An insight into the 'Children of the Prophets'

An excerpt from the commentary of Du'a al-Nudbah

اَيْنَ الطَّالِبُ بِذُحُوْلِ الْاَنْبِيَآءِ وَ اَبْنَآءِ الْاَنْبِيَآءِ؟
'Where is he who shall avenge the Prophets and the children of the Prophets?'

There are two possible meanings for the phrase 'children of the Prophets.' First, and most obviously, it refers to the children of God's Prophets who were wrongfully killed. Most likely, the children referred to were not themselves Prophets; otherwise, it would have been more appropriate to mention them too as 'Prophets', not as the 'children' of the Prophets. The only examples that we were able to find for this interpretation were Haabil (Abel), the son of the Prophet Adam, and the Imams from the progeny of the Prophet Muhammad.

Alternatively, the phrase could refer to the followers of the Prophets who were wrongfully killed for their faith, for a Prophet is the metaphorical father of his followers. In this vein, God has urged us to follow 'the way of you father Abraham' (Qur'an 22:78); and the Prophet once declared, 'Ali and I are the fathers of this community [of faith]' (Bihaar al-Anwaar 16.1.6.29).

In either case, according to this sentense, Imam al-Mahdi will exact revenge for their deaths. You might wonder from whom will he exact revenge since the murderers will be long dead by them. The following tradition indicates that he will exact revenge from those who follow in the footsteps of those murderers and condone their crimes, whether or not they are from the progeny of those murderers.

Imam al-Ridha was once asked, 'What do you say about the following tradition transmitted from Imam al-Sadiq? 'When al-Mahdi will rise up, he shall kill the progeny of the murderers of al-Husayn for the deeds of their forebears.'' Imam al-Ridha said, 'It is so.' The transmitter asked, 'Then what is the meaning of God's statement, 'No soul shall bear the burden of another?'' The Imam replied, 'Of course, God has spoken the truth in all that He has said. However the progeny of the murderers of al-Husayn condone the deeds of their forebears and take pride in them. He who condones an act is like him who does it. Thus, if a man murders in the east, and a man in the west condones his murder, then before God, the one who condoned [the other's act] is his accomplice. Accordingly, Imam al-Mahdi will only kill their progeny when he rises up because they condone what their forebears did.' (al-Burhaan fee tafsir al-Qur'an vol.2 p.508). 

In this tradition, the sentence 'He who condones an act is like him who does it,' is a general principle that broadens the scope of the Imam's vengeance to all who condone the murder of the Prophets' children or followers, whether or not they are the actual descendents of those murderers.

It should be noted that Islamic Law does not consider condoning a crime to be sufficient cause for legal prosecution against a person. For this reason, Imam al-Ridha said that one who condones a murder is an accomplice to the murder 'before God,' not in the court of law. Accordingly, this tradition indicates that Imam al-Mahdi will punish these people according to his policy of judging people based on his divinely inspired knowledge of the truth rather than judging them on empirically attainable proof. This is a policy particular to him, which cannot be acted upon by any Islamic judge. Even the Imams before him and the Prophet himself did not judge on such a basis.

Shaykh Rizwan Arastu, Al-Nudbah; a Devotional Elegy for the Prophet Muhammad and his family, ITI, p. 86-87.

Four major things the 12th Imam will perform...

[Ayatullah al-Uzma Shaykh Nasir Makarim Shirazi]
PART 2

At the head of all the things that the Imam will perform, we see in the tradition that there are four major things which he will do which we summarize as being:

1. Correcting the Theological Beliefs:
“There will not remain a single stone house, mud house, nor a tent upon the entire Earth except the word (teachings) of Islam will be in that place (and thus, polytheism will no longer exist).” [Tafsir al-Qurtubi [Imam Abu `Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abu Bakr al-Ansari al-Qurtubi], vol. 12, pg. 300]

2. Completion of the Intelligence: The advancement of knowledge and intelligence will also take place (at this time), just as the late 'Allamah Majlisi  makes clear by quoting a tradition from the Infallibles in relation to this point:
“When our Qaim makes his advent, he will place his hand over the heads of the servants…” It is possible that this means that people will be under the direction and guidance of the Imam. “…so then (through this act), he will gather together their intelligence and complete their knowledge.” [Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, pg. 338]

