Mary and Jesus in Islam Yasin T Al Jibouri

Yasin T. al-Jibouri

MARY AND JESUS IN ISLAM With An Extensive Transliterated Glossary

http://shiakitabe-shiabooks.blogspot.com

Š 2014 Yasin T. al-Jibouri. All rights reserved.

Reproduced with permission of Author and Copyrights Holder, Yasin T. al-Jibouri No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the permission of the author/copyrights holder.

This is Second Edition. ISBNs of its First American Edition are as follows: ISBN: 978-1-4685-2322-5 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-4685-2320-1 (e) ISBN: 978-1-4685-2321-8 (dj) This book has been uploaded and made available to you with the special permission of our beloved brother and Author Yasin T. al- Jibouri.

Please feel free to read /download it and remember him in your prays. Kindly leave your comments for us. If you are unable to download it, or if you need a free PDF copy of this book, please let us know, and we will be glad to oblige.

shiakitabe-shiabooks.blogspot.com

IMAGES FROM THE IMAGINATION OF AN ARAB ARTIST:

CONTENTS

ARABIC TRANSLITERATION RULES APPLIED IN THIS BOOK ................................................................................................ 3 SALUTATIONS USED IN THIS BOOK......................................... 4 PUBLISHER'S PREFACE ............................................................. 5 COVERS OF SOME BOOKS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS WRITTEN, TRANSLATED OR EDITED BY AUTHOR ............ 43 MARY AND JESUS  IN ISLAM............................................ 77 INTRODUCTION: ........................................................................ 77 The Major Differences Between Islam and Christianity ................. 80 Birth of Jesus son of Mary  According to Islam ........................ 91 Jesus and Mary  Leave for Egypt............................................. 103 Mary and Jesus  Return Home................................................. 104 Mary's Death and Prophethood of Jesus ................................. 105 The Disciples ................................................................................. 105 Saint Barnabas ........................................................................... 108 The Holy Spirit .......................................................................... 120 Miracles of Jesus  .................................................................... 121 The Table of Viands ...................................................................... 129 The Almighty Admonishes Jesus .............................................. 133 Invocations by Jesus  ........................................................... 138 Supplication by Jesus  Whereby he Brought the Dead Back to Life............................................................................................. 139 Was Jesus  Crucified?.............................................................. 140 After Jesus: The “Son of God” and “The Trinity” ........................ 143 Finally, is it Christianity or Paganism?.......................................... 150 Attis ........................................................................................... 152 Adonis or Tammuz .................................................................... 152 Dionysius or Bacchus ................................................................ 152 Osiris.......................................................................................... 153 Mithras or Mithra....................................................................... 154

Bel or Baal: Striking Similarities Between the Babylonian and the Christian Passion Plays.............................................................. 154 CONCLUSION:............................................................................. 160 GLOSSARY OF ISLAMIC TERMS ............................................ 168 A Grammatical Breakdown and Exegetical Explanation of the Basmala ..................................................................................... 190 Origin of the Attribute ar-Ra¦mān ............................................ 194 Some mysteries about Sūrat al-Fāti¦a: ..................................... 213 PROPHET'S HISTORIC GHADĪR SERMON: ........................ 250 ‫ ﻧﺺ ﺧﻄﺒﺔ اﻟﻐﺪﻳﺮ اﻟﻤﺒﺎرآﺔ‬.................................................................. 251 THE 14 INFALLIBLES ............................................................ 296 FĀ±IMA  AFTER THE PROPHET’S DEMISE ................... 301 PROPERTY OF FADAK: ......................................................... 302 KHU±BA OF FĀ±IMA AZ-ZAHRĀ  DEMANDING FADAK ................................................................................................... 303 FĀ±IMA FURTHER OPPRESSED ........................................... 319 FĀ±IMA’S DEATH .................................................................... 329 ‫ ﻣﺎ هﻮ "ﻣﺼﺤﻒ ﻓﺎﻃﻤﺔ"؟‬.................................................................... 336 WHAT IS FĀ±IMA’S MU¯μAF?............................................... 338 MU¯μAF’S CONTENTS .......................................................... 339 IMĀMS  AND FĀ±IMA’S MU¯μAF.................................... 340 IS FĀ±IMA’S MU¯μAF THE HOLY QUR’ĀN?!.................... 341 REBUTTAL to Samuel P. Huntington’s article “The Clash of Civilizations?” ............................................................................. 492 519 ................................ : ‫ﻗﺼﻴﺪة ﻣﻨﺴﻮﺑﺔ ﻷﻣﻴﺮ اﻟﻤﺆﻣﻨﻴﻦ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺑﻦ أﺑﻲ ﻃﺎﻟﺐ‬ Silent Supplication to Allāh........................................................... 521

2

ARABIC TRANSLITERATION RULES APPLIED IN THIS BOOK according to the regulations of the Library of the U.S. Congress

3

http://shiakitabe-shiabooks.blogspot.com

SALUTATIONS USED IN THIS BOOK



Peace and blessings of Allāh with him and his Progeny: salutng the Prophet of Islam

 Peace with him: saluating an Imām  Peace with her: saluting the Mother

of Imāms, Fā§ima

daughter of the Prophet of Islam 

 Peace with them both: saluting two Imāms  Peace with them all: salutating more than two Imāms  His soul sanctified: saluting a major Muslim deceased figure such as a prominent theologian, scholar, author, etc.

 Allāh has mercy on him: invoking Allāh’s mercy for the soul of a deceased person

 Allāh is pleased with him: saluting a righteous companion of the Prophet 



Allāh is pleased with her: saluting a female righteous companion of the Prophet 



Allāh is pleased with both of them: saluting two righteous companions of the Prophet 



Allāh is pleased with them: saluting more than two righteous companions of the Prophet 

4

PUBLISHER'S PREFACE It is customary to start a book about Islam by making a statement saluting the Prophet of Islam , his progeny  and righteous companions  thus: ‫ و آله الطيبين الطاھرين و أصحابه‬ ‫ و صلى ﷲ على سيدنا‬،‫الحمد رب العالمين‬ ‫ و عن العلماء و‬،‫ و رضي ﷲ عن التابعين لھم باحسان و تابعي التابعين‬،‫المنتجبين‬ .‫الصالحين الى يوم الدين؛ اللھم آمين يا رب العالمين‬ Praised be the Lord of the Worlds; Allāh blesses our master Mu¦ammed , his good and pure Progeny  and elite companions , and may He be pleased with those follow these companions in goodness as well as those who follow the latter. May He be pleased with the scholars and the righteous, all of them, up to the Day of Resurrection. O Lord of the Worlds! I plead to You to answer this prayer.

The author is pleased to present this book to his readers world-wide, soliciting their comments and suggestions not only about this book but also about all other books which he has written, edited or translated. Since most readers like to know about the background of an author before reading what he writes, let us satisfy their curiosity with the following, and if a reader wishes to know more about the author, the Internet is the best place where he can find it: The first book by this author was self-published in the United States and also overseas by An¥āriyān; it is titled Fast of the Month of Rama¤ān: Philosophy and A¦kām which saw the light simultaneously in the year 1994. Below you will find a list of other 5

books which Yasin T. al-Jibouri has written, edited or translated.

The reader is advised to visit his Internet website to review some of the books which he has made available for the public. His Scribd page address is: http://www.scribd.com/yasinaljibouri/ H

H

From 1972 to 2003, the author lived in the United States and observed how today's "Christians" worship at their churches and deal with each other. He was once kept on the mailing lists of five churches in Atlanta, Georgia, so he would be invited on various occasions by these churches, and he responded to most of those invitations in order to study the status of today's Christian community in that part of the world. This is why he later thought of writing this book which, differently from many others, relies in its contents on first-hand "Christian" references to prove a number of "shocking" facts such as: 1) Christ was not crucified but one of his disciples, who was not sincere in his conviction, was: The name of and details about this disciple are included in this book with complete references. 2) The concept of "the Holy Trinity" was never an original article of faith in Christianity but was introduced into it in the third century A.D. 3) Many of today's "Christian" beliefs were derived from ancient Babylonian, Indian and Persian religions in addition to Greek and Roman mythologies. 4) Christ was not born on December 25th; rather, Dionysius or Bacchus, the GraecoRoman god of wine, was regarded as the “only begotten son� of Jupiter and was born of a virgin named Demeter (or Semele) on December 25th...! 5) All present day's four biblical gospels of John, Mark, Luke and Matthew do not represent the truth faith of Christ; rather, only the Gospel of Saint Barnabas of Cyprus, who learned directly from Christ, does. This true Gospel is not recognized by any of today's numerous Churches. Add to this list the fact that the concept of "son of God", which most Christians of our time apply to Christ, was used by the Pharaohs of Egypt for Akhnaton just as ancient Greek and Roman mythologies contained many stories about alleged "sons of God", a concept very much abhorred in Islam not only because of its Pagan origins but because it makes no sense: If God has sons, why not daughters, too? Are males implied to be better or superior to females? What happened to equality and justice? Does the Almighty prefer men over women? And if He 6

supposedly has a son, and since he already has a mother, Mary , then the Christians worship a whole family...

Of course any zealous "Christian" may be quite angry on reading the above, and if the reader is one of these "Christians", this book is not written for him; instead, it is written for those who truly seek the truth and commit themselves to abide by it, and these are unfortunately rare species. This book is written for open-minded Christians and for Muslims who live in "Christian" communities overseas.

Often, readers are interested in knowing who the author is, his background, academic achievements, etc. In order to satisfy this curiosity, we are providing you here below with his bio-data: Yasin T. al-Jibouri was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1946 and lived most of his life in the holy city of al-Kādhimiyya (Kazimain) which is located in north-west Baghdad; he is presently living there. He lived in the United States from 1972 to 2003 and closely observed the missionary activities of both Muslims and non-Muslims in that country. He was prompted to write this book by what he regarded as the hypocrisy of many Christian clergymen who were not playing their role as educators of their flocks and sometimes were themselves involved in immoralities that have nothing to do with the pristine faith brought by the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, peace and blessings be with him and with his sinless and virtuous virgin mother.

Al-Jibouri graduated from the College of Arts, Baghdad University, on June 30, 1969, having majored in English which he taught at a high school in Hilla, metropolis of Babylon governorate, starting in 1970 then at a vocational institute in al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, for a couple of years starting in 1971 during which year he had the opportunity to perform the pilgrimage (¦ajj) in the company of his respected father and a maternal cousin. From there, he flew in 1972 to the United States by way of Beirut, Lebanon. In Rome, Italy, he changed flights and reached New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport in the eve of August 13, 1972. His objective was to pursue his studies for a graduate degree in English which he achieved.

7

In the United States, al-Jibouri had in the beginning the hardest years of his life simply because he had to pay for his own studies as well as living expenses. He rejected an offer by ¯addām μussein's government, which was made in person by the Cultural Attaché at the Iraqi Embassy in London at the time, to pay for his schooling provided he moved from the United States to the United Kingdom.

He knew that if he had accepted the offer, he would have to be used by the tyrant's government as a tool to do its bidding. Working menial jobs during the summer and studying during other seasons, he could not earn his degree before 1978, accumulating by then many more credit hours than required to graduate. His graduation date from the then Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) is December 20, 1978.

Despite harsh times of hunger and want, he became involved in the activities of the "Muslim Students Association of the United States and Canada" (MSA) which later was included under the umbrella of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). In 1973, he inaugurated Atlanta's first Islamic Center, delivering the khutba (sermon) as the imām, but he soon was forced out due to sectarian prejudices mainly from some Indian and Pakistani self-appointed Sunni community leaders who were administering the MSA's activities. He, therefore, was removed as the imām, and this prompted him in the winter of 1973 to establish the Islamic Society of Georgia, Inc. in order to introduce Islam the proper way, not by attacking this sect or that as those ignorant couple and their followers were doing, but through the medium of Islamic Affairs bimonthly newsletter which started publication in January of 1974.

8

The founders of the Islamic Society of Georgia, Inc., were, in addition to al-Jibouri, Dr. Akbar Ali Zaidi, a Pakistani-American who worked for the statistics department in the famous Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, who served as the Society's President, and Mu¦ammed Zafar Mahdi, also Pakistani, who was studying for his Ph.D. at Georgia State University and who served as the Society's financial secretary. Later, they were joined by Dr. Ja`far ±aba§ābai, an Iranian-American physician, who served as the Society's financial secretary after Mahdi had left the State of Georgia.

During the entire period from 1973 to 1979, al-Jibouri served as the Society's General Secretary. The Society's activities covered not only the local community in Atlanta but extended to serve the entire United States and abroad. Al-Jibouri kept in touch with a number of seekers of the truth in order to explain to them what the faith of the immediate family of the Prophet  was, and some of them finally were convinced, so they embraced it and have been propagating it ever since. For example, Latif Ali, who was born in 1954 in Banje Berbice, Guyana, for a Sunni family, is one of them. He recalls how his father used to go quite often to the area mosque but died when Ali was only nine. When he grew up, due to the fact that he studied at the Cumberland Methodist School, Latif Ali had an opportunity to compare the Methodist sect of Christianity with both BahĀism (Which was created by one Baha'ullāh who was born in 1817 and died in 1892) and Qadianism (faith of the A¦madis; the A¦madiyya Movement which was founded by Mirza Ghulām A¦med of Qadiān which is located in the Gurdaspur District in the State of Punjab, India; "Qadiānism" and "A¦madism" bear the same connotation).

Meanwhile, he came to know the author through Islamic Affairs newsletter. Gradually, he was influenced by both newsletter and books which al-Jibouri had sent him and eventually embraced Shī`ite Islam wholeheartedly. Other well known Shī`ite scholars and publishers also contributed to Latif Ali's acceptance of the Shī`ite Ja`fari Inthnā-`Asheri School of Muslim Law. The establishment of the Islamic Society of Georgia, Publisher of Islamic Affairs bimonthly newsletter, took place at al-Jibouri's modest apartment on Vine Street, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia, shortly 9

after al-Jibouri was removed as the imām of the Islamic Center of Atlanta. This quite recurring incident of pushing out Shī`ites from leading positions in the Islamic community is one of the ugly manifestations of prejudice by some Sunnis towards their Shī`ite brothers, and it happens quite often. Yet this ouster produced a flood of literature started with the publication and distribution of Islamic Affairs newsletter and developed later into the translating and writing of many quality books detailed here for you so you may judge for yourself. And this incident of ousting al-Jibouri from his leading role in Atlanta is detailed in his autobiography titled Memoirs of a Shī`ite Ithna-Asheri Missionary. These memoirs were published and distributed and may be reprinted in book form.

Presently, they are available only in electronic form.

In January of 1974, al-Jibouri started editing and publishing his Society's newsletter Islamic Affairs which evolved from a four-page newsletter to a twelve-page bulletin, becoming the most widely circulated Shī`ite publication in the United States with readers in all 50 U.S. States and 67 countries abroad, prompting the Society to seek help from a local company to maintain its vast computerized mailing list and print address labels for distributing Islamic Affairs by mail. All issues of this newsletter were printed and mailed out throughout the States and abroad free of charge, thanks to the generosity of its eager readers and supporters.

Seldom has a Shī`ite publication lived for so long while being supported by voluntary contributions in addition to the generosity of its founders. Just to give you an idea about how powerful that newsletter was, here is al-Jibouri narrating an incident for you: "Vol. 1, No. 4 issue of Islamic Affairs featured an article about Imām Ali , and the issue was extremely popular, so much so that we had to reprint it three times. Nevertheless, one day I needed a copy of that issue in order to reprint it for the fifth time, so I kept calling some of its recipients in Atlanta trying to borrow it from them.

10

Everyone I called told me that he/she had given it to someone else and that it kept in circulation till he lost track of it. The Library of Atlanta's Emory University was a regular recipient of Islamic Affairs because it has a department of theology, so I went there and spoke with the librarian after introducing myself as the editor-in-chief of Islamic Affairs. The librarian went away and looked for the newsletter. After a while, she returned to tell me that one of the university's professors had borrowed it and was using it as a teaching tool in his classes. I inquired about when he would return it, and the lady told me that it would be returned two weeks later. She wrote a note to herself not to let anyone borrow it other than myself for the time being. Exactly two weeks later, I returned to the library and asked for my copy of the newsletter. The same lady went and brought it to me. I was grateful but deeply disappointed: The professor had written so many notes on it in ink so he would explain its contents to his students, it could not be reproduced at all." This incident shows you how popular and powerful Islamic Affairs was.

In his book titled Islamic Da'wah in the West: Muslim Missionary Activity and the Dynamics of Conversion to Islam (Oxford University Press, 1992), Larry Poston mentions Islamic Affairs four times.

In 1975, Yasin T. al-Jibouri received instructions to facilitate the entry to the United States of the very first representative of the then Grand Ayatollāh Abul-Qāsim al-Khoei in North America, namely Sheikh Mu¦ammad Sarwar of Quetta, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, who, due to al-Jibouri's personal sponsorship, did, indeed, arrive at the same point of entry, namely New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, on January 25, 1976, a very important date in the history not only of the Shī`ite community of North American but of that of the whole Islamic world due to the tablīgh activities that resulted from the establishment of such a monumental Shī`ite institution like the Khoei Center in an important part of the world.

The request to facilitate the entry into the United States of Sheikh Sarwar came through New York's Shi'a Association of North America (SANA), which was founded by al-Jibouri's great friend, Ghulam-Raza µassan ali, who had migrated to the United States with his family from Dares-Salam, Tanzania, as did Aunali Khalfan who is mentioned elsewhere in this Preface. SANA is believed to be the 11

very first Shī`ite organization established in the United States: It was founded in the early 1970s, perhaps a year or two before al-Jibouri had founded his Islamic Society of Georgia, Inc. Sheikh Sarwar failed to obtain an entry visa to the United States after having tried to do so in Iraq, then in Iran, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Followers of al-Khoei in these countries acted as guides and hosts for the Sheikh and helped him with accommodations and travel expenses. When µassan ali spoke to al-Jibouri about the Sheikh being given the run-around, the first sent a package to the Sheikh who was at the time in London containing the following documents: 1) a letter of sponsorship which al-Jibouri typed on his Society's stationery indicating that he was the Sheikh's personal sponsor and guarantor, that al-Jibouri pledged not to let this cleric work in the United States, and that the visa applicant, if granted the visa, would abide by U.S. laws, rules and regulations; 2) a copy of the Bylaws of the Islamic Society of Georgia, Inc., of which al-Jibouri was the General Secretary; 3) constitution of the Islamic Society of Georgia, Inc.; and 4) some copies of the Islamic Affairs newsletter.

Unfortunately, the package arrived after the Sheikh had already made another failed bid in London to obtain the entry visa to the United States; so, he was advised to go to Lebanon to try his luck. In Beirut, he was subjected to a foiled kidnapping attempt as the country was embroiled in civil war; so, the Shī`ites there were very much concerned about his safety: They whisked him out of Beirut in the depth of the night to Damascus which was to be his last attempt following which he would return to Najaf, Iraq, to resume his studies at the ¦awza. In Damascus, Sheikh Sarwar submitted the package sent to him by al-Jibouri during the interview, and he was finally able to obtain his entry visa.

A few days following the arrival in the United States of Sheikh Mu¦ammad Sarwar, the Sheikh became al-Jibouri's roommate in Atlanta, Georgia. There, Sheikh Sarwar received training by alJibouri on the preparation of newsletters and different publications especially in the areas of typesetting, art designs and layout, steps required for making a "cold camera-ready copy" before being sent to the press. He was sent to the United States with specific instructions from the late Grand Ayatollah al-Khoei to start a regular newsletter or magazine, produce a new English translation of the Holy Qur’ān 12

and write books for Muslim children and adults. Upon its completion, Sheikh Sarwar's English translation of the Holy Qur’ān was published by Tahrike-Tarsile-Qur’ān, Inc. (Distribution of Holy Qur’ān, Inc.) of New York, a publishing house established and managed by al-Jibouri's close friend, Aunali Khalfan, and his great family. For your information, Khalfan was instrumental in the publication for the first time ever of a text of the Holy Qur’ān in Braille language for the blind. He has been publishing not only various translations of the Holy Qur’ān but also some other top quality Islamic books, including many published by An¥āriyān, the list of which now tops five thousand. One of the books which he has published and is now marketing is Peak of Eloquence: Nahjul Balāgha which is compiled by al-Sharīf al-Ra¤i and edited by Yasin T. al-Jibouri with an Introduction by Martyr Murtadha Mutahhari.

This title is marketed world-wide by other American book sellers as well. May the Almighty bless Aunali's efforts and reward them in the life of this world and in the Hereafter, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھم‬ ‫آمين‬.

As for the magazine which the Sheikh was instructed to issue, it was given the title The Message of Islam. It was, indeed, founded in February of 1976 under the supervision of Sheikh Sarwar not in Atlanta, Georgia, but in Houston, Texas, shortly before the Sheikh had gone to Atlanta to be al-Jibouri's roommate for few months. Its publication was made possible through help from the Shī`ite community in Houston members of which had written al-Khoei requesting him to send them a scholar to teach them Shī`ite Islam.

During his stay at al-Jibouri's very modest apartment (so modest, its monthly rent at the time was only $98 exclusive of utilities) in Atlanta, Georgia, the Sheikh put out two editions of this magazine.

Thereafter, the Sheikh moved from Atlanta to New York City where there have always been a much larger Shī`ite population and where a fourth edition of The Message of Islam was published. To the best of al-Jibouri's knowledge, this magazine disappeared after the publication and distribution of its fourth edition. In New York, Sheikh Mu¦ammad Sarwar founded the Khoei Center. Later on, unfortunately a controversy developed because of which the New York Shī`ite community requested the late Grand Ayatollah alKhoei to remove Sheikh Mu¦ammad Sarwar from office and appoint 13

someone else in his place. The great sage sent in 1982 one of his sons, namely martyr Sayyid Abdul-Majīd al-Khoei, on a fact-finding mission and to prepare for the establishment of the Khoei Foundation, the very first major institution established by Najaf's marji`iyya ‫( مرجعية‬highest religious authority) in the Western world.

The year 1982 ended Sarwar's term which started in 1976. He was replaced, after a bitter and costly court battle, by Sheikh Fadhil alSahlani, an Iraqi sheikh from Nasiriyya and a friend of al-Jibouri.

Sheikh al-Sahlāni has been efficiently running the Foundation, School and Center ever since. In the process of those court hearings, Yasin T. al-Jibouri, in his capacity as Sarwar's personal sponsor, was requested to submit a signed statement indicating that the late Grand Ayatollah al-Khoei was Sarwar's boss and that the latter was obligated to follow his orders; otherwise, he would be insubordinate.

Al-Jibouri complied, composing and signing such a statement as requested in his capacity as the one who helped him come to the United States and acted as his guarantor. The statement was presented before the judge who ruled that Sarwar should step down from his office and hand over all documents and assets to Sheikh Fa¤il al-Sahlāni, the new representative of al-Khoei to the believers in the United States and Canada.

The present building of the Khoei Foundation, which is located in Jamaica, New York, was opened seven years after that incident, that is, on the 15th of Sha`bān 1409 A.H./March 25,1989, in order to meet the religious needs of the Muslim community in the United States. The religious programs are conducted in Arabic, Urdu, Persian and, of course, English. Presently, the address of the Khoei Foundation is 13711 90th Avenue, and that of the Khoei Center is 8989 Van Wyck Expressway, both located in Jamaica, a suburb of New York City. The latter includes a mosque, a school and resident imām's quarters as well as a modern library, kitchen and cafeteria.

In the same year, that is, 1989, the Grand Ayatollah al-Khoei established the London branch of this Foundation, appointing his son, Sayyid Mu¦ammed Taqi al-Khoei, as its head. It is now located on Chevening and Salusbury roads. Its board, upon establishment, was comprised of these dignitaries: Sayyid Mu¦ammed Taqi alKhoei, Sheikh Mu¦sin Ali al-Najafi, Sheikh Yousuf Nafsi, Sayyid 14

Mu¦ammed al-Mousawi (of Bombay, India), Sayyid Fa¤il al-Milani, Sayyid Majid al-Khoei (another son of the late al-Khoei), Sheikh Hajj Kādhim Abdul- μussain, Sayyid Mu¦ammed Ali Shahristāni  (a world renown philanthropist and founder of the Open Islamic University in London, a man who was born in Iraq and who had descended from an Iranian family), and al-μajj Mustafa Kawkal.

Sayyid Taqi al-Khoei was succeeded in this post by his brother, the late Sayyid Abdul-Majīd al-Khoei who was assassinated in Najaf, Iraq, on Thursday, April 10, 2003. Following this tragic incident, Sayyid Yousuf al-Khoei, another son of the late Grand Ayatollāh, became director of London's Khoei Foundation. Another branch for the Khoei Foundation was established in Montreal, Canada, but information about it has not been available at the time when this text has been compiled for the kind reader.

Late Grand Ayatolllāh al-Khoei was born on November 19, 1899 and died on August 8, 1992. Following the demise of the late sage, Grand Ayatollāh Abul-Qāsim al-Khoei, the Shī`ite world, represented in Najaf's ¦awza, Islamic seminary, elected Sayyid Ali al-Sistāni to succeed him in this highest religious office. Grand Ayatollāh Sayyid Ali al-μusaini al-Sistāni was born on August 4, 1930 in Mashhad, Iran, to a family of religious scholars. His grandfather, after whom he was named, was a famous scholar who had studied in Najaf. Sistani's family originally comes from Isfahan.

During the Safavid period, his forefather, Sayyid Mu¦ammed, was appointed by then King μussain as "Sheikhul-Islam" (mentor/leading authority on Islam) in the Sistan province. He traveled to Sistan where he and his children settled, hence his last name, "al-Sistāni". Sistāni began his religious education as a child, starting in Mashhad and moving on to study at the great Shī`ite holy city of Qum in central Iran in 1949. In 1951, after spending few years there, he went to Najaf, Iraq, to study under the late Grand Ayatollāh Abul-Qāsim al-Khoei. Sistāni rose in religious ranks to be named in 1960 a supreme "marji`" ‫ مرجع أعلى‬the highest religious authority, under Iraqi government's head, Gen. Abdul-Karīm Qāsim, but without any interference from the government. At the unusually young age of 31 (that is, in 1961), Ayatollāh Sistāni reached the senior level of accomplishment called ijtihād, which entitled him to H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

15

pass his own judgments on religious questions and issue binding edicts.

Let us now go back and review al-Jibouri's stay in Atlanta, Georgia, which lasted from 1972 to 1979. During that period, al-Jibouri was instrumental in attracting converts to the Shī`ite Ja'fari Inthnā'Asheri School of Muslim Law. These converts were taught Islam as propagated by the Infallible Offspring of the Prophet , namely the Ahl al-Bayt . Among the earliest of local converts, that is, not counting those outside Georgia who embraced Shī`ite Islam through al-Jibouri's missionary efforts such as Latif Ali of Guyana who is discussed above, and many others elsewhere, are: ±āriq AbdulSalām followed by Mahdi Abdur-Ra¦eem, Bāqir Abdul- μaleem and Abdul-Qahhār who were the most active callers to the truth at the time. Conversion was done to some of them directly from Christianity and to some others from the Sunni School of Muslim Law. All these converts, with the exception of Abdur-Ra¦eem, were born and raised in Georgia. Abdur-Ra¦eem was born in the Bahama Islands and was a permanent resident of the United States. AbdulQahhār once had the opportunity to go to Germany where he was blessed with converting some Germans to the Shī`ite Islamic faith.

The other brothers gradually converted others, too, and so on, and only the Almighty knows how many are now those who have accepted Shī`ite Islam through such a chain of conversions. The Islamic Society of Georgia, Inc. was also able to reach out to many incarcerated Americans whom it introduced to Islam and who accepted it wholeheartedly. Some of these incarcerated converts established organizations of their own to promote the faith enthusiastically despite fierce opposition from Wahhābi and Salafi inmates who applied all sorts of pressure on administrators of American prisons to prevent these Shī`ite converts from practicing their faith in the claim that Shī`ites are not Muslims. It is not known how many inmates switched faith to Shī`ite Islam after being influenced by the works and translations of our brother, al-Jibouri.

After obtaining his graduate degree, al-Jibouri moved in 1979 to Prince George's County, Maryland. In that year, al-Jibouri was invited by a group of youths studying in Toledo, Ohio, for their 16

undergraduate and graduate degrees and who wanted to organize themselves to do Islamic da'wah work. He met them there and then and took advantage of the proximity of Toledo to Detroit so he would, for the second time, meet the late imām Mu¦ammed Jawād Chirri who was then imām and director of the Islamic City of Detroit. Chirri and al-Jibouri had met when the first came to Atlanta, Georgia, to hold a memorial service for the tragic and premature death of an ailing young son of Dr. Ja'far ±aba§abāi, an IranianAmerican doctor and at the time one of al-Jibouri's fellow officers of the Islamic Society of Georgia, Inc. Reference is made to him above.

The highly revered scholar and imām, Chirri, insisted on hosting alJibouri at his home, thus causing him to miss his flight from Ohio to Maryland! But it was time well spent: Chirri showed al-Jibouri his manuscript for his book titled The Brother of the Prophet Mu¦ammed , referring of course to Imām Ali , soliciting his comments and suggestions. Imām Chirri was born in Lebanon on October 1, 1905 and died in Dearborn, Michigan, on November 10, 1994. He is known particularly for three of his most important works: The book referred to above, The Shī`ites Under Attack and Inquiries about Islam. These scholarly works will shine like the stars in the depth of the night and testify to the zeal of their writer for the teachings of Ahl al-Bayt (‫)ع‬. Imām Chirri, may the Almighty fill his resting place with noor, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھ م آم ين‬, was an avid reader of Islamic Affairs, the newsletter which al-Jibouri started editing as early as January of 1974, only few months after arriving at the U.S. in mid-August of 1973.

While living in Hyattsville, Maryland, from 1979 – 1982, then in Virginia thereafter, Yasin T. al-Jibouri became involved in the activities of the Islamic School located in Potomac, Maryland, where the Principal was Dr. Abdul-¯ā¦ib Hāshim, a very active and energetic Iraqi pediatrician who started his Islamic activities at the Islamic Center in the U.S. capital, Washington. You can actually write a book about this great man due to the thousands of those who came to know Islam through his efforts which included writing and translating quality books designed either for new converts to Islam or for Muslim children and adults. He is an icon in the history of Islam in the United States and the world, may the Almighty reward him most generously in this life and in the life to come, Allāhomma 17

Āmeen ‫اللھم آمين‬. The Sunday School was rented from its administrators for Sundays to teach children of Muslim families in Maryland, the District of Columbia (D.C., where the U.S. capital is located) and Virginia. As the children were learning the tenets of their creed, Islamic Arabic and history in classes upstairs, the parents were downstairs listening to speeches about Islam some of which were delivered by al-Jibouri. These activities were arranged and directed by Dr. Abdul-¯ā¦ib Ma¦allāti, an Iranian-American physician, and called "Adult Education Programs". Now let us introduce you with some available information to two important personalities who have had a huge impact on the spread of Islam throughout the United States: 1. Dr. Mahdi μāeri son of Ayatollāh Abdul-Karīm μaeri Yazdi who was one of the mentors of the late Ayatollāh Rūhulla Khomeini (founder of the modern Islamic Republic of Iran). Ayatollah AbdulKarim μāeri is the one who revitalized the ¦awza (religious seminary) in Qum, one of the main Shī`ite religious centers in the world. Dr. Mahdi Haeri studied at the same ¦awza ‫ حوزه‬then at Tehran University where he taught theology (ilāhiyyāt). He was once loaned by Tehran University to be a visiting professor at Georgetown University in the U.S. capital, Washington, where he taught Eastern Existentialist Philosophy, a branch of knowledge with which very few scholars are familiar. In fact, Dr. μāeri was one of three individuals in the whole world who specialized in this subject and had written books on it. He came to Georgetown University through his acquaintance with Mr. Schriver, one of the relatives of the renown Kennedy family. Dr. Mahdi μāeri will always be remembered affectionately by all those who were honored to meet him, learn from him or in any way benefit from his ocean of knowledge. At the time, Yasin T. al-Jibouri worked as receptionist at a Persian rug store owned and managed by a highly respected Iranian-American family, namely the Parvizians. The store is still located till now in the Chevy Chase area of the metropolitan U.S. capital area. It was there and then that our brother, al-Jibouri, came to know this great man and saw how hard he worked towards establishing the Islamic Education Center (IEC). He sometimes used to visit him at his most modest Chevy Chase apartment and noticed how ascetic, simple and highly intellectual Dr. Haeri was. You will 18

get to know more about this unique personality later on. This great personality played a pivotal role in founding the IEC, may the Almighty bless his soul and reward him for his efforts in spreading Islam in North America and the world, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھم آمين‬.

2. Dr. Abdul-¯āhib Hāshim, an Iraqi-American pediatrician who is an institution all by himself and whose life's achievements are seldom matched. Dr. Hāshim was born in the holy city of alKā¤imiyya (Kazimain) in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 15, 1927. He went to private schools, finishing his high school studies in al-A`¤amiyya city, Baghdad. In 1945, he joined the then Royal College of Medicine before Baghdad University was established from which he graduated in 1951. He served for one year as physician in the Iraqi army in the Rawandooz area. In 1953, Dr. Hāshim migrated to the United States at his own expense seeking medical training in pediatrics during the years from 1953 to 1955 whereby he won residency and fellowship in pediatrics in 3 hospitals in Massachusetts and one hospital in Ohio. In 1956, he returned home to Baghdad where he practiced his career for one year following which he returned to the United States and won in 1957 a fellowship in Pediatric Pathology at the Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, after which he practiced Pediatrics in Cumberland, Maryland. In 1966, he became Superintendent of the Sunday school at the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C. Family members, especially youngsters, of many Arab and Muslim ambassadors, diplomats, businessmen and permanent residents were taught Islamic Arabic, Qur’ān and the tenets of the Islamic faith every Sunday. In 1968, he moved his practice to the U.S. capital's area to be closer to the Islamic Center.

During a period of 10 years, the number of the school’s students swelled from 26 to 241. As its Principal, Dr. Hāshim had to divide it, because it was too crowded, and to move part of it to Tilden Jr. High School in Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland, eleven miles from the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., and close to where Dr. Hāshim has been living. Most students at this Sunday Islamic School (75%) were Sunni, while 25% of them were Shī`ite. The other part of the school was left at the Islamic Center in D.C. The school at Tilden grew from 99 students to 191 students in two years. This impressed many Iranian visitors such as Mr. Futuvat, who once worked for the prestigious Parvizian family's rug store mentioned 19

above and who wanted to establish an Islamic Center for Iranian and non-Iranian children. Dr. Hāshim decided to write and introduce to his students his book titled Teachings of Mu¦ammed as Taught by Ahlul Bayt  in order to test the tolerance of the Sunni brothers to the teachings of the Prophet's Family.

As it turned out, the intolerant and prejudiced brothers raised their ire and it was like a nightmare, so it was the parting time: Dr. Hāshim and other Shī`ite teachers and students (plus 30% Sunni students from the Center's School) went to Woodward High School in Rockville, Maryland, where the Sunday school grew from 65 students to 160 students in 2 years. From 1968 to 1985, Dr. Hāshim wrote as many as 20 books forming the Series of Islamic Books for Beginners. At that juncture, and in 1981, the Sunday school moved to the Islamic Education Center (IEC) where it still is functioning till now. At the same time, a full-time Islamic school, that is, the Muslim Community School (MCS), moved to IEC and continues to do so till now. It won accreditation from the local Maryland government. From 1981 to 1986, Dr. Hāshim managed to get 72,000 copies of the English translation of the Holy Qur’ān by A. Yousuf Ali printed and distributed mostly to new converts serving prison sentences.

In the next year, 1987, Hashim quit being the Principal of the Sunday school, which is now directed by Dr. Adnān al-Dādah, another Iraqi physician, and established the "Qur’ān Account, Inc." to help educate new converts to Islam in American prisons among whom Islam was spreading steadily and quickly. From that year and up to now, as many as 7,634 Americans joined the Islamic faith, a monumental achievement by any Martyr Muhammed-Baqir standard, Mashā-Allāh. Many of these are becoming Shī`ite Ithna `Asheris. Prisons Haidar al-Sadr

in most American states always contact him. Chaplains of prison libraries request Qur’āns and books in order to make them available to the prisoners through their libraries. Earlier, in 1985, he wrote 20

How to be Your Child's Doctor, Sometimes as a textbook to help mothers who tend to their children at home. Remember that Dr. Hāshim is a pediatrician, an expert on this subject. In 1992, Dr. Hāshim retired from his medical practice and completed the next year, 1993, the writing of his Sunni-Shī`i Dialog Pamphlets. From 1996 to 1998, he helped organize Ahlul-Bayt Conferences at the IEC where top Shī`ite scholars were invited to speak and the attendants, especially invited Sunni guests, were encouraged to raise questions.

One of the speakers was Dr. Mu¦ammed al-Tījāni al-Samāwi, the famous Tunisian-born professor who descended from an originally Iraqi ancestry that lived in Samāwa city, Iraq, and a formerly Tijāni Sufi scholar who converted to Shī`ite Islam following a visit to Najaf, Iraq, where he had met Martyr Mu¦ammed Bāqir a¥-¯adr (pictured above). Al-Jibouri always translated al-Samawi's speeches delivered both at the IEC in Maryland and at the Khoei Foundation in New York. Both al-Jibouri and al-Tījāni became good friends during that time and continue to be so. Besides Dr. al-Tījāni, other prominent Shī`ite university professors were always invited to speak at conventions held at the spacious theater area of the Center, including Dr. Abdul-Azīz Sachedina and Dr. Liyakat Takim, both are noted for their scholarly contributions to the Islamic intellectual discourses in North America since the early 1970s. In 1997, Dr. Abdul-¯ā¦ib Hāshim put together the Abstracts of Proceedings for the Ahlul-Bayt Assembly of America. In 1999, he wrote the Bylaws for the short-lived Darul-Salām Center which was established in Annandale, Virginia (Fairfax County), by mostly Iraqi Shī`ites, notably Dr. Ali al-A§§ar, Dr. Ma¦moud Thāmer, Dr. Sundukchi, and Dr. Ri¤a al-A§§ār. Darul-Salām Center premise consisted of a twostorey townhouse, a kitchen and facilities plus a small parking lot.

The town of Annandale is located in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. Al-Jibouri resided in Annandale few blocks from DarulSalām Center before leaving the United States for the United Kingdom in late July of 2003. In the U.K., he stayed in the tourist town of Bournemouth, Middlesex, which is located about one hour and a half on the bus south of London. Dr. Abdul-¯ā¦ib Hāshim wrote the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation for Darul-Salām in 1998, registering it in 1999 as a non-profit religious organization. Its activities were astounding, and many of the personalities in the Iraqi government nowadays were guest speakers, such as the late Sayyid 21

Abdul-Azīz al-μakīm, Dr. Humām μammoudi, Dr. Muaffaq alRubai`i, Dr. μussain al-Shahristāni, Dr. Ādil Abdul-Mahdi, to mention only a few individuals who now are top officials and decision-makers in the Iraqi government. Revenue from membership, however, never met the expenses. From 1999 to 2006, expenses of Darul-Salām were around $219,300 whereas membership income was around $45,400, causing a huge deficit which was met mostly by a few generous individuals especially the Center's founding fathers: During this period, about $175,000 came from these few benevolent contributors. But this continuous financial hemorrhage could not be sustained indefinitely; therefore, DarulSalām Center was frozen as of June 2006 and remains till now to be so. Yasin T. al-Jibouri, had made a contribution of a large number of books to this Center just to be told few days later that many (some say two thirds) of them were thrown in a nearby dumpster because the Sunni librarian of the Center did not like them. Perhaps they were "too Shī`ite" for him which he could not tolerate. All the remaining books were given to Imām Ali's Center, and thank God, this time the Shī`ite librarian did not throw any of them away; they are put to good use, read or borrowed. Some people become scared when seeing a Shī`ite book. I wonder why! Does this not mean lack of self-confidence?! If not, is it not just blind prejudice or something worse?! While living in Atlanta, Georgia, al-Jibouri once received a shipment of books from Iran. Since he did not yet establish his first organization, the Islamic Society of Georgia, Inc., he thought it would be good to donate the books to the library (using the term loosely) of the Atlanta local chapter of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA), which he did. When those who were in charge of MSA noticed the books (actually pocket-size booklets and some full-size books) had a statement saying, “Peace and blessing with the Prophet and his progeny,” they protested, saying that they did not bless that progeny and would not enourage anyone to do so. We wonder what harm they received at the hands of the Prophet’s progeny . Those close-minded MSA leaders gave the books and booklets to an African-American lady who was new to Islam with this instruction: “Sister, bury or burn them.” Now we all know where ignorance stems from. This incident is recorded in al-Jibouri’s Memoirs, autobiography, which is available on the Internet in more than one site. In order to remove misconceptions, Sunnis must read 22

Shī`ite books, and Shī`ites must read Sunni books; this is the way it should be. Even converting from the Sunni to the Shī`ite School of Thought or the opposite should never be condemned. One will remain within the folds of Islam if he/she does either. Islam is one, one tree, one stem, with two branches. But some people think that they, and only they, “know it all” while others do not! This is nothing but sheer ignorance or worse.

Darul-Salām Center was a medium for all Iraqis to meet, socialize, and hold discussions. But without money to support it, it could not be sustained. Many informative lectures, religious and political, town-hall meetings, even a previous ambassador to Iraq (Wilson) gave lively discussions. Among those who delivered speeches and lectures at the Darul-Salām Center were famous personalities such as Dr. Phebe Marr, now retired university professor and author of many books on Middle East politics including The Modern History of Iraq, and Dr. μussain al-Shahristāni, now Iraq's oil minister. AlJibouri met both of these intellectuals but kept in touch only with Dr. Marr who expressed interest in what al-Jibouri wrote about Iraq shortly before and after the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. AlJibouri presented a copy of his book titled Allāh: The Concept of God in Islam to Dr. μussain al-Shahristāni there and then. Also, Darul-Salām sponsored the publication and distribution of alJibouri's translation of Ghadīr's Khutba in the month of Dhul- μijja of 1419 A.H. (March 1999 A.D.), and Dr. Hāshim was instrumental in getting it printed. This book is still being distributed to prison inmates all over the U.S. and it made headways with those who read it. This book contains both the original Arabic text of this great sermon of the Prophet of Islam  in 23 pages and al-Jibouri's translation of it. An¥āriyān Publications hopes it will in the near future reprint it in a different format. In 2004, Dr. Hāshim rewrote and edited his book titled Khu§bas of Jumu`ah, and in the next year he posted his website: www.islamicbooks.info where you will find themes of Nahjul-Balāghah in 27 selection subjects (such as Nahjul Balāgha about the Prophet , Nahjul Balāgha about Ahlul Bayt , or Nahjul Balāgha about the Umayyads). This website has a very interesting section for downloading "slide shows" in Microsoft PowerPoint which Dr. Hāshim first introduced in 2007 and H

H

23

continues to add to it. As regarding the books which Dr. Abdul¯āhib Hāshim has been able to write so far, they now number 24 and still counting, and their titles are as follows: Iman, Ibadat, Eleven Sūrahs Explained, Life of Mu¦ammed  Vol. I, Life of Mu¦ammed  Vol. II, Al-Khulafā Al-Rashidoon, Islamic Ethics and Personal Conduct, Life of Some of the Prophets  Vol. I, Life of Some of the Prophets  Vol. II, Islamic Arabic, Salāt, Workbook for Islamic Arabic (By Sr. Sihām ad-Dādah, wife of Dr. Adnān al-Dādah referred to above), Arabic Alphabets Cards (by Sr. Sihām al-Dādah), The Way of Ahlul Bayt , Ahlul Bayt Vol. I, Ahlul Bayt Vol. II, Ahlul Bayt Vol. III, Qur’ānic Selections Explained Vol. I, Qur’ānic Selections Explained Vol. II, Qur’ānic Selections Explained Vol. III, Qur’ānic Selections Explained Vol. IV, How to be Your Child’s Doctor, Sometimes, Abstract of Proceedings, of Ahlul Bayt Assembly of America, and 40 Sermons of Friday Prayers (Khutba of Jumu’ah).

