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.

Teaching of the Prophet, narrated by Imam al-Baqir (A)

Al-Kulayni, in al-Kafi, reports with his chain of narrators from al-'Imam al Baqir (A) that he said, 

"The Messenger of Allah (S) said: 'God, the Sublime and the Blessed, said: 
"The workers (of deeds) for My sake should not, for My reward, trust the works they have done: for, verily, should they labour and toil for all their lives in My service and worship, they would fall short in their worship and will not attain to the reality of My service in what they seek with Me of My magnanimity and bounty, My paradise and the high stations in My proximity.

Rather, they should rely upon My mercy and put hope in My favour and be contented of their good opinion (husn al-zann) of Me; for, verily, therein My mercy will reach them, My good pleasure will go forth to them, and My forgiveness shall envelop them. For, indeed, I am Allah, the Beneficent and the Merciful, and I have been named so on that account"."
Al-Kafi, II, 71, hadith 1.

The Prophet's Silence & his frequent Du'a‏

The Prophet's Silence
In a lengthy narration from Imam al-Husayn (AS) who asked his father [Imam 'Ali (AS)] about the conduct, interaction and manners of the Prophet, he (AS) says, 'I then asked my father about the silence of the Holy Prophet (S).' So he (AS) said:


'His silence was based on four things: forbearance, caution, consideration and contemplation. 


As for (his silence in) consideration, this was in order to look and listen to everyone equally. 


As for contemplation, it was about what remains and what perishes. 
He had a perfect balance of forbearance and patience. 
Nothing would enrage him or upset him. 


He was cautious in four things: 
- in his performing a good deed so that others would emulate him, 
- in his abandoning evil so that others would also reject it, 
- in his struggling to make the best decisions for reforming his community, 
- and in his performing that which secures the good of this world and the next.'
Sunan al-Nabi; Allamah Tabatabai quoting from Ma'ani al-Akhbar: 83, 'Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha, 1:246, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah of Ibn Kathir 2:601


The Prophet's frequent Du'a
Umm Salamah narrates that the Holy Prophet(S) would frequently say in his du'a:
اللهم يا مقلب القلوب ثبت قلبي على دينك
O Allah - the Transformer of hearts! Make my heart steadfast on Your religion.


I said: “O Prophet of Allah! And are hearts transformed?” 
He said: “Yes. Allah did not create any human being but that his heart was between two fingers from the fingers of Allah, so if He willed he would make it upright and if He willed he would make it deviate.” 
Sunan al-Nabi; Allamah Tabatabai quoting from al-Durr al-Manthur 2:8 – Surat Ale 'Imran (3)

The Fast of the Prophet (s)

When the Month of Ramadhan entered, the Noble Prophet (s) freed all the prisoners and gave (something) to all the beggars. [al-Faqih 2:99, Amali al-Saduq: 57]


In the second volume of Tarikh al-Nisabur, from Khalf ibn Ayyub al-’Amiri in his narration about the Holy Prophet (s): When the month of Ramadhan would enter, he would grow pale and his prayers would increase and he would supplicate and beseech Allah entreatingly. [Iqbal al-A'mal: 20]


'The Holy Prophet (s) had a drink with which he would break his fast and a drink for sahr. Sometimes he would have only one (drink) - sometimes it would be milk and sometimes it would be a drink with soaked bread.' [Makarim al-Akhlaq: 32]


From 'Abdillah ibn Maskan from Abi 'Abdillah (a) who said: When the Prophet of Allah (s) opened his fast, he started with a sweet dish, and if he did not have it, he would partake some sugar or dried dates and if he did not have any of these, he would open his fast with lukewarm water. [al-Kafi 4:153]


Abi 'Abdillah (a) said: 'The first thing that the Noble Prophet (s) broke his fast with in the season of fresh dates was fresh dates and in the season of dry dates was dry dates.' [al-Kafi 4:153, Da'im al-Islam 2:111]


Ja'far (a) from his fathers (a): When the Holy Prophet (s) fasted and did not find anything sweet (to break his fast with), he would break his fast with water. [al-Kafi 4:152]


In some narrations: 'He (s) would sometimes break his fast with raisins.' [Tahdhib al-Ahkam 4:198]


Narrated from the family of the Holy Prophet (s): It is recommended to have the suhur (the Last meal before daybreak during the month of Ramadhan) even if it is only a glass of water. Also: It is narrated that it is better to have dry dates and ‘al-Sawiq’ (A dish made from wheat or barley mixed with sugar and dates) because this is what the Holy Prophet (s) used to have in his suhur. [al-Muqni'ah: 316]


From 'Ali (a) who said: The Holy Prophet (s) would roll up his mattress and intensify his worship on the last ten days of the month of Ramadhan. He used to wake his family on the twenty-third night and he would sprinkle the faces of those who were asleep with water on this night. And Fatimah (a) did not let anyone in her family sleep on this night and in order to enable them to remain awake, she gave them less food and prepared them from the morning saying: “The one who does not benefit from the blessings of this night is surely deprived.” [Da'im al-Islam 1:282]


In his narration from Abi Bakr who said: When the last ten nights (of the month of Ramadhan) would enter, he (s) would prepare himself, leave his wives, keep awake at night and occupy himself with worship. [al-Kafi 4:155]


