Rare Ahadith

“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘No other thing is attended by the angel as horse racing is and a man’s playing with his wife.’”

“Once a woman came to the Messenger of Allah (saww) to ask a question and the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Child bearing, compassionate and kind to their children, had they not brought anyone (in the bed of their husband), it would have been said to them, ‘Enter in paradise without any questions being asked.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If a woman performs Salat (prayer) five times a day, fasts a month, obeys her husband and recognizes the right of Ali (a.s.), she then can enter paradise from whichever door of the garden (paradise) she wants.’”

“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), sent me to a woman of the Zubayr family to see her because he wanted to marry her. When I went to her she spoke to me softly and then said, ‘Bring the lamp closer to me.’ I took it close to her. Sa‘idah has said, ‘I looked at her - there was someone else with Sa‘idah also - and asked if she agreed.’ He (the narrator) has said that abu al-Hassan (a.s.), married her and she lived with him (the Imam) until he (the Imam) died. When his slave-girls learned about it (this marriage) they began to hold his sleeves and clothes and he remained quiet, smiled and did not say anything to them. It is mentioned that he (the Imam) said, ‘No other thing is like free women.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘. . . or that you touch women.’ (5:6) He (the Imam) said, ‘It means going to bed with woman but Allah covers and He loves covering private matters so He has not mentioned it by its name as you do.’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that Fatimah, ‘Alayha al-Salam, in her will had asked ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), to marry her sister’s daughter after her death and he followed her instruction.’”

foliowing: “I once asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who marries his slave-girl; if it is proper for him to allow her to look at his private parts. He (the Imam) said, ’No, it is not proper and I do not allow my slave-girl to do so when I marry her.’”

“I once asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the narration of people from Ali (a.s.), in the matters of reproductive issues of human beings about which he did not command or prohibit others except that he prohibited for himself and his children. I asked, ’How can this happen?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is because one verse has made it lawful and the other verse has made it unlawful.’ I then said, ‘This can happen only when one verse cancels the other, or that both are clear and that it is proper to follow both verses. He (the Imam) said, ’He has already explained it by prohibiting it for himself and his children.’ I then asked, ’What prevented him to explain it to people? He (the Imam) replied, ’Because he was afraid of people’s not listening to him. Had Ali (a.s.), been able to establish a strong foothold he would execute all the rules of the book of Allah and all of the truth.’”