With such a glowing record, Dr. Abdul-¯āhib Hāshim qualifies to be described as an institution all by himself, an icon, an umma ‫أمة‬, a nation all by himself... May the Almighty grant him long, healthy and happy life and reward him for all what he has done and will be doing for the sake of promoting Islam in a mostly hostile environment, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھم آمين‬.

Now let us narrate for the inquisitive avid reader the story behind the establishment of the Islamic Education Center (IEC), one of the largest and most prominent Shī`ite centers in North America: The location is 7917 Montrose Road, and it has an interesting story behind it: The site was first a community center for the Syrian (or Syriac) Orthodox Church of Antioch, a Christian community of mostly Syrians who spoke Arabic and perhaps Syriac or Aramaic and whose religion was Christianity. By the way, there is an area in Syria where the natives speak the same language spoken by Jesus Christ , namely Aramaic, and they are unique among all other Christians of the world. These Christian Syrians were falling behind on paying the mortgage installments for their center and wanted to move to Texas, so they were willing to sell their property. The center was then comprised of a large hall for meetings or special functions as well as congregational prayer services, a modern stage, a large 24

kitchen, cafeteria, many classrooms and restrooms in addition to vast five acres of grounds for either landscape or expansion. Al-Jibouri was at the time working for Parvizian's rug store in Chevy Chase, Maryland, to which reference is made above. He noticed how a female realtor used to go quite often to Manoucher Parvizian, the most senior of the Parvizian brothers, trying to convince him to buy the property. It so happened that Professor Mahdi μāeri was loaned at the time by Tehran University to Washington's Georgetown University during the days of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and the professor noticed the female realtor's persistence, so much so that he spoke with the Parvizians and offered to get the then Mostazafan Foundation in Tehran to sponsor the purchase and renovation as well as conversion of the center to meet the Muslim community's needs, and the Parvizians welcomed the idea. Al-Jibouri typed the application for the center's mortgage, and the Parvizian brothers managed, with help from the Mostazafan Foundation, to pay its $240,000 down-payment for a total cost at the time of a very modest $1.2 million; Manoucher Parvizian, the senior in the family, negotiated the deal. The Mostazafan Foundation changed name later to the Alawi Foundation because it originally was the Pahlevi Foundation, a trust catering to the needs of the family of now buried Mu¦ammed Reza Shah Pahlevi whenever they lived abroad.

Ironically, the shah's son lived not far from the area where the IEC now stands, and once the friends of his "royal highness" had to make a collection in order to help him pay for the rent of his apartment because he had run out of cash! See how some people go from riches to rags. The above information introduced the reader to how the IEC came to exist, and the full story of this great institution, which has been serving Islam and its converts to Islam since its establishment in 1981, will be narrated for you later in this rather lengthy Preface!

So, let us go back to Dr. Abdul-¯ā¦ib Hāshim and see what he is up to.

Dr. Hāshim received, on the IEC's inauguration day, the keys to the place from Abdi Parvizian who delivered a speech on the occasion.

Al-Jibouri attended that inauguration and soon started teaching Qur’ānic Arabic and Islamic History at it. During that time he was renting one room in a rooming apartment, sharing the kitchen and bathroom with other tenants, and he was paying the rent on a week25

by-week basis. He simply could not afford to rent an apartment for himself, nor could he afford to get a telephone installed in his room except many months later. In 1978, Dr. Hāshim became the Founding Father of the Muslim Community Center, which was established in the city of Silver Spring, Prince George's County, Maryland, which is adjacent to Montgomery County.

Below is a brief chronology of the Islamic Education Center with focus on its school where Muslim children have for years been learning the tenets of their creed: In 1978, Dr. Abdul-¯āhib Hāshim wrote and published his book titled Book of Teachings of Mu¦ammed as passed down by Ahlul Bayt  when he was Principal of the Sunday School at the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. Strong objections were raised by some fanatical and intolerant Sunnis about this book. A bad thing can sometimes produce a good thing. This led to the establishment of a predominantly Shī`ite school at Woodward High School in Rockville, Maryland. In 1979, Dr. Mahdi μaeri became involved in the activities of the Sunday School, delivering series of lectures to adult classes there and then. The next year, 1980, witnessed the purchase of the Islamic Education Center which needed renovations and conversions. These were completed by 1981, the date when the Center became operational. Yasin T. al-Jibouri now moved his classes of Qur’ānic Arabic and Islamic History from Woodward High School to the Islamic Education Center (IEC) which has been expanding and its activities diversifying ever since. The board of directors of this great institution at the time of its establishment included the following dignitaries: Dr. Mahdi μāeri, Dr. Abdul¯āhib Ma¦allati, Dr. Moinfar, Br. Bahrām Nahidiān, Br. Manoucher Parvizian and Dr. Rafii, who all are Iranians, and Dr. Parvez Shah, a Pakistani physician and a very generous donor to all good Islamic causes, may he and all these dignitaries be most generously rewarded by the Almighty for their good intentions and actions, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھم آمين‬. Dr. Shah later was instrumental in the establishment in the late 1980s of the Idara-e-Jaferia at 3140 Spencerville Road, Burtonsville, Maryland, for this reason: Since the administrators of the IEC were all Iranians, Persian was the dominating language on the center's activities. Other Shī`ite 26

communities had to wait till Persian programs were completed before theirs could start, and this meant a delay as late as midnight.

By the time the activities of these non-Iranians were completed so those of non-Iranians could start, the time would have already past midnight! When they concluded, the time was in the early hours of the morning, and the children would have by then slept for quite some time while drowsiness would have taken its toll on those who have to drive their families back home in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia so late in the evening, or so early in the morning, on State highways where one wrong turn could end in a traffic accident and a disaster; most program attendants lived outside Maryland or far away from the Center. It was not a pleasant situation, so this prompted dignitaries in the Urdu-speaking community to establish their own center in Maryland and the Arabic-speaking community to first meet in Northern Virginia at apartments of active Shī`ite brothers, notably from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, then establish the Darul-Salām Center in Annandale, Virginia. One of the above dignitaries, namely Bahrām Nahidiān, later established his own Manassas Mosque at 12950 Center Entrance Court, Manassas, Virginia, not far from the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, where he has been the imām since its establishment in the mid1980s. The Manassas Mosque, which is located in a business area, has been expanding since its establishment both by way of activities and physically, acquiring more space by purchasing adjacent stores.

It was established at a mid-size commercial area. Imām Bahrām Nāhidiān, who received religious training in Iran and specializes in the exegesis of the Holy Qur’ān, has been one of few Shī`ites in the United States who have been working very hard to strengthen a Shī`ite-Sunni brotherhood, tolerating in the process so much bothering and resistance from those who despise such a blessed effort, and unfortunately there are many such folks at every time and clime. Just as there are prejudiced Sunnis, there are also prejudiced Shī`ites, and it is this ugly prejudice which is responsible for tearing the unity of the Islamic world apart. Sunnis and Shī`ites are brothers, and they should treat each other according to the principles of Islamic brotherhood. Opponents of Islamic unity are at the root cause of the ills afflicting our Islamic communities worldwide.

One of the earliest programs at the IEC was an interesting Friday 27

evening sessions in the exegesis of the Holy Qur’ān presented by Dr. Adnān al-Dādah, an Iraqi medical doctor whose wife, Sr. Sihām, was also very active in teaching the children Arabic and prayers, may Allāh reward both of them for their selfless efforts, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھم آمين‬. In the mid-1980s, the IEC managed to raise one million dollars to add another floor which allowed it to increase its activities. These activities attracted not only Iranians but also Pakistani, Arab, Turkish and other communities living in three states: the District of Columbia (where the U.S. capital, Washington, is located), Virginia and, of course, Maryland. Also, a nearby house was purchased to be the residence of the center's imām. Mawlānas (highly trained clerics who graduated from recognized religious seminaries) from abroad were invited temporarily to conduct special events. Among them have been these well known scholars: Mawlana Ayatollāh Abdul-Majīd Ma¦allāti, God bless his soul, who was very much loved because of being so witty, knowledgeable and very cordial with everyone, and Mawlāna Rāfiq Naqvi, who came from India, a departure in the IEC's policy of importing Iranian clerics and scholars, but he did not keep his job for long. Other mawlānas who have served at the IEC include: the late Mawlāna Shahroudi (Iranian) who stayed in office for a short period of time in the early 1990s; may he always be blessed, Mawlāna Mu¦ammed Reza μejāzi (Iranian) who served as the imām from 1994 – 2001 during which he was studying for his Ph.D. degree in theology at Washington's Catholic University. Mawlāna Dr. μejāzi is now in California, and he is remembered for having started a very interesting "Interfaith Dialogue" with the Catholic University in D.C., his alma mater.

Three-day meetings once a year were held regularly for full three years during which ayatollahs from Iran were invited to participate.

One of the products of those dialogue meetings was some Catholic University professors going to visit Iran, particularly the ¦awza (theological seminary) in Qum, where some of them stayed for few years. This was the streamlining of such unique activities started by Mawlana μejazi, the great young and energetic scholar. From 2001 – 2003, Mawlana Dr. Reza Akbarian (Iranian), a professor of Islamic Philosophy at Tehran University, was in charge of administering the IEC. From the year 2004 and till the present time, Mawlāna A¦med Ba¦raini (Iranian) has proven to be the most active, energetic and organized imām the IEC has been lucky to 28

have. According to Dr. Abdul-¯ā¦ib Hāshim, the IEC is now enjoying its golden age, thanks to Mawlana Bahraini. Mawlāna Bahraini saw to it to add Mawlāna Abdul Jalīl (a scholar from Ghana who had received theological training in Qum) to the IEC's staff.

Abdul Jalīl is most dynamic and eloquent in both English and Arabic, and his Friday khu§bas (sermons) attract many people. He also conducts on each Friday evening meetings for exegesis (tafsīr) of the Qur’ān which are usually attended by 60-100 persons.

Expansion of premises of the IEC has always been on the mind of each and every imām who administered this great institution. In the late 1990s, the third phase of IEC's expansion was completed when the yard between the school's building and the mosque became an office space. The likelihood of more expansion remains to be real due to the fact that the front and back yards of this institution are still largely wooded areas.

In 2007, a medical clinic open to people without insūrance was inaugurated at the IEC along with its sponsor MobileMed organization. Several hundred patients visit it every year. It is called Ibn-Sina (Avicenna) Clinic, and it serves all people of all languages and creeds. It is also worth mentioning that presently there are eleven Shī`ite centers in Greater Washington area: Three of them are administered by mostly Iranians, three others by Pakistanis, two by Afghanis, one by Arabs, in addition to others in the southern part of the State of Virginia information about which could not be obtained at the time when this material was collected for you. This phenomenal spread of Shī`ite institutions in Virginia has taken place within a short period of three decades, Al¦amdu Lillāh!

Let this information serve as a chronicle for present and all future generations. It will benefit those who conduct researches about the spread of Islam in the West in general and in the U.S. in particular.

The doing of good is always rewarded by the Almighty according to its doer’s intention. May the Almighty purify our minds and souls and enable us to be worthy of bearing the name of His religion, Islam, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھم آمين‬.

During the entire time when the author was living in Maryland, he 29

had to face untold hardships. The time when he moved from Georgia to Maryland was close to winter, and during the winter, snow fell heavily and the man did not have enough to cover himself with during the night; therefore, in the morning, he always had nosebleeds. He met hardships also in making a living there simply because, in part, his degree was in a language which everybody spoke as the mother tongue, and due to the prejudice against Muslims in general and Arabs in particular promoted by the Zionist Jewish community in the United States especially during those times due to the publicity against the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Despite the odds and the hardships, he was able to stand fiercely to defend the Islamic Revolution which had by then erupted in Iran like a volcano, delivering numerous speeches in defense of the Revolution and responding to the anti-Islamic news media, employing his pen and mastership of the language.

In 1980, Ayatollāh Mu¦ammed Bāqir a¥-¯adr was martyred, and the event shook al-Jibouri and prompted him to start the publication and distribution of Islamic Revival newsletter which he edited under the pen name of "Abū Ali". A¥-¯adr is recognized world-wide as one of the most brilliant scholars, thinkers, philosophers, economists, religious and political leaders not only of Iraq but of the entire Islamic world. He is the father-in-law of Muqtada a¥-¯adr and cousin of both Mu¦ammed Mu¦ammed-Sādiq a¥-¯adr (Muqtada's father) and Imām Mousa a¥-¯adr, the famous Lebanese Shī`ite leader who was assassinated in Libya by Muammar al-Qadhafi’s men where he was hosted to attend a conference. The father of Ayatollāh Mu¦ammed Bāqir a¥-¯adr is Sayyid μaydar a¥-¯adr, a well respected high ranking Shī`ite cleric. The a¥-¯adr lineage goes back to the Prophet of Islam  through the seventh Imām, Mousa al-Kā¨im . Martyred Ayatollāh Mu¦ammed Bāqir a¥-¯adr is famous for his books Falsafatuna (Our [Islamic] Philosophy) and Iqti¥āduna (Our [Islamic] Economics). Al-Jibouri once bought The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, a 4-Volume set,

by John L. Esposito, and he was surprised to see how the information about martyr Mu¦ammed Bāqir a¥-¯adr was so scanty, shallow and even inaccurate: For example, the place of birth of martyr a¥-¯adr as placed in this encyclopedia is indicated to have H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

30

been in Najaf, whereas the fact is that the great martyr was born in al-Kā¤imiyya, northwest Baghdad. Al-Jibouri wrote a letter to Esposito's office to correct this error, but he never received an answer, let alone an apology for making such a mistake or a promise to correct it in any future edition! Some people are too arrogant to admit their error; they feel it is beneath their dignity. We all make mistakes; nobody is infallible, but it takes guts to admit wrongdoing and to correct it. This applies to literature as it applies to everything else in life.

Islamic Revival was dedicated to the Islamic liberation movements throughout the Muslim world in general and in Iraq in particular. In the same year, ¯addam μussein, encouraged mostly by the U.S., invaded Islamic Iran, and al-Jibouri was quick to put out a circular titled "Abū Satoor Invades Iran". The term "Abū Satoor", man of the hatchet, refers to butchers: Surely ¯addam introduced himself to the world as "the Butcher of Baghdad". During that period, in order to save money for publications, he could not afford to rent anything more than a single room in a rooming house where he had to share the kitchen and bathroom with all other tenants as stated above. It was there and then that he once sat in the kitchen preparing some food for his greatest guest ever, the late martyr Sayyid Mu¦ammedMahdi al-μakīm, oldest son of the late Grand Ayatollāh Sayyid Mu¦sin al-μakīm. Sayyid Mu¦ammed-Mahdi μakīm was assassinated in Khartoum, capital of the Sudan, in January of 1988 at the hands of ¯addam's henchmen who were then running the Iraqi embassy there like a den of hoodlums. Al-μakīm had earlier met alJibouri when the latter was involved in his Islamic activities in Atlanta, Georgia, and a strong bond tied both men who worked hand in hand to expose the bloody nature of ¯addam μussein's regime to the world. At the time, al-μakīm had an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which was later closed by the Emirates' government following pressures from ¯addam μussein's government, and it was from there that al-Jibouri used to receive information about armed activities of Islamic resistance opposing ¯addam's regime which he translated into English and circulated in both Arabic and English to the news media and important decision makers throughout the U.S. At the present time, the United Arab Emirates is one of the countries where one is too concerned about his job and even life to say that he 31

or she follows the School of Thought of Imām Ja`far a¥-¯adiq, that is, a Shī`a Ja`fari Ithnā-`Asheri Muslim. As a matter of fact, the U.A.E. is now home of major financiers of Wahhābi Takfīri fanatics who are behind much of the terrorism of al-Qaida and other such bloodthirsty groups that have brought about so much bad publicity about Islam and Muslims while having absolutely nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with Takfīrism and terrorism. Most funds that keep these terrorists active come from the Gulf area in general and Saudi Arabia and U.A.E. in particular.

Martyr al-μakim was also instrumental in sponsoring the translation by al-Jibouri and publication in Lebanon of one of the most important books which al-Jibouri has till now translated: ‫المراجعات‬ Al-Muraja`āt: A Shīite-Sunni Dialogue to which reference is made elsewhere in this Preface.

The year 1980 shifted al-Jibouri's attention to politics, prompting him to put out several Arabic and English pamphlets, circulars and letters to the news media. In addition to Islamic Revival, he also published Rafidain News, Al-Rafidain, Al-Muqātiloon and the Iraq News Monitor which he used to send out by mail and by facsimile.

Al-Muqatiloon was circulated to Iraqis and Arabic speaking communities throughout the United States. In 1986, al-Jibouri became affiliated with the Islamic Union of Iraqi Students which was comprised of Iraqis studying in the United States on their own and who opposed ¯addam's bloody regime which at the time was being very strongly and foolishly supported by the U.S., Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries only because it was battling the Iranians... The Union published an Arabic newspaper which included an English section edited by al-Jibouri. The Union also sponsored the publication and distribution of a translation made by al-Jibouri of a book titled Who is the Tikriti President? which did not carry the name of either its author or translator. The translation of this book was serialized in the United Kingdom by the Da'wah Chronicle newspaper and by the Echo of Islam magazine in Tehran.

Both of these publications were sponsored by Iraqi dissidents living abroad. This book is actually authored by one of al-Jibouri's close friends, namely Dr. Sayyid ¯alā¦ Jawād Shubber, son of the famous orator Sayyid Jawād Shubber who was assassinated by the filthy 32

hands of ¯addam μussein. One street in Najaf now bears the name of this martyr and scholar. Dr. ¯ala¦ Shuubber, who presently occupies the position of deputy minister of health in Iraq's government, details in his book ¯addam's life from birth to the attack on Iran of 1980, and it deserves to be treated as a major source about ¯addam's biography especially since much of its contents were written by one of ¯addam's closest relatives, namely his cousin μardān at-Tikrīti, as memoirs. Western books written about ¯addam hide more details than they reveal…

Most people know Yasin T. al-Jibouri as a translator, and he prides himself in being the very first person ever to translate the works of Martyr Ayatollāh Sayyid Mu¦ammed Bāqir a¥-¯adr, the greatest economist, philosopher, author and political figure in the modern history of the Islamic world. A¥-¯adr was tortured and killed in person by ¯addām μussein on April 9, 1980. Notice that this exact date in the year 2003 marked the beginning of the end of the tyrant's regime: It is the date of the fall of Baghdad. Prior to a¥-¯adr's martyrdom, al-Jibouri had serialized in his bimonthly newsletter Islamic Affairs excerpts from Contemporary Man and the Social Problem, one of the smaller works of Martyr a¥-¯adr. The first of a¥¯adr's works which al-Jibouri translated was A General Outlook at Rites which was published by the World Organization for Islamic Services (WOFIS) in 1979. It was followed by Contemporary Man and the Social Problem which was also published by the same Publisher in 1980. In the same year, that is, when a¥-¯adr was martyred, al-Jibouri participated with other Iraqi opponents of ¯addām μussein's government in demonstrations in the American capital, Washington, to denounce ¯addam's barbaric behavior, and this assassination prompted him to establish in the same year his first political newsletter, Islamic Revival, to which reference is made above and which was published in Washington, D.C. In the next year, 1981, he translated and published at his own expense and despite his abject poverty The General Bases of Banking in the Muslim Society and What Do You Know About Islamic Economics?

The latter title was again published by the Imāmia Center, Inc. of Lanham, Maryland, U.S.A., in the month of Rama¤ān 1410 A.H./April 1990 A.D. Twice was his translation titled A General Outlook at Rites published in the U.S. The latest edition was 33

registered with the Library of Congress of Washington, D.C. Sadly, this is the only book that bears a¥-¯adr's name at this Library which is the world's most famous and important. In 1991, al-Jibouri responded to the uprising in his home country, Iraq, that is, the Intifada, so he started the publication and distribution of Al-Intifā¤a newsletter (below) on a large scale both by mail and by facsimile machines.

Al-Jibouri has also translated and/or published many other titles; one of them is: Our Faith by the revered Sayyid Mu¦ammed μussain al-Jalāli, a famous Iraqi scholar, researcher, critic and theologian now living in Chicago, Illinois. Other works which he has translated include: A Biography of Imām arRi¤a which was written by the late Sheikh Mu¦ammed Jawād Fa¤lAllāh of Lebanon; his translation of it was published in the United Kingdom and has been reprinted several times; Al-Muraja`āt: A Shī`i-Sunni Dialogue by Sharafud-Dīn ¯adr ad-Dīn al-Mūsawi; his translation of it was published in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1415 A.H./1995 A.D. by the Imām μussain Foundation. It had previously been translated and published under the title The Right Path. It was later reprinted in 1380 A.H./2001 A.D., and another edition of it in larger print size was published by An¥āriyān Publications in a highly professional way. Add to the list Shī`ites are the [true] Ahl al-Sunnah of Dr. Mu¦ammed al-Tijāni al-Samāwi, a very important translation of his. It was published in New York in 1996 by Vantage Press and was marketed worldwide by both Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble; its ISBN is: 0-533-12055-1. Its first copies were sold "like hot cakes;" therefore, Vantage Press had to reprint it three times so far and may do so again. Add to the above list Maqtal al-μussain by the late Abd ar-Razzāq al-Muqarram the translation and publication of which was also sponsored by the Imām μussain Foundation.

Following the assassination at the hands of security forces of tyrant ¯addām μussein of the great scholar, religious and social leader, Ayatollah Sayyid Mu¦ammed Mu¦ammed-Sādiq a¥-¯adr, on the eve 34

of Friday, at about 7:30 pm, Dhul-Qi`da 3, 1419 A.H./February 19, 1999, to whom reference is made above, al-Jibouri and a number of Iraqis who opposed ¯addām's government and who were living in the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., area founded the "Harakat Jund al-Islam" (Soldiers of Islam Movement) and staged demonstrations in the U.S. capital to denounce this assassination. Every Saturday, for quite some time, al-Jibouri would speak through a loudspeaker to the Washingtonians and tourists about the long list of crimes committed by ¯addām μussein, about how the United States hand picked this tyrant to replace the Shah of Iran in the area, and how the U.S. will regret it. On a Saturday, the 27th of February of 1999, alJibouri put out a seven-page flyer for the American and foreign news media and for all others to introduce them to the biography of this great martyr who was born in Najaf al-Ashraf in 1943 and fathered four sons: Mu¥§afa, Mu’ammal, Murta¤a and Muqtada. With the exception of Muqtada, the rest of the old sage's sons were martyred on the same day together with the Ayatollāh's son-in-law who happened to be in their company.

It is a sad fact that not much has been written about martyr Ayatollāh Mu¦ammed Mu¦ammed-Sādiq a¥-¯adr. For the sake of justice, we have to indicate to the reader here below some facts about him and about his background: He is Sayyid Mu¦ammed son of Sayyid Mu¦ammed-Sādiq son of Sayyid Mu¦ammed Mahdi son of Sayyid Ismā`īl son of Sayyid ¯adr ad-Din Mu¦ammed son of Sayyid ¯āli¦ son of Sayyid Mu¦ammed son of Sayyid Ibrāhīm Sharaf ad-Dīn. His genealogy reaches Imām Mousa al-Kādhim , one of the offspring of Imām Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  and Fā§ima az-Zahrā' , daughter of the Messenger of Allāh . His father, Sayyid Mu¦ammed-Sādiq a¥-¯adr, is the cousin of Martyr Sayyid Mu¦ammed Bāqir a¥-¯adr who was executed together with his sister Bint al-Huda, namely Āmina a¥¯adr, at the same time and place by ¯addām μussein in person in the most brutal and barbaric way. Martyr Sayyid Mu¦ammed Mu¦ammed-¯ādiq a¥-¯adr started his studies at Najaf's ¦awza (religious seminary) in 1954. In 1960, he joined the College of Fiqh (Islamic juristic system) from which he graduated in 1964. During

http://shiakitabe-shiabooks.blogspot.com

35

that period, he married the daughter of his uncle, Sayyid Mu¦ammed Ja`far a¥-¯adr, by whom he was blessed with four sons: Mustafa, Mu’ammal, Murta¤a and Muqtada. The latter, Sayyid Muqtada a¥¯adr, is famous world-wide for having opposed the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, and he is founder of the ¯adrist Movement which now has representation in the Iraqi government and parliament.

Ayatollāh Sayyid Mu¦ammed Mu¦ammed-Sādiq a¥-¯adr was tutored by the best scholars the most prominent among whom were: Grand Ayatollāh Sayyid Mu¦sin al-Hakīm, Grand Ayatollāh Sayyid Abul-Qāsim al-Khoei, and Ayatollāh Sayyid Mu¦ammed Bāqir a¥¯adr. He was awarded the degree of ijtihād by the Martyr Sayyid Mu¦ammed Bāqir a¥-¯adr in 1977 when he was 37 years old. In the same year, he taught the stage of Al-Khārij at the ¦awza but, due to the political circumstances of the time, he could not continue to teach till the year 1990.

Due to his anti-¯addam activities, al-Jibouri was condemned by many Sunnis in Virginia and elsewhere. One day he received a phone call from a newspaper reporter in California asking him how he felt about some Sunni “brothers” in Virginia calling him "terrorist". Al-Jibouri inquired of the reporter about what acts of terrorism he had committed, and the latter told him that this is just what he had heard from organizers of some "Islamic" (Sunni) organizations in Virginia. Al-Jibouri refused to conduct an interview with that reporter, whether in person, over the phone or in writing, telling the reporter that the Almighty would judge those who try to tarnish his image and will effect justice on his behalf, that there are fanatics among Shī`a Muslims just as there are fanatics among Sunni Muslims. Followers of the Islamic creed are not gods; they are humans, and one cannot judge the whole by the part. There is always a bad apple in the bushul. He further told him that he loved and respected all the Sunnis of the world as long as they reciprocated.

Who knows? Perhaps that reporter was commissioned to sow seeds of hostility among members of the Muslim community in Virginia.

The kind reader is referred to an essay which al-Jibouri wrote and which was posted on a number of Internet web site titled “Ugly sectarianism is getting out of control.” It is worth reading, and it 36

spells out the man’s sentiments about the Muslims maintaining their solidarity and safeguarding their brotherhood.

In addition to the list of books detailed above, al-Jibouri has translated two books by the late Ayatollāh Sayyid Mu¦ammed alShīrāzi: Canon: A Glimpse at the Islamic Law and The Pathway to an Islamic Revival.

Since the early days when microcomputers were sold on the market with a 48 kilo bytes memory, al-Jibouri developed a passion to acquire as much knowledge about their hardware and software as he could. In the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, he managed to earn a Certificate with Honors in Microprocessors and Microcomputers from N.R.I. (National Radio Institute) of Washington, D.C. He also obtained three Certificates in electronics and programming, including advanced programming, and finally his A+ Electronics Technician Certificate. He wrote more than 100 programs in dBASE. Our brother, Yasin T. al-Jibouri, has edited and revised three English translations of the Holy Qur’ān: 1) by S.V. Mir A¦med Ali, which was published in New York by Tahrike-Tarsile-Qur’ān for the United Muslim Foundation of Lake Mary, Florida, for which he wrote a very interesting Preface about the Qur’ān being a miracle. This Preface is one of the best of his writings if not the very best, 2) by M.H. Shakir, and 3) by A. Yousuf Ali, which has been published also by TahrikeTarsile-Qur’ān of New York.

Al-Jibouri edited several newsletters and magazines, including Middle East Business Magazine of which he became Senior Editor.

Among the books which he has edited are: 1. Socio-Economic Justice with Particular Reference to NahjulBalāgha by Dr. S.M. Waseem, 2. A Biography of Leaders of Islam by Sayyid Ali Naqi Naqvi, English translation by Dr. Sayyid Nazīr μassan Zaidi, and 37

3. Your Kalima and the Savior by Wajāhat μussain which was published in India in the year 2000 while the author was then living in New Jersey, U.S.A. He has also translated: 1) The Form of Islamic Government and Wilāyat al-Faqeeh, and 2) About the World Political Situation from a Muslim’s Viewpoint, when he was living in Maryland during the 1980s.

Among his other translations are the following: 1) The first four volumes of the series titled Al-Islam Risālatuna, a project which was sponsored but never completed by the Khoei Foundation in New York, 2) Al-Muraja`āt: A Shī`i-Sunni Dialogue, the first authentic English translation of Al-Muraja’at by Imām Sayyid Sharafuddeen SadrudDīn al-Mūsawi, 3) Al-Shī`ite hum Ahl al-Sunnah by Dr. Mu¦ammed al-Tijāni alSamāwi, 4) Al-Maqtal (the martyrdom epic of Imām μussain) by Abd alRazzāq al-Muqarram.

Al-Jibouri has also translated the following titles originally authored in Arabic by a Lebanese university professor: 1) Best Month, Best Night; 2) The Book of Istikhara; 3) Weapon of the Prophets, which was actually published by the Mu¦ammed-Ali Foundation (named after former heavy weight champion Mu¦ammed-Ali, formerly Cassius Clay, which later changed name to only "Mu¦ammed Foundation") in Chicago, Illinois; 4) Miracles of the Holy Qur’ān; and 5) The Great Names of Allāh (Asmā’ Allāh al-μusna). These books' Publisher removed al-Jibouri's name as the translator, perhaps the author—rather compiler—wanted to give the impression that he had written them in English which he does not actually command…

Yasin T. al-Jibouri contributed many articles for Islamic Monitor, a 38

http://shiakitabe-shiabooks.blogspot.com

top quality bulletin of the Islamic Research & Information Center which used to maintain an office at the prestigious National Press Building near the White House in Washington, D.C. This top quality magazine was the product of efforts of mostly two young and energetic Iranians: Dr. Mu¦ammed Nahavandian and Dr. Mu¥§afa Safavi. Its publisher still exists and has a website; perhaps you ought to visit it! Among his most interesting articles published in Islamic Monitor were: "Violations of Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia", "The Drug Epidemic", "An Interview with Professor FazlAllāh Reza (once chancellor of the University of Tehran, Ambassador in Paris to the United Nation's UNESCO and Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Canada), "Bahrain: A Shameful Human Rights Record" and "A Biography of Ayatollāh Sabzawāri".

Al-Jibouri also contributed articles to Noor al-Islam, a high quality Arabic and English magazine published by the Imām μussain Foundation in Beirut, and he is presently Editor of its English section. In its issue dated November/December 1992, it published a detailed biography of the late Grand Ayatollāh Sayyid Abul-Qāsim al-Khoei which was written by al-Jibouri, and a number of web site still post it almost two decades after its date of publication.

Not all of al-Jibouri's writings have been published; some of them have been considered as being too lengthy to publish, and these include a detailed rebuttal to an article written by Samuel P. Huntington and published in the Summer 1993 issue of Foreign Affairs magazine under the heading "The Clash of Civilizations?"

This article created an uproar throughout the world, and al-Jibouri sent his rebuttal directly to Huntington himself at his work office in New York then circulated it as widely as he could. It may be one of his best essays in defense of Islam against those who enjoy using the term "Islamic terrorists" while they themselves have written the book on global masked and most lethal forms of terrorism. For this reason, this book reproduces that essay for the reader in the Appendix due to its significance and indepth research, hoping some readers will post it on their web sites. This version has recently been edited.

Al-Jibouri has written nine books: 1) Volume One of his auto39

biography titled Memoirs of a Shī`ite Missionary in America: Two Decades of Da`wah, which is available upon request now only in electronic form, 2) Fast of the Month of Rama¤an: Philosophy and A¦kām, which was published first in the United States then by An¥āriyān in the year 2000, and it is one of the most famous of his books because it approaches the fast from a completely different angle: It discusses the spiritual and Hereafter benefits of fast starting from the moment when the soul departs from the body and on ¯irā§ al-Ākhira ‫ صراط اآلخره‬in the life to come; remember that there are two such ¯irā§s, that is, al-¯irāt Al-Mustaqeem ‫ الصراط المستقيم‬: one in this life and one in the life to come, 3) The Ninety-Nine Attributes of Allāh, which Tahrike-Tarsile-Qur’ān, Inc. of New York published in 177 pages in January of 1997 and is available for sale on some web sites; ISBN-10: 1879402556 and ISBN-13: 9781879402553, 4) Mary and Jesus in Islam (this book), 5) Allāh: The Concept of God in Islam, his major work, which was first published by An¥āriyān in 1997, then it was reprinted later under the title The Concept of God in Islam by the same Publisher, and a new 2-volume U.S. edition of it is being prepared for publication in the United States. An Indonesian translation of the original work is now in circulation throughout Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, under the title Konsep Tuhan Menurut Islam which is available to order or to view on the Internet, 6) Mu¦ammed: The Prophet and Messenger of Allāh, which was published also by An¥āriyān in the year 2008, 7) Kerbala and Beyond, which was also published by An¥āriyān in 2002 and a new edited and expanded 720-page U.S. edition by AuthorHouse in August of 2011, 8) Ghadir Khumm: Where Islam was Perfected, which remains a manuscript in need of editing before it can be sent to the press. 9) A Dictionary of Islamic Terms (in two volumes) which will soon be published.

An¥āriyān has fairly recently published new translations by alJibouri. Their titles are: 1) Al-Siraj: The Lantern, which was published in 2001, 2) The Truth about the Shī`ite Ithna-Asheri Faith, which was published in 2004, 3) Kashf al-Reeba an Ahkam alGheeba: Removal of Doubt about Rulings Relevant to Backbiting, which was published in 2008, 4) RiyĀ wa Ujub: Pretension and Conceit, which was published in 2008 and 4) Uswat al-Arifeen: The Model of the Gnostics, which was published in 2008. An¥āriyān 40

hopes to publish more such books.

Al-Jibouri founded the Islamic Society of Georgia, Inc. (Atlanta, Georgia) in 1973 when he was living in the U.S. State of Georgia and studying for his graduate degree, the Islamic Revival Movement in 1980 when he was living in Prince George's County of Maryland State, the International Islamic Society of Virginia, Inc. in 1982 when he was living in a number of cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia till the year 2003, and the Iraq News Monitor in 1992. He edited Islamic Affairs bimonthly newsletter from January 1974 till June 1989 with a hiatus that followed his departure from Georgia in 1979; he resumed its publication in 1982, publishing it in two different formats. The publication and distribution of Islamic Affairs is regarded as one of the most significant achievements of the author's Islamic Da'wah work due to the number of people who were influenced by it, some of whom eventually embraced the faith of the Shi'a Ja'fari Ithna-`Asheri School of Muslim Law which appealed to them more than their previous sects. Reference to conversion efforts to the Shī`ite School of Islamic Law is referred to above.

One of the best sources for information, though incomplete, is a book published in 1992 by Oxford University Press titled Islamic Da'wah in the West: Muslim Missionary Activity and the Dynamics of Conversion to Islam by Prof. Larry Poston, dean of a college in New York City. Its ISBN is 0-19-507227-8. Look up in its Index the following: "International Islamic Society of Virginia", "Islamic Affairs", "Islamic Society of Georgia" and "Jibouri, al-". It is just one of many books written by non-Muslim scholars documenting the spread of Islam in the West. Copies of this important reference are available for sale on the Internet. Look it up under its title or ISBN 0-19-507227-8.

Following the collapse of ¯addām μussein's dictatorship, Yasin T. al-Jibouri decided to go home. He was deprived of seeing his family for full 32 years. On the first of September, 2003, al-Jibouri landed in Amman, Jordan, where he stayed for one day after which he left for home. On September 3, 2003, he rented a car and went to Baghdad, setting foot on that day for the first time since he had left his home country in 1971... Al¦amdu-Lillah, since his return home, 41

and despite the hardships of life in the post-¯addam era in Iraq, he has been managing to write and translate as you have read above, and he hopes to keep doing so till the last day of his life. He solicits in earnest your du'a for his health so he may enrich the Islamic library with precious books; Iraq's weather does not seem to be merciful to his asthma condition. And if you wish to read some other books and/or essays written by Br. al-Jibouri, you can do so by clicking on this link: http://www.scribd.com/yasinaljibouri. May you be rewarded by the Generous One, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھم آمين‬.

H

42

H

COVERS OF SOME BOOKS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS WRITTEN, TRANSLATED OR EDITED BY AUTHOR: 1)

‫ي‬ ‫تنقيح‬ ‫لترجم ة الق رآن الك ريم الت ي‬ ‫أكملھ ا مي ر أحم د عل ي و ھ و‬ ‫ و ھ و‬،‫أوس ع كتب ي انت شارا‬ ‫ي سوق اآلن ف ي ال صين و الع الم‬ ‫ أجم ع‬Cover of S.V. Mir Ahmed Ali’s translation of the Holy Qur’an which al-Jibouri edited and which was published by the United Muslim Foundation in Lake Mary, Florida, U. S.A. This is the first U.S. edition and carries the date of 2005. It was given to al-Jibouri as a gift by the said Foundation. This edition carries the Library of Congress Catalog No. 2004099418, British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data, ISBN 0-9761870-0-0 and is available from www.amazon.com. Details provided by Amazon about this edition:    

Paperback: 516 pages Publisher: United Muslim Foundation, Inc. (June 1, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0976187000

2) ‫ و ھ و‬،‫تنقيحي لترجمة الق رآن الك ريم الت ي أكملھ ا ش اكر و ھ و أوس ع كتب ي انت شارا‬ ‫ ي س ّوق اآلن ف ي ال صين و الع الم أجم ع‬Cover of one of the editions of M.H. Shakir’s translation of the Holy Qur’an edited by al-Jibouri. It carries the date of publication as 1999. This image was obtained 43

from the Internet. It is being marketed by www.amazon.com and other Internet outlets. Here are details provided by Amazon about this edition:  Mass Market Paperback: 467 pages  Publisher: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an; 10th edition (January 1, 1999)  Language: English  ISBN-10: 0940368188  ISBN-13: 978-0940368187  Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches

‫طبعة أخرى لترجمة‬ ‫القرآن الكريم التي أكمله مير أحمد علي و‬ ‫ و ھو من أوسع كتبي‬،‫التي نقحتھا‬ ‫ و يس ّوق اآلن في الصين و العالم‬،‫انتشارا‬ ‫ أجمع‬Cover of another edition of S.V. Mir Ahmed Ali’s translation of the Holy Qur’an which al-Jibouri edited. It is dated 2008, and this image was obtained from Amazon. Details provided by Amazon (its wholesaler) about this edition are:     

Paperback Publisher: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an Inc. (2008) ISBN-10: 1879402394 ISBN-13: 978-1879402393 Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches

44

3)

‫تأليفي لكتاب عن رؤية المسلمين للخ الق ج ل و‬ (‫ ع ال )طبع ة اي ران‬Cover of Ansariyan’s 2001 (second) edition of Allah: The Concept of God in Islam, ISBN 978964-438-008-2, a major work by alJibouri and a very popular one. The corresponding Aramaic term for the Almighty is Ĕlāhā ‫ ܐ ـ ܐ‬in Biblical Aramaic and ܵܿ Alâhâ ‫ܐ ــ ܵ ܐ‬ ܼ in Syriac ‫طبعة أخرى للكتاب أعاله‬ Another recently published edition of al-Jibouri's book which Amazon is now marketing globally.

There is another edition of the same book. Published by Syed Iktishaf; www.shiabooks.co.cc. Date of publication and ISBN unavailable. ‫قامت شركة اندونيسية بترجمة كتابي عن ﷲ‬ ‫للغة االندونيسية و طبعتھا في العاصمة‬ ‫جاكارتا و عليھا اسمي كمؤلف النص األصلي‬ Cover of Indonesian translation of al-Jibouri’s book Allah: The Concept of God in Islam. This Indonesian translation (over 900 pages, apparently with comments on the original English text), was published in Jakarta in 2003 by Lentera Basritama. This image was obtained from the Internet.

45

4) ‫المجل د األول م ن الطبع ة األمريكي ة لكت ابي ع ن‬ ‫ الخالق ج ل ش أنه‬Cover of the U.S. edition of al-Jibouri's best book yet titled Allah: The Concept of God in Islam (Volume One) which Authorhouse published in Indiana, U.S.A., on January 12, 2012. Its ISBNs are: 9781468532722, 9781468532739 and 9781468532746. Volume Two is already scheduled for publication by the same company and will be available in Spring of 2013 InshaAllah. This edition is different from Ansariyan's; its text is expanded and extensively edited.

‫المجلد الثاني من الطبعة‬ ‫ األمريكية لكتابي عن الخالق جل شأنه‬Cover of Volume Two of al-Jibouri's best work yet titled Allah: The Concept of God in Islam. Its ISBNs are: ISBN: 978-1-4817-7151-1 (softcover) ISBN: 978-1-4817-7150-4 (hardcover) ISBN: 978-1-4817-7152-8 (electronic edition) This Volume will be available to the readers world-wide in August of 2013. Its Publisher is AuthorHouse (www.authorhouse.com) and Amazon (www.amacon.com) and thousands of other web-based portals will be selling it online.

46

5) – (‫مؤلفي عن النب ي محم د )ص‬ ‫ الطبع ة االيراني ة‬Front cover of alJibouri’s book Muhammad: Prophet and Messenger of Allah.

This edition was published by Ansariyan in 2008 and carries ISBN 978-964-219019-5.

6) ‫مؤلفي عن شھادة سيد الشھداء و ھو‬ ‫أوسع انتشارا من جميع كتبي و يسوق اآلن‬ ‫ في الصين و العالم أجمع‬Cover of first U.S. edition (Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2011) of al-Jibouri’s best-selling book Kerbala and Beyond: An Epic of Immortal Heroism; 720 large pages, Casebound Hardcover ISBN 978-1-4634-2070-3, Perfect Bound Softcover ISBN 978-1-4634-20741; available for sale on the Internet or directly from Publisher: www.authorhouse.com.

