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1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Food for Thought: - Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.) 02

2 Your Daily-Life Questions Answered 03

3 Four chapters of Imam Ali’s (A.S.) life 04

4 A Unique Leader in the History of Mankind 11

5 Beginning of the Prophetic Mission 19

6 Aim of Sending Prophets 23

7 Matrimonial Rights 27

8 Imam Husayn’s Departure from Makkah 40

9 Injustice - The Worst of Vices 47

10 Bab al-Hawa’ij, Imam Musa b. Ja‘far (A.S.) 54

Kids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ Corner

11 Importance of the Month of Rajab 61

12 Birthday Celebration of Amir al-Mominin Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) 62

13 Imam Hadi (AS) and Respect of Islamic Scholar 63

THE MESSAGE

Editor: Hujjat-ul-Islam Wal Muslimeen Sheikh Shabbir H. Lakhani (Maisami)

Editorial Board: Mr. Mazher Ali Jumani, Molana Sajjad Qaimi, Dr. Hussain Kanani,

Mr. Hasnain Nanjiani.

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Disclaimer: The Editor does not necessarily agree with the views expressed in the matter published herein. The views and opinions presented in the Journal reflect the views of the authors

and not of the Journal or its Editorial Board or the Publisher.

Published by

Zahra (S.A.) Academy Institute of Islamic Education, Development & Relief

The Message Rajab-ul-Murajjab 1441 AH

2

1. Whoever increases his

thinking in whatever he

learns, his knowledge will

become proficient, and he

will come to understand

whatever he did not un-

derstand before.

2. Allah Allah [i.e. I advise

you] with the Quran, no-

body other than you

should be quicker in acting

according to it.

3. The right of a child incum-

bent upon his father is

that he should give him a

good name, good man-

ners, and teach him the

Quran.

4. The servant can come

near to Allah, glory be to

Him, by making his inten-

tions sincere.

5. The characteristic of a

believer is moderation

and his way of life is de-

velopment.

6. Your heart will not be

sound unless you love for

the believers what you

love for yourself.

7. I searched for wealth and I

did not find it other than

through contentment.

Adhere to contentment

and you will become rich.

8. How man surprises me!

His origin is a sperm and

his end is a carcass, and

between these two he is a

vessel for excrement, and

he is still arrogant!

9. The sign of faith is that

you prefer truthfulness

where it is to your own

detriment over lying

where it is to your benefit.

10. When a noble person

makes a promise he fulfils

it, and when he threatens

[to punish], he forgives

[instead].

11. The attraction of a woman

is in her face and the at-

traction of a man is in his

speech.

��

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.)

Rajab-ul-Murajjab 1441 AH The Message

3

Q.1: Can I apply cream to

the lips before reciting

Talbiyah to prevent dry-

ness?

Ans.: If the cream is applied

before reciting Talbiyah and it

does not have any fragrance,

then there is no problem in it.

Q.2: I want to perform

multiple Umrah Mufradah

during my 20 days stay at

Jeddah. Is it obligatory for

me to become Muhrim at

Johfa before each umrah?

Ans.: First of all one can

perform one Umrah in each

lunar month for himself. But

one can perform as many

umrah as he wants for his

family, friends and others.

After becoming Muhrim from

Johfa for the first umrah, one

can become Muhrim for other

umrah Adni al-Hil, i.e. a point

outside the Haram (Makkah).

The nearest is the mosque at

Taneem.

Q.3: In a loan contract,

the lender arranges for

the return of his money by

monthly payments given

to him by signed checks.

Is this deal is permissible?

Ans.: If the amounts of the

checks add up to be the exact

borrowed amount, then the

agreement is valid.

Q.4: There is a beautiful

nasheed for Imam Ali (as)

but it is recited by a

woman, is it permissible

for me to listen to it?

Ans.: It is permissible if does

not cause sexual excitement.

Q.5: Apart from dying in

Jihad, how does someone

die a martyr?

Ans.: There are lots of

narrations from the Prophet

and the Imams that whoever

died while he was waiting for

our matter (i.e. for the

government of the Imam)

then he shall be considered

like whoever died in battle for

the Last Imam (may Allah

hasten his reappearance) and

the said is the best way of

ending this life.

��

Your Daily-Life Questions Answered


4

We need a role model and a

leader. Therefore, we should

adopt such an outlook to-

wards the Commander of the

Faithful (as). In my humble

opinion, everyone - whether

those who are interested in

writing and research or we

who want to study and think

about his characteristics -

should study the Commander

of the Faithful's (as) life in a

number of chapters.

Many things have been said

about the Commander of the

Faithful (as). However, not

everything has been touched

upon. What has been said and

written about the characteris-

tics of the Commander of the

Faithful (as) does not consti-

tute all his characteristics. It is

only part of his characteristics.

The Holy Prophet (S) has

been quoted as saying, "My

brother, Ali, has characteris-

tics which are countless". That

is to say, people cannot count

his characteristics because

they are beyond the under-

standing of ordinary people.

This is the Commander of the

Faithful (a.s.).

In my humble opinion,

everyone who want to study

and think about his character-

istics should study the Com-

mander of the Faithful's (as)

life in a number of chapters.

In my opinion, there are four

chapters which are at the top

of the list. I will briefly refer to

these four chapters:

1. The spiritual positions

of the Commander of the

Faithful

One chapter is the spiritual

positions of the Commander

of the Faithful including his

monotheistic understanding,

his act of worship, his close-

ness to God and his purity.

These are things whose depth

and truth are really beyond

our reach. All outstanding

ulama - including Shia and

Sunni ulama and even non-

Muslim scholars - have said

that they are not able to

Four chapters of Imam Ali’s (A.S.) life

By: Supreme Leader Ayatollah al-Uzma Sayyid Ali Khamenei


5

understand this part of the

Commander of the Faithful's

(as) personality. This part of

his life catches everyone's

eyes with its loftiness and

enlightenment. They cannot

understand the different

dimensions of his life. This is

one part of his life.

When Ibn Abi al-Hadid, a

Sunni and Mu'tazili scholar,

narrates one of the sermons

of the Commander of the

Faithful (as) - which is about

monotheism - in his commen-

tary on Nahjul Balaghah, he

says, "Ibrahim al-Khalil al-

Rahman should be proud of

having such a son". Many

prophets emerged from

Ibrahim's descendants. How-

ever, he says this only about

the Commander of the

Faithful (as). He says, "Ibra-

him al-Khalil al-Rahman

should say to this son of his,

'You made certain statements

in your monotheism sermon

about the Arabs' follies. I

could not make such state-

ments about Nabts' [a Bani

Israel tribe] follies and I could

not illustrate the same truths

as you did'". Notice that the

narrator is a Sunni and

Mu'tazili scholar. This is one

part and one chapter of the


(as) life and it has many

unknown dimensions. This

part of his life is really a deep

ocean.

2. The sacrifices of the

Commander of the Faithful

Another part is the Com-

mander of the Faithful's (as)

jihads. These jihadi and self-

sacrificing acts are the peak of

sacrifice. The sacrifices that


Faithful (as) made for Islam,

for religion, for saving the

Holy Prophet's (S) life, for

preserving his religion and for

the honor and greatness of

the Islamic Ummah are jihadi

acts and they are really

beyond the capability of

humanity. During his child-

hood, from the moment that

he began to know the Holy

Prophet (S) as his teacher,

during the time he was raised

by him, when he accepted


6

Islam during his childhood,

during the difficult thirteen-

year era of his life in Makah,

during the difficult event of

migration to Madina, during

the ten-year era of the Holy

Prophet's (S) auspicious life in

Madina and during all the

wars, sacrifices and difficul-

ties, this individual stood on

the peak of sacrifice.

He made the same sacrifices

after the Holy Prophet's (S)

demise. The patience of the


(as) was a sacrifice. His

measures were a sacrifice. His

cooperation was a sacrifice.

His acceptance of caliphate

was a sacrifice. The measures

that he adopted during his

short era of caliphate were

sacrifices one after the other.

The book of the sacrifices that


Faithful (as) made is a long

and voluminous book for any

reader and it really astonishes

one.

It is astonishing to see that an

individual can offer - with firm

determination - his life, his

reputation, his capability and

his whole existence in the way

of God. Understanding this is

beyond me and people like

me. This is another chapter of


Faithful's (as) life which forms

many long books.

3. The Commander of the

Faithful's (as) behavior

during his caliphate

The third chapter is the


(as) behavior during his

caliphate, whether his per-

sonal, social or governmental

behavior. The personal

behavior of Imam Ali (a.s.)

was his modest life during his

government. A vast and large

country was at the disposal of


Faithful (as), extending from

the east to Egypt and Africa.

This large region constituted

an Islamic government and it

was under the command of


Faithful (as).

The personal life and behavior

of this great and powerful ruler

with a vast and rich country at


7

his disposal was like a poor

person. He had only one set of

clothes. His food was dry

barley bread. He avoided all

material pleasures in a way

that he himself said to his

companions, colleagues, and

the politicians of his time, "I

know that to adopt such a

hard way of life is beyond you"

[Nahjul Balaghah, Letter 45].

He said to them that they

cannot live such a life and he

was right. No one can do this.

It is really astonishing that the


(as) life during his govern-

ment was like this. His house

was modest. His lifestyle was

like a poor and needy person.

This was while he engaged in

all these great tasks. The

same is true of his social

behavior, his administration of

justice and his resistance for

the sake of observing divine

obligations. Any mind is really

astonished in the face of such

greatness and such power.

What kind of person was he?

This is different from his

spiritual positions. This is his

political behavior. How did

politicians and rulers through-

out the world live? How did

the Commander of the Faithful

(as) live? This is another

important chapter which has

been unique until today and

which will be unique forever.

The Commander of the

Faithful's (as) piety, his

personal behavior and his act

of worship when he was

powerful are unique.

Imam Sajjad (as) was asked,

"Oh Son of God's Messenger,

why do you endure such

hardships? Why do you

pressure yourself? Why do you

worship, fast and endure

hunger like this?" Imam Sajjad

began to cry and said, "What I

am doing is nothing compared

to what my grandfather, the

Commander of the Faithful,

used to do. How can what I

do be compared to what he

used to do?" Imam Sajjad

considered his pious behavior

to be inferior to that of the


(as). This is very important.

This is the third chapter.


8

4. The goal the Command-

er of the Faithful had for

people during his govern-

ment

The fourth chapter is the goal

that the Commander of the

Faithful had for people during

his government. This is a very

important and fundamental

point. I want to put emphasis

on this point. The Commander

of the Faithful said, "If you

obey me, I will help you

achieve paradise". These are

the exact words that the


(as) used in one of his ser-

mons in Nahjul Balaghah:

"If you follow me, I shall

certainly carry you, if Allah so

wills, on the path of Paradise".

If you listen to and act on

what I say, I will - by Allah's

favor - help you achieve

paradise: "Even though it may

be full of severe hardships

and of bitter taste" [Nahjul

Balaghah, Sermon 155].

This move is not a small and

easy move. This was the


(a.s.) goal. Helping people to

achieve paradise plays a

significant role in intellectual

and spiritual areas and in

people's social lives.

The reason why I stress this

point is that when there is a

discussion about guiding the

people, about expressing

religious truths and about

other such issues, some

people in a corner of the

country say, "Are we respon-

sible for helping the people

achieve paradise?" Yes, we

are responsible. This is the

difference between an Islamic

ruler and other rulers. An

Islamic ruler wants to do

something to help people

achieve paradise and find true

and otherworldly happiness.

Therefore, he should smooth

the path.

The issue is not about bully-

ing, imposition, pressure and

the like. The issue is about

helping people. Man's nature

is inclined towards happiness.

Therefore, we should open

the path. We should make it

easy for people to achieve


9

paradise. This is our responsi-

bility. This is what the Com-

mander of the Faithful (a.s.)

accepted to do. He felt

responsible for helping people

achieve paradise.

Imam Ali (A.S.) is the

symbol of unity among

Muslims

In an era which is character-

ized by lack of unity among

Muslims, the Commander of

the Faithful (as) can serve as

the symbol of this unity. He

can serve as a common point

which all Muslims recognize.

No particular group of Mus-

lims can claim that the

commander of the Faithful

(as) belongs to them.

