In the name of Allah
The All Compassionate, the All-Merciful
6 Dhil-Qadah 1447 (24 April 2026)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Imam Ali (a.s)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 1231
I quote below Imam Ali (a.s)’s Sermon 237 from the Nahjul Balagha regarding the transient nature of this world, the urgency of repentance and the necessity of preparing for the afterlife while one still has the chance.
“Perform good acts while you are still in the vastness of life, the books are open for recording actions, repentance is allowed, the runner (from Allah) is being called and the sinner is being given hope of forgiveness before the light of action is put off and time expires, life ends, the door for repentance is closed and the angels ascend to the sky.
Therefore a man should derive benefit for himself, during his life for the hereafter and from the fleeting life for the eternal life. A man should fear Allah while he is alive and until his death when he is allowed time to act. A man should control his self by the rein and hold it with its bridle, thus by the rein he should prevent it from disobedience to Allah, and by the bridle he should lead it towards obedience to Allah”
Key themes in the Sermon
- The sermon highlights the central Islamic tenet of acting righteously while one has the opportunity before death closes the door on action.
- It warns that life is fleeting and the door to repentance closes upon death. Allah (s.w.t), the Merciful, accepts our repentance if we are truly repentant. Therefore, one must act while the books are open for recording deeds. Allah (s.w.t) has said: “O’ My slaves who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” In other words, our past doesn’t have to define our future. The opportunity to turn back to Allah (s.w.t) is a gift of life itself.
- Here Imam Ali (a.s) advises us to use the resources of this life to secure the afterlife, such as, our current freedom, health and times to secure our spiritual future before the books are closed.
- The sermon emphasizes the importance of managing one’s soul by using restraint to prevent disobedience to Allah (s.w.t) and to direct it towards obedience. To be continued
Second Sermon
Birth anniversary of Imam Ali ibne Al-Musa
The 11th of Dhil Qadah marks the birth anniversary of our eighth Imam, Ali ibne Musa Al-Reza (a.s), and I congratulate Hazrat Mahdi (a.j.f) and the lovers of the Ahlul Bait on this auspicious occasion.
According to a tradition Imam Reza (a.s) was born on the 11th of Dhil Qadah, 148 Hijri in the city of Medina and he was martyred in Tus (Mashad), Iran, on the 28th of Safar, 203 Hijri. The period of his Imamate lasted for 20 years. He was born one month after the martyrdom of his grandfather, Imam Jafar As-Sadeq (a.s), who was longing to see his grandson, but it was not meant to be. He was brought up and instructed by his father for 31 years, until his father was taken to Baghdad to suffer the hardship of imprisonment for 4 years until his death. He was 35 years old then and the responsibilities of the Imamate devolved on him. At that time Harun Al-Rashid was the absolute ruler of Baghdad and the descendants of Imam Ali were going through trials and tribulations because of the tyranny of the Abbasid ruler.
When Mamun came into power he invited the Imam to Marv, where his seat of caliphate was located, to show his support and friendship to him with the evil intention of keeping a close eye on him. To accomplish his goals, he sent some of his special agents to the Imam in Medina to force him to set on a journey to Khorasan through a route that had the least number of Shiites. His agents also watched him continuously and reported all his activities to Mamun. He arrived in Marv on the 10th of Shawwal, 201 Hijri, via Basra, Khorramshahr, Ahwaz, Rey, Neyshabur, Sanabad and Sarakhs. Throughout his long journey, he was cordially received by the people living in those cities and villages.
It has been reported that the Imam stayed in Qom for a few months where he established commemorative Majalis on the atrocities of Karbala. These Majalis were also re-established in Tus, where he lived as heir-apparent. Mamun’s policies were contrary to the principles of Islam and the teachings of the Holy Prophet (s.a). However, on the Imam’s arrival at Marv, he welcomed the Imam with great pomp and ceremony and treated him with great honor and offered him the caliphate in the presence of all the key personalities of his government in order to gain control of the Shiites and to make the Imam settle near him to control him and suppress his followers. The Imam refused and said: “I am the servant of Allah and by my supplications and in obedience to Him I hope to attain the divine status. O Mamun, if Allah has appointed you as Caliph, then you cannot present it to anyone and if caliphate is not yours in the first place, then you are not authorised to offer it to anyone either.” The Imam was finally compelled by Mamun to be his successor. According to Yakubi, on the 27th of Ramadan, 201 Hijri, the Imam was officially designated as Mamun’s heir-apparent and his name was engraved on gold and silver coins.
Comments are closed