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QuestionsOn The Third Testimony

Author:Bashir Alidina

www.alhassanain.org/english

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Table of Contents

Preface 5

BIHAR UL ANWAAR - VOL 27 CH 10 H 16 5

AL YAQEEN - SYED IBN TAWOOS 589 - 664 AH 5

BIHAR UL ANWAAR - VOL 6 - H 16 6

The Firmest Handle 7

THE HOLY QUR'AN - AL BAQARAH VERSE 256 7

AL FADHAAIL - SHADHAAN BIN JIBRAEEL - 6C AH P152 7

BIHAR UL ANWAAR - VOL 37 CH 54 H 10 7

AL IHTIJAJ AL TABARSI - VOL 1 P230 7

ADHAAN AT THE TIME OF THE HOLY PROPHET (S.A.W.) 7

BIHAR UL ANWAAR - VOL 27 CH1 H1 9

AL YAQEEN - SYED IBN TAWOOS 589 - 664 AH 10

Basharat Al Mustafa Li Shiat Al Murtaza - 511 AH 11

TAFSEER AL IMAM HASSAN AL ASKARI (A.S.) 11

AL FADHAAIL - SHAZAN BIN JIBRAEEL 5TH C H 13

CONCLUSION 13

Namaaz (Prayer) 14

QUESTIONS 14

TASHAHHUD (BEARING TESTIMONIES) 14

ILLUL AL SHARAIE - VOL 2 P602 15

Tashahhud Of The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) 15

Tashahhud Of The Holy Imam Ali Al Ridha (A.S.) 17

SO WHY HAVE THEY TOLD US TO RECITE ONLY TWO TESTIMONIES? 17

AL KAFI VOL 2 P 547 17

AL KAFI VOL 3 P 337 17

CONCLUSION 17

Our Life 19

AL KAFI - H 1077, Ch. 107, h 4 19

BIRTH 19

MUSTADRAK AL WASAAIL - CH 115 H 14 19

THIS WORLD 19

BIHAR UL ANWAAR - VOL 67 CH 27 H 38 19

The Grave 19

THE DAY OF JUDGMENT 20

MUSTADRAK AL WASAAIL - VOL 47 H 2 20

BRIDGE OF SIRAAT 20

PARADISE 20

BIHAR UL ANWAAR - VOL 27 H 24 21

Final Point 22

Preface

The main purpose of the article is to explain the importance of the Third Testimony in theAdhaan and theNamaaz .

ThoseHadeeth that establish the Third Testimony to be the main crux of the matter of religion andemphasise its importance are simply too many to mention here. For the sake of the brevity of this article,I will take it for granted that we all regard this as an established fact.

This testimony was established when the heavens and the earth were established, and it permeates every nook and cranny of the Universe.Basically there is no place that is devoid of it.

The very first thing that the Pen was told to write on the Tablet was this testimony, whereas the Heavens did not calm down after their creationuntil such time as the Third Testimony was inscribed on them.

BIHAR UL ANWAAR - VOL 27 CH 10 H 16

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) said: "By the One who sent me as a giver of good news, Neither the Chair and the Throne was set up nor were the heavens and the earth established but Allah (s.w.t .) Wrote on it - 'There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,Ali is the Commander of the faithful'".

All the Prophets from the first to the last have borne this testimony. Thiswas inscribed on the seal of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) in between his shoulder blades.and was revealed in the previous Divine Scriptures of the Torah and the Evangel and the Book of the Holy Prophet Ibrahim (a.s .). The list goeson and on and on . Let us justtake a look at a couple of examples.

AL YAQEEN - SYED IBN TAWOOS 589 - 664 AH

The Holy ImamJa'far AlSadiq (a.s ) said: 'A man came to the Commander of the Faithful (a.s .) in the Mosque ofkufa and said, 'O Commander of the Faithful! Surely there is in the Quran a Verse which has corrupted the religious.' He (a.s )said: 'And which one is that?'

