Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Ethics

602: Holding on to one’s intention and resolve is the most difficult issue for the soul.

603: No matter how much success and sincerity one may have acquired, even if one sustained his sincerity for seventy years, one cannot guarantee against one’s intention and resolve being shaken, because one is shackled by instincts, desires, whims, worldly and various other weird things.

604: The truthfulness of an intention is a difficult and an extremely significant matter. It is reported in great Qur’anic verses, divine hadith as well as prophetic ones that huge masses end up going to hell because of their ill intention, even though their deeds were as big as the mountains.

605: It is imperative that we beseech the Almighty to protect our intention from various dangers, from Satan, whims, desires, and all other effects.

606: It is not fitting for filthy souls to meet Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance, nor do sinful eyes deserve to see him, or ears that are filled with sins and disobediences are worthy to hear his voice, and those lips from which thousands of disobediences have emanated will not have the honour to kiss his hands.

607: Why does Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance, not allow us to meet him while he is the owner of kindness and generosity? Did he not allow Sayyid so-and-so for an audience with him, or sheikh so-and-so, the so-and-so greengrocer, the so-and-so shop owner, and even illiterate individuals who cannot read and write? Why does he not allow you and me to meet him while we are learned? It is for nothing but our sins. [When appraising] The Imam does not look at our bodies but looks at our hearts, our souls, and our minds.

608: Let us plan for our souls and spirits before we plan for our stomachs, houses, and families, and let us move forward in this direction so that we may have the honour of meeting the Imam of our Time.

609: It is imperative that we acquire ‘elm al-akhlaq or the science of morals. It isn’t that all the Islamic morals and etiquettes are classified in the two groups of“recommended” and“discouraged” (mostahab & makrooh) deeds only. Rather, some of them are classified in the groups of“obligatory” and“prohibited” (halal & haram) too.

610: If you come to recognise the position and station of knowledge, and that some of the akhlaq constitute obligatory and prohibited duties, you would then know that akhlaq is part of the required knowledge too.

611: Magnanimity is a praiseworthy trait, so too are generosity, hospitality, giving; all of that is good and encouraged, but as long as it does not lead to abandoning an obligatory duty or committing a prohibited deed.

612: What is meant by giving up the“I” is not to humiliate oneself before others, nor is it meant to be arrogant; rather, it is meant that you intend your deed not for your own sake but purely for Allah’s sake.

613: If one is hurt or suffers a pain, it would not be possible for him not to say“ouch” , but if one trains oneself, it would then be possible for one not to say it, but instead say,“la hawla wa la quowata illa billah” .

614: We are required to strengthen our relationship with the community, and that is through adhering to Islamic morals (akhlaq) such as humility, dignity, pleasantness, magnanimity, forgiveness, compassion, upholding kinship.

615: Try to oppose your desires in all affairs; so if you believe something is right but you don’t like it, submit to it with all leniency and forbearance.

616: If you had a dispute with your friend and were angry with him, try to maintain your relation with him by visiting him, or greeting him every time you meet him.

617: akhlaq requires commitment, seriousness, and perseverance in order to attain its higher levels.

618: ‘elm al-akhlaq (the science of morals) is one of the challenging disciplines; it is even more demanding than fiqh (jurisprudence) which is considered to be one of the most difficult disciplines and has numerous case studies.

619: ‘elm al-akhlaq is more demanding than fiqh, and we must not take it lightly, because akhlaq means producing a true human being.

620: Advancement to higher levels of akhlaq (morals) and fada’il (virtues) is more demanding than gaining ijtihad in fiqh, because its fruit and result is more distant and more challenging to attain than fiqh. One will not touch the result of one’s endeavour in this respect except when one will have a [sound heart],[90] and the morals and virtues (akhlaq & fada’il) become second nature (malakah) to the individual. It is only then that one would feel the delight of akhlaq and attaining its higher levels, and it is then one would recognise the value of self-discipline and opposing the whims and desires.

621: akhlaq does not become second nature for an individual until one combats one’s self and opposes it, and opposes it, and opposes it vehemently and continually until that second nature of love of the good in all its dimensions grows within the individual.

