In the name of Allah

The All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful

18th Ramadan  1445 (29th March  2024)

Islamic Universal Association

20 Penzance Place, Holland Park

London, W11 4 PG

www.arafeh.co.uk

Imam Ali (a.s.)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 20

Today I would like to study Imam Ali (a.s.)’s Sermon 86 in relation to the Holy Quran:

• Obedience of Allah (s.w.t) means to act on what He enjoins us to do in the Holy Quran and what His prophet encouraged us to do in his S Ayah 59 of Surah An-Nisa provides: “O you who believe! Obey God and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority from among you …”
• We should choose friends who invite us to the everlasting abode and aid us in our obedience to Allah (s.w.t). Ayah 28 of Surah Ale Imran reads: “Let not believers take disbelievers for friends in preference to believers.…”
• Disbelieversare deceived by the false splendors of this world. They neglect the inevitable termination of this world and forget that there is an endless life to come.Ayah 9 of Surah Al-Baqarah provides: “They seek to deceive God and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, but they fail to perceive it.”
• Vain desires are a corruption of the intellect and faith and should be avoided at all costs. Ayah 23 of Surah Al-Jathiya provides;“Have you seen him who takes his desires as his lord, while God has knowingly caused him to stray, and set a seal upon his ears and heart and veiled his vision. Who will guide him besides God? Will they, then, not reflect?”
• Idolatry and/or associating other divinities, powers or things withAllah (s.w.t.) is a grave sin. According to Ayah 64 of Ale-Imran: “Say: O People of the Book! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and shall not associate any with Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God. If they turn away, then say: “Bear witness that we are Muslims.”
• Being truthful is one of the necessities of Islam; it brings great benefits, whilst lying is one of the major elements of corruption and a cause of destruction and widespread harm. Ayah 119 of Surah Baraah provides: “O you who believe! Fear God and be always with the truthful.”
• Envy or jealousy is a feeling that leaves the heart of a person impure and empty of faith. It is a vile and base characteristic and a major sin. Ayah 131 of Surah Taha states: “Do not strain your eyes to that which We have provided different parties the splendor of the life of this world …” In Surah Al-Falaq, the believer seeks Allah (s.w.t)’s refuge from all kinds of evil and in Ayah 5 of the Surah he states: “And from the evil of the envious when he envies.”
• Malicious behavior should be avoided as our faith is not complete until we abandon, ranco, malice and anger. According to Ayahs 11 and 12 of Surah Al-Hujarat: “O believers! Do not let some men ridicule others, they may be better than them, nor let some women ridicule other women; they may be better than them. Do not defame one another, nor call each other by offensive nicknames. How evil it is to act rebelliously after having faith! Who so ever does not repent such conduct is surely the unjust ones.

Second Sermon

The martyrdom of Imam Ali (a.s.)

Imam Ali (a.s.) was born in the House of God, the Holy Kaaba, and he was also martyred in the House of God at Masjid Kufa. On the 19th morning when the Imam was in prostration whilst offering his morning prayers, Abdul Rahman Ibn Muljam dealt a heavy blow on his head with a sword, inflicting a deep wound and our dear Imam succumbed to the injury on the 21st of Ramadan and was buried in Najaf. On this sad occasion I would like to offer my condolences to Imam Mahdi (a.t.j.) and to the lovers of the Ahlul Bait.

Imam Ali (a.s.)’s assassination was prophesied by the Holy Prophet (s.a.). It has been narrated that one day when the Holy Prophet (s.a.) was delivering a sermon on the importance of Ramadan, Ali (a.s.) asked him what did he consider as the best deed during this holy month, to which the Holy Prophet (s.a.) replied: “The best deed during the month of Ramadan is to keep away from evil deeds as forbidden by Allah”. He then burst into tears. Ali (a,s.) was distressed to see him in that state and enquired about the reason for his grief. The Holy Prophet (s.a.) said: “I am crying because I can see a catastrophic event that will take place in this holy month. Whilst you will be in prostration during your prayers, the most heinous of all criminals and the one who is as vicious as the person who killed the camels of Thamood will strike your head with a poisonous sword and your beard will be stained with blood.”

The Imam then enquired: “Will I be on the right path?” The Holy Prophet (s.a.) said he certainly would and declared: “O Ali, whoever kills you, kills me, whoever abuses you, abuses me and whoever bears enmity against you is my enemy because indeed you are from me. Your soul is from my soul and your nature is my nature. Verily, Allah, the Greatest, has created me and you and He has selected me as His Prophet and He has chosen you as the Imam and Caliph after me. Hence whoever denies your Imamate has indeed denied my prophetic mission. O’ Ali, you are my successor, father of my grandchildren, my daughter’s husband and the Caliph of my people, both during my lifetime and after my death. Your command is my command and your prohibition is my prohibition. I swear by Him who made me His Prophet and the best person on earth, indeed you are the Proof of Allah for His creatures, the trustee of His secrets, and the guardian of His slaves.” (The book of Amaali Sadooq, Page 95)