The Statement of Allah (s.w.t .) 'And ask those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped besides the Beneficent Allah? (43:45).' And where were the Prophets during the time of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w .) that he (s.a.w .) would have asked them?' The Commander of the Faithful (a.s .) said to them: 'Take a seat! God WillingI shall inform you of this.

Surely Allah (s.w.t .) has Said in His Book 'Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque to the remote mosque of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs' -

One of the signs of Allah (s.w.t .) that he (s.a.w .) saw was thatJibraeel stopped at theBayt AlMa'moor and the ablution was performed at the Mosque of AlAqsa andJibraeel stood and recited theAdhaan said to him (s.a.w .), 'Go forward and Pray and the angels behind you of a number known only to Allah (s.w.t .).

In the first line were Adam (a.s .) andNooh (a.s .) and Ibrahim (a.s .) andHud (a.s .) and Musa (a.s .) and Isa (a.s .) and every Prophet that Allah the Holy the High had sent since the creation of the Heavens and the earth and then sent Muhammad (s.a.w .). The Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) moved forward and led them in Prayer with dignity and without bashfulness.

Allah (s.w.t .) revealed in the twinkling of an eye 'And ask those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped besides the Beneficent Allah? (43:45)'. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) turned towards them and addressed themaltogether: 'How did you bear the testimonies?'

They replied, 'We bore that surely there is no Deity except Allah (s.w.t .) Who is One without Partner and you are the Messenger of Allah and that the Commander of the Faithful Ali is your Trustee, and you are the Messenger of Allah and the Master of all Prophets and Ali is the Master of all the Trustees, and these testimonies were taken as a covenant from us.' The man said, 'You have revived my heart and rescued me O Commander of the Faithful!'

BIHAR UL ANWAAR - VOL 6 - H 16

InAmaali ofSheykh Toosi it has been narrated that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) said to the Holy Imam Ali (a.s .): 'Take this ring of mine and get inscribed on it 'Muhammad Bin Abdullah'.

The Commander of the Faithful (a.s .) took it and gave it to the engraver and said to him, 'Inscribe on it 'Muhammad Bin Abdullah'.' The engraver mistakenly inscribed on it 'Muhammad the Messenger of Allah' on it. The Commander of the Faithful (a.s .) went to him and asked him what he has done. He said that he had engraved it as such.

The Commander of the Faithful (a.s .) said that: 'Indeed it is true but I will take it to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w .) and see what he (s.a.w .) has to say about this and so he (a.s .) did and said: 'O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w .)! The engraver has made this error and has engraved this as such.' The Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) took andlook and the engraved ring and said: 'I am Muhammad Bin Abdullah and I am Muhammad the Messenger of Allah.' He (s.a.w .) decided to keep it.

The next morning when he (s.a.w .) looked at the ring he saw inscribed on it 'Ali is the Trustee of Allah' and was surprised. The ArchangelJibraeel descended and told him (s.a.w .) that Allah (s.w.t .) hasSaid : 'O Muhammad! You have written on it what you desired andWe have written on it what We have Desired.'

As you can see from thisthat the Third Testimony is the Desire of Allah (s.w.t .), our Creator.

There is simply too much evidence to provide for the importance of the Third Testimony. The objective of this article is mainly to discuss it in the context of theAdhaan and theNamaaz .

Whatever the evidence, one thing is for certain, that the Third Testimony is the axis around which the whole wheel of our religion rotates. This is the key to salvation. Withoutthis there is nothing left worthy of mention.

Bashir Alidina

The Firmest Handle

THE HOLY QUR'AN - AL BAQARAH VERSE 256

[Shakir 2:256] There is no compulsion in religion;truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error; therefore, whoever disbelieves in theShaitan and believes in Allah he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handle, which shall not break off, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

AL FADHAAIL - SHADHAAN BIN JIBRAEEL - 6C AH P152

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) said: Whoever intends to hold on to the Firmest Handle in this world and in the hereafter should immediately say 'There is no God but Allah (s.w.t .), Muhammad (s.a.w .) is the Messenger of Allah (s.w.t .), Ali (a.s .) is the Trustee of Allah (s.w.t .).'

