In the name of Allah
The All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful
22 Dhil-Qadah 1445 (31 May 2024)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Imam Ali (a.s)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 30
Regarding of our discussion about the noble advice of Imam Ali (as) in Naj-al-balaghe today start the sermon 114 in which I quote below an extract of this sermon, then I will discuss its meaning during my forthcoming session Inshallah:
“O creatures of Allah! Certainly fear of Allah has saved the lovers of Allah from unlawful deeds whereby their nights are passed in wakefulness and their days are spent in thirst to please Allah. So they achieve comfort through trouble and attain abundant good through thirst. They regard death to be near and therefore they hasten towards (good) actions. They reject worldly desires and so they keep death in their sight.
This world is a place of destruction, tribulations, changes and lessons. As for destruction, the time is precise as its bow is pressed in readiness and its dart does not go amiss, its wound does not heal, it afflicts the living with death, the healthy with ailment and the protected with distress. It is an eater who is not satisfied and a drinker whose thirst is never quenched. As for tribulation, a man collects what he does not eat and builds where he does not live. Then he goes out to Allah without carrying the wealth or shifting the building.
As for its changes, you see a pitiable man becoming enviable and an enviable man becoming pitiable. This is because wealth has gone and misfortune has overtaken him. As for its lessons, a man reaches near (realisation of) his desires when suddenly with his death neither the desires are achieved nor the desirer is spared. Glory be to Allah, how deceitful are its pleasures, how thirst-rousing is its quenching and how sunny is its shade. That which approaches (i.e. death) cannot be sent back, he who goes away does not return. Glory to Allah, how near is the living to the dead because he will meet him soon and how far is the dead from the living because he has gone away from him.” To be continued
Second Sermon
Imam Ali Ibne Musa Al Reza (a.s) -Part 3
There are conflicting accounts about the date of Imam Reza (a.s)’s martyrdom. According to some historians he was martyred by poisoning on the 17th or the last day of Safar, 203 Hijri, at the age of 55 under the orders of Mamoon whereas others had reported that he was martyred on the 23rd of Dhil-Qadah.
Sayyed ibne Tawus, a descendant of Imam Hasan Al-Mujtaba (a.s) and one of the most renowned Shia scholars, in his book, Al-Iqbal, had reported that Imam Reza (a.s) was martyred on the 23rd of Dhil-Qadah. Moreover, Muammar ibne Khaled, a companion of Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s), had narrated that on the 23rd of Dhil-Qadah in Medina he accompanied Imam Taqi (a.s) on a journey. When they arrived at a desert, outside Medina, the Imam asked him to wait there as he had an errand to run. After quite a while, when the Imam returned, he asked him where had he gone, to which the Imam replied that he went to Khorasan to attend to his father’s funeral and to perform the rituals, as he was martyred there on that very day.
There is a great emphasis for performing the ziyarat of the Ahlul Bait in order to keep the two important principles of faith alive, which are to love the friends of Allah (Tawalla) and to disassociate from their enemies (Tabarra). Maintaining a proper relationship with the Holy Prophet (s.a) and the Imams (a.s) is a divine act which does not cease even after their death. This continues to be in force even on the day of resurrection, when the followers will reap the reward. That is why it is highly recommended to visit the Ahlul Bait’s tombs in order to endorse one’s commitment to them and to obey and follow them. Hassan ibne Al-Washsha narrated from Imam Reza (a.s) that it is essential for the followers to visit their tombs and mausoleums in order to be under their auspicious sanctuary. (Al-Kafi V: 2 P: 567). There are two key points to be noted here; the followers of the Ahlul Bait are encouraged to visit the graves of the Holy Prophet (a.s) and his successors and secondly to have full knowledge of their rights so that one would be highly rewarded. Some relevant traditions from Khisal Sadooq P: 167 are provided below:
- Hassan ibne Al-Washsha had reported that Imam Reza (a.s) had advised:
- “I will unjustly be killed by poisoning. So whoever visits me out of knowledge of my rights will be forgiven by Allah for his past sins and those to follow.”
- It has been narrated on the authority of Hamdan Al-Diwani that Imam Reza (a.s.) had said:“Whoever visits my tomb despite the distance; I will save and liberate him from the horrors of the Day of Resurrection on three occasions on that Day: 1. When the Letter of Deeds will be handed to him in his right and left hand, 2. when he will cross the Bridge of Sirat 3. At the time when the Scale of Deeds (measuring the amount of good vs bad deeds) is set up.
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