Cover Page (Front) - Zahra Academyzahraacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/msg/rajab1440.pdf1 Food for Thought: - Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.) 02 2 Your Daily-Life Questions Answered

Cover Page

(Front)

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Food for Thought: - Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.) 02

2 Your Daily-Life Questions Answered 03

3 A Biographical Profile of Imam Ali (a) 04

4 Baqir al-Uloom Hazrat Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (A.S.) 23

5 Brief Biographies of Imam Muhammad Taqi & Imam Musa

Kazim (A.S.) 32

6 Morality of Imam al-Hadi (A.S.) 35

7 Condition of the People before the Start of the Prophetic

Mission (S) 39

8 Charity in Islam 43

9 Hazrat Zainab (peace be upon her) – The Unschooled Scholar 46

10 Fraternity for Allah’s Sake 51

Kids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ Corner

11 Love of Imam Ali for the week & children 61

12 Forbearance of Imam Muhammad Baqir (a) 62

13 Martyrdom of Imam Musa Kazim (AS) 63

14 You are priceless to those who love you 64

THE MESSAGE

Editor: Hujjat-ul-Islam Wal Muslimeen Sheikh Shabbir H. Lakhani (Maisami)

Editorial Board: Mr. Mazher Ali Jumani, Molana Sajjad Qaimi, Dr. Hussain Kanani,

Mr. Hasnain Nanjiani.

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Disclaimer: The Editor does not necessarily agree with the views expressed in the matter published herein. The views and opinions presented in the Journal reflect the views of the authors

and not of the Journal or its Editorial Board or the Publisher.

Published by

Zahra (S.A.) Academy Institute of Islamic Education, Development & Relief

The Message Rajab-ul-Murajjab 1440 AH

2

1. Three things sum up all of

goodness: bestowing of

favors, maintaining cove-

nants and pacts, and

strengthening blood-

kinship.

2. Generosity is that you

contribute willingly from

your own wealth, and re-

strain yourself from other

people's wealth.

3. He who has been granted

wealth by Allah must use it

to maintain relations with

his kin and to entertain

guests.

4. The one who invites you to

the everlasting abode and

helps you work towards it is

a compassionate friend.

5. He who cares for his

reputation must desist

from disputation.

6. It is a distressful situation

that man amasses what he

does not eat and builds

wherein he does not live,

then he goes to Allah, most

High, neither carrying the

wealth with him, nor shift-

ing the building!

7. The most difficult of things

to manage is the removal of

habits.

8. Punish the wrongdoer by

rewarding the good-doer.

9. Beware of befriending

immoral people, for verily

only evil accompanies evil.

10. If the praying one knew

about the Sublimity of Allah

covering him, he would

never wish to raise his head

up from prostration.

11. Poverty in one’s homeland

is like being foreign in it.

12. Mistakes happen fre-

quently [when work is

done] with haste.

13. The person to experience

the greatest pain on the

Day of Resurrection will

be the one who was dis-

satisfied with the decree

of Allah.

��

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.)

Rajab-ul-Murajjab 1440 AH The Message

3

Q.1: When is it obligatory

for a man to work?

Ans.: It is obligatory for a

man to support himself and

his dependents, and if he

cannot support them without

work, then he must work.

Q.2: When I was younger,

I got a tattoo on my wrist,

and I am very distressed

about it now. Is it right

that my prayers will not

be counted?

Ans.: If it does not prevent

water from reaching the skin,

then it is not an obstacle for

the validity of the wudhu and

prayers.

Q.3: Sometimes I ask God

by Fatima Zahra (s.a.), and

if my request is not ful-

filled, I feel depressed, and

say to God, "If You did not

fulfill my request for the

sake Fatima, for whom will

you fulfill it?" Have I rights

to such dialogue with God?

Ans.: We should ask Almighty

Allah as needy slaves. It is up

to Him to answer our request

or not. It may be in our best

interests or there may be

wisdom behind Him not

answering it or delaying it.

Q.4: Is it right for Sayyids

to treat non-Sayyids

poorly & as a low caste?

Ans.: Nobody has the right to

humiliate anybody else. Every-

one belongs to Adam and Eve.

Sayyids, as they are the

descendants of the Prophet

(S), are supposed to follow the

footsteps of their grandfather

(S). He was the highest

example of humbleness and

high ethics. He also empha-

sized on equality between

people and the differentiation

is only by good deeds.

Q.5: Is abortion permissi-

ble? If so, when is it the

latest to abort the child?

Ans.: It is not permissible to

have an abortion even if it

only leads to wasting the

fertilized egg during its first

growing stages.

��

Your Daily-Life Questions Answered


4

This well-written profile of

Imam Ali (a) has been copied

from a book by Syed Muham-

mad Askari Jafari. While

providing a glimpse into our

glorious history, it provides an

unbiased and fair analysis of

one of the most important

personalities of the first

centuries of Islam.

Since unfortunately, the name

of Ali ibn Abi Talib (a) has

been associated with a

particular sect, many readers

hesitate to accept any state-

ment about him. This adds to

the importance of this profile,

which has been reduced

entirely from non-Shi'ite books

and resources, all of them

being popular and well-known

texts, hadith and collection of

traditions, narrations, and

history books, written by well-

known personalities of the

majority Muslim sect, so that

all readers can read and refer

to the facts herein, without

any hesitation or doubts. This

effort dedicated to our guide,

our Divine leader, Hazrat

Imam Mahdi (a), the Awaited

Saviour. May we be counted

as his lovers and followers in

this world and the next.

Early life and some schol-

ars' comments

Imam Ali, the Commander of

the Faithful, was the first

cousin of the Holy Prophet (s).

His father, Abu Talib, and the

father of the Holy Prophet,

Abdullah, were the sons of

Abdul Muttalib from the same

mother, Fatima. The name of

Imam Ali's mother was also

Fatima, the daughter of Asad,

the son of the famous Hashim.

Thus his parents were cousins.

Imam Ali (a) was born on the

13th Rajab, (30 Amul Fil),

about 610 A.D., i.e. 23 years

before the Hegira (Migration).

Historians say that he was

born in the precincts of the

Holy Ka'bah.[1]

At the time of his birth, his

father and his cousin, Mu-

hammad, the Holy Prophet

A Biographical Profile of Imam Ali (a)

By: Syed Muhammad Askari Jafari Source: http://www.alseraj.net/


5

(s), were out of Mecca, his

mother gave him the names of

Asad and Haider. His father

called him Zaid. But when the

Holy Prophet (s) returned to

the city, he took his young

cousin in his charge and gave

him the name of Ali, saying

that it was the name decreed

for him by Allah. [2]

Among his various Kunniya

(patriotic appellations), the

most famous were Abul

Hasan, Abus Sibtain and Abu

Turab. His titles were Murtaza

(the chosen one), Ameerul

Momineen (the Commander of

the Faithful), Imamul Muttaqin

(the leader of the pious and

God-fearing).

The famous historian and

biographer Allama Ali ibn

Muhammad says, Imam Ali

was a man of middle height

with black, big and piercing

eyes, very handsome and fair

complexion, broad shoulders,

a long muscular neck, a broad

forehead and a little hair on

the top of his head.

He used to walk with very

light gait and he was very

agile in his movements. He

had a smiling face, pleasing

manners, a jovial tempera-

ment, kind disposition and a

courteous behavior. He would

never lose his temper. [3]

He was born three years

before the marriage of the

Prophet (s) with Lady Khadija.

Soon after his birth, the

Prophet (s) took him under his

care and Ali was like a son to

him. He used to live with the

Prophet (s) and used to sleep

with him. He was fed by him,

washed and dressed by him,

and even carried by him on a

sling whenever he would go

out. [4]

When the Holy Prophet (s)

married Khadija, she adopted

this child as her son. Imam Ali

(a) himself, has described his

childhood saying that:

"I was still a new born baby,

when the Holy Prophet (s)

took me from my parents. I

used to cling to him and he

used to feed me, and (when I

grew a little older), he never

found me uttering a lie or

feigning a deceit. To me he


6

was like a guiding star and I

used to follow his actions and

deeds carefully. I was at-

tached to him like a foal of

camel attached to its mother.

He used to place before me

high values of morality, and

used to advise me to follow

them; every year, he would

spend some days at the grotto

of the Mt. Hira and I used to

be with him, I was his only

companion then and none else

could meet him at Hira, there

I used to see the light of

revelation, and used to smell

the fragrance of Prophethood.

Once the Holy Prophet (s) told

me: "Ali! You have attained a

very eminent place. You see

what I see and you hear what

I hear." [5]

Once the Holy Prophet (s) told

Imam Ali, "O Ali! Allah has

ordered me to keep you near

me. You are to me like an ear

that retains everything,

because yours are the retain-

ing ears that the Holy Book

(Quran) has praised". [6]

Ibn Abil Hadid, the commenta-

tor of Nahjul Balagha cites

Abdullah ibn Abbas saying,

"Once I asked my father, 'Sir,

my cousin Muhammad had

many sons, all of whom died

in infancy, which of them he

loved the most?" He replied,

"Ali ibn Abi Talib". I said, "Sir,

I was inquiring about his

sons." He replied: "The Holy

Prophet (s) loved Ali more

than all of his sons. When Ali

was a child, I never saw him

separated from Muhammad

for half an hour, unless

Muhammad went out of the

house for some work. I never

saw a father love his son so

much as the Holy Prophet

loved Ali and I never saw a

son so obedient, so attached

and so loving to his father as

Ali was to Muhammad."

Jubayr ibn Mut'im, the com-

panion of the Prophet said:

"Once his father addressed

him and some young men of

his family, Have you noticed

the child (Ali) loving, venerat-

ing and obeying that young

man (Muhammad) instead of

his own father, what an

intensity of love and venera-


7

tion! I swear by our gods, the

Lat and the Uzza, that instead

of having so many offspring of

Nawfal around me, I had a

son like Ali."

Once the Holy Prophet (s)

said: "O Ali! I wish to achieve

every such thing for you that I

desire to acquire myself and I

want to keep you away from

all those things which I

abhor." [7]

Whenever the Holy Prophet

was in anger, nobody dared to

address him except Ali. [8]

Abbas, the uncle of the Holy

Prophet (s) used to say that

they (the Holy Prophet and

Ali) loved each other intensely.

The Prophet (s) was so fond

of Ali that once when Ali was a

child, he sent him out on

some errand. He took a long

time to return. He started

getting worried and anxious

and in the end he prayed to

Allah, "O Lord don't let me die

unless I behold Ali once

again." [9]

Ali started acting as the

bodyguard of the Holy Prophet

(s) even when he was about

fourteen. The young men of

Quraish, under instigation of

their parents, used to pelt the

Holy Prophet (s) with stones.

Ali took up the work of acting

as his defender, he fell upon

those young men, broke the

nose of one, knocked down

the teeth of the other, pulled

the ears of the third and threw

down the fourth. He often

fought against those who

were older than him. He was

often himself hurt, but he

never forsook the self-imposed

duty. After some days, he got

the nickname of Qazim (the

breaker or thrower) and

nobody dared throw anything

at the Prophet when Ali was

with him and he would not

allow the Holy Prophet (s) to

go out of the house alone.

Offering his sacrifice at the

night of Hegira and his

subsequent behavior in all the

battles are enough proofs of

the intense love of Imam Ali

(a) for the Holy Prophet (s).

Jurjy Zaydan (George Jordac)

who died recently was a


8

famous Christian historian,

linguist, philosopher and poet

of modern Egypt. Arabic was

his mother tongue, but he was

so well-versed in English,

French, German, Persian and

Latin that he used to contrib-

ute his work to historical and

philosophical magazines of

France, Germany and England.

Regarding, Imam Ali he says:

"No one can praise Ali to the

extent that he (Ali) deserves.

So many instances of his piety

and fear of Allah are cited that

one starts loving and venerat-

ing him. He was a true,

staunch and devout follower

of Islam. His words and deeds

bore stamp of nobility, sagaci-

ty and courage of convictions.

He was a great man having

his own independent views

about life and its problems. He

never deceived, misled, or

betrayed anybody. In various

phases and periods of his life,

he exhibited marvelous

strength of body and mind

which were due to his firm

belief in religion and his

abiding faith in truth and

justice. He never had a

servant and never did he allow

his slaves to work hard. Often

he would carry his household

goods himself and if anybody

offered to relieve him of the

load he would refuse."

Allama Muhammad Mustafa

Beck Najib, the famous

Egyptian philosopher and

Professor of Islamic Studies at

Al-Azhar University, in his

equally famous book "Hima-

yatul Islam", says:

"What can be said about this

Imam? It is very difficult to

fully explain his attributes and

qualities. It is enough to

realize that the Holy Prophet

(s) had named him the

gateway of knowledge and

wisdom. He was the most

learned person, the most

brave man and the most

eloquent speaker and orator.