Wonderful! Indeed there is no compulsion in religion. Indeed, the truth has clearly become distinct from error.

How much more clarity do you expect? Those who hold on to the Third Testimony are on truth whereas the others have erred.

That's it!

Adhaan (The Call)The First Call

Let us start from the beginning.

BIHAR UL ANWAAR - VOL 37 CH 54 H 10

The first One to bear the third testimony after the two was Allah (s.w.t .).It has been related from the Holy ImamJafar AlSadiq (a.s .) who said: 'When Allah (s.w.t .) Created the heavens and the earth, He (s.w.t .) Commanded a caller who announced - I bear witness that there is no God except Allah, three times; I bear witness that Muhammad (s.aw.) is the Messenger of Allah (s.w.t .), three times; I bear witness that Ali (a.s .) is the Commander of the faithful truly, three times'.

And so this is how it all began, with the Third Testimony forming part of the bearing of all testimonies. This is the reason why the Holy Imam (a.s .) commanded us to bear this testimony whenever we bear the first two.

AL IHTIJAJ AL TABARSI - VOL 1 P230

So came the order from the ImamJa'far AlSadiq (a.s .): 'Whoever says - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah must immediately say Ali is the Commander of the Faithful'.

And thus , the hypocrites, who only bear two testimonies, were trapped.

[Shakir 63:1] When the hypocrites come to you, theysay: We bear witness that you are most surely Allah's Messenger; and Allah knows that you are most surely His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are surely liars.

As you can see, technically, they are correct in bearing of the two testimonies, butthey have still been branded as liars by Allah (s.w.t .) .

ADHAAN AT THE TIME OF THE HOLY PROPHET (S.A.W.)

The question that arises in the mind ofa lot of people is - Did the third testimony form part of theAdhaan during the time of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .)? If it did, then that would put an end to all arguments.

ABU DHARR'S ADHAAN AFTER GHADEER - AL SALAFA FI AMR AL KHILAFA - SHEYKH ABDULLAH AL MIRAGI - 7TH C AH

Thehonourable companion AbuDharr AlGhafari (a.r .), after the event ofGhadeer , in his call for the prayer, made an increment of bearing witness to the Mastership of the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s .), after the two testimonies.

The hypocrites and the enemies gathered around the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) and related to him (s.a.w .) what they had heard from AbuDharr (a.r .). They then waited for the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) to join his (s.a.w .) voice along with theirs in rebuking AbuDharr (a.r .) for the increase.Instead the Holy Prophet (s.a.w ) turned his faced towards them and rebuked them: 'Did I not address this in my sermon to you?'

Theyreplied: 'Yes!' He (s.a.w .) asked them: 'What was the meaning of my long sermon in the scorching heat of this blazing desert? Does this not mean to you that the Commander of the Faithful is the Trustee of Allah?

You all heard AbuDharr , what greenery did you pick up from this dust bowl, in the truthful tone of AbuDharr ?' Theysaid: 'Yes! AbuDharr does not talk in vain and he is steadfast in his truth. He does not speak except the truth.' He (s.a.w .) continued: 'After witnessing his sincerity, why did you come to doubt him?

Has AbuDharr come with something new?' He (s.a.w .) then uncovered the consequences of the opposition to the Command andsaid: 'You will overcome, after me, in your opposition. Yes, you will all change after me and reject my caliph as a consequence of your evil.'

And the meaning of his (s.a.w .) words is that Imam AliIbn Abi Talib (a.s .) is the third pillar of religion after Allah (s.w.t .) and the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .). Imamate is the third pillar of Islam afterTawheed (Oneness of Allah) andNabuwwat (Prophethood ).

