Volume 1, Book 4, Chapter 54

The Imams (a.s) hear from the angels as Muhaddathun and are of Perfect Understanding

5 Aḥadīth

Hadith No. 1

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hajjal from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from ‘Ubayd ibn Zurarah who has said the following. “Abu Ja‘far (a.s) sent (message) to Zurara to inform al-Hakam ibn ‘Utayba that the executors of the will of Muhammad (s.a.) (are Muhaddathun) hear from the angels.” al-Hakam ibn ’Utaybah (al-Kindi al-Kufi [50/670 – 5/ 733], one of the tab‘un [those who knew the companions of the Holy Prophet and famous narrators of hadith)

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَجَّالِ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ أَرْسَلَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (a.s) إِلَى زُرَارَةَ أَنْ يُعْلِمَ الْحَكَمَ بْنَ عُتَيْبَةَ أَنَّ أَوْصِيَاءَ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَيْهم السَّلام مُحَدَّثُونَ.


Hadith No. 2

Muhammad from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from Jamil ibn Salih from Ziyad ibn Suqah from al-Hakam ibn ‘Utaybah who has said the following. “One day I went to see Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s).” He said, “O Hakam do you know the verse (of the Holy Quran) from which Ali ibn abu Talib had learned who his assassin was and the extremely great matters of which he would speak to people? “ Al-Hakam has said that I said to myself in my mind, “ I have now a chance to learn of the knowledge of Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s) with which I will learn of those extremely great matters.” The narrator has said that he replied the Imam (a.s), “No, O son of the Messenger of Allah, I do not know.” He has said that he then said, “Please tell me, O son of the Messenger of Allah, which verse is it?” the Imam (a.s) said, “It, I swear by Allah, is the words of Allah, Majestic is Whose mention, “We have not sent any messenger or prophet before you (or a Muhahhdath) one who hears from the angels. (22:52) Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s) was a Muhaddath. At this point a man called ‘Abdallah ibn Zayd who was a brother of Ali from his mother’s side said, “Glory belongs to Allah. A Muhaddath!” It seemed as if he did not believe it. Abu Ja‘far (a.s) then turned to us and said, “Do not have any doubts, I swear by Allah, that the son of your mother after all did have knowledge of this fact.” The narrator has said that when the Imam (a.s) said so the man kept silent. The Imam (a.s) then said, “This is the issue in which abu al-Khattab perished. He never learned what was the explanation of the prophet and a Muhaddath.”

مُحَمَّدٌ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ زِيَادِ بْنِ سُوقَةَ عَنِ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ عُتَيْبَةَ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى عَلِيِّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) يَوْماً فَقَالَ يَا حَكَمُ هَلْ تَدْرِي الايَةَ الَّتِي كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (a.s) يَعْرِفُ قَاتِلَهُ بِهَا وَيَعْرِفُ بِهَا الامُورَ الْعِظَامَ الَّتِي كَانَ يُحَدِّثُ بِهَا النَّاسَ قَالَ الْحَكَمُ فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي قَدْ وَقَعْتُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ مِنْ عِلْمِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ أَعْلَمُ بِذَلِكَ تِلْكَ الامُورَ الْعِظَامَ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لا وَالله لا أَعْلَمُ قَالَ ثُمَّ قُلْتُ الايَةُ تُخْبِرُنِي بِهَا يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ الله قَالَ هُوَ وَالله قَوْلُ الله عَزَّ ذِكْرُهُ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَلا نَبِيٍّ وَلا مُحَدَّثٍ وَكَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (a.s) مُحَدَّثاً فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ عَبْدُ الله بْنُ زَيْدٍ كَانَ أَخَا عَلِيٍّ لامِّهِ سُبْحَانَ الله مُحَدَّثاً كَأَنَّهُ يُنْكِرُ ذَلِكَ فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيْنَا أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (a.s) فَقَالَ أَمَا وَالله إِنَّ ابْنَ أُمِّكَ بَعْدُ قَدْ كَانَ يَعْرِفُ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَلَمَّا قَالَ ذَلِكَ سَكَتَ الرَّجُلُ فَقَالَ هِيَ الَّتِي هَلَكَ فِيهَا أَبُو الْخَطَّابِ فَلَمْ يَدْرِ مَا تَأْوِيلُ الْمُحَدَّثِ وَالنَّبِيِّ.


