In the name of Allah
The All Compassionate, the All-Merciful
5 Dhil-Hajja 1447 (22 May 2026)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Imam Ali (a.s)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 135
The Register of deeds mentioned by Imam Ali (a.s) in his sermon refers to the recording of every word, action and even minor expressions of each and every individual, documented by angels, to serve as evidence on the Day of Judgement. These angels accompany man throughout life for the said purpose. The angels on the right shoulder record good deeds, while the angels on the left record bad deeds. According to a tradition the angel on the left wait for six to seven hours before recording a sin, allowing time for the person to repent and have the deed erased.
On the Day of Resurrection, this life record will become an “open book” to be read by individuals themselves. The manner in which a person will receive his record will determine his fate. The righteous will receive it in his right hand, while the wicked will receive it in his left hand or behind his back. Deeds are weighed on a balance to determine the ultimate reward or punishment. There are more than 100 Ayahs in the Holy Quran on this and I quote below some of them:
- Ayah 40 of Surah Ar-R’ad: “…your duty is only to convey (the Message) and on Us is the reckoning.”
- Ayahs 1 and 47 of Surah Al-Anbiya: “Nigh has drawn to people (the day of) their reckoning, yet they are heedlessly turning away.
And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Judgement, so no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least, and if there be the weight of a grain of mustard seed, We will bring it to account. Sufficient are We as Reckoners.”
- Ayah 16 of Surah Luqman: “O my son! Verily even if a mustard seed is (enclosed) in a rock, in the heavens or in the earth, God will bring it forth to light; verily God is all-Subtle, all-Aware.”
- Ayah 26 of Surah Saad: “… and do not follow vain desires lest they should lead you astray from the Path of God; for them shall be severe torment, because they forgot the Day of Reckoning.”
To be continued
Second Sermon
Anniversary of the Martyrdom Imam Baqir (a,s)
According to a famous tradition, the 7th of Dhil-Hajja is the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Mohammad Baqir (a.s), and I hereby offer my condolences to Imam Mahdi (a.j.f) and to the followers of the Ahlul Bait.
The Imam was born during the month of Rajab, 57 Hijri in Medina and in 114 Hijri, when he was 57 year old; he was martyred by poisoning by Ibrahim ibne Walid, under the instruction of Hisham ibne Abdul-Malik, the Umayyad ruler. He was buried in Jannatul Baqi alongside the graves of Imam Hasan (a.s) and his father, Imam Zainul Abedin (a.s) He was the only Imam who was the direct descendant of the Holy Prophet (s.a) from both his maternal and paternal side. He grew up under the enlightening care of his father for 35 years and in 95 Hijri, after his father’s martyrdom, he took over the reins of Imamate, which lasted for 19 years. His Imamate coincided with reigns of Walid ibne Abdul-Malik, Sulaiman ibne Abdul-Malik, Umar ibne Abdul-Aziz, Yazid ibne Abdul-Malik and Hisham ibne Abdul-Malik who terrorized and oppressed his subjects and his policy of persecution and torment led to many revolts. He also persecuted the students of the Imam, but those unjust measures did not prevent the increase in Islamic awakening and religious awareness among people.
According to an authentic Hadith the Holy Prophet (s.a) advised his companion, Jabir ibne Abdullah Ansari: “O Jabir, you will have a long life, and you will meet the fifth in line of my descendants, whose name will be the same as mine. He will walk like me and he will be the fifth Imam of the time. When you meet him, convey my greetings to him.” As predicted by the Holy Prophet (s.a), Jabir had a long life and had become blind in his old age, but he devoutly waited to meet the fifth Imam. Every morning he would come out of his house, sit by the roadside and wait for the sound of his footsteps. One day while he was waiting in the street, he heard someone walking towards him; the sound of footsteps reminded him of the Holy Prophet (s.a). Jabir stood up, stopped the man and asked his name. The Imam told him that he was Mohammad son of Ali ibne Al-Hussain (a.s). Jabir immediately realized that he was the fifth Imam and kissed his hand and conveyed the message of the Holy Prophet (s.a). The Imam prayed for Allah (s.w.t)’s eternal blessings to be bestowed upon his great grandfather and on Jabir as well.
Imam Baqir (a.s) also laid the foundation of the educational and research assemblies and paved the way for the establishment of the Islamic university, which reached its peak during the life of his son, Imam Sadeq (a.s) as the Bani Ummayads were absorbed in their own affairs and were engaged in constant skirmishes against the Bani Abbasides. Many of his contemporaries and prominent scholars from different schools of thought had written about his scholarly status. The Imam clearly imparted to the people that members of the Ahlul Bait were the true source of knowledge and guidance; his advice has been reported in the Manaqib V:4 P:206: “We are nearest to Allah and a part of His blessings and the main link between Him and His creatures. His creation started with us and will end with us. We are the source and leaders of guidance and the powerful light in darkness. We carry the banner of Islam in this world; whoever follows us will be successful and whoever turns away from us will be annihilated for we are the leaders of prosperity and the straight path of Allah. We are Allah’s blessing on His servants, the source of prophethood and the pillar of religion.The angels are constantly visiting our houses for we are the light of guidance and the bridge to heaven and hell beckons those who turn away from us. Allah will not punish our followers because they are from us.”
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