The Light of Guidance
I was coming back from a long journey, and
my seat in the airplane was beside a group
of carefree young men whose loud laughter
and voices were too much. The plane was
completely full and I could not change my
seat.
I tried to escape from the problem by
sleeping, but it was impossible… When I got
fed up of their noise, I took out my Qur’an,
and started to read what I could of the Holy
Qur’an in a soft voice. Soon after that these
young men started to quiet down. Some of
them started to read newspapers, and some of
them fell asleep.
Suddenly one of them said in a loud voice,
even though he was sitting right next to me,
“Enough! Enough!”
I thought that I had disturbed him because my
Thursday, February 14, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 7
voice was too loud, so I apologized to him
and carried on reading in a whisper that only
I could hear. I saw him holding his head in
his hands, then fidgeting in his seat, moving
a lot. Then he raised his head and said to me
angrily, “Please, stop it, I can’t stand it!!”
Then he got up from his seat and went away
for a while, and then he came back, greeted
me with a “Salam”, and apologized. He fell
silent, and I did not know what was going
on. But after a while he turned to me with his
eyes full of tears and said to me in a whisper,
“For three years or more I have not put my
forehead on the ground, and I have not read
even one verse!
For a whole month I have been on this trip,
and there is no evil action that I did not
indulge in. Then I saw you reading Holy
Qur’an, and my world turned black and
my heart was filled with despair. I felt as if
someone was strangling me… I felt every
verse that you read coming down on my body
like a whip.
I said to myself, for how long will this
negligence go on? Where will this path lead
you? What will happen after all this foolish
play? Then I went to the washroom, do you
know why?
I had the strong urge to weep, and I could not
find anywhere else to hide from the people’s
sight!”
I spoke to him in general terms about
8 The Truth
Vol. 3 Issue 7 Thu. Feb 14, 2008
The Truth
Love in Islam
By: Marzia Jaghori
Similarly the way man has physical needs in life
repentance and turning back to God, then he which he strives and struggles to fulfill, the soul too
fell silent.
has needs that must be satisfied.
When the plane landed, he stopped me, and
These spiritual needs and urges have been placed by
it seemed that he wanted to keep away from
his companions. He asked me, with a serious the hands of the creator in the depths of the creation’s
expression on his face, “Do you think that soul.
Man has a natural inclination to find Love, and love
God will accept my repentance?” I said,
“If you are sincere and serious in your in any form towards any object has no valid reality,
repentance, then God will forgive all your except when it is for the sake of God.
sins.”
CONT’D ON PAGE 2
He said, “But I have done terrible things, very
terrible.”
I said, “Have you not heard what God says:
‘Say: O my slaves who have transgressed
against themselves (by committing evil
deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy
God
of God, verily, God forgives all sins. Truly,
He is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful’?” Trust in God – Part 3 –
[Holy Qur’an 39:53] “And put thy trust in God and enough is God as a disposer of affairs.” Holy
I saw him smiling with joy, with his eyes Qur’an (4:18)
filled with tears, and then he bade me farewell
The word used in the Holy Qur’an for “trust” is “Tawakkal” which is derived from
and left.
“Tawakkul”. This is not an excuse for idleness. “Tawakkul” means that you should
No matter how great a man’s evil and sin, in
his heart there is a seed of goodness. If only bind the camel with a rope, and then say that you have trust in God that He will
we can reach it and make it grow, it will bear CONT’D ON PAGE 4
fruit.
This seed of goodness is always fighting in
man’s heart, even when it is covered by layers
of whims and desires. When God wills good Love Means Imam Hussain (P)
for His slave, He causes the light of guidance
to shine in his heart and guides him to the ... Witness the confidence in Imam Hussain (P) that is his
path of those who are guided. God says:
heart’s separation and independence from this materialistic
“And whomsoever God wills to guide, He
opens his breast to Islam; and whomsoever world. This quality is very clear in him. When he left
Medina and reached Karbala, he wrote to his brother
He wills to send astray, He makes his
breast closed and constricted, as if he is Muhammed Hanifeh and the rest of his family with such
climbing up to the sky” [Holy Qur’an 6:125]
CONT’D ON PAGE 7
 Love Love Means Imam Hussain (P)
IF YOU WANT TO
RECEIVE YOUR WEEKLY From PAGE 1 From PAGE 1
DIGITAL COPY All love directly or indirectly in some way, shape, or
content: “This is a statement from hurt me with their tongue. In such
form is a man’s hope to be in reach of the ultimate
(PDF FORMAT) perfection, which can be nobody but God-the Hussain the son of Ali to Muhammed times I sought refuge to You and You
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE Almighty. the son of Ali and the rest of Hashemite recovered all of that…” (3)
TO THE TRUTH’S From the vast universe to the cosmos, the clouds above tribe who are with him. It seems that
there has never been a world and that Witness the patience of Imam Hussain
MAILING LIST @ our heads to even the most minuscule insects, there is
the hereafter has always existed.”(1) (P) when he had fallen on the warm soil
HTTP://GROUPS.GOOGLE. love intertwined within every creation of God. There
Isn’t such a statement a sign that nothing of Karbala; his body was torn up by
is no realm of existence where love does not manifest
COM/GROUP/THET- has been left to the world and that hope injuries from enemy spears and swords;
itself in some way.
RUTH110 God’s Love for Man has completely been entrusted to the his forehead was broken because of the
hereafter? rocks that had been thrown at him; his
It is man’s heart which attracts God’s love towards
Imam Zain Al ‘Abideen Al-Sajjad (P) chest was covered with arrows; an arrow
mankind more than any other creature.
says: “As time was passing and the battle had hit beneath his throat and another
The angels cannot feel the intensity of God’s love as
was getting harder for Hussain, his face arrows had ripped his side; his tongue
IF YOU WANT ANY the humans can due to the fact that they cannot undergo
got brighter and his confidence increased was attached to his mouth from thirst;
wrath, severity, and detachment like man can. And the
MATERIAL TO BE

