Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Allah’s Final Messenger

Introduction

Muhammad son of Abdullah was Allah’s final prophet and messenger to humanity, who is also referred to as the Seal of the Prophets. He brought the Almighty’s last revelation to mankind, the Qur’an, and adopted and enshrined a code of conduct, a system of governance, and a morality the like of which was never seen before him in human history, nor will be seen in the future. [And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds.] 21:107 Editors.

78: The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his holy family, is the role model for all humanity and the perfect example of all manifestations of good and virtue.

79: It is imperative for the Muslims, or rather, for the entire world population - if they wished good for themselves - to follow the Holy Prophet’s lead and emulate and uphold his morals and conducts.

80: In all situations, Allah’s messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, was the finest example for trustworthiness and sincerity, truthfulness and loyalty, good manners, noble nature and magnanimity, knowledge and forbearance, forgiveness, generosity and bravery, piety and abstention from any sin or evil, asceticism and virtue, justice, humility, and tireless endeavour (or jihad).

81: Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, was the embodiment of all virtues and morality, the essence of honour and magnanimity, the home of knowledge and justice, piety and ethics, and the touchstone of the religion, the material world, and the hereafter.

82: Never did a similitude of Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, come in the past, and there will never ever come one like him in the future.

83: Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his holy family, is the greatest and the most distinguished and virtuous personality Almighty Allah has ever created. Even when the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, peace be upon him, was asked“Are you a Prophet?” he said:“I am but one of the slaves of Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family.”

84: The Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him and his holy family, established a comprehensive Sunnah, or a system of rules, laws and teachings for the Muslims. Like the Prophet himself, these rules, laws and teachings are the best and the most perfect for mankind.

85: The Holy Qur’an is the living eternal miracle of Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family. This is because it is the only heavenly book that Almighty Allah willed to be immune from additions, deductions, changes and alterations; despite the concerted effort of those who planned and embarked on effecting such alterations. Thus it is the eternal book, and the permanent constitution for life until the Day of Judgement, and as long as mankind lives on Earth. This is because the Holy Qur’an contains superior laws and teachings that guarantee mankind’s prosperity, progress and advancement.

86: Allah’s messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, never pre-emptively started a war against an enemy. Rather, it was the enemy who used to attack the holy Prophet. Imam Ali adopted the same policy, as did Imam Husayn;[18] Imam Ali’s son and the holy Prophet’s grandson. Even though the enemy had besieged him, Imam Husayn used to say,“I hate to be the one to initiate the attack.” This indeed was always the stance taken by Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them all, in confrontation with their enemies.[19]

87: Islam lays great emphasises on human behaviour, and pays significant attention to social manners and etiquette, so much so that Allah’s messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, made the ultimate goal of his blessed mission to be the perfection and dissemination of noble manners and ethical conduct throughout the land, by saying:“Indeed, I have been sent to perfect and complete the noble morals.” Furthermore, when Almighty Allah praises His beloved messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, He commends his noble manners, by saying: [and you are of sublime morality].[20] When Allah reminds the Muslim nation of the mercy and blessing that have been bestowed upon them, He cites the most important of qualities of such mercy, which are the leniency and clemency of his manners; Almighty Allah states; [by the mercy of Allah you have been lenient to them].[21] These words allude to the importance of good manners and moral conduct in Islam, and their significance for a Muslim individual as a way of life.

88: A great number of people were impressed by Allah’s Messenger’s well-mannered and courteous conduct, and were attracted to Islam as a result.

89: During the Prophet’s time in Mecca - after the start of his divine mission - his teachings and policies did not become common knowledge. Thus most of his teachings were not implemented, because neither the environment was conducive to practise such teachings; nor did he have any other alternatives - in order to assess how the prophet interacted with people; during times of war or peace, and with his friends and foes. But all that became clear in Medina, when he began to lay the foundation for the blessed Islamic government; and when he and the Muslims found themselves unimpeded by the restrictions and sanctions imposed on them in Mecca. It was then that the real meaning and the ideals of the magnanimous Sharia and the pure prophetic Sunnah became evident to the Muslim nation. In this way Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his holy family, established a perfect example of the ideal model of government in existence. This was the same style of government which the Commander of the Faithful (Amir al-Mo’mineen), Imam Ali, peace be upon him, followed during his five-year reign.

90: You only need to study the biography of the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him and his holy family, to see hundreds of examples [of his social and moral conducts and interactions with friends and foes, and his generosity].[22] If these examples were compiled and presented, every non-Muslim, even if zealous and fanatic - save the very stubborn ones - would get impressed by the Prophet’s virtues and teachings, and would ultimately embrace Islam.

