As for reports, which has come in ridicule and condemnation of Waqifiya and which are present in the books of our scholars; they are much more than that which can be counted, therefore we have mentioned only some of them.

70- Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Yahya Ashari has narrated from Abdullah Ibn Muhammad from Khashshab from Abu Dawood that he said: I and Uyyana, the cane-seller, were in the company of ‘Ali Ibn Abi Hamza Bataini, chief of Waqifiya. I heard him say: Abu Ibrahim (‘a) said to me: O ‘Ali Ibn Abi Hamza, you and your companions are like donkeys (fools).

Uyyana asked me: Did you hear that?

I replied: Yes, by Allah, I heard it.

Uyyana said: No, By God, I will never go to him as long as I am alive.

71- Ibn Uqda narrated from ‘Ali Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Faddal from Muhammad Ibn Umar Ibn Yazid and ‘Ali Ibn Asbat, all together have said: Uthman Ibn Isa said to me in a report: Ziyad Qandi and Ibn Muskan said to me: We were in the company of Abu Ibrahim (‘a) when the Imam said: At this moment, the best of the folk of the earth is with you.

Then Abu Hasan ar-Ridha’ (‘a), who was yet a child, came there.

We said: The best of the folks of the earth? After that Abul Hasan ar-Ridha’ (‘a) came near. Imam Musa al-Kazim (‘a) hugged and kissed him and said: Dear son, do you know what these two said? He replied: Yes, my master. They have doubt about me.

‘Ali Ibn Asbat said: I mentioned this tradition to Hasan Ibn Mahbub and he also said: The tradition is incomplete. It is not as such; on the contrary, it is that: ‘Ali Ibn Raab said to me: Abu Ibrahim (‘a) said to those two persons: If you deny his right or are dishonest with him, the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people would be on you. O Ziyad, you and your companions would never earn respect.

After that ‘Ali Raab said: I met Ziyad Qandi and said: I have received information that Abu Ibrahim (‘a) said this and that to you?

Ziyad replied: I think you have lost your mind. Then he went away and avoided me after that. I also never spoke with him or pursued him.

Hasan Ibn Mahbub said: We were always waiting for the curse of Imam (‘a) to be proved true about Ziyad; till during the time of Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) Ziyad died an apostate.

72- Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Yahya has narrated from his father from Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Abil Khattab from Safwan Ibn Yahya that he said: Ibrahim Ibn Yahya Ibn Abi Balad said: Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) said: What did Hamza Ibn Bazi, the unfortunate one do? I replied: He has also come. Imam (‘a) said: He thinks that my father is alive, they [Hamza and his associates] are in doubt today and tomorrow they would not die, except as heretics.

Safwan says: I said to myself: I knew that they are among doubters, but how can they die disbelievers and heretics? Not much time passed when I received information that one of them said at the time of his death: I am a disbeliever in my Lord who wants me to die.

Safwan says: I said: This testifies for that same tradition [of the Imam].

73- Abu ‘Ali Muhammad Ibn Himam has narrated from ‘Ali Ibn Rabah that he said: I asked Qasim Ibn Ismail Qarshi, who was a Mamtur1: What did you hear from Muhammad Ibn Abu Hamza? He replied: Only one tradition. But after that a large number of traditions were issued by him, and he narrated them all from Muhammad Ibn Abi Hamza. Ibn Rabah also says: I asked Qasim: How many traditions have you heard from Hannan? He replied: Four or five. But later on a large number of traditions were issued by Qasim, which he narrated from Hannan.

74- Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Isa has narrated from Sa’ad Ibn Sa’ad from Ahmad Ibn Umar from Imam ‘Ali ar-Ridha’ (‘a) that he said with regard to Ibn Abi Hamza: Is he not one who narrated that the head of Mahdi was presented as a gift to Isa Ibn Musa, who is among the associates of Sufyani? He also said: Abu Ibrahim (‘a) would return after eight months. Are the supporters of Abu Hamza not aware of his falsehood?

75- Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Yahya narrated from some of our scholars from Muhammad Ibn Isa Ibn Ubaid from Muhammad Ibn Sinan that he said:

‘Ali Ibn Abu Hamza was mentioned before Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a). Imam (‘a) cursed him and said: ‘Ali Ibn Abi Hamza wants that Almighty Allah should not be worshipped in the heavens and the earth, but Almighty Allah wants to perfect the effulgence of His guidance, even if the accursed polytheists are displeased.

I asked: Polytheists?

He replied: Yes, by Allah, it is true, and he will be degraded. This point is mentioned in the Book of Allah. Then he said: “They wanted to blow out the effulgence of God”. (9:32). This verse is about him, and people like him who wished to put out the light of God.

Ridicule and condemnation of the deviated Waqifya sect is more than that which can be counted. We also would not prolong our book with discussion about them. Thus, how can one rely on the traditional reports of these people and that too with attention to the statements of the righteous ancestors [like Imam ar-Ridha’ and Imam al-Kazim (‘a)] with regard to them?

If hatred and enmity to those who rely on these reports had not been there, their words and statements would not have been worth listening to. Since we have mentioned many declarative texts in favour of Imam ‘Ali ar-Ridha’ (‘a), it refutes their statements.

• 1. Mamtur is a Waqifi sect; Mamtur means a dog in rain. It perhaps implies that like a dog, who in spite of the rain falling on its body does not purify his filth. It wastes that bounty; on the contrary it even makes the water impure. These people also although they were blessed by Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), but they wasted the bounty of Wilayat and died with polytheism and denial of Wilayat.