Thursday, February 14, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 7

Thursday, February 14, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 7

until some enemies told each other: ‘See his heart was broken from the death of
animals cannot feel love in the way man is capable
PUBLISHED PLEASE because they cannot experience beauty, tenderness, and how fearless Hussain is for his own his companions and his unprotected
SEND US AN E-MAIL. proximity suitably. All the conflicting celestial qualities death’...”(2) family. The sound of women and children
Another example of Imam Hussain’s (P) screaming for help from one hand and the
are brought jointly within man, nearness, distance,
piety is his recitation of the Qur’an and laughter of enemies over what they had
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE gentleness, and severity.
his prayer. The only reason he asked from done on the other. Consider all of these;
“Surely my lord is all-merciful, all-love.”
HAVE THE RIGHT the enemy to postpone the start of battle Imam Hussain (P) did not complain nor
Holy Quran (11:90)
TO ACCEPT, “I have turned my face towards him who created by one day was to have an extra night cried for all the agony. He continuously
EDIT OR REFUSE the heavens and the earth…” of prayer and worship God. In that night said: “My Lord, I am patient of Your
ANY CONTENT. Holy Quran (6:79) thirty soldiers were guided and came to destiny to me and there is no one to
Perfection Imam Hussain (P) after hearing the sound be worshiped except You; indeed, You
of his worship. They were eventually are the only Shelter of those who seek
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Human nature seeks flawlessness and beauty, and God
martyred. refuge.” (4)
is the absolute perfection and eternal beauty. When
HASSAN TABATABAI one is in deep infatuation with someone or something,
EDITOR: whatever the field to which they belong and whatever Imam Hussain (P) was continuously That is why we read in the dua of Imam
AHMAD AL NAJJAR the object of their love, since they identify perfection remembering God and reciting the Hussain (P): “The angels of sky were
Holy Qur’an from the time he faced the indeed impressed by you patience.” (5)
DESIGNED BY: with them, they concentrate all their attention to their
enemies in the battle till his head was
NAGI GIRGUIS beloved. They long for an absolute magnificence
raised on a spear; even when his mouth Peace be upon Hussain, the oppressed;
and perfection which has no defect. If they reach
anything greater than it, their heart turns away from had dried because of thirst. Imam Hussain Peace be upon Hussain, the martyr...
PLEASE SEND US the original ideal and towards another superior one. (P) prayed to God on the morning of his
YOUR FEEDBACKS, One by one, every man’s objects of desire will show last day, the morning of Ashura in the (Reference: Khasa’is al-Husainieh by
COMMENTS, their unfaithfulness, and man, with a broken heart, following manner: “O God! You are Sheikh Ja’far Shooshtari)
my shelter in any distress and my only
AND SUGGESTIONS will turn his love elsewhere. There is no other beloved
hope at the time of misery. You are Footnotes:
TO THE FOLLOWING except the perfect being towards whom human nature 1- Kamel al-Ziaraat, Baab 24, Narration 16
is directed, the only beloved that will not disappoint my only protection in any tragedy. I
2- Ma’ani al-Akhbar, p. 288
E-MAIL: anyone eternally. All other love which is love for others had many catastrophes in which hopes 3- Irshad Sheikh Mufid, Vol. 2, p. 96
thetruth110@gmail.com than God originates from love for him, in due course, were lost, solutions were impossible, 4- Yanabi’ al-Mawadat, Vol. 3, p. 82
leads to him. friends had left me and enemies 5- Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 98, p. 322