Let me make a point about

the commemoration of this

great birth anniversary. There

is no disagreement among

Muslims, no matter which sect

they follow, regarding the

characteristics of Imam Ali

(as) - the brilliance and

prominence of his pure faith,

the heavy burden of jihad that

he shouldered from early

Islam to the end of his life,

the unique justice he adminis-

tered which keeps attracting

Muslims and non-Muslims

alike, his unique, pure worship

and supplication, and the

other prominent features that

he enjoyed.


Faithful (as) is a personality

whose greatness, characteris-

tics, and high status in Islam

are not debated among

Muslims. Therefore, we can

confidently claim that the


(as) can serve as the common

point among all sects of

Islam. In all eras and at all

times, all the sects of Islam -

except for a small group of

Navasib who are not consid-

ered among Muslim sects -

consider the Commander of

the Faithful (as) as having a

high and prominent status, as

is described in the religious

texts of the Shia and the

Sunni. Therefore, the Com-

mander of the Faithful (as) is

the commonality among all

sects of Islam, and he can

serve as the point of depar-


10

ture for unity among Muslims.

That is exactly what the world

of Islam requires today. The

enemies of Islam who are in

fact the proponents of no

Islamic sect support one

particular sect in favor of

another sect one day and

decide to support yet another

sect the next day. They are

seeking to create splits among

Muslims. And in such an era

which is characterized by lack

of unity among Muslims, the


(as) can serve as the symbol

of this unity. He can serve as

a common point which all

Muslims recognize. No par-

ticular group of Muslims can

claim that the commander of

the Faithful (as) belongs to

them.


Faithful (as) belongs to all of

humanity. He does not only

belong to Shia Muslims and

Muslims in general. All of

humanity is humble and

respectful before the great-

ness and beautiful aspects of

Ali ibn Abi Talib (as), except

for those people who do not

know him. Therefore, you can

see that the panegyrists of


Faithful (as) are not only

Muslims. A Christian also

praises the Commander of the

Faithful (as). It is not only

Shia Muslims who praise him.

As well as Shia Muslims, the

community of Sunni Muslims

in all parts of the world of

Islam speaks more enthusias-

tically about the Commander

of the Faithful (as) than about

other great personalities of

the early Islamic era. Why?

What is the reason? The

reason is the greatness of this

Imam, the kind of greatness

which some people tried to

deny throughout the life of

that great personality and

during several centuries after

his demise. But they failed.

The brightness of the sun

cannot be denied because it is

the sun and it naturally shines

and gives warmth and light.

Can this be denied?

��


11

The history of mankind has

witnessed many leaders over

the ages. Many of these

leaders achieved leadership

through might or inheritance

and some were chosen as

leaders because of certain

outstanding qualities that they

possessed. Among the latter

group there have also

emerged some leaders whose

works and contribution to

humanity cannot be limited to

any particular time or place

and their life-styles, their

works and the sayings of such

heroes continue to inspire and

motivate people, generation

after generation.

Amir al-Muminin, Ali ibn Abu

Talib (as) is unique leader

who stands out among all

other leaders. Besides Shi'as

who believe in his Imamate

and Vilayat, many non-

Muslims have praised his

personality and unique

qualities and made attempts

to highlight certain aspects of

the personality of this ever-

lasting leader of ages and

have written hundreds of

books and research papers

about him.

Imam Ali (as) was brought up

by the Messenger of Allah (S)

and under his guardianship

and was elevated to such a

stage that it would be no

exaggeration to say that he is

Islam's gift to the world of

humanity.

Imam Ali's (as) life was not

the repetition of other peo-

ple's life, rather his life shed

light on certain aspect of

human life which had so far

been undiscovered. He was

born in Allah's House (Ka'ba)

and was martyred in Allah's

house (mosque) and his main

principle throughout his life

was winning Allah's Satisfac-

tion. Hence, one would not be

wrong to say that any re-

search on Imam Ali's (as) life

and personality would high-

light an aspect of his life that

could be taken up as a role

model for the people who

A Unique Leader in the History of Mankind

By: Dr. S.A. Shahrokhi


12

seek truth; Muslim or other-

wise.

Imam Ali (as) from Birth

to the Dawn of Islam:

Ali (as) was the son of Abu

Talib ibne Mutallib and Fatima

bint Asad ibne Hashim. He

was born on the 13th Rajab,

30 years after Amal-Fil. His

life began in the Holy Ka'ba,

which became the Qiblah of

Muslims and ended in the

Mosque of Kufa (Iraq).

It was Allah's Will that from

the early days of his life the

Prophet of Allah (S) became

his guardian and Ali (as) came

to be brought up on his lap.

Mecca and Quraysh were

struck by famine. Muhammad

(S) met his other paternal

uncle Abbas who was a

wealthy man and made a

suggestion to him to support

Abu Talib (as) by taking up

the guardianship of some of

his children. Abbas welcomed

the suggestion and they met

Abu Talib (as) and informed

him of their intention. Abu

Talib (as) said: "Leave Aqil for

me and the...." Muhammad

(S) chose Ali (as) and Abbas

took Ja'far. Later on, the

Messenger of Allah (S) is

known to have said: "I chose

the one Allah had chosen for

me."

Some writers are of the

opinion that by accepting

Imam Ali's (as) guardianship,

the Prophet (S) meant to

compensate for the favors he

had received from Abu Talib

and Fatima (Ali's parents),

who looked after him like their

own children during his

childhood. However, from

what the Prophet (S) had said

and from Ali's (as) behavior -

it is quite clear that it was

Allah's Will that Ali (as) should

grow up with the Prophet (S)

and under his guardianship.

The young Ali's (as) personali-

ty was being shaped by

Muhammad (S), when the

latter declared his

prophethood. According to

most historians, Ali (as) was

the first among the men to

embrace Islam Ali (as) was

the only disciple of the


13

Prophet (S) who had never

bowed before or worshipped

idols. He had no other ideal

but to seek Allah and His

Prophet's (S) satisfaction, and

his sincerity, steadfastness,

sacrifice, and bravery in

supporting `Tawhid' were

some of his outstanding

qualities no one can ever

deny.

From the Dawn of Islam to

the Prophet's (S) Demise:

The Dawn of Islam in Arabia,

which was stricken with

ignorance (Jahiliyah) and

superstitions, not only

changed the course of history

in that land but also influ-

enced other nations and

peoples of the world. Savage

customs that were considered

as values in those times -

communal rivalries, dacoity,

burying baby-girls alive, etc.,

were rendered as disgraceful

and inhuman by the new

religion of Islam. This change

in the social and individual

beliefs and customs was the

fruit of the years of struggle

and endeavor by the Prophet

(S) and his close and sincere

companions of which Ali (as)

played the greatest role. His

contribution to the spread of

Islam was exemplary and he

is the greatest gift of Islam

and its Prophet (S) to humani-

ty. A voluminous book is

required to write about Imam

Ali's (as) contribution towards

the establishment of Islam but

in this discussion, we shall

confine ourselves to reviewing

only a few of them.

1. Important Incidents

that took place in Mecca:

a) Yom al-Anzar

After the verse "... and warn

your nearest relations ...,"

was revealed, the Prophet (S)

was commissioned by Allah to

make public, the invitation to

accept Islam. Thus, he asked

Ali (as) to prepare a meal and

invited his close relatives

over. After the meal he

publicly announced his

Prophethood and asked:

"Which one of you will sup-

port me in my mission to be

my brother, successor and


14

caliph?" Only Ali (as) stood up

to swear allegiance, and the

Prophet (S) introduced him as

his successor and caliph.

b) Laylatul-Mabit

Despite all the efforts by

Quraysh to prevent Islam

from spreading, the people of

"Yathreb" embraced Islam

and swore allegiance to

protect it with their swords.

This news outraged the

Quraysh who in an emergency

meeting decided to assassi-

nate the Prophet (S) collec-

tively. On uncovering this

devious plot, the Prophet (S)

requested Ali (as) to wear his

mantle and to sleep in his

place, in order to foil the evil

plans of the enemies of Islam

and to facilitate his `Hejira'

(Migration) from Mecca to

Medina. It was after this

incident that reflected the

deep devotion, courage and

commitment of Imam Ali (as)

towards the Messenger of

Allah (S) and his divine

mission, that Jibrail (as)

conveyed the news: "O' son of

Abu Talib, there is none like

you; Allah boasts to the

angels of the seven heavens

about you!"

2- Important Events in

Medina:

The Prophet's (S) migration to

Medina is a turning point in

the history of Islam after

which it went through a lot of

ups and downs. Ali (as) had

an outstanding role in the

events that followed the

Prophet's (S) migration, a few

of which are mentioned

hereunder:

a) Ali's (as) Marriage with

Fatima (sa)

After Prophet's (S) migration,

Imam Ali (as) was given the

responsibility of bringing

Hazrat Fatima (sa), the

beloved and devoted daughter

of the Prophet (S), to Medina.

A few months later Ali (as)

married Fatima (sa). Ya`qubi,

the Muslim historian writes:

"A group of `Muhajers' (those

who had migrated from Mecca

to Medina) had proposed for

Fatima's (sa) hand in mar-

riage. On hearing about her


15

marriage with Ali (as), some

of them raised objections. In

reply to their objections, the

Prophet of Allah (S) said: “I

did not marry Fatima to Ali,

rather it was Allah Who

married her to Ali.” Interest-

ingly, the Prophet's (S)

lineage has been through

Fatima (sa) and Ali (as).

b) Brotherhood with the

Prophet (S)

To bring the Muhajers and

Ansars closer to each other,

the Prophet (S) decreed that

the Muhajers and Ansars

should make brotherhood

pacts among themselves; in

pairs. However, he chose

Imam Ali (as) as his brother

and said to him: "You are my

brother, successor and

inheritor and I inherit from

you."

c) The Prophet's (S)

Description of the Manner

of Ali's Martyrdom

During the Battle of Lat al-

Ashira, that took place in the

second year of Hejira, the

Prophet (S) sent Ali (as) and

Ammar on a mission. After

some time the Prophet (S)

joined them and found them

sleeping. After waking them

up he said: "Should I inform

you about the two most

wretched men of all people?"

On receiving their positive

response he then added:

`The man who slew Saleh's

camel and the man who will

hit you (Ali) on the head and

will make your blood flow to

your beard."

d) Ali's Unique Bravery in

the Battles

Except for the Battle of Tabuk

in which Ali (as) remained in

Medina on the Prophet's (S)

order, he had participated

actively in all the battles and

played a decisive role in all of

them. Although it is not

possible to discuss Ali's (as)

role in all these battles, we

shall attempt to highlight a

few of them.

i) Ali's role in the battle of

Badr cannot be comparable to

any of the other companions.

As written by some historians,

he killed 32 enemy soldiers


16

single-handedly. Interestingly,

33 years later when Ali (as)

was forced to accept the

caliphate, a group of Quraysh

like Sa`id ibne Aas and Walid

ibne Aqrabeh, who later on

participated in the battles of

Jamal and Siffin against Imam

Ali (as), were hesitant to

swear allegiance because he

had killed their fathers in the

Battle of Badr.

ii) Imam Ali (as) was the only

companion of the Prophet of

Allah (S) who never fled from

the battlefield. History has

recorded that many of the

close companions of the

Prophet (S) fled during the

battles of Uhud, Kheybar and

Hunayn.

e) Imam Ali (as) was

appointed to communicate

`Surat al-Bara'at'

After the revelation of `Surat

al-Bara'at', the Prophet (S)

appointed one of his compan-

ions to communicate the

messages to the unbelievers.

However, before this compan-

ion reached Mecca, the

Prophet (S) sent Imam Ali

(as) to take the newly-

revealed verse from him and

to personally communicate it

to the unbelievers. On their

return to Medina this compan-

ion asked the Prophet (S) for

the reason of this change of

decree, to which the Prophet

(S) replied: "It was Allah's will

that it should be communicat-

ed by a member of my

Household."

f) A Judge in Yemen

during the last few years

of the Prophet's (S) Life.