And so He (s.a.w .) decided this testimony to be part of theAdhaan and stressed its validity and permissibility. It is likely that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) had himself advised AbuDharr to take this blessed step. We do not exclude this possibility because a companion ashonourable as AbuDharr would not have taken this step of his own accord.

This must be as a result of two things - either the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) had ordered him to do so or else this was AbuDharr's understanding of the statements of the Holy prophet (s.a.w .) and his (s.a.w .) stance. Anyhow, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) has made his (s.a.w .) move. Itis agreed by the scholars and the jurists that the words of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .), his (s.a.w .) actions and his (s.a.w .) sermon is proof of law.

Okay, so thisHadeeth comes from a non-Shiite source. Sometimes it happens that even the adversaries concur with your position and then you can point to them and say that 'See! Even they agree with us!'

Incidentally, there is also anotherHadeeth from non-Shiite sources from AbuLaith AlHarwi where it is stated that the Third Testimony did form part of theAdhaan during the time of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .), but soon after was stopped by the ruling Caliphs who claimed it to have been abrogated.

The mainHadeeth from Shiite sources for the third testimony is the one below:

BIHAR UL ANWAAR - VOL 27 CH1 H1

It has been related thatQasim BinMuwaiya said to the Holy ImamJa'far AlSadiq (a.s ): 'The people of theSunnah relate aHadeeth aboutMe'raaj that when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) was taken onMe'raaj he (s.a.w .) saw written upon the Throne - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and AbuBakr AsSiddiq '.

He (a.s .) said: 'Glory be to Allah (s.w.t .)! They have changed everything, even this?' Hesaid: 'Yes!' The Holy Imam (a.s .) continued: 'When Allah (s.w.t .) the High created the Throne, He (s.w.t .) wrote upon it - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and Ali is the Commander of the believers.

And when He (s.w.t .) the High Created the Chair, He (s.w.t .) wrote upon it - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and Ali is the Commander of the believers.And when He (s.w.t .) Created the Tablet, He (s.w.t .) wrote on it - He (s.w.t .) wrote upon it - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and Ali is the Commander of the believers.

And when He (s.w.t .) the High CreatedIsrafeel (the angel) he (s.w.t .) wrote upon his forehead - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and Ali is the Commander of the believers.

And when He (s.w.t .) Created the heavens he (s.w.t .) wrote on its fringes - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and Ali is the Commander of the believers. And when he (s.w.t .) the Exalted Created the earth He (s.w.t .) wrote on its layers - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and Ali is the Commander of the believers.

And when he (s.w.t .) the High Created the sun he wrote on it - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and Ali is the Commander of the believers. And when He (s.w.t.0 Created the moon He (s.w.t .) wrote upon it - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and Ali is the Commander of the believers. Then the Holy Imam (a.s .) added: 'Whenever any one of you says - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah - he must say - Ali is the Commander of the believers'.

O reader! Look at the extent of the focus on the name of the Holy Imam Ali (a.s .) wherever is the mention of the Glorified (s.w.t .) and the mention of the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w .).Why this emphasis?

Why this insistence upon writing of the name of Imam Ali (a.s .) on the Throne, the Chair, the Tablet, the forehead ofIsrafeel , the fringes of the heavens, the layers of the earth, the sun, the moon and elsewhere? This demonstrates the necessity of mentioning the name of Imam Ali (a.s .) when mentioning the Oneness of Allah (s.w.t .) and theProphethood of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w .) whenever and wherever they are mentioned. It is clear that theAdhaan and theIqamah are from the resources and there is no doubt about the necessity of the third testimony after the two testimonies, and the two testimonies with the third testimony.

Then we come to the argument whether any of our two testimonies are acceptable without the bearing of the third.

