In the name of Allah
The All Compassionate, the All Merciful
10 Muharram 1445 (28 July 2023)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Jihad An-Nafs – Part 142
Purification of the heart-Part 84
Further to my discussion on charity, I quote below Ayahs 7 to 11 of Surah Al-Hadid, which I will explain during my next session Inshallah:
“So believe in God and His Messenger (Muhammad) and spend (in charity) of that which He has made you trustees. Whosoever among you believes and spends (charitably in God’s Way), for them is a great reward.
What reason do you have that you do not believe in God, while the Messenger invites you to believe in your Lord, and He has indeed taken a covenant from you, if you are believers?
He it is Who sends His servants manifest signs (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, revelations, etc.) so that He may bring you out of the darkness (of infidelity) into the light (of faith); verily, God is the Most Kind and Merciful unto you.
And what reason do you have that you do not spend in the Way of God, while God is the heritage of the heavens and the earth? Not equal among you are those you spent before the victory and fought and those who did so later. They are more exalted in rank than those who spent and fought afterwards. But to all God has promised the best reward, verily God is all-Aware of whatever you do.
Who is he that would loan God a goodly loan so that He may double it for him, and for him shall be a noble recompense?”
The name of Surah Al-Hadid is to exhort Muslims to spend in the cause of Allah (s.w.t). At the most critical juncture in the history of Islam when there was fierce struggle against Arab paganism, this Surah was revealed to persuade Muslims to make monetary sacrifices, and to make them realize that Islam does not merely consist in verbal affirmation and some outward practices but its essence and spirit is sincerity towards Allah (s.w.t) and His religion.
We should take this opportunity to remind ourselves that the life of this world is only a short lived spring and a means of pride and show. Its sports and pastimes, decorations and adornments, its pride of place, its wealth and possessions, for which people vie with one another, are transient. Its likeness is of the crop which flourishes and blooms, then turns pale and finally reduces to chaff. The everlasting life is the life hereafter when results of great consequence will be announced. Therefore, if one has to vie with another for something, one should vie for paradise. To be continued
Second Sermon
Martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s) – Part 2
Imam Hussain (s.a) suffered gravely in Karbala so that the religion of Islam and true worship of Allah (s.w.t) would survive. Mourning him and the oppressed martyrs of Karbala keeps the divine message of his uprising alive.
The Ahlul Bait constantly encouraged their followers to weep and make others weep over Imam Hussain (a.s), and they themselves were committed in doing so. In Ziyarat Nahiya, Imam Mahdi (a.t.f) addresses Hussain (a.s) along these lines:“I shall mourn you every morning and every evening, and I shall weep blood for you instead of tears.” It has been reported that Imam Reza (a.s) established commemorative majalis of Karbala in Qom and Khorasan.. He has also said: “When the month of Muharram would arrive, my father was not seen smiling, and during the first ten days, his grief would intensify with every passing day. The day of Ashura, the tenth day, was the peak of his grief and he would repeatedly say: ‘this is the day that Hussain was killed’.”
It has been reported in Amali Sheikh Sadooq, on page 130, by Rayyan Ibn Shabib that he had an audience with Imam Reza (a.s) on the 1st of Muharram and when the Imam learnt that he was not fasting he advised him:
“O Son of Shabib! It was on this very day that Prophet Zachariah invoked Allah to bestow him a son. Allah accepted his invocation and the angels gave him the good news of the birth of his son, Yahya, whilst he was praying. Similarly, the prayer of those who fasts on this day will be accepted as Zachariah’s entreaty.”
Then the Imam continued: “O, Son of Shabib! Truly, Muharram is the month that was held in high esteem by the ignorant in the pre-Islamic days when war and bloodshed were considered illegal. But this nation of Islam did not observe the dignity of this month and they dishonoured the Holy Prophet. Verily, they slew his progeny during this month, enslaved their wives and plundered their tents. They will never be pardoned by Allah. The earth and the seven heavens wept bitterly on account of the atrocities committed by the enemies of Islam and for Hussain’s horrendous murder.….
O Son of Shabib! You should mourn for my grandfather, Hussain, for he was slaughtered like a ram along with the brave members of his family, the likes of which are not to be found in the entire world. If you cry for Hussain to the extent that tears flow down your cheeks, then Allah will forgive each and every sin that you have committed, be it minor or major. If you are pleased to meet Allah cleansed of all sins, then visit the shrine of Hussain. If you wish to reside in heaven with the Holy Prophet and his progeny, then curse the slayers of Hussain. If it makes you happy and you desire to be with us in the elevated ranks of paradise, then be sad in our grief and happy in our joy. If you desire to be rewarded in the same manner as those who were martyred along with Hussain, then whenever you remember him say: ‘Oh! If only I had been with them! A great achievement I would have achieved.’
May you hold fast to our guardianship! Verily, anyone who is attached to even a piece of stone in this world will be associated with it on Resurrection Day.”
Imam Reza (a.s) has also advised: “He who sits in a gathering wherein our affairs, and our path and aims are discussed and revived, his heart shall not die on the day of judgment, when hearts shall die of fear.”
The Imam also requested De’bil, a poet sincerely devoted to the Ahlul Bait: “I desire that you recite for me a poetry on the tragedy of Karbala, for surely, the days during the month of Muharram, are the days of grief and sorrow for us, the Ahlul Bait.”
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