The Message - Rajab Al Murajjab - 1435 AH

1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Food for Thought: - Sayings of Imam Ali (a.s.) 02
2 From the Editors Desk 03
3 Your Daily-Life Questions Answered 05
4 The Dhikr of Allah in All States 07
5
The Brief Biographies of Imam Ali, Imam Muhammad Baqir,
Imam Muhammad Taqi & Imam Musa Kazim (A.S.)
25
6
The Ahlul Bayt (A.S.) are the natural continuity of the Mission
of their grandfather
33
7 Necessary Preparations for Universal Government 42
8
Eid al-Mab'ath: The Appointment of Prophet (S) to Prophetic
Mission
46
9 Lessons for a Physician in Dua e Makarim al Akhlaq 51
10 Why Mosquitoes Are The Worst? 55

Kids Corner Kids Corner Kids Corner Kids Corner

11 Birthday Celebration of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (A.S.) 61
12 Imamat is Guidance We Need 62

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The Message Rajab al-Murajjab 1435 AH
2
1. How strange is this man!
He becomes happy when
he gains that which would
never miss him, and be-
comes sad when he
misses that which he
would never catch.
2. O people, beware of
fondness of this world,
because it is the head of
every sin.
3. The gravest sin is to seize
the wealth of a Muslim
wrongly.
4. No one will find the true
taste of faith before he
neglects telling lies
whether seriously or jo-
kingly.
5. People perish due to two
thingsfear of poverty
and seeking of pride.
6. A single word often spoils
the grace.
7. He whose dress is chosen
by knowledge will have his
defects screened from
people.
8. Meet people in such a
manner that if you die
they should weep for you
and if you live they should
long for you.
9. To render relief to the
grief-stricken and to pro-
vide comfort in hardship
means the atonement of
great sins.
10. Long hope will unavoida-
bly lead to the negligence
of acting good deeds-.
11. Do not despair because of
your sin while the portals
of repentance are open.
12. A pure repentance is
feeling of sorrow in the
heart, seeking forgiveness
with the tongue (by utter-
ance), and the intention
not to do so ever again.
13. He (Allah) is too generous
and glorious to cancel the
forgiveness that He pro-
vides for a believer in this
world when He covers up
his defect.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Sayings of Imam Ali (a.s.)

Rajab al-Murajjab 1435 AH The Message
3
In the name of Allah the
all mercy the ever mercy
Brother and Sisters,
Salam Alaikum.
Alhamdulillah we have com-
pleted ten years of The
Nessage magazine publication.
A sincere thank you to all our
sponsors and supporters.
!f we look around us, we
conclude that one of the
cheapest things is human life.
People are abducted, tortured
and eventually killed. We hear
the news but simply ignore it,
as if goats and sheep are being
slaughtered on Eid-e-Qurban.
!ts not only Karachi, Pakistan or
some other Nuslim countries;
rather its everywhere in the
world that people are facing this
situation. To find out who is
responsible is a difficult task
and those who know also keep
silent on such issues. The well
known unofficial tortures in
!raq, Afghanistan and the so
called Al-Qaida war, the
Guantanamo bay, prisons in
!raq, the pictures taken in these
prisons and thousands of such
examples prove that people
around the world are being
made to realize that it is better
to mind their own business. As
the forces are powerful and one
cannot do anything against
them. Therefore, ordinary
people keep silent. But when
we study Karbala, we under-
stand that in such situations
one person is not ready to
accept the zulm done by a
system, the faithful than said
Labbaik Ya Hussain and stood
in the way of Allah, fully
supporting their leader. Al-
though according to short
sighted people they did not
succeed, but history proved that
it had a long term favorable and
deep effect.
So Nomineen, its not that we
succeed or lose in terms of
present situation; we have to
perform our duty. We cannot
just sit back and say that we
have to care for our family and
our business. Had it been so
then, why Nomineen in the
early days of !slam, during
Amirul Nomineen (a.s.) days of
khilafat or the stand of !mam
Hussain (a.s.), stood up with
their leaders and gave away all
what they had in the way of
!slam. The holy Quran says:
From The Editors Desk

4
Say, !f your fathers and your
sons, your brethren, your
spouses, and your kinsfolk, the
possessions that you have
acquired, the business you fear
may suffer, and the dwellings
you are fond of, are dearer to
you than Allah and His Apostle
and to waging jihad in His way,
then wait until Allah issues His
edict, and Allah does not guide
the transgressing lot.
(Quran: 9-2+)
!slam has one standard;
everyone has to perform his
duty. You cannot outsource
your duty to others. So, !
humbly request Nomineen
during the holy days of Rajab,
Shaban and Ramadan al-
Nubarak to realize the fact that
sitting back will bring more
problems to us and our future
generations. The takfiri missio-
nary work has gained footings
and we have to fight against it
on war footings.
Positive tabligh and social
services are the best possible
tools. We are here to facilitate
these services. You perform
your duty by supporting us and
Alhamdulillah our team is
running day and night every-
where in Pakistan to reduce the
impact of propaganda against
the followers of Ahl e Bait a.s.
These are the days when we
get spiritually charged and try
to collect some deeds for the
day when we wont be able to
collect them. Nomineen are
requested to speak out against
the takfiri and extremist
elements who are trying to
prove that they are the real
Nuslims and all others are non-
believers.
Nore than 100 Tv Channels
across the world are propagating
anti Shia sentiments and a few
are clearly propagating anti Ahl-e-
Sunnah propagation. Both are
elements of anti !slamic powers.
We need to increase harmony
among ourselves just like Amirul
Nomineen (a.s.) did in his
lifetime, otherwise look at Syria...!
Allah bless all of us in this holy
month and may we become real
humble servant of Allah (s.w.t.)
with the guidance and blessings
of Ahl-e-Bait (a.s.).
JazakAllah 8 iltemas e dua.
Long Live !slam,
Long Live Pakistan.
Shabbir H. Naisami (Lakhani)
Editor

5
Q.1: Does Shariah allow
adoption of a child? And is
there any prohibition in
adopting a non Shia
child/infant.
Ans.: Adoption of a Muslim
child is allowed in Islam.
Q.2: What would be the
ahkam relating to mahram
and na-mahram?
Ans.: Either the child should
be made mahram in one of
the Sharia ways or proper
hijab conditions will have to be
observed when the child
reaches the age of puberty.
Q.3: Some people may
develop an infection of the
feet and In order to cure it,
the person needs to take
certain creams. Does
applying such cream have a
negative effect on the
wiping of the foot in Wud-
hu?
Ans.: Usual kinds of cream do
not prevent water from
reaching the skin.
Q.4: Can I buy shares /stock
from a foreign market.
Ans.: Yes, it is permissible
but it is not permissible to buy
shares of companies that deal
with prohibited matters like
wine and pig and the like of it
if the buyer becomes a
partner in owning such things.
Q.5: What is the Diyah
(compensation) if a woman
aborted her baby (foetus) of
three weeks?
Ans.: Whoever performs the
abortion "i.e. doctor" will
become liable for the payment
of indemnity and the kaffarah
(fasting for two consecutive
months) too.
In this case the amount of
Diyah depends on the age of
the foetus:
If it is Nutfah = 105 Mithqal of
silver and
If it is Alaqah = 210 Mithqal of
silver.
Your Daily-Life Questions Answered
6
Q.6: Must the Diyah be paid
immediately or can it be
delayed?
Ans.: It is like the rest of the
debts that should be paid with
the request of the victim and
the ability of the offender to
pay.
Q.7: What if one does not
have enough money or
means to pay Diyah?
Ans.: If the offender cannot
pay Diyah, it stays as a debt
on him.
Q.8: According to Shia law,
does the woman have the
right to divorce herself from
her husband?
Ans.: The husband is usually
the one who divorces the wife.
Yes, if the wife puts a condi-
tion in the marriage contract
that she will be his agent in
her own divorce in such a way
that she cannot be discharged
from such appointment and
the husband agreed to this,
then she can divorce herself
on behalf of her husband.
Q.9: In the event of divorce,
who is entitled to custody of
children, the father or the
mother?
Ans.: The right of the custody
of the children is for the
mother for the first two years
of the childs age. After that, it
is obligatory on her to give the
custody to the father if he
asks for it. At the same time,
the father should not prevent
the mother from correspond-
ing with her child as this is a
right for both the child and the
mother.
Q.10: When a girl becomes
9 years old, does she have
the right to choose whether
she wants to live with her
father or her mother?
Ans.: Yes, if she reached the
age of nine years, she can
decide with whom she wants
to live. The obligatory ex-
penses are the responsibility of
father (with conditions) even if
the boy or the girl decided to
live with any of them.

7
Of the things which all people
are responsible for enacting,
however not all are able to, is
to remember Allah (SwT) in
all states. The remembering
of Allah (SwT) should only be
done for one reason which is
to remember Allah (SwT) and
this act should have no other
incentives associated with it.
The word Dhikr has three
meanings to it: verbal,
spiritual and the applied or
practical Dhikr.
The verbal Dhikr is something
easy; the Dhikr in the heart
which makes up the spiritual
Dhikr is somewhat more
difficult; while the Dhikr which
is manifest in one's actions is
the most difficult of all!
The Dhikr in one's actions
means that in a person's
actions in his life, he recog-
nizes that Allah (SwT) is
present and watching - his
actions truly show that he
realizes that Allah (SwT) is
present all the time.
Seeing as how this form of
remembrance of Allah (SwT)
is the most important verbal
declaration mentioned in the
various traditions and has
been emphasized a great
deal, the Prophet (S) has
stated, The Dhikr is not
limited to only this (the
verbal remembrance of Allah
(SwT)). Rather, the reality of
Dhikr is that when a person
enters into a situation where
he has the ability to perform
a forbidden act, he fears
Allah (SwT) to such an extent
that he immediately refrains
from performing the deed
that would be transformed
into a sin in his records.
Therefore, the Dhikr of Allah
(SwT) is actually a very
valuable treasure! No matter
how much we speak about it,
The Dhikr of Allah in All States
By: Ayatollah al-Uzma Sheikh Nasir Makarim Shirazi
Translation: Shaykh Saleem Bhimji

