the message - rajab al murajjab - 1435 ah

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Food for Thought: - Sayings of Imam Ali (a.s.) 02

2 From the Editor’s Desk 03

3 Your Daily-Life Questions Answered 05

4 The Dhikr of Allah in All States 07

5 The Brief Biographies of Imam Ali, Imam Muhammad Baqir,

Imam Muhammad Taqi & Imam Musa Kazim (A.S.) 25

6 The Ahlul Bayt (A.S.) are the natural continuity of the Mission

of their grandfather 33

7 Necessary Preparations for Universal Government 42

8 Eid al-Mab'ath: The Appointment of Prophet (S) to Prophetic

Mission 46

9 Lessons for a Physician in Dua e Makarim al Akhlaq 51

10 Why Mosquitoes Are The Worst? 55

Kids CornerKids CornerKids CornerKids Corner

11 Birthday Celebration of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (A.S.) 61

12 Imamat is Guidance We Need 62

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The Message Rajab al-Murajjab 1435 AH

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1. How strange is this man!

He becomes happy when

he gains that which would

never miss him, and be-

comes sad when he

misses that which he

would never catch.

2. O people, beware of

fondness of this world,

because it is the head of

every sin.

3. The gravest sin is to seize

the wealth of a Muslim

wrongly.

4. No one will find the true

taste of faith before he

neglects telling lies

whether seriously or jo-

kingly.

5. People perish due to two

things—fear of poverty

and seeking of pride.

6. A single word often spoils

the grace.

7. He whose dress is chosen

by knowledge will have his

defects screened from

people.

8. Meet people in such a

manner that if you die

they should weep for you

and if you live they should

long for you.

9. To render relief to the

grief-stricken and to pro-

vide comfort in hardship

means the atonement of

great sins.

10. Long hope will unavoida-

bly lead to the negligence

of acting –good deeds-.

11. Do not despair because of

your sin while the portals

of repentance are open.

12. A pure repentance is

feeling of sorrow in the

heart, seeking forgiveness

with the tongue (by utter-

ance), and the intention

not to do so ever again.

13. He (Allah) is too generous

and glorious to cancel the

forgiveness that He pro-

vides for a believer in this

world when He covers up

his defect.

��

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Sayings of Imam Ali (a.s.)

Rajab al-Murajjab 1435 AH The Message

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In the name of Allah the

all mercy the ever mercy

Brother and Sisters,

Salam Alaikum.

Alhamdulillah we have com-pleted ten years of “The Message” magazine publication. A sincere thank you to all our sponsors and supporters.

If we look around us, we conclude that one of the cheapest things is human life. People are abducted, tortured and eventually killed. We hear the news but simply ignore it, as if goats and sheep are being slaughtered on Eid-e-Qurban.

It’s not only Karachi, Pakistan or some other Muslim countries; rather it’s everywhere in the world that people are facing this situation. To find out who is responsible is a difficult task and those who know also keep silent on such issues. The well known “unofficial” tortures in Iraq, Afghanistan and the so called Al-Qaida war, the Guantanamo bay, prisons in Iraq, the pictures taken in these prisons and thousands of such examples prove that people around the world are being

made to realize that it is better to mind their own business. As the forces are powerful and one cannot do anything against them. Therefore, ordinary people keep silent. But when we study Karbala, we under-stand that in such situations one person is not ready to accept the zulm done by a system, the faithful than said Labbaik Ya Hussain and stood in the way of Allah, fully supporting their leader. Al-though according to short sighted people they did not succeed, but history proved that it had a long term favorable and deep effect.

So Momineen, it’s not that we succeed or lose in terms of present situation; we have to perform our duty. We cannot just sit back and say that we have to care for our family and our business. Had it been so then, why Momineen in the early days of Islam, during Amirul Momineen (a.s.) days of khilafat or the stand of Imam Hussain (a.s.), stood up with their leaders and gave away all what they had in the way of Islam. The holy Quran says:

From The Editor’s Desk


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“Say, ‘If your fathers and your sons, your brethren, your spouses, and your kinsfolk, the possessions that you have acquired, the business you fear may suffer, and the dwellings you are fond of, are dearer to you than Allah and His Apostle and to waging jihad in His way, then wait until Allah issues His edict, and Allah does not guide the transgressing lot.’”

(Quran: 9-24) Islam has one standard; everyone has to perform his duty. You cannot outsource your duty to others. So, I humbly request Momineen during the holy days of Rajab, Shaban and Ramadan al-Mubarak to realize the fact that sitting back will bring more problems to us and our future generations. The takfiri missio-nary work has gained footings and we have to fight against it on war footings.

Positive tabligh and social services are the best possible tools. We are here to facilitate these services. You perform your duty by supporting us and Alhamdulillah our team is running day and night every-where in Pakistan to reduce the

impact of propaganda against the followers of Ahl e Bait a.s.

These are the days when we get spiritually charged and try to collect some deeds for the day when we won’t be able to collect them. Momineen are requested to speak out against the takfiri and extremist elements who are trying to prove that they are the real Muslims and all others are non-believers.

More than 100 TV Channels across the world are propagating anti Shia sentiments and a few are clearly propagating anti Ahl-e-Sunnah propagation. Both are elements of anti Islamic powers. We need to increase harmony among ourselves just like Amirul Momineen (a.s.) did in his lifetime, otherwise look at Syria...!

Allah bless all of us in this holy month and may we become real humble servant of Allah (s.w.t.) with the guidance and blessings of Ahl-e-Bait (a.s.).

JazakAllah & iltemas e dua.

Long Live Islam,

Long Live Pakistan.

Shabbir H. Maisami (Lakhani) Editor

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Q.1: Does Shariah allow adoption of a child? And is there any prohibition in adopting a non Shia child/infant.

Ans.: Adoption of a Muslim child is allowed in Islam.

Q.2: What would be the ahkam relating to mahram and na-mahram?

Ans.: Either the child should be made mahram in one of the Sharia ways or proper hijab conditions will have to be observed when the child reaches the age of puberty.

Q.3: Some people may develop an infection of the feet and In order to cure it, the person needs to take certain creams. Does applying such cream have a negative effect on the wiping of the foot in Wud-hu?

Ans.: Usual kinds of cream do not prevent water from reaching the skin.

Q.4: Can I buy shares /stock from a foreign market.

Ans.: Yes, it is permissible but it is not permissible to buy shares of companies that deal with prohibited matters like wine and pig and the like of it if the buyer becomes a partner in owning such things.

Q.5: What is the Diyah (compensation) if a woman aborted her baby (foetus) of three weeks?

Ans.: Whoever performs the abortion "i.e. doctor" will become liable for the payment of indemnity and the kaffarah (fasting for two consecutive months) too.

In this case the amount of Diyah depends on the age of the foetus:

If it is Nutfah = 105 Mithqal of silver and

If it is Alaqah = 210 Mithqal of silver.

Your Daily-Life Questions Answered


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Q.6: Must the Diyah be paid immediately or can it be delayed?

Ans.: It is like the rest of the debts that should be paid with the request of the victim and the ability of the offender to pay.

Q.7: What if one does not have enough money or means to pay Diyah?

Ans.: If the offender cannot pay Diyah, it stays as a debt on him.

Q.8: According to Shia law, does the woman have the right to divorce herself from her husband?

Ans.: The husband is usually the one who divorces the wife. Yes, if the wife puts a condi-tion in the marriage contract that she will be his agent in her own divorce in such a way that she cannot be discharged from such appointment and the husband agreed to this, then she can divorce herself

on behalf of her husband.

Q.9: In the event of divorce, who is entitled to custody of children, the father or the mother?

Ans.: The right of the custody of the children is for the mother for the first two years of the child’s age. After that, it is obligatory on her to give the custody to the father if he asks for it. At the same time, the father should not prevent the mother from correspond-ing with her child as this is a right for both the child and the mother.

Q.10: When a girl becomes 9 years old, does she have the right to choose whether she wants to live with her father or her mother?

Ans.: Yes, if she reached the age of nine years, she can decide with whom she wants to live. The obligatory ex-penses are the responsibility of father (with conditions) even if the boy or the girl decided to live with any of them.

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Of the things which all people are responsible for enacting, however not all are able to, is to remember Allah (SwT) in all states. The remembering of Allah (SwT) should only be done for one reason which is to remember Allah (SwT) and this act should have no other incentives associated with it.

The word Dhikr has three meanings to it: verbal, spiritual and the applied or practical Dhikr.

The verbal Dhikr is something easy; the Dhikr in the heart which makes up the spiritual Dhikr is somewhat more difficult; while the Dhikr which is manifest in one's actions is the most difficult of all!

The Dhikr in one's actions means that in a person's actions in his life, he recog-nizes that Allah (SwT) is present and watching - his

actions truly show that he realizes that Allah (SwT) is present all the time.

Seeing as how this form of remembrance of Allah (SwT) is the most important verbal declaration mentioned in the various traditions and has been emphasized a great deal, the Prophet (S) has stated, “The Dhikr is not

limited to only this (the

verbal remembrance of Allah

(SwT)). Rather, the reality of

Dhikr is that when a person

enters into a situation where

he has the ability to perform

a forbidden act, he fears

Allah (SwT) to such an extent

that he immediately refrains

from performing the deed

that would be transformed

into a sin in his records.”

Therefore, the Dhikr of Allah (SwT) is actually a very valuable treasure! No matter how much we speak about it,

The Dhikr of Allah in All States

By: Ayatollah al-Uzma Sheikh Nasir Makarim Shirazi

Translation: Shaykh Saleem Bhimji


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it is still not enough and in principle, the spirit of the Salat and worship is all contained within the Dhikr of Allah (SwT)!

By this we mean that in that amount that our attention and focus is in the Salat and in that amount that we have the presence of heart (hudhur al-qalb), only that amount is considered as the Salat while the rest of the prayers (where there is no presence of heart) is just like the skin of the fruit without the actual fruit!

The main purpose of all forms of worship (‘Ibadat) is the remembrance of Allah (SwT) as this is the most important factor in protecting the person who is put face to face with sins.

One who has soiled himself with crimes, transgressions and errors against his soul and brings disgrace onto himself (through these acts) is definitely not of those who remember Allah (SwT).

Truthfully, if he was a person

of remembrance of Allah (SwT), then at the time of coming face to face with a sin, he would fall into the remembrance of Allah (SwT). Through this remembrance, he would not become such a person of disgrace and he would not fall into such misfortunes and these states of dishonour would have been a lesson for him.

Therefore, if we wish to protect ourselves in the face of committing sins, then we must constantly be in a state of Dhikr of Allah (SwT) - we must be one who has developed the habit of ensuring that we do not forget Allah (SwT).

When one enters into a gathering, he must be sure to remember Allah (SwT) and this Dhikr of Allah (SwT) would actually be the source of tranquility and serenity of the person in this world as:

“Now surely with the re-

membrance (Dhikr) of Allah

are the hearts put at rest and

ease.”[1]


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Short Discussion Regard-ing Dhikr

1. What is the Dhikr of Allah and

how does it materialize?

