Islam in General
A Tradition From Imam Zaynul Abedeen (as)
"Know that God has rights against you and that these encompass you in every movement through which you move, every rest through which you rest, every waystation in which you reside, every limb which you employ, and every instrument which you put to work. Some of these rights are greater and some less."(Risalatal Haq)
Most commonly associated with the fourth Imam (as) is his wonderful collection of supplications formed into what is known as 'Sahifatus Sajjadiyya'. However, besides these innovocations he also wrote 'Risalatal Haq' - 'The Treatise on Rights'. It is an elaboration of the Holy Prophet (saw)'s hadith: "Surely your Lord has a right against you, your self has a right against yourself and your wife has a right against you."
The treatise was written on the request of one of his companions and in it he explains that everyone possesses a right, which he goes on to outline in detail. With each right he explains, he tries to corroborate it with verses from the Holy Quran, the sunnah and the actions of earlier Imams.
The Arabic word 'haq' is often translated as 'right'. However, a glance at the 'Treatise on Rights' will show that it would have been more appropriate to translate it as duties, obligations or responsibilities. This is because the Imam is not directly concerned with the rights of the individual, but rather with the rights of others, which the individual must observe. Below is a description of the 'Right of your Companion':
"The right of your companion is that you act as his companion with bounty and in fairness. You honour him as he honours you an you do not let him be the first to act with genorsity. If he is the first, you repay him. You wish for him as he wishes for you and you restrain him from any act of disobedience he might attempt. Be a mercy for him, not a chastisement. and there is no strength save in God."
Sayings of Imam Ali (as)
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: How wonderful is a man that speaks with fat, talks with a piece of flesh, hears with a bone and breathes through a hole.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Meet people in such a manner that if you die they should weep for you and if you live they should long for you.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: When you gain power over your adversary pardon him by way of thanks for being able to over-power him.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: the most helpless of all men is he who cannot find a few brothers during his age, but still more helpless is he who finds such a brother but loses him.
Amirul Momineen, peace be upon him, said: O' son of Adam when you see that Allah is bestowing His favours on you while you are disobeying Him, you should fear Him.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Keep walking in your sickness till you can.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Fear! Fear! By Allah, He has hidden your sins so much so as He has forgiven.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: the best riches is abandonment of desires.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Super numerate prayers cannot bring about nearness to Allah if they hamper obligatory ones.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: the tongue of the wise man is behind his heart and the heart of a fool is behind his tongue.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said to a companion during his sickness: Allah may make your illness a means for writing off your sins, because there is no reward for sickness but it erases sins and makes them fall like (dried) leaves: Reward lies in saying by tongue and doing something with hands and feet. Certainly Allah, the Glorified admits into Paradise by virtue of truthfulness of intention and chastity of heart, whomever He wishes from among His people.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Victory is by determination; determination is by revolving of thoughts and thoughts are formed by guarding secrets.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: With riches a strange land is homeland, while with destitution even homeland is a strange land.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Contentment is wealth that does not diminish.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Wealth is the fountainhead of passions.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Whoever warns you is like one who gives you good tidings.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: the tongue is like beast; if it is let loose, it would devour.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Woman is like a scorpion whose grip is sweet.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: the people of the world are like travellers who are being carried while they are asleep.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Do not feel ashamed for giving a little, because refusal is more little than that.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: the breath of a man is a step towards death.
It is related that when Zerar bin Zamma Zubabi went to Muawiya and
Muawiya enquired from him about Amirul Momineen (A.S), he said, " I stand witness that I have seen him on several occasions that night had spread and he was standing in the niche (of the mosque) holding his beard, groaning like a man bitten by snake and weeping as a grieved man, saying: O' world, O' world. Get away from me. Why do you present yourself to me? Or are you eager for me? You may not get that opportunity to impress me. Deceive some other person. I have no concern with you. I have divorced you thrice whereafter there is no restitution. Your life is short, your importance is little and your liking is humble. Alas! the provision is little, the way is long, the journey is far, extending and the goal is hard to get to."
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: about a man who praised him much, although he did not admire him. I am below what you express and above what you feel in your heart.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: the survivors of a battle are large in number and have large progeny.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Whoever gives up saying "I do not know" meets destruction.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: I love the opinion of an old man more than the determination of a young man; or according to another version, more than the martyrdom of a young man.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: If a man behaves properly in matters between himself and Allah, then Allah keeps proper the maters between him and other people, and if a man keeps proper his affairs of the next life then Allah keeps proper for him the affairs of this world. Whoever is a preacher for himself is protected by Allah.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) heard about a Kharijite that he says mid-night prayer and recites Qu'ran, then he said: Sleeping in the state of firm belief is better than praying in the state of doubtfulness.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: When you hear a tradition test it according to the criterion of intelligence not that of mere hearing, because relaters of knowledge are numerous but those who guard it are few.
Whoever loves us, members of the Prophet's family, should be prepared to face destitution.
