عَنْ خَالِهٖ اَبِي الصَّلْتِ الْهَرَوِيِّ قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ الرِّضَا ؑ لَمَّا دَخَلَ نَيْسَابُورَ وَ هُوَ رَاكِبٌ بَغْلَةً شَهْبَاءَ وَ قَدْ خَرَجَ عُلَمَاءُ نَيْسَابُورَ فِي اسْتِقْبَالِهِ فَلَمَّا سَارَ اِلَى الْمَرْبَعَةِ تَعَلَّقُوا بِلِجَامِ بَغْلَتِهِ وَ قَالُوا يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللهِ حَدِّثْنَا بِحَقِّ آبَائِكَ الطَّاهِرِينَ حَدِيثًا عَنْ آبَائِكَ صَلَوَاتُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِمْ اَجْمَعِينَ فَاَخْرَجَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَ السَّلَامُ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الْهَوْدَجِ وَ عَلَيْهِ مِطْرَفُ خَزٍّ فَقَالَ حَدَّثَنِي اَبِي مُوسَى بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ اَبِيهِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ اَبِيهِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ اَبِيهِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنْ اَبِيهِ الْحُسَيْنِ سَيِّدِ شَبَابِ اَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ عَنْ اَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ اَخْبَرَنِي جَبْرَئِيلُ الرُّوحُ الْاَمِينُ عَنِ اللهِ تَقَدَّسَتْ اَسْمَاؤُهُ وَ جَلَّ وَجْهُهُ قَالَ اِنِّي اَنَا اللهُ لَا اِلَهَ اِلَّا اَنَا وَحْدِي عِبَادِي فَاعْبُدُونِي وَ لْيَعْلَمْ مَنْ لَقِيَنِي مِنْكُمْ بِشَهَادَةِ اَنْ لَا اِلَهَ اِلَّا اللهُ مُخْلِصًا بِهَا اَنَّهٗ قَدْ دَخَلَ حِصْنِي وَ مَنْ دَخَلَ حِصْنِي اَمِنَ عَذَابِي قَالُوا يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللهِ وَ مَا اِخْلَاصُ الشَّهَادَةِ لِلهِ قَالَ طَاعَةُ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ وَ وَلَايَةُ اَهْلِ بَيْتِهٖ عَلَیْہِمُ السَّلَامُ
Abu al-Sult (Abd al-Salaam Ibn Salaah) al-Harawi (r.a.) reports, “I was with (Imam) al-Reza (peace be on him) when he (peace be on him) entered Neshaapoor while he (peace be on him) was riding a grey mule. The scholars of Neshaapoor came out to welcome him. When he (peace be on him) reached to the (last) district (of Neshaapoor) called al-Marba’ah, they held the reins of his mule and said, ‘O son of Allah’s Messenger (peace be on him and his progeny)! For the sake of your pure ancestors, narrate unto us a tradition from your ancestors (peace be on them all). So, he (peace be on him) brought his head out from the mule’s litter while there was a silken shawl on him (peace be on him) and said,
‘My father, Moosa Ibn Ja’far (peace be on them both) narrated to me from his father Ja’far Ibn Muhammad (peace be on them both) from his father Muhammad Ibn Ali (peace be on them both) from his father Ali Ibn al-Husain (peace be on them both) from his father al-Husain, the Chief of the youth of Paradise (peace be on him) from his father Ameerul Momineen (peace be on him) from the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him and his progeny) who said, ‘Jibraeel, the trustworthy spirit (peace be on him) informed me from Allah – purified be His Names and Majestic be His Face – that He said, ‘Surely I am Allah, there is no god except Me. I am Alone. O My servants! Worship Me Alone and know that whoever of you meets Me with the testimony that there is no god except Allah and is sincere in it, then indeed He has entered My fort and whoever enters My fort, he will be safe from My chastisement’.
They asked, ‘O son of Allah’s Messenger (peace be on him and his progeny)! And what is the sincerity of testimony for Allah?’
He (peace be on him) replied,
‘Obedience of Allah and His Messenger (peace be on him and his progeny) and to accept the mastership of his Ahle Bait (peace be on them)’.”
Notes:
1) This narration is Hadis-e-Qudsi i.e. the word of Allah the Almighty which is not a part of the Holy Quran.
2) This particular narration is also called as the narration of the Golden Chain (al-silsilah al-dhahab).
3) Al-Mamoon al-Abbasi (may Allah curse him) invited Imam Ali Ibn Moosa al-Reza (peace be on them) on the pretext of honouring him. But his main aim was to keep the Imam (peace be on him) under continuous government surveillance.
4) During this journey, al-Mamoon ensured that Imam al-Reza (peace be on him) does not pass through any Shia city like al-Kufah and Qum al-Muqaddasah so that the Shias don’t become aware of this hideous conspiracy.
5) Not only Shia cities, al-Mamoon even tried that the Imam (peace be on him) should not be allowed to stop in any city of the general Muslims, lest he attracts them towards the religion of the Ahle Bait (peace be on them).
6) Hence, when Imam (peace be on him) reached Neshaapoor and did not make a halt anywhere, when he (peace be on him) reached to the last district of al-Marba’ah, the Muslims stopped him and made a fervent appeal to him to narrate a tradition from his infallible ancestors (peace be on them all).
7) In those days, Neshaapoor was having one of the most important centres of learning of the opponents of Shiaism.
8) When Imam (peace be on him) cited the importance of monotheism, they became delighted but when he underlined that monotheism is not complete without the mastership of the Ahle Bait (peace be on them), most of them became disappointed.
References:
1. Al-Amaali of al-Shaikh al-Toosi (r.a.), p. 588, H. 130 Majlis No. 16
2. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 27, p. p. 134, H. 130
3. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 49, p. 120, H. 1