After the Prophet's (S) migra-

tion to Medina from Mecca,

Islam spread rapidly in the

Arabian Peninsula as a result

of which Imam Ali (as) was

often sent by the Prophet (S)

to propagate Islam in differ-

ent regions. However, what is

of great importance is the

mission that was not given to

any other companion. To-

wards the end of his life, the

Prophet of Allah (S), asked

Imam Ali (as) to go to Yemen

which was a rather civilized

society in those days, to

discharge the duties of a


17

judge (qazi). It has been

narrated that Imam Ali (as)

told the Prophet (S): "I am

young and do not know about

judgment." The Prophet of

Allah (S) put his hand on the

young Ali's (as) chest and

prayed: "O Allah! Guide his

heart and make him articulate

in judgment." Here Belazari

has quoted Imam Ali (as) as

saying: "I swear by Allah that

I have never been in doubt

while passing a judgment

between the disputing par-

ties."

After the Prophet's (S) de-

mise, the caliphs and particu-

larly the second caliph fre-

quently asked for Ali's (as)

opinion on various issues and

in their judgments.

g) Ghadir-e-Khum

Both the Sunni and Shi'a

sources have narrated a

number of incidents that

highlight the status and

position of Imam Ali (as).

However, undoubtedly one of

the most important incidents

is the `Ghadir-e-Khum'. On

his return from Hajjatul-Vida

at a location famous as

`Ghadir-e-Khum, the Prophet

(S) delivered a very important

sermon and while holding and

lifting the hand of Imam Ali

(as), clearly asked the people

gathered there:

"O people (believers)! Is it not

true that my `Vilayat' over

you is of more importance

than your `Vilayat' over

yourselves?" To this question,

the people answered in the

affirmative. Then the Prophet

(S) announced: "The one

whose Mawla (Master) I am,

Ali is his Master. O Allah! Love

him who loves Ali, and be the

enemy of the enemy of Ali...."

In that gathering at Ghadir-e-

Khum, the Prophet (S) also

spoke regarding other im-

portant matters that stress on

the importance of Imamate

and Vilayat in the Islamic

context. One of his important

announcements was as

follows:

"O people! I shall soon be

departing from your midst.

And you will meet me at the

Pond of `Kawthar'. Then I will


18

ask you about two precious

things (Thaqalayn). So be

careful as to how you treat

these two, after my demise."

Then the people inquired from

the Prophet (S) regarding the

"two precious things" which

he had referred to. The

Prophet (S) explained: "One

of them is the Qur'an - one

end of which is in Allah's Hand

and the other is in yours. So

stick on tightly to it so that

you protect yourself from

being misled. And the second

one is my Pure Household."

At the end of the Prophet's

(S) sermon, many of the

people came forward to

congratulate Ali (as) and to

extend their hands in alle-

giance to him. While yet

others, were confounded with

doubt and ambiguity. Howev-

er, as per reliable Islamic

sources, this incident has

strong recorded evidence and

it has been narrated through

many chains of transmission

of both Shi'a and Sunni

schools of thought.

��

Islam in View of Imam Ali (AS)

It is indeed a religion founded on

truth. It is such a fountain-head

of learning that several streams

of wisdom and knowledge flow

from it.

It is such a lamp that several

lamps will be lit from it.

It is a lofty beacon of light

Illuminating the path of Allah.

It is such a set of principles and

beliefs that will fully satisfy every

seeker of truth and reality.

Know you all that Allah has

made Islam, the most sublime

path for the attainment of His

supreme pleasure and the

highest standard of his worship

and obedience.

He has favored it with noble

precepts, exalted principles,

undoubtable arguments,

unchallengeable supremacy and

undeniable wisdom.

It is up to you to maintain the

eminence and dignity granted to

it by the Lord, to follow it

sincerely, to do justice to its

articles of faith and belief, to

obey implicitly its tenets and

orders, and to give it the proper

place in your lives.

��


19

Finally the appointed moment

arrived, the moment which

had been foretold by previous

Prophets (as) to their follow-

ers. At the age of 40, the

orphan son of Abdullah

attained the exalted station of

Messenger hood. It was he

alone at that time who had

prepared for guiding the world

with his message for only this

great and heavy responsibility

could call for such qualities

and virtues as he possessed.

Only in such a vast enterprise

could the energies of that

quintessence of all existence

unfold, for the entire being of

Muhammad (S) was prepared

to undertake the grave task of

Prophethood. If he had not

been prepared, in the best

possible way, to assume that

sacred and fateful responsibil-

ity there would have been

none other in the world

capable of conveying the

Divine mission in all its

dimensions. It was only the

being of Muhammad (S) that

was capable of stilling the

thirst of the world. While

engaged in worship in a

corner of the Cave of Hira in

the heart of the night, the

Prophet who had never

studied or attended a school,

was suddenly shaken by the

summons, "O Muhammad!" -

followed by the command to

recite, this being the begin-

ning of revelation.

The shining of a light from the

realm of the unseen covered

and enveloped his being and

shone forth on his fair fea-

tures, giving rise to new and

bright life in the darkness of

the night. Then, with a painful

tumult in his heart and

bearing on his shoulders the

heaviest responsibility con-

ceivable, he set out for home

the Cave of Hira, destined to

become the teacher of all

human beings and to assume

the leadership of humanity on

its long march forward.

What force was it that had

disquieted him despite his

Beginning of the Prophetic Mission

By: Ayatollah Sayyid Mujtaba Musawi Lari


20

infinite patience, made him

anxious despite all his tranquil

courage, and plunged his

whole being into painful

turmoil? Thereafter, the envoy

of revelation came repeatedly,

reciting verses to him, pro-

found and astounding verses

that bore no resemblance

from the point of view of

style, and content either to

the words of the Prophet (S)

himself, eloquent as they

were, or to the conventional

prose and poetry of the age.

Although the Arabs of the Age

of Ignorance knew neither

how to read nor how to write

and had no historians, philos-

ophers or scholars, they were

famed for the excellence of

their poetry and the elo-

quence of their speech.

The Prophet (S), however,

had never participated before

the beginning of his mission in

the cultivation of the arts of

poetry and eloquence.

His conduct, on the one hand,

and the verses of the Qur'an,

on the other, both testify that

he made no compromises in

conveying his message. He

conveyed the message that

he had been ordered to

deliver clearly, unambiguously

and in utter contradiction both

with the beliefs and inclina-

tions of the people and with

his own immediate interests.

He loudly proclaimed the

revelation he had received to

the evil and the ignorant, to a

people made degenerate and

corrupt by the worship of the

idols they had fashioned

themselves, and he informed

them that their sole salvation

lay in the worship of the One

God.

The new factor that appeared

at a particular time in the life

of the Prophet (S) and caused

him to engage in unprece-

dented forms of activity was

the wondrous phenomenon of

revelation, the heavenly

message which he as the

most lofty and qualified of

men had been chosen to

receive. Before then, no

preliminary effort or particular

inclination had been seen on


21

his part that might have led to

the bringing about of the

sudden and remarkable

transformation of the world

he was about to accomplish.

The factor that had this

profound effect on Muham-

mad (S), that changed that

quiet and reflective man into

an explosive source of revolu-

tionary energy and enabled

him to bring about such a

profound transformation of

humanity, from within the

intense darkness of the Arabs'

Age of Ignorance, was

nothing other than revelation.

It was a call that penetrated

the very depth of the souls of

human beings that melted the

marrow of their bones, and

directed all their striving to

the attainment of perfection.

The command of revelation

negated all the false and lying

criteria which human beings

had regarded as the measure

of goodness and considered

the sole means of evaluating

human characteristics and

habits, while, in fact, clothing

falsehood in the garment of

truth. It brought into opera-

tion new and clear criteria

which showed human beings

the goals to which they should

strive to advance and brought

about creativity in their lives.

The veil of ignorance and

silence was torn apart, the

human beings' energies were

set to work, the power of

thought within them was

aroused, and their spirits were

borne aloft toward the infinite

summit of being. People who

in their ignorance and low-

liness would tear each apart

on account of the most

insignificant things and had

lost all virtue, thanks to their

various forms of enslavement,

now became, through Islam

and its great concept of

monotheism - the true pillar

of humanity and the breaker

of idols - so elevated of spirit

and so self-sacrificing that

they happily abandoned both

their lives and their property.

The Prophet of Islam had the

vision and belief of a world

leader, but he began to

proclaim his Divine summons


22

to monotheism in a relatively

restricted sphere, a closed

environment where tribal

institutions exercised great

influence and idols were

counted as the most sacred

and beloved of objects. It was

an environment that was not

in any way prepared to accept

the message of Divine Unity.

The heavenly teachings of

Islam and the culture to which

they gave rise were superior

not only to the intellectual

atmosphere prevailing in the

idolatrous society of the Arabs

but also to all the religious

doctrines and cultures of that

age.

When the Prophet (S) first

proclaimed his mission, all the

Arab tribes were prepared to

submit to his rule and assign

him all kinds of privilege, but

he decisively rejected their

proposals. He wished to unite

the masses of mankind

beneath the banner of virtue

and Divine unity, to establish

the government of reason and

piety, and to guide mankind

on the path to eternal felicity.

Today, after the passage of

more than 14 centuries, the

triumph of the Prophet (S) is

fully apparent. The Book

(Qur'an) that he brought,

which includes within it the

essence of all heavenly

scriptures, guarantees the

happiness of mankind, and

the noble name of this lofty

personage is reverentially

mentioned by millions of

human beings. His name

resounds from all the mina-

rets in the world with a great

spiritual splendor, and it will

always continue to do so,

morning and evening, in

accordance with a Divine

promise, penetrating the souls

of men and illumining their

hearts. For Allah in the

Qur'an, said: "We have

elevated and borne on high

your goodly name." (94:4)

��

The Prophet (S) said,

“The best of your homes is

the one wherein an orphan is

kept in respect.”

[Nehj-ul-Fasaha, Pg. 231]

��


23

It is narrated through a

reliable chain of narrators that

an atheist came to Imam

Ja’far al-Sadiq and presented

a few queries. One of his

questions concerned the logic

behind the sending of Proph-

ets. The Imam said, “When

we have agreed that we have

a Maker and a Creator; who is

higher than His creatures and

absolutely free from the fact

that His creatures can see

Him, touch Him or converse

with Him; we understand that

the Maker is Wise.

He only does that which is

beneficial to His creatures.

Then it is necessary to send

Prophets and Messengers who

would communicate His laws

to the people. They would

guide the people in the affairs

that are beneficial and (pre-

vent them from) those that

cause everlasting perdition.

Consequently, it is evident

that there must be a particu-

lar group, which would convey

His message to the people.

They are the chosen ones of

Allah and His Prophets. They

are wise and intelligent. The

Almighty has bestowed them

with wisdom and knowledge

and appointed them as His

Messengers. Their circum-

stances and characteristics

were quite different from

those of the common people

though in their creation and

method they are like ordinary

human beings.

However, they are sent by

Allah, the Wise and the

Omniscient, with knowledge,

wisdom, arguments, proofs,

witnesses and miracles so that

they may prove the veracity

of their claims. Like raising of

the dead and curing of the

blind and lepers etc., they

accomplished some tasks that

were impossible for ordinary

people. The same practice

continued in every age and

the earth has never been

devoid of the Divine Proof

(Hujjah), who is the bearer of

knowledge and has a miracle

Aim of Sending Prophets

Source: Hyatul Qulub -Baqir Majalsi


24

to prove the authenticity of

his claims and (he verifies)

the message of the preceding

Prophet.

Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq says in a

reliable tradition: “The Al-

mighty with His Luminous

Essence and Divine attributes

was concealed from His

creatures; therefore, He sent

the Prophets to give glad

tidings of salvation and to

warn against His punishment

so that those who perish in

disobedience must perish with

the realization of their error

and all arguments must be

exhausted for them. Similarly,

those who achieve salvation

must do so with knowledge,

faith and proof. And they may

achieve an everlasting life so

that people may learn about

their Lord what they did not

know. They must recognize

Allah as their Cherisher and

they confess to His Oneness.

Another reliable report

mentions that Fadl ibn

Sh¡dh¡n asked Ja ‘far al-Sadiq

“When it is obligatory for

people to obey the Prophets,

why are they also required to

recognize them and to con-

fess to their truth?” Imam

replied, “This is because the

creatures did not have the

ability to understand their

wisdom fully. Their creator

was much higher that He

could be perceived by sight.

The inability to understand His

Divine Essence was apparent.

There was no choice except to

appoint Prophets as links

between people and Allah.

