Another one of the Chapters about the Souls of the Believing People
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1ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ أَبِي وَلاَّدٍ الْحَنَّاطِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ يَرْوُونَ أَنَّ أَرْوَاحَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي حَوَاصِلِ طُيُورٍ خُضْرٍ حَوْلَ الْعَرْشِ فَقَالَ لاَ الْمُؤْمِنُ أَكْرَمُ عَلَى الله مِنْ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ رُوحَهُ فِي حَوْصَلَةِ طَيْرٍ وَلَكِنْ فِي أَبْدَانٍ كَأَبْدَانِهِمْ.
1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from abu Walfad al-Hannat who has said the following: “I asked abu ’Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, ’May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, they narrate that the souls of the believing people are kept in the craw of green birds that live around the Throne.’ The Imam replied, ‘Believing people are very much respectable before Allah. He does not keep them in the craw of birds. In fact, He keeps them in bodies like their bodies.’”
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2ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي نَجْرَانَ عَنْ مُثَنًّى الْحَنَّاطِ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) إِنَّ أَرْوَاحَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَفِي شَجَرَةٍ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ يَأْكُلُونَ مِنْ طَعَامِهَا وَيَشْرَبُونَ مِنْ شَرَابِهَا وَيَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَقِمِ السَّاعَةَ لَنَا وَأَنْجِزْ لَنَا مَا وَعَدْتَنَا وَأَلْحِقْ آخِرَنَا بِأَوَّلِنَا.
2. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn abu Najran from Muthanna al-Hannat from abu Basir who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘The souls of the believing people are in a tree of paradise. They eat and drink of fruits and water thereof, and say, “O Lord, make the Day of Judgment to come for us, make what You had promised to come true and allow the last of us to join our first.’””
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3ـ سَهْلُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ عَنْ دُرُسْتَ بْنِ أَبِي مَنْصُورٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ إِنَّ الأرْوَاحَ فِي صِفَةِ الأجْسَادِ فِي شَجَرَةٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ تَعَارَفُ وَتَسَاءَلُ فَإِذَا قَدِمَتِ الرُّوحُ عَلَى الأرْوَاحِ يَقُولُ دَعُوهَا فَإِنَّهَا قَدْ أَفْلَتَتْ مِنْ هَوْلٍ عَظِيمٍ ثُمَّ يَسْأَلُونَهَا مَا فَعَلَ فُلاَنٌ وَمَا فَعَلَ فُلاَنٌ فَإِنْ قَالَتْ لَهُمْ تَرَكْتُهُ حَيّاً ارْتَجَوْهُ وَإِنْ قَالَتْ لَهُمْ قَدْ هَلَكَ قَالُوا قَدْ هَوَى هَوَى.
3. Sahl ibn Ziyad has narrated from ’Isma‘il ibn Mehran from Durust ibn abu Mansur from ibn Muskan from abu Basir who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that the souls (spirits) with the quality of body are in a tree in paradise where they get to know each other and ask questions. Whenever a new coming soul (spirit) joins them, they say, ‘Leave him alone. He has just experienced a huge terrifying experience.’ Then they ask him, ‘What is so and so and so and so doing?’ If he says, ‘I left him in his lifetime,’ they wish the best for him; but if he says, ‘He died’, they say, ‘He then has fallen into the deep (hell).”’
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4ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) عَنْ أَرْوَاحِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقَالَ فِي حُجُرَاتٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ يَأْكُلُونَ مِنْ طَعَامِهَا وَيَشْرَبُونَ مِنْ شَرَابِهَا وَيَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَقِمِ السَّاعَةَ لَنَا وَأَنْجِزْ لَنَا مَا وَعَدْتَنَا وَأَلْحِقْ آخِرَنَا بِأَوَّلِنَا.
4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from Muhammad ibn ‘Uthman from abu Basir who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, about the souls (spirits) of believing people. He said, ‘They are in chambers in paradise, they eat and drink thereof and say, “O Lord, make it the Day of Judgment, allow what You had promised us to come true and join the last of us with those who were first.’””