622: If one acquires the second nature of love of the good in all its dimensions, one would feel the delight, and would begin to sense the result of one’s exertions in the field of morals and virtues (akhlaq & fada’il).

623: Climbing the levels of akhlaq is difficult, indeed it is more difficult than ijtihad, and the best evidence for that is that the number of those who have attained the rank of the perfect human being is rare compared to the number of the mojtahid individuals.

624: By saying that akhlaq is difficult we do not mean it is difficult to receive lectures in akhlaq such as studying the book of jami‘ al-sa‘adat or deliver lectures on akhlaq or listening to them; all these represent ‘elm al-akhlaq or the science of morals. However, what is a required necessity of akhlaq is the practice of it, and what we mean by fada’il (virtues) is not having knowledge of but practicing them.

625: By asserting that akhlaq is difficult it is not intended to put people off it, rather it is in order to make them pay attention to it more.

626: The fruit of akhlaq is not attained quickly, and the delight of feeling the spiritual elevation is not acquired except after much hardship and perseverance; and this is one of the differences that distinguishes akhlaq from other sciences and disciplines.

627: One of the many differences between akhlaq and other disciplines, is that mankind likes to be encouraged, and by it progresses in various fields, however, those who endeavour to advance in the course of akhlaq must expect no encouragement in the process, rather they should even expect dissuasion, as this is the state of the community in general.

628: Most people would dissuade those who take up akhlaq rather than encourage them.

629: When an individual shows perseverance, is truthful, or honours his promise even to the detriment of his own interests, in such circumstances most people would try to make him renege. It is for these that such an individual should observe patience, perseverance, and concentration in order to adhere to akhlaq and fada’il and advance in them.

630: Those who entice to renege, whims, satanic insinuations, and desires, make virtue resemble vice.

631: Magnanimity is a praiseworthy trait, which is opposed by profligacy which is blameworthy; however, one may embark on an action that stems from magnanimity but others would depict it as an abhorred act of profligacy and extravagance.

632: If you wanted to practice an act of altruism or self-sacrifice or any other praiseworthy action, you should not allow those around you to make you hesitate, and ultimately discourage you.

633: We should concentrate on akhlaq so that we become experts and ultimately acquire a [sound heart] and the second nature of virtues and morals (fada’il & akhlaq).

634: With a sound heart we can combat people’s dissuasion and the camouflage of the [soul that continually enjoins unto evil].[91]

635: When we are certain that the path of akhlaq is difficult and barbed, and realise that in every instance we need to allocate this task enough time, patience and perseverance, we need Allah’s support before all that, and must continually be wary of slipping. We would then know that we have begun observing the etiquettes of the journey, and that by relying on and trusting Allah we will arrive at the destination envisaged in Allah’s Messenger’s mission, peace be upon him and his holy family, when he declared:“I have been sent as a prophet to complete and perfect the noble traits.”

636: Our interaction with those of weakest faith should be such that it would not leave them with the impression of us being haughty in anyway.

637: Supposing that you are not haughty, but that alone would not be enough, it is essential that you do not leave an impression to that effect.

638: Qualities such as being personable, genial and humble, as well as having a pleasant expression, good listening attitude, and forbearance have a great impact on people, which surpass the influence of our speech.

639: Try to consort with anyone who asks you a question.

640: The one who commits a forbidden act, or takes usury, or wrongs the people do so for one’s own self; seeking wealth, position, fame, leadership, and realising all its desires for one’s self.

641: The one who does not perceive Allah and denies His existence, you will find him stamp on Allah’s laws and couldn’t care less, turns his back to Allah and His messengers, and takes one’s self and desires as his god instead of Almighty Allah.

642: The cognition and understanding of [the attributes and oneness of] Almighty Allah, upholding His laws and religion, and self-discipline, is the basis of every virtue.

643: The one who disciplines one’s self rises above all vices.

644: Imagine how the equation reverses if the self becomes the ruler; the thought of it alone would be enough for killing and oppressing people when self-discipline is non-existent, and the self declares“I am everything” . Whereas, the one who practices self-discipline, states: Allah is greatest, and He is above everything.