His piety, his love of Allah, his

sincerity and fortitude in

following religion were of such

high standard that no one

could aspire to reach him. He

was the greatest politician

because he hated diplomacy


9

and loved truth and justice,

this was his policy as taught

by Allah. On account of his

sagacity and thorough

knowledge of human nature,

he always arrived at correct

conclusions and never

changed his decision. His was

the best judgement, and had

he no fear of Allah, he would

have been the greatest

diplomat amongst the Arabs.

He is loved by all, and every-

one has a place for him in his

heart. He was a man of such

surpassing and pre-eminent

characteristics and such

transcending and peerless

qualities that many learned

men got perplexed about him

and imagined him to be an

embodiment of Allah. Many

amongst the Jews and Chris-

tians loved him, and such

philosophers who had come to

know of his teachings bowed

down before his incomparable

vast knowledge. Roman kings

would have his pictures in

their palaces and great

warriors would engrave his

name on their swords!"

Another philosopher and

historian of Egypt, Ustad

(Professor) Muhammad Kamil

Hatha, pays his tributes to

Imam Ali (a) in the following

words:

"His life is an agglomeration of

pleasing incidents, bloody

encounters and sad episodes.

His personality is very promi-

nent on account of his trans-

cending and high qualities.

Each aspect of his life is so

lofty and glorious that a study

of one phase makes you feel

that it was the best phase of

his character and the most

beautiful picture of his per-

sonality, while contemplation

of any other phase will

enchant you more and you will

come to conclude that no

human being can attain that

height, and a third aspect will

fascinate you equally and you

will realize that before you is a

personality of such sublime

eminence that you cannot fully

appreciate its greatness and

you will feel that Ali was an

Imam (leader) in the battle-

field, was an Imam in politics,


10

was an Imam in religion, was

an Imam in ethics, in philoso-

phy, in literature, in learning

and in wisdom. It is not

difficult for Allah to create

such a person!" [10]

John J. Pool, the historian

(author of the life of H.M.

Queen Victoria) in his book,

"Studies in Muhammadanism"

says:

"This prince (Imam Ali) was a

man of mild and forbearing

character, wise in counsel and

bold in war. Muhammad had

given him the title of the "Lion

of God". Ali and his sons,

Hasan and Husain were truly

noblemen – men of righteous-

ness, men of brave, humble

and forgiving spirit. Their lives

deserve to be commemorated;

for there was a peculiar

pathos about them (their

lives) which were not spent

selfishly or in vain. As Mathew

Arnold in Essay in Criticism

says: "The sufferers of Karbala

had aloft to the eyes of

millions – the lesson so loved

by the sufferer of Cavalry

(Representation of Crucifica-

tion): "Learn of Me, for I am

meek and lowly in heart, and

Ye shall find rest unto your

souls". He further says that Ali

was the First Caliph to protect

and encourage national

literature. This prince was a

scholar himself and many of

his wise sayings and proverbs

are published in a book. It is a

remarkable work and deserves

to be more widely read in the

West".

Ibn Abil Hadid says:"Imam Ali

(a) had a personality in which

opposite characteristics had so

gathered that it was difficult to

believe that a human mind

could manifest such a combi-

nation. He was the bravest

man that history could cite

and such brave persons are

always hard-hearted, cruel,

and eager for bloodshed. On

the contrary, Ali was kind,

sympathetic, responsive and

warm-hearted person, quali-

ties quite contradictory to the

other phase of his character

and more suited to pious

persons. He was very pious

but more often pious and


11

religious persons avoid society

and do not care to mix with

corrupt and sinful persons.

Similarly warriors, kings and

dictators are usually arrogant

and haughty. They consider it

below their dignity to mix with

poor, lowly and humble

persons. But Ali was different.

He was a friend to all. As a

matter of fact he had a soft

corner in his heart for poor

and humble and for orphans

and crippled. To them he

always was a kind friend, a

sympathetic guide and a

fellow sufferer; he was meek

towards them but haughty

and arrogant against notorious

warriors and generals, so

many of whom he had killed in

hand to hand combats. He

was always kind but strict with

wayward persons, sympatheti-

cally teaching them the ways

of Allah. He always smiled and

passed witty rejoinders. It was

difficult to overcome him in

debates or repartees, his

rejoinders and retorts always

bore high mark of culture,

education and wisdom.

He was a scion of a very

illustrious, rich and noble clan,

as well as son-in-law and

great favorite of the Holy

Prophet (s), at the same time,

the greatest warrior and

marshal of his time. Yet, in

spite of his riches, he ate,

dressed and lived like a poor

man. To him wealth was for

the use of other needy

persons, not for himself and

his family. Change of times

and change of circumstances

did not bring any change in

his bearing, mien or character.

Even when he ascended the

throne of Arabia, and was

acclaimed as the caliph, he

was the same Ali as the

people had found him during

the previous regimes."

Once when in the presence of

Abdullah ibn Imam Malik ibn

Hanbal, a discussion took

place about Imam Ali (a) and

his Caliphate, Abdullah

brought the discussion to an

end by saying: " The Caliphate

did not bring any honor or

glory to Ali, but it was the

Caliphate, honored and


12

glorified by Ali, and it received

the status actually due to it."

I want to add one more point

to the points discussed by Ibn

Abil Hadid. World cannot

quote an example other than

that of Imam Ali (a) of a first

class warrior, and a marshal

who is also a philosopher, a

moralist and a great teacher

of religious principles and

theology. A study of his life

shows that his sword was the

only help that Islam received

during its early days of

struggle and its wars of self-

defence. For Islam, he was

the first line of defence, the

second line of defence and the

last line of defence! Who was

with him in the Battles of

Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khay-

bar and Hunayn? This is one

aspect of his life.

While the other phase of his

character is portrayed by his

sermons, orders, letters and

sayings. What values of

morality they teach, what

ethics they preach, what

intricate problems of mono-

theism they elucidate, how

rich they are in philosophy,

how they train us to be good,

kind, benevolent and pious

rulers, and faithful, sincere

and loyal subjects; how they

persuade us to be warriors

who can fight only for Allah,

truth and justice, and not

mercenaries, murdering and

plundering for riches and

wealth; and how they instruct

us to be teachers who can

teach nothing injurious and

harmful to mankind. Was

there any such combination

before and will there ever be?

To Oelsner, (the famous

French Orientalist and author

of Les Effects de La Religion

de Mohammed), Ali was an

embodiment of chivalry; and

personification of gallantry and

generosity. He says:

"Pure, gentle and learned

without fear, and without

reproach, he presented to the

world the noblest examples of

Chivalrous grandeur of charac-

ter. His spirit was a pure

reflection of that of Muham-

mad, it overshadowed the

Islamic world and formed the


13

animating genius of succeed-

ing ages".

Osborne, in "Islam under the

Arabs" says:

"Ali had been advised by

several of his counsellors to

defer the dismissal of the

corrupt governors previously

appointed until he himself was

sure against all enemies. The

pillar of Islam, the hero

without fear and without

reproach, refused to be guilty

of any duplicity or compromise

with injustice. This uncom-

promisingly noble attitude

costed him his State and his

life; but such was Ali, he never

valued anything above justice

and truth".

Gibbon (in "The History of the

Decline and Fall of the Roman

Empire, vol. V) says:

"The zeal and virtues of Ali

were never outstripped by any

recent proselyte. He united

the qualifications of a poet, a

soldier and a saint. His wis-

dom still breathes in a collec-

tion of moral and religious

sayings; and every antagonist

in the combats of tongue or of

sword was subdued by his

eloquence and valor. From the

first hour of mission to the last

rites of his funeral, the Proph-

et (Muhammad) was never

forsaken by this generous

friend (Ali) whom he delighted

to name his brother, his

vicegerent and the faithful

Aaron of second Moses".

Mas'udi, the famous historian

of Islam says:

"If the glorious name of being

the first Muslim, a comrade of

the Prophet in exile, his

faithful companion in the

struggle for the faith, his

intimate associate in life, and

his kinsman, if a true

knowledge of the spirit of his

teachings and of the Book, if

self-abnegation and practice

of justice, if honesty, purity

and love of truth and if

knowledge of law and science

constitute a claim to pre-

eminence, then all must

regard Ali as the foremost

Muslim. We shall search in

vain to find either among his

predecessors except the Holy


14

Prophet, or among his succes-

sors, those virtues with which

Allah had endowed him".

Imam Ali's faith

As has been declared by all

historians of Islam, Imam Ali

(a) from his infancy was

adopted and looked after by

the Holy Prophet (s). There-

fore, naturally his religious

tendencies from his very

childhood were those of the

Holy Prophet (s). The question

as to when he embraced Islam

is out of consideration. He was

a Muslim from the very

beginning! His religion was the

religion of the Prophet Mu-

hammad (s). At the age of

5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, and 14th

year, he was following the

religion which the Holy

Prophet (s) had at his 35th,

37th, 40th, 42nd and 44th

year of his life! (this being the

difference between the

respective ages of the Holy

Prophet (s) and Ali, about 30

years). If the Holy Prophet (s)

at any period of his life was a

non-Muslim, then Ali at that

period was also a non-Muslim.

This is the logic of facts! Ali

was like a son to the Holy

Prophet (s) therefore his

religion from the very begin-

ning was the religion followed

by the Holy Prophet (s).

Mas'udi further says: "The

general consensus of opinion

amongst the Muslim historians

and theologians is that Ali was

never a non-Muslim and never

did he worship idols, there-

fore, the question of his

embracing Islam does not and

cannot arise".[11]

Marriage to Hazrat Fatima

"Imam Ali was married to

Lady Fatima, the only daugh-

ter of the Holy Prophet (s)

from Lady Khadija. He had

been betrothed to her several

days before the expedition to

Badr. But the marriage was

solemnized three months

later, Imam Ali (a) being in his

21st year and Lady Fatima in

the 15th year of her life". [12]

It was the happy marriage.

The inherent distinctiveness of

their respective characters

blended so well with each


15

other that they never quar-

reled and complained of each

other and they led a happy

and contented life. Each one

of them was rich in his own

rights. All that they owned

went to the poor, the crippled

and the orphans and they

themselves often starved.

Their only luxury in life was

prayers and the company of

each other and their children.

They willingly shared the

sorrows and sufferings of the

poor. They were given a slave

girl, Fizza; and the Holy

Prophet (s) had made ar-

rangement that every alter-

nate day was the off day of

Fizza and her mistress would

do all the household work.

Even when Lady Fatima (s)

was ill on Fizza's off day, Fizza

would not be allowed to

attend to her duties, but

Imam Ali (a) would work; and

the hero of the battles of

Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khay-

bar and Hunayn was seen

grinding oats, igniting the

oven, baking the bread and

looking after the children.

Salman al-Farsi says: "What a

household, the only daughter

of the Holy Prophet (s) and

wife of vicegerent leading the

life of a poor laborer. If they

had spent one-tenth of what

they were distributing daily,

they would have led a life of

ease and comfort".

From Imam Ali (a), the Lady

of Light (Fatima) had four

children and the fifth (Mohsin)

was a still birth. The causes of

this mishap and also that of

her death are very sad and

tragic incidents of their lives.

The names of their children

were Hasan, Husain, Zainab

(wife of Abdullah ibn Ja'far)

and Umme Kulthum (wife of

Ubaydullah ibn Ja'far).

During the lifetime of Lady

Fatima, Imam Ali (a) did not

marry another woman. After

her death he married Yama-

mah and at her death another

lady, having the name of

Hanafia, from whom he had a

son, Muhammad Hanafia, and

after her death, he married

again, thus he had many

children some of whom had


16

unparalleled places in the

history of mankind, e.g.

Hasan, Husain (the hero of

Karbala), Zainab (the defender

of Islam in Kufa and Damas-

cus), Abbas (the commander

of Husain's army) and Mu-

hammad Hanafia, (the hero of

the Battle of Naharwan).

Imam Ali's noble behavior

towards enemies

I have cited below few cases

which go to show what type of

man was Imam Ali (a). He

was as Pool says: "Truly a

noble man, a man of right-

eousness and a man of brave,

humble and forgiving spirit",

and as Oelsner says: "Pure,

gentle and learned, without

fear and without reproach,

setting the nobles example of

character to the world". Out of

hundreds and hundreds of

cases to select I find it rather

difficult which to choose and

which not to choose. I have

selected a few according to

the standard of my knowledge

and visualization."