8
it is still not enough and in
principle, the spirit of the
Salat and worship is all
contained within the Dhikr of
Allah (SwT)!
By this we mean that in that
amount that our attention and
focus is in the Salat and in
that amount that we have the
presence of heart (hudhur al-
qalb), only that amount is
considered as the Salat while
the rest of the prayers (where
there is no presence of heart)
is just like the skin of the fruit
without the actual fruit!
The main purpose of all forms
of worship (!badat) is the
as this is the most important
factor in protecting the person
who is put face to face with
sins.
One who has soiled himself
with crimes, transgressions
and errors against his soul
and brings disgrace onto
himself (through these acts) is
definitely not of those who
remember Allah (SwT).
Truthfully, if he was a person
of remembrance of Allah
(SwT), then at the time of
coming face to face with a
sin, he would fall into the
remembrance of Allah (SwT).
Through this remembrance,
he would not become such a
person of disgrace and he
would not fall into such
misfortunes and these states
of dishonour would have been
a lesson for him.
Therefore, if we wish to
protect ourselves in the face of
committing sins, then we must
constantly be in a state of
Dhikr of Allah (SwT) - we must
be one who has developed the
habit of ensuring that we do
not forget Allah (SwT).
When one enters into a
gathering, he must be sure to
remember Allah (SwT) and
this Dhikr of Allah (SwT)
would actually be the source
of tranquility and serenity of
the person in this world as:
Now surely with the re-
membrance (Dhikr) of Allah
are the hearts put at rest and
ease.[1]
9
Short Discussion Regard-
ing Dhikr
1. What is the Dhikr of Allah and
how does it materialize?
Just as Raghib has mentioned
in his book, al-Nufradat, the
word Dhikr may sometimes
refer to memorizing some
information and facts with this
stark difference that the word
Ls> or hifz (which is also
used in the meaning of
memorization) refers to the
beginning period of memori-
zation of something while the
word or Dhikr is used in
reference to the continuation
of this act.
Sometimes, this word is used
in the meaning of remember-
ing something - either a
verbal recollection or a
remembrance in the heart.
We read in the traditions [2|
that !mam Ali b. Abi Talib
(as) has said:
Dhikr is of two types: the
remembrance of Allah, the
Noble and Grand, at the time
of tribulations and even
greater than this is the
in regards to that thing
which Allah has made
prohibited for you so then
this (form of Dhikr) acts as a
barrier (between the person
and that forbidden act).[3]
!t is because of this reason
that in some of the traditions
the remembrance of Allah
(SwT) is referred to as the
shield and means of protec-
tion (from sins)!
!n a tradition from !mam
Jafar b. Nuhammad as-Sadiq
(as) we read that one day the
Prophet (S) turned towards
his companions and said:
Take a shield for your-
selves. The companions
said, O' Messenger of Allah!
(Should we take up this
shield) in the face of our
enemies who have sur-
rounded us and who are
looking over us (to attack us
at any time?). The Prophet
replied, No. Rather, take
this shield as a protection
from the hell fire - say: 'Glory
10
be to Allah and all praise
belongs to Allah and there is
no creature worthy of
worship except for Allah and
Allah is greater than can be
described.[4]
A Person who was con-
stantly in the Dhikr of
Allah {SwT)
The following example of
Prophet Nusa (as) is one
which we must pay extra
careful attention to, as he was
one who was constantly in the
remembrance of Allah (SwT).
He had focused his entire
attention on His Presence and
called upon Him alone to
remove all difficulties and
challenges.
When this Prophet of Allah
killed a Coptic man - which
was an act referred to as a
Tark-e-Awla (leaving a more
preferable option) - we see
that he immediately asked
Allah (SwT) forgiveness and
pardon and said:
He (Musa) said: Surely I
have wronged myself, so
forgive me.[5]
!n addition, when he was
leaving Egypt, he stated:
He (Musa) said: My Lord
save me from the oppressive
people.[6]
When he reached the city of
Nadyan, he said:
He (Musa) said: Perhaps my
Lord may guide me to the
straight path
When the sheep of (Prophet)
Shuaib (as) were fed, became
satiated and made their way
towards the shade, Nusa (as)
he stated:
He (Musa) said: O' my Lord!
I am in need of whatever
goodness you can send to
me.[7]
Nost notably in this last
supplication which was read in
one of the most critical
junctions in the life of this
Prophet, we see that with
great reverence and manners,
tempered with tranquility and
serenity, he did not say,
O' Allah! I am in need of You
removing my difficulties
11
Rather, all he asked Allah
(SwT) was,
I am in need of Your good-
ness and kindness.
[He did not ask for something
in specific, rather, he left it to
Allah (SwT) to fulfill whatever
He destined for His servant.|
Of course, we should not
assume that Prophet Nusa
(as) only remembered Allah
(SwT) during times of difficul-
ty, as it has been mentioned
in the Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalain
[8| that,
Even when he lived in the
palace of the Pharaoh and
was surrounded by all of the
material treasures and
blessings, he still did not
forget Allah (SwT).
Thus, in the traditions we
read that, One day, Nusa
(as) sneezed while in the
presence of the Pharaoh and
immediately said, 'All Praise
belongs to Allah, the Lord of
the Universe'.
When the Pharaoh heard
these words, he became
extremely upset and slapped
Nusa (as)! Nusa (as) grabbed
the Pharaoh by his hair and
pulled it at which time, the
Pharaoh became even more
upset and decided to kill him,
however the wife of Pharaoh
convinced Pharaoh that Nusa
(as) was only a young child
and did not know what he
was doing and thus, she was
able to save him from
death.[9|
Remembering Allah {SwT)
in All States
Whenever the name of Allah
(SwT) is taken, an entire
universe of greatness, power,
knowledge, and wisdom
becomes manifest in the heart
of the human being since He
(SwT) is the holder of all of
the most beautiful Names, the
highest characteristics, the
possessor of all of perfections
and is free from any sort of
defect or imperfection.
The constant focus and
attention on such a reality (of
Allah (SwT)) Who possesses
such characteristics and traits
12
guides the soul of a person
towards goodness and purity
and helps him keep away
from all despicable acts. !n
other words, His characteris-
tics seek to become manifest
within the life of the person.
Focusing one's attention on
such a worthy Creator brings
a sense of awareness of
constantly being within His
presence. With this feeling,
the distance between a
person and the sins and
spiritual pollution is made
great.
Remembering Him (SwT) is a
remembrance of vigilance;
remembering Him (SwT) is
the remembrance of accoun-
tability and rewardf retribu-
tion; remembering Him (SwT)
is to remember His court of
Justice, Paradise and Hell Fire
and such a remembrance is
what gives purity to the life
and graces the soul with the
Celestial !llumination of Allah
(SwT) and existence.
!t is due to this fact that
within the !slamic traditions it
has mentioned that every-
thing has a limit to it - except
the remembrance of Allah
(SwT) as there is no limit to
it! According to the tradition
mentioned in Usul al-Kafi,
!mam Jafar b. Nuhammad
as-Sadiq (as) has said:
There is not a single thing
(in the faith of Islam) except
that there is a limit set for it
so then when that limit is
met, then that act is com-
plete except for the Dhikr (of
Allah) since for this there is
no limit and no end to
it.[10]
The !mam then said:
Allah, the Glorious and
Noble, has obligated the
Salat, so then whoever fulfills
this act has fulfilled it to its
prescribed amount; the
month of Ramadan too (has
a limit) so then whoever
fasts the month has fulfilled
the limit; hajj too (has a
limit) so then whoever
performs the hajj has fulfilled
its limit; however there is no
limit set for the remem-
13
brance (Dhikr) of Allah.
Surely Allah, the Glorious
and Noble, is not content
with a small amount of Dhikr
and has not set an end limit
for it.
Then, the !mam (as) read the
verse of the Quran which
states,
{O' you who possess true
faith! Remember Allah an
abundantly remembrance
(Dhikran Kathiran) and
glorify Him in the morning
and at night.}[11]
!n this same tradition, !mam
Jafar b. Nuhammad as-Sadiq
(as) narrates from his father,
!mam Nuhammad b. Ali al-
Baqir (as) that he (the 5th
!mam) was one who per-
formed much Dhikr of Allah
(SwT) and that anytime he
walked with him, he would be
in the Dhikr of Allah (SwT);
when he ate, he would
remember Allah (SwT); even
when he was speaking to
people, he would not be
negligent of the Dhikr of Allah
(SwT)
The 6th !mam ends this
tradition by stating the
following very meaningful
sentence:
The house in which the
Quran is read and in which
Allah, the Glorious and
Noble, is remembered will
have its blessings multiplied,
the Angels will be present in
that house, the Satans will
flee from that house and
that house will shine for the
people of the heavens just as
the stars sparkle for the
people on Earth.[12]
This issue is of such impor-
tance that in the tradition, the
has been equated with the
collection of all goodness of
this life and the next life just
as the Prophet of Allah (S)
has stated:
The person who has been
given (by Allah) a remember-
ing tongue (to extol His
greatness) has been given
goodness of both this life
and the next.[13]
14
as-Sadiq (as) has said,
The person who remembers
Allah, the Glorious and Noble
much, Allah will cover Him
with the grace of His shadow
in His Paradise.[14]
!t goes without saying that all
of the blessings and goodness
which are accompanied by the
are not related to the mere
verbal attestation and re-
membrance of Allah (SwT)
and the empty movements of
the tongue with no thought,
pondering (upon what is
being said) and action (to
what is being said). Rather,
the purpose of this remem-
brance should be to stir the
springs of thought and
contemplation - that same
thought which would become
manifest within the actions of
the person. [15|
The Stages to Traverse in
the Dhikr of Allah {SwT)
!n regards to the stages which
one must traverse in the Dhikr
of Allah (SwT), one of the
commentators of the Quràn
[16| has stated:
1. The first stage is the
Dhikr of His name, just as has
been mentioned in the
Quràn in the verse of Suratul
Nuzammil:
And remember the name of
your Lord and devote your-
self completely to Him.[17]
2. The second stage is that
of remembering the Sacred
Essence of Allah (SwT) in the
heart, just as we are told:
And remember your Lord
within yourself humbly and
fearing [18]
3. The third stage - which is
the ultimate level - is one in
which a person ascends
higher than just performing
the Dhikr of Allah (SwT) and
remembering the status of
Lordship which He possesses.
Rather, the person arrives at
the state of the Dhikr of all of
the characteristics of Beauty
and Nunificence of Allah
(SwT) which are all present in
15
His essence, just as we are
told:
O' you who have true faith,
remember Allah, a great deal
of remembering[19]
Thus, we see that the Dhikr of
Allah (SwT) continues,
traversing one stage after the
other and through this, the
person performing this Dhikr
of Allah (SwT) would reach to
the pinnacles of perfec-
tion.[20|
The Various Forms of
Dhikr
Dhikr is divided up into the
Dhikr of the tongue (verbal);
Dhikr of the heart (spiritual);
and the Dhikr through one's
actions. Thus, whenever we
speak about the Dhikr of Allah
(SwT) - which is such a great
act - we must never think that
it simply refers to the Dhikr of
the tongue (the verbal form).
Rather, in the !slamic narra-
tions, it is has been clearly
mentioned that in addition to
the verbal Dhikr, there is also
the Dhikr in the heart and the
Dhikr through one's actions.
Thus, when a person is about
to perform a forbidden act, he
must fall into the remem-
brance of Allah (SwT) and
through this, refrain from that
act which he is not permitted
to perform.
The ultimate purpose of what
we have mentioned is that
Allah (SwT) must be present
in all aspects of a person's life
and the Celestial !llumination
of Allah (SwT) must take over
and encompass a person's
entire life; he must think and
reason with this Celestial
!llumination and must put into
practice all of His command-
ments.
A gathering of remembering
Allah (SwT) is not a gathering
in which a group of unaware
people sit around in a circle
and go forth in a mode of
pleasure and recreation while
at the same time recite some
made-up incantations and
make such an innovation
(Bidah) in gatherings famous
and well-known (amongst the
people). !f we read in the
16
traditions that the Prophet (S)
said: Make your way to-
wards the gardens of Para-
dise.
When he was asked: And
what are the gardens of
Paradise? The Prophet (S)
replied: Gatherings of the
remembrance (of Allah).[21]
Gatherings of remembrance
[of Allah (SwT)| are those in
which the teachings of !slam
are kept alive and instructive
discussions 8 lessons of
training (of the person) are
mentioned and talked about in.
!n such a gathering, a human
is transformed into the true
sense of the word a human
and those people who are
sinners are purified of their
sins and are put back onto the
path of Allah (SwT).[22|
The Best Forms of Re-
membrance
1. The Dhikr of the Morning
and Evening
!n Tafsir Qurtubi [23| and the
Tafsir of Abu'l Futuh Razi[2+|
in regards to verse 6+ of
Suratul Zumur, there is a
tradition from the Commander
of the Faithful, Ali b. Abi Talib
(as) in which he asked the
Prophet (S) in regards to the
meaning of keys mentioned
in this verse to which the
Prophet (S) replied:
O' Ali! Surely you have asked
about the greatest of keys!
This great key which you have
asked about is that every
morning and evening you say
the following ten times,

.

.
. .
. J
. )

.

