In the name of Allah
The All compassionate, the All-Merciful
3rd Rabial-Thani 447 (26th September 2025)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Imam Ali (a.s.)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 101
Further to my discussion on Imam Ali (a.s.)’s Sermon 198, today I will analyze its third paragraph which reads as follows:
Therefore, whoever fears Allah, trouble stays away from him after having been near, affairs become sweet after bitterness, waves (of troubles) recede after having engulfed him, difficulties become easy after hardship, rain follows drought and famine, mercy spreads after obstacles, favors (of Allah) spring forth after having been dried, and blessings descend over him after being scarce. So, fear Allah Who benefits you with His good advice, preaches to you through His Messenger, and obliges you with His favors. Devote yourselves to His worship, and submit yourselves to the obligation of obeying Him.”
The first part of the paragraph describes the positive changes in an individual’s life when he performs acts of piety and taqwa. Allah (s.w.t.) will make a way out for him and provide for him from sources he can never imagine.
Breakdown of the meaning and context of taqwa:
- Taqwa, the conscious awareness and fear of Allah (s.w.t.), motivates man to obey Allah (s.w.t.)’s commands and avoid sins.
- “Fear of Allah” does not mean dread, but rather a profound reverence and love for Allah (s.w.t.) that compels man to act righteously and diligently.
Benefits and positive outcomes for practicing taqwa:
- Hardships recede.
- Bitter experiences become pleasant.
- Waves of troubles that once engulfed the individual subside.
- Difficult situations become manageable.
- Mercy, blessings and sustenance flow in great measures, replacing periods of scarcity.
A call to devotion
- Believers are advised to fear Allah (s.w.t) and to follow His divine guidance.
- It encourages them to follow the teachings of His Prophet.
- Moreover, it urges them to dedicate themselves to Allah (s.w.t.)’s worship and fulfil the obligation of obeying Him.
Thus, our lives will be filled with peace, ease and spiritual and worldly benefits when striving for righteousness and by submitting to Allah (s.w.t.)’s Will This concept is supported by Ayah 2 of Surah At-Talaq, which provides: “…whosoever fears God, He will make for him a way (out of trouble).” We should therefore seek refuge in Allah (s.w.t.) from the calamities of this world and the rigors of Resurrection Day through piety and taqwa. An excerpt from Imam Ali (a.s.)’s Sermon 226 provides: “This is a house surrounded by calamities and well-known for deceitfulness. Its conditions do not last and those who inhabit it do not remain safe. Its conditions are variable and its ways are changing. Life in it is blameworthy and safety in it is non-existent. Yet its people are targets; it strikes them with its arrows and destroys them through death.”
Second Sermon
Birth anniversary of Abd Al-Azim Al-Hasani
According to a narration Abd Al-Azim Al-Hasani, known as Shah Abdul Azim, was born on the 4th of Rabial-Thani in Medina, 173 Hijri during the reign of the Abbasside ruler, Harun Al-Rashid, and he died in Iran on the 15th of Shawwal, 252 Hijri.
His father was Abdullah ibne Ali and his mother was Fatima binte Uqba ibne Ghais. He was the progeny of Imam Hasan (a.s.) through his son Zayd. According to the famous historian, Al-Najashi, after Abdul Azim’s death a piece of writing was found in his clothes which read: “I am Abul-Qasim ibne Ali ibne Hasan ibne Zayd ibne Hasan ibne Ali ibne Abi Talib.” Muhafqiq Mirdamad had also reported: “Abd Al-Azim Al-Hasani has clear lineage in the progeny of Ali ibne Abi Talib.”
He lived during the Abbasside oppression of the Shiite and like his fathers, he was pursued by them for a long time. Although he practiced Taqiyya during his stay in Medina, Baghdad and Samara, he was disliked by Mutawakkil and Mu’tazz. It has been reported that he had the opportunity to meet five of our Imams, namely, Imam Musa Kazim, Imam Reza, Imam Jawad, Imam Hadi and Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a.s.). He greatly benefited from the knowledge of Imam Jawad and Imam Hadi (a.s.) and he narrated several hadiths from both of them. He was a great scholar and a transmitter of more than a hundred hadiths and he was also a writer of several Islamic books. It has been reported by Sheikh Tusi that he contributed in the compilation of the Nahjal Balagha. Abu Hammad Razi had narrated that one day he visited Imam Hadi (a.s.) and when he was about to leave, the Imam said: “If you have any question about religious issues, you should ask Abd Al-Azim Al-Hasani and please convey my salutations to him.”
Abdul Azim once accompanied Imam Hadi (a.s.) on a journey and the Imam was so pleased with him that he declared: “O Abul-Qasim! You surely are our wali… you have received the religion from us which Allah loves… May Allah support you in this world and in the hereafter?”
Shah Abdul Azim was a great scholar and a great believer in the Unity and Justice of God. He was also very pious, a devout worshipper, extremely trustworthy, honest and one of the greatest narrators of the Shiite history. Sheikh Al-Saduq had narrated that Imam Hadi (a.s.) advised Muhammad ibne Attar, when he returned from Karbala after performing the Ziyarat of Imam Hussain (a.s.)’s shrine: “If you visit Abd Al-Azim Al-Hasani’s grave, it would be as though you have visited Hussain’s shrine in Karbala and get the same reward for it.”
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