Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Author (s): Yusuf Mullan

Table of Contents

The Science of نحو. 4

Definition, Purpose and Subject Matter 4

Mapping the Arabic Language. 4

كلمة: 4

The Sentence ( جملة/مركّب مفيد ) 5

إسمِيّه/فعلِيَّه : 5

The Two Parts of the إسميّه Sentence: 7

The Two Parts of the فعليّه Sentence: 7

Grammatical States. 8

Introduction. 8

Reflection of Grammatical States - إعراب... 9

Statelessness -  مبني vs. معرب... 9

Process of Reflection - إعراب أسماء و أفعال.. 12

The 20% of Verbs that are معرب... 12

Types of ن. 14

Essential Note on بناء. 15

The 20% of أسماء that are مبني.. 16

Personal Pronouns - ضماﺋﺮ. 17

Relative Pronouns - الأسماء الموصولة. 21

Demonstrative Pronouns -   الأسماء الإشارة 23

Verbal Nouns - أسماء الأفعال. 24

Adverbs of Time or Place - أسماء الضروف... 24

Words Denoting Sounds or Noises - أسماء الأصوات... 24

Numbers 11-19 - مركّب بناء. 24

Words denoting vagueness - كنايات... 24

Appendix A - Expressiveness of the Arabic Language. 25

The Science of نحو

Definition, Purpose and Subject Matter

نحو is the science of classical Arabic which deals with how to identify the grammatical positioning of the three parts of speech; إسم, فعل and حرف by recognizing the changes which occur at their end.  In addition to this, it discusses how to connect the parts of speech with one another and make meaningful sentences.

The purpose ofنحو is to guard one from making errors when articulating and understanding the language of the Arabs.  From the various sciences associated with the Arabic language, نحو is by far the most important.

All discussions inنحو are centered upon words, phrases, and sentences. 

Mapping the Arabic Language

The most basic utterance which comes out of the human beings mouth is termed ‘لفظ ’.  If it has no established meaning, it is known as ‘ مُهمَل ’ (meaningless), whereas if it does convey established meaning, it is called ‘ مَوضوع ’ (meaningful).  مَوضوع could be either one word, termed مُفرَد (single) also known as ‘ كلمة’ (word) or a group of words;مُرَكَّب (compound).  The group of words can be linked together so as to result in a complete sentence; مركَّب مفيد/جملة/كلام (beneficial combination/sentence), or it may constitute a phrase; مركَّب غير مفيد (non-beneficial combination).

كلمة:

The Arabic ‘word’ ( كلمة) is divided into three types; إسم, فعل and حرف.  Stated otherwise, every word in the Arabic dictionary falls into one of these three categories.  Unlike English which has eight parts of speech, in Arabic there are only three.  This inconsistency will become clear only after precise definitions are given to the three types:

1. إسم: is the ‘ كلمة’ that gives a full independent meaning in itself and is not linked to time, e.g.رجل (man), بيت (house).  The category is broader than ‘noun’ in that it also includes three others from the eight English parts of speech, namely pronouns, adjectives and adverbs.

2. فعل: is the ‘ كلمة’ that gives a full independent meaning in itself and is also linked to time, e.g.كَتَبَ (wrote), يَنصُرُ (helps).  This is exactly the same as the ‘verb’ in English.

3. حرف: is the ‘ كلمة’ which has no independent meaning of its own i.e. can only be understood after coupling either a noun or a verb to it, e.g.في (in), على (on), و (and).  This category includes prepositions, conjunctions, and articles.

The Sentence (جملة/مركّب مفيد )

A sentence is a group of words that conveys to the point of satisfaction either information or desire e.g.الرَّجُلُ طَويلٌ (The man is tall), خُذْ الكِتابَ (Take the book), رَبّي إرزُقْنِي (My lord!  Give me sustenance).  It is primarily of two types:

1. جُملةٌ خَبَرِيّةٌ : is the جُمله wherein the possibility of truth and falsehood exists: e.g. البِنتُ عاقِلَةٌ (The girl is intelligent), المُعَلِّمُ حاضِرٌ (The teacher is present).

2.جُملةٌ إنشاﺋِﻴَّﺔٌ : is the جُمله whose meaning does not support the possibility of truth and falsehood e.g. هل عِندَكَ قَلَمٌ (Do you have a pen?), إشرَب الماء (Drink the water!).

