contents:
1. Brief introduction to the Isma’ili cult
2. Isma’il bin Jafar
I) status of Isma’il
II) was Isma’il a drunkard?
III) Isma’il was not infallible
IV) Death of Isma’il
3. Badā in Imamate?
4. Muhammad bin Isma’il
5. Imams are only Twelve
6. Isma’il & his sons were not mentioned in the divine tablet
7. Miracles
8. Depraved beliefs of Isma’iliyyah & their kufr
1. Brief introduction to the Isma’ili cult
The Isma’ili cult that today exists is different than the early Isma’ilis in many ways. The earliest Isma’ilis believed that the eldest son of Imam Jafar al Sadiq (as), Isma’il was the rightful successor of Imam al Sadiq (as), and that the death of Isma’il was a ruse to protect his life and that he did not die & has gone into occultation and that Isma’il bin Jafar is the Mehdi. This group believed that Isma’il was the seventh & last Imam who will eventually come back, this group came to known as Waqifis or al Isma’iliyyah al Waqifiyyah (not to confuse with another sect who has the same name (Waqifi) who believed that Imam al Kazim (as) is the Mehdi).
There was another group who did waqf (pause) on seven Imams but the difference is that they omitted Isma’il bin Jafar from the Imams and considered his son Muhammad as the seventh & last Imam, and Mehdi. They were known as Mubarakiyyah. It is worth noting that this group of Isma’ilis also considered Isma’il bin Jafar as the rightful successor of Imam al Sadiq (as) but as Isma’il passed away during the lifetime of Imam al Sadiq (as) [which the former group denied], so they believed that Imamate was passed on to Muhammad bin Isma’il. This group (Mubarakiyyah) had close relation with the group Khattabiyyah (Ghali cult, founded by accursed Abu al Khattab), as a matter of fact most of the members of this group were made of Khattabiyyah initially.
After the death of Muhammad bin Isma’il, quite a few of his followers (Mubarakiyyah) would believe in the Imamate of the Imams from his progeny while most of the Mubarakiyyah worked as Da’i (lit.: caller or missionary), and spread the word that Muhammad bin Isma’il didn’t die & that he’s the Mehdi & that he would return one day, the latter group formed a Isma’iliyyah headquarters in Salamiyah (region in western Syria) under the leadership of Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Isma’il who acted as a head Da’i. One can say he was considered a representative of their “Mehdi” (i.e; Muhammad bin Isma’il). Later the great grandson of Abdullah bin Muhammad, viz. Abdullah al Mehdi al Billah declared himself as the rightful Imam & the awaited Mehdi & founded the Fatimid caliphate. He also said that the previous Head Da’is were actually the Imams who didn’t claim Imamate openly due to Taqiyyah (lit.: dissimulation), therefore declaring himself as their eleventh Imam [& first Fatimid Caliph]. Some Da’is, especially Hamadan al Qarmati opposed Abdullah al Billah & stuck to original belief [that Mubarakiyyah held initially], this group became to known as Qarmatians. Qarmatians are known for their savageness.
As Fatimid caliphate kept expanding, and their “Imams” also kept appointing their successors, there was further rift in the Isma’iliyyah cult when their 18th Imam (Eighth Fatimid caliph), Muntasir al Billah died. There was quarrel over his succession, those who followed Musta’li ibn al Muntasir were known as Musta’li Isma’ilis while those who followed Nizar ibn al Muntasir were known as Nizari Isma’ilis (today they’re popularly known as Aga Khanis). It’s noteworthy that Nizari Isma’ilis or Aga Khanis don’t believe in the Imamate of Imam Hassan ibn Ali (as) & rather consider him a temporary Imam. They’re the largest sect among Isma’iliyyah.
Musta’li Ismailis further split into two groups after al Amir bi Ahkam Allah, viz. Hafizi Isma’ilis & Tayyibi Isma’ilis. The latter group claimed the Abul Qasim al Tayyib was the rightful successor of al Amir who at the death of his father was an infant & went into occultation & died in occultation while appointing his successor in the occultation. So Tayyibi Isma’ilis believes in hidden Imams, who are represented by Da’i al Mutlaq (lit.: unrestricted missionary). Tayyibi Isma’ilis further splitted into various groups over the dispute on the successions of Da’i al Mutlaq.
2. Isma’il bin Jafar
I) Status of Isma’il:
Shaykh al Mufeed writes: Isma’il was eldest of his brothers, and Imam Abu Abdillah (as) had intense love for him, and He was very kind with him, and was compassionate towards him, and there was a group of Shias thinking that he was the one to be standing after his Father (as), and the caliphate is for him from after Him (as) since he was eldest of his brothers in age, and the inclination of his Father (as) towards him, honouring to him.
