QUESTION:
What is the interpretation of the Imam’s ( (peace be upon them) of ‘‘Kaf Ha Ya ‘Ain Saad’’? Please provide the title of the book in which the narration(s) is located and the page number.
ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
In the exegesis of Al-Burhan compiled by Al-Sayyed Hashem Al-Bahrani we find the following narrations:
Ibn al-Babaweh said:
Abu al-Hasan Muhammad bin Harun al-Zanjani told us: He received a handwritten report from Ali bin Ahmad al-Baghdadi al-Warraq, who said: ’Muadh bin al-Muthanna al-Anbari of Abdullah bin Asmaa of Juwairiya told us, on the authority of Sufyan bin Saeed Al-Thawri, who said: ‘I said to Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Ali bin Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon them): ‘O’ son of the Messenger of Allah, what is the meaning of the words of Allah (the Most High) Kaf Ha Ya ‘Ain Saad?’ He said: ‘It means: I am the sufficient, the guide, the guardian, the scholar, the true promise
On his authority, on the authority of Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Ishaq al-Talqani (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: Abdul Aziz bin Yahya al-Jaludi told us, of Muhammad bin Zakaria of Ja’afar bin Muhammad bin Amara told us, on the authority of his father, he said:
I was with Ja’afar bin Muhammad (Peace be upon them both), then a man came to him and asked him about Kaf Ha Ya ‘Ain Saad, and he (peace be upon him) said: ‘Kaf: Sufficient for our Shi’as, Ha: Guide for them, Ya: a leader upon them, ‘Ain: Knowing of the people who are obedient to us. Saad: A fulfiller of his promise to them, until they (the people) attain the status He promised them in the core of the Qur’an.
And from him, he said: Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad, bin Hatim al-Nawfali, known as al-Karmani of Abu Al-Abbas Ahmad bin Issa Al-Washa Al-Baghdadi of Ahmed bin Taher Al-Qomi of Muhammad bin Bahr bin Sahl al-Shaibani of Ahmad bin Masrur told us, on the authority of Saad bin Abdullah al-Qummi, in a conversation with Abu Muhammad al-Hassan bin Ali al-Askari ( Peace be upon them both): He said to him:
What brought you, Sa’ad? I said: ‘Ahmed bin Is-haq made me miss meeting you, our master. He said: ‘And the issues that you wanted to ask about?’ I said: ‘As it is, my master. He said: ‘Ask, my beloved child.’ And he pointed with his hand to the boy – meaning his son, the Qa’im (peace be upon him) – then the boy said to me: ‘Ask about what you wish.’ And he mentioned the issues until he said, I said: Then tell me – O’ son of the Messenger of Allah – about the interpretation of Kaf Ha Ya ‘Ain Saad?. He said: ‘These letters are from the concealed (knowledge of Allah). Allah revealed them (the letters) to his servant, Zackariah, then he revealed to Muhammad (may Allah bless him and his family) how Zackariah (peace be upon him) asked his Lord to teach him the names of the ‘five’, so Allah ordered Gabriel to descend upon him, and so he taught him. Whenever Zackariah mentioned Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, and Al-Hassan (peace be upon them), his worries pass away, and he was no longer distressed. If he mentioned Hussain (peace be upon him), the sadness would strangle him, and sorrow fell upon him. He said one day: ‘My Allah, when I mention the four their names bring me comfort, but when I mention Hussain, my eyes water, and my exhalation erupts? Allah (the Blessed and Exalted be He) foretold his story, so he said: ’Kaf Ha Ya ‘Ain Aaad; the Kaf: the name of Karbala, and the Ha: the destruction of the family, and the Ya: Yazid (may Allah damn him) and ‘Ain: his (Hussain’s) thirst and Saad: his (Hussain’s) patience.
When Zakariya (peace be upon him) heard about that, he did not leave his mosque for three days, and he prevented people from entering it, and he started to weep and wail.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
His wailing was:
My God, do you let the son of the best of your creation die and make him mourn? My Allah, will you enclothe Ali and Fatima with this calamity, my Allah will the agony of this bereavement descend upon their yard. Then he used to say: ‘My Allah, grant me a son whom my eyes acknowledge to the point where I reach oldness, make him an heir and guardian, and make his place from me the place of Hussain. Then fill my heart with love of this child and then make me mourn for his death as you made Muhammad, your beloved, grieve for his son. John’s mother (peace be upon him) carried him for six months then he was born, as was the case with Hussain (peace be upon him).
The Office of Sheikh al-Habib