Story:
We draw attention to this story by quoting from the learned orator and pious scholar, the late Sheikh Ali Akbar Nahavandi, which he quoted from the late Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Ali Akbar Mousavikhoei 2, so that we may think a little more about our claims so that it becomes clear to what extent. We are honest and ready to sacrifice:
I once traveled from Najaf Ashraf to Halla 3 to do some work. While passing through the streets of that city, my eyes fell on the dome of a mosque, on top of which there was a short pilgrimage of prophet Sahib al-Zaman, peace be upon him, and above it was written: This is the position of Sahib al-Zaman. They used to come to places and seek refuge and closeness to God Almighty with prayers and supplications. I asked the people of Halla why that place was named after Sahib Al-Zaman. They all said in unison:
This place was the house of a scholar, ascetic, pious and pious man named Sheikh Ali, who was always waiting for the appearance of prophet Mahdi, peace be upon him. He constantly addressed Imam Zaman (peace be upon him) and said, “What is the reason for this absence from our eyes at this time?” While your sincere ones are as many as the leaves of the trees in the cities and everywhere in the world. In our own city, there are more than 1000 of your fans and friends. So why don’t you appear to fill the world with justice and peace? Until one day Sheikh Ali went to the desert in the same state and started these words, when suddenly a person with the face and appearance of a Bedouin Arab appeared to him and said to him: Mr. Sheikh, who are you addressing all this? He said: My address is to the evidence of time and Imam Zaman, peace be upon him, that despite all the sincerity and devotion he has in this era, why does he not appear when only more than 1000 people of the lovers and companions of the Prophet are in Halla.
The gentleman said: O Sheikh, I am the master of time. Don’t blame me so much! It’s not the way you thought! If 313 of my companions were present, I would have appeared. In the city of Halle, where you say I have more than 1000 sincere people, except you and some butcher, no one is a friend of my sincerity. Now, if you want the reality to be clear to you, go invite me, who you know sincerely, to your dignity on Friday night and prepare a meeting in the courtyard. Invite some butcher and tie two goats on the roof of your house. Then wait for my arrival so that I can show you the truth and inform you that you have made a mistake. When the Prophet’s orders ended, the Imam disappeared from the Sheikh’s eyes.
Sheikh Ali Hallawi, happy about this incident, returned to Halla with great happiness. He went to the butcher and discussed the matter with him. With the help of each other, they selected 40 people from among the 1000 people who they considered to be the real ones waiting for the evidence of the absent Hujjat Ghaib, may God bless him and grant him peace, and invited them to come to the Sheikh’s house on Friday night to visit the Imam of Asr, peace be upon him.
The promised Friday night came. The butcher and the 40 selected people came to Sheikh Ali Hallawi’s house and sat in the yard. Everyone was doing ablution, facing the Qiblah, counting down the moments while reciting blessings and supplications, waiting for Qaim to come. According to the order of the Holy Prophet, Sheikh Ali had already tied two goats on the roof and was waiting for Mullah’s hospitality in the courtyard of the house in the presence of the guests. When the evening passed, suddenly everyone saw a great and brilliant light, which was far brighter than the sun and the moon, appeared in the sky and lit up all the horizons. Then that light came towards Sheikh Ali’s house until it landed on the roof of the house. A few minutes later, a voice from the roof called the butcher. The butcher man obeyed the order, got up and went to the roof and served Hazrat Sharafiab.
After a few moments, the Imam said to him: Slaughter one of these two goats near the gutter, so that all its blood flows out of the gutter and flows in the courtyard of the house. The butcher man obeyed the Imam’s order. When the blood flowed in the courtyard, those 40 people thought that Hazrat Mahdi, peace be upon him, had stabbed the butcher’s neck and that it was his blood that was falling from the gutter. After a while, a voice was heard from the roof and summoned Sheikh Ali Halawi. The sheikh got up and went to the roof, he saw the butcher standing on the roof in front of the imam, but he had cut off one of the two goats and the goat’s blood was flowing in the yard. At this time, the butcher beheaded the second goat near the gutter by the order of the Prophet, and blood flowed from the gutter to the middle of the yard for the second time.
When those 40 people saw fresh blood flowing again in the courtyard of the house, their suspicions turned into certainty and they all became sure that Hojjat bin Al-Hassan (a.s.) killed the butcher and Sheikh Ali Halawi, and soon their turn would come one by one. And the meeting with Imam Zaman (peace be upon him) will end at the cost of their lives. Therefore, they immediately got up and ran away from Sheikh Ali Hallawi’s house. Then the Prophet turned to Sheikh Ali and said: Go to the courtyard and tell them to come to the roof to meet me. Sheikh Ali came down from the roof and when he reached the courtyard, he did not see even one of the 40 chosen ones and knew that they had all fled. He quickly returned to the roof and the escape of those 40 people brought him to the holy place.
Hazrat said: O Sheikh, don’t talk to me with all those insults and insults! This was the city of Halle, where you said that more than 1000 of our friends and supporters are in this city alone. So what happened that among those chosen friends, there is no one left except you and this butcher man?! Now compare other places in the same way! He said this sentence and disappeared from their eyes. After this incident, Sheikh Ali Hallawi restored that tomb and called it “Maqam Saheb al-Zaman”.
subscripts:
- On the authority of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: Al-Mur’a Mu’o Mun’ Ahub”; see: Mizan al-Hikama, vol. 2, pp. 242-243.
- Mr. Hojjat-ul-Islam, Mr. Seyyed Ali Akbar Mousavi Khoei, may God have mercy on him, was the father of the great Shia authority, Hazrat Ayatollah Seyed Abul Qasim Khoei, may God bless him and grant him peace.
- Halla is one of the cities of Iraq.
- Here is the position of Imam Zaman, peace be upon him.
- Nahavandi, Sheikh Ali Akbar, the author of the book Al-Ubqari Al-Hasan fi Ahwala Maulana Sahib al-Zaman, peace be upon him, vol. 2, pp. 77-78.
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