Critique of the Narration: “A Man from the Descendants of Imam Husayn Who Invites to His Father”

[Daralhidaye.ir]| The followers of Ahmad al-Basri, citing the following narration, say: The man from the descendants of Imam Husayn (alayhis salam) who calls to his father is Ahmad al-Basri.

The Narration of Calling to the Father

Sa’id Abu ‘Uthman narrated to us from Jabir from Abu Ja’far (a), he said: …And a man from the descendants of Husayn will come/approach (yuqbilu) Kufa calling to his father, then the Sufyani will dispatch his armies.

Imam al-Baqir (a) said: …..In Kufa, a man will come from the descendants of Husayn (alayhis salam) who calls to his father, then the Sufyani will send his army.

— Kitab al-Fitan, p. 171

Points About the Narration of the Call

First Point

A textual corruption (tas-hif) has occurred in this narration.

The oldest manuscript of “Kitab al-Fitan” by Ibn Hammad, British Museum Library, number 9449, written in the year 706 AH. Please observe from the fourth line from the bottom:

Notice that the scribe of this manuscript habitually did not write the two dots for the letter ‘ya’ (ي). Therefore, the word “yuqtalu” (يقتل – he is killed) in this manuscript might at first appear like “tuqtalu,” but:

1. The two upper dots belong to the letter ‘qaf’ (ق).
2. Whatever it may be, it is not “yuqbilu” (يقبل).

Anyone who has observed the manuscript knows that in many cases, the letter ‘ya’ (ي) was written without dots, and this matter proves the existence of the word “yuqtalu” (he is killed) in the original book. As such, in some of the printed versions of “Kitab al-Fitan,” the word “yuqtalu” is mentioned.

Second Point: The Expression in the Narration of the Call

Assuming no textual corruption occurred in the phrase cited by the followers of Ahmad al-Basri, it can be said that the pronoun ‘ha’ (ـه) in “abih” (أبيه – his father) in the phrase “a man from the descendants of Husayn who calls to his father,” refers back to Imam Husayn (a). Meaning, a descendant from the children of Imam Husayn (a) calls to his ancestor, “Imam Husayn (a),” and this is not Ahmad, but the Imam of the Time (aj).

Please pay attention to this narration:

Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilali narrated in his book from Salman from the Prophet (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wa sallam) in a hadith, he said: Verily, the Mahdi of my nation who will fill the earth with equity and justice as it was filled with tyranny and oppression is from the descendants of this one—meaning al-Husayn—an Imam, son of an Imam; a scholar, son of a scholar; a successor, son of a successor. His father who is after him is an Imam, a successor, a scholar. I said: O Prophet of Allah, is the Mahdi more excellent or his father? He said: His father is more excellent than him. For the first Imam and the Imam before them is the like of the rewards of all of them, because Allah guided them through him. (Meaning, because every Imam is also an Imam over the Imams after him). And whoever calls to guidance will have his reward and the like of the rewards of those who followed him, without that diminishing anything from their rewards.

— Ithbat al-Hudat bi al-Nusus wa al-Mu’jizat, Vol. 5, p. 203

Conclusion

In this narration, the Prophet (s) in describing the Imam of the Era (aj) says: “an Imam, son of an Imam; a scholar, son of a scholar; a successor, son of a successor. His father who is after him is an Imam, a successor, a scholar.”

This narration alludes to the raj’a (return) of Imam Husayn (a) and his governance after the Imam of the Era (aj). Therefore, even if the narration is “A man from the descendants of Husayn (a) comes to Kufa calling to his father,” that person cannot be anyone other than the Imam of the Time (aj).