1 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الطَّالَقَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ الْهَاشِمِيَّ الْخُرَاسَانِيَّ يَقُولُ: أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! إِنَّكُمْ تُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَقْتُلُونِي كَمَا قَتَلْتُمُ الصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِي، فَلَا تَفْعَلُوا، فَإِنِّي وَاللَّهِ لَوْ بَقِيتُ فِيكُمْ لَأَشْحَذَنَّ رِجَالًا مِنْكُمْ شَحْذَ الْقَيْنِ النَّصْلَ، أَجْلِي بِالتَّنْزِيلِ أَبْصَارَهُمْ، وَأَرْمِي بِالتَّفْسِيرِ فِي مَسَامِعِهِمْ، وَأَسْقِيهِمْ كَأْسَ الْحِكْمَةِ حَتَّى يَمْتَلِئُوا! أَلَا إِنِّي أَخْتَارُ خِيَارَكُمْ لِلْمَهْدِيِّ كَمَا يَخْتَارُ النَّحْلُ لِيَعْسُوبِهَا خِيَارَ الْأَزَاهِيرِ! ثُمَّ قَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي لَا أَمْلِكُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ثَمَنَ نَعْلَيْنِ، وَلَوْ كَانَ لِي نِصْفُ الدُّنْيَا لَأَنْفَقْتُهُ فِي سَبِيلِكَ.

Translation of the saying:

Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Talaqani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani say: “O people! Indeed, you want to kill me as you kill the righteous before me, so do not do so; because, By Allah, if I stay among you, I will sharpen some of your men as a blacksmith sharpens a blade, brighten their eyes with the revelation (of the Quran), cast (its) interpretation into their ears, and have them drink from the cup of wisdom until they are full! Know that I will choose the best of you for the Mahdi as a honeybee chooses the best flowers for its queen!” Then he said: “O Allah! Indeed, You know that I do not own the price of a pair of shoes from the world, while if I had half of the world, I would spend it all in Your way.”

2 . أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ الْجُوزَجَانِيُّ، قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ بِالْأَنْبَارِ عِنْدَ قَبْرِ يَحْيَى بْنِ زَيْدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ لِلنَّاسِ: مَا سَاقَنِي إِلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا سَاقَ ابْنَ عَمِّي هَذَا، فَلَا تَخْذُلُونِي كَمَا خَذَلْتُمُوهُ، فَوَاللَّهِ لَوْ قُتِلْتُ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْكُمْ لَيَغْضِبُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُرْجِئُ فَرَجَكُمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ، ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُونَ لَكُمْ وَلِيًّا وَلَا نَصِيرًا! فَرَءآهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْهِ نَظَرَ الْمَغْشِيِّ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ، فَقَالَ: عَلَى أَيِّ مَذْهَبٍ أَنْتُمْ؟ قَالُوا: مَذْهَبِ أَبِي حَنِيفَةٍ! قَالَ: رَحِمَ اللَّهُ أَبَا حَنِيفَةٍ! لَوْ كَانَ حَيًّا لَنَصَرَنِي كَمَا نَصَرَ عَمِّي زَيْدًا!

Translation of the saying:

Isa ibn Abd al-Hamid al-Jowzajani informed us, he said: I saw Mansoor in the city of Anbar (from Sar-e Pol province in Afghanistan), near the grave of Yahya ibn Zayd ibn Ali ibn al-Husain, and he said to people: “Nothing has led me to you except for what led this cousin of mine! So do not let me down as you let him down; because, By Allah, if I am killed among you, Allah will become angry with you and postpone your relief for a thousand years, and then you will find neither a guardian nor a helper for yourselves!” Then he saw them looking at him with the gaze of one on the verge of death, so he said: “What sect do you follow?” They said: “Abu Hanifa’s sect!” He said: “May Allah have mercy on Abu Hanifa! If he were alive, he would surely help me as he helped my uncle Zayd!”

Explanation of the saying:

Abu Hanifa was one of the few jurists who issued a fatwa on the necessity of helping Zayd ibn Ali ibn al-Husain, peace be upon them, and urged Muslims to help him. He sent him thirty thousand dirhams to make use of in his uprising; as Fadl ibn al-Zubayr has said: “Abu Hanifa said to me: ‘Tell Zayd, “I have support and strength for you in jihad against your enemy. So make use of it, you and your companions, to (buy) provisions and weapons.”’ Then he sent me with it to Zayd, and he accepted it.” For this reason, Mansoor thought positively of him, saying that if he were alive and saw his uprising for the realization of the Mahdi’s government, he would a fortiori support him.

