In the name of Allah
The All Compassionate, the All Merciful
24 Muharram 1445 (11 August 2023)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Jihad An-Nafs – Part 144
Purification of the heart-Part 86
There is a clear distinction between the attitude of a Muslim and that of a disbeliever towards life. A Muslim, sincerely believes in Allah (s.w.t), surrenders himself completely to His will and spends his wealth in His way. In contrast to this, a disbeliever persistently refuses to yield to the truth and spends his wealth to hinder men from the path of Allah (s.w.t).Some relevant Ayahs are provided below:
Ayah 36 of Surah Al-Anfaal: “Verily, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to obstruct people from the way of God, and so when they spend it (in the end) it shall be against them a matter of regret and they shall be overcome, and those who disbelieve shall be driven to Hell.”
The disbelievers from Mecca gave material support to the army that set out to fight the Holy Prophet (s.a.) and his followers which had ultimately become a source of regret and grief for them and they were defeated. Some commentators are of the view that this verse refers to Abu Sufyan who used his wealth to fight the Muslims.
Ayahs 54 and 98 of Surah At-Tawba: “Nothing hinders the acceptance of their offerings save that they disbelieve in God and in His Messenger and they only come sluggishly for prayers, and only reluctantly do they contribute.
And of the Arabs (of the desert) are those who take what they spend to be a fine (loss) and them waiting for calamities to fall onto you. On them shall be the evil calamity. And God is all-Hearing, all-Knowing.”
The hypocrites’ contributions were not accepted by Allah (s.w.t), because they did not truly believe in Him and His Messenger and they merely claimed to believe. They joined in the congregations of prayer only half-heartedly, just to be seen of men, and they contributed only with great reluctance, whereas Islam requires only willing submission to Allah (s.w.t).
They regarded the payment of Zakat as a fine and the expenditure on hospitality, an Islamic duty, as a penalty. Likewise, if they had to make any contributions towards jihad, they did so to show that they were loyal to the Islamic State and not because they wanted to please Allah (s.w.t) by giving sincere monetary help for His cause. They were experts in hiding their hypocrisy, to such an extent that even the Holy Prophet (s.a) could not recognize it, though he possessed immense sagacity and insight; so Allah (s.w.t) informed him about them.
Ayah 100 of Surah Bani Isra’il:“Say (to the disbelievers): “If you possessed the treasure of the mercy of my Lord, then you would certainly withhold them for fear of spending them, and man is ever niggardly.”
Allah (s.w.t)’s mercy and bounty are limitless, but the nature of man is such that, even if he possesses limitless treasures, he would still withhold it irrationally, out of fear of spending.
Ayah 47 of Surah Yasin:“And when it is said to them: “Spend of what God has provided you,” those who disbelieve say to those who believe: “Shall we feed those who, if God wills, He would have fed them? You are but in manifest error.”
Their disbelief has not only blinded their intellect but has destroyed their moral sense, too. They neither have the right thought about Allah (s.w.t) nor do they adopt the right attitude towards the people. Allah (s.w.t) gives sustenance to His
Servants. However, He tries some people with poverty and others with wealth. The poor are commanded to be patient, and the wealthy are commanded to give.
Ayah 7 of Surah Al-Munafiqun:“They are the ones who say (to those who help the believing refugees):“Do not spend anything on those who are with the Messenger of God until they break up,” To God belongs the treasures of the heavens and the earth, but the hypocrites do not understand.”
These are the words of the hypocrites to the helpers, residents of Medina. To Allah (s.w.t) belongs the treasures of the heavens and the earth and He reminds the disbelievers that He provides spiritual and material benefits to whomsoever He wills, whether they spend on those who are with the Messenger or not.
Second sermon
Divine movement of Imam Hussain (a.s) – Part-2
In continuation on the subject matter under reference, I would like to add that the mission of Imam Hussain (a.s) was not to fight Yazid or take control of his empire but it was to reawaken the spirit of Islam that was nearing extinction and from the day he left Medina he made this absolutely clear. In fact, the sole cause for which he set out from Medina was to perform his duty of amr bil ma’ruf and nahya anil munkar as the people had not only accepted the evil that had been flowing from the court in Damascus but, sadly, they begun to emulate it. The inevitable consequence of this would lead to a total destruction of Islamic values.
The philosophy and reason for his revolution was therefore clearly set out by the Imam in a testament, which he handed to his brother, Muhammad Hanifiya, before he left Medina for Mecca along with members of his family. His brother, however, did not accompany him, but he continued to reside in Medina to look after the affairs of the Muslims. He was very virtuous, principled and brave and displayed great valour in the battles fought by Ali (a.s). The letter and/or the testament which was handed to Muhammad ibne Hanafiya has been narrated by Ibne Tawus wherein the Imam pointed out the motive for his rising and clarified the policy which he intended to pursue in all circumstances. It reads as follows:
“In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
This is the will and testament of Hussain ibne Ali ibne Abi Talib, which is handed to his brother Muhammad, known as ibne Hanafiya. Indeed Hussain testifies that there is no god except Allah and no one other than Him is worthy to be worshipped and He has no partner. He also testifies that Muhammad is Allah’s servant and messenger, who has brought the truth from Him, and that heaven and hell do exist and the Day of Judgment will inevitably come and there is no doubt about it, and on that Day, Allah will bring the dead to life and resurrect everyone from their graves.
Indeed this movement of mine is not instigated by arrogance or pride, rebellion, worldly passions, corruption or injustice. It is also not my intention to create trouble or to oppress anyone. I have risen to reform the Ummah of my grandfather, as Yazid will massacre the innocent. I would like to promote good and forbid evil (amr bil ma’ruf and nahya anil munkar) and follow the traditions of my grandfather, the Holy Prophet, and my father, Ali ibne Abi Talib.
Whoever accepts the truth, Allah will be their protector and whoever refuses to accept it, I will be patient until Allah will decide between me and them. He is the best of judges. This is my will, which I hereby hand it to my brother and all success depends on Allah, and only on Him do I rely.”
The testament clearly shows that in 60 Hijri, the Muslim ummah was faced with a dreadful social and religious crisis, which could not be overcome by a bloody revolution, but on the contrary by the guidance of a leader like Imam Hussain (a.s), whose infallibility has been testified by the Holy Quran in the Verse of Purification of Surah Al-Ahzab (Ayah 33), which reads. “Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of abomination, O members of the Prophet’s household and to purify you with a perfect purification.”
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