The army of anger

“Once I went to Imam Ali (as) for some business. Then Ibnul Kawwa’ and Shibth bin Rib’iy came and asked permission to meet him. Imam Ali (as) said to me: “If you like to permit them, you can do that because you are the first to have your business achieved.” I said: “O Amirul Mo’mineen (as), permit them to come in.” When they came in, he said to them: “What made you secede from me in Haroora’?” They said: “We wanted to be with the army of anger.” He said: “Woe unto you! Is there any kind of anger in my guardianship? Anger comes after when many kinds of calamities and distresses occur. Then they (the army) gather like cloudlets of autumn; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine or ten from every tribe.”

Abu Abdullah (as) said: “When the imam (al-Mahdi) calls out the azan, he will invoke Allah with His Hebrew name and then his companions, who will be three hundred and thirteen men, will be permitted to join him. They will gather like the cloudlets of autumn. They will be the bearers of the banners. Some of them will be missed in their beds in the night and in the morning they will find themselves in Mecca. Some of them will be seen walking on the clouds during the day. They will be known by their names, their fathers’ names and their lineages.” I said: “May I die for you! Which of them is greater in faith?” He said: “It is those, who walk on the clouds during the day. They are the missed ones. About these companions Allah has revealed this verse, ‘And each one hath a goal toward which he turneth; so vie with one another in good works. Wheresoever ye may be, Allah will bring you all together. Lo! Allah is Able to do all things.’” (2:148)

“Al-Fuqada’ are persons, who will be missed in their beds and in the morning they will be found in Mecca. It is they, who are concerned by this Qur’anic verse, ‘Wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together.’ They are al-Qa’im’s companions.”

“One day I was with Ja’far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) in a mosque in Mecca. He said to me: “O Abban, Allah will bring three hundred and thirteen men in this mosque. The people of Mecca know that neither their (those men’s) fathers nor grandfathers have been created yet. They will come with their swords on their shoulders. On each sword the name of its keeper, his father’s name, his aspect and lineage are written. Then a caller will call out: “This is al-Mahdi. He judges with the judgments of Prophet David (as) and Prophet Solomon (as). He is not asked to show evidence for his judgements.”

“This verse has been revealed about al-Qa’im (as) where Gabriel has sat on a drain in a shape of a bird. Gabriel will be the first one, who pays homage to al-Qa’im and then the three hundred and thirteen companions will pay homage. Those (of al-Qa’im’s companions), who are to walk, will arrive in time and those, who are not to walk, will disappear from their beds. It is the saying of Allah, ‘Therefore hasten to (do) good works; wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together.’ The good work is the belief in the guardianship of Ahlul Bayt.”

“Allah will send three hundred and thirteen men to a mosque in Mecca. The people of Mecca know that those men’s fathers and grandfathers have not created yet. They will have swords, on which one thousand words are written. Each word is a clue for one thousand words. Then Allah will send the wind from every valley to say: “This is al-Mahdi. He rules like the rule of Prophet David (as). He does not need any evidence.”

“The companions of al-Qa’im will be three hundred and thirteen men. They will be foreigners. Some of them will be carried on the clouds during the day. They will be known by their names, their fathers’ names, their qualities and lineages. Some of them will be taken from their beds to be in Mecca in the morning without any appointment.”

“Al-Qa’im will come from the defile of Mountain Thi Tuwa with three hundred and thirteen men as the number of the Muslims, who have fought in the battle of Badr. He will lean his back against the Black Rock (in the Kaaba) and will shake his victorious banner.” Ali bin Abu Hamza said: “I mentioned that to Abul Hasan Musa bin Ja’far al-Kadhim (as) and he said: “It is an evidenced book.”

“The companions of al-Qa’im will be young men. There will be no old men among them except like the kohl in an eye or like the salt in the food and the least part of food is the salt.”

“While the young men of the Shia are sleeping on the roofs of their houses, they will be taken to their companion (al-Qa’im) within the same night without any appointment. In the morning they will find themselves in Mecca.”

“The companions of al-Qa’im are reserved for him. Even if all the peoples will have gone, Allah will bring him his companions. It is they, about whom Allah has said, ‘Therefore if these people disbelieve in it We have already entrusted with it a people who are not disbelievers in it,’ and has said, ‘Then Allah will bring a people, He shall love them and they shall love Him, lowly before the believers, mighty against the unbelievers, they shall strive hard in Allah’s way and shall not fear the censure of any censurer.’”

“The companions of Talut have been tried by the river. Allah has said, ‘Allah will try you by a river.’ The companions of al-Qa’im also will be tried like that.”