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Chapter 19: Rewards of Reciting Chapters from the Holy Qur’an - 1

Imam Ja’fer al-Sadiq (as), as we are told by Shaykh Taqi al-Deen Ibrabim ibn All ibn al-Hassan ibn Muhammad ibn Salih al-’Amili-alKaf’ami, has made the following statement with regard to the merits of reciting chapters and verses of the Holy Qur’an:

One who recites ten verses in one night will never be written down among the indifferent. One who recites fifty verses will be written down among those who remember Allah often (i.e., thakireen). If he recites a hundred, he will be written down among those who constantly supplicate (qaniteen). If he recites three hundred, he will be written down among the winners (faaizeen).

If lie recites five hundred verses, he will be written down among those who reach the degree of jitihad (muitahideen). And if one recites a thousand verses, he will be rewarded with one kantar which is five thousand mithqals: each mithqal is twenty-four karats the smallest of which [in as far as the weighing in the hereafter is concerned] is as big as the mountain of Uhud, and the largest extends from the earth to the sky (Misbah al-Kaf’ami, Vol. 2, p. 531).

The Imain (as) has also said, as quoted in the same reference, "If one recites the Qur’an, Allah will let him enjoy his vision, and such recitation decreases the penalty of his parents even if they may be kajirs (apostates)." Imagine, dear reader, what it does to your parents who raised you as a Muslim...

The reader is requested to refer to what is indicated early in this book with reference to who Imam al-Sadiq (as) was, what his source of information was, and what relation he had had with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). We, however, would like to add one more statement made by this great Imam (as) that sheds light on his narration of Audit/i, since we all know that had it/i is the second source of the Sunnah, the Holy Qur’an being the first. Imam al-Sadiq (as) has said,

My hadith is the same as my father’s, while my father’s hadith is the same as my grandfather’s, and the hadith of my grandather is similar to that of al-Husain ((as) Husain’s hadith is the same as that of al-Hasan; al-Hasan’s hadith is similar to that of the Commander of the Faithful (as); the hadith of the Commander of the Faithful (as) is the same hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is the speech of Allah, the Lord of Dignity and Greatness (This statement is recorded onp. 53, Vol. 1, of al-Kulayni’s book AI-Kafi).

From the viewpoint of Muslims who believe in and follow the flqh of Imam Ja’fer al-Sadiq (as), whatever he said was the echo of what his great grandfather the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had said. He is one of twelve Imams followed byJa’feri Shi’as and who the latter believe are divinely inspired; they are the Imams of AhI al-Bayt (as) referred to in verse 33 of Surat al-Ahzab (Chapter 33). The fad that their number is twelve and that all of them descended from Quraysh is stated in the Sahib books of our Sunni brethren.

This is what all3ukhari and Muslims, as well as many others, have confirmed. Some Sunni references indicate that the Prophet (pbuh) named all of them, saying that the first was Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) followed by his son alHasan (as) then al-Hasan’s brother al-Husain (as), followed by nine from the offspring of al-Husain (as) the last of whom is al-Mahdi (as).

The great Sunni Hanafi author of Yanabee’ al-Mawaddaa narrates an incident in his book as follows:

A Jew named al-A’tal came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, "Muhammad! I wish to ask you about certain things which I have been keeping to myself; so, if you answer them, I shall declare my acceptance of Islam before you." The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Ask me, O father of Imarah!" So he asked him about many things till he was satisfied and admitted that the Prophet (pbuh) was right.

Then he said, "Tell me about your wasi (successor): who is he? No prophet can ever be without a wasi, and our prophet Moses (as) had appointed Yusha’ IJoshna] son of Noon as his successor." He (pbuh) said, "My wasi is Ali ibn Abu Talib followed by my grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husain followed by nine men from the loins of al-Husain." He said, "Then name them for me, O Muhammad!" The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Once al-Husain departs, he will be followed by his son Ali; when Ali departs, his son Muhammad will succeed him.

When Muhammad departs, his son Ja’fer will follow him. When Ja’fer departs, he will be followed by his son Mousa. When Mousa departs, his son All will succeed him. When Ali departs, his son Muhammad will succeed him. When Muhammad departs, his son al-Hujjah Muhammad al-Mahdi will succeed him. These are the twelve ones.

" So that Jew embraced Islam and praised Allah for having guided him(‘This is recorded on p.440 of al-Hafiz al-Qandoozi al-Hanafi’s book Yanabi’ al-Mawaddak and also by al-Hamawayni in his book Faraid al-Simtain wherein he relies on the authority of Mujahid who quotes Ibn Abbas).

If we wish to turn the pages of Shi’a books and discern the facts the contain with regard to this subject, we will surely find many times a many ahadith as this one, but this suffices to prove that Sum scholars do admit that the number of the Imams (as) is twelve, an there are no such Imams besides Ali (as) and his purified offspring.

