Their swords shone...

Their swords shone, so they rained With their blood as the ground turned into clouds, As though they were welcoming the huris : Thus did they welcome the lances and the swords. They found death in defending Muhammad's offspring Sweet in taste, yet life after them is pain, unpleasing.[^8] Once he realized how sincere they were in defending him, he acquainted them with what they did not know of fate.

Said he, “Tomorrow, I shall be killed and so shall you, and none of you will survive,[^9] not even al-Qasim, nor ‘Abdullah, my infant son, with the exception of my son ‘Ali Zayn al-’Abidin, for Allah will not permit my family line to discontinue should he be killed, and he shall be the father of eight Imams.”[^10] They all said, “All praise is due to Allah Who has granted us the blessing of being your supporters and honoured us with dying with you!

Should we refuse to be in your degree [of divine bliss], O son of the Messenger of Allah (S)?!” The Imam (‘a), therefore, wished them well[^11] then unveiled from their vision what Allah has in store for them of the bliss in Paradise, showing them their mansions therein.[^12] This is not too much to expect in his regard due to the Divine Will of the most Exalted One, nor was it a strange conduct coming from an Imam.

When they believed in Moses (‘a) and Pharaoh was about to kill them, Moses the prophet showed them their places in Paradise.[^13] In a statement, Imam Abu Ja’far, al-Baqir, peace be upon him, said to his companions, “Good news for you about your entering Paradise! By Allah! We shall stay as long as Allah wills after whatever happens to us, then Allah will bring us and you back to life when our Qa'im reappears, so he will seek revenge against the oppressors.

I and you shall witness them chained and shackled and suffering from various types of pain.” He was asked, “Who is your Qa'im, O son of the Messenger of Allah?” “He is the seventh from among the offspring of my son, [Imam] Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir (‘a); he is al-Hujjah son of al-Hasan Ibn ‘Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali Ibn Musa Ibn Ja’far Ibn Muhammad son of my son ‘Ali; he is the one who will remain in occultation for a long time then shall he reappear and fill the world with justice and equity just as it had been filled with injustice and inequity.”[^14] [^1]: al-Fadl Ibn Shathan, Ithbat al-Raj’a.

This reference ought to be regarded as a book about the occultation, for it contains only one single hadith referring to the raj’a (the return).