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The Origin Of Shi'ite Islam And It's Principles (Asl ash-Shi'ah Wa Usuluha)

The Origin Of Shi'ite Islam And It's Principles (Asl ash-Shi'ah Wa Usuluha)

Author:
Publisher: Ansariyan Publications – Qum
English

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought

PART I: The Origins of the Shi'ahs

Shi'ism is not a new religion. It begins with the beginning of Islam. The embodiment of the code of religion, that is, the seal of the Prophets (s.a.w.) planted the tree of Shi'ism together with Islam; with his own hands, he watered it and looked after it. The plant grew up to be a green tree which began blooming in the life-time of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). But it had not yet born fruit, when the light of prophethood was put out.

We are not alone in advancing this claim. Even the eminent scholars from among Sunnis agree with us. For instance, 'Allamah Siyuti in his famous commentary“ad-Durru l-Manthur” Says in connection with God's words“Hum khayru l-bariyah” (they are the best of created beings) (Surah: The Clear Proof: Ayat 7):

“Ibn 'Asakir quotes Jabir ibn Adbillah as saying: “We were present in the company of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) when 'Ali (a.s.) came towards us. Seeing 'Ali (a.s .) the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: “I swear by God the Almighty, who is the Master of my life, that he ('Ali (a.s.)) and his Shi'ahs shall be successful on the day of judgement.”

Ibn 'Adi reports from ibn 'Abbas that when the verse“Inna l-ladhina amanu wa'amilu 's -salihat” (Verily these are those who believed and did good deeds) was revealed, the Holy Prophet (s-a.) said to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.):

“It refers to you and your Shi'as; God will be pleased with them andthey with Him on the Day of Judgement.”

Ibn Mardawa'ih quotes Hadrat 'Ali (a.s.) himself as saying:“The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said to me: 'Oh 'Ali, Did you not hear what God said: 'Inna 'l-ladhina amanu wa'amilu 's -salihat ula'ika hum khayru 'l-bariyyah.' Verily it means you and your Shi'as. The promise between your people and me shall be fulfilled at the fountain of Kawthar; there, when all the nations shall be present to account for their actions, your people will be called forward, your faces, hands and feet shining with light'.” These three hadith are to be found in as-Suyuti's“ad-Durr al-manthur” .

Ibn Hajar has also reported some of these traditions in his as-Sawa'iq) from Darqutni- He quotes Umm Salamah as saying:“Oh Ali, You and your shi'as shall attain Paradise.” Ibn Athir writes in connection with the word“qumh.” that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said to Hadrat 'Ali (a-s.):“When people come into the presence of God, your Shi'as will be there content with God and He with them, and your enemies shall be subjected to God's wrath and their hands shall be tied to their necks.” The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) demonstrated this by putting his hands behind his neck, and said:“See, they shall be tied up in this way.”

Probably this tradition has been reported by Ibn Hajar also in his as-Sawa'iq” and other 'ulama' have also reported it in different ways, showing that it is among the well known hadith.

Inaz-Zamakhshari's “Rabi' al-Abrar” the following statement of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) has been recorded:

“Oh 'Ali, On the Day of Judgement the skirt of God's mercy will be in my hand and my skirt will be in your hand and your skirt will beheld by your descendants and the Shi'as of your descendants will be hanging on to their skirt. Then you will see where we will be taken (i.e. Paradise).” For further satisfaction, it will be useful to study Ahmad ibn Hanbal's“al-Musnad” andan-Nasa'i's “Khasa'is” etc., which contain a number of such traditions.

These traditions show that the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.) spoke a number of times about the Shi'as of 'Ali (a.s.) and pointed out that on the Day of Judgement they, in particular, shall be safe and successful, God being pleased with them and they with Him.

Everyone who believes that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) was the embodiment of truthfulness and that the verse which begins“ma yantiqu 'an il-hawa .“ ( He does not speak of himself unless 'why' is revealed to him) refers to the Prophet himself, realise that these hadith must be true. Those people however who understand the above hadith as referring to all the companions of the prophet, have failed to recognise their real inner meaning.

We find that during the days of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) a group of outstanding companions was attached to Hadrat 'Ali (a.s.). Not only did every man in this group acknowledge the Holy Imam (a.s .) to be his spiritual leader, the real transmitter of the Holy Prophet's teachings, but they also acknowledged him as the true interpreter and commentator of the orders and secrets of the Prophet (s.a.w.). It is this group which is popularly known as the Shi'a. Even the lexicographers support this truth. If you refer to the famous dictionaries “an-Nihayah” and“Lisan ul-'Arab” , you will find the meaning of“shi'a” as“one who loves and follows 'Ali (a.s.) and his descendants.”

If however we are to understand that“shi'a” means any person who loves 'Ali (a.s.) or is not his enemy, then the use of this word would be inappropriate, because only loving, or at least, not being an enemy of him, does not mean that a person is a Shi'a; if however, he has the characteristic of persistent following and obedience then the word Shi'a would apply; this is crystal clear to those who have an understanding of Arabic and a notion of the relationship between word, meaning and context.

In view of these realities, it is unlikely that any sensible man, after studying the appropriate traditions, could draw the conclusion that the word shi'a means the Muslims in general, but will understand that it refers to a particular class which has a special attachment to 'Ali (a.s.).

Hopefully, after this explanation, no fair-minded man will try to conclude that the above quoted traditions do not prove the existence of a group who, because of their special relation with the master of the pious, 'Ali (a.s.) were superior to all the Muslims of that time, and who all expressed their love for him.

Personally, I do not agree with the assumption that the Caliphs, who could not accept this fact, consciously violated the words of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). It is possible many of them did not hear his edicts, or that those who heard them were unable to follow his directions.

Moreover, if the Statements of the Prophet (s.a.w.) in which he announced the rank and high position of Amiru 'l-Mu'minin (a.s.) and the Ahlu 'l-bayt (a.s.) are studied with an open mind, it will be seen that these reports do not only show merits of a general nature, but also contain clear indications of how to recognise the status and capability of the Leader of Shi'ism, and of how to contribute to the establishment and justness of that school of thought. The following traditions may be cited as examples.

“'Ali (a.s.) bears the same relationship to me as Harun (Aaron) had to Musa (Moses)” .

“Oh 'Ali, only those with faith (iman) are your friends, and only the hypocrites (munafiqin) are your enemies.”

“Oh people of my ummah. I leave behind two things worthy of great esteem - the Book of God and my progeny, my Ahlu 'l-bayt.”

“According to the tradition of at-Tayr, the prophet made the following prayer: “Oh God. Send to me your most beloved slave” , and immediately Ali entered his presence.

“Tomorrow I will give this standard to the man who loves God and His Prophet (s.a.w.) and whom God and His Prophet (s.a.w.) also love.”

“'Ali is with the Truth and the Truth is with 'Ali.”

These traditions are mostly taken from“Sahih al-Bukhari” and“Sahi'h al-Muslim” , and there are thousands of such authentic reports. This small booklet cannot accommodate details of them. Those who are fond of research work can study the famous book“Abiqat al-Anwar” by Allama' Sayyid Hamid Husayn, which is ten times as voluminous as“Sahih al-Bukhari” and is a master-piece of research in the field of hadiths.

When the light of prophethood was extinguished, a group of the“sahaba” started to act to prevent the Caliphate from passing to 'Ali.

The cause of this opposition might have been the young age of the holy Imam, or the feeling among the Quraysh that the prophethood and the imamate should not be combined in the house of Banu Hashim; there might have been other causes, we do not have the space to discuss them here.

Both the Sunni and the Shi'a sects Wee however that, when allegiance was being taken from the Muslims, 'Ali (a.s.) did not accept the authority of Abu Bakr, and, according to the learned al-Bukhari (“Sahih” ', see the chapter on the victory at Khaybar), he did not pay allegiance until six months had passed.Some of the eminent companions, like az-Zubayr, 'Ammar and Miqdad and others, also refused to pay homage to Abu Bakr.

The fact is that 'Ali (a.s.) had no craving for political power,nor desire to rule, other than in his capacity as Imam.

The talk that he had withibn , Abbas at Dhiqar clearly proves which way the son of Abu Talib (a.s.) was going. Amiru 'l-Mu'minin (a.s.) had only one purpose in view, and it was that“religion” might remain safe,“right” might prevail and“wrong” might be exterminated. Imbued with these high feelings, 'Ali (a.s.) resorted to protest only. He did not adopt any plans to overthrow the caliphs. Rather, in order to lead and guide the people to the right path he always cooperated with the government; his wise suggestions enabled Islam to flourish and meant that religious commands were made known to all. If Ali (a.s .) had not adopted this course of action, not only would Islamic unity have been shattered, but the people also would have been lost in the labyrinth of ignorance.

The Shi'as too continued to follow their leader; the spirit of the time demanded that differences should be ignored. For this very reason, they did not try to establish themselves as a sect during the regime of the first caliphs. Ofcourse Ali's friends silently observed the modus operandi of every ruler and the changing conditions till at last the nation itself selected Ali (a.s.) as its leader. When Amiru 'l-Mu'minin (a.s.) took the seat of the caliphate, Mu'awiyah revolted and sent out a large number of forces to Siffin.