Isma’il died during the lifetime of his Father (as) at al Uraiz and was carried upon the shoulders of the men to his Father (as) at al Madinah until he was buried at al Baqi…Kitab al Irshad, Volume no. 2, page no. 209
from Ammar ibn Hayaan who said: I was informed by Imam Abu Abdillah (as) about the righteousness of His son Isma’il towards Him. He (as) said: I used to love him, and now My love for him has increased.
Indeed Rasool Allah (saww) was visited by His foster sister, when He (saww) saw her, He became happy and spread out His cloak for her and made her sit on it. Then He began speaking with her and smiling at her. Later, she stood up and left. Subsequently, her brother came to visit Him but He did not treat him as He had treated her.
Someone asked: O’ Rasool Allah (saww), You treated his sister in a different way than how You treated him while he is a man?
He (saww) replied: Because she was more dutiful to her father than him.Kitab al Zuhd, page no. 34
Hassan bin Rashid said:I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about Isma’il: He (as) said: Disobedient! He neither resembles Me nor resembles anyone from My Forefathers (as).
Ikmal al Deen wa Itmam al Ni’mah, page no. 98
II) Was Isma’il a drunkard?:
al Kashi in his book [which is abridged by Shaykh al Tusi] Ikhtiyar Marifat al Rijal (aka Rijal al Kashi), writes that Isma’il used to drink alcohol. He didn’t provide any evidence on that, so we don’t know how he came to that conclusion. Rather in al Kafi we find narration opposite to what al Kashi claims as can be seen below:
ibn al Hurr said: I once visited Abu Abdillah (as), during the days that he had come to Iraq. He (as) told me to visit his son Isma’il because he complains about pain, so see what kind of pain has made him suffer then describe for Him (as) the pain he feels.
I then left Him to see Isma’il and asked him about his pain that he felt. He explained it to me and I prescribed a medicine which contained al Nabeez (wine). Isma’il said: al Nabeez (wine) is unlawful (Haram) and I belong to Ahlulbayt who do not seek to get cured by something which is unlawful.al Kafi, Volume no. 6, page no. 414
III) Isma’il was not Infallible:
From Abdullah bin Sinan who said: I heard Mu’tab saying: Ismail ibn Jafar was ill with severe fever, so they let Imam Abu Abdillah (as) know of his fever.
He (as) said: Go to him (Isma’il ) and ask him, which evil thing have you done today due to which Allah has made the punishment to be upon you?
He (the narrator) said: I came to him, and found him lying restless.
I asked him about what he had done.
He was silent, and it was said to me that he had beaten a daughter of his brother-in-law today by his hand, and she had fallen upon the handle of the door, and her face was bruised.
I went to Abu Abdillah and informed Him with what they said.
He (as) said: Alhamdulillah! We, the Ahlulbayt (as) are such that Allah hastens the punishment to our children in the world.
Then He (as) called the girl [whom Isma’il had beaten] and said: Make Isma’il to be in release from what he has done to you.
She said: He is free.
So Abu Abdillah (as) gifted her something, then said to me: Go and look at what his (Isma’il’s) state is.
I went to him and the fever had left him.Kitab al Tamhees, page no. 37
The above hadith proves that Isma’il was fallible.
Waleed bin Sabeeh said: A man came to me and said to me: Come, until I show you where the man is! So, I went with him.
He took me to a group who were drinking, among them was Isma’il bin Jafar.
I went out sad and came to the Black Stone, and there was Isma’il bin Jafar attaching with the Kabah weeping, and the curtains of the Kabah had dampened by his tears. I returned quickly and there was Ismail seated with the group. I returned, and there he was holding on to the curtain of the Kabah which had dampened by his tears.
I mentioned this to Imam Abu Abdillah (as), and He said: My son Isma’il has been afflicted by Satan who is posing in his image.al Imamah wal Tabsira, Page no. 71
From Zayd, from Imam al Sadiq (as) who said: A satan has been captivated by my son Isma’il, posing in his image to test the people, and he (satan) does not appear in the image of a Prophet or a Successor of a Prophet. So whomever tells you from the people that My son Isma’il is alive and not dead, that is Satan taking the image of Isma’il.
I continued requesting Allah to bring my son Isma’il back to life and that he be my successor,¹ but My Lord refused that and this matter is not that a man among Us can choose however he wants, rather, that is a covenant from Allah (azwj), He entrusts to whomever He wills, so Allah willed that My son Musa (as) become my successor, and He (azwj) refused for it to be Ismail. And if Satan were to try to take the image of My son Musa (as), he will never be able to, ever. Alhamdulillah.al Usul al Sittah Ashar, page no. 197
The Infallibles (as) don’t get afflicted with Satan but the above narrations clearly shows that Isma’il was in fact afflicted by Satan. This further proves that he wasn’t infallible, therefore this along with the Imam al Sadiq (as) calling His son Musa His rightful successor, nullifies him (Isma’il) of being the Imam as the Imam must be infallible.