645: Sincerity being a good and praiseworthy issue is one of the real issues. So anyone would be upset if told he is insincere in his deeds. Even the insincere would be delighted if told he is sincere, even though he is not so in reality. This is an evidence for sincerity being a good issue, like the reality of truthfulness, bravery, magnanimity and everything that is good.

646: Every individual has one’s own weak points that one knows. If one of them surfaced and sought to overcome and deteriorate the individual, one should at that instance remember that there is Almighty Allah [who would hold one to account]. One should therefore concentrate on this attitude, and keep reminding oneself on this and similar issues, so that one can reform one’s self bit by bit.

647: Disobediences do not emanate except from a vile soul or a soul with no control over it; its owner is a slave to one’s desires instead of their master. It is natural therefore that such an individual may not have the qualities which would take him or her to paradise.

648: Donation is hard, and donation during hard times is even harder. The donor must therefore have a sublime soul, a control on one’s self and desires, which will truly save the individual.

649: Donation during hard times is the highest degree of self-sacrifice.

650: Self-control and self-discipline require great determination and training.

651: Self-control and self-discipline is a challenging undertaking which should not be taken lightly.

652: It is not possible to tame the self easily and quickly, and without the need to much preliminary training and discipline. Rather, it needs continuous discipline.

653: If self-discipline is one of the individual obligations (wajib ‘ayni) for [each one of] us, this means one would be required to prepare for the ways and means to enable one not to disobey the Almighty. This is a matter which should not be underestimated. This requires preparations, time, and discipline.

654: Discipline of the self is much harder than the discipline of the body, since in the latter case, with an able body, there won’t be any of the hindrances that will normally be faced in the course of the discipline of the self, which are extremely powerful, such as those depicted in the poem:

My self, my devil, my materialistic world, and my whims and desires

How can I free myself from them while they are all my enemies

We all face these hindrances, and they require powerful resolve and determination to overcome them.

655: The rein is in our hands and it is not in the hands of others… every one of us has one’s own rein in his or her hands.

656: At whatever stage of piety, abstention-from-haram, and self-discipline we may be, there is still more room for improvement and progression.

657: One who finds Almighty Allah, would not then care about what one person or another achieves. Learn from those who are pious and those who point you to faith and source of good. However, after you find the source of good, which is the Almighty, strengthen your connection with Him, continuously seek His help, seek refuge with Him from the evils, Satan, and the evil-commanding soul so that you, your intention, and your sincerity are not affected by the changes in the states of others.

658: If an individual who, in our opinion, is the greatest saint or devotee, errs the greatest error, then our faith must not change, otherwise, this will prove our faith is superficial.

659: We should know that Allah scrutinises our hearts, and He gives us success, capability and happiness according to our merit; since it is not wise, and Allah is the wisest, to give to someone over and above one’s worth and merit.

660: If we humans, with our limited intellectual capability, endeavour not to act other than in wisdom, how do we expect other than that from the Almighty?!

661: If the congregational prayer leader is not just (i.e. ‘adil)[92] we would not pray behind him, and this is based on wisdom, before it being a jurisprudential ruling.

662: We do not give a wealth of millions to a feebleminded, because it is not wise to do so, and thus the Almighty would not give us precious gems if we do not qualify for them.

663: Asceticism is not to abstain from food, drink, marriage or ownership; rather, true asceticism is not to grieve over wealth lost or opportunities missed whatever they may be, and not to rejoice for achieving them. One may not acquire this quality easily, except through continuous discipline and exercise.

664: People differ through the rate and magnitude of change; some can change quickly and some slowly. However, the more one realises the benefits gained or the harm repelled through the change, the higher the rate of change.

665: The love of prestige is one of the fundamental powerful traits in mankind.

666: If one is saddened for the loss of something, say one’s health, this would be normal; and self-discipline would lessen the impact of this loss on the individual. However, if the psychological pain, regret and suchlike dominate one’s life, then the solution would require training and practice to eliminate them. One relevant clue is to remind oneself that everything that one owns, including one’s health, body and soul, all are put in trust with him, and that one is not their real owner.[93]

667: We should know that our health is a trust [placed with us which] we must take care of, and that we must not be saddened or depressed if it is taken back from us. The qudsi hadith states:“O Muhammad! Love whoever you like but you will separate from them, and do what you like, for sure you will meet it.” This of course does not mean that one should not be saddened for the loss of dear ones, but there is a difference between that and that one gets sad and angry merely for the event to take place.