A sentence, essentially, is the conveyance in words of a specific linkage made between two ‘ideas’; one primary, the other descriptive within the mind of the speaker.  Now if the two ideas also exist in the outside world and what the speaker is saying corresponds to the outer reality, it is termed true.  If it does not correspond it is called false.  For instance the sentenceزَيدٌ ناﺋِﻢٌ ( زَيدٌ is sleeping) in which the idea of sleeping has been linked affirmatively to زَيدٌ can be verified by judging it with the reality.  When looking towards what exists in the world, if we see زَيدٌ is actually sleeping, it would mean the affirmation is correct, and hence the statement is true.  Otherwise, it would be false.  In a جُملةٌ إنشاﺋِﻴَّﺔ no such external reality exists.  It is the words of the speaker which for the first time are bringing the two ideas together.  إنشاء literally means to originate.  Now we see clearly why sentences such as questions and commands do not support truth and falsehood; confirmation and non-confirmation to external reality can not occur due to there being no such reality.

Keeping in mind the above explanation, EVERY possible sentence can be easily classified into eitherخَبَرِيّةٌ or إنشاﺋِﻴَّﺔ , including sentences about which we know with absolute certitude that they are true, such as ‘Allah created the heavens’, or likewise with certitude we know their falsehood, such as ‘The sky is below us’.  Both these and similar statements are without doubt خَبَرِيّةٌ sentences, for they have external realities to which they either confirm or not confirm.  It is the existence of this reality (or non-existence) which determines whether the sentence will be classified خَبَرِيّةٌ or إنشاﺋِﻴَّﺔ

إسمِيّه/فعلِيَّه :

We said every sentence is essentially made up of two parts; a primary one and a descriptive one.  First they link together in the mind of the speaker.  Then they are conveyed through the medium of words.  This linkage which results in a sentence is termed ‘إسناد ’.  The primary part or subject of the sentence is called ‘ مُسنَد إليهِ ’ and the descriptive part or predicate is known as ‘ مُسنَد ’.  To illustrate, consider a boy ( وَلَدٌ ) and the idea of laziness ( كَسلٌ ).  There are several ways these two ideas can be linked together.  Some will result in sentences while others will form only phrases:

1.الوَلَدُ الكَسلانُ , the lazy boy: a descriptive phrase

2.كَسَلُ الوَلَدِ , the boy’s laziness: a possessive phrase

3.الوَلَدُ كَسلانُ , The boy is lazy: a full sentence ( إسناد- جملة إسميّة ).

4.كَسِِلَ الوَلَدُ , The boy became lazy: also a full sentence ( إسناد- جملة فعليّة ).

In the third example “الوَلَدُ كَسلانُ ” the إسم ‘الوَلَدُ ’ which appears first is the مُسنَد إليهِ i.e. the primary part of the sentence.  The إسم (in this case adjective)كَسلانُ is the predicate and it appears second.

In the fourth example “كَسِِلَ الوَلَدُ ” again it’s the إسم : الوَلَدُ which is being talked ‘about’, so it is the مُسنَد إليه .  Only here it does not appear first, but second.  The فعل (verb)كَسِِلَ , appearing first, is the descriptive part and therefore the مُسنَد

We see there is no consistent order in which they must appear.  Subject and predicate do not mean first and second.  They mean primary and descriptive.  When the sentence comprises of just two words, as in both the above examples, identifying the two is still relatively easy.  However, like in all languages, sentences in Arabic are not restricted to just two words.  They can be very long.  Having sentences which are between ten and say twenty words long is quite normal in Arabic.  It is in such complex sentences that the process of identifying the subject, (made up of multiple phrases) from the predicate (also compound) becomes somewhat difficult.  A great portion ofنحو is devoted to parsing and analyzing sentences in order to determine the subject from the predicate, for even the basic translation of a sentence depends entirely on it.  It is for this reason great scholars like Ibn Khaldun say “ أهَمُّها النَّحوُ إذ لَولاه أصلُ التَفاهُم ”.  (The most important of the sciences associated with the Arabic language is نحو , for without it no communication can exist).  لُغَه which is knowledge of vocabulary, according to him is the least important aspect of Arabic.

To make recognition of theمُسنَد إليه and مُسنَد  somewhat easier the scholars of نحو further classify the sentence into two categories based on the first word in the sentence:

1.جمله أسميّه : the sentence which begins with an إسم e.g.الوَلَدُ قاﺋِﻢٌ (The boy is standing).  The two parts are known as مُبتَدا and خَبَر (subject and predicate).