Just as Raghib has mentioned in his book, al-Mufradat, the word Dhikr may sometimes refer to memorizing some information and facts with this stark difference that the word “EFG” or hifz (which is also used in the meaning of memorization) refers to the beginning period of memori-zation of something while the word “Hذآ” or Dhikr is used in reference to the continuation of this act.

Sometimes, this word is used in the meaning of remember-ing something - either a verbal recollection or a remembrance in the heart.

We read in the traditions [2] that Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (as) has said:

“Dhikr is of two types: the

remembrance of Allah, the

Noble and Grand, at the time

of tribulations and even

greater than this is the

remembrance of Allah (SwT)

in regards to that thing

which Allah has made

prohibited for you so then

this (form of Dhikr) acts as a

barrier (between the person

and that forbidden act).”[3]

It is because of this reason that in some of the traditions the remembrance of Allah (SwT) is referred to as the shield and means of protec-tion (from sins)!

In a tradition from Imam Ja’far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) we read that one day the Prophet (S) turned towards his companions and said:

“Take a shield for your-

selves.” The companions

said, “O' Messenger of Allah!

(Should we take up this

shield) in the face of our

enemies who have sur-

rounded us and who are

looking over us (to attack us

at any time?). “The Prophet

replied, “No. Rather, take

this shield as a protection

from the hell fire - say: 'Glory


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be to Allah and all praise

belongs to Allah and there is

no creature worthy of

worship except for Allah and

Allah is greater than can be

described.’”[4]

A Person who was con-stantly in the Dhikr of Allah (SwT)

The following example of Prophet Musa (as) is one which we must pay extra careful attention to, as he was one who was constantly in the remembrance of Allah (SwT). He had focused his entire attention on His Presence and called upon Him alone to remove all difficulties and challenges.

When this Prophet of Allah killed a Coptic man - which was an act referred to as a “Tark-e-Awla” (leaving a more preferable option) - we see that he immediately asked Allah (SwT) forgiveness and pardon and said:

“He (Musa) said: Surely I

have wronged myself, so

forgive me.”[5]

In addition, when he was leaving Egypt, he stated:

“He (Musa) said: My Lord

save me from the oppressive

people.”[6]

When he reached the city of Madyan, he said:

“He (Musa) said: Perhaps my

Lord may guide me to the

straight path…”

When the sheep of (Prophet) Shu’aib (as) were fed, became satiated and made their way towards the shade, Musa (as) he stated:

“He (Musa) said: O' my Lord!

I am in need of whatever

goodness you can send to

me.”[7]

Most notably in this last supplication which was read in one of the most critical junctions in the life of this Prophet, we see that with great reverence and manners, tempered with tranquility and serenity, he did not say,

“O' Allah! I am in need of You

removing my difficulties…“


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Rather, all he asked Allah (SwT) was,

“I am in need of Your good-

ness and kindness.”

[He did not ask for something in specific, rather, he left it to Allah (SwT) to fulfill whatever He destined for His servant.]

Of course, we should not assume that Prophet Musa (as) only remembered Allah (SwT) during times of difficul-ty, as it has been mentioned in the Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalain [8] that,

“Even when he lived in the

palace of the Pharaoh and

was surrounded by all of the

material treasures and

blessings, he still did not

forget Allah (SwT).”

Thus, in the traditions we read that, “One day, Musa (as) sneezed while in the presence of the Pharaoh and immediately said, 'All Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Universe'.

When the Pharaoh heard these words, he became

extremely upset and slapped Musa (as)! Musa (as) grabbed the Pharaoh by his hair and pulled it at which time, the Pharaoh became even more upset and decided to kill him, however the wife of Pharaoh convinced Pharaoh that Musa (as) was only a young child and did not know what he was doing and thus, she was able to save him from death.”[9]

Remembering Allah (SwT) in All States

Whenever the name of Allah (SwT) is taken, an entire universe of greatness, power, knowledge, and wisdom becomes manifest in the heart of the human being since He (SwT) is the holder of all of the most beautiful Names, the highest characteristics, the possessor of all of perfections and is free from any sort of defect or imperfection.

The constant focus and attention on such a reality (of Allah (SwT)) Who possesses such characteristics and traits


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guides the soul of a person towards goodness and purity and helps him keep away from all despicable acts. In other words, His characteris-tics seek to become manifest within the life of the person.

Focusing one's attention on such a worthy Creator brings a sense of awareness of constantly being within His presence. With this feeling, the distance between a person and the sins and spiritual pollution is made great.

Remembering Him (SwT) is a remembrance of vigilance; remembering Him (SwT) is the remembrance of accoun-tability and reward/ retribu-tion; remembering Him (SwT) is to remember His court of Justice, Paradise and Hell Fire and such a remembrance is what gives purity to the life and graces the soul with the Celestial Illumination of Allah (SwT) and existence.

It is due to this fact that within the Islamic traditions it

has mentioned that every-thing has a limit to it - except the remembrance of Allah (SwT) as there is no limit to it! According to the tradition mentioned in Usul al-Kafi, Imam Ja’far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) has said:

“There is not a single thing

(in the faith of Islam) except

that there is a limit set for it

so then when that limit is

met, then that act is com-

plete except for the Dhikr (of

Allah) since for this there is

no limit and no end to

it.”[10]

The Imam then said:

“Allah, the Glorious and

Noble, has obligated the

Salat, so then whoever fulfills

this act has fulfilled it to its

prescribed amount; the

month of Ramadan too (has

a limit) so then whoever

fasts the month has fulfilled

the limit; hajj too (has a

limit) so then whoever

performs the hajj has fulfilled

its limit; however there is no

limit set for the remem-


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brance (Dhikr) of Allah.

Surely Allah, the Glorious

and Noble, is not content

with a small amount of Dhikr

and has not set an end limit

for it.”

Then, the Imam (as) read the verse of the Qur’an which states,

{O' you who possess true

faith! Remember Allah an

abundantly remembrance

(Dhikran Kathiran) and

glorify Him in the morning

and at night.}”[11]

In this same tradition, Imam Ja’far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) narrates from his father, Imam Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Baqir (as) that he (the 5th Imam) was one who per-formed much Dhikr of Allah (SwT) and that anytime he walked with him, he would be in the Dhikr of Allah (SwT); when he ate, he would remember Allah (SwT); even when he was speaking to people, he would not be negligent of the Dhikr of Allah (SwT)…

The 6th Imam ends this tradition by stating the following very meaningful sentence:

“The house in which the

Qur’an is read and in which

Allah, the Glorious and

Noble, is remembered will

have its blessings multiplied,

the Angels will be present in

that house, the Satans will

flee from that house and

that house will shine for the

people of the heavens just as

the stars sparkle for the

people on Earth.”[12]

This issue is of such impor-tance that in the tradition, the remembrance of Allah (SwT) has been equated with the collection of all goodness of this life and the next life just as the Prophet of Allah (S) has stated:

“The person who has been

given (by Allah) a remember-

ing tongue (to extol His

greatness) has been given

goodness of both this life

and the next.”[13]


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Imam Ja’far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) has said,

“The person who remembers

Allah, the Glorious and Noble

much, Allah will cover Him

with the grace of His shadow

in His Paradise.”[14]

It goes without saying that all of the blessings and goodness which are accompanied by the remembrance of Allah (SwT) are not related to the mere verbal attestation and re-membrance of Allah (SwT) and the empty movements of the tongue with no thought, pondering (upon what is being said) and action (to what is being said). Rather, the purpose of this remem-brance should be to stir the springs of thought and contemplation - that same thought which would become manifest within the actions of the person. [15]

The Stages to Traverse in the Dhikr of Allah (SwT)

In regards to the stages which one must traverse in the Dhikr of Allah (SwT), one of the

commentators of the Qur`an [16] has stated:

1. The first stage is the Dhikr of His name, just as has been mentioned in the Qur`an in the verse of Suratul Muzammil:

“And remember the name of

your Lord and devote your-

self completely to Him.”[17]

2. The second stage is that of remembering the Sacred Essence of Allah (SwT) in the heart, just as we are told:

“And remember your Lord

within yourself humbly and

fearing…” [18]

3. The third stage - which is the ultimate level - is one in which a person ascends higher than just performing the Dhikr of Allah (SwT) and remembering the status of Lordship which He possesses. Rather, the person arrives at the state of the Dhikr of all of the characteristics of Beauty and Munificence of Allah (SwT) which are all present in


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His essence, just as we are told:

“O' you who have true faith,

remember Allah, a great deal

of remembering…”[19]

Thus, we see that the Dhikr of Allah (SwT) continues, traversing one stage after the other and through this, the person performing this Dhikr of Allah (SwT) would reach to the pinnacles of perfec-tion.[20]

The Various Forms of Dhikr

Dhikr is divided up into the Dhikr of the tongue (verbal); Dhikr of the heart (spiritual); and the Dhikr through one's actions. Thus, whenever we speak about the Dhikr of Allah (SwT) - which is such a great act - we must never think that it simply refers to the Dhikr of the tongue (the verbal form).

Rather, in the Islamic narra-tions, it is has been clearly mentioned that in addition to the verbal Dhikr, there is also the Dhikr in the heart and the

Dhikr through one's actions. Thus, when a person is about to perform a forbidden act, he must fall into the remem-brance of Allah (SwT) and through this, refrain from that act which he is not permitted to perform.

The ultimate purpose of what we have mentioned is that Allah (SwT) must be present in all aspects of a person's life and the Celestial Illumination of Allah (SwT) must take over and encompass a person's entire life; he must think and reason with this Celestial Illumination and must put into practice all of His command-ments.

A gathering of remembering Allah (SwT) is not a gathering in which a group of unaware people sit around in a circle and go forth in a mode of pleasure and recreation while at the same time recite some made-up incantations and make such an innovation (Bid’ah) in gatherings famous and well-known (amongst the people). If we read in the


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traditions that the Prophet (S) said: “Make your way to-

wards the gardens of Para-

dise.”

When he was asked: “And

what are the gardens of

Paradise?” The Prophet (S) replied: “Gatherings of the

remembrance (of Allah).”[21]

Gatherings of remembrance [of Allah (SwT)] are those in which the teachings of Islam are kept alive and instructive discussions & lessons of training (of the person) are mentioned and talked about in.

In such a gathering, a human is transformed into the true sense of the word a human and those people who are sinners are purified of their sins and are put back onto the path of Allah (SwT).[22]

The Best Forms of Re-membrance

1. The Dhikr of the Morning

and Evening

In Tafsir Qurtubi [23] and the

Tafsir of Abu'l Futuh Razi[24] in regards to verse 64 of

Suratul Zumur, there is a tradition from the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (as) in which he asked the Prophet (S) in regards to the meaning of “keys” mentioned in this verse to which the Prophet (S) replied:

“O' ‘Ali! Surely you have asked about the greatest of keys! This great key which you have asked about is that every morning and evening you say the following ten times,

مد �، و �� ا � ا � ، وسبحان وا� ك�� أة � وأستغفر و " �� ا قو� ل وا�) ا�' ) هو ( #� خر و�

مد لك و� ا� اهر والباطن � ا- 2 (والظ� 23 24ي وهو ع8 ) ت و26 بيده ا�:2� ء قد<2 2 AB D .

