٢٥٥- وأخبرني جماعة، عن أبي غالب أحمد بن محمد الزراري قال: حدثني أبو عبد الله محمد بن زيد بن مروان، قال: حدثني أبوعيسى محمد بن علي الجعفري وأبو الحسين محمد بن علي بن الرقام قالا: حدثنا أبوسورة- قال أبو غالب: وقد رأيت ابنا لابي سورة، وكان أبوسورة أحد مشايخ الزيدية المذكورين. قال أبوسورة: خرجت إلى قبر أبي عبدالله عليه السلام أريد يوم عرفة فعرفت يوم عرفة، فلما كان وقت عشاء الآخرة صليت وقمت فابتدأت أقرأ من الحمد، وإذا شاب حسن الوجه عليه جبة سيفي، فابتدأ أيضا من الحمد وختم قبلي أو ختمت قبله، فلما كان الغداة خرجنا جميعا من باب الحائر، فلما صرنا إلى شاطئ الفرات قال لي الشاب: أنت تريد الكوفة فامض فمضيت طريق الفرات، وأخذ الشاب طريق البر. قـال أبـو سـورة:ث ـم أسـفت عـلى فـراقه فـاتبعته فقـال لي:تعال فجئنا جميعا إلى أصل حصن المسناة فنمنا جميعا وانتبهنا فإذا نحن على العوفي على جبل الخندق، فقال لي: أنت مضيق وعليك عيال، فامض إلى أبي طاهر الزراري فيخرج إليك من منزله وفي يده الدم من الاضحية فقل له: شاب من صفته كذا يقول:لك صرة فيها عشرون دينارا جاء‌ك بها بعض إخوانك فخذها منه. قال أبوسورة: فصرت إلى أبي طاهر (بن) الزراري كما قال الشاب ووصفته له فقال:الحمد لله ورأيته، فدخل وأخرج إلي الصرة الدنانير فدفعها إلي وانصرفت. قال أبوعبدالله محمد بن زيد بن مروان-وهو أيضا من أحد مشايخ الزيدية- حدثت بهذا الحديث أبا الحسن محمد بن عبيدالله العلوي ونحن نزول بأرض الهر، فقال: هذا حق جاء‌ني رجل شاب فتوسمت في وجهه سمة فانصرف الناس كلهم، وقلت له: من أنت؟ فقال: أنا رسول الخلف عليه السلام إلى بعض إخوانه ببغداد فقلت له:معك راحلة فقال: نعم في دار الطلحيين، فقلت له: قم فجئ بها، ووجهت معه غلاما فأحضر راحلته وأقام عندي يومه ذلك، وأكل من طعامي وحدثني بكثير من سري وضميري، قال: فقلت له على أي طريق تأخذ؟ قال: أنزل إلى هذه النجفة ثم آتي وادي الرملة، ثم آتي الفسطاط (واتبع الراحلة) فأركب إلى الخلف عليه السلام إلى المغرب. قال أبو الحسن محمد بن عبيد الله: فلما كان من الغد ركب راحلته وركبت معه حتى صرنا إلى قنطرة دار صالح فعبر الخندق وحده وأنا أراه حتى نزل النجف وغاب عن عيني. قال: أبوعبدالله محمد بن زيد: فحدثت أبا بكر محمد بن أبي دارم اليمامي-وهو(من) أحد مشايخ الحشوية- بهذين الحديثين فقال: هذا حق جاء‌ني منذ سنيات ابن أخت أبي بكر (بن) النخالي العطار-وهو صوفي يصحب الصوفية- فقلت من أنت وأين كنت؟ فقال لي: أنا مسافر(منذ) سبع عشرة سنة، فقلت له: فأيش أعجب ما رأيت؟ فقال: نزلت في الاسكندرية في خان ينزله الغرباء، وكان في وسط الخان مسجد يصلي فيه أهل الخان وله إمام وكان شاب يخرج من بيت له (أو) غرفة فيصلي خلف الإمام ويرجع من وقته إلى بيته ولا يلبث مع الجمـاعة. قـال: فقـلت: -لمـا طـال ذلك علي ورأيت منظره شاب نظيف عليه عباء -أنا والله أحب خدمتك والتشرف بين يديك، فقال: شأنك فلم أزل أخدمه حتى أنس بي الانس التام، فقلت له ذات يوم: من أنت أعزك الله؟ قال: أنا صاحب الحق، فقلت له: يا سيدي متى تظهر؟ فقال: ليس هذا أوان ظهوري، وقد بقي مدة من الزمان، فلم أزل على خدمته تلك وهو على حالته من صلاة الجماعة وترك الخوض فيما لا يعنيه إلى أن قال: أحتاج إلى السفر فقلت له: أنا معك.ثم قلت له: يا سيدي متى يظهر أمرك؟ قال: علامة ظهور أمري كثرة الهرج والمرج والفتن، وآتي مكة فأكون في المسجد الحرام فيقول الناس: إنصبوا لنا إماما ويكثر الكلام حتى يقوم رجل من الناس فينظر في وجهي ثم يقول: يا معشر الناس هذا المهدي انظروا إليه، فيأخذون بيدي وينصبوني بين الركن والمقام، فيبايع الناس عند إياسهم عني ، قال: وسرنا إلى ساحل البحر فعزم على ركوب البحر فقلت له: يا سيدي أنا والله أفرق من (ركوب) البحر، فقال:ويحك تخاف وأنا معك، فقلت: لا ولكن أجبن، قال:فركب البحر وانصرفت عنه.