What strengthens our conviction that the Twelve Imams fror AhI al-Bayt (as) were never tutored by any of the Ummah’s scholai is the fact that no historian, nor any traditionist, nor any biographei has ever indicated that one of the Imams from Ahl al-.Bayt (as learned what he knew from some suhaba or tubi’een as is the cas with all the Ummah’s scholars and Imams.

Abu Haneefah, for example, was a student of Imam Ja’fer-a] Sadiq (as); Malik was a student of Abu Haneefab; al-Shafi’i learne’ from Malik and so did Afimed ibn Hanbal. As regarding the Imam from AhI al-Bayt (as), their knowledge is gifted by Allah, Gloiy an Exaltation to Him, and they inherit such knowledge son from fathei for they are the ones to whom the Almighty specifically refers whe: He says, "Then We gave the Book for an inheritance to those whor We chose from among Our servants" (Holy Qur’an, 35:32).

This much ought to convince the discreet reader that th information stated in this section is taken from a very reliable source:

The Basmala

Whenever we recite a verse from the Holy Qur’an, we start with th Basmala, that is: Bismillahir-Rahrnunir-Rahuin, In the Name of Allal the Most Gracious, the most Merciful. In the Fatiha, the first chapte of the Holy Qur’an, this Basmala is a verse all by itselt whereas in a, other chapters, with the exception of Bara’ah or Tawbah where it not recited, it serves as an introduction to other verses.

On pp. 39-4t Vol. 1, of his Taft ir, al-Qummi chronologically arranges the isnud o one particular statement made by Imam Ja’fer al-Sadiq (as) an’ recounts the longest list of narrators we have ever come across. Th list of narrators ends with Abu Busayr, a well-known companion o this great Imam (as), saying that he once asked Imam al-Sadiq (as about the tafsir of Bismillu/iir-Rahmunir-Rahim, so he said, and xv would like to quote his statement as well as its isnad in its origins text as follows:

After the long list of the said narrators, the Imam (as) indicates the derivation of each letter of the Basmala as follows:

The "ba" is derived from "baha-Allah," the Splendor of Allah; the ‘seen" is derived from "sanna-Allah," the Majesty of Allah; the "meem" is derived from "mulk-Allah," the Kingdom of Allah; "Allah’ is the God of everything; "alRahman" is the One Who is Merciful to all His creation; "al-Rahim" is the One Who singles out those who believe in Him to receive the greatest share of His mercy.

On p. 506 of Misbah al-Kaf’umi, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted saying that when a teacher teaching a child to recite the Holy Qur’an tells the child to recite "Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim," and the child recites it, Allah will decree a clearance for the child, for his parents, and for the teacher, from hell, and that it is comprised of nineteen letters, the same number corresponding to the number of the keepers of the gates of hell; therefore, whoever pronounces it, Allah will permit these letters to close the gates of hell against him.

Now let us research and find out how each of the 114 chapters of the Holy Qur’an stands out among the rest, and what rewards the faithful will Insaia-Allah receive from the most Generous One for reciting it. Following is a translation from the Arabic of most of the original text on pp. 506-542 of Vol. 2 of Misbah ul-Kaf’umi by Shaykh Taqi al-Deen Ibrahim ibn Ali ibn al-Hassan ibn Muhammad ibn Salih al-’Axnili al-Kaf’ami, in addition to selected texts included in Vol. 89 of al-Majlisi’s Bihar ul-Anwar

Chapter 1 (al-Fatiha)

Al-Tibrisi, in his exegesis Mujma’rd-Bayun fee Tafsir al-Qur’un, provides ten names for the first chapter of the Holy Qur’an, namely Surat al-Fatiha:

al-Fatiha, the one that opens, for it is like a gate when opened, it leads one to the Book of Allah;

al-Hamd, the praise, for its verses are clearly praising the Almighty;

Ummul Kitab, the mother of the Book, for its status is superior to all other chapters of the Holy Qur’an, or like the war standard: it is always in the forefront;

al-Sab’, the seven verses, for it is comprised of seven verses and the only one whose verses are seven, and there is no room here to elaborate on the merits of the number 7 especially since most readers of this book are already aware of such merits;

al-Mathani, the oft-repeated Chapter, for no other Chapter of the Holy Qur’an is repeated as often as this one;

al-Kafiya, the chapter that suffices and that has no substitute; you simply cannot replace its recitation with that of any other chapter of the Holy Qur’an in the first two rek’ats of the prayers, whereas it can substitute others;

al-Asas, the basis or foundation or bed-rock, a connotation of its being the foundation upon which the Holy Qur’an stands just as the Basmala ("Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim") is the foundation of the Fatiha;

alShifa, the healing, due to the fact that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said that the Fatiha heals from all ailments except death; and al-Salat, the prayers, or the basic requirement of the daily prayers, one without the recitation of which no prayer can be accepted, especially since tue Prophet (pbuh) has quoted the Almighty saying, ‘The prayers have been divided between Me and My servant: one half for Me, and one for him;" so when one recites it and says, "Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil-’Alameen," the Almighty says, "My servant has praised Me." And when he says, "Arrahmanir-Raheem," the Almighty says,