668: Since we face personal problems, we need to train ourselves to acquire the degree of agreeing with and accepting Allah’s share and destiny for us. As a result of our response to what has happened to us we should not say or do something that angers Allah. We should continually remind ourselves that whatever good we achieve is from Almighty Allah, i.e. it is a trust with us, and it is inevitable that we will separate from it one day. We should not regret what we lose and nor exult for what we achieve.[94]

669: If one proceeds on Allah’s path, one would certainly be supported by Him. Indeed the Almighty made that promise to the believers, when He promised them victory if they strive in His cause; whether combating an external enemy, or combating the internal enemy which is the self. Thus if the believer seeks help from Allah, and proceeds in the course of combating his self, support and victory from the Almighty Allah will come to him.

670: The best evidence for the possibility of gaining victory against the self are Allah’s devotees (awliya’ Allah) who reached those elevated stages, not to mention the ma‘soomeen, peace be upon them. For what is the difference between us and Sayyid Bahr al-‘Oloum for example, or Sheikh al-Sadouq, or Sayyid al-Radi,[95] Allah’s blessings be upon them all? They used to be normal people, i.e. non-ma‘soom, and through self-discipline they became extraordinary devotees, about whom wonders have been reported. It is through them that the current Islamic heritage reached us. How did they become like that while they weren’t ma‘soom? The answer: they took up the path of those who relied on Allah and sought His help, and the Almighty helped them and gave them victory against their selves until they attained whatever they attained in terms of knowledge and faith.

671: Through the continuous observance of holding oneself to account, it is possible for an individual to reach elevated levels and stations. Indeed, many reached such high levels that enticement would not boost their motivation any further, and discouragement would not weaken their resolve in any way, despite the fact that they are humans, have desires, and realise the meaning of enticement and discouragement, but realisation is one thing and being influenced by it is another.

672: Satan, desires and bad influence have their own negative impacts. However, if one becomes convinced that it is possible to reach [those elevated stations] and relies on the Almighty Allah, then this conviction in itself would help the individual reach them. One of the key factors for this [journey], which is easy to realise, is to hold oneself to account. To observe this, one should adhere to identifying a particular time of the day to hold oneself to account. The time should be appropriate, it shouldn’t be at a time when one is hungry, or full, or one’s mind is preoccupied with another matter, which might affect the process. It should be a time when one can isolate oneself, and assess one’s conducts that day.

673: The process of holding oneself to account should not cease as long as one is awake. This is possible through some self-discipline in that one would assign some time of the day to do that, increasing the time a bit every day. One should review one’s conduct and assess one’s deeds and intentions. For every good deed one should thank Allah and ask Him for more of the same, and make the necessary effort for it. For every evil deed one should seek Allah’s forgiveness and ask Him for help and success to eradicate such conduct.

674: It is essential for believing men and women to assign a particular time, every day, even if for a few minutes, for the business of holding oneself to account, and to carry out a quick review of the conducts over the previous twenty-four hours, and to resolve to continue the good deeds, and seek forgiveness for the sins.

675: It is imperative that one should pay attention to and direct others to observe and practice the Islamic morals such as truthfulness, patience, forbearance, loyalty, perseverance, and geniality, for this is the best means to gather all the goodness and happiness in this world and in the hereafter.

History

676: Have you ever seen any resemblance of the behaviour and conduct of our Prophet, peace be upon him and his holy family, throughout history? His people forced him out of his hometown and fought him mercilessly, despite knowing about his truthfulness, trustworthiness, magnanimity, and moral ethics. But when he overcomes them he sets them free and leaves them to choose whatever religion and way of life they wish.

677: Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, used to advise and guide his people, show them the right path from that of straying, and then leave them to make their own choice.

678: The honourable Prophet, peace be upon him and his holy family, repelled tens of assaults and battles which the people of the book [i.e. the Jews and Christians] launched against him, yet without coercing any one of them to accept Islam.

