Crafting a State: the Mutasarrifiyyah Jabal Lubnan (1861-1915)

Zaidiyyah say: Through which argument do you reject the Imamate of Ismail and what evidence and proof you have against the Ismailia sect which follows this belief?

We shall reply: We reject the claim of his Imamate, that we have mentioned and through the traditions that have come as indicative text (Nass) for the Twelve Holy Imams (a.s.); and through the traditions that prove Ismail’s death during the lifetime of his father.

We have mentioned the narrated reports that have been recorded as indicative texts for the Twelve Holy Imams (a.s.) in this book. Among the reports that prove his death during the lifetime of his father is one that was related to me by my father, who says: Narrated to us Saad bin Abdullah from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Isa from Hasan bin Saeed from Fuzala bin Ayyub and Hasan bin Ali Fuzzal from Yunus bin Yaqoob from Saeed bin Abdullah Al-Araaj who said:

Abu Abdillah Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) said: When Ismail died I ordered that the cloth should be removed from his face. Then I kissed his forehead, chin and upper breast. After that I ordered him to be covered with cloth again. Then I said:

Uncover his face. And again I kissed his forehead, chin and upper breast. Then I again ordered him to be covered. Then I ordered and he was given the funeral bath. I came to his corpse when he had been shrouded and said: Uncover his face.

And again I kissed his forehead, chin and upper part of breast.

The author of this book says: Many points can be derived from this narration. One is that it is lawful to kiss the forehead, chin and upper part of breast of the corpse before and after it is given the funeral bath. Except for the fact that one that has touched a corpse before it is given funeral bath while the body is still is warm is not obliged to perform the ritual bath for touching a dead body, but if he has touched the dead after it has gone cold, the ritual bath for touching a dead body is obligatory on him. And if one has touched a dead body after it has been give the funeral bath no ritual bath is obligatory. Thus if this narration has mentioned that Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) performed the ritual bath after that or not we would have learnt whether he touched it before it was given the ritual bath, while it was still warm or he touched it after it had gone cold.

Another point derived from this narration is that the Imam (a.s.) said: ‘I ordered that the funeral bath be given to him’ and he did not say: ‘I gave him the funeral bath myself’. And this tradition also mentions that which disproves the Imamate of Ismail. None other than Imam can give a funeral bath to an Imam, in his presence.

Narrated to us Muhammad bin Hasan bin Ahmad bin Walid, who said: narrated to us Muhammad bin Hasan Saffar narrating from Ayyub bin Nuh and Yaqoob bin Yazid from Ibne Abi Umair from Muhammad bin Shuaib from Abi Kahmas that he said:

I was present at the time of Ismail’s death, while Abu Abdillah Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) was sitting near him. When he died, Imam (a.s.) tied up his jaws and covered his face with a piece of cloth. Then he ordered that he should be given the funeral bath and shrouded. After this was accomplished he called for his shroud cloth and wrote on its periphery: Ismail testifies that there is no god except Allah.

Narrated to us my father who said: Narrated to us Abdullah bin Ja’far Himyari quoting from Ibrahim bin Mahziyar from his brother, Ali bin Mahziyar from Muhammad bin Abi Hamza from Marrah the slave of Muhammad bin Khalid that he said:

“When Ismail passed away, Abu Abdillah (Imam Ja’far Sadiq) came upto the grave and squatted on side of it and did not descend into the grave. Then he said: It was the same that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) had done when his son, Ibrahim had died.”

Narrated to us Muhammad bin Hasan who says: narrated to us Husain bin Hasan bin Aban quoting from Husain bin Saeed from Qasim bin Muhammad from Husain bin Umar from a man of Bani Hashim that he said:

“When Ismail passed away, Abu Abdillah Imam Sadiq (a.s.) came with us and began to walk barefooted and with a cloak ahead of the bier.”

