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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

2 Your Daily-Life Questions Answered 03

3 Miracle of Finality 04

4 The Merits of Fasting and the Month of Ramadan 22

5 Imam Ali’s Martyrdom 30

6 The Life of Imam Al-Hasan Al-Mujtaba 37

7 Reflections on the Supplication of Abi Hamzah al-Thumali 44

8 The Night of Power (Lailatul-Qadr) 51

9 Respect Begets Respect 59

Kids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ Corner

11 Things You Should Know Dear Kids! 61

12 Imam Ali (A.S.) Taking Care of Helpless 62

13 Night of Reward 62

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 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak 1440 AH

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1. He whose heart finds peace

in knowing Allah, finds

peace in being needless of

Allah’s creatures.

2. Verily Islam is submission,

and submission is convic-

tion, and conviction is certi-

fication of something, and

certification is attestation,

and attestation of some-

thing is fulfilment of it, and

fulfilment is the perfor-

mance of required acts.

3. Learn the Quran for it is the

best of speeches, and study

it for it is the spring of the

hearts.

4. There are six things by

which people’s intellects

may be tested: clemency at

the time of anger, patience

at the time of fear, calcula-

tion when faced with a de-

sire, Godwariness at all

times, amicableness, and

minimal engagement in

disputation.

5. Nothing can cause nations

to flourish like justice.

6. Knowledge can only be

gained from a divine schol-

ar, and recognition of that

scholar is through the intel-

lect.

7. There are four categories of

sciences juristic science for

religions, medicine for phys-

ical bodies, grammar for

language, and astronomy

for knowledge of the ages.

8. O Allah, indeed the earth

will not be devoid of one

who upholds the proofs for

the sake of Allah - either a

manifest and well-known

authority, or one who fears

[for his life] and is hence,

undistinguishable - so that

His proofs and arguments

may never be invalid.

9. When Allah punishes a

faithful servant in this

world, He is too Bountiful

and too Glorious to re-

punish him [for the same

sin] on the Day of Resurrec-

tion.

��

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

Ramzan-ul-Mubarak 1440 AH The Message

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Q.1: Is it obligatory for a

pregnant woman to fast in

the month of Ramadan?

Ans.: There are three possibili-ties:

First: If fasting harms the pregnant woman or harms her fetus, then it is prohibited for her to fast, and she should make up the missed days later.

Second: If she is close to delivery, and fasting is a strain for her, she is permitted to break the fast and pay the fidya, and make up for the missed fasts later.

Third: If fasting does not harm the pregnant woman or her fetus, then it is obligatory on her to fast.

Q.2: Is it possible to swal-

low mucus or phlegm

during the fast?

Ans.: There is no harm in swallowing one's phlegm or mucus from head and chest as long as it does not come upto one's mouth. However, if it reaches one's mouth, the obligatory precaution is that one should not swallow it.

Q.3: In regards to travelling

during Ramadan, is the

specified distance 23 km

from my location to the

destination, or is it from the

edge of the city in which I

live?

Ans.: The distance is consid-ered from the boundary of your city to the destination.

Q.4: If one is in the month

of Ramadan and he had an

intention to travel, but his

intentions are sinful, is he

obliged to continue fasting

or not?

Ans.: If the trip was for a sinful purpose then one should continue his fasting.

Q.5: Kindly explain the

ruling in relation to vomit-

ing by a fasting person?

Ans.: If a fasting person vomits intentionally his fast becomes void, though he may have been obliged to do so on account of sickness. However, the fast does not become void, if one vomits forgetfully or involun-tarily.

��

Your Daily-Life Questions Answered Your Daily-Life Questions Answered


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The Holy Qur'an is the everlasting miracle of the last Prophet. The miracles of the former Prophets like Prophet Ibrahim, Prophet Musa and Prophet 'Isa, each of whom had a revealed Book and also wrought miracles, were distinct from their revealed Books. They wrought such miracles as the transformation of a blazing fire into 'coolness and peace', the conversion of a dry piece of wood into a serpent and bringing the dead to life. Obviously each of these miracles, was temporary and passing. But in the case of the last Prophet his Book itself was his miracle. It is the proof of his Prophethood. As such, the miracle of finality, unlike any other miracle, is everlasting, not passing nor meant only for the time being.

The fact that a Divine Book is the miracle of the last Prophet is absolutely in conformity with his time, the age of the

advancement of science, knowledge, culture and education. The eternity of this Holy Book is also in consonance with the eternity of its message which is never to be abrogated.

The Holy Qur'an in several verses of it has expressly proclaimed this extraordinary and superhuman aspect of itself. One of these verses says:

"If you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our bondman, then bring a chapter like it." (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:23)

It has also expressly mentioned several other miracles wrought by the last Prophet.

The Holy Qur'an has dwelt on a number of questions related to the miracles. It declares that a Divine message must be accompanied by some miracles, that a miracle is a

Miracle of Finality

Edited excerpts from the book, “Man and Universe” By: Ayatollah Shaheed Murtaza Mutahhari


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decisive evidence and definite proof, that the Prophets work the miracles by the will of Allah and that they work them to prove the veracity of their claim, and that they are not bound to accede to every request of everybody in this respect. In other words, the Prophets are not expected to hold an exhibition of miracles or to set up a factory of them.

As the Holy Qur'an has dealt with these questions, it has also expressly recounted the stories of the miracles of many of the former Prophets like Nuh, Ibrahim, Lut, Salih, Hud, Musa and 'Isa, and has categorically confirmed them.

Some orientalists and Christian clergymen on the basis of those verses in which the Holy Qur'an responded negatively to the demand of the idolaters to work the miracles proposed by them, have claimed that the Prophet of Islam told the people that he had no miracle other than the Holy Qur'an, and if they did not accept it, he could do

nothing further. Some 'liberal-minded' Muslim writers also have accepted this view, and explaining it, they say that the miracle is an argument which can convince only immature humanity looking for something extraordinary and fantastic. A mature man is not impressed by such things and is concerned only with the things rational.

As the age of the Prophet of Islam was that of rationality, not of myths and fancy, he declined by the will of Allah to accept any request for a miracle besides the Holy Qur'an. One writer says: "To seek the help of the miracles was unavoidable for the former Prophets, for in those days it was almost impossible for them to convince people with any rational arguments. At the time the Prophet of Islam appeared, humanity had passed the period of its minority.

It had reached the stage of its intellectual majority. The child of yesterday no longer


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depended on his mother and was able to stand on his own feet and use his brain. In such circumstances it was not unreasonable that the Prophet of Islam resisted the pressure of the disbelievers and his opponents demanding from him to work miracles. To prove the truth of his mission he solely relied on rational arguments and historical evidence. In spite of the insistence of the disbelievers the Prophet of Islam by the order of Allah refused to work miracles similar to those of the former Prophets.

He relied on the Holy Qur'an alone as an incomparable miracle. Its incomparability is in itself a proof of the finality of Prophethood. It is a Book that contains truths, teachings and guidance in complete conformity with all aspects of life. It is a miracle worthy of mature humanity, not an immature humanity believing in myths and fables.

The so called our liberal-minded Muslim writer adds:

"The atmosphere in which the ancient man lived was always full of myths, idle stories and supernatural ideas. Hence he was not impressed by any-thing unless it was contrary to what was reasonable and perceptible. That is why we find mankind throughout history to be fond of what is unknown and in search of what is supernatural. This sentimental attitude towards what is imperceptible and unreasonable is more acute among the more uncivilized. The more men are close to nature, the more they are fond of what is extra-natural. Myths are an evil outcome of this situation.

The man of the desert is always looking for a miracle. His world is full of spirits and wonderful mysteries. The spirit of a primitive man is moved only by what is marvellous and mysterious. That is why we see that not only the Prophets, but also the kings, the heroes and the sages of every nation have


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resorted to something supernatural to justify what they claimed. In these circumstances the Prophet whose mission was based on the invisible had to have recourse to a miracle more than others, for at this period of history supernatural events were more effective than logic, science and indisputable facts".

However, the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him and his progeny) is an exception to this rule. He announced that his miracle is a Book. He made this announcement in a society, in the largest commercial city of which the number of those who knew the art of writing was not more than seven. This society never thought of anything other than boasting, the sword, the camel and the male child. It is in itself a miracle that in this society he announced that his miracle was a Heavenly Book.

He announced this in a country where no Heavenly

Book ever existed. His Lord, Allah, the Creator swears by the ink, the pen and the writing before a people who regarded the pen as the tool of a few helpless and weak persons. This is a miracle in itself. Only that Book is a miracle which can always be seen. Unlike any other miracle it is the only miracle the marvellous and extraordinary nature of which can be more accurately understood and appreciated by those who are more wise and more learned in comparatively advanced and cultured societies. It is the only miracle the belief in which is not confined to those who have faith in supernatural things.

Its supernaturalness can be acknowledged by any know-ledgeable person. It is the only miracle which is not for the common people. It is for the intelligentsia, unlike other miracles it is not intended to stimulate the admiration of the onlookers and to persuade them to accept a message on


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that basis. It is meant to educate those who accept it. It is a message in itself. The miracle of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him and his progeny), though not a human product, is not something not concerned with the human beings. Unlike the miracles of the past, it is not a device used only to make people believe, and having no other use. But his miracle represents a sort of the display of the highest human talent. It is also the best model for exercise and training, and for that a model which is always available.

The Holy Prophet tried to divert human inquisitiveness from what was extraordinary and supernatural to the rational, logical and intellectual problems and social and moral questions. His task was not so easy, especially in view of the fact that the people with whom he had to deal were not willing to submit to anything except what was unnatural.

It is really astonishing how he called himself a Prophet, invited people to accept his Divine message and at the same time admitted formally that he was not aware of the "unknown". Apart from the human value of this admission, what is striking is the extraordinary truth which is felt in his actions and which compels every heart to bow to him in admiration and respect. Some people asked him to foretell what price their goods were to fetch so that they might plan accordingly to be able to earn profit and make money.

The Holy Qur'an ordered him to say:

"I have no power to acquire for myself a benefit or to avert any trouble except by the will of Allah. If I had the knowledge of the unknown, I would have certainly acquired for myself much that is good and no harm would have touched me. I am no more than the one who gives warning and brings good


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news to a believing people." (Surah al-A'raf, 7:188)

A Prophet who could make no prophecy, who did not converse with the spirits, the fairies and the jinn and who did not work a miracle everyday, was no good in the sight of the people of the desert. The Holy Prophet called upon them to look into the universe, to observe piety, uprightness and faith, to acquire knowledge and to understand the meaning of life and destiny, but they ceaselessly continued to ask him to work a miracle and make a prophecy. On the other hand Allah prompted him to say:

"Glory be to my Lord! I am no more than a human messenger." (Surah Bani Isra'il, 17:93)

Those who deny the occurrence of miracles rely mostly on the following Qur'anic verses saying:

"They say: We will not believe you unless you make a spring

gush forth from the earth for us; or you have a garden of date-palms and cause rivers to flow abundantly in their midst; or you cause the sky to fall on us in pieces as you have asserted, or you bring Allah and the angels before us; or you have a house of gold; or you ascend to heaven. But even then we will not believe in you until you bring down for us a book which we can read. Say: Glory be to my Lord. I am nothing but a human messenger."" (Surah Bani Isra'il, 17:90 - 93)

They say that these verses show that the idolaters asked the Holy Prophet to work a miracle other than the Holy Qur'an, but he declined to accede to their demand.