'There is no deity worthy of

worship except for Allah;

Allah is greater than any-

thing which can describe

him; all Glory belongs to

Allah and all Praise belongs

to Allah and I seek forgive-

ness from Allah and there is

no power except with Allah

and He is the First and the

Last and the Apparent and

the Hidden. To Him is the

Dominion and to Him be-


17

longs the Praise (He gives life

and death) in His hands is all

goodness and He has power

over all things.'

The Prophet continued and said, 'Whoever reads this every morning and night, Allah will grant this person six rewards, one of which is that Allah will protect him from Satan and the army of Satan so that he (Satan) is not able to rule over him.”

It goes without saying that merely saying these words and paying lip service to them is not what will gain the reward. Rather, true faith in its contents and applying this sentence to one's life is necessary!

It is possible that this tradition may be a subtle reference to some of the words which make up the most beautiful names of Allah (SwT) and which make up the Sovereign-ty and Dominion of Allah (SwT) above the entire world of creation. [Pay attention to this point].[25]

2. The Dhikr of Allah - “Ya

Fattah” [ح),- ).]

In some of the traditions, there has been emphasis placed on the remembrance through the recitation of “Ya Fattah” to alleviate difficulties. This great characteristic of Allah (SwT) which is the 'exaggerative form' of the word “WXY” refers to the power of Allah (SwT) to remove any difficulty and the ability of Allah (SwT) to remove the grief and sorrow which a person may have.

In addition, this name also conveys the power of Allah (SwT) to put forth the means through which victory and success are achieved.

In reality, there is no other who can be referred to as of (^XF]ح) and the Key ”ا\XF]ح“all closed doors are in His hands and Power!

Raghib has mentioned the following in his work al-Mufradat in regards to the word “WXY” that:


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“Originally, this word meant

to remove any sort of diffi-

culty and tribulation and this

is of two types: Sometimes it

refers to difficulties which

are seen by the eyes such as

opening a lock, and some-

times these difficulties are

perceived by the mind such

as opening (and alleviating)

the difficulties of grief and

sorrow or opening and

discovering the secrets of

various forms of science.

In addition, it refers to the

arbitration between two

individuals and removing the

difficulties of strife and anger

which may be between two

individuals.”[26]

3. Dhikr e Yunusiyyah (The

Dhikr of Prophet Yunus a.s.)

Prophet Yunus (as) became aware of the situation he was in very quickly and with his entire presence, turned towards the presence of Allah (SwT) and sought repentance and asked forgiveness from his “Tark-e-Awla”, in the presence of the Most Sacred.

At this point, the well-known and meaningful dhikr from the mouth of Yunus (as) was stated which has been nar-rated in the Qur`an in Suratul Anbiya, Verse 87. Amongst the people of ‘Irfan, it is well known as the 'Dhikr-e-Yunusiyyah':

“So then he cried out in the

darkness that 'There is no

deity worthy of worship

except for You, glory be to

You, surely I was of the

oppressors and unjust to my

own self.'”

This sincere confession tempered with his glorifica-tion, along with grief and remorse was accepted and just as we read in verse 88 of Suratul Anbiya that:

“So then We answered him

(Yunus) and We saved him

from the grief and thus do

We always rescue the true

believers.”[27]

4. The Dhikr of “There is no

power or strength save with

Allah” ( /26ل و / 23ة إ /7)8)


19

In the Tafsir, Majma’ al-Bayan [28], it has been mentioned that the son of one of the companions of the Prophet (S) - ‘Awf b. Malik - was captured by the enemies of Islam. The companion went to see the Prophet (S) and informed him of what had happened and also of his abject state of poverty and destitution.

The Prophet (S) said to him, “Exhibit your Taqwa (con-sciousness of Allah (SwT)), be patient and recite the Dhikr of “ad\[e gة إjl g ل وjG g” frequently.”

The companion did as he was told and one day, while he was sitting in his house, his son came to the door - surprising his father!

The son proceeded to tell his father how at one point, the enemies forgot about him and thus, he was able to make the best of the opportunity and run away - not only this, but he was even able to bring one of the camels of the enemy with him! [29]

The Status of the Dhikr in the Words of Imam Ja’far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (as)

Imam Ja’far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) has stated the following in regards to Dhikr:

“The person who rememb-

ers Allah, the Most High in

the true sense (of the word),

is (truly) His obedient

servant and the one who is

negligent of Him is a sinner.

Obedience (to Allah) is a

sign of guidance and dis-

obedience (to Allah) is a sign

of misguidance and the

source of these two (states)

is the remembrance and

negligence (of Allah).”

“So then make your heart

the focus of your tongue - do

not move it except at the

suggestion of your heart and

(do not move it except) with

the approval of your intellect

and that pleasure of your

faith since surely Allah is the

Knower of that which you

hide and that which you

manifest.


20

Thus, be as the person who is

on his death bed and one

whose soul is about to come

out of him or like the person

who is waiting on the wide

plains (of the Day of Resur-

rection) for the account of all

of his deeds. Waver between

what Allah the High has

obligated you to perform

from the commands and the

prohibitions and the promis-

es (of reward) and the

warnings (of retribution).”

“And do not busy yourselves

with things other than what

He has ordered you to

perform and wash your heart

with the (spiritual) water of

grief and make the remem-

brance of Allah just like His

remembrance of you while

He has no need for you.”

“Thus, His Dhikr of you is

much more important,

greater, more perfect,

clearer and more needed for

you than You remembering

Him, and it also has a prece-

dence to it. In addition, your

cognizance of His remem-

brance of You would grant

you humility, shame and

humbleness.

Through this knowledge, you

would be able to see His

previous greatness and

magnitude over you and at

this time, all of your worship

of Him would seem trivial

and insignificant in the face

of the bounties and great-

ness of Him over you even if

your obedience to Him (up

until this point) was great

and even if your actions for

Him (up until this point) were

done with sincerity.”

“However as for your turning

your attention to your Dhikr

of Him (Allah), this will lead

you to developing the traits

of: pride, conceit, arrogance

and harshness amongst His

creations and you would

consider (your) obedience to

Him to be great in amount

(even though it is nothing)

and would lead you to forget

His grace (over you) and His

munificence upon you and

this would not increase

anything within you except

for (spiritual) distancing from


21

Allah and you would not gain

anything with the passing of

time from this except the

fear and terror.”

“The Dhikr is of two types:

the sincere Dhikr of Allah the

Most High which takes place

through the approval of the

heart and the Dhikr which

flows from you which ne-

gates all other forms of

Remembrance of other than

Him, just as the Noble

Messenger (S) has said that,

'I am not able to speak Your

praise (in the way which You

deserve), rather, You are

praised just as You Yourself

have praised Yourself.'”

“So then the Messenger of

Allah (S) did not think that

his sincere Dhikr of Allah was

of any worth due to his

knowledge of the past reality

of the remembrance of Allah,

the Noble and Grand, for him

(the Prophet) which took

form before his (the Proph-

et's) remembrance of Him

(Allah (SwT)). Therefore, in

those areas where the

Messenger of Allah has

negated his own Dhikr of

Allah and confirms the Dhikr

which has been carried out

by Allah, he is referring to

supremacy of the Dhikr.

Thus, whosoever then desires

to remember Allah, the Most

High, should truly know that

Surely He is the All-Knowing

and that Allah remembers

the servants through the

Divinely granted success of

them remembering Him and

had it not been for this, the

servant would never have

been able to remember

Him.”[30]

The Reality of Dhikr

The true meaning of Dhikr is to remember Allah (SwT) and in one's steps, movements and actions, to endlessly be in a state of remembrance of Allah (SwT). The eventual outcome of this form of Dhikr is obedience to the Lord and to not digress from the path of the intellect and faith.

Another effect is that one fulfills the Divine Responsibili-ties which rest upon himself in


22

relation to the commanded and prohibited actions. The person also keeps in mind the promises and punishments, the rewards and chastise-ments of Allah (SwT). Such a person would also keep away from sinning and taking the path of rebellion against Allah (SwT)! Yes, the responsibility of the person who is spiritually travelling towards Allah (SwT) is that he must always be aware of his mistakes, trans-gressions, bad acts and all of the things which result in his own spiritual weakness and shortcomings. In summary, this can be accomplished through the two following ways:

One: By paying attention to the particularities and distinc-tiveness of one's actions and deeds in the presence of Allah (SwT) and by paying attention to one's responsibilities. If this is enacted, then the person would see that all of his actions are actually deficient and imperfect when compared

to the perfect qualities of Allah (SwT).

Two: By paying attention to the grace, kindness, generosi-ty, love, compassion, blessing and forgiveness of Allah (SwT) since in the face of these never-ending traits, we see that whatever we bring forth and perform is still imperfect and with little to no value to it.

Yes, it is through a person being mindful of these two ways that his humility, love, modesty, servitude, cogniz-ance, shame, and humbleness would all increase.

The meaning of Allah, the Most High speaking the praise refers to His Divine Lordship over the Universe and thus the Dhikr - whether it be the Divine Lordship over the Universe, a verbal declaration and verbal praise and other than this, fall into this same category (His Divine Lordship over the Universe).

Thus, praise which Allah (SwT) makes refers to the:


23

creation, maintenance, organization, regulation, mercy and all of His other actions - each of which is a perfect denotation of His great status and of which the verbal praise of His servants can never reach to.

Thus, in this sentence, the Noble Prophet (S) has even negated his own Dhikr of Allah (SwT) (ء[qr sــuGأ g) which is a pure and sincere remembrance! He only believes in the worth and value and truthfulness of the remembrance which Allah (SwT) Himself performs ( wxqrأyzF{ sـd|).

Yes, even though this form of remembrance, at the first stage is manifest in the Divine Lordship of Allah (SwT) over the entire Universe and this is the most complete form of remembrance which comes forth from Allah, the Most High which He himself has introduced as taking shape through His characteristics of His actions, however at the next level (of this Dhikr), it is

one in which the servants of Allah (SwT) realize the station which He has and develop knowledge of this. Thus, this then takes on the form of the remembrance of the heart and by turning their inner focus to Him and His actions or through the verbal attesta-tion.[31]

References:

1. Surat al-Rad (13), verse 28

2. Safinat al-Bihar, vol.:1, P:484

3. Ibid.

4. Tafsir-e-Namuna (Summarized),

vol. 1, pg. 216-217

5. Surat al-Qasas (28), verse 16

6. Ibid., verse 21

7. Ibid., verse 24

8. vol. 4, pg. 117

9. Tafsir-e-Namuna, vol. 16, pg. 61

to 62

10. Vol. 2, Book of Supplication,

Section on the Dhikr of Allah.