2.جمله فعليّه : the sentence which begins with a فعل e.g.ذَهَبَ حامِدٌ (Hamid went).  The two parts are known as فعل andفاعل (verb and subject).

The Two Parts of the إسميّه Sentence:

Theمُسنَد إليهِ , when it appears in an إسميَّه structure, is calledمُبتَدا .  With rare exception, it will be first in the sentence.  The مُسنَد in this type of sentence is called خَبَر

The Two Parts of the فعليّه Sentence:

Theمُسنَد إليه , when it appears in the فعليَّه sentence, it is called فاعل or subject of the verb preceding it.  Unlike in English, the verb ALWAYS precedes the subject in Arabic.  Therefore, in this type of sentence the مُسنَد إليه i.e. the فاعل will always come after the descriptive part or predicate.  The predicate ( مُسنَد ) is known simply as فعل.  These ideas are summarized below in Table 1-A.

Table Error! No text of specified style in document. - A -إسناد

Grammatical States

Introduction

Human beings experience emotional states based on interaction with one another.  People make us happy, angry, and sad etc.  These states are then reflected on our faces by our facial expressions i.e. smiles, frowns etc.  Arabic words behave in a similar fashion.  They enter grammatical states because of interaction with surrounding words.  These ‘grammatical states’ are then reflected on the last letter of the word.  Unlike human emotions, grammatical states in Arabic are just four:

رفع - the nominative case.

نصب - the accusative case.

جر - the genitive case.

جزم - the jussive case.

We see this in the English language to a very restricted degree in pronouns.  Take for example the three variations of the third person masculine pronoun; he, him and his or for the feminine; she, her and her, for the second person masculine; you, you and your and for the first person; I, me and my.

The reason why the same meaning is being conveyed using three different words is to reflect grammatical state.  When the pronoun is intended to be subject of the verb, ‘he’ or ‘she’ is used.  Likewise for object, one must use ‘him’ or ‘her’.  In the English language this discussion is restricted to pronouns.  For nouns, regardless of how the noun is used, there will be no difference in the way the noun is pronounced.  In Arabic this process is extended to ALL nouns.

Reflection of Grammatical States - إعراب

The name given to this process isإعراب .  Therefore,إعراب is the process by which grammatical states are reflected on the last letter of words by change in vowelling or lettering, either explicitly or assumed.

The need for this occurs because in Arabic, we have no other way of determining whether a given noun is being made the subject of the verb or the object, or whether it is in the possessive case.  There is no rule in Arabic which states the subject HAS to come before the object.  A verb followed by two nouns can have any of the following three possibilities:

The first is subject and second is object.

Vice versa.

The two nouns together form a possessive phrase

For instance, if the verbضَرَبَ (hit) is followed by the two nounsوَلَد (boy) andزَيْد (a person’s name), the sentence can have three possible meanings:

A boy hit Zaid.

Zaid hit a boy.

Zaid’s boy hit…  (Someone else)!

It is apparent from the above that some sort of system of reflection is needed to determine the intended structure while excluding the other two.  In Arabic this is done by giving the last letter a distinct vowelling or lettering.[1]

Before moving further it is important to know which of the three parts of speech experience these states and reflection process, and which do not.  This is important because every word will have some sort of ending including state-less words.  There is a sub-set of words that do not enter grammatical states and hence there endings have no grammatical significance.  One may liken them to a ‘stoic’ person who remains emotionless.  When confronted with this state-less type of word, one should be fully aware of its state-less nature and not assume grammatical meaning from the ending.

Statelessness -  مبني vs. معرب

Now, returning back to our discussion, we said it is important to understand from the outset which of the parts of speech experience ‘إعراب ’ (i.e. areمعرب ) and which don’t (i.e. areمبني ), so that false grammatical assumptions may be effectively avoided.  (Refer to the previous section.)

Recall that the purpose ofإعراب was to determine between various grammatical usages, such as subject, object, and possessive case, by way of last letter reflection.  A simple pondering on the three definitions given above will reveal that only إسمs have the capacity of ever becoming subject, object, or being used in the possessive case.  To illustrate further, let’s try making aفعل (i.e. verb) the subject of another verb and see how it sounds, while contrasting it to when a noun is made subject.  Went was quick!  Going was quick; meaning the act of going was quick.  Primarily, the reason why ‘went’ did not make sense and ‘going’ did is because ‘went’ has a tense in it, preventing it from becoming subject, whereas going is an act with no tense.  In any case, from the above explanation and example it becomes clear that verbs can not be made subject, object etc., and the same goes for particles. So when these two categories will never become subjects, objects etc., they have no need for reflection.  They should be state-less ( مبني ) in their entirety.   Therefore, the logical division should have been as follows:

أسماء : allمعرب .