Unfortunately we cannot agree to this theory, especially in view of the points mentioned above and in view of what we have said in regard to the superiority of the Holy Qur'an to all other miracles. From our point of


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view the disputable points are as under:

(i) The Prophet of Islam had no miracle other than the Holy Qur'an. He refused to fulfil the demand of the idolaters who wanted him to produce some other miracle. The verses of the Surah Bani Isra'il prove this point.

(ii) As for the value and effectiveness of miracles, it may be said that they were compatible with the period of the minority of mankind when reason and logic were not effective. Even the sages and the kings had recourse to supernatural things to justify themselves. The Prophets also had to resort to them to convince their people. The Prophet of Islam whose miracle is a Book is an exception to this rule. He justifies himself by means of a Book or actually by reason and logic.

(iii) The Prophet of Islam tried to divert the attention of the people from the unusual and

supernatural things to the rational and logical questions and to turn their sensitivity from wonders to the actualities and facts.

Now let us discuss one by one the points made by the opponents of the miracles: Is it true that the Prophet of Islam had no miracle except the Holy Qur'an? Apart from the fact that this view is unacceptable from the viewpoint of history and traditions reported by numerous authorities, it is contrary even to what the Holy Qur'an itself says. The miracle of the split of the moon is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an itself. Suppose someone explains away the verse mentioning this miracle, though it is not amenable to any explanation, how will the story of the ascension of the Holy Prophet mentioned in the Surah Bani Isra'il be explained? The Holy Qur'an expressly says:

"Glory be to Him who carried His slave by night from the


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Masjidul Haram (in Makkah) to the Masjidul Aqsa' (in Jerusalem), the precincts of which We have blessed. (We took him on this journey) to show him some of Our signs." (Surah Bani Isra'il, 17:1)

Is this occurrence not a supernatural event and a miracle?

In Surah at-Tahri'm there is an event saying that the Holy Prophet told a secret in confidence to one of his wives who divulged it to another wife of his. The Holy Prophet asked the first wife why she disclosed the secret to the second one and recounted a part of the conversation which had transpired between the two. That wife was surprised and asked the Holy Prophet how he came to know all that. The Holy Prophet replied that Allah had apprised him of the event.

"When the Holy Prophet confided a fact to one of his wives and when she afterwards divulged it and

Allah apprised him thereof, he made known to her of part thereof and passed over the rest. And when he told it to her, she said: "Who has told you?" He said: "The Knower, the Aware has told me". Does this not mean telling the unknown? Is this not a miracle? What has been mentioned in Surah Bani Isra'il, 17:90 - 93 and some other verses does not at all indicate what has been inferred from it. The idolaters were not asking for a proof of Prophethood and sign with a view to gain satisfaction. They were actually asking for something else. These verses as well as Surah al-'Ankabut, 29:50 throw ample light on the unique mentality of the idolaters who were apparently demanding a miracle. These verses also make clear the philosophy of the Holy Qur'an about the miracles of the Prophets.

In Surah Bani Isra'il the idolaters begin their talk saying virtually: "We will not


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join you unless you on your part make a spring gush forth for us in this arid land of Makkah." This is just a bargain.

They further say: "Or you have a garden of date palms with rivers flowing in their midst or you have a house full of gold, so that we may share these things with you." This is again a bargain, as they wanted these things for their own benefit.

They say: "Or you cause the sky to fall on us in pieces as you think that it will fall on the Day of Resurrection."

This is asking for a punishment and the end of everything, though apparently they asked for a miracle.

"Or you ascend to heaven or you bring Allah and the angels be fore us." (Surah Bani Isra'il, 17:90 - 93)

This is again a bargain, though this time they were not asking for riches, but were asking for something they

could be proud of. Anyhow, they ignored the fact that it was impracticable to fulfil their demand.

The words actually used by the idolaters are notable. They did not says: 'Lan numina bika', that is we will not believe you. Instead they said: 'Lan numina laka', meaning we will not join you to your advantage. This difference in meaning has been pointed out by the scholars of the principles of jurisprudence while explaining similar expressions in Surah at-Tawbah, 9:61. Further, the intention of the idolaters is clear from the way they put their demand. They asked the Holy Prophet to make a spring gush forth for them in exchange for their support and expedient faith. Evidently this is a demand for remuneration and not for a proof and a miracle. The Holy Prophet came to make the people believers, not to purchase their opinion and faith.


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The writer whom we quoted above, himself says: "The idolaters asked the Holy Prophet to foretell the price their goods would fetch so that they could earn profit". Evidently this demand for a miracle was not made in order to know the truth. They wanted to use the Prophet as a means of making money. Naturally his reply was: "If I had the knowledge of the unknown, I would have certainly used it to acquire for myself much that is good in this world. Obviously miracles are not meant for such purposes. I am a Prophet. I only give warning and bring good news to a believing people".

The idolaters, thought that the Prophet could work a miracle to order, any time and for any purpose. That is why they wanted him to make a spring gush forth, to have a house of gold and make a prophecy about the market rates. But the fact is that a miracle is just like a revelation. Its

occurrence is determined from "that side", not "from this". Just as a revelation is not subject to the wish of the Prophet and is a process which influences his will, similarly a miracle is also a process that proceeds from the other side and influences the will of the Prophet, though it is worked by him. That is what the words, 'by the will of Allah' signify both in the case of a revelation and a miracle. And that is what is meant by the following verse of Surah al-'Ankabut, which has been misinterpreted by the Christian missionaries: "The signs are with Allah alone. I am nothing but a plain warner". (Surah al-'Ankabut, 29:50)

The same is the case with the revealing of the unknown miraculously. As far as the personality of the Holy Prophet is concerned, he is not aware of the unknown. The Holy Qur'an says: "Say: I do not say to you that I am an angel, nor am I aware of the unknown."


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But when he comes under a supernatural influence he tells of what is hidden, and when he is asked how he knew that, he replies that Allah, the All-knowing apprised him of the unknown matter.

When the Holy Prophet says that he does not know the unknown and if he had known it he would have earned a lot of money through that knowledge, he wants to refute the false presumption of the idolaters; and makes it clear that the knowledge of the unknown falls within the range of a miracle for he receives it through Divine revelation only. Had his knowledge of the unknown been automatic and had he been able to use it for any purpose he liked, he would have used it to fill his own coffers instead of telling the future market rates to others in order to enable them to fill their pockets.

In another verse the Holy Qur'an says:

"He is the knower of what is hidden and He reveals His secret to none, except to a Messenger He has chosen." (Surah al-Jinn, 72:26 - 27)

The Holy Prophet was certainly His chosen Messenger.

Furthermore, the Holy Qur'an has recounted many miracles of the former Prophets like Prophet Ibrahim, Prophet Musa and Prophet 'Isa. Then how was it possible that the Holy Prophet when asked to work a miracle like that of the former Prophets; should say that he was no more than a human messenger? Had not the idolaters a right to retort and say: "You yourself describe the miracles of the former Prophets so eloquently. Were they not human beings or were they not Prophets?" Is it possible that such a glaring contradiction should exist in the Holy Qur'an? Is it imaginable that the idolaters did not take notice of such a glaring contradiction?


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Should the thinking of these liberal-minded be correct, the Holy Prophet instead of saying: "Glory be to Allah! I am no more than a human messenger", should have said: "Glory be to Allah! I being the last Prophet, am excluded from the rule applicable to other Prophets. Therefore do not ask me to do, what the other Prophets were asked to do". Anyhow, he did not say so. On the other hand he said: "I am a messenger like all other messengers".

This shows that what the idolaters, demanded from the Holy Prophet was not a miracle or a sign with a view to find out the truth. They were asking for something else and their demand was such that the Prophets usually do not accede to it. That is why the Holy Prophet declined to give a positive reply to their selfish and arrogant demand. They were actually asking for something impossible.

We admit that the common people are inclined to invent the stories of the miracles and ascribe them not only to the Prophets and the Imams but even to any grave, stone or tree. But that is no reason why we should deny that the Holy Prophet had miracles other than the Holy Qur’an.

Further, there is a difference between a Prophetic miracle and a saintly miracle. A Prophetic miracle is a Divine sign and a proof to prove that there is a Divine assignment. It is always linked together with a challenge. It has certain special conditions and takes place for a special purpose. As for a saintly miracle, that is a supernatural event which is purely an outcome of the spiritual power and personal sanctity of a perfect or a semi-perfect man and does not take place to prove the truth of any Divine mission. It is almost an affair with no special conditions attached to it. A Prophetic miracle is the voice


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of Allah in support of a particular person. But that is not the case with a saintly miracle.

Value and Effect of a

Miracle

What is the value of a miracle?

The logicians and the philosophers divide the material that is used to argue a case into several kinds. Some arguments have a proving value. They are something beyond any reasonable doubt, as is the case with the data used by a mathematician. Some other arguments have only a persuasive value, as is the case with the arguments advanced by the rhetoricians. If the arguments of the latter are analysed, they often do not prove to be convincing. But so long as they are not dissected, they prove quite moving. Some other arguments are merely emotional or have some other value.

Value of a Miracle From

the Viewpoint of the

Qur'an

The Holy Qur'an describes the miracles of the Prophets as the signs and clear proofs, and regards them as a convincing and logical evidence of the existence of Allah in the same way as it regards the creation as the incontrovertible proof of His existence.

The Holy Qur'an has elaborately dwelt on the question of the miracles. It considers the demand of the people for a miracle and their refusal to submit to the Prophets unless a sign was shown to them, to be reasonable and justified, provided the demand was not made for ulterior motives or just as a pastime. It has eloquently narrated many stories of the practical response of the Prophets to such demands. The Holy Qur'an has nowhere indicated that a miracle is only a persuasive argument suitable


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to the simple-minded people and appropriate to the period of the minority of mankind. On the other hand it has called it a clear proof.

Nature of the Holy

Prophet's Guidance

The miracle of the 'Finality' being a Book, a piece of literature and a treasure of culture and knowledge, is an everlasting miracle. Many of its miraculous aspects are still gradually coming to light. Some wonderful features of the Holy Qur'an which have become known to the people of our times were not known and could not be known in the past. The value of a Book-miracle is better grasped by the thinkers than by the common people. It is true that this miracle because of its special merits, is appropriate to the period of the finality, but, is it also true that this miracle has the nature of a Book because it is intended, among other things, to divert the attention of man from the unknown to the known, from

the unreasonable to the reasonable and logical, and from the supernatural to the natural, Does the Holy Prophet try to draw of the inquisitiveness of people from the unusual and supernatural things to the rational, logical, intellectual, scientific, social and moral questions and to turn their sensitivity from wonders to the realities?

That does not appear to be true. Should it be true, that would mean that all other Prophets were inviting people to the unknown and only the Holy Prophet invited them to the known. If this is the case, then why have hundreds of the verses of the Holy Qur'an been devoted to the description of miracles?