It was said to Amirul Momineen (A.S) " How are you Amirul Momineen?" and he replied: " How can he be whom life is driving towards death, whose state of healthiness can change into sickness any moment and who is to be caught (by death) from his place of safety?"
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: there are many people who are given time (by Allah) through goo treatment towards them, and many get into deception because their sinful activities are veiled (by Allah) and many who get enamoured by good talk about themselves. and Allah does not try anyone as seriously as He tries him whom He allows time (to remain sinful).
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Two categories of persons will face ruin on account of me- he who loves me with exaggeration and he who hates me with intensely.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: the example of the world is like a serpent. It is soft in touch but its inside is full of venom. An ignorant person who has fallen in deceit is attracted towards it but a wise and intelligent man keeps on guard from it.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: What a difference there is between two kinds of actions- an act whose pleasure passes away but it (ill) consequence remains and the act whose hardship passes away but its reward stays.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Blessed be he who humbles himself, whose livelihood is pure, whose habits are virtuous, who spends his savings (in the name of Allah), who prevents his tongue from speaking rot, who keeps people safe from his evil, who is pleased with the (Prophets) Sunnah and who is unconnected with innovation (in religion).
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Guard against cold in its beginning (of the season) and welcome it towards its end because it affects bodies in the same way as it affects the plants. in the beginning it destroys them but in the end it gives them fresh leaves.
When Amirul Momineen, (A.S) returned from Siffin and noticed the graves outside Kufa, he said: O' residents of houses, which give a sense of loneliness, of depopulated areas and gloomy graves? O' people of the dust, O' victims of strangeness, O' people of loneliness and O' people of desolateness! You have gone ahead and preceded us while we are following you and will meet you. the houses (you left) have been inhabited by others; the wives (you left) have been married by others; the properties have been distributed (among heirs). This is the news about those around us; what is the news about things around you?
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Loving one another is half wisdom.
Amirul Momineen (A.S) said: Grief is half old age.
Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w) Last Sermon
(This Sermon was Delivered on the Ninth Day of Dhul Hijjah 10 A.H. in the Uranah Valley of Mount Arafat)
O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I don't know whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. therefore listen to what I am saying to you carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.
O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived.
Beware of Satan, for your safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.
O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have right over you. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and comitted helpers. and it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to commit adultery.
O People, listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers (salah), fast during the month of Ramadhan, and give your wealth in zakat. Perform hajj if you can afford to. You know that every Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. You are all equal. Nobody has superiority over other except by piety and good action.
Remember, one day you will appear before Allah and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone. O People, no prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand my words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Qur'an and my example, the Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray. All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness O Allah that I have conveyed your message to your people.
Companionship and Friendship in Islam
There are friends who remain true and trustful under all circumstances and there are friends who remain with you only desiring the good. Islam urges to have cordial relations with others and to avoid corruption and the harmful effects of the company of the wicked and the mischievous, strictly forbidding every kind of contact and intimacy with them.
The first kind of friend are very few, and their friendship is like a mirror to you. in deed, we must be fair to our friends, and must want for them that which we want for ourselves. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "A true believer is a mirror to his brother. He prevents him from any harm." Friends wish well for their friends, and feel a strong grief when they see them in any kind of distress or suffering. they work hard by all means, by their wealth and their hands to restore the rights of their friends, and give them all the help they need. they keep the secrets of their friends.
This kind of friendship is the basic necessity of social life. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "A person follows the ways and conducts of his friends." On the other hand, one encounters fools, avaricious, people cowards, and liars. the fool wants to help others, but cause more harm to them despite good intentions. the avaricious one takes but does not give back to anyone. the coward flees at the smallest danger, abandoning everyone. and the liar does not benefit others, brings animosity and resentment, and causes serious damage to others. Also, the liar is not trusted even if he/she is telling the truth. It is reported, "As for a liar, life with him can never be pleasant for you. He carries tales from you to others and from others to you.
If he gives you a true report, a false one follows it. His reputation is slurred. So much so that when he says something true, nobody believes him. Due to the enmity which he entertains in his heart for people, he estranges them from one another and creates malice in their hearts. Be careful and do your duty to Allah." these kinds of individuals might call themselves as your friends, but they do more ill-service to you as well as to the society and in the long run. It is adviced, "Avoid the company of the vicious, because your character would pick up their degenerate and deviant qualities without your knowing it. "The Glorious Qur'an says,"O woe is me! Would that I had not taken such a one as my friend." 25:28
There are many characterizes of true friends: their heart and face should be alike, they should be honest with their friends and show them both the good and the bad side: wealth and children should not change them; they should help whenever able to do so, and they should not leave their friends during difficulties.
To choose a friend, one must assess his real worth. One must bear in mind that temperaments and personalities are associated with one, relationships with others. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "Every Muslim should try to select the best companion for the life span. A companion could be a friend from the same gender. If the companion is to be from the other gender, then that companion should be a spouse to live together within the confines of rules and regulations." Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w) encouraged us to select a good friend with whom to share our feelings. He said, "Don't take a companion unless he is a believer; and don't let your food be eaten except by a godly person. "Also, one must take a friend for who he or she is as an individual, and not force them to conform with one's warp and ideas, so long as everything remains within the boundaries of Islam.
