Pious scholar, Mirza Muhammad Taqi son of Mirza Kazim bin
Mirza Azizullah bin Maula Muhammad Taqi Majlisi (r.a.) maternal grandson of
Allamah Majlisi (r.a.), nicknamed Almasi, says in the treatise, Bahjatul
Awliya: As the student of that late gentleman and one having great insight,
Sayyid Baqir bin Sayyid bin Sayyid Muhammad Sharif Husaini Isfahani in the book
of Nurul Oyoon, has quoted from him that he said: Some have narrated to
me that a pious gentleman from people of Baghdad, who is alive even today, that
is in the year 1136 A.H., said:
I had set out for a journey and during that journey I
boarded a ship and set sail. By chance, we had a shipwreck and all its contents
sank. Clinging to a piece of a plank we were moving on the waves till we found
ourselves on the banks of an island after a long time. We roamed around the
island and after despairing of life reached to a wilderness. I saw a mountain
in front of us; when we came near to it, I saw that around that mountain was a
sea and on one of it there was a desert and the fragrance of the fruits reached
our nostrils, which gave us exceeding joy and pleasure.
We climbed that mountain for some distance and in the centre
of it reached a spot, which was a clear stone slab approximately twenty yards
such that it was absolutely impossible to move hand or feet on it. I was in
that confused and bewildered state when suddenly I saw a huge snake, much
larger than sycamore trees that it had focused its complete attention on me and
was heading towards me.
I fled from there beseeching the Almighty Allah for help: O
my Lord, since You saved me from drowning, please save me from this great
calamity as well.
At that moment, I saw an Animal, the size of a rabbit, come
down from the mountain and pounce upon the snake.
Since the weather was extremely warm, there was only short
interval when a massive infection nearly destroyed me. So much bile and filth
was flowing towards the sea until its disintegrated parts and nothing remained
except the bones.
As I approached, I saw that his bones were firmly on the
ground, such as a ladder you can climb. I thought to myself: (If you stay here
you will die of hunger). So relying on God, I placed my foot on the bones and
went up the mountain and came on top and finally to a vegetable garden, flourishing
and vibrant. I continued till I came to a garden of fruit trees and there were many
great buildings including houses and pavilions in the middle. I ate some fruits
and concealed myself in some rooms and toured the garden.
After some time I saw some riders appear from the wilderness
and enter the garden and one of them was senior than others and he seemed to be
in a commanding position. He alighted from his horse and tied up his Animal.
The senior most of them took the center of the gathering and others sat with
absolute respect to serve him. After some time they spread out the dinner and
presented refreshments. That gentleman said: I have a guest in so and so room,
and we should ask him for lunch.
So they came to call me, but I was scared and I said: Please
excuse me.
Since they requested, he said: Take his lunch there so that
he may eat it.
When I ate the lunch he called me and asked me to report my
circumstances and when he heard my story, he said: Would you like to go back to
your people?
I: Yes!
Then one of them said to the group: Take this man to his
people.
So we came out with that person.
I went a little way, he said: See this is the boundary of. Baghdad
When I looked I saw the boundary of Baghdad
The author says: I have mentioned the account of this
Mirza Muhammad Taqi Almasi in the treatise entitled Faizul Qudsi Dar Ahwal
Majlisi (r.a.) and this scholar, before narrating this incident in a few
pages, says: He was a very religious gentleman and having precedence on all
people of his time for his knowledge and worship. In jurisprudence and
traditions, he was the point of reference for students of his time and upon the
request of many scholars, he delivered talks on Fridays, and this humble
servant has gained much expertise in different sciences from this gentleman.
More than what he has learnt from his respected father and
the first permission that he received to narrate supplications and traditions
was from this scholar only. He passed away in 1159 A.H. End of statement.
He was known as Almasi, because his father, Mirza Kazim was
an affluent gentleman, who had presented a diamond to Ameerul Momineen (a.s.)
and had engraved and fixed it at the place of two fingers; its price was five
thousand tomans; due to this he became famous as Almasi.[2]