"My servant has praised Me." And when he says, "Maliki YawmidDeen," Allah says, "My servant has exalted Me." And when he says, "Iyyaka Na’budu wa iyyaka nasta’een," Allah will say, "This is a covenant between Me and My servant, and My servant shall be granted the fulfillment of his pleas." Then if he finishes reciting the Fatiha to the end, Allah will again confirm His promise by saying, "This is for [the benefit of] My servant, and My servant will be granted the answer to his wishes."

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted by Abu Ali al-Fadl ibn al-Hassan ibn al-Eadi al-Tibrisi, may Allah have mercy on his soul, saying that one who recites al-Fatiha will be regarded by the Almighty as though he recited two-thirds of the Holy Qur’an and as though he gave by way of charity to each and every believing man and woman. "By the One in Whose hand my soul is," the Prophet (pbuh) continues, "Allah Almighty did not reveal in the Torah,

the Gospel, or the Psalms any chapter like it; it is the Mother of the Book and alSab’ al-Mathani (the oft-repeated seven verses), and it is divided between Allah and His servant, and His servant shall get whatever he asks; it is the best Sura in the Book of the most Exalted One, and it is a healing from every ailment except poison, which is death.

" He (pbuh) is also quoted by al-Kaf’ ami as saying, "He (Allah) bestowed it upon me as His blessing, making it equivalent to the Holy Qur’an, saying, ‘And We have granted you al-Sab’ al-Mathani and the Great Qur’an (Surat al-Hijr, verse 87).’ It is the most precious among the treasures of the ‘Arsh." Indeed, Allah, the most Sublime, has chosen Muhammad (pbuh) alone to be honored by it without doing so to any other Prophet or Messenger of His with the exception of Sulayman (Solomon), peace be upon him, who was granted the Basmala (see verse 30 of Surat al-Naml, Chapter of the Ant).

One who recites it, being fully convinced of his following in the footsteps of Muhammad (pbuh) and his Progeny (as), adhering to its injunctions, believing in its outward and inward meanings, will be granted by Allah for each of its letters a blessing better than what all there is in the world of wealth and good things, and whoever listens to someone reciting it will receive one third of the rewards due to its reciter.

Chapter 2 (aI-Baqarah)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted by Ubayy saying, "Whoever recites it will receive blessings from Allah and His mercy and will be granted the rewards due to one who camps for a full year, in the way of Allah, as a soldier on the borders of the Islamic domains to protect them, being constantly on vigil." Then the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) turned to the narrator, Ubayy, and said, "O Ubayy! Order the Muslims to learn it, for learning it is a blessing, while leaving it is a loss, and no magician can ever overpower it.

" He (pbuh) is also quoted saying that everything has a zenith, and the zenith of the Qur’an is Surat al-Baqarah. "Which ayat (verse)," he (pbuh) was asked, "in it is the best, O Messenger of Allah?" He (pbuh) said, "Ayat al-Kursi [2:255]," he (pbuh) answered. And he (pbuh) entrusted the youngest among his companions, namely al-Harith ibn Zayd ibn al-Harithah, due to the fact that he knew Surat al-Baqarah by head, to command an army to defend Islam.

Chapter 3 (ali-’Imran)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted saying that one who recites it will be given for each of its verses security on the bridge over hell, and whoever recites it on Friday will be blessed by Allah and His angels all day long till sunset. He (pbuh) is also quoted saying, "Memorize Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Aali-’Imran, for they are like two fragrant flowers, and they will shade the one who learns them by heart on the Day of Judgment like two clouds..." to shade those who used to recite them quite often from the intense heat of that Day.

Chapter 4 (aI-Nisaa)

He (pbuh) is also quoted saying that one who recites it will be regarded by the Almighty as though he were charitable to all orphans, and he will be granted rewards due to one who emancipates a person who dissociates himself from shirk and who, by the will of Allah, is forgiven." Imam Ali (as) is quoted saying that whoever recites it every Friday will be secure from the constriction of the grave.

Chapter 5 (al-Maida)

Imam Ali (as) is also quoted saying that whoever recites it will be given ten good deeds, and ten of his sins will be forgiven, and his status will be elevated by ten degrees for each and every Jew and Christian alive. (This may be due to the fact that this Qur’anic chapter discusses Judaism and Christianity in great detail). Imam-alSadiq (as) says that one who recites it on every Thursday will not mix his belief with any oppression, nor will he ever commit shirk.