Undoubtedly it is one of the basic distinctions of the Holy Qur'an that it calls for the study of nature and describes the natural phenomena as Divine signs. But a call for the study of nature does not mean diverting the attention of people from everything that


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does not pertain to nature. On the other hand a call for the study of natural phenomena as signs means passing from nature to what is beyond nature and from what is perceptible to what is intelligible.

The importance of the work of the Holy Prophet lies in the fact that just as he calls the people for the study of nature, history and society, he also persuades those who submit to nothing but supernatural to submit to reason, logic and science also. He similarly tries to make those who are fond of reason and logic and submit to nothing but what is natural and perceptible, to get acquainted with a higher logic as well.

The basic difference between the world presented by the religion on the whole, and especially by Islam, and the world depicted by purely human sciences and philosophies, is that as William James has put it, in

the construction of the world of religion certain other elements have gone in addition to the material elements and the laws generally recognized by mankind.

The Holy Qur'an does not want to divert the attention from natural and perceptible things to supernatural and imperceptible things. The importance of the Holy Qur'an lies in the fact that besides paying attention to what is natural or in the words of the Holy Qur’an, is the seen, it puts the belief in the unseen in the forefront of its teachings: "This is the Book about which there is no doubt. It is a guidance to the pious, who believe in the unseen." (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:2 - 3)

How can the Holy Qur'an divert the attention of people from what is supernatural when it is itself a miracle, and so many other miracles have been described in more than hundred verses of it.


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We are unable to understand what is meant by saying that the Book is the only miracle, the belief in which is not confined to those who believe in the supernatural things.

What belief? Does the writer mean the belief that the Holy Qur'an is a Book the contents of which are very valuable and sublime, or the belief that it is a miracle? The belief that a thing is miraculous in the sense that it is a Divine sign, amounts to the belief in its supernaturalness. How can a man have a belief in a miracle and at the same time not have a belief in anything supernatural?

It has been said that the miracle of the Prophet of Islam does not belong to the category of non-human matters though it is a non-human act. To us the meaning of this statement also is not clear for it can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly it may mean that the Holy Qur'an being a revealed Book, not having been

composed by the Holy Prophet is a non-human act, but though it is the word of Allah, not of any human being, it belongs to the category of human matters and is an ordinary act, like other human acts.

It appears to be improbable that this is what the writer means, for in the case of the acceptance of this view, the Holy Qur'an would have no distinction over other revealed Books. All the other revealed Books have also issued from the same source of revelation, but as they have no supernatural aspect, they not belong to the category of superhuman acts.

There is a category of the sayings of the Holy Prophet known as Hadith al-Qudsi. These sayings are the revealed words of Allah but still they are neither miraculous nor superhuman.

The Holy Qur'an is distinguished from other revealed Books and from


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Hadith al-Qudsi in that it is superhuman. It is revealed as well as superhuman and supernatural. That is why the Holy Qur'an says:

"Say: If all human beings and jinn were to combine to produce the like of the Qur’an, they would surely fail to compose the like of it, even if they helped one another." (Surah Bani Isra'il, 17:88)

The other interpretation of the above-mentioned statement may be that unlike the miracles of other Prophets such as converting a staff into a serpent and bringing the dead to life which definitely do not belong to the category of human acts, the miracle of Muhammad (Peace be on him and his progeny) being a sort of learned speech and dissertation, belongs to that category, but it is still superhuman, having sprung from a supernatural source. Should this interpretation be what is intended, and it should be, then this statement in itself is an admission that

there exists what is supernatural and extra-ordinary and that there are things which are unseen and unknown. Then why should we think of a miracle as if it is something mythical and irrational. Why should we not from the very beginning distinguish between the miracles on the one hand and the myths and superstitions on the other, so that the less-informed people may not form that impression of the miracles which we do not want them to form. Why instead of saying clearly and in a straightforward manner that the Book of the Prophet of Islam is a miracle, should in a roundabout way say that his miracle is a Book?

In one of the last works of the same writer an article has been published under the heading: 'The Qur’an and the Computer'. This article may be considered to be a correction of his earlier view about the miraculousness of the Holy Qur'an and a sign of the


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gradual development of his thinking.

In this article he has proposed the replacement of the letters of the Holy Qur'an by the computerized signs and the use of this great manifestation of human culture for the discovery of the Qur'anic knowledge. This is a timely and sound suggestion. The writer has hinted at the endeavours made and being made by some Egyptian and Iranian scholars in this field. He has also made an interesting discourse under the caption: 'How to Prove the Inimitability of the Qur'an'.

In this article he has referred to a valuable book entitled, 'The Process of the Development of the Qur'an', which has lately been published and in which its learned author has proved that the size and the length of the verses and the words revealed to the Holy Prophet in over 23 years form and exact and regular curve. Commenting on the discovery

made in this book the writer says: "Is there any speaker in the world the year of whose sentences may be ascertained from their length, especially when these sentences do not form the text of any literary or scientific book produced by an author in a regular manner?

In contrast, they are the sentences which came from time to time on the lips of a man over a long period of twenty-three years of his busy life. They do not form a book written on a particular subject, nor do they pertain to even any pre-conceived field. They cover multifarious questions which arose in society from time to time. Some of them answer the specific queries made, and some others deal with the problems that came up in the course of a long-drawn struggle. They were revealed to a great leader and were collected and arranged later".

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The significance of fasting in Islam can be deduced from many verses of The Holy Qur'an. For example, the verses 2:45 reads: "And take recourse in patience and prayer, and it is indeed hard except for the humble".

Based on several narrations, "patience" has been interpret-ed as fasting due to the fact that fasting, consisting of abandoning certain acts such as eating and drinking for part of the day is one of the best forms of patience. Muslims have been advised by the narrations to resort to fasting when confronted with chal-lenging problems and difficul-ties.

Although fasting is deeply connected to the month of Ramadan, it is an important act of worship by itself that cab be performed outside Ramadan as well. Except for two forbidden days, fasting is a recommended deed

throughout the year, especial-ly in certain months such as Rajab and Sha'ban and on certain days such as Mondays and Thursdays.

Moreover the month of Ramadan, regardless of fasting, provides a great opportunity to give even to those upon whom fasting is not incumbent an opportunity to benefit from countless merits of this month. Interest-ingly, this opportunity is not confined to mature people, for Islamic narrations state that a fetus in his/her mother's womb or an immature child can participate in this banquet of Allah (SWT). Furthermore, sleeping is not regarded as an impediment for one's share of the excellence of the month of Ramadan.

Month of Ramadan as

described by the Holy

Prophet of Islam

In a well-known sermon delivered by the Holy Prophet

The Merits of Fasting and the

Month of Ramadan

By: Mohammad Ali Shomali


23

of Islam (S) in the last Friday of the month of Sha'ban, he emphasized:

شھر يکمالناس انه قد اقبل ال ایھا ة.و المغفر ةو الرحم ةالله بالبرک

"Oh people! Month of Allah has come toward you bringing divine blessing, mercy and forgiveness".[1]

The subtle point in this phrase is the fact that these three divine offerings are not granted to the people at the end of this month; rather, these are the special gifts of the month of Ramadan from the very day it begins.

The Holy prophet continued:

"This is the month in which you have been invited to the banquet of Allah". [2]

According to the wording of the above phrase, people are "invited" to this banquet. Therefore, in order for one to enter such an auspicious banquet, he should accept this invitation and act upon it.

Generally speaking, while "banquet" is understood as

requiring something to eat, drink and may also include some kind of entertainment, the "banquet of Allah" is essentially different. Fasting is a condition for one in order to receive the special gifts granted by Allah (SWT) in this banquet.

Essential elements of a

banquet

For grasping the character of divine banquet, we should first note that every banquet consists of four essential elements:

1. When you are invited you will not be rejected. Thus, the host is expected to welcome his guest; otherwise, an "invitation" is meaningless when the invitee is denied of reception. Accordingly, when Allah (SWT) invites His servants to the banquet of Ramadan, the gates of His mercy will be opened to those who accept the invitation.

2. When you enter the venue of the banquet, you will be treated with honor and


24

respect. Although every person who has been let in is not competent of being respected, the same is not true for the one who has been invited as a guest. In light of this fact, one may understand the following statement in the above-mentioned sermon:

"In this month, you are made of those people whom Allah respects and honors".[3]

3. When you go to a banquet you will be given or shown something without payment. In other words, you expect to gain something without return. Correspondingly, in the banquet of Ramadan, Allah (SWT) not only rewards our actions generously, but also entertains His guests with various bounties without them doing something so much so that He counts the sleep of His guests as an act of worship and their breaths as His glorification, as explicitly stated in the same sermon:

"Your breaths in it (the month of Ramadan) are glorification

(of God) and your sleep in it is worship".[4]

4. When you are invited to a party, you naturally expect to meet the host and consider his absence as a humiliation. Accordingly, when Allah (SWT) invites His servant to His banquet, by nature, He is ready to show Himself to His guests and meet them.

"This is the month in which you have been invited to the banquet of Allah." This part of the sermon inspires the fact that this blessing has been dedicated to the month of Ramadan. The Holy Prophet of Islam added:

"In the sight of Allah, this month is the best month, its days are the best days, its nights are the best nights and its hours are the best hours".[5]

Although this month's promi-nence over others involves that its days, nights and hours are the best as well, by mentioning these three phrases independently, the


25

Prophet emphasized that every portion of this month is better than its counterpart in every other month.

Recommendations for the

month of Ramadan

The sermon continues by several instructions:

"O people! The gates of heaven are open in this month. So ask your Lord not to close them".[6]

The phrase, ‘the gates of heaven being open’ has at least two meanings:

I. The chance of the one to deserve entering heaven is more in this blessed month than the other months.

II. Due to the openness of heaven’s gates, all kinds of divine mercy in heaven are ready to encompass the servants in this world, angels are permitted to come to their presence and the breeze of heaven blow into this world. These make the sleep and breaths of the faithful in the month of Ramadan like the

inhabitants of heaven glorifi-cation of God and worship.

Although the gates of heaven are open, the Holy Prophet warns people that if they do not appreciate such a great opportunity, subsequently Allah (SWT) will close them. The situation of the gates of fire is quite the contrary:

"And the gates of the fire are closed. So ask your Lord not to open them".[7]

Along these lines, the condi-tion of satans is described as follows:

"And satans are in chains. So ask your Lord not to dominate them over you".[8]

Although Satan and his assistants are chained up in this month, committing sins results in releasing them. Therefore, while the month of Ramadan is the best month in itself, for a group of people, this month is worse than the other months just as the Holy Qur'an is "a cure and mercy for the faithful; and it increas-


26

es the wrongdoers only in loss". (17:82)

The fourth Holy Imam, Imam Sajjad, (a.s.) in his farewell supplication for the holy month of Ramadan declares:

"O month of Ramadan! Peace be upon you! How long you were for wrongdoers and how awesome you were in the hearts of the faithful!" [9]

As implied by this supplication and as proved by the experi-ence, the month of Ramadan, for those who do not fast deliberately and without any religious excuse, seems like a whole year and every moment of it is a kind of torture for them. On the contrary, those who do their best to appreci-ate this month find it passing quickly and are concerned about losing a second without taking the full benefit of it.