91: If today, or any other day, the teachings and policies of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his holy family, and those of Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali, peace be upon him, were implemented; say in our homes, places of work, and our countries, then what was achieved fourteen hundred years ago would be realised today.[23] People would attain prosperity and choose Islam as a way of life.

92: The fact that great number of people embraced Islam during the time of the Holy Prophet, was not a miracle or an extraordinary phenomenon. Rather, this was a natural outcome of the policies, approach and conduct of the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him and his holy family.

93: The life of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his holy family, is full of inspiring examples of superior social and ethical conduct that touch the mind and soul of the individual.

94: I urge you to study the biography of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his holy family, and recount and present the great many of the sublime stances and intellectually persuasive arguments to the Jews, Christians and atheists, and you would undoubtedly convince them to embrace Islam as a religion of reason and ideals. Simultaneously, upon learning about these, Muslims will strengthen their own faith in their religion, and will encourage them to pass on their conviction to others.

95: The Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him and his holy family, introduced the system of social security and welfare as a gift to the world, with happy consequences for humanity. This will be achieved once again with the reappearance of Allah’s greatest Authority, the Awaited Imam Mahdi,[24] may Allah hasten his reappearance, and thus the Divine Promise will be realised.

96: Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his holy family, was the best human being and Allah’s chosen messenger, and he brought the best law and policy that promised material and spiritual fulfilment to mankind. This begs the question: who wouldn’t like to follow such a convincingly rational path and pride oneself of belonging to a superior system of justice and equality?!

97: The progressive laws which were put in practice by the Prophet Muhammad, and by the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali, peace be upon them, upheld human honour and dignity and provided social security to the masses. These laws have no similitude anywhere in the world and no laws measure up to the unparalleled laws of Islam.

98: Without doubt, Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, is matchless in creation, and commands the most distinguished stature in Almighty Allah’s view. He is the most honoured in creation, rather, Almighty Allah did not create anything except for the sake of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his holy family. On the night of ascension, Almighty Allah addressed the prophet by saying,“O Ahmad! Were it not for you, I would not have created the galaxies.”

99: If Almighty Allah had not commanded us to obey His Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, it would not have been obligatory for us to obey the Prophet.

100: Obeying the Prophet and obeying the Imam, peace be upon them, is part of the obedience of Almighty Allah, and if Almighty Allah were to order us to obey someone other than them, we would have done so in obedience to His command.

101: The disbelievers used to connive against Islam and the Muslims, show animosity towards Allah’s Messenger personally, belie him, and attribute rude things to him. Yet, despite all this, they used to live in peace and harmony among the Muslims and enjoyed freedom and welfare under the rules of Allah’s Messenger and of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, peace be upon them. It is not reported that any one of the offending disbelievers was ever harmed in any way for their actions under the Muslim rule. Rather, history records that when a disbeliever activist, who used to harass the Prophet did not show up for a few days, the Prophet enquired about him, and it was said that he was ill. The Prophet, peace be upon him and his holy family, paid him a visit to wish him well, together with a group of his companions.

The Ahl al-Bayt

Introduction

Ahl al-Bayt, or People of the House (of the Prophet), is in reference to Lady Fatima al-Zahra’, her father Prophet Muhammad, her husband, Imam Ali, and her sons, Hasan and Husayn, as well as Husayn’s nine ma‘soom descendants. They are also referred to as the fourteen ma‘soom or infallible. In this respect, Allah Almighty has revealed about them, [Indeed Allah wills to repel all impurity from you, O People of the House, and purify you a thorough purification.] 33:33. Imam Ali, his sons Imams Hasan and Husayn, along with Imam Husayn’s nine ma‘soom descendants are the twelve Imams who have, on divine instructions, been appointed by Prophet Muhammad to succeed him and lead humanity after him. The first of the ma‘soom Imams is Imam Ali, and the twelfth is Imam Mahdi who is hidden from view and will reappear to fill the earth with justice after it is filled with tyranny and injustice. Prophet Muhammad said of the Ahl al-Bayt,“The example of my Ahl al-Bayt is that of Noah’s Ark; whoever boards it is saved, and whoever abandons it drowns.” Towards the end of his blessed life, the Prophet said,“I leave behind with ye two momentous entities - Allah’s Book and my kin the Ahl al-Bayt - as long as ye adhere to them both ye would never go astray after me.” Editors.