As for Yahya ibn Zayd, he was with his father in rising against Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik al-Umawi. When his father was killed in the year 121 AH, he took refuge in Jabbanah, and people dispersed from him until only ten individuals stayed with him. He feared for his life, yet he desired to rise against the Umayyad, so he sought men and equipment for that. He expected from the people of Khorasan what he did not expect from others. So under the cover of night, he set out toward Nineveh, then toward Mada’in, which at the time was the route people took toward Khorasan. Yusuf ibn Umar was informed of this, so he dispatched Harith ibn Abi al-Jahm al-Kalbi to pursue him. Harith reached Mada’in, but Zayd escaped him and moved on until he reached Rey. Then he left Rey until he reached Sarakhs. After that, he moved on and settled in Balkh under the protection of Huraysh ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Shaybani, and this is what Mansoor referred to in his saying, where he said: “Nothing has led me to you except for what led this cousin of mine”; because Yahya sought refuge with the people of Khorasan, hoping for their support and fearing the oppressors. When Yusuf was informed that Yahya had settled in Balkh, he wrote to Nasr ibn Sayyar, who was in charge of Khorasan, and said: “Send someone to Huraysh, ordering him to severely capture Yahya.” So Nasr sent someone to Aqil ibn Ma‘qal al-Laythi, who was his handler in Balkh, ordering him to capture Huraysh and not leave him until he either met his end or brought Yahya to him. So he summoned Huraysh, whipped him six hundred times, and said: “By Allah, either I will kill you or you will bring him to me.” So he said: “By Allah, even if he were under my feet, I would not lift them. So do what you must.” Then Quraysh ibn Huraysh jumped in and said to Aqil: “Do not kill my father. I will bring Yahya to you!” So Aqil sent a group with him, and he led them to Yahya while he was inside a house. Then they captured him, and Aqil sent him to Nasr bin Sayyar, who imprisoned him, tied him up, and put him in a chain. Then he wrote to Yusuf ibn Umar and informed him of the news, and this is what Mansoor referred to in his saying, where he said: “So do not let me down as you let him down”; because they did not defend him, but rather captured him and handed him over to his enemies. Then Walid wrote to Yusuf and ordered him to secure Yahya’s safety and release him along with his companions. So Yahya set out until he reached Sarakhs, where Abdullah ibn Qais ibn Abbad al-Bakri was in charge. Nasr then wrote to Abdullah, ordering him to drive Yahya out of Sarakhs, and to Hasan ibn Zayd al-Tamimi, his handler in Tus, saying: “If Yahya comes to you, do not let him stay even for an hour and send him to Amir ibn Zurarah in Abarshahr.” Then they did so and Abdullah ibn Qais sent Yahya back to Beyhaq, which was the farthest point of Khorasan. Yahya refused to be driven out of Khorasan, for he hoped for support from its people, and he feared that if he returned to Yusuf, he would be killed. So he made up his mind to leave and then set off from Beyhaq with seventy men to return to Amr ibn Zurarah. He purchased mounts, and his companions rode on them. Amr then wrote to Nasr ibn Sayyar about this, and Nasr wrote to Abdullah ibn Qais ibn Abbad al-Bakri, his handler in Sarakhs, and to Hasan ibn Zayd, his handler in Tus, ordering them to join his handler Amr ibn Zurarah and then fight against Yahya ibn Zayd. So they reached Amr, who was in Abarshahr, and joined forces with him. They numbered around ten thousand. Yahya ibn Zayd came out to face them while he had only seventy horsemen with him. Then Yahya fought against them, defeated them, killed Amr ibn Zurarah, dispersed his soldiers, and captured many of their mounts. Then Yahya moved on until he reached Herat, where Mughallis ibn Ziyad was in charge. Neither of them caused the other any trouble because of their friendship. Yahya passed by there until he reached the land of Jowzajan. Then some of its people and the people of Talaqan, Fariyab, and Balkh joined him, so the total number of those with him reached one hundred and fifty men. Nasr ibn Sayyar then sent Salm ibn Ahwaz with eight thousand horsemen from the people of Sham and other places to confront Yahya. They caught up with him near a village called Arghawa. Hammad ibn Amr al-Su‘di was in charge of Jowzajan at that time. Then Salm mobilized his companions, so he positioned Surah ibn Muhammad al-Kindi on his right and Hammad ibn Amr al-Su‘di on his left. Yahya mobilized his companions as he had done during the battle with Amr ibn Zurarah. Then they fought severely for three days and nights until all of Yahya’s companions were killed and a man from the freed slaves of the Anzah tribe, called Isa, shot Yahya with an arrow in his forehead, so they found him dead. Then they severed his head and sent it to Sham and then hung his body in Jowzajan. It remained hung until Abu Muslim al-Khorasani emerged. Then he brought it down, buried it, and ordered a week of mourning for him in Balkh and Marw. From that time on, whenever a child was born in Khorasan to Arab or noble families, they would name him Yahya. Abu Muslim pursued and killed those who killed Yahya and his companions. Then he was told: “If you want to investigate their matter, you should look at the record of the Umayyads.” So he did not spare any of those whose names were in the army dispatched to him and whom he could find. Yahya was killed in the year 125 AH. May Allah have mercy on him.