47

7) ‫الطبعة االيرانية القديمة األولى لكتابي‬ ‫عن "كربالء و ما بعدھا" عن واقعة الطف‬ Cover of the second reprint of alJibouri’s book Kerbala and Beyond (Qum: Ansariyan Publications, 1423 A.H./2002 A.D.); ISBN 964-438-045-2.

‫ﺛﺎﻧﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﺆﻟﻔﺎﺗﻲ اﻟﺘﻲ ﻃﺒﻌﺖ ﻓﻲ أﻣﺮﻳﻜﺎ و هﻮ ﻳﺘﻨﺎول اﻟﺼﻴﺎم و‬ 8) Cover of first U.S. edition of al-‫أﺣﻜﺎﻣﻪ‬ Jibouri’s Fast of the Month of Ramadan: Philosophy and Ahkam book, the second book he wrote. It is dated 1994. This same edition was published in the same year by Ansariyan Publications. Four years later, Ansariyan published another edition of it the cover of which is shown below.

‫كت ابي ع ن ال صيام طب ع ب نفس ال سنة ف ي اي ران و‬ ‫ ب نفس ت صميمي للغ الف‬Cover of the 2007 Ansariyan third edition of al-Jibouri’s book Fast of the Month of Ramadan: Philosophy and Ahkam, ISBN 978-964438-172-0. The first edition is dated 48

1998 and was published in both U.S.A. and Iran. Second edition is dated 2000. This book is widely circulated and is available on the Internet.

Rahasia Puasa Ramadhan ‫كت ابي ع ن للغ ة‬ ‫االندوتيسية و طبع في ذلك البلد و عليه اسم الصيام ترجم‬ ‫شخص آخر ال أعرفه‬ Yasin T Al Jibouri & Mirza Javad Agha Maliki Tabrizi Zahra Publishing (which seems to be located in Indonesia) ISBNs: 9793249137, 9789793249131 I have no idea how this edition of my book looks like!!! ‫الطبع ة األول ى لكت ابي ال ذي يق ارن ب ين الم سيحية و‬ ‫ و طب ع ف ي اي ران‬،‫االس الم‬9) Cover of former Ansariyan edition of al-Jibouri’s book Mary and Jesus in Islam published in 2009 in 127 medium size pages and carries ISBN 978964-219-064-5.

Some Internet-based booksellers offer it for sale on their web sites.

10) ‫ت صميم غ الف الكت اب الم شار الي ه أع اله ال ذي‬ ‫ و ھ و ال‬،‫اختارت ه المطبع ة األمريكي ة كب ديل ع ن ت صميمي‬ ‫ يعجبن ي أب دا‬Cover (see previous page) approved

by Author-house for al-Jibouri's book titled Mary and Jesus in Islam which is much larger than the Ansariyan edition. It was published

by Authorhouse in Indiana, U.S.A., on December 19, 2011. Its ISBNs are: 9781468523201 and 9781468523218. This edition is much larger than the Ansariyan one, and it contains an extensive Glossary of Islamic Terms.

49

11) ‫غالف الطبعة البريطانية‬ ‫ لمؤلفي عن أسماء ﷲ الحسنى‬Book Title: The Ninety-Nine Attributes of Allah Author: Yasin T. Al-Jibouri  Paperback: 480 pages  Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (March 10, 2014)  Language: English  ISBN-10: 1496167848  ISBN-13: 978-1496167842 This book was published by the Ahlulbayt Organization.

12) ‫غالف الطبعة البريطانية‬ ‫لمؤلفي عن الحياة بعد الموت كما يصفھا لنا‬ ‫ و لم أصمم ھذا الغالف بل صممه‬،‫االسالم‬ "(‫ناشر آخر و ھي "جمعية أھل البيت )ع‬ Stages of Life After Death is a recently published book which alJibouri has written; details are:  Paperback: 80 pages  Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 1, 2014)  Language: English  ISBN-10: 1494855585  ISBN-13: 978-1494855581

50

13) ‫غالف )من تصميمي طبعا( لمؤلفي‬ ‫عن ثالث شھداء من آل الصدر قدس‬ ‫ سرھم‬A Tribute to the Sadr Martyrs by al-Jibouri  Paperback: 348 pages  Publisher: AuthorHouse (February 28, 2014)  Language: English  ISBN-10: 1491867590  ISBN-13: 978-1491867594

14) :‫غالف كتابي المعنون محمد‬ ‫رسول السالم و التسامح‬ Muhammed: Messenger of Peace and Tolerance by Yasin T. al-Jibouri  Paperback: 578 pages  Publisher: AuthorHouse; 1st edition (January 30, 2014)  ISBN-10: 1491855126  ISBN-13: 978-1491855126 51

15) ‫ترجمتي لث اني كت اب‬ ‫ترجمت ه م ن ت أليف ال شھيد محم د ب اقر‬ ‫الصدر و ھو بعن وان االن سان المعاص ر‬ ‫ و طب ع ف ي‬،‫و الم شكلة االجتماعي ة‬ ‫طھ ران ف ي نف س س نة است شھاد‬ 1980 ‫ و ھ ي‬،‫ المؤل ف‬Cover of first edition of al-Jibouri’s translation of A General Outlook at Rites. This edition is dated 1979 when the author, Martyr Muhammed Baqir al-Sadr, was still alive.

It was published by the World Organization for Islamic Services (WOFIS). It was printed in 79 pocket size pages. Two other editions followed it, but unfortunately no image is available for either. This is the earliest published translation of al-Jibouri, and it was completed in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A., one year after his graduation.

16) ‫أول ترجم ة طبع ت ل ي و ھ ي ترجمت ي‬ ‫لكتاب نظرة عامة في العبادات و الذي طبع سنة‬ ،‫ أي س نة واح دة قب ل است شھاد المؤل ف‬1979 ‫ ث م قم ت‬،‫ قدس س ره‬،‫الشھيد محمد باقر الصدر‬ ‫باعادة طباعته على نفقتي الخاصة في أمريكا و‬ ‫ھ و الكت اب الوحي د لل شھيد ال صدر ال ذي يوج د‬ .‫ل دى مكتب ة الك ونكرس ف ي العاص مة واش نطن‬ ‫ أع دت طباعت ه م ؤخرا ف ي بريطاني ا‬Front cover of al-Jibouri’s second published translation titled A General Outlook at Rituals. The date of publication is 1980, the same year when the author, Muhammed Baqir al-Sadr, was martyred. It falls in 187 medium size pages. It was also published by the World 52

Organization for Islamic Services (WOFIS).

‫غ الف الطبع ة البريطاني ة الجدي دة ألول‬ ‫ و ھ ي ترجمت ي لكت اب‬،‫ترجمة مطبوعة ل ي‬ ‫ال شھيد محم د ب اقر ال صدر ق دس س ره‬ ‫ و‬،‫المعنون ة نظ رة عام ة ف ي العب ادات‬ ‫تحتوي ھذه الطبعة عل ى س رد حي اة و كف اح‬ ‫ المعروف ة‬،‫ آمنه حي در ال صدر‬،‫أخت الشھيد‬ ‫ ببنت الھدى ق دس س رھا‬A new edition recently published in the U.K. by the Ahlulbayt Organization of the same translation; details:  Paperback: 204 pages  Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 3, 2014)  Language: English  ISBN-10: 1495425517  ISBN-13: 978-1495425516

17) ‫ترجمت ي لكت اب ال شھيد‬ ‫محم د ب اقر ال صدر ق دس س ره المعن ون م اذا‬ ‫تع رف ع ن االقت صاد االس المي؟ طبع ت ھ ذه‬ ‫ الترجم ة ف ي والي ة ماريالن د األمريك ية‬Cover of al-Jibouri’s translation of a dissertation by martyred economist Muhammed Baqir al-Sadr which is extracted from his famous work Iqtisaduna (Our Economics). It carries the date of April 1990, and it falls in 29 medium size pages, so it is a booklet according to rules and regulations of the Library of the U.S. Congress.

53

18) ‫أول طبع ة لبناني ة‬ ‫ لترجمت ي لكت اب المراجع ات الق يم‬First Lebanese authentic ArabicEnglish translation by alJibouri of Al-Muraja’at: A Shi’ite-Sunni Dialogue (Beirut, Lebanon: Imam Hussain Foundation, 1415 A.H./1995 A.D.). The London, U.K., office of His Holiness Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani recently published a Spanish translation of this edition.

Work on another translation into Albanian is still ongoing.

‫ر‬ ‫الناش‬ ‫أن صاريان أع اد طباع ة ترجمت ي‬ ‫للمراجعات بحج م ح روف أكب ر ع دة‬ ‫ م رات‬Ansariyan’s 1422 A.H./2001 A.D. second edition (so far, four reprints have been produced) of alJibouri’s translation of AlMura-ja’at: A Shi’i-Sunni Dialogue; ISBN 978-964438-278-9.

54

‫ لترجمت ي‬1995 ‫طبع ة مؤرخ ة ف ي‬ ‫لكتاب المراجعات القيم ل شرف ال دين‬ ‫ صدر الدين الموسوي ق دس س ره‬A 1995 edition of al-Jibouri’s translation of Al-Muraja’at obtained from the Internet.

It is available for sale from www.amazon.com.

19) ‫غالف الطبعة السابعة لكتاب نھج‬ ‫البالغ ة ال ذي نقحت ه و طب ع ف ي ني و‬ ‫ي ورك و ال ي زال ت سويقه م ستمر ع ن‬ ‫ طري ق ش ركة أم ازان‬Cover of the 7th U.S. edition of NahjulBalagha which al-Jibouri edited for Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc. of New York. It is dated 2009 and falls in 990 large size pages. It is available for sale on the Internet on many web sites, particularly www.amazon.com and its ISBNs are: Paperback: 978-1879402-34-8, Casebound (hard cover): 978-1-87940235-5. The author of this book regards his editing of this great book as one of the blessings of the Almighty on him. The 8th edition of this book is being prepared for publication in New York by TahrikeTarsile-Qur'an, Inc. A new edition, of which Yasin T. al-Jibouri is 55

the translator, has been published in the United States by AuthorHouse, and details of it are below. This edition is a new translation by Yasin T. al-Jibouri. The new translation of NahjulBalagha carries this title: Nahjul-Balagha: Path of Eloquence.

‫غالف طبعة أخ رى لكت اب نھ ج‬ ‫البالغ ة ال ذي قم ت بتنقيح ه م ن أج ل رف ع م ستوى‬ ‫ و أضفت الكثير من الھوامش ل ه ع الوة عل ى‬،‫لغته‬ ‫ ت واريخ ال سنين ح سب التق ويم الغرب ي‬Front cover of another edition of NahjulBalagha which was edited by alJibouri, published by Tahrike-TarsileQur'an, Inc. and is currently being marketed by Amazon. This is one of the top selling editions of NahjulBalagha.

Here are Amazon's details of this edition: Hardcover: 680 pages Publisher: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an; 3rd edition (September 1, 1984) ISBN-10: 0940368439 ISBN-13: 978-0940368439 Product Dimensions: 1.4 x 6.2 x 8.9 inches

20) ‫قمت بترجمة جديدة لكتاب نھج‬ ‫البالغة و توسعت كثيرا بھا بحيث ازداد‬ ‫حجم الكتاب مما اضطرني لطباعته بثالثة‬ ‫ و يجري‬،‫أجزاء ھذا غالف األول منھا‬ ‫ و‬،‫اآلن تسويقه في جميع أنحاء العالم‬ ‫من ضمن ذلك الصين الشعبية عن طريق‬ 56

‫ شركة أمازان‬Three Volumes of the translation plus original Arabic text of Nahjul-Balagha; below information applies to Publisher (AuthorHouse):     

Title: Nahjul-Balagha Subtitle: Path of Eloquence, Vol. 1 Project ID: 438736 Translator: Yasin T. al-Jibouri Library of Congress Card Catalog Number 2013902690

ISBN/SKU 9781481712637 9781481712644 9781481712651

Format 6x9 Dust Jacket Hardcover E-Book 6x9Perfect Bound Softcover

VOLUME TWO ‫المجلد الثاني من‬ ‫ترجمتي لنھج البالغة‬ Title: Nahjul-Balagha Subtitle: Path of Eloquence, Vol. 2  Project ID: 438737  Translator: Yasin T. alJibouri  Library of Congress Card Catalog Number 2013902690  

ISBN/SKU 9781481739696 9781481739702 9781481739719

Format 6x9 Dust Jacket Hardcover E-Book 6x9 Perfect Bound Softcover

57

VOLUME THREE ‫مجلد النھج الثالث‬

Title: Nahjul-Balagha Subtitle: Path of Eloquence, Vol. 3  Translator: Yasin al-Jibouri  Library of Congress Card Catalog Number 2013902690  6 X 9 Dust Jacket Hardcover ISBN 9781481747868 6 X 9 Perfect Bound Softcover ISBN 9781481747882 E-Book ISBN 9781481747875  

 

‫ترجمتي لنھج البالغة بثالثة أجزاء و التي طبعتھا دار المأمون بوزارة الثقافة العراقية‬

‫ و ھو يس ّوق حاليا في مكتبات شارع‬،‫ و ھي أول طبعة ملونة لھذا السفر الخالد‬،‫باأللوان‬ ‫المتنبي في بغداد‬ (Above) Front and back Covers of the edition of Nahjul-Balagha which Dar al-Ma'moon, publishing house for the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, published in full color in the fall of 2013 in three volumes enclosed together in a nicely designed packet. This edition was released in November of 2013 and is now available with Dar al58

Mamoon for all those who wish to acquire a copy of this treasure of knowledge.

21) ‫تصميمي البسيط لترجمتي لكتاب الشيعة‬ ‫ و ھ ي‬،‫ھم أھل السنة للدكتور محمد التيجاني‬ ‫الطبع ة األول ي؛ أع دت طباعتھ ا عل ى نفقت ي‬ ‫ الخاص ة م ؤخرا‬Cover of al-Jibouri’s translation of Shi`as are the Ahl alSunnah, one of the books written

by Dr. Muhammad al-Tijani alSamawi. Al-Jibouri designed its covers, re-wrote its first two chapters, numbered all its Qur’anic verses, provided the A.D. dates for all Islamic lunar dates and added some footnotes. Both al-Jibouri and Nasir Shamsi deleted all inflammatory sectarian statements from the translated text, thus improving its chances to be read by moderate and open-minded Sunni Muslims. It was first published by Vantage Press of New York in 1996; it has been reprinted a number of times, and it carries the Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 9690442, ISBN 0-533-12055-1.

‫ طبعة أخرى لنفس الكتاب‬Image of alJibouri's translation titled Shi`as are the Ahl al-Sunnah. Presently, the name of its Publisher is unknown, but it is likely published by Ansariyan of Qum, Iran. This image was obtained from an Internet advertisement.

59

‫تصميمي للطبعة الجديدة من ترجمتي‬ ‫لكتاب الشيعة ھم أھل السنة للدكتور محمد‬ ‫ التيجاني‬Front cover design for the new U.S. edition of al-Tijani's book Shi`as are the (Real) Ahl al-Sunnah which al-Jibouri translated. It has already been printed in the U.S. by Authorhouse, and it carries these ISBNs: ISBN: 978-1-4918-4368-0 (sc) (soft cover edition) ISBN: 978-1-4918-4366-6 (hc) (hard cover edition) ISBN: 978-1-4918-4367-3 (e) (electronic edition) This book can best be described as an inquiry of an explorer of the truth into the delicate yet essential question of: "Who is better qualified to the claim of being a follower of Islam's Prophet in spirit and in practice?" It was translated from the Arabic by Yasin T. alJibouri and was first published by Pyam-e-Aman, Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003, U.S.A., then by the translator.

‫ و ھو‬،‫ الطريق الى ﷲ‬:‫ترجمتي لكتاب السراج‬ ‫من تأليف الشيخ حسين بن علي بن صادق‬ ‫البحراني‬ 22) Front cover of al-Bahrani’s book titled Al-Siraj which al-Jibouri translated, Habib al-Kazimi edited and 60

Ansariyan published in 2004. It falls in 152 pages and carries ISBN 964-43-558-6.

‫ن سخة ألكتروني ة ل نفس الترجم ة‬ An electronic edition of Al-Siraj posted on the Internet by www.feedbooks.com.

23) ‫ترجمتي لكتاب مسكن الفؤاد لمؤلفه زي ن ال دين ب ن عل ي ب ن أحم د الجبع ي الع املي‬ ‫ المع روف بال شھيد الث اني‬Cover of the first edition dated 2010 of alJibouri’s translation of the book titled in Arabic ‫م سكن الف ؤاد ف ي فق د‬ ‫ األحب ة و األوالد‬by Zayn al-Din Ali al-Āmili, ISBN 978-964-219-153-6.

This is a unique translation, one of al-Jibouri's best: Each page is in Arabic faced by its English translation. It was a tough translation due to most texts in it going back to more than a thousand years.

61

24) ‫ترجمتي لكتاب كشف الريبة عن‬ ‫أحك ام الغيب ة و ھ و م ن ت أليف تق ي‬ ‫ال دين اب راھيم ب ن عل ي الع املي‬ Front cover of al-Jibouri’s translation of Kashf alReeba an Ahkam al-Gheeba of Taqi ad-Din Ibrahim alAmili. Ansari-yan published this book, which carries ISBN 978-964-438-977-1, in 2008.978-964-438-977-1, in 2008.

25) ‫ترجمتي لكتاب الرياء و‬ ‫ و ھو من تأليف سيد أحمد‬،‫العجب‬ ‫ الفھري‬Front cover of alJibouri’s translation of ‫الرياء و‬ ‫ العجب‬Pretension and Conceit.

It was published by Ansariyan in 2008 and carries ISBN 978-964-219-015-7.

62

26) ‫ترجمتي لكتاب أس وة الع ارفين‬ ‫ال ذي يتن اول س يرة آي ة ﷲ بھج ت‬ ‫ و ق د ألف ه محم د الب دري‬،‫قدس سره‬ Cover of al-Jibouri’s translation of ‫أﺳ ﻮة اﻟﻌ ﺎرﻓﻴﻦ‬ The (Role) Model of Gnostics, and it was published in 2008 by Ansariyan and carries ISBN 978-964-219-016-4. This is a very interesting and inspiring book.

‫طبع ة بريطاني ة جدي دة ل نفس الكت اب‬ Recent edition of the same book under a new title: Uswat alArifeen:  Paperback: 192 pages  Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 2, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 1494872994 ISBN-13: 978-494872991

63

27) ‫ترجمت ي لكت اب‬ ‫ و ھ و م ن‬،‫حقيق ة ال شيعة االثن ا ع شرية‬ ‫ت أليف مستب صر فل سطيني ھ و ال دكتور‬ ‫أس عد وحي د القاس م ال ذي ي روي ق صة‬ ‫ تشيعه‬Front cover of al-Jibouri’s translation of “The Truth About the Shi`ah Ithna-Asheri Faith”, a book by a Palestinian Sunni doctor who embraced the Shi’a faith, namely Dr. As`ad Wahid al-Qasim. It was published by Ansariyan first in 2004 then in 2006 and has ISBN 964-438617-5. It should inspire you, too, to embrace this great faith, i.e. Islam original.

28) ‫أح د الكت ب الت ي نقحتھ ا و ھ و م ن‬ ‫ ت أليف ال سيد وجاھ ت ح سين‬Front cover of Your Kalima and the Savior by Wajahat Husain, edited by al-Jibouri, published in New Jersey, U.S.A., in 2001 in 61 pages. It is inspired by alJibouri's Kerbala and Beyond book.

64

29) ‫ كراس‬14 ‫واحد من مسلسل ب‬ ‫عن المعصومين )ع( من تنقيحي‬ One of 14 in a series about the Infallibles  published in Beirut, Lebanon, by Imam Hussain Foundation which al-Jibouri edited.

30) ‫نقح ت لفت رة‬ ‫من الزمن القسم االنجليزي من مجلة‬ ‫ن ور االس الم اللبناني ة و ترجم ت لھ ا‬ ‫ بع ض الن صوص‬From 2010 – 2013, Yasin T. al-Jibouri edited the English section of Noor Al-Islam magazine which is published in Beirut, Lebanon, by the Imam Hussain  Foundation.

65

31) ‫ أوال ف ي‬،‫كتبت مق االت و ح ررت ن صوص ن شرة ال شؤون االس المية ل سنوات ع دة‬ ‫جورجيا ثم في فرجينيا بالوالي ات المتح دة األمريكي ة و ص ممت جمي ع أغلفتھ ا ع دا ثالث ة‬ (‫ )األول و الثالث و الخامس‬Covers, which al-Jibouri enjoyed designing, of issues of Islamic Affairs bulletins which he used to edit and publish in Atlanta, Georgia, prior to moving to Maryland then to Virginia.

Al-Jibouri started editing and publishing Islamic Affairs in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1974 and continued its publication till 1979. Having settled in Northern Virginia, he resumed its publication in 1983 in a different format, then he had to terminate it for good in 1989 due to insufficient financial support from the Muslim communities. This publication gained a great deal of popularity, and the Preface to alJibouri's book Mary and Jesus in Islam (both Ansariyan and Authorhouse editions) tells you more about it.

Below are front covers of other issues of this publication which unfortunately could not be sustained by the Muslim communities in the U.S….

66

67

32) ‫أكمل ت ترجم ة المجل د األول‬ ‫م ن كت اب عالم ات الظھ ور لل شيخ‬ ‫ ج الل ال دين ال صغير‬Yasin T. al-Jibouri completed his translation of Volume One of Alāmāt Al-Zuhoor by Sheikh Jalal ad-Deen alSagheer, imam of the famous Buratha (or Baratha as he prefers) Mosque in Baghdad where Imam Ali  once prayed. It has been published in Beirut, Lebanon, but I do not have a copy of its English edition at present time.

33) ‫أكملت ترجمة المجلد‬ ‫السادس من مجلدات لمحات‬ ‫اجتماعية من تاريخ العراق‬ ‫الحديث للدكتور علي‬ ‫الوردي و اآلن أعكف على‬ ‫ترجمة المجلد السابع )الذي‬ ‫كان ملحقا للسادس( لحساب‬ ‫دار المأمون في وزارة‬ ‫ الثقافة العراقية‬Yasin T. al-Jibouri has completed his translation of Volume Six Social Glimpses of Iraq's Modern History by late and great Iraqi sociologist, Dr. Ali al-Wardi, and is now translating Volume Seven 68

which used to be described as a "Supplement" for Volume Six. 34) ‫ترجمت لوزارة حقوق االنسان‬ ‫العراقية كتابا عن مؤشرات حقوق االنسان‬ ‫ طبعته االمم المتحدة في نيو يورك‬AlJibouri translated Human Rights Indicators book from English into Arabic for the Iraqi ministry of human rights. It contains numerous graphic designs with text embedded in them; therefore, he is using three computer programs to do his job: 1) Corel Draw, 2) Adobe Photoshop and 3) MS Word. He hopes to be through with this task in August of this year (2013). This book is published in the United States by the United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner and is not for marketing, so it has no ISBN. : ‫ترجمتي لمجلدي مأساة الزھراء‬35) ‫شبھات و ردود آلية ﷲ السيد جعفر‬ ‫ و ھو لبناني معاصر‬،‫مرتضى العاملي‬ Tragedy of Fatima Daughter of Prophet Muhammed: Doubts Cast and Rebuttals which is written by `allama Sayyid Ja`far Murtada al-Amili and translated

by Yasin T. al-Jibouri.

Publication Date: October 10, 2013. ISBNs: ISBN: 978-1-4918-2692-8 (sc) (soft cover) ISBN: 978-1-4918-2691-1 (hc) (hard cover) ISBN: 978-1-4918-2693-5 (e) (electronic edition) 69

36) ‫ترجمتي التي ندمت كثيرا على القيام بھا لسماحة آية ﷲ العظمى المرجع األعلى‬ ‫ و سبب ندمي ھو قيام "شيخين" لدى مكتب المرجع بما‬،‫السيد محمد سعيد الحكيم‬ ‫ و النتيجة ھي نسف ما بنيته بسبب جھل ھذين الشيخين‬،‫يسمى "تنقيح" لترجمتي‬ ‫ و سأقدم تقريرا كامال لسماحة المرجع عما ارتكبه ھذان‬،‫بدقائق اللغة االنجليزية‬ ...‫ الشيخان في حق ترجمتي‬Translation by Yasin T. al-Jibouri of ‫مرشد‬ ‫ المغترب‬Expatriate Guide by the supreme religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammed-Saeed al-Hakim, which has been edited by a couple of men at the author's office who made many unauthorized changes to the translation, thus lowering its academic quality and disappointing the translator. They chose the title of Muslims Guide instead of my choice of Expatriate Guide and committed numerous errors. I am deeply distressed, and I notified the authority's office of my renunciation and denunciation of the editors' work.

70

37) ‫تنقيحي ألول طبعة أمريكية لما كان‬ ‫يعرف بكتاب "دليل الطالب" لطاھر البياتي‬ Al-Jibouri has just finished editing English in a Simplified Way by Tahir al-Bayati. Details:  Hardcover: 364 pages  Publisher: AuthorHouse (February 19, 2014)  Language: English  ISBN-10: 1491857633  ISBN-13: 978-1491857632 38) ‫ھذا الكتاب برمته من‬ ‫ و قد قام الشخص الذي جمع‬،‫ترجمتي‬ ‫نصوصه من ھنا و ھناك بوضع اسمه كمؤلف‬ ‫ حاذفا‬،‫له رغم أنه لم يكتب صفحة واحدة منه‬ ‫ و‬...‫اسم المترجم منتحال بذلك صفة المؤلف‬ ‫ كذلك يفعلون‬Cover of Weapon of the Prophets, one of the books which I translated for a Lebanese university professor who removed my name as the Translator in order to give the false impression that he wrote it in English. Link: I have already told Amazon that I am its Translator…

71

39) ‫ترجمتي لكتاب المرحوم عبد‬ ‫الرزاق المقرم المعنون مقتل الحسين و الذي بناه‬ ‫على أسس كتاب الزمخشري الذي يحمل نفس‬ ‫ العنوان‬Al-Jibouri translated Maqtal alHussain by the Iraqi author AbdulRazzaq al-Muqarram, and this title is being marketed by Amazon:  Paperback: 322 pages  Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 15, 2013)  ISBN-10: 1493768867  ISBN-13: 978-1493768868

40) ‫ترجمتي لكتاب من تأليف المرحوم‬ ‫محمد جواد فضل ﷲ عن حياة االمام‬ (‫ علي بن موسى الرضا )ع‬A new translation by Yasin T. alJibouri titled Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha details the biography of Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (as), has just been published in the United States by Authorhouse of Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A., and its ISBNs are as follows: ISBN: 978-1-4918-7132-4 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-4918-7130-0 (hc) ISBN: 978-1-4918-7131-7 (e) 72

‫‪COMING SOON, Insha-Allah, TWO NEW‬‬ ‫‪BOOKS:‬‬ ‫تحت الطبع‪ :‬أحدث مؤلفين سيطبعان قريبا انشاء ﷲ في أمريكا‪:‬‬

‫مؤلفي المعنون سيد ‪Master of Martyrs by Yasin T. al-Jibouri‬‬ ‫الشھداء‬ ‫‪73‬‬

‫)‪1‬‬

‫مؤلفي المعنون ‪2) Nine Infallible Imams by Yasin T. al-Jibouri‬‬ ‫المعصومون التسعة عليھم الصالة و السالم‬

‫‪74‬‬

In addition to the previous 40 titles, al-Jibouri has also written, translated or edited many more which include the following 24: BOOK TITLE 1) Memoirs of a Shiite IthnaAsheri Missionary 2) Ghadir’s Khutba 3) Who is the Tikriti President?

4) The General Bases of Banking in the Muslim Society 5) Our Faith 6 Canon: A Glimpse at the Islamic Law 7 The Pathway to an Islamic Revival 8 The Holy Qur’an 9) Socio-Economic Justice with Particular Reference to NahjulBalāgha 10) A Biography of Leaders of Islam

11) Al-Islam Risalatuna (4 Volumes) 12) Best Month, Best Night 13) The Book of Istikhara 14) Miracles of the Holy Qur’ān 15) The Great Names of Allāh

AUTHOR Yasin al-Jibouri

ALJIBOURI IS ITS Author

Prophet Muhammed Dr. Salah Shubber Muhammed Baqir as-Sadr Sayyid Muhammed Hussain al-Jalali Sayyid Muhammed al-Shirazi Sayyid Muhammed al-Shirazi Translated by A. Yousuf Ali Dr. S.M. Waseem

Translator Translator Translator

Sayyid Ali Naqi Naqwi, English translation by Dr. Sayyid Nazir Hasan Zaidi A Lebanese curriculum committee A Lebanese professor A Lebanese professor A Lebanese professor A Lebanese

Editor

Translator Translator Translator Editor Editor

Translator Translator Translator Translator Translator 75

(Asmaa’ Allāh al-Husna) 16) Khums 17) Amicable Companionship 18) Ilahiyyaat (Vol. 1) 19) A Biography of

Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr 20) The Form of Islamic Government and Wilayat alFaqeeh 21) About the World Political Situation From a Muslim’s Viewpoint 22) Middle East Business Magazine 23) Al-Intifada 24) Islamic Revival

professor Al-Hakim's Michigan Office, U.S.A. Hon. Sayyid Mahdi al-Ameen, Michigan, U.S.A. Shaikh Hassan Muhammed Makki al-Āmili A compilation

Translator Translator Translator Author

Essay

Translator

Essay

Translator

Middle East Media Corporation Islamic Revival Movement Islamic Revival Movement

Senior Editor Editor Editor

This brings the total number of works which al-Jibouri has so far written, edited or translated to 64 (40 + 24) up to this date (December 12, 2013). Al-Jibouri is also co-editor of Gilgamesh Magazine which is published by Dar al-Mamoon of the Iraqi Ministry of Culture.

‫ ﺍﻧﻚ ﺃﻧﺖ ﺍﻟﺴﻤﻴﻊ ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻴﻢ‬،‫ﺭﺑﻨﺎ ﺗﻘﺒﻞ ﻣﻨﺎ‬ 76

MARY AND JESUS  IN ISLAM INTRODUCTION: Before we go into a detailed discussion of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him and his virtuous virgin mother, let us highlight the major differences between Christianity and Islam. In the next chapter, these differences will be itemized and discussed.

The Church has taught that Jesus  is the Messiah whom the Jews were expecting but whom they rejected, accusing him of being born of fornication: “You dishonour me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it and He will be the judge” (John 8:49-50).

In 4:155-162, the Holy Qur’ān condemns and curses all those who blasphemed the honour of Mary , and here is the exact text for you: ًّ ‫ﷲِ َوقَ ْتلِ ِھ ُم األَنبِيَاء بِ َغ ْي ِر َح‬ ‫ت ﱠ‬ ‫ق َوقَ ْولِ ِھ ْم قُلُوبُنَا ُغ ْلفٌ بَ ْل‬ ِ ‫ض ِھم ﱢميثَاقَ ُھ ْم َو ُك ْف ِر ِھم بِآيَا‬ ِ ‫ فَبِ َما نَ ْق‬ ‫طَبَ َع ﱠ‬ ‫ َوبِ ُك ْف ِر ِھ ْم َوقَ ْولِ ِھ ْم َعلَى َم ْريَ َم بُ ْھتَانًا ع َِظي ًما‬ً‫ﷲُ َعلَ ْي َھا ِب ُك ْف ِر ِھ ْم فَالَ يُؤْ ِمنُونَ إِالﱠ قَلِيال‬ ‫سو َل ﱠ‬ ُ ‫صلَبُوهُ َولَ ِكن‬ ُ ‫سى ابْنَ َم ْريَ َم َر‬ َ‫شبﱢه‬ َ ‫ﷲِ َو َما قَتَلُوهُ َو َما‬ َ ‫يح ِعي‬ َ ‫س‬ ِ ‫ َوقَ ْولِ ِھ ْم إِنﱠا قَتَ ْلنَا ا ْل َم‬ ‫ﱠ‬ َ ْ ُ َ َ ْ ْ َ‫لَ ُھ ْم َوإِنﱠ الﱠ ِذين‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ُ‫اختَلَفُو ْا فِي ِه لفِي شَكﱟ ﱢمنهُ َما لھُم بِ ِه ِمنْ ِعل ٍم إِال اتﱢبَا َع الظنﱢ َو َما قتَلوه‬ ‫ﷲُ إِلَ ْي ِه َو َكانَ ﱠ‬ ‫ بَل ﱠرفَ َعهُ ﱠ‬‫يَقِينًا‬ ‫ب إِالﱠ لَيُؤْ ِمنَنﱠ بِ ِه‬ ِ ‫ َوإِن ﱢمنْ أَھ ِْل ا ْل ِكتَا‬ ‫ﷲُ َع ِزيزًا َح ِكي ًما‬ ‫ت‬ َ ‫قَ ْب َل َم ْوتِ ِه َويَ ْو َم ا ْلقِيَا َم ِة يَ ُكونُ َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم‬ ٍ ‫ فَبِظُ ْل ٍم ﱢمنَ الﱠ ِذينَ ھَادُو ْا َح ﱠر ْمنَا َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم طَيﱢبَا‬‫ش ِھيدًا‬ َ َ َ َ ‫يل ﱠ‬ ْ ْ ‫ َوأخ ِذ ِھ ُم ال ﱢربَا َوق ْد نُ ُھو ْا َعنهُ َوأ ْكلِ ِھ ْم أ ْم َوا َل‬‫ﷲِ َكثِي ًرا‬ َ ‫ص ﱢد ِھ ْم عَن‬ َ ِ‫أُ ِحلﱠتْ لَ ُھ ْم َوب‬ ِ ِ‫سب‬ ‫اس ُخونَ فِي ا ْل ِع ْل ِم ِم ْن ُھ ْم‬ ِ ‫ لﱠ ِك ِن ال ﱠر‬‫اط ِل َوأَ ْعتَ ْدنَا لِ ْل َكافِ ِرينَ ِم ْن ُھ ْم َع َذابًا أَلِي ًما‬ ِ َ‫س بِا ْلب‬ ِ ‫النﱠا‬ ُ ُ َ‫صالةَ َوا ْل ُمؤْ تُونَ ال ﱠز َكاة‬ ‫َوا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنُونَ يُؤْ ِمنُونَ بِ َما أن ِز َل إِلَ ْيكَ َو َما أن ِز َل ِمن قَ ْبلِكَ َوا ْل ُمقِي ِمينَ ال ﱠ‬  ‫سنُؤْ تِي ِھ ْم أَ ْج ًرا ع َِظي ًما‬ َ ‫اآلخ ِر أُ ْولَئِ َك‬ ِ ‫َوا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنُونَ بِا ﱠ ِ َوا ْليَ ْو ِم‬ (They have incurred divine displeasure:) In that they broke their covenant, that they rejected the Signs of Allāh; that they killed the messengers in defiance of right; (so much so) that they said, “Our hearts are the wrappings (which preserve God's Word; we need no more);” No, Allāh has set the seal on their hearts for their blasphemy, and little is it that they

77

believe. That they rejected faith; that they uttered a grave false charge against Mary. That they (boasting) said, “We killed Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allāh.” But they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ in this are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge but only conjecture to follow, for surely they did not kill him. No, Allāh raised him up to His presence, and Allāh is Exalted in power, Wise. And all of the People of the Book must believe in him before their death, and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them for the iniquity of the Jews, We made certain good and wholesome (foods) unlawful for them which had been lawful for them; since they hindered many from God's way, since they took usury, though they were forbidden, and they devoured men's substance wrongfully; We have prepared a grievous punishment for those among them who reject faith. But those among them who are well-grounded in knowledge, and the believers, believe in what has been revealed to you, and (especially) those who establish regular prayer and practice regular charity and believe in Allāh and in the Last Day: We shall soon bestow a great reward upon them.

Notice Verse 162 above and see how Islam’s God, Allāh, does not discriminate between the Muslims and the Jews or others but rewards all for their good deeds: But those among them who are wellgrounded in knowledge, and the believers (Muslims), believe in what has been revealed to you (O Mu¦ammed!), and (especially) those who establish regular prayer and practice regular charity and believe in Allāh and in the Last Day: We shall soon bestow a great reward upon them.

Islam accepts Jesus son of Mary  as the Masee¦ ‫ﻣﺴﻴﺢ‬, the anointed one, advocating the prophecy of Christ and recognizing his virgin birth as one of his miracles, even calling him the “Word of Allāh.” It defends his mission and reproaches all those who rejected it, endorsing the original Bible 1 as a revelation from the Almighty to him. Islam does not preach that Jesus  was crucified or killed but F

1

F

“Bible” is a Greek word which means “books.” The original Bible, which was written in Aramaic, mother tongue of Jesus Christ, was lost. John, Mark, Matthew and Luke rewrote it from memory, putting a great deal of their own personal views in it, thus altering the original pristine message brought by Jesus.

78

did ascend to heaven. 1 Many Christians regard Jesus  as a deity and worship him as a god, addressing him as “Lord,” a title fit only for the Almighty God. But they differ a great deal among themselves with regard to his deification, yet they all certainly regard him as much more than a human being. They call him “the son of God, part of the Trinity.” The Unitarian Church 2 stresses the Unity of God (what Muslims call Taw¦īd), and the fact that Jesus  was a human being. For this reason, it is not considered “Christian” and is not a member of the Federal Council of Churches, nor is it a member of any church federation. Islam repudiates in the strongest of terms the divinity or deity of Jesus Christ  and the concept of the Trinity. The Christian doctrine preaches that Jesus  died voluntarily, nailed to the cross, in order to atone for mankind's sins.

Jesus  is believed as having offered himself as an atoning sacrifice in order that mankind might earn salvation. Islam unequivocally rejects the notion that sins can be transferred from some to others by any means, holding each and every individual accountable for his or her actions. The Almighty, Islam teaches, forgives the sinners who repent and make amends. Repentance, then, in addition to prayers, fast, and charity can atone for one's sins. God F

F

F

F

1

Jesus is not the only one who is believed to be alive and living in heaven.

Enoch (Idris) is also believed to be alive. Both al-Khi¤r (Andreas) and Imām al-Mahdi  are believed to be alive and living on earth.

2

Beliefs of the Unitarian Church are referred to as Unitarianism. This branch of Christianity began in Reformation under leaders such as Michael Servetus (1511 - 1553 A.D.), a Spanish theologian and physician who is known in Spanish as Miguel Serveto, and Fausto Sozzini (1539 - 1604), nephew of Laelius Socinus (or Lelio Sozini), an Italian religious reformer.

Both men organized this anti-Trinitarianism movement because of which they were subjected to a great deal of persecution by other Christians. In order to escape the merciless Catholic Court of Inquisition, Servetus had to flee to Lyons where he edited Ptolemy's geography works, and to Paris, where he studied medicine. He was jailed by orders of the Inquisition but escaped and made for Italy where he was seized on orders issued by John Calvin, tried then burnt alive at the stake. The religious belief of this Church (or Christian sect) is based on the concept that God is one person, thus contrasting that of the one in three persons, or Trinitarianism.

79

does not overburden any of us; He fully knows our weaknesses and limitations. Christianity considers Jesus  as a mediator between man and God. Christians pray “in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,” appealing to God through him. Islam recognizes no mediator between man and God: everyone can be in direct contact with God and actually does so when he performs his prayers.

Intercession, however, is permitted by the Almighty Who grants it to individuals whom He chooses and who will intercede, with His permission, on behalf of their friends. As a matter of fact, the Almighty's mercy will reach on the Day of Judgment the ultimate limit when God permits ordinary people with whom He is pleased or whom He forgives to intercede on behalf of others. Such is His mercy... There are many other Christian beliefs and practices which we cannot discuss here due to the limitation of space and which include the belief in the reincarnation, the cremation of the dead, a tradition which the Christians learned from Hindus and Buddhists, the singing and dancing at their churches, the choir (an adaptation from the pagan chorus), the appointment of women as top church “officials,” the endorsement of homosexuality and the appointment of gay and lesbian “ordained” ministers...

The Major Differences Between Islam and Christianity Following are ten points marking the major differences between Islam and Christianity 1 : F

F

1.

Today's Christianity preaches belief in the Triune God; Islam, contrariwise, stresses the Unity of God, Tawh,.id. Muslims everywhere declare: La ilāha illa Allāh! (There is no god except Allāh). Not to accept Taw¦īd implies shirk, apostasy.

A

EA

2.

Christians preach that Jesus  is “the only begotten son of God.” Islam preaches that Jesus  was a human being who 1

Here, I have to some extent utilized Mawlana Fazlul-Ra¦mān An¥āri's book Islam and Christianity in the Modern World (The World Federation of Islamic Missions, Karachi, Pakistan, 1965 [1384 A.H.]), but most of this text is mine. This is one of the best books written by Muslims on this subject. May Allāh reward Mawlana An¥āri with the best of His rewards, Allāhomma Āmeen.

80

received Divine Inspiration and was thus empowered to perform all the miracles which he, by permission of his Creator and Maker, was able to perform. He was a prophet and a great teacher of mankind, a man of God. 3.

Christians claim that Eve was the first to be deceived by Eblis in the Garden of Eden, that she was responsible for tempting Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. They, therefore, place the curse of God on woman, calling her “the organ of the Devil, “The foundations of the arms of the Devil whose voice is the hissing of the serpent,” “the gate of the Devil,” “the road of iniquity,” “the sting of the scorpion,” “a daughter of falsehood, a sentinel of hell, the enemy of peace and of the wild beasts the most dangerous...,” etc. These are the words of renown Christian Saints: St. Bernard, St. Anthony, St. Bonaventure, St. Cyprian, St. Jerome, St. John Damascene, and others. In Islam, Adam and Eve both were simultaneously deceived. Women, therefore, enjoy equal status with men in as far as their rights and obligations are concerned. The Almighty does not distinguish between His servants based on their gemder. Christians, however, accuse Muslims of pushing women back into their harems and discouraging them from educating themselves and competing with men in all fields and professions.

This is one of their numerous false charges which are all based on ignorance of the religion of Islam and a genuine feeling of prejudice if not sheer malice and spitefulness. Christians have been encouraging their women to bare themselves so that they would look at them, fornicate with them and beget by them millions of illegitimate children who are either killed by abortion or who grow up not knowing who their parents are. At the same time, they do not pay women the same wages they pay men, and they discriminate against them in all fields and professions. In fact, they enslave women.

4.

The sin of Adam and Eve was not forgiven; therefore, every child is born in sin. Such is the belief held by Christians. In Islam, Adam and Eve regretted, repented, and were given the chance to be forgiven even while they were here on earth. Every child is born sinless and capable of achieving the ultimate limit of human perfection. Parents often corrupt their children, causing them to 81

deviate from the right creed, victimizing them, thus adding their children's sins to those of their own. Sin is acquired by one's intentional desire to ignore God's laws, to surrender to temptation, and to acquire by vile means what rightfully belongs to others. Sins are committed by one's misdeeds and miscalculations; nobody inherits sin.