“One of the two Imam, (abu Ja’far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, about the case of a man who confessed his raping the slave-girl of another man who gives birth from the rapist, has said that the slave-girl and the child is returned to the owner of the slave-girl if the rapist has made a confession.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘In banu Israel there was a king who had a judge who had a brother who was truthful and had a wife who had given birth to prophets. The king decided to send a person for a certain task so he asked his judge to find for him a reliable person. The judge said, ‘I do not know anyone more truthful than my brother.’ He called him to go for the task but he did not like it and said to his brother, ‘I am afraid I may lose my wife.’ He insisted and the man could not do anything but to go for the task. He told his brother, ’Brother, of the things that I leave behind no other thing is more important to me than my wife. Please take good care of her in whatever matters she may need.’ His brother agreed and the man left for the task of the king but the woman did not like his leaving. The judge would come and ask her if she needed anything and would provide whatever she needed. He liked her and asked her to yield to his demand but she refused. He swore that if she did not agree he can inform the king that she has committed fornication. She said, ’I cannot yield to your demand and you can do whatever you like.’ He went to the king and said, ’The wife of my brother has committed fornication and it is proved before me.’ The king said, ‘Cleanse her.’ He went to her and said, ‘The king has commanded me to stone you to death. What do you say now? I can stone you to death if you do not agree with what I ask you to do.’ She said, ‘I cannot agree with what you wish, so you can do whatever you like.’ He took her out and placed her in a ditch and stoned, while people were with him. When he thought she was dead he left her and returned. When it became dark in the night and she was still alive she moved out of the ditch and dragged herself on her face out of the city to a monastery where a monk lived. She waited at the door until the morning when the monk opened the door, saw her and asked her about her story. She informed him about it, he felt sympathy for her, took her inside. He had a small son who was his only son in good condition. He treated her injuries until she was cured and gave his son to her to provide him care. The monk had an agent who worked for him. He liked the woman and asked her to yield to his demand but she refused. He tried hard but she did not yield to his demand and he said, ‘If you do not agree I will try to kill you.’ She said, T cannot agree with what you want, so you can do whatever you wish.’ He attacked the child and cut his neck. He went to the monk and said, ‘You entrusted a fornicator who committed fornication. You left your son with her and she has killed him.’ The monk came to her and when he saw him he asked her, ‘What is this? You know I helped you? She informed him of her story and he said, ‘I cannot feel good for you any more if you stay with me; so leave my place? He made her to move away in the night, gave her twenty dirham, told her to spend it and that Allah will sufficiently support her. During the night she left and in the morning she arrived in a town where a man was being crucified, but he was still alive. She asked about his case and they said that he owed twenty dirham which he could not pay. Whoever cannot pay his debts is crucified according to the rules of the town unless he pays it off to his creditor. She took out the twenty dirham, paid to his creditor and asked them to release him. They brought him down from the hanging pole and he said to her, ‘No one has ever done a favor to me greater than what you have done to me. You have saved me from being crucified and from death, thus I must serve you wherever you go? He followed her until they came to the shore and saw a group of people and a ship. He asked her, ‘Stay here so I go work for them to get food for you? He went to them and asked, ‘What does your ship carry?’ They replied, ‘It carries goods for business, like pearls, Ambergris and so on and we use this one for our own ride? He then asked, ‘How much is the value of the goods in your ship?’ They replied, ‘It is a great deal; we cannot count? He then said, ‘I have something with me who is better than what is in your ship? They asked, ‘What is with you?’ he replied, ‘There is a girl with me the like of whom you have never seen? They asked, ‘Do you sell her?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I want to sell her with the condition that one of you come with me to see her, then you can buy her from me and pay without telling her about it until I go away? They said; ‘It is up to you? They sent one of them to look at her and that person said, ‘I have never seen anyone like her in beauty? They bought her from him for ten thousand dirham and paid him. He moved away and when he was far away they came to her and told her to move in the ship. She asked, ‘Why must I move in the ship?’ They replied, ‘We have bought you from your master? She said, ‘He is not my master? They said, ‘Will you move on your own or we carry you in the ship?’ She then walked with them and when they arrived at the shore, they could not trust each other about her, so they kept her in the ship with goods for trading and they themselves stayed in the other ship and set it to sail. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, sent winds that made all of them drown as well as their ship but she remained safe with the ship loaded with goods for trading until she arrived in an island of the islands of the sea. She tied down the ship and walked on the island, found water, trees and fruits. She said, ‘From this water I will drink and from these fruits I will eat and worship Allah in this place? Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, then sent revelation to a prophet of the prophets of banu Israel to go to that king and tell him, ‘On such and such island there is one of My servants. You and the people in your domain must go to my servant who is there and confess your sins before My servant there then ask that creature to forgive you; if that creature forgives you I will also forgive you? The king along with the people in his dominion went to that island and saw a woman. The king came to her and said, ‘My judge told me that his brother’s wife has committed fornication and I commanded to stone her to death but no testimony was presented before me and I am afraid that I may have done something unlawful and I like that you ask forgiveness for me.’ She said, ‘Allah has forgiven you. Please sit down.’ Then her husband came. He could not recognize her and said, ‘I had a very excellent and virtuous wife but I left her when she did not like and I left her in the care of my brother. When I came back and asked about her, my brother told me that she had committed fornication and he stoned her to death and I am afraid that I may have lost her so ask forgiveness for me.’ She said, ‘Allah has forgiven you’, and she made him to sit next to the king. Then the judge came and said, ‘My brother had a wife who attracted me and I asked her to commit fornication but she refused and I informed the king that she has committed fornication and he commanded me to stone her to death. I stoned her to death and I had lied against her, so please ask forgiveness for me.’ She said, ‘Allah has forgiven you.’ She then turned to her husband and asked him to listen. Then the monk came and told his story and said, ‘I sent her away in the night and I am afraid that wild beasts may have killed her.’ She said, ‘Allah has forgiven, you please sit down.’ Then the agent of the monk came and told his story and she asked the monk to listen, may Allah forgive you. Then the man, who was to be crucified came and told his story but she said, ‘May Allah not forgive you.’ He (the Imam) said that she then turned to her husband and said, ‘I am your wife and whatever you heard is my story. I do not need any men anymore and I love that you take this ship with its contents and leave me by myself so I can worship Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, on this island. As you have learned how much I have suffered at the hands of men.’ He agreed, took the ship with its contents and allowed her to do what she wanted. The king and people in his dominion returned.’”