2 The Truth The Truth 7

 Fundamentals of Islam Divine Justice
in Islam
“God bears witness that there is no God but Him-(and so do) the angels,
and possessors of knowledge-upholding justice; there is no god but Him, How to Reciprocate God’s Love so only God can be the
the All-mighty, the All-wise.” (Holy Quran 3:18) Act in a Manner that would Please God core of his adoration.
“God is never unjust in the least degree.” (Holy Quran 4:40) Aside from the fact that one who loves Imam Ali (Peace be
The above verses summarize the second fundamental of Islam, which is the
God is loved by him, a real love for God upon him) once said:
Divine Justice. According to Islamic beliefs, justice is an important attribute
of God, the Glorified. He does not do injustice to anyone, nor does He deny prompts one to prove that if someone “Blessed is he who sincerely devotes the
anything beneficial to His servants. Surely, inequity is something bad and really loves him he would act in a entirety of his actions, knowledge, love,
an expression of faultiness. Only the weak and needy do injustices and seek control over them, or make manner that would please him. God says hatred, receiving, relinquishing, speech,
them a means to their purposes. Sometimes the oppressor is not aware that such a deed is ugly and unfair. to Prophet Muhammed (May Allah’s silence, deeds, and statements absolutely
God, the Glorified is contrarily the Powerful, the Independent and the All-knowing. He does not resort to Peace and Blessings be upon him and his to Allah.”
injustice because he does not need to nor is He unaware of it. He is the Just Who created, on the basis of
Progeny) to tell the people in the Quran: Al-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Anwar, vol.77,
justice and right, the heavens and the earth and life existing on it.
God says: “...and your Lord shall not wrong anyone.” (Holy Quran 18:49) “Say, if you love God, then follow me, p.289.
He does not coerce man to do something then punishes him for it, nor does He order man to do something and God will love you and forgive you Imam Al-Sadiq (P) said once, “The
above his ability. When something is verified to be of great benefit to man in God’s wisdom, He ordains it. your sins, and God is forgiving and heart is the sanctuary of God; therefore
That is why He sent the Prophets and revealed the religion to save people and guide them to the right path. Merciful” do not settle therein anything but God.”
God’s justice is manifested in everything, for example: Holy Quran (3:31) Al-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Anwar, vol. 70, p.25.
1. Creation Invocation If God asks us to give our lives to protect