679: History records that not even in one instance did Allah’s messenger, peace upon him and his holy family, coerce a dhimmi[96] to embrace Islam, and history is rife with the biography of the Chosen Prophet which has documented minute details about his life.

680: In his great hadith masterpiece of Bihar al-Anwar, the distinguished scholar ‘allamah Majlisi,[97] Allah’s blessings be upon him, has devoted ten volumes of this work, which total more than four thousand pages, all of which are about Allah’s messenger, peace upon him and his holy family, his battles, his ethics and conducts with the Muslims, the infidels and the people of the book… in all you would find not one instance in which Allah’s messenger coerced a Christian or a Jew to accept Islam.

681: History narrates to us that Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, appointed a Muslim governor for the city of Mecca, who ruled it according to Allah’s laws. Mecca, at that time, was the bastion of polytheism, and given the beauty of what they saw, the atheists and polytheists abandoned their own laws which they had inherited and had grown accustomed to, when they saw the benefits and primacy of the laws of Islam.

682: The absolute majority of the people pledged allegiance to Imam Ali, peace be upon him, but despite that he climbed the pulpit to see if there were objectors and if so what were their objections. Do you find anything like this in history?

683: For the first time in history, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, peace be upon him, allowed people to freely march and demonstrate their vocal opposition, and also sanction them to express their opinions even in inadmissible matters. This was at a time when the entire world was suffocated by the darkness of tyranny and authoritarianism.

684: Read history for yourselves to find out what the Umayyad dynasty attempted to do with Islam, and what was Imam Husayn’s role, and why Allah’s Messenger said,“Indeed Husayn is the torch of guidance and the ark of salvation” .

685: The salvation of Allah’s religion depended on the blood of Husayn, peace be upon him, and were it not for the martyrdom of Husayn and his family members, there would have been no trace of Islam today. Whoever wishes [to see the evidence for this] should refer to history.

686: Read the history and observe the way of Allah’s Messenger and that of amir al-mo’mineen Imam Ali, and the history of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them all; whatever opportunity they had and the chance they were given, see what they did. The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, was the greatest leader on the surface of the earth, and he ruled the vastest state of the time, but when he was assassinated he was in debt. Have you ever heard that a leader has died who was in debt?[98]

687: The leader of the greatest country on earth, Imam Ali son of Abu Talib, peace be upon him, was in debt when he died, and Imam Hasan, peace be upon him, for a long period of time afterwards continued to repay the debts of the Commander of the Faithful. The same was in the case of Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family; he used to receive millions and he used to distribute them amongst the people. Close to his demise, he said:“O Ali! you are the one to pay off my debt…” as Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, was in debt when he passed away, and his hauberk was put up as collateral - as it is well known. These issues need to be reflected upon, we must take these pure and divinely appointed leaders as role models.

688: The faithful men and women should not have their faith shaken by the events we see these days, which bring fear in the hearts of some of the faithful. They should refer to the Qur’an, and carefully study its verses to see in what situations Almighty Allah succoured the Muslims, and how He gave them victory.

689: Almighty Allah succoured the Muslims in situations in which victory looked impossible according to rational calculations. But despite that the Almighty blessed them with victory; one of the most important of those situations, was the battle of the Confederates (al-Ahzab).

690: At the dawn of Islam, the Almighty promised the faithful victory, but the hypocrites and the sick-hearted belied Allah and His messenger when they saw the Confederates (al-Ahzab), and said: [Allah and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusion].[99] Today, we are being subjected to the same test; so do we doubt Allah’s promise of victory to the faithful, or do we stand steadfast on our faith believing in Allah’s promise, without a negative doubt?

691: Poverty almost became extinct during the reign of the Islamic government, to the extent that when the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, peace be upon him, saw one poor man, he was shocked, as he considered that an unacceptable phenomenon which does not fit with the Muslim society and the Islamic system of government. Thereby, the imam orders that the pauper man receives salary to enable him to lead a comfortable life, even though he was a Christian. Therefore, Imam Ali ensured that there will not be even one instance of manifestation of poverty and destitution in the Islamic country. It is for the people, including the Muslims, to know that the government of Islam overcomes poverty, and elevates the standard of living for the poor and destitute - not only for Muslims, but also for the non-Muslims who live under the rule of the government of Islam.

