Introduction to Islam for Non-muslims--2

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INTRODUCTIONTOISLAM

he word "ISLAM" is derived from the Arabic words "salaam", which means peace and "taslim", whieans submission. The follower of Islam is a Muslim. The word "Muslim" translated to English litera

eans "the one with peace". To the Muslim it has a greater meaning, Muslims believe that true peace iperienced only when Mankind acknowledges, obeys and worships the Creator, i.e. submits to the Onod. So to the Muslim it means "the one who submits in peace". According to Muslims, Islam is the w

God and the religion of all the prophets; from Adam to the final prophet of God Muhammad (peace

on them all). The prophet Moses (peace be upon him) said to his people; "Shalom I bring to you".halom in Hebrew means Salaam (Arabic). The prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) said to the people;

With Peace I was sent and Peace I bring to you."

uslims call God "ALLAH", in Arabic it means "the One God", it does not have a plural equivalent athe only word in the Arabic language which does not have a gender.

he Holy Qu'ran is the book of the Muslims, it was revealed to the last of Allah's prophets and

essengers, Muhammad, about 570 years1after Jesus, in Arabia and took 23 years2 to be fully reveale

he Qur'an describes the nature of the Creator and their (His creatures) relationship towards Him. It

nveys the duties of Mankind: to the Creator, to the rest of creation and to itself. To become a Muslimrson has to declare, " there is No god but Allah and Muhammad is His servant and messenger."-Thi

nown as the Shahada or the bearing of witness. The message of Islam is:

1. Truth

2. Peace

3. Justice

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CONTENTSUnity of God1.

Justice of God2.

Prophethood3.

Imamate4.

Revelations5.

Resurrection6.

The Hereafter7.

The Angels and the Jinn8.

Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil9.

Salaat10.

Siyam11.

Zakat & Khums12.

Hajj13.

Jihad14.

Muslims15.

Social Justice16.

The Different Schools of Thought17.

ARTICLES OF FAITH

IMAN ..........faith or belief.

UNITY OF GOD

Belief in the ONE GOD (TAWHEED), Allah (Arabic)...... the One God); He is neither male nor feme has no partners, He does not beget nor was He begotten, He is Omnipotent and Omnipresent, He isll Compassionate and All Merciful. God does not occupy space, nor is He restricted by time, He doe

t, He does not sleep nor slumber and does not need rest. He is the Master of Time and there is nonemparable to Him. He is not like anything or resembles any of His creation and He is the Most Just.




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2. DIVINE JUSTICE

llah has commanded Mankind to be just while He Himself treats us with something even better, namgrace. He says; "Whoso bringeth a good deed will receive tenfold the like thereof, while whoso bring

an evil deed will be awarded the like thereof; and they shall not be wronged." [Qur'an 6:161]Justice (al-'adl) means that He requites a good act with a good act and an evil act with an evil act. T

rophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.&f) said; "None ever enters Paradise by virtue of their (good) actions, ex

by the mercy of Allah the Glorious and Mighty.

3. PROPHETHOOD

The belief in the prophets and Messengers that Allah sent as a Mercy and Guide to Mankind so that t

would arrive at the truth and be at peace. Some of the prophets came with the Holy Books and are knas Messengers. Some of the prophets of Islam, mentioned in the Holy Qur'an are: Adam - the first m

Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, Saleh, John, Jesus and

Muhammad - the Last of the prophets and Messengers (peace be upon them all). The belief in One G

and the finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad is an article of faith.

4. IMAMATE

he prophets were truthful and never committed mistakes3. They always left behind infallible viceger

deputies) and sometimes generations of vicegerents, to continue guiding in the same manner as theydone. Through the Imamate the covenant made with Abraham (as) is preserved.

5. DIVINE REVELATIONS

he books mentioned in the Qur'an are: Torah - Moses, Psalms - David and Solomon, Evangel - JesusQur'an - Muhammad.

6. RESURRECTION

elief in the Day of Judgement when all of Mankind will be Resurrected from the dead and questionehow they spent their time in the material universe. According to Islam all mankind above the age o

puberty will be judged on their knowledge and how they acted upon it. For example a knowledgeabperson will not be judged like a ignorant person. If a person knowingly commits an act which is evil/

en he/she has sinned in the 'eyes of God'; for this reason Muslims believe that some non-Muslims wto Heaven ( those who unknowingly committed mistakes).

7. THE HEREAFTER

The Hereafter which is Eternal and consists of Heaven and Hell. The good will occupy one of the sevHeavens and the Evil will occupy Hell.

8. THE BELIEF IN THE EXISTENCE OF ANGELS AND JINN

Belief in The Jinn and in The Angels. The Angels being created of the purest form of light, i.e. light w

no heat; The Jinn being created of the purest form of fire, i.e. heat with no smoke and of course 5M




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being created of the purest form of matter i.e. something that is affected by time, has mass and occup

space.

9. ENJOINING GOOD AND FORBIDDING EVIL (Amar bil Ma'ruf wa Nahy an al-Munkar)o believe and practice; that the duty of all Muslims is to abstain from evil and direct others to goodn

ARTICLES OF ISLAMIC ACTS

. SALAT...... submission five times daily.

his is the five daily submission and remembrance of Allah the Creator. Muslims must face the Ka'bahe First House built by Mankind) in Makkah (Mecca) in Arabia. Salat also incorporates a prayer (duut the prayer does not necessarily have to be said during salat. Prayers can be said at any time.

alat is performed by every Muslim above the age of puberty6 , who is sane and in good health; at dafternoon, before sunset, after sunset and after nightfall. It involves physical movements of the limbs

recitation of short verses, in Arabic, from the Qur'an.

alat involves making the intention of submission to the Creator, recitation of short verses from the H

Qur'an, bowing, standing, sitting and prostrating on the earth with the forehead and praising God whdoing these acts. We commence salat by saying "God is Great" (Allahu Akbar) once and ending it b

saying "God is Great" three times.

The intention for the Dawn Salat is: "Oh Allah my Creator and my Lord, I intend to offer two rakathsalat for Fajr. I face the Ka'bah and I submit only to You".

Each unit of: Recitation, bowing, standing, prostrating and sitting is called the Rakath.

The five daily prayers are:

Fajr (the Dawn Salat) must be performed after the first appearance of light and before sunrise -

rakath.

q

Dhur (the Mid-day Salat) time for salat starts immediately after "proper" noon and must beperformed before the afternoon salat - four rakath.

q

Asr (the Afternoon Salat) starts immediately after the Mid-day Salat and must be performed be

sunset - four rakath.

q

Maghrib (the Dusk Salat) starts in between dusk and nightfall and can be said up to mid-nigh"proper"- three rakath.

q

Isha' (the Night Salat) starts immediately after the Dusk salat has been performed and must bcompleted before Dawn - four rakath.

q

While travelling the Dhur, Asr and Isha' prayers are shortened7 to two rakath.q




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f two or more people are present, the salat should be said in congregation, where the salat is lead by

person ( imam).

When performing salat the person has to be physically and ceremonially/spiritually clean. Physicaleanliness is maintained by washing unclean (najis) things away from the body, i.e. washing after us

the toilet, touching dead or unclean animals, blood etc...... . Spiritual cleanliness is carried out by

erforming ablution; before praying or reading the Holy Qu'ran. The place of salat has to be clean andconsent of the owner of that place must be obtained beforehand in order to perform salat.