Chapter 6 (al-An’am)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said that this Chapter was revealed as a whole escorted by seventy thousand angels praising and glorifying the Almighty in unison; so, whoever recites it will be blessed by those same seventy thousand angels for a full day and night. Imam al-Rida (as) is quoted saying that those angels will keep blessing him till the Day of Judgment.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said, "One who recites it from its beginning till the verse saying, ‘And thus do We make some oppressors befriend others on account of what they earned (6:129),’ Allah will assign for him forty thousand angels to write for him (in his book of good deeds) the like of their own adoration till the Day of Resurrection.

" According to the author of AI-Afrad wul Gharaib, one who does the same after having performed the fajr prayers, forty angels will descend for him, and it will be recorded for him the like of their adoration. According to the author of Al-Waseer, if one does so upon waking up, Allah Almighty will assign for him a thousand angels to protect him and to record for him the like of their deeds (of adoration) till the Day of Judgment.

Chapter 7 (aI-A’raf)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted saying that if one recites this chapter, Allah, the most Exalted One, will install a protective veil between him and Iblis, and Adam (as) will seek intercession for him on the Day of Judgment. Imam Ja’fer al-Sadiq (as) is quoted saying that one who reads it every month will be among those who shall have no fear on the Day of Judgment, nor shall they grieve; so, if he recites it every Friday, he will be among those who will not be tried on the Day of Judgment.

Chapter 8 (al-Anfal)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted saying, "If someone recites both Surat al-Anfal and Bara’ah together, I shall seek intercession for him and testify for him on the Day of Judgment that he is free from hypocrisy, and he will be granted of the rewards ten times as many as the number of hypocritical men and women in the world,

and ten of his sins will be wiped out, and his status will be elevated by ten degrees, and the ‘Arsh and those (angels) that bear it shall bless him as long as he lives." Imam al-Sadiq (as) has said, "One who recites both of these chapters every month will not undergo any hypocrisy, and he will be as a true Shi ‘a of the Commander of the Faithful (as) and will be eating on the Day of Judgment of the tables of Paradise with them till Allah, the most Exalted One, is through with the Judgment."

Chapter 9 (Bara’ah)

Its merits are similar to those of Surat al-Anfal above. In a footnote regarding this Chapter, al-Kaf’ami explains that "Bara’ah" (which means clearance or dissociation or a separation from) means: dissociation (of the infidels) from Ali (as); the Basmala was not included at its beginning, as is the case with all other Chapters of the Holy Qur’an, simply because the Basmala connotes security and mercy, whereas Bara’ah was revealed to lift such security and to warn of confrontation. This chapter, al-Kaf’ami goes on, has ten names: 1)

"Bara’ah," after the first word in it; 2) ‘Tawbah," due to the repentance to which it refers within its text; 3) "Faziha," the revealer, unveiler, or announcer, for it unveils and reveals the truth about and announces the hypocrisy of those hypocrites about whom it infonns us; 4) "Muba’thira," scatterer, because it scatters and displays to everyone the hidden secrets of those hypocrites; 5)

"Muqashqisha," a chapter that cures or heals or clears those who believe in it of hypocrisy and polytheism due to the supplication and sincerity it contains; 6) "Bahooth," investigator or researcher or seeker, because it looks for the hypocrites’ secret schemes; 7)

"Mudamdima," annihilator, because it annihilates hypocrisy and hypocrites; 8) "Hafira," excavator or digger: it dug up the hearts of the hypocrites and unveiled what they were hiding; 9) "Mubashshira," bearer of glad tidings: By making public the abominations and ugly schemes of those hypocrites, it brought glad tidings to those who were not among them, and; 10) "Athab," torment or torture, because of repeatedly referring to the torment awaiting those hypocrites and all others like them.

Chapter 10 (Younus)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted saying that one who recites this chapter will be given ten good deeds for each and everyone who believed in prophet Younus (as) as well as for those who disbelieved in him and who were drowned with Pharaoh. Imam al-Sadiq (as) is quoted saying that whoever recites it once a month will not be among the ignorant ones and will instead be on the Day of Judgment among those near to the Almighty.

Chapter 11 (Hud)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted saying that one who recites this chapter will be granted of the rewards ten good deeds for the number of each person who believed in prophet Noah (as) and who disbelieved in him and in prophets Hud, Salih, Shu’ayb, Lot, Ibrahim and Musa (Moses), peace be upon all of them, and he will be on the Day of Judgment among the happy ones. Imam al-Sadiq (as) is quoted saying that anyone who recites it every Friday will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment among the group that will include the prophets, peace be upon all of them, and he will receive an easy trial and no sin will be recorded against him.

Chapter 12 (Yousuf)

About this chapter, Iniam al-Sadiq (as) is quoted saying, "Let your slaves memorize it, for whoever teaches it to his slaves and those whose right hand possesses will die an easy death, and he will be empowered to the extent that he will envy no other Muslim at all." The Imam (as) is also quoted saying that whoever recites it every day or every night will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment with beauty similar to that of Yousuf, peace be upon him, and he will not be affected by the great terror of the Day of Judgment and will be among the best of Allah’s servants.

