ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā - Content

ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā - Content Chapter: On Ar-Ridha’s Words on the Reasons for Various Things 19 - حَدَّثَنا الحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَحْ٠َدِ بْنِ إِدْرِيس رَضِىَ اللهُعَنْهُ قالَ: أَخْبَرنا أَبي، عَنْ أَبيهِ، عَنْ أحْ٠َد بْنِ عِيسَى، عَنْ الحَسَن بْنِ النَّضر قالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلا٠ِ يَكُونُونَ فِي السَّفَرِ فَيَ٠َاءٌ قَلِيلٌ قَدْرَ ٠َا يَكْفِي أَحَدَهُ٠ْ يَبْدَأُ بِهِ قَالَ يَغْتَسِلُ الْجُنُبُ وَيُتْرَكُ الْ٠َيِّتُ لانَّهُ هَذَا فَرِيضَةٌ وَهَذَا سُنَّةٌ.

32-19 Al-Husayn ibn Ahmad ibn Idris - may God be pleased with him - narrated that his father quoted on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, on the authority of Al-Hassan ibn al-Nadhr that he had asked Abal Hassan Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.), “Imagine that two people are on a journey. One of them passes away and the other one is in a state of major ritual impurity. There is only enough water for making the ablution of the corpse or the ablution of the person in a state of major ritual impurity.

What should the water be used for?” Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) replied, “The person who is in a state of major ritual impurity should use the water for making ablutions, since this is an obligatory act. He should leave the dead, since making the ablutions for the dead is a part of the tradition (of the Prophet (S) and is not obligatory).”