أفعال : allمبني .

حروف : allمبني .

Had the division been like this, things would have been easy and the discussion would have ended.  Unfortunately, the existing reality is a bit different from this.  The reality is as follows:

حروف : Allمبني .  (the way they’re supposed to be)

أفعال : 80%مبني (the way they’re supposed to be), 20%معرب .  This 20% needs to be accounted for.

أسماء : 80%معرب (the way they’re supposed to be), 20%مبني .  This 20% also needs to be explained.

It is this very explanation which will be the focus of the rest of this discussion, إن شاء الله .

The scholars ofصرف (Arabic Morphology) have classified theفعل into 4 types, namely:

ماضي , the past tense verb e.g.كَتَبَ (wrote).  This category isمبني in its entirety i.e. No governing agent will ever enter upon a past-tense conjugation and alter its ending.

مضارع , the present and future tense verb e.g.يَنصُرُ (helps, or will help)…or one may refer to the first as ‘perfect’ i.e. occurred and the second as ‘imperfect’, meaning ongoing, either presently in the process of occurring or will begin at a future time.

أمر , imperative or command verb e.g.إشرِبْ (Drink!)

نهي , negative command or prohibition e.g.لا تَشرِبْ (Don’t drink)

To more easily explain the 20% of verbs that do enter grammatical states and therefore areمعرب , we need to modify this classification slightly.  This will be done by examining the last two verbs in a somewhat detailed manner in the next chapter.

Preface

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Some Convincing Things about the Hereafter

Many things have been written and said about death. But I could not find anything more effective and convincing than what the Martyr of the Prayer niche, the God-loving hero, Ayatullah Sayyid Abdul Husain Dastghaib (q.s.) had once said 25 years ago1 and it is well known that he had full knowledge of Qur’anic verses, traditions and religious books.

Once during the month of Ramadhan, he delivered a speech in which he had said that death was the door of life and the first step in attainment of God’s Mercy. He described Barzakh (Purgatory) and its comforts in such a way that the audience became captivated by it.

Thereafter he also described the tortures of Barzakh in such a manner that people began to tremble due to fear. Consequently after hearing the quotations from Qur’an and Tradition many people gave up sins and turned towards good deeds and righteousness.

His Blood Proved More Effective Than His Speech

May your soul remain ever-happy O’ teacher of morality and O’ leader and teacher of the faithful! You guided people towards the truth during your lifetime. You became the means of taking people away from falsehood. But much more than that, you fulfilled your duty of propagating the truth through your martyrdom. As this dear friend has written, the blood of Ayatullah Dastghaib has proved more effective than his sermons.

He constantly said in his speeches and also wrote and published that “Death is not Extinction; rather it is the beginning of an everlasting life.” He repeatedly gave good tidings to the family members of martyrs that the Holy Qur’an has adjudged that your (martyred) relatives are alive.

“And do not speak of those who are slain in Allah’s way as dead; nay, (they are) alive, but you do not perceive.” (2:154)

Certainly we are the dead in comparison with them because (our life is perishable and) they have attained the everlasting life after which there is no death.

The Precious Pearl which could not be Appreciated

O Martyr of the Prayer niche! May your soul remain ever happy. You have made this matter clear through your martyrdom. Even two months have not yet passed since you have left us. But so many of your miracles have been seen and heard that many people are feeling sorry and restless because they could not know you as you should have been known. They feel strongly and ask themselves why they did not take proper benefit of your graceful life among them?

Here, regarding the discussion about this book and about Hereafter as well as with reference to your oft-repeated statement that“The martyrs are forever immortal” we’d like to mention an event which took place on the seventh day of your martyrdom which has become known to most of the residents of Shiraz to such an extent that it has also been reported in the press.

