In the name of Allah
The All compassionate, the All-Merciful
5th Shawwal 1446 (4th April 2025)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Imam Ali (a.s.)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 76
Further to last week’s sermon, I would like to add that Allah (s.w.t.) guides man through words. Quran is “Kalamullah”, the speech of Allah (s.w.t.). Our words are actually a very powerful gift that Allah (s.w.t.) has given us to communicate with Him and He communicates with us through this gift. Revelations would mean nothing if we did not have the power of language. So, if we have been given such a priceless gift, then we should be extra careful how we use it. Some relevant Ayahs are:
Ayahs 70 and 71 of Surah Al-Ahzab: “O you who believe! Guard yourselves (against the wrath of God) and utter what is right.”.
He will set your deeds right and forgive your faults; whoever obeys God and His Messenger has indeed achieved a great success.”
Ayah 70 quoted above contains two orders of Allah (s.w.t.); fear Him and have Taqwa and speak truthfully with wisdom and Qawle Sadeed, that is, to speak without any ambiguity and in a straight forward manner with no distortions. According to the valuable book of Majma Al-Bayan, talks based on Qawle Sadeed are: 1. Beneficial to man. 2. They are truthful. 3. They are not idle gossip. 4.They are words from the heart and devoid of any hypocrisy.
Allah (s.w.t.) in Ayah 71 promises us that if we utter what is right, He will reward us by making our deeds righteous, i.e., enabling us to do righteous deeds and He will forgive our sins.
Ayah 24 of Surah Al-Hajj: “For they are guided to goodly words and they are guided to the path of the Praised One.”
“They are guided” here means that they will be inspired towards good words or speech. “Goodly words” refer to pure talks including the basic testimony of faith: “There is no god, but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”. Goodly words may also refer to the glad tidings and welcome with which the angels will greet the inhabitants of the Garden. According to Majma Al-Bayan this Ayah belongs to the residents of paradise who will communicate with each other with goodly words in paradise. To be continued
Second Sermon
The month of Shawwal
Today is the first Friday of the month of Shawwal and believers are encouraged to continue the spirit of gratitude and giving in the path of Allah (s.w.t.) even after the month of Ramadan. After the Eide Fitr celebrations, many Muslims choose to continue the spiritual momentum gained during Ramadan by fasting a further six days in Shawwal for added divine blessings. Some consider the additional fasts as a way of seeking forgiveness for any shortcomings during Ramadan.
Last week I had quoted Imam Ali (a.s.)’s sermon delivered on the day of Eide Fitr wherein he called upon us not to forget our future obligations and to seek forgiveness for our sins and omissions with sincerity. Similarly, he gave another sermon (quoted below) in the city of Basra that contained these valuable points:
Imam Ali (a.s.) said: “Time is elapsing and the past is a lesson for the present. The past cannot come back and one cannot have peace of mind about the future. People are departing from this world, but their places are being filled. The first lot are visitors for the incoming ones who are leaders of the next in line. They will all separate from each other, but everyone will ultimately reconnect. Death will dominate over us all and the Harrowing Day will soon be upon us when wealth and children will not be profitable other than a pure heart.
O my followers! You should be patient and perform actions that you will need tomorrow and avoid actions that will attract chastisement. You will find that performing your duty with patience is far more desirable than punishment on the Day of Resurrection. Your time is limited and your life will be accounted for and certainly time and desires will all end.” Then the Imam wept and recited Ayah 10 of Surah infitar: “While verily watchers (angels) are appointed over you.” (Amali Shaikh Sadooq, page 109) To be continued
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