Another instruction offered by the Holy Prophet in his Shabaniyyah sermon is:

"When you feel hungry and thirsty in this month remem-

ber the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment". [10]

Tolerating thirst and hunger in this world is so difficult. We must then ponder upon the fact that the thirst and hunger in the hereafter last for years and years or for some groups of people forever. Additional-ly, in this world, death may be regarded as a solution for intolerable thirst and hunger, but in the next world, eternal life turns this solution into a useless one. In this regard, Chapter 43 Verse 77 reads:

"They will call out," O Mālik! [the name of the guardian of the hell] Let your Lord finish us off!" He will say," Indeed you will stay on".

According to the Holy Qur'an, there is no death for wrong-doers in the hereafter and even when their skin is burnt a new one will be replaced so the punishment of the hereaf-ter is always experienced as a fresh one! Chapter 4 Verse 56 reads: "Surely those who disbelieved in Our Signs and


27

Miracles, We shall cast them into the Fire. As often as their skins are roasted wholly, we shall change them for other skins that they may taste the punishment. Verily, Allah is the Invincible-Mighty, Wise".

Thus, when compared to the chastisement of the dooms-day, worldly pains can be regarded as nothing. It has been recorded in history that during the caliphate of Imam Ali (a.s.), when his blind brother 'Aqil asked him to grant him an additional portion of public treasury due to his severe poverty, the Holy Imam (a.s.) brought a hot piece of metal near ‘Aqil. Feeling the hotness of it, 'Aqil protested: "Are you going to burn me?" "No!" Imam replied. "You cried because of a metal made hot by a human being for fun. Then, how do you expect me not to cry for the fire prepared by Allah (SWT) due to His anger?"

Beside reminding us of the hereafter, the thirst and hunger during the month of

Ramadan reminds those who fast of poor people experienc-ing the same feelings during whole days of their life and encourages those who fast to spend some portion of their properties in the way of Allah (SWT) and for the sake of needy people.

Some narrations regarding

fasting

The Holy Prophet of Islam (S) is quoted as saying:

"Verily Allah (SWT) has appointed some angels only in order to pray for the people who fast. Gabriel has in-formed me that Allah (SWT) has said: "I have not com-manded my angels to pray for one of my creatures, unless I have accepted their prayers for him."[11]

The sixth Holy Imam, Imam Sadiq (A) has stated:

"When a person fasts on a hot day for the sake of Allah and becomes thirsty, Allah (SWT) sends 1000 angels to touch his/her face and give him/her


28

glad tidings up to the time of breaking the fast when Allah (SWT) tells him/her:

"How nice you smell! What a pleasant soul you possess! O my angels! Bear witness that I have forgiven him/her."[12]

Based on narrations like this, everything that seems bad in this world is not necessarily the same in the hereafter and vice versa. Therefore, alt-hough the person who fasts his mouth may smell bad in this world, he has a pleasant odor for Allah (SWT) and the residents of heaven. On the other hand, a woman smelling nicely for non-mahram men will not be the same in the world to come. Thus, realities are not necessarily what appear to us in this world.

- According to a very famous tradition narrated by both Sunni and Shi'ite scholars, the Holy Prophet said:

Allah (SWT) said: "fasting is for me and I am the one who rewards for it”. [13]

The content of this narration has been widely discussed among the scholars. While all worships are for Allah (SWT) and rewarded by Him, the Almighty, why has fasting been appropriated a special position in this narration?

Three answers might be suggested here:

1. The first reason is that fasting is the abandoning of some acts; thus, it is the only worship that is not seen or known by anyone.

2. Another reason, as sug-gested by some scholars, is the fact that during the history, all kinds of worship (praying, pilgrimage, giving alms, sacrifice, and so on) have been offered to idols and false gods and the only exception among the acts of worship is fasting since no one has ever fasted for anyone or anything other than Allah (SWT).

3. The third reason is the special relationship between fasting and Allah (SWT) just


29

as we call some days as the days of Allah (SWT) and some places as the house of Allah (SWT), even though every time and place belong to Him. This meaning implies the special mercy of Allah (SWT) for those who fast.

The same implication is true with the next phrase which says:

"And I am the one who rewards for it."

When some workers are employed by a person he may give their wage to his agent to distribute among them. However, if the job is a special one he may personally hand the wages out to them. Similarly, Allah (SWT) without any mediation rewards those who fast.

It is noteworthy to mention that the Arabic term " یاجز " in the above-mentioned narra-tion can be read in both active and passive forms. According to the latter, the narration gives another meaning:

"Fasting is for me and I am its reward!"

Thus, the one who fasts has Allah (SWT) with him/her as the reward of his/her act of worship just as the guest of a banquet who expects the host to welcome and meet him/her.

Notes:

1. Al-Amāli by Saduq, p. 93.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid. p. 95.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.

9. Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjādiyyah, supplication no. 45.

10. Al-Amāli by Saduq, p. 93.

11. Wasā'il al-Shi‘ah, vol. 10, p. 396.

12. Ibid. P. 409

13. Ibid. p.400

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It was Ramadan, 19th 40 A.H. at the dawn, he was wounded by the most black-hearted man in the world named 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn Muljam Muradi and was martyred three days later on Ramadan 21st.

As reported by Ibn Sa'd, three Kharijites called 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn Muljam, Burak Ibn 'Abd Allah Tamimi and 'Amr Ibn Bukayr Tamimi allied in Mecca to kill Imam 'Ali (a), Mu'awiya and 'Amr Ibn 'As.

To visit his Kharijites' friends, 'Abd al-Rahman went to Kufa. Once he went to meet a group from the tribe of “Taym al-Rabbab”, he saw a girl called Qutam Bint Shajanna Ibn 'Adi whose father and brothers had been killed in Nahrawan. When Ibn Muljam proposed to her, she declared that her marriage portion should be 3000 Dinar in addition to Imam 'Ali's mur-der. He told that by accident with this very aim he had traveled to Kufa. [1]

He smeared his sword with poison and attacked the Imam on the head. The deepness of the wound as well as the poison of the sword martyred Imam. [2]

Various narrations indicate that Imam was attacked by Ibn Muljam inside the mosque. [3] In accordance to other ones, he attacked Imam while he was waking people up for prayer. [4] Many historical sources have referred to the former alt-hough many reports recorded say Imam was attacked while doing prayer.

Maytham Tammar had reported that Imam had started his Dawn Prayer and no sooner had he recited eleven verses of the Sura of “the Prophets” than Ibn Muljam wounded Imam on the head. [5] As narrated by one of Ju'da Ibn Hubayra's descendants, Imam was wounded while doing his prayer. [6]

Imam Ali’s Martyrdom

By: Hujjat-ul-Islam wal Muslimeen Rasul Ja'fariyan


31

The man above-mentioned, Ju'da, had been Umm Hani's son who every so often had led the prayers as a substitute leader and narratedly he had been the one who completed the prayer when Imam was attacked. Shiykh Tusi has also confirmed the aforesaid narration. [7] Yet, Muttaqi Hindi's report had been that Ibn Muljam had hit Imam when Imam was prostrating back. [8]

Ibn Hanbal [9] together with Ibn 'Asakir [10] has confirmed the report. Ibn 'Abd al-Barr stated that there had been no consensus on whether Imam was attacked while doing the prayer or before it and whether any one substituted him or he himself led the prayer to the end. Many are of the opinion that Imam had Ju'da Ibn Hubayra lead the incomplete prayer. [11]

A great number of hadiths have been narrated by the Holy Prophet's Household and the Sunnis concerning how Imam felt during the night

before being wounded. Ibn Abi l-Dunya quoted Imam al-Baqir (a) as saying that Imam had been fully aware of his martyrdom. [12] As soon as being injured, Imam shouted out, فزت ورب الكعبة “By the Lord of the Ka'ba, to salvation I reached.” [13]

Ibn Abi l-Dunya has narrated Imam's will in different ways which included both financial and religious issues. The salient issues recommended by Imam were as follows: Observation of kinship, heed to the orphans and the neighbors, following the guidelines of the Holy Qur’an, performing prayers as the pillar of the religion, Hajj, fasting, Jihad, Zakat (tax alms) following the Holy Prophet’s infallible Household, serving Allah’s servants, enjoining to good and forbid-ding from evil.

Reportedly, on Ramadan 21st, while Imam was whispering, w “There is no Godاله اw اللهbut Allah” and the verse of,

فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة خيراً يره


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ومن يعمل مثقال ذرة شراً يره“So he who has done an atom’s weight of good shall see it. And he who had done an atom’s weight of evil shall see it” Breathed his last. [14]

According to another narra-tion, after Imam's martyrdom, Imam Hasan (a) and Imam Husayn (a), Muhammad Ibn Hanafiyya, 'Abd Allah Ibn Ja’far as well as few numbers from the household took Imam (a) out of Kufa nightly and hiddenly from sight buried him. It was because the Kharijites and the Umay-yads might exhume Imam. [15]

Upon hearing the news of Imam 'Ali's martyrdom, a group of the Exaggerators in Ctesiphon did never believe their ears. This group is the initiator of the exaggerating thoughts among the Shi'ite Muslims whom we will ad-dress later. Ibn Abi l-Dunya's report in this respect referred to a person named Ibn as-Sawda' from the tribe of

Hamadan known as 'Abd Allah Ibn Saba'.

Elsewhere, the name of 'Abd Allah Ibn Wahb as-Saba'i, was mentioned and that such a claim had been made in Ctesiphon. [16] Both narra-tions reveal that the person had even been anonymous.

Imam ‘Ali’s Life

The analysis of Imam's lifestyle as a paragon seems beyond the possibility here; yet, we refer to some aspects for luck in brief.

Imam's political and social life is so exemplary that it can be deemed utopian. At times, so uniquely firm was he regard-ing divine decrees that not a single one could ever emulate him as he himself had pointed to it in a letter. [17]

For those yearning to be faithful to it, his lifestyle is a perfect pattern. Every time we can learn from it but the way is still too long to go. In other words, Imam's lifestyle has been the best during man's life. It belongs to a perfect


33

man who can indeed be called human and Allah's successor on the earth. Such an en-grossing life did he have that it had his friends reach the zenith of amity and his enemies reach the zenith of enmity in front of him.

In this regard, the Prophet (S) has stated:

يھلك فيك الرج�ن محب مفرط بغض مفرطوم

His withstanding for the sake of the path of Truth does incense the enemy that it makes him go to extremes whereas it does fan the blames of his friend's love that he may go to extremes. [18]

The one feeling affection for him can ascend as highly as the rank to be called a devot-ed Shi'ite Muslim but if he neglected slightly he would be affected by the exaggerating tendency. Rarely ever has it be seen that divinity be attributed to a person. 'Ali (a), however, in a community where Allah had underscored

the humanity of the prophet Muhammad (S) was targeted by such attribution although Imam opposed it severely.