Hadith No. 3

Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn Yahya have narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan from Ya‘qub ibn Yazid from Muhammad ibn Isma‘il who has said that I heard abu al-Hassan (a.s) say the following. “The Imams (a.s) are scholar, truthful people, have perfect understanding and Muhaddathum hear from the angels.”

أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ يَزِيدَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ (a.s) يَقُولُ الائِمَّةُ عُلَمَاءُ صَادِقُونَ مُفَهَّمُونَ مُحَدَّثُونَ.


Hadith No. 4

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from a man that Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following. “Once Muhaddath was mentioned in the presence of abu ‘Abdallah (a.s) and he said, “He, Muhaddath, hears the voice but does not see the persons of the angels.” I then said to him, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, how he would come to know that the voice and words are from the angels?” The Imam (a.s) said, “He is given the serenity and dignity to the level that he learns about its being the speech of the angels.”

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ ذُكِرَ الْمُحَدَّثُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (a.s) فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ الصَّوْتَ وَلا يَرَى الشَّخْصَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ كَيْفَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ كَلامُ الْمَلَكِ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يُعْطَى السَّكِينَةَ وَالْوَقَارَ حَتَّى يَعْلَمَ أَنَّهُ كَلامُ مَلَكٍ.


Hadith No. 5

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Husayn ibn al-Mukhtar from al-Harith ibn al-Mughirah from Humran ibn A‘yan who has said that abu Ja‘far (a.s) has said the following. “Ali (a.s) was a Muhaddath.” I then returned to my associates and said, “I have brought you a very strange news.” They asked, “What is it?” I then said that I heard abu Ja‘far (a.s) say that Ali (a.s) was a Muhaddath. They then said, “What did you do?” Would that you had asked him as to who would speak to him (Ali (a.s) I then went back to abu Ja‘far (a.s) and said to him, “I went to my associates and told them about what you had told me and they said, “What did you do? Would that you had asked him as to who would speak to him (Ali (a.s)” The Imam (a.s) said to me, “The angel would speak to him.” I then asked, “Do you say that he was a prophet?” He has said, “He moved his hand like this. Or like the companion of Solomon, or the companion of Moses or like Dhul Qarnayn. Have not heard that he has said, “Among there one like him.” (A hadith of the Holy Prophet (s.a.) says that Ali (a.s) is the Dhul Qarnay of this Umma)

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ الْمُخْتَارِ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنْ حُمْرَانَ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (a.s) إِنَّ عَلِيّاً (a.s) كَانَ مُحَدَّثاً فَخَرَجْتُ إِلَى أَصْحَابِي فَقُلْتُ جِئْتُكُمْ بِعَجِيبَةٍ فَقَالُوا وَمَا هِيَ فَقُلْتُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ (a.s) يَقُولُ كَانَ علي (a.s) مُحَدَّثاً فَقَالُوا مَا صَنَعْتَ شَيْئاً إِلا سَأَلْتَهُ مَنْ كَانَ يُحَدِّثُهُ فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ إِنِّي حَدَّثْتُ أَصْحَابِي بِمَا حَدَّثْتَنِي فَقَالُوا مَا صَنَعْتَ شَيْئاً إِلا سَأَلْتَهُ مَنْ كَانَ يُحَدِّثُهُ فَقَالَ لِي يُحَدِّثُهُ مَلَكٌ قُلْتُ تَقُولُ إِنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ قَالَ فَحَرَّكَ يَدَهُ هَكَذَا أَوْ كَصَاحِبِ سُلَيْمَانَ أَوْ كَصَاحِبِ مُوسَى أَوْ كَذِي الْقَرْنَيْنِ أَ وَمَا بَلَغَكُمْ أَنَّهُ قَالَ وَفِيكُمْ مِثْلُهُ.