وَعَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ دَخَلَ عَلَى أَبِيهِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ فَقَالَ أَلَا أُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى حَدِّثْنَا عَنْ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: لَمَّا مَرَضِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَتَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ فَقَالَ:
" يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَرْسَلَنِي إِلَيْكَ تَكْرِيمًا لَكَ وَتَشْرِيفًا لَكَ خَاصَّةً لَكَ يَسْأَلُكَ عَمَّا هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنْكَ يَقُولُ: كَيْفَ تجدك؟ قَالَ: أجدُني يَا جِبْرِيل مغموماً وأجدني يَا جِبْرِيل مَكْرُوبًا "
Ja'far b. Muhammad said his father told that a man of Quraish came to visit his father, `Ali b. al-Husain[*], and suggested that he should tell him something about God's messenger. `Ali agreed that he would like to be told something about Abul Qasim, so he said:
When God's messenger became ill Gabriel came to him and said, "God has sent me to you, Muhammad, to show honour and regard specially for yourself and ask you about something He knows better than you, viz. how you are." He replied, "I find myself, Gabriel, worried, and I find myself, Gabriel, full of care." Then he came to him next day and said that to him and the Prophet gave him the same reply as he had given the previous day. He came again on the third day and said the same as he had said on the first day, and he gave him the same reply. Along with him came an angel called Isma'il who was in command of a hundred thousand angels each of whom was in command of a hundred1, Ja'far as-Sadiq quotes his father Muhammad al-Baqir, who tells about his father 'Ali Zain al-'Abidin. thousand angels. He asked permission to enter, and when the Prophet asked about him Gabriel replied, "This is the angel of death who is asking permission to come in to you, a thing he has never done to any human being before you and will never do to any human being after you." He told him to let him come in, and when that was done, he gave him a salutation and said, "God has sent me to you, Muhammad, and if you order me to take your spirit I shall do so, but if you order me to leave it alone I shall do so." He asked, "Will you do that, angel of death?" and he replied, "Yes, that is what I have been commanded, and I have been commanded to obey you." God's messenger then looked at Gabriel and Gabriel said, "God has longed to meet you, Muhammad," so the Prophet said to the angel-of death, "Go on with what you have been commanded," and he took his spirit. When God's messenger died and condolence came, they heard a voice from the corner of the house saying, "Peace, God's mercy and blessings be upon you, members of the family. In God there is comfort for every calamity, a successor for everyone who perishes, and a recompense for everything which passes away, so by God's help guard yourselves and in Him place your hopes for the one who is smitten is he who is deprived of reward." `Ali then asked if they knew who this was and said it was al-Khidr. *Jafar as Sadiq quotes his father Muhammad al Baqir, who tells about his father, Ali Zain al Abidin. Baihaqi transmitted it in Dala'il an-nubuwa.
Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 5972).