11. Ibid.

12. Ibid.

13. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 82, pg. 145

14. Ibid., vol. 66, pg. 324

15. Tafsir-e-Namuna, vol. 18, pg.

355 to 358

16. Fakhrud Din al-Razi, vol. 3, pg.

177

17. Surat al-Muzammil (73), verse 8

18. Surat al-A'raf (7), verse 205

19. Surat al-Ahzab (33), verse 41


24


177 to 188

21. Safinat al-Bihar, vol. 1, pg. 486


266 to 267

23. Ibid., vol. 8, pg. 571

24. Ibid., vol. 9, pg. 417

25. Ibid., vol. 19, pg. 424 to 425

26. Ibid., vol. 18, pg. 85

27. Ibid., vol. 19, pg. 156 to 157

28. Ibid., vol. 10, pg. 306


237

30. Mustadrak al-Wasaaf1il, vol. 5,

pg. 397, no. 43

31. Misbahul Shariah wa Miftahul

haqiqah, (The Lantern on the

Path), pp. 20 to 25

�� 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 &

Ramadan, are unmatched in

their importance.

Praise be to the Almighty and

thanks to Him for granting us

another opportunity to cleanse

ourselves of our sins and over-

sights.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) 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 bat-

tles are prohibited.

• Rajab is month of Supplication,

Fasting and Istighfar. Holy

Prophet (saww) has said,

"Rajab is the month for seeking

forgiveness, so seek forgive-

ness from Allah (SwT).

• On 13th Rajab - Amirul

Mu'mineen Ali Ibne Abi Talib

(as) was born in Kaaba - the

House of Allah.

• The 27th of this month is the

date when the official ap-

pointment of the Noble Proph-

et took place and it is the day

when the mercy and blessings

of Allah (swt) were physically

manifested upon this earth. • Giving Sadaqah in this month

is highly recommended.

��


25

Al-Imam Ali (as)

Amir al-Muminin Hazrat Ali (as) is the first perfect exam-ple of the education and training of the Holy Prophet (S).

Ali (as) was educated by the Holy Prophet (S) from the period of his infancy. Ali (as) was always with the Holy Prophet (S) like a shadow until the last moment of the Prophets life. Like a butterfly which sacrifices its life for the candle, Ali (as) also was with the Holy Prophet (S). Ali (as) parted with the Holy Prophet (S) when he took the sacred body of the Prophet (S) in his arms and buried him.

Ali (as) was endowed with a worldwide personality. One may dare say that the discus-

sions and deliberations about this important personality have not been made to such an extent about any other important personality of the world. Shia, Sunni, Muslim, and non-Muslim scholars and writers have written more than one thousand books regarding his personality.

With all the innumerable discussions and inquisitive-ness made by friends and foes about Ali (as), no one has been able to find any weak-nesses in his faith. Nor has anyone been able to find any weak point in his bravery, piety, knowledge, justice, and other praiseworthy ethics, because he recognized and possessed nothing but virtue and perfection.

The Brief Biographies of Imam Ali, Imam

Muhammad Baqir, Imam Muhammad Taqi

& Imam Musa Kazim (A.S.)

By: Allama Sayyid Muhammad Hussain at-Tabatabai


26

According to history, from among all rulers who have come to power since the demise of the Holy Prophet (S) until the present time, Ali (as) is the only person who fully complied with the sirah of the Holy Prophet (S) and who never deviated from the policies of the Prophet (S) in the period of his rule over the Islamic society. Ali (as) implemented the laws and religious precepts of Islam without any misinterpretation or distortion just as they were executed in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (S).

In the case of "the 6-member council" for the selection of the khalifah (caliph) which had a meeting according to the order of the second khalifah after lengthy discus-sions the uncertainty regard-ing khilafah emerged between Ali (as) and Uthman. The "council" conditionally offered the position of khilafah to Ali (as) provided that he would deal with the people in the same manner as the first and

second khalifahs did. Imam Ali (as) rejected the offer and said: "I will not transgress the limits of my knowledge." Then the "council" offered the khilafah with the same condition to Uthman. He accepted the offer and became the khalifah, although he adopted a different sirah afterwards.

No one from among the Companions of the Holy Prophet (S) could be a match to Ali (as) insofar as self-sacrifices, self-devotion, self-dedication, etc for the cause of the truth were concerned. It cannot be denied that in the absence of this devoted harbinger of Islam, unbeliev-ers and polytheists would have easily extinguished the light of the Nubuwwah in the night of Hijrah and afterwards in any one of the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khyber, and Hunayn and would have resulted in the fall of the banner of the truth.

Upon first entrance into the social environment, Ali (as)


27

had a very simple life. During the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (S), after the Proph-ets demise, and even during his own glorious khilafah period, he lived like the poor and in the most humble condition. He had no superior-ity over the needy insofar as food, clothing, and housing were concerned and used to say: "The ruler of a society should live in such a way so as to be the source of conso-lation for the needy and the distressed and not the cause of their regret and disap-pointment." Although the ruler of the entire Islamic State, he had only seven hundred dirhams on the day of his martyrdom with which he wanted to hire a servant for his house.

Ali (as) used to work to meet the needs of life. Particularly he was interested in agricul-ture and spent his time in planting trees and digging water canals. Whatever he earned in this manner or through the war-booty, he

distributed among the needy. He endowed the properties which he had cultivated for the needy or distributed among them the money received as sale proceeds of such properties. Once, during the period of his own khilafah, Ali (as) ordered to those concerned to bring the revenues of his endowments to him and then spend them. When these revenues were collected, the amount reached 24,000 gold dinars.

Ali (as) always defeated his rivals in all the battles in which he took part. He never refrained from combating an enemy. Ali (as) said: "If the entire Arabia rises up in opposition and combat against me, I will not lose my courage and I will not fear anything."

With such bravery and valor, for which the history of the brave men of the world has not found any equal, Ali (as) was extremely compassionate, kind, generous, and magna-nimous. In the battles, he


28

never killed women, children, and the weak. Ali (as) did not take anyone as a captive and did not pursue those who ran away. In the Battle of Siffin, the army of Muawiyah took a lead, occupied the canal of Euphrates, and banned the water on Ali (as). Later, after a bloody battle, Ali (as) occupied the water canal. Then he issued orders allow-ing the enemy to take water.

In the period of his khilafah, Ali (as) welcomed everyone without having chamberlains and doorkeepers, walked on foot all alone, and walked in the alleys and the bazaars. He ordered the people to fear Allah and guard against evil and protected them against injustice of one another. Ali (as) helped the poverty-stricken people and widows kindly and humbly and kept the shelterless orphans in his own house, personally provid-ing their requirements and educating them.

Ali (as) had a special regard for knowledge & learning and

gave particular attention towards promotion of know-ledge and education and used to say: "There is no suffering like ignorance." While Ali (as) was arraying his troops in the bloody Battle of Jamal, an Arab went forward and asked him the meaning of Tawhid. The people rushed toward the Arab from every direction and confronted him by saying that such a moment is not an appropriate time for asking such questions and for discussion. Ali (as) asked them to disperse away from the Arab and said: "We are fighting the people in order to revive such truths." Then, while arraying the troops, Ali (as) called forth the Arab and clarified the matter for him with an eloquent statement.

Another similar case symboliz-ing the religious discipline and amazing divine power of Ali (as) has been narrated in the course of the Battle of Siffin. While the two armies, like two roaring seas, were intermin-gling and fighting and much


29

blood was gushing out from every direction, Ali (as) came to one of his soldiers and demanded a glass of water for drinking.

The soldier filled a wooden bowl with water and offered it to Ali (as). Ali (as) noticed a crack in the bowl and said: "Drinking water in such a bowl is makruh (undesirable -though not unlawful but refraining from it is preferable in Islam)".

The soldier said: "This is not a time to be so meticulous about these things in such a situation when we are under the shower of arrows and the flashes of thousands of swords". In short, the answer he got from Ali (as) was: "We are fighting for the enforce-ment of such Islamic precepts and insofar as the rules are concerned there is nothing large or small".

After the Holy Prophet (S), Ali (as) was the first person who talked about scientific realities by the philosophical mode of

thinking, that is, he talked with independent logic. He also coined many scientific terms. In order to safeguard the Holy Quran from error and mutilations, Ali (as) formu-lated and arranged the rules of Arabic grammar.

Scientific intricacies, divine knowledge, ethical, social, and political matters, and even mathematics that are made available to us by means of the lectures, letters, and other eloquent remarks of Ali (as) are amazing.

Lectures, letters, aphorisms, and the short remarks availa-ble as a memorial of Ali (as) all testify that from among Muslims, Ali (as) is most familiar with the sublime aims of the Quran and has duly perceived the principal and practical education of Islam. He has proved the authentici-ty of the hadith of the Holy Prophet (S): "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is the gate of the city". Ali (as) has combined this knowledge with practice.


30

In short, the prominent personality of Ali (as) is beyond description and his infinite virtues are countless. History has never witnessed a personality attracting as much the attention and the views of the scholars and philosophers of the world as he has.

Al-Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as)

During the Imamate of al-Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as), the way was somewhat paved for the dissemination of Islamic sciences. Owing to the oppression of Umayyads, the ahadith regarding Islamic jurisprudence by the Ahl al-Bayt (as) were lost. Although thousands Of ahadith are required for Islamic precepts, nevertheless, not even more than 500 ahadith of the Holy Prophet (S) had remained, that too, from among those which were narrated by the Companions of the Holy Prophet (S).

In short, during that period, because of the very tragic

event of Karbala and as a result of the 35 years of efforts of al-Imam al-Sajjad (as), a great number of Muslims [supporters of Ahl al-Bayt (as)] emerged but they had no Islamic jurisprudence based on the ahadith of the Ahl al-Bayt (as).

Since the government of the Umayyads was weakened due to internal differences and the self-indulgence and inefficien-cy of government authorities and because the signs of weakness had grown in its governmental structure, the Fifth Imam (as) took advan-tage of this opportunity and began to disseminate the sciences of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) and the Islamic jurispru-dence and provided the society with many scholars of his school of thought.

Al-Imam Musa Al-Kazim (as)

Having overthrown the Umayyads and having taken the position of khilafah in hand, the Abbasids turned to


31

Sane Fatimah and tried to annihilate the Members of the Household of the Holy Proph-et (S) with all their might. They beheaded a group, buried another alive, and placed yet another group of people under the foundations and in the walls of the build-ings. They set the house of the 6th Imam (as) on fire and summoned the Imam (as) to Iraq several times. In this way, the taqiyyah was more intensely practiced during the last days of the life of the 6th Imam (as).

Since the Imam was under strict surveillance, he did not meet anyone except a few particular Shias. Finally, al-Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (as) was poisoned and martyred by al-Mansur, the Second Caliph of the Abbasids. Thus, during the Imamah of the 7th Imam, al-Imam Musa al-Kazim (as), the oppression of the anta-gonists became more severe and intensified day by day.

In spite of an environment of intense taqiyyah, the 7th

Imam (as) began to dissemi-nate the Islamic knowledge and ma de a large number of ahadith available to the Shiahs. It can be said that the ahadith pertaining to Islamic jurisprudence by al-Imam Musa al-Kazim (as) stand third in number after those by the 5th and the 6th Imams (as). Owing to prevailing conditions of intense taqiyyah, in most of the ahadith related by the Imam (as), he has been referred to by the narrators as "an alim" or as "a righteous worshipper of Allah", or the like without an explicit men-tion of his name.

