Volume 1, Book 4, Chapter 34

The Imams (a.s) have with all the books that Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has revealed and that they know them even the language in them are different

2 Aḥadīth

Hadith No. 1

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Hassan ibn Ibrahim from Yunus from Hisham ibn al-Hakam about the narration of Burayh with whom he came to abu ‘Abdallah (a.s) but they met abu al-Hassan Musa ibn Ja‘far (a.s). Hisham explained to the Imams (a.s) about Burayh. When he finished abu al-Hassan (a.s) asked, “O Burayh, how is your knowledge of your book?” He replied, “I know it.” The Imam (a.s) then asked, “What is the degree of your confidence in its interpretation?” He said, “Not so much”??? The narrator has said, “Abu al-Hassan then begun to read (from) the Gospel. Burayh then said, “It is you whom I was searching for fifty years or someone like you.” He has said that Burayh accepted the faith and also the lady who was with him.” Burayh and Hisham and the lady then came to abu ‘Abdallah (a.s). Hisham informed the Imam (a.s) about what had happened between Burayh and abu al-Hassan (a.s). Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s) then said, “The generations that are from each other and Allah hears and knows best.” Burayh then asked, “How have possessed the Torah and the Gospel and the books if the prophets?” The Imam (a.s) said, “ We receive them as in the form of inheritance from them. We read them as they would read them and speak about them as the prophets would do. Allah does grant Divine authority on His earth to those who if questioned would be able to give the right answer and say I do not know.”

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ فِي حَدِيثِ بُرَيْهٍ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا جَاءَ مَعَهُ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (a.s) فَلَقِيَ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) فَحَكَى لَهُ هِشَامٌ الْحِكَايَةَ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (a.s) لِبُرَيْهٍ يَا بُرَيْهُ كَيْفَ عِلْمُكَ بِكِتَابِكَ قَالَ أَنَا بِهِ عَالِمٌ ثُمَّ قَالَ كَيْفَ ثِقَتُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِهِ قَالَ مَا أَوْثَقَنِي بِعِلْمِي فِيهِ قَالَ فَابْتَدَأَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (a.s) يَقْرَأُ الانْجِيلَ فَقَالَ بُرَيْهٌ إِيَّاكَ كُنْتُ أَطْلُبُ مُنْذُ خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً أَوْ مِثْلَكَ قَالَ فَ‏آمَنَ بُرَيْهٌ وَحَسُنَ إِيمَانُهُ وَآمَنَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ مَعَهُ فَدَخَلَ هِشَامٌ وَبُرَيْهٌ وَالْمَرْأَةُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (a.s) فَحَكَى لَهُ هِشَامٌ الْكَلامَ الَّذِي جَرَى بَيْنَ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى (a.s) وَبَيْنَ بُرَيْهٍ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (a.s) ذُرِّيَّةً بَعْضُها مِنْ بَعْضٍ وَالله سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ فَقَالَ بُرَيْهٌ أَنَّى لَكُمُ التَّوْرَاةُ وَالانْجِيلُ وَكُتُبُ الانْبِيَاءِ قَالَ هِيَ عِنْدَنَا وِرَاثَةً مِنْ عِنْدِهِمْ نَقْرَؤُهَا كَمَا قَرَءُوهَا وَنَقُولُهَا كَمَا قَالُوا إِنَّ الله لا يَجْعَلُ حُجَّةً فِي أَرْضِهِ يُسْأَلُ عَنْ شَيْ‏ءٍ فَيَقُولُ لا أَدْرِي.