.
<

_ .
'There is no deity worthy of
worship except for Allah;
Allah is greater than any-
thing which can describe
him; all Glory belongs to
Allah and all Praise belongs
to Allah and I seek forgive-
ness from Allah and there is
no power except with Allah
and He is the First and the
Last and the Apparent and
the Hidden. To Him is the
Dominion and to Him be-
17
longs the Praise (He gives life
and death) in His hands is all
goodness and He has power
over all things.'
The Prophet continued and
said, 'Whoever reads this
every morning and night,
Allah will grant this person six
rewards, one of which is that
Allah will protect him from
Satan and the army of Satan
so that he (Satan) is not able
to rule over him.
!t goes without saying that
merely saying these words
and paying lip service to them
is not what will gain the
reward. Rather, true faith in
its contents and applying this
sentence to one's life is
necessary!
!t is possible that this tradition
may be a subtle reference to
some of the words which
make up the most beautiful
names of Allah (SwT) and
which make up the Sovereign-
ty and Dominion of Allah
(SwT) above the entire world
of creation. [Pay attention to
this point|.[25|
2. The Dhikr of Allah - Ya
Fattah [ l . 8 l j]
!n some of the traditions,
there has been emphasis
placed on the remembrance
through the recitation of Ya
Fattah to alleviate difficulties.
This great characteristic of
Allah (SwT) which is the
'exaggerative form' of the
word _. refers to the
power of Allah (SwT) to
remove any difficulty and the
ability of Allah (SwT) to
remove the grief and sorrow
which a person may have.
!n addition, this name also
conveys the power of Allah
(SwT) to put forth the means
through which victory and
success are achieved.
!n reality, there is no other
who can be referred to as
l.sI and the Key (l.so) of
all closed doors are in His
hands and Power!
Raghib has mentioned the
following in his work al-
Nufradat in regards to the
word _. that:
18
Originally, this word meant
to remove any sort of diffi-
culty and tribulation and this
is of two types: Sometimes it
refers to difficulties which
are seen by the eyes such as
opening a lock, and some-
times these difficulties are
perceived by the mind such
as opening (and alleviating)
the difficulties of grief and
sorrow or opening and
discovering the secrets of
various forms of science.
In addition, it refers to the
arbitration between two
individuals and removing the
difficulties of strife and anger
which may be between two
individuals.[26]
3. Dhikr e Yunusiyyah (The
Dhikr of Prophet Yunus a.s.)
Prophet Yunus (as) became
aware of the situation he was
in very quickly and with his
entire presence, turned
towards the presence of Allah
(SwT) and sought repentance
and asked forgiveness from
his Tark-e-Awla, in the
presence of the Nost Sacred.
At this point, the well-known
and meaningful dhikr from the
mouth of Yunus (as) was
stated which has been nar-
rated in the Quràn in Suratul
Anbiya, verse 87. Amongst
the people of !rfan, it is well
known as the 'Dhikr-e-
Yunusiyyah':
So then he cried out in the
darkness that 'There is no
deity worthy of worship
except for You, glory be to
You, surely I was of the
oppressors and unjust to my
own self.'
This sincere confession
tempered with his glorifica-
tion, along with grief and
remorse was accepted and
just as we read in verse 88 of
Suratul Anbiya that:
So then We answered him
(Yunus) and We saved him
from the grief and thus do
We always rescue the true
believers.[27]
4. The Dhikr of There is no
power or strength save with
Allah ( V g8 V g> V
l;)
19
!n the Tafsir, Najma al-Bayan
[28|, it has been mentioned
that the son of one of the
companions of the Prophet (S)
- Awf b. Nalik - was captured
by the enemies of !slam. The
companion went to see the
Prophet (S) and informed him
of what had happened and
also of his abject state of
poverty and destitution.
The Prophet (S) said to him,
Exhibit your Taqwa (con-
sciousness of Allah (SwT)), be
patient and recite the Dhikr of
IIl. V V > V
frequently.
The companion did as he was
told and one day, while he
was sitting in his house, his
son came to the door -
surprising his father!
The son proceeded to tell his
father how at one point, the
enemies forgot about him and
thus, he was able to make the
best of the opportunity and
run away - not only this, but
he was even able to bring one
of the camels of the enemy
with him! [29|
The Status of the Dhikr in
the Words of Imam Jafar
b. Muhammad as-Sadiq
{as)
as-Sadiq (as) has stated the
following in regards to Dhikr:
The person who rememb-
ers Allah, the Most High in
the true sense (of the word),
is (truly) His obedient
servant and the one who is
negligent of Him is a sinner.
Obedience (to Allah) is a
sign of guidance and dis-
obedience (to Allah) is a sign
of misguidance and the
source of these two (states)
is the remembrance and
negligence (of Allah).
So then make your heart
the focus of your tongue - do
not move it except at the
suggestion of your heart and
(do not move it except) with
the approval of your intellect
and that pleasure of your
faith since surely Allah is the
Knower of that which you
hide and that which you
manifest.
20
Thus, be as the person who is
on his death bed and one
whose soul is about to come
out of him or like the person
who is waiting on the wide
plains (of the Day of Resur-
rection) for the account of all
of his deeds. Waver between
what Allah the High has
obligated you to perform
from the commands and the
prohibitions and the promis-
es (of reward) and the
warnings (of retribution).
And do not busy yourselves
with things other than what
He has ordered you to
perform and wash your heart
with the (spiritual) water of
grief and make the remem-
brance of Allah just like His
remembrance of you while
He has no need for you.
Thus, His Dhikr of you is
much more important,
greater, more perfect,
clearer and more needed for
you than You remembering
Him, and it also has a prece-
dence to it. In addition, your
cognizance of His remem-
brance of You would grant
you humility, shame and
humbleness.
Through this knowledge, you
would be able to see His
previous greatness and
magnitude over you and at
this time, all of your worship
of Him would seem trivial
and insignificant in the face
of the bounties and great-
ness of Him over you even if
your obedience to Him (up
until this point) was great
and even if your actions for
Him (up until this point) were
done with sincerity.
However as for your turning
your attention to your Dhikr
of Him (Allah), this will lead
you to developing the traits
of: pride, conceit, arrogance
and harshness amongst His
creations and you would
consider (your) obedience to
Him to be great in amount
(even though it is nothing)
and would lead you to forget
His grace (over you) and His
munificence upon you and
this would not increase
anything within you except
for (spiritual) distancing from
21
Allah and you would not gain
anything with the passing of
time from this except the
fear and terror.
The Dhikr is of two types:
the sincere Dhikr of Allah the
Most High which takes place
through the approval of the
heart and the Dhikr which
flows from you which ne-
gates all other forms of
Remembrance of other than
Him, just as the Noble
Messenger (S) has said that,
'I am not able to speak Your
praise (in the way which You
deserve), rather, You are
praised just as You Yourself
have praised Yourself.'
So then the Messenger of
Allah (S) did not think that
his sincere Dhikr of Allah was
of any worth due to his
knowledge of the past reality
of the remembrance of Allah,
the Noble and Grand, for him
(the Prophet) which took
form before his (the Proph-
et's) remembrance of Him
(Allah (SwT)). Therefore, in
those areas where the
Messenger of Allah has
negated his own Dhikr of
Allah and confirms the Dhikr
which has been carried out
by Allah, he is referring to
supremacy of the Dhikr.
Thus, whosoever then desires
to remember Allah, the Most
High, should truly know that
Surely He is the All-Knowing
and that Allah remembers
the servants through the
Divinely granted success of
them remembering Him and
had it not been for this, the
servant would never have
been able to remember
Him.[30]
The Reality of Dhikr
The true meaning of Dhikr is
to remember Allah (SwT) and
in one's steps, movements
and actions, to endlessly be in
a state of remembrance of
Allah (SwT). The eventual
outcome of this form of Dhikr
is obedience to the Lord and
to not digress from the path
of the intellect and faith.
Another effect is that one
fulfills the Divine Responsibili-
ties which rest upon himself in
22
relation to the commanded
and prohibited actions. The
person also keeps in mind the
promises and punishments,
the rewards and chastise-
ments of Allah (SwT). Such a
person would also keep away
from sinning and taking the
path of rebellion against Allah
(SwT)!
Yes, the responsibility of the
person who is spiritually
travelling towards Allah (SwT)
is that he must always be
aware of his mistakes, trans-
gressions, bad acts and all of
the things which result in his
own spiritual weakness and
shortcomings. !n summary,
this can be accomplished
through the two following
ways:
One: By paying attention to
the particularities and distinc-
tiveness of one's actions and
deeds in the presence of Allah
(SwT) and by paying attention
to one's responsibilities. !f this
is enacted, then the person
would see that all of his
actions are actually deficient
and imperfect when compared
to the perfect qualities of
Allah (SwT).
Two: By paying attention to
the grace, kindness, generosi-
ty, love, compassion, blessing
and forgiveness of Allah
(SwT) since in the face of
these never-ending traits, we
see that whatever we bring
forth and perform is still
imperfect and with little to no
value to it.
Yes, it is through a person
being mindful of these two
ways that his humility, love,
modesty, servitude, cogniz-
ance, shame, and humbleness
would all increase.
The meaning of Allah, the
Nost High speaking the praise
refers to His Divine Lordship
over the Universe and thus
the Dhikr - whether it be the
Divine Lordship over the
Universe, a verbal declaration
and verbal praise and other
than this, fall into this same
category (His Divine Lordship
over the Universe).
Thus, praise which Allah
(SwT) makes refers to the:
23
creation, maintenance,
organization, regulation,
mercy and all of His other
actions - each of which is a
perfect denotation of His
great status and of which the
verbal praise of His servants
can never reach to.
Thus, in this sentence, the
Noble Prophet (S) has even
negated his own Dhikr of
Allah (SwT) (l.. _> V)
which is a pure and sincere
remembrance! He only
believes in the worth and
value and truthfulness of the
remembrance which Allah
(SwT) Himself performs ( .,..
:.s. _Ic).
Yes, even though this form of
remembrance, at the first
stage is manifest in the Divine
Lordship of Allah (SwT) over
the entire Universe and this is
the most complete form of
remembrance which comes
forth from Allah, the Nost
High which He himself has
introduced as taking shape
through His characteristics of
His actions, however at the
next level (of this Dhikr), it is
one in which the servants of
Allah (SwT) realize the station
which He has and develop
knowledge of this. Thus, this
then takes on the form of the
remembrance of the heart
and by turning their inner
focus to Him and His actions
or through the verbal attesta-
tion.[31|
References:
1. Surat al-Rad (13), verse 28
2. Safinat al-Bihar, vol.:1, P:484
3. Ibid.
4. Tafsir-e-Namuna (Summarized),
vol. 1, pg. 216-217
5. Surat al-Qasas (28), verse 16
6. Ibid., verse 21
7. Ibid., verse 24
8. vol. 4, pg. 117
9. Tafsir-e-Namuna, vol. 16, pg. 61
to 62
10. Vol. 2, Book of Supplication,
Section on the Dhikr of Allah.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 82, pg. 145
14. Ibid., vol. 66, pg. 324
15. Tafsir-e-Namuna, vol. 18, pg.
355 to 358
16. Fakhrud Din al-Razi, vol. 3, pg.
177
17. Surat al-Muzammil (73), verse 8
18. Surat al-A'raf (7), verse 205
19. Surat al-Ahzab (33), verse 41
24
177 to 188
21. Safinat al-Bihar, vol. 1, pg. 486
266 to 267
23. Ibid., vol. 8, pg. 571
24. Ibid., vol. 9, pg. 417
25. Ibid., vol. 19, pg. 424 to 425
26. Ibid., vol. 18, pg. 85
27. Ibid., vol. 19, pg. 156 to 157
28. Ibid., vol. 10, pg. 306
237
30. Mustadrak al-Wasaaf1il, vol. 5,
pg. 397, no. 43
31. Misbahul Shariah wa Miftahul
haqiqah, (The Lantern on the
Path), pp. 20 to 25

Importance of the
Month of Rajab

Rajab marks the beginning of the
spiritual season of every believer
ending with the end of the
fasting month of Ramadan with
the Eid Al Fitr. These three
months, Rajab, Shaban &
Ramadan, are unmatched in
their importance.
Praise be to the Almighty and
thanks to Him for granting us
another opportunity to cleanse
ourselves of our sins and over-
sights.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) has
said: "Verily, Rajab is Allah's
month, Shaban my month and
Ramadan the month of my
Ummah; whosoever fasts a day
in the month of Rajab will be
granted the great reward of
Ridwan (an angel in heaven); the
wrath of Allah shall be distanced
and a door of the Hell shall be
closed."
What is in this month of Rajab?
Rajab is one of the four sacred
months in Islam in which bat-
tles are prohibited.
Rajab is month of Supplication,
Fasting and Istighfar. Holy
Prophet (saww) has said,
"Rajab is the month for seeking
forgiveness, so seek forgive-
ness from Allah (SwT).
On 13th Rajab - Amirul
Mu'mineen Ali Ibne Abi Talib
(as) was born in Kaaba - the
House of Allah.
The 27th of this month is the
date when the official ap-
pointment of the Noble Proph-
et took place and it is the day
when the mercy and blessings
of Allah (swt) were physically
manifested upon this earth.
Giving Sadaqah in this month
is highly recommended.

