In the name of Allah

The All Compassionate, the All Merciful

28th Shawwal 1444 (19th May 2023)

Islamic Universal Association

20 Penzance Place, Holland Park

London, W11 4 PG

www.arafeh.co.uk

 

 

Jihad An-Nafs – Part 130

 

Purification of the heart-Part 70

The Holy Quran is an admonition from Allah (s.w.t) and we should therefore take heed and not disobey Him under any circumstances. He alone Has the power to forgive those who adopt piety even though they may have committed many acts of disobedience in the past. In this context, I quote below Ayahs 38-49 from Surah Al-Muddathir:

“Every soul is pawned to what it earned,

Save the people of the right, In gardens they shall be asking each other, About the guilty ones: “What has brought you to hell?”

They shall say: “We were not among those who offered regular prayers, And we did not feed the poor.

And we used to talk vanities with vain talkers,

And we would falsify the Day of Judgement;

Till the certain (death) came upon us.”

So the intercession shall not avail them.

What has happened to them that they turn aside from the warning?”

Valuable points

• The people of the left will be seized and thrown into hell for their misdeeds, but the people of the right will have their debts settled.
• At several places in the Holy Quran, it has been stated that the dwellers of paradise and hell will be able to see and communicate with each other directly, although they will be living hundreds of thousands of miles away from each other.
• The root cause of the disbelievers’ aversion has been pointed out in the Ayahs above; they weredeniers of the hereafter, and looked upon this worldly life as an end in itself.
• They “were not among those who offered regular prayers”. In other words, they were believers, but they cannot escape hell even after having believed, if they did not perform prayers regularly.
• It is a grave sin in Islam to see a hungry man and fail to feed him if one can, and deny his rights.
• “Till the certain (death) came upon us.” Death as well as the hereafter is inevitable and no one can escape it.
• Even if an intercessor intercedes for a person who persisted in this way of life until death, he would not be forgiven. The question of intercession has been so fully explained at so many places in the Holy Quran that no one can have any difficulty in knowing and understanding as to who can intercede and who cannot, when one can intercede and when one cannot, for whom one can intercede and for whom one cannot, and for whom intercession is beneficial and for whom it is not. To be continued

 

Second Sermon

Birth anniversary of Fatima Masoomeh (a.s.) in the month of Dhil-Qadah

The month of Dhil-Qadah is one of the most significant months in Islam, which has been mentioned in Ayah 36 of Surah Baraat:

“Indeed the number of months with God is twelve in God’s Book since the Day He created the heavens and the earth. Of them four are sacred; that is the established religion; so do not be unjust therein to your own selves …” These four months are Rajab, Dhil-Qadah, Dhil-Hijja and Muharram. In the month of Dhil-Qadah some important Islamic events occurred, one of which was the birth of Fatima Masoomeh, the sister of our eighth Imam, Ali ibne Al-Musa (a.s.).

 

Birth anniversary of Fatima Masoumeh (a.s.)

The 1st of Dhil-Qadah marks the birth anniversary of Fatima Masoomeh (a.s.), the daughter of Imam Musa Kazim (a.s.) and the sister of Imam Ali al-Reza (a.s.). On this auspicious occasion, I extend my felicitations and greetings to Imam Zamana (a.j.f.), and to the followers of the Ahlul Bait.

According to a tradition, Fatima (a.s.) was born on the 1st of Dhil-Qadah, 173 Hijri in Medina. However Mullah Mohsen Fayd has narrated that she was born in Medina at the beginning of Dhil-Qadah, 173 Hijri and she died in Qom on the 10th of Rabial-Thani, 201 Hijri. Moreover, it has also been documented that Imam Kazim (a.s.) had more than one daughter and that Fatima Masoomeh (a.s.) was the eldest. Further, Imam Sadeq (a.s.) had predicted her birth 45 years before she was born.

It has been narrated that Imam Sadeq (a.s.) has said:

“My son (Musa Kazim)’s daughter, Fatima, will die in Iran and she will be buried in Qom and her mausoleum will be a vital place of ziyarah. She will have the powers of intercession on Resurrection Day and on that Day she will intercede for my Shiites to enter heaven.” Allamah Majilisi had also narrated from Imam Sadeq (a.s.):

“A lady from my progeny will be buried in Qom and due to her intercession whosoever visits her grave will be granted the reward of paradise.”

There are also various reports on the day of her death; some historians have reported that she died on the 10th or 12th of Rabial-Thani while others have reported that she died on the 8th of Shabaan. Since there is no evidence to verify any of these dates, the Islamic scholars observe her death for three days from the 10th of Rabial-Thani and it is called “The days of Fatima”. She died at the age of 28. However, all historians confirm that she died in Qom, 201 Hijri.