Then he said...

Then he said: His Eminence, Abu Ja’far Imam Muhammad Baqir (as) said: Our remembrance is the remembrance of Allah and remembrance of our enemies is remembrance of Shaitan.[^5] Also in favor of this point is that which is mentioned in Wasail and other books narrating from Abbad bin Kathir that he said to Imam Ja’far Sadiq (as): I saw in the story of Sarai that he said: This is such a gathering that anyone who participates in it cannot be unfortunate.

Imam Ja’far Sadiq (as) said: From all aspects, their storytellers have made a mistake. The Almighty Allah has angels who go around – in addition to the scribe angels who write everything a man does. Thus when they hear anyone remembering Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad they say to each other: Wait a bit. Thus they sit down and benefit from it. When they separate they visit their sick ones and take part in the funerals and search for their lost ones.

Thus it is that gathering in which when one sits he will never be unfortunate.[^6] In addition to this, presence in a gathering helps in increase in numbers and according to terminology it is called ‘increasing the blackness of the army’. Such a thing is considered good if the gathering is of righteous people and it is liked by the Almighty Allah and the Holy Imams (as) but if it is to increase the strength of the opponents, it is disliked by the Almighty Allah and Imams (as).

This is illustrated by an incident narrated by Qadi Abdur Rahman that he asked a blind old man the cause of his blindness and he said: I was present in the battle of Kerbala but I did not take part in fighting. After some days I saw a terrible looking man who said to me: The Messenger of Allah (S) wants to see you. I said: I can’t dare to see him. He took me by force and we came to where the Messenger of Allah (S) was present. He was very much aggrieved.

He was holding a weapon and behind him was a leather sheet on which people are guillotined. An angel stood with a sword of fire and he was executing them and throwing fire on them, burning them. Then they would become alive again and be killed in the same way, over and over again. I pleaded: Peace be on you, O Messenger of Allah (S), by Allah, neither I used a sword, nor threw a spear or shot an arrow. The Holy Prophet (S) said: Did you not increase the blackness of the army?

Then he handed me over to a guard and from a bowl he applied blood to my eyes. When I woke up, I had become blind.[^7] [^1]: Amali, Majlis 17, Tr. No.