The Imam (as) was the contemporary of four Abbasid khulafa al-Mansur, al-Hadi, al-Mahdi, and Harun, and was always the target of their oppression. Finally, under the order of Harun, he was imprisoned and was trans-ferred from one prison to another for years. At last, al-Imam Musa al-Kazim (as) was poisoned as well as martyred in the prison.


32

Imam Muhammad Taqi (as) & Imam Ali Naqi (as)

The environment in which these honorable Imams (as) lived was identical. After the martyrdom of Imam Reza (as), Mamun summoned Imam Muhammad Taqi (as), who was the only son of Imam Reza (as) to Baghdah and treated him kindly and affectionately and allowed his daughter to marry the Imam (as) and kept the Imam (as) in his own house with full honour.

Although this conduct seemed friendly, but, through this policy, Mamun had actually placed Imam (as) under his strict control in all respects.

Similar circumstances and living conditions continued for Imam Ali Naqi (as) in Samar-ra, which was the capital of khilafah during his Imamah; they were in fact in prison.

The period of Imamah of these reverend Imams (as) is fifty-one years altogether. The number of Shias, who were

residing in Iran, Iraq, and Syria at the time, was consi-derably large and had reached hundreds of thousands, among whom there were thousands of scholars of Hadith. In spite of this, the ahadith related from these Imams (as) are very few. Also, the lifetime of these Imams (as) was short.

The ninth Imam (as) and the tenth Imam (as), were martyred when they were twenty-five and forty years, respectively. All these points serve as a clear evidence that the control, surveillance, and sabotage of the antagonists was very strict during their period and that these great Imams (as) were unable to perform their duties freely. Nevertheless, valuable ahadith have reached us from these great Imams (as) on the Usul al-Din (the fundamental principles of Islam for believ-ing in) and the Furu al-Din (the secondary principles of Islam for actions).

��


33

Who are the Ahlul Bayt?

When we say ‘the Ahlul Bayt’, we mean the twelve Imams of the immaculate progeny of the Prophet (S). The Shia and the Sunni have agreed that the Messenger of Allah (S) said: “The Imams after me are twelve; all of them are from (the tribe of) Quraysh.”

The tradition mentioned in Sahih Bukhari reads: “This matter (caliphate) shall remain in Quraysh even if (only) two people remain alive.” [1]

We know necessarily that Allah the Almighty has chosen Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran and preferred them - a progeny of one from the other - to the rest of mankind. The Prophet Muhammad (S) has taught and declared to us that

Allah the Almighty chose him from among all the Hashe-mites, who were the choicest of choices. In the Sahih of Muslim - the book of ‘Virtues’, chapter of ‘The preferring of our Prophet to all Creation’ - it is mentioned that the Prophet (S) has said: “Allah has chosen Kinanah from the children of Ishmael, the Quraysh from Kinanah, the Hashemites from Quraysh and me (the Prophet) from the Hashemites.”

The meaning of this tradition, as understood by every reasonable person, is that the Hashemites were a family that had been chosen and pre-ferred among all mankind. Allah chose Muhammad (S) from the Hashemites to be the best of all mankind. This shows that the Hashemites came second after the Proph-

The Ahlul Bayt (A.S.) are the natural con-

tinuity of the Mission of their grandfather An excerpt from the book “Then I was Guided”

By: Dr. -Taijani Samawi


34

et Muhammad (S) in prefe-rence with no separation.

Likewise the Prophet Mu-hammad (S) chose Ali and his progeny from all of the Hashemites to be his succes-sors by the command of the Revelation, and made it obligatory on all Muslims to pray to Allah to send His blessings on them. We have found that the most tafsirs (commentaries) mention their names and confirm that it is they who are referred to in the Qur’anic verses of ‘Purifi-cation 33:33’; ‘Love, mawad-dah 42:23’; ‘Guardianship, wilayah 5:55’; ‘Choosing and bequeathing of the Book 35:32’; ‘The people of re-membrance 16:43’; ‘Who are firmly rooted in knowledge 3:7’ and the Sura of al-Insan (or ‘hal ata’) 76:3.

Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) – The Imams of guidance:

As for the Prophet’s traditions that have been agreed upon as true traditions by all Muslims and in which the

Prophet (S) has referred to the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) with preference and virtues saying that they were the Imams of guidance, are too many. So, here we mention just two of them.

The first tradition was mentioned by Muslim in his Sahih, the book of Virtues, chapter of The Virtues of Ali ibn Abi Talib. The Prophet (S) said: O people, I am but a human being, the messenger of my Lord, (Death) is about to come and I shall respond. I am leaving among you two weighty things - the first of them is the Book of Allah in which there is guidance and light. So follow the Book of Allah and keep to it. The second is my Household. I remind you to obey Allah by being dutiful to my progeny, I remind you to obey Allah through my progeny, I remind you to obey Allah through my progeny.

The second tradition was mentioned by Muslim in the same book narrated by Sa’d


35

ibn Abi Waqqas from his father, that the Messenger of Allah (S) had said to Ali: “You are to me as Aaron was to Moses, except that there shall be no prophet after me.” [3]

For brevity, these two tradi-tions are enough to prove that Imam Ali (a.s.) was the chief of the Prophet’s progeny and was the natural continuity to the Prophet Muhammad (S).

Did the Messenger of Allah (S) not say: “I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate?”

Surely, this saying alone is enough to show that the whole of nation cannot enter this city of Muhammad’s knowledge except when entering through the gate of Ali (a.s.), because Allah the Almighty has ordered His people to enter houses through their doors.

Here, we must point out that Imam Ali (a.s.) had ac-quired his knowledge from the Prophet (S) who had brought him up since child-hood. He accompanied the

Prophet (S) all through his life. The Prophet (S) taught Imam Ali (a.s.) the knowledge of the past and the future where he said: “Gabriel did not pour anything into my chest except that which I poured it into the chest of Ali.”

Imam Ali (a.s.) said about that: “If the rug was folded to me (to sit on),[4] I would judge among the people of the Torah according to their Torah, among the people of the Gospel according to their Gospel and the people of the Qur'an according to their Qur'an.”

He often said: “Ask me before you shall miss me.”

All the companions and all Muslims throughout history witness that Imam Ali (a.s.) was the most knowledge-able of all people in the affairs of religion and the world, and that he was the most pious, most abstinent, most patient with calamities,


36

the bravest in wars and the most forgiving.

The relation between the Prophet (S) and his proge-ny in view of Imam Ali (A)

For better understanding, we have to read what Imam Ali (a.s.) said about the relation between the Prophet (S) and his progeny.

[1] He said: “They are the place of his secret, the recourse in his affairs, the sack of his knowledge, the resort for his wisdom, the den of his books, and the moun-tains of his religion. By them he has made erect the bending of his back and driven away his fear.” [5]

[2] He said: By Allah, I have been taught the knowledge about missions, carrying out of promises, and all words and there are doors of wis-dom and light of all affairs with us the Ahlul Bayt… [6]

[3] He said: …where are those who claim that they are deep-rooted in knowledge

other than us – claiming falsely and oppressively against us. Allah has exalted us and lowered them, given us and deprived them, included us and excluded them. Guidance is looked forward to through us and thereby blindness is recov-ered…the Imams from Qu-raysh have been sowed in this set of Hashim so that im-amate does not fit other than them and chiefs from other than them shall not be fit. [7]

[4] He said: …surely the example of the progeny of Muhammad, may Allah have blessing and peace on them, are like the stars of the sky - when one star sets, another star shines. As if the virtues from Allah have been per-fected in you (the Ahlul Bayt) and He has given you what you hoped for. [8]

[5] He said: …no one from this nation can be compared to the progeny of Muhammad and his progeny (may Allah have mercy on them) and no one on whom their favor has


37

been bestowed can be equaled to them at all. They are the foundation of religion and the pillar of certainty. The oppressed resort to them and followers join them. The specialties of the right of guardianship are for them and among them is custodianship and inheritance… [9]

[6] He said: …and surely I am on the clear way that I picked up, picking it from between the ways of deviation and confusion. Observe the progeny of your prophet, cling to their way and follow trace of their footsteps for they will not take you away from guidance, nor will they take you back to be perished. If they keep silent, you have to keep silent and if they rise, you have to rise. Do not precede them lest you go astray and do not lag behind them lest you perish… [10]

[7] He said: They are the life of knowledge and death of ignorance. Their discernment informs you of their know-ledge and their silence tells of

the wisdom of their logic. They do not contradict the truth, nor do they disagree on it. They are the pillars of Islam and the associates of those who resort to them. Through them, the truth has come back to its rightful place and falsehood has been kept away from its position and its tongue has been severed from its root. They have unders-tood the religion with reason and care, not with the under-standing of hearing and narration because the narra-tors of knowledge are too many, but its caretakers are few. [11]

These passages quoted from Nahjul Balaghah and said by Imam Ali (a.s.) give us a real picture about the firm relation between the Prophet (S) and his progeny and make them the only continuity of his mission, and that they are the only ones who can inform of what he has announced for all mankind throughout ages and for all nations and cultures.


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Imam Ali (a.s.) – Chief of the immaculate progeny

Imam Ali (a.s.) was not satisfied with showing of the high rank of the immaculate progeny and their position to Muslims only. He showed that he himself was the axis of the quern and chief of the imma-culate progeny. He showed his role - that which he had been entrusted with by Allah and His messenger to manage people and not to let them go astray.

He said: …“whereto do you go and how are you diverted while the banners are being raised, signs are clear and the light stands are set up? So to where do you go astray, or how are you blind when amongst you there are the progeny of your Prophet (S) who are the reins of truth, leaders of the religion, and the tongue of truthfulness? So observe them in the best positions of the Qur'an, and hasten to them as the hasten-ing of extremely thirsty ones (to the drinking fountain).

O people take it from the Messenger of Allah (S), may Allah have blessing and peace on him and his progeny, he said that: ‘One of us dies, but he is not dead, and one of us is decomposing, but he is not decomposed.’ So, do not speak of what you do not know because most of the truth is in what you deny and excuse the one against whom you have no argument, and that person is me.

Did I not act among you according to the Major weighty thing (the Qur'an) and I left among you (after me) the Minor weighty thing (the Ahlul Bayt - at that time Imam al-Hasan and al-Hussain)? I fixed among you the banner of faith, showed you clearly the limits of the lawful and the unlawful, dressed you with soundness of my justice and spread to you the favor of my saying and doing. I showed to you the noblest of morals from myself. Therefore, do not use (your own) opinion in that


39

whose insides cannot be perceived by the sight, nor can be penetrated by think-ing.” [12]

If you, dear reader, ponder on the saying of Imam Ali (a.s.), you shall find in it the inter-pretation of the tradition of Thaqalain (the two weighty things) that has been narrated by the Sunni from the Messen-ger of Allah (S) who said: “I have left among you the two weighty things - the Book of Allah and my progeny. If you keep to them, you shall never go astray after me at all.”