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5ـ عَلِيٌّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ مُحَسِّنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ إِذَا مَاتَ الْمَيِّتُ اجْتَمَعُوا عِنْدَهُ يَسْأَلُونَهُ عَمَّنْ مَضَى وَ عَمَّنْ بَقِيَ فَإِنْ كَانَ مَاتَ وَلَمْ يَرِدْ عَلَيْهِمْ قَالُوا قَدْ هَوَى هَوَى وَيَقُولُ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ دَعُوهُ حَتَّى يَسْكُنَ مِمَّا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ.
5. Ali has narrated from his father from Muhsin ibn Ahmad from Muhammad ibn Hammad from Yunus ibn Ya‘qub who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that when a dying person dies, other spirits gather around him and ask, ‘Who is still alive and who is dead?’ If someone is dead and has not joined them they say, ‘He then has fallen into the deep.’ Others among them say, ‘Leave him alone so he can gain comfort from what he has experienced from death.’”
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6ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ ظَبْيَانَ قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) فَقَالَ مَا يَقُولُ النَّاسُ فِي أَرْوَاحِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقُلْتُ يَقُولُونَ تَكُونُ فِي حَوَاصِلِ طُيُورٍ خُضْرٍ فِي قَنَادِيلَ تَحْتَ الْعَرْشِ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) سُبْحَانَ الله الْمُؤْمِنُ أَكْرَمُ عَلَى الله مِنْ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ رُوحَهُ فِي حَوْصَلَةِ طَيْرٍ يَا يُونُسُ إِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ أَتَاهُ مُحَمَّدٌ (صلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَعَلِيٌّ وَفَاطِمَةُ وَالْحَسَنُ وَالْحُسَيْنُ (عَلَيْهِم الْسَّلام) وَالْمَلاَئِكَةُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ (عَلَيْهِم الْسَّلام) فَإِذَا قَبَضَهُ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ صَيَّرَ تِلْكَ الرُّوحَ فِي قَالَبٍ كَقَالَبِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَيَأْكُلُونَ وَيَشْرَبُونَ فَإِذَا قَدِمَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَادِمُ عَرَفُوهُ بِتِلْكَ الصُّورَةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ فِي الدُّنْيَا.
6. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Khalid from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Ahmad from Yunus ibn Zabyan who has said the following: ’Once I was with abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, and he asked, ‘What do people say about the spirits of the believers?’ I then replied, ‘They say that they live in the craws of green birds in chandlers in paradise under the Throne.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, then said, ‘Allah is free of all defects. A believer is highly respected in the sight of Allah. He does not place them (the spirits of believers) in the craws of birds. O Yunus, when that (death) comes Muhammad, Ali, Fatimah, al- Hassan and al-Husayn, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, and the angels of high ranks before Allah come. When Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, causes him to die, the spirit is transferred to a form like his form in the world. They (spirits) eat and drink. When a new coming soul (spirit) joins them, they recognize him through his form which he had in the world.’”
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7ـ مُحَمَّدٌ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أَخِيهِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ زُرْعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لأَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) إِنَّا نَتَحَدَّثُ عَنْ أَرْوَاحِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنَّهَا فِي حَوَاصِلِ طُيُورٍ خُضْرٍ تَرْعَى فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَتَأْوِي إِلَى قَنَادِيلَ تَحْتَ الْعَرْشِ فَقَالَ لاَ إِذاً مَا هِيَ فِي حَوَاصِلِ طَيْرٍ قُلْتُ فَأَيْنَ هِيَ قَالَ فِي رَوْضَةٍ كَهَيْئَةِ الأجْسَادِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ.
7. Muhammad ibn Ahmad has narrated from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from his brother al-Hassan from Zur‘ah from abu Basir who has said the following: “Once, I said to abu ’Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, ‘We speak about the spirits of the believing people that they live in the craws of green birds that graze in paradise and seek shelter in chandlers under the Throne.’ He said, ‘No, they certainly are not in the craws of birds.’ I then asked, ‘Where are they then?’ He replied, ‘They are in a garden in the shape of bodies in paradise.’”