A Strange Request

On the day after the 40th day of martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s.) of the year 1402 A.H. in the morning when I went, according of the routine, to my father’s house. The office secretary came to me and, after Salaam and inquiries about health etc, and began to talk about the dream of a Sayyid lady as follows:

“A respectable Sayyid lady whom I know very well and who lives in our neighbourhood, says, “Last night I saw the late Martyr of the Prayer niche (q.s.) in my dream. He told me, ‘Some pieces of my flesh are stuck between bricks in the wall in this street (where the late Ayatullah was shot). Please recollect those pieces and join them with my body.’”

At first I did not give importance to this news. I heard the discussions of people in the office and this continued for about two hours. Thereafter I stepped out along with some of them with the intention of participating in a program of ‘Fatihakhaani’ (recitation of Qur’an for gifting the divine rewards to the departed soul).

Per chance, we had to pass through the aforesaid street where my father was martyred. So when we reached that fateful spot, I suddenly remembered the aforesaid dream and I told about it to my companions as it was related to me that morning and said that there was nothing wrong if we walked looking around. Then suddenly our eyes fell for the first time on that wall and all of us saw that some pieces of flesh were stuck in the gaps between bricks at a spot on that wall.

Double Burial

Two of our companions went forward to collect those pieces of the body of the Martyr of the Prayer Niche (so they collected them and placed in a plastic bag safely). The news of this event spread in the city like wild fire especially due to fact that the 40th day of Imam Husain’s martyrdom had just passed and there was a total holiday in Shiraz.

During Friday eve, in the Jame Masjid of Shiraz, as usual, and as per the tradition of the Martyr of the Prayer niche for the last several years, a Dua Kumail prayer meeting was held and a huge gathering of mourners heard the event. Then and there it was announced that: This night at ten o’clock the remaining parts of the martyred Ayatullah will be buried.

So it was done and several groups of mourners continued their mourning rituals till late night in the courtyard of the shrine of Ahmed bin Musa Kazim. Finally, on the day of Arbaeen, with the fresh remembrance of the burial of the remaining part of the Holy body of Imam Husain (a.s.) the aforesaid two plastic bags containing the remaining parts of the Ayatullah’s body were brought and the contents were placed in the foot side hole dug in the grave of the great martyr.

Two Other Persons also had that Dream

In fact, this event was very wonderful and strange. I forgot to mention that on that very day when the scattered pieces of the Holy body were retrieved from the bricks of the said wall, a gentleman, who is one of the sincere persons belonging to the clergy and commands respect and reliability, told me that last night two other persons including a relative of the martyr had also seen the same dream.

After hearing this narration, this event assumed much importance in my opinion. So finally I sent a messenger to the aforesaid Sayyid lady and requested her to write back to us her full description of the said dream and also to mention her full name and address along with the names of her husband and other family members.

So the lady conceded to my request and sent me the accurate and detailed account, which is presently before me. I seek the consent of the honourable readers to quote a few parts of the said report so that it may be preserved as a part of history and be a means of admonition and guidance for future generations.

The lady writes,“Some particles of my flesh have been left stuck up in the wall.”

The vision (dream) was,“I was in a big garden. Suddenly I saw Ayatullah Dastghaib walking ahead of me. I was walking behind him. This was the middle part of the garden and the Ayatullah had put on a coffee coloured cloak. He asked me, “Please go and tell the people that some particles of my flesh have been left in that wall. He repeated these words several times. So I was extremely astonished when I woke up.”

A Story More Revealing Than a Book

You yourself may decide what truth this true dream tells. Talking testimony of a truth, which is more convincing than a whole book of admonition. The Martyr of the Prayer Niche had mentioned,“Death is not destruction; rather it is the door for attainment of Divine Mercy.” ‘The martyrs in the path of God are alive and they are getting provision from their Lord.

This learned Scholar has, in this book, given detailed description of events in the world of Barzakh (Purgatory between Death and Resurrection). Then he has turned towards the return of the soul to body. All these things are true. The martyr has personally proved this and announced thus.

Ocean in a Nutshell

Despite the limitations of this book, looking towards the contents, we conclude how nicely the author has encompassed all the conditions of death and Hereafter. The martyr (r.a.) has, in a very attractive style, in very appealing and effective words, described the journey to the Hereafter, which begins, from the moment of death. Then he describes the kind of death for the righteous and the offender. He has described the last moments on deathbed in such a way that the reader feels he himself is on the deathbed.

Thereafter he describes the conditions in Barzakh and quotes at length verses picturing the pleasing comforts of Paradise in the grave and thereafter a number of verses and traditions throw ample light on what happens during the torturous punishments in the grave (Barzakh period). He also narrates many true events and visions in support of this and shows what the reader has to pass through.