3. Justice and Equality: In the various traditions, it has been mentioned that:
“He (the Imam) will fill the Earth with justice and equality just as it had been filled with oppression and tyranny.” [Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 14, pg. 33]

4. Correction of the Moral Ethical Traits:
From the traditions which speak about the signs at the end of time, we can deduce that removing all of the corrupt ethical traits and bringing back the moral values of Islam back to life will be the duty of the Imam.
There are also traditions which state that before the advent of Imam al-Qaim (as), many corrupt ethical traits such as: adultery, theft, bribery, selling less that what one paid for, the drinking of alcohol, murdering of countless innocent people and other such sins will be very common.
Thus, the meaning of this tradition is that when Imam al-Mahdi (as) rises up to remove and eradicate all of these things, the entire valued and cherished system of moral ethics would already be completely destroyed and it is Imam al-Mahdi (as) who will restore it.

That person who wishes to be a helper of the Imam must work tirelessly in these four points mentioned and the one who does not possess any of these four points within himself, however prays to Allah (SwT) to make him of the helpers of the Imam (as) will see that his prayers will be far from being answered.

If it was made completely clear for what reasons the Imam would make his advent, then this would definitely change the face of the society.

One who does not possess any of these traits can not expect to stand in the ranks with the Imam. Therefore, it is very good that we actively do something to call the attention of the people towards the goals and objectives of the Imam so that all of us can mound ourselves to becoming better human beings.

If Sahib Al-Zaman Were To Come (Right Now)…

[Ayatullah al-Uzma Shaykh Nasir Makarim Shirazi]
PART 1

Speaking about our living Imam is both enlightening and one which spiritually trains and educates all of us. The late 'Allamah Majlisi  has narrated a tradition in relation to Imam al-Mahdi (as) which states:
“When al-Qaim makes his advent, he will judge with justice and during the time of his advent, all forms of tyranny will be removed and the paths (towards him) will be made safe. The Earth will bring forth Her blessings and the rights of each and every person will be given to them and no person who follows any other religion (din) will remain except that they will accept al-Islam and will come towards true faith.” [Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, pg. 338]

In this tradition, there are seven tasks which have been mentioned that the Imam will accomplish:

1 and 2: The government of justice and the removal of all forms of tyranny: The opposite of justice is oppression - not tyranny - whereas equality is the opposite of tyranny (according to the 'Arabic definition and the Islamic understanding of these words and their meanings).

3. The paths will be made safe: The paths towards the Imam will be made safe and secure.

4. Natural Blessings: The Earth will bring forth her blessings, now whether these are the blessings that come about through farming, blessing of the minerals from the Earth or other types of powers and energies that are presently hidden from us - these may all be correct.

5. Responsibilities will be returned to their rightful holder: The rights and responsibilities will be given back to those who have lost them, and this is completely opposite to our present day and age in which a great number of jobs and occupations are in the hands of those who have no knowledge of them, because the issue of who they know has taken precedence over what they know.

6. The Ruling of al-Islam: No other religion will remain on the Earth except for Islam and thus all other religions will fuse into one Religion and that will be al-Islam.

7. Sincere attraction to al-Islam: This part of the tradition has two meanings to it. It is possible that it refers to the point that everyone will become followers of the teachings of the Ahlul Bait, or it could mean that in addition to people showing an outward form of true faith, they will also have the inner belief to make them true believers.

Extraordinary angels of the day of Ashura, alongside the Qaaim [af]

Ibn Qulawayh Al Qummi, Kaamil al-Ziyarat


Abaan Ibn Taghlib narrates from Abu Abdillah (Imam Sadiq [as]) who said,
It is as if I can see the Qaaim [af] in Najaf (next to) Kufah wearing an armour of the Messenger of Allah [saw].

He will shake the armour (first) and then it will wrap itself around him, after which he will cover it with a robe made of brocade.

He will be riding a pitch-black horse which has a raceme (a simple flower cluster having the flowers on short stalks along a stem) on its forehead. He will jump with the horse in such a way that people in every country will see him as if he is with them in their (own) country.
Then he will unfold the flag of the Messenger of Allah [saw]. The flag pole is from the pillars of the Throne while the rest of the flag is from Allah's victory! If he points this flag to anything, Allah will destroy it. When he shakes the flag, the heart of every believer will become like a strong piece of iron and each believer will be given the strength of forty men.