Narrated to us my father who said: Narrated to us Saad bin Abdullah from Ibrahim bin Mahziyar from his brother Ali bin Mahziyar from Hammad bin Isa from Jurair from Ismail bin Jabir and Arqat, the cousin of Abu Abdillah (Imam Ja’far Sadiq) that:

Abu Abdillah Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) was with Ismail at the time of his death. When Arqat saw his restlessness he said: O Aba Abdillah, indeed, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) has passed away from the world. He (the narrator) says: The Imam stopped being restless and then said: “You said the right thing and I thank you this day.”

Narrated to us Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Yahya Attar: Narrated to us Saad bin Abdullah quoting from Ibrahim bin Hashim and Muhammad bin Husain bin Abi Khattab from Anr bin Uthman Thaqafi from Abi Kahmas that he said:

“I was present at the time of the death of Ismail bin Abu Abdillah (Imam Ja’far Sadiq a.s.). At that time I saw that Abu Abdillah (Imam Ja’far Sadiq a.s.) prostrated and remained in that position for a long time. After that he raised his head and continued to stare at his face for some time. The narrator says that after that again he prostrated and remained in that position for a longer time. Then he

raised his head, and at time Ismail had died. The Imam closed the eyelids, tied up fast both the jaws and covered the face with a piece of cloth. After that he stood up and I saw such an expression on his face that only Allah knew what it was.

The narrator says: Then the Imam arose and went to his quarters, remained there for sometime and then returned to us with the hair oiled and having applied antimony (Surma) to his eyes. He had also changed his clothes and did not have the expression he had at the time of entering his quarters. Then he began to issue instructions about the funeral procedures. Finally he called for the shroud cloth and when it was brought to him, he wrote on its edge: Ismail testifies that there is no god except Allah.

Narrated to us my father from Saad bin Abdullah quoting from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Isa from Muhammad bin Ismail bin Bazi from Abul Hasan Zareef bin Naseh from Hasan Ibne Zaid that he said:

When a daughter of Abu Abdillah (a.s.) died, he mourned for her a whole year. After that another son died and he mourned him also for a whole year. Then Ismail died; and the Imam was extremely aggrieved for sometime but stopped mourning after that. The narrator says: Abu Abdillah (a.s.) was asked: “May Allah bless you, does your family mourn and lament in this way?” He replied:

“When Hamza passed away the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) said: Hamza must be mourned because there is no one to weep on him.”

Narrated to us Muhammad bin Hasan from Hasan bin Matteel Waqqaq (flour seller) who said: Narrated to us Yaqoob bin Yazid from Hasan bin Ali bin Fuzzal from Muhammad bin Abdullah Kufi that he said:

“When Ismail bin Abu Abdillah (Imam Ja’far Sadiq a.s.) died, Abu Abdillah was extremely disturbed and aggrieved.” The narrator says: “After having closed his eyelids he called for a shirt that was washed clean or absolutely new. He wore it and emerged from his room to issue directions regarding the funeral procedure.” The narrator says: “Some of the Imam’s companions asked him:

‘May we get sacrificed on you, when we saw your restlessness and grief we thought that we would not be able to speak to you for a long time as you would be in mourning.’ He replied: ‘We Ahle Bayt (a.s.) are such that we express sorrow and restlessness till the time the tragedy befalls, when it does, we observe patience.’”

Narrated to us Ali bin Ahmad bin Muhammad Waqqaq: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Abdullah Kufi that he said: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Ismail Barmaki from Husain bin Haitham from Abbad bin Yaqoob Asadi from Anba bin Bajjad Abid that he said:

“When Ismail bin Ja’far bin Muhammad died and we finished his funeral ceremonies, Imam Sadiq Ja’far bin Muhammad (a.s.) sat down and we sat in his company. After a while the Imam raised his head and said: O people, indeed this

world is an abode of separation. It is an unsuitable place and not suitable, separation from a close one is such a tragedy that cannot be forgotten and it is such a sorrow that cannot be dispelled and people are superior to each other in the matter of observing a nice way of mourning and right contemplation. Thus one who does not have to mourn for his brother will have to taste death. After that Imam (a.s.) recited the couplet of Abu Kharash Dauzali that he had composed while mourning for the death of his brother:

Don’t think that I have forgotten the old brotherhood.

O one who has gone ahead, it is my goodly patience.