of God (peace be upon them all), who said:
“Have you forgotten the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) on the day of Ghadir Khumm, when he said: ‘Whoever I am the master of, Ali (peace be upon him) is his master’? Have you forgotten the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) addressed to Amir al-Muminin Ali (peace be upon him), when he said: ‘You are to me as Aaron was to Moses’?” (1)
The Hadith of the Mi’raj and the Friends of Amir al-Muminin
With great insight, Lady Masumah (peace be upon her) narrated a portion of the Hadith of the Mi’raj (Ascension), which speaks to the wilayah of Amir al-Muminin and the elevated station of his Shia followers. Her transmission of this hadith reflects this noble lady’s deep insight and profound understanding of Islamic teachings.
It has been narrated from Fatimah, daughter of Imam al-Sajjad (peace be upon him); from Fatimah, daughter of Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him); from Umm Kulthum, daughter of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him); from Fatimah, daughter of the Messenger of God (peace be upon her), who said, “I heard the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) say:”
“When I was taken up to the heavens and entered Paradise, I suddenly saw a palace hollowed from a single white pearl. That palace had a door adorned with pearls and rubies, over which a curtain was hung. I raised my head and saw written upon the door: ‘There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and Ali is the wali and guardian of the people.’
And upon that curtain was written: ‘How wonderful! Who is like the Shia of Ali?’ I entered the palace, and there I saw another palace hollowed from red agate, with a door of silver adorned with green chrysolite, which likewise had a curtain. I raised my head and saw written upon the door: ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of God; Ali is the successor (wasi) of al-Mustafa.’
And upon that curtain was written: ‘Glad tidings to the Shia of Ali (peace be upon him), for they are of legitimate birth!’ I went further in and saw yet another palace, hollowed from green emerald, more beautiful than any I had seen before. This palace had a door of red ruby adorned with pearls, over which there was also a curtain.
I raised my head and saw written upon the curtain: ‘The Shia of Ali are indeed the victorious ones!’ I said, ‘O my friend Gabriel, whose palace is this?’
He said, ‘O Muhammad, it belongs to your cousin and successor, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him). On the Day of Judgment, all people will come to the gathering barefoot and naked, except for the Shia of Ali (peace be upon him). On that day, people will be called by their mothers’ names, except for the Shia of Ali (peace be upon him), who will be called by their fathers’ names.’ I said, ‘O Gabriel, how can this be?’
He said, ‘Because they love Ali (peace be upon him), their birth is pure, and they are of legitimate lineage.'” (2)
A Civilization-Building Migration
Lady Masumah’s (peace be upon her) defense of the Imamate, however, was not confined to the narration of hadith. Following the forced migration of her brother, Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him), to Marw, she set out toward Khorasan, but along the way continued on toward Qom.
A number of traditions from the Seal of the Prophets and Amir al-Muminin also clearly demonstrate the deep connection and special standing of the city of Qom within the intellectual and doctrinal framework of the Ahl al-Bayt.
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said:
“The people of Qom are my Shia, and the Shia of my successor, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).” (3)
Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) said:
“God’s blessings be upon the people of Qom, and God’s mercy be upon the people of Qom; may God water their lands with rain.” (4)
Anas ibn Malik, a Companion of the Seal of the Prophets, narrated:
“One day I was sitting with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) when Amir al-Muminin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) came in to see him. The Prophet said to him, ‘O Abu al-Hasan, come to me,’ and embraced him, and kissed him between his blessed eyes, and said: ‘O Ali, God Almighty presented your wilayah to the heavens, and the seventh heaven outstripped the others in accepting it, and He adorned it with al-Bayt al-Ma’mur. Then the lowest heaven outstripped the others, and He adorned it with the stars. Then He presented it to the earths, and Mecca outstripped the others, and He adorned it with its Ka’bah. Then Medina outstripped the others, and He adorned it with me. Then Kufa outstripped the others, and He adorned it with you. Then Qom outstripped the others, and He adorned it with the Arabs, and opened within it a gate of Paradise.'” (5)
References
- Asna al-Matalib fi Manaqib Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), Ibn al-Jazari, p. 49 / al-Ghadir, vol. 1, p. 196 / Awalim al-‘Ulum, vol. 21, p. 354
- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 65, p. 79 / al-Musalsalat, p. 241
- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 57, p. 218
- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 57, p. 228
- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 57, p. 212