Thereafter he has presented arguments, verses and traditions concerning the events preceding Resurrection and the Day of Judgement and has discussed all this in a very simple style. He has also talked at length about the bridge (Sirat) and the Balance (Mizan) and the Paradise (Behisht) and the Hell (Dozakh) and Reward (Sawaab) and Punishment (Azaab) through several sources.

In short, it can very well be claimed that hundreds of thought provoking and eye-catching events have been covered like an ocean in a nutshell in this brief book.

May your soul remain ever happy and pleased, O Ayatullah Martyr of the Prayer Niche! So also the souls of your eighteen- year-old grandson, Sayyid Muhammad Taqi Dastghaib and all of your faithful companions may remain in peace and comfort forever.

Sayyid Muhammad Hashim Dastghaib

Shiraz

4th February 1981

Note

1. This preface was written on 04/02/1981.

Preface

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Some Convincing Things about the Hereafter

Many things have been written and said about death. But I could not find anything more effective and convincing than what the Martyr of the Prayer niche, the God-loving hero, Ayatullah Sayyid Abdul Husain Dastghaib (q.s.) had once said 25 years ago1 and it is well known that he had full knowledge of Qur’anic verses, traditions and religious books.

Once during the month of Ramadhan, he delivered a speech in which he had said that death was the door of life and the first step in attainment of God’s Mercy. He described Barzakh (Purgatory) and its comforts in such a way that the audience became captivated by it.

Thereafter he also described the tortures of Barzakh in such a manner that people began to tremble due to fear. Consequently after hearing the quotations from Qur’an and Tradition many people gave up sins and turned towards good deeds and righteousness.

His Blood Proved More Effective Than His Speech

May your soul remain ever-happy O’ teacher of morality and O’ leader and teacher of the faithful! You guided people towards the truth during your lifetime. You became the means of taking people away from falsehood. But much more than that, you fulfilled your duty of propagating the truth through your martyrdom. As this dear friend has written, the blood of Ayatullah Dastghaib has proved more effective than his sermons.

He constantly said in his speeches and also wrote and published that “Death is not Extinction; rather it is the beginning of an everlasting life.” He repeatedly gave good tidings to the family members of martyrs that the Holy Qur’an has adjudged that your (martyred) relatives are alive.

“And do not speak of those who are slain in Allah’s way as dead; nay, (they are) alive, but you do not perceive.” (2:154)

Certainly we are the dead in comparison with them because (our life is perishable and) they have attained the everlasting life after which there is no death.

The Precious Pearl which could not be Appreciated

O Martyr of the Prayer niche! May your soul remain ever happy. You have made this matter clear through your martyrdom. Even two months have not yet passed since you have left us. But so many of your miracles have been seen and heard that many people are feeling sorry and restless because they could not know you as you should have been known. They feel strongly and ask themselves why they did not take proper benefit of your graceful life among them?

Here, regarding the discussion about this book and about Hereafter as well as with reference to your oft-repeated statement that“The martyrs are forever immortal” we’d like to mention an event which took place on the seventh day of your martyrdom which has become known to most of the residents of Shiraz to such an extent that it has also been reported in the press.

A Strange Request

On the day after the 40th day of martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s.) of the year 1402 A.H. in the morning when I went, according of the routine, to my father’s house. The office secretary came to me and, after Salaam and inquiries about health etc, and began to talk about the dream of a Sayyid lady as follows:

“A respectable Sayyid lady whom I know very well and who lives in our neighbourhood, says, “Last night I saw the late Martyr of the Prayer niche (q.s.) in my dream. He told me, ‘Some pieces of my flesh are stuck between bricks in the wall in this street (where the late Ayatullah was shot). Please recollect those pieces and join them with my body.’”

At first I did not give importance to this news. I heard the discussions of people in the office and this continued for about two hours. Thereafter I stepped out along with some of them with the intention of participating in a program of ‘Fatihakhaani’ (recitation of Qur’an for gifting the divine rewards to the departed soul).

Per chance, we had to pass through the aforesaid street where my father was martyred. So when we reached that fateful spot, I suddenly remembered the aforesaid dream and I told about it to my companions as it was related to me that morning and said that there was nothing wrong if we walked looking around. Then suddenly our eyes fell for the first time on that wall and all of us saw that some pieces of flesh were stuck in the gaps between bricks at a spot on that wall.

