Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen Quds, a student of Ayatollah al-Uzma Bahjat (may Allah have mercy on him), narrates:
One day, I told Ayatollah Bahjat, “One of the seminarians saw in a dream that he was praying in a sacred place. When he went into prostration, all the pebbles around him joined in glorifying Allah.” Ayatollah Bahjat replied:
“If a person reaches perfection, they can hear and witness such things while awake.”
In connection with this, Shaykh Quds recounts another story from Ayatollah Bahjat:
He narrated that in the Jasb region near Qom, a group of farmers once travelled to visit Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (peace be upon him) in Mashhad. Upon their return to Jasb, they saw an elderly local man carrying a heavy load of grass on his back under the scorching sun, struggling to reach his home.
The travellers, observing him, began to reproach and criticize him, saying:
“Old man, why are you still burdening yourself with worldly labour? At least once, leave your work and visit the sacred shrine of Imam Ridha!”
They repeated their words, scolding him harshly.
The exhausted but pure-hearted elderly man responded, saying: “Did you, who visited the Imam, receive a response to your salutation?”
Surprised, they replied: “Old man, what are you saying? How can the Imam respond to us? He is not alive to answer our greetings!”
The elderly man said: “Dear ones, there is no concept of life and death for the Imam. He sees us and hears us. A visitation is not a one-sided matter.”
They asked, “And can you prove this claim of yours?” He replied confidently, “Yes.”
Facing Mashhad’s direction, he said aloud: “As-salamu alayka, O Imam Ridha.”
To their astonishment, they all clearly heard a response: “Wa alaykum as-salam, Mr. So-and-so.”
The travellers were overwhelmed with shame and regret for having caused distress to this luminous and pure-hearted man.
