Al-mawaaizh ( the Sermons )

The Publisher's Word

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL

All praise is due to Allah Whose mercy is not desponded and forgiveness is not despaired of. The best blessings and peace be upon the keeper of His revelation, the seal of His messengers, the foreteller of His mercy, and the warner against His punishment-the Prophet Mohammed. The blessings and peace be, too, upon his family and household through whom the right has regained its proper place and the wrong has been overthrown. Curse be on their enemies among the people of disagreement and hypocrisy who have brought to themselves the sins and made themselves the subject of Hell.

The Imamite Shia are still known of their faithful loyalty to the Prophet's household, peace be upon them all, since the glorious Prophet had unearthed his immortal mission to mankind. He, however, kept on giving credit to the lofty standings and the qualities by which the Shia should be characterized. In view of that, they were the matter of the glorious Prophet's glad tidings that he (s) carried. He said:

The Shia of Ali will be the true winners.1

____________ 1 Refer to Kunouz ul-Haqaaiq; 82.

O Ali, Allah has forgiven you, your progeny, your sons, your household, our Shia -adherents-, and the adorers of your Shia.1 These three books -namely, al-Mawaaizh, Sifat ush-Shia, and Fadhaa'il ush-Shia- that are at the hands of the dear reader are indeed precious moral gems presented to the adherents of the Prophet's household. They are the works of the master Sheikh as-Saduq, Allah have mercy upon him, who compiled them in different times.

The translator has depended, in his work, on the copy that is published by Al-Maarif Al-Islamiyya Foundation - Qum, and revised by Mr. Mahmoud Al-Badri who exerted remarkable efforts for advancing these precious compilations in such a noteworthy form.

In addition to the original texts of the books, most of the information, notes, and comments that the reviser has added are translated for the purpose of expanding the scope of information and making the contents more understandable and more accessible to all. Furthermore, a brief biography of the compiler Sheikh as-Saduq (r) is added so as to introduce this unique personality to the readers.

Ansariyan Publications, undertaking the mission of propagandizing for the sect of the Ahl ul-Bayt (a) and

____________ 1 Refer to as-Sawaaiq ul-Muhriqa; 96.

publicizing the precious immortal works of the master scholars of Shiism, is pleased to advance these three precious works, all in one book, to the dear readers and the seekers of the truth. We hope the dear reader would find this work convenient and guide to the human perfection and we implore to Allah, Exalted is He, to grant us success to keep on offering the dear readers with the valuable gems of the Islamic heritage. ANSARIYAN PUBLICATIONS, 2001

THE REVISER'S WORD

All praise is due to Allah, the lord of the worlds. All blessings and peace be upon Mohammed and his family-the pure and immaculate. All mercy and content be upon all their adorers and adherents. The content of Allah be upon the Prophet's companions who honestly followed him. It is well known that Shiism, as a sect and belief, was not the fruit of the political circumstances that took place after the death of the glorious Prophet (s) when some people usurped the leadership from its legal master in the Saqifa of the Banu Saaida.

It was also not the product of the political circumstances that came about during the reign of Imam Ali (a) when the Prophet's widow (Aisha) mutinied, calling for the revenge on those who shed the blood of the killed caliph after she had provoked all people against that very killed caliph in his lifetime, and history has kept her famous call, 'Kill Naathat1 , for he has converted to atheism.'

Shiism, also, was not the product of the political circumstances that occurred when Muawiya mutinied,

____________ 1 The Prophet's widow; Aisha said the name of Naathal to Othman bin Affan when she rallied people against him and accused him of atheism. The name Naathal, however, refers to a Jewish person who lived in that time.

carrying the shirt of Othman1 and calling for the revenge on his killers. That event, however, was the reason beyond the founding of the Khawarij2 one of whose members killed Amir ul-Mu'minin (a) while he was offering a prayer in his mihrab. Shiism, too, is not the product of the political circumstances that the Muslims had to encounter after the savage massacre of Karbala, which was committed against the Prophet's household (a) at the hands of the Umayyad ruling authorities.