Double Burial

Two of our companions went forward to collect those pieces of the body of the Martyr of the Prayer Niche (so they collected them and placed in a plastic bag safely). The news of this event spread in the city like wild fire especially due to fact that the 40th day of Imam Husain’s martyrdom had just passed and there was a total holiday in Shiraz.

During Friday eve, in the Jame Masjid of Shiraz, as usual, and as per the tradition of the Martyr of the Prayer niche for the last several years, a Dua Kumail prayer meeting was held and a huge gathering of mourners heard the event. Then and there it was announced that: This night at ten o’clock the remaining parts of the martyred Ayatullah will be buried.

So it was done and several groups of mourners continued their mourning rituals till late night in the courtyard of the shrine of Ahmed bin Musa Kazim. Finally, on the day of Arbaeen, with the fresh remembrance of the burial of the remaining part of the Holy body of Imam Husain (a.s.) the aforesaid two plastic bags containing the remaining parts of the Ayatullah’s body were brought and the contents were placed in the foot side hole dug in the grave of the great martyr.

Two Other Persons also had that Dream

In fact, this event was very wonderful and strange. I forgot to mention that on that very day when the scattered pieces of the Holy body were retrieved from the bricks of the said wall, a gentleman, who is one of the sincere persons belonging to the clergy and commands respect and reliability, told me that last night two other persons including a relative of the martyr had also seen the same dream.

After hearing this narration, this event assumed much importance in my opinion. So finally I sent a messenger to the aforesaid Sayyid lady and requested her to write back to us her full description of the said dream and also to mention her full name and address along with the names of her husband and other family members.

So the lady conceded to my request and sent me the accurate and detailed account, which is presently before me. I seek the consent of the honourable readers to quote a few parts of the said report so that it may be preserved as a part of history and be a means of admonition and guidance for future generations.

The lady writes,“Some particles of my flesh have been left stuck up in the wall.”

The vision (dream) was,“I was in a big garden. Suddenly I saw Ayatullah Dastghaib walking ahead of me. I was walking behind him. This was the middle part of the garden and the Ayatullah had put on a coffee coloured cloak. He asked me, “Please go and tell the people that some particles of my flesh have been left in that wall. He repeated these words several times. So I was extremely astonished when I woke up.”

A Story More Revealing Than a Book

You yourself may decide what truth this true dream tells. Talking testimony of a truth, which is more convincing than a whole book of admonition. The Martyr of the Prayer Niche had mentioned,“Death is not destruction; rather it is the door for attainment of Divine Mercy.” ‘The martyrs in the path of God are alive and they are getting provision from their Lord.

This learned Scholar has, in this book, given detailed description of events in the world of Barzakh (Purgatory between Death and Resurrection). Then he has turned towards the return of the soul to body. All these things are true. The martyr has personally proved this and announced thus.

Ocean in a Nutshell

Despite the limitations of this book, looking towards the contents, we conclude how nicely the author has encompassed all the conditions of death and Hereafter. The martyr (r.a.) has, in a very attractive style, in very appealing and effective words, described the journey to the Hereafter, which begins, from the moment of death. Then he describes the kind of death for the righteous and the offender. He has described the last moments on deathbed in such a way that the reader feels he himself is on the deathbed.

Thereafter he describes the conditions in Barzakh and quotes at length verses picturing the pleasing comforts of Paradise in the grave and thereafter a number of verses and traditions throw ample light on what happens during the torturous punishments in the grave (Barzakh period). He also narrates many true events and visions in support of this and shows what the reader has to pass through.

Thereafter he has presented arguments, verses and traditions concerning the events preceding Resurrection and the Day of Judgement and has discussed all this in a very simple style. He has also talked at length about the bridge (Sirat) and the Balance (Mizan) and the Paradise (Behisht) and the Hell (Dozakh) and Reward (Sawaab) and Punishment (Azaab) through several sources.

In short, it can very well be claimed that hundreds of thought provoking and eye-catching events have been covered like an ocean in a nutshell in this brief book.

May your soul remain ever happy and pleased, O Ayatullah Martyr of the Prayer Niche! So also the souls of your eighteen- year-old grandson, Sayyid Muhammad Taqi Dastghaib and all of your faithful companions may remain in peace and comfort forever.

Sayyid Muhammad Hashim Dastghaib

Shiraz

4th February 1981

Note

1. This preface was written on 04/02/1981.