11. SIYAM..... fasting in Ramadan.

is obligatory for a sane person who has attained the age of puberty to fast during the month of Ramexcept if the person is travelling or is ill; or if a woman is in her monthly periods or is bleeding after

elivery of a child. The intention of fasting from Dawn to Dusk must be made beforehand. e.g. "I inteast tomorrow in the month of Ramadan to attain nearness to you Oh Allah, my Lord and Creator, I o

fast for You."asting for Muslims is abstaining from all things which invalidate it. According to Shari'ah (Islamic L

the following in validate a fast:

eatingq

drinkingq

sexual intercourseq

to take liquid enemaq

to allow dust, smoke or steam to enter into the throatq

to remain in the state of uncleanness until dawnq

to submerge ones' head under water to tell lies (by words, writing or sign) about Allah, His Prop

or Imams

q

to vomitq

to become ill.q

The end of Ramadan is celebrated as Eid-ul-Fitr one the 1st of Shawwal (the 1st day after the end of month of Ramadan) by giving alms (zakat-ul-fitr) to the needy, attending morning prayers (Salat-ul-E

and a feast. Children receive presents on this day.

(For more on fasting - SIYAM)

12. Zakath and Khums8 ......... poor-tax and one-fifth tax.

ZAKAT poor-tax: to be distributed to the poor One and a half percent of the total value of the9 followitems after all expenses have to be paid as zakat:

foodstockq

livestockq

gold coinsq


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silver coins.q

It is also recommended to pay zakat on business capital; and also on profits gained from business. It

obligatory to make intention when paying zakat.

II. KHUMS one-fifth or wealth-tax; payable by the wealthy.

In addition to Zakat it is an obligation on wealthy Muslims to pay Khums.

hums means one-fifth from the word khamsa in Arabic for five. Twenty percent of the total value onfollowing items must be paid as khums:

wealth which is gained after ajust warq

minerals like: gold, silver, oil, iron, salt ...etc.. extracted from ores or the ground buried treasuq

wealth from the sea e.g. pearls.q

wealth where halal & haram has been unintentionally mixed and the amounts are unknownq

all profits from business, agriculture, industry or rent from land or property or any other sourceincome. After deducting yearly expenses Khums becomes due on net profit.

q

land bought by non-Muslim Zimmi (a non-Muslim citizen paying a fixed tax) from a Muslimq

Khums is divided into five parts and each part is allocated for:

Jihadq

Propagation of Islamq

needy Muslim relatives of the Prophetq

the poor and the orphansq

travellers who have unwittingly become short of fundsq

Khums can only be distributed by a legitimate ruler of an Islamic State or a10

mujtahid or a piousdescendent of the Holy Prophet.

The following Qur'anic Verse commands Muslims to pay the Khums and how to distribute it: "And k

at out of all that ye may gain a 11 fifth share is assigned to Allah and to the apostle and to near relat

orphans, the needy and the wayfarer if ye do believe in Allah and in the revelation We sent down to O

servant on the day of testing the day of the meeting of the two forces. For Allah hath power over al

things." (Qur'an 8:41)

It is clear from the above Qur'anic verse and the Hadeeth12 , that to pay the khums is obligatory on Muslims. In the above verse Allah says ..only those who pay the khums believe in Allah and the

Revelations.

13. Hajj..... pilgrimage to Makkah (MECCA)

he yearly Pilgrimage13 to Makkah where the First House that was built by Adam and rebuilt by Abra

Arab-Ibraham) and his first born - Ishmael (Arab-Ismail). This House is known as the Holy Ka'bah. ilgrimage day also commemorates the day when Abraham was commanded by God to give his first


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s a sacrifice. The last day of Hajj and the two days following are called Eid-ul-Ahza, day of sacrifice

is day a special congregational morning salat is offered and an animal is sacrificed to thank Allah foparing the life of Abraham's son, the meat (4/5th) being distributed to the poor. All the rituals perfor

during Hajj are re-enactments of the deeds and actions of Prophet Abraham (a.s) and his Househol

n one corner of the Ka'bah, which is a cubic shaped house built of bricks and covered by a black clotaced the black stone. The stone was sent from heaven as a sign to mankind and Adam (peace be upo

m) was instructed to place it in one corner of the House of God. The black stone is the corner stone o

e building!

The Holy Ka'ba in Makkah, Arabia

14. JIHAD..... Striving in the way of God.

Working for an honest living, studying to obtain knowledge, being kind to fellow creatures, helping needy, being obedient to parents and teachers is Jihad. It is also Jihad when fighting to liberate the

ppressed (the oppressed can be any of Allah's creatures) against the aggressors. Striving for justice in

ay animals are treated can be classified as Jihad. The ultimate Jihad in Islam is fighting within one'sin order to destroy false pride, hate, envy and greed.

15. THE MUSLIM SOCIETY

The Muslims adhere to a strict dress code (hijab), abstain from certain types of food and drink. Th

Muslim men and women have to be modest in the way they dress. They must not dress provocativelyorder not to offend others. They must not dress too extravagantly in order to avoid others envy.

Muslims are not allowed to eat porkor the flesh of unclean animals. They are not allowed to eat the f

of animals which may be clean, but they have not been bled since blood is also forbidden. When th

nimal is slaughtered without invoking the name of God, then the meat is also forbidden (haram). Alc

rugs and all intoxicants are haram. Anything that is acquired by haram means i.e. theft, selling alcohharam.

Everything that is forbidden is called haram, and everything that is permissible is known as halal.

16. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND RACIAL EQUALITY

lam places great importance on social justice and equality of man. Muslims are taught that all manki4equal in the eyes of God, be he rich or poor, black or white, man or woman, Arab or non-Arab, exc


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or the pious who are always superior. We believe that each individual is responsible for his or her act

o that the parent is not responsible for the actions of the child and nor the child responsible for the acof the parent. We also believe that God the Most Just (al-Adhil) will only judge us according to ou

knowledge and how we acted upon that knowledge.

17. THE SHI'AH AND SUNNI(The two Orthodox Islamic Schools)

fter the death of the Holy Prophet the Muslims were divided into two schools - the Shi'ah and the Su

Both agree that the religious rites and law (Shari) depend on existence of a vicegerent (deputy) and representative of the Prophet. This person is the religious leader (Imam) of the faith and the faithful,

Supreme Jurist (Marja) and the Head of the Muslim Nation (Caliph).

According to the Shi'ah school, this leadership can only be occupied by the descendants ofAbraha

hrough his son Ishmael (peace be upon them) and his descendants (i.e. Muhammad and his descenda

The Imam (leader) must also be infallible (masoom) and cannot perform any sin or mistake, since G

will not allow the Muslims to be led astray by a wrongful person because he will not send any otherophet after Muhammad to guide mankind. The Shi'ah also believe after Muhammad (peace be upon& his descendants) there are only Twelve Imams; the first being Ali (peace be upon him), the cousin,adopted son and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet (also accepted by the Sunni's as the fourth Caliph);

e last being the Mahdi (peace be upon him), the Awaited Saviour. Both Shi'ah and Sunni believe thaprophet Jesus (peace be upon him) will reappear during the time of the Twelfth Imam.

lam teaches the Muslims to live their lives according to what is revealed in the Holy Qur'an and the

r example of the Prophet Muhammad (the Sunnah). The Shi'ah claim that the Sunnah can only be tauy the Twelve Imams (peace be upon them), because only they, like the prophets are infallible; and ca

knowingly or unknowingly mislead the People. The Shi'ah also believe that the head of the governm(Caliph) is a function of the Imam.

he Sunni school believe the head of the government (Caliphs) does not have to be infallible and also ot have to be a descendant of Ishmael. After the death of the Prophet they accepted the caliphate of A

Bakr a companion of the Prophet. They accept the Twelve Imams as very pious scholars; along witothers, but do not accept them as leaders of the community. They accept religious teachings from th

mams as well as from the companions of the Prophet; and even some disciples of these companions;make religious decisions on consensus (the Shi'ah accept only the teachings from the Imams whoaccording to them are the direct authority from Allah and his Messenger and there is no need for

consensus regarding their judgement).

he Sunni's themselves are divided into four other schools which have some minor differences in religlaw.

Although differences exist between the Shi'ah and the Sunni schools, they cannot be compared to th

differences between, for example, the Catholics and Protestants in Christianity since; both Shi'ah anunni follow the same Holy Book (The Qur'an), they accept each other as Muslims, they pray in the s

mosques, and Shi'ah-Sunni marriages are accepted by both schools.