3 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ حَبِيبٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ، قَالَ: إِنَّ الْمَنْصُورَ لَقِيَ بَلَاءً وَتَطْرِيدًا، وَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُهُ فِي بَعْضِ هَذِهِ الْأَسْوَاقِ وَهُوَ خَائِفٌ مُتَرَقِّبٌ يَمْشِي وَيَقُولُ: مَنْ يَعْصِمُنِي حَتَّى أُعَلِّمَ النَّاسَ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَا أُنْزِلَ وَأَعْمَلَ بِمَا فِيهِ؟! أَمَّنْ يُجِيرُنِي حَتَّى أَتَكَلَّمَ بِكَلِمَةٍ فِيهَا بَلَاغٌ لِقَوْمٍ عَابِدِينَ؟! أَمَّنْ يُعِينُنِي حَتَّى أُبَيِّنَ أُمُورًا وَأُغَيِّرَ أُخْرَى؟! اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي لَوْ ثَبَتَتْ لِي قَدَمَايَ لَوَطَّئْتُ لِصَاحِبِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ سُلْطَانَهُ.

Translation of the saying:

Abdullah ibn Habib al-Tabari informed us, he said: Indeed, Mansoor faced troubles and exiles, and I saw him in some of these alleys, fearful and worried, walking and saying: “Who protects me so that I teach the Quran to people as it has been sent down and act on it?! Or who shelters me so that I speak a word in which there is a message for people who worship?! Or who helps me so that I clarify some matters and change some others?! O Allah! You know that if my feet become firm for me, I will prepare the ground for the sovereignty of the owner of this matter.”

4 . أَخْبَرَنَا وَلِيدُ بْنُ مَحْمُودٍ السِّجِسْتَانِيُّ، قَالَ: إِنَّ الْمَنْصُورَ يَعْرِضُ نَفْسَهُ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْبُلْدَانِ وَيَقُولُ: أَلَا رَجُلٌ يَحْمِلُنِي إِلَى قَوْمِهِ؟! فَإِنَّ هَذَيْنِ الْقَوْمَيْنِ مَنَعَانِي أَنْ أَقُومَ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّي! وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: مَنْ يُؤْوِينِي حَتَّى أُوَطِّئَ لِمَلَكُوتِ رَبِّي وَلَهُ الْجَنَّةُ؟! إِنَّ مَلَكُوتَ رَبِّي يُصْلِحُ الْأَرْضَ وَيَمْلَأُهَا قِسْطًا!

Translation of the saying:

Walid ibn Mahmoud al-Sajjastani informed us, he said: Mansoor presents himself to the people of lands and says: “Is there not a man who will take me to his nation?! Because these two nations prevented me from fulfilling the command of my Lord!” And I heard him say: “Who shelters me so that I prepare the ground for the kingdom of my Lord and Heaven be for him?! Undoubtedly, the kingdom of my Lord rectifies the earth and fills it with justice!”

5 . أَخْبَرَنَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ قُنْدُوزَ، قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ فِي سُوقِ الصَّرَّافِينَ شَابًّا حَسَنَ الْوَجْهِ، مَرْبُوعَ الْقَامَةِ، أَسْوَدَ الشَّعْرِ، كَثَّ اللِّحْيَةِ، قَدْ قَامَ عَلَى سَرِيرٍ وَيُنَادِي: مَنْ يُبْلِغُنِي مَأْمَنًا وَيَكُونُ لَهُ الْجَنَّةُ؟! أَلَا وَاللَّهِ لَوْ أَبْلَغْتُمُونِيهِ لَمَلَأْتُ مَا بَيْنَ لَابَتَيْهَا عَدْلًا! فَقُلْتُ لِرَجُلٍ: مَنْ هَذَا؟ قَالَ: شَابٌّ مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ يُقَالُ لَهُ مَنْصُورٌ!

Translation of the saying:

A man from Kunduz informed us, he said: In the market of moneychangers, I saw a good-looking young man, of medium height, with black hair and a thick, curly beard, standing on a bed and calling out: “Who takes me to safety and (in return for that) Heaven shall be for him?! Know that, By Allah, you do not take me there unless I fill between its two ends with justice!” Then I said to a man: “Who is this?” He said: “A young man from the Hashemites, who is called Mansoor!”

Explanation of the saying:

His Eminence’s intended meaning of filling between its two ends with justice is that he prepares the ground for the Mahdi’s advent, and the Mahdi is the one who fills between its two ends with justice, and the reason for his seeking protection from Muslims is that his enemies are currently many and powerful, and they are searching for him to kill him. Therefore, he has resorted to hiding, as he does not have a powerful group or support from prominent leaders and scholars. It is clear that he cannot show himself in this situation; because if he does so, he will be killed or captured, and then his blessed movement will produce no result and the hopes of believers will be shattered. Therefore, every Muslim who is able to take this great scholar to his town where he is obeyed or sufficient supplies are at his disposal, must do so without delay, and the reward for doing so, if done sincerely, will be Heaven, Insha’Allah; because it will enable him to teach the true Islam and prepare the ground for the Mahdi’s advent, and this is a great righteous deed that cannot be equaled by prayer, Zakat, fasting, Hajj, jihad, or any other act of worship.