¹ The potential wisdom behind this was to show people that Isma'il is not the Imam & it's Allah who choose the Imam, as the hadith clearly states that.
IV) Death of Isma’il:
Zurarah bin A’yan said: One day I visited Imam Abu Abdillah al Sadiq (as). On his right side there was the master of His sons Musa [al Kazim] (as) and before Him there was a covered coffin.
He (as) said to me: O’ Zurarah, call Dawood bin Katheer, Hamran and Abu Baseer. Then Mufadhal ibn Umar came in. I left to bring those persons. People began to come one after the other until we became about thirty men inside the house. When the house became crowded, Imam Abu Abdullah al Sadiq (as) said: O Dawood, uncover the face of Isma’il! Dawood uncovered Isma’il’s face.
Imam Abu Abdullah al Sadiq (as) said: O’ Dawood, is he alive or dead?
Dawood said: O’ my master, he is dead.
Imam Abu Abdillah al Sadiq (as) asked everyone in the house the same question after showing them the dead body of his son and all of them answered that he was dead. Then he said: O’ Allah, bear witness!
He ordered to wash the dead and to put him into his last clothing. When everything was finished, Imam Abu Abdullah al Sadiq (as) said to Muffadhal: O Muffadhal, uncover his face! Muffadhal did so.
Imam Abu Abdillah al Sadiq (as) said to him: Is he alive or dead?
He said: He is dead.
Imam Abu Abdillah al Sadiq (as) said: O Allah, be the witness over them!
Then Isma’il was carried to his grave. When he was put into the grave, Imam Abu Abdillah al Sadiq (as) said: O’ Muffadhal, uncover his face!
He (as) asked everyone: Is he alive or dead?
We said: He is dead.
He (as) said: O Allah, bear witness and you, O’ people bear witness because those, who follow falsehood, will doubt. They want to put out the light of Allah with their mouths; He then pointed to His son Musa (as) and said and ﴾Allah will complete His light even if the disbelievers dislike it﴿. Then we began to pour soil over the dead.
He asked us again: Who is the dead buried inside this grave?
We said: He is Isma’il.
He said: O’ Allah, witness!
Then he held the hand of his son Musa and said: He is truth and the truth is from him until Allah causes the earth to be inherited and all there is on it.Kitab al Ghaybah al Noumani (rh), Page no. 345-346
3. Badā in the Imamate?
Bada means change of decision [by Allah]. Some Isma’ilis claim that there was a Bada in Imamate of Isma’il that’s why he died during the lifetime of Imam al Sadiq (as) and then Imamate was given to his son [which is the Imam according to Isma’iliyyah]. Even though Bada happened regarding Isma’il but it was related to his death and it was not related to his Imamate as Bada doesn’t happen in terms of Prophethood & Imamate.
Imam Abu Abdillah (as) said: There has not been any Bada from Allah (azwj) greater than the Bada from Him regarding My son Isma’il.
al Usul al Sittah Ashar, Page no. 196
Imam Abu Abdillah (as) said: I asked Allah (azwj) about Isma’il that He should preserve him to remain after Me but Allah (azwj) refused, however, Allah (azwj) has given Me another position for him (Isma’il), he will be the first one to be resurrected with ten of his companions, among them Abdullah bin Sharik, and he (Abdullah) will be the man who carries his banner.
Rijal al Kashi, volume no. 2, page no. 481-482
Imam Abul Hassan (as) said: Allah has two wills and two wishes. He has a definite will (إرادة حتم) and an intended will (إرادة عزم). He prohibits but He wants it. He commands but He does not want it.
For example, He prohibited Adam and His spouse from eating of the tree but He wanted them to eat. Had He not wanted their wish would not have surpassed Allah’s wish. He commanded Ibrahim to slaughter Ishaq but He did not want it to happen. Had He wanted it the wish of Ibrahim would not have surpassed the wish of Allah Ta’ala.al Kafi, Volume no. 1, Page no. 151
Shaykh al Tusi (rh) writes: What has been mentioned in the previous report is based on the fact that Bada occurred about Isma’il [ibn Jafar al Sadiq (as)] as well as Muhammad [ibn Ali al Hadi (as)]. It means that with regard to the brother of Muhammad, Imam Hassan al Askari (as), a new matter was revealed from Allah (azwj) and this removed doubt about his Imamate, since some Shia thought that Imamate was fixed for Muhammad and he was the Imam, as he was elder to Imam Hassan al Askari (as). They thought in the same way with regard to the Imamate of Ismail bin Jafar and Imam Musa al Kazim (as) not being the Imam. Hence when Muhammad died, the command of Allah was revealed about him; that is he is not the Imam and that he is not appointed to Imamate, and the same was revealed with regard to Isma’il previously. Not that previously a text based on his Imamate was mentioned and after that Allah changed His decision in favor of someone; as such a thing is impossible from Allah (azwj) and He is aware of the end of all matters.
