(Omitting the chains of narrators) it is narrated from Hazrat Imam Husain (a) that he said:
The Messenger of Allah said: One day whilst I was in the Masjid, a man approached me, who was as tall as a palm tree. He greeted me, and I responded.
I said: ‘Your resemblance is that of the Jinn and you speak like they do. Who are you, O servant of Allah?’
He said, ‘I am Haam bin Haym bin Qays bin Iblis.’
The Messenger of Allah said: ‘There is nothing between you and Iblis except for two fathers.’
He said, ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ The Prophet asked: ‘What is your age?’
He said, ‘You can gauge my age from the fact that I was a young boy when Habil slain Qabil. I understood the speech and used to roam the jungles and instigated cutting off of ties of kinship.’
The Messenger of Allah said: ‘If you still have those habits, you really an evil person.’
He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, not at all. I have repented by the grace of God, and I am a believer.’
The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Which repentance has flowed from you at the hands of the prophets?’
He said, ‘I repented at the hands of Nuh (a) and I embraced faith at his hand only; I was with him in the Ark and blamed him for having supplicated against his people until he cried and made me cry and said: ‘I have committed a crime and on that I am from the regretful ones.1
He said: I seek the protection of Allah from being one of the ignorant.’
Then I was with Hud in his Masjid and the believers were with him, and I blamed him for having supplicated against his people until he cried and made me cry, and said: ‘I have committed a crime and on that I am from the regretful ones, I seek the Protection of Allah for having been of the ignorant ones.’
After Hud, I lived with Prophet Salih as well till God sent the chastisement of the earthquake on those people and He kept him and me safe from that chastisement.
Then I was with Ibrahim and learnt the knowledge of the holy books from him and was witness when he was flung into the fire by his people, and Allah made it to be cool and safe for him.
After him I lived with his sons, Ismail and Ishaq. Then I lived with Prophet Yaqub (a) and when with sons of Yaqub cast their brother, Yusuf into the well, I was with him am I used to comfort him in the well. And when he was rescued from the well and became the king and when he parents were coming to meet
him I was with him all that time.
Then I was with Musa, and he taught me the Torah. After his passing away, I lived Yusha bin Nun, his successor. And I lived with Yusha bin Nun till his passing away.
Then I lived with different prophets till I lived with your brother, Dawud (a) and I beseeched him to teach me the Zabur and taught it to me.
Then I lived with Sulaiman bin Dawud (a) and after him with his successors Asif bin Barkhiya bin Samiya.
In other words, I lived with different prophets till I lived in the company of Isa (a). I met him and conveyed to him greetings from Musa, and he taught me the Bible, and said: ‘I know Muhammad. Convey my greetings to him.’ O Messenger of Allah, Isa sends greetings to you.’
The Prophet said: Isa is the Spirit of Allah, and His Word, and all the Prophets of Allah and His Messengers, so long as the world endures, send greetings to you, O Haam, for making the greetings reach to me. Raise your need to us.’
He said, ‘My need is that may Allah keep you for your community and guide them to you and give them sustenance of righteousness to your successor after you, for the Imam is higher, and destroyed are the ones who are disobedient to the trustees, and my need, O Messenger of Allah, is for you to teach me a Chapter from the Quran I can pray by.’
He said to Ali: ‘O Ali, teach Haam and make him understand it.’
Haam said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, who is this on whom you have placed my responsibility, for I am of the community of the Jinn, we have been ordered that we shall not speak to anyone but a Prophet or a successor of a Prophet.’
The Messenger of Allah said to him: ‘Whom did you find in the Book as a successor of Adam?’
He said, ‘Sheeth bin Adam.’
He said: ‘Whom did you find as a successor of Nuh?’
He said, ‘Saam bin Nuh,’
He said: ‘Who was the successor of Hud?’
He said, ‘Youhanna bin Hanaan cousin of Hud.’
He said: ‘Who was the successor of Ibrahim?’
He said, ‘Ishaq bin Ibrahim.’
He said: ‘Who was the successor of Musa?’
He said, ‘Yusha bin Noon.’
He said: ‘Who was the successor of Isa?’
He said, ‘Shamoon bin Hamoun Safaa cousin of Maryam.’
He said: ‘Whom did you find in the Book as a successor to Muhammad?’
He said, ‘You are named in the Torah as ‘Wameez Wameez.’ And the name of your successor is Aeliya.’
In Injeel, your name is Khamiyata and the name of your successor is Haidaar. And in Zabur, your name is Mahmah and the name of your successor is Farqalita.
Messenger of Allah (s): What is the meaning of ‘Wameez Wameez’?
Haam: Pure and chaste.
Messenger of Allah (s): What is the meaning of ‘Khamiyata’?
Haam: Mustafa, the chosen one.
Messenger of Allah (s): What is the meaning of ‘Mahmah’?
Haam: One, who would destroy all disbelief and polytheism.
Messenger of Allah (s): The name of my successor is Aeliya in Taurat. What does it imply?
Haam: It implies successor, because he would be your successor after you. That is why he is mentioned as Aeliya in Taurat.
Messenger of Allah (s): The name of my successor is Haidaar in Injeel. What does it mean?
Haam: It means the greatest truthful one (Siddiq Akbar) and the magnificent discriminator (Farooq Aazam).
Messenger of Allah (s): The name of my successor is Farqaleet in Zabur. What does it mean?
Haam: It means ‘beloved of his Lord.’
Messenger of Allah (s): Haam, would you recognize him if you see him?
Haam: Yes, the head of your successor is a round and he is of medium height. His chest is broad and he is extremely valiant.He has big and illuminated eyes. His thighs are thin and the shoulders broad.
Now, Messenger of Allah (s) told Salman to summon Ali.
When Ali (a) arrived and Haam saw him, he exclaimed immediately: May my parents be sacrificed on you, this one is your successor. You command your followers not to disobey him after your passing away. If they disobey him they would also be destroyed like the past nations.
Messenger of Allah (s) said: Haam, I have informed my nation about this. Do you have any other need that I may fulfill?
Haam said: yes, O Messenger of Allah (s), I want you to teach me some chapters of the Holy Quran, and explain your practice and laws so that I may pray according to your method.
The Holy Prophet (s) called out Ali (a) and said: Take him along with you and instruct him accordingly.
Imam Ali (a) says that he taught him Surahs of Fatiha, Tauheed, Falaq, Naas and Ayatul Kursi; and also some verses of Surahs Aale Imran, Araaf, Anaam, Anfaal and 30 detailed chapters. Then he disappeared.
Afterwards we saw him in Lailatul Hareer during the Battle of Siffeen. When the battle was raging in Lailatul Hareer, I heard someone call out:
O Amirul Momineen (a), remove the helmet from your head as it is mentioned that you would have scanty hair.
I replied: I am the same one. And then I removed the helmet.
Then I said: O, the one, who is calling, come before me, may God have mercy on you. He became visible to me and I saw that he was Haam bin Heem.
I asked: Who are you?
He replied: I am indebted to you. I am that same student of yours whom you instructed in the Book of Allah and I am a believer in you and Muhammad Mustafa (s). Then he saluted the Imam and conversed with him and he remained at his side till the morning and fighting along with him. After that he disappeared.
Asbagh bin Nubatah says: I asked Imam Ali (a) regarding this after some days and he said: Haam bin Heem is martyred, mercy of Allah be on him.1
1 Rauza, Shazan, Pg. 41-42; Biharul Anwar, Vol. 38, Pg. 54, Tr. 9.