In the name of Allah
The All-Compassionate, the All- Merciful
16th Ramadan 1431(27th August 2010)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4PG
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The cure of heart diseases - Part 5
Today I would like to recap my previous discussions so that we are all clear in our minds about the importance of cleansing and purifying the heart from infestations of sins.
With the exception of the Ahlul Bait, no one is sinless in the universe for human beings are vulnerable and prone to committing sins. In any case, one must at all costs try to steer away from sins and perform righteous deeds as everything that one does in this world will be put before him on the Day of Resurrection. Whenever a person commits a sin it produces a dark spot in his heart, but if he is remorseful and repentant that dark spot is removed. Otherwise it will grow and fester with each additional sin and the heart will gradually be filled with darkness. One should therefore cleanse the heart from these dark spots to ensure that it remains healthy. According to the Holy Prophet, which I had quoted in one of my earlier sessions, “Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it is sound, the entire body is sound and similarly if it be diseased the entire body is diseased. Truly this morsel of flesh is none other than the heart.” Moreover, Imam Jafar Sadeq (a.s.) had narrated from his father Imam Mohammad Baqir (a.s.) as follows: “There is nothing worse for the heart than sins. Verily infestations of sins adversely affect the heart; they transform a sound heart into a diseased and unhealthy state.” (Safinat Al Bihar Volume 2, pages 441 and 442)
Nevertheless, Allah (s.w.t.) loves His believing servants to be repentant for their sins. In fact, true repentance is considered a virtue. He who repents with a true heart and seeks Allah’s (s.w.t.) forgiveness and mercy and intends sincerely never to repeat them, cleanses himself of all sins. Allah (s.w.t.) accepts repentance for as long as one is not at the point of death. As for the thought that the sins are so numerous that Allah (s.w.t.) may not forgive them, arises first and foremost from a lack of faith and knowledge of the magnitude of Allah’s (s.w.t.) mercy; secondly it is because of the lack of understanding of Allah’s (s.w.t.) capability to forgive any number of sins; thirdly it indicates lack of hope; and last but not the least it is lack of appreciation of the way in which repentance can wipe out sins.
Repentance is thus, the cord of Allah (s.w.t.) which we must inevitably hasten to grasp so as to remedy our sins and mistakes and purify the heart; we must not procrastinate to seek forgiveness. In any case, we should be repentant from the depths of our heart with regards to our past misdeeds and fearful with regards to the remaining period of our lives. It is vital that, in order to make amends for past misdeeds and to refrain from committing sins in the future, we should not look upon any sin as trivial and insignificant, but should always experience regret over our past lapses and keep our soul away from various kinds of lust and desire.
Second sermon
Imam Hassan (a.s.)
The 15th day of the Holy month of Ramadan was the birth anniversary of our second Imam, Hassan ibne Ali (a.s.). I take this opportunity to congratulate the followers of the Ahlul Bait and I sincerely hope and pray that Allah (s.w.t.) has forgiven our faults and sins and we have benefited from His Mercy and blessings on the auspicious occasion.
Imam Hassan (a.s.) was born on the 15thof Ramadan, 3 Hijri. As Imam Ali (a.s.) was to the Holy Prophet (s.a.) what Haroon was to Moses, he was named after Haroon’s son, Shabbar (Hassan in Arabic) in compliance with Allah (s.w.t.)’s command. Imam Ali ibne Musa al Reza (a.s.) had reported the narration from Ali ibne Hussein (a.s.) who had heard the version of events on the birth of Imam Hassan (a.s.) from Asma, the daughter of Umais and a dear companion of Khadija. She was with Fatima (a.s.) during the deliveries of both Imam Hassan and Hussein (a.s.) and had recounted accordingly: “When Hassan was born, at the request of the Holy Prophet I gave the baby, wrapped in a yellow cloth, to him. The Holy prophet removed the yellow cloth and said that he had clearly mentioned not to wrap the baby in yellow. I immediately took back the baby and after wrapping him in a white cloth I handed him to the Holy Prophet once again. The Prophet held the newly born in his arms and recited the adhan and iqamah in his right and left ears respectively. A week later he got two rams sacrificed and the meat was distributed to the poor and a portion of it along with a dinar was presented to the midwife. He also shaved the baby’s head and gold (dinar) to the value of the weight of the baby’s hair was distributed to the poor.”According to Imam Sadeq (a.s.), the name Hassan was chosen by Allah (s.w.t.) through a revelation to the Holy Prophet (s.a.). The name was inscribed in a silk cloth which was handed to the Prophet (s.a.) by Gabriel after the birth of the baby.
In human perfection Imam Hassan (a.s.) was reminiscent of his father and a perfect example of his noble grandfather.The Imam devoted himself to prayers in such abundance, that his limbs bore scars and impressions of his prostration. The sense of his absorption and humiliation in prayers were in such earnest that he would shed tears profusely out of fear of Allah (s.w.t.). His earnest meditation and his extreme absorption in communion with Allah (s.w.t.) would render him entirely unconscious of his environments. It has been reported in several Islamic books that Imam Hassan (a.s.) was the most pious, devout and ascetic worshiper of God. He walked twenty-five times from Medina to the Holy Kaa’ba for pilgrimage and many pilgrims walked along with him as a mark of respect. Whenever he performed ablution he saw himself in the court of God and he trembled with the fear of Allah (s.w.t.). Whenever he visited the mosque, he would pray at its entrance as follows: “O’ Lord this is your guest standing in your court. Your sinner has come to you and he hopes that you will forgive his bad deeds by virtue of your kindness and forgiveness and liberate him from the shackles of sin.” On two or three occasions, he distributed have of his wealth to the poor in the name of God. He had the worldly possessions at his disposal and could well have enjoyed a luxurious life, but he utilized it in the betterment of the poor. He was so courteous and humble that he never hesitated to sit along with the beggars in the lanes and on the thoroughfares of Medina to reply to some of their religious queries. Through his cordial attitude and hospitality he never let the poor and the underprivileged feel inferior to him when they visited his abode.