This infallible Prophet con-

veyed the divine commands

and prohibitions to the

people. He also had to keep

the people firm on some

affairs whereby they could

obtain the benefits and be

safe from the perils, because

the people cannot decide by

their own intellects what is

beneficial for them and what

is harmful. If the obedience

and recognition of Prophets

had not been incumbent on

people, the sending of Proph-

ets would have been a useless

venture. And the wise One,

who had created everything


25

with untold benefits, is pure

from such vain acts.

Related through reliable

chains of narrators is the

report where someone asked

Ja’far al-Sadiq the reason why

Allah has bestowed miracles

on the Prophets and Imams.

The Imam replied, “So that

the veracity of their claims is

established. Because miracles

are from Allah, the Almighty,

He gives them to His Proph-

ets, Messengers and Proofs so

that the truth of the truthful

ones and the lie of the liars

are proved.

Another hadith mentions that

someone asked the same

Imam whether it was possible

for Allah that He changes the

heart of a believer from faith

to disbelief even after the

belief of this person has been

authenticated. Imam replied:

“The Almighty is Just; He sent

the Prophet so that they may

invite the people towards faith

(belief). Allah never calls

anyone towards disbelief.

Then the questioner asked if

Allah changes the heart of a

confirmed disbeliever from

disbelief to belief. The Imam

said: “Allah has created

everyone with a capacity to

believe. They are like a blank

tablet neither having faith in

any shariah (code of religious

law) nor disbelieving in it.

Allah sent the Prophets to

them so that they may guide

them towards Allah. And in

this way, argument could be

exhausted for the people.

Thus some people receive

guidance (faith) by Al-

lah’s tawfiq (guidance) and

some do not achieve guid-

ance.

It is narrated in an authentic

report that Imam al-Rida or

Imam al-Naqi was asked, why

Allah sent Moses (Prophet

Moses) with a luminous arm,

the Staff and other things to

counter magic, Esa (Prophet

Jesus) with a miracle resem-

bling medical cure and

Muhammad al-Mustafa (the

Chosen) with an eloquent

speech and learned dialogue.

Imam replied: “Magic was the

prevailing science during the


26

time of Moses. Moses brought

miracles resembling magic but

much more powerful. Moses

nullified their magic with his

miracles and exhausted the

arguments on them.

During the time of Esa, there

were widespread diseases and

epidemics. Esa brought the

miracle that the doctors of his

time could not match and

performed feats that astound-

ed his contemporaries like

bringing the dead to life and

curing lepers. Through these

miracles, Esa completed the

proof. The people, in spite of

their expertise in medical

science, failed to fathom the

secret of Esa’s miracles.

Muhammad al-Mustafa was

sent in an age of literary

advancement and eloquent

poetry. People of this age

prided themselves upon their

speech and poetry. The Holy

Prophet brought the book of

Allah, teachings and the

religious law. Through these,

he nullified the words of those

people. The people were

unable to counter the miracle

of the Holy Prophet. The

argument was exhausted for

them in this manner.”

��

Golden Sayings of Prophet

Muhammad (S) Regarding

Orphans

The best of Muslims' homes is


treated well, and the worst is


mistreated. The supporters of

orphans will accompany me in

a Paradise.

The most favorite of your

houses to God, the Exalted, is


honored.

Verily, in Paradise there is a

house called 'house of happi-

ness' where nobody will be

given entrance save those

who have pleased the believ-

ers' orphans.

The worst edible thing is an

orphan's property, and the

worst business is usury.

Verily, I warn you strictly

about the rights of two

classes: orphans and women.

��


27

Merits of Marriage

Marriage is the holy legal tie

between man and woman

through which they share the

same life and reciprocate

definite rights and obligations.

God has passed the law of

matrimony so as to keep

humankind on this earth and

keep the earth constructed

and prosperous.

“Marry the single people

among you and the righteous

slaves and slave-girls. If you

are poor, Allah will make you

rich through His favor; He is

Bountiful and All-knowing

(24:32).”

The Prophet (S) said: “The

most favorable thing to Allah

that is ever constructed in

Islam is marriage [1].”

“He who gets married wins

the half of his religion. Hence,

he should fear Allah in ques-

tions regarding the other half

[2].”

“Marriage is my custom;

therefore, he who rejects my

custom does not belong to me

[3].”

“Get married, for I will take

pride in your great numbers

on the Day of Resurrection.

The immature fetus, even, will

stop on the door of Paradise

saying angrily, ‘unless my

parents will be with me, I

refuse to be in Paradise [4].’”

“The two-unit prayer offered

by the marrieds is preferred to

the night worship and the

fasting of the bachelors [5].”

“The evilest dead are the

bachelors [6].”

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: “A

two-unit prayer offered by the

marrieds is preferred to a

seventy-unit prayer offered by

bachelors [7].”

1. Advantages of Marriage

Because of the great variety

of merits of marriage, many

texts confirm persistently on it

by way of awakening the

desires and warning against

its negligence. Marriage is the

Matrimonial Rights

By: Sayyid Mahdi as-Sadr


28

only means by which right-

eous progeny is gained.

Through sons, fathers feel

dignity, power, and extent of

existence, good reputation,

and great rewarding of God.

2. Benefits of Marriage

Marriage achieves chastity

and immunity against corrup-

tion. From this cause, the

punishment of the married

who commit fornication is

stoning to death, because

they are immunized by

marriage and they despise the

holiness of the honors and

dignities.

3. Results of Marriage

Marriage secures easeful

subsistence, tranquility, and

freedom from worry. Natural-

ly, man alone spends his day

encountering the crises of life

and striving for seeking

earnings. He can find relief

nowhere except in the shad-

ows of his darling, sincere

wife who, trying to ease his

troubles, encompasses him

with kind treatment and

affectionate conduct. Refer-

ring to this fact, God says:

“His creating spouses for you

out of yourselves so that you

might take comfort in them

and His creating love and

mercy among you are evi-

dences (of the truth) for the

people who (carefully) think

(30:21).”

The Prophet (S) said: “Subse-

quent to the embracement of

Islam, the best thing that a

Muslim can profit is a Muslim

wife who pleases him when

he looks at her and has

loyalty to him in honor and

property [8].”

Marital Happiness

Marital happiness is achieved

when it is known how to

choose the suitable partner.

There are certain standards in

the light of which spouses

must be chosen. Such stand-

ards strengthen the marital

ties and make peace of mind

cover all the corners of the

spouses’ lives. Bad choice, on

the other hand, exposes

marriage to failure and

disappointment.


29

Treating this important aspect

that plays a great role in

people’s life, the Ahlul-Bayt

(a) referred to the advantages

and disadvantages of both

men and women so that each

will know how to choose a

spouse.

The Ideal Husband

The ideal husband is the

qualified man who achieves

happiness to his wife and

ensures tranquil marital life.

Unlike the false idea of most

of people, the qualifications of

a spouse have nothing to do

with material vanities, such as

handsome house, comely

means of transportation, or

big fortune. The true qualifi-

cations are high certificate,

respectful office, high morali-

ty, and the like matters.

Material vanities may be

found with many spouses;

still, they are unable to

achieve marital happiness or

achieve their wives’ pleasure

and expectations.

The true qualification is the

mixture of three things: true

embracement of the religion,

well mannerism, and capacity

to maintain and guard the

wife materially and morally.

Having these three qualities, a

man becomes, in the sight of

Islam, an ideal competent

husband.

The Prophet (S) said: “If a

man whose morals and

religiosity are accepted in

your sight proposes to your

daughter, you must agree;

otherwise, there will come

into being widespread idolatry

and great evil [9].”

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: “The

well-qualified husband is the

chaste who can save good

living [10].”

The Ideal Wife

The ideal wife is the faithful,

chaste, highborn, well-

mannered, good-looking

woman who is well-behaved

with her husband.


best of your ladies are the

fertile, the amiable, the

chaste, the proud with her

family, the humble with her


30

husband, who adorns herself

for her husband, behaves

decently with others, listens

and carries out her husbands’

instructions, provides herself

for him when they are alone,

and avoids violating good

manners, like men.

The worst of your ladies are

the humble with her family

and proud against her hus-

band, the barren, the spiteful,

who does not care if she does

something hideous, adorns

herself when her husband is

absent, does not listen and

does not carry out his instruc-

tions, abstains from providing

herself to him when they are

alone just like a riding animal

that prevents the rider from

riding it, does not accept his

apologies, and does not

forgive his flaws [11].”

“The best women of my

umma are the most bright-

faced and the askers for the

less dowry [12].”

“He who chooses a wife for

her beauty only will not have

his aim achieved. As for him

who chooses a wife for her

wealth only, Allah will leave

him with that wealth. Hence,

you should choose the reli-

gious women for marriage

[13].”

“Beware of the green-looking

women. It is the beautiful

women of evil source [14].”

This prophetic tradition warns

against marrying the beautiful

women whose families are

disreputable.

Observance of Rights

Spouses cannot obtain marital

happiness before they apply

the law of give and take to

themselves through observing

each other’s rights. Consider-

ing it as the first cell of

society, the Islamic Sharia has

paid a great deal of attention

to the marital life through

regulations and common

rights of spouses and special

rights of each. The common

rights that each spouse should

perform towards the other are

honesty, confidence, trust,

sympathy, and cooperation.


31

These are the genuine sup-

ports of successful marital life.

Rights of Husbands

By virtue of their obligatory

and guardianship on their

wives, husbands enjoy

definite rights:

1. Obedience to Husbands

A wife is fully responsible for

responding to the husband’s

acceptable desires, and

avoiding any matter that

harms him, such as leaving

the house before obtaining his

permission, spending his

wealth wastefully, neglecting

the domestic duties, and the

like matters.

Imam al-Baqir narrated that

the Prophet (S) answered the

woman who asked him about

the husbands’ rights against

their wives by saying: “Wom-

en should obey and avoid

defying their husbands. They

should not give alms out of

the husbands’ wealth before

obtaining their permission,

avoid observing recommend-

able fasting before they

obtain their permission,

respond to their sexual call

every time and in every

manner, even if they were on

the backs of camels, and not

leave their houses before

obtaining their permission. If

they do, they are cursed by

the angels of the heavens,

angels of the earth, angels of

wrath, and angels of mercy

until they come back to their

houses.”

The woman then asked:

“God’s Messenger, who is the

owner of the greatest right

against man?” The Prophet

(S) answered: “His father is.”

She asked: “Who is the owner

of the greatest right against

woman?” The Prophet (S)

answered: “Her husband is

[15].”

Imam as-Sadiq (a) narrated

that a woman, whose hus-

band had ordered her not to

leave her house until he

would be back from his

journey, sent a messenger to

the Prophet (S) to ask him a

permission to visit her dis-

eased father.


32

“No,” answered the Prophet

(S), “She should sit in her

house and obey her hus-

band.”

As her father became intense-

ly ill, she sent a messenger to

the Prophet (S) asking for

permission to visit him.




band.”

As her father was dead, she

sent a messenger to the

Prophet (S) asking for permis-

sion to attend his funeral

ceremony.




band.”

When her father was buried,

the Prophet (S) sent a mes-

senger to tell her that Allah

forgave her father and her

because of her observance of

the obedience to her husband

[16].

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: “As

for any wife who passes a

night while her husband is

angry with her for a question

in which he is right, her

prayers will not be admissible

unless her husband is pleased

with her [17].”

2. Compliance with Hus-

bands

Wives are recommended to

encompass their husbands

with nice sociability, pleasant

attention, and kind compli-

ance by means of observing

their affairs, securing means

of their physical and mental

tranquility, doing well the

housekeeping, and caring for

the family members. Carrying

out so, wives will certainly be

dear and lovable by husbands.

Moreover, wives, by following

such instructions, become

good examples for their sons

and become the sources of

high moral standards. The

most significant form of the

wives’ compliance with their

husbands is to avoid exhaust-

ing them by expensive

charges that injure their

economical capacities. This

causes confusion to husbands


33

who, subsequently, begin to

have an aversion to their

wives.

Imam al-Kadhim (a) said:

“Jihad of women is their

compliance with their hus-

bands.”