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oday, the World Muslim population is around two billion, the majority (70%) comprising the four S

schools and the rest being Shi'ah.

Heretical Sects.

There are other groups such as: the Nusairi, the Ismaili, the Nation of Islam, the Qadhianietc...

omprising less than 5% of the total Muslim population, who claim to be Muslim but are rejecte

heretics by both Shi'ah and Sunni schools.

FOOTNOTES

1 The Prophet was born on 29 August 570 A.C. (after Christ).

2Muhammad(p.b.u.h.) declared his Messengership (Risalaa) at the age of 40 years, the Qur'an w

revealed piecemeal over 23 years and the Prophet passed away six months after its completion.

3 Infallible.

4 Imams. According to some of the Muslims the Imam does not necessarily have to be appointed Allah and neither be infallible. To them the matter of Imamate is not different from the position

Caliphate (governorship) and is an issue of fiqh (jurisprudence) and not a part of belief. All Muslgree that after the death of the Holy Prophet a person had to replace his leadership to such an ex

hat some of the people decided to elect a leader even before the burial rites of the Prophet (sawas) been performed.

5 Man was created in body and soul last; according to the Qur'an, long after the creation of the Ji

but the Spirits (ruh') of Man were the first of all creation.

69-10 years of age for girls and 14-15 years age for boys, in general.

7Known as kasr.

Zakat and Khums are not payable on jewellery worn by women, regardless of quantity. How muc

for personal use i.e. for wearing and how much is for investment is solely left at the discretion of tmale owner. However, zakat and khums is payable on gold and silver owned as an investment by

en and women. It is haram for men to were gold articles. Gold plated articles like watches etc. maworn by men. (Articles of Islamic Acts by Imam Al-Khoei)

9 Basically surplus food, clothes and wages.

10 Recognised Islamic Jurist.

11 Arabic-khums: English- a fifth.

12 Utterances and actions of Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, recorded in differe


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collections of books. Completely different than the Qur'an which is the Revelation from God,Muhammad being only the conveyer of this Revelation. These Collections are similar to the Fou

Gospels" recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John making up the New Testament of the Chris

ible, since they are not the revelations from God but only what the authors claim to be the actionsutterances of the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him).

13 A Muslim must perform Haj at least once in his or her lifetime if physically and financially ab

14 The Sermon of the Mount, delivered by the Last Prophet and Messenger of Allah; Muhammaeace be upon him and his descendants, on his farewell Pilgrimage in Makkah a few months befor

eath. (.............All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; the wealthy have no superiority over the poor nor the p

have superiority over the wealthy; ; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has ansuperiority over white except by piety and good action........).

Author:S y e d H u s s e in A h m e d

For further information e-mail:

[email protected]

Contents | Islam | The Centre | Muhammad | Abraham | Prophets| ImamateImams | Shia | Fathima bint Muhammad | Khadija bint Khuwalyd

The Lantern of the Path


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The Prophets of Allah( Peace be upon them all )

fallibility of the Prophets and the Inerrability of their Guidance

he prophets of God were men who propagated the call of revelation and prophecy and broughefinitive proofs for their call. They propagated among people the elements of the religion of Gwhich is the same divine law that guarantees happiness) and made it available to all men. Sin

all periods of history the number of persons endowed with the power of prophecy and revelaas been limited to a few individuals, God--the Most Exalted--has completed and perfected theuidance of the rest of mankind by placing the mission of the propagation of religion upon theoulders of His prophets. That is why a prophet of God must possess the quality of inerrancysmah). In receiving the revelation from God, in guarding it and in making possible its reachie people, he must be free from error. He must not commit sin (ma's yah).

he reception of revelation, its preservation and its propagation are three principles of ontologuidance; and error in existence itself is meaningless. Furthermore, sin and opposition to theaims of the religious call and its propagation are impossible in a prophet for they would be a gainst the original religious mission; they would destroy the confidence of the people, theirliance upon the truth and the validity of the call. As a result they would destroy the purpose e religious call itself.

od, the Exalted, refers in His word to the inerrancy of the prophets, saying, "And We chose thnd guided them unto a straight path" (Qur'an, VI, 88). And also, "(He is) the Knower of thenseen, and He revealeth unto none His secret, save unto every messenger whom He hathosen, and then He maketh a guard to go before him and a guard behind him, that He may kat they have indeed conveyed the messages of their Lord" (Qur'an. LXXII. 26-28).

he P rophets and Revealed Religion.

hat the prophets of God received through revelation and as a message from God and conveymankind was religion (din), that is, a way of life and human duties which guarantee the rea

appiness of man.

evealed religion in general consists of two parts:

doctrineq

practice or method.q

he doctrinal part of revealed religion conconsists of a series of fundamental principles and viencerning the real nature of things upon which man must establish the foundations of his life

comprised of the three universal principles of:unity (tawhid)q

prophecy (nubuwwat)q

eschatology (ma'ad).q

there is any confusion or disorder in one of these principles the religion will not be able to gany following. The practical part of revealed religion consists of a series of moral and practicaljunctions covering the duties man has before God and human society. That is why the seconuties which have been ordered for man in different Divine laws are of two kinds: morals (akhnd actions (a'mal). The morals and actions related to the Divine are of two kinds, such as: fire quality of faith. sincerity, surrender to God, contentment and humility; and second. the da

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ayers, fasting, and sacrifice (called acts of worship and symbolising the humility and servitudan before the Divine Throne). The morals and actions related to human society are also of twnds, such as: first, the quality of love for other men, wishing well for others, justice andenerosity; and second, the duty to carry out social intercourse, trade and exchange, etc. (calansactions).

nother point that must be considered is that since the human species is directed toward theadual attainment of perfection, and human society through the passage of time becomes momplete, the appearance of a parallel development must also be seen in revealed laws. The Hur'an affirms this gradual development, which reason has also discovered. It can be conclude

om its verses that each Divine Law (Shari'ah) is in reality more complete than the Shari'ahefore; for instance, in this verse where He says, "And unto thee have We revealed the Scriptuth the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it." (Qur'an, V

8)'3

f course, as scientific knowledge also confirms and the Qur'an states, the life of human socieis world is not eternal and the development of man is not endless. As a result, the generalinciples governing the duties of man from the point of view of doctrine and practice must of

ecessity stop at a particular stage. Therefore, prophecy and the Shari'ah will also one day coman end when in the perfection of doctrine and expansion of practical regulations they haveached the final stage of their development. That is why the Holy Qur'an, in order to make cleat Islam (the religion of Muhammad) is the last and most complete of the revealed religions,

troduces itself as a sacred book that cannot be abrogated (naskh), calls the Prophet the "Seae Prophets" (khatam al-anbiya'), and sees the Islamic religion as embracing all religious duts He says, And lo! it is an unassailable Scripture. Falsehood cannot come at it from before it ehind it" (Qur'an, XLI, 41-42). 14 And also, "Muhammad is not the father of any man amongut he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the prophets" (Qur'an, XXXIII, 40).'5 And, "Wveal the scripture unto thee as an exposition of all things" (Qur'an. XVI. 89) l6

he Prophets and P roof of Revelation and P rophecy

any modern scholars who have investigated the problem of revelation and prophecy have triexplain revelation, prophecy and questions connected with them by using the principles ofcial psychology. They say that the prophets of God were men of a pure nature and strong w

ho had great love for humanity. In order to enable mankind to advance spiritually and maternd in order to reform decadent societies, they devised laws and regulations and invited mankaccept them. Since people in those days would not accept the logic of human reason, in ordmake them obey their teachings the prophets, according to such modern scholars, claimed ey and their thoughts came from the transcendent world. Each prophet called his own pure se Holy Spirit; the teachings which he claimed came from the transcendent world were calledevelation and prophecy"; the duties which resulted from the teachings were called "revealedhari'ah"; and the written record of these teachings and duties were called a "revealed book."