25
Al-Imam Ali {as)
Amir al-Numinin Hazrat Ali
(as) is the first perfect exam-
ple of the education and
training of the Holy Prophet
(S).
Ali (as) was educated by the
Holy Prophet (S) from the
period of his infancy. Ali (as)
was always with the Holy
Prophet (S) like a shadow
until the last moment of the
Prophets life. Like a butterfly
which sacrifices its life for the
candle, Ali (as) also was with
the Holy Prophet (S). Ali (as)
parted with the Holy Prophet
(S) when he took the sacred
body of the Prophet (S) in his
arms and buried him.
Ali (as) was endowed with a
worldwide personality. One
may dare say that the discus-
sions and deliberations about
this important personality
have not been made to such
an extent about any other
important personality of the
world. Shia, Sunni, Nuslim,
and non-Nuslim scholars and
writers have written more
than one thousand books
regarding his personality.
With all the innumerable
discussions and inquisitive-
ness made by friends and foes
about Ali (as), no one has
been able to find any weak-
nesses in his faith. Nor has
anyone been able to find any
weak point in his bravery,
piety, knowledge, justice, and
other praiseworthy ethics,
because he recognized and
possessed nothing but virtue
and perfection.
The Brief Biographies of Imam Ali, Imam
Muhammad Baqir, Imam Muhammad Taqi
& Imam Musa Kazim (A.S.)
By: Allama Sayyid Muhammad Hussain at-Tabatabai

26
According to history, from
among all rulers who have
come to power since the
demise of the Holy Prophet
(S) until the present time, Ali
(as) is the only person who
fully complied with the sirah
of the Holy Prophet (S) and
who never deviated from the
policies of the Prophet (S) in
the period of his rule over the
!slamic society. Ali (as)
implemented the laws and
religious precepts of !slam
without any misinterpretation
or distortion just as they were
executed in the lifetime of the
Holy Prophet (S).
!n the case of "the 6-member
council" for the selection of
the khalifah (caliph) which
had a meeting according to
the order of the second
khalifah after lengthy discus-
sions the uncertainty regard-
ing khilafah emerged between
Ali (as) and Uthman. The
"council" conditionally offered
the position of khilafah to Ali
(as) provided that he would
deal with the people in the
same manner as the first and
second khalifahs did. !mam Ali
(as) rejected the offer and
said: "! will not transgress the
limits of my knowledge." Then
the "council" offered the
khilafah with the same
condition to Uthman. He
accepted the offer and
became the khalifah, although
he adopted a different sirah
afterwards.
No one from among the
Companions of the Holy
Prophet (S) could be a match
to Ali (as) insofar as self-
sacrifices, self-devotion, self-
dedication, etc for the cause
of the truth were concerned.
!t cannot be denied that in
the absence of this devoted
harbinger of !slam, unbeliev-
ers and polytheists would
have easily extinguished the
light of the Nubuwwah in the
night of Hijrah and afterwards
in any one of the battles of
Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khyber,
and Hunayn and would have
resulted in the fall of the
banner of the truth.
Upon first entrance into the
social environment, Ali (as)
27
had a very simple life. During
the lifetime of the Holy
Prophet (S), after the Proph-
ets demise, and even during
his own glorious khilafah
period, he lived like the poor
and in the most humble
condition. He had no superior-
ity over the needy insofar as
food, clothing, and housing
were concerned and used to
say: "The ruler of a society
should live in such a way so
as to be the source of conso-
lation for the needy and the
distressed and not the cause
of their regret and disap-
pointment." Although the ruler
of the entire !slamic State, he
had only seven hundred
dirhams on the day of his
martyrdom with which he
wanted to hire a servant for
his house.
Ali (as) used to work to meet
the needs of life. Particularly
he was interested in agricul-
ture and spent his time in
planting trees and digging
water canals. Whatever he
earned in this manner or
through the war-booty, he
distributed among the needy.
He endowed the properties
which he had cultivated for
the needy or distributed
among them the money
received as sale proceeds of
such properties. Once, during
the period of his own khilafah,
Ali (as) ordered to those
concerned to bring the
revenues of his endowments
to him and then spend them.
When these revenues were
collected, the amount reached
2+,000 gold dinars.
Ali (as) always defeated his
rivals in all the battles in
which he took part. He never
refrained from combating an
enemy. Ali (as) said: "!f the
entire Arabia rises up in
opposition and combat
against me, ! will not lose my
courage and ! will not fear
anything."
With such bravery and valor,
for which the history of the
brave men of the world has
not found any equal, Ali (as)
was extremely compassionate,
kind, generous, and magna-
nimous. !n the battles, he
28
never killed women, children,
and the weak. Ali (as) did not
take anyone as a captive and
did not pursue those who ran
away. !n the Battle of Siffin,
the army of Nuawiyah took a
lead, occupied the canal of
Euphrates, and banned the
water on Ali (as). Later, after
a bloody battle, Ali (as)
occupied the water canal.
Then he issued orders allow-
ing the enemy to take water.
!n the period of his khilafah,
Ali (as) welcomed everyone
without having chamberlains
and doorkeepers, walked on
foot all alone, and walked in
the alleys and the bazaars. He
ordered the people to fear
Allah and guard against evil
and protected them against
injustice of one another. Ali
(as) helped the poverty-
stricken people and widows
kindly and humbly and kept
the shelterless orphans in his
own house, personally provid-
ing their requirements and
educating them.
Ali (as) had a special regard
for knowledge 8 learning and
gave particular attention
towards promotion of know-
ledge and education and used
to say: "There is no suffering
like ignorance." While Ali (as)
was arraying his troops in the
bloody Battle of Jamal, an
Arab went forward and asked
him the meaning of Tawhid.
The people rushed toward the
Arab from every direction and
confronted him by saying that
such a moment is not an
appropriate time for asking
such questions and for
discussion. Ali (as) asked
them to disperse away from
the Arab and said: "We are
fighting the people in order to
revive such truths." Then,
while arraying the troops, Ali
(as) called forth the Arab and
clarified the matter for him
with an eloquent statement.
Another similar case symboliz-
ing the religious discipline and
amazing divine power of Ali
(as) has been narrated in the
course of the Battle of Siffin.
While the two armies, like two
roaring seas, were intermin-
gling and fighting and much
29
blood was gushing out from
every direction, Ali (as) came
to one of his soldiers and
demanded a glass of water for
drinking.
The soldier filled a wooden
bowl with water and offered it
to Ali (as). Ali (as) noticed a
crack in the bowl and said:
"Drinking water in such a
bowl is makruh (undesirable -
though not unlawful but
refraining from it is preferable
in !slam)".
The soldier said: "This is not a
time to be so meticulous
about these things in such a
situation when we are under
the shower of arrows and the
flashes of thousands of
swords". !n short, the answer
he got from Ali (as) was: "We
are fighting for the enforce-
ment of such !slamic precepts
and insofar as the rules are
concerned there is nothing
large or small".
After the Holy Prophet (S), Ali
(as) was the first person who
talked about scientific realities
by the philosophical mode of
thinking, that is, he talked
with independent logic. He
also coined many scientific
terms. !n order to safeguard
the Holy Quran from error and
mutilations, Ali (as) formu-
lated and arranged the rules
of Arabic grammar.
Scientific intricacies, divine
knowledge, ethical, social, and
political matters, and even
mathematics that are made
available to us by means of
the lectures, letters, and other
eloquent remarks of Ali (as)
are amazing.
Lectures, letters, aphorisms,
and the short remarks availa-
ble as a memorial of Ali (as)
all testify that from among
Nuslims, Ali (as) is most
familiar with the sublime aims
of the Quran and has duly
perceived the principal and
practical education of !slam.
He has proved the authentici-
ty of the hadith of the Holy
Prophet (S): "! am the city of
knowledge and Ali is the gate
of the city". Ali (as) has
combined this knowledge with
practice.
30
!n short, the prominent
personality of Ali (as) is
beyond description and his
infinite virtues are countless.
History has never witnessed a
personality attracting as much
the attention and the views of
the scholars and philosophers
of the world as he has.
Al-Imam Muhammad Al-
Baqir {as)
During the !mamate of al-
!mam Nuhammad al-Baqir
(as), the way was somewhat
paved for the dissemination of
!slamic sciences. Owing to the
oppression of Umayyads, the
ahadith regarding !slamic
jurisprudence by the Ahl al-
Bayt (as) were lost. Although
thousands Of ahadith are
required for !slamic precepts,
nevertheless, not even more
than 500 ahadith of the Holy
Prophet (S) had remained,
that too, from among those
which were narrated by the
Companions of the Holy
Prophet (S).
!n short, during that period,
because of the very tragic
event of Karbala and as a
result of the 35 years of
efforts of al-!mam al-Sajjad
(as), a great number of
Nuslims [supporters of Ahl al-
Bayt (as)| emerged but they
had no !slamic jurisprudence
based on the ahadith of the
Ahl al-Bayt (as).
Since the government of the
Umayyads was weakened due
to internal differences and the
self-indulgence and inefficien-
cy of government authorities
and because the signs of
weakness had grown in its
governmental structure, the
Fifth !mam (as) took advan-
tage of this opportunity and
began to disseminate the
sciences of the Ahl al-Bayt
(as) and the !slamic jurispru-
dence and provided the
society with many scholars of
his school of thought.
Al-Imam Musa Al-Kazim
{as)
Having overthrown the
Umayyads and having taken
the position of khilafah in
hand, the Abbasids turned to
31
Sane Fatimah and tried to
annihilate the Nembers of the
Household of the Holy Proph-
et (S) with all their might.
They beheaded a group,
buried another alive, and
placed yet another group of
people under the foundations
and in the walls of the build-
ings. They set the house of
the 6th !mam (as) on fire and
summoned the !mam (as) to
!raq several times. !n this
way, the taqiyyah was more
intensely practiced during the
last days of the life of the 6th
!mam (as).
Since the !mam was under
strict surveillance, he did not
meet anyone except a few
particular Shias. Finally, al-
!mam Jafar al-Sadiq (as) was
poisoned and martyred by al-
Nansur, the Second Caliph of
the Abbasids. Thus, during
the !mamah of the 7th !mam,
al-!mam Nusa al-Kazim (as),
the oppression of the anta-
gonists became more severe
and intensified day by day.
!n spite of an environment of
intense taqiyyah, the 7th
!mam (as) began to dissemi-
nate the !slamic knowledge
and ma de a large number of
ahadith available to the
Shiahs. !t can be said that the
ahadith pertaining to !slamic
jurisprudence by al-!mam
Nusa al-Kazim (as) stand third
in number after those by the
5th and the 6th !mams (as).
Owing to prevailing conditions
of intense taqiyyah, in most of
the ahadith related by the
!mam (as), he has been
referred to by the narrators as
"an alim" or as "a righteous
worshipper of Allah", or the
like without an explicit men-
tion of his name.
The !mam (as) was the
contemporary of four Abbasid
khulafa al-Nansur, al-Hadi, al-
Nahdi, and Harun, and was
always the target of their
oppression. Finally, under the
order of Harun, he was
imprisoned and was trans-
ferred from one prison to
another for years. At last, al-
!mam Nusa al-Kazim (as) was
poisoned as well as martyred
in the prison.
32
Imam Muhammad Taqi
{as) & Imam Ali Naqi {as)
The environment in which
these honorable !mams (as)
lived was identical. After the
martyrdom of !mam Reza
(as), Namun summoned
!mam Nuhammad Taqi (as),
who was the only son of
!mam Reza (as) to Baghdah
and treated him kindly and
affectionately and allowed his
daughter to marry the !mam
(as) and kept the !mam (as)
in his own house with full
honour.
Although this conduct seemed
friendly, but, through this
policy, Namun had actually
placed !mam (as) under his
strict control in all respects.
Similar circumstances and
living conditions continued for
!mam Ali Naqi (as) in Samar-
ra, which was the capital of
khilafah during his !mamah;
they were in fact in prison.
The period of !mamah of
these reverend !mams (as) is
fifty-one years altogether. The
number of Shias, who were
residing in !ran, !raq, and
Syria at the time, was consi-
derably large and had reached
hundreds of thousands,
among whom there were
thousands of scholars of
Hadith. !n spite of this, the
ahadith related from these
!mams (as) are very few.
Also, the lifetime of these
!mams (as) was short.
The ninth !mam (as) and the
tenth !mam (as), were
martyred when they were
twenty-five and forty years,
respectively. All these points
serve as a clear evidence that
the control, surveillance, and
sabotage of the antagonists
was very strict during their
period and that these great
!mams (as) were unable to
perform their duties freely.
Nevertheless, valuable ahadith
have reached us from these
great !mams (as) on the Usul
al-Din (the fundamental
principles of !slam for believ-
ing in) and the Furu al-Din
(the secondary principles of
!slam for actions).