“Abu Ja‘far, and abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, have said, ‘There is no one without a share in fornication. Fornication of the eyes is looking, of the mouth is kissing, of hands is touching, regardless if the genital organs materialize it or not.’”

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘Looking is an arrow of the poisoned arrows of Satan, and there are many such arrows that cause regret for a long time.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah (saww) has said, “The tattooing women and those women who are tattooed, those who raise the price of a piece of goods for sale without the intention to buy and those who agree to such act are all cursed upon the tongue of Muhammad (saww).’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has condemned a man who looks to the genitals of a woman who is not lawful for him, a man who has betrayed his brother about his wife and a man whom people need for his benefits but he asks for a bribe.’”

“There was a man in al-Madinah and he had a very beautiful slave-girl who attracted a man who liked her and he complained before abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), who told him to avoid looking to her and on seeing her say, T ask Allah from His extra bounties.’ He followed the instruction. In a short time her master decided to leave for a journey and he came to the man and said, ‘O so and so, you are my neighbor and the most trustworthy of all people to me. I must leave for a journey and I like to leave so and so my slave-girl in your care.’ He replied, T do not have a wife and there is no woman in the house with me; then how can I keep your slave-girl with me?’ He said, T will find her price for you and you take responsibility of that assets (her price) for me and when I will come back, sell her to me and I will buy her from you. If you like to benefit from her it is lawful for you.’ He then did as he had said and made him responsible for the price of the slave-girl and left. She stayed with him as long as Allah wanted and he satisfied himself in what he wished. Thereafter a messenger of the Khalifah of Amawide came to buy slave-girls for him. She was one of those mentioned to be bought for him. The governor sent a person to him asking about the slave-girl of so and so. He said that so and so is not present. He was forced to sell and paid him with profits for him. When they took the slave-girl and left al-Madinah her master came back and the first thing he asked was about his slave-girl as to how she was doing. He informed him about what had happened and brought to him all that was paid for her; the price he had set and the extra profit and said, ‘This is the price and this is the profit, so accept it.’ He refused to accept more than the price he had set saying, ‘The extra is for you in good health. Allah did it for him because of his good intentions.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not unlawful to sleep between the two of your slave-girls or free wives; your women are like dolls.’”

“It is Makruh (undesirable) to go to bed with one’s wife facing al-Qiblah (al-Ka’bah).”

“I once asked one of the two Imam, (abu Ja’far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, about the case of my buying a slave-girl who was born out of wedlock and she was involved with me in everything. He (the Imam) said, ‘Ask her mother who her father is; then ask the one involved with her mother to make it lawful for you so that the child will be born fine.’” (According to the footnote it may not work properly).”’

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘. . . We took from you a ghaliz (thick) pledge and oath from you.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘The pledge or oath refers to the term by which marriage is declared and ‘ ghaliz ’ (thick) refers to the liquid that flows from man to woman.’”

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the case of a man who marries a woman and who says that she is pregnant and that she is his sister because of breastfeeding and that she has not completed her waiting period. He (the Imam) said, ’If he has gone to bed (engaged in sexual intercourse) with her, he must not accept her words but if he has not done so, he must investigate if he did not know before.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who is found in a house with a woman who confirms that she is his wife and she confirms that he is her husband. He (the Imam) said, ‘In the case of a certain man I can consider it permissible and in the case of a certain man if I find him as such I strike him (dead).”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has narrated from his father who has said, that a man proposed marriage in a family and they asked, ‘What is your business?’ He replied, ‘I sell animals.’ They accepted his proposal and found out that he sells cats, so they took their dispute before ’Amir al- Mu’minin (a.s.), who validated the marriage saying that cats are animals.’”

“Once a man from al-Ansar (people of al-Madinah) came to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, and said, ‘This is my wife and daughter of my uncle. I do not know anything about her except good but she has given birth to a very dark skin child, with wide nostrils, curly hairs and pointed nose. I do not find anyone like him among my maternal uncles or ancestors. He (the Messenger of Allah) asked the woman, ‘What do you say?’ She said, ‘No, by the One who has sent you in all truth as a prophet that I have never allowed anyone other than him to sit with me as he does.’ He (the Imam) said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, bent down his head for a while and raised his head to the sky; then turned to the man and said, ‘O you, take notice that between everyone and Adam there are ninety-nine veins all of which strike in lineage. When the seed falls in the womb those veins surge and ask Allah for resemblance to it. So this is from those veins which your ancestors did not get. Take your child with you.’ The woman said, ‘Thank you, O Messenger of Allah for providing me such a great relief.’”