692: The Islamic governments used to last longer, because of the mutual bond between the people and the government. The head of government never needed“secret service” and“presidential guards” and suchlike to protect him from the people.

693: Abu Dharr al-Ghifari was a young polytheist, so what was it that made him embrace Islam? What did he see that made him become a Muslim and exemplary human being? And how great and numerous are the perpetual reverberations of his influence?

694: There are hundreds of eminent Shi’a scholars who are the fruit of the endeavours of Abu Dharr, Allah’s blessings be upon him, since they found Abu Dharr the most truthful, and became truthful like him, and henceforth they strived, progressed, and achieved great ends.

695: History does not register before Islam, nor do civilisations report since the dawn of Islam, until today, any social security system as comprehensive and wide-ranging as that practiced in Islam.[100]

696: In the so-called“apostasy wars” , which were waged against some of the Muslims under the pretext of“fighting the apostates” , the conducts which Khalid ibn Waleed practiced were totally contrary to the teachings of the noble prophet, peace be upon him and his holy family, and the teachings of Islam. The conducts perpetrated by Khalid ibn Waleed included: killing the Muslims by throwing them from high palaces, burning them alive, mutilating them and cutting their limbs, and throwing them down the wells. This is when the noble prophet, peace be upon him and his holy family, prohibited the mutilation of even a dog.

697: When Khalid ibn Waleed raided the Judhaymah clan of the al-Mostalaq tribe, [which was for no justification except for personal tribal revenge,] Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, despatched the Commander of the Faithful (amir al-mo’mineen) Imam Ali, peace be upon him, to address the issue and compensate them. For everyone killed in that raid, Imam Ali gave the compensation (diyah) of the killed to his heirs, the compensation for every foetus miscarried as a result of fear or physical blow, he compensated the owners of any property damaged and items or wealth lost, he also compensated the owners for any cattle foetus miscarried, with broken or lost harnesses and leashes also compensated for. Imam Ali, peace be upon him, made monetary compensation to the women who were frightened and distressed in the course of the raid, and so too the youngsters were compensated for terror they felt. Also those who did not know what they had lost in the course of the raid were compensated, even the dogs’ drinking vessels which were broken or lost were compensated for. After all that, they were given money to be contented about Allah’s messenger, peace upon him and his holy family. Does history, even in the world today, find anything like this humane conduct, in which even the fright of women and children are compensated for?

698: The Umayyad rejected everything that Islam brought forth right from the outset; beginning from their master Abu Sufian, who is well-known for his infamous declaration he made amongst his inner circle, [long after the Prophet]“I swear by that which Abu Sufian swear by, there is no Paradise and no Fire” . Then came the turn of his son Mo‘awiyah, the founder of the Umayyad dynasty, who was relentless in character assassinating Allah’s messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family. On one occasion he confided to one of his companions when he heard the call-to-prayer (adhan) mentioning the name of the messenger of Allah, saying,“I swear I would not rest until I bury that name” . Mo‘awiyah’s son Yazid went even further and expressed publicly by declaring:

The Hashim were frivolous with the reign,

As there was never any divine revelation made …

And then he ordered for a table to be set for gambling and drinking wine, in full view of the public.

699: Yazid, son of Mo‘awiyah, used to drink wine and commit indecent and despicable acts, just as his father Mo‘awiyah used to do. Like his father Yazid used to do these discretely; for example he used to go to a village called Hawarin to indulge in his acts. However, after the killing of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, Yazid believed that he had eradicated all obstacles, and he had realised the aspirations of his father and grandfather, and so he started to practice those conducts in public, while at the same time claiming to be the caliph or successor to Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family. In this way he attempted to distort the image of Islam, and this was the first of many steps the Umayyad took to oppose and undermine Islam in order to eliminate it altogether.

700: It is truly unfortunate that you see one who is viewed as a scholar considers Saladin as an“Islamic leader” , though even his admirers from amongst his religious sect admit that in one incident he burnt an entire city, and more than fifty thousand of its inhabitants, which included women, children and old men, perished.