33
Who are the Ahlul Bayt?
When we say the Ahlul Bayt,
we mean the twelve !mams of
the immaculate progeny of
the Prophet (S). The Shia and
the Sunni have agreed that
the Nessenger of Allah (S)
said: The !mams after me
are twelve; all of them are
from (the tribe of) Quraysh.
The tradition mentioned in
Sahih Bukhari reads: This
matter (caliphate) shall
remain in Quraysh even if
(only) two people remain
alive. [1|
We know necessarily that
Allah the Almighty has chosen
Adam, Noah, the family of
Abraham, and the family of
!mran and preferred them - a
progeny of one from the other
- to the rest of mankind. The
Prophet Nuhammad (S) has
taught and declared to us that
Allah the Almighty chose him
from among all the Hashe-
mites, who were the choicest
of choices. !n the Sahih of
Nuslim - the book of virtues,
chapter of The preferring of
our Prophet to all Creation - it
is mentioned that the Prophet
(S) has said: Allah has
chosen Kinanah from the
children of !shmael, the
Quraysh from Kinanah, the
Hashemites from Quraysh and
me (the Prophet) from the
Hashemites.
The meaning of this tradition,
as understood by every
reasonable person, is that the
Hashemites were a family that
had been chosen and pre-
ferred among all mankind.
Allah chose Nuhammad (S)
from the Hashemites to be
the best of all mankind. This
shows that the Hashemites
came second after the Proph-
The Ahlul Bayt (A.S.) are the natural con-
tinuity of the Mission of their grandfather
An excerpt from the book Then I was Guided
By: Dr. -Taijani Samawi
34
et Nuhammad (S) in prefe-
rence with no separation.
Likewise the Prophet Nu-
hammad (S) chose Ali and his
progeny from all of the
Hashemites to be his succes-
sors by the command of the
Revelation, and made it
obligatory on all Nuslims to
pray to Allah to send His
blessings on them. We have
found that the most tafsirs
(commentaries) mention their
names and confirm that it is
they who are referred to in
the Quranic verses of Purifi-
cation 33:33; Love, mawad-
dah +2:23; Guardianship,
wilayah 5:55; Choosing and
bequeathing of the Book
35:32; The people of re-
membrance 16:+3; Who are
firmly rooted in knowledge
3:7 and the Sura of al-!nsan
(or hal ata) 76:3.
Ahlul Bayt {a.s.) The
Imams of guidance:
As for the Prophets traditions
that have been agreed upon
as true traditions by all
Nuslims and in which the
Prophet (S) has referred to
the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) with
preference and virtues saying
that they were the !mams of
guidance, are too many. So,
here we mention just two of
them.
The first tradition was
mentioned by Nuslim in his
Sahih, the book of virtues,
chapter of The virtues of Ali
ibn Abi Talib. The Prophet (S)
said: O people, ! am but a
human being, the messenger
of my Lord, (Death) is about
to come and ! shall respond. !
am leaving among you two
weighty things - the first of
them is the Book of Allah in
which there is guidance and
light. So follow the Book of
Allah and keep to it. The
second is my Household. !
remind you to obey Allah by
being dutiful to my progeny, !
remind you to obey Allah
through my progeny, ! remind
you to obey Allah through my
progeny.
The second tradition was
mentioned by Nuslim in the
same book narrated by Sad
35
ibn Abi Waqqas from his
father, that the Nessenger of
Allah (S) had said to Ali: You
are to me as Aaron was to
Noses, except that there shall
be no prophet after me. [3|
For brevity, these two tradi-
tions are enough to prove that
!mam Ali (a.s.) was the chief
of the Prophets progeny and
was the natural continuity to
the Prophet Nuhammad (S).
Did the Nessenger of Allah (S)
not say: ! am the city of
knowledge and Ali is its gate?
Surely, this saying alone is
enough to show that the
whole of nation cannot enter
this city of Nuhammads
knowledge except when
entering through the gate of
Ali (a.s.), because Allah the
Almighty has ordered His
people to enter houses
through their doors.
Here, we must point out that
Imam Ali {a.s.) had ac-
quired his knowledge from
the Prophet {S) who had
brought him up since child-
hood. He accompanied the
Prophet (S) all through his
life. The Prophet (S) taught
!mam Ali (a.s.) the knowledge
of the past and the future
where he said: Gabriel did
not pour anything into my
chest except that which !
poured it into the chest of
Ali.
!mam Ali (a.s.) said about
that: !f the rug was folded to
me (to sit on),[+| ! would
judge among the people of
the Torah according to their
Torah, among the people of
the Gospel according to their
Gospel and the people of the
Qur'an according to their
Qur'an.
He often said: Ask me before
you shall miss me.
All the companions and all
Nuslims throughout history
witness that Imam Ali {a.s.)
was the most knowledge-
able of all people in the
affairs of religion and the
world, and that he was the
most pious, most abstinent,
most patient with calamities,
36
the bravest in wars and the
most forgiving.
The relation between the
Prophet {S) and his proge-
ny in view of Imam Ali {A)
For better understanding, we
have to read what !mam Ali
(a.s.) said about the relation
between the Prophet (S) and
his progeny.
[1] He said: They are the
place of his secret, the
recourse in his affairs, the
sack of his knowledge, the
resort for his wisdom, the den
of his books, and the moun-
tains of his religion. By them
he has made erect the
bending of his back and
driven away his fear. [5|
[2] He said: By Allah, ! have
been taught the knowledge
about missions, carrying out
of promises, and all words
and there are doors of wis-
dom and light of all affairs
with us the Ahlul Bayt [6|
[3] He said: where are
those who claim that they are
deep-rooted in knowledge
other than us claiming
falsely and oppressively
against us. Allah has exalted
us and lowered them, given
us and deprived them,
included us and excluded
them. Guidance is looked
forward to through us and
thereby blindness is recov-
eredthe !mams from Qu-
raysh have been sowed in this
set of Hashim so that im-
amate does not fit other than
them and chiefs from other
than them shall not be fit. [7|
[4] He said: surely the
example of the progeny of
Nuhammad, may Allah have
blessing and peace on them,
are like the stars of the sky -
when one star sets, another
star shines. As if the virtues
from Allah have been per-
fected in you (the Ahlul Bayt)
and He has given you what
you hoped for. [8|
[5] He said: no one from
this nation can be compared
to the progeny of Nuhammad
and his progeny (may Allah
have mercy on them) and no
one on whom their favor has
37
been bestowed can be
equaled to them at all. They
are the foundation of religion
and the pillar of certainty. The
oppressed resort to them and
followers join them. The
specialties of the right of
guardianship are for them and
among them is custodianship
and inheritance [9|
[6] He said: and surely !
am on the clear way that !
picked up, picking it from
between the ways of deviation
and confusion. Observe the
progeny of your prophet, cling
to their way and follow trace
of their footsteps for they will
not take you away from
guidance, nor will they take
you back to be perished. !f
they keep silent, you have to
keep silent and if they rise,
you have to rise. Do not
precede them lest you go
astray and do not lag behind
them lest you perish [10|
[7] He said: They are the life
of knowledge and death of
ignorance. Their discernment
informs you of their know-
ledge and their silence tells of
the wisdom of their logic.
They do not contradict the
truth, nor do they disagree on
it. They are the pillars of
!slam and the associates of
those who resort to them.
Through them, the truth has
come back to its rightful place
and falsehood has been kept
away from its position and its
tongue has been severed from
its root. They have unders-
tood the religion with reason
and care, not with the under-
standing of hearing and
narration because the narra-
tors of knowledge are too
many, but its caretakers are
few. [11|
These passages quoted from
Nahjul Balaghah and said by
!mam Ali (a.s.) give us a real
picture about the firm relation
between the Prophet (S) and
his progeny and make them
the only continuity of his
mission, and that they are the
only ones who can inform of
what he has announced for all
mankind throughout ages and
for all nations and cultures.