“I once wrote to him (the Imam) (a.s.), about the case of a man who proposed marriage to the daughter of his uncle who instructed a certain one of his brothers to give his daughter in marriage to him and she is the one for whom he has proposed. The man by mistake gives her a different name and no one of that name exists in the family. Her name was Fatimah but he gives her a different name. He (the Imam) signed the answer which said, ‘It is not harmful/”

“A man once wrote to him (the Imam) (a.s.), and asked him (the Imam) about his marriage proposal which had taken place many years, months and days ago and he is not certain if he asked to declare the terms of marriage or it was already declared. He (the Imam) answered him on the issue, ‘It is not obligatory for him to do anything other than what his heart is tied down with and about which his decision is established.’”

“About the case of a man who claims to have married a woman in the presence of witnesses and her guardian but she denies it and the sister of this woman presents testimony that the man has married her in the presence of witnesses and her guardian but she does not prove the time of marriage. Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.), issued a judgment in this case that said, ‘The testimony of the man is admitted and accepted and the testimony of the woman is not accepted because the husband is entitled to claim his conjugal right and her sister wants to destroy such right so she must not be taken as truthful and her testimony is unacceptable without specifying the time before her time or proof of consummation of marriage (the couple’s going to bed).”’

“I once asked al-Rida’ (a.s.), saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, my brother died and I married his widow and my paternal uncle came saying that he had married her secretly. I asked her about it but she denied it vehemently saying, ‘There has never been such a thing between us.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Her confirming makes it obligatory on you to accept her words and her denial makes it obligatory on him to accept her denial.’”

“I once asked al-Rida’ (a.s.), about the case of a man who proposes marriage to a woman who is playful and joking about it. He asks the woman about it and she says, ‘Yes.’ He (the Imam) ‘Alayhi al-Salam, said, ‘It does not mean anything valid.’ I then asked, ‘Can one marry her?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, he can do so.’”

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, when he was asked about marriage in the month of Shawwal, ‘The Holy Prophet, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, married ‘A’ishah in the month of Shawwal.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘People of the earlier times considered marriage in the month of Shawwal as undesirable because plague occurred in virgins and slave-girls thus they disliked for this reason and not the other reasons.’”

“I once wrote to abu al-Hassan al-Rida’ (a.s.), and asked, ‘One of my relatives has proposed for marriage but there is something in his moral manners. He (the Imam) said, ‘You must not give in marriage if his moral manners are bad/”

“I once wrote to abu al-Hassan Sahib al-‘Askar saying, ‘I have married four women and have not asked for their names. I want to divorce one of them and marry another woman. He (the Imam) wrote to me, ‘Look for a mark on any one of them and then say, ‘Bear witness that so and so who has such and such mark is divorced; then marry the other woman when waiting period is complete/”

A woman does not give birth before six months/”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘When two believing people come together by means of lawful marriage a caller from the sky announces, ‘Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has given so and so in marriage to so and so, and when a wife and husband separate (divorce) in a lawful manner, a caller from the sky announces, ‘Allah has given permission to so and so wife and husband to separate (divorce) from each other/”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who has four wives and spends the night with three of them in their assigned time and touches them but during the night for the fourth one he does not touch her; if it is sinful for him. He (the Imam) said, ‘He must stay with her in her assigned night until the morning and it is not a sin if he did not touch her if he did not want it/”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has taken away lust from the women of banu Hashim and has placed it in their men and so also He has done with their followers. On the other hand Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has taken away lust from the men of banu ‘Umayyah and has placed it in their women and so also He has done to their followers/”

a man came to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I do not have the means to get married and I complain before you against living unmarried/ He (the Messenger of Allah), said, ‘Allow the hairs of your body to grow long and continue fasting/ He did as was told to do and the urge to satisfy his sexual desire vanished.”’

“Of the blessing of a woman is her being of light expenses and her giving birth with ease. Of the evil with her is intensified expenses and her giving birth with hardships and difficulties.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘A man must not sit in the seat of a woman who has just left it and it still has the warmth of her body.’ The Holy Prophet was asked about the beautification of a woman for a blind person. He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘It is perfumes and Henna because of the fineness of its whiff.’”

“About the case of a man who marries a virgin woman, abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘He must stay with her for seven days.’”

