A GIFT FROM IMAM AL-HUSAYN (A.S.)

On the 10th day of Muharram, known as the day of ‘Aashura, in the year 61 A.H. when Imam Abu ‘Abdillahil Hussein (as) came into the tent to bid farewell to his family members, he held the hand of his sick son, Ali ibn al-Hussein (as) and pressed it against his chest. He (as) then said,

“O son! I am teaching you a du'a which you should remember. Angel Jibrael taught it to my grandfather the messenger of Allah who passed it to my mother Fatima. Whenever you have a special need or are faced with any calamity or crises, or are inflicted with any grief or hardship, then recite the following supplication”:

BIHAQQI YASEEN WAL QUR-AANIL ‘HAKEEM
WA BIHAQQI TAA-HAA WAL QUR-AANIL ‘ADHEEM
YAA MAN YAQDIRU ‘ALAA ‘HAWAA-IJIS-SAA-ILEEN
YAA MAN YA’LAMU MAA FID-DHAMEER
YAA MUNAFFISAN ‘ANIL MAKROOBEEN
YAA MUFARRIJAN ‘ANIL MAGHMOOMEEN
YAA RAA-‘HIMA SHAYKHIL KABEER
YAA RAAZIQAT TIFLIS-SAGHEER
YAA MAN LAA YAHTAAJU ILAT-TAFSEER
SALLI ‘ALAA MUHAMMADIN WA AALI MUHAMMADIN
WAF-‘AL BEE  …….(mention your wishes)

By the truth of Yaseen (a title of the Holy Prophet) and the Quran full of wisdom
And for the sake of Taa-haa (another title of the Holy Prophet) and the great Quran
O he Who is able to fulfil the desires of those ask. O He Who knows what is in the heart. O He Who banishes sorrow from the sorrowful. O He Who dispels grief from those who grieve. O He Who is merciful to old men. O He Who provides for infants. O He Who needs not to be explained. Send blessings upon Muhammad and his progeny and fulfil for me…(mention your wishes)

The above dua’ can be found in Mafateeh al-Jinaan, page no.380

Late Ahmed Hussein Sheriff in his book “Imam Hussein (as), as his words portray” comments on the above dua’ as thus:

This dua’ in fact is meant to be a lesson to us not to get shaken in faith even under most trying circumstances. The words contained in the dua’ are meant to convey to us that Allah (SWT) is fully aware of what is going on in our hearts. He is capable of dispelling our sorrows and grief and He is the only One Who can fulfil all our desires. What is required of us is always to have full trust in Him and rely upon Him and Him alone.

He further adds:
As such, we are taught to present our desires and our problems through intermediaries and with the recommendations of the divinely chosen personalities in the persons of Muhammad (saww) and his progeny. We are therefore required to invoke blessings upon Muhammad (saww) and his progeny whilst invoking to Almighty God.

Mafateeh al-Jinaan, page no. 380

Two great advices for the lovers!

Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn al-Husayn, the saduq of the community, reports with his isnad from 'Abd Allah ibn Abi Ya'fur that al-'Imam al-Sadiq-may peace be upon him-said to him, 
'O 'Abd Allah, when you offer salat, pray like someone who bids farewell and fears that he will never return (i.e. pray in such a manner as if it were the last prayer of your life). Then fix your gaze on the point of your prostration. If you know that there is someone on your left or right, you take more care in offering your salat; then know that you stand in front of Someone Who sees you and you don't see Him.'
Al-Hurr al-`Amili, Wasa'il al-Shi'ah, iv, 688.


Al-Shaykh al-Saduq-may God sanctify his soul-reports with his isnad from al-'Imam al-Sadiq-may peace be upon him-that he said: 
'When someone offers an obligatory salat at the beginning of its time and observes its prerequisites, an angel takes it up to the heaven. White and pure, it (i.e. the salat) says, 'May God take care of you as you took care of me. I have been delivered into the custody of a noble angel.' But when someone offers it without any excuse after its time has elapsed and does not observe its requisite manners, black and dark, it is taken up by an angel, while it calls out to him (i.e. its offerer), `You neglected me. May God neglect you in the same manner that you neglected me. May God not take care of you in the same way that you did not take care of me.'
Wasa'il al-Shi`ah, iii, 90, with a slight difference of wording.

Practical Way to increase concentration in Salat – the mysterious ascension of humankind!

Imam Khomeini; Forty Hadith, Twenty Seventh Hadith

‘‘Know that freedom from other work for the sake of absorption in worship is obtainable through:

1. Possessing unoccupied time

2. Possessing an unoccupied heart.

Attentiveness of the heart consists of two matters:

The first of these lies in possessing unoccupied time and an unoccupied heart

The second lies in making one's heart understand the importance of worship.