nyone who views with depth and impartiality the revealed books and especially the Holy Qur'nd also the lives of the prophets, will have no doubt that this view is not correct. The prophetod were not political men. Rather they were "men of God," full of truthfulness and purity. Wh

ey perceived they proclaimed without addition or diminution. And what they uttered they actpon. What they claimed to possess was a mysterious consciousness which the invisible worldestowed upon them. In this way they came to know from God Himself what the welfare of meas in this world and the next, and propagated this knowledge among mankind.

is quite clear that in order to confirm and ascertain the call of prophecy there is need of proond demonstration. The sole fact that the Shari'ah brought by a prophet conforms to reason isfficient in determining the truthfulness of the prophetic call . A man who claims to be a propaddition to the claim of the truth of his Shari'ah, claims a connection through revelation andophecy with the transcendent world, and therefore claims that he has been given by God theission to propagate the faith. This claim in itself is in need of proof. That is why (as the Holyur'an informs us) the common people with their simple mentality always sought miracles from




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e prophets of God in order that the truthfulness of their call might be confirmed.

he meaning of this simple and correct logic is that the revelation, which the prophet claims isnnot be found among others who are human beings like him. It is of necessity an invisible

ower which God miraculously bestows upon His prophets, through which they hear His word ae given the mission to convey this word to mankind. If this be true, then the prophet shouldod for another miracle so that people would believe the truth of his prophetic call.

is thus clear that the request for miracles from prophets is according to correct logic and it icumbent upon the prophet of God to provide a miracle at the beginning of his call, or accord

the demand of the people, in order to prove his prophecy. The Holy Qur'an has affirmed thisgic, relating miracles about many prophets-at the beginning of their mission or after theirllowers requested them. Of course many modern investigators and scientists have deniediracles, but their opinions are not based upon any satisfactory reasons. There is no reason toelieve that the causes which until now have been discovered for events through in: investigatnd experiment are permanent and unchanging, that no event ever occurs for reasons other tose which usually bring it about. The miracles related about the prophets of God are not

mpossible or against reason (as is, for example, they claim that the number three is even).ather they are a "break In what is habitual" (kharq-i 'adat), an occurrence which, incidentallyas often been observed in a lower degree among people following ascetic practices.

he Number of the P rophets of God

is known through tradition that in the past many prophets appeared, and the Holy Qur'anfirms their multitude. It has mentioned some of them by name or by their characteristics, buas not given their exact number. Through definitive traditions also it has not been possible toetermine their number except in the well-known saying which Abu Dharr Ghifari has recited fe Holy Prophet, according to which their number has been set at 124,000.

ome of the Prophets (A.S.) Mentioned in the Holy Qur'an.

Adamq

Jobq

Jonahq

Noahq

Abrahamq

Ismaelq

Isaacq

Jacobq

Josephq

Hudq

Eliasq

Elijahq

Ezekailq

Imranq

Mosesq

Aaronq

Lotq

Davidq

Solomonq

Salehq

Zakaraiaq

John theBaptist

q

Jesusq

Muhammadq

he Prophets Who are Bringers of Divine Law

om what can be deduced from the Qur'an, it can be concluded that all the prophets of God dot bring a Shari'ah. Rather, five of them-- Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the Prophetuhammad, are "possessors of determination" (ulu'l-'azm), those who have brought a Shari'ather prophets follow the Shari'ah of those who "possess determination." God has said in theur'an, "He hath ordained for you that religion which He commended unto Noah, and that whi


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e inspire in thee (Muhammad), and that which We commended unto Abraham and Moses ansus" (Qur'an, XLII, 13).18 He has also said, "And when We exacted a covenant from theophets, and from thee (O Muhammad) and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus soary, We took from them a solemn covenant" (Qur'an, XXXIII, 7).

f f e r e n c e : S H I ' A b y A lla m a h S a y y id M u h a m m a d H u s a y n T a b a t a b a i

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A Brief Biography of the Life of

The Holy Prophet MuhammadT h e S e a l o f Pro p h e t h o o d a n d Fin a l Me s s e n g e r o f Go d ( Peace be upon him and his pure and cleansed progeny )

he last prophet of God is Hadrat-i-Muhammad upon whom be blessings and peace, whoossesses a book and a Shari'ah and in whom Muslims have placed their faith. The Prophetawas) was born fifty-three years before the beginning of the hijra calendar in Mecca in the H

midst the family of Banu Hashim of the Tribe of Quraysh, who were considered the mostonoured of the Arab families.

s father was called 'Abdallah and his mother, Aminah. He lost both parents at the beginning ildhood and was placed under the care of his paternal grandfather, 'Abd al-Mutalib, who alsoon passed away. At this time the Prophet (sawas)'s uncle, Abu Talib, took charge of him and

ecame his guardian, taking him into his own house. The Prophet (sawas) grew up in his uncleouse and even before reaching the age of adolescence used to accompany his uncle on journy caravan.

he Prophet (sawas) had not received any schooling and therefore did not know how to read arite. Yet, after reaching the age of maturity he became famous for his wisdom, courtesy, andust- worthiness. As a result of his sagacity and trustworthiness, one of the women of the triburaysh, well-known for her wealth, appointed him as the custodian of her possessions and les hands the task of conducting her commercial affairs.

he Prophet (sawas) once journeyed to Damascus with her merchandise and as a result of thebility he displayed was able to make an outstanding profit. Before long she asked to become fe and the Prophet (sawas) accepted her proposal. After the marriage, which occurred whenas. twenty-five years old, the Prophet (sawas) began the life of a manager of his wife's fortu

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ntil the age of forty, gaining meanwhile a widespread reputation for wisdom and trust-orthiness. He refused, however, to worship idols, as was the common religious practice of thabs of the Hijaz. And oc- occasionally he would make spiritual retreats (khalwah)/)) in whichayed and discoursed secretly with God.

the age of forty, in the cave of Hira', in the mountains of the Tihamah region near Mecca, we was in spiritual retreat, he was chosen by God to become a prophet and was given the misspropagating the new religion. At that moment the first chapter of the Qur'an ("The Blood-Clurah-i 'alaq]) was revealed to him. That very day he returned to his house and on the way ms cousin, Ali ibn Abl Talib, who after hearing the account of what had occurred declared his

ceptance of the faith. After the Prophet entered the house and told his wife of the revelatione likewise accepted Islam.

he first time the Prophet (sawas) invited people to accept his message he was faced with astressing and painful reaction. Of necessity he was forced henceforth to propagate his messasecret for some time until he was ordered again by God to invite his very close relatives tocept his message. But this call was also fruit- less and no one heeded it except Ali ibn Abi Taho in any case had already accepted the faith. (But in accordance with documents- transmittom the Household of the Prophet (sawas) and extant poems composed by Abu Talib, thellowers of Ahlul Bayt believe that Abu Talib had also embraced Islam; however, because he e sole protector of the Prophet (sawas), he hid his faith from the people in order to preserve

utward power he had with the Quraysh.)

ter this period, according to Divine instruction, the Prophet (sawas) began to propagate hisission openly. With the beginning of open propagation the people of Mecca reacted mostverely and inflicted the most painful afflictions and tortures upon the Prophet (sawas) and th

eople who had become newly converted to Islam. The severe treatment dealt out by the Quraached such a degree that a group of Muslims left their homes. and belongings and migrated byssinia.

he Prophet (sawas) and his uncle, Abu Talib, along with their relatives from the Banu Hashimok refuge for three years in the "mountain pass of Abu Talib," a fort in one of the valleys ofecca. No one had any dealings or transactions with them and they did not dare to leave theirace of refuge. The idol-worshipers of Mecca, although at the beginning they considered inflic

kinds of pressures and tortures such as striking and beating, insult, ridicule and defamatione Prophet, occasionally would also show kindness and courtesy toward him in order to have rn away from his mission. They would promise him great sums of money or leadership and tle of the tribe. But for the Prophet (sawas) their promises and their threats only resulted in ttensification of his will and determination to carry out his mission. Once, when they came to ophet (sawas) promising him wealth and power, the Prophet (sawas) told them, usingetaphorical language, that if they were to put the sun in the palm of his right hand and theoon in the palm of his left hand he would not turn away from obeying the unique God or refrom performing his mission.