A group of the“sahaba” (companions) remained from the very beginning with 'Ali (a.s.). The rest of the companions also sided with the Holy Imam. Eighty prominent companions, like 'Ammar ibn Yasir, Khuzaymah Dhu 'sh Shahadatayn and Abu Ayub al-Ansari, nearly all of whom were either Badri (from the battle of Badr) or 'Aqb (Bay'atu 'l-'Aqbi - the pledge of 'Aqbi), joined 'Ali's party. Most of them sacrificed their lives for the Holy Imam (a.s.).

The fighting continued however, and Mu'awiyah's intriguings also increased. WhenHadrat , Ali (a.s.) was martyred, the ruler of Damascus gave a sight of relief Islam disappeared from Mu'awiyah's royal courts and he began to revive all the tyrannical traditions of the past kings.

'Ali's (a.s.) pious way of life, devout manners and exalted character contrasted sharply with Mu'awiy ah's corrupt morals and his dealings with 'Amr b. al-'As, with the Governorship of Egypt, Yazid and his despotic caliphate, and Ziyad ibn Abih and his activity against Islam. Mu'awiyah's notorious over-indulgence and passion for revelry clearly demonstrated the depraved condition of his mind and of the court surrounding him. We have thus before us the simple way of living taught by Islam, and on the other side the pomp and vanity of the son of Abu Sufyan. Mu'awiyah's kingly aspirations were fulfilled with the hard-earned money of the Muslims.

The dining cloth of the Amawi palace was always laid with the daintiest of foods. The vizier, Abu Sa'id al-Mansur ibn al-Husayn al-Abi (died 422 A-H.) recorded an event in his work“Nathr ad-Dur” . He writes:“Ahnaf ibn Qays used to say that one day when he went to Mu'awiyah, the latter put before him such a large variety of food that it was difficult to count the different dishes. He was bewildered when Mu'awiyah extended towards him one of the dishes which he did not recognise. He asked what it was. The answer was . the stomach of duck filled with sheep's brain, fried in pistachio oil and sprinkled with spices.” Ahnaf said that on hearing this he began to weep. Mu'awiyah said:“Why do you weep?” He replied:“At this time 'Ali (a.s.) has come to my mind. One day I was sitting with the Holy Imam (a.s .); the time for breaking the fast approached. The Imam (a.s .) ordered me to stay. Meanwhile a sealed bag was brought. I asked: “O Imam, what does it contain?” The Imam (a.s) said:“Powdered barley” . I said:“Was there any fear of theft, O Amiru l-Mu'minin, or is it because of financial stringency that it has been sealed?” “It is for none of these reasons,” he said,“the reason for this care is only the thought that mysons al-Hasan (a.s.) and al-Husayn (a.s.) might mix this powdered barley with butter or olive oil.” Again I asked:“Is butter or olive oil unlawful?” The Holy Imam said:“It is not unlawful, but for the true Imams it is necessary that they remain attached to the ranks of the poor, so that indigence and want may not make the poverty stricken rebellious.” Mu'awiyah said:“Ahnaf, you have reminded me of a person whose supreme merits are difficult to be denied.” In az-Zamakshari's“Rabi' al-Abrar” , and in other compilations, many such events are related.

Mu'awiyah's bad nature was inextricably linked with these unlawful actions; he had an inner desire to reach the height of wickedness.So he broke all the promises that he had made to Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) and in the end had the Prophet's grandson poisoned. As a result of this state of affairs and these events, the Muslims began to look at Syria's politics with scorn and contempt; the true believers realised that Mu'awiyah was only a man of this world, and he himself acknowledged this truth. In az-Zamakhshari's“Rabi' al-Abrar” , the following statement is narrated from the ruler of Syria:“Abu Bakr wanted to keep aloof from the world and the world kept aloof from him.' Umar tested the world and the world tested him. As to 'Uthman, he took hold of the world and the world also madly pursued him; and I at every step tried with my heart and soul to make it a bed of roses- The result was that I became of the world and the world became mine.”

Gradually, the people's opinion was changing; the close companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.) were letting the ordinary Muslims know about the superior merits, virtues and character of 'Ali (a.s.) and his descendants, which they had seen with their own eyes. Who cannot be moved when he recalls the sight of the Prophet of God (s.a.w.) lifting his loving grandsons onto his back and saying:“What do you think of your mount, it is not the best mount; and as for you, you are the best rifers.” And do not these words, full of the purity of revelation,“al-Hasan and al-Husayn (a.s.) are the leaders of the youth of Paradise” , demand to be known by all. Truth has a right to spread, and those who have a sense of truth in them are desirous of spreading it. The result of this desire for truth was that the common Muslims began inclining towards Shi'ism and opportunities were created for the advancement of this sect.

The greatest cause of the advancement of Shi'ism, however, was that bloody event which revolutionzed the Islamic world. This painful event of 61 A.H. which is known as the tragedy of Karbala' was the most momentous of its kind. The effects of the martyrdom of al-Husayn (a.s .) were felt by all, even those living in the most distant regions of the Muslim territory. Companions like Zayd ibn Arqam, Jabir ibn 'Abdillah al-Ansari, Sahl ibnSa'd as-Sa'idi and Anas ibn Malik survived Karbala'. The pain they felt had no bounds, and, remembering their duty towards, and love for, the Prophet and his progeny, they intensified their efforts to make known the superior merits of Ahlu 'l-bayt (a.s.). The Umayyad tyrants pursued them and these remaining sahaba were finally also victims of the sword and poison. But the cry of the oppressed is not made in vain. These events were not such that thenation of the Muslims were unaware of them. Indeed, they keenly observed them, with the result that a great many groups of people began to declare their love for 'Ali (a.s.).and his descendants; the numerical strength of the Shi'as increased dramatically. With the same rapidity with which the tyranny of Banu Umayyah was increasing, the love for Ahlu 'l-bayt was also increasing in the hearts of the common people. The descendants of the Umayyids tortured and tyrannized to the extreme, but every action has its reaction. It is related that Shu'abi said to his son:“Oh my son, the world cannot harm the values which religion has brought, but those things which were made and adorned by the world can all be destroyed by religion. Just reflect upon 'Ali (a.s.) and his affairs. Did the descendants of the Umayyids ever relinquish their oppression? They concealed the merits of Ahlu 'l-bayt. They tried to hide the realities of the situation and never left off singing the praises of their ancestors.

But all their plans were reversed: the Umayyids were humbled to dust and the name of Al Muhammad grew brighter and brighter” .Though Shu'abi was known as an enemy of 'Ali (a.s.), these words of truth came from his tongue and have been preserved in history.

az-Zamakhshari in his 'Rabi' al-Abrar” reports this statement of Shu'abi:“Our condition was very perplexing if we loved 'Ali (a.s .) there was fear of murder, and if we became enemies to him, our ruin was certain.”

The troubles and worries for the Ahlu 'l-bayt did not cease when the Sufyani throne came under the control of the Marwanid ruIer 'Abdu 'l-Malik. 'Abdu 'l-Malik Was a monster of a man by whose order Hajjaj razed the Holy House of the Ka'ba to the ground and mercilessly put the residents of that sacred place to the sword; having killed 'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr in the Mosque of al-Haram, he desecrated the holy place and finally killed his cousin Sa'id ibn Ashdaq, who had been his former ally.

We must ask ourselves whether the perpetrator of such heinous crimes be called a Muslim. What should we think of his being called“Khalifatu 'l-Muslimin” (the Caliph of the Muslims)?

In truth, the entiregovernment of the Marwanids Was run on the same lines, and, with the exception of. Umar ibn 'Abdu 'l-'Aziz, every ruler showed the same Outrageous tendencies.Thereafter followed the rule of the 'Abbasids.

During their period the height of tyranny far exceeded that of the Marwanids. A poet of that time said: We would have preferred to suffer the Marwanids oppression forever. May the justice and equity of the 'Abbasids go to hell.”

How mercilessly the blood of the descendants of the Prophet (s.a.w.) was spilled, what strange ways were adopted to annihilate them! The literature of that time presents us with a picture of life at that time. The poets have, in different ways, described the tyrannical acts of these people. How true indeed is the picture drawn by a poet of al-Mutawakkil's age who says:“God be my witness that, if the descendants of the Umayyids have so cruelly martyred the grandson of the Prophet (s.a.w.), these 'Abbasids, who call themselves the descendants of the Prophet's uncle, in no way lag behind the Umayyid family in oppression and tyranny. Just see, these tyrants have even demolished the grave of al-Imam al-Husayn. The Banu 'Abbas are repentant, however, for they feel regret over one thing, that they did not take part in spilling the spotless blood of al-Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) along with Banu Umayyah; they have tried to make amends by pulling down the grave of the Imam (a.s.).” These are just a few examples of the character of Banu Umayyah and the Marwanid and 'Abbasid kings.

Now, on the other hand, if you reflect upon the life of Ali (a.s.) and his descendants, you will come to know why Shi'ism spread and how it spread; moreover the truth will be revealed as to whether Shi'ism was the innovation of the Iranians, or the ingenuity of the Sabeans, or whether it was the simple and straight way of Islam as shown by Muhammad (s.a.w.).

After the martyrdom of Sayyid ash-Shuhadah (the Leader of the Martyrs) Imam al-Husayn (a.s.), Imam Zayb al-'Abidin (a.s.) became the head of the 'Alawi family After the tragedy of Karbala', the Holy Imam lived a secluded life, mostly spent either in worship of God or in giving moral teachings and spiritual guidance to the people.

