In the name of Allah

The All Compassionate, the All Merciful

27^th Jamadial-Thani 1444 (20^th January 2023)

Islamic Universal Association

20 Penzance Place, Holland Park

London, W11 4 PG

www.arafeh.co.uk

 

Jihad An-Nafs – Part 115

Purification of the heart-Part 57

Blowing of the Trumpet is an indication of the beginning of the Resurrection, which is mentioned in the Holy Quran. I quote below some relevant Ayahs:

 

Ayahs 127 and 128 of Surah As-Saffat: “But they called him a liar, so they will certainly be brought to account.Save the sincere servants of God.”

 

Ayahs 68-71 of Surah Az-Zumar: “And the Trumpet is blown, and whoever is in the heavens and the earth is stunned save those whom God wishes. Then it shall be blown again and lo they shall stand up waiting.

The earth shall get radiant with the light of its Lord, and the Book (of deeds) shall be set; the prophet shall be brought and the witnesses too; it shall be judged between them, and they shall not be dealt unjustly.

Every soul shall be paid in full of what it wrought; and He best knows what they did.

Those who disbelieved shall be driven to Hell in flocks until, when they come to it, its gates shall be opened and the keepers shall say to them: “Did any messenger from among you not come to you to recite the signs of your Lord and to warn you of the meeting of this Day of yours?” They shall answer: “ Yes indeed.” Yet the sentence of punishment is justice for the disbelievers.”

 

Valuable points:

• The Trumpet (Sur) will be blown twice. The first blow, blast, or call will result in the destruction of all creation, and the second heralds the Resurrection and the revival of the dead who will be brought to account for their deeds on earth, except the sincere servants of Allah (s.w.t.).
• There are some details in the Holy Quran about the blowing of the Trumpet; with the first blast every living creature on earth will die and with the second blast everyone will return to life and rise from their graves and rush forth to their Lord and present themselves before Him utterly humbled. They will be panic-stricken, save those whom Allah (s.w.t.) pleases.
• There will be extreme fear and terror that Day; as explained earlier, the hearts of the disbelievers will reach their throats, and they will face intense anguish on a Day that will make children grey-haired.
• The earth will shine on a barren plain upon which everyone will be gathered for the Reckoning, but it will not be the earth we know.
• Everyone will then be presented their book of deeds, which will leave nothing out, small or great. The prophets and the witnesses from among the angels who recorded their deeds will then be brought forth to bear witness for or against them and everyone will be dealt with justly and face the consequences of their actions they so rightly deserve.

 

 

Second Sermon

Virtues of the month of Rajab

We are approaching the month of Rajab; the seventh month in the Islamic lunar calendar. I express my congratulations to you, my brothers and sisters, for this blissful month and I thank Allah (s.w.t.) for granting us another opportunity to cleanse ourselves of our sins, transgressions and oversights.

 

My discussions today will center around the virtues of the great month of Rajab, one of the 4 sanctified months in the Islamic calendar, which will be followed by recommendations of special deeds and supplications during my forthcoming session and finally I will discuss important Islamic events which occurred during this month.

 

The month of Rajab is a month of superabundant favors and benefits, reverence and sanctity. Even the Arabs during the days of ignorance held this month in great esteem, and with the advent of Islam its sanctity increased considerably. During this month Allah (s.w.t.) pays special attention to his servants and it is specifically associated with His blessings, mercy and forgiveness. Moreover it marks the beginning of the spiritual season of every believer ending with the fasting month of Ramadan. These three months (Rajab, Shabaan and Ramadan) are unmatched in their importance. The following hadiths have been reported in Bihar Al-Anwar V: 97 about the merits of Rajab:

 

• When the Holy Prophet (s.a.) would sight the moon of Rajab, he would pray to Allah (s.w.t) as follows: “O Allah makes the months of Rajab and Shabaan blessed for us, and prolong our life up to Ramadan so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings.” He has also said: “Rajab is a great month of Allah, unmatched by any other month in respect and significance accorded to it. War with the infidels is prohibited during this month. Verily, Rajab is Allah’s month, Shabaan is my month and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah. Whosoever fasts even a day in Rajab will attain the greatest of rewards; the wrath of Allah will be distanced from him and a door of hell will be shut.”

 

• Imam Musa ibne Jafar (a.s.) narrated from the Holy Prophet (s.a.): “Whosoever fasts a day in Rajab, the fire of hell will be away from him at a distance of one year’s journey, and whosoever fasts three days in Rajab, will enter paradise.” The Imam has also advised: “In the Garden of Paradise there is a river called Rajab, which is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. If anyone fasts for a day during the month of Rajab, Allah will quench his thirst from that river.”

 

• Imam Sadeq (a.s.) has also narrated from the Holy Prophet (s.a.): “The month of Rajab is the month of seeking forgiveness for my nation. O’ Muslims ask forgiveness and turn repentant to Allah as much as you can because mercy drops from the heavens like a gentle rain during this month.”