The wives’ good behavior and

compliance with their hus-

bands raise their spirits and

supply them with huge

physical and mental energies

helping in going on exerting

all efforts for seeking earnings

and encouraging on standing

ordeals and crises of life. The

wives’ quarrelsomeness and

disobedience, on the other

hand, enfeeble the husbands’

entities and bring to them

senility earlier.

The following story is a good

example: A group of people

went to ask the three brothers

of Banu Ghannam for a

solution for their complicated

question. As they met the first

one, who was old man, and

asked him for a solution, he

referred them to his brother

saying, ‘You may find a

solution with him because he

is older than I am.’ When they

went to meet his brother,

they found a middle-aged

man having sought a solution

from him, he said, ‘You may

see my third brother and,

because he is older than I am,

you can find a solution with

him.’ Hence, they went to the

third brother to meet a young

man. As they could no longer

conceal their astonishment,

they asked him about his two

brothers and his manner.

He answered: ‘My brother

whom you first met is the

youngest among us. Unfortu-

nately, he had to suffer the

misbehaviors of his ill-

tempered wife because he

anticipated an intolerable

matter if he would divorce

her. His wife therefore has

been the main reason beyond

his growing old at an earlier

time. The second one you met

is the middle among us. His

wife has gathered both good

and bad mannerism. She

sometimes pleased him, but

she also displeased him.


34

Hence, you can see him as

middle-aged man. I have a

well-mannered wife who

never shows misbehavior with

me. Hence, I could keep my

youth with her [18].’

Let us now listen to the

following words of a wise

Bedouin mother who provides

some instructions to her

daughter on her wedding

night: “Daughter, you will

very soon leave the house in

which you came to this world

and the nest in which you

grew up to join a nest that

you have not known yet, and

a companion with whom you

have not familiarized yourself

yet. Thus, you should behave

as his bondmaid so that he

will behave as your slave.

Observe for him the following

ten points: The first and

second are that you should

live with him with satisfaction

and associate with him with

obedience.

The third and fourth are that

you should observe the places

where his eye and nose

notice. Hence, he should not

see anything ugly and should

not smell anything bad from

you.

The fifth and sixth are that

you should observe the times

of his sleep and food. Contin-

uous feelings of hunger

arouse fiery and continuous

disturbance of sleep arouses

rage.

The seventh and eighth are

that you should observe his

wealth and respect his family.

To observe his wealth is to

opt for moderation, and to

respect his family can be

achieved through good

management.

The ninth and tenth are that

you should avoid disobeying

his orders and divulging his

secrets. You will certainly

arouse his malice against you

if you disobey him, and you

will certainly expose yourself

to his unexpected punishment

if you divulge his secrets.

Beware of showing happiness

before him when he is sad or

showing depression when he

is happy, because the earlier


35

is a sign of negligence and the

latter is a sign of annoyance.

Glorify him more than anyone

else does, so that he will

honor you more than anyone

else. You must know that you

cannot obtain that which you

like before you prefer his

satisfaction to yours and

prefer his desires to yours in

any matter. Finally, God may

choose for you the good[19].”

3. Observance of Hus-

bands’ honor

The most important obligation

that is imposed upon a wife is

to protect her husband’s

honor and reputation and

exert all efforts for avoiding

any matter that deforms

them, such as profligacy,

garishness, or divulgement of

secrets, especially matters

that husbands try to conceal.

Any negligence of this right

will waste away confidence

and threaten with disagree-

ment.

Rights of Wives

The Islamic Sharia has paid

the greatest attention to wives

and granted them, opposite to

the rights of husbands, all

their material and ethical

rights that are based on

wisdom, justice, and the good

and interests of both spouses:

1. Disbursement

It is obligatory upon husbands

to save their wives’ essentials

material requirements, such as

clothing, food, and residence

as well as other requisites that

meet their ranks and way of

living. From the viewpoint of

the Islamic Sharia, disburse-

ment is a familiar right that

husbands must carry out for

their wives, no matter how

wealthy they are. This right,

however, does not cease to be

valid unless the wife is decid-

ed as recalcitrant. Further-

more, husbands are not

allowed to coerce their wives

to do the household manage-

ments or nurse the babies

unless they themselves do

such matters voluntarily.

2. Good Companionship

Wife is the husband’s intimate

companion and partner of his


36

life. She shares him in good

days and bad days, consoles

him in sorrow and in joy, and

does alone exhausting efforts,

such as the household man-

agements, care for the family

affairs, and maternal func-

tions. Hence, it is necessary

for husbands to associate with

their wives nicely and treat

them with leniency. Out of

their boasting and arrogance,

some husbands misunder-

stood that manhood cannot

be achieved unless they

control, mistreat, insult, and

disgrace their wives.

As a matter of fact, such

qualities are detestable since

they indicate the complexity

and feebleness of personality.

They also create disorder of

marital life and eradicate

family pleasure. In view of her

emotions and functions,

woman is sensitive and quick-

tempered; therefore, she

may, sometimes, utter an

unbecoming word or stinging

reproach originated from a

mental excitement or emo-

tional agitation. In such cases,

husbands are required to

control themselves and turn in

kind forgiveness so that the

family march will go on

peacefully.


like of woman is a crooked

rib. If you leave it crooked,

you will benefit by it. But if

you try to fix it, you will break

it.”

This means that man, when

his wife exceeds the limits of

disobedience to him, must

treat her, first, by means of

advice. If such means prove

futility, he must follow the

method of ignoring her and

avoiding sleeping with her. If

this is also useless, he may

then beat her, but not severe-

ly: “Admonish women who

disobey, do not sleep with

them and beat them. If they

obey, do not try to find fault

in them. Allah is High and

Supreme. (4:34)”

3. Protection

Because wives are under the

guardianship of them, hus-

bands are responsible for


37

defending them against any

matter that may cause them

moral or material injury or

may defame or soil their

dignities, such as dissolute-

ness and suspicious associa-

tion with the other sex or

immoral women. How ugly

those men who shove their

wives in mixed clubs and

dissolute parties and allow

them to dance with whomso-

ever they want are! They try

to close their eyes before the

serious religious, moral, and

social dangers of such mixing

that threatens the family

entities with disorder and

disintegration.

Man, too, must be jealous and

protect his wife and family

against the trickeries and

misleading rumors of the

invasions that could deceive

many male and female

Muslims who, lacking enough

knowledge of the principles

and concepts of their religion,

repeated these rumors just

like parrots. It is important for

such individuals to learn

enough about their religion,

each according to his intellec-

tual and cultural level, so that

they will be saved from the

evils and trickeries of such

invasions.

“Believers, save yourselves

and your families from the fire

which is fueled by people and

stones and is guarded by

stern angels who do not

disobey Allah's commands and

do whatever they are ordered

to do (66:6).”

False Rights

Intending to extinguish the

luminous light of Islam, the

anti-Muslims have dedicated

all efforts to invading the

Islamic world by weapons of

delusions and false principles.

Unfortunately, the inexperi-

enced and the dull responded

to such strange concepts, and

went on imitating and calling

for them as if they are within

their untouchable values.

Because of that, curtains

covered the Islamic portrait

that has been shining with

beauty, illumination, and

ideality and a new deformed,


38

hideous portrait came out.

Islam, thus, began to feel

strange and alienated among

its people, while the non-

Islamic concepts occupied

large positions in the intellects

and feelings of Muslims to

clear them out of values and

idealities.

Moreover, many calls and

hireling writers raced in

demanding with more non-

Islamic traditions so as to

spread them in the Islamic

environment through false

claims of defending, releasing,

and equalizing women with

men, in addition to similar

fake statements. Let us now

refer to some of these decep-

tive rumors:

Removal of the Veil

As they could not stand

seeing Muslim women guard

themselves from dissoluteness

and lechery through veiling

themselves with hijab, the

propagandists of liberalism

tried to seduce them by

means of removing the veil

and grooming themselves so

as to take them away from

the highness of their dignities

and boudoirs.

Having been deceived by such

false calls, some women,

unfortunately, responded and

began to remove their veils

and show their beauty and

charms so as to prepossess

eyes and hearts shamelessly.

All over their extensive

history, Muslim women, who

ignored the dangers and slips

that were plotted against

them, have never been

seduced in such a mean and

illusory way.

Unlike the idea of the disso-

lute, hijab is not an aspect of

retardation or reactionism, it

is in fact an aspect of modesty

and chastity since it guards

women against indecorum

and deterioration, protects

them from the snooping of

the aberrant, and keep them

away from the slips of vices

and seductions.

Finally, Muslims must learn

lessons from the Western

nations that have suffered


39

many misfortunes of immo-

rality as well as ethical,

physical, and social tragedies

all because they allowed

removal of veiling, primping

up, and mix of the sexes to

prevail on their societies.

References:

1. al-Wafi; part 12 page 11 (as

quoted from al- Faqih).


quoted from al- Kafi).

3. Bihar ul-Anwar; vol. 23

page 51 (as quoted from at-

Tabirsi’s Mekarim ul-

Akhlaq).







7. al-Wafi; 12/11 (as quoted

from al-Faqih and al- Kafi).




quoted from al- Kafi).


from al-Kafi, al- Faqih, and

at-Tahtheeb).


from al-Kafi and at-

Tahtheeb).




quoted from at- Tahtheeb).




from al-Faqih and al-Kafi).

16. al-Wafi; part 12 page 115

(as quoted from al- Kafi).


from al-Faqih and al-Kafi).

18. Safinat ul-Bihar; part 1 page

133.

19. al-Manfaloutti’s Mukhtarat,

page 240.

��


40

Al-Husayn (as) left Madinah

for Makkah on Sunday, two

nights before the end of Rajab

60 AH, and reached Makkah

on the night preceding Friday,

third of Sha'ban, and stayed

there throughout the months

of Sha’ban, Ramadan, Shaw-

wal and Dhulqa’dah, and left

Makkah on Tuesday, eight of

Dhulhijjah, the Day of Tar-

wiyah, the very day Muslim

bin ‘Aqil launched his uprising.

The people of Makkah started

frequenting [al-Husayn (as)]

and so did others who had

come for the ‘umrah, and

those from other places.

Ibn al-Zubair's Stand Vis-

à-Vis al-Husayn (as)

Ibn al-Zubair was among

those who used to come to

see [the Imam (as)]. Some-

times he would come for two

consecutive days and some-

times once after every two

days. Ibn al-Zubair well knew

that the people of Hijaz would

never follow or pay allegiance

to him so long as al-Husayn

(as) was in the city, and that

the latter was more revered in

their eyes and that the people

would obey [al-Husayn] more

than they would obey him.

One day [Ibn al-Zubair] talked

to the Imam (as) for a while

saying:

“I do not know why we

distanced [ourselves] from

these people [i.e. the Banu

Umayyah] and abstained from

[rising against] them while we

are the sons of the muhajirun

and [more entitled] to this

position than they are! Tell

me what do you intend to

do.”

Al-Husayn (as) replied: “By

Allah! I am thinking of going

towards Kufah, for my follow-

ers (shi‘ah) and the noblemen

in the city have written to me

about this, and I pray to Allah

for the best.”

Ibn al-Zubair said to him: “If I

had the like of your followers

in Kufah, I would not have

abandoned going there!”

Imam Husayn’s Departure from Makkah

By: Shaikh Muhammad Hadi al-Yusufi al-Gharawi


41

[Having said this,] Ibn al-

Zubair feared that the Imam

might doubt his intentions

[and think that he wants him

to leave Makkah so that he

could then secure the support

of the people for himself,] so

he [immediately] said: “How-

ever, if you stay in Hijaz and

pursue your aim [of attaining

the caliphate], you will not

face opposition by the will of

Allah.” Ibn al-Zubair then

stood up and left.

[After Ibn al-Zubair went

away,] al-Husayn (as) said:

“There is nothing more

lovable in this world for this

man than my departure from

Hijaz to Iraq. He understands

that he would not attain [the

caliphate] so long as I am

there, and that the people do

not consider him to be on par

with me. He longs me to leave

[Makkah] so that the city

should be solely for him.”

Al-Husayn’s Conversation

with Ibn ‘Abbas

When [al-Husayn (as)]

decided to go to Kufah, Ibn

‘Abbas came to him and said:

“O my cousin, the people

have spread rumors that you

are advancing towards Iraq,

so [please] explain to me

what you intend to do.”

[Al-Husayn (as)] replied: “I

am determined to leave in the

coming one or two days, if

Allah wills.”

