In the name of Allah
The All Compassionate, the All-Merciful
13th Rabiul-Thani 1446 (25th September 2026)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Imam Ali (a.s.)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 153
Allah (s.w.t.) has endowed man with an instinct to help him survive and function. Moreover His guidance, known as Hidayah, is the divine light and direction given by Him in the Holy Quran which leads man to the right path with clarity. Moreover specific guidance has been sent by Him through prophets to guide human intellect and morality. In this context I quote below a relevant paragraph of Imam Ali (a.s.)’s Sermon 147 from the Nahjul Balagha which clearly outlines a spiritual framework cent red on trusting divine directions, maintaining personal humility and bravely confronting difficult truths rather than avoiding them. The Imam (as) said:
“An O person, he who seeks counsel from Allah secures guidance and he who adopts His word as guide is led towards the straight path where Allah’s lover feels secure and His opponent feels afraid. It does not behave one who knows His greatness to assume greatness, but the greatness of those who know His greatness is that they abase themselves before Him, and they know that safety lies in submitting to Him. Do not be scared away from the truth like the scaring of the healthy from the scabbed person, or the sound person from the sick.”
Key Themes of the Passage
- Divine Guidance: Seeking counsel from Allah (s.w.t) and following His words guarantee a clear and secure path in life.
- True Humility: Recognizing the immense greatness of Allah (s.w.t) means accepting human limitations.
- True Wisdom: Leads to humility and submission, not arrogance or pride.
- The Imam warns people not to flee from the truth merely because it may be difficult, unpopular or challenging, like a healthy individual running away from someone with a contagious disease.
Relevant extract from Sermon 176, on the greatness of the Holy Quran and its benefits to man, is quoted below:
“And know that this Qur’an is an adviser who never deceives, a leader who never misleads and a narrator who never speaks a lie. No one will sit beside the Qur’an without achieving an addition or a diminution – addition in his guidance or elimination in his (spiritual) blindness. You should also know that no one will need anything after guidance from the Qur’an and no one will be free from want before guidance from the Qur’an.”
Second Sermon
Birth anniversary of Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a.s.)
The 8th of Rabiul-Thani is the birth anniversary of Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a.s.) and I congratulate Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.), his one and only son, and the Shiites on this auspicious occasion.
Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a.s.) was born in Medina, on Friday, the 8th of Rabiul- Thani, 232 Hijri. However, according to some tradition he was born in Samara. Both his parents, Imam Ali An-Naqi (a.s.) and Hodaith (Salil), were greatly elated at his birth and he was named “Al-Hasan” after his great uncle, the master of the youth of paradise. He was also called Abu Muhammad, as Muhammad was the name of the awaited Al-Mahdi (a.t.f.), the great reformer and saviour of humanity. His mother was very reputable and well-known and she was the best woman of her time in chastity, purity and piety. According to Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.) she was purified from every error, defect and impurity. After the martyrdom of Imam-Ali an-Naqi (a.s.), the Shiites would consult with this great lady to resolve their problems and religious issues.
Imam Askari (a.s.) lived under the guidance of his father for 22/23 years and thereafter the responsibilities of the Imamate were vested on him for 6 years, which he fulfilled in the face of hostile environment. In his short life of 28/29 years he endured great sufferings in the hands of the Abbasid caliphs, but despite all that suffering and imprisonment in Samara, he carried the banner of Islam, sacrificed his life for its cause and spread its high values and goals. I mention here some of his noble advice and recommendations to his adherents have been provided in Bihar Al-Anwar, Vol: 78, P: 372 provided below:
“I recommend you to fear Allah and to be pious and have a clear insight and perception about your religion. Strive for Allah, be truthful, give deposits back to their owners, whether they are good or evil, be vigilant and cautious about your prayers and worship, and be good to neighbors as our Holy Prophet instilled these principles in Muslims during his mission. You should associate with your kin and be good to them, attend their funerals, visit the sick among your near ones and carry out their rights, for if anyone is devout in his religion, truthful in his speech, returns deposits to their owners and treats people kindly, then it shall be said about him that, “he is a ‘Shi’a” and this shall please me greatly. To be continued
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