Imam Ali (a.s.) also said: “Did I not act among you accord-ing to the Major weighty thing (the Qur'an) and I left among you the Minor weighty thing (the Ahlul Bayt)?”

This saying of Imam Ali (a.s.) is a clear proof that Imam Ali (a.s.) managed people according to the rulings of the Holy Qur'an, whose reality no one could under-stand except him. Also he left among them the Minor

Weighty things, who were the infallible Imams from his progeny so that each one of them would carry out the same role that the Prophet (S) carried out in his nation.

If we ponder on the saying of the Prophet (S): “I am leaving among you the two weighty things” and the saying of Imam Ali (a.s.): “did I not act among you according to the Major weighty thing” - we understand that the role of the immaculate progeny is to explain and declare the Book of Allah to the nation lest they disagreed after the death of the Prophet (S).

What confirms this fact is this saying of the Prophet (S): “In every generation of my nation there are just men from my progeny who protect this religion from distortion of deviants, fabrication of liars, and misinterpretation of the ignorant. Surely, your Imams are your delega-tion to Allah, so be careful to whom you delegate.”[13]


40

He also said: “Stars are security for the people of the earth from drowning and the people of my house are security for my nation from disagreement. If a tribe from the Arabs disagree with them (the Ahlul Bayt), they shall disagree among themselves and become the party of Iblis.”[14]

He also said: “Surely, the example of my progeny among you is like the Ark of Noah; whoever rode on it would be rescued and whoev-er lagged behind it would drown.”[15]

Through this brief study, the guidance becomes clearly distinguished from error to us, and we can say that the Twelver Shia is the true sect, because it is the only sect that has kept to the two weighty things, boarded the Ship of Rescue and clung to the Rope of Allah. The Shia neither precede the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) nor do they turn away from them, but they follow and imitate them. Therefore, they

are guided by their guidance and they follow their path.

Imam Ali (a.s.) has said: “Here is the Qur'an that you can ask to speak out, and it shall not speak out but what I tell you about. It has the knowledge of what shall come; it speaks about the past, the healing of your ailments, and the managing of you.”[16]

“Keep to the Book of Allah, for it is a firm rope, clear light, advantageous cure, satiating drink, a resort for those who seek and a rescue for those who cling. It never bends to be set right, nor does it errs to be blamed. The much reciting and listening to it do not make it old. Whoever speaks with it is truthful, and whoever acts according to it wins.”[17]

“Prophet (S) left to you what other prophets had left for their nations so that they did not leave them to go astray without showing clear way or a raised banner.


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The Book of your Lord is among you showing His lawful and unlawful things, obliga-tions and favors, abrogating and abrogated things, permis-sions and necessities, special and general rulings, lessons and examples, absolutes and finites, clear and ambiguous things, interpreting its state-ments and explaining its obscurities.

There are some verses in Quran whose knowledge is obligatory and others whose ignorance by people is not forgivable. And there is that which is fixed as obligatory in the book, but its abrogation is known in the Prophet’s Sunna, or there are those which appear obligatory in the Sunna, but in the Book it is permitted to be given up.

And, there are other verses which were obligatory in its time but not so in future (with passing of its time). There are verses of His different prohibi-tions for major sins - for which He has threatened of His Fires, or minor - for which

He has promised forgiveness, and there are those verses which are accepted in small portion (in reciting of the Qur'an) and permitted for leaving its big portion.” [18]

Notes: 1. Sahih of al-Bukhari - Book of Rulings (Ahkam), Chapter of ‘The Emirs from Quraysh’. 2. We have mentioned in brief some Qur’anic verses, whereas ibn Abbas said that one third of the Qur'an had been revealed to talk about their virtues. 3. It has also been mentioned in Sahih Bukhari, the book of Maghazi (battles), Battle of Tabuk. 4. If I was allowed to judge among people… 5. Nahjul Balaghah, sermon 2. 6. Ibid, sermon 11. 7. Ibid, sermon 142. 8. Ibid, sermon 99. 9. Ibid, sermon 2. 10. Ibid, sermon 96. 11. Ibid, sermon 236. 12. Ibid, sermon 86. 13. Sawa’iq e Muhriqah p. 90, 148. 14. Mustadrak al-Hakim, vol. 3 p. 149. 15. Ibid, vol. 3 p. 151, Sawa’iq Muhriqah, p. 184. 16. Nahjul Balaghah, sermon 156. 17. Ibid, sermon 154. 18. Ibid, sermon 1.

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General Preparations

Even if we are very optimistic and hopeful, still we should know that reaching a stage of history in which: All humans gather under one flag and all terrible weapons to be re-moved from the earth; And classes, with the definition of exploiter and exploited, to be removed; And conflicts and dangerous political and military games of superpow-ers to be forgotten forever and the world to become free of sick name of “superpower” and frightful nightmare of their evil powers; And unheal-thy and destructive economi-cal competitions give their place to public cooperation toward a better and more pure life … is still soon and needs general preparation.

But, as in recent times, changes are being made fast then we shouldn’t consider that very far like a sweet dream.

But anyway, following prepa-rations are necessary in order for the world to accept such government:

1) Intellectual and Cultur-al Preparation

It means that level of though-ts of the people of the world develops in the way that they understand the issue “race” and “different geographical regions” are not considerable issues in human life; the differences of colors, lan-guages and lands cannot separate humans from each other; tribal and group fanaticisms should die forev-er; hilarious thought of “superior race” should be

Necessary Preparations for

Universal Government

By: Ayatollah al-Uzma Nasir Makarim Shirazi


43

thrown away; factitious borders with barbed wires! And wall like the ancient wall of china! Cannot separate humans.

But, as sunlight and lively breezes, and raining clouds and other gifts and powers of the nature never pay attention to these borders and all of them move around the entire earth and practically consider the world as one country, we humans also reach this level of intellectual growth.

And if we carefully notice then we see that this thinking way is going to be created and completed among aware and open-minded the people of the world, and day by day the number of those who think about the issue of “world-country” is increasing.

Even today, the matter of united global language is being discussed in different places.

2) Social Preparations

The people of the world should become tired of

oppression and injustice and available systems and feel the bitterness of this material and one-dimensional life, and even become disappointed of solving current problems by continuing this one-dimensional way.

The people of the world should understand that what was being promised in 18th and 19th centuries in the light of mechanical developments was in fact nothing more than an imagination, or like a mirage in front of the eyes of thirsty travelers in a hot desert.

Peace and welfare and security of the people of the world were not provided and even material and spiritual conflicts and insecurities expanded.

Making ostensible amazing laws didn’t remove oppres-sion, discrimination, exploita-tion and huge class differenc-es, even previous corruptions appeared in larger scales and more dangerous forms.


44

Understanding present conditions of the world first makes the condition of thinking, and then hesitation and finally disappointment and readiness for a multilater-al revolution based upon new values.

This is the thing if is not achieved then it is not possible to reach such level, exactly the same as an abscess that should be treated when the time has come.

3) Technological and Com-municational Preparations

Contrary to what some persons assume that reaching the level of social perfection and a world full of peace and justice will certainly be possible accompanied by destruction of modern tech-nology, existence of these developed industries doesn’t disturb a fair universal gov-ernment and even, it may not be possible to achieve such goal without that.

For establishing and then controlling a universal system,

series of super-modern equipments are needed in order to travel throughout the world and check everywhere in a short time, and to get information from any place and in case of necessity to move necessary equipments and facilities from one side of the world to the other side, and to broadcast needed messages, information and warnings to the entire world in the shortest time.

If industrial life returns to previous conditions and for example it needs one year for sending a message from one part of the world to the other part then how is it possible to govern the world and expand the justice in everywhere?

If too much time is needed for being informed about the aggression of a person or a group, which even certainly it is possible to exist in such world, and sending forces for making peace then how is it possible to provide truth, peace and justice throughout the world?!


45

Briefly, undoubtedly such government needs to be informed about everywhere at the moment and to have complete dominance over any place for establishing order and justice in the world, in order to train and lead the people who are ready for correction and inform them and awaken and revive them, and in unrighteous people want to rise, repress them.

Those, who think other than this, maybe don’t thing about the concept of universal government and compare it with government of a small region.

Essentially, the world which wants to reach such level should have expanded and public means of training in the way that executes major part of correctional programs with “self-awareness” and “self-helps” of people and reviving the soul of public “self-awareness” and “self-helps” and needs the most powerful global cultural centers and mass media and the most

complete books and publica-tions and like them, that none of them is not possible without the best and the most advanced industrial equip-ments.

Yes! If all the acts had to be performed by “miracles” then existence of such system would be possible without developed industrial equip-ments but is it possible to manage the lives of the people of the world by miracle!

Miracle is a logical exception in current system of the nature, for proving the legitimacy of a divine religion, not for governing the society forever. This act should be performed based on natural laws.

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Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.) said: 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).

[Tohaful Uqool P-455].


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Introduction

The appointment of Muham-mad (saww), the Prophet of Islam and his selection as the Messenger of Allah (SWT), can be considered the most significant event in the history of Islam. Descent of the Holy Quran began at this time. The word Bi'that means to be chosen and its expressional meaning is "being chosen by the Almighty Allah to guide people".

It can be concluded from the Islamic and historical texts that the appointment of Prophet Muhammad (saww) had been stated in divine religions before his birth. Believers of other religions and several Arab pagans had some previous acquaintance with the last prophet. Prophet Jesus (a.s.) has announced and foreshadowed in the New

Testament the appearance of Prophet Muhammad (saww). Even in Old Testament, some of the specialties of the Prophet (saww) and his followers had been mentioned. Thus "as the Holy Quran mentions" the scholars of other religions knew the Prophet as well as their closest relatives.

According to history, there were many people who had been waiting for the appoint-ment and appearance of the last prophet. Even some tribes had migrated to the Prophet's (saww) residence. A Christian priest whose name was "Bohayra", was an example.

The appointment of Prophet Muhammad (saww) has had a great affect on the human guidance destiny. Due to the significance of this incidence; Allah (SWT) Himself looked

Eid al-Mab'ath: The Appointment of

Prophet (S) to Prophetic Mission

Source: roshd.org


47

after His Messenger and trained him for his difficult future. So, it does not seem strange that he was innocent and infallible before the appointment as a result of such divine training.

Imam Ali (a.s.) said that: "The Allah had His greatest angle train the Prophet during all days and guided him to the ways of moral virtues and greatness."

Prophet Muhammad (saww) suffered a lot from the ignor-ance and corruption in the society at that time, especially in Mecca. In order to meditate and worship in privacy, he also secluded from people to a cave called "Haraa".

This seclusion was a basis for improving Prophet's (saww) morality, a premise for his appointment (Bi'that) and descent of revelation.

Imam Ali (a.s.), who was brought up by Prophet Mu-hammad (saww), accompa-nied him during these seclu-sions as other cases in his life.

He used to take provisions, water, and food for Prophet Muhammad (saww).

When the praying time came up, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w.) returned to Mecca and circumambulated Kaaba before going home.