Chapter 13 (al-Ra’d)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted saying that one who recites this chapter will be rewarded with rewards as many as the clouds that passed away as well as those that will pass till the Day of Judgment, and he will be on the Day of Judgment among those who fulfilled their covenant with Allah. Imam Ja"fer al-Sadiq (as) is also quoted saying that one who recites this chapter quite often will never be hit by lightning and will be admitted into Paradise without reckoning, and he will be granted the right to intercede on behalf of all those of his family and brethren whom he knows.

Chapter 14 (Ibrahim)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said that a person who recites this chapter will be rewarded with ten good deeds for each and everyone who worshipped the idols and who did not worship them. Imam al-Sadiq (as) has also said that one who recites both this chapter and the next one (al-Hijr) during an optional prayers of two rek"uts every Friday will never be impoverished, nor will he suffer insanity nor any calamity whatsoever.

(Note: For the other Surahs, please go the the 'Holy Quran' section on IUA-NET and click on 'Rewards of reciting the Holy Qur'an)

Chapter 20: The Significance of the Fast will only be realised at the moment of death

One will know how well he observed the fast at the moment he dies; it is then that prayers will take a form and stand at his right, as he lies in his grave, and zakat on his left, while his benevolence and good treatment of his parents will look him in the eyes. Everything will be personified in the life hereafter, starting from the moment of death.

The fast will then be personified as perseverance, the exercise in patience as one faces thirst and hunger; it will stand not far away, urging prayers and zakat to help the deceased person, telling them that if they did not, he would. It is in such dire situation that the true value of fast is realized - when it is too late for many.

And one will feel the profound pain of regret for not having observed the fast and the prayers as he should have when questions are put forth to him by the two angels Munldr and Nakeer who will come to him in the most horrific form, addressing him in a voice louder than thunder and looking at him with eyes emitting lightning, asking him one question after another. Nothing can compare with the agony of death for those with whom Allah is not pleased, absolutely nothing.

A dying person, as we are told in many books dealing with death and the hereafter, will encounter agonies the extent of which is known only by the Almighty. Life, real life, starts at the moment of death. A dying person is like one awakening from a brief dream.

This brief dream is life, as we know it here on earth. Shaykt al Ohazali had made a very terse statement in this regard when he said, on p. 445, Vol. 4. of his book Al-Alwa, "Had a servant of Allah had no more than the agony, the horror, and the torment of the moments of death, he would have found no joy in his life at all, and he would not have felt happy for a moment, and he would not have become indifferent or negligent [with regard to his obligations] in the least.

" Prophet Moses (as) was asked by the Almighty how he found death. "I found it," he said, "like a live bird being fried in a pan; it neither dies so it can rest, nor does it fly away and be saved." He also is quoted saying that he found it like a live sheep being skinned by a butcher. It is during moments Jike these that a servant of Allah wishes he had spent his entire life in fast and prayers. Abraham (Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him), as we are told on p. ‘79 of Ibrahim Muhammad al-Jamal’s book on life .

after death, asked the angel of death (as) to show him how he takes away the soul of a good servant of Allah, one who has performed his prayers and observed the fast and all other obligations, so he told him to look the other way. He did, then he looked at the angel and saw a young man wearing good clothes, smelling good, and his complexion was radiant.

Ibrahim (as) said, "By Allah! Had a believer enjoyed nothing more than casting a look at your face, he would have felt contented." Then he asked him how he took the souls of the disbelievers away. "Look the other way," said the angel of death to Ibrahim (as). When Ibrahim (as) looked again, the angel of death appeared to him in human form: a person as dark as coal with his feet on earth and head in the skies, the ugliest the eyes can ever see; each hair on his body was a flame of fire. Ibrahim (as) then said, "By Allah! Had a disbeliever cast one look at you, it would have sufficed him."

Chapter 21: What is Sirat Al-Mustageem?

The significance of fast will be realised during a much more critical time: when the souls are to pass on al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem, the Straight Path, the path regarding which the believers pray Allah to keep their feet firm as they pass on it, the one mentioned in Surat al-Fatiha and regarding which they plead to the Almighty at least ten times a day (twice in each rek’a) saying: "Guide us to the Straight Path (al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem)" (Holy Qur’an, 1:6). Imam Ja’fer al-Sadiq (as), as recorded on p.41, Vol. 1, of Tabatabai’s (1His full name is: Muhammad I-Iusain ihn Sayyid Muhammad ibn Sayyid Husain ibn Mirza Ali Asgher al-Tabrizi al Tabatabai, the judge.