102: Almighty Allah has put all the forces of the universe under the authority/command of the ma‘soom Imam, peace be upon him, and this is evident from the declarations and words of the ma‘soomeen themselves, peace be upon them all.

103: Almighty Allah has established only one path for the fulfilment of his creation and legislation and that is the path of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them.[25]

104: Everything that concerns our fate, or any changes to our fate; whether concerning us as individuals or the family, or the community, or nations at large, is reflected in the honourable hadith of Imam Sadiq,[26] peace be upon him, in which he states, addressing Imam Husayn, peace be upon him:“The ordinance of the Lord concerning His commands descend upon you, and are issued from your houses.”

105: It is evident from numerous hadith - as well as logical reasoning - that all aspects of existence and its forces are put in the hands of the ma‘soom Imam, peace be upon him, by Almighty Allah; whether relating to humans or to objects; in the past or in the future.

106: The Imams, peace be upon them, are Allah’s authorities upon the entire creation; they are the auspicious successors to His Prophet, and they are all from the light of Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, blessed with the same holiness as the Prophet’s.[27]

107: The Imams were like the Prophet, peace be upon them all, in their knowledge, forbearance, virtue and piety, justice and infallibility, noble morals and magnanimous nature, and all other qualities and praiseworthy traits. How could it be otherwise, given that they are his divinely appointed successors, the leaders of the people and creation, and Allah’s authorities over all mankind after the Prophet himself?!

108: There is no doubt that the ma‘soom Imam, peace be upon him, is the most superior and knowledgeable of Allah’s creation, who has a lofty spirit which transcends all creation, yet he has a heart full of passion which surpasses that of all humanity, despite having the most superior and rational mind.

109: The Imams of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, have unparalleled qualities but regrettably there are those amongst us who do not fully understand and appreciate these unique attributes.

110: Obedience to the Messenger and the Imam, peace be upon them, are directly derived from obedience to Allah Almighty which is primary and central to faith.

111: Since obedience to Almighty Allah is mandatory, and as He has ordered us to obey Allah’s Messenger, Muhammad, and his Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them; then their obedience is also mandatory upon us, as per His command.

112: If Almighty Allah, Glory be to Him, had ordered us to obey people other than Ali ibn Abu Talib and his descendant Imams, peace be upon them, we would have complied with such order.

113: Since obedience to the Prophet and the Imam are, in essence, the same, Almighty Allah did not differentiate between the two by using the word“obey” in the holy verse [Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those of authority amongst ye] as opposed to His obedience. A distinction is made between His obedience and the obedience of the Messenger and of the Imam, by repeating the word“obey” to reveal the difference.

114: We believe in the imamate (leadership) of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib, peace be upon him, and the imamate of Hasan[28] and Husayn, peace be upon them, and also the imamate of the other Imams, the descendants of Husayn, peace be upon them, because Almighty Allah commanded us to do so.

115: As the Imams lived in different times, the actions and styles of each Imam differed according to his time. Also his conduct differed from that of the Imam who lived in a different time and under different circumstances. This explains the apparent difference in the conduct and style of the Imams, peace be upon them. However, this does not mean that there are differences between them individually, since“they are all one light” .[29]

116: The example of the Imam, peace be upon them, is not like that of twelve lanterns similar to one another, rather their example is like a single lantern.

117: The difference we observe in the conduct of our Imams, peace be upon them, reflect the instructions they received from Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, who in turn received them from Almighty Allah, through Archangel Gabriel, each according to their respective prevailing circumstances.

118: It is obligatory for us to learn the biography and history of the ma‘soom Imam, peace be upon him, in order to be guided by it and follow his example.

119: What do we gain by merely professing to be following the Imams such as al-Sajjad, al-Baqir,[30] and al-Sadiq, peace be upon them, if we remain ignorant about their biography and history?!

120: It is essential for us to study, even if briefly, the history and biography of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, so that our faith is underpinned by better knowledge and understanding about those blessed personalities Almighty Allah has commanded us to obey.

121: Our role models are our Imams, peace be upon them. The Commander of the Faithful (Amir al-Mo’mineen) Imam Ali, peace be upon him, gave up his right [to succeed the Prophet as the head of state] for fear of the people turning back and apostatizing. If we claim to be followers of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, we should follow our Imam in this respect too.

122: However eloquent and knowledgeable one purports to be, one would not be able to grasp the deepest meanings of the teachings of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, because they are the mainspring of language and the masters of literature and eloquence.