Highly pious and devout persons like Hasan al-Basri, Tawus al-Yamani, ibn Sirin and Amr ibn al-'Ubayd were products of this very school.

The Muslims received great instruction and knowledge from the Sayyid as-Sajjad (a.s .) at a time when the common people had been driven far off the paths of reality.

Imam Zayn ul-'Abidin (a.s .) was succeeded by Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) who was also a shining example of the same noble character. His legacy was handed down to Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.).

The age of Imam as-Sadiq (a.s .) was comparatively more favourable to the Shi'as because the Umayyid and 'Abbasid powers had been exhausted; open tyranny and oppression became rare. Accordingly the previously Suppressed truths and hidden realities rose like the sun and diffused like the light. Those who had been living in 'taqiyyah', hiding their beliefs on account of fear and danger to their lives, also disclosed their identity. The atmosphere was well-disposed to the expansion of Shi'ism. The Holy Imam (a.s .) spent day and night preaching; his sermons explained the teachings of Muhammad and Al Muhammad (s.a.w.). The teachings of the truth were now within the reach of every common man; larger and larger groups of people began to accept the 'Ja'fari' religion. This age was called the golden age for the propagation of Shi'ism, because before this the Muslims could not openly profess Shi'ism, nor even find out about its teachings.

This academy of learning was Iike a flowing river where people in quest of knowledge came to quench their thirst and later quenched the thirst of others.According to Abu 'l-Hasan al-Washsha'. “I personally saw a crowd of four thousand 'Ulama' (scholars) in the Mosque of Kufah and heard all of them saying: 'This tradition was related to us by Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.).'“

Banu Umayyah and Banu 'Abbas's wanton love for power, their stormy violence, extreme worldliness and unlimited indulgence in luxuries, contrasted sharply with the love for knowledge of the descendants of 'Ali (a.s.), their devotion to God, their truthfulness and their abstention from corrupt politics, and it was this obvious contrast which showed people the truth of Shi'ism and led to the rapid expansion of this sect.

It goes without saying that many people's spiritual lives are ruined by their attachment to the world. Nevertheless they too have a natural feeling for the different branches of learning and the validity of religious matters.

The period about which we are talking was not only close to the period of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), but also themind of the common Muslims were imbued with the conviction that the Islamic way of life was endowed with countless blessings. The Quranic teachings gave them rights which they had never imagined existed. It was Islam which conquered the Caesars of Rome and the Emperors of Iran; it was in the name of Islam alone that they were the rulers of the east and the west; they also knew that there was sufficient liberality within the laws of this religion to enable all to accept it without hardship. If the modus operandi is lawful, it does not restrain anybody from gaining worldly wealth. This religion is, in fact, pure mercy.

These inner feelings were the hidden motives which made the masses incline towards a religious way of life.

There always exist men who know that they should mould their social life according to the light of religious commandment. There are always men who desire that their entire culture be completely Islamic. But where could they pin the necessary learning from? Could they get it from the despots, who claimed to be “khulafa'u 'l-muslimin” (Caliphs of the Muslims) but did not live accordingly?

Of course, the desire for knowledge was fulfilled by the descendants of Muhammad (s.a.w.) who were the treasure houses of the Quran and the repositories of knowledge, and a vivid impression of their superiority was stamped on the minds of the common people; gradually the Muslims began to believe that it was these persons who were the true heirs to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), and that the right of the Imamate must be theirs alone.

The Shi'as grew so firm that they were ready to undergo anything to protect their faith. Most of the Shi'as proved to be immeasurably brave, valiant and inspired with the spirit of sacrifice; Hajar ibn 'Adi al-Kindi, 'Amr ibn Himq al-Khuza'i, Rushayd al-Hajari and 'Abdullah ibn Afif al-Azdi to name but a few, were stalwart Shi'as who, on various occasions, confronted the antagonists; they triumphed despite the fact that the opposite group was always materially more powerful. The moral strength of these people showed the weakness of the apparently strong armies of the enemy; their sacrifices, on the one hand, shook the governments of the oppressors to their foundations, and, on the other, awakened the intellect of the elite and changed the way of thinking of the masses.

We must ask why these chivalrous men played with death in this way. Did they expect any worldly gain from the descendants of Muhammad (s.a.w.)? Were they afraid of loss of life and property? History has answered both these questions in the negative; the sons of 'Ali (a.s .), it is true, were bereft of material means, but they had no interest in this world. What had they to give? They gave Islam to those thirsty for the truth; the luminous hearts of these fighters were filled with strong faith and perfect sincerity and it was these very sentiments which drove them to do battle against tyranny and corruption.

If one considers the literary men of the first and second century of the hijrah, we will find that, in spite of the atmosphere of fear and despair, the poets of the time expressed their aversion towards the kings of their age and their misdeeds and praised the Ahlu 'l-bayt of Muhammad al-Mustafa (s.a.w.).

Numerous men of letters have testified against the ruling Caliphs and in favour of the true Imams (a.s .) in their works. Farazdaq, Kumayt, Sayyid al-Humayri, Du'bil, Diku'l-Jin, Abu Tamam al-Balarri'and Abu Faras al-Hamdani are full of praise for the holy progeny. The following couplet of Abu Faras clearly shows how the poets of that age felt at that time.

“Religion has been shattered to pieces. Truth has be come the victim of oppression and the share of the descendants of the Prophet of God has been usurped.”

Du'bil says:“I have been courting death for forty years, but no one has yet accepted to be the killer.” Du'bil railed at Harun ar-Rashid, al-Ma'mun and al-Mu'tasim, and yet composed a great many famous panegyrics in praise of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s .), Imam Musa al-Kazim (a.s.) and Imam ar-Rida (a.s.) in the most colourful verse.

We must ask whether the Shi'as endangered their lives invain? Did they give up their ease and comfort without any rhyme or reason? When we examine the causes and motives for their sacrifices, we find that it was only the truthfulness of the descendants of the Prophet (s.a.w.) which made them despise the sky-high golden palaces and attracted their attention towards the miracle of the Quran.

We could pursue this discussion further but the aim of the introduction was merely to outline the origin and rise of Shi'ism. We hope nothing has been left ambiguous despite the brevity of this account. We can only emphasize that Shi'ism was started by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) himself, and its spread and propagation is a historical fact. We may observe the series of causes and motives, connected in a regular sequence, which gave rise to the separation of Shi'a Islam from the Islam of the rest of the community.

Story no. 40: Jawad playing with Naser

Jawad and Naser were neighbours and sometimes played in the streets also.

While playing, Jawad said“ I swear on my mother’s life.

Naser said “ It seems as if you love your mother very much!” .

Jawad replied“ Of course I do, because the Holy Prophet (saw) has said “Paradise lies under the feet of the mother” .

Story no. 41: Majid and an action against etiquettes.

Majid was a youngster of 11 years.

As he was passing by the corner of a wall he saw Hormuz, a boy from the next street, climbed up on the wall and plucking figs and eating them.

He called out to him“Hey, Hormuz, come down, otherwise I’ll report to the owner of the house” .

When Hormuz heard this, he at once came down. After he did, Majid advised him and said “You did two things that were against morals. First, you climbed the wall of somebody’s house, and secondly, you plucked and ate someone else’s fruit without their permission, this is theft. Do not repeat it again.

Bravo for Majid and his good training school that he talked about ‘actions against morals’ with others and advised them.

Story no. 42: Unhappiness of Miss Zahra

Farida went to her neighbour, Zahra’s house and greeted her.

Zahra answered and said“ I am very unhappy” .

Farida asked“why? You should not be sad!”

Zahra answered“I am sad because since two days my parents have gone on a trip and I am alone at home with my Grandmother and brother.

Farida said “ Excuse me, but this is not a thing to be sad about!”

Zahra said“Actually I love my mother and father very much so separation from them is very hard for me.”

Yes, blessed are the children who have such an attachment with their parents and respect their parents’ pleasure, because the pleasure of parents comes under the pleasure of God.

Story no. 43: Habib, the son of Mashhadi Abbas.

Habib, who was the son of Mashhadi Abbas, was once playing with children in the corner of the street.

Suddenly the loud voice of Maghribain namaz Azan reached their ears.

Habib said“Bye, friends.”

Everyone said“Why?”

Habib said“ It is the time of namaz now. I won’t play anymore, I must go the mosque to pray” .

After Habib departed, one of the children said“Blessed is Habib, really. He recites namaz even though he is a child. I do not know how to pray it” .

The others admitted too that they did not know how to perform namaz.

Another one of the children stood up and said “ Friends, I have a plan. From tomorrow, instead of playing, we will learn namaz from Habib and even go to the mosque with him.

Story no. 44: The chicks of the house.

Aziz, a boy of four years, said to his father“If it is possible, please bring some chicks to the house so that we can raise them” .Aqa Aqeel, the father of the children, bought a few chicks for the children. Everyday the children gathered round the chicks and enjoyed watching them.

But one day, Aqa Aqeel saw that each of the children had a stick in their hands and were pestering the chicks.

Their father said“ I am going to take these chicks this very day and sell them” .

The children inquired“Father, why?”

Their father replied“ I am doing this because you were pestering the chicks. Don’t you know that you should not pester any animal?”

Little Taqi, with watering eyes, said“Father, do not sell them, we will not pester them anymore” .

Story no. 45: The neighbours boy on a tricycle

Asad was a 5 year old boy.