5.

Jesus' mission was “to wash away humanity's sins with his own blood,” Christians claim. In Islam, his mission was: to teach mankind the right way of leading an upright life. He was not sent to atone for humanity's alleged sin. He is regarded as one of the greatest prophets of God, and the original Bible revealed to him was surely the Word of God. He was born to Virgin Mary  who is described in Islam as one of the four most perfect of all women in the history of mankind in each and every aspect of human perfection.

6.

Christianity claims that man can attain salvation only by believing in Jesus  as "the only begotten son of God", and that Jesus  had given his blood to wash the sins of mankind. In Islam, the essential condition for attaining salvation is to combine righteous deeds with a sound belief. Mere passive belief is meaningless. The Islamic system, which comprehends all problems of mankind and provides solutions for them, must be followed in its entirety.

7.

Christians say that we cannot approach God without the mediation of a priest. In Islam, everyone, man or woman, is his or her own priest or priestess and can approach God without the mediation of anyone. God is near to everyone and the gates of His mercy are always wide open to receive those who repent and are willing to make amends. Islam strongly stresses the significance of one's dignity and self-respect. One who admits his sins to someone else will in all reality be humiliating himself before another human being. He should do so before his Maker, and only before his Maker, each and every hour of his life. Muslims seek Allāh's forgiveness every day before, during, and after their five daily prayers. Humility before God is what Islam condones, not self-humiliation before another human being, even if such a human wears a collar and is a 82

man of the Church.

8.

Ascetic life according to Christianity is a saintly one; Jesus  and the saints are models in this regard, and celibacy is preferable over marriage for the attainment of spiritual eminence.

Not so in Islam. Asceticism is unnatural; it clashes with our human nature and deprives us of enjoying the lawful pleasures of this life__including and especially sexual pleasures__so that we may thank the Almighty Who provides us with them. Life is to be enjoyed; it is the greatest gift of the Almighty to the living. Take His gifts and thank Him for them; do not deprive yourself of what is lawful. “I have not enjoyed of your world,” says Prophet Muh,.ammed, “except three: prayers, perfumes, and women!” Prayers bring one closer to his Maker, provide him with comfort against his worries, and pave the way for his salvation. They also are healthy daily physical exercises. Perfume, for both men and women, is very highly commended in Islam; one who wears it and thus smells good will not be shunned by others; rather, he or she will be loved, cherished and respected not only by other people, but also by the angels and by God Himself; He surely loves those who are clean physically and spiritually. Sex is one of the blessings of the Almighty on His servants as long as it is lawful and is not followed by remorse. No pleasure is pleasing if it is followed by remorse or, worse, by AIDS...! Whenever you cohabit with your wife, the Prophet teaches us, you earn a blessing, a good deed... Such is the beauty of Islam.

A

EA

9.

Christianity preaches the separation of the religion from the State, from politics. Islam, contrariwise, provides a socio-political system wherein politics are mixed with religion just as water is mixed with milk; they are inseparable. Today's “Muslim” governments are mostly hypocritical because they are not trying to please Allāh but to please the enemies of Allāh: Western politicians who are Christian only by name and who wish to suck the blood of the Muslims dry, buying their natural resources, especially oil, for very cheap prices while refusing to sell them their technology 1 , F

F

1

Westerners seldom acknowledge Muslims' contributions to science and technology. One is tempted to say that they are ingrates by nature. During my stay in the U.S., I noticed that the best minds in the U.S. are not

83

selling them their manufactured goods at very high prices. The mosque used to be the place where people's problems were solved and criminals punished, the place where people get their marriage blessed. It is the place where they learn their creed. Nowadays, in many Muslim countries, there are more “security” and “intelligence” agents frequenting mosques than there are worshippers! Pro-Western hypocritical rulers of the Muslim world fear nothing more than Islam even as they lie and claim to be its adherents and defenders. This is so because they are constantly pressured by “Christian” Western politicians to keep people away from Islam, to encourage the opening of more bars and night clubs and the closing of more mosques and religious centers.

10.

According to the admission of many Biblical scholars, the Bible contains “irrational beliefs, crude science and indecent tales.” 1 Today's Bible is far from being the revelation that descended upon Jesus . It was not put together during the life of Jesus Christ , so it cannot be regarded as representative of the message of Christ . The Holy Qur’ān, on the other hand, was written down during 23 years under the direct supervision of Prophet Muh,.ammed , and not a single syllable in it has been changed. It is divinely protected against any alteration, addition, or deletion. Moreover, it essentially is rational, scientific, and modern in its spirit and shall always remain so. No other sacred scripture can ever be described as such, ever...

F

A

F

EA

These are the basic differences between Islam and Christianity presented to the reader in brief. Now let us research the life of Jesus  and his saintly mother, starting from the latter, then learn American, and that the Americans do not work as hard as foreigners; they feel they do not have to. Why should they, especially since there are many, including heads of Arab and Muslim States, who are ready to be their obedient servants and faithful lackeys?! These servants and lackeys are the ones who facilitate for the enemies of Islam to spy on or even to attack other Muslim countries, thus becoming their accomplices and disclosing to the world and to history their ugly hypocrisy.

1

This is the statement of Canon Barnes.

84

something about the Bible, its authors and message.

Maryam (Mary)  Daughter of `Imrān (Amram) An entire Qur’ānic Chapter (Sūra) is dedicated to Mary mother of Christ ; it is “Sūrat Maryam”, Chapter 19. Not even the Bible honors her like that… And she is mentioned throughout the Holy Qur’ān in several other places. For example, Allāh Almighty says the following in the Holy Qur’ān: ‫انﱠ ﱠ‬ ‫ض َھا‬ ْ َ‫ﷲ‬ ُ ‫ ُذ ﱢريﱠ ةً بَ ْع‬ َ‫وحا َوآ َل إِ ْب َرا ِھي َم َوآ َل ِع ْم َرانَ َعلَ ى ا ْل َع الَ ِمين‬ ً ُ‫اصطَفَى آ َد َم َون‬ ْ ‫ض َو ﱠ‬ ‫ت ا ْم َرأَةُ ِع ْم َرانَ َر ﱢب إِنﱢي نَ َذ ْرتُ لَ كَ َم ا فِ ي بَ ْطنِ ي‬ َ ُ‫ﷲ‬ ِ َ‫ إِذ قَال‬ ‫س ِمي ٌع َعلِي ٌم‬ ٍ ‫ِمن بَ ْع‬ َ َ َ ْ ‫ض ْعتُ َھا‬ ‫ُم َح ﱠر ًرا فَتَقَبﱠ ْل ِمنﱢي إِنﱠ َك أن تَ ال ﱠ‬ َ ‫ض َع ْت َھا قالَ تْ َر ﱢب إِنﱢ ي َو‬ َ ‫ فلَ ﱠم ا َو‬ ‫س ِمي ُع ال َعلِ ي ُم‬ ‫س ﱠ‬ ‫أُنثَى َو ﱠ‬ َ‫س ﱠم ْيتُ َھا َم ْريَ َم َوإِنﱢ ي أُ ِعي ُذھَا بِ ك‬ َ ‫الذ َك ُر َكاألُنثَى َوإِنﱢي‬ َ ‫ض َعتْ َولَ ْي‬ َ ‫ﷲُ أَ ْعلَ ُم بِ َما َو‬ َ ‫سنًا َو َكفﱠلَ َھ ا‬ ‫َو ُذ ﱢريﱠتَ َھا ِمنَ ال ﱠ‬ َ ‫س ٍن َوأنبَتَ َھا نَبَاتً ا َح‬ َ ‫ول َح‬ ٍ ُ‫ َتَقَبﱠلَ َھا َربﱡ َھا بِقَب‬ ‫يم‬ ِ ‫ان ال ﱠر ِج‬ ِ َ‫ش ْيط‬ ْ‫اب َو َج َد ِعن َدھَا ِر ْزقًا قَا َل يَا َم ْريَ ُم أَنﱠى لَ ِك َھ َذا قَالَت‬ َ ‫َز َك ِريﱠا ُكلﱠ َما د َ​َخ َل َعلَ ْي َھا َز َك ِريﱠا ا ْل ِم ْح َر‬ ‫ﷲِ إِنﱠ ﱠ‬ ‫ُھ َو ِمنْ ِعن ِد ﱠ‬ ‫ب‬ ُ ‫ﷲَ يَ ْر ُز‬ َ ‫ق َمن يَشَاء بِ َغ ْي ِر ِح‬ ٍ ‫سا‬ Surely Allāh favored Adam and Noah and the descendants of Abraham and the descendants of `Imrān over the nations: offspring, one from the other, and Allāh is Hearing, Knowing. `Imrān's woman said: Lord! Surely I vow to dedicate to You what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Your service); accept, therefore, from me; surely You are the Hearing, the Knowing. So when she gave birth to her, she said: Lord! Surely I have given birth to a female__and Allāh knew best what she had given birth to__and the male is not like the female; I have named her Maryam, and I commend her and her offspring into Your protection from Satan the accursed. So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growth and gave her into the charge of Zakariyya (Zacharias). Whenever Zakariyya entered the sanctuary (to see her), he found with her food.

He said: O Maryam! Whence comes this to you? She said: It is from Allāh. Surely Allāh bestows His grants unto whomsoever He pleases without measure. (3:33-37) Scholars have said that Mary's mother was Hanna daughter of Faqooth, grandmother of Jesus Christ . Ibn `Abbās has said that `Imrān (Amram) is the son of Madhān. There is no kinship between him and `Imrān father of prophet Moses  since one thousand and 85

eight hundred years separate one from the other. The descendants of Madhān were the chiefs of the Children of Israel; they were their rabbis and kings. Mu¦ammed ibn Is¦āq 1 has said, “He is `Imrān son of Sahim son of `Amoor son of Meeshan son of Izekiel son of Aharef son of Baoom son of Izarya son of Amsiy son of Nawoos son of Nootha son of Baridh son of Yehusha Faz son of Radim son of Abiyya son of Rehobom son of Solomon son of David, peace be upon him.” Zakariyya 2 (Zacharias or Zachary) son of Barkhiya and `Imrān son of Madhān were married to sisters. One of those sisters was the wife of Zakariyya son of Barkhiya, namely Eisha (Elizabeth) daughter of Faqooth, Ya¦ya's mother. The other was the wife of `Imrān: μanna daughter of Faqooth, Maryam's mother.

F

F

F

F

Hanna had almost lost hope of having a son when she became very old. Hers was a family upon whom Allāh had bestowed His favors and whom He held in high esteem. While she was sitting under a tree, she saw a mother bird feeding her chicks. The instinct of motherhood stirred within her, and she invoked Allāh Almighty to grant her a son. She, as the Holy Qur’ān tells us, said, “Lord! Surely I vow to dedicate to You what is in my womb to be devoted (to Your service)” (Qur’ān, 3:35), that is, that her child would be free from the bondage of this life and its entanglements, and he will dedicate his time for the worship of Allāh and for the service of His cause. It was the custom then to bring such a dedicated person to Jerusalem to 1

Abū Bakr Mu¦ammed ibn Is¦āq (d. 151 A.H./768 A.D.) is a well known scholar from Medīna who was contemporary to the `Abbāside ruler Abū Ja`far Abdullāh al-Man¥ūr who came to power in June 754 A.D./Dhulμijjah 136 A.H. and who commissioned ibn Is¦āq to write the very first complete biography of Prophet Muh,.ammed. His work, however, which became the basis of Ibn Hishām's Seerat, had to be continued by Mu¦ammed ibn Omer al-Wāqidi (747 - 822 A.D./129 - 206 A.H.), mentor of Muh,.ammed al-Zuhri, better known as Ibn Sa`d, who died in 230 A.H./845 A.D. and who is a traditionist and a historian born in Bas,.ra and died in Baghdad. Ibn Sa`d's most famous work is Kitāb al-±abaqāt alKabīr, or ±abaqāt Ibn Sa`d.

2

Zacharias was father of John the Baptist (prophet Ya¦ya). His name in Hebrew is Zachariah, the same as it is in Arabic. “Zakariyya” is a variation of it.

86

worship Allāh and to serve His creed.

Always males, those dedicated servants of Jerusalem were not expected to leave the house of worship till they reached their adolescence. Once one of them reached his adolescence, he would be given the choice to either stay or go wherever he wanted. There was hardly any family among the Children of Israel that did not make such a dedication. Only boys were dedicated; girls would not be fit for such a service due to the menstruation and the inconvenience associated with it. But Maryam's mother had already made that dedication, so her husband `Imrān said to her, “Look what you have done! Did you consider the possibility that you were big with a female, and the female is not fit for such a dedication?” He was quite distressed. `Imrān died while his wife was pregnant with Maryam.

When she delivered, she found out that her child was a girl. She had prayed for a son. Seeking to apologize to Allāh Almighty, she said, “Lord! Surely I have given birth to a female, and the male is not like the female,” that is, she is not fit for the service of the house of worship in Jerusalem due to her weakness and menstruation. She named her Maryam (Mary) . In their tongue, it meant “the worshipper,” the one who serves her Lord. Maryam  was the most beautiful of all her contemporary ladies and her conduct was the very best.

The Messenger of Allāh  is quoted as having said, “Four among the women of mankind are most cherished: Maryam daughter of `Imrān, Asiya wife of Pharaoh, Khadīja daughter of Khuwaylid 1 F

F

1

Her full name is: Khadīja daughter of Khuwaylid son of Asad son of Abdul-`Uzza son of Qu¥ayy, of the clan of Banu Hāshim, of the tribe of Banu Asad. Qu¥ayy was the ancestor of all clans belonging to Quraysh, Prophet Muh,.ammed's tribe. Quraysh's real name was Fahr, and he was son of Mālik son of Ma¤ar son of Kanānah son of Khuzaimah son of Mudrikah son of Ilyās son of Mazar son of Nazār son of Ma`ad son of `Adnān son of prophet Ishmael son of prophet Abraham son of prophet Sam son of prophet Noah. Khadīja was born in 565 A.D. and, according to a number of historians, died in 623 A.D. at the age of 58. Her mother, a

87

(wife of Prophet Muh,.ammed), and Fā§ima daughter of Muh,. ammed.” She continued to implore her Lord saying that she sought refuge with Him on her behalf to forbid Satan the accursed from having any access to her progeny. The Messenger of Allāh  is also quoted as saying, “There is no infant born except that Satan would touch it, so it would scream because of such a touch, except Maryam and her son.” It is recommended to recite the following verse at the birth of any newborn baby girl: A

A

EA

A

E

◌ِ ‫ان ال ﱠر ِجيم‬ ‫ َوإِنﱢي أُ ِعي ُذھَا ِبكَ َو ُذ ﱢريﱠتَ َھا ِمنَ ال ﱠ‬ ِ َ‫ش ْيط‬ ... and I commend her and her offspring into Your protection from Satan the accursed (Qur’ān, 3:36).

Shu`ayb ibn Mu¦ammed, according to his chain of narrators, has said, “Every human being is hit by Satan on the side at birth except Jesus and his mother . A barrier was placed to protect them.

Satan could not penetrate it; therefore, they were not harmed.”

Neither one of them committed any of the sins commonly committed by humans. Allāh Almighty has said, ‫سنًا َو َكفﱠلَ َھا َز َك ِريﱠا ُكلﱠ َما د َ​َخ َل َعلَ ْي َھا زَ َك ِريﱠا‬ َ ‫ول َح‬ َ ‫س ٍن َوأَنبَتَ َھا نَبَاتًا َح‬ ٍ ُ‫فَتَقَبﱠلَ َھا َر ﱡب َھا بِقَب‬ َ َ َ َ ً ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ق َمن‬ ُ ‫اب َو َج َد ِعن َدھَا ِر ْزقا قا َل يَا َم ْريَ ُم أنﱠى لَ ِك َھذا قالَتْ ھ َُو ِمنْ ِعن ِد ﷲِ إِنﱠ ﷲَ يَ ْر ُز‬ َ ‫ا ْل ِم ْح َر‬ ‫ب‬ َ ‫يَشَاء بِ َغ ْي ِر ِح‬ ٍ ‫سا‬ “So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her distant relative of Prophet Muh,.ammed, was Fā§ima daughter of Zā'idah son of al-Asam, of Banu Āmir son of Luayy son of Ghālib. Her mother's date of birth is unknown but historians say that she died in or around 575 A.D. Khadīja's father, Khuwaylid, belonged to the `Abd al-`Uzza clan of the tribe of Quraysh. He died in 585 A.D. Needless to say, Khadīja, through both of her parents, was a distant cousin of Prophet Mu¦ammed who also belonged to Banu Hāshim. I included my research of the life of this great lady, the events involving her marriage with Prophet Muh,. ammed, as well as the chronology of her past marriages and offspring, in my best work yet titled Allāh: The Concept of God in Islam which was published in 1418 A.H./1997 by An¥āriyān Publications and is scheduled to be reprinted in two volumes in the United States very soon, Inshā-Allāh.

88

grow up a good growth” (Qur’ān, 3:37).

The meaning of this verse is that He created her without any increase or decrease of her physique, so she was growing during a short period as much as an ordinary infant would grow during quite a lengthy one.

When Maryam  was born, her mother Hanna carried her to the temple. The descendants of Aaron, who then numbered thirty, looked after the temple at Jerusalem in the same zeal the caretakers look after the Ka`ba. They placed her in the hands of the rabbis. She said to them, “Do look after this dedicated infant,” whereupon they competed with one another in looking after her since she was the daughter of their leader. Zakariyya said to them, “I am more worthy of her than you since her aunt lives in my house.” The rabbis said, “We shall not let you decide that, for if she were to be left with the person who is most worthy of her and her nearest in kin, she should have been left with her mother who gave birth to her. But we shall cast the lots about her, and she will be looked after by the one whose arrow wins.” They agreed to do so.

Nineteen men came to the Jordan Rriver. They threw their arrows, or their pens whereby they used to write the Torah, in the water. The pen or arrow belonging to Zakariyya surfaced over the water while the rest were submerged. Ibn Ish,.aq and a group of other scholars, including as-Suddi 1 , have all said that Zakariyya's pen pierced the water and stood up in it as though its water were mud, while their pens were washed away by the tide. Allāh Almighty has said, A

F

EA

F

‫وحي ِه إِلَ ْي َك َو َما ُكنتَ لَ َد ْي ِھ ْم إِ ْذ يُ ْلقُون أَ ْقال َم ُھ ْم أَ ﱡي ُھ ْم يَ ْكفُ ُل َم ْريَ َم َو َما‬ ِ ‫ َذلِ َك ِمنْ أَنبَاء ا ْل َغ ْي‬ ِ ُ‫ب ن‬  َ‫َص ُمون‬ ِ ‫ُكنتَ لَ َد ْي ِھ ْم إِ ْذ يَ ْخت‬ 1

His name is Isma’il ibn Abdur-Ra¦mān, and he was born in Kūfa and was popularly known as as-Suddi. He learned the Qur’ān from Anas ibn Mālik and Ibn `Abbās. He is regarded as one of the most reliable commentators of the Holy Qur’ān. There are two commentators with the nickname “asSuddi”. Abdur Ra¦mān is known as as-Suddi al-Kabeer, the Senior, whereas his grandson became known as as-Suddi Junior. His year of birth is unknown, but he is said as having died in 127 A.H./745 A.D.

89

“You were not with them when they cast their pens (to decide) which of them should have Maryam in his charge” (Qur’ān, 3:44).

Thus did Zakariyya, who was their high rabbi and prophet, win, and this is why Allāh Almighty has said that Zakariyya took custody of and looked after her.

Mu¦ammed ibn Is¦āq 1 has said, “When Zakariyya took charge of her, he gave her to her aunt, Ya¦ya's mother, and asked her to nurse her till she reached womanhood. It was then that he built a room for her in his place of worship to be her sanctuary, placing its door in the middle.” Whenever he entered to see her, he noticed that she had unseasonable fruits, that is, summer fruits were with her during the winter, and vice versa, so he would ask her where she had received them from, and she would say that they were from Allāh, from the fruits of Paradise.

F

F

Mu¦ammed ibn Is¦āq has also said that the Children of Israel were then inflicted with a famine, yet she kept receiving her sustenance thus, as Zakariyya was becoming increasingly unable to look after her. He, therefore, went out to the Children of Israel and said, “O Children of Israel! You know, by Allāh, that I have become quite old and too weak to look after the daughter of `Imrān; so, which one of 1

Mu¦ammed ibn Is¦āq (Isaac) ibn Yasār ibn Khayār (according to some sources, ibn Khabbār) ‫ محمد بن إسحاق ب ن ي سار ب ن خي ار‬was the son of Isaac, an Arab Muslim historian and hagiographer who collected oral traditions that formed the basis of the most important extant biography of the Prophet of Islam. His biography is usually called Sīratu Rasūl Allāh ‫س يرة رس ول ﷲ‬ "Life of the Messenger of God". He was born in 85 A.H. /704 A.D. in Medīna and died in Baghdad in 150–153 A.H./767–770 A.D. Ibn Is¦āq was the grandson of a Christian man, Yasār, who had been captured in one of Khālid ibn al-Walīd's campaigns and taken to Medīna as a slave. His grandfather became the slave of Qays ibn Makhramah ibn alMu§§alib ibn Abd Manāf ibn Qu¥ayy and, having accepted Islam, he was emancipated. Yasār's three sons, Mūsa, Abd ar-Ra¦mān and Is¦āq, were all known as transmitters of reports of major Islamic events. They collected and recounted tales of the past. Is¦āq married the daughter of another mawla and from this marriage Ibn Is¦āq was born.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

90

H

H

H

H

you will look after her when I am gone?” They said, “By Allāh we, too, are worn out and are in difficulty as you can see.” Each of them would recommend to the other to be the one to look after her, and they kept doing so till they did not find anyone ready to do it. They decided to cast their lots this time too, and the arrow this time came to be that of a righteous carpenter from among the Children of Israel named Joseph son of Jacob son of Matan, and he was Maryam's cousin. So he took her. Maryam saw in his face the weight of the burden, whereupon she said to him, “O Joseph! Think well of Allāh, for He will sustain us.” Joseph started receiving sustenance on account of her, and he would bring her every day of what he had earned to take care of her needs. Whenever he brought it to her and she was in the house of worship in Jerusalem, Allāh would multiply it for him and increase it. Whenever Zakariyya entered to see her, he used to see a remnant of sustenance that was more than what Joseph had brought her, hence his question to her, ‫سنًا َو َكفﱠلَ َھا َز َك ِريﱠا ُكلﱠ َما د َ​َخ َل َعلَ ْي َھا زَ َك ِريﱠا‬ َ ‫ول َح‬ َ ‫س ٍن َوأَنبَتَ َھا نَبَاتًا َح‬ ٍ ُ‫فَتَقَبﱠلَ َھا َربﱡ َھا بِقَب‬ ‫ﷲِ إِنﱠ ﱠ‬ ‫اب َو َج َد ِعن َدھَا ِر ْزقًا قَا َل يَا َم ْريَ ُم أَنﱠى لَ ِك َھ َذا قَالَتْ ُھ َو ِمنْ ِعن ِد ﱠ‬ ‫ق َمن‬ ُ ‫ﷲَ يَ ْر ُز‬ َ ‫ا ْل ِم ْح َر‬ ‫ب‬ َ ‫يَشَاء بِ َغ ْي ِر ِح‬ ٍ ‫سا‬ “O Mary! Whence comes this to you? She said: It is from Allāh.

Surely Allāh gives to whomsoever He pleases without measure” (Qur’ān, 3:37).

Christians have for years been debating about Mary , whether she was the “mother of God,” as some call her, or whether she was an ordinary pious lady. We do not wish to contribute to such a debate, preferring to leave them wandering forever in their wilderness as they please...

Birth of Jesus son of Mary  According to Islam Allāh Almighty has said, ‫ فَات َﱠخ َذتْ ِم ن دُونِ ِھ ْم ِح َجابً ا‬ ‫ش ْرقِيًّا‬ َ ‫ب َم ْريَ َم إِ ِذ انتَبَ َذتْ ِمنْ أَ ْھلِ َھ ا َم َكانً ا‬ ِ ‫ وا ْذ ُك ْر فِي ا ْل ِكتَا‬ ‫ قَالَتْ إِنﱢي أَعُو ُذ بِ ال ﱠر ْح َمن ِمن كَ إِن ُكن تَ تَقِيًّ ا‬ ‫س ِويًّا‬ َ َ‫وحنَا فَتَ َمثﱠ َل لَ َھا ب‬ َ ‫ش ًرا‬ َ ‫س ْلنَا إِلَ ْي َھا ُر‬ َ ‫فَأ َ ْر‬ َ َ َ ُ ُ ‫ قَالَ تْ أنﱠ ى يَ ُك ونُ لِ ي غ ال ٌم َولَ ْم‬ ‫س و ُل َربﱢ ِك ِأل َھ َب لَ ِك غال ًم ا َز ِكيًّ ا‬ ُ ‫ قَ ا َل إِنﱠ َم ا أنَ ا َر‬ َ َ ً َ َ َ َ ‫ﱠ‬ ً َ ‫س‬ َ َ‫سنِي ب‬ ْ ‫س‬ َ ‫يَ ْم‬ ِ ‫ ق ا َل َك ذلِ ِك ق ا َل َربﱡ ِك ُھ َو َعل ﱠي َھ يﱢنٌ َولِن ْج َعل هُ آيَ ة لِلن ا‬ ‫ش ٌر َولَ ْم أ ُك بَ ِغيّ ا‬ 91

‫اض‬ ُ ‫ فَأَ َجا َء َھ ا ا ْل َم َخ‬ ‫صيًّا‬ ِ َ‫ فَ َح َملَ ْت هُ فَانتَبَ َذتْ بِ ِه َم َكانً ا ق‬ ‫ضيًّا‬ ِ ‫َو َر ْح َمةً ﱢمنﱠا َو َكانَ أَ ْم ًرا ﱠم ْق‬ ‫ فَنَادَا َھ ا ِم ن ت َْحتِ َھ ا أَالﱠ‬ ‫سيًّا‬ ْ َ‫ع النﱠ ْخلَ ِة قَالَتْ يَا لَ ْيتَنِ ي ِم تﱡ قَ ْب َل َھ َذا َو ُكن تُ ن‬ ِ ‫سيًا ﱠمن‬ ِ ‫إِلَى ِج ْذ‬  ‫ساقِ ْط َعلَ ْي ِك ُرطَبًا َجنِيًّا‬ َ ُ‫ع النﱠ ْخلَ ِة ت‬ َ ‫ت َْحزَ نِي قَ ْد َج َع َل َر ﱡب ِك ت َْحت َِك‬ ِ ‫ َو ُھ ﱢزي إِلَ ْي ِك بِ ِج ْذ‬ ‫س ِريًّا‬ َ َ َ َ ْ ‫فَ ُكلِي َوا‬ ْ‫ص ْو ًما فلَ ن‬ َ َ‫ش َربِي َوقَ ﱢري َع ْينًا فَإِ ﱠما تَ َريِنﱠ ِمنَ ا ْلب‬ َ ‫ش ِر أ َحدًا فقُولِي إِنﱢي نَذ ْرتُ لِل ﱠر ْح َم ِن‬ َ‫ يَ ا أُ ْخ ت‬ ‫ش ْيئًا فَ ِريًّ ا‬ َ ‫ت‬ ِ ‫ فَأَتَتْ بِ ِه قَ ْو َم َھا ت َْح ِملُهُ قَالُوا يَ ا َم ْريَ ُم لَقَ ْد ِج ْئ‬ ‫نسيًّا‬ ِ ِ‫أُ َكلﱢ َم ا ْليَ ْو َم إ‬ ‫ش ا َرتْ إِلَ ْي ِه قَ الُوا َك ْي فَ نُ َكلﱢ ُم َم ن‬ َ َ ‫ فَأ‬ ‫س ْو ٍء َو َما َكانَتْ أُ ﱡم ِك بَ ِغيًّ ا‬ َ َ‫وك ا ْم َرأ‬ ِ ُ‫ھَارُونَ َما َكانَ أَب‬ َ ‫ قَا َل إِنﱢي َع ْب ُد ﱠ‬ ‫صبِيًّا‬ َ‫ َو َج َعلَنِي ُمبَا َر ًكا أيْن‬ ‫َاب َو َج َعلَنِي نَبِيًّا‬ َ ‫ﷲِ آتَانِ َي ا ْل ِكت‬ َ ‫َكانَ فِي ا ْل َم ْھ ِد‬ ْ ‫ش قِيًّا‬ َ ‫ َوبَ ًّرا بِ َوالِ َدتِي َولَ ْم يَ ْج َعلنِ ي َجبﱠ ا ًرا‬ ‫صال ِة َوال ﱠز َكا ِة َما ُد ْمتُ َحيًّا‬ ‫صانِي بِال ﱠ‬ َ ‫َما ُكنتُ َوأَ ْو‬ ُ ‫سال ُم َعلَ ﱠي يَ ْو َم ُولِ دتﱡ َويَ ْو َم أَ ُم وتُ َويَ ْو َم أُ ْب َع‬ ‫سى ا ْب نُ َم ْريَ َم قَ ْو َل‬ ‫ َوال ﱠ‬ َ ‫ َذلِ كَ ِعي‬ ‫ث َحيًّ ا‬   َ‫ق الﱠ ِذي فِي ِه يَ ْمتَرُون‬ ‫ا ْل َح ﱢ‬ And mention Mary in the Book when she drew aside from her family to an eastern place; so she took a veil (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her Our spirit, and he appeared to her as a perfectly ordinary man. She said: “Surely I seek refuge against you with the Beneficent God, if you are God-fearing.” He said: “I am only a messenger of your Lord to give you [the glad tiding of] a pure boy."

She said, "How can I have a boy while no mortal has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste?" He said. "Even so; your Lord says: It is easy for Me, and so that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter already decreed." So she conceived him [Jesus], then withdrew with him to a remote place.

And the throes (of childbirth) compelled her to betake herself to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: “Oh, would that I had died before this and had been a thing quite forgotten!” Then (the newly-born) called out to her from beneath her: “Do not grieve! Surely your Lord has made a stream flow beneath you, and shake towards you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop on you fresh ripe dates; so eat and drink and cool your eyes. Then if you see any mortal, say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent God, so I shall not speak to any human this day.” And she came to her people carrying him. They said: “O Mary! Surely you have done a strange thing! O sister of Aaron! Your father was not a bad man, nor was your mother unchaste!” But she pointed to him. They said: “How should we speak to one who is a child in the cradle?” He [Jesus] said: “Surely I am a servant of Allāh; He has given me the Book (Bible) and made me a prophet, and He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayers and zakāt as long as I 92

live, and dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed. And peace be with me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am raised (back) to life.” Such is Jesus son of Mary; (this is) the saying of truth about which they dispute. (19:16-34) Prophets' biographers have said that when three days had passed since Mary  was pregnant with Jesus , she was either thirteen or fifteen years old. One of those individuals who dedicated their time to serve the temple with her was her above-mentioned cousin Joseph the carpenter. He was a thoughtful man who used to offer charity from his earnings. Joseph and Mary  used to take turns in serving the temple. When they ran out of water, each would take the pitcher and go to the cave to obtain water then return to the temple.

The day that she met Gabriel was the longest and the hottest day of the year. She had run out of water, so she asked her cousin, “Shall we go together, O Joseph, to obtain water?” He said, “I have some water left which will suffice me for today.” She said, “But I, by Allāh, am out of water!” She took her pitcher and went out alone till she came to the cave where she met Gabriel whom Allāh made to appear to her as an ordinary man. He told her that Allāh had sent him to grant her a pure boy. She said, ‫قَالَتْ إِنﱢي أَعُو ُذ بِال ﱠر ْح َمن ِمن َك إِن ُكنتَ تَقِيًّا‬ “Surely I seek refuge from you with the Beneficent God if you are God-fearing” (Qur’ān, 19:18), that is, a pious man, one who is obedient to his Lord. Imām `Ali has said, “I have come to know that a pious person is one who has compassion for others and is merciful, and she thought that he (Gabriel) was a man, a human.” `Ikrimah has said, “Gabriel appeared to her in the form of a young beardless man with curly hair, and in perfect form.” Wise men have said that Allāh Almighty sent him in human form so that Mary  would be able to remain self-composed and listen to his speech. Had he appeared in his normal form, she would have been frightened by him and would have shunned him. When Mary  sought refuge with Allāh against him, he said to her,

93

‫سنِي‬ ْ ‫س‬ ُ ‫ قَا َل إِنﱠ َما أَنَا َر‬ َ ‫ قَالَتْ أَنﱠى يَ ُكونُ لِي ُغال ٌم َولَ ْم يَ ْم‬ ‫َب لَ ِك ُغال ًما زَ ِكيًّا‬ َ ‫سو ُل َربﱢ ِك ِألَھ‬ ‫س َو َر ْح َمةً ﱢمنﱠا‬ َ َ‫ب‬ ِ ‫ قَا َل َك َذلِ ِك قَا َل َربﱡ ِك ُھ َو َعلَ ﱠي َھيﱢنٌ َولِنَ ْج َعلَهُ آيَةً لِلنﱠا‬ ‫ش ٌر َولَ ْم أَ ُك بَ ِغيًّا‬ َ ْ   ‫ضيًّا‬ ‫ق‬ ‫م‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ر‬ ‫م‬ ‫أ‬ ِ ‫َو َكانَ ْ ً ﱠ‬ “I am only a messenger of your Lord to give you (the glad tiding of) a pure boy. She said: How can I have a boy while no mortal has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste? He said: Even so; your Lord says: It is easy for Me, and so that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter already decreed” (Qur’ān, 19:19-21).

Having heard his statement, she submitted to Allāh's decree, whereupon Gabriel blew in the pocket of her loose outer garment.

By then, she had taken it off. Once he had left, Mary  filled her pitcher with water, put her outer garment on, instantly and unconsciously conceiving of Jesus , then went back to the temple.

Yet one cannot help wondering about this tale of Gabriel blowing in the pocket of Mary’s loose outer garment, thus causing her to conceive. The author of this book humbly finds this odd; instead, he thinks that it is quite likely the fruit which the angels used to bring Mary  from Paradise may have enabled her to conceive. The evidence for this argument is the story of how Khadīja daughter of Khuwaylid , the first wife of the Prophet of Islam , conceived of Fā§ima  after the Prophet  had eaten fruits brought to him by angels who also told him to cohabit with his wife as soon as he had eaten them, which he did, thus causing Khadīja to conceive of Fā§ima , and surely Allāh knows best. It is not difficult at all to imagine Fā§ima and Jesus  as being composed of the fruits of Paradise, and surely Allāh knows best.

Another story of how Mary  conceived is narrated, or say suggested, by as-Suddi and `Ikrimah who have said that she  used to remain in the temple as long as she was clean (having no menstruation). Once she started her period, she would go to her aunt's house till she became clean again and would then return.

While Mary  was bathing after her period was over, having 94

chosen a sunny spot because it was then winter and that day was the shortest day of the year and placed a curtain between her and the rest of the house residents, archangel Gabriel appeared. He gave her the glad tiding of Jesus , then he blew in the pocket of her outer loose garment. Al- μassan says that the Nazarenes had taken the east as their qibla because Mary  had taken a place facing the east [prior to her conception]. When she was big with Jesus , her cousin Joseph the carpenter was in her company, and they were both going to the temple one day near Mount Zion. That temple was their greatest. They used to repair it, heat it, and sweep it, and nobody knew anyone more diligent or dedicated than both of them. The first person who found it objectionable that she should be pregnant was this same cousin and fellow servant of the temple, Joseph the carpenter. When he saw what had happened to her, he thought it was monstrous and horrible, and he did not know what to do or say to her. Whenever he contemplated on charging her, he remembered her uprightness, adoration and innocence and the fact that she was never out of his sight even for one hour. If he desired to think of her as innocent, he saw the signs of her pregnancy. When he could not keep it to himself any longer, he decided to discuss it with her.

The first thing he said to her was, “I have noticed something about you to which I have found myself reacting, and I have been trying to keep it to myself, but I finally decided that discussing it with you may ease my mind.” She said to him, “Say it nicely.” He asked her, “Tell me, Mary, has there been any trees growing without seeds?”

She said, “Yes!” He asked her again, “Then has there been trees growing without rain?” She said, “Yes!” Then he said, “Can there be children without parents?” She said, “Yes! Don't you know that Allāh Almighty caused all the trees to grow when He created them without first sowing their seeds, for seeds come from trees? Have you not come to know that Allāh caused the trees to grow without rain, and through His might He caused the rain to sustain the species of trees after having created each species separately? Or do you say that Allāh is not able to grow trees without the help of water, and that without it, He could not have been able to grow them?!” Joseph said to her, “No, I do not say that, but I say that Allāh Almighty is capable of doing anything; all He has to do is to say to it, `Be!' and it 95

is!” Mary  then said, “Don't you know that Allāh created Adam and his wife without parents?” He answered in the affirmative. Her last statement convinced him that what had happened to her must have been something which Allāh Almighty had decreed, and that it was not fitting for him to ask her about it due to the secrecy she seemed to maintain in its regard. Then Joseph took charge of all the maintenance chores needed to be performed at the temple and spared her having to do anything at all.

Scholars say that when Mary  came close to giving birth, Allāh Almighty inspired her that the Jerusalem temple was one of His houses which was pure and was built so that His Name would be praised therein. “Go to a place where you can seek seclusion,” the Almighty inspired her. Mary  went to the house of her aunt, the mother of Yah,.ya (John the Baptist). When the latter stood up to greet her and welcome her, she found herself in need of Mary  to support her to stand up. Then she asked her, “O Mary! Can you imagine me being pregnant?!” Mary said, “I, too, am pregnant!”

Zakariyya's wife said, “Then I find the one in my womb prostrating to the one in yours!” To this does the Almighty refer in the verse ‫ص ﱢدقًا بِ َكلِ َم ٍة ﱢمنَ ﱠ‬ saying, ِ‫ﷲ‬ َ ‫“ ُم‬... testifying to a Word from Allāh” (Qur’ān, 3:39). When she felt comfortable at her aunt's house, the Almighty inspired her, “If you give birth among your people, they will taunt you, charge you, and kill both you and your son; so, get away from them.”

A

EA

Scholars have differed regarding how long it took Mary  to conceive and deliver. Some say that the duration of her pregnancy was nine months like all other women, while others say it was eight, and that that was another miracle: no new-born who stayed in his mother's womb for only eight months survived except Jesus .

Other scholars say it was six months, still others say it was three hours, and some even say it was only one hour. Ibn `Abbās has said, “It was only conception then delivery, and the time from the conception to the delivery and the seclusion she sought was only one hour, for Allāh Almighty did not mention any separation between them when He said,ً ‫صيّا‬ ِ َ‫` فَ َح َملَ ْتهُ فَانتَبَ َذتْ بِ ِه َم َكانًا ق‬So she conceived him then withdrew with him to a remote place' (19:22), that is, far away 96

from her people.” Muqātil 1 has said, “His mother conceived him in one hour; he was formed in one hour; he was delivered in one hour when the sun had just set, and she was twenty years old, having had only two menstrual periods before conceiving Jesus .”

F

F

Mujāhid 2 has said, “Mary, peace with her, has said, `Whenever I sought seclusion, Jesus  would speak to me, and I would speak to him. If a human distracted me from that, he would praise the Almighty while being in my womb, and I would hear his praising,'” and Allāh knows best.

F

F

When the pain of childbirth intensified, she sought to support herself with the trunk of a tree, and it was a dry palm tree with neither leaves nor a live trunk, only a dead stump. The angels did not like the sight of that palm tree, and they were surrounding her in rows, and that palm tree was at a village called Bethlehem 3 . When her crisis reached its zenith, she said in agony, “Oh! Would that I had died before this and had been a thing quite forgotten” (Qur’ān, 19:23), whereupon she was addressed, “Grieve not! Surely your Lord has made a stream flow beneath you, and shake towards you the trunk of the palm tree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates” (Qur’ān, 19:24-25). The original Arabic text of the first verse, that F

F

1

He is Abū al- μassan Muqātil ibn Sulaymān al-Balkhi (d. 150 A.H./767 A.D.), a mufassir who moved to Baghdad then to Ba¥ra where he died. His most important work is At-Tafsīr al-Kabīr (the great book of exegesis).

2

He is Abū Bakr Mujāhid ibn A¦med ibn Mūsa (d. 324 A.H./936 A.D.), a qāri, actually the imām of qāris of his time, a traditionist, and a linguist from Baghdad. All the books he wrote deal with the Holy Qur’ān.

3

“Bethlehem” is a Hebrew word with two meanings: 1) the house (Hebrew beth, Arabic bayt) of bread, or 2) the house of the goddess Lahmu, twin deity of Lahamu. In Mesopotamian mythology (which spread beyond the valley of the Tigris and the Euphrates), these were the first gods to be born from the chaos created by the merging of the watery deep surrounding the earth and the salt waters. They represent silt, but in some texts they seem to take the form of serpents. Bethlehem is located in south Jerusalem. In Genesis 35:16-20 and 48:7, in 1 Samuel 16:17, and in 2 Samuel 23:13-17, it is referred to as Ephrath or Ephratah.

97

is, “Then he called out to her from beneath her” (Qur’ān, 19:24), can be recited in two different ways: min ta¦tiha ‫ ِمن ت َْحتِ َھا‬, that is, from under her, connotes a reference to the one who called upon her from the mountain side, namely Gabriel. Or it can be recited man tahtaha ‫ َمن ت َْحتِ َھا‬, the one who was underneath her, that is, Jesus Christ , after having emerged from his mother's womb. He addressed her by the Will of Allāh. Allāh caused a river to flow for her after she had given birth to Jesus . Its water would be sweet and cool if she wanted to drink of it, lukewarm if she wanted to wash herself with it.

Ibn `Abbās has said, “Jesus, or Gabriel  struck the earth, whereupon water gushed forth, and the dry tree was brought back to life after its dryness. Its branches cascaded, and it brought forth its produce and excelled in it. She was told to shake the trunk of the palm tree to her so that it would cause fresh dates to fall upon her.”

Ar-Rabee` ibn Khaytham has said, “There is nothing better for a woman in her postnatal period than fresh dates, nor for any patient better than honey.” Omer ibn Maymūn has said, “I cannot think of anything better for a woman having difficulty delivering than fresh dates.”