701: Admirers of Saladin and those who promote and glorify his personality report that he killed nearly one million human beings for nothing other than that they were of a different viewpoint to him.

[For more on the criminal conduct of Saladin see endnote #6 in the endnotes section beginning on page 243.]

702: If we review and survey the shining aspects of human history, we will find that the law of Islam is the best one for quality society management in various domains. Islam has the wise politics, as well as the sound economics, and low crime-rate to an extent the like of which world’s history has not seen from the time of the ancient civilisations until today, and indeed nothing close to that.

703: History records numerous examples of events that show Islam’s mercy and humaneness. At a time when the pre-Islamic jahiliyah wars brought destruction and death of tens of thousands of people, however, the total number of victims of all the eighty-or-so battles fought during the reign of Allah’s Messenger’s government was not more than fourteen-hundred, and that is on both sides. Needless to say, all the battles the Prophet engaged in were purely defensive.

704: Under the leadership of the commander of the faithful Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib peace be upon him, the greatest country on the face of the earth, which comprised tens of the countries according to today’s map and had implemented the laws of Islam, was not accustomed to the existence of begging paupers. This was until the Imam, peace be upon him, noticed this odd phenomenon once during the entire of his reign. He was shocked to see this and denounced it by saying,“What is this?!” History never recorded such an event again until the end of his reign.

705: The shiny and radiant history of the biography of the Holy Prophet and the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon them, during their rule, is full of numerous examples, which indicate that they endeavoured to provide social justice for all, and not to wrong even one of the minorities, even the enemies of the state, or the enemies of the Head of State, or the hypocrites.

706: At a time when the world throughout the east and west was being crushed with oppression and vice for centuries on end, the Muslims were the greatest and most powerful nation on the face of the earth - and this was according to the rate and prevalence of the teachings of the Qur’an amongst them and their adherence to them.

707: Observes of Islamic history recognise that there is something distinctly evident in the history of the ma‘soom Imams, peace be upon them, which is farsightedness and meticulousness in thought. Their teachings were not limited to their time alone, but they took into account the time and circumstance of hundreds of years ahead in providing direction and guidance for the Shi’a leadership and management and the roadmap for them.

708: [During the prolonged period of infighting between the Umayyad and the Abbasid dynasties, the persecution of the Shi’a and the Ahl al-Bayt were lessened to some extent, and thus] Imams Baqir and Sadiq, peace be upon them, used the opportunity, as far as they could, to protect the lives of the Shi’a on the one hand, and, on the other, endeavoured to teach and disseminate the correct Islam, which ultimately reached us.[101]

709: If scholars make a careful examination of history, they will find that most of the Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and polytheists who embraced Islam during the era of the ma‘soom Imams, peace be upon them, were the students of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, or Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq, or the ma‘soom Imams after them, peace be upon them all.

710: Imams Muhammad al-Baqir and Ja‘far al-Sadiq, peace be upon them, brought about a massive scholarly tidal wave that preserved Islam intact.

711: Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, trained and educated more than four thousand scholars and hadith narrators, and those four thousand scholars learned the real Islam from a ma‘soom Imam and went about teaching and disseminating it in every town and village throughout the vast Islamic country.

712: History has recorded that the judges who had been practicing law for many years differed in their judgement when issuing a verdict for a thief. This was because they had not come across a theft case before hand, so that they would be familiar with the Sharia verdict for it. This happened for the chief judge of the time Ibn Abu Dawood. He gathered the scholars, jurists and judges in the presence of Imam Muhammad al-Jawad,[102] peace be upon him, to address the issue.[103] This proves how perfectly the Islamic law ensures a happy and prosperous life for mankind in all aspects.

713: By the Grace of Almighty Allah upon the entire Islamic Ummah and the wounded Iraqi nation in particular, the“tyrant of the time” was removed and the masses have the great blessing of the freedom to visit the holy shrines, in particular the shrine of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, on the 15th of Sha‘ban. It was on the occasion of 15th of Sha‘ban [1410AH/1990AD] that the honourable nation of Iraq offered thousands of victims in the cause of visiting Imam Husayn, peace be upon him. It is imperative to commemorate the oppressed victims of the Sha‘ban uprising who stamped their support and succour for Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, with the blood of their hearts. They eternalised the ideals of bravery, chivalry, and sacrifice for Iraq and history. We also commiserate the victims’ grieved families, and this great nation, whose honour and magnanimity history has witnessed.