38
Imam Ali {a.s.) Chief of
the immaculate progeny
!mam Ali (a.s.) was not
satisfied with showing of the
high rank of the immaculate
progeny and their position to
Nuslims only. He showed that
he himself was the axis of the
quern and chief of the imma-
culate progeny. He showed
his role - that which he had
been entrusted with by Allah
and His messenger to manage
people and not to let them go
astray.
He said: whereto do you go
and how are you diverted
while the banners are being
raised, signs are clear and the
light stands are set up? So to
where do you go astray, or
how are you blind when
amongst you there are the
progeny of your Prophet (S)
who are the reins of truth,
leaders of the religion, and
the tongue of truthfulness? So
observe them in the best
positions of the Qur'an, and
hasten to them as the hasten-
ing of extremely thirsty ones
(to the drinking fountain).
O people take it from the
Nessenger of Allah (S), may
Allah have blessing and peace
on him and his progeny, he
said that: One of us dies, but
he is not dead, and one of us
is decomposing, but he is not
decomposed. So, do not
speak of what you do not
know because most of the
truth is in what you deny and
excuse the one against whom
you have no argument, and
that person is me.
Did ! not act among you
according to the Najor
weighty thing (the Qur'an)
and ! left among you (after
me) the Ninor weighty thing
(the Ahlul Bayt - at that time
!mam al-Hasan and al-
Hussain)? ! fixed among you
the banner of faith, showed
you clearly the limits of the
lawful and the unlawful,
dressed you with soundness
of my justice and spread to
you the favor of my saying
and doing. ! showed to you
the noblest of morals from
myself. Therefore, do not use
(your own) opinion in that
39
whose insides cannot be
perceived by the sight, nor
can be penetrated by think-
ing. [12|
!f you, dear reader, ponder on
the saying of !mam Ali (a.s.),
you shall find in it the inter-
pretation of the tradition of
Thaqalain (the two weighty
things) that has been narrated
by the Sunni from the Nessen-
ger of Allah (S) who said: !
have left among you the two
weighty things - the Book of
Allah and my progeny. !f you
keep to them, you shall never
go astray after me at all.
!mam Ali (a.s.) also said: Did
! not act among you accord-
ing to the Najor weighty thing
(the Qur'an) and ! left among
you the Ninor weighty thing
(the Ahlul Bayt)?
This saying of !mam Ali (a.s.)
is a clear proof that Imam Ali
{a.s.) managed people
according to the rulings of
the Holy Qur'an, whose
reality no one could under-
stand except him. Also he left
among them the Ninor
Weighty things, who were the
infallible !mams from his
progeny so that each one of
them would carry out the
same role that the Prophet (S)
carried out in his nation.
!f we ponder on the saying of
the Prophet (S): ! am leaving
among you the two weighty
things and the saying of
!mam Ali (a.s.): did ! not act
among you according to the
Najor weighty thing - we
understand that the role of
the immaculate progeny is
to explain and declare the
Book of Allah to the nation
lest they disagreed after the
death of the Prophet (S).
What confirms this fact is this
saying of the Prophet (S): !n
every generation of my nation
there are just men from my
progeny who protect this
religion from distortion of
deviants, fabrication of liars,
and misinterpretation of the
ignorant. Surely, your
Imams are your delega-
tion to Allah, so be careful
to whom you delegate.[13|
40
He also said: Stars are
security for the people of the
earth from drowning and the
people of my house are
security for my nation
from disagreement. !f a
tribe from the Arabs disagree
with them (the Ahlul Bayt),
they shall disagree among
themselves and become the
party of !blis.[1+|
He also said: Surely, the
example of my progeny
among you is like the Ark of
Noah; whoever rode on it
would be rescued and whoev-
er lagged behind it would
drown.[15|
Through this brief study, the
guidance becomes clearly
distinguished from error to us,
and we can say that the
Twelver Shia is the true sect,
because it is the only sect that
has kept to the two weighty
things, boarded the Ship of
Rescue and clung to the Rope
of Allah. The Shia neither
precede the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.)
nor do they turn away from
them, but they follow and
imitate them. Therefore, they
are guided by their guidance
and they follow their path.
!mam Ali (a.s.) has said:
Here is the Qur'an that you
can ask to speak out, and it
shall not speak out but what !
tell you about. !t has the
knowledge of what shall
come; it speaks about the
past, the healing of your
ailments, and the managing of
you.[16|
Keep to the Book of Allah, for
it is a firm rope, clear light,
advantageous cure, satiating
drink, a resort for those who
seek and a rescue for those
who cling. !t never bends to
be set right, nor does it errs
to be blamed. The much
reciting and listening to it do
not make it old. Whoever
speaks with it is truthful, and
whoever acts according to it
wins.[17|
Prophet (S) left to you what
other prophets had left for
their nations so that they did
not leave them to go astray
without showing clear way or
a raised banner.
41
The Book of your Lord is
among you showing His lawful
and unlawful things, obliga-
tions and favors, abrogating
and abrogated things, permis-
sions and necessities, special
and general rulings, lessons
and examples, absolutes and
finites, clear and ambiguous
things, interpreting its state-
ments and explaining its
obscurities.
There are some verses in
Quran whose knowledge is
obligatory and others whose
ignorance by people is not
forgivable. And there is that
which is fixed as obligatory in
the book, but its abrogation is
known in the Prophets Sunna,
or there are those which
appear obligatory in the
Sunna, but in the Book it is
permitted to be given up.
And, there are other verses
which were obligatory in its
time but not so in future (with
passing of its time). There are
verses of His different prohibi-
tions for major sins - for
which He has threatened of
His Fires, or minor - for which
He has promised forgiveness,
and there are those verses
which are accepted in small
portion (in reciting of the
Qur'an) and permitted for
leaving its big portion. [18|
Notes:
1. Sahih of al-Bukhari - Book of
Rulings (Ahkam), Chapter of The
Emirs from Quraysh.
2. We have mentioned in brief
some Quranic verses, whereas ibn
Abbas said that one third of the
Qur'an had been revealed to talk
about their virtues.
3. !t has also been mentioned in
Sahih Bukhari, the book of Naghazi
(battles), Battle of Tabuk.
+. !f ! was allowed to judge among
people
5. Nahjul Balaghah, sermon 2.
6. !bid, sermon 11.
7. !bid, sermon 1+2.
8. !bid, sermon 99.
9. !bid, sermon 2.
10. !bid, sermon 96.
13. Sawaiq e Nuhriqah p. 90, 1+8.
1+. Nustadrak al-Hakim, vol. 3 p.
1+9.
15. !bid, vol. 3 p. 151, Sawaiq
Nuhriqah, p. 18+.
16. Nahjul Balaghah, sermon 156.
17. !bid, sermon 15+.
18. !bid, sermon 1.

42
General Preparations
Even if we are very optimistic
and hopeful, still we should
know that reaching a stage of
history in which: All humans
gather under one flag and all
terrible weapons to be re-
moved from the earth; And
classes, with the definition of
exploiter and exploited, to be
removed; And conflicts and
dangerous political and
military games of superpow-
ers to be forgotten forever
and the world to become free
of sick name of superpower
and frightful nightmare of
their evil powers; And unheal-
thy and destructive economi-
cal competitions give their
place to public cooperation
toward a better and more
pure life is still soon and
needs general preparation.
But, as in recent times,
changes are being made fast
then we shouldnt consider
that very far like a sweet
dream.
But anyway, following prepa-
rations are necessary in order
for the world to accept such
government:
1) Intellectual and Cultur-
al Preparation
!t means that level of though-
ts of the people of the world
develops in the way that they
understand the issue race
and different geographical
regions are not considerable
issues in human life; the
differences of colors, lan-
guages and lands cannot
separate humans from each
other; tribal and group
fanaticisms should die forev-
er; hilarious thought of
superior race should be
Necessary Preparations for
Universal Government
By: Ayatollah al-Uzma Nasir Makarim Shirazi

43
thrown away; factitious
borders with barbed wires!
And wall like the ancient wall
of china! Cannot separate
humans.
But, as sunlight and lively
breezes, and raining clouds
and other gifts and powers of
the nature never pay attention
to these borders and all of
them move around the entire
earth and practically consider
the world as one country, we
humans also reach this level of
intellectual growth.
And if we carefully notice then
we see that this thinking way
is going to be created and
completed among aware and
open-minded the people of
the world, and day by day the
number of those who think
about the issue of world-
country is increasing.
Even today, the matter of
united global language is being
discussed in different places.
2) Social Preparations
The people of the world
should become tired of
oppression and injustice and
available systems and feel the
bitterness of this material and
one-dimensional life, and even
become disappointed of
solving current problems by
continuing this one-
dimensional way.
The people of the world
should understand that what
was being promised in 18th
and 19th centuries in the light
of mechanical developments
was in fact nothing more than
an imagination, or like a
mirage in front of the eyes of
thirsty travelers in a hot
desert.
Peace and welfare and
security of the people of the
world were not provided and
even material and spiritual
conflicts and insecurities
expanded.
Naking ostensible amazing
laws didnt remove oppres-
sion, discrimination, exploita-
tion and huge class differenc-
es, even previous corruptions
appeared in larger scales and
more dangerous forms.
44
Understanding present
conditions of the world first
makes the condition of
thinking, and then hesitation
and finally disappointment
and readiness for a multilater-
al revolution based upon new
values.
This is the thing if is not
achieved then it is not possible
to reach such level, exactly the
same as an abscess that
should be treated when the
time has come.
3) Technological and Com-
municational Preparations
Contrary to what some
persons assume that reaching
the level of social perfection
and a world full of peace and
justice will certainly be
possible accompanied by
destruction of modern tech-
nology, existence of these
developed industries doesnt
disturb a fair universal gov-
ernment and even, it may not
be possible to achieve such
goal without that.
For establishing and then
controlling a universal system,
series of super-modern
equipments are needed in
order to travel throughout the
world and check everywhere
in a short time, and to get
information from any place
and in case of necessity to
move necessary equipments
and facilities from one side of
the world to the other side,
and to broadcast needed
messages, information and
warnings to the entire world
in the shortest time.
!f industrial life returns to
previous conditions and for
example it needs one year for
sending a message from one
part of the world to the other
part then how is it possible to
govern the world and expand
the justice in everywhere?
!f too much time is needed for
being informed about the
aggression of a person or a
group, which even certainly it
is possible to exist in such
world, and sending forces for
making peace then how is it
possible to provide truth,
peace and justice throughout
the world?!
45
Briefly, undoubtedly such
government needs to be
informed about everywhere at
the moment and to have
complete dominance over any
place for establishing order
and justice in the world, in
order to train and lead the
people who are ready for
correction and inform them
and awaken and revive them,
and in unrighteous people
want to rise, repress them.
Those, who think other than
this, maybe dont thing about
the concept of universal
government and compare it
with government of a small
region.
Essentially, the world which
wants to reach such level
should have expanded and
public means of training in the
way that executes major part
of correctional programs with
self-awareness and self-
helps of people and reviving
the soul of public self-
awareness and self-helps
and needs the most powerful
global cultural centers and
mass media and the most
complete books and publica-
tions and like them, that none
of them is not possible
without the best and the most
advanced industrial equip-
ments.
Yes! !f all the acts had to be
performed by miracles then
existence of such system
would be possible without
developed industrial equip-
ments but is it possible to
manage the lives of the people
of the world by miracle!
Niracle is a logical exception
in current system of the
nature, for proving the
legitimacy of a divine religion,
not for governing the society
forever. This act should be
performed based on natural
laws.

Imam Muhammad Taqi
{a.s.) said: Do know that
you are not away from the
sight of Allah, so see to it that
in what condition you are
living (sinfulness or piety).
[Tohaful Uqool P-455].
46
Introduction
The appointment of Nuham-
mad (saww), the Prophet of
!slam and his selection as the
Nessenger of Allah (SWT), can
be considered the most
significant event in the history
of !slam. Descent of the Holy
Quran began at this time. The
word Bi'that means to be
chosen and its expressional
meaning is "being chosen by
the Almighty Allah to guide
people".
!t can be concluded from the
!slamic and historical texts that
the appointment of Prophet
Nuhammad (saww) had been
stated in divine religions
before his birth. Believers of
other religions and several
Arab pagans had some
previous acquaintance with the
last prophet. Prophet Jesus
(a.s.) has announced and
foreshadowed in the New
Testament the appearance of
Prophet Nuhammad (saww).
Even in Old Testament, some
of the specialties of the
Prophet (saww) and his
followers had been mentioned.
Thus "as the Holy Quran
mentions" the scholars of
other religions knew the
Prophet as well as their closest
relatives.
According to history, there
were many people who had
been waiting for the appoint-
ment and appearance of the
last prophet. Even some tribes
had migrated to the Prophet's
(saww) residence. A Christian
priest whose name was
"Bohayra", was an example.
The appointment of Prophet
Nuhammad (saww) has had a
great affect on the human
guidance destiny. Due to the
significance of this incidence;
Allah (SWT) Himself looked
Eid al-Mab'ath: The Appointment of
Prophet (S) to Prophetic Mission
Source: roshd.org
47
after His Nessenger and
trained him for his difficult
future. So, it does not seem
strange that he was innocent
and infallible before the
appointment as a result of
such divine training.
!mam Ali (a.s.) said that: "The
Allah had His greatest angle
train the Prophet during all
days and guided him to the
ways of moral virtues and
greatness."
Prophet Nuhammad (saww)
suffered a lot from the ignor-
ance and corruption in the
society at that time, especially
in Necca. !n order to meditate
and worship in privacy, he also
secluded from people to a
cave called "Haraa".
This seclusion was a basis for
improving Prophet's (saww)
morality, a premise for his
appointment (Bi'that) and
descent of revelation.
!mam Ali (a.s.), who was
brought up by Prophet Nu-
hammad (saww), accompa-
nied him during these seclu-
sions as other cases in his life.
He used to take provisions,
water, and food for Prophet
Nuhammad (saww).
When the praying time came
up, Prophet Nuhammad
(s.a.w.w.) returned to Necca
and circumambulated Kaaba
before going home.
!t was until he reached forty.
At that time the Prophet
(s.a.w.w.) was the meekest,
the most superior and ob-
edient person towards Allah
(SWT). Therefore, Allah
(SWT) appointed him as a
prophet in order to guide
human beings to worship Him
and not the idols, by means of
the Holy Quran.
Descent of the first revela-
tion {Wahy)
Shiites commentators believe
that Prophet Nuhammad
(saww) was appointed on 27th
of Rajab, five years after the
rehabilitation of Kaaba. He was
forty years old at that time.
Prophet Nuhammad (saww)
had come to Haraa cave as
usual to say prayers and
48
meditate. On 27th of Rajab,
Gabriel (one of the four
superior angels who was
ordered by Allah (SWT) to
convey revelation to prophets)
descended to him. Gabriel
shook Prophet Nuhammad's
(saww) arm and said: "O
Nuhammad! Read!" He
replied:" What shall ! read?"
Gabriel recited the beginning
verses of Chapter (Surah) al-
Alaq:
"!n the name of Allah, the
compassionate, the merciful.
Read in the name of your Lord
who has created. Has created
man from a leech [Spermato-
zoa|. Read and your Lord is
the most honorable, who
taught (to write) with the pen;
taught man what he knew
not."
Some great events happened
at the time of Prophet Nu-
hammad's (saww) appoint-
ment. For instance, a groan
was heard. !mam Ali (a.s.)
says about that: "! heard
Satan's groan when the first
revelation was descended. !
asked the Prophet: "What was
that?" He answered: "it was
Satan, who got disappointed
by not being obeyed." He also
said: "You hear what ! hear
and see what ever ! see;
except you are not a prophet.
You are my assistant and you
will never leave the right way."
As mentioned before, !mam Ali
(a.s.) accompanied Prophet
Nuhammad (saww) in differ-
ent cases such as his seclusion
periods. This narration, written
in Nahj al-Balaghah, implies
that he was with Prophet
Nuhammad (saww) when
revelation was descended for
the first time. !t is inferred
through the history that he
was the only person with
Prophet Nuhammad (saww) at
that time. Nobody else has
claimed to be with Him then.
Gabriel ascended after convey-
ing revelation and accomplish-
ing his job.
Prophet {saww) after
receiving the first revela-
tion
Prophet (saww) was not an
ordinary man; therefore he
49
had experienced some kind of
revelations prior to his ap-
pointment. However, the
subject of the first revelation
was completely different from
the previous ones. After
receiving such revelation the
Prophet's (saww) spiritual and
physical condition changed.
The reason for such changes
could be:
1. Prophet felt dignity of
Almighty Allah (SWT) more
than before.
2. When Prophet (saww) was
appointed, he had become
responsible for a great mission
(Risalat). !t should be noted
that at that time the Arabs
were experiencing anarchy.
Thus pagans would oppose
him. They would deny him and
accuse him of improper things.
Nevertheless, Almighty Allah
(SWT) verified His Nessenger
and made Him ready for the
great mission (Risalat).
Return from cave Haraa
After this revelation, Prophet
(s.a.w.w.) returned to His
home in Necca. When he
arrived home, he explained the
story of his appointment to his
wife. Khadijah (s.a.), who had
recognized the Prophet's
(s.a.w.w.) dignity and truthful-
ness for years, said: "By God,
it is a long time that ! have
been waiting for this very day;
and ! was hoping that one day
you would become the Leader
and the Nessenger of these
people."
The descent of Chapter
{Surah) al-Muddathir
!n the first days of Prophet's
appointment, while he was
resting, Gabriel descended and
read the first verses of Chapter
al-Nuddathir.
This Chapter of the Holy Quran
contains verses, which say that
from then on, the Prophet had
to pay all his attention to warn
people to obey Allah (SWT).
Therefore, the first verses of
the Holy book of !slam were
revealed to Prophet and he
was assigned to be the
Nessenger of Allah (SWT).