It is quite true that Shiism was not the product of any of the previous circumstances, as some please to say. Shiism came to light and appeared on the theater of the political and religious life since the first sparks of the Islamic history. The embracers of Shiism raised the slogan of the love and loyalty to the Prophet's household, peace be upon them all, adopted their goals, and believed

____________ 1 The shirt of Othman was bloodstained because he put it on when he was killed.

2 Some people deserted Ali bin Abi Talib ( a ) who was the caliph and fought against him, accusing him of having committed a grave sin in submitting his claim to the caliphate to arbitration after the battle of siffin. Those deserted formed the trend; which later was called Khawarij. The word Kharaju, from which Khariji is derived, means " to withdraw " and Khawarij were, therefore, secedes who believed in active dissent or rebellion against a state of affairs they considered to be gravely impious.

purely that they are the most meritorious of taking the position of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family. They also believed that Imam Ali bin Abi Talib -Amir ul-Mu'minin, the head of the religion, the leader of the white-forheaded honorables, the husband of the pure lady, the father of the two grandsons (of the Prophet) al-Hasan and al-Hussein- is the true successor of the Prophet (s) the door to the city of his knowledge, and the keeper of his wisdom. They also believed that the immaculate Imams are the true successors of the Prophet (s) the leaders of his community, and the conveyers of his divine mission.

The dawn of Shiism broke since the first days of the blessed prophetic mission. It was the Prophet (s) who planted this blessed seed, cultivated, and supervised it all over the stages of his noble lifetime. This can be proved through the many hadiths that attached the quality of Shiism to the followers of Imam Ali (a) praised them, and revealed to them the glad tidings of having the highest ranks in the Supreme Paradise. The Prophet (s) said:

O Ali, you, as well as your Shia, will join me on the Divine Pool.1

____________ 1 Refer to Majmaa uz-Zawaaid; 9:131, Kunouz ul-Haqaaiq; 188, and Alisteeab; 2:457

O Ali, your Shia and you will come to Allah with content and pleasure. Your enemies will come with anger and will be unable to bend their heads to find their ways.1

On the Day of Resurrection, Ali and his Shia will be the winners.2

O Ali, Allah has forgiven you, your progeny, your sons, your household, your Shia, and the adorers of your Shia. 3 The Shia of Ali will be the true winners. 4

Moreover, the hadith that is called 'Hadith ud-Dar' is one of the strongest irrefutable evidences on our claim. ((At-Tabari, in his book of history, records that Ibn Abbas narrated that Ali bin Abi Talib (a) said:

After the revelation of the Verse, "And warn your nearest relations," the Prophet (s) summoned me and said: "O Ali, Allah had ordered me to warn my near relatives, but I was unable to bear this order because I knew that they would show me detestable things if I would approach such a matter with them. I therefore kept it secret until the Archangel Gabriel came to me and said that my Lord would punish me if I would shun that order. Now, I want you to make some food with meat of a

____________ 1 Refer to as-Sawaaiq ul-Muhriqa; 93 and Majmaa uz-Zawaaid; 9:131 2 Refer to Kunouz ul-Haqaaiq; 92 3 Refer to as-Sawaaiq ul-Muhriqa; 96. 4 Refer to Kunouz ul-Haqaaiq; 82

ewe and bring a jar of milk for us, then gather the sons of Abdul-Muttalib so that I will speak to them and convey the matter that I was ordered to convey."

I did as he asked me and invited them. They were about forty men among whom there were his uncles-Abu Talib, Hamza, al-Abbas and Abu Lahab. When they all attended, he asked me to fetch that food and I did. When I put it before them, the Prophet (s) took a piece of the meat, tore it with his teeth, threw its pieces around the bowl, then said: "Here you are, by the Name of Allah." Each one of them took his sufficiency completely and I could see only the places of their hands. I swear by Allah, each one of them ate the quantity that I served to all of them. The Prophet (s) then asked me to serve milk to them. I fetched that jar and they all drank from it. By Allah I swear, each one of them drank the quantity that I served to all of them.

When the Prophet (s) tried to speak, Abu Lahab overtook and prevented him from speaking. He said: "This man has bewitched you." Hence, they left without letting the Prophet (s) speak to them.

On the next day, the Prophet said to me: "O Ali, that man overtook me and said the statement that you had heard. They left before I could speak to them. Make for us food like that which you did then gather them to me."