What is ‘unoccupied time’?

It is that one should set aside a certain time out of his day and night hours exclusively for the sake of worship wherein he should devote himself solely to worship without engaging in any other preoccupation.

If one were to understand that worship is an important thing whose significance is greater than any other activity, or, rather, that it is something of incomparable significance, he would allocate a certain time to it and be careful to observe its timings.

What is ‘unoccupied heart’?

It is that at the time of worship one must disengage himself from mundane engagements and cares and turn his heart away from all kinds of matters and cares and make it entirely empty and unencumbered for attending to worship and supplication with God Almighty.

My dear, consider the prayers you offer to God by comparing them with talk and conversation with one of His insignificant creatures. (a best friend, a spouse, a fiancée,  a tutor etc)

When talking to a stranger, you attend to him with all your attention and are oblivious of anyone else as long as you are engaged in conversation with him.

But why is it that while engaging in communication and prayer with your Provider and the Lord and Sustainer of the worlds you are totally heedless of Him and attentive to other matters?

Is the station and worth of creatures greater than that of the Sacred Essence of the Lord?

Is conversation with them more valuable than supplication with the Fulfiller of needs?

Yes, I and you do not know the significance of supplication with God.

We consider these divine duties as a cumbersome burden, and, of course, a matter that is a cumbrous weight on one will not be significant for him.’’

An Important Rule Often Neglected 1

Islamic Laws; Ayatullah al Uzama Syed Ali al-Husaini Seestani


1001. It is Wajib for a man to recite Surah al-Hamd and the other Surah loudly, while offering Fajr, Maghrib and Isha prayers, and it is Wajib for a man and a woman to recite Surah al-Hamd and the other Surah silently while offering Zuhr and Asr prayers.

1002. As a precaution, men must take care to recite loudly every word of Surah al-Hamd and the other Surah, including their last letters, in the prayers of Fajr, Maghrib and Isha.

1004. If a person intentionally prays loudly where he should pray silently, and vice versa, his prayer is void. But, if, he does so owing to forgetfulness, or not knowing the rule, his prayer is in order. And if he realises that he is doing a mistake while reciting the Surah al-Hamd and the other Surah, it is not necessary to recite again what he has recited not following the rule.

"Who has the strength to worship like 'Ali ibn Abi Talib!"

The pride of the community and its authority, its treasure and pillar, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu'man al-Mufid-may God's good pleasure be with him-reports in al-Irshad from Sa'id ibn Kulthum that al-'Imam Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq-may peace be upon him and his father-said: 

"By God, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib-may peace be upon him-never ate anything forbidden as long as he lived in the world, and never were two things wherein lay God's good pleasure presented to him without his choosing that which was more taxing of the two for his body, And never did the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) face any hardship without calling out to 'Ali (A), out of his trust in him, and none out of this Ummah except him has possessed the capacity, endurance and strength of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.). In his conduct, he would act like someone in trepidation whose face was between heaven and hell and who looked forward to the reward of heaven and was frightful of the punishment of hell.


"Indeed, he set free in the way of God and for sake of deliverance from Fire a thousand slaves out of his own money, earned with the toil of his hands and the sweat of his brow. The food of his household consisted of oil, vinegar and dates, and his dress was never made of anything but coarse cotton, and if his blessed sleeves were too long he would ask for a scissors and cut them short.


"Among his descendants and family no one ever came closer to resembling him in his learning and dress than 'Ali' ibn al-Husayn-may peace be upon both of them. His son Abu Ja'far (al-'Imam al-Baqir-may peace be upon him) once entered upon him and saw that he had reached an unprecedented state in worship. His complexion had paled due to keeping awake at nights; his eyes were sore from weeping; his forehead and nose were bruised due to prolonged prostrations; and his feet and ankles were swollen as a result of standing in prayer.


"Abu Ja'far-may peace be upon him-said: `When I saw him in this condition I could not stop myself from breaking into tears. So I wept out of compassion that I felt for him, while he was sunk in contemplation. Some time passed after I had entered. Then noticing me, he said to me, "My son, give me one of those books which describes the worship of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib -may peace be upon him." I gave it to him. He read a little from it and then set it aside in exasperation. Then he declared, "Who has the strength to worship like 'Ali ibn Abi Talib-may peace be upon him!"'"


Al-Shaykh al-Mufid, al-'Irshad, 255-256