50
First Muslims
As we said before, the Prophet
(saww) was always accompa-
nied with Ali (a.s.), because Ali
(a.s.) was very close to Him.
When the first verses were
revealed to Prophet (saww) in
cave Haraa, Ali (a.s.) was
there. He was the first person
among all the people, men and
women, who believed Prophet
(saww).
Through his sermons (Khotbe)
in Nahj al-Balaghah, he
repeated many times:" ! was
born to worship one Allah and
! was the first one who
believed."
The first woman, who con-
verted to !slam, according to
what all the !slamic historians
say and used to say, was
Khadijah (s.a.) because she
was the first person whom the
Prophet (saww) met after the
appointment. Noreover, she
had confessed His prophecy.
After these two great persons,
we can name Abudhar Ghifaari
as one of the first person that
converted to !slam.
After appointment
After the appointment, Gabriel
descended. Bringing some
water from the heavens, he
taught ablution to the Prophet
and taught him bending and
prostration in prayer. Fur-
thermore, Gabriel descended
other commands gradually.
The Prophet (saww) taught
these commands to Nuslims
and they obeyed him. For
example, about prayer, Ali
(a.s.) and Khadijah (s.a.)
were the first people who said
their prayers behind the
Prophet (saww). They used to
read their noon prayer beside
Kaaba. However, most of time
for safety reasons they had to
read it where they could not
be observed.
!n this period, the Prophet
(saww) gradually began his
secret invitation to !slam. This
will be explained more in the
following parts.

51
The aim here is to learn
practical tips to become a
good human being and thus
a moral physician from Syed
e Sajjad, through Dua e
Nakarim al Akhlaq.
!t is quoted from !mam Jafar
Al Sadiq, As that Ayma
provide guidance through
generic principles and it is for
the followers to draw specific
conclusions from them.
Naulana Kausar Niazi was a
great scholar of !slam and
Arabic. He once said that the
language and diction of the
Quran, NahjalBalagha, and
Saheefa e Kamela is identical.
The opening phrases of Dua e
Nakarim al Akhlaq direct us to
offer salawat upon No-
hammed o Aley Nohammad
and take our Emaan to
ultimate heights and to
provide strength to yaqeen
(faith), and make our inten-
tion (niyat) worthwhile and
make our acts reach ultimate
heights. He then goes on to
advise us that may Allah
grant my approach free of
greed and coercion, and make
my faith stronger and remove
the deficiencies in my acts.
!n fact, the sum total of this
Dua is that the !mam has
advised us to concentrate on
building our character. He has
outlined numerous steps to
reach perfection. No doubt
mankind is imperfect and we
are ordinary mortals. We can
hardly become perfect; but
that is the target at which we
are obliged to aim.
The pious !mam has duly
highlighted the importance of
Emaan in his opening re-
marks, which is exactly what
is expected that a Nuslim
physician to possess: he is
expected to have total faith in
Lessons for a Physician in Dua e
Makarim al Akhlaq
An excerpt from the book Ethics in Medicine by: Shabih H. Zaidi

52
his Creator and seek His
guidance and support in all
matters of healthcare. The
Nuslim physicians oath duly
points out that we approach a
patient with Bismillah, seeking
help from Allah ST. Perfection
in achieving total Emaan is
what all Nuslims must strive
for and physicians more
!n Dua e Nakarim al Akhlaq,
!mam AS has begged Allah to
grant him soft and mild
manners, politeness and
pleasantness in dealings with
human beings. Such an
attitude brings about joy in
life of both parties, namely
yourself as well as those with
whom you are dealing. !n
fact, !mam Ali AS said in one
of the sermons that a man
must treat his family like a
bird treats its wings, with love
and care, as these wings
enable it to fly high in the
skies.
The patients family is like his
own family to a physician,
who must be treated with
love, affection, devotion,
empathy and the utmost care
he can provide. !mam gives
huge importance to truth in
ones life. No attribute is as
valuable as truth telling in the
life of a physician. Truth is the
building block of an individu-
als character. !t gives depth
to an individual and grants
him depth in personality, and
helps him serve mankind
more intensely and honestly.
Truth is a major subject in a
physicians life and has been
discussed elsewhere in this
book.
!n Dua e Nakarim al Akhlaq,
all those attributes are
discussed by !mam AS that
we as physicians are obliged
to possess. The lessons that !
have learned are as follows.
1. A physician must possess a
sound character. Humanity is
the first and foremost
attribute for a physician.
2. He should be humble,
modest, and down to earth.
3. Nust know his limitations
and ignore others shortcom-
ings and weaknesses. He
53
should not exploit them to
ridicule or belittle them.
+. Nust possess due know-
ledge and matching skills, as
!lm o Amal are true compa-
nions. Excess of knowledge
may make one a nerd and the
excess of skills without
matching knowledge may
convert him into a technician.
5. A physician must have
pleasant demeanour, soft
voice, smiling face and
humility in his walk, talk and
action (remember what the
wise man Luqman instructed
his son, in Quran!).
6. He must give the best care
to his patient treating him like
his own family, listening to
him patiently without undue
hurry. Respect his autonomy
and human rights. Give due
regards to confidentiality,
anonymity and choice of
treatment; without greed,
malice or avarice. Autonomy,
birr or beneficence and non-
maleficence are the funda-
mental bricks of medical
ethics.
7. Nust not abuse his authori-
ty, and should always use his
skills for the welfare avoiding
harm or damage to his
patients.
8. Earn an honest living, so
that he is comfortable and not
be at the mercy of others. He
should ask Allah only for His
sustenance, so that he may
not forget the Salat, and other
!badaat, in the pursuit of his
livelihood.
9. He must avoid bickering,
unpleasantness, backbiting or
sycophancy. He must have full
faith in his capability and total
Yaqeen in the fact that Allah
has all the power to heal his
patients. The physicians only
task is to leave no stone
unturned to save a life.
10. Death is the ultimate
truth. All creatures have to
meet it. Until that happens, a
physician must not refrain
from doing his best to take
care of the sick, and the
dying.
11. A physician must maintain
a balance between various
54
attributes that he may pos-
sess, such as knowledge and
skills, courage and adventur-
ism, empathy and antipathy,
earning an honest livelihood
and accumulation of wealth,
etc.
12. A physician must remain
actively engaged in the
pursuit of knowledge all his
life. Be a leader and an
entrepreneur.
The characteristics of a
Muslim physician have
been described in a nice
article (!slamic medical
educational resources by
Nohammadiyah Yogjakarata
and forum Kedoketran !slam
!ndonesia 2+ 25 Aug. 2007),
which is worth a read.
!t says that the Prophet gave
general rules of morality
which can guide the medical
personnel in their daily lives.
Some of these principles are
as follows.
Have total faith in Allah ST
Doubtful actions must be
avoided.
Leaving alone what is not
yours.
Beneficence and Non-
maleficence.
Sincerity in advice.
Renouncing desire for
material gains.
Conscience must decide
between right and wrong.
Anger and rage must be
avoided.
Guard your tongue (polite-
ness, softness, and cultured
conversation).
Do good and avoid evil.
Restraint and modesty
should be your treasures.
Courage to speak truth in
the face of adversities.
Wisdom 8 Patience.
Humility and Nodesty.
Self restraint.
Simplicity and avoidance of
worldly breeds.
Noderation and balance in
dealing with people, in your
expenditure and in decision
making.

55
Nosquitoes aren't just
annoying, they spread killer
diseases, as well. They are
often called one of the
most dangerous animals on
the planet.
That's right: The most
dangerous animals on the
planet can be killed with a
single swat but if they've
had time to bite, they may
have already transmitted a
fatal disease.
!llnesses transmitted by
mosquitoes and their ilk kill
more than a million people
each year and infect more
than a billion, causing
debilitating pain, brain
damage, blindness, and
other serious effects.
Half of the world population
is considered at-risk for
diseases transmitted by
blood-sucking bugs like
ticks, sand flies, and mos-
quitoes. For World Health
Day 201+, the World Health
Organization (WHO)
wanted to highlight that
very real risk with a snappy
slogan: "small bite, big
threat."
Globally, the deadliest of
the creatures that carry and
cause these diseases is the
mosquito. Here are 11
scientifically valid reasons
why they are the worst.
1. Nosquitoes put +0 of
the world at risk for den-
gue, which causes "the
feeling of broken bones."
Dengue fever hurts so
much that it is commonly
referred to as break bone
fever.
!t's the most rapidly
spreading mosquito-borne
disease in the world, with
+0 of the world currently
at risk. Between 50 and
Why Mosquitoes Are The Worst?

