'O God, carry us in the ships of Thy deliverance, give us to enjoy the pleasure of whispered prayer to Thee, make us drink at the pools of Thy love, let us taste the sweetness of Thy affection and nearness, allow us to struggle in Thee, preoccupy us with obeying Thee, and purify our intentions in devoting works to Thee, for we exist through Thee and belong to Thee, and we have no one to mediate with Thee but Thee!' Imam Sajjad ('A); Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya

Sunday 26 June 2011

Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) summoning ‘Asim ibn Ziyad

Vol.1 chapter 106, hadith 3 AL-KAFI; SHAIKH MOHAMMED BIN YAQOOB BIN ISHQ KULAINI
Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Salih ibn abu Hammad and a number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and others through different chains of narrators.

The Hadith is about the protest of Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) against ‘Asim ibn Ziyad who had confined himself in a gown away from the people.

His brother, al-Rabi‘ ibn Ziyad complained before Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) complained that his
‘Asim’s family had become depressed and his sons had been sadden because of his behavior.

Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) had summoned ‘Asim ibn Ziyad and was brought before him. When Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) saw him he frowned at him and said,

"Why did you not feel ashamed before your wife?
Why did you not show kindness to your sons?
Do you think Allah had made good things lawful to and then He would dislike if you would use them?
You are less significant to Allah than such a thing.
Is it not Allah Who has said,
"He spread out the earth for the people (55:10).
There exists all kinds of fruits, palm-trees with sheathed blossoms, (55:11)
grain with its husk and aromatic herbs (55:12).
Is it not Allah Who has said,
"He has made the two oceans meet each other,
(55:19)
but has created a barrier between them so that they will not merge totally (55:20).
(Jinn and mankind) - which of the favors of your Lord do you then deny? (55:21).
From the two oceans comes pearls and coral." (55:22)

I swear by Allah, the use of the bounties of Allah in deeds is more preferred to Him than then using in words. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most gracious, has said, "...and proclaim the bounties of your Lord." (93:11)

‘Asim said, "O Amir al-Mu’minin (AS), "Why have you confined yourself to tasteless food and harsh garments?"

He said, "How inconsiderate of you! Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most gracious, has made obligatory for the Imams of justice to measure themselves with the people of lowest standard of living so that the poors’ poverty would not plunge him in despair."

‘Asim then abandoned the gown and begun to live an normal life."

Saturday 18 June 2011

A narration about Love from a Lover: Maitham

The knowledgeable scholar Abu Ali Hasan bin Abi Jaafar Al-Tousi, narrated from his blessed father Abu Jaafar Mohammad bin Hasan Al- Tousi, from the scholar Abu Abdillah Mohammad bin Mohammad bin No’man, from Abul Qasem Jaaafar bin Mohammad, from his father, from Saad bin Abdullah, from Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Isa, from Safwan bin Yahya, from Yaqoub bin Shoaib, from Saleh bin Maitham Al-Tammar, from Maitham Al-Tammar, who said:


We spent one night with the Commander of the Believers, Ali bin Abi Taleb, and he said:


Every slave of Allah who believes in Him finds our love in his heart, and every slave whom Allah resents (because of their disbelief) hates us. We are happy for those who love us, and we know those who hate us.


The days of those who love us are passing while waiting and expecting the Mercy of Allah. But the days of those who hate us are passing while they are building their houses on the brink of Hell. And it is as if the houses of those who hate us are collapsing into Hell, while the doors of mercy are open to those who love us.

So those of you who love us - enjoy mercy. And those of you who hate us - enjoy Hell.


If a slave does not neglect our love, it is because of the good that Allah has placed in his heart.


If you love those who hate us then you do not love us, because our love and the love for those who hate us cannot be placed in the same heart. Allah says, “Allah has not made for any man two hearts in his breast” (33:4).


Therefore, you do not have two hearts to love: one heart devoted to our love and another heart devoted to the love of our enemies. 
Therefore, those who love us are pure with our love just like pure gold.


We are the nobleones and our children are the children of the prophets. I am the successor of all the successors, and I am the party of Allah and His Messenger. The group of Shaytan are the oppressors.


Those of you who want to know if you love us should test your hearts. 
If you find the love of those who incite hatred toward us in your heart, know that Allah, Jibraeel, and Mikaeel are your enemies, and that Allah is the enemy of the disbelievers.


Hadith 94; The Glad Tidings of Mustafa for the Shia of Murtadha

Sunday 5 June 2011

Witnessing the Siraat

It is written in Mustadrak of Thiqat al-Islam Noori that according to what is mentioned in Anwaar-ul-Maziyyah (by Syed Gayasuddin Najafi, a Shia jurisprudent and a famous scholar among Imamiyah): 

In our village situated near Hilla there lived a man named Muhammad bin Abi Azeenah. He was the trustee of a mosque. He used to attend that masjid daily as a routine every day. 


One day, when he did not come to mosque, we inquired about him. We came to know that he was ill. We wondered very much because on the very previous day, we had seen him hale and healthy. When we went to see him, we found him burnt from head to feet. He used to faint, them become conscious and again faint. 


In one such interval, I asked him what had happened to him? He replied: Last night in my dream I was shown Siraat and then I was ordered to walk over it. So I proceeded; in the beginning the ground under my feet was levelled. Then I found that it has become thin. Initially, it was soft but later on it turned very sharp. I was putting my steps very slowly, balancing myself to escape falling down. Dark flames of fire from beneath were leaping upwards. I was observing that many people were dropping down like leaves in the fall (autumn). 


Once I felt that there was nothing except an hair like rope under my feet. Then suddenly the fire dragged me to it and I also fell down in that cave of fire. The more I tried to come up the more I was going down. (Hellfire has the quality of drawing people to it, and that, according to a narration, the depth is equal to the length of a seventy year journey). As soon as I realized that I was about to be finished, I remembered that whenever I was falling or stumbling or falling, I used to exclaim Yaa Ali and saying Yaa Maulaai, Yaa Ameerul Momineen, Aghithni. I felt inspired to look upward. 


So when I looked up I found that a saintly person was standing by the side of the Siraat. He extended his hand, caught me and fetched me out. I submitted: O Master! I am burnt down. Please help me. The Hazrat passed his Holy hand over my body from my knee to femur. Suddenly I woke up to find that that particular part of my body had no sign of burning and that it had healed but the rest of my body was burning.


That person remained bedridden for three months, weeping and complaining. Various medicines were given by a number of doctors before he became healthy after three months when fresh flesh appeared on his body. It is also written in this book Mystadrak that whenever that person was describing this even he was getting fever and was trembling.


Doubtlessly there is only one medicine and it is to cling to the Wilayat of the pious Ahle Bayt (a.s.). Imam Reza (a.s.) has promised that he will guide the visitors of his shrine on the bridge of Siraat. Moreover, Hazrat Abu Abdullah-al-Husain (a.s.) is also reported to have given many good tidings to those who cling to the friendship (Wilayat) of Ahle Bayt (a.s.) with regard to Siraat.
The Hereafter - Ma'ad; by Ayatullah Dastghaib Shiraazi