إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَات وَالأَرْضَ
مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ فَلاَ تَظْلِمُواْ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ
“Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s Book (since) the day He created the heavens and earth. Of these four are sacred. That is the established religion, so be not unjust therein to yourselves”
Abi Hamza Al-Thomali said, I was with Imam Baqir (as) one day. After people left, he (the Imam) said to me, “O Aba Hamza! The rising of our Qaem (as) is one of the imperative matters of Allah that will not be changed. Therefore, those who meet Allah, doubting that which I am about to say, will meet Him as disbelievers who deny Him.
Then the Imam (as) added, May I sacrifice my father and mother for the one whose name is my name, whose title is my title, and who is the seventh Imam after me.
May I sacrifice my father for the one who will fill the earth with justice and equity after it will be filled with inequity and oppression.
O Aba Hamza! Paradise is forbidden for those who meet him but do not submit to him the same way they submitted to Mohammed (sawa) and Ali (as). Their abode shall be Hell, and how terrible is the abode of the oppressors!
Praise be to Allah that the following verse is a more clear and enlightening argument (about the Qaem (as) “O for those whom Allah has guided and upon whom He has bestowed His Beneficence. Allah says, “Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s Book (since) the day He created the heavens and earth. Of these four are sacred. That is the established religion, so be not unjust therein to yourselves”.
However, simply knowing the names of the months like Muharram and Safar cannot be “the established religion” because even the Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and the rest of mankind from among our followers and enemies know the names of the months also.
The “twelve months” mentioned in this verse refer only to the (twelve) Imams who rise with the religion of Allah.
The “sacred” one (in this verse) refers to the name of the Commander of the Believers, Ali (as) for whom Allah derived a name from His own name, Ali, just like He (derived the name) of the Messenger of Allah (sawa) from His name, Mahmoud. Furthermore, three of Ali’s sons share the same name (as the Commander of the Believers): Ali bin Husain, Ali bin Musa, and Ali bin Mohammed (as). Therefore, this name (Ali), which is derived from the name of Allah, is “sacred” through the sacredness of Allah. May Allah’s blessings be on Mohammed and his honourable family. (Al Ghaybah by Nomani, page 43)
Dawud bin Katheer Al-Reqqi said, I went to Imam Sadiq (as) in Medina. The Imam (as) asked me, “O Dawud! What prevented you from coming to us sooner?”
I replied, “There was a matter to which I had to attend in Kufa.” Imam (as) asked, “Who did you see in Kufa?” I replied, “May I sacrifice myself for you! I saw your uncle, Zaid bin Ali, riding a horse and carrying a Quran. He was calling out, ‘Ask me anything before you lose me, for I am the container of great knowledge and I have the detailed knowledge of the verses of the Quran. I am the flag between you people and Allah.”
Imam (as) said, “O Dawud! You have been misguided.”
Then he ordered Soma’ah bin Mahran to bring a basket of dates. Soma’ah brought a basket that was filled with dates. Imam (as) picked a date and ate it. Then he removed the pit and planted it in the earth. Suddenly, (the pit) split and started growing, blossoming into a fruitful palm tree. Then Imam (as) picked one of the bunches (on the tree). (When he) opened (the bunch), he took out a white piece of paper from within the bunch (of dates), which he gave me to read.
I found the following two lines written on it:
On the first line it read, “There is no god but Allah. Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah.”
On the second line it read, “Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s Book (since) the day He created the heavens and earth. Of these four are sacred. That is the established religion,” the Commander of the Believers – Ali bin Abi Talib, Hasan bin Ali, Husain bin Ali, Ali bin Husain, Mohammed bin Ali, Jaafar bin Mohammed, Musa bin Jaafar, Ali bin Musa, Mohammed bin Ali, Ali bin Mohammed, Hasan bin Ali, and the descendant – the Decisive Proof.
Then Imam (as) asked me, “O Dawud! Do you know when this was written?” I replied, “Allah, His Messenger, and you know better.”
Imam (as) said, “This was written two thousand years before the creation of Adam.” (Al Ghaybah by Nomani, page 42)
Imam Kazim (as) said, Allah created a house from light and placed its pillars on four foundations. Then He wrote four names on these pillars: Tabarak, Subhan, Alhamd, and Allah. Then He created four names from these four (names), and (then He created) another four names from those four names. Then He said, “Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months”. (Al Ghaybah by Nomani, page 96)
Jabir Al-J’fi said, I asked Imam Baqir (as) about the Taweel of the verse, “Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s Book (since) the day He created the heavens and earth. Of these four are sacred. That is the established religion, so be not unjust therein to yourselves”.
