Qutub Rawandi has narrated from Abul Qasim Ja’far bin
Muhammad bin Qulwayh in Al-Kharaaej1 that he said:
“In the year 337 A.H, I had the honor of performing the Hajj
and enroute to it reached Baghdad. That year after the destruction
of Qaramtians, they had returned Hajar al-Aswad to its prior
place. Most of my efforts were aimed to find someone, who
would fix that stone in its original spot. Because I had learnt from
books that except for the Divine Proof of the time, no one can fix
it in its original spot. As was seen during the time of Hajjaj when
Imam Zainul Aabedeen (a.s.) placed it in its original spot. But I
fell severely ill and began to fear for myself, and in that condition
I was not able to continue my journey. Then I learnt that Ibne
Hisham was traveling to Mecca. Therefore, I wrote a letter,
sealed it and entrusted it to him. In that letter I had asked about
the span of my life, that whether I was destined to die during this
illness or not. And I told Ibne Hisham: My endeavor is that this
letter should reach the hands of one, who fixes the Hajar al-Aswad. And for this job I have summoned you.
Ibne Hisham says: When I reached Mecca and came to the
place where Hajar al-Aswad was supposed to be fixed, I gave an
amount of cash to the caretakers of the Haram to allow me to
remain there at that fixed time. I took up a location from where I
could see who fixes that stone. I told the guards to remain with
me so that they may take me away from the crowd. I saw that
everyone was trying to fix the stone, but none was able to do so
and it used to fall down. Then a young man of wheat complexion
and an elegant appearance approached; he took the stone and
placed it in the proper spot. It became so well fixed that I
imagined it must not have been so even in the beginning. Clamor
arose from the people due to that and that young man headed
towards the exit. I rose from where I was sitting and went after
him. I pushed people to right and left and they thought I had gone
insane. People were making way for him and I did not let him get
out of my sight till he separated from the people. I was walking
very fast and he moved calmly and with composure. When he
reached a place where none could see him, except me, he turned
to me and said: Give me that which you are carrying. I presented
the letter to him. Without looking at it he said: Tell him that there
is no danger for him in this illness and the death from which he is
helpless would come after thirty years. Tears filled up my eyes
and I could not even move. He left me in this condition and went
away.
Abul Qasim says: This incident was related to me by Ibne
Hisham.
The narrator adds: Thirty years after that mysterious incident Abul Qasim fell ill. So he gathered his affairs, wrote down his
will and he made exceptional efforts in this regard. They asked
him: “What fear is that? We expect that the Almighty Allah
would again give you good health.” He replied: “This is the year
about which I was warned.” He passed away in that illness. May
Allah have mercy on him.
Al-Kharaaej wal Jaraaeh, vol. 1, pp. 475-478