255- A group of scholars informed me from Abu Ghalib Ahmad bin Muhammad Zurari that he said: Narrated to me Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Zaid bin Marwan that: Narrated to me Abu Isa Muhammad bin Ali Ja’fari and Abul Husain Muhammad bin Ali bin Raqqam that: Narrated to us Abu Sura that: Abu Ghalib said: I saw a son of Abu Sura. Abu Sura was a prominent member of Zaidiyyah sect and he said: I stayed the day of Arafa there and when it was the time of Isha prayers, I stood up to pray. I rose and began by Surah Hamd. Suddenly, a young man of tremendous beauty, who had a summer cloak on him, also began with the same Surah and finished before me or I did before him. Later we left together from the door of the shrine. When we reached the banks of Euphrates, the young man said, “You want to go to Kufa, so go ahead.” I went ahead by the way of Euphrates and the young man took the land trail. Abu Sura continues, Feeling sorry for separating from his company, I began following him. He said, “Come.” We went together upto the foundation of the fortress of Masnath. We slept there. When we woke up, we were at the heights, at the mountain of Khandaq. He said, “You are facing hardships and have a family to support. Go to Abu Tahir Razi. He will come out to you, while his hands are drenched in blood of slaughter. Say to him a young man who had these qualities says that the bag having twenty dinars, which one of your brothers has brought, is yours. Take it from him.” Abu Sura says, I went to Abu Tahir Ibn Razi, as the young man had said and described the young man to him. He said: “Praise belongs to Allah, and you saw him.” He went inside and brought out a bag of dinars. He gave them to me and I returned. Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Zaid Ibn Marwan, who is also one of the Shaykhs of the Zaidiyyah, says, I recounted this narrative to Abu Husain Muhammad Ibn Ubaidullah Alawi, when we had halted at the land of Herr. He said: This is true. A young man came to me and I recognized a sign in his face. When the people left, I asked him, “Who are you?” He said: “I am the messenger of the successor  to one of his brothers in Baghdad.” I asked, “Do you have the means for travel?” “Yes, in the house of the Talhayayn.” I said, “Go and bring them.” I sent a servant with him. He brought his luggage and means of travel and stayed with me that day. He ate with me and talked about many secrets and confidential matters. I asked him, “What road are you taking?” “I will disembark at this height and then go to the valley of the sands; then I’ll go to the tents and purchase mounts and ride to the successor  to the west.” Abu Husain Muhammad Ibn Ubaidullah said: Next day he rode his beast and I rode along with him. We went to the archway of the house of Salih. He crossed the channel by himself and I was watching him until he reached Najaf and then he disappeared from my eyes. Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Zaid says, I recounted these two narratives to Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Abi Darram Yamami, who is a Shaykhs of Hashawiyya. He said: This is true.” After that he said: A few years ago, the nephew of Abu Bakr bin Nakhali Attar, who was a Sufi and who intermingled with Sufis, came to me. I asked: Who are you and from where have you come? He replied: I am a traveler and I am on a journey since last seventy years. I asked: What is the most extraordinary thing that you have seen? He replied: I stayed in a rest house in Alexandria. There was a Masjid in the center of the caravanserai, which was used by travelers. An Imam of congregation was also present there and he was a young man. He lived in his special quarters from where he emerged to lead them in prayers and returned to his room immediately. When I had stayed there for a long time and observed this practice of that young man who was extremely pure and clean and who also had a cloak upon him, I said: I would like to be present in your service. Please give me an opportunity. He replied: It is your honor, you may do so. Thus I started cultivating his company till I became very much attached to him. One day I said to him: May Almighty Allah give you honor, who are you? He replied: I am the owner of truth. I said: My master, when will you reappear? He replied: Presently, time is not ripe for the reappearance. A period still remains for it. Thus I always remained engrossed in the service of the Imam and he also continued his practice of simply leading congregational prayers without interfering in anything else, which did not concern him, till he said one day: I need to go on a journey. I asked: I will accompany you. After that I requested him: My master, when will your reappearance take place? He replied: The sign of the coming of my kingdom is that there would be confusion and discord, and too much of mischief. At that time I will come to Mecca and would be in Masjidul Haraam till people say: Appoint an Imam for us, and a long discussion will take place in this regard; till a person will rise from them and look at me. He would say: People, this man is the Mahdi, look at him and pledge allegiance to him. They would all pledge allegiance to me between Rukn and Maqam, while before that they would have despaired of my life and reappearance. We set out from there till we reached the sea shore. He intended to cross the sea. I asked: Master, by Allah, I fear the sea. Imam  said: Are you afraid when I am with you? I replied: No, but I cannot dare. So Imam  mounted the sea [walked on the surface] and I returned from there.