Sometimes he went to the street and played with the children.

But one day when he came, he saw a boy of his own neighbourhood riding a beautiful and shining tricycle.

He ran indoors to his mother and said“Mother, a father has bought a tricycle for his son, I want one too” .

“When father comes home tonight, please ask him to buy a tricycle for me” .

His mother said“I will not do such a thing. His salary is too less to afford it” .“We must be content with whatever he buys us” .

Story no. 46: Sound of the Radio

Shakiba loved to sit beside the radio during her free time.

But she kept the volume very high.

One day her mother told her“Shakiba, decrease the volume” .

Shakiba answered“what is this ! decrease, decrease, decrease all the time” .

Her mother said“How any times should I tell you that you should keep the sound low!”

“But mother! Religious poems are being recited” . Shakiba protested.

Her mother said“It does not matter if they are religious or not, but you should not keep the volume so high. It is possible that the neighbours be disturbed. It is also possible that they have a sick person in the house.

My dear daughter, don’t you know, the leaders of Islam have insisted a lot of keeping the rights of neighbours.

This action of yours is against the morals and etiquettes of Islam” .

Story no. 47: The recess-time of the school.

Saeed was playing in the garden of his school with his friends.

Suddenly, he saw a boy who was picking up stones from the ground and throwing them on children.

Saeed, who was very angry, approached the boy and said“It is true that the recess is for playing but not for pestering people. Besides, you must know that pestering people is an un-favoured act and we, as children and youngsters, should learn how to refrain from it” .

The other children who were listening became aware of it and the boy also promised that he also would not pester others anymore.

Story no. 48: Saeeda and request for chadar

Saeeda, who went to school everyday, one day came home and said“Mother, today I saw our neighbour wearing a chadar and coming to school. The children exclaimed “This chadar is for big women, why did you wear it?” to which she replied“My parents said “You are close to being big. Why not start wearing chadar from now on so that as you grow, you have a practice for it” . Saeeda said“Mother, I too want a chadar” .

Her mother said“I will go to the market, buy some cloth and sew a chadar for you tomorrow.”

Bravo to those mothers who are aware of wearing Islamic Hijaab and make their daughters too aware of this divine obligation.

Story no. 49: Trees of the street

Fariedoon, whenever passed his street, would pull and break the branches of the trees or skin them.

One day, Shahid was watching this scene from far.

He said to Fariedoon“Do you know of what use these trees are for?”

He replied“No” .

Shahid said“We humans have a great need of oxygen which we should inhale. This oxygen is given out from plants and trees. We have a job of giving water to the trees so that they do not dry up. This water is taken in by their branches. We, humans take in food and then it reaches different parts of our body through blood vessels. The tree has some substance which does the same job as our blood vessels. These blood vessels are contained in it’s skin. And you are, instead of giving water to it, breaking it’s branches and skinning it” . Fariedoon said“Thank you very much for telling me, I did not know that” .

Story no. 50: The thirsty animal on the corner of the street.

The thirsty animal was lying on the corner of the street.

People did not pay much attention to it, some went past it without noticing while some just watched and passed by.

Sabir the son of Aqa Dilsouz was watching the dog with much interest.

He went indoors and called his mother“Mother, I want a bowl of water” .

His mother was surprised“For what?” she said.

He replied“ For giving it to a thirsty animal” .

His mother respected his request and gave him what he wanted.

Sabir ran and placed the bowl of water in front of the dog. The dog came slowly, unveiled his tongue and began drinking. After some time he wagged his tail and went away.

Yes, some children, instead of doing this, throw stones at animals and hurt them.

But good children must, whoever it is, avoid hurting them.

Story no. 51: A friendly gathering in the park.

Some youngsters had gathered in a park, they were talking and laughing.

Suddenly one of them put his hand in his pocket, took out a cigarette and began smoking.

His other friends looked at him, amazed and exclaimed“What is this?”

He replied“Doesn’t matter, I’m doing it for fun” .

A friend said“In the beginning, we call it fun, but it is very difficult to get rid of this habit later” .

Another friend said“Do you know the bad effects caused by smoking?

1- Bad Breath

2- Corruption of teeth

3- Cancer

4- Getting old faster

5-Waste of Money

6- Difficulty in breathing” .

The youngster, with help of advice from his friends, left smoking and promised never to smoke again.

Story no. 52: The fatherless girl.

A girl by the name of Pari had lost her father at a tender age of four years.

She had loved her father very much and was one day crying. Her mother came and took her out with the hope that she would forget her father if she played with the children. But she was not able to do so. Each of the children talked about the love of fathers with her. For example one said“My father bought this doll for me” .

Another said“My father bought these new shoes for me” .

Someone else would say“My father loves me so much that whenever I reach home, he picks me up and kisses me” .

This happened eveyday, till one day her neighbour friend said to her“I know how you feel.” The two of them sat together and shared the pain of being orphans.

From that day, the children of the street would never mention anything regarding ‘fathers’ to Pari and were more kind to her than ever.

Story no. 53: Why the friendship of Nusrat and Heshmat did not have durability.

Nusrat and Heshmat were class mates as well as play mates.

They were so attached to each other and played together so much that some people thought that they were brothers.

But their friendship did not continue it’s durability. It had a defect, and that defect was caused by an incident. One day Nusrat told Heshmat a good many secrets and told him not to leak them to others. But Heshmat was treacherous towards Nusrat. He told all his friend’s secrets to others.

When Nusrat came to know about this, he was very angry.

He gave him some advice and then told him “You don’t deserve my loyalty and friendship. One of the qualities of the morals of Islam is to keep secrets and we should keep others secrets.

Story no. 54: Unhappiness of Rasheed from the ridiculing of children.

When Rashid was 2 years old, he had gone to the roof and had fallen down. He suffered a great injury afterwards and limped, and that was the very cause that children at school laughed at him.

Mostly, children walked like him and made others laugh.

Rasheed was greatly hurt and ashamed, so he made up his mind not to go to school anymore.

When his parents came to know, they went and concluded it to the principal of the school.

The principal then went to Rasheed’s class and delivered a short speech on some actions that are not liked in Islam. He said that we must respect all people in the world because they are equal. He also said that God has prevented us from ridiculing and hurting others.

Bravo to those principals that make children aware of actions against Islamic etiquettes.

Story no. 55: Umid and his apology from his friend.

Umid’s nose began to bleed while coming back from school.

He stood by the wall of the school until the bleeding stopped.

After some time, he saw a place where he could wash hands and face.

He decided to go in and wash the blood off his, hands and nose, so he left his bag and his wrist watch over there.

But when he came back, his watch had been stolen!

Because he had seen his friend some time before in the school, he assumed that it was him who had his watch.

The next day at school, Umid claimed his watch from his friend.

He said that he did not have it.

At last, Umid found the thief of his watch.

But because he had accused his friend of stealing, he went to his friend and apologised.

Yes, accusation is one of the most ill- favoured act in Islam and also a big sin.

Story no. 56: Iqbal’s recommendation about brushing teeth to Fatih

In school, some students sat together.

Similarly, Iqbal and Fatih sat together. But Iqbal kept on looking at Fatih’s defected teeth. They were yellow in colour.

Iqbal, who was raised in a religious family and was aware of the recommendations of Islam, said to Fatih“Why don’t you brush your teeth? They have turned yellow!

Some days ago, I went to the mosque with my father.

There, the preacher said “I have heard that the prophet (saw) used to brush his teeth three times before going to bed” .

Is’nt it very good, Fatih, if we too follow in the footsteps of the great leaders of Islam.

Story no. 57: In front of the television.

Raihana was a girl of 7 years.

She was introduced to all children once she stepped in school.

But one thing that surprised her most was that why small children walked about with glasses!

When she asked one of the children, he answered“I could not read or write from close. My father took me to an eye specialist. He first diagnosed my problem and then said that my eyes were weak due to watching television from a close distance. He gave me glasses and then requested me not to watch television too closely.”

When Raihana heard this, she went home and requested the other children to watch T.V from a safe distance.

Yes, man should value the unique things given by God specially eyesight so that he can take advantage of it by reading and writing.

Story no. 58: On Mothers’ Day

It was mother’s day, and all the children were buying gifts for their mothers.

Some one was buying stockings, someone shoes, someone a frying pan, and so on.

But Sharif and Azadeh were from an Islamic family. Sharif said“Whatever I give my mother is less, because the Holy Prophet has said “Paradise lies under the feet of mothers” .

Azadeh said“Whatever we give, it wouldn’t be enough for Mama” .

After thinking for quite a while, Sharif said “Because Mama loves to pray, recite Quran and duas, we can give her a Quran and Mafatih (Book of Duas).

Finally, Shareef bought his mother a Quran and Azadeh gifted her with a Mafatih.

Story no. 59: On teachers’ day.

Sharifa and Siddiqa were two neighbours, they went to school together and returned together.

After some days, Teacher’s day came. Each of the children either gifted their teachers with a trumpet or a bunch of flowers.

Sharifa said to Siddiqa“All the children are giving their teachers trumpets or flowers” .

Siddiqa said“What do we do now?” .

Sharifa said“How nice if we ask our parents to guide us” .

After taking a suggestion from their parents, they gifted their teacher a moral book each.

Story no. 60: Hoori in the wedding ceremony.

When the family was invited for the wedding ceremony, they only took their 5 year old daughter Hoori with them.

