The prominent scholar and researcher named Mirza Mahmud Mujtahid Shirazi, a resident of Samarrah has narrated an incident from Sayyid Muhammad Ali Rashti, who has passed a major part of his life in lawful penance and spiritual struggles. He says: When I was a student of Madressa Hajj Qawam it was famous among students that a person in patched garments and slippers, who usually sat at Tusi Gate was having the miraculous powers of covering vast distances in no time and every Thursday day he recites the Evening (Maghrib) Prayer in Wadi as-Salam at the Place of Mahdi and the Night (lsha) Prayer in the sanctuary of Imam Husayn ('a) in Karbala. Whereas there is a distance of around 50 Kms between Najaf al-Ashraf and Karbala and for one who is on foot it is two days of travel.

I wanted to investigate this in order to gain certainty. So I became friendly with that man in patched garments and when our friendship was on a firm footing, on Wednesday I told my roommate whom I trusted, to go to Karbala and spend Friday eve in the holy sanctuary and check if my friend with patched garments is seen there. When he set out for Karbala, I went to my friend with patched garments and mentioned that I had a problem. He asked: What is it? I said: There is an important matter, about which I have to convey information to my classmate this very moment, but regretfully he has already gone to Karbala and I cannot contact him now. He said: Explain the whole matter to me. The Almighty Allah is powerful and your message can reach him tonight itself. I handed to him a letter that I had written from before and he set out to Wadi as-Salam, after which I did not see him till on Saturday my classmate returned and giving that letter to me, said: That gentleman with patched clothes came to me in the tomb of Imam Husayn (‘a) and gave this letter.

When I saw the letter, I became certain that the gentleman with patched clothes was having the power of covering long distances in no time. I decided to ask him how I can also get the same powers. So I invited him for dinner at my home. Since it was hot, we retired to the terrace from where the dome of the holy shrine of Amir ul-Mu’minin ('a) was visible. After a brief dinner, I said: I invited you for this dinner because I have become certain that you have the powers of covering long distances in no time and the letter that I gave you was to gain certainty. Now I request you to guide me and teach me what I should do to gain this power?

When he realized that his secret was exposed, he gave a loud scream and fell in a swoon like dried wood. I thought that he was dead, but he recovered after sometime and pointing to the holy dome said: What I have is a blessing of that Master. You may also ask him whatever you want. Then he went away from there and was never seen in Najaf al-Ashraf again and as much as I investigated, no one else also saw him. I heard this story from other scholars of religion also, and all have narrated it through Late Rashti.

No one should have any difficulty in believing this incident and none should doubt it, because it is not a difficult matter for the Holy Imams ('a) to bestow the power of covering long distances in no time to anyone of their followers and many such examples are available in books of traditional reports.

For example, in Bihar ul-Anwar, the following incident regarding Ali bin Yaqtin, the Prime Minister of Harun Rashid is mentioned in the life history of Imam Musa Kazim ('a):

Ibrahim Jamal Kuti was deeply hurt by Ali bin Yaqtin. Thus, when Ali bin Yaqtin came to meet the Imam in Medina Munawwara, the Imam disregarded him and said: Till Ibrahim is not satisfied with you, I will also not be satisfied. He said: Ibrahim is in Kufa and I am in Medina. Imam ('a) enabled him to reach the door of Ibrahim in a moment, miraculously. He called Ibrahim out. When he came out, he found Ali bin Yaqtin worried and anxious. Ali explained the matter to him and made him satisfied. On the contrary, he placed his check on the ground and adjured him to put his foot on it so that the Imam is satisfied. After that he returned to Medina the same moment and the Imam was satisfied with him.

Similar is the incident of Imam Muhammad Taqi ('a), in which he conveyed the caretaker of Raasul Husayn Mosque in Syria from Damascus to Medina and then to Masjid ul-Haram and then conveyed him back to his place. There are other examples as well, but it is beyond the scope of this book to mention them all, because only incidents heard or memorized from reliable persons are mentioned, although in order to strengthen our arguments, we have provided references in some instances.