bout the tenth year of his prophecy, when the Prophet (sawas) left the "mountain pass of Ablib," his uncle Abu Talib, who was also his sole protector, died, as did also his devoted wife.

enceforth there was no protection for his life nor any place of refuge. Finally the idol-worshipMecca devised a secret plan to kill him. At night they surrounded his house from all sides we aim of forcing themselves in at the end of the night and cutting him to pieces while he was

ed. But God, the Exalted, informed him of the plan and commanded him to leave for Yathrib.

he Prophet (sawas) placed Ali in place of himself in his bed and at night left the house undervine protection, passing amidst his enemies, and taking refuge in a cave near Mecca. After t

ays when his enemies, having looked everywhere, gave up hope of capturing him and returnMecca, he left the cave and set out for Yathrib. The people of Yathrib, whose leaders had

ready accepted the message of the Prophet (sawas) and sworn allegiance to him, accepted hth open arms and placed their lives and property at his disposal. In Yathrib for the first timeophet (sawas) formed a small Islamic community and signed treaties with the Jewish tribes

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nd around the city as well as with the powerful Arab tribes of the region. He undertook the tapropagating the Islamic message and Yathrib became famous as "Madinat al-rasul" (the citye Prophet).

am began to grow and expand from day to day. The Muslims, who in Mecca were caught in esh of the injustice and inequity of the Quraysh, gradually left their homes and property andigrated to Medina, revolving around the Prophet (sawas) like moths around a candle. This grecame known as the "immigrants" (muhajirun) in the same way that those who aided theophet (sawas) in Yathrib gained the name of "helpers" -ansar).

am was advancing rapidly but at the same time the idol- worshipers of Quraysh, as well as twish tribes of the Hejaz, were unrestrained in their harassment of the Muslims. With the hele "hypocrites" (munafiqun) of Medina, who were amidst the community of Muslims and whoere not known for their holding any particular positions, they created new misfortunes for theuslims every day until finally the matter led to war.

any battles took place between the Muslims and the Arab polytheists and Jews, in most of we Muslims were victorious- . There were altogether over eighty major and minor battles. In ae major conflicts such as the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khaybar, Hunayn, etc., theophet (sawas) was personally present on the battle scene. Also in all the major battles andany minor ones, victory was gained especially through the efforts of Ali. He was the only perho never turned away from any of these battles. In all the wars that occurred during the ten

ears after the migration from Mecca to Medina less than two hundred Muslims and less than aousand infidels were killed.

s a result of the activity of the Prophet (sawas) and the selfless effort of the muhajirun and auring this ten-year period, Islam spread through the Arabian peninsula. There were also letteritten to kings of other countries such as Persia, Byzantine and Abyssinia inviting them to accam. During this time the Prophet lived in poverty and was proud of it. He never spent a momhis time in vain. Rather, his time was divided into three parts: one spent for God, in

orshipping and remembering Him; a part for himself and his household and domestic needs; part for the people. During this part of his time he was engaged in spreading and teaching Isnd its sciences, administrating to the needs of Islamic society and removing whatever evilsxisted, providing for the needs of the Muslims, strengthening domestic and foreign bonds, an

milar matters.

ter ten years of stay in Medina the Prophet (sawas) fell ill and died after a few days of illnessccording to existing traditions the last words on his lips were advice concerning slaves andomen.

he Prophet (sawas) and the Qur'an

was demanded of the Prophet (sawas), as it had been of other prophets, that he produce airacle. The Prophet (sawas) himself also confirmed the power of prophets to produce miracleas been asserted clearly by the Qur'an. Many miracles by the Prophet (sawas) have beencounted, the transmission of some of which is certain and can be accepted

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The Prophet Ibrahim(peace be upon him and his pure progeny)

Father of the Prophetshe birth of a Great Prophet

rahim was born when his father Tarakh was seventy-five years old at the time. Both his parassed away when he was of very young age and he ended up in the care of his uncle Azhar. Aas the custom of the Babylonians he was known as the son of Ahzar after his parents death.hzar was an idolator like the rest of the people of the Kingdom of Babylon and Ibrahim (a.s.)ought up in a house of idolaters.

s "father" Aazar was a well known idol sculptor that his people worshipped. As a young child

rahim used to watch his father sculpting these idols from stones or wood. When his father wone with them, Ibrahim would use them as toys, riding on their backs, and kicking them atmes. Then after a while, he would see these same statues in the temple, and people prostratfront of them! Ibrahim asked his father: "Why do you take these toys to the temple?" His faid: "They are statues that represent our gods. We worship them, we ask favors from them, e offer them presents." Ibrahim's mind rejected this idea, and he felt a repulsion towards theols.

search for the Truth

me went by, and Ibrahim became a young man. He still could not believe that his people weorshipping the statues. He laughed whenever he saw them entering the temple, lowering theeads, silently offering the statues the best of their food, crying and asking forgiveness fromem. He started feeling angry towards his people, who could not realize that these are onlyones that could neither benefit nor harm them. They could not be gods, they have no powerod is Greater than what his people were worshipping, Most Powerful, Most Magnificent. Oneuld not find Him sitting on a table in a temple!

ne night, Ibrahim went up to the mountain, leaned against a rock, and looked up to the sky. w a shining star, and told his people: "Could this be my Lord?" But when it set he said: "I doe those that set." The star has disappeared, it could not be God. God is always present. Thew the moon rising in splendor and told them: "Could this be my Lord?" But it also set. At

aybreak, he saw the sun rising and said: t "Could this be my Lord, this is bigger?" But when tn set he said: "O my people I am free from all that you join as partners with Allah! I have

rned my face towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I giveartners to Allah." Our Lord is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything. He hae power to make the stars rise and set. Ibrahim then heard Allah calling him: "O Ibrahim!"rahim said trembling: "Here I am O my Lord!" "Submit to Me! Be a Muslim!" Ibrahim fell on ound, prostrating and crying, he said: "I submit to the Lord of the universe!" Ibrahim keptostrating until night came again. He got up and went back to his home, in t peace, full ofnviction that Allah has guided him to the Truth.

rahim invites his father to Islam

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new life started for Ibrahim. His mission now was to call his people to the Truth. He would stth his father who was the closest person to him, and whom he loved so much. He said to hime softest and kindest voice: "O father! Why do you worship that which doesn't hear, doesn't

nd cannot avail you in anything? O father, I have got knowledge which you have not, so folloe. I will guide you to a straight path." His father replied angrily: "Do you reject my gods, Orahim? If you don't stop I will stone you. Get away from me before I punish you." Ibrahim seace be on you! I will ask forgiveness of my Lord for you."

rahim confronts his people and rejects their idols

e left his father after he lost hope to convert him to the right path, and directed his effortswards the people of the town, but they rejected his call and threatened him. By Allah, he saiall plot a plan to destroy their idols. He knew that a big celebration was coming soon, where

verybody would leave town for a big feast on the riverbank. After making sure that nobody wft in town, Ibrahim went towards the temple armed with an ax. Statues of all shapes and sizere sitting there adorned with decorations. Plates of food were offered to them, but the food ntouched. "Well, why don't you eat? The food is getting cold." He said to the statues, joking;en with his ax he destroyed all the statues except one, the biggest of them. He hung the axound its neck and left.

ow big was the shock when the people entered the temple! They gathered inside watching in

eir gods broken in pieces. They wondered who might have done this? Then they all remembeat the young Ibrahim was talking evil of their idols. They brought him to the temple and askm: "Are you the one who has done this to our gods?" Ibrahim said: "No, this statue, the biggthem has done it. Ask them if they can speak." "You know well that these idols don't speak!