Talha ibn Abi Talha was not

only a bitter enemy of Islam,

but was also hostile towards

the Holy Prophet (s) and

Imam Ali (a). His exertions to

harm these two and their

mission is a historical fact. In

the Battle of Uhud, he was the

standard-bearer of the army

of Quraish. Ali (a) faced him

and in a hand to hand en-

counter, dealt him such a

severe blow that he reeled

and fell down. Imam Ali left

him like that and walked away

from him. Many Muslim

warriors ran up to Ali and

advised him to finish Talha,

saying that he was Ali's worst

enemy. Ali replied: "Enemy or

no enemy, he can't defend

himself now, and I cannot

strike a man who is not in a

position to defend himself. If

he survives he is welcome to

live as long as his life lasts"

In the Battle of Jamal, in the

thick of the encounter his

slave Qambar brought some

soft drink saying, "My master!

The sun is very hot and you

have been constantly fighting,

have a glass of this cold drink

to refresh yourself". He looked


17

around himself and replied:

"Shall I refresh myself when

hundreds of people around me

are lying wounded and dying

of thirst and wounds? Instead

of brining soft drink for me

take a few men with you and

give each of these wounded

persons a soft drink". Qambar

replied: "My master! They are

all our enemies!" He said:

"They may be, but they are

human beings, go and attend

to them."

In the Battle of Siffin, Muawi-

yah reached the river Euphra-

tes before the army of Imam

Ali (a) and took position of the

river. When Imam Ali's army

reached there, he was in-

formed that they would not be

allowed a drop of water from

the river. Imam Ali (a) sent a

messenger to Muawiyah,

saying that this action was

against the canons of humani-

ty and orders of Islam.

Muawiyah's reply was that, "A

war is a war, hence one

cannot accept principles of

humanity and doctrines of

Islam. My sole aim is to kill Ali

(a) and to demoralize his army

and this stoppage of water will

bring about these results

quickly and easily". Imam Ali

(a) ordered his son, Husain

(a), to resume the attack and

get back the river. The attack

took place and the river was

captured. It was then Muawi-

yah's turn to beseech permis-

sion to get water from the

river. His messengers arrived

and Imam Ali (a) told them to

take as much water as they

liked and as often as they

required. When Imam's

officers told him that those

were the very people who had

refused water to them, should

they be allowed a free run of

the river? He replied, "They

are human beings and though

have acted inhumanly, yet I

cannot follow their example

and cannot refuse a man food

and drink just because he

happens to be my sworn

enemy!"

In the Battle of Naharwan,

Imam Ali (a) himself was

fighting like any other ordinary

soldier. During this battle, a


18

man came to face him and in

the encounter lost his sword.

He realized his hopeless plight

of standing before Ali without

any weapon in hand. Ali's

hand was raised for a blow

when he saw the opponent

trembling with fear, he

lowered his hand slowly and

said: "Run away, friend, you

are not in a position to defend

yourself". This attitude made

the man bold and he said:

“Ali! Why don't you kill me, it

would have made one enemy

less for you". Ali replied, "I

cannot strike a man, who

cannot defend himself. You

were begging for your life and

it was spared". The opponent

got bolder, and said, “I am

told that you have never

refused a beggar. Now I beg

you of your sword, will you

grant it to me?" Ali handed

him over the sword! Taking

possession of the sword he

said: "Now Ali! Who is going

to defend you against me and

save you from my killing-

blow?" He replied: "Of course

Allah will defend me if He so

wills! He has appointed my

death to be my guarding

angel, no one can harm me

before it is due and no one

can save me when it arrives".

Nobility of thought and action

affected the foe and he kissed

the bridle of Ali's horse and

said: "O master! You are a

great man indeed! You cannot

only forsake the life of your

enemy in a battlefield but also

you can grant him your sword.

May I have the honor to act as

your body guard and to fight

for you? Imam Ali replied:

"Friend! Fight for truth and

justice and don't fight for

individuals!"

It was the month of Ramazan,

the month of fasting. It was

the time of the morning

prayers. Masjid Kufa was

overcrowded. Imam Ali (a)

was kneeling down before

Allah and when he raised his

head, a terrible blow fell upon

it making a very deep cut.

There was a great disturbance

and commotion in the masjid.

The assassin ran for his

escape. The Muslims chased


19

him and brought him before

Imam Ali (a) who was on the

prayer carpet that was soaked

in blood and he was reclining

upon his sons. He knew the

blow was fatal and that he

would not survive it but when

the assassin was brought

before him, he saw that the

rope which had bound him

was so tightly tied that it was

piercing in to his flesh. Imam

Ali (a) turned towards the

Muslims and said: "You should

not be so cruel with your

fellow-beings, slacken his

ropes, don't you see that they

are cutting his flesh and he is

in agony?" Such was Ali!

History is replete with inci-

dents of his chivalrous and

kind treatment towards his

enemies.

Imam Ali to his friends and

subjects

Let us see what history says

about his behavior with his

friends and relatives.

Abdullah ibn Ja'far was his

nephew, whom he had

brought up since the death of

his father, Ja'far ibn Abu Talib

and to whom he had given his

beloved daughter Zainab, in

marriage. Once Abdullah came

to him requesting for an

advance installment of his

share from Baitul Mal (Public

Treasury). Ali (a) refused and

when the young man persist-

ed, he said: "No, my son! Not

until all the others get their

share."

Aqeel, Imam Ali's elder

brother, was financially not in

sound condition. He asked for

something more than his due

share before the time. The

Imam refused by saying that

he could not resort to dishon-

esty. Aqeel must wait till the

time of disbursement and he

must bear the sufferings

patiently. Imam Ali (a) cited

this incident in one of his

sermons. (NB, Sermon 221)

Ibn Hunaif, was his trusted

disciple, and a faithful follow-

er. He was governor of a

province and was once invited

to a function which was

followed by a sumptuous

dinner. When Imam Ali (a)

heard of this, he sent him a


20

very strong letter, criticizing

his action. He wrote: "You

went to a dinner where only

rich people were invited and

the poor were scornfully

excluded". (NB, Letter 45)

Imam Ali (a) had two slaves,

Qambar and Sa'id. After his

demise, Qambar related that

very seldom he had the

occasion to serve his master.

The noble Imam used to do

his work by himself, used to

wash his own clothing, used

even to stitch patches on

them whenever needed. He

would give them good food

and descent dresses and

would himself eat and dress

like a simple man. Let alone

whipping or beating, he never

even got angry with them. He

never used a can, even on his

horse, camel or mule. These

animals apparently understood

his mood and desire and

would trot and walk as he

wished them to do. His regular

phrase with them was, 'Go

easy, child'.

Continuing, Qambar said:

"One and only once, he got

annoyed with me. It was the

occasion when I showed him

the money that I had hoarded.

It was from my share of

income given to me like others

from the Public Treasury and

the gift I had received from

the members of his family. I

had no immediate use of it

and thus had saved the

amount. It was not much,

being barely 100 dirhams.

When I showed him the

amount, he looked and

annoyed and what pained me

more, he looked very sad. I

inquired as to why he was so

sad. He said: "Qambar, if you

had no use of this money,

were there not people around

you who were in need of it,

some of them might have

been starving and some might

have been ill, could you not

have helped them? I never

thought that you could be so

heartless and cruel, and could

love wealth for the sake of

wealth. Qamber, I am afraid

you are not trying to acquire

much from Islam, try more

seriously and sincerely. Take


21

these coins from here".

Qambar went out and distrib-

uted the money amongst the

poor in Masjid Kufa.

Sa'id says, "It was a very hot

day. Imam Ali (a) was writing

some letters, he wanted to

send me to call some of his

officers, he called me once,

twice and thrice and each

time, I purposely kept silent

and did not reply. He got up

to look for me and found I

was not sitting very far away

from him. He asked me as to

why I did not respond to his

call. I replied, 'Sir, I want to

find out when and how you

get angry'. He smiled and

replied: "You can't rouse my

anger with such childish

tricks".

Once Imam Ali was passing

through Ambaz with his army.

The rich men of the province,

as was the custom of those

days, came out to greet him.

They offered the best Persian

horses as presents and

requested his permission to

serve his army. He met them

courteously but politely

refused to accept the gifts and

said, "You have paid your

taxes, to receive anything

more from you, even when

you offer it voluntarily and

willingly, is a crime against the

State." But when they persist-

ed and pressed their request,

he ordered that the horses

could be accepted as their

taxes and so far as the feast

was concerned, it must be

paid out of the war expenses.

Once when Harith ibn Suhayl,

the Governor of Kufa, was

riding through the city, saw

Imam Ali (a) also on a ride. He

got down from his horse to

accompany the Imam on foot.

Imam stopped his horse and

said, "It does not behove a

man to lower himself before

anybody but Allah. Please

mount back on your horse.

Even if you had not been an

officer of the State, I would

not have allowed you to lower

yourself like this, the sight of

such humiliation of man

before man never pleases me.

It is the worst form of tyranny

which can be practiced."


22

References:

[1]

• al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak 'ala

al-Sahihin V 3 P 483

• al-Shablnji in Noor al-Absar P

76

• al-Kanji al-Shai'i in Kifayt al-

Tlib P 260

• al-Arbily in Kashf al-

Ghummah P 19

• al-Dilamy in Irshal al-Qolob V

2 P 5-6

• al-Masoodi in Morooj al-

Dhahab V 1 P 2

• Ibn al-Jawzi in Tazkirat

Khawas al-Ummah P 7

• Ibn Sabagh al-Maliki in al-

Fosool al-Muhimmah P 14

• al-Halabi in al-Surah al-

Nabawiyah V 1 P 150

• Ali al-Qari al-Hanafi in Sharh

al-Shifa V 1 P 151

• Abi Salim al-Shafi'i in Matalib

al-Soal P 11

• Allaul-din al-Saktwary in

Muhadarat al-Awaeil P 120

• Izalatul Khifa P 251

• Sharh al-Ainiyah, Allama

Alusi

[2] Sharh-e-Bukhari, Imam Nudi;

Tazkirah Khawasul A'immah, Sibt

ibn Jauzi

[3] Mustadrak Hakim, vol. III;

Kamil ibn Athir; Tarikh Khamis;

al-Isaba, Ibn Abdul Barr, vol. II, p.

486; Riyazun Nuzrah, vol. II, pp.

202, 208.

[4] Ithbatul Wasiyah, Mas'udi, p.

119

[5] Hulyatul Aliya, vol. I, p. 67;

Tafsir Durre Manthur, Suyuti; Ibn

Abil Hadid.

[6] Hulyatul Awliya, Hafiz Abu

Na'im, vol. I, p. 67; Tafsir Durre

Manthur, Suyuti.

[7] Jame' Tirmizi, vol. I, p. 38;

Miskhat Sharif, vol. II, p. 8;

Musnad ibn Hambal, vol. I, p. 146

[8] Usas, Allama Tabrani; Seerah-

e Imam Hakim.

[9] Sharh-e-Nahjul Balagha, Ibn

Abil Hadid, vol. III, p. 251.

[10] A review on the character of

Ali, p. 40

[11] Seerah al-Halabiya.

[12] The Spirit of Islam.

��


23

The blessed name of the fifth

Imam is Muhammad. His

nickname is Baqir or Baqir al-

‘Uloom, as he split knowledge

and uncovered the mysteries

of sciences. Certain other

nicknames have also been

mentioned for him, each one

of which indicating an attrib-

ute of that noble Imam, such

as Shakir (grateful), Sabir (the

one who patiently endures),

and Hadi (guiding to the right)

Abu Ja‘far was his patronymic.

His mother was Fatimah

daughter of Imam al-Hasan;

therefore, his lineage from

mother side traces back to

Imam al-Hasan (as) and from

his father's side to Imam al-

Husayn (as). His father was

Sayyid al-Sajidin, Imam Zayn

al-Abidin (as). In the tragic

event of Karbala, he was in

the company of his grandfa-

ther Imam al-Husayn (as),

near the age of four.

His Imamate began in 95/714,

upon the martyrdom of his

father Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin

(as), and lasted until 114/733,

that is, some months over

nineteen years. During the

Imamate of Imam Muhammad

al-Baqir (as) and his son,

Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (as),

such events as the fall of

Umayyad dynasty, seizure of

power by the Abbasids,

disruption of political disputes,

the appearance of imposters

and commanders like Abu

Salma Khallal and Abu Muslim

Khurasani, etc. took place;

some books on philosophy

were translated, and theologi-

cal debates initiated; a

number of Sufi Shaykhs,

ascetics, and wandering

dervishes affiliated to the

ruling caliphate also came into

being.

Judges and theologians were

installed arbitrarily by formal

officials and authorities to

expound and interpret juris-

prudence, ideology, theology,

and ethics to the expediencies

Baqir al-Uloom Hazrat Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (A.S.)