In his narration from Ja'far from his fathers from 'Ali (a): 'When the Holy Prophet (s) wanted to go for the prayer on the day of Fitr, he would (first) have a breakfast of dates and raisins.' [al-Ja'fariyat: 40, Nawadir al-Rawandi: 39, Bihar al-Anwar 91:122]

“I am the Son of the Two Offerings”

Ahmad ibn Al-Hassan al-Qattan narrated that Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Sa’eed al-Kufi quoted on the authority of Ali ibn Al-Hassan ibn al-Fadhdhal, on the authority of his father,

“I asked Abul Hassan Ali ibn Musa Al-Reza (s) about the meaning of the statement made by the Prophet (s),
‘I am the son of the two offerings.’
Imam Al-Reza (s) said, ‘That means that the Prophet (s) was the descendant of both Ishmael, the son of Abraham - the friend of God (s), and Abdullah - the son of Abdul Muttalib. Ishmael was the patient son, about whom God gave the glad tidings of his birth to Abraham (s).

Then when (the son) reached the age of (serious) work with him, he said, ‘O my son! I see in a vision that I offer thee in sacrifice. Now see what is thy view!’ (The son) said, ‘O my father! Do as thou art commanded. Thou will find me, God willing, one practicing Patience and Constancy!’ [Qur’an, 37:102]
When he decided to offer him as sacrifice, God replaced him with a chubby black and white sheep. This sheep had been raised in a fresh green area, and had grazed in the Gardens of Heaven for forty years. It had no mother. Rather the Honorable the Exalted God said to it be and it was created so as to be substituted for Ishmael, ‘We but say the word, ‘Be’, and it is.’ [Qur’an, 16:40]

Whatever is sacrificed in Mina [A place in the hills east of Mecca on the road from it to ál-Rafa] until the Resurrection Day will be sacrificed on behalf of Ishmael. This is one of the offerings. Now let us consider the second one.

Abdul Muttalib grabbed the doorknob of the Kaaba and prayed to God to be granted ten sons. He bet with the Almighty God that he would offer one of them for sacrifice if his prayer was accepted. When the number of his sons became ten, he took them all inside the Kaaba and drew lots for their names. The lot fell to Abdullah's name - the father of the Prophet Muhammad (s) - whom he loved the most. He drew lots again, and it fell to Abdullah's name. He drew lots for the third time. Again the lots fell to Abdullah's name. Then he took him, imprisoned him and decided to offer him for sacrifice. All of the people of the Quraysh tribe got together and the other tribes also got together crying.

Abdul Muttalib's daughter - Ateka - said, ‘Ask the Almighty God to excuse you from offering your son , for sacrifice.’ Abdul Muttalib said, ‘My daughter! How can I ask for an excuse? You are mature and intelligent.’ Ateka said, ‘Draw lots concerning your son, and your camels that are around the Shrine (the Kaaba). Increase the number of camels so much that your Lord gets pleased and the lot falls to the name of the camels.’ Then Abdul Muttalib sent someone after his camels. They brought them all there. He chose ten of the camels and drew lots. The lot fell to the name of Abdullah. He chose an additional ten and drew lots again. The lot fell to the name of Abdullah again. He added to the number of camels and repeated drawing lots until the number of camels reached one hundred. Then the lot fell to the name of the camels.

The people of the Quraysh tribe became very happy and said ‘God is the Greatest’ so loud that the Tehamat mountains started to shake. Abdul Muttalib said, ‘No. I must draw lots three more times.’ He drew lots three more times. The lot fell to the name of the camels all three times. On the third time, Zubayr and Abu Talib dragged their brother Abdullah away from under Abdul Muttalib's feet. The part of his face that was on the ground got hurt. They picked him up and kissed him. Abdul Muttalib ordered all the one hundred camels be taken to Hazvareh and slaughtered there. He stressed that no one should be deprived of the meat.

There were five traditions practiced by Abdul Muttalib which the Almighty God continued their practice of in Islam as follows:

1- He forbade the (marriage of) the father's wives with the sons.
2- He established one hundred camels as blood compensation for killing.
3- He circumambulated the Kaaba seven times.
4- He found a treasure and paid one fifth of it as levy.
5- When he dug up the 'Zam Zam' spring, he established it as the supply of water for the pilgrims.

If Abdul Muttalib was not a proof (of the Divine God) and his decision to offer his son as sacrifice was not similar to that of Abraham (s) about his son Ishmael, the Noble Prophet (s) would not have been proud of being related to them (Abraham and Abdul Muttalib) and would not have said, ‘I am the son of the two offerings.’

The reason God prevented Ishmael from being sacrificed was the same one that He prevented Abdullah from being sacrificed. The reason was that the Noble Prophet (s) and the Immaculate Imams (s) were in their loins. Thus God prevented their being sacrificed due to the Blessed Prophet (s) and the Imams (s). Thus the tradition of offering one's son as a sacrifice did not become popular among the people. Otherwise, it would have become obligatory for people to offer their sons for sacrifice on the day of celebrating the ‘Eid ul-Adha each year until the Resurrection Day so as to seek nearness to God. Everything sacrificed on the ‘Eid ul-Adha until the Resurrection Day will be a substitute for Ishmael.