hey said impatiently. "Then how come you worship things that can neither speak nor see, noven fend for themselves? Have you lost your minds?"

hey kept silent for a while, for he got a point there. Their minds and their senses were tellingem that the Truth is with Ibrahim, but their pride prevented them to accept it, and reject theols they were worshipping for generations. This they thought would be total defeat. They staelling at him and shouting: "Burn him! Burn him! Take revenge for your gods !"

he Miracle: Allah saves Ibrahim from the fire.

he decision to burn Ibrahim to death was affirmed by the priests and the king of Babylon,mrod. The news spread like a fire in the kingdom, and people were coming from all places toatch the execution. A huge pit was dug up and a large quantity of wood was piled up. Then tggest fire people ever witnessed was lit. The fire flames were so high up in the sky that the buld not fly over it for fear of being burned ! Ibrahim's hands and feet were chained, and he w

ut in a catapult to throw him into the fire. At that time, Angel Jibreel came to him and said: "rahim! Is there anything you wish for?" Ibrahim could have asked to be saved from the fire,

e taken away, but no, he said: "I only wish that Allah be pleased with me." The catapult wasleased, and Ibrahim was thrown in the heart of the fire. But Allah would not allow His Prophe

e killed, He ordered the fire: "O fire! Be coolness and safety for Ibrahim!" And the miracleappened. The fire obeyed and burned only his chains. Ibrahim came out from it as if he wasming out from a garden, peaceful, his face illuminated, and not a trace of smoke on his cloth

eople watched in shock and said: "Amazing ! Ibrahim' s God has saved him from the fire!"

rahim debates the Babylonian king, Nimrod

rahim's notoriety grew bigger after this event and the king of Babylon felt that his throne waanger, and that he was loosing power, because he was pretending that he was a god. He senrahim. He wanted to debate with him and show his people that he, the king is indeed the go

nd Ibrahim was a liar. He asked Ibrahim: What can your god do that I cannot?




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My Lord is He Who gives life and death." Ibrahim saidgive life and death. I can bring a person from the street and have him executed, and I canant my pardon to a person who was sentenced to death and save his life." The king said pro

Well my Lord Allah makes the sun rise from the East. Can you make it rise from the West?he king was confounded. He was beaten at his own game, on his own territory, in front of hiswn people! Ibrahim left him there speechless and went back to his important mission, callingeople to worship the one and only God, Allah.

lah blesses Ibrahim w ith a son to become a prophet

nly a woman named Sarah and a man named Lot believed in Allah, and followed Ibrahim. Healized that nobody else would listen to him, and decided to emigrate for the cause of Allah, aspread His Message elsewhere. Before leaving, he tried once again to convert his father toam, but to no avail. Ibrahim said to his father and his people: "We are free of you and of

hatever you worship besides Allah. We have rejected you and there has arisen between us aou enmity and hatred forever unless you believe in Allah and Him alone."

rahim, Lot and Sarah started their long travel. They crossed Babylon, went through Syria anlestine calling people to Allah, helping the poor and doing good deeds. By that time Ibrahimarried Sarah. Their hope was to have children who would spread the Message of Allah after teath. As for Lot, he emigrated to the land of Sodom and settled there.

me went by and no children were born to Sarah. She realized she was sterile. She accepted te and submitted to the will of Allah. Ibrahim and Sarah moved to Egypt where the king gavarah a woman to be her servant. The woman's name was Hajar. Sarah was seeing Ibrahim' sair getting white, and it grieved her to see his chance of having any child slipping away. Shefered Hajar her servant as a wife to her husband, and prayed Allah to bless Hajar and Ibrahith a child. And so came Ismail, a baby boy born to Hajar. How unselfish Sarah was! For her,

eed to have an offspring who would carry the Message after Ibrahim was greater than her prurteen years later Allah rewarded Sarah with a son, Ishaq in spite of her old age.

oung Ismail and his mother alone in the desert of Makkah

rahim woke up one day and asked Hajar to prepare herself and baby Ismail for a long travelrahim and Hajar kept walking, crossed a fertile land followed by barren mountains till theyrived at the Arabian desert. Ibrahim brought Hajar to a high hill called al-Marwa, made her a

er baby sit under a tree, placed a bag of dates and some water near her, and set out homewajar ran after him and said: "Are you going to leave us in this desert where there is no one toeep us company?" She repeated this many times but he would not look back at her. She askeas Allah ordered you to do so?" He said yes. "Then He will not neglect us." She said. Ibrahim

alked away until he got out of their sight, he raised his hands and prayed Allah: "O our Lord!ave made some of my offspring dwell in a valley with no cultivation, by Your Sacred House, inder that they may offer prayers. So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, anovide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks."

amzam

ajar went on nursing Ismail and drinking from the water until it was all used up. She becameery thirsty and the child was crying. She left him on the al-Marwa hill and hurried to the nearl, as-Safa. She stood there and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might seemebody, but she could not see anybody. She descended from as-Safa, crossed the valleynning and reached al-Marwa hill. She stood and started looking but could see nobody. She knning between as-Safa and al-Marwa seven times. When she reached al-Marwa for the last

me, she was exhausted, she sat next to the baby. Then she heard a voice. She stood up and


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id: "O whoever you might be! Have you got something to help me?' She saw an angel, Angebreel, digging the earth until water flowed! She built a little basin around it. She scooped watth her hands, drank, filled her water-skin, and nursed her baby. The place from which water

owed was Zamzam. Muslims till this day drink from the holy water of Zamzam, and during Haey walk between as-Safa and al-Marwa seven times to commemorate this event.

ome Arabs traveling through Makkah saw birds flying around alMarwa. "They must be flyingound water." They said. When they arrived at the water, they found Hajar and asked her:

Would you allow us to stay with you, and use the water from your well?" She agreed and waseased by their company. The people sent for their families, settled there and became perma

sidents. The whole valley became alive. Ismail grew up, learned Arabic, and later married aoman from amongst the Arabs.

eanwhile, Ibrahim who had not seen his son since he was a baby, came back to Makkah to vm. Upon arriving, he heard that Hajar had died, but Ismail was still living there. Ibrahim wasearning to see his son whom he loved and missed a lot. He saw Ismail under a tree nearamzam, sharpening his arrows. When he saw his father, Ismail rose up, hugged him and grem. It was the happiest moment for both father and son. But Allah wanted to put them to tesnd it was a tough test indeed. During one night, Ibrahim had a dream. He came to Ismail andid: "O my son ! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you as a sacrifice to Allah, sohat do you think?" They both realized that this was an order from Allah. Ismail said withoutesitation: "Do what you are commanded, you shall find me very patient insha Allah." They ha

oth submitted to the will of Allah. Ibrahim laid his son prostrate, put his forehead on the ground directed a sharp knife towards his neck. At this very moment, Allah called him: "O Ibrahimou have fulfilled the dream! Thus do We reward the good doers !" A big sheep was sent downom heaven to be slaughtered instead of Ismail, which Ibrahim did, and they both had a biglebration that day. This event is celebrated every year by all Muslims. It is Eid al-Adha wheraughter the sacrificial sheep.

rahim and Ismail kept on calling people to worship Allah. At that time there was no place bur the worship of Allah. Ibrahim wished there could be such a place where people would be ineace, and concentrate solely for the worship of Allah. His wish was answered when Allah ordem to build the Sacred House, the Ka'bah. Ibrahim said to Ismail: "O Ismail, Allah has given mn order, will you help me execute it?" "Yes I will." Ismail said. "Allah has ordered me to build

ouse here." He said, pointing to a hillock higher than the land surrounding it. They went towae place and started building the foundations of the Ka'bah Ismail brought the stones andrahim built the walls, and when the walls became high, Ismail brought a large stone and putfront of his father who stood over it and carried on building, while Ismail was handing him tones. Both of them went on building and going around the Ka'bah, saying: "O our Lord accepis service from us." When they finished the building, Angel Jibreel descended from heaven aowed Ibrahim the rituals of Hajj. Then Ibrahim stepped on the stone and called on people: "

eople obey your Lord." This large stone which Ibrahim stepped on is still there to this day neae Ka'bah. It is called Makam Ibrahim.

hus ends the story of Ibrahim, the father of the prophets. From him descended all the propheho came later, including Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam. Ibrahim devoted all his life

lling others to the True religion: Islam. Alone he stood against his people, his father, and eve mighty king of Babylon, and never flinched. Yet his method was always to gradually persuaem by bringing irrefutable proofs, that most often embarrassed those who refused to acceptuth, but as Allah said: "Any whom Allah leaves to stray, there is none to guide!"