Kitab al Ghaybah of Shaykh al Tusi, Page no. 226
4. Muhammad ibn Isma’il
Ali ibn Jafar (as) reported: I heard my brother Musa (as) saying: My Father (as) told my brother Abdullah [al Aftah]: Take your two nephews away from me, for they’ve hurt me with their foolishness, they’re partners of satan.
Meaning Muhammad ibn Isma’il & Ali ibn Isma’il. And Abdullah is the brother of Isma’il from same mother.Masa’il Ali ibn Jafar (as), page no. 315
Muhammad ibn Isma’il & Ali ibn Isma’il conspired against Imam al Kazim (as) which led to the imprisonment of Imam al Kazim (as), which eventually led to His (as) martyrdom as can be seen in the hadith below:
Shaykh al Tusi (rh) reports: The reason for the arrest of Musa ibn Jafar (as) was that Harun Rashid had put his son in the care of Jafar bin Muhammad bin Ashath and Yahya bin Khalid Barmaki was jealous of that.
He said [to himself]: If the caliphate passes on to the son, my dominion and that of my son will be destroyed. Therefore he deceived Jafar bin Muhammad bin Ashath, and the latter used to believe in Imamate; so that he managed to gain access to him and establish friendly relations with him. His visits to his house were frequent and he became acquainted with his affairs, which he reported back to Harun Rashid and he added to these reports that which would make Harun Rashid feel hatred towards him.
One day Yahya bin Khalid asked some of those he trusted: Would you find for me a member of the family of Abu Talib (as), who is not in comfortable circumstances, and then he would let me know what I need?
He was directed to Ali bin Isma’il bin Jafar bin Muhammad.
Yahya bin Khalid took him some money.
Musa (as) was friendly with Ali bin Isma’il bin Jafar bin Muhammad, and used to bring him gifts and treat him well.
Yahya bin Khalid request Ali bin Isma’il to visit Harun Rashid and drawing his attention to the kind treatment, which he had given him. So he (Ali bin Isma’il) decided to do that.
Musa (as) was concerned and summoned Ali [ibn Isma’il]. Musa al Kazim (as) asked: Where are you going, My nephew?
Ali ibn Isma’il said: Baghdad.
Musa (as) said: Why are you doing that?
Ali ibn Isma’il said: I am in debt and I am poor.
Musa (as) said: I will pay your debt and act for you and carry out what you need.
Ali bin Isma’il did not pay attention to that and began to set for his departure.
Imam Musa al Kazim (as) asked him: Are you leaving?
He said: Yes, I must do that.
Imam al Kazim (as) told him: Look My nephew, Fear Allah and do not make My children orphans. Then He ordered him to be given three hundred dinars and four thousand dirhams. [When he stood up in front of him] Abul Hasan Musa (as) spoke to those who were present there: By Allah, he will strive against my blood and will confide against my children.
They said: May Allah make us Your ransom, did you know this from his state when you were giving him gifts and being generous to him?
Imam (as) said: Yes, My Father told me on the authority of his Forefathers, on the authority of the Rasool Allah (saww) said: When kin cut themselves away, then they should be brought back, for if they cut themselves away, Allah will cut them off. I wanted to bring him back after he had cut himself off from Me for if he cuts Me off, Allah will cut him off.
Ali bin Isma’il set out until he reached Yahya bin Khalid. He gave him news of Musa bin Ja’far (as) and Yahya bin Khalid reported to Harun Rashid and added additional material to it.
Then he took him to Harun Rashid. The latter asked him about his Uncle and he gave information against him to [Harun Rashid].
He told him that money was being brought to him from east and west and that he had bought an estate named al Yasir for thirty thousand dinars. Its former owner had said when He had brought him the money: I will not accept this currency. I will only accept such-and-such currency.
Then He ordered that money be brought and gave thirty thousand dinars of the currency whose coinage he had asked for.
Harun Rashid listened to that and then ordered him to be given two hundred thousand dirhams, with which he sought to make a living in one of the areas. He chose one of the provinces of the east. His messengers were sent to bring the money and he waited there for its arrival.
One day he went to the toilet when he was suffering from dysentery and as a result of it the whole of his stomach came out. He fell down. They tried to put it back, but they could not. He was aware of his situation when the money was brought to him while he was at the verge of death. He said: What can I do with it? I am about to die.