The author of this book (Sheikh Sadooq) said, “There are many traditions on the offering. In some traditions we read that Isaac was the one offered for sacrifice. In others we read that Ishmael was the one offered for sacrifice. We can not reject a tradition that has an authentic documentation. Ishmael was offered for sacrifice. However, when Isaac was born later, he wished that it was he himself who was offered for sacrificed by his father. He would have been patient and would have submitted to the decree of the Almighty God just as his brother did. Then he would have earned the same rank and reward that his brother had earned. God was aware of his intentions. For this reason he called him ‘the offering’ among his angels. I have quoted the related tradition in the book An-Nubowwa.”

'Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha, Sheykh al-Sadooq, Chapter 18

6 guidelines on Akhlaq

Hammad b. `Authman narrated, 
‘I was in the presence of Abu Abdillah [al-Sadiq] (a), when a man said to him,
‘May Allah make you well, you mentioned that Ali b. Abi Talib (a) would wear rough clothes, wear a shirt that was worth four dirhams, and other things like that. But we see you are wearing good clothes!’
[He said], ‘The Imam replied to him,
‘Ali b. Abi Talib (a) wore that in a time in which it would not be disapproved, and if he would wear those clothes today he would be defamed for it. Therefore, the best clothing of every time is the clothing of the people [of that time]. However, when our al-Qa’im [the awaited saviour Imam al-Mahd?, may Allah hasten his appearance] reappears he will be wearing the clothes of Ali (a) and will follow his way of life.’
[al-Kafi, v. 6, p. 444, no. 15]

Imam al-Hasan (a) said,
‘There are twelve things that every Muslim should know about the table [manners]; four are mandatory, four are recommended, and four are general manners. The mandatory are: knowledge [of the food], to be content with it, mentioning the name of Allah [before it], and offering thanks to Him [afterwards].
The recommended acts are: ablution before eating, sitting on one’s left side, eating with three fingers, and licking the fingers [after the meal].
And the general manners are: eating from the closest spot to you, taking small bites, chewing well, and rarely looking at people’s faces [while eating].’
[Wasael al-Shi`aah , v. 16, p. 539, no. 1]

The Prophet (s) said, 'Gabriel continuously advises me about brushing teeth, that I really thought he would lay it down as an obligation.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 76, p. 126, no. 2]

Imam al-Sadiq (a) said, ‘Three things cause weight gain and three others cause weight loss.As for those that cause weight gain – excessive use of the bathhouse, smelling sweet fragrance and wearing soft clothing. And as for those that cause weight loss, they are: eating too many eggs, fish and unripe dates.’[al-Khisal, p. 155, no. 194]

Imam al-Kazim (AS) said,
‘Man should not leave one day without perfuming himself, and if he is not able to do that, then he should perfume himself every other day, and if he cannot do that, then he should do so every Friday without fail.’
[al-Kafi, v. 6, no. 4]

Imam al-Sadiq (AS) was asked how to determine the most rightful person to lead the congregation, to which he replied,
‘Verily the Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The person who recites the Qur’an the best [i.e. with correct pronunciation] should lead them, and if they all recite similarly, then the one who migrated [from Makkah to Medina] the earliest, and if they all migrated around the same time, then the oldest from among them, and if they are all the same age, then the most knowledgeable from among them with regards to the prophetic practice and the laws of jurisprudence. No one from among you should lead a man in prayer in his own home, nor a man of authority within the sphere of his authority.’
[al-Kafi, v. 3, p. 376, no. 5]

Great descriptions of some Great virtues

“Gabriel came to the Holy Prophet (s) and said: 
O Messenger of Allah! God has sent you a gift which He has not given to anyone before. 
The Holy Prophet said: What is that gift? 
Gabriel said: It is patience.
“But there is a virtue better than patience.  The Holy Prophet said: What is it? 
Gabriel said: It is contentment.

“There is still a virtue better than contentment. 
The Holy Prophet said: what is it? 
Gabriel said: It is pleasure of God.

“But there is a virtue better than that.  The Holy Prophet said: What is it? 
Gabriel said: It is piety.

“Yet there is a virtue better than that. 
The Holy Prophet said: What is it? 
Gabriel said: It is devotion.

“But there is a virtue better than that. 
The Holy Prophet said: What is it? 
Gabriel said: Sure knowledge.

“Yet there is a virtue better than that. 
The Holy Prophet said: What is it? 
Gabriel said: The way to attain all of them is to put trust in God.

“I said, O Gabriel! What is the meaning of putting trust in God?Gabriel said: Knowing that His creatures neither harm nor benefit anyone.
They neither give nor withhold anything. 
One must stop having hope in creatures.
When a man reaches this position, he will not do anything save for Him, his heart does not go astray, he fears no one save Him and he does not set his hope on anyone but Him. 
This is the meaning of putting trust in God.

“The Holy Prophet said: O Gabriel! What is the meaning of patience? 
Gabriel said: Man must have forbearance and patience in afflictions as in joys. 
He should never complain of His Creator to the people.

I said: What is the meaning of contentment? 
Gabriel said: To be content with whatever in this world and to thank God for the small things he has.”

“The Holy Prophet said: What is the meaning of God’s pleasure? 
Gabriel said: To be pleased with God but not to be pleased with one’s own deeds.