By: Ahmad Ahmadi Birjandi


24

of the caliphate and the ruling

centers, and to deviate the

teachings of the Qur’an,

especially the issue of Imam-

ate and Wilayat which had

after the tragedy of ‘Ashura

attracted the attention of

many truth-seeking people

toward the righteousness of

the Household of ‘Ali (as) and

revealed the ugly-featured

Umayyad tyrants and those

who bartered their Hereafter

with the worldly gains and

also to throw the Prophet

(S)'s traditions into oblivion.

Some had also forged tradi-

tions in favor of the ruling

system or were busy forging

some, or transforming them

to the benefit of the tyrant

usurpers of caliphate. These

were really menacing factors

which were to be withstood

by the protectors and guardi-

ans of religion.

To this end, Imam Muham-

mad al-Baqir (as) and after

him, Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (as)

took advantage of the favora-

ble political milieu to dissemi-

nate the true Islamic teach-

ings and truthful knowledge

and founded the Academy of

Shi‘ism and Islamic Sciences.

That was because these noble

Imams and their disciples

were in fact inheritors and the

true guardians of the teach-

ings of the Prophet (S) and

the Islamic laws and justice;

they were to train knowledge-

able and practical disciples

and competent and self-

sacrificing companions, and to

gather, compile, and teach

the jurisprudence of Muham-

mad (S)'s progeny. That was

why Imam al-Baqir (as) was

always surrounded by schol-

ars, scientists, and narrators

of hadith, and famous orators

and poets.

In his didactic school,

knowledge and piety were

taught to people. Abu Ja‘far

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir

(as) was the “custodian of

alms” of the Prophet (S) and

Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (as) and

distributed those alms among

Bani Hashim and the poor and

the needy, and managed

them financially. Imam al-


25

Baqir (as) possessed praise-

worthy features and was

characterized by Islamic

courteous behavior.

He was always well-dressed

and would walk around with

utmost dignity and grace.

When he was asked why he

put on costly garments while

his ancestor would wear

inexpensive clothes, he

replied: “My ancestor's piety

and governance demanded so

in the times when the poor

and the deprived were in

great number. If I wore those

clothes, I would not be able to

enhance the religious rites in

such a revolution of thought.

The fifth Imam (as) was very

light-hearted and cheerful to

the believers and friends. He

would shake hands with all

companions and encourage

others to practice it, too. He

would somehow mention in

his talks that: “Shaking hands

will eradicate internal indigna-

tions and will cause the sins

of both sides to fall off as

leafs of trees do in the fall.

Imam al-Baqir (as) was quite

observant of giving away alms

and donations and Islamic

manners such as helping the

needy, performing the funeral

processions of the believers,

visiting the patients, and

respecting the courtesy and

Islamic code of conducts and

religious norms. He wanted to

revive the traditions of his

ancestor, the Apostle of Allah

(S), among the people and

impart noble moral traits to

them.

On hot days, he would go out

to manage the farms and

palm groves, and would help

workers and farmers with

plowing the land. Whatever

he earned from the farm

products – with his hardwork-

ing and labor – he would give

away for Allah's sake.

Whenever he went to the

mosque of his ancestor, the

Apostle of Allah (S), to say

prayers, people would gather

around him to benefit from

the bright rays of his

knowledge and virtue.


26

After the tragic event of

Karbala and the unprecedent-

ed oppressions by Yazid,

when people realized the

righteousness of the Infallible

Ahl al-Bayt (as), Imam al-

Sajjad (as) and his noble son,


(as), exerted great attempts

in correcting people's beliefs,

especially in Imamate and

leadership, which only the

Infallible Imams (as) de-

served, and taught the true

knowledge in different aspects

to people.

As a result, the dissemination

of the Islamic jurisprudence

and ordinances became so

widespread that Imam Ja‘far

al-Sadiq (as), the honorable

son of Imam al-Baqir (as),

established a university with

four thousand students and

spread the Islamic traditions

(hadiths) and doctrines all

over the Muslim world of that

time.

Imam al-Sajjad (as) had

paved the way for this signifi-

cant endeavor through

invocations, supplications, and

reminding the tyrannies of the

Umayyad and by commanding

good and forbidding evil.

Similarly, Imam al-Baqir (as)

further prepared the ground

by holding teaching circles

and clarifying the relevant

religious problems for people.

Through his insight and in

light of his divinely revealed

intuition, the Holy Prophet (S)

had determined the duties his

progeny and Ahl al-Bayt

would be holding as well as

the role they were to play in

identifying and introducing the

true knowledge in the years to

come, as the following hadith

indicates: One day, Jabir b.

‘Abd Allah Ansari, who had

lost his eyesight late in his

life, had an audience with

Imam al-Sajjad (as). Hearing

a child, he asked, “Who are

you?” The child answered: “I

am Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. al-

Husayn.” Jabir called him

near, took hold of his hand,

kissed it, and said: “One day I

had an audience with your

grandfather, the Apostle of

Allah (S). He told me: You


27

may live so long as to see

Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. al-

Husayn, one of my grandsons.

Give my greetings to him and

tell him: May Allah grant you

the light of wisdom; dissemi-

nate the faith and

knowledge!” Commanded by

his grandfather, the fifth

Imam embarked on a life-long

dissemination of religious

science & Islamic knowledge,

as well as teaching the

Qur’anic truths and Prophetic

traditions.

Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah Ansari is

the one who on the Arba‘in

(the fortieth day of Imam al-

Husayn's martyrdom), the first

year after the tragic event of

Karbala, went there together

with ‘Atiyya, who was also

one of the pious scholars and

noble interpreters, made

ghusl (major ablution) and

while ‘Atiyya was holding his

hand, he sat down beside the

holy grave of the master of

martyrs, Sayyid al-Shuhada

(as), and recited the ziyara of

that Holy Imam.

Anyhow, Imam al-Baqir (as)

was a source of radiant divine

wisdom and a reservoir of

divine ordinance. His cele-

brated name is on hundreds

of traditions and wise sayings

and exhortations which he

had expressed to guide his

talented and competent

disciples and pupils, especially

during his 13 years of Imam-

ate. As it is related, in no

other scholastic circles had

the scholars been more

humble and modest than the

ones in the presence of

Muhammad b. ‘Ali (as).

In the time of Imam ‘Ali (as),

it was as though the status of

science and value of

knowledge was not – as it had

to be – clear for the people

yet. It seemed that the

Muslims had not stepped out

of the restricted material

world; had not drunk from

Imam ‘Ali (as)'s transparent

spring of knowledge; had

remained thirsty at the infinite

ocean of ‘Ali (as)'s presence;

and no one but a few had


28

appreciated such precious

jewel as him.

That was why the Master of

the Faithful (as) had repeat-

edly said: “Ask me [questions]

before you lose me!” And he

would often say: “I am more

familiar with the routes of the

heaven than those of the

earth.” Alas! Nobody would

appreciate his precious

presence.

However, people gradually

began to taste the pleasure

and joy of the knowledge of

Ahl al-Bayt (as) and the

Islamic teachings, particularly

in the time of Imam Muham-

mad al-Baqir (as); and like

thirsty ones who had been

deprived of fresh water or

who had not appreciated it,

they began to quench their

thirst with the splendid and

palatable divine knowledge of

Imam al-Baqir (as) and gave

in to his scholarly status.

According to a historian, “At

this point, the Muslims turned

away from warfare to con-

quering the doorways of

knowledge and culture.”

Since there was no possibility

at the time for armed uprising

– due to intense stranglehold

and a lack of chivalrous

combatants – Imam al-Baqir

(as) deemed as more appro-

priate the dissemination of the

Islamic knowledge and

scholarly activities as well as

ideological and spiritual

struggle against the Umayyad

ruling system, and since a full

course of Islamic law had not

yet been instructed in details

and comprehensively, he

undertook the fruitful scholar-

ly endeavors in this respect.


(as), had a significant role in

promulgation of ethics,

genuine Islamic philosophy,

specific worldview of the

Qur’an, training such disciples

as Imam Shafi‘i, and formula-

tion of the Islamic school of

thought.

Since in this era the Umayyad

rule was fading out and the

‘Abbasid rebellion was crack-

ing down on them, the best

circumstances had risen for

promulgation of dynamic


29

thoughts and training disciples

and dignitaries as well as

demarcating the right lines of

statehood, which was indeed

a political struggle laying the

foundation for and formula-

tion of the Islamic doctrine

and principles.

However, as maintained

above, wherever the caliphate

system's benefits were

concerned and the rulers felt

that the Imam (a.s.) was

unveiling their cruel faces and

teaching the right path to

recognition of the “Infallible

Imam” and Imamate which

followed “Prophethood” and

finally the “Rule of Allah”,

they would proceed to perse-

cute and even torture the

Imam (as), and sometimes

would exile and incarcerate

him.

To give an example of the

above, a historical event is

narrated as follows: “One year

when Hisham b. ‘Abd al-Malik,

the Umayyad ruler, was going

on a Hajj pilgrimage, Ja‘far b.

Muhammad, Imam al-Sadiq

(as) together with his father,

Imam al-Baqitr (as) were also

on the pilgrimage. One day,

Imam al-Sadiq (as) was giving

a speech in an assembly in

Mecca, emphasizing the issue

of leadership and that the

Imams, rather than others,

are the true leaders and

caliphs of Allah on earth, and

that following their footsteps

and swearing allegiance to

them rather than to others

would bring forth social

happiness and salvation.

These words, being uttered in

the period of Hisham's full

power and during the Hajj

rituals in Mecca, began to

echo widely around and

reached Hisham. In Mecca,

Hisham did not dare to

interfere, nor was it advisable

for him to do so. But when he

arrived in Damascus, he

dispatched an envoy to

Medina asking the governor

there to send Imam al-Baqir

(as) and his son to Damascus,

which was done accordingly.

Imam al-Sadiq (as) said in

this regard: “When we arrived

in Damascus, Hisham called


30

us to his court. When we

entered, we saw him sitting

on his throne and having his

men fully armed, arrayed in

two rows by his sides. He also

had a target board installed

before him on the other end

of the hall, and the dignitaries

among his entourage were

engaged in an archery match.

As we entered the courtyard

of Hisham's palace, my father

was in front and I was follow-

ing him. When we got near,

Hisham asked my father:

'Why don't you take part in

the match?' My father replied:

'I have become old and am

not in a position to do this. It

would be better if you exempt

me from this.' Hisham swore:

'By God who honored us by

His Religion and Messenger, I

won't exempt you.' He then

commanded one of the

Umayyad nobles to hand his

bow and arrow over to my

father [Imam al-Baqir (as)] so

that he too could take part in

the match.

My father took the bow from

the man, picked an arrow, put

it in the bow, pulled the string

powerfully, and shot it right to

the center of the target. Then,

he took another arrow and

shot it at the notch of the

previous one… numbering to

nine successive shots. Infuri-

ated by this event, Hisham

said: 'You did a great job O

Abu Ja‘far! You are the most

skilful among the Arab and

non-Arab archers. Why did

you say you were not able to

do it? Tell me who taught you

the archery?' My father

replied: 'You know that this

sport is common among the

people of Medina. I used to

practice it when I was

young'.”

Then, Imam al-Sadiq (as)

pointed out that: “Hisham got

mad with the whole affair and

made up his mind to murder

my father. At the same

gathering, Hisham talked to

Imam al-Baqir (as) over

leadership and caliphate.

Imam al-Baqir (as) expressed

his opinion on the leadership

of the faithful leaders and

how an Islamic community is


31

run and what characteristics a

leader of an Islamic society

must have.

All this further perplexed

Hisham who lacked those

requirements and who had

usurped that position.” It is

reported by some that Imam

al-Baqir (as) was incarcerated

in Damascus. When Hisham

got informed that the prison-

ers of Damascus have turned

into Imam al-Baqir (as)'s

disciples and followers, he

freed the Imam and hastened

to have him sent to Medina.

Before the Imam's departure,

Hisham sent forth a courier to

spread ill rumors against them

(i.e., Imam al-Baqir and Imam

al-Sadiq – A.S.) in the villages

and towns en route, so that

people would not get in touch

with them and might not be

influenced by their sermons

and conducts. Nevertheless,

on this journey the Imam did

not spare any chance to

contact people – even the

Christians – and to make

them aware of the whole

situation.

It is interesting and instructive

to know that in his last will,

Imam Muhmmad al-Baqir (as)

enjoined his son Imam Ja‘far

al-Sadiq (as) to allocate after

his demise a part of his

property to be spent during

Hajj pilgrimage at mourning

ceremonies for him for ten

years in Mina, where Hajis

gather for throwing stones at

Satan and making sacrifices.

Drawing attention to the issue

and determining the location

is considered very important.

