“O Spirit of God! I have come to ask for the hand of the daughter of your successor, Shimon, for my son.”[1]
Bashar ibn Sulayman, a devoted follower of Imam Ali al-Hadi (peace be upon him) and Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him), and their neighbor in Samarra, narrates:
One day, Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) called me to him. He wrote a letter in Roman script and language, sealed it with his ring, and handed me 220 ashrafis, saying: “Go to Baghdad with this money. Go to such-and-such a place. In the morning, boats will come with prisoners aboard.” Then he provided the details of one of the prisoners and instructed me to deliver the letter to him and tell him that I was the agent of the letter’s owner, and that he should accompany me.
I followed the instructions of Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him). I found the prisoner he had described, gave him the letter, and when he saw it, he wept and agreed to come with me. When we reached a house in Baghdad, the prisoner took out the letter, kissed it, and placed it on his eyes. Out of surprise, I said, “You kiss a letter from someone you don’t even know?”
He replied, “I am too humble to comprehend the greatness of the children and successors of the Prophets. Listen to me, and I will tell you about myself. I am Malika, the daughter of Yeshua, son of Caesar (the king of Rome). My mother is from the descendants of Shimon, the successor of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him).”
One night, I saw Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) in a dream, where he and his disciples built a pulpit made of light. Then the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his successor and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), and a group of the Imams from his noble descendants entered the palace, illuminating it with their presence.
Then, Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) went to greet the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “O Spirit of God! I have come to ask for the hand of the daughter of your successor, Shimon, for my son” and pointed to Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him).
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) said to Shimon: “Honor of both worlds has turned to you. Link your lineage to the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him)!”
Shimon agreed. Then, everyone descended from the pulpit. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) delivered a sermon, and together with Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), they married me off to Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him), with the children of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and the disciples as witnesses.
On another night, Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him) informed me in a dream that your grandfather would send an army to the Muslims and that I should wear the servants’ clothes so I wouldn’t be recognized and go with them. I did as instructed. The Muslim army fought against us, captured us, and in the end, I revealed myself to an old man who had captured me in the battle. I introduced myself as “Nargis.”
Bashar ibn Sulayman recounts that:
When I brought her to Samarra to meet Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him), he said to her: “How did God show you the honor of Islam and the dignity of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his family?”
She replied: “How can I describe something to you that you already know better than me?”
Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) said: “Good tidings to you of a son who will become the ruler of the East and West of the world and fill the earth with justice after it has been filled with oppression. He is the son of the one whom the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) sought you for.”
He then said to his sister, Hakimah Khatoon: “Take her to your house and teach her the obligatory practices and traditions, for she is the wife of Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him) and the mother of the Awaited One (may Allah hasten his reappearance).”
Indeed, Nargis (peace be upon her) had the highest social position and the best means of pleasure and happiness at the Roman court, but she attained such purity, chastity, and virtue within herself that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) chose her to be the wife of Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him) and blessed her with the honor of being the mother of the world’s Savior. Despite all these qualifications, Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) teaches us that the strongest and most fundamental foundation for establishing and strengthening the family structure is the knowledge of and adherence to divine commandments. Therefore, when forming such a family, which will shape the destiny of humanity, the first step was to learn and follow God’s instructions.
Indeed, on what foundation do we build and continue our lives?
(Excerpted from the book: “Al-Abqari al-Hassan fi Ahwal Mawlana Sahib al-Zaman (may Allah hasten his reappearance)” by Ayatollah Sheikh Ali Akbar Nahavandi, with some edits and additions)
Footnote:
[1] The words of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) addressing Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him)