In continuation of the discussions on the interpretation of Banu Nusrat Amin in verse 51 of Chapter 34 in relation to Imam Mahdi, we shall focus on other related issues here.
O people, whoever talks to me about Adam, I know the best about him and I am the closest to him. O people, whoever talks to me about Nuh (Noah), I know more than anyone the best about him. O people, whoever talks to me about Ibrahim (Abraham), I am closer to Ibrahim than anyone else is. O people, whoever talks to me about Musa (Moses), I know the best about him. O people, whoever talks to me about ‘Isa (Jesus), I am closer to ‘Isa than anyone else is. O people, whoever talks to me about Muhammad, I am closer to Muhammad than anyone else is and I know him the best.
O people, whoever talks to me about the Book of God, I am closer to the Book of God than anyone else.’ At that moment, he will get closer to the Maqam Ibrahim (sanctuary of Abraham) and will perform two-rak’a prayers and will swear by God as to his truthfulness.’ Imam Abi Ja’far then said: ‘By God, he is the one in distress in the Qur’an; Or, Who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and Who relieves its suffering, and makes you (mankind) inheritors of the earth? (Can there be another) god besides Allah?
Little it is that ye heed! (1) The first one to pledge allegiance to him will be Gabriel and then three hundred and thirteen people; among them, some will do their best to find their way to him and will finally be successful, and those who will not be able to reach him in this way will disappear from their beds… and this is also the meaning of the Qur’an; To each is a goal to which Allah turns him; then strive together (as in a race) towards all that is good. Wheresoever ye are, Allah will bring you together.
For Allah hath power over all things.(2)’ The Imam continues: ‘The meaning of good deeds (al-khayrat) is the Love for the Ahl al-Bayt (Wilayah) and also in the verse ‘If We delay the penalty for them for a definite term, they are sure to say, “What keeps it back?” Ah! On the day it (actually) reaches them, nothing will turn it away from them, and they will be completely encircled by that which they used to mock at! (3), the meaning of ‘ummatin ma’dudah’ refers to the Companions of the al-Qa’im (Mahdi) who will gather together in one place within an hour. When the al-Qa’im reaches the land of Bayda, the army of Sufyani will stand in rank in front of him, and then God will order the earth to swallow up their feet and absorb them.”
C- Tafsir Makhzan al-‘Irfan by Banu Nusrat Amin
Banu Amin (4) reports from ibn ‘Abbas the cause of the revelation of that verse and says: “The verse concerns the people who will sink in the desert of Bayda’ and who will be eighty thousand from Sufyani’s army and will march from Damascus with the intention of destroying the Ka’ba.
When they are close to the desert of Mecca, all of them will be swallowed up by the earth, and the meaning of “they will be seized from a position (quite) near” in the verse is that they will be in danger right under their own feet (which is the closest place to them) and these will be the people of Sufyani who will live again at the End of Time. Sufyani will send an army to demolish the Holy Ka’ba and among the eighty thousand people, only two will survive. One of them will bring the news to the people of Mecca and the other one will go back to inform Sufyani about the event.”
Banu Amin also reports from the Minhaj al-Sadiqin a tradition from Hudhayfah, who said that: “I heard from the Prophet who said while giving information about the events of the End of Time: ‘Sufyani will come out and will send an army from the arid land to Damascus (toward the East) and another one to Medina.
When they (the army toward the East) reach Babylon, which is located between the lands of Medina and Bagdad, they will kill more than a thousand people, open up the women’s wombs and kill three hundred well-known men from the family of the Bani ‘Abbas; then they will move toward Kufa and will destroy the whole area; after that, they will go to Sham while a guided army emerges from Kufa who will follow them and after two days of traveling they will kill most of its members, pillaging and taking captives.
And Sufyani will send one of his armies to Medina and for three days and nights, they will pillage the city, then move to Mecca, and then they will reach Bayda’, God will send Gabriel to destroy them. Gabriel will hit the earth with his feet and all of them will at once be swallowed up by the earth and this is the meaning of the words of God : “If thou couldst but see when they will quake with terror; but then there will be no escape (for them), and they will be seized from a position (quite) near” and among them two people will survive, Bashir and Nadhir; Bashir will inform the people of Mecca and Nadhir will frighten Sufyani, informing him of the annihilation of his people; and both of these survivors will be from Juhayna.’ This tradition is reported by our Companions from Abi Ja’far and Abi ‘Abdillah among the traditions of the reappearance of the Mahdi”.
NOTES:
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1. The Holy Quran 2:148
2. The Holy Quran 2:148
3. The Holy Quran 8:11
4. Tafsir Makhzan al-‘Irfan : Vol. 8, p. 311