He was born in 1892 in Tabriz and died in Oum in 1981. His 2l-Volume exegesis, AlMizan, is only one of his numerous works. The edition utilized for this book was published in 1991 by AI-A’lami Establishment of Beirut, Lebanon. Hujjatul-Islam Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, founder of the Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania, has for years been translating this valuable exegesis into English) Al Mizan fi Tafsiral-Qur’an, was asked once about the meaning of this verse;

he said, "It means: Guide us to upholding the path that leads to Your pleasure, that ends at Your Paradise, that prohibits us from following our own desires and thus deviate, or follow our own views and thus perish." In his Tafsir, al-Ayyashi quotes Imam Ja’fer al-Sadiq (as) saying that al-Sirat at-Mustaqeem is the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (as). Al-Sirat al-Mustageem described in Surat al-Shura and in other verses where it is described as the Sabeel, another word for path, leading to the Almighty.

Abdul-Rahrnan ibn Muhammad al-I-Jassani quotes Ahmed ibn ‘Eisa ibn Abu Maryam quoting Muhammad ibn Ahmed al- ‘Ariami quoting All ibn Hatim alMinqari quoting al-Mufaddal ibn ‘Ilmer saying, "I asked Abu I Abdullah (Imam aJ-Sadiq [as]) about the Siren, and he said, ‘It is the Path to knowing Allah, the most Exalted, the most Great, and there are two such paths:

one in the life of this world, and one in the life hereafter. The Sirat in this life is the Imam whose obedience is incumbent; whoever knows him in this life andfollows his guidance will be able to pass on the (other) Siren which is a path over hell in the hereafter, and whoever does not know him in this life, his feet will slip away from the Sirat in the hereafter so he falls into the lire of hell."’ This is recorded on pp. 13-14 of Ma"ani al-A Idibar and also on p. 66, Vol. 8, of Bihar al-Anwar.

It is when you come to that Sirat that you will find out how wed you performed your fast in the life of this world. Each and every soul has to pass over al-Siren al-Mustaqeem the straight path over hell, a fire more intense in heat than boiling molten brass, with seven bridges over it the length of each one of which is three thousand years: one thousand to vertically ascend, one thousand to horizontally cross, and one thousand to descend. It is thinner than a human hair, more sharp than the sharpest sword, and darker than the darkest night inside a tunnel.

Each bridge has seven branches, and each branch is like a long lance with sharp teeth: each servant of Allah win be confined on each and every one of them and be asked about all the injunctions the Almighty had required him to perform during his life on this planet. In the first of such stops he will be asked about belief and conviction, about shirk and hypocrisy.

In the second he will be asked about prayers, what they contain, how to perform them, and whether he performed them properly and on time. In the third he will be asked about zalcat, its types, and whether he paid it or not. And it is in the fourth one that he will be asked about the fast... It is then that he will realize whether he upheld this important obligation or not, whether he offered charity or not, and whether he regretted and repented during the month of Ramadhan or not. In the fifth he will be asked about the pilgrimage and ‘umra, why he did not perform them, or why he failed to perform them properly, and how they are to be performed. In the sixth he will be asked about wudu (ablution) and ghusul, how he performed them, which one is compulsory and which one is optional.

Finally, in the seventh, he will be asked about how kind he was to his parents and kin, and whether he did injustice to any human being. In the absence of sufficient optional good deeds such as offering charity, helping a needy Muslim, performing optional prayers or fasts..., etc., if one gives the wrong answer to any question in any of these stops,

he will fall into the pit of hell underneath..., as Abdel-Jabbar al-Rubay’i tells us in his book At-Tathkira ft ahwal atmawt wal akhira, having collected such details from various books of hadith and Sunnah. He adds saying, on p. 130, that the bridges will be shaken by the weight of crossing people who will climb on top of one another, causing these bridges to move like a ship tossed by a wind storm in the midst of the sea. al-Siren separates Paradise from hell. Only those who cross it successfully will achieve salvation and bliss. With reference to those who will fall into hell, the Almighty says the following:

Have you not considered those who have changed Allah’s favor into blasphemy and caused their people to fall into the abode of perdition? (Holy Qur’an, 14:28)

To whomsoever My wrath is due, he shall fall therein. (Holy Qur’an 20:81)

Whoever follows My guidance will not lose his way nor fall into perdition. (Holy Qur’an, 20:123)

Nor will his wealth benefit him when he falls headlong (into the pit of fire) (Holy Our’an, 92:11).

If one is found as having been derelict in performing any of his obligations, the angels questioning him will try to find out whether he somehow made up with optional good deeds. Once he is cleared, he will be escorted into Paradise. It is to such stopping and questioning that the Almighty refers when He addresses His angels to Stop them, for they must be questioned. (Holy Our’an, 37:24)

On p. 133, Vol. 17, of his AI-Mizan, Tabatabai quotes various views regarding what the questioning will be about. He says that some scholars are of the opinion that they will be asked about the Unity of Allah, while others believe it will be about the wilayat of Imam Ali (as), but he also concedes that such stopping and questioning will take place on the Sirat over hell.

