There is another tradition narrated by Abu Joada regarding this. He says that I went to Basra and attended the assembly of the companion, Anas bin Malik, he was narrating a tradition from Holy Prophet (s).
A man from among the gathering asked Anas bin Malik why do you have white spots on your body? What is the reason because once My father asked the Holy Prophet regarding this disease, the latter replied that Allah, the grateful doesn’t afflicts a believer in a disease like leprosy and white skin disease.
Anas bin Malik became ashamed and started crying and said: O servant of Allah. This is due to the curse of Ali (a) on me. People who had surrounded him asked, why did Ali (a) curse you? Anas told them to leave the matter, but they insisted.
Anas said: Since you are insisting let me narrate the reason in detail. You should know that there is valley near East which is famous as Handaf. A spread sheet (carpet) was gifted to Holy Prophet (s) by them.
Holy Prophet (s) sent me to call Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Talha, Zubair, Saeed and Abdul Rahman bin Auf. Ali (a) was seated next to Holy Prophet (s) at that time. I went and asked all of them to join Holy Prophet (s). The Prophet (s) asked me to lay down the spread sheet (carpet) and asked all of them to sit on it. I did what Holy Prophet (s) ordered me. He also asked me to sit down on the carpet along with them. He asked me to witness and inform me whatever takes place.
Then Holy Prophet (s) asked Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a) to sit on the carpet along with them. Holy Prophet (s) asked Ali (a) to order the wind to lift you. As Ali (a) commanded the wind, it started to lift all of us and we started to fly in air. The wind took us till where it was destined by Allah.
Then Ali (a) asked the carpet to put us down. The wind stopped as per the command of Ali (a) and we got down from the carpet. Then Ali (a) asked us: “Do you know where this carpet has brought us?” We replied: “Only Prophet of Allah and you know the better.” This is the place where Companions of Kahf are kept which is one of the amazing Signs of Allah. “Do come O companions of Holy Prophet (s) and send salutations on them,” said Ali (a).
Abu Bakr and Umar approached the entrance of the cave and saluted: “Salutation on you O people of Kahf. But no one replied. Then Talha and Zubair saluted but they also did not get any reply. Then I and Abdur Rahman bin Auf saluted. I said: Salutation be on Companions of Cave. I am Anas, servant of the Prophet. We also did not get any answer. Every one of us one after another saluted but none got any reply.
Lastly, Ali (a) arose and saluted them in these words: O Companions of Cave and Raqeem, the amazing Signs of Allah, peace be on You All. We heard a voice from the Cave. O successor of Prophet, peace be on you too. May Allah’s Mercy and Beneficence be on you. Ali (a) said: “Why did you all not reply to the companions of Holy Prophet (s)?”
They said: “O successor of Prophet, we youth who had faith in Our Lord. And God had increased our faith. We are ordered only to salute Holy Prophet or their successors. You are the first successor of the last Prophet of Allah (s), due to this we have replied to your salutation.
Then Ali (a) turned towards the Holy Prophet’s companions and said: “Did you all listen to what they said?” We replied: “Yes, O Amirul Momineen (a).”
Then Ali (a) told us to sit on the carpet. We all sat on the carpet. Then Ali (a) said: “O wind, lift us. The wind lifted us and we continuously were travelling until the sun set. Then at a point Ali (a) asked the wind to stop and let us alight. The land where the wind landed us was like saffron. We did not see anyone there. The place had a floral fragrance, but we did not find any water nearby.
Ali (a) alighted and he hit the earth with his foot. A fountain of sweet water gushed out. He told us to drink this water. He said if you hadn’t asked for water, Jibraeel would have brought water for you all from heaven. Thereafter, we drank the water, did ablution and recited our prayers.
It was late night, Ali (a) called us and asked to sit on the same carpet. Go if God wills, you can perform the entire Fajr prayer or a part of it under the leadership of the Messenger of Allah (s). Carpet started flying and it landed near Prophet’s Masjid. At that time, the Prophet had performed the first unit of the Fajr prayer.
We prayed under the leadership of the Prophet (s) and when we finished the prayer, Prophet (s) said to me: Anas! Will you describe the incident or should I narrate? I asked, O Messenger of Allah, I like to hear from your pure tongue. Then the Messenger of Allah (s) told us all the details of our journey. Then he said: Anas! Will you bear witness to what you have seen? I said, Yes, O Messenger of Allah, whenever your brother i.e. Ali, asks me to testify, I will testify.
The Holy Prophet (s) passed away and Abu Bakr came to power. One day I was sitting next to Abu Bakr and others were also sitting there. Hazrat Ali came and said to me: “Anas, do you testify to the incident of Carpet and the spring which you witnessed, in this assembly? I said: O Amirul Momineen (a), I have become old and I have forgotten those things.
Hazrat Ali said: If you are deliberately trying to avoid, after what you had promised to the Messenger of Allah (s) may Allah inflict your face with white spots and make your stomach burn and blind you with your eyes. I just found myself getting up from this party until I became narcissistic and blind and now my condition is such that I am unable to fast in the month of Ramadan because there is no food left in my stomach.
He died in Basra in that same condition.
1 Kishi relates that after the curse of Ali (a), Anas got afflicted with white spots as he had sworn not to hide any virtues of Ali (a).
2 Among the scholars of Ahle Sunnat, Ibne Maghazi Shafei has narrated the incident of the carpet in his Manaqib, Pg. 232. Even Ibne Batreeq in his Umdah has narrated it.
Thalabi has narrated this incident of the carpet, in the end he has written that the Companions of Cave again went to sleep and will be in deep sleep until Imam Mahdi reappears. When Imam Mahdi reappears he will salute them and Allah will again wake them up from their sleep, and they will reply to the Salaam of Imam Mahdi (a). Then again they will go to sleep till Qiyamat. Even the writer of Manaqib has recorded this incident of the carpet.
1 Rijal, Kishi, Pg. 45; Biharul Anwar, Vol. 41, Pg. 26.
2 Fadhail, Ibne Shazan, Pg. 164-166; Raudha fee Fadhail, Ibne Shazan, Pg. 37-38; Biharul Anwar, Vol. 41, Pg. 217, Tr. 31; Tafsir Burhan, Vol. 4, Pg. 457, Tr. 15.