Personalities

Abu Mu'awiya Ammar b. Khabab al- Bajly al- Dihny al- Kufi, Dihn is a part from Bajila, was a reliable companion of al- Sadiq, peace be on him. His family was among the famous Shi'te families in Kufa then. It was said that his father was called Mu'awiya, too.

It was said to al- Sadiq, peace be on him: "Today, Ammar al- Dihny witnessed before b. Abu Layla(578) the judge of Kufa. The judge said to him: "Ammar, stand up. We know you. We do not accept your witness because you are apostate (rafidi). 'Ammar stood up while he was shaking all over and weeping. So, b. Abu Layla said to him: "You are a man, you are among the people of knowledge and tradition. If the word apostate, (rafidi) hurts you, then disown yourself of apostasy (rafd). Then you will be one of our brothers." 'Ammar said to him: "By Allah, I am not weeping over what you are saying. However, I am weeping over you and over my self. I am weeping over myself because you have attributed me to a noble rank of which I am not worthy. You have claimed that I am an apostate (rafidi).

Woe upon you! Al- Sadiq, peace be on him told me that pharaoh was the first to use the word 'rafida' (apostates) for those magicians who apostatized the religion of pharaoh and obeyed Moses' orders. Then the rafidi (apostate) is he who renounces what Allah hates and does what Allah orders. Is there such a person in our present time? I am weeping over myself because I am afraid that Allah may set a seal upon my heart while I had accept this noble name (i.e. rafidi) before. So, my Lord will admonish me and say: "Ammar you renounced the false and did the obligations as He said to you." Then that will decreases my degree when He forgives me and causes a severe punishment because he discussed with me, except when the Imams guard (me) against that with their intercession. And as for my weeping over you was because you told a great lie when you called me with a name other than my name and because I felt compassion for you because of the punishment of Allah, the Exalted, when I renounce the holy names and follow the low ones. Then how will you be patient towards the torture of your world?" So, al- Sadiq, peace be on him, said: "If 'Ammar had sins greater than the skies and the earth, Allah would forgive him his sins for these words, and He would increase his rewards for them."

These words, as you see, indicate his firm beliefs. Also they show that emotions did not turn him away from his thought. He had a book (a group of traditions). A group of the reliable narrators reported the book. Also a group of the Sunni great figures reported traditions on his authority. In al- Fihrast, b. al- Nadim has mentioned him and regarded him among the Shi'te jurists.

Adapted from: "Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.)"