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ImamateA c c o r d in g t o t h e S c h o o l o f A h l u l B a y t ( a s )

mamate is the Leadership or Authority of the Muslim Ummah. Imamate can also encompass theations of Risalaa (Messengership), Nubawaa (prophethood), Walia (nearness to Allah andidance to mankind) and Khilafa (government).

e Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.) was an Imam, but he did not hold the position of Khilafa, we knowm Al-Quran that he did hold the positions of Risaala, Nubuwaa and Walia. These Quranic Versesrify the positions of Ibrahim (a.s.):-d remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands which he fulfilled; Hed: "I will appoint thee an Imam to the nations." He pleaded: "And also (Imams) from myspring!" He answered: "But my promise is not within the reach of evil-doers." (2:124)

ah did choose Adam and Noah the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all people.33)

do they envy mankind for what Allah hath given them of His bounty? But We had already givene people of Abraham the Book and Wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom. (4:54)

ho can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to Allah does good and followse way of Abraham the true in faith? For Allah did take Abraham for a friend. (4:125)

the Prophets (a.s) were Imams and Walis (Guardians) of the people, some of them had a largember of followers and others did not. Not all the Prophets were Messengers (Rasul), in factere were only five Messengers out of the One hundred and twenty four thousand that were sentus. The Messenger was the prophet who brought with him a new Law (Shariath) and a newok (kithab Allah) and they were; Noah , Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammed (a.s.). All theophets left behind them an executor of their message and will (wasi) and they were Imams andardians over the people.

uhammed (s.a.w.a.s.) was the Last Prophet and Messenger but the position of Imamate isntinuos and remains with the descendants of Ibrahim (a.s.), since Allah made a covenant withrahim (a.s.) that all Prophets and Imams will be from his progeny hence forth, because beforee advent of Ibrahim (a.s.) this position could be occupied by all the children of Adam (a.s.).

d We sent Noah and Abraham and established in their line Prophethood andvelation(messengership): and some of them were on right guidance but many of them becamebellious transgressors. (57:26)

thout doubt among men the nearest of kin to Abraham are those who follow him as are also thisostle and those who believe; and Allah is the Protector of those who have faith. (3:68)

d remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands which he fulfilled; Hed: "I will make thee an Imam to the nations." He pleaded: "And also (Imams) from myspring!" He answered: "But my promise is not within the reach of evil-doers." (2:124)

om the above verses we learn that:the Imams will only be from the descendants of Ibrahimq

they will be safe from wrong actions (masum).q

ah also says in Al-Quran that it is an obligation to obey the Imams:

. O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the messenger and those of you who are in authority;d if ye have a dispute concerning any matter, refer it to Allah and the messenger if ye are (inth) believers in Allah and the Last Day. That is better and more seemly in the end. (4:59)

re Allah is commanding the Believers to obey:

1. Himselfq

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2. The Holy Prophetq

3. Those in Authorityq

e have to question ourselves:

ho are those in Authority?e they to be elected by some of the people? Or are they to be nominated or elected by one or andful of the Muslims? Or are the Imams to be chosen by Allah and appointed by the Prophet?

me may argue that since Muhammed (s.a.w.a.s.) is the Last Prophet and Messenger and theam after him can be from amongst any of the Muslims, this belief is however, contrary to the

ove verse (2:124) and also contrary to their own belief that the Last Imam ( Al-Mahdi) beingm the descendants of Muhammed i.e. Ibrahim (peace be upon them all). The following hadeethm Bukhari may clarify this point:

rrated Jabir bin Samura: I heard the Prophet saying, "There will be twelve imams of theuslims. He then said a sentence which I did not hear. My father said, "All of them (caliphs) will

from Quraish." (Sahih Bukhari vol.9 no.329)

mpare the Hadith narrated by Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (as) from Salman Farsi (ra)in his bookantern of the Path" to Bukhari's hadeeth:

e day I was very troubled and visited Rasulullah (s) and asked him," Oh Prophet, what are wedo when you are no longer with us, who will give us guidance ?" Rasul (s) replied," After me the

mmah will be left with twelve successors from my Ahlul Bayt and it will be an obligation on my

mmah to follow and aid them in all that they command."eplied. " Oh Rasulullah., how are we to recognise them".sul(s) replied" Oh, Salman you know Allah is AL-Hamid ( the Praise worthy) and I am

ohammed (the one with praise) and you Know Allah is AL-Aliy (the Most Exalted) and you have(the one exalted above others) and you know Allah is al-Fathir (the Creator out of Nothing) and

u have Fathima the mother of my descendants and you know Allah is Al-Ihsan and you havesan and you know Allah is al-Muhsin and you have Al-Hussein. My first successor will be Ali, myother, the one who is loved by Allah, then after him Hasan and then Hussein the sons of Ali andthima and then Ali ibn Hussein then Mohammed ibn Ali and then Jafar ibn Mohammed and theusa ibn Jafar and the Ali ibn Musa and then Mohammed ibn Ali and then Ali ibn Mohammed anden Hasan ibn Ali and finally ibne Hasan, the one named after me, the one with my kunya Abulsim, he will be known as Mim Ha Dal al-Mahdi the one with Authority Al-Qaim. He will be

waited by those who are weak and oppressed."

eplied, "Oh Rasullullah may I and my parents be your ransom, a great burden has beenmoved from my heart."

hen left the prophet (s) at peace with the World and the World at peace with me and prayed toah, " Oh Allah your servant Salman is now ready to meet death when ever it is your will." [See:e Lantern of the Path]

e are also told in Al-Quran that the Imam must be the most qualified among ourselves; he must:

the most knowledgeableq

a Mu'minq

the most trustworthy.q

eir Prophet said to them: "Allah hath appointed Talut in authority over you." They say: "Hown he exercise authority over us when we are better fitted than he to exercise authority and he ist even gifted with wealth in abundance?" He said: "Allah hath chosen him above you and hathted him abundantly with knowledge and bodily prowess; Allah granteth His authority to whompleaseth. Allah careth for all and He knoweth all things." (2:247)

om the above discussion the following can be concluded about Imamate:

There are twelve Imamsq

Imams are of the line of Ibrahim and therefore of Muhammedq

Imams must be free from committing mistakesq

Imams must be the most knowledgeableq

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The Imam must be the most trust worthyq

Imams are chosen by Allah and appointed by the Prophet before themq

Following the Imam is an obligation for the Muslimsq

Al-Mahdi (a.s) is the Last Imam.q

the Deputy and Successor of the Prophet

ra Ta Ha chapter 20 verses 25-36:

. He said: O my Lord! Expand my breast for me,

. And make my affair easy to me,

. And loose the knot from my tongue,

. (That) they may understand my word;

. And give to me an aider from my family:

. Haroun, my brother,

. Strengthen my back by him,

. And associate him (with me) in my affair,

. So that we should glorify Thee much,

. And remember Thee oft.

. Surely, Thou art seeing us.

