After this story, the author has mentioned the story of Amir
Ishaq Astarabadi and after a brief mention of the story of the
Green Island, says: Reliable statements about sighting of Imam
Mahdi (a.s.), except for that, which I have mentioned, are many;
so much so that in this recent age I heard from trustworthy
persons that Maulana Ahmad Ardbeli saw the Imam in the Jama
Masjid of Kufa and asked him some religious questions and
Maulana Muhammad Taqi, father of our Shaykh, saw His
Eminence in the Jame Masjid Atiq in Isfahan.1
As for the first incident: Sayyid Mohaddis Jazaeri, Sayyid
Ne’matullah, has said in Anwarun Nomania:
Informed me the most reliable of my teachers in knowledge
and acts, whose student Maula Ardbeli (r.a.) was, from the
people of Tafrash, whose name was Mir Allam and he was at the
pinnacle of excellence and piety.
He has narrated that he had a chamber in a school, which
surrounds the dome. Thus, it so happened that when I finished
my studies a major part of the night had passed. I came out of
there and looked around; that night was extremely dark. I decried
a man coming in my direction. I thought that perhaps he is a thief and he has come to steal some of lanterns. So I came down and
went near him and he did not see me.
Then he went to the door of the sacred sanctuary and stood
there. I saw that the lock opened for him and the door opened.
And the second and the third door also opened in this sequence
and he faced the holy tomb. Then he saluted and response came
from the tomb. Then I recognized his voice that he was speaking
to Imam (a.s.) regarding some academic problems.
Then he came out of the town and set out for Masjid Kufa. I
followed him and he did not see me. When he reached the prayer
niche, where Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) was martyred, I heard
that he was speaking to another person regarding some issue.
Then he returned and I returned behind him and he did not
see me. When he reached the door of Wilayat, the morning had
dawned.
I revealed myself to him and asked: O my Lord, I am
following you from the beginning till the end. So please tell me
who the first person was with whom you spoke in the tomb; and
who was the second person with whom you spoke in Kufa?
He made me promise that I will not reveal his secret till he
passes away.
Then he told me: My son, I was having some difficult
religious problems; so sometimes I went to the tomb of Ameerul
Momineen (a.s.) and spoke to him about those matters and
received solutions for the same and this night he sent me to our
master, Sahibuz Zamaan saying: “My son, Mahdi (a.s.) is in
Masjid Kufa tonight; so approach him and inquire from him about these problems and that person was Mahdi (a.s.).1
The author says: The noble scholar, Mirza Abdullah
Isfahani says in Riyaazul Ulama:2 Sayyid Amir Allam was a well
known scholar, a noble personality and a student of Maula
Ahmad Ardbeli. He has authored many books on different
branches of knowledge and when they asked him at the time of
his passing away that which of his students should they refer to
after his passing away; he said: As regards the practical laws, you
may refer to Amir Allam, in rational sciences you may refer to
Amir Faizullah.
Shaykh Abu Ali has narrated from his teacher, the great
Allamah Bahbahani in the margins of his Rejaal, that this Mir
Allam was the grandfather of Sayyid Mirza, a prominent
personality of Najaf Ashraf; and he was among the scholars who
died of plague, which occurred in Baghdad and the surrounding
areas in the year 1186.
Allamah Majlisi says in Behaarul Anwaar3: A group of
people have informed me from Sayyid Fazil Mir Allam that he
said:.. and so on with some difference in wordings.
In the end, it is mentioned as follows: I continued to follow
him. He had reached Masjid Hannana when I got a fit of cough,
which I could not control.
As soon as heard the sound he recognized me and asked:
“Are you not Allam?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“What are you doing here?” He asked.
“I am following you since you entered the holy shrine. And I
adjure you in the name of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) to explain to
me all that happened last night.”
He said: “I will tell you on the condition that as long as I am
alive, you will not divulge it to anyone.”
When he made me swear to it, he said: “Listen, I was
perplexed by some problems and when I could not find any
solution, I entered the shrine of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) who
solves all the problems. The door was locked, but it opened as
soon I reached it as you might have noticed. I entered the shrine
and prayed to the Almighty Allah that if my master solves my
problem, I would be satisfied.
Suddenly a voice came out from the shrine: Go to Kufa
Masjid and seek the solution of your problems from the Imam of
your time. Thus, I went to Masjid Kufa and found the Imam
there. I had my problems solved through him and now I am going
back home.”
Behaarul Anwaar, vol. 53, p. 176