Source: shafaqna.com
56
100 million people get
dengue every year, and
even though it's not usually
fatal, it still is a leading
cause of death for children
in certain Latin American
and Asian countries.
The disease can also
develop into severe den-
gue, a hemorrhagic condi-
tion that is much more
dangerous, causing bleed-
ing, organ impairment, and
persistent vomiting.
There's no medicine or
vaccine for dengue. Treat-
ment generally involves just
trying to keep patients
hydrated.
2. Nosquitoes spread
yellow fever, which the
WHO calls "the original viral
hemorrhagic fever."
Yellow fever infects
around 200,000 people a
year and kills 30,000. !t's
a viral hemorrhagic fever
that has no treatment.
After a period of severe
illness, most patients
recover, but about 15
enter a toxic phase, when
they start to bleed internal-
ly and organs begin to fail.
About half of patients who
enter the toxic phase die.
Cases of yellow fever have
been increasing since the
1980s due to declining
human immunity, defore-
station, climate change,
increased air travel, and
higher infection rates in
cities due to a particular
breed of mosquito called
the Aedes aegypti.
However, there is an
effective vaccine for the
fever one dose provides
life-long immunity, and
many countries won't
permit travelers to enter
without proof of vaccina-
tion.
3. Nosquitoes are behind
the recent outbreaks of
chikungunya, which can
sometimes lead to agoniz-
ing pain.
The painful and potentially
debilitating virus chikun-
gunya has been around for
57
centuries, but just ap-
peared in the Americas for
the first time at the end of
2013.
The disease's name comes
from a word in a Tanzanian
language that means "to
become contorted," refer-
ring to the severe joint pain
that it causes, which lasts
for weeks, and in some rare
cases, even months and
years.
"!'ve been in Africa and
seen and heard children
just screaming for days on
end because of the pain,"
American Nosquito Control
Association technical
advisor Joe Conlon told
Business !nsider last sum-
mer.
The first cases were re-
ported on the island of
Saint Nartin, but since
then, cases have occurred
in Nartinique, Guadeloupe,
Saint Barthelemy, the
British virgin !slands, and
the Dominican Republic.
Humans have very little
natural immunity to chi-
kungunya, which has
allowed mosquitoes to
spread the virus quickly
throughout populations. !n
2005, an outbreak sped
through the island of La
Reunin, sickening 200,000
of 750,000 residents,
despite the fact that the
only mosquitoes there, the
Asian Tiger Nosquitoes,
should not have been able
to transmit the virus.
Experts realized that it had
mutated, allowing Asian
Tiger mosquitoes to spread
the disease.
+. Nosquitoes scoff at
national borders, turning
isolated cases into out-
breaks.
Any person infected with a
mosquito-borne disease can
carry it to a different
country, where it can
spread if they are bitten by
a local mosquito upon
arrival which happens
frequently.
58
!n 2007, an older !talian
man returned home from a
trip to !ndia, unknowingly
having been bitten by a
mosquito carrying chikun-
gunya. Upon returning
home, he visited a cousin
and within 3 months,
more than 200 people had
been infected with the
disease.
5. Nosquitoes infect us with
nasty bird diseases, like
West Nile virus.
Although West Nile virus is
carried by birds, humans
can catch it too usually
from a mosquito that bit
the bird first.
Nost people don't develop
symptoms, but 20 of
those infected develop a
fever accompanied by
headache, body aches, joint
pains, vomiting, diarrhea,
or rash.
About 1 in 150 people
infected become seriously
ill with West Nile encephali-
tis or West Nile meningitis,
both of which are potential-
ly fatal conditions. Horses
can also become ill due to
West Nile virus, but neither
horses nor humans can
spread the disease. And
while there's a vaccine
against the illness for
horses, there's not one for
humans.
West Nile may have in-
fected more than 3 million
Americans, and cost more
than $800 million.
6. Mosquitoes don't play
fair: They target some
people more than others.
Some people really are
mosquito magnets. Nosqui-
toes are drawn to the smell
given off by the bacteria
that live on everyone's skin,
and some people give off
an odor that makes them
especially attractive to the
tiny beasts. And contrary to
what a lot of people say,
eating garlic and using
natural repellent dont do
much, if anything, though
DEET (N,N Diethyl-meta-
toluamide) containing bug
59
repellents are indeed
effective.
7. Nosquitoes spread Rift
Valley fever, which can
blind people and bankrupt
farmers.
Rift valley fever mostly
affects animals, but mos-
quitoes can transmit it to
humans, too, where it
causes some pretty horrific
symptoms.
Some people experience no
symptoms, but among
those who do, the effects
seem like a flu at first.
Some develop neck stiff-
ness and sensitivity to light
as well.
But the small subset of
people (fewer than 2)
who get the ocular form of
the disease may develop
lesions in their eye that
cause them to go blind,
while others (also fewer
than 2) may develop a
potentially fatal brain
disease or hemorrhagic
fever.
Since Rift valley fever
primarily affects animal
populations, its effects can
decimate farming industries
and economies.
8. Nosquitoes cause per-
manent disability around
the world.
Lymphatic filariasis, a
mostly neglected tropical
disease, is a leading cause
of permanent disability
for people around the
world.
Nore than 120 million
people are currently in-
fected, and about one-third
of them are disfigured and
incapacitated by it.
Nosquitoes spread micro-
scopic parasites between
people, which then settle
into the lymphatic system
to multiply over a period of
6-8 years. They can dam-
age the immune system
and the kidneys, and later
on in life may cause painful
swelling in the arms, legs,
and genitals.
60
9. Mosquitoes spread
fatal diseases to children.
Japanese encephalitis is
another disease that mos-
quitoes can spread to
humans from infected
animals, though humans
cannot spread the disease
themselves. !t still kills
about 10,000 people a
year, mostly children under
the age of 5. Although
there is no treatment, there
is an effective vaccine.
10. Mosquitoes spread
malaria, which still causes
hundreds of thousands of
deaths every year.
Between 2000 and 2012,
there's been a dramatic
reduction in malaria deaths
+2 globally. Even so,
an estimated 627,000
people died from malaria in
2012 alone, and there were
approximately 207 million
cases of the disease.
Female Anopheles mosqui-
toes transmit Plasmodium
parasites in their bites,
which then cause high
fever, chills, and a serious
flu-like illness that can kill if
it's not treated. This dis-
ease is preventable, with
items like bed nets, insect
repellent, and long sleeves,
and is treatable, yet it still
kills that many people.
11. Mosquitoes are
really hard to get rid of.
Nosquitoes don't need
much to survive. Any small
water container or
anything that will catch
rainwater is enough to
provide a breeding ground.
Nosquitoes are also becom-
ing resistant to commonly
used insecticides, like
pyrethroids, which are used
to treat bed nets.
They also travel quickly.
The Asian Tiger Nosquito,
which is known to carry
yellow fever, dengue, and
chikungunya, has spread to
36 states since first show-
ing up in the United States
in 1985.

61
Kids
Corner

Birthday Celebration
of Imam Ali Ibn Abi
Talib (A.S.)
Imam Ali (a.s.) was the
paternal cousin of Prophet
Muhammad (saww). He was
born inside Kaaba on Friday
13th Rajab 30 Aamul Feel.
His father was Abu Talib ibn
Abdul Muttalib. The Proph-
ets father Hazrat Abdullah
and Hazrat Abu Talib (AS)
were real brothers. The Fact
that Hazrat Ali (AS) was
born inside Kaaba has never
been contradicted by any
sect of the followers of
Islam. No one was born in the
Kaaba before Hazrat Ali
(AS) & no one will ever.
The Prophet (PBUH) named
him Ali upon Allahs will. It is
stated that one day when Ali
(AS) was lying in his cradle
and was a few months old, a
cobra snake climbed onto his
cradle and Imam Ali (AS)
killed it with his hands. When
his mother saw this she said,
"Allahs Haider, may Allah
keep you safe."
The Prophet (PBUH) brought
him up, he stayed with
Prophet (PBUH) all the time
and from the time the
Prophet (PBUH) declared his
prophethood until his death
Hazrat Ali (AS) was always
his right hand.
When the Prophet (PBUH)
migrated to Medina Hazrat
Ali (AS) slept on Prophets
bed to save his life. In the
battle of Badr out of the
total number of enemies
killed, Imam Ali (AS) killed
half of them while the
remaining half were killed by
other Muslim warriors. In
the battle of Ohd when many
of the Muslims fled from the
battle field, even though
Imam Ali (AS) was injured,
he never left his post &
fought bravely. It was in this
62
battle that Allah sent him a
sword.
On Imam Alis birthday,
people pray to God that the
qualities that Imam Ali
possessed be fostered upon
them so that they can lead a
life like the Imam himself
led, honest, just, brave and
wise. People also take a vow
that like Imam Ali, they will
also devote their life for the
cause of Islam. This day is
celebrated for Humanity,
Peace and well-being on
Earth.
Imamat is Guidance
We Need
Basra is a big city and the
main port of Iraq. It is
situated at the mouth of
river Euphrates.
There, in a big mosque,
people used to assemble to
discuss various subjects on
Islamic rules and laws. A
famous learned priest of
Sunni sect by name Amr Bin
Ubeid was once preaching on
the subject of Imamat. He
was surrounded by a big
crowd of people who were
asking various questions on
the subject. Suddenly, a
young student by name of
Hesham, entered the gather-
ing and sat down in the first
row. He addressed the priest
saying that he was a stranger
and would like to ask some
questions. On getting the
permission to do so, he asked
the following:
Hesham: First, Sir! May I
please know if you have eyes?
Amr: Young Boy! Is this a
question to be asked?
Hesham: Whatever it may
be, this is my question to
which I shall appreciate your
answer.
Amr: Alright! You are at
liberty to ask, even though it
is a foolish question.
Hesham: As I have already
asked, Sir, may I please know
if you have eyes?
Amr: Yes, I have.
Hesham: For what use are
they?
63
Amr: With eyes, I can see
faces of people and colour of
various things.
Hesham: And you have a nose
also?
Amr: Yes, I do have one.
Hesham: What is its func-
tion?
Amr: I smell the scent and
odour by it.
Hesham: And do you have a
mouth?
Amr: Yes I do have.
Hesham: For what use is it?
Amr: I can talk to people or
taste food and drinks with it.
Hesham: Do you have ears?
Amr: Yes, I have two ears.
Hesham: What is their
function?
Amr: I can hear voices by
them.
Hesham: And do you have a
mind?
Amr: Almighty has bestowed
me with that also.
Hesham: What is its use?
Amr: With that I am able to
distinguish things whatever
is felt by the other senses
like hands, eyes, ears, nose,
tongue etc. In case of a
difference, I am able to
solve with its help. In case of
doubt, I can dispel with it
and be sure.
Hesham: So, does it mean
that despite being sound and
healthy, all these organs
cannot function independent-
ly without the help of the
mind.
Amr: No, No! None of the
organs can function indepen-
dently without the help of
the mind.
Hesham: Why is it so? After
all, are the organs perfect
and strong enough to diffe-
rentiate between things?
Amr: Young Boy! When any
organ has some doubt about
a thing which it smells, sees
or tastes, it brings the
matter to the mind and it is
the mind which confirms the
truth and removes the doubt.
64
Hesham: So, from what you
have said, do you want me to
understand that God Almigh-
ty has created and designed
the mind to guide the organs
and remove doubts.
Amr: Yes! It is so.
Hesham: So the mind is a
necessity, otherwise the
organs could not work inde-
pendently.
Amr: Yes.
Hesham: Please Sir! Proclaim
your opinion with fairness
and justice on this point also.
If Almighty has not left the
organs of man's body without
the guidance of the mind,
how is it possible that
Almighty God could leave
millions of His creatures
without an IMAM to guide
and solve their problems
arising out of doubts and
conflicts? Should not our
common sense accept this
fact?
On hearing this logic argu-
ment and having no answer to
give, Amr Bin Ubeid kept
silent and went into deep
thinking.
Hesham was a deeply learned
person and one of the closest
companions of Imam Ja'far
Sadiq (a) from whom he had
obtained his knowledge.
'IMAM' is an Arabic word
which literally means
'Leader' or 'Guide'. Any
leader or guide can be good
or bad, true or false. There-
fore, it is essential for every
Muslim to know who is a true
and good Imam. The Holy
Prophet has said: "If a man
dies without recognising the
Imam of his time, he dies the
death of ignorance."
It is of utmost importance
that the Imam must be
appointed by a Prophet under
the command of God, nobody
can be an Imam either by
claiming to be so, by inherit-
ance or by the wealth or
power which he may have.

The Message - Rajab Al Murajjab - 1435 AH

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The Message - Rajab Al Murajjab - 1435 AH

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