My master (Imam Baqir (as)) sighed heavily, and then said, O Jabir! The year is my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (sawa). The “twelve months” are the Commander of the Believers – Ali bin Abi Talib, Hasan bin Ali, Husain bin Ali, Ali bin Husain, me (Imam Baqir (as)), my son – Jafar, his son – Musa, his son – Ali, his son – Mohammed, his son – Ali, his son – Hasan, and his son – Mohammed Al-Hadi Al-Mahdi (as). These are the twelve Imams who are Allah’s Decisive Proofs on His creation as well as the guardians of His knowledge and revelation.
The four sacred ones, who are among them, share the same name and are “the established religion.” They are Ali – the Commander of the Believers, my father – Ali bin Husain, Ali bin Musa, and Ali bin Mohammed (as).
Believing in the Imams is the “established religion” referred to in this verse, “That is the established religion, so be not unjust therein to yourselves”. Therefore, believe in all of them and you will be rightly guided. (Al Ghaybah by S Tusi, page 96)
Imam Sadiq (as) said, One day my father (Imam Baqir (as)) said to Jabir bin Abdullah, “I need to see you privately.” When my father was alone with Jabir, Imam (as) said, “Tell me about the tablet that my mother, Fatemah (sa) had.”
Jabir said, Allah is my witness that I went to my master, Fatemah (sa) daughter of the Messenger of Allah (sawa), to congratulate her on the birth of Husain (sa). I saw a green tablet in her hand made of green aquamarine. There was some writing on it with a light that was brighter than the sun and (the tablet) smelled better than musk.
I asked Fatemah (sa), “What is this tablet, O daughter of the Messenger of Allah?”
She replied, “This tablet is a gift from Allah to my father. My father has ordered me to protect it, so I have. It contains the names of my father, my husband, and the names of his successors from my sons after him.”
I asked her to give it to me so I could write a copy of its contents, and she accepted.
Then my father (Imam Baqir) said to Jabir, “Can you show me the copy you made?”
Jabir replied, “Yes.”
Then Jabir went to his house and brought a red piece of leather with him. My father (as) said to him, Look at your copy to see (if) what I say (matches your copy). This is what was written on that tablet:
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
This is a letter from Allah, the Most Honourable, the Most Knowledgeable, and the Most Wise which was sent with the guardian spirit to Mohammed, the last of the messengers.
O Mohammed! “Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s Book (since) the day He created the heavens and earth. Of these four are sacred. That is the established religion, so be not unjust therein to yourselves”.
O Mohammed! Glorify My Names, be thankful for My Grace, and do not deny My Blessings.
Do not desire anyone but Me and do not fear anyone but Me, because those who desire anyone but Me or fear anyone but Me will be punished in a way that I have never punished anyone else from all of the worlds.
O Mohammed! I have chosen you from among all of the prophets and I have given preference to your successor, Ali, above all of the successors.
I have made Hasan the container of my knowledge after the time of his father, and (I have made) Husain the best of the sons from the first to the last, and through Husain the Imamate will continue.
Ali, the beauty of the worshippers, will remain from Husain, and then (it will be) Mohammed, the one who rips open My knowledge, the one who will invite (people) to My path through the right methods.
Then (it will be) Jafar, the truthful in his speech and his actions, after whom there will be a deafening conspiracy.
Woe and more woe unto those who deny My slave and the best of My creation, Musa.
Then Ali, the pleasant, will be killed by a disbeliever demon, and he will be buried in the city that was built by the righteous slave, next to the worst of Allah’s creation.
Then Mohammed, the guide, the one who resembles his blessed grandfather (will follow); then Ali, the guide to My path, the one who safeguards My sanctity and leads My creation; after him, (it will be) Hasan, the honourable, who will leave behind his son, Mohammed, the one with two names, who will rise at the end of time. There will be a white cloud over him to offer him shade from the sun.
Then a caller will call out with an eloquent voice which will be heard by everyone everywhere, “This is the Mahdi of the family of Mohammed.”
He will fill the earth with justice, just as it is will be filled with injustice. (Taweel Al Ayaat Al-Dhahira, page 210)