“The Holy Prophet said: O Gabriel!  What is the meaning of piety?
Gabriel said: A pious man loves whatever His creator loves and hates whatever He hates. 
He is careful about what is lawful and leaves of what is unlawful, for what is lawful is counted and what is unlawful will entail punishment. 
He has mercy on every muslim as he has on himself. 
He shuns useless words as he shuns what is unlawful. 
He abstains from overeating as he keeps away from a corpse with bad smell. 
He keeps away from the embellishments of world as he keeps away from Fire. 
His desires are not far-fetched and death is present before his eyes.”

“The Holy Prophet said: O Gabriel! What is the meaning of Devotion? 
Gabriel said: A devoted person is one who does not ask for anything from people until he obtains it and whenever he obtained it, he is pleased with it. 
Also if he has something extra, he will give it away for the ansake of God. 
The fact that he does not ask for something from others is admittance of his being a servant of God. 
He is pleased with God and God is pleased with him. 
He gives away when he needs it more than others.”

“The Holy Prophet (SAW) said: What is sure knowledge? 
Gabriel said:  A man of sure knowledge acts in a way as if he sees God. 
Even if he does not reach the degree of seeing God, he knows that God sees him and is sure that what he has and what he has not is what God wills. 
These were some of signs of putting trust in God and having piety.”

Oddatatol Daee
(The Asset of Supplicant)

Hadith very diffult to understand!

[Bihar Al-Anwar 37:233; Khisaal Al-Sadouq 208; Tafsir Furat Al-Kufi 6; Maani Al-Akhbar 189]

Abul Husain bin Abi Tayyeb bin Shuaib, from Ahmad bin Qasem Al-Hashimi, from Isa, from Farroukh bin Farwah, from Mos'edah bin Sadaqa, from Saleh bin Maitham, from his father Maitham Al-Tammar, who said:
I was in the marketplace and Asbagh bin Nobatah came to me and said, 'O Maitham, I heard a very difficult hadith from the Commander of the Believers (as) today. How can that be?'
'What did you hear' I asked
Asbagh replied, 'I heard the Commander of the Believers (as) say, 'Our Ahadith are very difficult and complex. Only the high-ranked angels, the messengers, and those slaves whose hearts have been tested can handle them.'
So I (Maitham) immediately left the marketplace and went to the Commander of the Believers (as).


'O Commander of the Believers! Asbagh narrated a hadith from you today that was very difficult for me.' I said
'Which hadith was it' he asked.
I narrated the hadith that I had heard from Asbagh. The Commander of the Believers (as) smiled and asked me to sit down.
Then he said:
'Can all knowledge be handled by everyone? 'And when your Lord said to the angels, I am going to place in the earth a khalif, they said: What! wilt Thou place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood, and we celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy holiness? He said: Surely I know what you do not know.'
So Could the angels handle the knowledge?'
I (Maitham) said, 'This is even greater than what I heard from Asbagh.'
The Commander of the Believers (as) said,
'Allah sent the Torah to Musa. Therefore Musa thought there was no one more knowledgeable than him.
To ensure that pride does not enter the heart of Musa, Allah said to him, 'There is someone in My creation who is more knowledgeable than you are.'
So Musa asked Allah to guide him to the most knowledgeable person, and Allah led him to Khizr. When Khizr destroyed the ship, Musa could not handle it; when Khizr killed the boy, Musa could not handle it; when Khizr built the wall, Musa could not handle it (Quran 18:65-82).
As for the believers, the Messenger of Allah (saw) held my hand on the Day of Ghadeer and said, 'O Allah! of whomsoever I am his master, this Ali is his master.'
Do you think everyone could handle that? Only those whom Allah has protected (could handle it).
Therefore rejoice and be delighted because Allah has chosen you to handle the matters and the knowledge of the Messenger of Allah (saw), and this was not entrusted to all of the angels, nor was it given to every Prophet or Messenger.'

The Perfect Servant

Ibn Arabi (III 248.12)


God made this earth a place for the vicegerency. Hence it is the abode of His Kingdom and the site of His deputy, who becomes manifest through the properties of His names.
So, from the earth, He created us. Within it, He gave us residence, whether alive or dead. And from it He will bring us forth through the Uprising in the last configuration. Thus, worship never leaves us wherever we may be, in this world and the afterworld, for, even though the afterworld is not an abode of [religious] prescription [taklif], it is an abode of worship.
Among us, whoever ceaselessly witnesses that for which he was created in this world and the next is the perfect servant, the intended goal of the cosmos, and the deputy of the whole cosmos. Were all the cosmos - the high of it and the low of it - to be heedless of God's remembrance for a single moment, and were this servant to remember Him, he would take the place of the whole cosmos through that remembrance, and the existence of the cosmos would be preserved through him. However, if the human servant were to be heedless of the remembrance, the cosmos could not take his place in that. That of it which is empty of the human being who remembers would go to ruin.
The Prophet said, 'The Hour will not come as long as there remains in the earth someone who is saying <Allah, Allah>'

UTTER LOVE

In his Isnad narrating from Hadhrat Salman (may God be pleased with him) that: 


Salmaan al-Farsi (May God be pleased with him) said: “We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah when a Bedouin entered. He stood up in front of us and said: “Assalamu Alaykum”. We replied him back. He then said: 


‘Which one of you is the Full Moon, and the Lantern of darkness; Mohammad the messenger of God, the learned king? Is he this radiant face?’ 
We said: ‘Yes’.