Muslims are advised by the Prophet (s.a.w) to select a good friend to associate with, and to have him as a social companion in life. By selecting a good companion, to be a friend, a Muslim enriches his/her life. Prophet (s.a.w) said, "The similitude of a good companion is like an owner of musk; if you don't get anything, you will get the smell of it. the similitude of a bad companion is like the blacksmith's bellows; if you are not affected by its black dirt, you will be touched by its smoke."
Islam approves associating with individuals who have violated moral and social laws for the purpose of helping them through beneficial guidance. Friends of the right path father and discuss what is beneficial, but not vain. Friends love the souls and smells of their friends. Friends sympathies with their friends and they comfort each other. Friends exert each other toward piety and righteous deeds. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "Fear Allah and help each other for the sake of Allah. Have mercy upon each other. Visit each other and remember our matter and keep it alive."
However, one who keeps company for the sake of helping a friend, would have fulfilled the rights of companionship in the worthiest manner. It is reported, "When someone observes a friend taking a wrong and sinful course and, while possessing the capacity to restrain him, does not do so out of indifference, he has actually betrayed his friend."
Today, in this world of ignorance and personal desires, there are few who keep their friendship. Hence, everyone should be careful in choosing friends, and study the character of those with whom they wish to develop terms of friendship.
History of Islam
Imagine yourself in a large theatre. in it you are seated alone in the first row. No one is near you and no one else is there in the theatre with you. As you look up upon the grand stage you see many interesting things. in one corner of the stage at the back you see a simple man meditating in a cave. While in the opposite area you see a group of men with crescents on their shields fighting with men with crosses on their breast plates. Looking further towards the middle a group of men are seated in a circle debating and arguing under a domed roof. the noises of crying and weeping turn your head towards the front of the stage where a group of women and children are lamenting over the fallen body of a saintly man. You begin to stand up and look further onto the stage where many more specific scenes unravel before your eyes. Not being able to retain everything that is unfolding you earnestly try to uncover the connection between the events while understanding its significance and meaning personally.
The history of Islam and the events that have come to pass are similar to the analogy above. Many different events, be it from the intellectual, to the social, to the political and the moral all have been a part of our history. Some of us tend to acquaint ourselves with one specific aspect while some associate with other aspects. However, history and specifically within the Islamic realm, two things must be noted.
First, the events that occur are all interdependent. One event does not occur in a vacuum. Rather one event helps to bring about another or indirectly affects another. in this respect, history is unravelling, a causal pattern, that began when our Lord said Be' and ends when the trumpet is sounded. Yet, history is not only a process of unfolding events it is also a field of knowledge. For example, our Lord states in verse 10 of Surah Muhammad, "Have they not travelled in the land to see what happened to those before them ? ... ". in other words, historical events occur in order to teach. It is from past events that we must learn, what to or not to repeat. the vices and virtues that lead to salvation or to eternal damnation taught explicitly through history.
Thus, the history of Islam is about uncovering the connections between events within the Islamic world and outside it and how those events have shaped the present and the future. But it is these historical events that also teach us what to repeat and what to avoid. We may choose to fall within this causal pattern or learn from them and alter our future. the choice is ultimately ours to make.
Sayyed Askari Raza
Few Signs of the Arrival of Imam Mehdi (as)
The dark of night will not be deemed necessary for the commitment of sins. Extravagant mansions will be constructed. Singers will be considered respectable. War shall be prevalent . Gambling will be prevalent. People will fear living in their own houses. Dajjal shall come and shall have one eye Land shall be turned into deserts Earthquakes and Volcano's and other natural disasters shall be common. Good deeds will be few and far between. False guides will mislead the multitudes. Posts will be many, but practical teachers a few. Mosques will be decorated profusely but urge towards adoration will be absent. the rate of accidental deaths will be on the rise. the rich will become godless and the devout will become sinful.
Leaders of opinion will be corrupt and overbearing. False witnesses will be accepted and true ones rejected the Quran will be considered as an old ancient book A person spending money on sinful purposes will not be criticised. People will thrust their personal opinions in the religion. Usury (Interest) will be considered lawful. the virtuous will be despised for their faith in God. Human beings will be followers of selfish desires. Pride will be taken for oppressive tendencies. Good people will observe silence due to fear of wicked persons foul speech.
Tale bearing and backbiting will be considered as good and will be prevalent. A wealthy person will command more respect then a pious person. Children will curse their parents and will pray for their early death. Payments will be taken for rendering religious services in Mosques. there will be two eclipses in the Month of Ramadhan. Recitaton of the Holy Quran will be considered as a burden Homosexuality will be prevalent the land will crumble and sink thrice in the East, the west and Arabian peninsula. Most of these have already occured, and the others are in the process. May Allah protect us from the fire of Hell.
Iltemas- e -Dua Zeenat Mohamedali