I did and invited them all. He then asked me to serve them the food. I served it for them and he repeated the same thing that he had done the previous day. Each one of them had his sufficiency completely. He then asked me to serve them with the milk. I fetched the same jar and

they all drank from it to their sufficiency. Then, the Prophet (s) spoke:

"O sons of Abdul-Muttalib, I do not know any young Arab man who has brought to his people a thing that is better than that which I have brought to you. I have brought to you the goodness of this world as well as the world to come. Allah, Exalted is He, has ordered me to call you to accept this matter. Which one of you will support me in this regard and he will be my brother, successor, and representative among you?" They all kept silent except me. I said, while I was the youngest among them, "O the Prophet of Allah, I will be your supporter in this matter." I repeated this statement three times.

The Prophet (s) then took me from the neck and said: "This is my brother, successor, and representative among you. You thus should listen to and obey him."

They left him laughing and saying to Abu Talib: "He has ordered you to listen to and obey your son!"))1

____________

1 This narration is recorded in the following reference books: At-Tarikh; at-Tabari 2:319-21, Al-Kamil fit Tarikh; Ibn ul-Athir 2:22, As-Sirat un-Nabawiyya; al-Halabi ( the Shafiite ) 1:311-2, kenz ul-Ummal; al-Muttaqi ( the Hanafite ), Mustadrak us-Sahihayn; Al-Hakim an-Nisapuri ( the Shafiite ) 3:133, Ad-Durr ul-Manthour: As-Suyoutti ( the Shafiite ) 5:79, Al-Musnad; Ahmed bin Hanbal ( the founder of Habalites ) 1:111, Al-BIdaya wan-Nihaya; Ibn Kuthari 3:39, Tarikh; Abu al-Fidaa 1:119, Shawahid ut-Tanzil; Al-Hasakani 1:485 H.514 and 580, Tarikh Dimashq: the life account of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib; Ibn Asakir ( the Shafiite ) 1:97-105 H.133-40, and Sharhu Nahj ul-Balagha; Ibn Abi al-Hadid ( the Mutazilite ) 13:210 and 244.

A deep look in this holy hadith proves that the Prophet (s) asked his near relatives, according to the order of Allah, to confess of the oneness of Allah the Exalted and his divine mission, and then ordered them to listen to and obey his brother, successor, and representative Ali bin Abi Talib, peace be upon him. In other words, the Prophet (s) ordered them to follow and comply with Ali-to be his Shia. The meaning of Shiism is to listen to, obey, and follow.

As a result, the seed of Shiism and the seed of Islam were planted on the same day in the same time at the same hand. All the Muslims who were with the Prophet (s) believed in his prophesy and mission, committed themselves to that which he ordered, listened to him, obeyed him, and listened to and obeyed the one whom he ordered to obey. That one was his cousin, brother, successor, and representative Ali bin Abi Talib, peace be upon him. They were considered as listeners and obedient to the Prophet (s) only when they carried out his order of

listening to and obeying Ali, peace be upon him. It was the same order that Allah gave. Consequently, their compliance with the order of the Prophet means their adherence, i.e. Shiism, to Ali, because Shiism means to listen to, obey, and follow.

The light of Shiism, then, glared along with the light of Islam in the Arab Peninsula. The grand companions who believed in the oneness of Allah and the divine message of the Prophet accepted, in the same time, the obligatory loyalty to Ali. Meanwhile, others, among those who turned on their backs just after the death of the Prophet, stood against him.

This work is in fact three books whose topics are connected to each other. One of them, namely Sifat ush-Shia, focuses the lights on the qualities that the Shia should have within their moralities. Without such qualities, the Shia would not have won such abundant merits to which the second book, namely Fadhaa'il ush-Shia, refers. The third book, namely al-Mawaaizh, compiles the maxims and words of wisdom that are said by the Prophet and the Imams, peace be upon them all, on various occasions. It is necessary for the Shiite, before others, to apply such maxims to himself, because they are surely great masterpieces and moral principals.

A deep look into these maxims and qualities proves the fact that the embracement of Shiism is not mere words that everyone can say or ordinary love for Amir ul-Mu'minin, as some think. The true Shiite is only he who commits himself to those qualities and applies them to his conducts. The true Shiite is only that whom Imam al-Baqir (a) describes in the following words:

O Jabir, do you think that it is sufficient for those who claim being Shia to say that they cherish us; the Prophet's household? By Allah I swear, our adherents -Shia- are only those who fear and obey Allah. Their signs are modesty, submission, fulfillment of the trusts, very much reference to Allah, fasting, offering prayers, piety to (their) parents, aiding the neighbors especially the poor, the destitute, the indebted, and the orphans, truth, reciting the Quran, and avoiding mentioning people except for praising. In addition, they are the most trustful of the people of their tribes.