Ibn ‘Abbas said to him: “I

then seek refuge for you with

Allah in this regard. Tell me,

may Allah have mercy on you,

are you moving towards a

people who have [already]

killed their governor and

taken control of their city and

have expelled their enemy? If

they have done all this [and

prepared the grounds], then

go to them. But if they are

[inviting you] while they are

still under the subjugation of

their governor and his officers

are collecting taxes from

[them], then they have

certainly invited you to war

and fighting. I fear that they

will deceive you, lie to you,

oppose and abandon you, and

that they may [even] fight


42

against you and prove to be

the most severe people

against you!”

Al-Husayn (as) replied: “I pray

to Allah for the best and I will

see what is going to happen.”

A Second Conversation

with Ibn ‘Abbas

In the evening [of that day]

or the next morning Ibn

‘Abbas once again came to

the Imam (as) and said: “O

my cousin! I tried to remain

patient but could not. Indeed,

I am apprehensive of your

death and annihilation should

you take this direction! The

people of Iraq are a treacher-

ous community, so never get

closer to them! Stay in this

city for you are the master of

the people of Hijaz. If at all

the people of Iraq want you -

as they have claimed, then

write and ask them to [first]

expel their enemy [from their

city], then make a move

towards them. But if you still

want to leave [this city], then

go to Yemen; for it has got

fortresses and mountain

paths, and it is a vast and

spacious land. From there you

can send out your men to

invite people to support you. I

hope that in this way you can

achieve your aim in a safer

way.”

Al-Husayn (as) answered him:

“My cousin, Verily, By Allah I

know that you are sincere and

caring but I have resolved on

the journey!”

Ibn ‘Abbas then said: “Now

that you are going, do not

take your women and young

children with you, for -by

Allah- I fear that you might

get killed.”

His Conversation with

‘Umar al-Makhzumi

‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-Rahman bin

Harith bin Hisham al-

Makhzumi says: “When al-

Husayn (as) was ready for the

journey towards Iraq, I came

to him, praised and glorified

Allah, and then said: “My

cousin, I have come to give

you a piece of advice. If you

are ready to accept my

advice, [then that is fine],


43

otherwise I will restrain myself

from what I intend to say.”

Al-Husayn (as) said: “Say

[what you want to say]. For

by Allah, I do not consider

you a person with unsound

opinions, or evil intentions

and deeds.”

He then said: “I have come to

learn that you intend to go to

Iraq, but I am concerned

about you should you under-

take this journey. You are

moving towards a city which

has its [own] rulers and

governors and who have

treasure houses at their

disposal. Indeed people are

slaves of these dirhams and

dinars. I fear that those

people will come to fight you

who have promised you their

support and to whom you are

more beloved than the one

they will be fighting for

against you.”

Al-Husayn (as) replied: “May

Allah reward you with good, O

my cousin. By Allah, I know

that you have given [me] a

good advice and have spoken

with wisdom. But whatever is

decreed shall come to pass. I

consider you a praiseworthy

and sincere adviser, whether I

act on your advice or not.”

His Last Conversation with

Ibn al-Zubair

‘Abdullah bin Sulaim [al-Asadi]

and Mudhri bin Mushma’il [al-

Asadi] say:

“We set out to Makkah as

pilgrims and entered [the city

on] the Day of Tarwiyah. [We

were in Masjid al-Haram]

when we suddenly saw al-

Husayn (as) and ‘Abdullah bin

al-Zubair standing between

the [black] stone and the door

of the Ka’bah. So we drew

near them and heard Ibn al-

Zubair saying to al-Husayn

(as): “If you like to stay [in

Makkah], you can do so and

assume the leadership [as

well]. We shall support and

help you, be sincere to you

and pay allegiance to you.”

Al-Husayn (as) replied him:

“Indeed, my father informed

me that: ‘A ram in Makkah

shall violate the sanctity of


44

[the haram].’ So I do not like

to be that ram!”

So Ibn al-Zubair said to him:

“Get closer to me O son of

Fatimah, so al-Husayn (as)

lent his ear to him and he

whispered something to him.

[‘Abdullah and Mudhri say

that] al-Husayn (as) then

turned to us and said:

“Do you know what Ibn al-

Zubair is saying?”

“We do not know, may Allah

make us your ransom”, we

said.

[Al-Husayn (as)] said: “He

told me: ‘Stay in this mosque

and I will gather the people

around you.’”

Then al-Husayn (as) said:

“By Allah, it is more lovable

for me to be killed a span

away from the [haram] than

to be killed inside it by just a

span! I swear by Allah, even if

I were to be in the hole of an

insect, [these people] will pull

me out [of it] in order to get

what they want from me. By

Allah, I shall be wronged [and

the law of Allah be violated in

my regard] as the Jews had

violated the [sanctity of the]

Sabbath.”

The Stand of ‘Amr bin

Sa’id al-Ashdaq

When al-Husayn (as) was

departing from Makkah, the

messengers of ‘Amr bin Sa’id

bin al-Ass led by Yahya bin

Sa’id sought to block his way.

They said to him: “Withdraw!

Where are you going?”, but

he refused. The two groups

came to blows and hit at each

other with whips. Al-Husayn

(as) continued his journey.

Then they called out:

“O Husayn! Do you not fear

Allah?! You are detaching

yourself from the community

and [trying] to cause division

within this nation!”

In reply, al-Husayn (as)

recited the following verses:

“My deeds belong to me and

your deeds belong to you;

you are absolved of what I do

and I am absolved of what

you do.”


45

‘Ali bin al-Husayn bin ‘Ali

[(as), i.e. the fourth Imam]

says:

“When we left Makkah

‘Abdullah bin Ja’far bin Abi

Talib sent a letter to Husayn

bin ‘Ali (as) with his two sons:

‘Aun and Muhammad [say-

ing]: “I ask you for the sake

of Allah to return as you

receive my letter; for I am

very concerned because the

direction in which you are

heading will have within it

your destruction and the

extirpation of your family. If

you are destroyed today, the

light of [guidance on] the

earth will be extinguished; for

you are the standard of the

[rightly] guided ones and the

hope of the believers. Do not

hurry on your journey as I am

following this letter. That is

all.”

[In the meanwhile,] ‘Abdullah

bin Ja’far went to see ‘Amr bin

Sa’id bin al-Ass and talk to

him and said: “Write a letter

to al-Husayn (as) and guaran-

tee him protection and

promise him kind treatment

[by being] trustful in your

letter. Ask him to return,

maybe he will trust your word

and return. Send the letter

with your brother Yahya bin

Sa’id; for [al-Husayn] will

have confidence in him more

than [any other person] and

will acknowledge that you are

serious.”

‘Amr bin Sa’id said: “Write

what you like and then bring

it to me for the stamp.”

So ‘Abdullah bin Ja’far wrote:

“In the name of Allah, the

Merciful, the Compassionate.

From ‘Amr bin Sa’id to Husayn

bin ‘Ali: I pray to Allah to save

you from what shall cause

your destruction and guide

you to what shall lead you to

the right course. I have come

to learn that you have set out

for Iraq. I warn you against

[causing] discord; for I fear

that you will be destroyed

because of that. I am sending

to you ‘Abdullah bin Ja’far and

Yahya bin Sa’id, so come to

me along with them and you

shall be given protection and

treated with kindness and


46

enjoy [my] good neighbor-

hood. And I take Allah to be a

witness, a guarantor, a

guardian and a protector for

[all I have said]. Peace be

upon you.”

‘Abdullah then brought the

letter to ‘Amr bin Sa’id and

said: “Seal it” and he did so.

Thereafter, ‘Abdullah and

Yahya bin Sa’id [set out

towards al-Husayn (as)] with

the letter. [When they

reached,] Yahya read the

letter to him.

Al-Husayn (as) wrote [in

reply]: “He who invites the

people towards Allah, the

Almighty, the Majestic, and

does good and says: I am one

of the Muslims, has not stood

in opposition to Allah and his

Messenger. Indeed you have

invited [me] to [your] protec-

tion and kindness but the best

protection (aman) is the

protection of Allah. He will

never grant His protection on

the Day of Judgment to one

who does not fear him in this

world. We therefore pray to

Allah to confer on us [his] fear

in this world so that it may

earn us His protection on the

Day of Judgment. If by your

letter you were intending to

show [your] kindness and

benevolence towards me,

then may Allah reward you in

this world and the hereafter.

That is all.”

Thereafter both of them

returned to [‘Umar bin Sa’id].

They said:

“We read the letter to him

and tried our best [to con-

vince him to return]. Among

the excuses he put forward to

us was that: “I have seen the

Messenger of Allah (S) in a

dream and I have been

commanded in it with a task

which I am [now] advancing

to carry it out, be it against

me or in my favour.”

They asked him: “What was

the dream about?”

[Al-Husayn (as)] replied: “I

have not told anyone of it and

I am not going to tell anyone

until I meet my Lord!”

��


47

Semantically, justice means

putting a thing or a matter in

its right place. With the same

token, injustice is to put a

thing in an inappropriate

place.

Conventionally, injustice

stands for the seizure of

rights, and the words and

deeds of hostility against

others, such as revilement,

backbiting, confiscation of

property, crimes of beating or

murder, and the like forms of

wrongdoings.

Injustice, however, is one of

the bad characteristics that

are deep-rooted in most of

the mentalities. All over

history, humankind suffered

various kinds of tragedies that

made life seem depressing. It

therefore is right to say that

injustice is the comprehensive

of sins, source of evils, and

incentive of corruption.

Polytheism is grave injustice

because instead of believing

on one and only one God, it

promotes the worshipping of

several gods. God says:

(On the Day of Judgment) to

redeem oneself of one's

injustice, one would gladly

spend the wealth of the whole

earth if it were possible. On

seeing the torment one will

try to hide his regret. They

will all be judged fairly and no

wrong will be done to them.

(10:54)

Do not think that Allah is

unaware of what the unjust

people do. (14:42)

We destroyed certain genera-

tions who lived before you

because of their injustice.

(10:13)

The unjust will face a painful

punishment. (14:22)

Allah does not love the unjust.

(3:57)

Allah does not guide the

unjust. (6:144)

The unjust will certainly have

no happiness. (6:21)

Injustice - The Worst of Vices

By: Dr. Syed Rizvi – Source: http://islamicwisdom.net/injustice/


48

Abu Bassir narrated the

following:

Imam Ali (a) said: By Allah,

even if I am given all the

domains of the seven (stars)

with all that exists under the

skies in order that I may

disobey Allah to the extent of

snatching one grain of barley

from an ant, I would not do it.

For me, your world is lighter

than the leaf in the mouth of

a locust that is chewing it.

What has Ali to do with

bounties that will pass away

and pleasures that will not

last?

Two parties of litigation filed

their case before Imam as-

Sadiq (a). After he had

listened to both of them, the

Imam spoke: It is quite true

that he who seizes something

by wrong means is not seizing

goodness. Certainly, the

oppressed party seizes from

the religion of the wronging

party more than that which

the wronging party seizes

from the oppressed party’s

property. He who does evil to

people should not show

loathing towards the evil that

is done to him. As a matter of

fact, man will harvest nothing

but that which he sowed. No

one will harvest sweetness

from the bitter, and no one

will harvest bitterness from

the sweet.

These words of the Imam (a)

made the two parties settle

their litigation before they left

him.

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: He

who seizes his brother’s

property wrongfully will

consume a flame of fire on

the Day of Resurrection.

As for him who wrongs

others, Allah will cause him,

his descendants, or the

descendants of his descend-

ants to be wronged by

absolute persons.

When the Imam was asked

how it is acceptable for God to

cause somebody to wrong the

descendants of the wrongdo-

er, he referred to God’s

saying:

Those who are concerned

about the welfare of their own


49

children after their death

should have fear of Allah and

guide them properly. (4:9)

To punish sons for their

fathers’ crimes is restricted

only to those who accept and

welcome their fathers’ wrong-

doings so that they would

inherit such usurped proper-

ties. To punish such sons is a

reproach that discourages the

wrongdoers from aggressions

out of their care for their dear

sons. It is also a good tiding

for the oppressed individuals

that their oppressors will be

punished eventually.

The Prophet (s) said: For

anyone who begins his day

without having the intent to

oppress anybody, Allah will

forgive his sins that he

committed against his Lord.