Wahab has said, “When he [Jesus ] was born, all idols were seen falling on the ground headlong in each and every land, so much so that the demons were frightened and did not know why. They rushed to Satan, Eblis, the accursed who was on a throne which he had made for himself on the surface of a lake mocking the Almighty's Throne when it was first on the water. They came to him when six hours of the day had passed. When Eblis saw their throngs, he felt very upset and alarmed because he had never seen them assembling like that since he scattered them throughout the world to do their mischievous deeds. He used to see some of them now and then but never all of them at the same time. He asked them what had happened. They told him that something must have happened on earth that caused all the idols to be smashed without any human touching them. Nothing was more instrumental than those idols in bringing destruction to the descendants of Adam. Now this new event that has occurred caused humans to think very low of those idols, and the devils were concerned that humans were not going to worship idols any more. “Be informed,” they said, “that we have not 98

come to you here before looking for its cause throughout the world, in the seas, and everywhere else, but we did not increase but in ignorance regarding what has happened.” Eblis said to them, “This must have been a momentous event; so, remain where you are.”

Eblis immediately flew away for three hours during which he passed by the place where Jesus  was born. When he saw the angels gazing at that spot, he realized that that was the scene of the event.

He wanted to approach it from above, but the heads of the angels and their shoulders acted as a shield. He wanted to approach it from under the ground, but he noticed that the angels' feet were planted firmly in it. He then wanted to penetrate through their ranks, but they forbade him from doing so as testified to this fact by the statement of the Prophet saying, “Every human being is hit by Satan on the side upon its birth except Jesus son of Mary ; Allāh Almighty shielded Jesus  from him, so he kept trying [unsuccessfully] to penetrate the shield.'”

Having facilitated the delivery for Mary , Allāh Almighty prepared her to meet her people. “Eat, O Mary,” the Almighty inspired her, “of the fresh dates, and drink of the sweet and cool water; cool your eyes and be contented. If you see any human, and he asks you about your son, or makes a serious charge against you in his regard, tell him that you pledged to abstain (from speaking to anyone) for the sake of achieving the Pleasure of the Most Merciful One.” The “fast” referred to in chapter 19 (Sūrat Maryam), verse 26, meant abstention from speaking. Fast during that period was abstention from eating, drinking, and speaking, “... so I shall not speak to any man today” (Qur’ān, 19:26), Mary  was instructed to say. Another reference to abstention from speaking to people is made in the first verses of the Qur’ānic Chapter named after Mary , the same Sūrat Maryam referred to above: “He (Zakariyya ) said: Lord! Give me a sign (āya). He said: Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights though being in sound health” (Qur’ān, 19:10). Sometimes staying away from people and remaining in constant contact with the Almighty enables one to reach a very high spiritual plain. Remember how Prophet Mūh,. ammed, prior to the initiation of his historic mission, used to seek A

E

A

99

seclusion from people at the H,.irā’ cave of Mount Thawr in order to meditate and to clear his thoughts.

A

EA

Mary  brought her infant Jesus  to her people carrying him.

Al-Kalbi 1 has said, “Joseph the carpenter took Mary and Jesus  inside a cave and kept them there for forty days till she recovered fully from the pains of childbirth, then he brought her back carrying him, being forty days old, whereupon Jesus  spoke to her on the way saying, `Mother! Congratulations! I am the servant of Allāh and His Messiah!' When she came to her family with the infant, all members of her family were so grieved, they wept. It was a family of righteousness. They said to her, `O Mary! You surely have done a strange thing' (19:27), that is, `Where did you get this son from?' She beckoned to them to ask Jesus . They were now angry and said, `How can we speak to one who is a child in the cradle?' (19:29).”

Wahab has said that Zakariyya  came to her while she was debating with the Jews about him; he said to Jesus , `Speak up and produce your proof if you were indeed ordered to do so.' Jesus, who was then forty days old, said, F

F

‫قَا َل إِنﱢي َع ْب ُد ﱠ‬ ‫صا ِني‬ َ ‫ َو َج َعلَنِي ُمبَا َر ًكا أَيْنَ َما ُكنتُ َوأَ ْو‬ ‫َاب َو َج َعلَنِي نَ ِبيًّا‬ َ ‫ﷲِ آتَانِ َي ا ْل ِكت‬ ‫سال ُم َعلَ ﱠي‬ َ ‫ َوبَ ًّرا بِ َوالِ َدتِي َولَ ْم يَ ْج َع ْلنِي َجبﱠا ًرا‬ ‫صال ِة َوال ﱠز َكا ِة َما ُد ْمتُ َحيًّا‬ ‫ َوال ﱠ‬ ‫شقِيًّا‬ ‫بِال ﱠ‬ ُ َ ُ ً ‫يَ ْو َم ُولِدتﱡ َويَ ْو َم أ ُموتُ َويَ ْو َم أ ْب َعث َحيّا‬ `I am a servant of Allāh; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet, and He has made me blessed wherever I may be. He has enjoined on me prayer and zakāt as long as I live, and (to be) dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed. And peace be on me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am raised to life'” (Qur’ān, 19:30-33). Thus did Jesus  admit his submission to the Will of Allāh at the very beginning of his speech, 1

His full name is Mu¦ammed ibn al-Sā'ib al-Kalbi (d. 763 A.D.), a genealogist, traditionist, linguist, and chronologist from Kūfa. He fought Mi¥`ab ibn az-Zubayr then retired and dedicated his entire time to study Arabic and history. He studied in Kūfa and lived for some time in Ba¥ra.

100

belying the claim of the “Christians” and making his argument against them.

Imām Mu¦ammed ibn `Ali al-Bāqir 1 , is quoted as saying, “When Jesus  was born, in each day he grew up as much as infants would grow in a month. When he was nine months old, his mother took him by the hand, brought him to the class and seated him before the teacher. The teacher asked him to say BismillāhirRa¦mānir-Rahīm, which Jesus  repeated. The teacher then required him to repeat the alphabets after him, whereupon he raised his head and asked him whether he knew what the alphabets meant.

The teacher raised his stick aiming to hit him, but he quickly said to him, `Do not hit me, O teacher! If you do not know, ask me, and I shall explain them to you.' The teacher asked him to explain them to him, so he stated the following, F

F

Alīf ‫ أ‬is derived from La ilāha illa-Allāh (there is no god except Allāh); Bā ‫ ب‬is derived from Behjatullāh (the Splendor of Allāh); Jeem ‫ ج‬is derived rom Jalāl-Allāh (the Greatness of Allāh); Dāl ‫ د‬is derived from Dīn-Allāh (the Creed of Allāh); Hā ‫ ه‬is derived from Hāwiya, Hell, the pit of fire; Wāw ‫ و‬is derived from Waylun li ahlin-nār (Woe unto the people of the Fire!); Zā ‫ ز‬is derived from Zafeeru-Jahannam, the exhalation of Jahannam (or ge hen Hinnom 2 ), Hell, the eternal Fire; F

F

1

He is the great grandson of Prophet Mu¦ammed and one of the most brilliant persons who ever walked on the face of earth, with knowledge so vast, he was said to “pierce through the knowledge of prophets.” He was Imām Mu¦ammed son of Imām `Ali son of Imām al- μussain son of Imām `Ali son of Abū ±ālib  peace and blessings of Allāh with all of them.

He was born in Medīna on Rajab 1, 57 A.H./May 10, 677 A.D. and was killed on Dhul- μijjah 7, 114 A.H./January 28, 733 A.D. by a poisoned saddle given to him as a present by the Umayyad tyrant Hishām ibn Abd al-Malik.

2

“Ge hen Hinnom,” Hebrew for “the valley of the son of Hinnom,” the Jews believe, is a place near Jerusalem where, according to Jeremiah 19:5,

101

μu§§i ‫ حطي‬is derived from μu§§atil khataya `anil mustaghfirīn (the sins have been removed from those who seek His forgiveness); Kilman ‫ كلمن‬is derived from Kalāmullahi ghayr makhlooq walā mubaddila li kalimātih (the Speech of Allāh is not created, and there is no alteration to it); ¯a`af ‫ صعف‬is derived from ¯ā` bi ¥ā` wal jazā’ bil jazā’ ‫صاع بالصاع و‬ ‫( الجزاء بالجزاء‬a measure for a measure, and a reward for each good deed); Qirshat ‫ قرشة‬is derived from taqrushuhum ¦eena ta¦shuruhum ‫( تقرشھم حين تحشرھم‬it gathers them together as it inflicts its pain upon them).'”

The teacher said to Mary , “Woman, take your son away, for he needs no teacher.”

The reader is referred to the Glossary of this book for more details about both the Basmala and the Fāti¦a. Al-μussain ibn Mu¦ammed ibn al-μussain, a scholar of exegesis, has informed us through his chain of narrators which goes back to Abū Sa`īd al-Khudri who quotes the Messenger of Allāh  as saying, “Jesus  was sent by his mother to learn, so the teacher required him to say Bismillāh (in the Name of Allāh), whereupon Jesus asked him what that meant.

The teacher told him he did not know, so Jesus explained it to him.

[Gentile] children were burnt in sacrifice to Baal. The latter was the fertility god of then polytheist Canaanites (Arabs, descendants of Ken`an, who inhabited Greater Syria. According to Vol. 1, p. 24 of Civilization: Past and Present, “'Phoenician' is the name which the Greeks gave to those Canaanites who dwelt along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, an area that is today Lebanon.”). The Greeks, then, were the ones who called those Arabs "Phoenicians". Ge hen Hinnom is Arabized as “Jahannam.” Before the advent of Islam, Arabs believed neither in heaven nor in hell. They, therefore, did not have any concept of the afterlife and had no words for Paradise or hell in their very rich and extensive vocabulary. “Janna,” by the way, means: a garden, an orchard, but it really does not describe Paradise fully. Paradise is a lot more than an orchard or a garden. It is a whole world by itself. Incidentally, the word “Paradise” (firdaws) is also a loan word, some say from Persian, others from Babylonian.

102

He said, `The B means Bahāullāh (the Splendor of Allāh), the sīn [the `s' in bismillāh] means Sanāullāh (the Majesty of Allāh), and the mim [the `m' in Bismillāh] means Mamlakatullāh (the Kingdom of Allāh, the Exalted, the Sublime),'” and Allāh knows best.

Jesus and Mary  Leave for Egypt Jesus  was born forty-two years after the ascension of Augustus 1 [of the Roman Empire], fifty-one years after the king of the Ashkanites 2 , kings of the sects, had passed away. Today's Syria and its surrounding areas were under the authority of Caesar of Rome who had appointed Herod 3 as the king on his behalf. When Herod, who was ruling over the areas then inhabited by the Children of Israel, came to know the story of the Messiah, he wanted to kill him.

The Children of Israel saw a star according to whose appearance they, utilizing their books, calculated the date of his birth. Allāh sent an angel to Joseph the carpenter to warn him against Herod and his evil scheme, ordering him to flee with the boy and his mother to Egypt and to return once Herod was dead. Joseph transported Mary and her son on a donkey till they reached a place in Egypt to which F

F

F

F

F

F

1

“Augustus” is his title which means “revered.” His name was Octavius or Caius Octavius, and he lived from 63 B.C. to 14 A.D. He was a contemporary of Jesus Christ and a grand nephew of Julius Caesar. He also was the first Roman emperor. (Caius) Julius Caesar (102 B.C. - 44 B.C.), who extended Rome's control to France (then land of the Gauls, original inhabitants of the France before Celtic Germanic tribes kicked them out and occupied their land in the third century B.C.) and Britain, adopted him and named him Caius Julius Caesar Octavianus. After his (Caesar's) assassination, Augustus gained power in Rome. In 31 B.C., he defeated Queen Cleopatra of Egypt (69 B.C. - 31 B.C.) at Actium, Greece, on September 2, 31 B.C. It was then that he became master of the Roman world.

2

Or Ashkenazim, one of the two major Jewish sects; the other is the Sephardim.

3

It was through Marc Antony (83 B.C. - 30 B.C.), a protege of Julius Caesar, that Herod (or Herod the Great) secured such a position which he maintained from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C. In his last years, he fell a victim to insanity, executing his sons Aristobulus, Alexander, and Antipater. He is the one who ordered the mass massacre of children.

103

the Almighty refers in this verse: ‫ين‬ ِ ‫آو ْينَا ُھ َما إِلَى َر ْب َو ٍة َذا‬ َ ‫ َو َج َع ْلنَا ابْنَ َم ْريَ َم َوأُ ﱠمهُ آيَةً َو‬ ٍ ‫ت قَ َرا ٍر َو َم ِع‬ “And We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign, and We gave them a shelter on a lofty ground having meadows and springs” (Qur’ān, 23:50).

Mary and Jesus  Return Home Wahab has said that when Herod died, twelve years after the birth of Jesus  1 , Allāh inspired Mary telling her of Herod's death, ordering her to return with her son Jesus and cousin Joseph the carpenter to Syria. They did, settling near the Galilee mountain at a village in north-northeast of Bethlehem (Bayt La¦am ‫ )ﺑﻴﺖ ﻟﺤﻢ‬called Nazareth after which Christians are called “Nazarites” or “Nazarenes.” Its Arabic name is “an-Nā¥ira ‫”الناصرة‬. There, Jesus  kept learning in one hour what others would learn in a day, and in a day what others would in a month, and in a month what others would in a year, and such is the Almighty's design with His messengers. When he became thirty years old, Allāh inspired him to come out to the public and to invite them to worship the One and Only God, Allāh, through the medium of parables, empowering him F

1

F

There is no definite date given for the birth of Jesus Christ even by Christians themselves! Most books say that he was “probably” born between 8 B.C. and 4 B.C. The angel referred to above is described in Christian books as “the heavenly host.” In Islam, this may either be archAngel Gabriel or one of the angels working under his command. “Jesus” is a Greek noun derived from the Hebrew “Joshua” which means: “savior.”

“Christ” is a Greek translation of the Hebrew “Messiah” which means “anointed.” In Arabic, his name is `Īsa. Jesus Christ is cousin of John the Baptist who is described by the People of the Book as “an ascetic preacher.” In Islam, he is a prophet referred to in the Holy Qur’ān as Ya¦ya son of Zakariyya (Zacharias). He is mentioned in 3:39 where he is described as “an honourable, chaste, a prophet from among the good ones,” in 6:85 and 19:12-15 where he is described as one whom the Almighty granted wisdom even as a youth, and in 21:90 where he and his family are described as those who “used to hasten, one with another, in (the doing of) deeds of goodness.”

104

to heal the sick, to cure those afflicted with permanent handicaps, to give sight back to the blind, to heal the mentally retarded, to suppress the power of evil, to forbid people from committing misdeeds, and to subject the devils to humiliation by permitting goodness to thus prevail. He did as he was ordered, so people loved him and enjoyed his company. His followers started increasing in number. Soon he became quite famous, and at times he may have had as many as fifty thousand patients or handicapped persons to heal. Those who could walk to him did so, and those who could not he himself sought, the messenger of God that he was. Those who could not reach him, he managed to reach them, and such is the mark of distinction of men of God. The only medicine he applied to the patients who had a full conviction in him and in his Lord was his supplication.

Mary's Death and Prophethood of Jesus  According to a number of accounts, Mary conceived Jesus  when she was thirteen years old. She gave birth to him at Bethlehem, a suburb of Jerusalem, fifty-one years after the beginning of the reign of the Ashkelonites (or Ashkenazim). Allāh sent the wahi (inspiration) to him at the age of thirty, and He raised him up from the temple at Jerusalem on Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Power) during the month of Ramadān when he was thirty-three years old; so, his prophethood continued for only three years. His mother lived after his being raised to heavens for six years, and Allāh knows best.

The Disciples Allāh Almighty has said, ‫صا ِري إِلَى ﱠ‬ ‫صا ُر‬ ‫فَلَ ﱠما أَ َح ﱠ‬ َ ‫ نَ ْحنُ أَن‬: َ‫ﷲِ؟ قَا َل ا ْل َح َوا ِريﱡون‬ َ ‫ َمنْ أَن‬:‫سى ِم ْن ُھ ُم ا ْل ُك ْف َر قَا َل‬ َ ‫س ِعي‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ْ ‫ آ َمنﱠا بِا ﱠ ِ َوا‬،ِ‫ﷲ‬  َ‫سلِ ُمون‬ ْ ‫ش َھ ْد بِأَنﱠا ُم‬ “But when Jesus perceived disbelief on their part, he said: Who will be my helpers in Allāh's way? The disciples said: We are helpers (in the way) of Allāh: We believe in Allāh and bear witness that we submit (to Him in Islam)” (Qur’ān, 3:52). The Almighty has also said, 105

ْ ‫ قَالُو ْا آ َمنﱠا َوا‬،‫سولِي‬  َ‫سلِ ُمون‬ ْ ‫ش َھ ْد بِأَنﱠنَا ُم‬ ُ ‫ َوإِ ْذ أَ ْو َح ْيتُ إِلَى ا ْل َح َوا ِريﱢينَ أَنْ آ ِمنُو ْا بِي َوبِ َر‬ “And when I inspired the disciples saying: Believe in Me and in My messenger, they said: We believe and (you) bear witness that we are Muslims (submitters to the will of Allāh)” (Qur’ān, 5:111), that is, Allāh enabled the disciples to believe in His messenger. They were the elite from among those who believed in Jesus son of Mary  and who followed him. They were his supporters and viziers, and they were twelve in number. Their names are: Simon al-Safa who is also called Peter, his brother Andrews, Jacob son of Zebedee, his brother John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew “al-Ashshar ‫( ”العشار‬collector of the ‫` عشر‬ushr tax, the tithe 1 ), Jacob son of Halfa, Leah who is also called Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot. Biblical lists of them, however, differ from this one.

F

F

The “saints” who wrote the Gospels named after them are: John, Mark, Luke, and Matthew. Let us see what Christians tell us about them 2 : F

F

St. Mark was a friend of Saints Peter, Paul, and Luke. He is John Mark; his mother is believed to be the owner of the house where the Last Supper (where the Table of Viands, or al-Mā'ida) was held. His Gospel is the shortest and simplest, the only one which stands out from among all the other three in context and in spirit. Some Biblical critics are of the view that it was the first to be composed. It narrates the life of Jesus  from his baptism by John the Baptist to the passion and alleged “resurrection”.

1

It is a tax on agricultural produce, goods, or personal items set aside as an offering to God. Very few Christians nowadays pay it, and the same applies to the “majority” of Muslims who no longer pay the khums ‫خمس‬, one-fifth mandatory religious tax. Here in the U.S., taxes collected by federal, state, social security, insūrance, etc. take out about 30% of one's hard earned income, leaving him in need for charity himself!

2

The following text material is excerpted from two sources: The Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia (The Viking Press, New York, 1968), and the Encyclopedia Britannica III.

106

St. Luke, a man from Antioch 1 , Syria, was said to be a doctor, a physician, and a friend and companion of Saints Paul and Mark.

Christian tradition, however, says that he was a painter and that he died as a martyr. He is described as “a disciple of the Prophets” 2 which clearly means he learned not directly from Jesus  but from his twelve Prophets. His Gospel provides an account of the birth of Jesus , tells of his ministry and ends with the passion and alleged “resurrection”. He is author of a twelve-volume literary work, the Gospel and the Acts, and is the most literary of the New Testament writers. The approximate date of his death or “martyrdom” is given as 66 A.D. F

F

F

F

St. Matthew, also named Levi, is said to be a publican (tax collector) of Capernaum, a city in northeast Palestine on the Sea of Galilee. He was employed as a tax collector by Herod Antipas, tetrach of Galilee. He is described as one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ . He is author of the first synoptic Gospel which, like the rest, gives an account of the birth of Jesus , tells of his ministry, and ends with the passion and alleged “resurrection”. The Bible offers scanty and uncertain information about him. Everything about his character, conduct, conviction and life is subject to debate and is never ascertained... He wrote his Gospel, the first of the four, in Hebrew. His Gospel is also attributed to Matthew who is said to be 1

The city of Antioch is situated on the banks of the river al-Āsi (Orontes).

It was founded about 300 B.C. by Celeucus I (Nicator) who died in 280 B.C. Celeucus I was a general of Alexander the Great. Antioch is the city where the followers of Jesus Christ were called “Christians” (rather than Nazarines) for the first time. It is the seat of a Melchite, or Maronite, and a Jacobite patriarch. It fell to the Persians in 538 A.D., to the Arabs in 637 (16 A.H.), to the Byzantians from 969 - 1084 (358 - 477 A.H.), to Seljuk Turks in 1085 (478 A.H.), to the Crusaders in 1098 (491 A.H.), to Egyptian Mamlukes in 1268 (666 A.H.), and to Ottoman Turks in 1516 (922 A.H.). It was transferred to Syria by Western powers in 1920 (1339 A.H.) but restored to Turkey in 1939 (1358 A.H.). This is why the reader sometimes sees Antioch identified as a Syrian town and sometimes as a Turkish one! What a busy little town!

2

Encyclopedia Britannica II, Vol. 11, p. 178.

107

one of the twelve Prophets or disciples.

St. John is the son of Zebedee, a fisherman from the Galilee, and Salome. He is the younger brother of St. James the Greater, also one of the twelve disciples of Jesus . Jesus Christ , we are told, also had a brother named James...! Ancient Christian tradition claims that John is the author of all the four Gospels comprising the Bible..., in addition to three epistles and the Book of Revelation. Is he really?! This is the subject of debate among Christians; so, let us leave them debating and arguing till the Day of Judgment! He is described in Christian books as a “divine,” theologian, and as an Evangelist, a writer of the four Gospels. No date of his birth or death is available, and even the place where he died is not known for sure.

Some writers admit that what is written about him is more of a legend than a fact.

One is tempted to ask: “Why is it that there are four Gospels instead of one? Why is there so much duplication and difference between one Gospel and another? Whose Gospel is the right or the more reliable one? Since they cannot all be right, which one is right? If those Gospels were all written by St. John, as stated above, why, then, are they divided into four with each one of them bearing the name of an Prophet? Had they all been written by St. John, why was not the Bible called the Book of John?” My bet is that if you ask a priest or even the most learned Christian cleric, he will never give you a straight answer to any of these legitimate questions.

Saint Barnabas According to the Gospel of Matthew, and to be exact Ch. 10, verse 4, the list of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ  is as follows: Simon (or Peter), Andrew (Peter's brother), James (son of Zebedee), John (James' brother), Philip, Batholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, another Simon who is said to be “a member of `The Zealots,' a subversive political party,” and Judas Iscariot. Why is the name of Saint Barnabas not among them, and how did he come to write his own Gospel, the only one accepted by Muslims as the true Bible? With all their prejudices, speculations, sectarian motivations, it is unwise to accept what 108

today's or yesterday's Christians tell us about Saint Barnabas and his Bible, or about the other disciples. The Encyclopedia Britannica III, for example, describes those who believed that Christ was human and not divine as heretics, and so do many Christian writers and theologians. An independent research, therefore, will yield better results, that is for sure. One such research has been undertaken by M.A. Yusseff who published his findings in a very interesting book titled The Dead Sea Scrolls, the Gospel of Barnabas, and the New Testament which was published in 1405 A.H./1985 A.D. by the American Trust Publications of Indianapolis, Indiana.1 Saint Barnabas was originally called Joseph the Levite or Joses the Levite and is better known as Matthai or Matthias. In the Christian document known as Recognitions, Matthias is identified as another name for Prophet Barnabas, which is correct. In another document known as Homilies, Barnabas is said to be a personal Prophet of Jesus , “a strict servant of the Law,” and, hence, one of the original twelve Disciples (or Prophets) of Jesus Christ . Scholars of the Jewish faith, too, list his name among not twelve but five Prophets, the remaining four being: Naki, Nester, Buni, and Todah.

But we find the name “Lebbacus” among these disciples in Matthew 10:13, that of “Judas son of James” in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13, both contradicting other Biblical accounts; so, which one is correct and which one is not?!

F

F

Saint Barnabas was born in Cyprus in the first century A.D. Other references to him are recorded in the Bible in Acts 11:19 and 15:41.

He is said as having joined the Jerusalem church “after the alleged crucifixion of Jesus  2 ,” which is not true, sold his property, and gave the proceeds as a donation to his community. He founded the F

F

1

For the benefit of our reader, the full address of the said Publisher is: ATP, 10900 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46231, U.S.A. I think this book ought to be in every personal and public library. May the Almighty bless and reward its author and publisher, Allāhomma Āmeen.

2

This misleading statement exists in Vol. One of the world renown Encyclopedia Britannica III. How many other errors exist in this Encyclopedia?!

109

church in Antioch (Turkish Antakya), where he preached. Inviting Paul of Tarsus (Turkey) to be his assistant, he undertook missionary activity and then went to Jerusalem. Shortly after 48 A.D., a conflict separated both men, and Barnabas sailed home to Cyprus. Where did he write his Gospel and when? Nobody seems to know. How did he die? Nobody seems to know, yet he is called a martyr... We are also told that he knew St. Mark. In 488 A.D., his grave was discovered near the Monastery of St. Barnabas in the Cypriot city of Salamis. A copy of his Gospel was found buried with him 1 . The accurate list of the twelve disciples of Jesus  exists in the Gospel of St. Barnabas himself who records the following: F

F

Jesus, having returned to the region of Jerusalem, was found again of the people with exceedingly great joy, and they implored him to abide with them, for his words were not as those of the scribes, but were with power; for they touched the heart.

Jesus, seeing that great was the multitude of them that returned to their heart for to walk in the law of God, went up into the mountain, and abode all night in prayer. When the day came he descended from the mountain and chose twelve whom he called Prophets, among whom is Judas, who was slain upon the cross 2 .

Their names are: Andrew and Peter his brother, fishermen; Barnabas, who wrote this, with Matthew the publican, who sat at the receipt of custom; John and James, son of Zebedee; Thaddaeus and Judas 3 ; Bartholomew and Philip; James, and Judas Iscariot the F

F

F

F

1

That copy was later deposited at the Imperial Library at Vienna. It was at a much later date translated into English and edited by Lonsdale and Laura Ragg.

2

This statement, among many others in the Gospel of St. Barnabas, agrees with what we, Muslims, have in the Holy Qur’ān. Jesus Christ was not crucified. Indeed, it was Judas Iscariot who was crucified. Let the Christians of the world stand corrected. But they will never accept this correction simply because it means undermining the very foundation of their present day's creed.

3

The reader can easily see that there were two men among the disciples of Jesus named Judas; one of them was crucified, so he was rewarded in heaven, and the other was not, so he was rewarded by the Romans for his

110

traitor. To these he always revealed the divine secrets. He made Iscariot Judas his dispenser of that which was given in alms, but he stole the tenth part of everything. (The Gospel of Barnabas 14)

The Gospel of St. Barnabas is the one that contains the true teachings of Jesus Christ; it will be discussed later how it refers to Prophet Muh,.ammed  as the “Paraclete,” a Greek word meaning “Messenger” and “Comforter,” in Arabic al-Amīn ‫األمين‬... Even if you set aside the Gospel of St. Barnabas, a good Greek translation of the original text of John 14:16 will read as follows: “And I will Pray the Patera, and he shall give you another Paraclete, so that he may abide with you forever.” The Greek word Patera is erroneously translated as “the Father,” a reference to the Almighty, in a “modern” version of the Bible which gives the following text for John 14:16-17: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever__the Spirit of Truth.” 1 No man of righteousness has earned the title of “the Spirit of Truth” (in Arabic a¥-¯ādiq ‫ )الصادق‬more than Prophet Mu¦ammed . A good scholar of Greek will do better than that; he will translate Patera into “Nourisher” or “Sustainer,” and Paraclete into “Comforter,” alAmīn in Arabic, a title given to Prophet Mu¦ammed  even before he had started his prophetic mission. The translation of what John has in 14:16-17 should instead run as follows: A

EA

F

F

And I will request the Nourisher (God) to send you another Messenger, so that he may be (your) guide always, the inspired, the Truthful, whom the world at large will not welcome because it will not comprehend or appreciate him, but you (believers) will recognize him. He will dwell with you and (his message) will find a place in your hearts.

A testimony to the truth of the statement saying “... and (his message) will find a place in your hearts” is that most converts to Islam used to follow one sect of Christianity or another. Upon treachery. The latter is Judas Iscariot.

1

The Great News: The New Testament (Colorado Springs, Colorado: International Bible Society, 1984).

111

acceptance of Islam, such converts do not abandon Christ ; they simply rediscover him and get to know the real Christ  whose message has been and is still being distorted. The best Christians in the world are the Muslims. Muslims wholeheartedly honour Jesus Christ  and his true and pristine message presented by Prophet Mu¦ammed ; read the following verses of the Holy Qur’ān and see for yourself how such message is described: ‫إِ ْذ قَا َل ﱠ‬ َ‫سى إِنﱢي ُمت َ​َوفﱢي َك َو َرافِ ُع َك إِلَ ﱠي َو ُمطَ ﱢھ ُركَ ِمنَ الﱠ ِذينَ َكفَ ُرو ْا َو َجا ِع ُل الﱠ ِذين‬ َ ‫ﷲُ يَا ِعي‬ ‫ق الﱠ ِذينَ َكفَ ُرو ْا إِلَى يَ ْو ِم ا ْلقِيَا َم ِة ثُ ﱠم إِلَ ﱠي َم ْر ِج ُع ُك ْم فَأ َ ْح ُك ُم بَ ْينَ ُك ْم فِي َما ُكنتُ ْم فِي ِه‬ َ ‫اتﱠبَ ُعوكَ فَ ْو‬  َ‫ت َْختَلِفُون‬ “Behold! Allāh said, ‘O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow you superior to those who reject faith until the Day of Resurrection: Then all of you shall return to Me and I will judge between you concerning what you argued about’” (Qur’ān, 3:55).

Carefully examine the above verse especially this portion: “... and make those who follow you above those who disbelieve to the Day of Resurrection” and see how the Almighty raises the status of those who follow Jesus above those who disbelieve in him till the Day of Judgment, and remember that a Muslim cannot be a Muslim at all unless he believes in Jesus  and follows his guidance just as he follows the guidance of Prophet Mu¦ammed  and all other Prophets . Those who truly believe in Jesus Christ  and who follow his pristine message are none other than the Muslims, whereas the rest may be divided into two groups: 1) those who have distorted the message of Jesus Christ  and lied about it one generation after another and are still doing so, and 2) the Jews who disbelieved in him and in his message and disbelieved in his virgin birth.

‫ﻭ ﺁﻝ ﳏﻤﺪ‬ 112

 ‫ﺍﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺻﻞﱢ ﻋﻠﻰ‬

http://shiakitabe-shiabooks.blogspot.com

'Allāma al-Majlisi 

Let us go back to the argument about the Paraclete. This is not the first time such an argument is raised. `Allāma al-Majlisi records an incident which took place during the time of the `Abbāside ruler alMa’mūn and is narrated by al-H,.assan ibn Muh,.ammed al-Nawfali involving Imām Ali ibn Mousa ar-Ri¤a  debating with a Catholic high priest, some sources say an archbishop, about the authenticity of the existing four Gospels comprising the Bible. It went on as follows: A

EA

A

EA

The Imām  asked the Catholic, “O Christian! Are you familiar with a statement in the Bible wherein Jesus  says, `I am going to my Lord and your Lord, and the Paraclete is coming who shall testify to my truth just as I testified for him, and he shall explain everything to you, and he shall be the one to expose all the sins of nations, and he shall be the one to smash the pillar of apostasy'?” 1 The Catholic said, “We admit all what you have just quoted of the Bible.” The Imām asked him, “Do you testify that such a statement is actually fixed in the Bible?” “Yes,” said the Catholic. Imām arRida said, “O Catholic! Could you tell me about the first Bible, how F

F

1

This is a rough translation of the original Arabic text. A thorough research of the Bible may yield better results and reveal the exact Biblical verse to which the Imām was referring. Unfortunately, the Imām did not specify which of the four Gospels he was quoting. Consulting a Bible in Arabic may also produce the same anticipated result: the number of the exact verse and the name of the Gospel which the Imām had in mind.

113

you lost it then found it, and who put your existing Bible together?”

The Catholic said, “We did not lose the Bible except for one single day then we found it fresh; John and Matthew brought it back to us.”

Imām al-Rid,.a  said, “How little your knowledge of the Bible and its scholars is! If such is your claim, then why do you dispute with one another about the Bible? Rather, controversy has always revolved around the Bible which is in your hands today. Had it been the same as the first one was, you would not have thus disputed (with one another) about it, but I shall inform you of such controversy myself.”

A

EA

The Imām went on to state the following: “Be informed that when the first Bible was lost, the Christians gathered around their scholars and said to them, `Jesus son of Mary has been killed, and we do not know where the Bible is. You are the scholars; so, what do you have with you?' Luke and Mark said to them, `We have learned the Bible by heart; so, do not grieve in its regard, and do not forsake the churches, for we shall recite to you one Gospel after another on each Sunday till we put it all together.'

Luke, Mark, John and Matthew sat together, and they put this Bible of yours for you after you had lost the first (original) one. These four men were students of the early disciples; are you aware of that?!”

The Catholic answered, “This I did not know and now I do. It is also now clear to me how much you know about the Bible, and I have heard from you things with which I was familiar and to which my heart testifies to be the truth. I have, therefore, gained a better understanding.” Imām ar-Ri¤a  then said to him, “How do you, then, find the testimony of these men?” “Accurate,” said the Catholic, “since they are the scholars of the Bible, and everything to which they testified is the truth.” Imām ar-Ri¤a  then turned to al-Ma’mūn and his company and said, “Bear witness to what he has just said.” They said, “We testify.” Then the Imām turned to the Catholic and said, “I challenge you to swear by the son and his mother whether you know if Matthew had said, `The Messiah is David son of Abraham son of Isaac son of Jacob son of Yehuda son of Khadrun', and that Mark said about the lineage of Jesus son of Mary  that he was `The word of God which He placed in the 114

human body, so it became human', and that Luke said, `Jesus son of Mary and his mother were humans of flesh and blood, so the Holy Spirit entered into them'. Then you testify that Jesus had himself said the following about his creation, `I tell you the truth: None ascends the heavens except that he descends therefrom except the man who rides the camel, the seal of the prophets, for he shall ascend to the heavens then shall he descend;' so, what do you say about that?” The Catholic said, “This is the speech of Jesus, and we do not deny it.”

Imām ar-Ri¤a said, “If so, what do you say about the testimony of Luke, Mark, and Matthew with regard to Jesus and what they had attributed to him?” The Catholic said, “They lied about Jesus...”

Imām ar-Rida turned to the audience and said, “O people! Has he not (a moment ago) testified to their truthfulness and said that they were the scholars of the Bible and what they said is the truth?!” The Catholic said to the Imām, “O scholar of the Muslims! I would like you to excuse me from having to discuss these men.” After a while, the Imām turned to that high-ranking Catholic cleric, an archbishop, and said, “In the Bible, it is written: `The son of the virtuous woman is departing, and the Paraclete is coming after him, and he shall lighten the burdens and explain everything to you, and he shall testify for me as I have testified to you. I have brought you the parables, and he shall bring you the interpretation.' Do you believe that such a text exists in the Bible?” The Catholic answered in the affirmative. 1 F

The Holy Qur’ān, moreover, tells us in Sūrat a¥-¯aff (Ch. 61) that ‫سو ُل ﱠ‬ َ‫ي ِمن‬ ْ ِ‫سى ابْنُ َم ْريَ َم يَا بَ ِني إ‬ ‫ص ﱢدقًا لﱢ َما بَيْنَ يَ َد ﱠ‬ ُ ‫س َرائِي َل إِنﱢي َر‬ َ ‫ﷲِ إِلَ ْي ُكم ﱡم‬ َ ‫ َوإِ ْذ قَا َل ِعي‬ ْ َ َ َ َ ْ ُ َ َ ‫س ْح ٌر‬ ‫الت ْﱠو َرا ِة َو ُمبَ ﱢ‬ ْ ‫ول يَأتِي ِمن بَ ْع ِدي ا‬ ُ ‫ش ًرا بِ َر‬ ِ ‫س ُمهُ أ ْح َم ُد فل ﱠما َجا َءھُم بِالبَيﱢنا‬ ِ ‫ت قالوا َھذا‬ ٍ ‫س‬  ٌ‫ﱡمبِين‬ “Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! I am the prophet of 1

al-Majlisi, Bi¦ār al-Anwār, Vol. 14, pp. 331-333. Again, since this text is my translation from the Arabic original, the Imām's quotations may not be exact. Consulting a Bible written in Arabic will be worthwhile and will provide the numbers of the chapters and verses to which the Imām here refers. Unfortunately, I do not at the moment have a copy of the Bible in Arabic.

115

Allāh to you testifying to that which is before me of the Torah and giving the glad tidings of a Prophet who will come after me; his name is Ah,.med; but when he came to them with clear arguments, they said: This is clear magic” (Qur’ān, 61:6). Compare this Qur’ānic verse with the following text in the Gospel of St. Barnabas: A

EA

Thereupon said the disciples, “O master, it is thus written in the book of Moses, that in Isaac was the promise made.”

Jesus answered with a groan, “It is so written, but Moses wrote it not, nor Joshua, but rather our rabbins, who fear not God. Verily, I say to you that if you consider the words of the angel Gabriel, you shall discover the malice of our scribes and doctors. For the angel said: `Abraham, all the world shall know how God loves you, but how shall the world know the love that you bear to God? Assuredly it is necessary that you do something for the love of God.' Abraham answered, `Behold the servant of God, ready to do all that which God shall will.'

“Then spoke God, saying to Abraham, `Take your son, your firstborn Ishmael, and come up the mountain to sacrifice him.' How is Isaac firstborn, if when Isaac was born Ishmael was seven years old?”

Then answered Jesus, “Verily I say to you that Satan ever seeks to annul the laws of God. Therefore, he with his followers, hypocrites and evildoers, the former with false doctrine, the latter with lewd living, today have contaminated almost all things, so that scarcely is the truth found. Woe to the hypocrites, for the praises of this world shall turn for them into insults and torments in hell.

“I therefore say to you that the messenger of God is a splendor that shall give gladness to nearly all that God has made, for he is adorned with the spirit of understanding and of counsel, the spirit of wisdom and might, the spirit of fear and love (of God), the spirit of prudence and temperance. He is adorned with the spirit of charity and mercy, the spirit of justice and piety, the spirit of gentleness and patience, which he has received from God three times more than He has given to all his creatures. O blessed time, when he shall come to the world.

Believe me that I have seen him and have done him reverence, even as every prophet has seen him. Seeing that of his spirit God gives to them prophecy. And when I saw him my soul was filled with

116

consolation, saying, O Muh,.ammed, God be with you, and may he make me worthy to untie your shoe latchet, for obtaining this I shall be a great prophet and holy one of God.” A

EA

(The Gospel of Barnabas 44) “... unworthy to untie your latchet” above brings to memory what St. Mark said in 1:7: “And this was his message: `After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” The speaker is undoubtedly Jesus and the one whose coming he is predicting is none other than Prophet Muh,.ammed  . But people look at things and make them appear as they would like them to be rather than as they really are. Such is the truth which all other disciples, with the exception of Barnabas, had deliberately hidden.

A

EA

The reader is encouraged to obtain a copy of the Gospel of Saint Barnabas 1 and compare it with other existing Bibles, be they those accepted by the Catholics or those endorsed by the Protestants and judge for himself as to how much distortion the message of Christ has suffered and is still suffering...

F

F

Al-®a¦¦āk 2 has said that the disciples (in Arabic ¦awariyyūn ‫ )حواريون‬were called so due to their pure hearts. Apparently he gave them more credit than they deserved, seeing how much distortion they inflicted on the message of Jesus even as early as the very first century. As a matter of fact, one very famous Christian writer, F

F

A

1

Since there is no copyright on The Gospel of Barnabas, the copy of it which I consulted for the writing of this book does not contain the Publisher's name or the place or date of publication.

2

His name is “Abul-Qāsim” ibn Muzā¦im al-Hilāli, and some call him “alKhurāsāni”. He lived in Balkh, Samarkand and Naishapur. According to Ibn Kathīr’s book Al-Bidāya wan-Nihāya, he was a highly respected tābi’i who narrated from Anas, [Abdullāh] ibn Omer [ibn al-Kha§§ab, the second caliph], Abū Hurayra and a group of other tābi’is. Some scholars say that he neither quoted Ibn `Abbās nor any other sahābi. Sufyān al-Thawri regards him as an “imām of tafsīr,” counting four such top imāms: Mujāhid, `Ikrimah, Sa`īd ibn Jubayr and al-®a¦¦āk. His date of birth is unknown, but he died in 100 A.H./718 A.D.

117

George Bernard Shaw, described these disciples very well when he said the following on p. 72 of The Adventures of a Black Girl in Her Search for God: “Jesus could be reproached for having chosen his disciples very unwisely if we could believe that he had any real choice. There are moments when one is tempted to say that there was not one Christian among them and that Judas was the only one who showed any gleams of common sense.” Imagine! Abdullāh ibn al-Mubārak has said that they were called so because their faces were shining with the mark of adoration, its glow and whiteness.

The Arabic root word, ¦ūr, means: intense whiteness. Al-H,.assan has said that it means “supporters” or “helpers,” while Qatādah thinks that it means “the ones most fit to be successors of their master.”

A

EA

Did those disciples or Prophets deserve all these compliments? Let us examine how they dealt with their master: The night preceding the “imprisonment” of Jesus Christ  was truly a testing night for the faith of those disciples. On that night, those disciples joined him in his concealment. Jesus  knew perfectly well what they were; so, he recommended them to devote themselves to prayer so that they might not fail the test. On that occasion, they made a great profession of faith and integrity. One said, “I will shed my blood where a drop of your perspiration falls.”

Another said, “I will die before anyone hurts a hair of your body.”

Despite all these protests and professions, they could not keep even the night's vigil along with Jesus . Jesus  said to them, “Stay here with me keeping the night's vigil along with me...” Then he came to the disciples and saw them fallen asleep. He then said to Peter, “Can you not keep even a moment's vigil with me? Keep vigil and keep yourself engaged in prayers lest you should fail the test...”

Then, coming out again, he saw them sleeping the second time, and their eyes were heavy with sleep..., and he saw them the third time sleeping. If you have a copy of The New Testament in Today's English Version (third edition, New York), turn to p. 73 and see for yourself.

Ibn `Abbās has said that they were fishermen. Some of them were.

118

Jesus  passed by them once and asked them what they were doing. “Fishing,” said they. He asked them, “Would you like to come with me so we may fish for people?” They asked him, “How can that be?!” He said, “We invite them to the way of Allāh.” They asked him who he was, and he answered them that he was Jesus son of Mary , a servant and messenger of Allāh . “Is there any other prophet whose status is higher than yours?” they asked him.