Imam's asceticism is what overshadowed all his life. He was an ascetic man who turned back on anything though he was entitled to possess everything. A group asked about the most ascetic man in the presence of 'Umar Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz. Some named Abudhar and 'Umar but 'Umar Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz said:

)(عطالبأزھد الناس علي بن ابي

“No one is the most ascetic but 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib.” [19]

Imam not only associated with the poor but also behaved kindly towards them. [20] He was sometimes seen doing prayer or delivering a sermon wearing his one and the only shirt wet. Repeatedly, Imam has referred to his simple life in Nahj al-Balagha. Noticing that Imam ate very frugal food, one of his disciples told him,


34

أبالعراق تصنع ھذا؟ العراق أكثر … خيراً وأكثر طعاماً

“Do you eat such food in Iraq where the best food can be found?” [21]

Imam was the first one who practiced what he preached objecting to 'Uthman Ibn Hunayf in Nahj al-Balagha or in his public sermons concern-ing this worldly life.

Aswad Ibn Qays recounted that Imam 'Ali (a) fed the Kufiyans on the fertile land of the mosque but he himself ate the food in his house.

One of his disciples said, “I said to myself that 'Ali eats more delicious food at home than what he gives people. So I left my food half eaten and followed him. He called Fiďďa and asked her to prepare the food. She brought a loaf of bread and yogurt diluted with water. He dipped the pieces of bread in the liquid while it was with bran. I asked him why he had not asked for bread baked with flour without bran. Shedding tears,

he answered, “By Allah, never ever bread without bran was found in the Prophet's house.” [22]

'Uqba Ibn 'Alqama narrated, ”When I met Imam 'Ali (a), there was sour yogurt diluted with water in front of him that was so sour and watery that it upset me. I asked him wheth-er he would eat it. O Aba l-Khabub, worse than this was the prophet's food and rougher than mine was his clothes.

Imam answered, “I fear if I did not do what he had done, I would never join him”. [23] When a special food was brought for Imam, Imam stated, “Never do I eat what the Prophet (S) had never eaten”. [24]

It does not imply that eating such food is unlawful but sheer act of following Allah's Messenger is of supreme importance for an Imam.

Presenting another example appears appropriate. As recounted by Abu l-Shiykh


35

Ansari, born in 369, Imam appointed 'Amr Ibn Salama as the governor of Isfahan. When setting out for Kufa, 'Amr was intercepted by the Kharijites. With the tributes and the gifts, he had to settle in Hulwan. As soon as the Kharijites went away, he left the tributes in Hulwan and took the gifts with him to Kufa.

Imam ordered him to lay them on the fertile land by Kufa Mosque and then distribute among Muslims. Umm Kul-thum, Imam's daughter, sent for 'Amr to send her some honey brought. He sent her two cans then.

When Imam came to the mosque for prayer, he real-ized that the honeys were two less. He called 'Amr and asked where the two others were. He answered, “Do not ask what happened”, then he went and brought two cans of honey and added to them.

Imam repeated, “I only wanted to know what hap-pened to those two”.

“Umm Kulthum demanded to send honey to her”, answered 'Amr.

“Not have I told you to distribute the gifts among people?” Imam asked.

He sent for her to send the honey back. When brought back a little was consumed. He sent for the traders to estimate the price of the subtracted amount. It was three or so dhms. Imam sent for Umm Kulthum to pay for it. Then, the honey was distributed among Muslims. [25]

Numerous examples can be found in al-Gharat and other books.

It is Imam's own statement,

أنا الذي أھنت الدنيا

“I am the one who despised this world.” [26]

Notes:

1. Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 3, pp

35-38

2. Maqtal al-imam Amir al-

Mu‘minin, p. 36, No 13

3. Ibid p. 29, No 4; p. 35, No 12


36

4. Ibid pp 28,33, No 11

5. Ibid p. 30, No 5

6. Ibid p. 30, No 6

7. Al-Amali, al-Juz‘ al-thalith,

No 18

8. Kanz al-’Ummal, vol. XV, p.

170 (2nd edition); al-Amali fi

Athar sahaba, pp 103-104

9. Al-Faďa’il, p. 38, No 63

(published in Qum

10. Tarjamat al-imam ‘Ali Ibn Abi

Talib (a), vol. III, p. 361 (2nd

edition

11. Al-Isti‘ab (in the margin of al-

Isaba), vol. III, p. 59

12. Al-Isti‘ab pp 33-34, No 12;

Abu Nu‘aym along with

many others have narrated

that the Prophet had already

foretold his martyrdom

Ma‘rifat As-Sahaba, vol. I, pp

295-296

13. Ibid p. 39, No 20; footnote,

al-Imamah wa’l-Siyasah, p.

160, Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. II,

p. 499

14. Maqtal al-imam Amir al-

Mu‘minin, pp 45-46

15. Ibid p. 79, No 68

16. Ibid p. 92, No 85; p. 96, No

91

17. Nahj al-Balaghah, letter 45

18. This Hadith is the one

repeated many times Imam

also stated,

يھلك فيك الرج�ن، محب مبغض مفرط مفرط و

19. Two people are murdered

for me, extremist friend and

hardline foe Nahj al-

Balaghah, sermon 127

20. Al-Mi‘yar wa l-muwazina, p.

240

21. Ibid p. 240

22. Ibid p. 244

23. Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. II p.

187; al-Gharat, vol. I, pp

85,87,88

24. Al-Gharat, vol. I, p. 85

25. Ibid pp 88-89; the footnotes

of the same pages

26. Tabaqat al-Muhaddithin bi-

Isbahan, vol. I, Akhbar

Isbahan, vol. I, p. 72

27. Hayat As-Sahaba, vol. II, p.

310

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The Light of Imamate towered over the world from the houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be re-membered in them. A good, pure branch came out of the great tree of the prophethood and Imamate. Through this branch Allah made exalted the entity of Islam, built the edifice of faith and made peace between two great parties.

The grandson of the Prophet (a.s), the master of the youths of the Garden, came to the world of existence in the month of Ramadan when the Qur’an was revealed. It was in the second or the third year of hijra. The appearance of Allah’s Apostle (a.s) was seen through the appearance of the newborn child. The Prophet’s merits and good qualities were present in him.

When the news of that Truthful Fatima gave birth to the blessed newborn child,

waves of delight and rejoicing covered the heart of the Prophet (a.s). He hurried to the house of his daughter, the dearest one to him from among his children. He congratulated her on her blessed newborn child, congratulated his cousin Imam Ali, and gave the newborn child some of his noble qualities, whose scent covered the whole world. When the, Prophet (a.s) reached Imam Ali’s house, he called out: “O Asma’, give me my (grand) son!”

Asma’ hurried and handed him the baby wrapped in a yellow piece of cloth, so he said to her: “Did I not tell you not to wrap the newborn child with a yellow piece of cloth!”

The Prophet (a.s) cut off the baby’s navel and pressed the baby to his bosom. Then he raised his hands towards the heaven and invoked Allah for him, saying: “O Allah, I commend him and his off-

The Life of Imam Al-Hasan Al-Mujtaba

By: Allama Baqir Shareef al-Qurashi


38

spring into Your protection from the accursed Satan!”

Rites at the Birth of a

Child

The Prophet (a.s) performed for his newborn child the ceremonies and rites, which are as follows:

1. The azan and the iqama

The Prophet (a.s) recited the azan in the baby’s right ear and the iqama in his left ear. It has been mentioned in a tradition: “Most surely per-forming such a rite protects the child from the accursed Satan.” The Prophet, the best one of Adam’s children (a.s) whispered wonderful words in the ear of his newborn child, that he might receive the world of existence through the highest thing in it. The first words to knock on his ear were those of his grandfather, the Prophet (a.s), the cause of beings and master of creatures. These words were: “Allah is great! There is no god but Allah!”

With these words full of faith Allah’s Apostle (a.s) received his grandson. He planted them in the depth of his soul and with them he supplied his feelings and sentiments, that they might be a hymn in his life in this world.

2. The Name

The Prophet (a.s) turned to Imam Ali, who was happy and delighted, and asked him: “Have you given a name to the blessed child?”

“I do not want to precede you, O Allah’s Apostle,” replied the Imam.

The Prophet (a.s) said: “I do not want to precede my Lord!”

Some minutes later, the Revelation called out the Prophet (a.s) and carried to him the name from Allah, the Exalted. Gabriel said to him: “Name him Hasan!”

Indeed, it was one of the best names. It is sufficient for the name to be beautiful and good is that the Wise Creator


39

has chosen it. Its beautiful utterance might be a proof of its beautiful meaning.

3. Aqiqa

Seven days after the birth, the Prophet (a.s) headed for the house of Imam Ali (a.s) that he might honor his grandson. He ordered a ram to be sacrificed for his grandson and ordered a leg of it to be given to the midwife. His community has followed his deed after him.

4. Shaving the Hair

The Prophet (a.s) shaved the hair of his blessed grandson with his own hand. Then he gave silver as much as the weight of the cut hair to the poor. Then he perfumed al-Hasan’s hair with al-khuluq. Indeed, we have not seen affection and kindness similar to that (of the Prophet toward his grandson).

5. Circumcision

The Prophet (a.s) ordered his grandson to be circumcised on the seventh day of his

birth. Circumcising a male baby at that time was good and it made a male child purer.

6. His kunya (surname)

The Prophet (a.s) gave him the kunya of Abu Muhammad. Al-Hasan had no kunya other than this. With this deed all the rites of birth the Prophet (a.s) performed for his eldest son ended.

His Nicknames

Al-Hasan (a.s) was given the nicknames of al-Sibt (the grandson), al-Zaki (the pure), al-Mujtaba (the chosen), al-Sayyid (the master), and al-Taqi (the pious).

His Features

As for his features, they were similar to that of his grandfa-ther the Prophet (a.s). Anas bin Malik said: “No one was more similar to the Prophet than al-Hasan bin Ali.” The traditionists have mentioned al-Hasan’s form, which was similar to that of his grandfa-ther (S). They have said: “He


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was white with black eyes. He had long, thick hair. His limbs were great. His shoulders were wide. His hair was curly and his beard was thick. His neck was as white as silver.” These features are similar to those of the Prophet (a.s) according to the features the narrators have mentioned. Al-Hasan was similar to his grandfather in form; likewise, he was similar to him in his noble moral traits.

The Prophet (S) saw that his grandson al-Hasan was a copy of him. He was similar to him in manner and high soul. He was a firebrand of his bril-liance. He would guide his community after him to the way of the truth and direct people to the straight path. The Prophet (S) came to know that al-Hasan would achieve all his ideal aims in life. So he poured onto him a ray from his great soul. He took great care of him and honored him. He poured onto him love and kindness since his birth and childhood. In

detail we will deal with all kinds of care and honor issued from the Prophet (a.s) toward al-Hasan during his childhood and youth.

Cleverness & Genius

Without doubt, righteous education plays an important role in forming the child and in developing his or her mental faculties. Likewise, the parents’ conduct has a great effect on developing their children’s cleverness and general behavior. All these vital elements were available to al-Hasan (a.s) during his childhood. The Prophet (a.s) took great care of educating his grandson and gave him his noble qualities. Imam Ali, the Commander of the faithful (a.s) supplied him with his wise maxims and ideals. Fatima, the principal of all women, planted in her son virtue and perfection. Accord-ingly, al-Hasan’s childhood was high and a model of human perfection, a title of highness and education, a


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symbol of cleverness and genius.