Forms of Injustice

1. Self-Wronging

Self-wronging is the negli-

gence of the obedience to

God.

Therein, disappointment and

humility will be the result:

(I swear) By the soul and that

(Power) which designed it and

inspired it with knowledge of

evil and piety, those who

purify their souls will certainly

have everlasting happiness

and those who corrupt their

souls will certainly be deprived

(of happiness) (91:10).

2. Injustice towards the

Family

Injustice towards the family

occurs when the paterfamilias

neglects to apply the true

Islamic education to them,

overlook to guide them to

virtue, uses excessive severity

and violence, and prevents

them from having the necessi-

ties of good livelihood. Such

matters cause material and

ethical shortcomings to the

family members.


Relatives

This form of injustice occurs

when the relatives are desert-

ed, disappointed in misfor-

tunes, and deprived of

feelings of kindness. Such


50

matters bring about enmity

and disregard of relations.


Society

This form of injustice occurs

when the individuals of a

society are treated proudly,

their rights are neglected,

dignities are disrespected, and

interests are disregarded.

Such behaviors cause social

corruption. The most hideous

forms of social injustice is

wronging the weak individuals

who lack the ability to defend

themselves and have no

weapon other than complain-

ing and supplicating to the All-

merciful Just Lord.

Imam al-Baqir (a) said: When

my father was dying, he

hanged me to his chest and

said: Son, I command you

with the matter that my father

said to me that his father had

commanded him with when

he was dying. I command you

to beware of wronging him

who has no supporter against

you except Allah.

5. Injustice of the Rulers

This sort of injustice is the

gravest.

Imam as-Sadiq (a) narrated:

Allah ordered, by revelation,

one of the prophets to go to

the absolute ruler of that

kingdom and say to him: I

have not appointed you for

shedding their blood and

seizing their property. I only

appointed you for responding

to the cries of the oppressed

people. Even if they are

atheists, I will not neglect the

oppressions that the wronged

people encounter.

Imam as-Sadiq (a) related on

the authority of his forefa-

thers that the Prophet (s)

said: On the Day of Resurrec-

tion, Hell will speak to three

categories of people: the

rulers, the reciters, and the

wealthy. It will say to the

ruler: ‘Allah gave you authori-

ty, but you did not rule justly.’

Hell, then, will swallow him in

the same way as birds swal-

low grains of sesame.


51

To the reciter, Hell will say:

‘You adorned yourself before

people but fought against

Allah by committing the acts

of disobedience to him.’ Hell,

then, will swallow him.

To the wealthy, Hell will say:

‘Allah showered you with

abundant worldly wealth, but

when He asked you for a loan,

you refused out of your

stinginess.’ Hell, then, will

swallow him.

The previous threat is not

restricted only to the wrong-

doers; it also includes those

who join the oppressors,

those who accede to their

deeds, and those who con-

tribute in their evildoings. All

these are partners in the sin

and the punishment:

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: The

wrongdoer, his supporter, and

the one who accepts his deed

are partners (of the same

crime).

To stand by the oppressed

people and protect them from

inequity is one of the best

acts of obedience to God that

leave nice traces and good

marks on the spiritual and

material existence of human-

kind.

Imam al-Kadhim (a) said to

Ibn Yaqtin: Guarantee for me

one thing and I will guarantee

for you three things: guaran-

tee for me that you will settle

the need of anyone of our

adherents that you meet in

the center of caliphate and I

guarantee for you that you

shall not encounter the strike

of swords, you shall not be

under the ceiling of any cell,

and poverty shall never visit

your house.

Abu al-Hasan (a) said: There

are certain disciples of Allah

who accompany the rulers for

guarding Allah’s disciples.

(According to another report,)

Those are the ones whom

Allah will save from Hell.

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: The

expiation of holding govern-

mental authorities is to settle

the needs of our friends.

A man asked Imam as-Sadiq

(a) to write a message to an-


52

Nejashi, the treasury official

of al-Ahwaz and Persia, to

cancel the debts that he owed

his office, since an-Nejashi

was the follower of the Imam.

The Imam did, and the man

carried that message to an-

Nejashi and handed it over to

him when they were alone. In

that message, the Imam (a)

wrote: In the Name of Allah

the Compassionate the

Merciful. Please your brother

and Allah will please you.

As he read the message, an-

Nejashi kissed and put it

between his eyes and asked

the man about his need. I

owe your office ten thousand

dirhams, said the man. An-

Nejashi asked his secretary to

cancel the debt and record

ten thousand dirhams that the

man would have the next

year. He then took out ten

thousand dirhams and gave to

the man and asked, Have I

pleased you? Yes, you have,

answered the man. An-

Nejashi took another bag of

ten thousand dirhams and

gave to the man and asked,

Have I pleased you? Yes, you

certainly have, said the man.

An-Nejashi went on giving

that man everything, including

a riding animal, a bond

maiden, and a servant, and

asking whether he had

pleased him until it was the

turn of the rug on which he

was sitting. He also asked the

man to provide all his needs

so that he would settle them.

The man came to Imam as-

Sadiq (a) and told him of the

whole story. The Imam was

highly delighted. Son of God’s

Messenger, asked the man,

Are you pleased by that which

an-Nejashi had done to me?

The Imam answered: Yes,

indeed, by Allah. His deed has

also pleased Allah and His

Messenger.

Bad Consequences of

Injustice

To deem ugly and deny

injustice is a natural quality of

humankind. The freedom

lovers refute injustice and

exert all efforts for fighting

against it. Commonness of

injustice is the most danger-


53

ous epidemic on societies,

since it causes social collapse.

To overlook acts of injustice

encourages the oppressors to

go beyond the limits in

aggression and criminality. It

also enjoins the oppressed

people to revenge themselves

upon others. Such being the

case, disorder will be com-

mon. All this will certainly

produce dissolution of nations

as well as loss of security and

luxury.

Treatment of Injustice

It is very difficult to treat from

injustice and pull up its roots.

At any rate, it may be possible

to ease the sharpness of

injustice by:

1. Keeping in mind the virtues

of justice and nice influence,

such as spread of peace,

amicability, and comfort.

2. Learning lessons from the

disadvantages and mental and

material damages of injustice,

3. Strengthening the religious

restraint by means of educat-

ing the conscience and the

feelings of the values and

purposeful concepts of faith,

and

4. Studying the examples of

the despots who suffered the

evilest consequences because

of their tyranny and injustice.

It is narrated that a Kurdish

celebrity, once, was invited to

a banquet of a prince. As he

noticed two grilled partridges

on the banquet, he smiled.

The prince asked him for a

reason. He narrated: When I

was in the vigor of my youth,

I waylaid a merchant. When I

was about to kill him, he

begged me, but, uselessly.

When he despaired, he turned

to two partridges that were on

a mountain and asked them

to be the witnesses on that

crime. Now, I remembered

that situation when my eyes

fell on these two grilled

partridges.

As the man finished, the

prince said: Yes, the two

partridges testified on your

crime. He then ordered to

behead that man.

��


54

The name of our seventh

Imam is Musa and his nick-

name is Kazim; Abu al-Hasan

and Abu Ibrahim are his

patronymics. The Shi‘as and

advocates have named him

Bab al-Hawa’ij (the gate to

the fulfillment of needs).

Imam Musa al-Kazim (as) was

born on Sunday, Safar 7,

128/November 8, 745 in

Abwa’. His period of Imamate

was simultaneous with the

later part of the caliphate of

the Abbasid Mansur and in the

period of Hadi's caliphate and

thirteen years of Harun's

caliphate, which was the most

adverse time of his life.

At the age of around 21,

Imam Musa al-Kazim (as)

undertook the exalted position

of Imamate by the will of his

father and the command of

the Almighty Allah. His

Imamate lasted a short while

more than thirty five years,

which was longer than other

Imams except for the twelfth

Imam, (ATF).

The Appearance, Traits,

and Morals of Imam Musa

al-Kazim (as)

Imam al-Kazim (as) was of a

medium stature. His counte-

nance was radiant and his

hair black and thick.

His noble body had become

emaciated due to copious

worship. However, he still

enjoyed a powerful spirit and

a resplendent heart. Accord-

ing to most of the historians

Imam al-Kazim (as) was well-

known for his asceticism and

devotion. In worship and

assiduity, he was known as

‘Abd al-Salih (pious servant);

in generosity and munificence,

he was like his honorable

ancestors. He would bring

along bags of 300, 400, and

2000 dinars to give out to the

needy and the disabled. Imam

Musa b. Ja‘far (as) is quoted

as saying: “My father (Imam

al-Sadiq a.s.) would constant-

ly enjoin me to be generous

and gracious.”

Bab al-Hawa’ij, Imam Musa b. Ja‘far (A.S.) By: Ahmad Ahmadi Birjandi


55

Despite his graciousness and

generosity to others, he would

always wear coarse clothes,

being described as “coarse-

clothed and simple-dressed”,

which is another indication of

his lofty soul, purity of the

heart, and detachment from

the deceitful gaudiness of the

world.

Imam Musa al-Kazim (as) was

very affectionate and kind

toward his wife and children

and the inferior. He was

always concerned with the

poor and the desperate,

helping them secretly or

openly. Some of the poor

people in Medina had recog-

nized him, but others found

out about his generosity and

grandeur and realized who he

was only after he was exiled

to Baghdad.

Imam al-Kazim (as) was very

fond of reciting the Holy

Qur’an. He would recite it with

such a doleful and fine voice

that people would gather

around his residence to listen

to his recitation tearfully and

earnestly. There were some

malevolent people who would

curse him and his noble

ancestors and say rude words

to him. Encountering them

with patience and tolerance,

however, he would guide

them and draw their attention

to the moral rectitude and

virtue.

Some anecdotes in this

respect have been historically

recorded. The nickname

Kazim, meaning the one who

restrains [and suppresses] his

anger, is rooted in these

events. That was his treat-

ment of those who, out of

ignorance or being instigated

by the enemies, committed

indecent and vile actions

toward him. His wise and

tolerant behavior gradually

made the rightfulness of the

Infallible Ahl al-Bayt (as) clear

and evident to them.

However, whenever it so

happened that the word of

Truth was to be expressed

against a tyrant caliph or

sultan, Imam Musa al-Kazim

(as) would say: “Speak out

the Truth even if it leads to


56

your perishing.” Truth is so

highly valued that people

could be sacrificed to preserve

it. He was a paradigm of

humbleness, as he was in his

other competent traits. He

would associate with poor,

soothe and comfort the

helpless, consider the slave

and the free as equal, and

would say: “We are children

of Adam and created by the

One God.”

Abu Hanifa is quoted as

saying: “I saw him in his

childhood and asked him

some questions to which he

gave such answers as if he

had been nurtured from the

fountainhead of Wilayat.

Imam Musa b. Ja‘far (as) was

indeed a learned and compe-

tent jurist and a skilful and

authoritative orator.”

Imam al-Kazim (as) in the

Bastion of Teaching Truths

and Struggle

The promulgation of the

Ja‘fari jurisprudence and

ethics as well as exegesis and

theology which had com-

menced since the time of

Imam al-Sadiq (as) and

throughout the era of Imam

Muhammad al-Baqir (as), was

carried on in the time of

Imam Musa al-Kazim (as),

who followed the footsteps of

his noble ancestors to make

people more and more

familiar with the straight line

of Imamate and the truth of

Ja‘fari school of thought; and

to hand over this glowing

torch through ages to the

coming generations.

The Abbasid caliphs were

always, by way of oppression

and over-indulgence in

pleasure seeking, intending to

wipe out the Hashemites so

that they would put the

progeny of ‘Ali (as), away

from the political arena, and

curtail their power over the

Islamic states. To achieve this

malicious purpose, they

encouraged and sponsored

some of the Ja‘fari school

disciples to establish another

school against the Ja‘fari

School. In this way, different

schools of thoughts were


57

founded, each with its own

juristic method. The govern-

ments of the time and the

ones that followed them

supported these schools in

order to achieve power and

considered their discrepancies

to the benefits of their own

ends.

Toward the end of Mansur

Dawaniqi's caliphate, coincid-

ing with the early years of the

Imamate of Imam Musa al-

Kazim (as), “many of the

rebellious Sayyids who were

typically from among the

scholars and the brave and

pious followers of the Holy

Prophet (S)'s household and

were closely related with the

Imams (as), were killed as

martyrs.