On the way, Hoori’s mother told her“Sit quietly with me and do not go and start eating the fruits or sweets unless other people do so and I tell you. Whatever you want quietly mention it to me” . But when they went there, Hoori did not obey her mother, and whilst other children were quietly sitting with their mothers watching the bride, Hoori went and started eating the sweets and fruits.

Her mother was very ashamed.

When they reached home her mother said “Hoori, why did you disobey me and went to eat the sweets and fruits? Didn’t you notice how the other children sat quietly with their mothers?

Story no. 61: Rau’fa and hygiene of hands and mouth.

Whenever Miss Saleema called her daughter, Rau’fa down for lunch, dinner or breakfast, Rau’fa first washed her hands with a soap and after finishing every meal, brushed her teeth.

One day, Miss Saleema said to her“Rau’fa, It makes me happy to see you washing your hands before meals and brushing your teeth after them. Where did you learn this from?”

Rau’fa replied “Our teacher requested us to wash hands before meals and to brush our teeth after meals.

She also said that this is one of the orders in Islam.

Bravo to those teachers who make children aware of the recommended schedule in Islam.

Story no. 62: Respecting aunt instead of mother.

Raazia and Asghar had lost their mother during childhood.

The bearing of the loss of mother was very hard for them.

The services of the house were performed by their father’s wife, but the kindness of a mother and love of father’s wife are completely different.

Though Asghar and Raazia were not negligent of honouring father’s wife, yet they showed more love towards their aunt (mother’s sister).

They bought stockings for her, sometimes toys for her children and sometimes would run errands for her.

Till one day their father said“Why do you respect your aunt so much?”

Asghar replied“I heard that the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) said respecting aunt is like respecting mother. We do not have a mother to serve, so why not be fortunate enough to serve and respect our aunt?”

Their father was happy and encouraged them more.

Story no. 63: Attachment of Aqa Abul Fazl

Aqa Abul Fazl showed much love towards his 12 year old son, Arif.

Arif’s mother asked her husband one day“Why do you love Arif so much?”

He replied“The other children always say one or two lies everyday. But I have never heard a lie from Arif, be it seriously or joking. This love of mine is for the truthfulness.”

His wife said“Yes, you are right because neither did I hear a lie from our son” .

Bravo to those children who speak the truth with everyone and their parents.

Truthfulness is one of the good qualities of Islam.

Story no. 64: Why we attend classes.

It was recess time and some youngsters were sitting together.

One of them said“Why do we attend classes?”

The first one said“I attend classes so that I become an engineer” .

The second one said“I attend classes so that I become a doctor” .

The third said“I attend classes so that I do not become illiterate.”

The fourth said“I attend classes to get a degree when I grow up.”

The fifth one said“Isn’t it better if we attend classes so we do not have to depend on others and can run our own business when we grow up, or if not that, we can do a job and don’t become a pauper?”

All the youngsters had good ambitions but the suggestion of the fifth one was on the highest place.

Story no. 65: Why Nadeema did not go to the Wedding ceremony.

The family was invited to the wedding ceremony. The card said for Mr. ___________ and family. But on the foot of the card was written “Your children are to be invited later. Which meant that children were not supposed to be coming with their parents. Still, some of the children insisted on coming with their parents.

But eight year old Nadeema told the children that we are not supposed to go with our parents because we are not invited. If we go, we will act against morality.

Bravo to those children who have good understanding and follow and obey the orders of morality.

Story no. 66: Contentment in stationary.

Amir had used only one bag ever since he started school. He was very careful while writing; he used to leave little space between words and sentences and used both sides of a page. He also showed contentment in writing materials like pen, pencil and papers.

Imran, who was a classmate, said“Amir, I recieve a new bag every year, leave much space between words, and use only one side of a page. I have stationary and writing materials in vast quantity.”

Amir replied “If I want, I can also be like you, but we should not waste money because in one way, we will then be dependant on others for our needs. So it is better if we avoid being dependant, and try to conserve it for our country.

Other than that, have you not heard that Imam Ali (as) has said “Contentment is a river that never dries.

Story no. 67: We saw European children.

Safir had gone to a country in Europe for further studies. To stay away from corruption over there, he married an Irani girl.

When he returned to Iran, they had two children, Ahmad and Zahra.

Ahmad was eight years old and Zahra six.

Safir first lived with his family in his parents’ house but then afterwards they shifted to their personal house.

Some of the other families were surprised on seeing this Europian family, and the main reason of their being surprised was the Islamic behaviours of the two children.

Ahmad said Salaam to anyone he met and thanked God if any one asked his welfare. Zahra started wearing a scarf from a very young age and they both prayed namaz regularly.

It wasn’t long before the two children were examples for the families, and they knew that although those children were raised in a foreign English land, due to the mindfulness of the parents their culture was still Islamic.

Story no. 68: Worker of the house.

The wife had lost her husband.

To avoid poverty, she had to work at people’s houses and provide food for her children.

Sometimes she took her two year old child with her so that while taking care of other children, she may take care of him too.

But most of the children said abusive words to the woman and sometimes hurt the two year orphan.

Till one day, Tal’at, the ten year old girl of the owner of the house, gathered the children and advised them.One of her words were“Children, it is against the morals of Islam that we pester to the woman who has no guardian and comes to serve us

How nice of us if we be kind to her and that orphan child so that God may keep our fathers safe” .

Have you not heard that Imam Ali (as) was always kind to orphans and widows.

Story no. 69: Hami at the table.

Whenever the family was called down to meals and the children sat at the table, Hami only ate from the centre of the bread and did not eat the corners.

As a result, much bread was wasted.

One day, one of Hami’s brothers said to him“Hami, do you know that wastage is an action that is against the morals of Islam?”

And if we want we can be content with little and avoid wasting money.

This is also a law of our countries.

Story no. 70: Wajeeh at the table

Whenever Wajeeh sat at the table and started to eat food, he did not say Bismillah and did not thank God after meals.

One day his brother, Najeeb said“Don’t you see that before Mom and Dad begin to eat they say Bismillah and at the end of it they say Alhamdu lillah?

Wajeeh replied “Why do they do so?

His brother said “They say so because all these vegetables, fruits, bread, water and everything else is gifted to us by God. So it is very good if we start and end food with his name” .

And other tan that, the leaders of Islam have always requested us to say this and we must obey them.

Story no. 71: Generous help by the children.

Every Friday, the needy came at the doors of people, asking for money. Similarly, a beggar came to Aqa Abdullah’s house.

He asked for help.

Aqa Abdullah wanted to give him 2 tomans, but his daughter Ruqayya said“Father, I have 5 tomans from the weekly pocket money I get. If you allow I’ll give 2 tomans to him.

His other daughter, Rabab said “Father, I also have 4 tomans, would you allow me too?”

Their brother, Saqib said “Father I am also ready to give this needy person six tomans would you allow me to do so?

Their father allowed them to help the needy man and they helped him greatly.

Their parents thanked god for such generous and helping children and were pleased.

Story no. 72: Simin and Amin’s quarrel.

In families, children often quarrel with each other and sulk away for some time.

In one family of 8, Simin and Amin had had a great quarrel and sulked away from each other, no matter how much the others tried to re-unite them.

Till Mustafa, their brother, decided to make peace between them.

He went to Simin and said“Simin! If only you knew how much Amin loves you! He said he’d love to see you open a clinic for ladies” .

He then went to Amin and said“Simin said she would love to see you finish university and grow older, and one day become a professor at the university” .

At last they were re-united.

Their sister, Fatima said“Mustafa, you did a great job, but you told a number of lies” .

Mustafa said“When we want to make peace between two people, it doesn’t matter how many lies we say” .

Story no. 73: Teaching bad things.

The mother had an ill child.

She went to the doctor and got medicine from him.

But whenever she wanted to make him eat medicine,he used to shout and cry.

With great difficulty and promises of buying toys, she managed to get the medicine down his throat, but afterwards she did not fulfill her promises.

Her two year old daughter, Zeenat said“Mother, it is not right that you make promises to your son and not fulfill them. This is dangerous for the future of the child because when he grows up, he is going to learn bad things from you” .

The mother was pleased with her daughter’s guidance and encouraged her.

Yes O Parents! If you want your children to possess the morals of Islam, then fulfill the promises made by you to your children, for this is an order from the Holy Prophet (saw).

Story no. 74: Scaring of children.

In some houses, children enjoy scaring others.

One boy, called Fahim scared every child in the neighbourhood.

For example, he said to one“Be careful, the Genie might take you!”

To another he said“Be careful of the dead! He may take you also!”

There was a boy called Humayoon who solved problems for the children.

One day he gathered them and said “You know what is imagination, don’t you? Well, to avoid it, you should excercise so that you have strong nerves.And also, that when you grow up, only be scared of the sins you comitted because every sin has a punishment and a result and we do not have the strength to bear God’s punishment.

Story no. 75: Disagreement of the children.

Kiya was very unhappy, because he had lost his father and his mother had re-married. The man, too, had lost his wife and had brought along with him his two children, Sadiq and Qasim.

The man and woman were both choiceless in the matters of their marriage, but the only cause of disagreement was the children. Kiya used to think that if he wouldn’t have lost his father, he wouldn’t have been caught in this situation, and Qasim and Sadiq thought that if their mother would not be dead, they wouldn’t have to go in another house, and meet a step brother. Their disagreement made their father and mother unhappy.