714: My elder brother, the late Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Shirazi, may Allah elevate his station, used to continuously emphasise through his lectures, writings and poems to pay particular attention to Allah’s laws that have been practically forgotten; on issues such as the one Ummah, brotherhood in faith - thus there is no difference between various races and nationalities - consultation on matters of concern such as management of the country, the Islamic freedom, pluralism, and suchlike.

715: My elder brother, the late Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Husayni Shirazi, may Allah elevate his station, was a manifestation of the holy hadith by Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him;“scholars are the Prophets’ heirs” . One of the manifest qualities of prophets is that they employ all their energies and resources in Allah’s cause, and do not care about any of this world’s pleasures of life for that cause. Our late brother too, from his early age, adopted such policy; he devoted and dedicated all his energies and abilities to the cause of the Almighty Allah, and never cared about anything in the world which would be to the detriment of that cause - rather it was the complete opposite.

716: Amongst the things worth mentioning, as we observe the occasion of the anniversary of the passing away of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Husayni Shirazi, are the matters he used to be continually preoccupied with. These were the causes and tragedies of the Muslims throughout the world, whether they were in Muslim countries or in other than them, especially the dark decades the wounded Iraq went through, the tragedies of Palestine, Afghanistan and the like.

717: The late Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Husayni Shirazi, may Allah elevate his station, used to prepare for the day the oppressed Iraq would find a way out through his books, communiqués, meetings with various sections of the nation of Iraq such as scholars, academics, politicians, businessmen, and the like.

718: This is how another one of the many pages of continuous tragedies was turned, and Almighty Allah brought about some of the hopes, through the fall of Iraq’s tyrant. The prayers of the tortured in the depth of the dungeons, and those of bereaved mothers, widows and children were answered. And the holy shrines that were desecrated throughout the dark history were avenged.

719: After the arrest of the tyrant Saddam, while I thank Almighty Allah for His Grace for this great blessing which has included the entire oppressed Muslim nation of Iraq, rather the entire Muslim Ummah, or even all of humanity, I beseech Him to complete this blessing by eliminating all sequels of the great tragedy, which has lasted for many long decades, and end it with the bright and happy dawn for the future of this patient nation. I congratulate all, inside and outside the country, the seminaries, the academics, the loyal tribes, the professionals, workers, businessmen, and all others on the occasion of this victory for this oppressed nation.

720: The explosions which targeted the holy shrines and the innocent organisers of the Husayni rituals in the holy cities of Karbala and Kadimiyah, as well as others, in the holy month of Muharram [1425AH/2004AD], and on the day of Ashura in particular, and desecrated the holy sanctuary of the shrines of the holy Imams; namely Imam Husayn, Imam al-Kadim,[104] Imam al-Jawad, as well as the shrine of al-Abbas[105] peace be upon them all - the focal-point for the hearts of hundreds of millions of Muslims - represent a continuation of the movement of [the cursed tree in the Qur’an][106] which is embodied by Yazid, Obaidullah Ibn Ziyad, Omar ibn Sa‘d, Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawshan, and their ilk.[107]

721: The martyrs and the injured in the explosions which targeted the holy shrines, and the organisers of the Husayni rituals in the holy cities of Karbala, Kadimiyah, and others locations, in the holy month of Muharram, represent the movement of the [goodly tree][108] which is embodied in Imam Husayn, al-Abbas, Ali al-Akbar, al-Qasim ibn al-Hasan, and their likes peace be upon them all.

722: The wrongful attacks in the holy month of Muharram against the innocent participants in the mourning procession in the city of Quetta in Pakistan, and others like it, represent a continuation of the movement of the Umayyad [the cursed tree in the Qur’an].

723: History has proven that sectarian commotions have all ended in failure for all sides, and have resulted in the waste of energies, loss of golden opportunities, and they give the common enemy the chance to hunt in murky water.