Do not misunderstand the matter. It is enough for a man to claim that he loves and follows Ali, peace be upon him. As a matter of fact, if he claims that he loves the Prophet (s) who is preferable to Ali (a) but he does not follow the Prophet's traditions and does not act upon his instructions, such claim of love will be definitely useless. Hence, you should fear Allah and work for the cause of obtaining that which He has in possession.

There is no relation between Allah and anybody. The most favorable and honorable servants of Allah are the most God-fearing and the most pious. O Jabir, the only means through which a servant seeks to gain Allah's favor is the obedience to Him. We -the Prophet's household- do not carry a patent for saving from Hell. Likewise, none of you has a claim

against Allah. He whoever obeys Allah is only our disciple and whoever disobeys Him is our enemy. The loyalty to us cannot be gained except by means of diligent work and piety.

O Allah, make my life copy the lives of Mohammed and his family. When You seize my soul, make me carry the same beliefs that Mohammed and his family carried. Make me a true adherent of Amir ul-Mu'minin. I, also, implore to You to record for me success, for the efforts that I have exerted in this regard, and reward on the Day of Judgment. I implore to You to save us from the pursuance of passions and the making of errors and endow upon us with righteousness and appositeness.

All praise is due to Allah, Who guided us to this. Without his guidance, we would not have been right. Mahmoud al-Badri, 2000

THE REVISION

(1) AL-MAWAAIZH

Al-Mawaaizh (The Sermons) is the first book in this collection. In 1392 A.H., it was first printed, with its Persian translation of Azizullah Attaridi, in reliance on the only documentary copy that is found in the Library of An-Nassiriyya in Lakanhu, India. Mr. Attaridi mentioned that he had found that copy during his journey to India in 1386 A.H. He also added that the copier chose the title Sheikh As-Saduq's Al-La'aali al-Ghawali -The Dear Pearls- for the copy that carried the same title in the indexes of that library.

It seems that the copier took this title from the introduction of the compiler who records in its beginning, "So then, these are dear pearls and bright jewels…" This copy seems to be the only available one that was handwritten in 1235 A.H. by Feda Ali al-Musawi of Lakanhu. In the last of that copy, the following is written:

"On Saturday, the first of Rabi I, 1235 of the hegira, All peace and blessings be upon him who made the hegira and upon his immaculate and pure household, this holy copy titled 'Al-La'aali al-Ghawali' that is compiled by the lofty Sheikh, the most pious, the decent, the master of the sect, the grand, the trustworthy of the Imams, the head of the narrators, the product of the praying of the Sinless, the superior knowledgeable, our master Mohammed bin Babawayh al-Qummi (r). I am the poor servant Feda Ali son of Sayyid Ali al-Musawi of Nisapur, Lakanhu, and Dahlu."

In addition to the following evidences, we can prove through the previous statement that this book belongs to Sheikh as-Saduq. Most of the biographists who referred to Sheikh as-Saduq (r) stated that he compiled a book titled al-Mawaaizh -The Sermons-.1 Besides, the contents of the book are almost sermons, advices, and maxims.

In the last of his book titled Men La Yahdhuruh ul-Faqih; Chapter: An-Nawadir -The Extraordinary Reports-, Sheikh as-Saduq (r) records the text of this book.2

In the revision of this book, the previously mentioned copy of the book and the last chapter of Men La Yahdhuruh al-Faqih, since it is the same as the book of al-Mawaaizh, are relied upon.

