In the name of Allah

The All compassionate, the All-Merciful

 19^th Shawwal 1446 (18^th April 2025)

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 78

 

Speech and words can have the most powerful impact on people and that is why Imam Ali (a.s.) in his Sermon 176 has advised us about the importance of controlling our tongue. In essence, words can heal, soothe, comfort, hurt, offend or damage relationships and we should therefore bear the following in mind:

• It is highly imperative that we should think before we speak. According to the Holy Prophet: “Speaking without thinking leads to trouble.” The logical explanation behind this Islamic teaching is that we have no control over the good or bad effects of our words once they are uttered.
• Allah (s.w.t) has forbidden us to engage in suspicion and backbiting. Ayah 12 of Surah Al-Hujuraat provides:
• “O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, for verily some suspicions are sins and do not spy. Do not backbite others; does any of you like the eating of the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it, and fear God…..”
• We should strive to speak the truth and be honest. The Holy Prophet (s.a) has said: “Beware of lying for lying leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to hell. A man may lie and strive hard in lying until he is recorded with Allah as a liar. Truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to paradise. A man may speak the truth and strive hard in speaking the truth until he is recorded with Allah as a speaker of truth.” Ayah 119 of Surah Baraa reads: “O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds).
• Our talk should be useful, whether they are about worldly matters or matters of the hereafter. We should not speak about that which is of no benefit and serves no purpose.
• We should avoid speaking on the basis of speculation, assumptions or conjectures. Ayahs 70 and 71 of Surah Al-Ahzab provides:
• “O you who believe! Guard yourselves 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.”
• We should not speak of that which we have no knowledge or do not remember the details correctly; rather we should make sure that everything that we say or do is based on sufficient knowledge, otherwise it is safer to remain silent. According to Ayah 36 of Surah Bani Isra’il,

“Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge; verily the hearing, the sight and the heart shall be questioned about it.”

• It is also not permissible for us to speak about the religion of Allah (s.w.t) without knowledge, or on the basis of speculation and conjecture. Whatever we know we are obliged to follow it and act upon it and whatever we are ignorant of, we should leave it to one who has knowledge of it. To be continued

 

Second Sermon

Martyrdom anniversary of Imam Sadeq (a.s.)

We are approaching the anniversary of Imam Sadeq (a.s.)’s martyrdom and I offer my condolences to Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.) and to the followers of the Ahlul Bait (a.s.).

 

Imam Sadeq (a.s.) was born on 17th Rabiul Awwal, 83 Hijri, in Medina. He was brought up under the guidance of his grandfather, Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.), for 12 years. After the demise of his grandfather, he was under the direct supervision of his father, Imam Baqer (a.s.), for 19 years and from both of them he learned the science of religion and the teachings of Islam. He succeeded his father, after his martyrdom, as the sixth Imam. He was martyred on the 25th of Shawwal, 148 Hijri at the age of 63 and his Imamate lasted for 34 years.

 

His character was exemplary and he was considered to be the model and specimen of Islamic ethics. He had no desire for worldly matters and was named ‘the honest’ for his integrity and truthfulness. He was also a great social personality and an effective political force and he never struggled for power or leadership. He was very pious, always engaged in the remembrance of God and a perpetual worshipper of Him. He constantly recited the Quran and fully perceived its profound meanings and discussed Islamic ethics, mannerism, integrity, goodness of character and acts of worship extensively with scholars and jurists and emphasized the need for ethics, morality and justice in human affairs. He talked about the secrets of the unseen world when he was merely 7 years of age. It has been narrated by several traditionalists and historians that when the Imam was a young boy, he would attend the school established by his father and he would get involved in serious discussions on matters of Fiqh and jurisprudence with the older students of the school. Hundreds of scholars learnt Islamic science and traditions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.) from him on every facet of life. He was not only a scholar of Sunnah and Hadith, but he was also a historian and a master of chemistry, astronomy, mathematics and natural sciences. He was the most prominent religious personality of the Shiite sect in that era and he was indisputably among the prominent personalities of the Ahul Bait.

It has been narrated that one day a pilgrim fell asleep while visiting the Holy Prophet (s.a.)’s mosque in Medina. When he got up, he hurriedly searched for his belongings and found that his purse which contained a thousand Dinars was missing. He accused the Imam of having stolen it as he was praying in a corner of the mosque at the time. When the Imam learnt about it, he asked the man to follow him to his house where he gave him a thousand Dinars. When the pilgrim returned from the house, he found his missing purse and was deeply ashamed about his conduct. He profusely apologized to the Imam and offered to return his money, to which the Imam replied, “We never take back what we give away but if you feel guilty about it, give it to the deprived and the impoverished of this town.” The traveler donated his entire money to the poor people in Medina. It has also been reported that during a famine when the Imam learnt that his treasurer had hoarded a large quantity of corn in the warehouse he was very upset and said: “Give it away to the poor and let us be in the same situation as others. We must share this misfortune with the needy and the poor as long as it takes.” Then he ordered that pure white wheat flour should not be used in his kitchen and it should be mixed with equal quantities of oat flour.