In the name of Allah
The All Compassionate, the All Merciful
25th Dhill-Hajja 1444 (14th July 2023)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Jihad An-Nafs – Part 140
Purification of the heart-Part 82
Further to my discussion on charity, I will like to add that in Ayahs 133 of Surah Aale Imran, Allah (s.w.t.) invites the pious to paradise and He considers generosity to be the first trait of a pious individual in Ayah 134 of the said Surah. Both these Ayahs have been quoted by me in my earlier sermons, however, they are reproduced below for your ready reference:
Ayahs 133 and 134, Surah Aale-Imran:“And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord, and to paradise, vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious.”
Those who spend (in God’s way) in both prosperity and strain, and who restrain their anger and forgive the faults of men; God loves those who do good (to others).”
Those who accept that zakat is obligatory but does not pay it due to niggardliness is a transgressor and will face the consequences accordingly. But if he does not believe that zakat is obligatory, he is a kafir. Zakat, like prayers is an article of faith. Whoever denies a single article of faith goes beyond the pale of Islam and is an infidel.
The following hadiths have been reported by Malik Ibne Anas in Majma al-Bayam V: 2 p: 505: The Holy Prophet (s.a.) has said: “Generosity is a tree in paradise; its branches extend to this world and whoever holds on to its branches will be taken to paradise. On the other hand, there is a miserly tree in hell and its branches extend to this world and those who hold on to them will be taken to hell.”
According to Imam Ali (a.s.), “Heaven is home for those who are generous.” He has also said: “A generous man is close to Allah and to paradise and his compassion draws him close to the unfortunate and away from hell and the wicked. Those who are niggardly is close to hell.”
- Moreover the Holy Prophet (s.a.) has said: “The believer’s shade on the Day of Judgement will be his charity.”
“Smile to your brother is charity; removal of stones, thorns or bones from
paths is charity; and guidance of a person who is lost is charity.”
“Cure the sick through sadaqah, deflect the storms of calamities through
supplications and guard your wealth through zakat.”
- Imam Jafar Sadeq (a.s.) has said: “Charity frees one from the jaws of seven hundred Satans.”
“Everything has a key, and the key to sustenance is charity”
“Charity goes into the hands of Allah before it goes into the hands of the
needy”.
- Imam Reza (a.s.) has said,“Give a small amount of charity because indeed all that is intended for the sake of Allah becomes great with an honest intention.”
Second Sermon
The event of Mubahala
The significant event of Mubahala occurred on the 24th of Dhil-Hajja, 10 Hijri which demonstrated the prophecy of the Holy Prophet (s.a.) and infallibility of his Ahlul Bait. Moreover, another important event occurred during the month of Dhil-Hajja, when Ayahs 8 and 9 of Surah Ad-Dahr (Insan) were revealed, which was a great evidence of the superiority and excellence of Hazrat Fatima and Imam Ali (a.s.) and their proximity to the Creator. The Ayahs read: “And they gave away food out of love for Him to the poor man, the orphan and the captive, (Saying): “We feed you only for God’s sake; and we seek no recompense or thanks from you.” However, today I will discuss the event of Mubahala.
In 9 Hijri, the Holy Prophet (s.a.) sent a letter to Abdu Haris Ibne Alqama, the Grand Bishop of Najran, the official representative of the Roman Church in the Hijaz, inviting him and his people to embrace Islam. The following year, in 10 Hijri a Christian delegation from Najran (a city near the Yemeni border), came to Medina to seek clarification about Jesus in light of the said letter. They maintained that Jesus was the son of God although the Holy Prophet (s.a.) tried to explain to them that he was a servant of Allah (s.w.t.), chosen by Him as His Prophet. At that time, Ayahs 59 and 60 of Surah Aale Imran were revealed: “Verily, the similitude of Jesus with God is like that of Adam; He created him of dust, then He said to him, “Be!” and he was. This is the truth from your Lord; therefore do not entertain any doubt.” But when the Christians remained adamant in their belief that Jesus was the son of God and categorically refused to accept the Holy Prophet (s.a.)’s point of view, Ayahs 61-63 of Surah Aale Imran (the verses of Mubahala) were revealed: “And to him who disputes with you therein after knowledge has come to you say: “Come! Let us summon our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves; then let us invoke and lay the curse of God upon the liars! Verily, this is the true narrative. There is no god except Allah and verily God is the Almighty, the All-wise. But if they turn away, then, verily, God knows the mischief-makers.” Hence in accordance with Allah (s.w.t)’s command, the Holy Prophet (s.a) challenged the Christians to a Mubahala, that is to pray and invoke Allah (s.w.t)’s curse on the party that insists upon falsehood.
In accordance with a hadith recorded in Bihar Al-Anwar, the Christians accepted the challenge and on the following day, the 24th of Dhil-Hajja, the Holy Prophet (s.a.) came to the designated confrontation site with selected members of his family, namely, Hussain, Hassan, Fatima, and Ali (a.s.). The Christians were surprised when they saw the Holy Prophet (s.a.)’s Ahlul Bait, and they realised that if the Holy Prophet (s.a..) had the slightest doubt in the truth of the message of Islam, he would not challenge them and if he had the slightest fear of the curse he would not have come with his close family members to face them. Therefore, they backed away from the confrontation and agreed to pay the jizya tax to the Islamic State in return for their protection and the following year many Christians converted to Islam. There are various Islamic sources explaining this event which clearly denote that those who came with the Holy Prophet (s.a.) for Mubahala (Imam Ali, Hazrat Fatima, Hassan and Hussain) were infallible.
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