AL YAQEEN - SYED IBN TAWOOS 589 - 664 AH

It is reflected in thesayings of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) and his infallible sons (a.s .) in many of the chants of Allah (s.w.t .) that Wilayah (Mastership) is a precondition to the acceptability of the two testimonies and it is in the nature of the people - The Oneness of Allah (s.w.t .), theProphethood of Muhammad (s.a.w .) and Ali the Commander of the Faithful (a.s .).

So, if the absence of the third renders the first two unacceptable, where does that leave any of our deeds?

Basharat Al Mustafa LiShiat AlMurtaza - 511 AH

I do not accept the deeds of any doer until he bears witness to your (s.a.w .)Prophethood and the Mastership of Ali (a.s .). Whoever says - There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and attaches himself to the Mastership of Ali will enter Paradise.And these are the Holy Words of our Creator Allah (s.w.t .) inHadeeth Qudsi . Let us find out in detail what will happen on the Day of Judgment as regards to the Third Testimony.

TAFSEER AL IMAM HASSAN AL ASKARI (A.S.)

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) said: 'Allah (s.w.t .) Said that one who does not believe in the Quran has also not believed in the Torah, because He (s.w.t .) hasSaid that He (s.w.t .) will not accept their faith on one of them without the other. In the same way, Allah (s.w.t .) has made it an obligation to believe in Wilayah of AliIbn Abi Talib (a.s .) just as he has made it an obligation to have faith in Muhammad (s.a.w .).

If someone was to claim to believe in theProphethood of Muhammad (s.a.w .) and disbelieves in the Wilayah ofAli (a.s .) has not believed in theProphethood of Muhammad (s.a.w .).Surely Allah (s.w.t .) will gather the creation on the Day of Judgment a caller will call out to them to define their belief and disbelief and cry out 'God is Great! God isGreat !

Then another caller will cry out 'O group of creatures repeat this call!' One of the Sects will become dumb and will not repeat this whilst the others will do so. Then the caller will call out, 'I bear witness that there is no God but Allah!' All the creatures will say this except for the polytheists from among theMagians and the Christians and the idol worshippers. Theywill then be separated from the others.

Then the caller will call out 'I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!' All the Muslims will altogether say this but there will be silence from the Jews and the Christians and other Polytheists. Then there will be a call directing the Muslims towards Paradise.

Then Allah (s.w.t .) will Say (Make them wait here untilI ask them) The Angels will then ask O Lord! Whyare they being detained here? Allah (s.w.t .) will Say 'Wait while IAsk them about the Wilayah of AliIbn Abi Talib and theAal E Muhammad (a.s .). O My servants andmaids ! I hadOrdered you to bear another witness after bearing witness ofMuhammmad (s.a.w .); If you bear this witness then I shall increase your rewards and good deeds, or if you do not bear this witness then you will have no benefit from bearing the witness of My Unity and theProphethood of Muhammad (s.a.w .).

Whoever has brought this witness is today successful and whoever has not brought thisis destroyed . Then one person will say: 'I have brought this witness and am a lover ofAal e Muhammad (a.s .)' although he will be a liar and he will think that he will be saved by his false claim. Allah (s.w.t .) will Say' O claimant,We will take the witness of Ali (a.s .) on this'. Allah (s.w.t .) will then Say: 'OAbul Hassan (a.s .)give witness about this'.

Ali (a.s .) will then say: 'O Lord! Paradise is itself a witness tomy friends and Hell is itself a witness of my enemies. Whoever is true in this,then the breeze of Paradise will come towards him and will take him to its highest places and by the Grace of God will place him in his eternal abode. He will not have any grief or pain over there.

Whoever is a liar in this the hot air and boiling water of Hell and the smoke of three pronged shadow will take him away and dump him in Hell'. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w .) willsay: 'O Ali! It is due to this that you are the distributor of Hell and Paradise. You will say to Hell that this person is for you and you are undermy command'.And , so theMujtahids and their followers make the claim that the Third Testimony does not form part of theAdhaan .