Every believer who has died will feel the happiness (of the rising of the Qaaim [af]) in his grave. They (the dead believers) will start visiting one another in their graves and will give glad tidings to one another about the rising of the Qaaim [af].

Then thirteen thousand three hundred and thirteen angels will join the Qaaim [af].
I (Abaan Ibn Taghlib) asked, 'This many angels will join him?'

Imam [as] replied:
 'Yes. (These are) the angels who were with Nuh in the ark [Quran 11:36-48], with Ibrahim when he was cast in the fire [Quran 21:51-70], with Musa when he split the sea for the Bani Israel[Quran 26:52-66], and who were with Isa when Allah ascended him to Himself [Quran 4:157-159].

Among these angels are also the four thousand '(fully equipped) distinguished angels' [Quran 3:125] and the one thousand 'angels who came in an unbroken succession' [Quran 8:9] who were with the Prophet [saw], the three hundred and thirteen angels who fought in the battle of Badr and the four thousand angels who descended to fight along with Husein [as] but who were not permitted to fight.
Four thousand angels descended on the day of Ashura to fight along with Husein [as] but they were not permitted to fight. Therefore they ascended back to the heavens to seek permissionfrom Allah. However, by the time they came back, Husein [as] had been killed. Therefore they remain next to his grave, disheveled and covered with dust, and they cry over him (and will continue to do so) until the day of Judgment. Their chief is an angel named Mansur.

These angels receive everyone who comes to the Ziyarah of Husein [as] and they accompanythem when they bid farewell to Husein [as]. They visit them if they become ill, establish prayerson them in their funerals when they die, and seek forgiveness for them after their death.
All of these angels are on earth waiting for the rising of the Qaa'im [af]'

Sunnah of the Aimmah ('as) for the Hujjah ('aj)

Allamah Amini in Al Ghadeer narrates,
'It was narrated that when Da'abal read his poems before Imam Ridha (as) and mentioned the Hujjah (may our souls be sacrificed for him) by his saying:
If not because of he whom I hope for his coming today and tomorrow;
My soul could have cut off due to sadness;
There is no doubt in the coming out of the Imam;
He shall rise by the name of Allah and His blessings.
Imam Ridha (as) would lay his hand on his head and respectfully stand up to pray for his quick relief and reappearance.


It was narrated from our master Imam Al Ridha (as) in his seating in Khurasan, when he stood up when the word 'Al Qaaim' was mentioned resting his head on his honourable head, saying,
O Allah, may You hasten his relief and make his coming very easy' and he also mentioned some of the significance of his government.


Muhadith Nuri mentioned in his book 'Annajmu Thaqib': this type of dignity when this name is mentioned is usual between the shiah all over the world especially within the Arabs, non Arabs, Turkish, Indians, and others, even among our Sunni brothers. [Ilzamu Nnasib 1:271]


Imam Sadiq (as) was once asked the reason for standing up when the word 'Al Qaaim' (the nickname of the Imam) is mentioned and he said,
'...because he shall have a long occultation and due to his much kindness to his wellwishers, he looks at whoever remembered him with his nickname, as the symbol of his government and lost for his loneliness. It is among respect to him by standing up in humbleness before him and seeking from Allah (swt) the quick relief and appearance of the Imam.' [Ilzamu Nnasib]


Sayed Murtada Mujtahidi Sistani
Sahifah al-Mahdiya

How to derive utmost benefit from Hajj

In one of my journeys to Makka al-Mukarrama for hajj, I and a noble companion happen to visit the late martyr Ayatullah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim.
I can still visualize those moments. He had a sparkling face that had so much to narrate. We sought some advise from him, and the great scholar informed us of a brilliant interpretation of the tradition: ‘Min tamaam al-Hajj liqaa al-Imam’ [The completion of hajj is in meeting the Imam].
One of the possible interpretations of the tradition is that the pilgrims who come to perform hajj must know the proper way of undertaking the ritual in its different dimensions.
Therefore they should approach the leader (Imam) who has a good understanding of the same.
And the leader(s) of the contemporary era [who represent the Imam of the time] are the Muslim scholars, who should be approached [and their advise sought].
I felt enlightened. Indeed in order for one to derive utmost benefit from hajj, he should go to the different places of the ‘ulama in Makka, who are well-grounded in the laws and secrets of hajj.
By Sh. Muhammad Khalfan

