¶ Door Number Forty
¶ The Testament of Aba Al-Sadiq
¶ “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Those were the words of Jesus (PBUH) regarding the promised one to come, who would guide us into all the truth. My life I dedicated it to finding the truth, the full truth, which Jesus (PBUH) promised was to come. The Spirit of Truth. I remember 14 years ago, I fell into prostration to God and submitted myself and said: “O Lord, show me who You are, and what path You wish for me to follow, and I shall follow You no matter where You are, no matter who You are. If You be Krishna, I shall worship and follow You, if You be Buddha, I shall be a Buddhist, if Judaism is the truth, then let me be a Jew, if Jesus is Lord and Savior, then I will worship You. If Mohammed be the truth, then I am a Muslim. If You are Ali, I will worship Ali or whoever You may be. Whoever You may be and wherever You may be, I am there, just show me the way.” I traveled then from America to Egypt, and I walked the sands that surrounded the Pyramids looking for God. I sailed the Nile and the Red Sea, and I traveled to Kuwait and the Emirates, I saw the tallest towers and walked into the mosques looking for God. I traveled to Lebanon and climbed its mountains and sat where Jesus (PBUH) sat in its caves. I waited and waited and followed every lead I got.
Then one day, after returning to Egypt, I heard a voice calling out from the wilderness like the voice of John the Baptist (PBUH) when he said:
“I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”
The voice I heard said:
Then hear this example from Jesus (PBUH), “There was an owner of a grape farm, and he left it in the hands of workers and traveled away. Then it occurred to him to send his deputies to reclaim the farm and the fruits, so the workers killed his deputies. Then he sent his son and said, ‘They would fear my son and hand over the farm and the fruits to him.’ But when they saw the son they said, ‘This is his only son, and he is the heir. We kill him so that the farm and fruits remain for us.’ ” And those who seized the farm are the non-working scholars and the owner of the farm is Imam Mahdi (PBUH) and his deputies whom he sent are the working scholars who were killed and expelled. Whereas his son, he is the one calling out to you: Awaken O sleepers. Awaken O dead. Awaken.
The voice of this man was claiming to be the son of the owner of the grape farm, the son of Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family). He was claiming to be a Messenger sent to us from Jesus (PBUH) and whose name was mentioned on the tongue of Jesus (PBUH) in the Qur’an:
“And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, “O Children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allāh to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmed.”
Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) claimed to be that Spirit of Truth, whose name is Ahmed. I couldn’t do anything but stop and hear what else he had to say. The man said:
You are walkers in this life, and each walker must arrive, therefore be cautious that your arrival is not to hell, and work that your arrival is to heaven, and every wise person must scrutinizingly seek the way that brings him to safety, when regret will be of no benefit after completion of the time period and the equipage. And you, O true believers, after you knew from Allah and not from Ahmed Al-Hassan, that you are walking on the right path and adopting the religion of truth that Allah wants, Who has created you for this, for the truth that you have come to know.
I scrutinized and examined his Call and I found him to be saying: “Have you asked the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) and the Imams about the scholars of the end times before asking the scholars of the end times about the successor of Imam Mahdi?” I went to see what they said in their narrations, and they said the scholars of the end times are
“the most evil of scholars under the sky”
and they are
“traitors”
and
“more dangerous to the weak ones of our Shia than the army of Yazid”
and are
“the worst of God’s creation”.
I found the enemies of Jesus, Mohammed, the Prophets, and the Messengers to be the non-working scholars, shaikhs, priests, and rabbis. I decided then to never trust a scholar again unless he was sent by God, for I found that Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace), just with that sentence alone, proved to be more knowledgeable than the scholars, for the scholars called towards themselves with doctrines such as Taqleed or Wilayat Al-Faqih, while Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) knew what the Prophets and Messengers and Imams really said.
I scrutinized and found Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) to be the only one who said that only God can appoint the ruler and I looked in the Torah, the Gospels and the Qur’an and I found that indeed, it was only God who appointed Adam and made him have authority over all, it was God who appointed the Prophets and Messengers, such as Saul, Samuel, David, Solomon, Jesus the Messiah and Mohammed the Conqueror. He was the only voice saying: “O Humans, only God can rule!” Meanwhile, it was the non-working scholars who were calling for blind obedience to the tyrannical rulers and calling towards democracy and elections, calling people to choose their own ruler and abandon the choice of God.
After finding that he claimed to be the promised one appointed by God on the tongue of Jesus and in the Will of Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) and after finding him to be the most knowledgeable of the people and the only one calling towards the Supremacy and Rulership of God, I was forced to pledge allegiance with my life. For there was no other way that I could find in any of the Holy Texts of the Prophets and Messengers to identify the truth. God appointed Adam and said:
“Indeed, I will make upon the Earth a caliph”
and God
“taught Adam all of the names”
and God
“commanded all the angels to prostrate to Adam.”