“About the case of a man who marries a second wife and the amount of time for the new wife, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘It (the time) is three days; thereafter he divides it between the two.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once abu Bakr and ‘Umar went to ‘Umm Salamah and asked her, ‘O ‘Umm Salamah, you lived with another man before the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. How is the Messenger of Allah compared to that man in matters of going to bed with his wife?’ She said, ‘He is no more than the other man.’ They left and the Holy Prophet came. She stood up frightened of the coming of something from the heaven and informed him of what had happened. The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, became angry, his face turned overcast and perspiration due to anger emerged between his eyes. He (the Messenger of Allah) came out with his gown dragging behind him until he climbed on the pulpit. Al-Ansar (people of al-Madinah) hastened to pick up arms and commanded to ready their horses. He (the Messenger of Allah) climbed on the pulpit, praised Allah and spoke of His glory, then said, ‘O people, what is the matter with certain people! They spy on me to find my faults and ask about my private matters in my absence and behind my back. By Allah, I am the most honorable among you in matters of ancestry, of more clean birth, a provider of more sincere advice for the sake of Allah in one’s absence. Whoever of you may like to ask me about who his father is I can inform him about it.’ A man then stood up and asked, ‘Who is my father?’ He (the Messenger of Allah) replied, ‘He is so and so shepherd.’ Another man stood up and asked, ‘Who is my father?’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ’He is your black slave.’ A third man stood up and asked, ’Who is my father?’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘He is the one to whom you are ascribed.’ Al- Ansar then pleaded saying, ’O Messenger of Allah, forgive us, Allah forgives you. Allah has sent you as mercy so forgive us, Allah will forgive you.’ The Holy Prophet when spoken to would seem shy and perspire and would cast down his eyes before people due to shyness when they spoke to him. He (the Messenger of Allah) then climbed down the pulpit. At dawn Jibril descended with a dish of mashed meat and wheat from paradise and said, ‘O Muhammad, this is made for you by al-Hur al-‘In. You can eat it with Ali and his children; it is not proper that people other than you eat it.’ The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, Ali, Fatimah, al-Hassan and al-Husayn ate it (the food that Jibril had brought from paradise) and it gave the Messenger of Allah the ability in matters of going to bed with his wives which was equal to that of forty men, thus he (the Messenger of Allah) could go to bed with all of his wives in one night if he so wanted.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If one accumulates women without going to bed with them then if certain ones among them commit fornication, the sin will rest on such a man.’”

“Once abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), was asked about the case of a man whose father had given him a slave-girl as a gift with whom he lived for a long time, then he recalled that his father had gone to bed with her and thus he stayed away from her. He (the Imam) said, ‘You must not consider it to be true.’”

“I once wrote to abu al-Hassan, al-Awwal (a.s.), about the following case and I recognized his handwriting. It was about the mother of child of a man who was given to him as a gift by his father and she gave birth to several children; then she said, ‘Your father had gone to bed with me before giving me to you as a gift,’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must not consider her words as truthful ones; she is only trying to move away because of his bad moral behaviors.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that about the case of a woman who had committed fornication with a man before he went to bed ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), said, ‘They must be separated from each other and she did not deserve any mahr (dower) because the incident was from her side.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once a man with his wife came to ‘Umar and said, ‘My wife, this one, is black and I am more black. She has given birth to a white boy.’ ‘Umar asked those who were present with him about their opinion. They said, ‘We say that you must stone her to death because she is black and her husband is blacker and her child is white.’ He (the Imam) said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin came when she was sentenced to be stoned to death. He (the Imam) asked, ‘What is the case of the two of you?’ They informed him (the Imam) of their story.’ He asked the black man, ‘Do you accuse your wife?’ He replied, ‘No, I do not do so.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘Did you go to bed with her during her Hayd (menses)?’ He said, ‘One night she did say that she was experiencing Hayd (menses) but I thought she was avoiding cold weather, then I went to bed with her.’ He (the Imam) then asked the woman, ‘Did he go to bed with you when you were experiencing Hayd (menses)?’ She replied, ‘Yes, he did. You can ask him. I tried to avoid and refused.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You both can go. Only blood has overwhelmed the seed and it turned white. Had it (blood) moved, he would become black but on becoming an adolescent he will become black.’”

“Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.), has said, that he was asked about, ‘. . . the apparent and unapparent acts of indecency’ (6:151, 7:33) He (the Imam) said, ‘the apparent one is marriage with the wife of one’s father and the unapparent one is fornication.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘When one of you decides to go to bed with his wife he must not place her in a big rush.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘. . . He gave everything its creation and then gave it guidance.’ (20:52) He (the Imam) said, ‘There is no creature of Allah but that He knows its shape and that it is a male or a female.’ I then asked, ‘What is the meaning of, ‘then He gave it guidance’?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He guided it to marriage or out of wedlock according to its shape and form.’”