It was until he reached forty. At that time the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) was the meekest, the most superior and ob-edient person towards Allah (SWT). Therefore, Allah (SWT) appointed him as a prophet in order to guide human beings to worship Him and not the idols, by means of the Holy Quran.

Descent of the first revela-tion (Wahy)

Shiites commentators believe that Prophet Muhammad (saww) was appointed on 27th of Rajab, five years after the rehabilitation of Kaaba. He was forty years old at that time.

Prophet Muhammad (saww) had come to Haraa cave as usual to say prayers and


48

meditate. On 27th of Rajab, Gabriel (one of the four superior angels who was ordered by Allah (SWT) to convey revelation to prophets) descended to him. Gabriel shook Prophet Muhammad's (saww) arm and said: "O Muhammad! Read!" He replied:" What shall I read?" Gabriel recited the beginning verses of Chapter (Surah) al-Alaq:

"In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful. Read in the name of your Lord who has created. Has created man from a leech [Spermato-zoa]. Read and your Lord is the most honorable, who taught (to write) with the pen; taught man what he knew not."

Some great events happened at the time of Prophet Mu-hammad's (saww) appoint-ment. For instance, a groan was heard. Imam Ali (a.s.) says about that: "I heard Satan's groan when the first revelation was descended. I asked the Prophet: "What was

that?" He answered: "it was Satan, who got disappointed by not being obeyed." He also said: "You hear what I hear and see what ever I see; except you are not a prophet. You are my assistant and you will never leave the right way."

As mentioned before, Imam Ali (a.s.) accompanied Prophet Muhammad (saww) in differ-ent cases such as his seclusion periods. This narration, written in Nahj al-Balaghah, implies that he was with Prophet Muhammad (saww) when revelation was descended for the first time. It is inferred through the history that he was the only person with Prophet Muhammad (saww) at that time. Nobody else has claimed to be with Him then.

Gabriel ascended after convey-ing revelation and accomplish-ing his job.

Prophet (saww) after receiving the first revela-tion

Prophet (saww) was not an ordinary man; therefore he


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had experienced some kind of revelations prior to his ap-pointment. However, the subject of the first revelation was completely different from the previous ones. After receiving such revelation the Prophet's (saww) spiritual and physical condition changed. The reason for such changes could be:

1. Prophet felt dignity of Almighty Allah (SWT) more than before.

2. When Prophet (saww) was appointed, he had become responsible for a great mission (Risalat). It should be noted that at that time the Arabs were experiencing anarchy. Thus pagans would oppose him. They would deny him and accuse him of improper things.

Nevertheless, Almighty Allah (SWT) verified His Messenger and made Him ready for the great mission (Risalat).

Return from cave Haraa

After this revelation, Prophet (s.a.w.w.) returned to His

home in Mecca. When he arrived home, he explained the story of his appointment to his wife. Khadijah (s.a.), who had recognized the Prophet's (s.a.w.w.) dignity and truthful-ness for years, said: "By God, it is a long time that I have been waiting for this very day; and I was hoping that one day you would become the Leader and the Messenger of these people."

The descent of Chapter (Surah) al-Muddathir

In the first days of Prophet's appointment, while he was resting, Gabriel descended and read the first verses of Chapter al-Muddathir.

This Chapter of the Holy Quran contains verses, which say that from then on, the Prophet had to pay all his attention to warn people to obey Allah (SWT). Therefore, the first verses of the Holy book of Islam were revealed to Prophet and he was assigned to be the Messenger of Allah (SWT).


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First Muslims

As we said before, the Prophet (saww) was always accompa-nied with Ali (a.s.), because Ali (a.s.) was very close to Him. When the first verses were revealed to Prophet (saww) in cave Haraa, Ali (a.s.) was there. He was the first person among all the people, men and women, who believed Prophet (saww).

Through his sermons (Khotbe) in Nahj al-Balaghah, he repeated many times:" I was born to worship one Allah and I was the first one who believed."

The first woman, who con-verted to Islam, according to what all the Islamic historians say and used to say, was Khadijah (s.a.) because she was the first person whom the Prophet (saww) met after the appointment. Moreover, she had confessed His prophecy.

After these two great persons, we can name Abudhar Ghifaari as one of the first person that converted to Islam.

After appointment

After the appointment, Gabriel descended. Bringing some water from the heavens, he taught ablution to the Prophet and taught him bending and prostration in prayer. Fur-thermore, Gabriel descended other commands gradually. The Prophet (saww) taught these commands to Muslims and they obeyed him. For example, about prayer, Ali (a.s.) and Khadijah (s.a.) were the first people who said their prayers behind the Prophet (saww). They used to read their noon prayer beside Kaaba. However, most of time for safety reasons they had to read it where they could not be observed.

In this period, the Prophet (saww) gradually began his secret invitation to Islam. This will be explained more in the following parts.

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The aim here is to learn practical tips to become a good human being – and thus a moral physician – from Syed e Sajjad, through Dua e Makarim al Akhlaq.

It is quoted from Imam Ja’far Al Sadiq, “As that Ayma provide guidance through generic principles and it is for the followers to draw specific conclusions from them.” Maulana Kausar Niazi was a great scholar of Islam and Arabic. He once said that the language and diction of the Quran, NahjalBalagha, and Saheefa e Kamela is identical.

The opening phrases of Dua e Makarim al Akhlaq direct us to offer salawat upon Mo-hammed o Aley Mohammad and take our Emaan to ultimate heights and to provide strength to yaqeen (faith), and make our inten-

tion (niyat) worthwhile and make our acts reach ultimate heights. He then goes on to advise us that ‘may Allah grant my approach free of greed and coercion, and make my faith stronger and remove the deficiencies in my acts.’

In fact, the sum total of this Dua is that the Imam has advised us to concentrate on building our character. He has outlined numerous steps to reach perfection. No doubt mankind is imperfect and we are ordinary mortals. We can hardly become perfect; but that is the target at which we are obliged to aim.

The pious Imam has duly highlighted the importance of Emaan in his opening re-marks, which is exactly what is expected that a Muslim physician to possess: he is expected to have total faith in

Lessons for a Physician in Dua e

Makarim al Akhlaq

An excerpt from the book “Ethics in Medicine” by: Shabih H. Zaidi


52

his Creator and seek His guidance and support in all matters of healthcare. The Muslim physician’s oath duly points out that we approach a patient with Bismillah, seeking help from Allah ST. Perfection in achieving total Emaan is what all Muslims must strive for – and physicians more

In Dua e Makarim al Akhlaq, Imam AS has begged Allah to grant him soft and mild manners, politeness and pleasantness in dealings with human beings. Such an attitude brings about joy in life of both parties, namely yourself as well as those with whom you are dealing. In fact, Imam Ali AS said in one of the sermons that a man must treat his family like a bird treats its wings, with love and care, as these wings enable it to fly high in the skies.

The patients’ family is like his own family to a physician, who must be treated with love, affection, devotion, empathy and the utmost care

he can provide. Imam gives huge importance to ‘truth’ in one’s life. No attribute is as valuable as truth telling in the life of a physician. Truth is the building block of an individu-al’s character. It gives depth to an individual and grants him depth in personality, and helps him serve mankind more intensely and honestly. Truth is a major subject in a physician’s life and has been discussed elsewhere in this book.

In Dua e Makarim al Akhlaq, all those attributes are discussed by Imam AS that we as physicians are obliged to possess. The lessons that I have learned are as follows.

1. A physician must possess a sound character. Humanity is the first and foremost attribute for a physician.

2. He should be humble, modest, and down to earth.

3. Must know his limitations and ignore others’ shortcom-ings and weaknesses. He


53

should not exploit them to ridicule or belittle them.

4. Must possess due know-ledge and matching skills, as Ilm o Amal are true compa-nions. Excess of knowledge may make one a nerd and the excess of skills without matching knowledge may convert him into a technician.

5. A physician must have pleasant demeanour, soft voice, smiling face and humility in his walk, talk and action (remember what the wise man Luqman instructed his son, in Quran!).

6. He must give the best care to his patient treating him like his own family, listening to him patiently without undue hurry. Respect his autonomy and human rights. Give due regards to confidentiality, anonymity and choice of treatment; without greed, malice or avarice. Autonomy, birr or beneficence and non-maleficence are the funda-mental bricks of medical ethics.

7. Must not abuse his authori-ty, and should always use his skills for the welfare avoiding harm or damage to his patients.

8. Earn an honest living, so that he is comfortable and not be at the mercy of others. He should ask Allah only for His sustenance, so that he may not forget the Salat, and other Ibadaat, in the pursuit of his livelihood.

9. He must avoid bickering, unpleasantness, backbiting or sycophancy. He must have full faith in his capability and total Yaqeen in the fact that Allah has all the power to heal his patients. The physician’s only task is to leave no stone unturned to save a life.

10. Death is the ultimate truth. All creatures have to meet it. Until that happens, a physician must not refrain from doing his best to take care of the sick, and the dying.

11. A physician must maintain a balance between various


54

attributes that he may pos-sess, such as knowledge and skills, courage and adventur-ism, empathy and antipathy, earning an honest livelihood and accumulation of wealth, etc.

12. A physician must remain actively engaged in the pursuit of knowledge all his life. Be a leader and an entrepreneur.

The characteristics of a Muslim physician have been described in a nice article (Islamic medical educational resources by Mohammadiyah Yogjakarata and forum Kedoketran Islam Indonesia 24– 25 Aug. 2007), which is worth a read.

It says that the Prophet gave general rules of morality which can guide the medical personnel in their daily lives. Some of these principles are as follows.

• Have total faith in Allah ST

• Doubtful actions must be avoided.

• Leaving alone what is not yours.

• Beneficence and Non-maleficence.

• Sincerity in advice.

• Renouncing desire for material gains.

• Conscience must decide between right and wrong.

• Anger and rage must be avoided.

• Guard your tongue (polite-ness, softness, and cultured conversation).

• Do good and avoid evil.

• Restraint and modesty should be your treasures.

• Courage to speak truth in the face of adversities.

• Wisdom & Patience.

• Humility and Modesty.

• Self restraint.

• Simplicity and avoidance of worldly breeds.

• Moderation and balance in dealing with people, in your expenditure and in decision making.

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Mosquitoes aren't just annoying, they spread killer diseases, as well. They are often called one of the most dangerous animals on the planet.

That's right: The most dangerous animals on the planet can be killed with a single swat — but if they've had time to bite, they may have already transmitted a fatal disease.

Illnesses transmitted by mosquitoes and their ilk kill more than a million people each year and infect more than a billion, causing debilitating pain, brain damage, blindness, and other serious effects.

Half of the world population is considered at-risk for diseases transmitted by blood-sucking bugs like ticks, sand flies, and mos-

quitoes. For World Health Day 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) wanted to highlight that very real risk with a snappy slogan: "small bite, big threat."

Globally, the deadliest of the creatures that carry and cause these diseases is the mosquito. Here are 11 scientifically valid reasons why they are the worst.

1. Mosquitoes put 40% of the world at risk for den-gue, which causes "the feeling of broken bones."

Dengue fever hurts so much that it is commonly referred to as break bone fever.