According to the author of al-

Ghadir – the well-known

‘Allama Amini – the purpose

of this testament is to make

the great Islamic community

acquainted with the true

leader of the religion at that

Holy Land and guide them to

the right path, so that they

would break away from others

and join these leaders; and

this is the utmost eagerness

for guiding people and

rescuing them from the claws

of tyranny and misguidance.

��


32

Al-Imam Musa Kazim (as)

Having overthrown the

Umayyads and having taken

the position of khilafah in

hand, the Abbasids turned to

Sane Fatimah and tried to

annihilate the Members of the

Household of the Holy Proph-

et (S) with all their might.

They beheaded a group,

buried another alive, and

placed yet another group of

people under the founda-tions

and in the walls of the build-

ings. They set the house of

the 6th Imam (as) on fire and

summoned the Imam (as) to

Iraq several times. In this

way, the taqiyyah was more

intensely practiced during the

last days of the life of the 6th

Imam (as).

Since the Imam was under

strict surveillance, he did not

meet anyone except a few

particular Shias. Finally, al-

Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (as) was

poisoned and martyred by al-

Mansur, the Second Caliph of

the Abbasids. Thus, during

the Imamah of the 7th Imam,

al-Imam Musa al-Kazim (as),

the oppression of the antago-

nists became more severe and

intensified day by day.

In spite of an environment of

intense taqiyyah, the 7th

Imam (as) began to dissem-

inate the Islamic knowledge

and ma de a large number of

ahadith available to the

Shiahs. It can be said that the

ahadith pertaining to Islamic

jurisprudence by al-Imam

Musa al-Kazim (as) stand third

in number after those by the

5th and the 6th Imams (as).

Owing to prevailing conditions

of intense taqiyyah, in most of

the ahadith related by the

Imam (as), he has been

referred to by the narrators as

"an alim" or as "a right-eous

worshipper of Allah", or the

like without an explicit men-

tion of his name.

The Imam (as) was the

contemporary of four Abbas-id

Brief Biographies of Imam Muhammad Taqi & Imam Musa Kazim (A.S.)

By: Allama Sayyid Muhammad Hussain at-Tabatabai


33

khulafa al-Mansur, al-Hadi, al-

Mahdi, and Harun, and was

always the target of their

oppression. Finally, under the

order of Harun, he was

imprisoned and was trans-

ferred from one prison to

another for years. At last, al-

Imam Musa al-Kazim (as) was

poisoned as well as martyred

in the prison.

Imam Muhammad Taqi

(as) & Imam Ali Naqi (as)

The environment in which

these honorable Imams (as)

lived was identical. After the

martyrdom of Imam Reza

(as), Mamun summoned

Imam Muhammad Taqi (as),

who was the only son of

Imam Reza (as) to Baghdah

and treated him kindly and

affectionately and allowed his

daughter to marry the Imam

(as) and kept the Imam (as)

in his own house with full

honour.

Although this conduct seemed

friendly, but, through this

policy, Mamun had actually

placed Imam (as) under his

strict control in all respects.

Similar circumstances and

living conditions continued for

Imam Ali Naqi (as) in Samar-

ra, which was the capital of

khilafah during his Imamah;

they were in fact in prison.

The period of Imamah of

these reverend Imams (as) is

fifty-one years altogether. The

number of Shias, who were

residing in Iran, Iraq, and

Syria at the time, was consid-

erably large and had reached

hundreds of thou-sands,

among whom there were

thousands of scholars of

Hadith. In spite of this, the

ahadith related from these

Imams (as) are very few.

Also, the lifetime of these

Imams (as) was short.

The ninth Imam (as) and the

tenth Imam (as), were

martyred when they were

twenty-five and forty years,

respectively. All these points

serve as a clear evidence that

the control, surveillance, and

sabotage of the antago-nists

was very strict during their

period and that these great

Imams (as) were unable to


34

perform their duties freely.

Nevertheless, valuable ahadith

have reached us from these

great Imams (as) on the Usul

al-Din (the fundamental

princi-ples of Islam for

believing in) and the Furu al-

Din (the secondary principles

of Islam for actions).

��

Importance of the Month of Rajab

Rajab marks the beginning of the

spiritual season of every believer

ending with the end of the

fasting month of Ramadan with

the Eid Al Fitr. These three

months, Rajab, Shaban &

Ramadan, are unmatched in

their importance.

Praise be to the Almighty and

thanks to Him for granting us

another opportunity to cleanse

ourselves of our sins and over-

sights.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) has

said: "Verily, Rajab is Allah's

month, Shaban my month and

Ramadan the month of my

Ummah; whosoever fasts a day

in the month of Rajab will be

granted the great reward of

Ridwan (an angel in heaven); the

wrath of Allah shall be distanced

and a door of the Hell shall be

closed."

What is in this month of Rajab?

• Rajab is one of the four sacred

months in Islam in which bat-

tles are prohibited.

• Rajab is month of Supplication,

Fasting and Istighfar. Holy

Prophet (saww) has said,

"Rajab is the month for seek-

ing forgiveness, so seek for-

giveness from Allah (SwT).

• On 13th Rajab - Amirul

Mu'mineen Ali Ibne Abi Talib

(as) was born in Kaaba - the

House of Allah.

• The 27th of this month is the

date when the official ap-

pointment of the Noble Proph-

et took place and it is the day

when the mercy and blessings

of Allah (swt) were physically

manifested upon this earth.

• Giving Sadaqah in this month

is highly recommended.

��


35

Abu-Hashim Jafari has report-

ed: I was afflicted with a bad

poverty; so, I went to Abul-

Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad.

When I sat in his presence, he

asked, “Abu-Hashim! Which of

the bounties of your Lord will

you thank?” I could not speak

nor did I know what answer

to give to the Imam. He said,

“Allah has given you faith as

sustenance hence made your

body immune from hellfire. He

has also given you good

health hence helped you to

obey Him. And He has given

you contentment as suste-

nance hence made you

immune from unrestrained

way of living.

O Abu-Hashim! I have started

speaking to you with these

words, for I had the impres-

sion that you were going to

complain to me of One Who

has given you all these

blessings. Meanwhile I have

ordered one hundred dinars to

be given to you.”[144]

Sanitation and Climate

Fahham Mansuri reports while

quoting his uncle,: One day

Imam al-Hadi (a.s) said, “I

was brought reluctantly to the

city of Samarra (literally

meaning one who sees it

becomes happy). Now if they

make me leave this city, I will

do it reluctantly.” I said, “Why

is that, my master?” The

Imam said, “For its good

climate, its sanitation and its

little diseases.”[145]

Special Favor Towards

Shiites

A group of people from

Isfahan including Abul-Abbas

Ahmad ibn Nazar and Abu-

Jafar Muhammad ibn Alawiah

report: In Isfahan, there was

a man of Shiite faith named

Abd al-Rahman. He was

asked, “Why in our time you

have made belief in the

Imamate of Ali al-Naqi (a.s)

incumbent upon yourself?” He

answered: I have seen

something which made the

Imam’s leadership obligatory

to me: I dare to say I was a

Morality of Imam al-Hadi (A.S.)

By: Allama Husayn Ansariyan


36

needy man and one year, the

people of Isfahan sent me

along with other persons to

the court of al-Mutawakkil,

the Abbasid ruler, to plead for

justice.

We were in Mutawakkil’s court

when the order to summon Ali

ibn Muhammad ibn Ridha was

issued. I asked some of the

persons present in the court

who was this man. It was said

that he was an Alawi and the

heretics believe in his Imam-

ate. Mutawakkil might have

summoned to kill him. I

decided not to leave this place

to see what he looks like.

Finally, when the Imam came

on a horse while people were

standing on the two sides of

the road, I was watching him.

As soon as I saw him, I began

to love him and said: May

Allah relieve him from the evil

of Mutawakkil. He was looking

only at the mane of his horse

without paying attention to

his right or left side. I was

also praying for him. When he

was passing by me, he turned

his holy face towards me and

said, “Allah has answered

your prayer, prolonged your

life, and made your wealth

and children abundant.”

Hearing this, I trembled and

fell down among my friends,

they asked, “What hap-

pened?” I said, “Just a

blessing and said no more.”

I then returned to Isfahan.

Allah gave me such a fortune

that in addition to what I have

outside my house, I have

assets worth several thou-

sands of dirham at home. I

am also blessed with ten

children. I am now seventy

and odd years, believing in

the Imamate of that honora-

ble Imam who knew what was

in my mind and whose prayer

Allah answered in relation to

me.[146]

Healing a Leper

Abu Hashim Jafari has report-

ed: A man from Samarra was

afflicted with leprosy hence

life had become hard for him.

One day, he was complaining

to Abu-Ali Fahri of his plight.

Abu-Ali said, “Should you ask


37

Abul-Hasan Ali ibn Muham-

mad ibn al-Ridha to pray for

you, your disease will be

healed.”

One day when the Imam was

returning from Mutawakkil’s

house, the leper who was

sitting on the way rose up to

get close to the Imam to ask

him to pray for the healing of

his disease. Before he could

ask, the Imam said three

times, “Go aside; Allah will

restore your good health”,

while pointing to him with his

holy hand. Abu-Ali Fahri later

saw the leper who had told

him about his meeting with

the Imam. Abu-Ali said, “The

Imam had prayed for you

before you asked him to do

so. Be sure you will have your

good health restored soon.”

The leper went home. The

night passed; and when it

dawned there was no sign of

leprosy on his body.[147]

Kindness to Relatives

Dawud ibn Qasim Jafari

reports: I had gone to say

farewell to the Imam in

Samarra before going on Hajj.

He came out with me and

when he came to the end of

the retaining wall, he de-

scended and I descended too.

The Imam drew a circle on

the ground saying, “O uncle!

Take what is inside this circle

for spending during your

Hajj.” I pounded on the earth

with my fist and found a bar

of gold containing two hun-

dred misqals of gold.[148]

Generosity

Muhammad ibn Talhah has

reported: One day, Imam al-

Hadi left Samarra for a village

for an important case, which

had come about. An Arab

came to meet him. So, the

man was told that the Imam

had gone to such and such

place. The Arab too went to

that village to see him. The

Imam asked, “What do you

need?” He answered, “I am

an Arab from Kufah who

believes in the Imamate of

your great grandfather, Ali ibn

Abu-Talib. I have a heavy

debt, which is hard to pay. I

find no one but you to pay my


38

debt.” The Imam said, “Be

happy.”

The Imam received him as a

guest, and in the morning

said, “I will ask you something

that you should not oppose!”

The Arab said, “I will not

oppose to what you do.” The

Imam wrote a note in his own

handwriting admitting that he

owed the Arab a certain

amount of money, which was

more than the Arab’s debt.

Then the Imam said, “Take

this note and bring it to me in

Samarra. There will be a

group of people beside me.

Show this note, speak harshly

and demand your money.”

The Arab agreed and left the

Imam.

When the Imam reached

Samarra, a group of the

companions of the ruler were

with him when the Arab

arrived, showed the handwrit-

ing, demanded the money

and spoke as the Imam had

advised him. Imam al-Hadi

spoke softly to him and

promised to pay his debt. The

story of Imam al-Hadi and the

Arab reached Mutawakkil. He

ordered to take thirty thou-

sand Dirhams for Imam al-

Hadi. When The Imam

received the money, he did

not touch it until the Arab

came. Then the Imam said,

“Take this money, pay your

debt, spend the rest for your

living expenditures and accept

our apology.” The Arab said,

“O son of Allah’s Messenger!

By Allah! I expected only one

third of this money but Allah

knows where to place His

message. He took the money

and left for home.”[149]

Notes:

144. Man-la-Yahduruhul-Faqih

401/4, H. 5863

145. Al-Amali by Shaykh al-Tusi:

281, H. 545

146. Al-Kharaij wal-Jaraih:

392/1, 11

147. Al-Kharaij wal-Jaraih:

399/1, 11

148. Al-Manaqib: 409/4

149. Kashf al-Ghummah: 374/2

��


39

Now, let us take a quick look

at the condition and picture

which prevailed, minutes

before that decisive moment

which was about to take place

to change the history of

mankind, and all of creation

and universe.

The earth was filled with

injustice, unfairness, violence,

corruption, bloodshed, wars,

and struggles between the

humans. Life has become like

hell that is unbearable, after

materialism dominated it and

pulled man down as his lower

desires and ambitions domi-

nated him.

There is no room or place for

morals, principles, values,

manners, and compassion

among the people and life has

become a chaotic jungle!

Man have submitted to his

lower desires without limit or

control and have become

arrogant and oppressor. The

strong eats the weak, and the

king steps on the heads of

those ruled and oppressed.

Justice became lost while

injustice became widespread.