On p. 107 of al-Saduq’s Al-A mali, and also on pp. 64-65, Vol. 8, of alMajlisi’sBiharatAnwar al-Waleed quotes al-Saffar quoting Ibn ‘Lisa quoting Muhammad al-Barqi quoting al-Qasim ibn Muhammad alJawhari quoting Ali ibn Abu Hamza quoting Au Busayr quoting Abu Abdullah Imam Ja’fer al-Sadiq (as) saying, "People will pass on different levels on the Siren, and it is thinner than hair and sharper than the sword. Some will pass as swiftly as lightning, while others will pass as fast as a horse, while some of them will crawl on it, some will walk on it, while some others will pass hanging, so the fire will consume some of their body parts and leave others.

" Imam Abu Ja’fer al-Baqir (as) is quoted on p. 65, Vol. 8, of al-Mailisi’s Bihar al-Anwar saying, "When the verse saying ‘And hell is brought that Day’ was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was asked about what it meant, so he (pbuh) said, ‘The trusted Spirit (Gabriel) has informed me that when Allah, the One and only God,

resurrects all people and gathers their early generations and the late ones, hell will be brought by a hundred thousand angels, very stern and mighty angels, and it will be coming roaring, inhaling and exhaling. The force of its exhalation is such that had Allah not delayed them for the reckoning, it would have caused everyone of them to perish.

Then a flame will come out of it and encircle all humans, the good and the bad, so much so that any servant of Allah, be he an angel or a prophet, will call out: ‘Save me, O Lord, save me,’ except you, O Prophet of Allah, for you will call out: ‘Save my nation, O Lord, save my nation!"’ Muqatil, ‘Ataa and Ibn Abbas are among the greatest traditionists in the history of Islam without any contention.

They are the ones who transmitted the ahadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) for all posterity. All three of them, as stated on p. 67, Vol. 8, of Bihar al-Anwar, have interpreted the verse saying, "The Day when Allah shall not humiliate the Prophet" to mean: "Allah will not torment the Prophet (that Day, the Day of Judgment)," and the phrase "and those who believed with him" to mean that He will not torment Ali ibn Abu Talib, Fatima, al-Hassan, al-ilusain, peace be upon them, al-Hamza, and Ja’fer, Allah be pleased with them, that "their light runs before then)" means "their light shall illuminate the Siren for Ali and Fatima seventy times more so than light in the life of this world."

Their light will then be before them as they continue to cross. The intensity of their light will be indicative of their iman, conviction. Others will follow. "Members of the AhI al-Bayt (as) of Muhammad (pbuh) will pass over the Siren like swift lightning. Then they will be followed by those who will pass like a speedy wind.

Then there will be those who will pass as fast as a racing horse. Then another group of people will pass in a walking pace followed by those who will crawl on their hands and bellies, and finally by those who will crawl on their bellies (with extreme difficulty). Allah will make it wide for the believers and very narrow for the sinners.

" Then these narrators interpret the verse saying "Lord! Complete our light for us" to mean "complete it for us so that we may be able to pass on the Siren." lbn Shahr Ashub, in his Manaqib AU ibn Abu Talib, comments, as quoted by al-Majlisi on the same page, saying, "The Commander of the Faithful (as) will pass in a howdah of green emeralds accompanied by Fatima on a conveyance of red rubies, and she will be surrounded by seventy thousand hurls, as fast as lightning."

On p. 182 of his Amali, al-Tusi quotes al-Fahham quoting Muhammad ibn al-Hashim al-Hashimi quoting Abu Hashim ibn al-Qasim quoting Muhammad ibn Zakariyya ibn Abdujlah quoting Abdullah ibn alMuthanna quoting Tumamah ibn Abdullah ibn Anas ibn Malik quoting his father quoting his grandfather quoting the Prophet (pbuh) saying, "On the Day of Judgement, the Siren will be spread over hell. None can pass over it except one who carries a permit admitting the wilaya of Ali ibn Abu Talib (as)." Also with reference to the Siren,

Abu Than al-Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him, is quoted by both al-Majlisi on p. 67, Vol. 8, of his book Bihar al-A nwar, and by al-Kulayni on p. 152, Vol. 2, of his ALKafi, as saying, "1 have heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say, ‘The edges of our Siren on the Day of Judgment will be kindness to the kin and the returning of the trust.

When one who is kind to his kin and faithful to his trust passes (over the Sirat), he will make his way to Paradise, but when one who is unfaithful to the trust and severs his ties with his kin passes, none of his good deeds will avail him, and the Sirat will hurl him into hell."’

There are so many references to noor, diving light, throughout the Holy Qur’an, in the hadith, and in du ‘a, supplication. It is the light of guidance whereby the Almighty guides whomseover He pleases both in the life of this fleeting world and in the hereafter. Such light will be most sorely needed especially in the life hereafter.