That year Harun Rashid went on the pilgrimage. He began it at Madinah and there he ordered for the arrest of Imam al Kazim (as).
It is reported that when he came to Madinah, Musa (ass) received him with a group of nobles. They had gone out to meet him and then Abul Hassan (as) had gone on to the mosque as was His custom. Harun Rashid waited until night and then went to the tomb of Rasool Allah (saww). He said: O’ Rasool Allah (saww), I apologize to you for something I want to do. I want to imprison Musa ibn Jafar (as) because He intends to divide your community and cause bloodshed.
Then he ordered Him to be taken from the mosque and brought before him. He had him put in chains and called for two awnings to be brought. He had [Abul Hassan (as)] put in one of them on a mule and had the other awning put on another mule. The two mules left his house carrying the two awnings, which were closed. With each one went the cavalry. The cavalry divided and some went with one awning on road to Basra and the other to Kufa.
Harun Rashid only did that in order to confuse the people about what had happened to Abul Hassan (as). He ordered the men who were with the awning in which was Abul Hassan (as) to hand him over to Esa bin Jafar bin Mansur, who was governor of Basra at that time. He was handed over to him and he kept Him in detention for a year.
He then wrote a letter to Harun saying,: You may take Him from me and hand Him over to any other person, otherwise I will release him. I have tried all means to find any overwhelming evidence against Him, but I failed. As a matter of fact, I even eavesdropped on him hoping that I would hear him invoking Allah’s curse upon me or you, but I always heard him supplicating Allah for Himself and imploring Him for mercy and forgiveness.
So, Harun order someone to go and receive the Imam (as) from Esa.
Imam (as) was then detained with al Fazal ibn al Rabi in Baghdad where He spent a very long time of detention. However, Harun wanted al Fazal to kill the Imam (as), but the latter refused. As a result, Harun ordered him through a letter to give the Imam (as) to al Fadhl ibn Yahya who also refused to obey Harun’s orders of killing the Imam. Harun, while residing in al Riqqah, was then informed that the Imam (as) was living in luxury under the custody of al Fazal ibn Yahya; so, Harun ordered his servant Masrur to go to Baghdad, immediately come to Musa ibn Jafar (as) and gather information about his actual situation there. Harun instructed: If you see Him enjoy luxury as has been told, you must then take this letter of mine to Abbas ibn Muhammad and take this another letter to Sindhi ibn Shahak and order both of them to carry out my instruction mentioned in these letters immediately.
Obeying his master, Masrur came to Baghdad and resided in the house of al Fazal ibn Yahya without letting anyone know what he had come for. He then visited Musa ibn Jafar (as) and found him enjoying luxury, as exactly as Harun had been told.
As soon as he left, he headed for Abbas and Sindhi and delivered them the two letters of Harun. At once, the messenger left for al Fazal ibn Yahya running. When he was there, the people noticed that al Fazal rode with the messenger while he was overcome by astonishment and surprise.
Once he met Abbas, he asked for lashes and a lashing wood. He assigned the mission to Sindhi and ordered that al Fazal should be stripped of his clothes and lashed one hundred lashes.
When he left, al.Fazal was extremely astounded that he unconsciously went on greeting people. Masrur the servant transmitted this news to Harun in a letter and the latter ordered him to had over Imam Musa al Kazim (as) to Sindhi ibn Shahak.
Harun gathered the people and delivered a speech, saying: O’ people, al-Fazal ibn Yahya has disobeyed and challenged my orders. So, I want you to invoke curse on him.
Cries of curse on al Fazal were uttered by all people from every corner of Harun’s house that shook with these cries.
Upon receiving these news, Yahya ibn Khalid came to Harun and entered from another door than the one usually used by people.
He thus surprised Harun from his back and said to him: Would you please listen to me, O’ Amir al Momineen?
Panicked by this move, Harun paid his attention to Yahya who said to him: It is true that al Fazal has committed a mistake, but we can set aright what he has ruined. These words gladdened Harun who thus turned his face towards the attendants and said to them: Because al Fazal had disobeyed me, I asked you to invoke curse upon him.
Now that he repented and returned to my obedience, you should now accept him as your chief.
Acceding to him: the attendants shouted: We always are friends of those whom you befriends and enemies of those whom you alienate. So, we are now loyalists to al Fazal.
Yahya ibn Khalid himself undertook the mission of transferring the ruler’s letters. When he arrived in Baghdad, the people surged and began to doubt everything. So, Yahya had to pretend that he had come for setting aright all their affairs and observing the performance of the governmental officials. While he was implementing some of these reformations, he summoned Sindhi and conveyed to him the instructions of the ruler. Of course, Sindhi went on carrying out these instructions.
