Aban performed Hajj in the same year and presented himself in the service of Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s). At that time, Abu Tufail Aamir bin Wathila (r.a), a companion of the Prophet (s.a.w), was present with the Imam (a.s). Abu Tufail was one of the best companions of Ameer ul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s), and Umar bin Umm Salamah (r.a) was also present. I presented this book to Imam (a.s). He remained seated for three days, and each morning, Umar bin Umm Salamah and Aamir bin Wathila (r.a) would come and recite the book to Imam (a.s) (so that the other attendees could also hear it). Imam Ali Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s) said, “All these narrations are ours, and we know them.”

Aban said to the Imam, “May I be sacrificed for you. There are certain things in this book that have constricted my heart, for it mentions the destruction of the entire Ummah of Muhammad (s.a.w) except for you and your Shia. Especially, it mentions the doom of prominent Muhajireen, Ansar, and Tabi’een?” Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (peace be upon him) replied, “Brother from Abdul Qais, have you not heard the hadith of the Holy Prophet (a.s), in which he said, ‘The example of my Ahlul Bayt in my Ummah is like the Ark of Noah (a.s) in his Ummah. Whoever boarded the Ark was saved, and whoever turned away from it was drowned. And the example of my Ahlul Bayt (a.s) in my Ummah is like the Gate of Repentance (Bab-e-Hitta) for the children of Israel.'”

I said, “Yes, I have heard this hadith.” The Imam asked, “From whom did you hear it?” I replied, “This hadith is very famous, and I have heard it from over a hundred jurists. I heard it from Abu Dharr when he was holding the chain of the Kaaba and proclaiming this hadith of the Prophet (s.a.w) in a loud voice.” The Imam asked, “And who else have you heard it from?” I replied, “I heard it from Hasan Al Basri, and Miqdad heard it from Ameer ul Momineen (a.s), and also from Saeed bin Musayyab, Alqama bin Qais, Abu Dhiyab Al Janbi, and Abdur Rahman bin Abi Layla.” Abu Tufail and Umar bin Umm Salamah said, “By God, we also heard this hadith from Abu Dharr, Ameer ul Momineen (a.s), Salman al-Farsi, and Miqdad.” Then Umar bin Umm Salamah stepped forward and said, “I heard it directly from the Prophet (s.a.w) with my own ears, and my heart preserved it.”

After this, Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s) turned toward me (Aban) and said, “Isn’t this single hadith sufficient to bring peace to your heart, despite all the other narrations that have disturbed you? O brother from Abdul Qais, fear Allah. If something becomes clear to you, accept it, and if it remains unclear, then remain silent and return its knowledge to Allah. You are in a space more vast than the heavens and the earth.” Afterward, Aban asked the Imam several questions, some of which he understood, and some of which remained beyond his comprehension.