Imam Baqir (a.s.) said that when the Holy Prophet (S) arrived in Medina and the evidences of his prophethood became apparent to all, the Jews conspired against him extremely maliciously and desired to harm him in every way. They wanted to put off his light and wipe out his proofs. Among such mean-minded people were Malik bin Zaif, Kaab bin Ashraf, Huyy bin Akhtab and Abu Lubabah bin Abul Manzar and his followers. Finally, one day Malik said to the Holy Prophet (S): “Do you consider yourself to be Allah’s Messenger?”
The Holy Prophet (S) replied: “Yes, of course, because Allah Almighty, Who is the creator of the entire cosmos, has said so.” That fellow said: “O Muhammad! We will never recognize you as a divine messenger until and unless this mat under your feet gives witness and believes in your messengership. Till then we will also not testify your prophethood.”
Then Abu Lubabah said: “O Muhammad! We will not believe in your messengership until this whip in my hand believes in your messengership and testifies to your claim. Kaab bin Ashraf said: “We will not attest your prophethood until this ass which I am riding believes in you.” The Holy Prophet (S) replied: “Once Allah’s evidence has become clear and His miracles have been shown, it does not become for people to ask such things from Allah. It is better for them to believe in God’s words and follow His commandments and be satisfied with what He has shown.
Is it not enough for you that I have made Torah and Bible and Psalms testify to my messengership and made them proofs of my truthfulness? Therein is the mention of Ali bin Abi Talib who is my brother and my legatee after me, superior to the entire creation of Allah? Is the miracle of Qur’an not sufficient for you which has been made shining by Allah for the entire creation. Allah disabled all to make anything like it.
I do not dare to ask Allah regarding what you have asked. I only say that proofs and arguments He has given to me are enough for me and you. What He has shown according to your wishes, are extra favors on me and you. So if He prevents us from what you desire, it will be so because He knows that whatever he has shown, is sufficient in this matter to exhaust arguments for what He wants from us.”
When the Holy Prophet (S) concluded his statement, the Almighty Allah gave speech to the floor mat. It said: I give witness that there is no god except Allah Almighty. He is One and He has no partner. He is Only One and none or nothing is like Him; He is needless, changeless and decline-less and from ever till ever, living.
He has neither a wife nor son and He has not engaged anyone as a partner in His affairs and I testify that: O Muhammad! You are His servant and His Messenger and that He has sent you with Guidance and True Religion so that He may make your religion triumphant over all other religions, even though polytheists may hate it. And I testify that Ali bin Abi Talib bin Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim bin Abde Manaf is your brother and your deputy for your Ummah and he is the best of all after you among the entire creation.
And I give witness that whosoever befriended him, befriended you and whoever showed enmity towards him, showed enmity towards you and whoever obeyed him, obeyed you and whoever disobeyed him, disobeyed you and that whoever obeyed you, in fact, obeyed Allah and became worthy of His pleasure and consequently of good fortune. And whoever disobeyed you, in reality, disobeyed Allah and so became fit for the painful punishment of Hellfire.
When the Jews observed this miracle, they were amazed and told one another that this was clear magic. Hearing this, the mat moved, lifted itself from the ground whereby Malik bin Zaif and his fellow travelers tumbled head down. Almighty Allah once again enabled the mat to talk and it said:
I am a mat, but Allah gave me the power to talk and granted me the miracle of describing His Oneness and to testify in favor of His true messenger, who is the chief of His messengers and who is His messenger towards the entire creation and the establisher of truth among His servants. He enabled me to testify in favor of his brother, Ali, who is also his Wasi (legatee) and vizier and is born from his Noor (Radiance) and is his Khalil (friend) and the repayer of his debts and the fulfiller of his promises and the helper of his friends and the uprooter of his enemies.
I have also to testify the Imamate of Ali (a.s.) and I am the follower of one whom Muhammad (S) has appointed as his Wali and as the Imam for Muslims and I abhor those who may fight against him and who are his enemies. Therefore it is not fit for any denier to step on me. Henceforth only believers would sit on me. Then the Holy Prophet (S) said to Salman, Miqdad, Abu Dharr and Ammar (r.a.): Sit on it as you have put faith in all the things testified by it. Hearing this command (which must be obeyed) they sat on it.
Thereafter, Almighty Allah gave voice to the whip of Abu Lubabah bin Manzar and it said: I give witness there is no one and nothing worth worship except Only One Allah Who is the Creator of the universe, Expander of their sustenance, Director of His servants’ affairs and Mighty over all things and I testify that, O Muhammad!
You are His Messenger and his selected one and His friend and His beloved and Wali and the keeper of His secrets and that He has made you the intermediary between Him and His servants, so that because of you, His good servants may get salvation and the unfortunate ones may be destroyed, and I testify that Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) is mentioned in the Higher world as the chief of creation after you and that he fights for Qur’an to compel its opponents to willy nilly accept it; that he, after your departure, fights in the matter of its interpretations with the hypocrites who have deviated from religion and whose worldly desires have won over their minds because they have altered the meanings of Allah’s Book and changed its implications and I give witness that Ali (a.s.) will, as a result of what Allah has granted to him, take the friends of Allah towards His pleasure and push His enemies who defy and oppose Him, into Hell with his powerful sword.
Thereafter that whip bent round and pulled Abu Lubabah so forcefully that he fell down headlong and then got up. But the whip once again, brought him down a number of times until he sighed: Woe unto me, what has happened to me? Almighty Allah once again gave voice to that whip and it said: I am a mere whip to whom Almighty Allah has made vocal with His Oneness and honored me with His praise and gave me the honor of testifying the messengership of Muhammad (S), the leader of all His Servants and made a friend of one (Ali) who is, after Muhammad (S), the best among the entire creation and is better than all friends of Allah and who is the brother of Muhammad (S) and the husband of his daughter (chief of the ladies of Paradise) and who earned the reward of greater Jihad due to his sleeping on the bed of the Prophet on the night of migration and who disgraced with his powerful sword, enemies of the Prophet and who is the propagator of the commands about right and wrong and legal and illegal in this community. So it is not befitting for a denier who is an open enemy of the Holy Prophet (S) to use me.
Therefore I will continue to drag you down like this until I finish you off and go out of your dirty hands or unless you put faith in Muhammad and in his purified progeny, Ahlul Bayt (a.s.).
Abu Lubabah said: O whip! I also testify to all that you have testified and I also believe in what you believe. The whip replied: Then I also remain still in your hand because you declared your faith and as Only One God knows the condition of our heart and only He will decide regarding your being right or wrong.