The wealthy and affluent

compose a very small cor-

rupted minority, while the

poor and deprived are the

majority but they are weak

and paralyzed. Chaos has

become widespread and the

religions all lean towards

polytheism, idol and self

worshipping. Human desires,

fantasies, deviation, fabrica-

tion, and misguidance took

over and distorted the reli-

gions.

The Jews have distorted their

religion and their priests have

concealed the truth for their

own personal interests. The

Jews are divided on Earth and

most of them are corrupt,

envious, and materialistic. Yet

at the same time, they claim

that they are the "chosen

people by Allah” and that they

are the "loved ones of Allah"!

Condition of the People before the Start

of the Prophetic Mission (S)

By: Dr. Hatem Abu Shahba


40

They believe that there is no

true religion except theirs and

they have disfigured their

religion and killed their

prophets and distorted their

purified history. They await

the appearance of a prophet

whom they know will appear

and they find his signs written

in their books.

They believe that he will

achieve for them final victory

from God and they will gain

control over the world under

his leadership. But of course

they anticipate him to be from

among them [Bani Israel

(sons of Ya'qoob)]. At the

same time, they despise the

Christians and are happy that

they have allegedly killed their

prophet Jesus.

On the other hand, the

Christians went astray and

have become misguided. They

worshipped their prophet

Jesus instead of God and they

said the grave utterance and

falsely claimed that Allah

(SWT) has a son! They

deviated from the laws of

their religion and distorted

their Book and followed their

misguided priests and dis-

pleased their God.

They thought that they were

on the right path while the

others are misguided and they

bear animosity towards the

Jews. Their scholars also

knew that a prophet was

about to appear, whose signs

were indicated in their books.

As for the Zoroastrians, they

also distorted the religion of

Abraham (Peace be upon him)

and they worshipped the Fire.

The Arabs have distorted the

religion of Ishmael and

worshipped the idols. Disbelief

and polytheism have become

widespread with all its differ-

ent types and forms. Every-

one practices his ignorance,

deviation, and disbelief with

all sincerity, fanaticism, and

involvement.

The true believers are a very

small minority and Hazrat

Muhammad (S) is one them.

You can almost count them on

the fingers of one hand as

they are scattered here and

there. They were a minority


41

who were wandering and

didn't know where to go as

they searched for the truth in

the midst of darkness and

sought the help of their Lord.

They requested Him to send a

messenger to guide them and

show them the truth from

falsehood, and lead them out

of darkness to the light of

guidance. They too were

waiting and anticipating the

appearance of this prophet

sent from God so that they

can believe in Him and march

under his banner and leader-

ship.

Allah (SWT) sees, hears,

watches, and observes

everything. He (SWT) sees

the nonbelievers, polytheists,

and those who are displeased

with from the Jews and the

misguided from the Christians,

and the idol worshippers who

associate another God with

Allah (SWT). He (SWT) hears

the prayers of the oppressed

people, the weak, the de-

prived, and the believers.

With His compassion, He

(SWT) watches and observes

all those people who have

been deceived by the life of

this world and tempted by the

ample time which Allah (SWT)

gave them, till they thought

that He (SWT) is oblivious of

them, or does not see them.

He (SWT) also sees those who

believe in Him and are never

desperate from His mercy and

compassion. Those who never

give up hope that one day He

(SWT) will answer their

prayers as they have very

deep faith and trust in Him.

And Hazrat Muhammad (S)

was surely one of them!

This condition reminds us of

the same situation which was

present before when Allah

(SWT) spoke with Prophet

Moses (May Allah be pleased

with him). The sons of Israel

were enslaved in Egypt for

many long centuries. Pharaoh

used to torture them, kill their

children, rape their women,

and enslave them in the worst

conditions.

The believers among them

kept praying to their God day

and night to relieve from this


42

torture and bondage, and

liberate them from slavery,

and send to them a messen-

ger, leader, and deliverer to

lead them out of this torture.

They were expecting the

imminent appearance of that

prophet as they know from

their books. One of those

believers who prayed to God

to save his people from

torture, persecution, and

inferiority was Moses (AS)

who was the most humble,

submissive and loving to God

from all of Bani Israel!

Suddenly, the mercy of Allah

(SWT) poured at a fateful

moment…and also in the

middle of a bare desert…and

also in the middle of the

darkness of night…and also

on top of a mountain. Moses

sees the fire and goes to-

wards it to get a light.

But instead, Allah (SWT)

speaks directly to him and

informs him that He (SWT) is

the God of Abraham and

Jacob and that He (SWT)

listens and sees the condition

of the sons of Israel and the

oppression of pharaoh. He

(SWT) informs him that he

has been chosen to become

the awaited prophet and the

expected deliverer to stand

against Pharaoh by the power

of Allah (SWT) and lead his

people out of bondage to the

dignity of God's obedience,

and out of poverty and

inferiority to independence

and sovereignty!

The tradition of Allah (SWT) is

the same and you will not find

change or replacement in the

way of Allah (SWT). Once

again and under similar

circumstances, and after

hundreds of years, the same

situation repeats itself exactly

and the similarity is clear to

any person. Once again, the

mercy of Allah (SWT) poured

on the believers, the weak

and deprived, and the op-

pressed. And His wrath

descended on those nonbe-

lievers, polytheists, counter-

feiters, distorters, misguides,

hypocrites, arrogant, those

whom Allah (SWT) is dis-

pleased with. ��


43

Allah, the Wise, has said:

"If you give alms openly, it is

well."

The Noble Prophet (s.a.w.w)

said: "Give charity, even if it

happens to be a (piece of)

date."

Short Explanation

Charity is of two kinds: The

first being the "concealed

charity" - one that had been

the conduct of the Imams and

which wards away poverty,

lengthens the life, does away

with seventy kinds of evil

deaths and smothers the

Divine wrath. The second

being the "manifest charity" -

one, that increases the

sustenance and breaks

Satan's back.

An important point in connec-

tion with charity is that

quantity (with respect to

money, clothes or food) is not

the criterion for perfection;

rather, it is the purity and

sincerity of intention, which is

the requisite for perfection.

At times when the Noble

Prophet (s.a.w.w) did not

possess any money, he would

give his clothes in charity and

would recommend: "Com-

mence your day with charity,

for it serves to insure you."

Auspicious and Inauspi-

cious Times

Once, Imam Sadiq (a.s)

related:

"There was a piece of land

that I owned in partnership

with an astrologer and it was

mutually decided that it

should be divided between us.

He made preparations so that

his arrival should be in an

auspicious hour while I should

arrive in an inauspicious hour

so that the better portion of

the land fell in his hands. The

land was divided but it so

happened that the better

portion came as my share of

the land! The man slapped his

right hand over his left in

regret and said ruefully: "Oh!

Had I never lived to see such

a day!"

Charity in Islam

By: Allamah Baqir Shareef al-Qurashi


44

I said to him: "Why are you

so upset today?"

He said: "I am an astrologer

and I brought you out of your

house in an inauspicious hour

while I myself came out in an

auspicious hour. However,

now that the land has been

divided, you have come to

acquire the better portion of

it."

I (the Imam) said: "I shall

inform you of a tradition of

the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.w)

wherein he said:

'If one desires that Allah

wards away from him the

inauspiciousness of a day, he

should start his day by giving

charity, and if one desires to

ward away the inauspicious-

ness of the night, he should

commence his night by giving

charity.'"

The Imam (a.s) then said (to

the astrologer):

"I gave charity while coming

out (of my house) today;

charity is better for you than

astrology."

Hatim’s Mother

The mother of Hatim Tai, was

an open-hearted and gener-

ous lady, who used to distrib-

ute all her wealth amongst

the needy ones.

When her brothers saw her

giving her wealth in charity,

they prevented her from

accessing it and said:

"You are indulging in extrava-

gance and ruining your

property."

For a period of one year they

did not provide her with any

money. When the year had

passed they spoke amongst

themselves and said:

"She has suffered much in this

year as a result of scarcity

and perhaps now, after this

prohibition, she would spend

her wealth moderately and

not exhibit extravagance."

And so, they gave her a herd

of camels so that she could

make use of them.

At that juncture a woman

from the tribe of Hawazan

approached her and, as in the


45

past, sought food and assis-

tance from her.

Hatim's mother gifted the

entire herd of camels to her

saying: "In this period (of one

year), I have tasted the

sufferings of poverty and have

promised to myself that

whatever I come to possess, I

shall give in charity to the

needy and the deprived

ones!"

The Mother of the Satans

Sayyid Ne'matullah Jazairi

narrates in his book:

"One year, a famine struck.

During that period a preacher,

from atop the pulpit in the

mosque, preached:

"When one desires to give

charity, seventy Satans cling

onto his hands to prevent him

from giving it."

Hearing this, a person said to

his friends in amazement:

"Giving charity has no such

thing associated with it. I

have some wheat present in

my house which I shall

immediately bring to the

mosque and distribute

amongst the poor."

With this in mind, he set off

for his house. When he

reached home and informed

his wife of his intention, she

began to reprimand him

saying: "In this period of

drought do you not have

consideration for your wife

and child? Maybe the drought

will extend for a long time, in

which case we shall die of

hunger and …"

In short, she rebuked him to

such an extent that eventually

the man returned to the

mosque empty-handed.

His friends asked him:

"What happened? Did you see

how seventy Satans clung to

your hand and prevented

you?"

The man said:

"Honestly speaking, I did not

see the Satans, but I certainly

saw their mother, who

prevented me from perform-

ing this good deed.""

��


46

It is beyond the power of

ordinary mortals to pen the

merits and virtues of Hazrat

Zainab (SA), whose praise

requires a tongue as eloquent

as that of the Holy Qur’an or,

as heart-soothing as that of

the Prophet of Islam, as

expressive as that of her

father the Commander of the

Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), as

fluent as that of her brother

the Martyr of Karbala, and as

steeped in piety as that of her

nephew, Imam Zain al-

Abedin (AS).

Her genealogy is impeccable.

She was a blue blood scion of

the monotheist House of

Hashem, the noble leader of

the Quraysh tribe who was

descended from Prophet

Abraham’s firstborn son,

Prophet Ishmael (AS). If her

father Imam Ali continues to

transcend history and all

historical developments as the

divinely-designated vicegerent

of her grandfather, the

Almighty’s Last and Greatest

Prophet, her mother is the

noblest-ever lady born on

Planet Earth, the Prophet’s

Immaculate Daughter, Hazrat

Fatema Zahra (SA). If Prophet

as the “Mercy unto the whole

creation” is maternal grand-

father, her paternal grand-

father was that protector of

infant Islam, the Prophet’s

beloved uncle and guardian,

Abu Taleb – the consangui-

neous brother of the Prophet’s

father Abdullah. If her

maternal grandmother was

the Omm al-Momineen or the

Mother of all true Believers,

Hazrat Khadija al-Kubra

(peace upon her) – also

known as Maleekat al-Arab for

her fabulous wealth that she

all spent for Islam – her

paternal grandmother was

Fatema bint Asad, the lady

who had brought up the

orphaned Prophet as her own

son following the death of his

grandfather Abdul-Mutallib

Hazrat Zainab (peace be upon her) –

The Unschooled Scholar

Source: http://parstoday.com


47

and of his mother Amena bint

Wahb.

The merits of Hazrat Zainab

(SA), who gave her two

youthful sons Aun and

Mohammad as sacrifices for

the cause of Islam at Karbala,

do not end here, in view of

the fact that her brothers

were Imam Hasan and Imam

Husain (AS) – the Leaders of

the Youth of Paradise.

Moreover, she was married to

her first cousin Abdullah the

son of Ja’far at-Tayyaar, the

first migrant in Islam whose

famous expounding of mono-

theism and the merits of

Prophet Jesus and the Virgin

Mary (peace upon them) in

the court of King Negus of

Abyssinia (or present day

Ethiopia) when the polytheists

of Mecca pursued him there,

is recorded in golden letters.

Hazrat Zainab (SA) was too

great to rest on family laurels.

She explored a distinctive

path of her own and that is

the reason her virtues merited

the title Sani-e Zahra or the

lady who is second only to her

impeccable mother, Hazrat

Zahra (SA), the greatest lady

of all times. Hazrat Zahra

(SA), needed an immaculate

deputy to demonstrate to the

women of the world the

greatness of Islam and the

practical meaning of piety,

virtue and feminine rights.

This is why her elder

daughter, Zainab al-Kubra

(SA), rose to the occasion to

carve out an immortal niche

for herself in history. Although

not infallible like the Prophets,

the Imams and her own

mother, the Heroine of

Karbala set a lasting example

of flawlessness that not even

the infallible Adam could

match because of his Tark e

awla' (abandoning that which

was better).