At the hour of his death, Imam Musa (as) asked Sindhi to bring to him one of his servants who lived in the house of Abbas ibn Muhammad so that he would perform the ritual bathing of his body after his death. Sindhi did so.
The reporter added: I asked Imam al Kazim (as) to allow me to enshroud him but he refused and said: We the Ahlulbayt, manage the affairs of the dowries of Our wives, Our journeys to the Hajj pilgrimage and the shrouds that are used for enshrouding Our dead bodies from Our purest legally gotten money. I have my own shroud.
When the Imam (as) passed away, master scholars and celebrated personalities of Baghdad, one of whom was al Haytham ibn Adi, were allowed to see his dead body so that they would witness that he was not killed; rather, his death was natural. His dead body was then taken out and put on the bridge.
A caller shouted: This is the body of Musa ibn Jafar (as). You people may come and look at it.
So, the people came to look at his face fixedly.
The Reporter added: A man from the descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) reported to me that the caller who stood on the dead body of Imam Kadhim shouted: This is Musa ibn Jaffar (as) whom the Rafidah claim that he would not die. Come on and look at him. So, people came and gazed at the body. The body of Imam (as) was then carried and buried in the cemetery of Quraysh; so, His grave was next to a man from the Nawfar family, whose name was Esa ibn Abdullah.Kitab al Ghaybah of Shaykh al Tusi, Page no. 51-55
Ali ibn Jafar said: Muhammad bin Isma’il [ibn Jafar] approached me when we were in Makkah and had just completed the Umrah in the month of Rajab; He said: O’ uncle, I want to travel to Baghdad but first I wish to bid farewell to my Uncle Abul Hassan (as) (i.e; Imam Musa ibn Jafar (as)). I would like it if you accompany me to meet Him.
I went out with him heading towards my Brother who was in his house in Hubah. We reached a little after Maghrib. I knocked the door and was answered by my brother who said: who is that?
I said: Ali.
He said: I am just coming. He was someone who took long in making the ablution, so I said: Hurry.
He said: I will.
Eventually He came out wearing a lower garment, dyed in an earthish hue, knotted at his neck and proceeded to sit at the threshold of the door.
Ali ibn Jafar said: I bent towards Him, kissed His forehead and said: I have come to You concerning a matter, if You find it to be appropriate then it is Allah who facilitated it, and if it is not then how often do we make mistakes [as humans].
He said: what is it?
I said: This is the son of your brother, he wishes to bid you farewell and depart towards Baghdad.
He (Imam al Kazim) said to me: call him.
I called him and he was close by.
He (Muhammad bin Isma’il) came near Him, kissed His forehead and said: May I be Your ransom, advise me.
He (as) said: I advise you to fear Allah regarding My blood.
He replied to Him: May Allah do such to whoever wishes ill for You, and he began supplicating against the one who harbors ill-feeling towards him. Then he kissed His forehead a second time and said: O’ Uncle, advise me.
He (as) said: I advise you to fear Allah regarding my blood.
He said: May Allah do such and such to whoever wishes ill for you. Then he kissed his forehead a third time and said: O’ Uncle, advise me.
He (as) said: I advise you to fear Allah regarding my blood,
so he supplicated against the one who wishes ill towards him.
Then He turned away from him [to go from there], I (Ali bin Jafar) also went with Him, but my Brother said to me: O Ali, stay where you are.
I halted, He entered his house & then He called me and I entered [the house].
He outstretched a pouch which contained a hundred dinars and handed it to me and said: Tell your nephew to make use of it on his journey.
Ali ibn Jafar said: I took it and wrapped it around the hem of my cloak, then He handed me another hundred and said: Give it to him, then he handed me another pouch and said: Give it to him also.
Ali ibn Jafar said: May I be Your ransom, if you fear him doing what you described then why are you aiding him against yourself [by helping him]?
He (as) said: If I maintain my ties with him and he cuts me off then Allah will cut off his lifespan. Then He took to hand a tanned leather pouch in which were three thousand dirhams and said: give this to him as well.
He (Ali bin Jafar) said: I came out and gave him the first hundred whereupon he became extremely delighted and supplicated for his Uncle, then I gave him the second and the third. He became so happy that I thought he will turn back and not depart [for Baghdad].
Lastly I gave him the three thousand dirhams. Then he departed on his mission until he went in to see Harun (the Abbasid caliph) and greeted him by acknowledging his caliphate. Then he said: I never thought that there could be two Caliphs on earth at the same time until I saw my uncle Musa bin Jafar (as) being greeted with the Caliphate (i.e; people referring to him as the Caliph when greeting him). Harun sent him one hundred thousand dirhams [as a reward for providing this information about His Uncle (as)] but Allah afflicted him (Muhammad bin Isma’il) with an ailment and he did not get the chance to even take a look at a single coin [which he had recieved from Harun], let alone touch it.al Kafi, Volume no. 1, Page no. 485-486
5. Imams are only Twelve
As already mentioned above in the section of Brief introduction to the Isma’ili cult. It’s clear that no Isma’ili group believed in Twelve Imams, even though there are many ahadith from the Infallibles (as) proving that Imams are only Twelve. Even the opposers (i.e; Sunnis) also reported the hadith which suggests there will be twelve Caliphs after Rasool Allah (saww).