The Prophet (saww) said: ‘O Arab brother! Have a seat.’ 
He replied: ‘O Mohammad! I did believe in you before I met you and acknowledged you before I see you, except a matter narrated to me from you. The Prophet (saww) said: " And what is that"? The Bedouin said: You invited us to bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah. We then agreed. You then invited us to Salaat, Zakat, Fasting, and Hajj and we accepted those. You then were not satisfied with us until you invited us to obedience for your cousin; Ali bin Abi-Talib and his love. Did you make this compulsory on us or God from the heaven has made it compulsory?’ 


The Prophet (saww) said: ‘Rather, Allah made it compulsory for inhabitants of heavens and earth. When the man heard of that Prophetic statement said: I hear and obey for the sake of Allah O Messenger of God! as it is truly from our Lord. 


The Prophet (saww) then added: 
O Arab brother! I was given in Ali five qualities that even one of them is better than this world and what it contains. Do you not like me to inform you about them, O Arab brother?’ 
‘Yes O messenger of God’, the man replied. 

The Prophet (saww) then said: 
‘I was sitting on the day of the Battle of Badr and the war had just come to an end, that Gabriel (peace be on him) descended and said: ‘God the Exalted sends you al-Salam and says for you: ‘O Mohammad I swear in My Majesty that I do not reveal the love for Ali bin Abi-Talib save to those whom I love. Thus, whoever I love, I shall reveal to them Ali’s love, and whoever I hate I shall reveal to them their hatred for Ali.’ O Arab brother! Should I not inform you of the second one?’ 
‘Yes O messenger of Allah’, said the Arab. 


The Prophet (saww) said: 
‘I was sitting after I finished from the burial of my uncle Hamzeh (after the Battle of Ohod), that Gabriel descended and said: O Mohammad! Allah sends you al-Salam and says for you: “Indeed I made Salaat compulsory, but I excused the menstruating women, the insane and the children. I made fasting compulsory; yet I exempt a traveler from it. I made Hajj compulsory, but I excused an ill person. I made Zakat compulsory; yet exempt the poor from it. But I made the love for Ali ibn Abi-Talib compulsory on the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, and did not give any excuse to anyone.” O Arab brother! Do you want me to tell you about the third one?’ 
‘Yes, indeed O messenger of God’, said the Arab. 


The Prophet (saww) said: 
‘God did not create anything unless He made a master in it. The eagle is the master of the birds. The bull is the master of beasts. The lion is the master of wild animals. Friday is the master of the days of the week. Ramadan is the master of the months. Israfil is the master of the angels. Adam is the master of the humans. I am the master of the Prophets and Ali is the master of successors. 
O Arab brother! Do you want me to inform you about the fourth one?’ 
‘Yes, please O messenger of God’, said the Arab man. 


The Prophet (saww) said: 
‘The love of Ali ibn Abi-Talib is a tree whose root is in Paradise and its branches are in this world. Whoever from my community clings into any of its branches, it will reach them to Paradise. The hatred of Ali ibn Abi-Talib is a tree that its root is in hell and its branches are in this world. Whoever clings into any of its branches will enter into hell.O Arab brother! Should I not inform you of the fifth one?’ 
‘Yes of course, O messenger of God’, said the man. 


The Prophet (saww) then said: 
‘On the Day of Judgment, a pulpit will be placed for me on the right side of the Throne. Then another pulpit will be placed for Ibrahim (peace be upon him) adjacent to mine on the right side of the Throne. Then a bright high and dominating Chair will be brought known as the Chair of Honor. It will be placed for Ali between my pulpit and the pulpit of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Then my eyes will have never seen a better friend between two bosom friends. O A’Rabi! The love for Ali ibn Abi-Talib is true, then you shall love him. Indeed Allah will love those who love him and he is with me on the Day of Judgment. Ali and I are in the same part (of Paradise).’ 
Upon hearing that, the Arab man said: ‘I hear and obey Allah, his messenger and your cousin Ali ibn Abi-Talib.’” 


Source: Bihar al-Anwar, vol.40 p.46

An easy swift path in the journey to the Almighty, the Ultimate

A practical piece of advice by Sh. Husain Al Bahrani

Be informed that anything big dwarves when compared to something bigger. Anything hard dwarves when compared to something harder.
One who is pricked by a thorn then bitten by a scorpion sees the thorn as nothing compared with the sting of the scorpion, something not worth mentioning at all.
The Creator (swt) has subdued everything by creating something else higher than it.
Take a look Amir Al Mu'mineen Ali (as), his might and prowess, his attainment of the extreme limit of perfection, and how he humbles himself when the name Muhammad (saw) is mentioned, admitting that he is his slave. Says the Imam (as), 'I am one of the slaves of Muhammad (saw)' [Al Kafi, vol. 1 p. 89]

Such is the tangible principle about everything possible in existence.
So if you want to think less of the life of this world and its hardships, take a look at what is harder.
Imagine if you add to your hardship another hardship much harder for you; what would you then? It is then that everything becomes easy when compared to what is harder.
And it is then that you will count your blessings and say, 'Praise be to Allah who did not expose me to a hardship! Had He so willed, He would have done just that!'