Hazrat Zainab (SA) was the

embodiment of practical

knowledge. The Iranian

scholar Shaikh Saddouq, who

flourished over a thousand

years ago, writes: “Zainab

(SA) had a special deputation

on behalf of [her brother

Imam] Husain (AS). People


48

used to refer to her in

[jurisprudential] matters

related to the sanctioned and

the forbidden until [her

nephew, Imam] Zain al-

Abedin (AS) recovered from

his illness.”

In view of this statement, it is

knowledge that unravels all

realities. In other words there

is no aspect of human life that

does not require knowledge

and awareness. Her father

Imam Ali (AS) in his famous

advice to his disciple Kumail

ibn Ziyad has beautifully

outlined the indispensable

nature of knowledge as more

worthy than wealth, saying:

“Knowledge guards you while

you have to guard wealth.

Wealth decreases by spending

while knowledge increases by

spending.”

In Islam, the pursuit of

knowledge is not confined to

men, but women are also

urged to acquire it. Unlike

other creeds and cultures,

Islam restored woman to her

natural status in society with

emphasis on learning so that

literate and knowledgeable

mothers could properly groom

their children, the future hope

of the society. Thus Hazrat

Zainab (SA) was immune from

any ignorance and possessed

God-given knowledge with

certitude. No less a

personality than her nephew

Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS)

says about her: “You are by

the grace of God a scholar

unschooled by anyone and a

sage by connation.”

The 4th Imam, in praise of

her eloquent sermons in Kufa

and Damascus when in the

aftermath of the heartrending

tragedy of Karbala the noble

prisoners were brought before

the Omayyud rulers, said the

realities and finer points of

God-given intelligence and

knowledge that his aunt

demonstrated is not easy to

grasp by even the most

erudite scholars. Her clarity of

language and choice of words

to expound the mission of her

brother in the court of the

tyrant Yazid is rather unique.

History is incapable of doing


49

full justice to her sermons

that ensured eternity for the

mission of Imam Husain (AS).

Scholars, pointing to a single

phrase from her memorable

sermon in the court of

Damascus, say that besides

being an indicator of her firm

faith, trust in God, sincerity of

purpose and dauntlessness

under the most adverse

circumstances, it shattered to

pieces the power and pride of

Yazid. Her bold address to the

seemingly proud caliph: “Is it

justice O’ sons of freed

slaves” shook the very

foundations of Omayyad rule

and exposed its illegitimacy

not only for those present at

the court, including the

Byzantine ambassador, but for

all generations to come. By

her use of the word “tulaqa”

(plural or “taleeq” or freed

slave), Hazrat Zainab (SA)

was actually reminding the

ruler how her grandfather the

Prophet, on the day of the

peaceful surrender of Mecca

to Muslims, had shown

magnanimity to Abu Sufyan,

his wife Hind bint Otbah and

his son Mua’wiyah (the

grandfather, grandmother and

father of Yazid) despite the

fact that Hind had so savagely

carved out the liver of the

Prophet’s martyred uncle

Hamza at the Battle of Ohod

and tried to chew it. On the

day of the liberation of Mecca,

the Prophet had referred to

Abu Sufyan, Mua’wiyah and

their other idolatrous kinsmen

“tulaqa” or freed slaves, and

had spared their lives by

accepting their lip service to

Islam in order to teach

humanity a lasting lesson that

what evil such despised

ingrates do when opportunity

comes their way to strike at

the humanitarian principles

that they had opposed.

It is rightly said the immortal

saga of Karbala would have

remained incomplete if not for

the endeavours of Hazrat

Zainab (SA). Here was a sister

who refused to let the mission

of her martyred brother be

confined to the epic Day of

Ashura as the cowardly


50

enemies of humanity had

planned. Imprisonment did

not dampen her spirits. She

not just carried Imam

Husain’s message to Kufa and

made the Iraqis rue their

betrayal of the Prophet’s

grandson, but also institu-

tionalized its commemoration

for all time. Neither did she

allow the dungeons of

Damascus and the jam-

packed court of the tyrant

Yazid to drown the eloquence

of her sermons that eventually

apprised the Syrians of the

treason of the Omayyuds

against Islam. Nor was she

content to merely lighten the

burden of her bleeding heart

on return home to Medina at

the outpouring of grief of the

people of Hejaz shocked by

the tragedy that befell the

Prophet’s Household.

Thus, when any conscientious

mind turns to the Epic of

Ashura and the traumatic

aftermath of history’s greatest

tragedy, it will acknowledge

that Islam and all humani-

tarian values, without the

least doubt, are also indebted

forever to the lady whose

indefatigable role earned her

the title of “Sharikat al-

Husain” or partner in the

mission of Imam Husain (AS).

Hazrat Zainab (SA) did not

live long after the tortuous

trials she had to bear. The

exact date and place of her

death is not clear but it is

probable that she died some

six months after her return in

the year 62 AH on 15th of

Rajab-ul-Murajjab.

The spirit of lady Zainab (A.S.)

will live forever. Her courage,

forbearance, and submission

will continue to inspire those

who hear her story for all time

to come.

"Peace upon you O' (grand)

daughter of the Prophet of

Allah and Khadija. Peace upon

you O' daughter of the

Commander of the Faithful

and Fatima az-Zahra. Peace

upon you O' sister of the

Youths of Paradise, Imam

Hasan and Imam al-Husayn.

Peace upon you O' Zainab ..."

��


51

The Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) endeav-

ored to develop such spiritual

and intellectual relations that

people would soar to their

highest levels and exceed

blood fraternity in human,

social, and spiritual aspects.

On achieving this, love and

affection would be purely for

Almighty Allah’s sake and the

outcome would be that one

would love for his brother-in-

faith whatever he loves for

himself (i.e. equality in desires

and hopes) and even consider

one’s brother-in-faith before

himself.

A tradition reported from the

Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) describes this

perfective sphere of relations

among the individuals of the

virtuous community.

In his book, al-Majalis, al-

Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Tusi

has reported that, on the

authority of his fathers, Imam

al-Baqir (‘a) quoted the Holy

Prophet (S) as saying: On the

Day of Resurrection, a

spokesangel will cry out with

a call heard by the last of the

crowds in the same volume

heard by the first. He will call

out, “Where are the neighbors

of Allah, the Majestic, in His

abode?” Then, a group of

people will stand up and will

be received by a group of

angels. “What were your

deeds in the worldly abode

due to which you are now the

neighbors of Allah, the

Exalted, in His abode?” The

angels will ask. “We used to

love each other for Allah’s

sake and help one another for

His sake, too,” they will

answer. An angel will say on

behalf of Allah, “True are the

words of My servants. Clear

the way for them.” Then they

will walk into the neighbor-

hood of Allah in Paradise

without (their deeds) being

accounted.

Commenting on this, Imam al-

Baqir (‘a) said: These are

verily the neighbors of Allah in

His abode. When people will

fear, these will not fear, and

Fraternity for Allah’s Sake

By: Ayatollah Shaheed Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim


52

when people are stopped for

settling their accounts, these

will not be faced with it.

In his book of al-Kafi, Shaykh

al-Kulayni, reported Imam al-

Sadiq (‘a) to have quoted the

Holy Prophet (S) as saying:

Whoever has six features in

his personality shall be in the

presence of Almighty Allah

and to His right…A Muslim,

who loves for his brother-in-

faith whatever he loves for

the dearest of his family

members, dislikes for him

whatever he dislikes for the

dearest of his family mem-

bers, acts honestly with him in

terms of friendship… If he

attains this rank with his

brother-in-faith, when he

passes his grievances on to

him, his brother-in-faith will

then certainly rejoice at his

delight and feel sad on his

grief. If he can do anything to

relieve his brother-in-faith, he

will certainly do so or, at

least, pray for him…The

Messenger of Allah (S) said:

“Almighty Allah has some

creatures who will be posi-

tioned to the right of the

Divine Throne in the presence

of Almighty Allah. Their faces

will be as white as snow and

as brilliant as sunlight at

forenoon. When it is asked

about them, the answer will

be that these are those who

loved each other for the sake

of Almighty Allah’s majesty.”

The Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) took into

consideration the different

levels of this private relation-

ship. It is therefore possible to

classify such private relations

into general and special

friendships. This classification

is based on the degree of

commitment to the doctrines

and principles of Islam, and

the profundity and firmness of

religious values and ideals in

behavior and practice. On the

strength of this classification,

faith and loyalty to the

(divinely commissioned)

leadership of the Ahl al-Bayt

(‘a) plays an important role in

firming up such relations from

which result the kind of rights

and duties demonstrated by

the previously cited traditions.


53

False Friends and True

Friends

Referring to another aspect in

the variety of the levels of

social relations, the Ahl al-

Bayt (‘a) differentiated

between two categories of

people: false friends and true

friends. In one’s association

with the earlier category, it

may suffice to say one has to

meet people in society and

associate with them because

one’s existence is dependent

on their existence. Such a

relationship is based on kind

association, mutual feelings,

and sympathetic treatment,

named by the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)

as ‘courtesy’ with the meaning

good behavior with people.

The second category, true

friends, represents individuals

who must be chosen carefully

as friends after observing

their honesty, faithfulness,

and good manners. Only then

is it correct to lean on such

friends, put one’s trust in

them, and depend on them in

one’s private affairs because

they are known to stand by

their friends in good and bad

times and to be holders of

their secrets and trusts.

Yunus ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman has

reported the following on the

authority of Imam Muhammad

al-Jawad (‘a): In al-Basrah, a

man stood up and asked

Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of

the Faithful (‘a) to define

friends.

The Imam (‘a) said: There are

two kinds of friends—friends

of confidence and friends of

grimace. The friends of

confidence are the refuge, the

wings, the family and the

wealth (of their friends). If

you confide in a friend, you

should give your wealth and

help to him. You should also

befriend his friend and

antagonize his enemy. You

should keep his secrets and

defects (in confidence) and

proclaim his good conduct.

You should know, O asker,

that the friends of confidence

are as scanty as red sulfur.

Regarding the friends of

grimace, you gain from them

only your pleasure; therefore,


54

you should not deprive them

of your pleasure. Do not ask

them for any further thing.

Give them a happy mien and

pleasant conversation as long

as they give you their happy

mien and pleasant conversa-

tion.

Faith—in the sense of believ-

ing in the divinely commis-

sioned leadership of the Ahl

al-Bayt (‘a) and loyalty to

them—is one of the basic

conditions in the process of

choosing friends of confi-

dence. The duties of people

towards their friends, con-

firmed by the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a),

are exclusively for this catego-

ry of friends.

Referring to this classification

and variety in the level of

social relations as well as the

general and special conditions

of these relations, there is a

set of traditions reported from

the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) displaying

other conditions and qualifica-

tions to be observed in

identifying the level of one’s

social relations with others.

Some traditions have men-

tioned the positive character-

istics that encourage such

relations, such as piety,

devoutness, rationality,

prudence, nobility, and

excellent morals, while other

traditions have listed negative

traits that discourage building

relations, such as idiocy,

corruption, fabrication, and

stinginess.

Special Treatment

The fifth aspect of social

relations is that there are

certain categories of people

who must be treated in a

special manner. Although

Islam, in its social concept,

believes that all human beings

are equal and brothers of one

another, we notice that the

Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) dedicated

special treatment in the field

of social relations to certain

groups of people because of

various tangible reasons

endorsed by human nature or

factual reason-based criteria

founded on public interest.

These reasons are humane,

religious, and political, de-


55

pending on the various

aspects of the Islamic concept

of social relations in general

or social relations in particu-

lar, placing all affairs in their

natural position in the general

structure of society and the

categories of social relations.

Relatives

Relatives, especially next of

kin and, more especially,

parents, enjoy special privi-

leges as regards social

treatment. It is thus obligato-

ry to sustain the root of social

relations with relatives and it

is impermissible to cut off

family ties. It is also obligato-

ry to honor and act piously

towards one’s parents by

means of acting obediently

towards them and complying

with their orders, yet within

the limits of the religious laws.

Abu-Hamzah al-Thumali has

reported that Imam ‘Ali the

Commander of the Faithful

(‘a) delivered a speech in

which he said: I seek Allah’s

protection against the sins

that hasten death.

‘Abdullah ibn al-Kawwa'

interrupted him, saying, “O

Commander of the Faithful!

Are there sins that hasten

one’s death?” The Imam (‘a)

answered: Yes, there are!

Woe unto you! They are

breach of family ties with

one’s relatives. Even if faith-

less, family members who

gather and help each other

are provided sustenance by

Almighty Allah. Some family

members, who are pious,

separate from one another

and cut off their ties; as a

result, Almighty Allah deprives

them (of His sustenance

despite their piety).