123: It is one’s utter misfortune and wretchedness to seek knowledge and understanding from other than Ali and his descendants, peace be upon them. And that knowledge, if gained, would be nothing like the one [gained from Ali and his descendants] because it would be devoid of moral and spiritual values, and removed from the spirit of the Sharia.[31]

124: The struggle of al-Mostafa,[32] peace be upon him and his holy family, his sincerity in conveying the Almighty’s instructions, and the blood of the Ahl al-Bayt that were shed in the cause of Islam were instrumental in preserving the laws of Almighty Allah. This helped the religion to endure and survive in the face of obstacles.

125: Our Lady Fatima al-Zahra’, peace be upon her, was like her father in the way she devoted herself to worship, in asceticism, piety and ethics. Almighty Allah revealed many verses in the Holy Qur’an about her.

126: Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, gave our Lady Fatima al-Zahra’ the title“Sayyidat-o-Nisa’ el-‘Alameen” meaning the“Chief of the Women of the Worlds” , and the agnomen“Umm-o Abeeha” meaning the“mother of her father” . The Prophet used to love her immensely, and revered her greatly such that when she used to come to see him he used to greet her by rising up for her out of respect, seating her in his place and kissing her hands. Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, used to say,“Indeed what pleases Fatima pleases Allah, and what angers her angers Him.”

127: As we approach the anniversary of the birthday of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, I would like to recommend three simple courses of actions, which every one of us can do. In this way, maybe we can make up for our failure towards Imam Husayn, peace be upon him.

Inform everyone you meet, whether in workplace or on your way home, or a friend you come across, that the 3rd of Sha‘ban is the birthday of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him. I would not be exaggerating if I said many of those you live amongst do not know that.

On the anniversary of the birthday of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, let’s give a gift to our children, to those in our custody, and those in our care, so that they grow up with the love of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him.

Let’s express joy and happiness and give presents and sweets to our colleagues in our workplace and in our neighbourhood on the anniversary of the birthday of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him.

128: In our daily lives we spend a lot of money on various matters, and also we spend a lot of effort and time with the children and wife at home, and in the workplace and suchlike. Let it be known that whatever wealth is spent and effort made in the cause of Imam Husayn is of best benefit and outcome, because one attains a higher station and a greater value.

129: During the ziyarah of 15th of Sha‘ban, millions of pilgrims from around Iraq, and also from the continents around the globe, converge on the holy city of Karbala to visit the master of the martyrs Imam Husayn, and his brother Abul-Fadl al-Abbas, peace be upon them, and the chosen pure ones from amongst the descendants of Ahl al-Bayt, and from amongst the loyal devout supporters who were martyred along with the master of the martyrs Imam Husayn. By the blessing of this visit, these pilgrims will have the privilege to greet the souls of the one hundred and twenty four thousand prophets and messengers, and they all are the guests of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and the guests of the people of Karbala.[33]

130: Imam Zayn al-‘Abideen,[34] peace be upon him, had a great role in destroying the Umayyad rule. However, the role of Imam Zayn al-‘Abideen was not like that of his father Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, because if he were to utter a single word against the regime, that would have guaranteed his extermination. Thus he adopted other ways.[35]

131: Imam Zayn al-‘Abideen, peace be upon him, managed to demolish the Umayyad rule without engaging in a military battle against them, because it was not possible for him to unsheathe the sword under those extremely savage and harsh circumstances.

132: The primary principle of the existence of the Imam of the Time [i.e. Imam Mahdi], and the acknowledgement of him as the Imam whose obedience is obligatory [upon every Muslim] is deemed one of the fundamentals of Islam, and it is one issue that is undisputedly established and frequently reported. And when something reaches the level of frequent recurrence, then argument about it would be of the category of sophistry and denial of the obvious.

133: We need billions of books about the Imam of the Time, peace be upon him, since there are billions of souls around the globe. So from now on, let every one of you allocate an amount of money to publish a book about the Imam of the Time, and in doing so there is no objection to seeking help from one’s family; one’s spouse, offspring and siblings. It is not compulsory that the book is massive; everyone should endeavour according to their abilities. If you cannot give the sum in a day you may be able to give it in a month. This is a simple task and it is the least we could do for the service of the Imam of the Time, may Allah hasten his honourable reappearance.

134: Let us make a covenant with Almighty Allah on the anniversary of the birthday of Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance, that we start to follow the path of Almighty Allah, so that we may attain the goal after a while, however long or short it may be, for whoever treads the Path will ultimately reach the goal.

135: We should try and make every effort to seek the contentment of the Imam [of our Time] for this is Almighty Allah’s contentment; and the Imam’s contentment is that we faithfully discharge our obligations according to our creed.