Kamāl al-Dīn wa Tamām al-Niʿma 1, record 116 of the digital edition

Translation

Muhammad bin Bajr Shaibani has narrated from Muhammad bin Abdul Jabbar, companion of Abul Abbas Thalab, in his book entitled, Kitabul Yaqoot, Abul Abbas Thalab narrated to me that ibn Arabi narrated to me that Itrat means a big piece of musk and its diminutive is ‘Utira’. And Itra also means sweet water and its diminutive is also ‘Utira’: and Itrat is that tree grows at the edge of a crocodile lair. I think that it denotes the progeny of a man, that is why the progeny of Ali (as) and Fatima (sa) is called the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (sw).  <br> Thalab says that he asked ibn Arabi why on the day of Saqifah Abu Bakr said: We are the Itrat of the Prophet? ibn Arabi replied: Abu Bakr meant to say that we are the townsmen of the Messenger of Allah (sw) and from his tribe. And the Itrat of Muhammad is only the progeny of Fatima (s.a.). What proves this is the fact that Abu Bakr was recalled and Ali (as) was sent to preach the verses of Surah Baraat because the Holy Prophet (sw) was commanded to preach the verses himself or send someone from his family. If Abu Bakr was included in Itrah by genealogy he would not have been recalled from delivering the verses of Surah Baraat and Ali (as) would not have been sent in his stead. It is also said that Itra is huge boulder in which the crocodile makes a big hole and lives in it. And this is due to lack of guidance.  <br> And it is said that Itra is the cut off roots of the tree that grows from its roots. And Itrat, according to the statement of the Holy Prophet (sw) neither means ‘Fara’ (the first issue of a camel sacrificed as thankfulness for idols) nor ‘Ateera’ (animal sacrificed to idols in Rajab and its blood is applied to the idol’s head). And Asmai has said that during the Age of Ignorance people used to make vows of sacrificing one of their sheep and if the number of their sheep increased to hundred and that it would be included among his sacrifice of Rajab or ‘Ateera’.  <br> And sometimes it so happened that they used to act miserly and instead of sacrificing their sheep they used to catch a deer and sacrifice it before their idols so that his vow is fulfilled. Harith bin HilliTharra Yashkari has composed a line of poetry in this: “An unlawful sin and injustice like a deer which is in refuge, is sacrificed instead of a sheep.”  <br> That is, he is caught due to the sin of others like a deer which is slaughtered instead of sheep. Asmai says that Itrat means breeze and in the same way the word of Itrah is used in the meaning of tree which has many branches while itself is very small. And it is like Tihama . Riyashi says that he asked Asmai about the meaning of Itrat and he said that it was a sapling like mouse-ear that grew in a scattered way.

Translation: Sayyid Athar Husain S. H. Rizvi — published with the edition, reproduced verbatim.