Ayatullah Sayyid Shahab al-Din Mar’ashi Najafi narrated to one of his students:
‘During my studying days in Najaf al-Ashraf, I greatly yearned to see the beauty of our 12th Imam and I made a covenant with myself that I would walk every Tuesday night to Masjid al-Sahlah for 40 weeks so that I could attain this great blessing [of meeting the 12th Imam].
‘I performed this act of servitude thirty-five or thirty-six times. One night, however, I was delayed in coming out of Najaf because it was cloudy and rainy. Near Masjid al-Sahlah there was a ditch and when I arrived to it in the middle of the night, I felt alone and afraid of highway robbers. I heard a sound behind me which only increased my fright and terror. I looked behind me and saw an Arab man wearing the clothes of a bedouin. He approached me and said in an eloquent tongue, “O Sayyid, peace be upon you!”
‘I felt my fear diminish and I became contented and at peace. But it surprised me that he knew I was a Sayyid in spite of the darkness of the night. Anyhow, we started talking and walking together. So he asked me, “Where are you going?” to which I said, “Masjid al-Sahlah.” He asked me, “For what reason?” and I replied, “With the goal of being honoured by a visit from the Wali al-Asr.”
‘After awhile, we reached the Masjid of Zayd bin Sohan which is a small mosque near Masjid al-Sahlah. The Arab said to me, “Why don’t we enter this mosque and pray in honour of the sanctity of the mosque?” So we entered and prayed and the Arab started reciting a supplication – and the walls and the stones started reciting with him! I felt a wonderful feeling5 that I cannot even explain!6
‘Upon completing the supplication, the Arab said to me, “O Sayyid, you are hungry. Why not have some dinner?” He brought out some food from under his cloak; there were three pieces of bread and two or three green cucumbers that looked as though they had been plucked fresh from the garden, although we were in the midst of a biting cold winter. It did not even occur to me to question where he brought the cucumbers from during this cold season. So we ate as the Sayyid suggested, after which he told me, “Stand up so we can go to Masjid al-Sahlah.” We entered the mosque and the Arab performed various acts of worship at the different holy stations and sites and I followed him. He recited the Maghrib and Isha prayers and without a second thought, I followed and prayed behind him. I did not even stop to think, “Who is this man?”
‘After finishing our worship, the man said to me, “O Sayyid, would you like to go, as others do after finishing here, to Masjid al-Kufa or would you like to stay at Masjid al-Sahlah?” to which I replied, “I would like to stay in the mosque.” So we sat in the centre of the mosque at the Station of Imam al-Sadiq (A). I asked the Arab man, “Would you like to have tea or coffee or a smoke so I can prepare it for you?” and he replied in a concise way7, “These sort of things are unnecessary in life and we avoid them.”8 These words touched the core of my existence and now, whenever I drink tea, I remember that moment and these words echo in my mind.
‘Anyhow, we sat for around two hours and certain events happened that I will now relate:
‘One of the topics we discussed was about istikharah [seeking the best solution from God]. So the Arab said to me, “O Sayyid, how do you do your istikharah with the tasbih [string of beads used for counting adhkar (invocations)]?” So I said, “Three times Salawat and three times, ‘I seek the best of Allah with His mercy, the best in health.’ I then take the tasbih and I count it so that if it reaches an even number, it is negative outcome and if it reaches an odd number, it’s a positive outcome.” The Arab said, “This istikharah has its complete way but the conclusion of it has not reached you. So if you stop at an odd bead, one should not judge immediately that it is positive but rather he should pause and do it again. But this time with the intention that he does not want to do that thing. If it again reaches an even number, it shows that the first istikharah was good and if it remains at an odd number, it shows that the first istikharah was in between. So I said to myself, “According to the fundamentals of the precepts of knowledge, it is upon me to ask for proof for this matter,” and the Arab replied, “This is what has reached us from higher places.”9 And I found myself experiencing through these words, a great sense of submission and contentment. But with all this, I still did not ask, “who is this man?!”
‘And other points from that sitting included the Arab recommending and insisting upon reciting certain chapters of the Holy Qur’an after the compulsory prayers. These were the recitation of Surah Ya Seen after Salat al-Fajr, Surat al-Naba after Salat al-Dhuhr, Surat al-Nuh after Salat al-Asr, Surat al-Waqi’ah after Salat al-Maghrib and Surat al-Mulk after Salat al-Isha. Amongst his other teachings, he encouraged the recitation of the following supplication after each compulsory prayer:
‘“O Allah, free me from my depression and grief and the loneliness of my heart and the whisperings of Shaytan. By Your Mercy, O the most Merciful of the merciful.10”
‘He praised the book, Shara’i’ al-Islam by Muhaqqiq al- Hilli and he said, “Everything is accurate and true except some rulings.” He emphasised the recitation of the Holy Qur’an and gifting it to the Shi’as who do not have inheritors or the dead who are not remembered and prayed for by others. He emphasised the visitation of the Master of the Martyrs, Imam Husayn
(A). He recited a supplication for me by saying “May Allah make you from the servants of the shariah.”
‘I said to him, “I do not know whether the end of my life will be good or whether I will be amongst those who will have illuminated faces in front of Allah,” so he replied, “Your ending is good and your work is appreciated and you are amongst those who have illuminated faces.” And then there were a lot of other teachings but I cannot mention them all now.
‘I needed to leave the mosque for my convenience and so I approached the toilets on the road but before I left the mosque, I thought to myself, “What night is this and what virtuous man is this? Maybe he is my goal?” And as soon as this thought crossed my mind, I returned to the place where we had been sitting and I could not find any sign of the Arab and there was no other person in the mosque. I knew I had found the person I was longing to meet but my heedlessness bothered me and I started wailing and crying like a madman, going round and round the mosque until morning, like a deranged lover who has been tested by being forsaken. Every time I remember that night, I lose myself and sadness overcomes me.’
The Ways Of The Righteous Vol. 1