Till one day, Qasim, who was the oldest of the three, gathered the other boys and said“Although we were strangers yesterday, today we are of the same family. Kiya’s mother is our mother, and our father the father of all of us.So how good if we be kind to each other” .he finished.

After that, he went out and bought some ice cream and divided it between them.

Kiya, whenever went out, would bring sweets and whenever Sadiq returned from school he bought a pen for each one of them.

Story no. 76: The children’s complain against their parents.

Mar’at, Ilham and Aram were brothers and sisters.

One day they were talking about the jobs of their household when Mar’at said“I dont think that there are any mothers and fathers like ours” .

Ilham said“I am pleased with both of them but I don’t know about them” .

Aram said“I dont think any of the children are as lucky as us. But I have noticed one thing about mother and father; whenever we talk to them they do not pay attention to what we are saying, it is also possible that we want something” .

They decided to discuss this important matter to their parents.

Yes, it is very good if parents pay attention to their children and grant their wishes when possible.

Story no. 77: Writing on the walls.

Azad, who was a regular student, sometimes saw that children wrote on the walls with pens, pencils and markers.

He made up his mind to stop this But he knew that he couldn’t go alone. So he gathered some students and went to the principal of the school. They said to him“It is not our job to take care of the school building. But if you allow, when the children are ready to enter the class, we will say that the school is like the house and to avoid from writing on walls” .

The next day, Azad with his friends , with the permission of the principal, got a microphone and said“the school is just like our home and we must not write on the walls of the school building and the classes” . After that, he said“writing on the walls is forbidden and we are not allowed to do so” . And this thing the children completely understood.

Story no. 78: Advice about cleanliness.

From the children who play in the streets or go to school, only some have the tidiness of their faces and clothes.

Hussam, who was a clean boy, said to an untidy boy “Don’t you know that the Holy Prophet (saw) has preached cleanliness with faith?

And besides, uncleanliness spreads a lot of illnesses and diseases. So try keep your clothes and body clean so that you don’t fall ill and people won’t avoid sitting with you.

Story no. 79: Atabak and running away from school.

Atabak was tired and fed-up of having to go to school and attend classes.

So he ran away from school.

His father and mother tried their best to persuade him to go back, but it was all in vain.

At last he left school and used to play in te streets and do nothing else.

After some days, some relatives of his came to his town and brought gifts for everyone.

They gave Atabak a frame on which was written ‘Seek education from the cradle till death’.

Because he was illiterate, he was greatly ashamed, and at the same time, decided to continue education.

He did so, and not only was he no longer illiterate, he reached high status

Story no. 80: Loss of over-eating.

Adeeb, wehenever sat at the table, used to eat more than the other children, and after meals, did not avoid eating different types of fruits, chocolates and ice creams.

One day Mujtaba said to him“Brother, don’t you know that over-eating is ill-favoures in islam?”

But Adeeb never lent an ear.

Till he fell ill.

When he went to the doctor, he said that the loss that you are suffering is just because of over-eating.

Another brother of his called Sharif said“We have heard that the Holy Prophet has said “Do not eat till you are hungry and leave food before you are full” .

And if we avoid over-eating we won’t fall ill.

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Story no. 40: Jawad playing with Naser

Jawad and Naser were neighbours and sometimes played in the streets also.

While playing, Jawad said“ I swear on my mother’s life.

Naser said “ It seems as if you love your mother very much!” .

Jawad replied“ Of course I do, because the Holy Prophet (saw) has said “Paradise lies under the feet of the mother” .

Story no. 41: Majid and an action against etiquettes.

Majid was a youngster of 11 years.

As he was passing by the corner of a wall he saw Hormuz, a boy from the next street, climbed up on the wall and plucking figs and eating them.

He called out to him“Hey, Hormuz, come down, otherwise I’ll report to the owner of the house” .

When Hormuz heard this, he at once came down. After he did, Majid advised him and said “You did two things that were against morals. First, you climbed the wall of somebody’s house, and secondly, you plucked and ate someone else’s fruit without their permission, this is theft. Do not repeat it again.

Bravo for Majid and his good training school that he talked about ‘actions against morals’ with others and advised them.

Story no. 42: Unhappiness of Miss Zahra

Farida went to her neighbour, Zahra’s house and greeted her.

Zahra answered and said“ I am very unhappy” .

Farida asked“why? You should not be sad!”

Zahra answered“I am sad because since two days my parents have gone on a trip and I am alone at home with my Grandmother and brother.

Farida said “ Excuse me, but this is not a thing to be sad about!”

Zahra said“Actually I love my mother and father very much so separation from them is very hard for me.”

Yes, blessed are the children who have such an attachment with their parents and respect their parents’ pleasure, because the pleasure of parents comes under the pleasure of God.

Story no. 43: Habib, the son of Mashhadi Abbas.

Habib, who was the son of Mashhadi Abbas, was once playing with children in the corner of the street.

Suddenly the loud voice of Maghribain namaz Azan reached their ears.

Habib said“Bye, friends.”

Everyone said“Why?”

Habib said“ It is the time of namaz now. I won’t play anymore, I must go the mosque to pray” .

After Habib departed, one of the children said“Blessed is Habib, really. He recites namaz even though he is a child. I do not know how to pray it” .

The others admitted too that they did not know how to perform namaz.

Another one of the children stood up and said “ Friends, I have a plan. From tomorrow, instead of playing, we will learn namaz from Habib and even go to the mosque with him.

Story no. 44: The chicks of the house.

Aziz, a boy of four years, said to his father“If it is possible, please bring some chicks to the house so that we can raise them” .Aqa Aqeel, the father of the children, bought a few chicks for the children. Everyday the children gathered round the chicks and enjoyed watching them.

But one day, Aqa Aqeel saw that each of the children had a stick in their hands and were pestering the chicks.

Their father said“ I am going to take these chicks this very day and sell them” .

The children inquired“Father, why?”

Their father replied“ I am doing this because you were pestering the chicks. Don’t you know that you should not pester any animal?”

Little Taqi, with watering eyes, said“Father, do not sell them, we will not pester them anymore” .

Story no. 45: The neighbours boy on a tricycle

Asad was a 5 year old boy.

Sometimes he went to the street and played with the children.

But one day when he came, he saw a boy of his own neighbourhood riding a beautiful and shining tricycle.

He ran indoors to his mother and said“Mother, a father has bought a tricycle for his son, I want one too” .

“When father comes home tonight, please ask him to buy a tricycle for me” .

His mother said“I will not do such a thing. His salary is too less to afford it” .“We must be content with whatever he buys us” .

Story no. 46: Sound of the Radio

Shakiba loved to sit beside the radio during her free time.

But she kept the volume very high.

One day her mother told her“Shakiba, decrease the volume” .

Shakiba answered“what is this ! decrease, decrease, decrease all the time” .

Her mother said“How any times should I tell you that you should keep the sound low!”

“But mother! Religious poems are being recited” . Shakiba protested.

Her mother said“It does not matter if they are religious or not, but you should not keep the volume so high. It is possible that the neighbours be disturbed. It is also possible that they have a sick person in the house.

My dear daughter, don’t you know, the leaders of Islam have insisted a lot of keeping the rights of neighbours.

This action of yours is against the morals and etiquettes of Islam” .

Story no. 47: The recess-time of the school.

Saeed was playing in the garden of his school with his friends.

Suddenly, he saw a boy who was picking up stones from the ground and throwing them on children.

Saeed, who was very angry, approached the boy and said“It is true that the recess is for playing but not for pestering people. Besides, you must know that pestering people is an un-favoured act and we, as children and youngsters, should learn how to refrain from it” .

The other children who were listening became aware of it and the boy also promised that he also would not pester others anymore.

Story no. 48: Saeeda and request for chadar

Saeeda, who went to school everyday, one day came home and said“Mother, today I saw our neighbour wearing a chadar and coming to school. The children exclaimed “This chadar is for big women, why did you wear it?” to which she replied“My parents said “You are close to being big. Why not start wearing chadar from now on so that as you grow, you have a practice for it” . Saeeda said“Mother, I too want a chadar” .

Her mother said“I will go to the market, buy some cloth and sew a chadar for you tomorrow.”

Bravo to those mothers who are aware of wearing Islamic Hijaab and make their daughters too aware of this divine obligation.

Story no. 49: Trees of the street

Fariedoon, whenever passed his street, would pull and break the branches of the trees or skin them.

One day, Shahid was watching this scene from far.

He said to Fariedoon“Do you know of what use these trees are for?”

He replied“No” .

Shahid said“We humans have a great need of oxygen which we should inhale. This oxygen is given out from plants and trees. We have a job of giving water to the trees so that they do not dry up. This water is taken in by their branches. We, humans take in food and then it reaches different parts of our body through blood vessels. The tree has some substance which does the same job as our blood vessels. These blood vessels are contained in it’s skin. And you are, instead of giving water to it, breaking it’s branches and skinning it” . Fariedoon said“Thank you very much for telling me, I did not know that” .

Story no. 50: The thirsty animal on the corner of the street.

The thirsty animal was lying on the corner of the street.

People did not pay much attention to it, some went past it without noticing while some just watched and passed by.

Sabir the son of Aqa Dilsouz was watching the dog with much interest.

He went indoors and called his mother“Mother, I want a bowl of water” .