Likewise, if you wish to appreciate a good deed which you have done so as to rid yourself of the elation, which is the substance of conceit and bragging, compare this good deed with others undertaken by those who are higher in status, those who are better than you.
Or suppose you are elevated in your status, you will then see such a good deed as wrong and as indicative of your shortcoming, so you need to apologise for it. You will feel ashamed of being associated with it, let alone being proud of and elated about it.

Hence the key points to remember:
* always remember the 'being bitten by a thorn and being bitten by a scorpion principle' principle
* always imagine to add to your hardship another hardship much harder for you, that way, your hardship will seem insignificant
* and finally count all your blessings

Proximity through Al Hussein

[A form of Tasbeeh & the 7 Takbeer's before Salaah]

Through my chain of transmitters reaching Shaikh ut Taifa Abu Ja'far Toosi, who relates from Shaikh Mufeed, who relates from Ibne Qawlawayh, from his father, from Sa'ad, from Barqi, from Sulayman bin Muslim Kindi, from Ibne Ghazawan, from Isa bin Abi Mansoor, from Aban bin Taghlib, who relates from Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (a.s) that he said,
"The sorrowful sigh over the oppression which have been inflicted upon us is glorification, and grief upon us is worship. And guarding our secrets carries the reward of struggle in the path of Allah."
Then he retorted,
"Verily it is necessary that this tradition be written in gold."

In the book Manaqib it is quoted through Hafs bin Ghiyas from Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (a.s), that one day the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) prepared to recite the Prayers and Imam Husain (a.s) was standing besides him. The Prophet recited the Takbeer (Allaho Akbar) and Imam could not pronounce it. The Prophet repeated it again but Imam could not do so.
The Prophet repeated his Takbeer seven times and on the seventh time Husain recited it correct­ly.
Imam Sadiq (a.s) says that thus reciting Takbeer seven times before starting the Prayers (Salat) is recommended (Sunnah).

An Old Woman of High Aspirations

by Shaykh Muhammad Khalfan


Before the advent of Islam, once when the Holy Prophet (s) happen to visit Taaif, someone generously hosted him.
Later when the Prophet (s) was appointed as a Messenger of Allah, the said person was asked: ‘Do you know whom did Allah appoint as his Messenger to the people? ‘No.’ he replied. They said: ‘It is Muhammad bin ‘Abdillah, the orphan of Abu Talib, who, on such and such a day had been your guest in Taaif and you graciously hosted him.
Hearing this, the person comes in the presence of the Prophet (s), greets him, embraces Islam, and then says: ‘O Messenger of Allah, do you recognize me?’ The Prophet (s) says: ‘And who are you?’ The man says: ‘I am the owner of the house in which you had put up in Taaif during the age of ignorance (before the advent of Islam) on such and such a day and I hosted you.
The Holy Prophet (s) said: ‘You are welcome; ask what you what.’ The man said: ‘I want 200 sheep together with their shepherds. The Holy Prophet (s) ordered that he be given what he wanted.
Then addressing his companions he wished that the man would seek that which the old lady of Bani Israil sought from Prophet Musa (‘a).
The companions asked: ‘And what did the old lady of Bani Israil seek from Musa?’ The Prophet (s) said: ‘Surely Allah revealed to Prophet Musa (‘a) to carry the corpse of Prophet Yusuf (‘a) before he left Egypt for the holy land in Sham.
Thereupon Prophet Musa (‘a) asked about the whereabouts of the grave of Prophet Yusuf (‘a), and an old man approached him and said: If at all any one happens to know the whereabouts of the grave, it is such and such old woman.
Prophet Musa (‘a) asked her to be brought to him and when she came in his presence, he asked: ‘Do you know the place of the grave of Prophet Yusuf (‘a)?’ She said: ‘Yes.’ The Prophet said: ‘Therefore guide me towards the grave and I you will get whatever you ask.’
She said: ‘I shall not guide you towards it except you agree to what I want in return.’ The Prophet (‘a) said: ‘You shall get Paradise.’ She said: ‘No, except what I want.’ Thereupon Almighty Allah revealed to Prophet Musa (‘a) that agreeing to her request should not seem insurmountable to him.
Therefore Prophet Musa (‘a) said: ‘Alright, you would have what you want.’ Thereupon she said: ‘I would like to be with you in the same station that you would have in Paradise on the Day of Judgment.’
Narrating this the Holy Prophet (s) said: ‘why didn’t this man seek that which the old woman of Bani Israil sought?’

