Forbidding timing and naming al-Qa’im

I said to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “Does this matter (the appearance of al-Mahdi) not have an end so that we relieve ourselves?” He said: “Yes, it does. But you (people) announced it; therefore Allah put it off.”

“After the death of Ali bin al-Husayn (Imam as-Sajjad) (as), I went to Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as). I said to him: “May I die for you! You know that I have kept to your father, felt so happy when being with him and left people aside.” He said: “O Abu Khalid, that is right. What do you want then?” I said: “May I die for you! Your father has described to me the man of this matter (al-Qa’im) in a way that if I see him anywhere, I shall catch his hand.” He said: “Then what do you want?” I said: “I want you to name him so that I shall know him by the name.” He said: “O Abu Khalid, by Allah you asked a so difficult question. You asked me about something that I have never told anyone of. If I have told someone of that, I shall have told you. You asked about something that if the Prophet’s progeny themselves have known it, they will have tried their best to hide it.”

“O Muhammad, whoever narrates to you a tradition from us talking about timing, do not hesitate to consider him as a liar because we do not time to anyone.”

“Allah does not consent save to reverse the timing of the diviners.”

“We (the prophet’s progeny) do not time this matter (the appearance of al-Qa’im).”

“I said to Abu Abdillah (as): “May I be sacrificed for you! When will al-Qa’im appear?” He said: “O Abu Muhammad (Abu Baseer), we, the Ahlul Bayt, do not time. Muhammad (sw) has said: “The diviners have lied!” O Abu Muhammad, before this matter there will be five signs; a call (from the Heaven) in the month of Ramadan, the rising of as-Sufyani, the rising of al-Khurasani, the killing of Nafs al-Zakiyya, and a sinking in the desert. Before the appearance of al-Qa’im there must be two plagues; the white plague and the red plague.” I said: “What are they?” He said: “The white plague is a torrential death and the red plague is killing by the sword. Al-Qa’im does not appear until his name will be called out from the Heaven in the twenty-third night of Ramadan, which will be a night of Friday.” I said: “What will be called out?” He said: “The caller will call out the name of al-Qa’im and the name of his father and will say: “So-and-so the son of so-and-so is al-Qa’im of Muhammad’s progeny. You are to listen to him and to obey him.” And nothing created by Allah that has a spirit will remain except that it hears the shout, the sleepers will awake and get out to courtyards and the virgins will get out of their veils. Then al-Qa’im will appear after hearing the call. It will be the call of Gabriel (as).”

“I heard Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyya (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: “Before our banner (the banner of al-Qa’im) there will be a banner (rule or state) of the family of Ja’far and another one of the family of Mardas. As for the banner of aal Ja’far, it will begin with nothing (important) and will end to nothing.” I became angry on hearing that. I said to him: “May I die for you! Will there be banners before yours?” He said: “Yes, there will. By Allah, aal Mardas will have a strong rule but with no goodness. Their state will be full of difficulties but with no easiness. They will bring the foreigners closer and will remove the near. When they feel that they are safe from the punishment of Allah and that their state does never decline, a cry will come upon them and then no ruler will remain to gather them, no one to listen to them and no people to support them. Allah has given an example in His Book when saying, ‘Until when the earth puts on its golden raiment and it becomes garnished, and its people think that they have power over it, Our command comes to it, by night or by day.” Then Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyya swore by Allah that this verse had been revealed concerning those people. I said to him: “May I die for you! You have told about a great thing concerning those people, then when will they perish?” He said: “O Muhammad (bin Bishr), Allah reverses the timing of the diviners. Prophet Moses (as) promised his people (that Allah would do away with their enemy) after thirty days but Allah had determined further ten days and He had not told Prophet Moses (as) of that. When the appointment of the promise passed, the people of Moses disbelieved and began to worship the calf. Prophet Younus (Jonah) (as) warned his people that they would be tortured but Allah had willed to forgive them but without informing Prophet Younus (as) of that and then happened what had happened to them. When you see neediness spread and one says that he has spent his night without eating anything and when one receives you in a manner and the other day he receives you in a different manner then you expect it!” I said: “I know what neediness is. What is the other thing?” He said: “It is when one meets you smilingly but when you go to borrow something from him, he will meet you in a different manner. Then the cry (from the Heaven) will occur somehow soon.”

“There has been an appointment for this matter (deliverance). It has been determined (by the Heaven) that it will occur in the year one hundred and forty (A.H.) but when you announced the matter, Allah has put it off.”

“This matter has been put off twice.”

“Allah had timed this matter to occur in the year seventy (A.H.) but when al-Husayn (as) was killed, He became so angry and put it off until the year one hundred and forty. We told you of that and you announced it and uncovered the secret, so after that Allah did not reveal any timing to us concerning this matter. Allah said: (Allah makes to pass away and establishes what He pleases, and with Him is the basis of the Book).” Abu Hamza said: “I told Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) of that and he said: “Yes, it was so.”

“Once I was with Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) when Muhzim came to him. Muhzim said to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “May I die for you! Please tell me when this matter, which we are waiting for, occurs!” Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) said: “O Muhzim, the diviners often tell false things, the hasteners perish and only the submissive believers are saved.”

“The diviners tell lies. We, Ahlul Bayt, do not time. Allah dose not consent save to reverse the timing of the diviners.”

“I asked Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) if that matter (the appearance of al-Qa’im) had a certain appointment and he said: “The diviners tell lies! The diviners tell lies! When Prophet Moses (as) devoted himself to his Lord, he promised his people that after thirty days Allah would do away with their enemy. When Allah added ten days to the thirty, the people said that Moses had broken his promise and then they disbelieved and made a metallic calf as their god. When we tell you of something and Allah does as we have told you, you are to say that Allah has fulfilled His promise and when we tell you of something but a different thing occurs, also you are to say that Allah has fulfilled his promise. Then you will be rewarded twice.”

“Abul Hasan Musa bin Ja’far al-Kadhim (as) said to me: “O Ali, the Shia have been brought up with hopes since two hundred years.” Yaqteen said to his son Ali: “What is the matter?! What had been said (by the infallible imams) to us occurred but what had been said to you did not occur-he meant the fate of the Abbasids.” Ali said: “What had been said to you and what had been said to us were from the same source but the time of your matter came and it occurred as it had been said to you whereas the time of our matter did not come yet so we justified that by hopes and wishes. If it was said to us that this matter would occur after two hundred or three hundred years, our hearts would be hard and then most of people would apostatize but they said to us that it would be so near in order to attract the hearts of people and to make them feel that deliverance was about to come.”

“People perished because they hastened this matter (deliverance). Allah does not become hasty just because that people urge on their matters to be achieved. This matter (the appearance of al-Qa’im) has a precise time that it must reach. If it reaches its time, it will occur neither an hour sooner nor an hour later.”