عَنْ عَمَّارٍ السَّابَاطِيِّ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِاَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِؑ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ اُحِبُّ اَنْ تُخْبِرَنِي بِاسْمِ اللهِ تَعَالَى الْاَعْظَمِ فَقَالَ لِي اِنَّكَ لَنْ تَقْوَى عَلَى ذٰلِكَ قَالَ فَلَمَّا اَلْحَحْتُ قَالَ فَمَكَانَكَ اِذاً ثُمَّ قَامَ فَدَخَلَ الْبَيْتَ هُنَيْهَةً ثُمَّ صَاحَ بِي ادْخُلْ فَدَخَلْتُ فَقَالَ لِي مَا ذٰلِكَ فَقُلْتُ اَخْبِرْنِي بِهِ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَالَ فَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى الْاَرْضِ فَنَظَرْتُ اِلَى الْبَيْتِ يَدُورُ بِي وَ اَخَذَنِي اَمْرٌ عَظِيمٌ كِدْتُ اَهْلِكُ فَضَحِكَ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ حَسْبِي لَا اُرِيدُ
Ammaar al-Saabaati recounts, “I asked Imam Abu Abdillah (al-Sadeq a.s.), ‘May I be held your ransom! I love that you inform me the greatest name of Allah the High.’
He (peace be upon him) told me, ‘You don’t have the strength (to bear) it.’
He says that when I insisted, Imam (peace be upon him) said, ‘Wait in your place.’
Thereafter, he (peace be upon him) stood and entered the room for some time and called out to me, ‘Enter!’
I entered. He (peace be upon him) asked, ‘What is that (you want)?’
I said, ‘Please inform me about it, may I be held your ransom!’
So, he (peace be upon him) placed his hand on the earth and I saw the entire room revolving around me. A great affair seized me. I thought I was about to be destroyed (i.e. I thought I will die). He (peace be upon him) started laughing.
I pleaded, ‘May I be held your ransom! Enough, I don’t want (to know the greatest names of Allah)’.”
Notes:
1) Ammaar al-Saabaati, the narrator of this tradition, was of Iranian origin.
2) Like Ibn Hanzalah, Ammaar did not obey the Imam (peace be upon him) in the first instance till he learnt it the hard way.
References:
1. Al-Rejaal of al-Kashi (r.a.), p. 253, No. 471
2. Al-Manaaqeb, vol. 4, p. 244
3. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 27, p. 27, H. 8