The reader is reminded that the intensity of his light, be it during the period of the barzakh, when most graves will be almost as dark as hell, during the time when people are judged on the Day of Judgment, or as one passes over the Siren..., all depends on the depth and sincerity of his conviction, on his iman. No good deeds,

no matter how great, will avail him as will his sincere and deep conviction regarding the Unity (Tawhid) and Justice (‘AdI) of the Almighty, the truth which He revealed to His prophets (Nubuwwah), and that we will most certainly be resurrected and judged (Ma’ad), so that one will be either rewarded or punished. There will be no sun in the life hereafter, nor will there be electricity; so, one’s own light will be his guiding star. Everything in the life hereafter will have a light of its own; there will be no reflection, nor can one walk in the light of another, nor can one be benevolent and give of his light to another. There will be no giving.

The time of giving is right here; so, it is now your golden chance to give your all to your Maker, to worship Him and obey Him as He ought to be worshipped and obeyed - or at least try; pay Him His dues, and be aware of your responsibilities towards His servants, believing men and women, and to manJdnd, your extended family. Give them of what Allah has given you; pray for them; be kind to them; think well of them so that they may think well of you;

observe the fast in months other than the month of Ramadhan in order to remind yourself of the hunger from which others, especially indigent Muslims, suffer, and give by way of charity. Otherwise, keep everything to yourself hoard, treasure, and be damned. Hell is characterized by its darkness, yet its residents will still be able to see things, and what they will see will net please them at all. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala keep I. away from us, Allahomma Aameen.

Nobody in the entire lengthy history of Arabia (estimated at more than seven thousand and five hundred years) has ever been known to be more courageous and daring when combatting his foes than Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) who was the right hand of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), the man who single-handedly uprooted the main gate of the fort of Khaybar, a gate so heavy it required forty men to close or open it. Ali (as) once was suffering acutely from an inflammation of the eye,

and he was in extreme pain, screaming, the hero that he was. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) visited him and saw him scream, so he asked him whether he was suffering from an acute pain or whether it was due to his frustration and agony. The Imam (as) said, "How intense my pain is! I have never felt such pain..." whereupon the Prophet (pbuh) said to him, "When the angel of death comes to take away the soul of a disbeliever, he brings with him a rod of fire whereby he takes his soul away, whereupon hell itself will scream because of the intensity of his pain and suffering." Having heard him, the Imam (as) stood up then sat and said, "O Messenger of Allah!

Please repeat what you have said, for it has made me forget my own pain." Then the Imam (as) asked the Messenger of Allah, "Will the soul of any member of your nation be taken away as you have described?" The Prophet (pbuh) answered, "Yes The soul of an unjust ruler, or of one who consumes the wealth of an orphan, or of one who falsely testifies [will be thus taken away]." The disbeliever referred to in this tradition is one who is unfair to Allah, Glory to I-Tim and Exaltation, regarding one of the commandments which He has required him to uphold, one who does not recognize th Prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh) and his Sunnah or anythi required by Islam; such is the disbeliever.

You can reduce the agony of your death, or that of your love one, by offering charity, fasting, or praying nafi prayers; among such prayers is one in two rek’ats in each of which you should recite Surat, al-Fatiha once and al-Ikililas thrice. Fasting either a few days or all of, the months of Rajab and Sha’ban, according to your ability, will. surely reduce the agony of death and the pain of loneliness in the grave. If you are truly concerned about these matters, and you should. be, the month of Ramadhan is your golden opportunity to earn as many blessings as Allah enables you to. It is an opportunity that may not recur, for nobody knows when his/her turn comes to die.

We pray the Almighty to enable us to cross over His Siren with hardship only in the life of this world, and without any hardship in the life hereafter, to forgive our sins, and to accept our fast and repentance, Alla homma Aameen.

Chapter 22: Sharing Iftar with Others

The Almighty and Praised One has said, "O people-you are the ones who stand in need of Allah, while Allah is the self-Sufficient One, the Praised" (Holy Qur’an, 35:15). Islam, which has carried the banner of protecting the poor, the indigent, the orphans, ad the wayfarers, has urged the faithful to share the iftar with one another, to visit each other, and to invite others to break their fast with them. Islam, which does not favor an Arab over a non-Arab except on the basis of piety,

according to the tradition of His greatest Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah (pbuh), has established the fast in order to remind the rich of what the poor have to endure. The greatest Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah (pbuh) has said, "No poor person feels hungry except due to what another rich one is enjoying.

" Islam has informed us of all of this through the Islamic code of ethics, i.e., the Holy Qur’an, and through the revered Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) and his progeny (as), about whom the greatest Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has said, "I am leaving among you the Two Weighty Things: the Book of Allah, and my progeny, that is, my family; you shall never go astray so long as you follow them both."