Some psychologists believe that the child greatly imitates others in habits, mental and moral qualities, the general attitude he or she takes toward others, the general viewpoint through which he or she ponders on life or work. Sometimes imitation is conscious and deliberate; however, in most cases, it is unconscious. So when the child imitates educated people, he or she will follow their ethics and sentiments. In the first place this effect is an imitation, but it quickly becomes a habit; the habit is a second nature. The imita-tion is one of the two ways through which individual qualities are acquired and the personal manners are formed.

According to this viewpoint, Imam al-Hasan (a.s) was the first person in his mental and moral qualities, for he grew up in the House of the Revela-tion and was brought up in the School of the monothe-

ism. Moreover, he saw his grandfather, who was the most perfect person in the world, always build an edifice for justice, virtue, and perfec-tion. He encompassed people with his noble moral traits, gathered them around the word of Oneness (of Allah). That impressed al-Hasan, the Prophet’s grandson, and he followed the deeds of his grandfather in advising and guiding the people. During their childhood, al-Hasan and al-Husayn (a.s) passed by an old man. The old man could not perform the ritual ablution well. So their high soul and their kindness did not let them leave the old man ignorant of performing the ritual ablution well. They made an informal dispute and they said to each other: “You do not perform the ritual ablution well!” Then they calmly turned to the old man and appointed him as an arbitrator between them. They said to him: “O Sheikh (i.e., an old man), each of us will perform the ritual ablution


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before you, and you decide which of the two ablutions is better.” They performed the ablution before him, and he carefully considered it. Accordingly, the old man paid attention to his mistake without any disdain, and then he said to them: “My masters, you both perform the ritual ablution well. However, I am an ignorant old man. I do not perform the ablution well. I have learned it from you and repented at your hands!”

This deed clearly shows us that the Prophet (a.s) guided the people through sound ways and noble moral traits. This way impressed al-Hasan (a.s) during his childhood, to the extent that it became among his qualities and natures.

Some psychologists believe that individual manner is inherited, that it has an important effect on forming man’s ethics, and that it is not less in importance than imitation. Heksil says: “All effects and qualities of the

organic being belong to heredity or to environment. Hereditary formation deter-mines the bounds of that which is possible. And the environment decides that this possibility will be achieved. Therefore, the hereditary formation is mere the ability to react with any environment through a special way.”

Jinjiz has confirmed this theory, saying: “Everyone has hidden hereditary forces, but the appearance of each of them depends on the circum-stances surrounding these forces during their growth.”

The rule of heredity decides that Imam al-Hasan (a.s) was on top of those who got this phenomenon. He inherited the spiritual forces and the great, reformative wealth of his grandfather (a.s). Besides, the righteous environment his family and the good, right-eous Muslims created had an influence on him.

Due to his heredity, Imam al-Hasan (a.s) got cleverness and high reflection that none


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had got. The narrators have reported traditions on his early genius, saying: “Al-Hasan memorized all things he read. He attended the meetings of his grandfather (S) and memorized the Revelation. Then he went to his mother and told her about it. She told Imam Ali (a.s) and he admired that and asked her:

“From where have you brought this (revelation)?”

“From your son, al-Hasan!’”

Imam Ali (a.s) hid himself in a corner of the house, that he might listen to his son. As usual al-Hasan came and told his mother about the verses of the revelation he had memorized. He was unable to speak, so his mother asked him: “O my little son, why are you unable to speak?”

“Mother, do not be astonished at what has befallen me,” replied al-Hasan, “for the Most High (Allah) looks after me.”

This attitude is a proof of al-Hasan’s great cleverness

through which he saw the distant and unknown things.

His Memorizing of Tradi-

tions

Though al-Hasan (a.s) was four years old, he memorized many traditions he heard from his grandfather (a.s). We will mention some traditions he narrated from his grandfather:

* Umar bin Ma’mun narrated, saying: “I have heard al-Hasan, son of Ali (a.s) say: ‘Whoever offers the morning prayer and sits in his place of praying until the sun rises shall have a veil from the Fire.” Or he said: “A curtain from the Fire.”

* A companion of his asked him: “What do you remember of Allah’s Apostle (S)?” He (a.s) replied: “I took one of the dates given as alms. I put it into my mouth. He (the Prophet) took it out (of my mouth). So I asked him: ‘What is the matter with this date?’ ‘It is not lawful for us, Muhammad’s family, to take something given as alms.”

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The Supplication of Abi Hamza al-Thumali is narrated from Imam Sajjad (a) and is one of the most precious and well-known of prayers, enjoying a high status amongst great scholars. Abi Hamza al-Thumali, the narrator of this beautiful du'a, was one of the prominent students of Imam Zayn al-'Abidin (a) and this du'a has been named after him.

We should acknowledge and appreciate the great role of the narrators of hadiths and du'as from the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his household (a) such as Abi Hamza al-Thumali, Kumayl al-Nakha'i and so on and ask God, the Almighty, to cover them with His mercy.

According to Islamic hadiths, a person should pass on their knowledge and understanding to future generations who may indeed then take more benefit from the knowledge

they have thus received and have a better and more complete understanding of it. Regarding this, the Noble Prophet of Islam (s) has been quoted as saying:

How many are those who are not learned but pass on a piece of knowledge to others and how many are those who are learned but pass on their knowledge to those who are more learned than them.[1]

In any case, one of the most precious pieces of supplication that we have received from the Ahl al-Bayt (a) is the well-known Supplication that Abu Hamza has narrated from the fourth Imam (a). In what follows, we will try to refer briefly to the sources of the supplication and some of its major points very briefly.

According to Abi Hamza, Imam Sajjad (a) used to recite this supplication during each night of the month of

Reflections on the Supplication of Abi Hamzah al-Thumali

By: Mohammad Ali Shomali


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Ramadan near dawn after spending the greater part of the night engaged in prayer and supplicating God.

Some of the Major Points

in this Supplication

1) One of the major ideas mentioned in this supplication is how to find a balance between hope and fear. Throughout the supplication, this idea is often repeated and focused on in beautiful and eloquent ways. On the one hand, we find ourselves burdened by so many sins that cause us to be fearful about not deserving the mercy of God.

When we look at our myriad problems, our bad actions and behavior and how we have misspent our life, then our hope starts to diminish. On the other hand, when we take into consideration the vast ocean of God's mercy and generosity and the way in which He treats sinful people, we become hopeful once again. Therefore, we should

be hopeful, not by virtue of our own actions but, rather, by virtue of the mercy of our Lord, whilst simultaneously we should be fearful, not of God but due to our own actions.

2) In this supplication, refer-ence is also made to all the different types of needs and requests of human beings, including requests for both this world and the world to come, for oneself, for one's family and friends and for society at large. This is a particularly good supplication from the aspect of fulfilling our needs because so many different types of needs have been mentioned that if we manage to ask for everything in it then we will have covered everything necessary.

3) One of the frequently mentioned requests in this supplication is to be granted the blessing of taking part in the rituals of the greater pilgrimage (hajj). One of the things that is decided in the Month of Ramadan and more


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specifically in the Night of Qadr is the list of those who will be able to perform hajj. Therefore, in this supplication and some other supplications of this month, this request is mentioned.

4) This supplication serves very well in reducing our sense of pride and self-admiration ('ujb). It illustrates our absolute need and weak-ness. One of the requests that has been repeatedly men-tioned is for God's for-giveness.

5) Imam Sajjad (a) eloquently mentions different types of the blessings that God has bestowed on us so far in order to develop a deep sense of gratitude and thankfulness in us which is indeed one of the most important qualities that we should endeavor to achieve.

6) In this supplication, Imam (a) also tries to illustrate the situation that we will face after death in order to en-courage and motivate us to remember our death and

work harder for the hereafter. For example, in one part of the supplication, Imam Sajjad (a) says:

"O' my Lord! Even if You tied me with the chains of hell and You deprived me of Your flowing stream (of favors) from between the witnesses (of the day of Judgment) and You pointed out my scandals to the eyes of Your wor-shipers and You ordered me into hell and You isolated me from the company of the faithful, my hope in You would not end and I would not lose my reassurance of Your pardon and my love for You would not depart from my heart".

This reminds us of the possi-bility of actually facing those horrible things due to our own actions and because we deserve it and certainly not because God does not love us and does not want to be merciful towards us.

Therefore, we would become more alert and conscious of


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our death and resurrection and accountability before God on the Day of Judgment. Of course, we should always remain hopeful and remember the way He has treated us so far. Imam (a) then continues:

"I do not forget the helping hand You bestowed upon me and Your protection of my secrets in life".

So we should not forget everything that God has done for us during our lifetime even if He punishes us.

7) Imam Sajjad (a) offers up his requests:

"O my Master! Remove the adoration of worldliness from my heart".

We ask God to remove this love for worldly affairs be-cause it has been considered as the main source of all sins, mistakes and problems.

8) In this supplication, we ask God, the Almighty, to let us be with the Prophet Muham-mad (S) and his household (a):

"And unite me with Mustafa (S) and his family (a), the dearest of Your creatures and the last of the prophets, Muhammad, Peace from God upon him and his family".

9) This request is followed by two important requests, that is, to be elevated to the station of repentance and to be assisted by being able to cry for one's self:

"And transfer me to the level of repentance to You and help me to cry for myself".

Repentance occupies a very high position in Islam. It is considered as a divine bless-ing and a sign of great divine assistance to be able to cry for ourselves about all the mistakes we have committed and to ask for forgiveness. The most incapable people are those who cannot cry when they remember the Day of Judgment, their sins, God's mercy, and so on.

Imam Sajjad (a) continues by describing his situation and why he needs to cry:


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"For I have wasted my life away with procrastination and false hopes".

Taswif or procrastination is the state when someone postpones crucial decisions such as repentance and doing righteous deeds. Satan deceives us into postponing such decisions until the month of Ramadan and then during this blessed month, he beguiles us again into leaving it to the day of Eid al-Fitr and then on that day, he whispers to us to delay it further until the day of 'Arafah and so on. Thus we keep postponing changing ourselves in order to become good and faithful people and we keep holding on to dreams that are not realistic.

"And now I have come to You hopeless about my goodness".

When a person persists in postponing such important decisions or in making them but then not keeping to them, they will eventually become completely disappointed with themselves.

Then Imam (a) continues with a passage which should help us to lose our pride in our-selves and to be prepared to cry over our poor situation:

"Who is worse off than me, if now in my present state I pass on to a grave which I have not prepared for my repose and have not lined with good deeds for my slumber".

The grave will be people's residing place for a long time. Therefore it requires proper preparation in advance and, faith and good deeds are the very preparations which furnish one's grave.

Then Imam (a) explains further why he cannot stop weeping:

"And why would I not weep, for I have no knowledge of my fate and I observe my self-deceiving itself and my days are fading away and the wings of death have flapped close by".