His mother was surprised“For what?” she said.

He replied“ For giving it to a thirsty animal” .

His mother respected his request and gave him what he wanted.

Sabir ran and placed the bowl of water in front of the dog. The dog came slowly, unveiled his tongue and began drinking. After some time he wagged his tail and went away.

Yes, some children, instead of doing this, throw stones at animals and hurt them.

But good children must, whoever it is, avoid hurting them.

Story no. 51: A friendly gathering in the park.

Some youngsters had gathered in a park, they were talking and laughing.

Suddenly one of them put his hand in his pocket, took out a cigarette and began smoking.

His other friends looked at him, amazed and exclaimed“What is this?”

He replied“Doesn’t matter, I’m doing it for fun” .

A friend said“In the beginning, we call it fun, but it is very difficult to get rid of this habit later” .

Another friend said“Do you know the bad effects caused by smoking?

1- Bad Breath

2- Corruption of teeth

3- Cancer

4- Getting old faster

5-Waste of Money

6- Difficulty in breathing” .

The youngster, with help of advice from his friends, left smoking and promised never to smoke again.

Story no. 52: The fatherless girl.

A girl by the name of Pari had lost her father at a tender age of four years.

She had loved her father very much and was one day crying. Her mother came and took her out with the hope that she would forget her father if she played with the children. But she was not able to do so. Each of the children talked about the love of fathers with her. For example one said“My father bought this doll for me” .

Another said“My father bought these new shoes for me” .

Someone else would say“My father loves me so much that whenever I reach home, he picks me up and kisses me” .

This happened eveyday, till one day her neighbour friend said to her“I know how you feel.” The two of them sat together and shared the pain of being orphans.

From that day, the children of the street would never mention anything regarding ‘fathers’ to Pari and were more kind to her than ever.

Story no. 53: Why the friendship of Nusrat and Heshmat did not have durability.

Nusrat and Heshmat were class mates as well as play mates.

They were so attached to each other and played together so much that some people thought that they were brothers.

But their friendship did not continue it’s durability. It had a defect, and that defect was caused by an incident. One day Nusrat told Heshmat a good many secrets and told him not to leak them to others. But Heshmat was treacherous towards Nusrat. He told all his friend’s secrets to others.

When Nusrat came to know about this, he was very angry.

He gave him some advice and then told him “You don’t deserve my loyalty and friendship. One of the qualities of the morals of Islam is to keep secrets and we should keep others secrets.

Story no. 54: Unhappiness of Rasheed from the ridiculing of children.

When Rashid was 2 years old, he had gone to the roof and had fallen down. He suffered a great injury afterwards and limped, and that was the very cause that children at school laughed at him.

Mostly, children walked like him and made others laugh.

Rasheed was greatly hurt and ashamed, so he made up his mind not to go to school anymore.

When his parents came to know, they went and concluded it to the principal of the school.

The principal then went to Rasheed’s class and delivered a short speech on some actions that are not liked in Islam. He said that we must respect all people in the world because they are equal. He also said that God has prevented us from ridiculing and hurting others.

Bravo to those principals that make children aware of actions against Islamic etiquettes.

Story no. 55: Umid and his apology from his friend.

Umid’s nose began to bleed while coming back from school.

He stood by the wall of the school until the bleeding stopped.

After some time, he saw a place where he could wash hands and face.

He decided to go in and wash the blood off his, hands and nose, so he left his bag and his wrist watch over there.

But when he came back, his watch had been stolen!

Because he had seen his friend some time before in the school, he assumed that it was him who had his watch.

The next day at school, Umid claimed his watch from his friend.

He said that he did not have it.

At last, Umid found the thief of his watch.

But because he had accused his friend of stealing, he went to his friend and apologised.

Yes, accusation is one of the most ill- favoured act in Islam and also a big sin.

Story no. 56: Iqbal’s recommendation about brushing teeth to Fatih

In school, some students sat together.

Similarly, Iqbal and Fatih sat together. But Iqbal kept on looking at Fatih’s defected teeth. They were yellow in colour.

Iqbal, who was raised in a religious family and was aware of the recommendations of Islam, said to Fatih“Why don’t you brush your teeth? They have turned yellow!

Some days ago, I went to the mosque with my father.

There, the preacher said “I have heard that the prophet (saw) used to brush his teeth three times before going to bed” .

Is’nt it very good, Fatih, if we too follow in the footsteps of the great leaders of Islam.

Story no. 57: In front of the television.

Raihana was a girl of 7 years.

She was introduced to all children once she stepped in school.

But one thing that surprised her most was that why small children walked about with glasses!

When she asked one of the children, he answered“I could not read or write from close. My father took me to an eye specialist. He first diagnosed my problem and then said that my eyes were weak due to watching television from a close distance. He gave me glasses and then requested me not to watch television too closely.”

When Raihana heard this, she went home and requested the other children to watch T.V from a safe distance.

Yes, man should value the unique things given by God specially eyesight so that he can take advantage of it by reading and writing.

Story no. 58: On Mothers’ Day

It was mother’s day, and all the children were buying gifts for their mothers.

Some one was buying stockings, someone shoes, someone a frying pan, and so on.

But Sharif and Azadeh were from an Islamic family. Sharif said“Whatever I give my mother is less, because the Holy Prophet has said “Paradise lies under the feet of mothers” .

Azadeh said“Whatever we give, it wouldn’t be enough for Mama” .

After thinking for quite a while, Sharif said “Because Mama loves to pray, recite Quran and duas, we can give her a Quran and Mafatih (Book of Duas).

Finally, Shareef bought his mother a Quran and Azadeh gifted her with a Mafatih.

Story no. 59: On teachers’ day.

Sharifa and Siddiqa were two neighbours, they went to school together and returned together.

After some days, Teacher’s day came. Each of the children either gifted their teachers with a trumpet or a bunch of flowers.

Sharifa said to Siddiqa“All the children are giving their teachers trumpets or flowers” .

Siddiqa said“What do we do now?” .

Sharifa said“How nice if we ask our parents to guide us” .

After taking a suggestion from their parents, they gifted their teacher a moral book each.

Story no. 60: Hoori in the wedding ceremony.

When the family was invited for the wedding ceremony, they only took their 5 year old daughter Hoori with them.

On the way, Hoori’s mother told her“Sit quietly with me and do not go and start eating the fruits or sweets unless other people do so and I tell you. Whatever you want quietly mention it to me” . But when they went there, Hoori did not obey her mother, and whilst other children were quietly sitting with their mothers watching the bride, Hoori went and started eating the sweets and fruits.

Her mother was very ashamed.

When they reached home her mother said “Hoori, why did you disobey me and went to eat the sweets and fruits? Didn’t you notice how the other children sat quietly with their mothers?

Story no. 61: Rau’fa and hygiene of hands and mouth.

Whenever Miss Saleema called her daughter, Rau’fa down for lunch, dinner or breakfast, Rau’fa first washed her hands with a soap and after finishing every meal, brushed her teeth.

One day, Miss Saleema said to her“Rau’fa, It makes me happy to see you washing your hands before meals and brushing your teeth after them. Where did you learn this from?”

Rau’fa replied “Our teacher requested us to wash hands before meals and to brush our teeth after meals.

She also said that this is one of the orders in Islam.

Bravo to those teachers who make children aware of the recommended schedule in Islam.

Story no. 62: Respecting aunt instead of mother.

Raazia and Asghar had lost their mother during childhood.

The bearing of the loss of mother was very hard for them.

The services of the house were performed by their father’s wife, but the kindness of a mother and love of father’s wife are completely different.

Though Asghar and Raazia were not negligent of honouring father’s wife, yet they showed more love towards their aunt (mother’s sister).

They bought stockings for her, sometimes toys for her children and sometimes would run errands for her.

Till one day their father said“Why do you respect your aunt so much?”

Asghar replied“I heard that the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) said respecting aunt is like respecting mother. We do not have a mother to serve, so why not be fortunate enough to serve and respect our aunt?”

Their father was happy and encouraged them more.

Story no. 63: Attachment of Aqa Abul Fazl

Aqa Abul Fazl showed much love towards his 12 year old son, Arif.

Arif’s mother asked her husband one day“Why do you love Arif so much?”

He replied“The other children always say one or two lies everyday. But I have never heard a lie from Arif, be it seriously or joking. This love of mine is for the truthfulness.”

His wife said“Yes, you are right because neither did I hear a lie from our son” .

Bravo to those children who speak the truth with everyone and their parents.

Truthfulness is one of the good qualities of Islam.

Story no. 64: Why we attend classes.

It was recess time and some youngsters were sitting together.

One of them said“Why do we attend classes?”

The first one said“I attend classes so that I become an engineer” .

The second one said“I attend classes so that I become a doctor” .

The third said“I attend classes so that I do not become illiterate.”

The fourth said“I attend classes to get a degree when I grow up.”

The fifth one said“Isn’t it better if we attend classes so we do not have to depend on others and can run our own business when we grow up, or if not that, we can do a job and don’t become a pauper?”

All the youngsters had good ambitions but the suggestion of the fifth one was on the highest place.

Story no. 65: Why Nadeema did not go to the Wedding ceremony.

The family was invited to the wedding ceremony. The card said for Mr. ___________ and family. But on the foot of the card was written “Your children are to be invited later. Which meant that children were not supposed to be coming with their parents. Still, some of the children insisted on coming with their parents.