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He does not do injustice to anyone in respect to His creation. God’s justice is seen in the order of man’s
body. He creates him in a way that makes him live on earth, and grants him hearing, sight, emotions,
Through invocation one can gradually lift innocent lives or our country or anything
mind, and the ability to move and walk. himself from the material world into the similar to that, we shouldn’t let our love
2. Destiny next world. A lover enjoys talking to his for this world or any other distraction i.e.
God causes death, provision, events that befall man and everything else on the basis of justice. God beloved, strives at every chance to do so, family, wealth, power, etc. avert us from
compensates people for the pains they suffer in this life, as willed by Him, by granting them grace and feels the pain of separation when they striving in his way.
weighing more than the pains. He does that for the benefit of His servants even though they may not are not in proximity of their beloved.
realize it.
3. Obligations and Laws
“Remember the name of the lord at Imam Hussain ibn Ali (P) Said: “Oh
Divine obligations and laws are distinguished by being just. God, the Just, does not impose any duty on morning and evening.” God, I have left the world in Your love. I
His servants that is above their abilities. God, the Glorified, says: Holy Quran (76:25) am ready to make my children orphans
“God does not charge a soul but according to its ability...” (Holy Quran 2:286) Nothing should come into conflict with in Your love. My heart could not divert
Then all the obligations are within man’s capability. your love for God towards anybody but You even if you cut
3. Freedom of choice: Man must separate God from imitative my body into pieces in Your Love. ”
God imparts to man the ability to choose. Man can freely choose for himself. He can do good by helping
beloveds, enhance his seeking and need Love is the most important principle of
the poor, respecting parents, offering prayers and discharging justice. On the other hand, he can do evil
like harming others, killing, lying, or stealing. God never forces anyone to do anything. For, if He did through spiritual discipline under the existence in the real world.
so, man would by no means deserve rewards or punishment. Being free to choose, man is rewarded or guidance of an educated, and wipe out all No one is more worthy of love and
punished in proportion to his good or evil deeds. Those who are evil are punished and those who are good things other than God, including himself, genuine affection than the divine being.
are rewarded.
“And We have shown him the two ways (of good and evil)” (Holy Quran 90:10) The Holy Quran Amazes a Sailor
And He, the High, also says: “Surely, We have shown him the way: he may be thankful or “(The unbelievers’ state) is like a vast deep ocean, overwhelmed with waves, one over
unthankful”. (Holy Quran 76:3) the other, and above it is a cloud of darkness upon darkness, one above another; if a
4. Punishment and Reward in the Hereafter: man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it; For anyone to whom Allah gives no
The good and upright one gets what he deserves from God’s grace and the evil doer is punished according light, there is no light.” (Holy Quran 24:40)
to his bad deeds. Should this principle be abolished, then the doer of good and the doer of evil become Gary Miller in his book, “The Amazing Quran” stated the following story: A Muslim
equal. And this is injustice to which God is most certainly above: gave a copy of the Holy Quran to a man who was a merchant marine. This man knew nothing
“...and that every soul may be rewarded for what it has earned and they shall not be wronged”. about the history of Islam. When he finished reading the Holy Quran, he asked his Muslim friend:
(Holy Quran 45:22) “This man Muhammed (M), was he a sailor?” When he was told that Muhammed (M) lived in a
Everyone is responsible for his/her own deeds. desert and probably did not even see an ocean during his whole life, he embraced Islam on the spot.
God never punishes anyone for something someone else has done, except when he is the one who induced He acknowledged that this description of the Holy Quran could only be described by one who had
the other to do it. In such case he is viewed an accomplice in doing the foul deed. The most High says: actually seen sea storms many times, whereas Muhammed (M) never witnessed this phenomenon.
“...and no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another...” (Holy Quran 6:164)

6 The Truth The Truth 3

>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

From PAGE 1
protect your camel. You should not have
confidence in the rope only, because many
camels have been stolen together with
their ropes; and, likewise, you should not
neglect the rope, because binding with
the rope is a part of “Tawakkul” or trust
in God. So basically, you attach the rope
and then put your trust in God and hope
that nothing happens and not just leave the
camel and expect that it will not go away
because you put your trust in God.
So this is the spirit of Tawakkul or trust in
Thursday, February 14, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 7
God
– Part 3 –
you thank Allah even when you do not
succeed? Because success or failure
are not your responsibility. You were
expected to do your best - and you did it.
Be thankful to Allah that you were able to
perform what was expected from you. It
is your efforts which matter. Success or
failure is not your providence.
Thankfulness to Allah
“And be thankful to Me; and do not be
ungrateful.” Holy Qur’an (2:152)
Thankfulness of God is one of the highest
burdens of almost inevitable
persecutions with great patience;
Prophet Muhammad (M) faced
them with cheerfulness and
thankfulness. The difference
between these two attitudes is
clear enough.
Not only this. His closest
people also thought of these hardships
as a sign of grace of God. Had not God
chosen them to bear such heavy burdens
in His cause? Was it not a sign of His
>>>>
when he was asked by the
Holy Prophet (M) to sleep in
his (Prophet’s) bed, so that the
Prophet (M) could leave Mecca
while his would-be killer (who
ringed his house) thought that
he was sleeping in his bed. His
only question was: “Will your
life be saved if I sleep in this bed?” When
assured that it was the promise of God, he
prostrated to God, thanking Him that He
made his (Ali’s) life a ransom for the life