Hadith No. 2

Ali ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn al-Hassan have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Bakr ibn Salih from Muhammad ibn Sinan from Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar who said the following: “We went to Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s) and wanting to seek his permission. We heard him speaking in a language that was not Arabic, we imagined it was Syriac, then he cried and we cried because of his crying. Then the boy (his servant) came out and allowed us to enter. So we entered and I said, “May Allah keep you well, we came to ask permission for a meeting and we heard you speak in a non-Arabic language and we thought it was the Syriac language. Then we heard you weeping and because of that we also wept.” The Imams (a.s) said, “Yes, I remembered Prophet Ilyas, one of the Israelite prophets devoted in worship. I then said what he used to say in his prostration. He then went into it in the Syriac language, by Allah, we had not seen any monk or minister as eloquent in it as he is. He then explained it to us in Arabic, “Ilyas would say in his prostration, ‘O Lord, will I find you punishing me although you know of thirst in the heat of the midday? Will I find you punishing me although you know that I rub my face on earth to worship you? Will I find you to punish me although you know that I give up sins for you? Will I find you punishing me although you know that I stay awake all night just for you?” The Imam (a.s) then said, “Allah then told him through inspiration, “Rise your head from the earth. I will not punish you.” The Imam (a.s) then said that he said to Allah, “If you say you will not punish me, and then you do, what then? Am I not your servant and you are my Lord?” The Imam (a.s) said, “Allah then spoke to him through inspiration, “Rise your head. I will not punish you because when I make a promise, I fulfill it”

عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ بَكْرِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ مُفَضَّلِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ أَتَيْنَا بَابَ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (a.s) وَنَحْنُ نُرِيدُ الاذْنَ عَلَيْهِ فَسَمِعْنَاهُ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِكَلامٍ لَيْسَ بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ فَتَوَهَّمْنَا أَنَّهُ بِالسُّرْيَانِيَّةِ ثُمَّ بَكَى فَبَكَيْنَا لِبُكَائِهِ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا الْغُلامُ فَأَذِنَ لَنَا فَدَخَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ أَصْلَحَكَ الله أَتَيْنَاكَ نُرِيدُ الاذْنَ عَلَيْكَ فَسَمِعْنَاكَ تَتَكَلَّمُ بِكَلامٍ لَيْسَ بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ فَتَوَهَّمْنَا أَنَّهُ بِالسُّرْيَانِيَّةِ ثُمَّ بَكَيْتَ فَبَكَيْنَا لِبُكَاءِكَ قَالَ نَعَمْ ذَكَرْتُ إِلْيَاسَ النَّبِيَّ وَكَانَ مِنْ عُبَّادِ أَنْبِيَاءِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَقُلْتُ كَمَا كَانَ يَقُولُ فِي سُجُودِهِ ثُمَّ انْدَفَعَ فِيهِ بِالسُّرْيَانِيَّةِ فَلا وَالله مَا رَأَيْنَا قَسّاً وَلا جَاثَلِيقاً أَفْصَحَ لَهْجَةً مِنْهُ بِهِ ثُمَّ فَسَّرَهُ لَنَا بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ فَقَالَ كَانَ يَقُولُ فِي سُجُودِهِ أَ تُرَاكَ مُعَذِّبِي وَقَدْ أَظْمَأْتُ لَكَ هَوَاجِرِي أَ تُرَاكَ مُعَذِّبِي وَقَدْ عَفَّرْتُ لَكَ فِي التُّرَابِ وَجْهِي أَ تُرَاكَ مُعَذِّبِي وَقَدِ اجْتَنَبْتُ لَكَ الْمَعَاصِيَ أَ تُرَاكَ مُعَذِّبِي وَقَدْ أَسْهَرْتُ لَكَ لَيْلِي قَالَ فَأَوْحَى الله إِلَيْهِ أَنِ ارْفَعْ رَأْسَكَ فَإِنِّي غَيْرُ مُعَذِّبِكَ قَالَ فَقَالَ إِنْ قُلْتَ لا أُعَذِّبُكَ ثُمَّ عَذَّبْتَنِي مَا ذَا أَ لَسْتُ عَبْدَكَ وَأَنْتَ رَبِّي قَالَ فَأَوْحَى الله إِلَيْهِ أَنِ ارْفَعْ رَأْسَكَ فَإِنِّي غَيْرُ مُعَذِّبِكَ إِنِّي إِذَا وَعَدْتُ وَعْداً وَفَيْتُ بِهِ.