(2) SIFAT USH-SHIA

About this book, Sheikh at-Tehrani says:

"The book titled Sifat ush-Shia (The Qualities of the Shia) is compiled by Sheikh as-Saduq Abu Ja'far Mohammed bin Ali bin al-Hussein bin Musa bin Babawayh al-Qummi. Ad-Dam'at us-Sakiba, Al-Majlisi's Bihar ul-Anwar, Al-Hurr Al-Aamili's Wassail ush-Shia, and Al-Mustadrak-all these reference books quoted from Sifat ush-Shia. In Tehran, there is a copy of this book,

____________ 1 Refer to Ath-Thareea; Sheikh Agha Buzurg at-Tehrani 22:225 No. 8729 2 Refer to Men La Yahdhuruh ul-Faqih; 4:352-420 H.5762-5920.

which is handwritten with an old and big script, is found with the Doctor. Other copies are found with Mr. Al-Urdubadi in Najaf and the Library of At-Tehrani in Samarra that is written by our Sheikh an-Nuri and, now, kept by his grandson Mirza Ali Behzadi in Tehran. The book titled Fadhaa'il ush-Shia is within this copy.

In the revision of this book, two copies are depended:

The first copy is documentary and stored in Fayziyya School within Group: 1764 No. 4. It is a clear copy, which is ended with the following paragraph: "This is the end of the book titled Sifat ush-Shia and compiled by Sheikh as-Saduq Mohammed bin Ali bin Babawayh al-Qummi; the resident in Ray. All praise is due to Allah primarily, finally, openly, and secretly. The poor servant Hussein bin Mohammed Taqi an-Nuri at-Tabirsi wrote it himself in Najaf… on the seventh of Shawal, 1271 A.H."

The second is the copy that is found in the Library of At-Tehrani of Samarra to which it was referred in the book title Ath-Thareea. This copy was printed in Najaf by Allama Najmuddin ash-Sharif al-Askari in 1380 A.H. -1958 A.D.- and was attached to his book titled Ali wash-Shia. In the end of this book, he writes down:

"This book was copied by ash-Sharif al-Askari Najmuddin, the son of the late scholar Sheikh Mirza

Mohammed ash-Sharif al-Askari (of Tehran) in Samarra at the night of Saturday, the twenty-first of Thu'l-Qa'da. Allah may bless Mohammed and his immaculate family."1

(3) FADHAAIL USH-SHIA

About this book, Sheikh at-Tehrani says:

"This book is also called Fadhl ush-Shia (The Merits of the Shia). Al-Majlisi quotes from this one as well as the previous. This means that he had them both. Al-Hurr Al-Aamili, also, quotes from them and had them in possession. In the fourth appendix of Wassail ash-Shia, he states the previous fact. The two books, now, are found in Isfahan and Mashhad at the hands of Sheikh Hussein (al-Muqqaddas al-Mashhadi). Mirza Mohammed at-Tehrani took these copies to put them in his library in Samarra."2

For this revision, two copies of the book are depended:

The first one is the documentary copy that is found in the library of Ayatollah al-Mar'ashi an-Najafi (without bearing any number). It is a good copy.

____________ 1 The other printed copy of the book, which is attached to the book titled Fadhaa'il ush-Shia was carefully printed in Tehran: Kanune Intisharate Aabdi.

2 Refer to Ath-Thareea; Sheikh Agha Buzurg at-Tehrani 16:260 No. 1056.

The second is printed. It is the same copy of Sifat ush-Shia to which we have previously referred and found in the Library of At-Tehrani in Samarra. In the end of this copy, the following is written:

"Thanks to Allah the Exalted, the book titled Fadhaa'il ush-Shia and compiled by Sheikh as-Saduq (r) has come to its end on the hands of Najmuddin ash-Sharif al-Askari (of Tehran), the son of the late scholar Sheikh Mirza Mohammed al-Askari at-Tehrani on the eighth of Shaban, 1380 A.H. Allah may bless Mohammed and his immaculate household."

For the sake of providing the texts as accurate as possible, the reviser did not depend on a single definite copy of the book. He moved between all of the available copies, in addition to the other reliable reference books, including the compilations of Sheikh as-Saduq himself, such as Al-Amali, At-Tawhid, Me'aani al-Akhbar, and the other reference books such as Bihar ul-Anwar, Wassail ush-Shia and many others. The other tasks that the reviser did are as follows:

He compared the Quranic texts that are mentioned in these books with the holy Quran.

He referred to the same narrations that are mentioned in other reference books.

He added to the texts of series of relaters the statements that are found in other reliable reference books.

He referred to only some differences between the copies of the books intended and the other reference books.

He added some important comments that are considered necessary.

He used guide titles for each narration so as to enable the dear reader and the searcher to benefit by them.

In the end of each book, he attached a number of useful indexes.