6. Isma’il & his sons were not mentioned in the divine tablet nor the Infallibles (as) informed about their Imamate:
From Jabir ibn Abdullah al Ansari who said: Once I went to see Fatima binte Rasool Allah and I saw with Her a tablet in which the names of the executors of the wills of Leaders with Divine Authority from Her descendants were written.
I then counted them & they were twelve. The last one’s name was al Qaim. The names of three of them was Muhammad and the names of another three was Ali.al Kafi, Volume no. 1, Page no. 532
Imam Ali (as) said: I ask you all by Allah, do you know that the last time the Rasool Allah (saww) preached while He stood up and said: O’ you people! I am leaving among you all two precious things, you will not stray if you attach yourselves to the Book of Allah and to My Ahlulbayt (as), for it has been Promised to Me by Allah that these two will never separate until they return to Me at the Pond?
They said: Yes, By Allah! We have heard all of that from the Rasool Allah (saww).
Ali (as) said: Allah (azwj) is Sufficient for Me.
Twelve from the group of the people of Badr stood up and said: We testify that when the Rasool Allah (saww) preached on the day in which He passed away, Umar ibn al Khattab stood up angrily and said: O’ Rasool Allah (saww), all the People of Your Family?
Rasool Allah (saww) said: No, but My Successors. My brother among Them, who is My Vizier, and My inheritor, and My Caliph in My community, and the Guardian of every believer after Me, and eleven from His Sons (as). This [Ali (as)] is the first of Them and the best of Them, then two of My Sons, these two; while pointing towards Hassan (as) and Hussain (as). Then, the Successor of My Sons (as) who will be named with the name of My brother Ali (as), and He will be the son of Hussain (as), then the successor of Ali (as) will be His son and His name is Muhammad (as), then Jafar ibn Muhammad (as), then Musa ibn Jafar (as), then Ali ibn Musa (as), then Muhammad ibn Ali (as), then Ali ibn Muhammad (as), then Hassan ibn Ali (as), then Muhammad ibn al Hassan (as) who is Mehdi of the community. His name is like My name and His clay is like My clay. He will order what I ordered, and prevent what I prevented. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it had been filled with unfairness and injustice. One of Them will rise after the other, one after another until They return to Me at the Fountain. They are the witnesses of Allah in His earth, and His Proofs over His creatures. The one who obeys them has obeyed Allah, and the one who disobeys Them has disobeyed Allah.
So the remainder of the seventy people of Badr, and like of them from the later ones stood up and said: You have reminded us of what we had forgotten. We testify that we have heard that from the Rasool Allah (saww).
Then He returned to the questions so that he did not leave anything out that He had been asked in the Mosque of the Rasool Allah (saww) during the caliphate of Uthman. answered them until He came to the last of those merits of His and the knowledge about what the Rasool Allah (saww) had said with regards to it. All that was ratified by them and they testified that it was the truth which they had heard from the Rasool Allah (saww).Kitab Sulaym bin Qays al Hilali (rh), page no. 300
7. Miracles
As we know Prophet & Successor of Prophet possess Miracles but we do not find any miracles of Isma’il or his sons or the later Caliphs of Fatimid empire, even if you go today and ask the present day Imam of Nizari Isma’ilis to show a miracle, he won’t be able to show it, which proves that he is not the Imam & similarly neither Isma’il nor his sons are the truthful Imam.
As far as the rightful Imams (as) are concerned, their miracles are numerous & reported in our books, as a matter of fact, some of their miracles are reported by opposers as well.
Below is a beautiful hadith as a gift showing Miracle of the Pure & Holy Imam al Hadi (as):
Ammara bin Zayd says: Once I asked Imam Ali al Naqi (as): Can you ascend to the sky and bring something that is not available on the earth? Immediately, He (as) ascended to the sky as we watched. Then He (as) disappeared from our sight and when He (as) returned, He (as) was holding a golden bird wearing gold earrings and holding a pearl in its beak.
It was saying: There is no God but Allah, Muhammad (saww) is the Messenger of Allah, Ali (as) is the vicegerent of Allah and and Imams (as) are the proof of Allah.
The Imam (as) said: This is a bird from Paradise.