How to get closer to the Imam of the time

An important lesson from Sheikh Hassan Ali Isfahani

The Sheikh had engaged himself right from his youth with his worships and Islamic devotion, and endured a lot of inconveniences in order to attain some spiritual ranks. He wrote up a compilation that comprised of mysteries and which he did not expose or divulge to the general public.

My late father Muazzam (may Allah raise his position) told me about this write-up of Sheikh:
'Verily Sheikh Hassan Ali Isfahani towards the end of his life has given this book to late Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Ridawi.'

Our reason for reporting this issue was the important point mentioned by Sheikh Hassan Ali Isfahani at the end of his book, which is incumbent for those who wanted to pass through the spiritual stages to benefit from it, as follows:

'I wish all I would have done in my readings, litanies and so on, for the purpose of reaching spiritual ranks, should have been done for the purpose of nearness to my master, the leader of the time (may Allah hasten his reappearance).'

Take note of the speech of this religious and divine man who was well known among the Sunni and Shiah, how he has shown his regret for all the good jobs he has put forward hoping to have done that for the purpose of nearness to the Imam of the time.

There is no doubt that Sheikh Hassan Ali Isfahani was possessing spiritual strength and it is hard to get these type of states; with all this he is still having the notion that all he has done throughout his life was just for the nearness to the chief of this world of existence.
The great example for anyone (in any field he belongs to) is to copy from the experience of the great men of that field and to benefit from their struggles throughout their life and from what they have achieved most specially to focus on the last period of their life.

Be very careful of this point: to benefit from the important experience of the great men increases the spiritual value in ones life.

Try in your deeds what Sheikh Hassan Ali Isfahani has experienced which he has written in his book.
Offer your prayers, supplications and other aspect of your worship in nearness to Allah (swt) so that you can be closer to his caretaker, our master, the Imam of the time (aj) and cast off little ambition. This is a reality which will benefit you a great deal.

Sahifah al-Mahdiya
Sayed Murtada Mujtahidi Sistani

What shall I answer him?

Sheikh Zainul Abidin Mazandarani, a student of the author of (the book) Jawahir and (also of) Sheikh Ansari, lived in the city of Kerbala. In connection with his generosity and alms-giving, it has been recorded that he would borrow as much money as he could and then distribute it amongst the needy, and his debts would then be repaid by those coming to Kerbala from India.


One day a destitute arrived at his door and asked for alms. Not having any money with him, the Sheikh picked up his copper jar, handed it to him and said: "Take this and sell it."


A couple of days later when his family members realized that the jar was missing, they created an uproar, shouting: "A thief has taken away our jar." When the Sheikh, who was in his library, heard the outcry, he said to them: "Do not accuse the thieves for I am the one who has taken the jar."

Once, on one of his trips to Samarrah, he fell seriously ill. Mirza Shirazi paid him a visit and began comforting him, whereupon the Sheikh said to him: "I am not at all fearful of death; my uneasiness is due to the fact that according to our beliefs, when we die, our souls are taken in the presence of the Imam-e-Asr (12th Imam ajf). If, at that time, the Imam were to question me: "O' Zainul 'Abidin! With the credibility and esteem that we had bestowed upon you, you could have borrowed a greater amount of money for helping the needy than what you used to; why then did you not do so? … What shall I answer him?'"


It is reported that Mirza Shirazi was greatly affected by these words; returning home, he brought out all the religious taxes that lay in his house and distributed them amongst the needy.
(Reference : Anecdotes for Reflection, Volume 3, pg72)


"Then as for him who gives away and guards (against evil), and accepts the best, We will facilitate for him the easy end." (Surah Lail, verse 5-7)


The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) says:
"Nothing shall ensure the welfare (and interests) of your religion except generosity and good disposition." (Jami al-Saadaat , vol. 1, pg. 308)