“Yes,” he answered, “the Arabian Prophet ,” so they followed him, believed in him, and joined his march. This is what we, Muslims, would like to think of these disciples, but how do Christians look at us? Contrary to what we, Muslims, are taught by our Islamic code of ethics, Christians do not recognize our religion or any other religion besides theirs. To them, anyone who does not recognize Jesus  as the “son of God,” His “only begotten son,” and who is not baptized, can have no place in heaven. Adherents of all religions in the world, and those who have no religion, have the right to wishful thinking. Compare this with the tolerance Islam demonstrates in the following verse of Sūrat al-Baqara and judge for yourself, dear Reader, whether you are a Muslim or not: ‫اآلخ ِر‬ ‫ارى َوال ﱠ‬ َ ‫ص‬ َ ‫إِنﱠ الﱠ ِذينَ آ َمنُو ْا َوالﱠ ِذينَ ھَادُو ْا َوالنﱠ‬ ِ ‫صابِئِينَ َمنْ آ َمنَ بِا ﱠ ِ َوا ْليَ ْو ِم‬  َ‫صالِ ًحا فَلَ ُھ ْم أَ ْج ُر ُھ ْم ِعن َد َربﱢ ِھ ْم َوالَ َخ ْوفٌ َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم َوالَ ُھ ْم يَ ْحزَ نُون‬ َ ‫َو َع ِم َل‬ Surely those who believe (Muslims), and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabeans 1 (Sabians), whoever believes in God and in the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve. (2:62) F

F

Such is the tolerance of Islam, and such is the perfect code of 1

Some Arab writers say that the Sabeans (Sabians) were a certain sect of unbelievers who worshipped the stars secretly and openly professed to be Christians. According to others, they are followers of the religion of Sabi' son of Seth son of Adam, which is more accurate, for the Holy Qur’ān includes them in the above quoted verse among the believers. Other writers say that their religion is pretty much what Christianity teaches except that their qibla was towards the south. Still others say that they followed the religion of Prophet Noah, and surely Allāh knows best.

119

Islamic ethics. This verse should set the cornerstone for a true brotherhood among the followers of the greatest three religions in the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Such brotherhood is needed now more than ever before. Only such brotherhood can protect the followers of these three creeds from fanatics such as the Takfīris who are the parasites of our time and who apparently overlook such verses, giving them their own twisted meanings, that is, if they read the Holy Qur’ān at all. Islam does not excommunicate anyone, nor does it allow one to harm an insect, let alone a human being or an animal.

The Holy Spirit Among the signs of the prophethood of Jesus  is that he was assisted by the Holy Spirit. The Almighty has said, ‫سى ا ْل ِكتَا َب َوقَفﱠ ْينَا ِمن بَ ْع ِد ِه بِ ﱡ‬ ُ‫ت َوأَيﱠ ْدنَاه‬ ُ ‫الر‬ َ ‫س ِل َوآتَ ْينَا ِعي‬ َ ‫ َولَقَ ْد آتَ ْينَا ُمو‬ ِ ‫سى ابْنَ َم ْريَ َم ا ْلبَيﱢنَا‬ َ ُ ‫ﱠ‬ ً‫ستَ ْكبَ ْرتُ ْم فَفَ ِريقا ً َك ﱠذ ْبتُ ْم َوفَ ِريقا‬ َ ُ ُ ُ َ ْ ‫سك ُم ا‬ ُ ‫سو ٌل بِ َما ال ت ْھ َوى أنف‬ ُ ‫س أَفَكل َما َجا َءك ْم َر‬ ِ ‫وح ا ْلقُ ُد‬ ِ ‫بِ ُر‬ !‫تَ ْقتُلُونَ ؟‬ “We gave Jesus son of Mary clear arguments and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit” (Qur’ān, 2:87); ‫ ِ◌إ ْذ قَا َل ﱠ‬ ‫س‬ َ ‫ﷲُ يَا ِعي‬ ِ ‫وح ا ْلقُ ُد‬ ِ ‫سى ابْنَ َم ْريَ َم ْاذ ُك ْر نِ ْع َمتِي َعلَ ْي َك َو َعلَى َوالِ َدتِ َك إِ ْذ أَيﱠدتﱡ َك بِ ُر‬ ُ ُ‫نجي َل َوإِ ْذ ت َْخل‬ َ‫ق ِمن‬ َ ‫اس فِي ا ْل َم ْھ ِد َو َك ْھالً َوإِ ْذ َعلﱠ ْمتُ َك ا ْل ِكت‬ َ ‫تُ َكلﱢ ُم النﱠ‬ ِ ‫اإل‬ ِ ‫َاب َوا ْل ِح ْك َمةَ َوالت ْﱠو َراةَ َو‬ ْ ْ ْ َ َ ‫ﱠ‬ َ َ َ ُ ُ ‫ص بِإِذنِي‬ ُ ‫ين َك َھ ْيئَ ِة الط ْي ِر بِإِذنِي فتَنفخ فِي َھا فتَ ُكونُ ط ْي ًرا بِإِذنِي َوتُ ْب ِر‬ َ ‫ئ األ ْك َمهَ َواأل ْب َر‬ ِ ‫الطﱢ‬ ‫ت فَقَا َل الﱠ ِذينَ َكفَ ُرو ْا‬ ْ ِ‫َوإِ ْذ ت ُْخ ِر ُج ا ْل َم ْوتَى بِإِ ْذنِي َوإِ ْذ َكفَ ْفتُ بَنِي إ‬ ِ ‫س َرائِي َل عَن َك إِ ْذ ِج ْئتَ ُھ ْم بِا ْلبَيﱢنَا‬  ٌ‫س ْح ٌر ﱡمبِين‬ ِ ‫ِم ْن ُھ ْم إِنْ َھ َذا إِالﱠ‬ “Then [on the Judgment Day] Allāh will say, “O Jesus son of Mary!

Recount My favor to you and your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit, so that you spoke to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold! You made the figure of a bird out of clay, as it were, by My permission, and you breathed into it, and it became a bird by My permission, and you healed those born blind and the lepers by My permission. And behold! You raised the dead by My permission. And behold! I restrained the Children of Israel from (violence to) you when you showed them the clear Signs, 120

and the unbelievers among them said, `This is nothing but obvious magic.'” (Qur’ān, 5:110).

Scholars have differed regarding the Holy Spirit (rū¦ al qudus ‫وح‬ ِ ‫ُر‬ 1 ْ ُ ‫س‬ ِ ‫)الق ُد‬. Ar-Rabee` ibn Anas has said that it is the spirit that blew the breath of life into him, and that Allāh attached it to His own Name as an act of honoring. The qudus is Allāh Almighty according to the verse, “... and a spirit from Him” (Qur’ān, 4:171), and also, “... so We breathed into her of Our rū¦ “(Qur’ān, 21:91). Other scholars have said that what is meant by the qudus is purity, hence ar-rū¦ al qudus means “the pure spirit.” Jesus  is also called rū¦ for the simple reason that he was not carried in men's loins, nor was he carried by the wombs of married women; rather, he was an order decreed by the Almighty. As-Suddi says that ar-rū¦ al qudus, the Holy Spirit, is Gabriel, and that this phrase means: “supporting Jesus  through Gabriel” , since he was his companion, friend, and guard, walking with him wherever he walked till he ascended to heavens. Sa`īdibn Jubayr and `Ubayd ibn `Umayr say that it is Allāh's Greatest Name, and through it did he (Jesus ) bring the dead back to life and perform those miracles to people.

F

F

Miracles of Jesus  As-Suddi has said that when Jesus  was at his class, he used to tell his fellows what their parents were doing. He would tell one of them, “Go home and see that your family has eaten such-and-such food,” or “they have left such-and-such for you,” so he would go home and ask his parents to let him have it. The family would in turn ask him how he came to know about it, and he would say that Jesus 1

His name is ar-Rabee’ ibn Anas ibn Ziyād al-Bakri ‫ربي ع ب ن أن س ب ن زي اد‬ ‫البك ري‬, of Khurasan, originally of Ba¥ra. He learned from Anas ibn Mālik, Abū al-Āliya ar-Riyā¦i and al- μassan al-Ba¥ri. He is quoted by Sulaymān al-Taymi, al-A`mash, al-μussain ibn Wāqid, Abū Ja`far ar-Rāzi, AbdulAzīz ibn Muslim, Ibn Mubārak and others. He was during his time the top scholar of Merv, and he met Sufyān ath-Thawri. He is described by Hātim as being truthful. Abū Dāwūd tells us that ar-Rabee’ was jailed in Merv for thirty years. The a¦ādīth he narrates are included in the Four Books of Sunan (al-sunan al-arba’a ‫)ال سنن األربع ة‬. His year of birth is unknown, but he died in 139 A.H./756 A.D.

121

 had told him. For this reason, the parents prohibited their children from having anything to do with Jesus , telling them that he was a sorcerer. They once gathered them all together at a house, and Jesus  came and wanted to see them. When he asked who were confined inside the house, it was maliciously said to him, “Pigs.” He said, “So shall they be,” whereupon the door of the house was opened and indeed pigs came out of the house, and the news of the incident became widespread.

The Children of Israel felt fed up with Jesus . They wanted to get rid of him. When his mother sensed the danger, she conveyed him on a donkey and went out to Egypt 1 .

F

F

When Jesus and his mother , came out wandering about in the land, they left the Children of Israel behind and came to a villager who hosted them and was very kind to them. The king during that time was a stubborn oppressor, so their host one day came back home looking very depressed. He entered his house while Mary  was in his wife's company. Mary  asked his wife why her husband looked so depressed, whereupon she said to her, “Our king compels every man to take care of feeding him and his soldiers and serve them wine; anyone who refused would be penalized. Today is our turn to host him, and we are not able to handle such a burden.”

Mary  asked her to tell her husband not to worry, since he was kind to her and to her son, and that she would ask her son to invoke Allāh on his behalf, and that his invocation would alone be sufficient. Then Mary told Jesus  of it, whereupon he said that if he were to do so, there would be some mischief [due to wine drinking]. “It does not matter,” Mary  said, “for he has surely 1

The discreet reader realizes that reference to Egypt does not mean today's Egypt. We are talking not about now but about two thousand years ago. At that time, Egypt was a “superpower” that had extended its domination to a large part of its contemporary world. This statement means: “Mary  conveyed Jesus on a donkey and went out to the lands under Egypt's control.” Mary  was avoiding the brutality of the Romans and those who worked for them. Some parts of Palestine (Greater Syria) at that time fell under Egypt's control.

122

been very kind to us.” Then Jesus  told his host to have his pots and containers filled with water, then to inform him once they were all full. The man did so, whereupon Jesus  invoked his Lord and the water in the pots turned into meat and gravy, while the water in the containers turned into wine 1 . People had never tasted anything like it before. When the king came, he and his men ate, and when he drank of that wine, he asked his host where he had obtained it from.

When the man told the king where he had obtained it from, the king said to him, “The wine I am served at my palace is brought to me from that land, and it surely does not taste like this one.” The host had to change his story, but the king pressured him to tell him the truth. Finally, the man gave up and said, “The truth is that there is, at my house, a child who is granted by Allāh the answer to any of his pleas, and he is the one who invoked Him to turn the water into wine.”

F

F

It so happened that that king had a son whom he very much wished to succeed him as monarch, but that son had died only a few days ago. He loved him more than anyone else. The king said, “A man who invokes Allāh to turn water into wine and Allāh answers his plea is surely capable of bringing my son back to life.” Jesus  was brought to him, and he discussed the matter with him. Jesus  said to him, “Do not do that, for if he is brought back to life, a great deal of evil shall take place.” The king said, “I am not concerned about that after seeing him again.” Jesus  asked him, “If I bring him back to life, are you all going to leave me and my mother to go wherever we want?” The king said, “Yes.” Jesus , therefore, invoked the Almighty Who did, indeed, bring that son back to life.

When the king's subjects saw him, they rushed to grab their weapons and said, “This king has plundered our wealth and now wants to appoint his son as his successor over us so that he, too, will do what 1

This incident can be found narrated in the Bible. Some Christians find no harm in wine drinking, basing their argument on Jesus turning water into wine, but little do they consider the fact that Jesus never drank that particular wine at that particular time nor at any other time and we, Muslims, challenge them to prove otherwise. Prophets of God are not wine drinkers; sinners are.

123

his father has been doing...” They fought among themselves. Jesus and his mother left them and continued their journey.

Another of his miracles is that he created out of clay birds, as Allāh Almighty tells us in the Holy Qur’ān, 3:49: ‫ين َك َھ ْيئَ ِة الطﱠ ْي ِر فَأَنفُ ُخ فِي ِه فَيَ ُكونُ طَ ْي ًرا‬ ُ ُ‫أَنﱢي قَ ْد ِج ْئتُ ُكم بِآيَ ٍة ﱢمن ﱠربﱢ ُك ْم أَنﱢي أَ ْخل‬ ِ ‫ق لَ ُكم ﱢمنَ الطﱢ‬ ‫بِإِ ْذ ِن ﱠ‬  ِ‫ﷲ‬ “... I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I determine for you out of mud like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird with Allāh's permission,” and in 5:110: ‫ين َك َھ ْيئَ ِة الطﱠ ْي ِر بِإِ ْذنِي فَتَنفُ ُخ فِي َھا فَتَ ُكونُ طَ ْي ًرا‬ ُ ُ‫ َوإِ ْذ ت َْخل‬ ِ ‫ق ِمنَ الطﱢ‬ “... and when you determined out of mud a thing like the form of a bird by My permission, then you breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission.”

Among his other miracles was his curing the leprous and those born blind, as Allāh Almighty has said, ‫ص بِإِ ْذنِي‬ ُ ‫ َوتُ ْب ِر‬ َ ‫ئ األَ ْك َمهَ َواألَ ْب َر‬ “... and you healed the [born] blind and the leprous by My permission” (Qur’ān, 5:110). The reason why these two ailments were particularly mentioned is due to the fact that nobody among the physicians of the time could find any cure for them. Jesus  lived during a time when medicine was considered the most prominent branch of knowledge, so he was able to demonstrate to them miracles in it which nobody else could.

Still another of his miracles was his bringing the dead back to life by the Permission of Allāh Who says, ‫ َوإِ ْذ ت ُْخ ِر ُج ا ْل َم ْوتَى بِإِ ْذنِي‬ “... and when you brought forth the dead [back to life] by My permission” (Qur’ān, 5:110). Among the dead whom he brought 124

back to life was Lazarus (as he is called in Latin, a word which means “one helped by God,” or Eleazar in Hebrew), a friend of his.

He, his sisters Martha and Mary were friends of Jesus . His sister Mary  sent Jesus  a message saying that her brother had died three days ago. Some people suggested to her to escort them to his grave. She did, and it was inside a closed vault. Jesus  supplicated to his Lord saying, “Lord! Creator of the seven heavens and the seven earths! You have sent me to the Children of Israel to invite them to Your creed, and I have told them that I can bring the dead back to life with Your permission; therefore, do bring Eleazar back to life, O Lord!” Lazarus came back to life and got out of his grave on his own. He lived and even fathered a number of children.

References to this incident exist in three of modern day's versions of the Gospels 1 : Matthew, John, and Luke.

F

F

The son of an old woman was another. This story says that while touring the land in the company of his disciples, Jesus  passed by a city and said, “This city has a treasure; who among you would like to go and take it out?” They said, “O Rū¦ullāh (spirit of Allāh)! No stranger enters this town without being murdered by its people.”

Jesus  said, “Stay here, all of you, till I come back.” He went and entered it. He came to the door of a house and said, “Assalāmo `Alaikum, O residents of the house! This is a stranger asking you to feed him!” An old woman said to him, “Are you not satisfied with 1

These Gospels have continuously been undergoing changes, editing, distortions, additions, deletions, linguistic variations, mistranslations, etc. due to errors in translation, sectarian biases and prejudices and other factors. The only Gospel accepted by Muslims as accurate is that of St. Barnabas, a Cypriot companion of St. Paul (originally Saul), which was not canonized by the Council of Nicaea of 325 A.D. That Council was called for by the Byzantine emperor Constantine I (288 - 337 A.D.), or Constantine the Great, who built the Turkish city Constantinople in 330 A.D. to dedicate it to Jesus' mother, Virgin Mary . Constantine's objective behind holding the Nicaea Conference was to settle the disputes among various Christian sects as to what constituted Christianity, but the said Conference created more problems than it solved. It was also boycotted by a number of Christian sects who did not endorse its decisions.

125

the fact that I do not go to the governor and tell him about you, yet you have the courage to ask for food?!” While Jesus  was thus standing at the door, her young son joined them. Jesus  said to him, “Please do host me tonight!” The young man repeated what his old mother had said. Jesus  then said to him, “But if you do host me, I will enable you to marry the king's daughter.” The young man said, “You must be either a mad man or Jesus son of Mary!” Jesus said, “I am Jesus,” whereupon he agreed to host him. He offered to let him stay there for the night. The next morning, he said to his host, “Go to the king's palace and tell him that you had come to ask for his daughter's hand. He will order to have you beaten and kicked out.” The youth stood before the king and told him that he wished to ask him for his daughter's hand. The king ordered him to be beaten; he was beaten and kicked out.

The youth came back and told Jesus  what had happened, whereupon Jesus  said to him, “Tomorrow, go back and ask for his daughter's hand; what will happen to you will be different from what has happened to you today.” The youth did as he was told, and he was given a beating worse than the one he had received the day before. He told Jesus  about what had happened to him, and Jesus  said to him, “Go one more time back to him, for he will tell you that he will marry her to you on his own terms, and that his terms will be a gold and silver mansion with everything in it made of gold, silver and chrysolite. Tell him that you will do that. If he sends someone with you, you will find your quest, and do not say anything about it to him.” The youth entered the king's palace for the third time and again approached the king regarding his marriage to his daughter. The king asked him, “Do you accept to pay her dowry if I decide it?” He asked him what the dowry was, and the king told him what Jesus had already told him to expect. He said, “Yes, I do; so send someone to see it.” The king sent a number of men with him, and he did, indeed, show them what he had promised to, and people were quite impressed. The king married him to his daughter, and the youth found it hard to believe that he finally married into the royal family. He said to Jesus , “O Rū¦ullāh! How can you do all of this while you yourself look in such a (shabby) condition?!” Jesus  said, “I have preferred what will last to what will perish.” The 126

youth said to him, “I, too, am willing to abandon what perishes, and I desire to accompany you.” He actually renounced this vanishing world and became a follower of Jesus  who took him by the hand and introduced him to his disciples. “This,” said Jesus , “is the treasure I had told you about!” The son of that old woman remained in the company of Jesus till he died. Jesus  passed by and saw his corpse lying in state on a bed, so he invoked Allāh and the dead man came back to life and sat on the edge of the bed. He was carried by other men from the bed and given clothes to wear. He put the carrier on his shoulders then went back home. He remained with his family and fathered a number of children.

Another miracle of Jesus : He brought Sam son of Noah back to life. Jesus  was once describing the ark of Noah to his disciples when the latter asked him, “Is it possible that you bring to life one of those who were aboard it so that he may describe it for us?” Jesus  stood up and went to a hill, took a handful of its soil and said, “This is the grave of Sam son of Noah. If you wish, I can bring him back to life for you.” They welcomed the idea, so he invoked Allāh

by His Greatest Name ‫إسم ﷲ األعظم‬, struck the hill with his staff then said, “Come back to life by the Will of Allāh,” whereupon Sam came out of his grave with half of his hair looking gray. Immediately Sam inquired, “Has the Day of Judgment come?” Jesus  said, “No, but I have called upon you in Allāh's Greatest Name.” During the time of Noah, old age never changed the color of people's hair; only during the time of Abraham did all of that start to change. Sam lived five hundred years maintaining his youthful look. He told them about the story of the ark. After that Jesus  ordered him to die, and Sam responded with, “On one condition! That Allāh spares me the agony of death!” Jesus  invoked Allāh and included Sam's wish in his invocation, and Allāh responded favorably to his plea.

Another of the miracles of Jesus  was his walking on water.

Jesus  once went out on one of his trips accompanied by a short and faithful follower of his. When Jesus reached the sea 1 , he said, F

F

1

Most likely, this is the Sea of Galilee, or Tiberias (in Arabic Ba¦r ±abariyyah) in northeast Palestine. During the lifetime of Jesus Christ ,

127

“Bismillah, in health, and in conviction,” then he started walking on the water. The man was quite amazed and said to himself, “This is Jesus , the spirit of Allāh, walking on the water's surface!”

Having inaudibly said so, he fell into the water. Fearing drowning, he sought help from Jesus who took hold of him and pulled him out.

Jesus  said to him, “O Shortie! 1 What did you say to yourself?!”

He told him about it, whereupon Jesus  said, “You placed yourself in a position in which Allāh did not place you; therefore, Allāh despised you for having said what you said; so, do regret and repent.” The man regretted and repented, so he went back to the status with which Allāh had blessed him. Thus did Jesus  provide us with a lesson in piety and admonish us not to envy one another.

F

F

Another tale says that Jesus  passed once by a man who used to sit quite often by a grave. He saw him doing so quite often; therefore, he decided to find out why. Jesus  came to him and said, “O servant of Allāh! I see that you spend a lot of time sitting by this grave.” The man said, “O Rū¦ullāh! This grave contains my wife's corpse, a woman of beauty and affinity, and I have a trust with her.” He asked him, “Do you like that I pray Allāh and He brings her back to life for you?” The man warmly welcomed the suggestion.

Jesus  made his ablution and offered two prostrations, then he invoked Allāh Almighty to bring the person inside that grave back to life. A coal-black man came out of the grave looking like a burnt stump of a tree. He asked him who he was, so he answered him by saying, “O Rū¦ullāh! I am a man being tormented for the past forty years, and at this hour, it was said to me to respond to your call, so I did,” adding, “O messenger of Allāh! I have seen so much torment that if Allāh ever returned me to this world, I would grant Him my covenant that I shall never disobey Him in anything; so, please do pray Allāh on my behalf.” Jesus  felt sorry for him, and he invoked Allāh Almighty on his behalf, then he told him to go away, nine cities were flourishing on its shores. Some disciples of Christ , the fishermen, were from that area.

1

Jesus Christ  had a most beautiful and attractive conduct and a brilliant sense of humor. This quotation testifies to this fact.

128

and he did. The man who used to frequently sit by the grave then said, “O messenger of Allāh! I have made a mistake about identifying this grave! Her grave is over there!” Jesus  invoked Allāh again, and a very beautiful young woman came out of the grave. Jesus  asked him, “Do you know her?” “Do I know her?!” the man retorted adding, “Of course I do! She is my wife.” Jesus invoked Allāh to reunite her with her husband, and the latter took her by the hand till they came to a tree under which he slept, putting his head on her lap. The son of the king happened to pass by, and he looked at her and she looked at him, and they instantly admired each other. He beckoned to her, so she moved her husband's head away from her lap and followed the prince. Later, her husband woke up.

He looked for her and could not find her, so he went out looking for her till he was able to get hold of her. He held her and said that she was his wife, while the prince kept saying that she was his bondmaid. As they argued thus, Jesus happened to pass by. The husband said to the prince that that man was Jesus. Having heard the husband tell his story, Jesus asked the woman, “What do you have to say?” She said, “I am the bondmaid of this man, and I do not know the other.” Jesus said to her, “Give us back what we have given you.” She said, “I have done so,” falling dead. Jesus retorted, “Have you seen anything more strange than this?! A man whom Allāh caused to die as a disbeliever is brought back to life to believe, and a woman whom Allāh caused to die as a believer, then He brought life back to her, chose to disbelieve!”

The Table of Viands Allāh Almighty has said, ‫س َماء‬ ْ َ‫سى ابْنَ َم ْريَ َم َھ ْل ي‬ ‫ست َِطي ُع َربﱡ َك أَن يُنَ ﱢز َل َعلَ ْينَا َمائِ َدةً ﱢمنَ ال ﱠ‬ َ ‫إِ ْذ قَا َل ا ْل َح َوا ِريﱡونَ يَا ِعي‬ ‫قَا َل اتﱠقُو ْا ﱠ‬  َ‫ﷲَ إِن ُكنتُم ﱡمؤْ ِمنِين‬ The disciples said: O Jesus son of Mary! Will your Lord consent to send down to us food from heavens? He said: Be careful of (your duty to) Allāh if you are believers. (5:112) What was that table all about? How was it sent down and what did it 129

contain? These questions are answered differently by different people, each according to the extent of his knowledge or depth of his imagination! Qatādah has quoted Jabir quoting `Ammār ibn Yāsir citing the Messenger of Allāh  saying, “The table was sent down with bread and meat on it because they had asked Jesus for food to eat, and that it would not be exhausted. He said to them, `I shall do so, and it shall always come to you as long as you do not become malicious or betray (me), for in the latter case, you will be tormented.' It was only one day after its descent upon them that they became malicious, and they betrayed (Jesus).”

Atā ibn Abū Rabā¦ 1 is quoted as citing Salmān al-Fārisi  (the Persian) saying that Jesus never committed any wrong deed, nor did he rebuke an orphan, nor did he burst laughing, nor did he drive flies away from his face 2 ... When the disciples asked him to bring them Table of Viands, he said, as we are told in a Qur’ānic Chapter named after this Table: “al-Mā’ida”: F

F

F

F

‫آخ ِرنَا‬ ‫سى ابْنُ َم ْريَ َم اللﱠ ُھ ﱠم َربﱠنَا أَن ِز ْل َعلَ ْينَا َمائِ َدةً ﱢمنَ ال ﱠ‬ َ ‫قَا َل ِعي‬ ِ ‫س َماء تَ ُكونُ لَنَا ِعيداً ﱢألَ ﱠولِنَا َو‬  َ‫ار ُز ْقنَا َوأَنتَ َخ ْي ُر ال ﱠرا ِزقِين‬ ْ ‫َوآيَةً ﱢمنكَ َو‬ “Lord! Do send down to us food from heavens to be for us an everrecurring happiness, to the first of us and to the last, and a sign from You, and grant us means of subsistence, and You are the best of Providers” (Qur’ān, 5:114). A red table between two clouds, one above it and one underneath it, came descending upon them as they looked at it till it settled on the ground before them. Jesus wept and said, “Lord! I implore You to count me among those who are grateful to You! Lord! Make it a sign of mercy from You rather than one of penalty!” When they saw it, they found it something which they had never seen before, and similar to its fragrance they had never inhaled. Jesus said to them, “Whoever is most righteous in deeds among you should uncover it and mention the Name of Allāh 1

Atā’ ibn Abū Rabā¦ (d. 114 A.H./732 A.D.) was a renown tābi`i who learned from the ¥a¦āba and reported ¦adīth from them. He was once the muftis of Mecca.

2

This is a figure of speech which means: “He never hurt anyone.”

130

over it then eat of it.” Shemon (Simon) al-Safa said, “You are more fit to do so than any of us.” Jesus stood up, made his ablution, offered lengthy prayers and kept weeping for quite some time. Then he removed the sheet that had covered it saying, Bismillāh (in the Name of Allāh), the best of sustainers.” It was a roasted fish the scales and the bones of which had already been removed. So fat it was that it seemed as if it was floating over oil. At its head there was salt, and at its tail there was vinegar, and it was surrounded by many types of vegetables with the exception of leek. There were five loaves of bread on it. On the first of them there were olives. On the second there was honey. On the third there was oil, and on the fourth there was jerked meat. On the fifth there was cheese.

Simon said, “O Ru,-¦ullāh! Is this earthly, or is it from the food of the afterlife?” Jesus said, “What you see is neither the food of the life of this world nor of that of the Hereafter. Rather, it is something which Allāh has innovated through His overwhelming Might; so, eat of what you have asked for, and He will provide you with an increase of His favors.” They said, “O Rū¦ullāh! Could you please show us a miracle derived from this one?” Jesus said, “O fish! Come back to life by the permission of Allāh!” The fish shook and its scales and bones came back to it, whereupon the disciples were frightened of it. Jesus asked them, “What is the matter with you that you ask for things which, when granted, you dislike?” Then he added, “How worried I am about you that you should ever be chastised! O fish! Go back to your former state by the permission of Allāh!” The fish resumed its former state, a roasted fish, just as they had seen it before. They said, “O Ru,-¦ullāh! Be the first to eat of it, then we will eat after you.” Jesus said, “God forbid that I should eat of it; rather, those who asked for it shall eat of it.” But they were apprehensive of eating of it; so, Jesus invited the indigent, the sick, the leprous, and those afflicted with other ailments to come and eat of it. He said to them, “Eat of the sustenance of your Lord! Yours shall be the joy, and affliction shall be others' lot!” So they ate of it.

As many as one thousand and three hundred men and women from among the poor, the sick, the handicapped, and those afflicted with ailments ate of it to their fill. Then Jesus looked at the fish, and it appeared just as it had come the first time from the heavens.

A

EA

A

EA

131

The table after that ascended as they looked on and disappeared. All those who were sick and ate of it were healed, and so were all those with permanent handicaps, and Allāh enriched of His favor the poor who partook of it till their death. The disciples regretted having missed the opportunity to eat of it, and so did those who could not.

Whenever it descended, the young and the old, the men and the women, would crowd around it. It kept coming to them for forty days in the late morning and before noon. It would remain with them till they all had enough, then it would fly away before their very eyes. It used to come one day and skip another, just as the she-camel of the people of Thamūd. Allāh Almighty inspired Jesus to “Make My table and sustenance for the benefit of the poor rather than the rich,” so the rich were very displeased about that, so much so that they complained about it and they started casting doubt about the table, saying, “Do you believe that a table can really come down from the heavens?!” Jesus said to them, “Be prepared, then, to receive the penalty of Allāh.”

Allāh Almighty inspired Jesus: “I have made two provisions regarding those who belie it. Those who disbelieve after I have sent it down will be tormented a torment with which I will not torment anyone else from among the people of the world.” Jesus, thereupon, said, as the Holy Qur’ān tells us, ‫ َوإِن تَ ْغفِ ْر لَ ُھ ْم فَإِنﱠكَ أَنتَ ا ْل َع ِزي ُز ا ْل َح ِكي ُم‬، َ‫إِن تُ َع ﱢذ ْب ُھ ْم فَإِنﱠ ُھ ْم ِعبَادُك‬ “If You chastise them, surely they are Your servants, and if You forgive them, surely You are the Mighty, the Wise” (Qur’ān, 5:118).

This contradicts the “guarantee” given by many Christian clergymen to Christians that Christ  washed away their sins with his blood, so they have nothing to worry about and, by implication, they can go on and commit any immorality or sin they wish since they are guaranteed to go to Heaven. This, from the Muslims’ viewpoint, is nothing but wishful thinking.

Christ turned three hundred men from among them, those who had spent their night in bed with their wives, into pigs running in the alleys and frequenting the places where garbage is collected, eating 132

filth. When people saw that, they were alarmed, and they came to Jesus son of Mary  horrified. They wept over those of their families who were turned into pigs. When the pigs saw Jesus , they wept and kept turning around him. Jesus  called them by their names, and they came, one by one, crying and nodding with their heads as he called out their names, unable to speak. They lived for three days, then they perished.

The Almighty Admonishes Jesus Abū Busayr quotes Abū Abdullāh, Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  saying that the Almighty, Glory and Exaltation are His, admonished Jesus son of Mary  thus: O Jesus! You are the Messiah by My command; you bring the dead back to life by My Word, so let your desire be My Pleasure, and be fearful of Me, for you shall find no refuge from Me except with Me. O Jesus! I admonish you as one Who is Compassionate to you: Seek My mercy though I granted you authority, and seek whatever pleases Me, for blessed you are as a grown-up, and blessed you are as a child, wherever you may be. I testify that you are My servant and the son of My bondmaid. O Jesus! Let My status with you be your ultimate concern, and remember Me so that such remembrance will be treasured when you return to Me. Seek nearness to Me through optional (nafl) acts of worship; rely upon Me so that I may make you independent of others; do not rely on others else My Wrath should overtake you.

O Jesus! Be patient when tried, and be contented with your lot. Be as I would like you to be, and I would like to be pleased with you, for My pleasure is that I am obeyed and never disobeyed. O Jesus!

Let your tongue ever mention My Name, and let your heart ever be filled with love for Me. O Jesus! Be aware in the times of heedlessness, and judge with beautiful wisdom seeking My Pleasure. O Jesus! Desire My Pleasure, fear My wrath, and kill your heart with fear of Me. O Jesus! Observe the night as means to seeking My Pleasure, and deprive yourself of water during your day seeking to treasure it for the Day when you will very much be in need of Me. O Jesus! Compete with others in the paths of goodness as much as you can so that you will be identified with goodness wherever you go. O Jesus! Judge among My servants as I have advised you, and effect My justice among them, for I have revealed

133

to you that which heals the hearts from Satan's ailments. O Jesus!

Do not sit with one who is tried with tribulations. O Jesus! What I say is the truth: No creature truly believes in Me except that he humbles himself to Me, and no creature feels awe of Me except that he is hopeful of My rewards. I, therefore, testify to you that such a person is secure against My punishment so long as you do not alter My way. O Jesus son of the righteous Virgin! Weep over your soul like one who bids his family farewell, who has no desire for this life, who leaves life for those who seek it, desiring only what is with AllÄ h.

O Jesus! Be, moreover, kind in speech, disseminating the greeting, awake when the eyes of the doers of good are asleep, being apprehensive of the Hereafter, of the tremendous quakes, of the horrors of the Day of Judgment when no family nor offspring nor wealth will be of any avail. O Jesus! Decorate your eyes with grief when the idle ones laugh. O Jesus! Be submissive and persevering, for congratulations to you when you obtain what those who persevere shall receive. O Jesus! Live your life day by day, and taste what lost its taste, for the truth is what I say: You have only your hour and your moment, so derive lessons from the passage of time, and let what is coarse (of clothes) and what is most simple (of food) suffice you, for you have seen what your final destiny shall be, and that whatever you take and whatever you consume is already preordained. O Jesus! You shall be questioned, so have mercy on the weak just as I have been Merciful unto you, and do not cause any grief to the orphan.

O Jesus! Mourn your own soul when you perform your prayers, and let your feet take you to the places where prayers are held, and let Me hear the sweetness of your mentioning My Name, for I have treated you beautifully. O Jesus! How many nation have I caused to perish on account of a sin from which I protected you? O Jesus! Be kind to the weak, and raise your exhausted eyes to the sky and supplicate to Me, for I am near to you, and do not supplicate to Me except when you are pleading to Me, having one and only concern, for whenever you thus call upon Me, so shall I answer your call. O Jesus! I never wanted the life in this world to be the reward of those who preceded you nor a penalty to those against whom I sought revenge. O Jesus! You shall perish, whereas I shall always remain; from Me comes your sustenance, and with Me is the time of your death, and to Me is your return, and upon Me is your judgment; so,

134

plead to Me and to none else so that your plea may be good, and so that I will be the One to answer it.

O Jesus! How numerous are people, yet how few are those who persevere! Trees are many, yet those that bear tasty fruit from among them are few; so do not let the beauty of a tree allure you till you taste of its fruit. O Jesus! Do not be allured by one who is rebellious against My wish; he eats My sustenance while worshipping someone else other than Me, then he calls upon Me at the moment of affliction, and I still respond to his call, then he goes back to what he used to do! Is it against Me that he rebels, or is he challenging My wrath? By My own Self do I swear that I shall take him in a way from which he shall have no recourse, nor shall he have any refuge. Where shall he flee? From My sky, or from My earth?! O Jesus! Tell the unjust ones from among the Children of Israel: Do not supplicate to Me as long as you harbor usury and the idols are at your homes, for I have sworn never to answer the prayer of anyone who thus prays to Me, and that I shall make My answer to their prayers a curse upon them till they disperse. O Jesus! How beautiful is My patience and how beautiful is what I seek, yet people are heedless, returning not to Me! Words come out of their mouths without their hearts comprehending them till they become the object of My contempt, and till they try to please the believers seeking My pleasure.

O Jesus! Be merciful seeking mercy for others, and treat the servants as you wish them to treat you, and quite often remember death and separation from the family. Do not be distracted, for distraction corrupts, and do not be heedless, for the heedless are distant from Me, and remember Me with good deeds so that I may likewise remember you.

O Jesus! Seek My forgiveness after you commit any sin, and remind those who often return to Me of Me. Believe in Me, and seek nearness to Me by being near to those who believe in Me. Enjoin them to join you in supplicating to Me, and beware of the supplication of the oppressed one, for I took upon Myself to open for it a gate in the heavens, and that I shall answer his call even if it may be after a while. O Jesus! Be informed that the wrongdoer entices others, and that befriending the evildoer hurls one into the pit; so, know who your friend is before you befriend him, and choose for your own company brethren from among the believers. O

135

Jesus! Repent to Me, for there is no sin too great for My forgiveness, and I am the most Merciful of those who have mercy. O Jesus! Perform acts of righteousness for your soul as long as you live and before time comes when none else can do so on your behalf, and worship Me for the sake of a Day as lengthy as a thousand years of your own reckoning, for I reward a good deed with ten-fold, and the sin stains the sinner. Compete with others in the doing of good deeds, for how many meeting adjourned with a safeguard from the fire!

O Jesus! Keep away from that which shall perish and cease to be, and visit the ruins of those who were before you: call upon them and ask them to respond to you; can you feel the presence of any of them at all? So seek wisdom from them, and be informed that you shall soon join their company together with those who soon will.

O Jesus! Tell whoever rebels and revolts and deceives to await My punishment and to expect My annihilation; he shall be burnt among those who shall perish. Congratulations to you, O son of Mary, and many congratulations if you emulate the manners of your Lord Who, out of His Mercy, is Compassionate unto you, Who starts the giving out of His generosity, Who is always there for you during your each and every calamity. Do not disobey Him, O Jesus, for it is not lawful for you to disobey Him. I have taken a covenant from you just as I had taken it from those before you, and I am for that a Witness.

O Jesus! I have never granted My creation anything better than My religion, nor have I blessed them with anything better than My Mercy! O Jesus! Wash with water that which appears of your parts, and heal with good deeds those that do not, for to Me you shall surely return. O Jesus! I have granted you of My blessings an abundance without dreariness, and I have sought of you a loan for the goodness of your own soul, but you were too miser to do so, hence you may be one of those who perish. O Jesus! Decorate yourself with the decoration of faith, with love for the needy, and walk on earth gently, and perform your prayers on all the tracts of the earth, for they are all clean.

O Jesus! Be prepared, for whatever comes is near, and recite My Book when you are pure, and let Me hear you reciting it in a somber voice. O Jesus! There is no good in a pleasure which does not last,

136

nor in life that will depart. O son of Mary! Had your eyes only seen what I have prepared for My good friends, your heart would have dissolved and your soul would have come out of your body in anxiety for it, for there is no home like the Hereafter where the righteous are neighbors of one another; angels near to Me visit them, and they are secure from the horrors of the Day of Judgment, a home wherein happiness never changes, nor does it ever depart from its people. O son of Mary! Compete for its sake with those who compete, for it is the desire of those who have a desire; it pleases those who see it. Congratulation to you, O son of Mary, if you are among those who work for it from among those who do so in the company of your fathers: Adam and Abraham, in the Gardens and felicity with which you do not wish to trade anything else at all and from which you never desire to be diverted; thus do I deal with the pious. O Jesus! Flee to Me with those who flee from a fire with flames, a fire with chains and torment; no rest shall there ever enter it, nor any of its torments shall be diminished; it is as though it were pieces of pitched darkness. Whoever is saved from it is a winner, and none will be spared from it if he is written down among those who shall perish; it is the abode of the tyrants and oppressors and everyone who is rude and haughty, conceited and arrogant. O Jesus!

Evil is the abode of those who feel comfortable with it, and evil, indeed, is the abode of the wrongdoers. I warn you against your own soul; so, take admonishment from Me. O Jesus! Wherever you may be, you should be on your guard concerning Me, and testify that I created you, and you are My servant; I shaped you and to the earth sent you. O Jesus! No mouth can have two tongues, nor one chest can have two hearts, and such are the minds, too. O Jesus! Do not wake up in disobedience, and do not come to your senses finding yourself heedless, and wean yourself from desires that cause you to sin. Any desire that distances you from Me you should abandon, and be informed that you are to Me as a trusted messenger; so, be forewarned of Me, and be informed that your life shall in the end bring you back to Me, and that I shall take you with My knowledge. Be humble whenever My Name is mentioned, submissive of heart whenever you yourself mention Me, awake when the heedless sleep. O Jesus! This is My advice to you and My admonishment; so, take it from Me, for I am the Lord of the Worlds. 1 F

1

al-Majlisi, BiÂŚÄ r al-AnwÄ r, Vol. 14, pp. 289-293.

137

If you discern these exhortations, and if you compare them with what the Almighty admonished His prophet and messenger Moses  or His Prophet and Messenger Mu¦ammed , or any of His prophets and messengers, you will find a great deal of similarity between them. The Almighty is One and the same, and so is His Wisdom and Creed; so is His word. His speech is one and the same, praise be to Him. Very few, however, realize this simple and pristine fact.

Invocations by Jesus  Mu¦ammed, the Messenger of Allāh , is quoted as saying that Jesus son of Mary  was the first person to speak as an infant. He glorified the Almighty a good deal in a way no ear had ever heard before, leaving no sun, nor moon, nor mountain, nor spring, without including it in his glorification. He said, You are the One Who is near despite Your Sublimity, High in nearness, Above everything You have created. You are the One Who created seven [heavens] in the space by Your Words in complete level formations; in awe of You did they respond to Your call even when they were mere smoke, so they came in obedience to Your Command. In them are angels glorifying Your Holiness. And You made in them a light despite the blackness of the dark, and a light from the light of the sun during daytime. You made in them the thunder that glorifies Your praise; so, it is through Your Might that it came to shatter the darkness which You created. You made in them [stars as] lanterns whereby one seeks guidance when puzzled and lost. So Blessed be You, Lord, in the way You have raised the heavens, in the way You spread the earth, causing it to float above the water, holding it against the torrent of overwhelming sea waves, bringing all things to submit to You as they appeared. Their stiffness became softened through submission to You; their affairs submitted to Your Command; their waves surrendered to Your Greatness. You caused rivers following seas to gush forth, then You made small rivulets succeeded by brimful springs, then You brought out of the rivers and trees fruits, then You placed on the surface of the earth the mountains as pegs even above the water, and their stones and rocks submitted to You. So blessed be You, Lord! Who can ever be called as You are called, or who can ever reach Your status? You

138

spread the clouds, free those in bondage, and affect equity, and You are the best of those who judge. There is no god but You; You ordered us to seek Your forgiveness for each and every sin of ours; there is no god but You; You have veiled the heavens from the (vision of the) people; there is no god but You; the wise among Your servants are the ones who fear You; we bear witness that You are not a god whom we invented, nor one whose worship comes to an end, nor is there any partner with You to call upon while forsaking You, nor to help You in creating anyone so that we might suspect Your having created us. We testify that You are the One and Only One, on Whom all depend, the One Who does not beget, nor is He begotten, and none at all is like Him. Supplication by Jesus ď Whereby he Brought the Dead Back to Life

As regarding his supplication whereby he used to cure the sick and bring the dead back to life, it was as follows: Lord! You are the Lord of those in the heavens and those on earth; there is no god in them except You. You are the Omnipotent in the heavens and the Omnipotent on earth; there is no Omnipotent in them except You. You are the King of those in the heavens and the King of those on earth; there is no king in them except You. You are the Judge of those in the heavens and the Judge of those on earth; there is no judge in them except You. Your Might on earth is the same as it is in the heavens; Your Authority on earth is the same as it is in the heavens; I plead to You by Your Glorious Attributes, for You can do anything at all.