ELEVATING OUR ASPIRATIONS

By Sh. Muhammad Khalfan


Asiya (‘a) bintu Muzahim, the wife of Pharaoh is mentioned by Allah in the Holy Qur’an as an example for believers, both men and women (mathalan lilladhina aamanu) (66:11).
Despite having access to so much of material benefits, which can easily blindfold and ruin the spiritual lives of so many, she prefers belief and proximity of Allah over the pleasures of the world. After Prophet Musa (‘a) had openly proclaimed the Message of Allah, Asiya brought faith in him and was a monotheist.
This remained a secret until one day Pharaoh came to learn about her real faith. So he forced her to abandon her faith and believe him as the ultimate God, but she never accepted.
Thereafter he informed her mother-in-law (Asiya’s mother) to explain to her daughter to relinquish her faith, otherwise he would punish her. Asiya’s mother talks to her daughter, but she is unwavering in her stance. So Pharaoh starts torturing her. He orders her first to be nailed down and crucified. Thereafter he orders a very huge rock to be thrown on her.
Before the rock descends on her she prays: “O Lord build for me near You a house in Paradise...”(66:11)
Exegetes of the Qur’an say that she did not merely say “build for me a house in Paradise (ibni li baytan fil Janna)” nor did she say “build for me A HOUSE near you in Paradise” (ibni li - BAYTAN ‘indaka- fil Janna) but rather she said “build for me NEAR YOU a house in Paradise” (ibni li -‘INDAKA baytan- fil Janna) mentioning the phrase “NEAR YOU” before the house thus alluding to her extreme preference of proximity to Allah over the house.
When the Holy Qur’an narrates such incidents it is not for the mind to seek pleasure and get satisfied. It is rather an invitation to wake up from our slumber and begin the journey!

WHEN ALLAH WHISPERS

Munajat is a conversation between the lover and the Beloved. It is therefore no ordinary kind of conversation. It is a mutual conversation that entails secrecy and intimacy. Only those who are close to each other secretly whisper to one another. Our holy traditions introduce the canonical prayer as munajat. The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said: “O mankind surely when the worshipper (musalli) prays, he whispers (yunaaji) unto his Blessed and Almighty Lord; therefore he must know that with which he whispers.” Whispering to Allah is a phenomenon both encouraged as well as understood. However, very few qualify to be whispered by Allah. Imam al-Sadiq ('a) is reported to have said: "When the Prophet (s) was taken for the nocturnal ascent (mi'raj) and he reached the station where Almighty Allah wanted him to, his Lord Whispered to him." [Bihar al-Anwar, v.18, p.341]. Jabir bin 'Abdillah al-Ansari narrates that the Holy Prophet (s) called Ali ('a) in the battle of Ta'if, and whispered to him. So the people complained and said 'The Prophet (s) whispered to Ali alone, and did not whisper to us.’ Thereupon the Prophet (s) stood and praised Allah and said: ‘O people, surely you claim that I whispered to 'Ali; I swear by Allah, I did not whisper to him; rather it is Allah Who Whispered to Him.’ [Bihar al-Anwar, v. 39, p. 153]. These were examples of the infallibles, for whom such states are understandable. Can other human beings too attain a level in which they have the privilege of being whispered by Almighty Allah? Imam 'Ali ('a) is reported to have said: “In all the periods and times when there were no prophets, there have been persons with whom Allah, precious are His bounties, whispered in their hearts and spoke in the essence of their intellects”. Therefore it is feasible for other human beings to experience such moments of ecstasy as well. One of the instances that raises a person so high that Allah whispers to him is when one sincerely embarks to visit the grave of Imam al-Husayn ('a). If he enjoys sufficient receptivity, he would have the privilege of being whispered by his All-Beloved Creator. Imam al-Sadiq ('a) is reported to have said: “Surely when a person comes out to visit the grave of al-Husayn ('a), for the first step that he takes when leaving his family, his sins are forgiven; thereafter for every step that he takes, he is sanctified until he comes to the grave. When he reaches al-Husayn's grave, Allah Whispers to him, and Says: My Servant, ask Me, and I shall give you, and call me and I shall respond to your call…[Wasa'il al-Shi'a, v.14, p.420]

The Powerful Advice of the Messenger of Allah (saw) to Abu Thar al-Ghefari

Abel-Aswad said: “I arrived in Rabatheh and met Abu Thar; Jondab Ibn Jonadeh (may God be pleased with him). He narrated: 


“Once in the middle of the day I met the Prophet of Islam (peace be on him and his pure progeny) in his mosque. There was no one in the mosque except the Messenger of God and Ali was sitting next to him. I took the opportunity and said: ‘O Messenger of God! May my parents be sacrificed for you, would you give me a recommendation that I benefit from it.’ 


The Prophet said: ‘Yes, O Abu Thar! You are from us Ahlul-Bait. I will grant you an advice and you should hold onto it as it contains the ways to virtue. If you adhere to it, there will be two rewards for you. 
Abu Thar! 
Worship God as if you see Him, for if you don’t see Him, He indeed sees you. 


Be aware that the first step of worshipping God, is to know Him. Thus, He is the first before everything and there is none before Him. 
He is One and there is no two for Him. He is everlasting without any end; the Creator of the heavens and the earth and whatever is in them and between them. He is Allah the most Merciful and Most Knower and He is Mighty over everything. 


Then, it is the faith and acknowledgement in me, that Allah has dispatched me to all people with glad tidings and warning; a caller to Allah with His permission; an illuminated lamp.


Then, it is the love of my Pure Progeny “from whom Allah has removed the evil and purified them a thorough purification.” Abu Thar, be aware that Allah the Almighty has made the example of my Ahlul-Bait in my community, like the ark of Noah; whoever embarked on it was rescued and whoever turned away from it drowned, or the likeness of the Gate of Humiliation for the Israelites that whoever entered that was safe. 


Abu Thar! Adhere to what I advise you and you will be prosperous in this world and in the hereafter.