"So why wouldn't I weep? I weep about surrendering my


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life, I weep because of the darkness of my grave, I weep because of the narrowness of my grave, I weep about my questioning by Munkar and Nakir (the names of the two angels that question the dead after they have been laid in their grave), I weep about leaving my grave (in the hereafter) naked, humiliated and carrying my book (of deeds) on my back, once I look to the right and once to the left and I discover that today people have concerns other than me, for every person that day has a concern of his own and on that day some faces are bright, laugh-ing and joyful whilst other faces are dusty, burdened with submission and humility".

In the above passage, Imam Sajjad (a) enumerates five difficult aspects of human life on which everyone should reflect and about which they should weep if they are not prepared for them:

1. The day when our soul leaves our body. It is one of

the most difficult moments for a human being to such an extent that one is not even able to speak at that time.

2. The darkness of the grave.

3. The narrowness of the grave.

4. The time when the angels come to the grave in order to question us.

5. The time when we come out of our graves with no clothing, carrying the burdens of our actions.

In a reflective part of the supplication, by recounting the divine blessings he has received, Imam Sajjad (a) describes himself and enu-merates his shortcomings:

"O Master! I am the young one whom You raised, And I am the ignorant one whom You educated, And I am the misled whom You guided, And I am the humiliated whom You elevated, And I am the frightened one whom You safeguarded, And the hungry one whom You fed, And the


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thirsty whose thirst You quenched, And the naked whom You clothed, And the poor one whom You made wealthy, And the weak one whom You strengthened, And the insignificant one whom You honoured, And the sick whom You cured, And the beggar to whom You provided charity, And the sinner whose secret You have protected, And the wrong doer whom You aided, And I am the little (creature) You made more significant, And the oppressed whom You made victorious, And I am the escapee to whom You gave refuge. [2]

10) Imam Sajjad (a) then explains the reasons why a believer may commit some sins and at the end of this passage invokes God as being his only hope in such a situation:

"O my Lord! I did not disobey You when I did because I rejected Your divinity, nor because I belittled Your commands, nor that I was daringly challenging Your

punishment, nor that I did not appreciate Your forewarning. Yet the mistake has occurred, and my ego misled me, and my sinful desires were victori-ous over me, and my misery contributed to it, and Your protective veil over my sins lured me. For I have diso-beyed You and opposed You with my own will, and now from Your retribution who would rescue me, and from the hands of Your angels of punishment tomorrow (in the hereafter), who would redeem me, and on to whose rope do I hold if You cut off Your rope from me? So what a pity for what Your book has recorded about me.[3]

Notes:

1. Wasa'il al-Shi'a, vol. 27 pp. 89.

2. Wasa'il al-Shi'a, vol. 27 pp. 87-88.

3. Wasa'il al-Shi'a, vol. 27, pp. 88.

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Islam has defined certain laws and duties to be performed as religious rituals on specified days and nights. For all Muslims, the first of Shawwal (‘Eid al-Fitr), the tenth of Dhu’l-Hijjah (‘Eid al-Adhha), and Fridays are known to be days of performing certain Islamic rituals. On the first two days, considered the most celebrated feast days in Islam, a prayer similar to the congregational Friday Prayer is offered, but with a slight difference.

The ritual sermon is delivered after completing the prayer, while the sermon of the Friday Prayer is delivered prior to the performance of the prayer. The other difference is that the Friday Prayer is offered after midday, while the ‘Eid Prayer is offered during the early hours of the day.

On the two days of ‘Eid, it is obligatory to give alms under a certain title. On ‘Eid al-Fitr, a poor-rate called zakat al-

fitrah (fast-breaking rate) must be paid, and on ‘Eid al-Adhha, an offering must be made by a pilgrim who is performing the obligatory Hajj. Furthermore, it is highly recommended to give volun-tary alms on these days, especially in the form of slaughtering an animal as an offering by those other than pilgrims performing the Hajj. Other rituals and acts of worship, such as certain supplications and exchanging visits among brethren-in-faith and relatives, are also highly advised and customarily carried out by Muslims.

On Fridays, it is obligatory to hold the well-known Friday Prayer which is sometimes binding and at other times optional according certain conditions mentioned by scholars in their theses of practical laws (Risalah).

Suspending all their usual daily activities, Muslims dedicate the days of ‘Eid to

The Night of Power (Lailatul-Qadr)

By: Ayatullah Shaheed Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim


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acts of worship and righteous deeds.

The Night of Qadr is the most known amongst the nights specified for performing specific rituals. It is the night that Almighty Allah has bestowed with special honor and esteem, preferring it to one thousand months. It is also the night on which He revealed the Holy Qur'an and specified for decreeing the affairs of man and making clear every wise affair. He has thus said:

Begin with the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Surely, We revealed it on the grand night. And what will make you compre-hend what the grand night is? The grand night is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend in it by the permission of their Lord for every affair. Peace prevails until the break of dawn. (97:1-5)

He has also said: Surely, We revealed it on a blessed night.

Surely, We are ever warning. Therein, every wise affair is made distinct, a command from Us. Surely, We are the senders of messengers. (44:3-5)

There is a consensus among Muslims on honoring this blessed night, which falls in the month of Ramadan as is understood from the Holy Qur'an, although there is disagreement as to which night of Ramadan it is.

The Ahl al-Bayt’s Method

Concerning the Rituals of

Particular Days and Nights

In this discussion, I refer to the Islamic method preserved by the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) and provided to the Muslim community through their knowledge of the religious code of law—one of their distinctive features.

The Night of Qadr

In terms of honor, signifi-cance, and standing, the Night of Qadr is considered the most important night in


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the whole year, since Al-mighty Allah has revealed an entire Surah (i.e. chapter of the Holy Qur'an) with regard to it, introducing it as the night on which all wise affairs are made clear. In addition, many traditions report the merit, distinction, significance, and outcome of this night. Here are some examples in which the Holy Imams (‘a) are reported to have said: On the Night of Qadr, the angels keep on flapping their wings with peace and mercy from the time of the sunset prayer (maghrib) up to the break of dawn.

On the Night of Qadr, no flaming asteroid is thrown until morning.

On the Night of Qadr, worship and righteous acts are more valuable than the devotional acts of one thousand months.

Devotional acts on the Night of Qadr are equal (in reward) to preparing oneself to struggle for the sake of Allah for one thousand months.[1]

In conclusion, the merits of the Night of Qadr as inferred from the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah are:

1. The Night of Qadr is an opportunity and a bliss that Almighty Allah has granted the individuals of this Muslim community so that they may express their existence and embody their goals and aspirations by performing righteous acts, showing repentance to Almighty Allah, and reverently imploring His Mercy. When he chooses the most appropriate time for performing a deed, man can achieve whatever he wishes to achieve and then give to his deeds great and expansive aspects and values that should be more extensive than the defined term of man’s life in this world.

This fact is visible in some deeds performed under special circumstances and regarded as the best time for doing them. For instance, the Holy Prophet (S), describing the situation of Imam ‘Ali (‘a)


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when he responded to ‘Amr ibn ‘Abd-Wudd’s mocking remarks against Islam and bravely fought and killed him in the Battle of al-Khandaq (the ditch), is reported to have said: The stroke of ‘Ali on that day of the Battle of al-Khandaq is equal to the total worship of both groups of creatures (men and jinn).

This was because of its value in that specific time and under those special circumstances.

2. The Night of Qadr is the night on which decrees about the affairs of humans are decided. In plain words, it is the night wherein all divine decisions for the whole year are taken. Generally, divine decisions are made according to universal (i.e. material) order and discipline and according to the divine system that rules the sequence of causes and effects. At other times, divine decisions are made according to divine commands that are beyond the limits of the universal system. To this fact, the Holy

Qur'an has referred in many verses, such as the following: Our command is but as the twinkling of an eye. (54:50)

His command, when He intends anything, is only to say to it, “Be” and, it is. (36:82)

The month of Ramadan is a time for the faithful to ascend the ranks of perfection by performing acts of devotion, and also a time to gain Divine decisions that are compatible with Divine mercy.

The Date of the Night of

Qadr

Although traditions reported from the Holy Prophet (S) and the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) agree that the Night falls in the month of Ramadan, they disagree about its precise date. Some traditions hold that such disagreement, or conceal-ment, has been done on purpose, and it is aimed at making the righteous people practice as many righteous deeds, supplications, whis-pered prayers, and implora-


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tions to Him as possible. In this respect, one of the Infallibles (‘a), when asked which night was the Night of Power (the twenty-first or the twenty-third of Ramadan), he did not identify it but said: So easy it is to act on two nights in order to win one’s desire.

What will harm you if you act righteously on two nights?

The nineteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-third nights of Ramadan are familiarly known to be the Nights of Qadr. However, the last is the most confirmed, according to the many traditions available. This night is also called the Night of al-Juhani, one of the Muslims who lived in the outskirts of Madinah. When al-Juhani asked the Holy Prophet (S) to identify for him a night in which he should occupy himself exclusively in acts of worship, the Holy Prophet (S) named the twenty-third night of Rama-dan. Using this as proof, traditions mention more acts of worship to be practiced on

this night than any other night.[2]

Devotional Acts on the

Night of Qadr

Consistent with the nature of the Night of Qadr, the devo-tional acts dedicated to this night are mostly common to the three nights. The acts are divided into two categories: common (to the three nights) and particular (to each night).

Traditions urge that the following acts be practiced on all three nights, one of which is expected to be the Night of Qadr:

• Bath

• Offer a two-unit prayer imploring divine forgiveness

• Utter the supplication of release from Hellfire and granting of all requests in the name of the Holy Qur'an

• Utter the supplication of granting requests in the name of the Holy Qur'an and the faithful believers and then beseech in the names of


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Almighty Allah and the Fourteen Infallibles (‘a)

• Perform ziyarah of Imam al-Husayn (‘a)

• Spend the whole night in acts of worship

• Offer one hundred units of prayer, utter as many appeals for divine forgiveness as possible, and supplicate for worldly and religious desires for oneself and one’s parents, relatives, friends, and other believers, both alive and dead

• Utter as many invocations of blessings upon the Holy Prophet and his Household (S) as possible

• Utter litanies of praise, thankfulness, glorification, and exaltation, exclaim God to be the Most Great, and profess Him as the One and Only God: Specific supplica-tions have been mentioned for these nights. In this respect, Shaykh al-Kaf’ami reports Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) prayed using the supplica-tion that begins with the

following statement: O Allah: surely, I am on this evening Your passive slave; I have no control over harm or benefit to myself…

Reading the famous Du’a' al-Jawshan al-Kabir and Du’a' al-Jawshan al-Saghir supplica-tions are also reported to be recommended on these nights since these two supplications comprise verses expressing glorification of Almighty Allah as well as proclamations of His greatness and declarations that He is the One and Only God. These supplications can fill the whole night and thus fulfill the recommended act of spending the whole night in devotional acts.

• Seeking more religious knowledge—concerning religious laws, ethics, and concepts—is regarded, in the words of Shaykh al-Saduq, as the best act one may perform on these nights.[3]

Besides these, there are certain acts dedicated to each of these three nights.