But eight year old Nadeema told the children that we are not supposed to go with our parents because we are not invited. If we go, we will act against morality.

Bravo to those children who have good understanding and follow and obey the orders of morality.

Story no. 66: Contentment in stationary.

Amir had used only one bag ever since he started school. He was very careful while writing; he used to leave little space between words and sentences and used both sides of a page. He also showed contentment in writing materials like pen, pencil and papers.

Imran, who was a classmate, said“Amir, I recieve a new bag every year, leave much space between words, and use only one side of a page. I have stationary and writing materials in vast quantity.”

Amir replied “If I want, I can also be like you, but we should not waste money because in one way, we will then be dependant on others for our needs. So it is better if we avoid being dependant, and try to conserve it for our country.

Other than that, have you not heard that Imam Ali (as) has said “Contentment is a river that never dries.

Story no. 67: We saw European children.

Safir had gone to a country in Europe for further studies. To stay away from corruption over there, he married an Irani girl.

When he returned to Iran, they had two children, Ahmad and Zahra.

Ahmad was eight years old and Zahra six.

Safir first lived with his family in his parents’ house but then afterwards they shifted to their personal house.

Some of the other families were surprised on seeing this Europian family, and the main reason of their being surprised was the Islamic behaviours of the two children.

Ahmad said Salaam to anyone he met and thanked God if any one asked his welfare. Zahra started wearing a scarf from a very young age and they both prayed namaz regularly.

It wasn’t long before the two children were examples for the families, and they knew that although those children were raised in a foreign English land, due to the mindfulness of the parents their culture was still Islamic.

Story no. 68: Worker of the house.

The wife had lost her husband.

To avoid poverty, she had to work at people’s houses and provide food for her children.

Sometimes she took her two year old child with her so that while taking care of other children, she may take care of him too.

But most of the children said abusive words to the woman and sometimes hurt the two year orphan.

Till one day, Tal’at, the ten year old girl of the owner of the house, gathered the children and advised them.One of her words were“Children, it is against the morals of Islam that we pester to the woman who has no guardian and comes to serve us

How nice of us if we be kind to her and that orphan child so that God may keep our fathers safe” .

Have you not heard that Imam Ali (as) was always kind to orphans and widows.

Story no. 69: Hami at the table.

Whenever the family was called down to meals and the children sat at the table, Hami only ate from the centre of the bread and did not eat the corners.

As a result, much bread was wasted.

One day, one of Hami’s brothers said to him“Hami, do you know that wastage is an action that is against the morals of Islam?”

And if we want we can be content with little and avoid wasting money.

This is also a law of our countries.

Story no. 70: Wajeeh at the table

Whenever Wajeeh sat at the table and started to eat food, he did not say Bismillah and did not thank God after meals.

One day his brother, Najeeb said“Don’t you see that before Mom and Dad begin to eat they say Bismillah and at the end of it they say Alhamdu lillah?

Wajeeh replied “Why do they do so?

His brother said “They say so because all these vegetables, fruits, bread, water and everything else is gifted to us by God. So it is very good if we start and end food with his name” .

And other tan that, the leaders of Islam have always requested us to say this and we must obey them.

Story no. 71: Generous help by the children.

Every Friday, the needy came at the doors of people, asking for money. Similarly, a beggar came to Aqa Abdullah’s house.

He asked for help.

Aqa Abdullah wanted to give him 2 tomans, but his daughter Ruqayya said“Father, I have 5 tomans from the weekly pocket money I get. If you allow I’ll give 2 tomans to him.

His other daughter, Rabab said “Father, I also have 4 tomans, would you allow me too?”

Their brother, Saqib said “Father I am also ready to give this needy person six tomans would you allow me to do so?

Their father allowed them to help the needy man and they helped him greatly.

Their parents thanked god for such generous and helping children and were pleased.

Story no. 72: Simin and Amin’s quarrel.

In families, children often quarrel with each other and sulk away for some time.

In one family of 8, Simin and Amin had had a great quarrel and sulked away from each other, no matter how much the others tried to re-unite them.

Till Mustafa, their brother, decided to make peace between them.

He went to Simin and said“Simin! If only you knew how much Amin loves you! He said he’d love to see you open a clinic for ladies” .

He then went to Amin and said“Simin said she would love to see you finish university and grow older, and one day become a professor at the university” .

At last they were re-united.

Their sister, Fatima said“Mustafa, you did a great job, but you told a number of lies” .

Mustafa said“When we want to make peace between two people, it doesn’t matter how many lies we say” .

Story no. 73: Teaching bad things.

The mother had an ill child.

She went to the doctor and got medicine from him.

But whenever she wanted to make him eat medicine,he used to shout and cry.

With great difficulty and promises of buying toys, she managed to get the medicine down his throat, but afterwards she did not fulfill her promises.

Her two year old daughter, Zeenat said“Mother, it is not right that you make promises to your son and not fulfill them. This is dangerous for the future of the child because when he grows up, he is going to learn bad things from you” .

The mother was pleased with her daughter’s guidance and encouraged her.

Yes O Parents! If you want your children to possess the morals of Islam, then fulfill the promises made by you to your children, for this is an order from the Holy Prophet (saw).

Story no. 74: Scaring of children.

In some houses, children enjoy scaring others.

One boy, called Fahim scared every child in the neighbourhood.

For example, he said to one“Be careful, the Genie might take you!”

To another he said“Be careful of the dead! He may take you also!”

There was a boy called Humayoon who solved problems for the children.

One day he gathered them and said “You know what is imagination, don’t you? Well, to avoid it, you should excercise so that you have strong nerves.And also, that when you grow up, only be scared of the sins you comitted because every sin has a punishment and a result and we do not have the strength to bear God’s punishment.

Story no. 75: Disagreement of the children.

Kiya was very unhappy, because he had lost his father and his mother had re-married. The man, too, had lost his wife and had brought along with him his two children, Sadiq and Qasim.

The man and woman were both choiceless in the matters of their marriage, but the only cause of disagreement was the children. Kiya used to think that if he wouldn’t have lost his father, he wouldn’t have been caught in this situation, and Qasim and Sadiq thought that if their mother would not be dead, they wouldn’t have to go in another house, and meet a step brother. Their disagreement made their father and mother unhappy.

Till one day, Qasim, who was the oldest of the three, gathered the other boys and said“Although we were strangers yesterday, today we are of the same family. Kiya’s mother is our mother, and our father the father of all of us.So how good if we be kind to each other” .he finished.

After that, he went out and bought some ice cream and divided it between them.

Kiya, whenever went out, would bring sweets and whenever Sadiq returned from school he bought a pen for each one of them.

Story no. 76: The children’s complain against their parents.

Mar’at, Ilham and Aram were brothers and sisters.

One day they were talking about the jobs of their household when Mar’at said“I dont think that there are any mothers and fathers like ours” .

Ilham said“I am pleased with both of them but I don’t know about them” .

Aram said“I dont think any of the children are as lucky as us. But I have noticed one thing about mother and father; whenever we talk to them they do not pay attention to what we are saying, it is also possible that we want something” .

They decided to discuss this important matter to their parents.

Yes, it is very good if parents pay attention to their children and grant their wishes when possible.

Story no. 77: Writing on the walls.

Azad, who was a regular student, sometimes saw that children wrote on the walls with pens, pencils and markers.

He made up his mind to stop this But he knew that he couldn’t go alone. So he gathered some students and went to the principal of the school. They said to him“It is not our job to take care of the school building. But if you allow, when the children are ready to enter the class, we will say that the school is like the house and to avoid from writing on walls” .

The next day, Azad with his friends , with the permission of the principal, got a microphone and said“the school is just like our home and we must not write on the walls of the school building and the classes” . After that, he said“writing on the walls is forbidden and we are not allowed to do so” . And this thing the children completely understood.

Story no. 78: Advice about cleanliness.

From the children who play in the streets or go to school, only some have the tidiness of their faces and clothes.

Hussam, who was a clean boy, said to an untidy boy “Don’t you know that the Holy Prophet (saw) has preached cleanliness with faith?

And besides, uncleanliness spreads a lot of illnesses and diseases. So try keep your clothes and body clean so that you don’t fall ill and people won’t avoid sitting with you.

Story no. 79: Atabak and running away from school.

Atabak was tired and fed-up of having to go to school and attend classes.

So he ran away from school.

His father and mother tried their best to persuade him to go back, but it was all in vain.

At last he left school and used to play in te streets and do nothing else.

After some days, some relatives of his came to his town and brought gifts for everyone.

They gave Atabak a frame on which was written ‘Seek education from the cradle till death’.

Because he was illiterate, he was greatly ashamed, and at the same time, decided to continue education.

He did so, and not only was he no longer illiterate, he reached high status

Story no. 80: Loss of over-eating.

Adeeb, wehenever sat at the table, used to eat more than the other children, and after meals, did not avoid eating different types of fruits, chocolates and ice creams.

One day Mujtaba said to him“Brother, don’t you know that over-eating is ill-favoures in islam?”

But Adeeb never lent an ear.

Till he fell ill.

When he went to the doctor, he said that the loss that you are suffering is just because of over-eating.

Another brother of his called Sharif said“We have heard that the Holy Prophet has said “Do not eat till you are hungry and leave food before you are full” .

And if we avoid over-eating we won’t fall ill.

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