It's the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne disease in the world, with 40% of the world currently at risk. Between 50 and

Why Mosquitoes Are The Worst?

Source: shafaqna.com


56

100 million people get dengue every year, and even though it's not usually fatal, it still is a leading cause of death for children in certain Latin American and Asian countries.

The disease can also develop into severe den-gue, a hemorrhagic condi-tion that is much more dangerous, causing bleed-ing, organ impairment, and persistent vomiting.

There's no medicine or vaccine for dengue. Treat-ment generally involves just trying to keep patients hydrated.

2. Mosquitoes spread yellow fever, which the WHO calls "the original viral hemorrhagic fever."

Yellow fever infects around 200,000 people a year — and kills 30,000. It's a viral hemorrhagic fever that has no treatment. After a period of severe illness, most patients recover, but about 15%

enter a toxic phase, when they start to bleed internal-ly and organs begin to fail. About half of patients who enter the toxic phase die.

Cases of yellow fever have been increasing since the 1980s due to declining human immunity, defore-station, climate change, increased air travel, and higher infection rates in cities due to a particular breed of mosquito called the Aedes aegypti.

However, there is an effective vaccine for the fever — one dose provides life-long immunity, and many countries won't permit travelers to enter without proof of vaccina-tion.

3. Mosquitoes are behind the recent outbreaks of chikungunya, which can sometimes lead to agoniz-ing pain.

The painful and potentially debilitating virus chikun-gunya has been around for


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centuries, but just ap-peared in the Americas for the first time at the end of 2013.

The disease's name comes from a word in a Tanzanian language that means "to become contorted," refer-ring to the severe joint pain that it causes, which lasts for weeks, and in some rare cases, even months and years.

"I've been in Africa and seen and heard children just screaming for days on end because of the pain," American Mosquito Control Association technical advisor Joe Conlon told Business Insider last sum-mer.

The first cases were re-ported on the island of Saint Martin, but since then, cases have occurred in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Barthelemy, the British Virgin Islands, and the Dominican Republic.

Humans have very little natural immunity to chi-kungunya, which has allowed mosquitoes to spread the virus quickly throughout populations. In 2005, an outbreak sped through the island of La Reunión, sickening 200,000 of 750,000 residents, despite the fact that the only mosquitoes there, the Asian Tiger Mosquitoes, should not have been able to transmit the virus. Experts realized that it had mutated, allowing Asian Tiger mosquitoes to spread the disease.

4. Mosquitoes scoff at national borders, turning isolated cases into out-breaks.

Any person infected with a mosquito-borne disease can carry it to a different country, where it can spread if they are bitten by a local mosquito upon arrival — which happens frequently.


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In 2007, an older Italian man returned home from a trip to India, unknowingly having been bitten by a mosquito carrying chikun-gunya. Upon returning home, he visited a cousin — and within 3 months, more than 200 people had been infected with the disease.

5. Mosquitoes infect us with nasty bird diseases, like West Nile Virus.

Although West Nile Virus is carried by birds, humans can catch it too — usually from a mosquito that bit the bird first.

Most people don't develop symptoms, but 20% of those infected develop a fever — accompanied by headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash.

About 1 in 150 people infected become seriously ill with West Nile encephali-tis or West Nile meningitis, both of which are potential-

ly fatal conditions. Horses can also become ill due to West Nile Virus, but neither horses nor humans can spread the disease. And while there's a vaccine against the illness for horses, there's not one for humans.

West Nile may have in-fected more than 3 million Americans, and cost more than $800 million.

6. Mosquitoes don't play fair: They target some people more than others.

Some people really are mosquito magnets. Mosqui-toes are drawn to the smell given off by the bacteria that live on everyone's skin, and some people give off an odor that makes them especially attractive to the tiny beasts. And contrary to what a lot of people say, eating garlic and using natural repellent don’t do much, if anything, though DEET (N,N Diethyl-meta-toluamide) containing bug


59

repellents are indeed effective.

7. Mosquitoes spread Rift Valley fever, which can blind people and bankrupt farmers.

Rift Valley fever mostly affects animals, but mos-quitoes can transmit it to humans, too, where it causes some pretty horrific symptoms.

Some people experience no symptoms, but among those who do, the effects seem like a flu at first. Some develop neck stiff-ness and sensitivity to light as well.

But the small subset of people (fewer than 2%) who get the ocular form of the disease may develop lesions in their eye that cause them to go blind, while others (also fewer than 2%) may develop a potentially fatal brain disease or hemorrhagic fever.

Since Rift Valley fever primarily affects animal populations, its effects can decimate farming industries and economies.

8. Mosquitoes cause per-manent disability around the world.

Lymphatic filariasis, a mostly neglected tropical disease, is a leading cause of permanent disability for people around the world.

More than 120 million people are currently in-fected, and about one-third of them are disfigured and incapacitated by it.

Mosquitoes spread micro-scopic parasites between people, which then settle into the lymphatic system to multiply over a period of 6-8 years. They can dam-age the immune system and the kidneys, and later on in life may cause painful swelling in the arms, legs, and genitals.


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9. Mosquitoes spread fatal diseases to children.

Japanese encephalitis is another disease that mos-quitoes can spread to humans from infected animals, though humans cannot spread the disease themselves. It still kills about 10,000 people a year, mostly children under the age of 5. Although there is no treatment, there is an effective vaccine.

10. Mosquitoes spread malaria, which still causes hundreds of thousands of deaths every year.

Between 2000 and 2012, there's been a dramatic reduction in malaria deaths — 42% globally. Even so, an estimated 627,000 people died from malaria in 2012 alone, and there were approximately 207 million cases of the disease.

Female Anopheles mosqui-toes transmit Plasmodium parasites in their bites, which then cause high

fever, chills, and a serious flu-like illness that can kill if it's not treated. This dis-ease is preventable, with items like bed nets, insect repellent, and long sleeves, and is treatable, yet it still kills that many people.

11. Mosquitoes are really hard to get rid of.

Mosquitoes don't need much to survive. Any small water container — or anything that will catch rainwater — is enough to provide a breeding ground. Mosquitoes are also becom-ing resistant to commonly used insecticides, like pyrethroids, which are used to treat bed nets.

They also travel quickly. The Asian Tiger Mosquito, which is known to carry yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya, has spread to 36 states since first show-ing up in the United States in 1985.

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Kids

Corner

Birthday Celebration of Imam Ali Ibn Abi

Talib (A.S.)

Imam Ali (a.s.) was the paternal cousin of Prophet Muhammad (saww). He was born inside Kaaba on Friday 13th Rajab 30 Aamul Feel. His father was Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib. The Proph-et’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 in the Kaaba before Hazrat Ali (AS) & no one will ever.

The Prophet (PBUH) named him Ali upon Allah’s will. It is stated that one day when Ali

(AS) was lying in his cradle and was a few months old, a cobra snake climbed onto his cradle and Imam Ali (AS) killed it with his hands. When his mother saw this she said, "Allah’s Haider, may Allah keep you safe."

The Prophet (PBUH) brought him up, he stayed with Prophet (PBUH) all the time and from the time the Prophet (PBUH) declared his prophethood until his death Hazrat Ali (AS) was always his right hand.

When the Prophet (PBUH) 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 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


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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. This day is celebrated for Humanity, Peace and well-being on Earth.

Imamat is Guidance We Need

Basra is a big city and the

main port of Iraq. It is

situated at the mouth of

river Euphrates.

There, in a big mosque,

people used to assemble to

discuss various subjects on

Islamic rules and laws. A

famous learned priest of

Sunni sect by name Amr Bin

Ubeid was once preaching on

the subject of Imamat. He

was surrounded by a big

crowd of people who were

asking various questions on

the subject. Suddenly, a

young student by name of

Hesham, entered the gather-

ing and sat down in the first

row. He addressed the priest

saying that he was a stranger

and would like to ask some

questions. On getting the

permission to do so, he asked

the following:

Hesham: First, Sir! May I

please know if you have eyes?

Amr: Young Boy! Is this a

question to be asked?

Hesham: Whatever it may

be, this is my question to

which I shall appreciate your

answer.

Amr: Alright! You are at

liberty to ask, even though it

is a foolish question.

Hesham: As I have already

asked, Sir, may I please know

if you have eyes?

Amr: Yes, I have.

Hesham: For what use are

they?


63

Amr: With eyes, I can see

faces of people and colour of

various things.

Hesham: And you have a nose

also?

Amr: Yes, I do have one.

Hesham: What is its func-

tion?

Amr: I smell the scent and

odour by it.

Hesham: And do you have a

mouth?

Amr: Yes I do have.

Hesham: For what use is it?

Amr: I can talk to people or

taste food and drinks with it.

Hesham: Do you have ears?

Amr: Yes, I have two ears.

Hesham: What is their

function?

Amr: I can hear voices by

them.

Hesham: And do you have a

mind?

Amr: Almighty has bestowed

me with that also.

Hesham: What is its use?

Amr: With that I am able to

distinguish things whatever

is felt by the other senses

like hands, eyes, ears, nose,

tongue etc. In case of a

difference, I am able to

solve with its help. In case of

doubt, I can dispel with it

and be sure.

Hesham: So, does it mean

that despite being sound and

healthy, all these organs

cannot function independent-

ly without the help of the

mind.

Amr: No, No! None of the

organs can function indepen-

dently without the help of

the mind.

Hesham: Why is it so? After

all, are the organs perfect

and strong enough to diffe-

rentiate between things?

Amr: Young Boy! When any

organ has some doubt about

a thing which it smells, sees

or tastes, it brings the

matter to the mind and it is

the mind which confirms the

truth and removes the doubt.


64

Hesham: So, from what you

have said, do you want me to

understand that God Almigh-

ty has created and designed

the mind to guide the organs

and remove doubts.

Amr: Yes! It is so.

Hesham: So the mind is a

necessity, otherwise the

organs could not work inde-

pendently.

Amr: Yes.

Hesham: Please Sir! Proclaim

your opinion with fairness

and justice on this point also.

If Almighty has not left the

organs of man's body without

the guidance of the mind,

how is it possible that

Almighty God could leave

millions of His creatures

without an IMAM to guide

and solve their problems

arising out of doubts and

conflicts? Should not our

common sense accept this

fact?

On hearing this logic argu-

ment and having no answer to

give, Amr Bin Ubeid kept

silent and went into deep

thinking.

Hesham was a deeply learned

person and one of the closest

companions of Imam Ja'far

Sadiq (a) from whom he had

obtained his knowledge.

'IMAM' is an Arabic word

which literally means

'Leader' or 'Guide'. Any

leader or guide can be good

or bad, true or false. There-

fore, it is essential for every

Muslim to know who is a true

and good Imam. The Holy

Prophet has said: "If a man

dies without recognising the

Imam of his time, he dies the

death of ignorance."

It is of utmost importance

that the Imam must be

appointed by a Prophet under

the command of God, nobody

can be an Imam either by

claiming to be so, by inherit-

ance or by the wealth or

power which he may have.

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the message - rajab al murajjab - 1435 ah

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