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Imploring divine forgiveness (istighfar) one hundred times and repeatedly invoking His curse on the assassinators of Imam ‘Ali (‘a) are two acts that are identified to be performed exclusively on the nineteenth night. This is because on this night, Imam ‘Ali (‘a) was fatally wounded by the poisoned sword of ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljam, the accursed Kharijite.

There are also two other supplications generally repeated on every night of Ramadan, and on this night exclusively. The first supplica-tion begins with this state-ment: O Allah: at the time of making decisions that are inevitable…

The second begins with the following statement: O He Who has always been there before all things…

Being more probably the Nights of Power, the twenty-first and twenty-third nights of Ramadan are marked by additional devotional acts. On

the twenty-first night, the acts and supplications of the last ten nights of Ramadan, distinguished by devotional acts, also begin. On these nights, the Holy Prophet (S) used to fold his bed and ready himself for worship. He furthermore used to confine himself to the mosque where a tent made of camel hair was set up for him.

Traditions have also laid emphasis on spending the twenty-first night of Ramadan with prayers, supplications, invocations of blessings upon the Holy Prophet and his Household (S), and cursing their enemies and oppressors. On this night, Imam ‘Ali (‘a) departed life as a martyr; it is therefore advised to read his ziyarah.[4]

The most probable Night of Qadr, the twenty-third night of Ramadan has other special acts, including recitations from the Holy Qur'an, espe-cially certain surahs such as al-’Ankabut, al-Rum, and al-Dukhan, as well as repetition


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of Surah al-Qadr one thou-sand times. It is also highly recommended to perform or read the ziyarah of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) on this night.

The following supplication to hasten the relief of Imam al-Mahdi (‘a) is highly recom-mended: O Allah, (say) “be” for Your representative, al-Hujjah (the Proof), the son of Hasan—Your blessings be on him and on his forefathers—now and for all time, as our Imam, guardian, leader, helper, guide, and watcher such that You permit him to prevail on Your lands extend-ing his reign forever.

It is of course highly advisable to repeat this supplication at all times.

Some short supplications mentioned in reference books of supplications are also recommended for this night.

Finally, it seems important to say that the days that follow the Nights of Qadr enjoy special value and significance similar to the Nights of Qadr

just as Thursday nights (the eves of Friday) acquire special significance from Fridays. This is maintained by validly reported traditions.[5]

Notes:

1. Refer to the exegesis of Surah al-Qadr (No. 97) in the following two refer-ence books of tafsir: al-Durr al-Manthur and Nur al-Thaqalayn.

2. It is not inaccurate to say that these three nights are interrelated in the sense that the 1st night is an introduction to the 3rd, the 2nd a preparation for it, and the 3rd the Night itself. Thus, the manner is perfected on the night of the 23rd of Ramadan.

3. Shaykh ‘Abbas al-Qummi, Mafatih al-Jinan, pp. 225-226.

4. Shaykh ‘Abbas al-Qummi, Mafatih al-Jinan, pp. 227-234.

5. Shaykh ‘Abbas al-Qummi, Mafatih al-Jinan, pp. 236.

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59

Allah (s.w.t) has created humans as His best creations. As per human nature, they interact and communicate with each other. This interaction and communication also must be a reflection of the best creation as Allah (swt) has stated, and Respect is a key element of reflecting the best communication.

Now here comes a question popping into one’s head – what is respect? As Wikipedia defines, “Respect is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or some-thing considered important or held in high esteem or regard; it conveys a sense of admira-tion for good or valuable qualities; and it is also the process of honoring someone by exhibiting care, concern, or consideration for their needs or feelings.”

The above definition not only defines respect, but also gives a reason as to why someone

may extend respect to some-one. Some of those reasons include importance, high esteem, admiration, value, qualities, etc.

As per human nature, once you are loved or given admira-tion by someone, you develop a soft corner and feel obliged towards the person and hence develop a want to reciprocate in the same in not better way and eventually proves the saying, "what goes around comes around."

Islam, being a religion on nature, gives importance to the human-based factors, and “good morals” is a key factor that Islam emphasizes on. Respect comes under the umbrella of good morals, and it can be seen in the lives of all the Prophets that they carried high morals and it can be seen from the lives of all the Prophets that they carried high moral character and extended respect to others.

Respect Begets Respect

By: Mesum Jaffery, Class VIII-B


60

The hadith of Prophet Mo-hammed (SAW), “I have only been sent to perfect good moral characters”, shows the importance given to this attribute by Islam.

The bigger the human, the greater the soul will always respect others, and who else would be a bigger and greater soul than the Prophet Mo-hammed (SAW), who taught love, kindness, respect and compassion to his people, and was seen to be the most loving, kind, respectful and compassionate of all. As Quran mentions, “O Messen-ger of Allah, it is a great Mercy of God that you are gentle and kind towards them, for had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would all have broken away from you.” (3:159)

Prophet Mohammed (SAW), is praised for his act of giving respect to others, irrespective of their color, tribe, social status, wealth, etc. He was not discriminatory. He gave respect, hence, he got respect

back. The lives of our Aaim-mah (AS) extended to the person throwing derogatory remarks on Imam Ali (AS) shows how respect begets respect.

One should always extend respect to others. It may not seem important at first, but with time, it will all make sense. When individuals fight, the relation of respect get disconnected. Thus, if some-one is rude to us, why do we let go of the natural qualities that Allah (SWT) has blessed us with? We should not let them go, for the fact that only by giving respect we get respect, cannot be denied.

��

Sayings of Imam Hasan Mujtaba (A.S.)

* A believer equips himself in this

world with provisions for the

Hereafter, while a disbeliever is

happy with temporal pleasures in

this world. (Behar ul Anwar vol: 78,

p: 112)

* Do not hasten to punish a sinner;

give him a chance or respite to find

out a way for apology. (Behar ul

Anwar vol: 78, p: 113)

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61

Kids

Corner

Things You Should

Know Dear Kids!

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the 9th month of

the Islamic calendar, which

is based on the orbiting of

the moon (lunar calendar),

rather than the orbiting of

the earth (solar calendar).

The beginning of the Islamic

months depends on the

actual sighting of the new

moon. Thus Ramadan begins

on a different day each year

which gives us a chance of

fasting during different

seasons of the year.

What is Fasting?

Muslims refrain from eating,

drinking, intentionally letting

the thick dust or smoke

enter the throat, deliber-

ately vomiting, etc. before

the break of the dawn till

sunset, during the entire

month of Ramadan. It also

involves abstaining from evil

intentions and desires.

The fasting is performed to

obey Allah’s command with

aim to inculcate discipline,

humbleness and self-

restraint, experience what

the poor and destitute feel,

and to develop the noble

habit of generosity.

Who should observe the

Fast?

Fasting is obligatory upon

every Muslim male and

female who has reached the

age of puberty.

Fasting is not obligatory on

children until they reach the

age of puberty (15 complete

lunar years for boys and 9

complete lunar years for

girls). However, being baligh

is not a condition of validity

of fast i.e. if a child keeps

fast, it would be all right.

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62

Imam Ali (A.S.) Taking Care of Helpless

One day Amir-ul-Momineen

Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.)

saw an old woman carrying a

heavy load of firewood

which she could ill afford to

lift, she was tottering under

the weight. Imam Ali (a.s.)

relieved her of her weight

carried it to her hamlet and

on her request lighted her

oven for her and gave her

some money also. Old woman

did not know who Imam Ali

ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) was and

was thanking him for his

kindness when a neighbour

entered the hamlet, recog-

nized Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib

(a.s.) and told her, who he

was, only then she realized

that who had served her like

an obedient servant was the

Caliph and the king of a fast

growing kingdom.

Only after Imam Ali's (a.s.)

martyrdom the world came

to know that he had provided

a shelter for a leper in an

advanced stage of the

disease. The shelter was

outside the town, he used to

go there daily, dress his

wounds, feed him with his

own hands (as the leper had

lost his hands), wash him, put

his bed in order and carry

him out of the shelter for

little time, so that he may

get fresh air. Accidentally

relatives and friends of

Imam Ali (a.s.) came across

this shelter and found a

leper in it, learned his

history and told him that

Imam (a.s.) was martyred and

they had just then buried

him. The news so affected

the poor cripple that he died

on the spot.

��

Night of Reward

"What! Are they crazy?"

shouted Fatima, banging the

knife on chopping board

hard enough to scatter

carrots in every direction

and send the cat racing for

the back door.

"What do they think? How

can they possibly ..." she


63

sighed deeply, and raised

the knife for another

assault on the chopping

board.

"Don't they realize we have

so much work to do? I mean

who schedules a prize giving

for the night before Eid al-

Fitr."

"But ma ... that's what

Moulana (Sheikh) said today.

That there definitely is a

prize giving," whispered

Ahmed, cowering behind a

chair in case another bar-

rage of carrots was

launched.

"I think I must phone him.

Now! He must cancel this

madness," she moaned,

"Prize giving before Eid!"

"And who must be there?

Must we all come?" Ahmed

lifted head just a little

above the chair and said

"ma, he said it's for every-

body. No one should be left

out."

"Well I will explain to him,"

said Fatima, reaching for

the cordless phone, "then

maybe he will understand

why some people ... like me

just can't be there. We have

work, you know?"

Fatima began banging the

numbers into the phone

which let out loud beep with

every painful prod.

"Gee, Moulana!" she began,

"What's this about a prize

giving the night before Eid?

Whose crazy idea was this?

We have so much work to

do?" Without waiting for

answers she continued, "I

thought being a Muslim

school you would think about

us poor mothers who have to

do everything. I mean who

decided that the school

should have a prize giving

the night before Eid?

Moulana took advantage of

the brief pause to squeeze

in a word, "Sorry sister, but

it wasn't my idea." "Then

who's grand idea was this?"

she shouted.

"Allah's idea," came the

almost inaudible reply.


64

"Moulana! What has Allah

(SWT) got to do with the

school timetable?" cried

Fatima.

"Sister, please listen to me,"

"There is a prize giving and

it was at the request of

Allah (SWT)."

Fatima straightened up in

the chair and began to say

something but Moulana

continued, "As part of a

lengthy Hadith in a book

called Targheeb narrated by

Ibn Abbas, Holy Prophet

Muhammad (saw) said that

the night of Eid-ul-Fitr is

called night of reward or

the night of prize giving.

The Companions (Sahaba)

enquired if that last night

was Laylatul Qadr, and Holy

Prophet Muhammad (saw)

replied "No, but it is only

right that a servant should

be given his reward on

having completed his ser-

vice."

"So I explained to the

children that just as they

want to be honored at the

school prize giving and they

work hard the whole year so

they could get an award."

"The night before Eid,"

continued Moulana, "is a very

important night and we

should at least spend part of

it in the worship of Allah

(SWT). Despite all the other

work we have, we should not

lose the blessing of this

night, because this is a such

a night that who so ever

remains awake on this night

in the worship of his Lord,

Allah, his heart will not die

on the day when hearts will

die?"

Fatima stared at the pink

slippers on her feet, "I'm

sorry I shouted at you

Moulana, but we just have so

much pressure with Eid

coming, there is so much to

do. But I will have to make

some time for worship

(Ibadah) on this special

night."

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66

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