Abu Hanifah said...

Abu Hanifah said: May I be sacrificed for you, what is meant by ‘boons’, The Imam said ‘boon’ is Ahlul Bayt, that Allah has made us the boon for His creatures and due to us He has given love between them, whereas there was conflict among them and due to us He has made them loving and made them brothers with each other whereas they were enemy of one another and due to us and this blessing guided them which was bestowed upon them and they are Holy Prophet (S) and his Progeny.

There is a tradition in Uyoon Akhbar Ridha that one day a group of people was present before the Holy Prophet (S). He said that there is a no real ‘bounty’ in the world. One of the Ahle Sunnat scholars who was present in this gathering asked that Allah says: Then on that day you shall most certainly be questioned about the boons. (Surah Takhathur 102:8) Whether this ‘boon’ is not in the world?

The Imam replied loudly that you give this explanation and people have given different explanations about it. A group says that ‘boon’ means cold water. Some say delicious food. And the truth is what my father has told me. All these things were stated before my forefather Imam Sadiq (a.s.), by listening to which he got angry and said Allah will not question His creatures about what He has given by His grace and does not boast of His favors.

Whereas the boasting of favors by the people is considered bad, so why such things are attributed to Allah, which the creatures themselves do not like to be associated with? Listen! ‘Boon’ means the love of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and the acceptance of our Imamate. Allah would after asking him about oneness (Tawheed) and Prophethood ask him about it and if he answers them properly, Allah would send him to the blessings of Paradise which shall never end.

Surely my father from his forefathers narrated from Imam Ali (a.s.), that the Holy Prophet (S) said: When a person dies, the first thing he will be questioned is about Tawheed and Prophethood and that you Ali are their Imam and ruler due to the reason that Allah and I have appointed you and whosoever confesses to it that it was his faith in the world and the hereafter, he will go towards that ‘bounty’ which will never end.

Abu Zakvan who is one of the narrators of this tradition, says that after listening to this tradition I was busy in eulogical poetry I didn’t relate this tradition to anyone and one night I saw Holy Prophet (S) in the dream that people were saluting him and he was replying to their salutations.