In the name of Allah

The All Compassionate, the All-Merciful

24 Shabaan 1447 (13 February 2026)

Islamic Universal Association

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London, W11 4 PG

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Imam Ali (a.s)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 121

Last week I had quoted and briefly discussed Imam Ali (a.s)’s Sermon 88 and today I will discuss it in further detail. In this context I quote below the following Ayahs:

Ayah 11 of Surah Ar-R’ad: “For him there are angels following one another, before him and behind him guarding him by God’s command. Verily! God does not change the condition of people until they change what is in themselves. But when God wills to punish people, there is none to repel His punishment; there is none besides Him to protect.”

• Change must come from a person’s inner state – their intentions, heart, and character. Sincere repentance and a return to righteousness can turn a situation of hardship into ease.
• Since man has the capacity to choose between good and evil, he is therefore accountable for his deeds.
• Moreover calamities and trials are viewed as part of Allah (s.w.t)’s preordained plan, occurring by His will and wisdom.

1. For righteous people, calamities are often trials to elevate their rank in paradise purify them of sins or test their patience.
2. For those who have become complacent, hardship may serve as a reminder to return to Allah (s.w.t).
3. For those who persist in open sin or disbelief, calamities can be a form of immediate punishment and a result of their own wrongdoings.

 

Ayah 53 of Surah Al-Anfaal: “That is so because God does not change any favour He bestows upon people until they themselves change what is in their own selves, and God is All-Seeing, all-Hearing.”  The core message here is that the change in favor comes from an internal shift within a person, a choice he makes, for he is responsible for his fate. Allah (s.w.t)’s decision is fair;

• He doesn’t revoke favors unless people actively change for the worse, by becoming ungrateful or tyrannical.
• Blessings remain as long as goodness is maintained; when a community starts committing excesses and evil, they become deserving of punishment, a principle demonstrated by Pharaoh and earlier nations.
• This verse serves as a warning that Allah (s.w.t)’s commands if rejected, lead to consequences, starting with worldly trials and escalating to severe punishment, as He is All-Hearing and All-Knowing.

 

Ayah 7 of Surah Ibrahim: And your Lord proclaimed: “If you are grateful I will certainly grant you more, and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe.”

According to the Ayah gratitude leads to increase in blessings, whilst ingratitude incurs severe consequences:

• Being grateful should not be merely verbal; but blessings should be used in ways pleasing to Allah (s.w.t) by being righteous This will leads to more blessings, both in quantity and continuity.
• Ingratitude or taking blessings for granted, on the other hand, would lead to sudden loss of blessings and punishment in the Hereafter.

Second sermon

Virtues of the holy month of Ramadan

With the forthcoming holy month of Ramadan, the month of forgiveness, blessings and clemency, I take this opportunity to congratulate you and also to beseech Allah (s.w.t) to grace us with the benefits and blessings of this month.

 

It is highly important to appreciate the significance and blessings of Ramadan so that we are motivated to furnish our utmost effort and time to worship Allah (s.w.t) and to abstain from temptations and wrongdoings. In many ways, this month serves as an enhancement of the soul.

 

• Ramadan is indeed a month of guidance and purification. According to Ayah 183 of Surah Al-Baqarah,“O who believe! Fasting has been ordained to you as it was ordained to those before you, so that you may guide yourselves (against evil).” Fasting has been prescribed, during this month, so as to bring the soul into harmony with Islamic belief and virtue and to get closer to Allah (s.w.t).
• Allah (s.w.t) has sent down the Holy Quran during this month to bring man out of darkness and oppression into light and guidance. Ayah 185 of Surah Al-Baqarah provides: “The month of Ramadan is the month in which the Holy Quran was revealed as guidance for mankind; a clear evidence of guidance and the criterion of right and wrong…” It has been reported in Amali Sadooq on page 62 that when Haifs ibne Qaiyth asked Imam Sadeq (a.s) how was it possible for the Holy Quran to be revealed in Ramadan as it was revealed to the Holy Prophet (s.a) in 23 years, the Imam explained: “The entire Quran was revealed during the month of Ramadan to the sky in Baitul Mamoor and thereafter from Baitul Mamoor it was revealed to the Holy Prophet over a period of 23 years.”
• Another special characteristic of this month is that the night of Qadr falls during the month of Ramadan. It is the night of power or the night of destiny. Surah Al-Qadr reads: “Verily we have revealed the Quran in the Night of Qadr (Power). And what will make you know what the Night of Qadr is? The Night of Qadr is better than a thousand months. Therein descends the angels and the spirit by the permission of their Lord with decrees of all affairs. Peace is the entire night until dawn-break.” The Holy Quran was therefore revealed in the Night of Power during the blessed month of Ramadan as a guide to man. The value and excellence of this night is better than a thousand months (83 years and 4 months). Furthermore, Ayahs 2 and 3 of Surah Ad-Dhukhan provides: “By the manifesting Book. Verily We have revealed it on a blessed night indeed, for We intend to warn the people.” The blessed night is the Night of Glory referred to in Surah Al-Qadr quoted above, and according to Surah Al-Baqarah it was revealed during the month of Ramadan. The revelation thus began during that night in Ramadan, and the entire Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet (s.a) during a period of 23 years, to warn the heedless as the occasion demanded.