They say theHadeeth that the Third Testimony MUSTfollow the first two should be ignored when it comes toAdhaan .And yet they accept thisHadeeth to be true.

They say theHadeeth that the first two testimoniesare rendered unacceptable when not accompanied by the third should also be ignored when it comes toAdhaan .And yet they accept thisHadeeth to be true.

They say theHadeeth that NO deeds will be acceptable on the Day of Judgment without having borne the third testimonyshould also be ignored when it comes toAdhaan .And yet they accept thisHadeeth to be true. Does this make sense to anyone? Especially when you consider the followingHadeeth :

AL MANAQIB - VOL 3 - KHUTBA AL IFTIKHARIYA OF IMAM ALI (A.S.) I am theAdhaan of Allah (s.w.t .) in this world and the caller (Muezzin) in the hereafter. When the Holy Imam Ali (a.s .) is in actual fact theAdhaan itself, how can they justify his testimony not to form part of it? Based on the above evidence, the argument of the people and theirMujtahid Imams does not make sense tome .

TheAdhaan Today

And so we take a look at theAdhaan that we have been given today as being the correct one by theMujtahids .

TAWZEEH UL MASAAIL - SYED ALI AL SISTANI - RULE 927Adhan consists of the following 18 sentences:Allahu Akbar - four times - (Allah is greater than any description) Ashhadu an lailaha illal lah - two times - (I testify that there is no god but Allah) Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasu lul lah - two times - (I testify that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger)

Hayya'alas Salah - two times - (Hasten to prayers)Hayya'alal Falah - two times - (Hasten to deliverance)Hayya'ala Khayril 'Amal - two times (Hasten to the best act)Allahu Akbar - two times - (Allah is greater than any description) Lailaha illal lah - two times - (There is no god but Allah) As you can see that according to thisMujtahid and all others (except of oneSyed MuhammadShirazi - Rule 117) the Third Testimony does not form part of the Ad-haan . It looks like theIjtihad that he did was different from the ones done by the rest of theMujtahids .

Let us now look at the some of the declarations of thisAdhaan .

The first eight sentences are the declaration of the Greatness of Allah (s.w.t .) and the bearing of the first two testimonies. The last four sentences are the two declarations once again of the Greatness of Allah (s.w.t .) and His Unity. That leaves the sixsen -tences of the threedeclarations which we should look at.

AL FADHAAIL - SHAZAN BIN JIBRAEEL 5TH C H

The Holy Imam Ali (a.s .) said: I am theSalaat (Prayer) of the believer; I am (the one referred to in) Hasten to Prayers; Hasten to deliverance and hasten to the best act. This is a clear reference to the three declarations in theAdhaan :Hayya'alas Salah - two times - (Hasten to prayers)

Hayya'alal Falah - two times - (Hasten to deliverance)Hayya'ala Khayril 'Amal - two times - (Hasten to the best act)As you can see, virtually the whole of theAdhaan has been designed for the declaration of Wilayah.

But the Third Testimony does not form part of theAdhaan as given by them. Yet, they cannot avoid the overwhelming evidence against their rulings and so they have made it a recommendation, but OUTSIDE theAdhaan .

CONCLUSION

Let us now look at these twoHadeeth once again for the conclusion. AL MANAQIB - VOL 3 - KHUTBA AL IFTIKHARIYA OF IMAM ALI (A.S.) I am theAdhaan of Allah (s.w.t .) in this world and the caller (Muezzin) in the hereafter. AL IHTIJAJ AL TABARSI - VOL 1 P230

So came the order from the ImamJa'far AlSadiq (a.s .): 'Whoever says - There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah must immediately say Ali is the Commander of the Faithful'.

Can you giveme a reason to let go of the Firmest Handle in the matter ofAdhaan ?I rest my case.

Allah’s Final Messenger

Introduction

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Ahl al-Bayt

Introduction

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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