. (He) said: You are indeed granted your petition, O Musa.

uhammed (saws) is the Last and Final of the Prophets. His message is conclusive and therefore,ust succeed and stay forever.

ah (swt) runs the affairs of the World usually according to the law of cause and effect andrough natural courses. Therefore, He did not order His Messenger Muhammed to face the wholeciety at once with the invitation to Islam, because this would lead to the failure of the missionther to its success. Wanting him to go gradually in his invitation, He issued him a commandfter three years from the beginning of his messengership) to begin with his close relatives. Allahys in al-Qur'an:

nd warn thy nearest kinsman. And lower thy wing to the believers who follow thee."6:214-215)

hen this command came down the Messenger of Allah 1invited the descendents of

dul-Muttalib (they were forty men) to a banquet which contained little amounts of food andlk. They ate and drank to their fill. The Messenger then spoke, saying: "O children ofdul-Muttalib, by Allah, I do not know of any young man from among the Arabs who has everought to his people better than I what Im bring to you. I bring to you the goodness of the Worldd of the Hereafter, and Allah has commanded me to invite you to it. Who is among you willingbe my brother, my executor and my successor in you?" None of them responded but Ali who

s the 2youngest among them. He stood up and said: "Messenger of Allah, I will be you ministerthis mission."

e Prophet repeated his invition, but none responded except 'Ali who repeated his words. theophet put his hand on the neck of 'Ali and said: "This is my brother, my executor and myccessor in you. Listen to him and obey him."

ey laughed, saying to Abu Talib: " He ordered you to listen to your son and obey him. Thus, theessenger of Allah invited the nearest of his relatives to embrace islam, but his main purpose wasfind among them a person who would be willing to assist him in spreading the message.

e Prophet was about to confront all the idol-worshippers of Makkah. Therefore, he needed anister who had courage, sincerity and firmness. Forty men from the children of Abdul-Muttallibuld be an important asset for Islam if they adopted it. But if they were ordinary people theyuld not be able to face the masses of Makkah and Arabia. Allah would soon command His

essenger to extend his invitation to all the Arabs, and eventually to the rest of the nations, all ofom would violently resist the invitation for years to come.

rty average persons would be terrified by the hostiles of Makkah and Arabia; yet one man ofgh courage will be able to face whatever the Messenger would face. This man we know wassudullah fil Ghaib (the Lion of God the Unseen) Ali ibn Abu Talib.

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hen Allah commanded the Prophet to invite his kinsman Allah knew only Ali would accept andcome the Prophets deputy and aid, just as Allah accepted Aaron as the minister and aid of

oses.

HADEER KHUM

pointment of Ali (a.s.) by the Prophet (s.a.w.s) in his 3LAST Sermon to the Muslims aftermmandment from Allah when the following verse was revealed:

Apostle! Deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord; and if you don't do it, youve not delivered His message (at all); and Allah will protect you from the people ..." (Quran67).

ere after, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) alighted at the Pool of Ghadeer and ordered Hazrath Bilal (r.a)call adhan so that all the Muslims be gathered together before they dispersed to the towns andages between Makkha and Medina.

e Sermon of Ghadeer Khumms related in Tirmidhi and Muslim)

Tirmidhi Hadithdith 6094 Narrated by: Al-Bara' ibn Azib and Zayd ibn Arqam

hen Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) alighted at the pool of Khumm, he took Ali by thend and asked those present, "Do you not know that I am closer to the believers that theyemselves?" They replied, "Certainly." He then asked, "Do you not know that I am nearer toery believer than he himself?" They replied, "Certainly." He then said, " Allah, he whose patron I

m has Ali as his patron. O Allah, be friendly to those who are friendly to him and hostile to thoseo are hostile to him." After that Umar met him and said, "Congratulations, son of AbuTalib.

orning and evening you are the patron of every believing man and woman."

mad transmitted it.

hih Muslim Hadithdith 5920 Narrated by: Zayd ibn Arqam

zid ibn Hayyan reported: I went with Husayn ibn Sabrah and Umar ibn Muslim to Zayd ibn

qam and, as we sat by his side, Husayn said to him: Zayd, you have been able to acquire greattue him that you saw Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), listened to his conversation,ught by his side in (different) battles and offered prayer behind him. Zayd, you have in factrned a great virtue. Zayd, narrate to us what you heard from Allah`s Messenger (peace be uponm). He said: I have grown old; I have almost reached the end of my life-span and I havergotten some of the things which I remembered in connection with Allah's Messenger (peace beon him). So accept whatever I narrate to you, and those which I do not narrate, do not compele to narrate them. He then said: One day Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) stood up toliver a sermon at a watering-place known as Khumm, situated between Mecca and Medina. Heaised Allah, extolled Him, delivered the sermon, exhorted (us) and said: Now to our purpose, Oople: I am a human being. Perhaps I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death)m my Lord, and I, in response to Allah's call, (shall bid good-bye to you). But I am leaving

mong you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance

d light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to theok of Allah, and then said: The second are the members of my household; I remind you (ofur duties) to the members of my family. He (Husayn) said to Zayd: Who are the members of hisusehold? Aren't his wives the members of his family? Thereupon he said: His wives are theembers of his family (but here) the members of his family are those for whom acceptance ofkat is forbidden. And he said: Who are they? Thereupon he said: Ali and the offspring of Ali, Aqild the offspring of Aqil, the offspring of Ja'far and the offspring of Abbas. Husayn said: These areose for whom the acceptance of Zakat is forbidden. Zayd said: Yes.

e Relationsh ip between The Prophet (s.a.w .a.s.) and Ali (a.s)

e Relationship between The P rophet (s.a.w .a.s.) and Ali (a.s) was similar to the

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lationsh ip between the prophets Musa (a.s.) and Haroon (a.s.).

rrated Sad:

ah's Apostle set out for Tabuk. appointing 'Ali as his deputy (in Medina). 'Ali said, "Do you wantleave me with the children and women?" The Prophet said, "Will you not be pleased that youl be to me like Aaron to Moses? But there will be no prophet after me." Bukhari vol. 5 no.700)

ra Ar'af chapter 7 verse 142

2. We appointed for Moses thirty nights and completed (the period) with ten (more): thus was

mpleted the term (of communion) with his Lord forty nights. And Moses had charged his brotherron (before he went up): "Act for me amongst my people: do right and follow not the way ofose who do mischief."

ra Anbiya chapter 21 verse 48

. In the past We granted to Moses and Aaron the Criterion (for judgment) and a Light and aessage for those who would do right.

ra Mu'mineen chapter 23 verse 45

. Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron with Our Signs and authority manifest

ra Furq'an chapter 25 verse 35

. Before this We sent Moses the Book and appointed his brother Aaron with him as Minister;

ra Saafat chapter 37 verse 114

4. Again (of old) We bestowed Our favor on Moses and Aaron.

nclusion:

om the above verses of al-Qur'an we can conclude that the relationship between Moses andron was not just of blood brotherhood, but of Prophet and successor. This was also the sameationship between the Prophet and Ali but there would be no Prophet after him. So, with theception of prophethood, Ali inhereted from Muhammed all that Aaron inhereted from Moses.ace be upon them all.

otnotes:

This hadeeth is recorded by the following Authors: i. Ibn Al-Atheer, Al Kamil, part 2, p. 22 ii.Tabari, History of Nations, Messengers and Kings, part 2, p217. iii. Abu Al-Fida in his History,rt1 p.116. iv. Imam Ahmab bin Hambal, Al-Musnad, part 1, pp.116-119.

'Ali was 9 years old.

The Sermon of the Mount where the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) gave his sermon after Haj is wronglyled the Last Sermon, this was done in order to mislead the people and to try to negate thermon at Ghadeer Khumm where Ali (a.s) is appointed successor once again. After the sermon of

adeer (the Last Sermon) was delivered the following verse of the Qur'an was revealed: .....Thisy have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me.is day have I perfected your religion for you completed my favor upon you and have chosen foru Islam as your religion. But if any forced by hunger with no inclination to transgression, Allah isdeed Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful. (5:3)

A ll Q u r ' a n ic t e x t s f r o m " T h e H o l y Q u r 'a n " T ra n s la t i o n & Co m m e n t a r y b y A b d u l la hY u s u f A li.

q

Author:S y e d H u s s e in A h m e d

mamate

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