Then He (as) released the bird and it went back.Nawadir al Mojizat, Page no. 185
8. Depraved beliefs of Isma’iliyyah & their kufr
Abu Baseer said to Abul Hassan (as): May I be Your ransom, what is the proof to know the Imam (as)?
He said: Through several qualities. The first thing is that His father must have said to this effect about Him so that it could be considered a proof up on Him. And that when asked He would answer and if one remain silent He would begin to speak on the issue and inform of the things that would happen the next day, and that can speak to people in everyone’s own language.
Then He said to me: O’ Abu Muhammad, allow me to give you a sign before you stand up to leave.
Not very long after this a man from Khurasan came in. The man from Khurasan spoke to the Imam (as) in Arabic but Abul Hassan (as) answered him in Persian.
The man from Khurasan said: I swear by Allah, May I be Your ransom, the only thing that stopped from speaking to You in Persian was I thought you might not know Persian.
He then said: SubhanAllah, If I would not be able to answer you than how I would have any excellence over you?
Then He said to me: O’ Abu Muhammad, No one’s language is unknown to the Imam (as) nor the language of birds, animals and any living things. Whoever that does not have these qualities he is not the Imam.al Kafi, Volume no. 1, Page no. 285
Aga Khan cannot speak fluent Arabic nor any other language other than English, so it’s impossible that this so-called Imam can understand the language of birds & animals. He doesn’t even have knowledge of everything, rather he is a Harvard passout where he has studied Islamic History. So is the president of Harvard University, Isma’iliyyah God? If not him but a man like figure is definitely their God as written in their book:
Idris Emaad al Deen writes: It is the saying that al Sadiq (as) and al Baqir (as) that Rasool Allah (saww) said: I saw my Lord (i.e; Allah) in the alleyways of Medina many times, and He is quite a juveline young man!
Zahr al Ma’ani’, Page no. 164
This proves Isma’iliyyah [at least Tayyibi Isma’ilis] are Mujassima (those who believe God has a body), not just that but they also belie upon Masoomeen (as).
Some more proofs on their Kufr:
ibn Abi Yafour said: I heard Imam Abu Abdillah (as) saying: There are three to whom ﴾nor will Allah speak to them, nor will He look at them on the Day of Judgement, nor will He Purify them, and for them would be a painful punishment﴿, One who claimed the Imamate from Allah while it’s not being for him, and one who rejects an Imam (as) from Allah, and one who says for so and so (Abu Bakr & Umar), there is a share in Islam.
Tafsir al Ayyashi, Volume no. 1, page no. 178
Imam al Baqir (as) said to Muhammad ibn Muslim: Whoever tries his best in worshipping Allah without following the Imam from Allah, his worshipping will not be accepted and he is astray and confused besides that Allah hates his deeds. His example is like a sheep that has lost the shepherd or the herd. It goes and comes astray. It becomes confused at day and when night comes, it sees a herd with a shepherd. It is deceived to spend the night with them in their fold. When morning comes and the shepherd drives his herd, it denies the shepherd and the herd and goes confusedly looking for its herd and shepherd. Then it sees another herd with a shepherd. It is deceived to join them. The shepherd cries: O’ you lost sheep, go to join your shepherd and herd. You are astray and confused. You have lost your shepherd and herd. Then it hastens in confusion without a shepherd guiding it to its pasture or to its fold. While it is so, a wolf seizes the opportunity and eats it.
O’ ibn Muslim, by Allah it is the same with you. Whoever of this ummah becomes without the Imam, definitely will be confused, astray and deviant. If he remains so, he will die as an disbeliever and polytheist. O’ Muhammad ibn Muslim, know that the real Imams and their followers are on the true religion of Allah and the Imams of injustice and oppression are away from the religion of Allah and away from the truth. They go astray and lead people astray. Their actions are like ashes on which the wind blows hard on a stormy day; they shall not have power over any thing out of what they have earned, this is the great error.Kitab al Ghaybah al Noumani (rh), Page no. 124-125
The surving Isma’iliyyah sects tend to hide their beliefs & their books are not readily available where one can see what are their beliefs in current times, Aga Khanis are known to visit Jamat Khanas but non-Aga Khanis are not allowed to enter Jamat Khanas, it is very famous regarding them that their “Imam” has abrogated obligatory prayers & fasts. Even if they or other deviant sects pray day & night, fast everyday, go for Hajj every year, they’re still disbelievers, as we proved through the ahadith of Masoomeen (as).
Rasool Allah (saww) had informed that His Ummah will divide into 73 sects, and only one sect will go to Heaven. Alhamdulillah, We Shia Ithna Asharis are the saved sect, the sect who has glad tidings from Allah.
— written by Mirza Ali al Kashmiri
Special Thanks to
Brother ibn al Muntaqim &
Brother Tehwar
• • •
Divine Treasure 