In the name of Allah
The All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful
16 Rajab 1446 (17 January 2025)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Imam Ali (a.s)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 63
Last week I had quoted an extract from Imam Ali (a.s)’s Sermon 176, which is provided hereinafter for your ready reference:
“And know that this Quran is an adviser who never deceives, a leader who never misleads and a narrator who never speaks a lie. No one will sit beside this Quran but when he rises he will achieve one addition or one diminution – addition in his guidance or elimination in his spiritual blindness. You should also know that no one will need anything after guidance from the Quran and no one will be free from want before guidance from the Quran. Therefore seek cure from it for your ailments and seek its assistance in your distress. It contains a cure for the worst diseases, namely, disbelief, hypocrisy, revolt and misguidance. Pray to Allah through it and turn to Him with its love. Do not ask people through it. There is nothing like it through which people should turn to Allah, the Sublime.”
As we are all aware the Holy Quran has a profound effect upon the heart. It is indeed a healing and cures for spiritual ailments. Recital of the Holy Quran cures sickness and diseases of the heart like honey cures ailments of the body. It eliminates sickness which is a cause of corruption to knowledge, conception and perception. It cures diseases of hypocrisy, disbelief, misguidance and superstitions and strengthens the soul.
The Holy Quran is a mercy and guide for those who surrender to it as a Divine Book and follow it in every aspect of life. It fulfils the needs of man and no one can be prosperous without it or straitened with it. As explained earlier the foundation of a pious individual’s lifestyle is based on the Holy Quran. He follows its instructions and refrains from its prohibitions. In other words the Holy Quran is his guide and leader and he strictly adheres to its teachings. Such individuals will receive Allah (s.w.t)’s blessings and be successful on the Day of Judgement. On the contrary, those who reject it will not only be deprived of guidance and blessings but on the Day of Resurrection the Holy Prophet (s.a) will testify against them. The Holy Quran will prove to be a strong argument against them, for they had been conveyed the entire Message which distinguished between Truth and falsehood. Ayah 89 of Surah An-Nahl provides:
“One day, We shall raise a witness from among themselves and bring you (O Our Prophet Muhammad) as a witness overall and We have revealed unto you the Book (the Quran) explaining everything, a guidance, a mercy, and glad tidings for those who submit themselves (to God).” To be continued
Second sermon
Birth anniversary of Ali ibne Abi Talib (a.s)
I wish to congratulate Imam Mahdi (a.t.f) and my brethren in faith on the auspicious birth anniversary of Imam Ali (a.s) on the 13th of Rajab, which will be celebrated throughout the Muslim world with great exuberance.
Imam Ali (a.s) was born in 600 A.D within the holy precincts of Kaaba, 30 years after the Year of the Elephant (Aamul Feel). When his mother, Fatima binte Asad, experienced labour pains and walked towards the Holy Kaaba, its wall miraculously split and as she entered the sanctuary the gap sealed itself behind her. Onlookers panicked and rushed to enter it, but they could not unlock the door. She emerged three days later, after the baby was born. The Holy Prophet (s.a) was the first person besides Ali (a.s)’s mother to hold the newborn in his arms, and when the baby opened his eyes, it was the face of the Holy Prophet (s.a) that he first saw.
It was the great personality of Ali (a.s) who, prior to all others, pledged faith to the Holy Prophet (s.a). He supported the cause of Islam at the earliest moment of his life. In fact, no sooner had he placed his feet on earth that he assisted the Holy Prophet (s.a) in the proclamation of the religion of truth. In addition to his pioneering role in Islam, he offered great sacrifices and fought for the victory of Islam since he was young and continued to fight deviationist trends inside Islam. From the beginning of his life he did not fear anyone, except Allah (s.w.t). He was Ali (a.s), the brave who never retreated from the battlefield as affirmed by the Holy Prophet (s.a):
“Tomorrow, I will give the banner of Islam to a man who loves Allah and His Prophet and whom Allah and His Prophet love. This man attacks but never flees. He does not come back from a battle until he achieves victory by Allah’s blessings.”
It cannot be denied that he was the most virtuous and the true successor of the Holy Prophet (s.a) and it is not possible for anyone to fully grasp his impeccable characteristics. To understand him one needs to scale the skies and to accompany the Holy Prophet (s.a) in his ascension. Abdul Hamid known as Ibne Abi Al-Hadid, the Sunni commentator of Nahjul-Balagha had narrated the following from a Sunni scholar: “If Ali wishes to record his virtues and all the eloquent Arabs help him in his endeavour, they would not be able to note down even one-tenth of the Holy Prophet’s voluminous narrations about him.” He then said: “I do not mean the very famous narrations of the Holy Prophet about Ali, such the Hadiths of Ghadeer Khum or Manzilat and the like of them.”
Moreover, that Holy Prophet advised Ali (a.s) as follows: “Allah has ornamented you with an ornament that He has never ornamented anyone like it. It is the ornament of believers and asceticism in this world. He has not created you to deceive the world nor has He created the world to deceive you. Moreover, he has made the poor your followers; you treat them with compassion and they accept you as their Imam.”
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