“I once saw abu al-Hassan (a.s.), had used dye. I said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I can see you have used dyes.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, readiness is of the matters that increases chastity of women and women neglect chastity because of their husband’s neglect of readiness.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘Will you be happy to see her without readiness?’ I replied, ‘No, it does not make me happy.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘In the same way it will not make her happy to see you without readiness.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘It is of the moral behavior of the prophets to maintain cleanliness, use perfumes, shave the hairs and going to bed with one’s wife very often.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘Sulayman ibn Dawud, ‘Alayhima al-Salam, had one thousand women in one palace of whom three hundred were publicly known and seven hundred of them were secretly married. The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, had the ability equal to forty men of going to bed with his wives, he (the Messenger of Allah) had nine wives and moved among them every night and day.”’

“People mentioned misfortune before abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), and he (the Imam) said, ‘Misfortune is in three things: They are woman, a stumper and a house. Misfortune in woman is the large amount of her mahr (dower) and barren womb.’”

“When the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, gave Fatimah, Alayha al-Salam, in marriage and people said, ‘We wish her prosperity and sons, but he (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘No, we wish for her goodness and blessings.’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that once a woman of al-Ansar (people of al-Madinah) came to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. She came in the house of Hafsah and she was well dressed and groomed. She came to the Messenger of Allah and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, women do not propose for marriage to men. I am unmarried since a long time and I have no children. Are you interested in me? If you are interested I give myself to you as gift if you accept me.’ The Messenger of Allah prayed for her and admired. He (the Messenger of Allah) then said, ‘O sister (in belief) from al-Ansar (people of al- Madinah), may Allah on behalf of His Messenger grant you good recompense. Your men supported me and your women showed interest in me.’ Hafsah then said, ‘How shameless of you and being audacious, and craving for men.’ The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, said to her, ‘Leave her alone, O Hafsah, she is better than you. She has shown interest in the Messenger of Allah and you blame her and consider it a fault.’ He (the Imam) said that he (the Messenger of Allah) said to the woman, ‘You may leave, Allah has granted you kindness and has made paradise obligatory for you because of your showing interest in me and that you love me and want to make me happy. My command will soon come by the will of Allah. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, then revealed this, ‘. . . if a believing woman gifts herself to the prophet and if the prophet wants to marry her then she is for him only and not for the believing men.’ (33:49) He (the Imam) said, ‘Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, made gifting of a woman herself to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, lawful and it is not lawful for people other than him (the Messenger of Allah).”’

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘I am a human being like you. I marry from you and give in marriage to you except Fatimah, ‘Alayha al-Salam, because her marriage came from the heaven.’”

“I once said to abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘I married a woman and asked about her and things were said about her.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Why did you ask about her also? It is not obligatory on you to ask and investigate.’”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), once said to me, ‘O Sadir, I have heard about the beauty and good manners of the women of al-Kufah with their husbands. Can you find for me a woman with beauty in a place?’ I replied, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I know one. She is daughter of so and so ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash‘ath ibn Qays.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O Sadir, the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has condemned a people and it remains in their descendents until the Day of Judgment and I dislike that my body touch the body of any of the people of fire.’”

“I once heard Ja’far ibn Muhammad (a.s.), saying that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, said, ‘O Ali, instruct your women not to perform Salat (prayer) without having dressed well and not to use a necklace which is made of skin.’”

“I once mentioned to abu Ja‘far (a.s.), Zoroastrians and that they say, ‘A marriage like the marriage of the sons of Adam and that they argue with us about it. He (the Imam) said, ‘They cannot argue against you because of what Hibbahtu Allah found. Adam said, ‘O Lord, find marriage for Hibbahtu Allah.’ Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, sent for him a Hawra’ who gave birth to four boys, and then Allah raised her. When sons of Hibbahtu Allah grew up he said, ‘O Allah find marriage for the sons of Hibbahtu Allah.’ Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, sent him revelation to propose marriage to a man (head of the family) of Jinn who was a Muslim and had four daughters, for the sons of Hibbahtu Allah. He gave them in marriage to them. Whatever is of beauty and forbearance, it is from al-Hawra’ and whatever is of dimwittedness and temperament, is because of al-Jinn.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘The words of a man to a woman, ‘I love you’ never goes away from her heart.’”