Abu Thar! There are two blessings that many people are wrong about them; 
the blessings of health and free time. 


Abu Thar! Seize five things before five things: 
your youth before your aging, 
your health before your illness, 
your wealth before your poverty, 
your free time before your engagement, 
and your life before your death.  


Abu Thar! Be stingier with your life than your money. 


Abu Thar! The worst person in the sight of God on the Day of Judgment is a learned person who does not benefit from his knowledge. 
Whoever seeks knowledge to attract the attention of people to himself, will never even smell the fragrance of Paradise. 


Abu Thar! When you are asked of a topic that you have no knowledge of, say: ‘I don’t know’, then you will be saved from its consequences, and never give an opinion on something that you have no knowledge about, you will be saved from the chastisement of the Day of Judgment. 


Abu Thar! A group of people of Paradise will attend a group of people of hell and ask them surprisingly: “What brought you to Hell whilst we entered Paradise, because of your teachings”?! The people of Hell will reply: “Indeed we enjoined people to good, yet we didn’t practice it ourselves.’ 


Abu Thar! For every farmer is what he cultivated. Whoever cultivates good will be on the verge of harvesting it, and whoever cultivates evil will also be on the verge of cultivating regret. 


Abu Thar! When God wills evil to a person, He will make him forget his sin.’” 


Bihar al-Anwaar, Vol. 77, Pg 76

Eight stages of Sincerity...and some of the counterfeits!

One of the important disciplines of any niyah, which is of the important parts of all worships and of the general and comprehensive instructions, is "sincerity".

It has been narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SA) said:

"Every person gets according to his intention. So, the one whose intention is to migrate to Allah and His Messenger, his migration will be to Allah and His Messenger; and the one whose intention of migration is to attain to this world [to get something of it] or to marry a woman, his migration is to what he has intended." [Mustadrakul Wasa'il, chs. on "Preliminaries to the Acts of Worship", ch. 5, hadith 5.]

One of these stages of sincerity is to purge (cleanse) the act, whether cordial or formal, from the blemish of acquiring the creatures' pleasure and attracting their hearts for the sake of a praise, and advantage or anything else.

And the counterfeit of it is the act performed hypocritically, which is a juristic hypocrisy and is the meanest of all degrees of hypocrisies, and such a hypocrite is the lowest and meanest of all hypocrites.

The second stage is to purge (cleanse) the act from wanting the fulfilment of mundane objectives and transient desires, although these acts may be fulfilled in order to attain to Allah's grace, such as performing night salats [nafilah] for improving one's sustenance etc.

Some jurisprudents regard this degree of sincerity to be necessary for the correctness of the acts of worship…this salat however has no value, whatsoever, in the eyes of the people of knowledge, and it is like all other lawful gains, or maybe even lower.

The third stage is to purge (cleanse) the act from trying to attain to corporeal paradises, houris, luxurious abodes and the likes of the corporeal pleasures.

Its counterfeit is the worship of the traders, as is described in the noble hadiths.

The fourth stage is to purify the act from being afraid of the threatened bodily punishment and torture.

The counterfeit of this is the worship of the slaves, as is mentioned in the narratives.

To the people of the heart, this kind of worship is also of no value and far from being a service to Allah.

The fifth stage is to purge (cleanse) the act from trying to attain to intellectual happiness and everlasting spiritual pleasures, and to join the Cherubim, the group of the sacred intellects and the favourite angels.

Its counterfeit is acting for this purpose. Although this stage is great and an important goal, in the ways of the people of Allah, this stage has also its shortcomings in suluk, and its salik is also regarded as a trader or a worker, though his trade and business are different, in many ways, from those of others.

As regards this stage, I mean the sixth one, it is to purge (cleanse) the act from being afraid of not attaining to those pleasures and of being deprived of this happiness.

Its counterfeit is to act for this stage out of fear. Although this is a lofty stage and is beyond the desire of one like the writer, yet, to the people of Allah, this is also the worship of the slaves, for it has causes.

The seventh stage is to purge (cleanse) it from attaining to the delights of the Divine Beauty and enjoying the pleasures of the lights of limitless glories, which are the Paradise of Meeting [the Lord].

This stage, I mean the stage of Meeting Allah, is one of the most important goals of the people of knowledge and those of heart. And the people of love and attraction are of the perfect ones among the people of Allah and His chosen ones.

Yet, this perfection is not the most perfect degree of the people of Allah. It is one of their many common states.

What we read in some invocations, such as the Sha'baniyah supplication, that Imam 'Ali (AS) and his pure progeny demand the said state, or allude to their being in that state, does not mean that their states are limited to this one, since the eighth stage, which is on the same level as this one, and which is purging (cleansing) the act from the fear of separation, is also not of the perfect states of the perfect ones.

Imam 'Ali's saying: "How could I forbear separating from You?" is just a reference to a brim-full common state of him and of one like him. 

Generally speaking, purging (cleansing) the act from these two stages is also a must to the people of Allah, for to act with them will be endued with causes and not free from selfish wants.

It is, thus, perfect sincerity. There are other stages which are out of the limits of sincerity, and fall under the criterion of monotheism, abstraction and guardianship, all of which do not fit here.

Imam Khomeini (may Allah [swt] raise his status and sanctify his grave)