Therefore, we can only identify the Messenger of God through those three things: 1. Being mentioned in the Will of the Prophet of God before him, or appointment by God. 2. Being the most knowledgeable, knowing the names of all things. 3. Calling towards a system where people prostrate to the rulership of the one appointed by God.
I found that if I were to try to investigate the lineage of Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) it would be pointless and not prove anything, whether his ancestors were good or bad, righteous, or unrighteous, had a good reputation or a bad one. The genealogy of Jesus (PBUH) in the Gospels contains three women who did not have the best of stories, Bathsheba who became impregnated by David (PBUH) while she was married to Uriah, was an ancestor of Jesus (PBUH), Rahab who was a Canaanite harlot or prostitute who helped Joshua’s army, was an ancestor of Jesus (PBUH) and Tamar who married two of Judah’s sons and then disguised herself as a prostitute in order to become impregnated by Judah, was also an ancestor of Jesus (PBUH). So, what do genealogy and lineage matter?
I found that Ahmed Al-Hassan’s family were against him and did not believe in him. Some said, if his closest relatives don’t believe in him, so why should you? But then I found that to be the Sunnah of the Prophets and the Messengers and the Imams. Jesus said:
“But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.”
And Jesus also said:
“A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”
I found the enemy of Adam to be his own son, and the enemy of Abel to be his own brother, Cain. I found the enemies of Joseph to be his brothers, and the enemy of Imam Al-Hassan Al-Askari to be his brother Ja’far the Liar. I found the enemies of Noah, Lot, and Imam Al-Hassan (PBUT) were their wives. So how does the affection of family or their belief matter?
I found that Ahmed Al-Hassan’s name and reputation were destroyed, and that of his followers. They were accused of every evil deed under the sky. People would say don’t follow them for they are an ignorant people or an unrighteous evil people. And yet, I found in the Qur’an those who disbelieved in Noah (PBUH) saying:
“We merely consider you a human being like ourselves. Nor do we find among those who follow you except the lowliest of our folk, the men who follow you without any proper reason. We see nothing in you to suggest that you are any better than us. Rather, we believe you to be liars.”
I found Jesus slandered as a blasphemer and heretic, I found Korah hiring women to accuse Moses of adultery, I found Mohammed accused of being a magician. So, what do accusations and rumors and reputations matter on this path and in determining the truthfulness of the Messenger?
I found, though, Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan being accused of filth and his followers were accusing each other of sexual scandals. I found those close to him even to be involved in the accusations towards one another, but yet what does that matter? For I found Saul taking the wife of David away in order to marry her to another man, and I found David taking Uriah’s wife, and I found David’s son Absalom taking his father’s ten wives and erecting a tent to have relations with them all in front of all of Israel! I found Mohammed taking his adopted son Zaid’s wife. I found even Jesus (PBUH) was slandered in the books of the Jews and called an illegitimate child. I found the son of Jacob, Reuben, climbing into the bed to sleep with his father’s wife Bilha, and Jacob was the father of God’s chosen people. So what do familial sex scandals have to do with determining the truth? If we were to reject Ahmed Al-Hassan on this basis, then we should reject all of the Prophets and Messengers.
I found Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) to have actions that seem strange or unexplainable. In the apparent, those actions seem to not be in the interest of the believer. But what does that matter, did we not see the actions of the Righteous Servant in the journey of Moses (PBUH) to the junction of the two seas? Did we not find the actions of God when He allowed Satan to strike down his servant Job (PBUH) strange? Did we not find the test which God gave Abraham to slaughter his own son difficult and traumatizing? What do strange actions and difficult tests have to do with identifying the Messenger of God? Rather it almost seems that it must be part of God’s Call.
It seemed like no matter what happened, or what took place that would make a person turn away from Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace), there was a precedent for it with one of the Prophets and Messengers or Imams before him. There simply was and is not any way of identifying a true Messenger from God except what we mentioned. Some came to know Jesus (PBUH) or the Messengers through a supernatural miracle, but we found it not to be a way that one can truly identify the Messenger of God with, for even the Antichrist and the false prophets, according to the narrations in Islam and the Bible and Torah, performed great signs and wonders and yet they were false, including resurrecting the dead. So, if both good and evil can perform it, how is it a way to identify the truth? If I disbelieved in Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) on the basis of feelings or accusations or rumors, or even strange truths, what is the difference between me and any of those who rejected the Prophets and Messengers? Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) was sailing a ship in the sea, and the ship would shake and the tides would strike and so would the storms, but there is no way I can jump ship without finding another ship that is more sturdy, even if I hear that there are holes in the ship I am in, for maybe the Righteous Servant put those holes there in order that all those who don’t belong on the ship jump out.
Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) was true, and there was no other truth nor ship but him. Whoever abandons his ship drowns and whoever holds on tight in the midst of the storms is saved and whoever goes in advance of him is destroyed and ran over. He had entrapped me with a logical argument, and I became a slave and prisoner of the truth. How could I leave it or abandon it, even if his promises were delayed? Was not the promise of Noah delayed and was not the promise of Jesus delayed, and was not the promise of Mohammed changed and delayed? The flood was delayed and delayed for hundreds of years, and Jesus did not rule from Jerusalem but his body was crucified, and Mohammed did not fill the Earth with justice but rather the promise was delayed to someone from him. Shall we disbelieve in them all then if we disbelieve in Ahmed Al-Hassan because one of his promises was delayed or did not come true in the way we hoped? Once a man fulfills the criteria of a true Messenger from God, claiming the Will, demonstrating knowledge, and calling towards the Supremacy of God, you can never let him go or else you will go astray. And for that reason, I did not let go, in the face of every hardship and every storm and every evil accusation and danger, I was ready to give my life for my Imam instead, for Prophet Mohammed said:
“None of you have faith until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father, and all of the people.”
And Jesus (PBUH) said:
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
¶ Let Me Die in Your Place Father
One day I said to my Father (From Him is Peace), “Let me die before you, in this incarnation, and you continue, my heart does not handle losing you, I think that is the reason why I passed before you in Karbala.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “That shall not be, son.”
I said, “I shall continue to request this until it is one day. Nothing is impossible for God.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, nothing is impossible but there are foundations. Creation and the Earth would be destroyed, and millions shall die.”
I said, “It is destroyed anyway.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “No son, it shall be fixed.”
I said, “It will be fixed by you, Father.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Please, do not repeat this matter son, I am more knowledgeable and aware than you.”
But I could not let the matter go, every time I would think about losing Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) I would break down into tears like a young child. So once again I brought up the topic with him.
I said, “I have received your permission to prepare the Book for release and I have sent it to you for review.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, that is true.”
I said, “I am very excited.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “I wish you luck, my beloved son.”
I said, “Thank you, my Father, for this great honor.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “You deserve all that is good son, all that is good, for you are my righteous son.”
I said, “You are all that is good.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “My pure, righteous, patient fighter.”
I said, “And I shall remain as such forever until I leave this world.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “My chaste son with the white heart, bless you and may God protect you from all harm and all that is evil.”
I said, “I have one request.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, what is it?”
I said, “My Father, I want you to look now into my heart and see how much I mean what I am about to say.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, I see it clearly, I know.”
I said, “This world is no good after you, the world needs you more than it needs the likes of me. Do you accept that I go before you? That you remain and rule mankind?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “My dear beloved son, light of my eyes, I appreciate what is in your heart and your truthful and faithful feelings, however that will not happen my beloved son, because if it does happen, there shall be a problem in the entire system of the universe and the foundations of life itself.”
I said, “The universe that is in your hands now.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “And even if it were in my hands, I would still have to be just and this is justice.”
I said, “And how is it not justice that I sacrifice myself for you, what an honor it is that Abdullah sacrifices himself for Ahmed Al-Hassan, from you is peace, O Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, and Master of Masters.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Do not forget my son, that you carry a soul between your shoulders that is from me and therefore you are my companion in this body of yours and you are also my companion after you leave this body.”
I said, “You know I cannot bear to be separated from you.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “You will see me and hear me whenever you like.”
I began to cry.
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “You are blessed, O light of my eyes, you are blessed, I want you to forget this speech and do not waste your time on matters that have already been determined since the beginning of time.”
I said, “Is there a greater gift than my life to give you?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, there is.”
I said, “What is it?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “That you continue my path with all sincerity and loyalty.”
I said, “But I need you.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “O light of my eyes, if you became a tree in a desert, you will find me a bigger tree casting its shade over you and protecting you from the sun and wind.”
¶ Sources
- The Holy Bible, Book of John, Chapter 16, Verse 13
- The Holy Bible, Book of John, Chapter 1, Verse 23
- The Sermon of Hajj by Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace).
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 61 (Al-Saf), Verse 6
- The Sermon of Hajj by Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace)
- The Sermon of Hajj by Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace)
- Al-Kafi, Al-Shaikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 8, p. 308
- Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52, p. 277
- Exegesis of Al-Imam Al-Askari (PBUH), Attributed to Al-Imam Al-Askari, p. 301
- Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, Vol. 1, p. 47
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), Verse 30
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), Verse 31
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), Verse 34
- The Holy Bible, Book of Luke, Chapter 4, Verse 24
- The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 36
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 11 (Hud), Verse 27
- Mizan Al-Hikmah (Scale of Wisdom), Mohammed Al-Reyshahri, Vol.1, p. 518
- The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 37