Thursday, February 14, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 7

God. We are to try our best; and then we
should have trust in God that He will make
our work succeed. It is a sheer nonsense
to sit idle and say that Allah will do all our
work for us. He says in the Holy Qur’an:
“And that man can have nothing but
what he strives for.” (53:39)
A high standard of Tawakkul or confidence
in God was set when Imam Ali (P) asked
some idle persons who they were. “We
are those who have confidence in Allah”,
came the answer. Imam Ali asked: “How
is your confidence in Allah?” They
said: “We eat when we get food; and
>>>>
virtues which a man could aspire for. It is
easy to be thankful when one had an easy
life, a prospering business, a respectful job
and a happy family. It is a different story
when things are not going as desired. Most
of us, in such situations, remain obsessed
with sorrow, forgetting countless bounties
of God which we are bestowed with, even
at the time of that tragedy. Perhaps it is
this tendency which is mentioned in the
Qur’an in these words: “And few amongst
my servants are grateful.”
It is even more difficult to be grateful in
such heart-breaking situations which a
pleasure with them? It was this thought of the Holy Prophet (M).
which made them face cheerfully all kind Footnotes:
of persecutions inflicted by the enemies of (M) May Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him
and his Progeny / Refers to Prophet Muhammed
God. It was this feeling which made Imam (P) Peace be upon Him / Refers to Angels,
Ali (P) Not only ‘patient’ but ‘thankful’ Prophets, Imams, and Infallible Ladies.
The Structural Differences between
the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars
By: Harun Yahya
We built seven firm layers above you. We installed a blazing
lamp. (Holy Qur’an, 78:12-13)
As we know, the only source of light in the Solar System is the Sun.
With advances in technology, astronomers discovered that the Moon
was not a source of light but that it merely reflects the light reaching
it from the Sun. The expression “lamp” in the above verse is a translation of the Arabic word “sirajan,”

we have patience when we do not get
it.” Imam Ali retorted: “Yes! That was
the very nature of a dog.” Stunned, they
asked him to explain the true meaning of
Tawakkul in contrast to their own belief.
Imam Ali (P) said: “When we get, we give
to others; when we do not get, we thank
Allah.”
It means that you are to try your best to
improve your condition; but you should
not trust your own power and wisdom.
Have confidence in Allah that he will make
your efforts fruitful. Then, if you succeed,
try to help your fellow brethren with the
fruits of your labor; and if you fail; then
man of God has to face in his struggle
to lead his people on the right path (like
the condition which our Holy Prophet
Mohammed had to contend with). He
faced abuse of the community and the
wrath of tribal heads. Children used to
throw stones on him, women scattered
thorny bushes in his path. And he
remained cheerful and thankful to God.
When a man asked him why did he
pray whole nights and fasted almost
continuously, when he had so much
work to do every day, the Prophet simply
asked: “Should I not be a thankful
servant of Allah?” Many examples
>>>>
which most perfectly describes the Sun, the source of light and heat.
In the Holy Qur’an, God employs different words when referring to such celestial bodies as the Moon,
the Sun and the stars. This is how the differences between the structures of the Sun and Moon are
expressed in the Holy Qur’an:
Do you not see how He created seven heavens in layers, and placed the moon as a light in them
and made the sun a blazing lamp? (Holy Qur’an, 71:15-16)
In the above verse, the word “light” is used for the Moon (“nooran” in Arabic) and the word “lamp”
for the Sun (“sirajan” in Arabic.) The word used for the Moon refers to a light-reflecting, bright,
motionless body. The word used for the Sun refers to a celestial body which is always burning, a
constant source of heat and light.
On the other hand, the word “star” comes from the Arabic root “nejeme,” meaning “appearing,
emerging, visible.” As in the verse below, stars are also referred to by the word “thaqib,” which is used
for that which shines and pierces the darkness with light: self-consuming and burning:
It is the star that pierces through darkness! (Holy Qur’an, 86:3)
We now know that the Moon does not emit its own light but reflects that reaching it from the Sun. We
also know that the Sun and stars do emit their own light. These facts were revealed in the Qur’an in an
age when mankind simply did not have the means to make scientific discoveries of their own accord. It
was an age when peoples’ knowledge of celestial bodies was severely restricted, to say the least. This

4
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
also be thankful to Allah. But why should can be found of men of God bearing the further emphasizes the miraculous nature of the book of Islam.

5
The Truth The Truth