The meaning of the saying of the bell
1
حدثنا صالح بن عيسى العجلي، قال: حدثنا أبو بكر محمد بن محمد بن علي الفقيه، قال: حدثنا أبو نصر الشعراني في مسجد حميد قال: حدثنا سلمة بن صالح الوضاح عن أبيه، عن أبي إسرائيل، عن أبي إسحاق الهمداني، عن عاصم بن ضمرة، عن الحارث الأعور، قال: بينا أنا أسير مع أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام في الحيرة إذا نحن بديراني يضرب بالناقوس، قال: فقال علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام: يا حارث أتدري ما يقول هذا الناقوس؟ قلت: الله ورسوله وابن عم رسوله أعلم. قال: إنه يضرب الدنيا و خرابها ويقول: " لا إله إلا الله حقا حقا، صدقا صدقا، إن الدنيا قد غرتنا وشغلتنا و استهوتنا واستغوتنا، يا ابن الدنيا مهلا مهلا، يا ابن الدنيا دقا دقا، يا ابن الدنيا جمعا جمعا، تفني الدنيا قرنا قرنا، ما من يوم يمضى عنا إلا وهن منا ركنا، قد ضيعنا دارا تبقى، واستوطنا دارا تفنى لسنا ندري ما فرطنا فيها إلا لو قدمتنا. قال الحارث: يا أمير المؤمنين النصارى يعلمون ذلك؟ قال: لو علموا ذلك لما اتخذوا المسيح إلها من دون الله عز وجل، قال: فذهبت إلى الديراني فقلت له: بحق المسيح عليك لما ضربت بالناقوس على الجهة التي تضربها. قال: فأخذ يضرب وأنا أقول حرفا حرفا حتى بلغ إلى قوله إلا لو قدمتنا. فقال: بحق نبيكم من أخبرك بهذا. قلت: قال الرجل الذي كان معي أمس، قال: وهل بينه وبين النبي من قرابة؟ قلت: هو ابن عمه، قال: بحق نبيكم أسمع هذا من نبيكم؟ قال: قلت: نعم. فأسلم، ثم قال لي: والله إني وجدت في التوراة أنه يكون في آخر الأنبياء نبي وهو يفسر ما يقول الناقوس.
1. We were told by Saleh bin Isa al-‘Ajali, that he said: We were told by Abu Bakr, Muhammed bin Muhammed bin Ali, the Jurist, that he said: We were told by Abu Nasr al-Shi’rani in the mosque of Hameed, that he said: We were told by Salam bin Saleh al-Waddah, from his father, from Abu Isra’eel, from Abu Ishaq al-Hamdani, from ‘Asem bin Dhamra, from Harith al-A’war, that he said: While I was walking with the Commander of the Believers, Ali bin Abi Talib, peace be upon him, in Hira, we were by a monastery hitting the bell. He said: Then Ali bin Abi Talib, peace be upon him, said: O Harith, do you know what this bell is saying? I said: Allah, His Messenger and the son of the paternal uncle of His Messenger are more knowledgeable. He said: Indeed, it gives the example of this world and its destruction, and it says: «There is no god but Allah, truly, truly, sincerely, sincerely. Indeed, this world has enticed us, kept us occupied, made us desire and lured us. O son of this world, carefully, carefully. O son of this world, delicately, delicately. O son of this world, collectively, collectively. This world is to perish, century by century. There is no day that passes from us except that a pillar of us is weakened. Certainly, we have lost a Home that is to remain, and we have resided in a home that is to perish. We will not know what we have exaggerated in it except if we were to die.» Harith said: O Commander of the Believers, do the Christians know that? He said: If they knew that, they would not have taken Christ as a god besides Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He. He said: Then I went to the monk and said to him: By Christ upon you, strike the bell in the direction you strike it towards. He said: Then he began to strike whilst I was saying (the recitation) letter by letter, until I reached his saying: « except if we were to die». Then he said: By your Prophet, who informed you of this? I said: It was said by the man who was with me yesterday. He said: And is there any kinship between him and between your Prophet? He said: He is the son of his paternal uncle. He said: By your Prophet, did he hear this from you Prophet? He said: I said: Yes. Then he accepted Islam. Then he said to me: By Allah, indeed, I have found in the Torah that there will be among the last of the Prophets, a Prophet who will interpret what the bell says.