These noble figures would rise

up to fend off oppression and

to disseminate the charter of

justice and to enjoin right and

forbid wrong, and would

finally give their lives for the

essentials of the Islamic

teachings; thus awakening the

sleeping souls. They would

sacrifice their own souls and

let their own bloodshed in the

Islamic cities and towns to

keep the call to prayer (ad-

han) reverberating from the

minarets of the mosques.”[1]

The wickedness of the Abbas-

id was not restricted to this

event. These cruel caliphs

literally plastered hundreds of

Sayyids under the walls or

inside the pillars, and incar-

cerated hundreds of others in

the dark of the dungeons or

murdered them. Surprisingly

enough, all these crimes and

murders were perpetrated

under the guise of Islam, in

order to quell the riots.

Imam Musa b. Ja‘far (as) was

never at peace and quiet in

such critical situations,

witnessing and hearing all

those painful scenes and

widespread outrages. The

holy Imam (as) evidently

witnessed that the tyrannical

caliphs intended to ruin and

wipe out the human and

Islamic principles. For years

he was chased and persecut-

ed and spent, reportedly,

between four to fourteen


58

years of his life under arrest,

in exile, in prison, or in

solitary confinements in

Baghdad dungeons in shack-

les.

Without being by any means

apprehensive of the despotic

ruling system of Harun, Imam

Musa b. Ja‘far (as) would

attend to the affairs of his

household and those of the

Sayyids who survived the

genocide; and spared no time

in gathering, protecting, and

organizing their survivors.

When the Imam (as) was in

Medina, Harun had assigned

someone to spy on the

movements in and out of

Imam (as)'s house and to

keep him posted on whatever

happened there. Harun was

extremely afraid of the Imam

(as)'s popularity and spiritual

influence. He is reported as

saying about Imam Musa b.

Ja‘far (as): “I fear that he will

set up a revolt and cause

bloodshed.”[2]

It was quite evident that even

these “holy uprisings” led by

the ‘Alawi Sayyids and devot-

ed Shi‘ites, and sometimes

attended directly themselves

on the front line of the

uprising and gallant ventures,

were called fitna (sedition) by

the rulers who were plunged

in worldly pleasures and self-

indulgence.

The above statement by

Harun, on the other hand,

shows that the Imam (as) had

never been a single moment

negligent of abolishing

tyranny and pulling down the

despotic regime. When Mahdi

‘Abbasi asks the Imam (as):

“Would you grant me security

from your rebellion?”[3], it

proves the fear that the

tyrannical Abbasid regime had

of the Imam (as) and his

companions and Shi‘ites.

Actually, Imam Musa al-Kazim

(as)'s spiritual influence on

the ruling system was to such

an extent that people like ‘Ali

b. Yaqtin, the chief minister of

the Abbasid government,

were among the advocates of

Imam Musa b. Ja‘far (as) and

would follow his order.


59

The informers of the govern-

ment took words to Harun

about ‘Ali b. Yaqtin and spoke

ill behind him. The Imam (as),

however, enjoined him to stay

on in the Harun ruling system

by way of skillful tactics and

misleading strategies such as

taqiyya (precautionary dissim-

ulation) which, in some case,

is necessary to fend off the

enemies' treachery and is a

kind of secret combat, and to

persevere in propagating the

Faith and improving the

spiritual endeavors of truth-

seekers with the help of the

Shi‘ites and the advocates of

Imam ‘Ali’s progeny without

letting the blood-thirsty

enemy know about it.

Eventually, however, evil-

speaking by Harun's courtiers

about Imam al-Kazim (as)

worked and in a Hajj pilgrim-

age in 179/795, Harun

learned more and more about

Imam (as)'s great spirituality

and the respect the people

showed for him. Thus, Harun

was very perplexed in this

respect. As he arrived in

Medina, having visited and

making a ziyara of the Holy

Shrine of the Prophet (S), he

made his decision to arrest

the Imam (as), namely the

grandson of the Prophet (S).

As the owner of fabulous

palaces on the banks of the

Dijla and the ruler of the

empire of the Islamic lands,

Harun was so afraid of the

Imam (as) that when the

Imam (as) was supposed to

be taken from Medina to

Basra, he ordered several

other camel-litters be sent

along with the Imam's litter

and on the way several of

them be diverted and sent

other ways so that people

would get confused about the

real destination and exile

place of the Holy Imam (as),

be disappointed with him,

gradually get accustomed to

the absence of their true

leader, and be prevented from

revolting and rebellion.

Harun first had Imam Musa

al-Kazim (as) shackled and

taken to Basra and wrote to

‘Isa b. Ja‘far b. Mansur,


60

governor of Basra, to incar-

cerate the Imam (as) for one

year and then at the end of

this period kill him. ‘Isa

refused to do so. Harun

transferred the Holy Imam

(as) to Baghdad surrendered

him to Fadhl b. Rabi‘. For a

while, Imam Musa al-Kazim

(as) was in Fadhl's prison,

where he spent his time

worshipping and praying to

Allah Almighty. Harun also

ordered Fadhl to murder the

Imam (as), but he too de-

clined.

Anyhow, the Imam (as) was

for years transferred from one

prison to another. In dark

prisons and dreadful dun-

geons, the honorable Imam

(as) would be engaged in

supplication and pray to his

real Beloved (Allah) and was

thankful to Allah Almighty for

having granted him this

chance of Divine worship in

solitary.

Finally, the honorable Imam

(as) was poisoned to death by

a tyrant called Sindi b. Shahak

by the order of Harun at the

age of 55 in 183/799. Surpris-

ingly, being well aware of the

high personality of Imam

Musa b. Ja‘far (as) and his

popularity among people,

Harun tried after Imam (as)'s

martyrdom to convince people

that he had died a natural

death and not poisoned;

however, the truth never

remained veiled.

His sacred body was laid to

rest in the Quraysh cemetery

near Baghdad. Since that

time, his resting place gained

grandeur and magnificence

and appealed to people of all

classes; the city of Kazimayn

was built up there and began

to develop and flourish

afterwards.[4]

Notes:

[1]. Imam dar ‘Ayniyat-i Jami‘a,

p. 57.

[2]. Imam dar ‘Ayniyat-i Jami‘a,

p. 59.

[3]. Wafiyat al-A‘yan wa Inba’

Abna’ al-Zaman, vol.2, p.256.

[4]. Majmu‘a-yi Zindigi-yi

Chahardah Ma‘sum ‘Alayhim al-

Salam, p. 145.

��


61

Kids

Corner

Importance of the

Month of Rajab

Rajab marks the beginning

of the spiritual season of

every believer ending with

the end of the fasting

month of Ramadan with the

Eid Al Fitr. These three

months, Rajab, Shaban and

Ramadan, are unmatched in

their importance.

Praise be to the Almighty

and thanks to Him for

granting us another oppor-

tunity to cleanse ourselves

of our sins and oversights.

The Holy Prophet (S) has

said: "Verily, Rajab is Allah's

month, Shaban my month

and Ramadan the month of

my Ummah; whosoever fasts

a day in the month of Rajab

will be granted the great

reward of Ridwan (an angel

in heaven); the wrath of

Allah shall be distanced and

a door of the Hell shall be

closed."

What is in this month of

Rajab?

• Rajab is one of the four

sacred months in Islam in

which battles are prohib-

ited.

• Rajab is month of Suppli-

cation, Fasting and seeking

forgiveness from Allah

(SwT).

• 1st of Rajab: Wiladat of Imam Muhammad Baqir (as)

• 3rd of Rajab: Shahadat of Imam Ali Naqi (as)

• 5th of Rajab: Wiladat of Imam Ali Naqi (as)

• 9th of Rajab: Wiladat of Ali Asghar (as)

• 10th of Rajab: Wiladat of Imam Muhammad Taqi (as)


62

• 13th of Rajab: Wiladat of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as)

• 15th of Rajab: Shahadat Sayyeda Zainab (as)

• 24th of Rajab: Fateh Khaiber

• 25th of Rajab: Shahadat of Imam Musa Al Kazim (as)

• 26th of Rajab: Wafat Hazrat Abu Talib (as)

• 27th of Rajab: Eid e Mub’us

• 28th of Rajab: Departure of Imam Hussain (as) from Medina to Makkah

• Giving Sadaqah in this

month is highly recom-

mended.

��

Birthday Celebration of Amir al-Mominin

Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS)

Dear kids! Imam Ali (as) was the paternal cousin of Prophet Muhammad (S). He was born inside Kaaba on

Friday 13th Rajab 30 Aamul Feel. His father was Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib. The Prophet’s father Hazrat Abdullah and Hazrat Abu Talib (as) were real brothers. The Fact that Hazrat Ali (as) was born inside Kaaba has never been contradicted by any sect of the followers of Islam. No one was born inside the Kaaba before Hazrat Ali (as) and no one will ever.

Imam Ali (as) was brought up by Prophet Muhammad (s), he stayed with Prophet (S) all the time and from the time the Prophet (S) declared his Prophethood until his death Hazrat Ali (as) was always his right hand.

When the Prophet (S) migrated to Medina Hazrat Ali (as) slept on Prophet’s bed to save his life. In the battle of Badr out of the total number of enemies killed, Imam Ali (as) killed half of them while the remaining half were killed by other Muslim warriors. In the battle of Ohd when many


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of the Muslims fled from the battle field, even though Imam Ali (as) was injured, he never left his post & fought bravely. It was in this battle that Allah sent him a sword.

On Imam Ali’s birthday, people pray to God that the qualities that Imam Ali possessed be fostered upon them so that they can lead a life like the Imam himself led, honest, just, brave and wise. People also take a vow that like Imam Ali, they will also devote their life for the cause of Islam.

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Imam Hadi (AS) and Respect of Islamic

Scholar

There was a great Shia

Scholar in the days of our

10th Imam, Imam Hadi (as).

Once a Nasibi (a person who

curses the Ahlul Bayt) had a

debate with this scholar and

the scholar defeated him

through Qura'nic verses and

Prophetic traditions.

One day this scholar came

into a gathering, which

consisted mostly of Alavids

and people of Banu Hashim;

and Imam Hadi (as) was also

present. In the centre of

that gathering, Imam Hadi

(as) was seated and there

was a huge pillow placed at

that spot. As soon as Imam

Hadi (as) saw this scholar,

he (as) rose from his place

and asked the scholar to

come forward until the

Imam Hadi (as) made him sit

next to him and offered him

the pillow to relax.

One old man from Banu

Hashim did not like this, so

he complained saying, "O Son

of the Prophet Muhammad

(pbuh)! How can you give

preference to an ordinary

person over a Sayyid who

belongs to the progeny of

Abu Talib and Abbas?"

When the Imam Hadi (as)

heard this, he (as) was

extremely furious with the

old man and started quoting

verses from the Noble


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Qur'an to prove the su-

premacy of a scholar over

everyone else.

Imam Hadi (as) asked the

people present there: "Do

you believe the commands of

Allah (SWT) in the Noble

Qur'an?"

They all said, "Yes!"

Then the Imam Hadi (as)

said, "Hasn't Allah (SWT)

said: 'Allah will raise those

who have faith and those

who have been given

knowledge in rank...'? Noble

Qur'an (58:11)

Then know that just as Allah

(SWT) loves a Mumin over a

non-Mumin, similarly, He

loves a Mumin with

knowledge over a Mumin

without knowledge. (Now tell

me) Hasn't Allah (SWT) also

said, 'Say (O Muhammad):

Can those who know and

those who do not know be

equal? Verily only the men of

understanding take the

heed'? Noble Qur'an (39:9)

Then why are you people

trying to stop me from

giving preference to one who

has been preferred by Allah

(SWT)? This Scholar has

utilized his knowledge, which

Allah (SWT) has blessed him

and defeated our enemy

with it. This act is better

than any family ties and

relation in my eyes".

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Brief Sayings of Imam Muhammad Taqi (as):

1. The best faithful is the one whose morality is best of all.

2. Man's perfection is in intelligence.

3. Whosoever depends on God, God saves him from every evil.

4. Do know that you are not away from the sight of Allah, So see to it that in what condition you are living (sinfulness or piety).

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