And here is another supplication of his for the kind reader: Lord! I have dawned unable to avoid what I hate to face; I do not have the benefit of what I wish to have, and the decision is out of my hands. I have become pawned by my deeds, so none is more in need than I am. Lord! I invoke You not to make my foe feel pleased at my own expense, nor a friend of mine to think ill of me, and do not cause me to undergo a catastrophe related to my creed, and do not make the life of this world the greatest of my concerns, and do not place me at the mercy of one who will have no mercy on me, O ever-Living One, O self-Sustaining!

139

Was Jesus  Crucified?

Sa`īd ibn Jubayr is quoted as having cited Ibn `Abbās as saying that when Allāh wanted to raise Jesus  to heaven, Jesus  went out to meet his followers at a house where all his twelve disciples assembled. He went out to them from a well in the house and his hair was dripping with water. He said, “Among you are those who will disbelieve in me twelve times even after having believed in me.” Then he added, “Which one of you agrees to look like me and be killed in my place and enjoy the status reserved for me with my Lord?” Their youngest stood up, but Jesus told him to sit down. He repeated the question to them, and the same young man stood up again, whereupon Jesus  said, “Then you shall be the one.” He immediately was made to look just like Jesus, then Jesus was raised to heaven. The Jews 1 came and took the disciple who looked just like Jesus , killed him, then crucified him; thus, some of them disbelieved in him twelve times after having believed in him, and they were divided into three sects: One of the sects said that God was among them, then He ascended to heaven. These are the Jacobites 2 . The other sect said that “the son of God” stayed with F

F

F

F

1

According to the distorted story of Jesus , soldiers of the Roman empire (which then ruled Palestine) crucified Jesus . Muslims believe that: 1) The Jews, not the Romans, crucified a man thinking that he was Jesus , that the plot against him was not politically but religiously motivated; 2) The real Jesus  was not crucified but was raised to heaven and is still alive. He will come back near the end of life on this planet to fight those who distorted his message. There are millions of Christians who believe in this second coming of Jesus , but they, as usual, differ among themselves as to how it will be. Some claim that Jesus  will not come back in person, whereas other Christians believe that his second coming means nothing but a revival of his faith...

2

Named after Jacob Baradaeus, this sect of Christianity spread in the 6th century throughout Syria, Iraq, and India. Its views sharply contradict those held by Roman Catholics and by the Orthodox. Its head is the patriarch of Antioch (at Syrian Homs), and it uses Syriac as its sacred language. Christ spoke (Northwest Semitic) Aramaic. Syriac is an Aramaic language, a dialect of the Semitic subfamily of Afro-Asiatic languages.

Some Syrian Christians still speak Aramaic even this day and time. The first and authentic Bible was written in Jesus' mother tongue, Aramaic, but

140

them as long as God willed, then God raised him up to Him, and they are called the Nestorians 1 . The third sect said that “the servant of Allāh 2 and His messenger” remained among them for as long as Allāh willed, then Allāh raised him up to Him, and these are the Muslims. Both previous sects collaborated against the Muslim one, wiping the latter out. Islam, hence, remained hidden, obscure, forgotten, till Allāh sent Prophet Mu¦ammed  to revive it.

F

F

F

F

Allāh Almighty has said, ‫ َما َكانَ ِ ﱠ ِ أَن يَت ِﱠخ َذ ِمن َولَ ٍد‬ َ‫ق الﱠ ِذي فِي ِه يَ ْمتَرُون‬ ‫سى ابْنُ َم ْريَ َم قَ ْو َل ا ْل َح ﱢ‬ َ ‫ َذلِ َك ِعي‬ ‫ َوإِنﱠ ﱠ‬ ُ‫ضى أَ ْم ًرا فَإِنﱠ َما يَقُو ُل لَهُ ُكن فَيَ ُكون‬ ‫ﷲَ َربﱢي َو َربﱡ ُك ْم فَا ْعبُدُوهُ َھ َذا‬ ُ َ َ‫س ْب َحانَهُ إِ َذا ق‬ َ ٌ َ َ َ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱢ‬ َ ْ َ َ َ ‫يم‬ ‫ي‬ ‫و‬ ‫ف‬ ‫م‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫زَاب‬ ‫ح‬ ‫األ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ت‬ ‫اخ‬ ‫ف‬ ‫َظ‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ ‫و‬ ‫ي‬ ‫د‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫ش‬ ْ ‫م‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫وا‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ذ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ل‬  ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ت‬ ‫س‬ ‫م‬ ‫ط‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ص‬ َ‫ين‬ َ‫ف‬ ْ ْ ْ ْ ِ ٌ َ ِْ ِ َ ِ ُ ٍ ِ ٍَْ َِ ‫ُ ِ ﱠ‬ ٌ ِ ‫ِ َ ﱡ‬ “Such is Jesus son of Mary; (this is) the saying of truth about which it was lost... Greater Syria, by the way, used to be called the land of Aram, hence Aramaic means “the language spoken in Aram.” It is named after Aram, a descendant of Nahor, grandfather of Prophet Abraham (Ibrāhīm) . Its capital, Damascus, is one of the most ancient cities in the world. It dates back to 3000 B.C., hence it is now more than five thousand years old.

1

They are named after Nestorius, 5th century patriarch of Constantinople.

Followers of this Church reject the labeling of Virgin Mary, mother of Christ , as “the Mother of God,” saying that she bore Jesus  as a man. It flourished in Syria and ancient Persia, and one of its adherents, Nestor (which could either be his first name or a reference to his being Nestorian), met young Prophet Mu¦ammed  when he was in the company of his uncle Abū ±ālib on a business trip to Syria. Salmān alFārisi , one of Prophet Mu¦ammed's early disciples and traditionists, had converted from Zoroastrianism to Nestorianism then to Islam.

2

Notice that I did not use the word “Allāh” for the previous sects. This is due to the fact that those sects did not have the correct concept of the Almighty. The word “Allāh” here refers to the complete and perfect concept of God. Refer to my book titled Allāh: The Concept of God in Islam for more details about why Muslims worldwide prefer to use the word “Allāh” to refer to the Almighty rather than any other word in any language, including their own.

141

they dispute 1 . It does not befit Allāh to take to Himself a son; Glory to Him; when He decrees a matter, He only says to it: `Be!' and it is.

And surely Allāh is my Lord and your Lord; therefore; worship Him; this is the right path. But parties from among them disagreed with one another, so woe unto those who disbelieve because of their presence on a great Day” (Qur’ān, 19:34-37).

F

F

Abū Sāli¦, Shu`ayb ibn Mu¦ammed al-Bayhaqi, through his chain of narrators, has informed us that the Messenger of Allāh  had said, “Prophets are brothers of one another: their mothers may be different, but their creed is one (and the same). I am the most worthy of Jesus son of Mary , because there is no prophet separating me from him (chronologically). The son of Mary  is about to be sent to you as a just judge, and he shall come to my nation and be my khalīfa over them; so, if you see him, you will find him square of face, his complexion is reddish white, his hair is straight as though it drips while not being wet at all. He shall come down between two scepters to smash the cross, kill the pig, enforce the jizya (protection tax), receive the funds (religious taxes) and make the pilgrimage or the `umra or both, and he will fight people in the defense of Islam, so much so that all creeds will be vanquished except Islam, and everyone will prostrate to Allāh, the Lord of the World, and Allāh will annihilate during his time the lying anti-Christ. Security shall prevail over the earth to the extent that lambs will graze side by side with lions, tigers with cattle, and wolves with sheep. Children will play with snakes, and neither will harm the other. After that, he shall remain on earth for forty years. He shall marry and have children, then he shall die and the Muslims shall perform the funeral prayers for him and bury him in Medīna.” μussain ibn Ah,.med ibn Muh,.ammed ibn `Ali, through his chain of narrators, quotes Ibn `Abbās citing the Messenger of Allāh  A

1

EA

A

EA

Christians have been disputing with one another about Jesus Christ and will continue doing so till the end of time. Some of them went as far in their apostasy as charging him of being homosexual..., Astaghfirullāh (I seek refuge with Allāh). Some Christian “churches” in the United States and other Western countries have been solemnizing same-sex “marriages”: “Men” marry men or “women” marry women... What will they do next?!

142

saying, “How shall Allāh annihilate a nation in whose vanguard is myself, and among whose last generation is Jesus , while alMahdi  is in its midst?”

After Jesus: The “Son of God” and “The Trinity” Jesus Christ  never claimed to be the “son of God,” nor did he ever say that he was God. The concept of the Trinity (God the father, God the son, and the Holy Spirit) was foreign to Christianity for about three hundred years. Anyone who conducts a research to find out how this concept crept into the Christian faith will conclude that it is one of several Pagan concepts that somehow found their way to Christianity, the faith not of Christ but of his disciples barring St. Barnabas. A small number of Biblical scholars testify to this fact.

Let us read what one of them says: There is ample evidence in the Bible that the Israelites had always regarded Yahweh (Jehovah) as the Creator of all. Another original characteristic of the Israelite God was that He stood alone, without any family connections, whether consort, son or daughter. 1 This concept agrees with Islam’s concept of God. There are many similarities in beliefs between Judaism and Islam and also between Christianity and Islam. All these three religions are regarded as the world’s greatest. Islam calls the followers of Christianity and Judaism ‫أھل الكتاب‬, ahl al-kitāb, People of the Book, because divine books were revealed to them, books which suffered a great deal of alteration and distortion. Despite such alteration and distortion, both Christianity and Judaism are very highly respected in Islam, yet the followers of these creeds seldom show respect for Islam and Muslims, and these days many of them attack Islam and Muslims in the most vicious way.

F

F

Such “Israelites” include the Prophets of Jesus . Another scholar, Col. J. Garnier, clearly points out to the fact that Pagan gods have incorporated three deities in one god. So is the concept of the 1

William F. Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity, Doubleday & Co., Inc., Garden City, New York, 1957, p. 261.

http://shiakitabe-shiabooks.blogspot.com

143

Trinity.

It is of importance to notice first that all the various gods and goddesses of the ancients, though known by many names and different characteristics, can yet all be resolved into one of the persons of a Trinity composed of a father, mother and son; and that this fact was well known to the initiated. It should also be observed that the father and the son constantly melt into one; the reason being that there was also a fabled incarnation of the son who, although identified with him, was yet to be his own son by the goddess.1 F

We will not discuss the Trinity here but will instead concentrate on the concept of Jesus  as the “son of God,” a concept more emphasized by St. John than any other disciple, that is to say, if we regard these authors of the Gospels as disciples of Jesus Christ .

St. John's Gospel has since the dawn of Christianity been the subject of controversy, debate, and discussion, and it still stands out as quite different from all other Gospels. The credibility of what St. John wrote in his Gospel is doubted by numerous scholars of the Bible in the past and in the present: I do not think the writer [St. John] distinguished in his own consciousness between what he remembered (or had derived from the reminiscences of others) and what he felt must have been true, and I greatly doubt whether we can distinguish often in that Gospel what is derived from tradition and what is derived from imagination. 2 F

In the Pagan theology of the fertility cult, that is, of agricultural propagation, the god is said to be incarnated as his own son to walk upon the earth in human form and be slain and resurrected as the personification of the harvest and plant life. This same Pagan theme 1

Col. J. Garnier, The Worship of the Dead, Chapman & Hall, Ltd., 1904, p. 12.

2

History of Christianity in the Light of modern Knowledge, A Collective Work, p. 209.

144

occurs in John 1:14 where we read the following: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father), full of grace and truth.”

This clearly reflects the fact that St. John was fully knowledgeable of Pagan doctrines to the extent that he sometimes borrowed his themes from them. We can go on and on highlighting the sharp differences between the Gospel of St. John and those of the other Saints, but this will be an undertaking that will surely be laborious and exhaustive. Let us, instead, read the following from the only true though “unofficial” Gospel: Jesus  departed from Jerusalem after the Passover, and entered into the borders of Caesarea Philippi 1 . There the angel Gabriel having told him of the sedition which was beginning among the common people, he asked his disciples, saying, “What do men say of me?” They said, “Some say you are Elijah, others Jeremiah, and others one of the old prophets.”

F

F

Jesus  asked, “And you, what do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are Messiah, Son of God.” Then Jesus was angry and rebuked him, saying, “Begone and depart from me, because you are the Devil and seek to cause me offence!” And he threatened the eleven, saying, “Woe to you if you believe this, for I have won from God a great curse against those who believe this.” And he was ready to cast away Peter, but the eleven besought Jesus for him, who did not cast him away, but again rebuked him, saying, Beware that you never again say such words, because God would reprobate you.”

Peter wept and said, “Sir, I have spoken foolishly. Beseech God that He pardons me.”

Then said Jesus, “If our God willed not to show himself to Moses His servant, nor to Elijah whom he also loved, nor to any prophet, do you think that God should show Himself to this faithless generation? But know you not that God has created all things of nothing with one single word, and all men have had their origin out of a piece of clay? Now, how shall God have a likeness to man?

Woe to those who suffer themselves to be deceived of Satan!”

1

Caesarea Philippi is an area in north Palestine at the foot of Mt. Hermon built by Philip the Tetrarch.

145

And having said this, Jesus besought God for Peter, the eleven and Peter weeping, and saying, “So be it. O blessed Lord our God.” Afterward Jesus departed and went into Galilee in order that this vain opinion which the common folk began to hold concerning him might be extinguished. (The Gospel of Barnabas 70)

This agrees with what we, Muslims, have in our Book, the Holy Qur’ān, where Christ  will on the Day of Judgment deny having required people to worship him and his mother besides the One and Only God: Allāh will say (on the Day of Judgment): ‫ َوإِ ْذ قَا َل ﱠ‬ ‫ُون ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲِ؟ قَا َل‬ َ ‫ﷲُ يَا ِعي‬ ِ ‫س ات ِﱠخ ُذونِي َوأُ ﱢم َي إِلَ َھ ْي ِن ِمن د‬ ِ ‫سى ابْنَ َم ْريَ َم أَأَنتَ قُ ْلتَ لِلنﱠا‬ ‫ تَ ْعلَ ُم َما فِي‬،ُ‫ إِن ُكنتُ قُ ْلتُهُ فَقَ ْد َعلِ ْمتَه‬،‫ق‬ ‫س لِي بِ َح ﱟ‬ ُ َ ‫س ْب َحانَ َك َما يَ ُكونُ لِي أَنْ أَقُو َل َما لَ ْي‬ ‫ب‬ ِ ‫ إِنﱠ َك أَنتَ َعالﱠ ُم ا ْل ُغيُو‬،‫س َك‬ ِ ‫سي َوالَ أَ ْعلَ ُم َما فِي نَ ْف‬ ِ ‫نَ ْف‬ O Jesus son of Mary! Did you say to men: Take me and my mother for two gods besides God? He will say: Glory to You! It did not befit me to say what I had no right to say; had I said it, You would indeed have known it; You know what is in my mind, and I do not know what is in Your mind; surely You are the great One Who knows the unseen. (5:116) In fact, the Holy Qur’ān strongly condemns those who attribute godhead to Jesus or call him “the son of God,” labelling them as apostates, disbelievers in Him: ‫س َرائِي َل ا ْعبُدُو ْا ﱠ‬ ‫لَقَ ْد َكفَ َر الﱠ ِذينَ قَالُو ْا إِنﱠ ﱠ‬ ْ ِ‫يح يَا بَنِي إ‬ ُ ‫س‬ ُ ‫س‬ ِ ‫يح ابْنُ َم ْريَ َم َوقَا َل ا ْل َم‬ ِ ‫ﷲَ ُھ َو ا ْل َم‬ َ‫ﷲ‬ ْ ‫ﱠ‬ َ َ ْ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ْ ُ‫َربﱢي َو َربﱠ ُك ْم إِنﱠهُ َمن ي‬ ْ‫ش ِركْ بِا ِ فقَ ْد َح ﱠر َم ﷲُ َعلَ ْي ِه ال َجنﱠة َو َمأ َواهُ النﱠا ُر َو َما لِلظالِ ِمينَ ِمن‬ َ َ َ َ ‫ﱠ‬ ُ َ َ ُ ْ‫اح ٌد َوإِن لﱠ ْم يَنتَ ُھوا‬ ْ ‫ﱠ‬ َ َ‫أ‬ ِ ‫ لﱠقَ ْد َكفَ َر الﱠ ِذينَ قالوا إِنﱠ ﷲَ ثالِث ثالث ٍة َو َما ِمنْ إِل ٍه إِال إِلهٌ َو‬ ‫نصا ٍر‬ ‫ أَفَالَ يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى ﱠ‬ ‫اب أَ ِلي ٌم‬ ْ َ‫ﷲِ َوي‬ ٌ ‫سنﱠ الﱠ ِذينَ َكفَ ُرو ْا ِم ْن ُھ ْم َع َذ‬ ‫َع ﱠما يَقُولُونَ لَيَ َم ﱠ‬ ُ‫ستَ ْغفِ ُرونَه‬ ُ ٌ‫صدﱢيقَة‬ ‫َو ﱠ‬ ‫سو ٌل قَ ْد َخلَتْ ِمن قَ ْبلِ ِه ﱡ‬ ُ ‫الر‬ ُ ‫يح ابْنُ َم ْريَ َم إِالﱠ َر‬ ُ ‫س‬ ِ ُ‫س ُل َوأ ﱡمه‬ ِ ‫ ﱠما ا ْل َم‬ ‫ﷲُ َغفُو ٌر ﱠر ِحي ٌم‬ ْ َ ُ ‫ﱠ‬ َ ُ ُ َ ‫ﱠ‬ ُ  َ‫ت ث ﱠم انظ ْر أنى يُؤْ ف ُكون‬ ِ ‫الن الط َعا َم انظ ْر َكيْفَ نبَيﱢنُ ل ُھ ُم اآليَا‬ ِ ‫َكانَا يَأ ُك‬ “Certainly they disbelieve those who say: Surely God is the Messiah son of Mary, and the Messiah (himself) said: O Children of Israel! I 146

worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Surely whoever associates (others) with God, then God has forbidden him from (entering) the garden, and his abode is the fire, and there shall be no helpers for the unjust. Certainly they disbelieve those who say: Surely God is the third (person) of the three 1 ; and there is no god but the One God, and if they do not desist from what they say, a painful chastisement shall befall those among them who disbelieve. Will they not then turn to God and His forgiveness? And God is Forgiving, Merciful. The Messiah son of Mary is but a prophet; prophets before him have indeed passed away, and his mother was a truthful woman; they both used to eat food. See how We make the Signs clear to them, then behold how they are turned away (from the right track)!” (5:72-75).

F

F

Notice reference in the verses above to both Mary and Jesus  eating food. The implication is that they were both humans who needed to sustain their bodies with food just like all other humans.

Also by implication, they both did what all other humans do to get rid of bodily waste. This strongly emphasizes their human nature.

Allāh Almighty has also said the following Qur’ānic verses in this regard: ‫يح ابْنُ ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲِ َذلِ َك قَ ْولُ ُھم بِأَ ْف َوا ِھ ِھ ْم‬ ُ ‫س‬ َ ‫ﷲ َوقَالَتْ النﱠ‬ ِ َ‫ َوقَال‬ ِ ‫صا َرى ا ْل َم‬ ِ ‫ت ا ْليَ ُھو ُد ُع َز ْي ٌر ابْنُ ﱠ‬ ‫ضا ِھ ُؤونَ قَ ْو َل الﱠ ِذينَ َكفَ ُرو ْا ِمن قَ ْب ُل قَاتَلَ ُھ ُم ﱠ‬  َ‫ﷲُ أَنﱠى يُؤْ فَ ُكون‬ َ ُ‫ي‬ “The Jews say: Uzair 2 is the son of Allāh, and the Christians say: F

F

1

This is the Almighty's reference to the concept of the Trinity. Advocates of the Trinity claim that the God exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

2

“Uzair” is Arabic for Hebrew Ezra. This is the only verse in the Holy Qur’ān where such a reference is made. Who is this alleged Jewish “son of God”? After the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 597 B.C. at the hands of Nebuchadnessar, then king of the neo-Babylonian Empire and builder of the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Torah was lost.

Since there was none who remembered the law when the Jews returned from captivity, God raised up Ezra from the dead a hundred years after his

147

The Messiah is the son of Allāh; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allāh destroy them; how they are turned away!” (9:30) ‫ب الَ تَ ْغلُو ْا فِي ِدينِ ُك ْم َوالَ تَقُولُو ْا َعلَى ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲِ إِالﱠ ا ْل َح ﱠ‬ ُ‫سى ابْن‬ ُ ‫س‬ َ ‫يح ِعي‬ ِ ‫ق إِنﱠ َما ا ْل َم‬ ِ ‫يَا أَ ْھ َل ا ْل ِكتَا‬ ٌ‫سلِ ِه َوالَ تَقُولُو ْا ثَالثَة‬ ‫سو ُل ﱠ‬ ٌ ‫ﷲِ َو َكلِ َمتُهُ أَ ْلقَاھَا إِلَى َم ْريَ َم َو ُر‬ ُ ‫وح ﱢم ْنهُ فَآ ِمنُو ْا بِا ﱠ ِ َو ُر‬ ُ ‫َم ْريَ َم َر‬ َ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ َ َ َ ‫س َما َوات َو َما فِي‬ ‫س ْب َحانَهُ أن يَ ُكونَ لهُ َول ٌد لهُ َما فِي ال ﱠ‬ ُ ‫اح ٌد‬ ِ ‫انتَ ُھو ْا َخ ْي ًرا ل ُك ْم إِنﱠ َما ﷲُ إِلهٌ َو‬ َ ُ ْ ْ ْ ‫ﱠ‬ َ َ ُ ‫ﱢ‬ َ َ‫يح أن يَكونَ َع ْبدًا ِ َوال ال َمالئِكة ال ُمق ﱠربُون‬ ْ َ‫ لﱠن ي‬ ً‫ض َو َكفَى بِا ﱠ ِ َو ِكيال‬ ُ ‫س‬ ِ ‫ستَن ِكفَ ال َم‬ ِ ‫األَ ْر‬ ‫ فَأَ ﱠما الﱠ ِذينَ آ َمنُو ْا َو َع ِملُو ْا‬ ‫ش ُر ُھ ْم إِلَ ْي ِه َج ِمي ًعا‬ ُ ‫سيَ ْح‬ ْ َ‫ستَن ِكفْ عَنْ ِعبَا َدتِ ِه َوي‬ ْ َ‫َو َمن ي‬ َ َ‫ستَ ْكبِ ْر ف‬ ُ َ ‫ﱢ‬ ‫ﱢ‬ َ َ َ ُ ‫ﱠ‬ ْ ْ ‫ستَ ْكبَ ُروا فيُ َعذبُ ُھ ْم‬ ْ ‫ستَن َكفوا َوا‬ ْ ‫ضلِ ِه َوأ ﱠما ال ِذينَ ا‬ ْ ‫ت فيُ َوفي ِھ ْم أ ُجو َر ُھ ْم َويَ ِزي ُدھُم ﱢمن ف‬ ‫ال ﱠ‬ ِ ‫صالِ َحا‬ َ ‫ﱠ‬ َ ً َ َ َ ‫م‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫صي ًرا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫و‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ُون‬ ‫د‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫د‬ ‫ج‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ال‬ ‫و‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ب‬ ِ َ َِّ ِ ِ ‫َع َذا ً ِ ً َ َ ِ ُونَ ُ ﱢ‬ O People of the Book! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not speak (lies) against Allāh, but (speak) the truth; the Messiah son of Mary is only a prophet of Allāh and His Word which He communicated to Mary and a spirit from Him; believe, therefore, in Allāh and in His prophets, and do not say Three. Desist, it is better for you; Allāh is only One God: far be it from His Glory that He should have a son; whatever in the heavens and in the earth is His, and Allāh is sufficient for a Protector. The Messiah does by no means disdain that he should be a servant of Allāh, nor do the angels who are near to Him, and whoever disdains His service and is proud, He will gather them all together to Him. As for those who believe and do good deeds, He will pay them fully their rewards and give them more out of His Grace; as for those who disdain and are proud, He will chastise them with a painful chastisement. And they shall not find for themselves besides Allāh a guardian or a helper.

(4:171-173)

death. When the Jews saw him thus raised from the dead, they said he must be the son of God. This is the contested view of some scholars. This raising from the dead is confused with another incident which actually took place to someone else and which is narrated in the Holy Qur’ān in 2:261. It involves Bal`am (Balam) ibn Ba`u,-r, a learned Israelite, who passed by a dead town (some say Antioch or one of its suburbs) and wondered how God would bring it back to life. The Almighty caused him to die then raised him back to life to see for himself that He can do anything at all.

148

‫سى ِعن َد ﱠ‬  ُ‫ب ثُ ﱠم قَا َل لَهُ ُكن فَيَ ُكون‬ َ ‫إِنﱠ َمثَ َل ِعي‬ ٍ ‫ﷲِ َك َمثَ ِل آ َد َم َخلَقَهُ ِمن تُ َرا‬ Surely the likeness of Jesus is with Allāh as the likeness of Adam: He created him from dust then said to him: Be! and he was. (3:59) ‫ش ِديدًا ِمن‬ َ ‫سا‬ ً ْ‫ قَيﱢ ًما لﱢيُن ِذ َر بَأ‬ ‫َاب َولَ ْم يَ ْج َعل لﱠهُ ِع َو ًجا‬ َ ‫ا ْل َح ْم ُد ِ ﱠ ِ الﱠ ِذي أَن َز َل َعلَى َع ْب ِد ِه ا ْل ِكت‬  ‫ َما ِكثِينَ فِي ِه أَبَدًا‬ ‫سنًا‬ ‫لﱠ ُد ْنهُ َويُبَش َﱢر ا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنِينَ الﱠ ِذينَ يَ ْع َملُونَ ال ﱠ‬ َ ‫ت أَنﱠ لَ ُھ ْم أَ ْج ًرا َح‬ ِ ‫صالِ َحا‬ ‫َويُن ِذ َر الﱠ ِذينَ قَالُوا ات َﱠخ َذ ﱠ‬ ْ‫ ﱠما لَ ُھم بِ ِه ِمنْ ِع ْل ٍم َوال ِآلبَائِ ِھ ْم َكبُ َرتْ َكلِ َمةً ت َْخ ُر ُج ِمن‬ ‫ﷲُ َولَدًا‬ ‫أَ ْف َوا ِھ ِھ ْم إِن يَقُولُونَ إِالﱠ َك ِذبًا‬ All praise is due to Allāh Who revealed the Book to His servant (Muh,.ammed) and did not make in it any crookedness, rightly directing, so that he might give warning of a severe punishment from Him and give glad tidings to the believers who do good deeds that they shall have a goodly reward (Paradise), staying in it forever.

And warn those who say: Allāh has taken a son. They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers; a grievous word it is that comes out of their mouths; they speak nothing but a lie. (18:1-5) A

EA

‫قَالُو ْا ات َﱠخ َذ ﱠ‬ ‫ إِنْ ِعن َد ُكم‬،‫ض‬ ‫ لَهُ َما فِي ال ﱠ‬،‫س ْب َحانَهُ ھُ َو ا ْل َغنِ ﱡي‬ ُ ،‫ﷲُ َولَدًا‬ ِ ‫س َما َوات َو َما فِي األَ ْر‬ ‫ إِنﱠ الﱠ ِذينَ يَ ْفتَرُونَ َعلَى ﷲِﱠ‬:‫ قُ ْل‬ ‫ﷲِ َما الَ تَ ْعلَ ُمونَ ؟‬ ‫ان بِ َھ َذا؟ أَتَقُولُونَ َعلَى ﱠ‬ ُ ‫ﱢمن‬ ٍ َ‫س ْلط‬ َ ُ ُ ْ ْ َ ْ ُ ُ ْ‫ش ِدي َد بِ َما َكانُوا‬ َ َ ‫اب ال ﱠ‬ ٌ ‫ َمتَا‬ َ‫ا ْل َك ِذ َب ال يُفلِ ُحون‬ َ ‫ع فِي ال ﱡدنيَا ث ﱠم إِل ْينا َم ْر ِج ُع ُھ ْم ث ﱠم ن ِذيقھُ ُم ال َعذ‬  َ‫يَ ْكفُرُون‬ They say: Allāh has taken a son! Glory to Him; He is the selfSufficient; His is whatever in the heavens and in the earth; you have no authority for this; do you say against Allāh what you do not know? Say: Those who forge a lie against Allāh shall not be successful. (It is only) a provision in this world, then to Us shall be their return, then shall We make them taste a severe punishment because they disbelieved. (10:68-70) ‫ إِ ْذ قَا َل ﱠ‬ َ‫ﷲُ َخ ْي ُر ا ْل َما ِك ِرين‬ ‫ﷲُ َو ﱠ‬ ‫ َو َم َك ُرو ْا َو َم َك َر ﱠ‬ ‫سى إِنﱢي ُمتَ َوفﱢي َك َو َرافِ ُع َك إِلَ ﱠي‬ َ ‫ﷲُ يَا ِعي‬ ُ َ ْ َ َ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ َ َ ْ ْ ‫ق ال ِذينَ َكف ُروا إِلى يَ ْو ِم القِيَا َم ِة ث ﱠم إِل ﱠي‬ َ ‫َو ُمطَ ﱢھ ُركَ ِمنَ ال ﱠ ِذينَ َكف ُروا َو َجا ِع ُل ال ِذينَ اتﱠبَ ُعوكَ ف ْو‬  َ‫َم ْر ِج ُع ُك ْم فَأ َ ْح ُك ُم بَ ْينَ ُك ْم فِي َما ُكنتُ ْم فِي ِه ت َْختَلِفُون‬ And they planned and Allāh (also) planned, and Allāh is surely the best of planners. And Allāh said: O Jesus! I am going to terminate 149

the period of your stay (on earth) and cause you to ascend unto Me and purify you of (the charges of) those who disbelieve and make those who follow you above those who disbelieve till the Day of Resurrection; then to Me shall be your return, so I shall decide between you concerning that in which you differed. (3:54-55) In the following verses, which are quoted on previous pages, the Almighty starts by chastising the Jews then the Christians: Therefore, for the breaking of their covenant and their disbelief in the Signs of Allāh and their killing the prophets wrongfully and their saying: Our hearts are covered. Nay! Allāh set a seal upon them because of their disbelief, so they shall not believe except a few. And for their disbelief, and for their having uttered against Mary a grievous calumny. And (for) their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah Jesus son of Mary, the prophet of Allāh, and they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so, and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge in its regard but only follow conjecture, and surely they did not kill him at all. Nay! Allāh took him up to Him, and Allāh is Mighty, Wise. And there is not one of the People of the Book but most certainly believes in this before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he (Jesus) shall be a witness against them.

(4:155-159) When Qur’ānic texts such as these agree with what St. Barnabas had written in his Gospel, the truth will shine, but how many sincere seekers of the truth are there in our world?

Finally, is it Christianity or Paganism?

Is Today's form of Christianity really the creed revealed by the Almighty to Jesus son of Mary , or is it a revival of ancient Paganism? This question may raise some eyebrows, and it may wake up a drowsy reader, but it is a question quite valid and relevant. If one traces pagan doctrines, he will be struck with similarities between what the pagans used to practice (and some still do) and what today's Christians practice at their churches. The traces of paganism in Christianity can be seen in: 1) the concept of Christ as the “son of God,” 2) the Trinity, 3) the Incarnate Saviour, 4) the 150

Second Advent, 4) the Virgin Birth, 5) the Sacraments, and 6) the Communion of Saints. You can also add to this list the organized order of saints, the choir (an offspring of the pagan chorus), the singing and dancing..., etc. All these are very well known practices of paganism in various parts of the world and by various cultures.

Were we to discuss each one of them, we would need not one but many volumes; so, let us be contented with discussing the most important of all of them: the concept of Jesus Christ  as the “son of God.” This concept is directly linked to the pagan “sun god,” or god of the sun, hence Sunday 1 , the day when the sun god, in his various names and attributes, is worshipped. If we study these sun gods, we will see the link between their worship and the concept of Jesus Christ  as the “son of God.” 2 F

F

F

When Jesus Christ came to this world, sun worship was a religion that prevailed throughout the world. Well known sun gods whose worship had been popular throughout the Mediterranean countries at one time or another are: Attis of Phrygia (central Asia Minor), Adonis of Syria, Dionysius or Bacchus of Greece, Bel (or BĀl) of Babylon, Osiris and Horus of Egypt, and Ithras or Mithra of Persia.

Here is a brief account of these sun gods, one from which the reader can see the link between these “sun gods” and the “son of God” concept introduced into the Christian faith and officially endorsed at the Nicaea Conference referred to above:

1

According to The Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia, early Christians observed the first day of the week (Monday) as their Sabbath “in commemoration of the Resurrection.” Some sects, such as Seventh-Day Baptists, have reverted to Saturday. “Monday,” by the way, was the Babylonian day when the moon__hence moon-day, Monday__was worshipped. Saturday was “Saturn's day,” the day when Saturn, god of the harvest, was to be worshipped. This is another proof of the pagan roots in Christianity.

2

In the text to follow, I have benefitted from Fazlul-Rahmān AnÄāri's great book Islam and Christianity in the Modern World.

151

Attis He was born of a virgin named Nana and was regarded as the “only begotten son” and “saviour”. He was bled to death on March 24th at the foot of a pine tree and his votaries believed that his blood had renewed the fertility of the earth and thus brought a new life to humanity. He, however, rose from the dead, and his resurrection along with his death was celebrated by his votaries. Every year on the 24th day of March, they would first fasten his image to a pine tree and then lay it in a tomb with wailing mourning. On the next day, they would find the tomb empty and celebrate the resurrection with great rejoicing. Sacramental meal and baptism of blood were special features of his “church.”

Adonis or Tammuz Adonis was a young man loved by the goddess Aphrodite. When he was killed by a wild boar, goes on the legend, Aphrodite persuaded the gods to let him live for six months of each year. His death and resurrection, hence, were celebrated in midsummer festival in Adonia, Greece, symbolizing yearly growth and decay. He was the virgin-born “saviour” of Syria. He suffered death for the redemption of mankind but rose again in the Spring. His resurrection was commemorated by a great annual festival. The Old Testament, in Izekiel, viii:14, refers to the weeping and wailing of women over his idol. On p. 113, Vol. 2, of Mythology of the Aryan Nations, Rev. Sir G.W. Cox calls him the crucified Tao (that is, divine love personified). In his Hebrew Lexicon, Dr. Parkhust remarks: “I find myself obliged to refer Tammuz to that class of idols which were originally designed to represent the promised Saviour [meaning Jesus ], the desire of all nations.”

Dionysius or Bacchus God of wine, he was the “only begotten son” of Jupiter and was born of a virgin named Demeter (or Semele) on December 25th...

Christians celebrate Christmas, the supposed birth of Christ, on December 25th. He was a “redeemer, liberator and saviour.” “It is I,” says Bacchus to mankind, “who guide you; it is I who protect you and who save you; I am Alpha and Omega.”1 Wine had an important F

1

Godfrey Higgins, Anacalypsis, Vol. 1, p. 322.

152

F

place in the festivals of his cult. It is today in the Christian theology, representing “the blood of Jesus.” Imagine one drinking the blood of...! He was slain for redeeming humanity and was called “the slain one,” “the sin-bearer,” “the redeemer.” Notice the striking similarity between these words and what Christians preach. Is it a coincident?

We do not think so. Bacchus's passion play was celebrated every year representing his death, descent into hell and resurrection.

Passion plays used to be part of the Christian festivals during the Middle Ages. The main surviving Passion Play is that of Oberammergau, Bavaria.

Osiris God of the underworld, he was born on December 29th of a virgin called by the Egyptians the “virgin of the world.” He preached the gospel of gentleness and peace. Wine and corn were regarded as his celebrated discoveries. He was betrayed by Typhen, slain and dismembered. He was interred but came again to life after remaining in hell for two or three days and three nights. After his death, it was the custom of his votaries to keep his image in a box and bring out the image at the time of worship with the cries of “Osiris is risen!”

“The sufferings and death of Osiris,” says Rawlingson in a footnote on p. 260, Vol. 3, of Herodotus, “were the great mystery of the Egyptian religion. His being the divine goodness, and the abstract idea of `good', his manifestation upon earth (like an Indian god), his death and resurrection, and his office as judge of the dead in a future life, look like the early revelation of a future manifestation of the deity converted into a mythological fable.” Needless to say, “the early revelation of a future manifestation of the deity” in this quotation is a reference to the alleged incarnation of God in Jesus.

“Belief in the god-man in the form of Osiris,” says Sir Richard Gregory on p. 54 of his book Religion in Science and Civilisation, “became the chief element in Egyptian religion, and remained for thousands of years the faith of the people through the tangled skein of religious life in Egypt until Osiris passed into the form of the godman Jesus Christ.”

153

Mithras or Mithra His name in ancient Persian means “friend,” and he was an ancient cultic god of Persia and India who became in the 5th century B.C. the chief Persian god. His cult extended into Mesopotamia and Armenia, thus becoming a world-wide religion. He was the virginborn sun god of the Persians, the perfect prototype of Jesus Christ  and the founder of an international Church, Mithraism, in which Christmas and Easter are the most important festivals. “This divine saviour came into the world as an infant. His first worshippers were shepherds; and the day of his nativity was December 25th…! His followers preached a severe and rigid morality, chief among their virtues being temperance, chastity, renunciation and self-control.

They kept the seventh day holy, and the middle day of each month was a special feast of Mithra, which symbolised this function of Mediator. They had seven sacraments of which the most important were baptism, confirmation, and Eucharistic supper, at which the communicants partook of the divine nature of Mithra under the species of bread and wine.” 1 F

Bel or Baal: Striking Similarities Between the Babylonian and the Christian Passion Plays Bel (or Baal) in the Old Testament is a term used for god or gods of Canaan. He is symbolized by the sun, and he was gradually promoted to become the chief deity, the source of life and fertility.

His worship extended beyond Babylon; Baalbek (the city of Baal, Lebanon) was devoted to his worship, hence it is called in Greek Heliopolis, the city of the sun, or of the sun god. The story of his life is extremely astonishing: his passion play has a very close resemblance with the Christian passion story even in details. The Jews had passed a long time in captivity in Babylon during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar 2 II (630 – 562 B.C.), and this accounts for the F

1

F

The Nineteenth Century, September 1905, p. 496.

2

Nebuchadnezzar (reigned 605-562 B.C.) was a king of Babylon during whose long and eventful reign the Neo-Babylonian Empire attained its peak and the city of Babylon its greatest glory. Nebuchadnezzar - more properly Nebuchadrezzar - is the biblical form of the name Nabukudurutsur (which means "NAbū has set the boundary", NAbū being the

154

close resemblance. Here is the proof for such striking similarities1 : F

F

Modern archaeological researches have brought to light very bewildering facts which go to prove that Babylonian mythology played a very important role in the early stages of Christianity. In Babylonian god of wisdom and writing). He was the son of Nabopolassar, a Chaldean chief who in 626 B.C. led a revolt against Assyria, proclaimed himself king of Babylon, and, in alliance with the Medes and the nomadic Scythians in Babylonia and Assyria, succeeded in overthrowing the vast Assyrian Empire and destroying Nineveh in 612 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar, as crown prince, was given command of the Babylonian army harrying the remainder of the Assyrians in northern Syria. Early in 605 B.C., he met Necho, then pharaoh of Egypt, in battle and defeated him at Carchemish, an ancient Hittite and Assyrian city on the Euphrates River in present-day southern Turkey. Necho is better known as Necho II (or sometimes Nekau), and he was a king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of the pharaos of Egypt. A few months later, Nabopolassar died, and Nebuchadnezzar hastened home to claim his throne. He soon returned to the west in order to secure the loyalty of Syria and Palestine and to collect tribute; among those who submitted were the rulers of Damascus, Tyre, Sidon, and Judah. In 601 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar attempted the invasion of Egypt but was repulsed with heavy losses. Judah rebelled, but Jerusalem fell in March 597 B.C., and the ruler, Jehoiakim, and his court were deported to Babylon. Eight years later another Jewish rebellion broke out; this time Jerusalem was razed and the population carried into captivity. Expeditions against the Arabs in 582 B.C. and another attempt at invading Egypt in 568 B.C. receive brief mention in Nebuchadnezzar's later records. Nebuchadnezzar built temples in many of the cities of his kingdom, but the main achievement of his reign was the rebuilding of Babylon, on a scale and with magnificence never before envisaged. The city covered some 500 acres and was protected by massive double fortifications. The Euphrates River, which bisected it, was spanned by a bridge. In the great palace, built to replace Nabopolassar's, he created the terraced cloister known to the Greeks as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (remains of which can still be seen in Hilla, metropolis of today's Babylon governorate) and reckoned among the Seven Wonders of the World. It was said that he built it to please his mountain-born wife, Amytis, daughter of Cyaxares, the king of Media.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

1

In the following text, I have utilized Fazlul Rahmān AnÄāri's excellent book Islam and Christianity in the Modern World, pp. 70-72.

155

1903-4, German excavators at Kala Shergat (the site of Assur, the ancient Assyrian city whose surrounding areas are also called Nimrud even now and is located in today's Iraq) discovered two cuneiform documents. When deciphered, they were found to contain the narrative of the Passion Play of Baal. An English journal, namely The Adventures of a Black Girl in Her Search for God, published its translation along with the story of the Christian Passion Play. In its text, he is referred to as Bel; so, henceforth we will keep referring to him as such. On the next two pages is an exact reproduction of what page 72 of that journal had included: The Babylonian Passion Play 1. Bel is taken prisoner.

2. Bel is tried in the House on the Mount (the Hall of Justice).

3. Bel is smitten (wounded).

4. Bel is led away to the Mount.

5. Together with Bel a malefactor is led away and put to death. Another, who is also charged as a malefactor, is released, thus not taken away with Bel. 6. After Bel had gone to the Mount, the city breaks out into tumult, and fighting takes place in it.

7. Bel's clothes are carried away.

8. A woman wipes away the heart's blood of Bel flowing from a drawn-out weapon.

156

The Christian Passion Play 1. Jesus is taken prisoner.

2. Jesus is tried in the House of the High Priest and the Hall of Pilate.

3. Jesus is scourged.

4. Jesus is led away to crucifixion in Golgotha.

5. Together with Jesus, two malefactors are led away water and blood (John). Mary Magdalene was put to death.

Another (Barnabas) is released to the people and thus not taken away with Jesus.

