In the name of Allah
The All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful
11 Safar 1446 (16 August 2024)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Imam Ali (a.s.)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 40
In continuation of last week’s discussion on the characteristics of a believer as provided in Imam Ali (a.s.)’s Sermon 87, today I would like to elaborate as follows:
- A true believer in Allah (s.w.t.) is someone who is not only convinced of Allah (s.w.t.)’s presence but he also seeks to live in the manner prescribed by Him and he is mindful of the guidance that Allah (s.w.t.) has bestowed on man through the Quran.
- He does not just worship Allah (s.w.t.) because he has to, rather he feels truly content in serving Him. He supplicates Allah (s.w.t.) often and has complete faith in His infinite mercy. He seeks to establish a deep connection with Him by turning to Him in times of ease and difficulty, realizing that He is closer to him than his “jugular vein.”
- He remembers Allah (s.w.t.) at all times; in the quiet hours of the night and in the busy hours of the day. According to Imam Ali (a.s.) “He looks and perceives; he remembers Allah and enhances his good” The Holy Quran provides:
Ayahs 41 of Surah Aale Imran: “…and remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and at day-break.” Ayah 41 of Surah Al-Ahzab: “O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.” Ayah 205 of Surah Al-A’raaf: “And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and awe, not in a loud voice, in the morn and in the eve, and do not be of the neglectful one.”
- He prepares for the Day of Resurrection by contemplating the inevitability of death and is aware of the trials that follow in the grave and during the resurrection. He visualises standing before Allah (s.w.t.) and thinks about the bridge that he will have to cross in order to attain salvation, a bridge from which many will slip and fall to their destruction. He thinks about the joy that will be experienced by people of paradise and the suffering and sorrow of the inhabitants of hell and he therefore prepares provisions for it. Imam Ali (a.s.) has advised in the Sermon: “He has provided pleasure for the day that is to befall him.”
Second Sermon
Divine revolution of Imam Husain (A.S.) Part: 5
When the family of the Imam Hussain (a.s.) arrived in Damascus they were taken to the palace of Yazid in the most degrading manner. Imam Zainul Abedin (a.s) faced Yazid with enormous courage and fortitude and addressed the people in Jamie mosque, who were ignorant of the Ahlul Bait and their standing because of the false information given by the Umayyad rulers. He exposed Yazid’s cover up of the butchery that took place on the day of Ashura by valiantly informing the courtiers and those attending the mosque that they were the family of the Holy Prophet (s.a.) and the atrocities that had taken place in Karbala. I quote below some extracts from his speech which clearly specify the place of the Ahlul Bait in the realm of Islam:
“O people! Allah has given us six distinguishing characteristics; knowledge, forbearance, generosity, eloquence, velour and heartfelt love of the believers but people cannot be forced to become our friends, devotees and adherents…Our superiority to others is also based on seven pillars; we are from the family of Mohammad, the messenger of Allah; his successor, Ali Ibn Abi Talib; the great martyrs, Jafar Tayyar and Hamza; the leaders of the youth of paradise and the grandsons of the Holy Prophet, Hassan and Hussain; and the savior of the oppressed and the last Imam, Mahdi.
Whoever recognizes me knows me, and whoever does not recognize, let me tell him who I am and to what family I belong. I am the son of Mecca and Mina; I am the son of Zamzam and Safa; I am the son of the one who was made to travel from the sacred Mosque to the remote Mosque; I am the son of the one who was taken by Gabriel to Sidrat Al-Muntaha; I am the son of the one who drew near his Lord, as close as the distance between two bows or closer still; I am the son of the one who led the angels of the heavens in prayer; I am the son of the one to whom the Almighty revealed what He revealed; I am the son of Mohammed Al-Mustafa; I am the son of ‘Ali Al-Murtaza; I am the son of the one who fought against the disbelievers until they said: ‘There is no god but Allah’. I am the son of the one who struck the enemies with two swords, emigrated twice, pledged allegiance twice to the Prophet, prayed towards two qiblas, and fought against the disbelievers at Badr and Hunayn and never disbelieved in Allah.
I am the son of the best of the believers, the heir of the prophets, the destroyer of the disbelievers, the Commander of the Muslims, the light of the mujahidin, the ornament of the worshippers, the most patient of the patient, and the best from among the family of Yasin. I am the son of the one who was backed by Gabriel and supported by Mekaiel. The Imam (as) continued and the effect of the speech was so powerful and it made such a serious impact on the minds of the people that they began to cry and lament. Yazid was afraid that if the Imam continued his speech, there would be a revolution. At the same time, he could not stop him, so he ordered the muazzin to give an Azaan, knowing that this would automatically end the Imam’s speech. When the muazzin said ‘Allahu Akbar’, the Imam testified Allah (s.w.t.)’s greatness, but when the muazzin said, ‘Ashhadu Anna Mohammadan Rasoolullah’, the Imam stopped the mu’azzin from going any further and he then turned to Yazid and asked him, “Tell me O Yazid, was Muhammad your grandfather or mine? If you say he was your grandfather, it would be an outrageous lie, and if you say he was my grandfather, then why have you killed his son and imprisoned his family? Why have you killed my father and brought his family to this city as prisoners?
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