‘Anbasah al-’Abid (the wor-

shipper) has reported that a

man came to Imam al-Sadiq

(‘a) and complained about his

relatives. The Imam (‘a)

advised him saying: Suppress

your rage and treat them

nicely.

The man said, “They do such-

and-such to me!”

The Imam (‘a) said: Do you

want to be like them? Then,


56

Almighty Allah shall never look

at you.

In his famous Epistle on

Rights, Imam Zayn al-’Abidin

(‘a) says: The right of your

mother is that you know that

she carried you where no one

carries anyone, she gave to

you the fruit of her heart

which no one gives to anyone,

and she protected you with

her hearing, sight, hands,

legs, hair, and skin as well as

all her organs. She was highly

delighted, happy, eager, and

enduring the harm, pain,

heaviness, and grief until the

hand of power saved her from

you and brought you out to

this earth.

She did not care if she went

hungry as long as you ate,

was naked as long as you

were clothed, was thirsty as

long as you drank, was in the

sun as long as you were in

the shade, was miserable as

long as you were happy, and

was deprived of sleeping as

long as you were resting. Her

abdomen was your container,

her lap your seat, her breast

your drink, and her soul was

your fort. She protected you

from heat and cold. You

should thank her for all that.

You will not be able to show

her gratitude except through

Allah’s help and grace of

thanksgiving.

The right of your father is that

you know that he is your root

and you are his branch.

Without him, you would not

be. Whenever you see any-

thing in yourself that pleases

you, know that your father is

the origin of its blessing upon

you. Therefore, praise Allah

and thank Him in that meas-

ure. All power belongs to

Allah.

The right of your child is that

you should know that he is

from you and will be ascribed

to you, through both his good

and his evil, in the immediate

affairs of this world. You are

responsible for what has been

entrusted to you, such as

educating him in good con-

duct, pointing him in the

direction of his Lord, and

helping him to obey Him. So,


57

act toward him with the

behavior of one who knows

that he will be rewarded for

doing good and punished for

doing evil. In his affairs,

behave with the actions of

those who adorn their chil-

dren with their good deeds

and those who are justified

before their Lord because

they did well in the discipline

and the custody of their sons.

All power belongs to Allah.

The right of your brother is

that you know that he is your

hand that you extend, your

back from whom you seek

refuge, your power upon

which you rely, and your

might with which you move.

Take him not as a weapon

with which to disobey Allah,

nor as equipment with which

to wrong Allah’s creatures. Do

not neglect to help him

against his own ill intentions

and against his enemy,

prevent him from joining

villains, give him good coun-

sel, and associate with him for

Allah’s sake. If he obeys Allah

and responds to Him properly,

well and good, but if not, you

should prefer and honor Allah

more than him.

This special treatment with

relatives involves the lineal

tie, which designates the

extension of man’s existence

and progress.

Status of Knowledge and

Scholars in Islam

Islam has imparted special

social behavior towards

scholars and people of virtue

and knowledge due to certain

ethical, tangible, and social

considerations.

As for the ethical, tangible

consideration, Islam looks

upon knowledge as having

realistic worth that grants

man a rank of perfection and

elevation. The Holy Qur'an

thus says: Allah will exalt

those of you who believe and

those who are given

knowledge in high degrees.

(58:11)

Say: Are those who know and

those who do not know alike?

Only the men of understand-

ing are mindful. (39:9)


58

As for the social consideration

practically adopted by the Ahl

al-Bayt (‘a), scholars occupy a

distinguished social position

represented in the leadership

of the Islamic revolution in

Iran and its authority over the

Muslim nation.

As confirmed in their tradi-

tions, the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) have

been the worthiest to occupy

this position and the only

ones granted this authority by

Almighty Allah because they

possessed knowledge of an

unmatched, unattainable

degree.

Treating scholars in special

ways has been advised in

authentic traditions. Shaykh

al-Saduq, in his book of al-

Khisal, has reported Imam ‘Ali

the Commander of the

Faithful (‘a) as saying:

Among your duties towards

scholars are that you must not

load them with too many

questions. You must not

precede them in answering.

You must not insist when they

avoid (answering a question).

You must not impose upon

them when they are tired.

You must not point at them

by extending a finger. You

must not wink at them. You

must not talk confidentially to

them during their sessions.

You must not inspect their

flaws. You must not address

them by stating opinions

contradictory to theirs. You

must not reveal their secrets.

You must not backbite in their

presence. You must support

them in their presence and

defend them when they are

absent.

You must salute a group of

people generally but greet

them singly, sit in their

presence, precede all others

to meet their needs, and you

must not become weary of

long companionship with

them. Verily, scholars are just

like date-palm trees; there-

fore, you must be patient

while waiting for their benefit

to descend upon you. A

scholar occupies the same

standing of one who perma-

nently fasts, performs acts of


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worship, and strives for the

sake of Almighty Allah. When

a scholar passes away, an

irreparable crack occurs in

Islam that continues up to the

Day of Resurrection. Verily,

when a seeker of knowledge

passes away seventy thou-

sand angels escort him and

place him among the most

favored inhabitants of heaven.

Neighbors

Neighbors are also worthy of

exceptional treatment to

bolster social relations with

others throughout the geo-

graphical area and establish a

sound and powerful local

social structure. Emphasizing

the significance of this special

treatment towards neighbors

in his last will to his sons,

Imam ‘Ali the Commander of

the Faithful (‘a), referred to

the Holy Prophet’s instructions

about neighbors.

Shaykh al-Saduq has reported

another tradition carrying the

same import in his books Man

la Yahdhur hul-Faqih and

‘Iqab al-A’mal on the authority

of Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) on the

authority of his fathers (‘a) on

the authority of the Holy

Prophet (S) who said: Whoev-

er, harms his neighbor shall

be deprived of the scent of

Paradise by Almighty Allah

and Hell shall be his final

abode. What an evil destiny

Hell is. (Archangel) Gabriel

advised me in favor of neigh-

bors so insistently that I

believed that a share of

inheritance would be decided

for neighbors.

The Weak

According to Islam, weak

people must also be treated in

special ways, including those

whose weakness is due to the

nature of their physical

structure—such as children,

women, old people, handi-

capped and retarded people.

The human aspect in this

special treatment is too clear

to require confirmation.

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is reported to

have said: Have mercy on the

weak amongst you and pray

that Almighty Allah has mercy


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on you because of your

showing mercy towards them.

This distinctive treatment also

includes the financially weak,

such as the poor, the desti-

tute, the wayfarers, and other

categories of needy people.

Imam ‘Ali the Commander of

the Faithful (‘a) has quoted

the Holy Prophet (S) as saying

in one of his sermons: Give

alms to the poor and the

needy amongst you. Have a

high regard for the old

amongst you. Have mercy on

the young amongst you. Build

good relationships with your

relatives.

This special treatment also

includes those deemed weak

because of their social condi-

tions, such as orphans, slaves,

and low-wage employees

whose social circumstances

force them to be under the

supervision and custody of

others.

The Holy Prophet’s Progeny

Exceptional treatment has

been confirmed for the Holy

Prophet’s progeny from the

descendants of Imam ‘Ali and

Lady Fatimah—peace be upon

them—due to their relation-

ship to the Holy Prophet (S) in

order to honor him,

acknowledge his right, and

sanctify his standing.

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported

to have said: No one’s head

or hand must be kissed except

the Messenger of Allah’s or

one who is considered to

represent him.

Al-Husayn ibn Khalid reported

Imam al-Ridha (‘a) as saying:

Looking at our progeny is (a

kind of) worship.

The reporter asked, “Does this

mean the Imams from your

progeny or all of the Holy

Prophet’s descendants?”

The Imam (‘a) answered: It

includes all the descendants

of the Prophet (S) who

neither violated his course nor

are polluted by acts of diso-

bedience to Allah.

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Kids

Corner

Love of Imam Ali for

the week & children

Imam Ali (a) had a very soft corner in his heart for the old, the weak, the disabled and the poor and children were always his favorites.

It was the hottest day of the season, he had finished his noon-prayers in the masjid and was passing through the bazaar. He saw a young slave-girl piteously weeping. He asked her the reason. She said that her master had given her some money to get dates from the bazaar. The dates which she brought were not liked by her master, he wanted them to be returned and get back the money. The fruit-seller refused to take them back,

her master was beating her for the money and the fruit-seller had also punished her for going to him over and over again. She did not know what to do and whom to approach for help.

Imam Ali (a) accompanied her to the fruit-seller to advise him to take the dates back. He was a new-comer to Kufa and did not recognize the Imam and was rude to him. Some passers-by intervened and introduced the Imam to him. He jumped from his shop and begged of Imam Ali (a) to excuse him and said that he would give back the money immediately to her. The Imam replied that it was really mean of him to treat honest sugges-tion disdainfully and haughti-ly and to cow down before power and might so abjectly. The owner of the slave-girl had also heard the news of this incident and ran to meet the Imam to apologize for the trouble caused to the


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slave-girl. Imam Ali (a) told him, "You have no mercy for a person who is under your power and you do not forgive her mistake, have you a right to expect mercy and for-giveness from the Lord? You people have acquired nothing from Islam but its name."

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Forbearance of Imam Muhammad Baqir (a)

Allah (SWT) would never chose a person as an Imam and make him His decisive argument on the people unless his virtues has come to perfection and all his sayings and deeds has become symbol. He would say nothing but truth, and do nothing but good…

Imam Muhammad ibn `Ali ibn al-Husayn had the title of Baqir, that is to say ‘One who analyzes’. He was called Baqir al-`Ulum meaning one who analyzes the knowledge. A Christian, in a mockery and ironic way playing on words of Baqir, misinter-

preted to Baqara called him, “You are Baqara (cow)!” Without expressing any annoyance or anger, the Imam replied calmly, “No, I am not baqara (cow) but I am Baqir.” The Christian said, “You are the son of a lady-cook.” The Imam said in reply, “It was her job, which is not considered an insult or disgrace to her personality.” The Christian said, “Your mother was black, immodest and had an abusive tongue.” The Imam said, “If whatever you attribute to my mother is true, I pray Allah to forgive her and absolve her sins, and if it is a lie, may Allah forgive you for your lies and slander.”

Observing such a clemency from a person who had the authority to submit a non-Muslim to different persecu-tions was sufficient to provoke a revolution in the soul of the Christian and invite him towards Islam. Later on, he embraced Islam.

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Martyrdom of Imam Musa Kazim (AS)

Once when Imam Musa Kazim (AS) was 5 years old, Abu Hanifa came to visit Imam Ja'far Sadiq (AS). He asked the 7th Imam (AS): "O son of the Prophet! What is your opinion about the deeds of man? Does he do them on his own free will or does God make him do them?”

The 7th Imam replied: "The doings of man can have three possibilities:

1. God compels a man to do them whilst he is help-less.

2. Both God and man share the commitment.

3. Man does them alone.

If the first is true than God cannot punish man for sins he did not commit.

If the second is true then too God cannot punish man for he is an equal partner.

Then, we are naturally left with the third, that man is

absolutely responsible for his own doings".

The most famous titles of our 7th Imam are: Babul Hawaaij (the door of fulfil-ment of needs), Kazim (One who swallows his anger), Faqih, Aalim and Abdus-Salih (virtuous slave).

Imam Musa Kazim (AS) lived in an era when the rulers were the cruelest ever. They had great hatred for the Ahlulbayt (AS). Imam's followers were constantly harassed and tortured. According to some reports, the last 19 years of his life was spent in prison while some other reports say of 14 years. Despite all these hardships, he was always patient spending entire nights in the worship of Allah. His character even converted the prison war-dens towards him.

When came to power Harun Rashid had the Imam ar-rested. Imam was put into prison first under the


64

custody of Isa bin Ja'far, then Fadhl bin Rabi and finally in the custody of Sindi bin Shahak. In 183 AH Rajab 25, Sindi had mar-tyred Imam with poisoned dates. His body was left on the bridge of Baghdad and an announcement was made for all to come and see him. His funeral rites were performed by his son, the 8th infallible Imam Ali Reza (AS) and he was buried in Kazmain, Iraq.

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You are priceless to

those who love you

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a twenty dollar bill, in the room of 200 people. Speaker asked, "Who would like this bill?" Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 bill to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple up the $20 bill. He asked, "Who

still wants it?" Still hands were up in the air.

"Well, what if I do this?" He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty and asked, "Who still wants it?" Still hands went up into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what was done to the money, it was still wanted because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We may feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or will happen, you will never lose your value: dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still price-less to those who love you.

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Cover Page (Front) - Zahra Academyzahraacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/msg/rajab1440.pdf1 Food for Thought: - Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.) 02 2 Your Daily-Life Questions Answered