6. At the death of Jesus, the veil in the temple is rent (Synopt.), the rocks are rent asunder, the graves are opened and the dead come forth into the holy city.

(Matthew) 7. Jesus' robe is divided among the soldiers. (Synopt., John Cp. Ps. XXII, 18) 8. The lance-thrust in Jesus' side and outflow of two other women busy themselves with

9. Bel goes down into the Mount away from sun and light, disappears from life and is held fast in the Mount as in a prison.

the (washing and) embalming of the body. (Mark, Luke) 9. Jesus, in the grave, in the rock tomb (Synopt.), goes down into the realm of the dead (1 Pet. III, XII, 40; Acts, II, 24; Rom. X, 17; “the descent into hell” dogma).

10. Guards are set over the tomb of Jesus. (Matthew)

10.

Guards watch Bel imprisoned in the stronghold of the Mount.

11. A goddess sits with Bel; 11. Mary Magdalene and the she comes to tend to him. other Mary sit before the tomb.

(Matt., Mark) 12. They seek for Bel where he 12. Women, in particular Mary is held fast. In particular, a Magdalene, come to the tomb to weeping woman seeks for him seek Jesus where he is behind at the “Gate of Burial.” When the door of the tomb. Mary he is being carried away, the stands weeping before the same lamented: “O my empty tomb because they have taken her Lord away. (John) brother! O my brother!”

13. Bel is again brought back 13. Jesus' restoration to life, his to life (as the sun of spring); he rising from the grave (on a comes again out of the Mount. Sunday morning).

14. His chief feast, the 14. His festival approximately at Babylonian New Year's the spring equinox is also festival in March at the spring celebrated as his triumph over equinox, is celebrated also as the powers of darkness (Cp., his triumph over the powers of e.g., Col. II, 15). darkness.

Having stated all the above, it really leaves no room for doubt that Christianity has suffered so much distortion and alteration, it definitely is no longer the faith of Jesus Christ , the Prince of Peace, as he is called by Muslims. Even if you set aside all the theological controversies with which the Church is rife, a look at the conduct of average Christians today, especially in the West, will make one wonder whether Jesus Christ  can ever be proud of 157

those who claim to be his followers. Fornication and adultery, abortion, boyfriend and girlfriend, homosexuality…, etc. are quite commonly the practices of the day. Abortions take place daily and, thus, thousands of babies are being killed. Promoters of homosexuality are not ashamed but are “proud” of their abnormality and are vocal in demanding “their rights”... Family ties are very loose, children hardly respect their parents, wives hardly respect their husbands, students hardly respect their teachers. Those who have money can do anything at all with their wealth, including buying government positions. The “legal system” is bought, sold, and traded. The news media creates demons and angels as per the instructions of their sponsors, the “special interest groups” that pump millions and millions of dollars into their coffers which they regain from unsuspecting readers and audiences after brainwashing and misleading the latter. Pornography is so widespread, it is sickening...

All these immoralities and injustices are quite common and widespread, yet the Church “officials” stand spectators and, much worse, sometimes get themselves involved in many of them. Is this the product of a healthy creed? We do not think so. Is this the faith which Jesus Christ  introduced to the world? It certainly is not.

True, pure, unadulterated and authentic Christianity or Judaism is nothing but Islam, rest assured.

Jesus son of Mary  is mentioned by name in the Holy Qur’ān thirty-six times; twenty-five of which as Jesus , and eleven times as the Messiah, the Masee¦, the anointed one. The name of his mother occurs in the Holy Qur’ān thirty four times, and surely Allāh knows best.

Some Muslim children pray 5 times a day, and some memorize the entire text of the Holy Qur’ān... A strong faith!

158

Evening view of the Shrine of Imam al-Abbas son of Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abu Talib ď ˆ, Kerbala, Iraq

159

CONCLUSION: It is sincerely hoped that the discreet reader has benefitted from this book, that it has brought him closer to His Maker, the One Who created him for one and only reason: to worship Him, and only Him. It is hoped that this book has brought him closer to the Almighty, to His last Prophet , and to the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt .

For sure, whoever bases his belief in the Almighty on solid foundations will be the winner in this life and in the life to come, and the most solid of all foundations is one built on knowledge and conviction, not on ignorance, nor on taking things for granted, nor on hiding the truth or distorting it. This address is directed specifically to new Muslim converts in the West in general and in the U.S. in particular. This book is meant to strengthen their belief, their faith, and it provides them with many arguments to use with others to attract them towards Islam and to get them to embrace this great faith. It assures them all that if they embrace Islam, they will never abandon Christ  but simply re-discover him through Islam.

This book provides them with many arguments which they can use to convince others that if they embrace the Islamic faith, they will see how Jesus Christ and his saintly mother  are very, very highly revered. It is also for these new converts to Islam, as well as for students and scholars of Islam and the Middle East that a comprenensive Glossary is included. It contains many facts, dates and figures about important Islamic concepts and personalities, information which most likely they will not find elsewhere put together in one book.

Converts to Islam should spare neither time nor effort to study Islamic history and to find out who actually took Islam seriously and who did not, who shed the blood of innocent Muslims, including 160

members of the Prophet’s family , the very best of all families in the entire history of mankind, and who altered the Sunnah of the Prophet of Islam  in order to serve his own ambitions or firm his illegitimate control over Muslims’ destiny and resources.

One authentic hadith says, “For everything there is a zakāt, and the zakāt of knowledge is its dissemination.” The reader who reads this book ought not keep what he/she has learned to himself/herself but share it with others, believers or non-believers. It will then enhance the conviction of the believers and plant the seed of īmān in the hearts of the unbelievers. Who knows? Maybe one day that seed will grow. It is the Almighty Who permits its growth, and He does so at the right time, the time which He chooses. Pass this book on to a relative or a friend. Translate it into another language. Let on-line computer services benefit from it. Make photocopies of some of its contents and distribute them to others. Write a dissertation or a thesis utilizing its text. Extract excerpts from it for inclusion in your newsletter or magazine, book or booklet. Or write one like it or better. All these options are yours; so, do not sit idle. Move to action, and let the Almighty use you as His tool for disseminating useful knowledge.

Do you, dear reader, think that you have a choice whether to disseminate the knowledge included in this book with others or not?

If you think that you do, read the following statement of the great grandson of the Messenger of Allāh , namely Imām Mūsa ibn Ja`far , who quotes his forefathers citing the Messenger of Allāh  saying, One who reneges from his oath of allegiance, or who promotes what misleads people, or who hides some knowledge with him, or who confines some wealth with him unjustly, or who knowingly aids an oppressor in committing oppression while being fully aware of his oppression, is outside the folds of Islam.

This tradition is recorded on p. 67, Vol. 2, of al-Majlisi’s Bi¦ār alAnwār. It clearly demonstrates that one who hides knowledge is on the same level with that who deliberately assists oppressors and 161

tyrants. We, therefore, should spare no means to share what we know with others, with those who listen and who follow the best of what they listen to. Earn rewards by bringing the servants of Allāh closer to their Creator Who made and sustained them, Who will try them and place them either in His Paradise or in His hell. If acts of worship are based on shallow conviction, they are as good as nothing. Strengthen your brethren’s conviction through this book.

They will surely appreciate it and, above all, Allāh, too, will.

If the reader appreciates the time and effort exerted in writing this book, as brief as it is, I, the author, kindly request him/her to recite Sūrat al-Fāti¦a for the soul of my parents and for the souls of all believing men and women, the living and the dead. If you do so, rest assured that you, too, will be rewarded for reciting it, and your rewards will be with the Most Generous of all those who reward: Allāh Almighty Who appreciates even the smallest of good deeds.

Why do I request the kind reader to recite Sūrat al-Fāti¦a for my parents? Well, this is the least a son can do for his deceased parents who worked very hard to raise him as a Muslim. My father was a qāri of the Holy Qur’ān who refused to read any other book besides the Qur’ān as long as he lived, a man who never intentionally hurt anyone all his life. And my mother, though illiterate, sat next to my father as he recited the Holy Qur’ān so she would learn as much as she could. Not only will my parents receive blessings when you recite Sūrat al-Fāti¦a for their souls, but you, too, dear reader, will get your rewards as well. How will you be rewarded? This book’s Glossary discusses Sūrat al-Fāti¦a, and perhaps you should read what is written there before you go on to the next paragraph. Here is a glimpse of what you will Insha-Allāh receive: On p. 88, Vol. 1, of Mujma` al-Bayān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, a§-±ibrisi cites a tradition through a chain of narrator wherein the Prophet of Islam is quoted as saying, “Whoever recites Sūrat al-Fāti¦a will be rewarded as though he had read two thirds of the Holy Qur’ān and will be (in addition to that) given rewards as though he gave charity to each and every believing man and woman.” Just imagine how generous the Almighty is! Ubayy ibn Ka`b is cited in the same reference saying, “I once recited Sūrat al-Fāti¦a in the presence of the Messenger of Allāh  who said to me, `I swear by the One 162

Who controls my life, Allāh never revealed any chapter in the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, or (even) in the Qur’ān like it. It is the mother of the Book, and it is the seven oft-repeated verses. It is divided between Allāh and His servant, and His servant will get whatever he asks Him for.’” The Messenger of Allāh  said once to Jābir ibn Abdullāh al-Ans,.āri, one of his greatest ¥a¦āba, may Allāh be pleased with all his good ¥a¦āba, “O Jābir! Shall I teach you the merits of a Sūra which Allāh revealed in His Book?” Jābir said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allāh! May both my parents be sacrificed for your sake! Please do!” The Messenger of Allāh  taught him Sūrat al-μamd, the “Mother of the Book,” then said to him, “Shall I tell you something about it?” “Yes, O Messenger of Allāh,” Jabir responded, “may my father and mother be sacrificed for your sake!” The Messenger of Allāh  said, “It cures everything except death.” Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq is quoted on the same page as saying, “Anyone who is not cured by the Book’s Fāti¦a cannot be cured by anything else.” Imām `Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  has said, A

EA

The Messenger of Allāh  has said, “Allāh, the Exalted One, the Sublime, said to me: `(O Mu¦ammed!) We have bestowed upon you seven oft-repeated verses and the Great Qur’ān (verse 87 of Sūrat alμijr); so, express your appreciation for it by reciting the Book’s Fāti¦a,’ thus comparing it to the entire Qur’ān.” Sūrat al-Fāti¦a is the most precious of the treasures of the `Arsh. Allāh specifically chose Mu¦ammed to be honoured by it without having done so to any of His prophets with the exception of prophet Sulaymān (Solomon) who was granted (only this verse) of it: BismillāhirRa¦mānir-Ra¦īm (verse 30 of Chapter 27, Sūrat an-Naml); don’t you see how He narrates about Balqees 1 saying, “O Chiefs (of F

F

1

Balqees Queen of Saba’ (Sheba) belonged to the Arab tribe of μimyar which for centuries has been residing in Yemen. Her people used to worship the sun and the moon and other stars, and some of the ruins of the temples she had built for them can still be seen in Saba’. Solomon (Sulaymān), on the other hand, was headquartered in Jerusalem (Ur-oShalom, the city of peace, as it is called in Hebrew; the Arabs used to refer to it as Eilya. This is why Syria used to be called Aram, the land of the

163

Yemen’s tribes)! Surely an honourable letter has been delivered to me; it is from Solomon, and it is: In the Name of Allāh, the Beneficent, the Merciful...” (27:29-30)? So whoever recites it sincerely believing that he/she is following in the footsteps of Mu¦ammed  and his progeny , abiding by its injunctions, believing in its apparent as well as hidden meanings, Allāh will give him for each of its letters a good deed better than all this world and everything in it of wealth and good things. And whoever listens to someone reciting it will receive a third of the rewards the reciter receives; so, let each one of you accumulate of such available goodness, for it surely is a great gain. Do not let it pass you by, for then you will have a great sigh in your heart about it.”1 F

Rewards of reciting Sūrat al-Fāti¦a are also recorded on p. 132 of Thawāb al-A`māl wa Iqāb al-A`māl ‫ ثواب األعمال و عقاب األعمال‬cited above. Abū Abdullāh Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  has said, “Whoever recites Sūrat al-Baqara and Sūrat al-Fāti¦a, they will both shade him like two clouds on the Day of Judgment. And if the reader wishes to read more about the merits of the Basmala (Bismillāhir-Ra¦mānirRa¦īm), he is referred to pp. 70-71 of my book Fast of the Month of Rama¤ān: Philosophy and A¦kām (ISBN 978-964-438-172-0). As for the merits of Sūrat al-Fāti¦a, I would like to quote for you here what is published on pp. 71-73 of the same book: A§-±ibrisi, in his exegesis Mujma`ul-Bayān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān ‫مجمع‬ ‫البي ان ف ي تف سير الق رآن‬, provides nine names for the first chapter of the Holy Qur’ān, namely Sūrat al-Fāti¦a: 1) al-Fāti¦a ‫الفاتح ة‬, the one that opens, for it is like a gate: when opened, it leads one to the Book of Allāh; 2) al-μamd ‫الحم د‬, the praise, for its verses are clearly praising the Almighty; 3) Ummul-Kitāb ‫أم الكت اب‬, the mother of the Book, for its status is superior to all other chapters of the Holy Qur’ān, or like the war standard: it is always in the forefront; 4) asSab` ‫ال سبع‬, 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 Aramæans. Aramaic is still spoken in some part of Syria even today.

1

a§-±abari, Tārīkh, Vol. 1, p. 88.

164

of this book are already aware of such merits; 5) al-Mathāni ‫المث اني‬, the oft-repeated Chapter, for no other Chapter of the Holy Qur’ān is repeated as often as this one; 6) al-Kāfiya ‫الكافي ة‬, 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’ān in the first two rek`āts of the prayers, whereas it can substitute others; 7) al-Asās ‫األس اس‬, the basis or foundation or bed-rock, a connotation of its being the foundation upon which the Holy Qur’ān stands just as the Basmala (“Bismillāhir-Rahmānir-Rahīm”) is the foundation of the Fāti¦a; 8) ash-Shifā’ ‫ال شفاء‬, the healing, due to the fact that the Messenger of Allāh  has said that the Fāti¦a heals from all ailments except death, and 9) a¥-¯alāt ‫الصالة‬, the prayers, or the basic requirement of the daily prayers, one without the recitation of which no prayer can be accepted. The Prophet has quoted the Almighty as 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, “Al¦amdu lillāhi Rabbil-`Ālamīn,” the Almighty says, “My servant has praised Me.” And when he says, “Ar-Ra¦mānirRahīm,” the Almighty says, “My servant has lauded Me.” And when he says, “Māliki Yawmid-Dīn,” Allāh says, “My servant has exalted Me.” And when he says, “Iyyaka Na`budu wa iyyāka nasta`īn,” Allāh 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 Fāti¦a to the end, Allāh 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 Allāh  is quoted by Abū `Ali al-Fa¤l ibn alμassan ibn al-Fa¤l a§-±ibrisi, may Allāh have mercy on his soul, saying that one who recites al-Fātih,.a will be regarded by the Almighty as though he recited two-thirds of the Holy Qur’ān 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 continues, “Allāh 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-Math’āni (the oft-repeated seven verses), and it is divided between Allāh and His servant, and His servant shall get whatever he asks; it is the best Sūra in the Book of the most Exalted One, and A

EA

165

it is a healing from every ailment except poison, which is death.” He is also quoted by al-Kaf`ami as saying, “He (Allāh) bestowed it upon me as His blessing, making it equivalent to the Holy Qur’ān, saying, `And We have granted you al-Sab` al-Math’āni and the Great Qur’ān (Sūrat al-μijr, verse 87).’ It is the most precious among the treasures of the `Arsh.” Indeed, Allāh, the most Sublime, has chosen Mu¦ammed  alone to be honoured by it without doing so to any other Prophet or Messenger of His with the exception of Solomon  who was granted the Basmala. One who recites it, being fully convinced of his following in the footsteps of Mu¦ammed  and his Progeny , adhering to its injunctions, believing in its outward and inward meanings, will be granted by Allāh 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.

Many readers of my Memoirs, to which reference is made in the Preface to this book, wrote me saying that they thought that their text ought to be turned into a documentary film! As for my book on the fast, I have been overwhelmed by the flood of letters from readers all over the world expressing appreciation of the effort invested in writing it, how it is quite different from any other book dealing with the same subject-matter. It is hoped that their response to this book will not be any less.

There is no doubt that you, dear reader, know that it is very costly to print books, and philanthropists in the Muslim world are rare species. Once you find one, you will find out that he is willing to spend money on anything except on a book! This is very sad, very tragic, very shameful. Islam spread through a Book, the Holy Qur’ān. That was all the early generations of Muslims needed besides the presence of the Messenger of Allāh . But times have changed; we do not have the presence of the Messenger of Allāh  in our midst to ask him whenever we need to know, and his Sunnah has suffered acutely of alteration, addition, deletion, customdesigning and tailoring to fit the needs of the powerful politicians of the times, so much so that it is now very hard to find the pristine truth among all the numerous different views and interpretations.

166

This is why the reader has to spend more effort to get to know the truth; nobody is going to hand it to you on a golden platter. You have to work hard to acquire it. “Easy come, easy go.” Yet readers who would like to earn a place in Paradise through their dissemination of Islamic knowledge, such as the knowledge included in this book, are very much needed and are advised in earnest to send their contributions to the Publisher of this book in order to help him print more copies of it and make them available to those who cannot afford to purchase them. Some readers erroneously surmise that book publishers are wealthy people who make a lot of money selling books, but, alas, this applies mostly to non-Muslim publishers. After all, Allāh will judge our actions according to our intentions, and if you help promote a book seeking the Pleasure of Allāh, rest assured that you will be richly rewarded. It remains to see how strong you are against the temptations of Satan who will try his best, and his worst, to dissuade you from doing so. He very well knows that nothing in the world stands between him and corrupting the minds of Muslims more than accurate knowledge about Allāh and the men of Allāh. May Allāh Ta`ālā include us among the latter, Allāhumma Āmeen.

May Allāh Ta`āla accept our humble effort; may He forgive our sins and shortcomings; may He take our hands and guide us to what He loves and prefers, Allāhomma Āmeen, Wassalāmo Alaikom wa Ra¦matullāhi wa Barakātuh.

167

GLOSSARY OF ISLAMIC TERMS ‫ ع‬،‫ ﺁ‬،‫أ‬،‫ ا‬A A’imma ‫أئمة‬: Plural of ‫ إمام‬imām, religious leader. There are many types of such leaders in Islam: The most common is the ‫إمام الجماعة‬ imām al-jamā`a, leader of congregational prayers. Imāmite Shī`ites follow 12 Imāms who start from Ali ibn Abū ±ālib and end with the Awaited One, Imām al-Mahdi (‫)ﻋﺞ‬. The word ‫ إمام‬imām is given a much broader meaning in verse 124 of Ch. 2, The Cow, of the Holy Qur’ān where it refers to an imām of an entire nation. Such imāms of entire nations, we are told in 17:71, will be gathered on the Judgment Day with their followers for questioning.

Abrashiyya ‫أبرشية‬: parish, diocese A.D.: stands for "Anno Domini" ("year of the Lord"). It is used to refer to pre-Hijra dates. Hijra is the migration of the Prophet from Mecca to Medīna. According to some reports, the Prophet entered Medīna on the 12th of Rabī` I which coincided with the 24th of September according to the Julian calendar or the 27th of September according to the Gregorian calendar of the year 622 A.D. H

168

H

Ādāb ‫آداب‬: ethics, rules of conduct, morals, arts `Ādil ‫عادل‬: fair, just, equitable, impartial, unbiased `Adl ‫عدل‬: Usually, it refers to the concept of the justice of Allāh (God). This is one of the principles of the Islamic creed: The Almighty is fair and just to everyone and does not discriminate among His servants.

A¦ādīth ‫أحاديث‬: (Pl.; singular: ¦adīth), a statement (usually stated/attributed either to the Prophet  or to one of the members of his Progeny or companions); these are one of the two sources of the Sunna, the other being the Holy Qur'ān. But this Sunnah has been distorted so much since the beginning of the Islamic history by politicians and interest seekers, so much so that it is very difficult now to sift through them and identify what is authentic, genuine, and what is fabricated. Umayyad rulers in general and Mu`āwiyah in particular played a major role in distorting the Islamic creed by paying writers to tailor design "traditions" to serve their interests and legitimize their un-Islamic authority and behavior.

Ahilla ‫أھله‬: plural of hilāl, crescent Ahl ar-Ra'i ‫أھل الرأي‬: people of opinion. It refers to qualified people who are consulted on Islamic matters.

A¦zāb ‫أحزاب‬: parties. "A¦zāb" occurs in Ch. 33 of the Holy Qur’ān to describe the different tribes that fought the Muslims in the Battle of Khandaq (ditch, moat) which took place in 5 A.H./627 A.D. Refer to the meaning of khandaq below for full details.

Alā ‫عال‬: rose, ascended; ‫عال على‬: prevailed, overrode, predominated, triuphed over. It also means soared or indulged in pride, acted arrogantly, thought too much of himself. Other meanins: mounted, towered over. `Ālim ‫عالم‬: scholar, theologian, a highly knowledgeable person 169

Allāhu Akbar or Allāho Akbar, Allāhu Akber, Allāhoo Akber, or Allāh Akbar ‫ﷲ أكبر‬: This statement is said by Muslims quite often and on various occasions. During the call for prayers, during prayers, when they are happy, when they wish to express their approval of what they hear, when they slaughter an animal, and when they want to praise a speaker…, Muslims utter this expression.

Its means: "Allāh is the Greatest." `Almāni or ‘Ilmāni ‫ ”علماني‬secular, multi-confessional A`māl ‫أعمال‬: highly recommended acts of adoration Amīn or Amīn ‫أمين‬: custodian or guardian, someone who is loyal, faithful, trustworthy, secretary Āmeen or Āmīn ‫آمين‬: Amen Amīr or Ameer ‫أمير‬: leader or commander, prince, one in charge Amīr al-Mu’minīn or Ameerul-Mu’mineen ‫أمير المؤمنين‬: Commander of the Faithful: title of the caliphs, Islamic rulers.

Followers of Ahl al-Bayt , the Prophet's Progeny, apply it particularly to Imām Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  on account of the "Ghadīr Khumm Declaration". This Declaration took place on the 18th of Dhul-μijja of the year 11 A.H. which then coincided, according to the Gregorian Christian calendar, with the 9th of March (or the 6th of March according to the Julian Christian calendar) of the year 633 A.D. The Ghadīr, swamp or small lake of shallow water formed mostly by rainfall, is located in the Ju¦fa desert between Mecca and Medīna on the pilgrims' route to Mecca. It is there and then that the Prophet  170

articulated his famous statement: "To whom I have been a mawla, master, this Ali is his master! Lord befriend whoever befriends him and be the enemy of whoever antagonizes him!" It is there and then that Ali was called "Amīr al-Mu’mineen", commander of the faithful. Numerous classic books (mostly in Arabic) detail this incident. One of them is al-Bukhāri's book titled At-Tārīkh Al-Kabīr where the author details the incident in Vol. 1, Part 1, p. 375 (Hayderabad, India, edition). Al¦amdu-Lillāh, the author of this book has written an entire book about this incident titled Ghadīr Khumm: Where Islam was Perfected.

An¥ār ‫أنصار‬: helpers, supporters. These were the people of Medīna who responded to the Prophet's call to Islam and helped establish Islam's first city-state power. One of the most famous of the Ansār is the great ¥a¦ābi "Abū Ayyūb" Khālid ibn Zaid (some say ibn Kulayb) al-An¥āri who hosted the Prophet  on his arrival at Medīna following his Hijra, migration, from Mecca.

H

H

`Aqaba or `Aqabah ‫عقبه‬: Literally, this word means: obstacle, obstruction, stumbling block, hindrance. It also refers to a place in Mina just outside Mecca where the first Muslims of Yathrib (Medīna) pledged allegiance to the Prophet in the year 621 A.D. shortly before the migration (hijra). A similar meeting took place the next year when more Muslims from Yathrib pledged their allegiance to the Prophet .

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

`Aqīqa ‫عقيقة‬: a dinner reception held after a child is born; relatives, friends, and neighbors are invited for such an occasion; sacrifice of a sheep or goat at the time of the ritual shaving of the baby's first grown hair `Arafāt or `Arafah or `Arafa ‫عرفه‬: a hill and plain north of Mecca.

Muslims believe that it is on this hill and its surrounding plain that mankind will start their resurrection on the Judgment Day for questioning, judgment and settling accounts. During the ¦ajj, pilgrimage, on the ninth day of the month of Dhul-μijja, Muslim pilgrims gather in this area for one day.

H

H

171

`Arsh ‫عرش‬: Literally, it means throne, symbol of the Almighty's Authority. `A¥abiyya ‫عصبيه‬: fanaticism, extremism, excessive tribal loyalty or racial pride A¥āla or A¥ālah ‫أصالة‬: Purism, purity, genuineness, authenticity, excellence As¦ār ‫أسحار‬: plural of sa¦ar, the time immediately preceding daybreak Assalāmu `Alaikum or Assalāmo `Alaikum, As-Salāmo `Alaikom ‫ السالم عليكم‬This is an expression which Muslims utter whenever they meet one another. It is a statement of greeting with peace. Its meaning is: "Peace be upon/with you" or "May the peace and the Mercy of Allāh be upon/with you," The complete statement is "Assalāmu `Alalikum Wa Ra¦matullāhi Wa Barakātuh," ‫السالم عليكم و‬ ‫ رحمة ﷲ و بركاته‬which means: "May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allāh be upon/with you." `Asr ‫ ”عصر‬late afternoon, time for one of the five obligatory ¥alāt, prayer, rites H

H

Astaghfirullāh or Astaghfir-Allāh ‫أستغفرﷲ‬: This is an expression used by a Muslim when he pleads for Allāh's forgiveness. The meaning is: "I ask Allāh for His forgiveness." A Muslim utters this statement many times, even when he is talking to another person.

When a Muslim abstains from doing wrong, or even when he wants to prove that he is innocent of an incident of which he is charged, he uses this expression, too. After every ¥alāt (payer), a Muslim utters this statement at least three times. One Åādīth (Prophet's tradition) says that Istighfār, the uttering of this statement, is the essence of adoration. `Ateeq ‫عتيق‬: Literally, it means old, obsolete, antinquated, ancient.

But the Venerable Ka`ba has always been referred to as ‫البيت العتيق‬ which has more than one meaning: the House which was spared the 172

destruction of the flood of Prophet Noah , that is, it was "freed" or spared the destruction caused by the flood. According to the famous lexicon Lisān al-Arab, what is ‫ عتيق‬is the best, the choicest, the most precious of everything. This fits the Ka`ba more than any other place or spot or monument on earth. Lisān al-Arab also says that the Ka`ba is described as ‫ البيت العتيق‬because the Almighty freed it from the hegemony of any tyrant in all human history: None could demolish it or obliterate its precincts or put an end to the pilgrimage to it which was first started by our father Adam, and it will continue till the Last Day on earth. Adam was taught by arch-angel Gabriel how to perform the pilgrimage so he would be forgiven for having eaten of the forbidden fruit in Paradise. The time when Adam was kicked out of Paradise was in the late afternoon, so Gabriel taught him to pray 3 rek`āts (prostrations): one on behalf of himself, another on behalf of his wife, our mother Eve, and one on behalf of his offspring, our human species. This is why sunset prayers are performed in 3 rek`āts.

Adhān or Athān ‫أذان‬: the call for prayers; mu'adhdhin is one who performs the 'adhān Athbāt ‫أثبات‬: plural of thabt ‫ثبت‬, one who is widely recognized as an authority in his field `A§iyya ‫عطية‬: gift, present, grant, boon A'ūdhu billāhi minashai§ānir-rajīm or A'oodhu billāhi minashShai§ān ir-Rajeem ‫أعوذ با من الشيطان الرجيم‬: This is a statement which Muslims have to recite before reciting the Holy Qur’ān, before speaking, before doing almost anything, even before making a supplication, performing the ablution or entering the wash room.

Its meaning is: "I seek refuge with Allāh from the outcast Satan."

"Allāh" is the Arabic name of God which the Muslims prefer over "God" simply because it is unique: You cannot derive a dual, plural, or feminine derivation from it. One of its meanings is: "The One about Whom the minds wonder" because nobody can grasp the essence or greatness of the Almighty. Satan is the source of evil and he always tries to misguide and mislead people, so one needs to seek 173

refuge against the mischief of Satan with the omni-Potent and allPowerful Lord of lords, Allāh. `Awl ‫عول‬: one sought during the time of need, a reliable helper Awqiyya ‫أوقيه‬: weight, undefined measure for weighing items `Awra ‫عورة‬: Private parts, body parts that are not supposed to be exposed to others, nudity, nakedness, intimate bodily parts, shame.

For men, they are from the navel to the knee. For women, all the body except the hands, feet and face. Āya or Āyah or Āyat ‫آيه‬: Verse (from a sacred scripture); plural: āyāt. The literal meaning of "āya" is miracle or sign. The Qur’ān is considered to be a miracle by itself. Each verse is called an āyat, a miracle. `Azā' ‫ع زاء‬: consolation, comfort, solace, condolence; a ceremony held at one's death or martyrdom;  ‫ ع زاء الح سين‬: Commemorations of the somber occasion of the martyrdom of Imām al-μussain  which include the recounting of the heroic epic of his martyrdom, lamentations, religious lectures, admonishments and other rites. They also include the distribution of traditional foods served on the occasion and other gifts to the attendants of the majālis where such commemorations are held. For details of this heroic epic of Imām al-μussain’s tragedy, see my book titled Kerbala and Beyond: An Epic of Immortal Heroism.

174

‫ب‬B Badā' ‫بداء‬: starting point, the beginning/start of something, the onset Bādiya ‫باديه‬: desert or semi-arid environment Badr ‫بدر‬: Full moon, a geographical site in today’s Saudi Arabia.

Geographically, Badr is a highway station located 200 miles from Mecca and 80 miles from Medīna, and it is the site of the early Muslims' first battle in defense of the creed. The Muslims numbered only 313 men who had to fight mostly on foot because they had only 2 horses and 70 camels. Their enemies, the polytheists of Quraish, numbered between 900 and one thousand men. But the Muslims were fired with holy zeal and enthusiasm, so much so that they defeated their enemies, killing seventy of them and wounding many others. Their losses were: 14 from among the Muhajir fighters and 8 from the Ansār. The battle started on the 17th of the month of Rama¤ān in 2 A.H., which at the time coincided with March 16, 624 A.D. Baghā ‫بغى‬: transgressed, behaved in an aggressive or unfairly hostile way, oppressed Baghīdh or Baghī¨ ‫بغيض‬: hated, contemptible, abhorred Bā'is ‫بائس‬: destitute, needy, indigent, distressed, wretch, miserable Bakkā'in or Bakkā'ūn or Bakkā'oon ‫بكائون‬: weepers. Some Muslim scholars say that these were the people who could not accompany the Prophet on his Tabūk campaign because they lacked the resources. They started to weep when they realized that they could not go. But they are actually five individuals who are remembered in history for having wept for so many years. Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  was asked about those “five weepers,” and he  listed them as follows: 1) Our father Adam  who wept for having been expelled out of Paradise; 2) Prophet Jacob (Ya`qūb)  who wept over the loss of his son, prophet Joseph (Yousuf) , till he lost his eyesight; 3) Prophet Joseph  himself who wept for missing his father, 175

prophet Jacob , till his fellow inmates requested him to weep either during the day or during the night; 4) Fā§ima  daughter of Prophet Mu¦ammed  who wept over her father till the residents of Medīna complained about it; and 5) Imām Ali son of Imām alμussain  who wept over the martyrdom of his father for twenty years, some say forty. Whenever he was about to eat or drink anything, he would remember his martyred father, so he would weep, so much so that even his servants were worried he would perish on account of his excessive weeping. If you have a heart, you, too, will probably weep if you read the story of martydom of Imām al-μussain  as I detailed it in my book titled Kerbala and Beyond: An Epic of Immortal Heroism.

Balāgha or Balāghah ‫بالغة‬: wise rhetoric, elocution, mastery of oratory and language; refer to Nahjul-Balāgha book to which reference is made in this book in more than one place in order to enjoy and benefit from the wisdom of Imām Ali ibn Abū ±ālib .

In order to portray for the reader the command which Imām Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  had of Arabic, two miraculous sermons which he composed serve as testimonies not only to such mastership but also to his genius: One of them contains an Arabic text in which the Imām  did not use the “elongated aleef ‫”األليف الممدودة‬, alpha, “A”, and in the other he did not use a single alphabet that has any dots in it: ‫ فقيل ليس من حرف المعجم حرف‬،‫في أحد األيام دار بين العرب و المسلمين نقاش كبير‬ ‫ تبع ذلك أن نھض‬... ‫ فأيد ذلك جميع الجالسين‬،"‫أكثر دورانا في الكالم من "األليف‬ ‫ و‬ ‫نبراس اللغة األنيق و بحرھا العميق و فيلسوفھا الدقيق االمام علي بن أبي طالب‬ ‫خطب خطبة طويلة تشتمل على الثناء على ﷲ تعالى و الصالة و السالم على نبيه محمد‬ ‫بن عبد ﷲ بن عبد المطلب )صلى ﷲ عليه و على آله و سلم( و ھي خالية من بدايتھا‬ -:‫الى نھايتھا من ذكر حرف "األليف" )الممدودة( و ھي كما يلي‬ ‫ و نفذت‬،‫ و تمت كلمته‬،‫ و سبقت غضبه رحمته‬،‫ و سبغت نعمته‬،‫حمدت من عظمت منته‬ ‫ متخضع‬،‫ حمدته حمد مقر بربوبيته‬.‫ و عدلت قضيته‬،(‫ و بلغت حجته )قضيته‬،‫مشيته‬ ‫ مؤمل من ربه‬،‫ مستعيذ من وعيده‬،‫ معترف بتوحيده‬،‫ متنصل من خطيئته‬،‫لعبوديته‬ ‫ و نستعينه و نسترشده و‬،‫ يوم يشغل كل عن فصيلته و بنيه‬،‫رحمة )مغفرة( تنجيه‬ ‫ و فردته‬،‫ و شھدت له تشھد عبد مخلص موقن‬.‫ و نؤمن به و نتوكل عليه‬،‫نستھديه‬ ‫ ليس له شريك في ملكه و لم يكن له ولي‬،‫تفريد مؤمن متق و وحدته توحيد عبد مذعن‬ 176

‫في صنعه؛ جل عن مشير و وزير‪ ،‬و تنزه عن مثل وعون و معين و نظير‪ ،‬علم فستر و‬ ‫بطن فخبر‪ ،‬و نظر فجبر‪ ،‬و ملك فقھر؛ و عصي فغفر‪ ،‬و عبد فشكر‪ ،‬و حكم فعدل‪ ،‬و‬ ‫تكرم و تفضل‪ .،‬لن يزول و لم يزل‪ ،‬ليس كمثله شيء‪ ،‬و ھو قبل كل شيء و بعد كل‬ ‫شيء رب متفرد بعزته‪ ،‬متمكن بقوته‪ ،‬متقدس بعلوه‪ ،‬متكبر بسموه‪ ،‬ليس يدركه بصر و‬ ‫لم يحط به نظر‪ ،‬قوي منيع‪ ،‬بصير سميع‪ ،‬حليم حكيم‪ ،‬رؤوف رحيم‪ ،‬عجز عن وصفه من‬ ‫وصفه‪ ،‬و ظل نعته من نعته‪ ،‬وصل به من نعمته من يعرفه‪ ،‬قرب فبعد‪ ،‬و بعد فقرب‪،‬‬ ‫يجيب دعوة من يدعوه‪ ،‬و يرزق عبده و يحبوه‪ ،‬ذو لطف خفي‪ ،‬و بطش قوي‪ ،‬و رحمة‬ ‫موسعة‪ ،‬و عقوبة موجعة‪ ،‬و رحمته جنة عريضة مونقة‪ ،‬و عقوبته جحيم موصدة‬ ‫موبقة )موثقة(‪.‬‬ ‫و شھدت ببعث محمد ‪ ‬عبده و رسوله‪ ،‬و نبيه و صفيه و حبيبه و خليله‪ ،‬صلة‬ ‫تحظيه‪ ،‬و تزلفه و تعليه‪ ،‬و تقربه و تدنيه‪ ،‬بعثه في خير عصر و حين فترة كفر‪ ،‬رحمة‬ ‫لعبيده و منة لمزيده‪ ،‬ختم به نبوته‪ ،‬و قوى )وضح( به حجته‪ ،‬فوعظ و نصح و بلغ و‬ ‫كدح‪ ،‬رؤوف بكل مؤمن رحيم‪ ،‬رضي ولي سخي زكي‪ ،‬عليه رحمة و تسليم و بركة و‬ ‫تكريم‪ ،‬من رب غفور رؤوف رحيم‪ ،‬قريب مجيب حكيم‪.‬‬ ‫وصيتكم معشر من حضرني بتقوى ربكم‪ ،‬و ذكرتكم بسنة نبيكم‪ ،‬فعليكم برھبة تسكن‬ ‫قلوبكم‪ ،‬و خشية تذرف دموعكم‪ ،‬و تقية تنجيكم يوم يذھلكم و يبليكم‪ ،‬يوم يفوز فيه من‬ ‫ثقل وزن حسنته‪ ،‬و خف وزن سيئته‪ .‬لتكن مسئلتكم سؤل ذل و خضوع و شكر و‬ ‫خشوع‪ ،‬و توبة و نزوع‪ ،‬و ندم و رجوع‪ ،‬و ليغتنم كل مغتنم منكم صحته قبل سقمه‪ ،‬و‬ ‫شبيبته قبل ھرمه فكبره و مرضه‪ ،‬و سعته قبل فقره و خلوته )فرغته( قبل شغله‪ ،‬و‬ ‫ثروته قبل فقره‪ ،‬و حضره قبل سفره‪ ،‬و حيته قبل موته‪ ،‬ثم يكبر و يھن و يھرم و‬ ‫يمرض و يسقم و يمل طبيبه و يعرض عنه حبيبه‪ ،‬و ينقطع عمره و يتغير لونه‪ ،‬و يقل‬ ‫عقله‪ ،‬ثم قيل‪ :‬ھو موعوك و جسمه منھوك‪ ،‬قد جد في نزع شديد‪ ،‬و حضره قريب و‬ ‫بعيد‪ ،‬فشخص ببصره و طمح بنظره و رشح جبينه و خطف عرنينه و سكن حنينه و‬ ‫جنبت نفسه و بكته عرسه و حفر رمسه و يتم منه ولده و تفرق عنه عدده )عدوه و‬ ‫صديقه(‪ ،‬و قسم جمعه و ذھب بصره و سمعه‪ ،‬و لقن و مدد‪ ،‬و وجه و جرد‪ ،‬و غسل و‬ ‫عري و نشف و سجي‪ ،‬و بسط له و ھيئ‪ ،‬و نشر عليه كفنه‪ ،‬و شدد منه ذقنه‪ ،‬و قبض‬ ‫و ودع ‪ ،‬و قمص و عمم و لف و سلم و حمل فوق سرير و صلي عليه بتكبير بغير‬ ‫سجود و تعفير و نقل من دور مزخرفة و قصور مشيدة و حجر منضدة‪ ،‬فجعل في ضريح‬ ‫ملحود‪ ،‬ضيق مرصود‪ ،‬بلبن منضود‪ ،‬مسقف بجلمود‪ ،‬و ھيل عليه عفره و حثي عليه‬ ‫مدره‪ ،‬فتحقق حذره‪ ،‬و تخفق صدره‪ ،‬و نسي خبره‪ ،‬و رجع عنه وليه و صفيه و نديمه و‬ ‫نسيبه و حميمه‪ ،‬و تبدل به قرينه و حبيبه‪ ،‬فھو حشو قبر و رھين قفر‪ ،‬يسعى في جسمه‬ ‫دود قبره‪ ،‬و يسيل صديده في منخره على صدره و نحره‪ ،‬تسحق تربته لحمه و ينشف‬ ‫دمه و يرق عظمه و يقم في قبره حتى يوم حشره و نشره‪ ،‬فينشر من قبره و ينفخ في‬ ‫صوره و يدعى لحشره و نشوره‪ ،‬فثم بعثرت قبور و حصلت سريرة في صدور و جئ‬ ‫بكل نبي و صديق و شھيد و نطيق‪ ،‬و وقف لفصل حكمه عند رب قدير بعبيده خبير‬ ‫بصير‪ ،‬فكم من زفرة تضفيه و حسرة تنضيه )تقصيه(‪ ،‬في موقف مھول و مشھد جليل‪،‬‬ ‫بين يدي ملك عظيم‪ ،‬بكل صغيرة و كبيرة عليم‪ ،‬يلجمه عرقه و يجفوه قلقه‪ ،‬فعبرته غير‬ ‫‪177‬‬

‫مرحومة و صرخته )حجته( غير مقبولة‪ ،‬و برزت صحيفته و تبينت جريرته‪ ،‬و نطق كل‬ ‫عضو منه بسوء عمله‪ ،‬فشھدت عينه بنظره و يده ببطشه و رجله بخطوه و جلده بلمسه‬ ‫و فرجه بمسه‪ ،‬و يھدده منكر و نكير‪ ،‬و كشف له حيث يسير‪ ،‬فسلسل جيده و غلت يده و‬ ‫سيق يسحب وحده‪ ،‬فورد جھنم بكرب و شده‪ ،‬فظل يعذب في جحيم‪ ،‬و يسقى من حميم‪،‬‬ ‫يشوي وجھه و يسلخ جلده‪ ،‬يضربه زبانيته بمقمع من حديد‪ ،‬و يعود جلده بعد نضجه‬ ‫كجلد جديد‪ ،‬يستغيث فتعرض عنه خزنة جھنم‪ ،‬و يستصرخ فيلبث حقبة بندم‪ ،‬فلم يجده‬ ‫ندمه‪ ،‬و لم ينفعه حينئذ ندمه‪ .‬نعوذ برب قدير من شر كل مصير‪ ،‬و نطلب منه عفو من‬ ‫رضى عنه‪ ،‬و مغفرة من قبل منه‪ ،‬فھو ولي سؤلي و منجح طلبتي‪ ،‬فمن زحزح عن‬ ‫تعذيب ربه سكن في جنته بقربه و خلد في قصور مشيده‪ ،‬و ملك حور عين و حفدة‪ ،‬و‬ ‫طيف عليه بكؤوس و سكن حضير فردوس‪ ،‬و تقلب في نعيم‪ ،‬و سقي من تسنيم و شرب‬ ‫من عين سلسبيل ممزوجة بزنجبيل‪ ،‬مختومة بمسك و عبير‪ ،‬مستديم للسرور و مستشعر‬ ‫للحبور‪ ،‬يشرب من خمور‪ ،‬في روضة مغدق ليس يصدع من شربه و ليس ينزف‪ ،‬ھذا‬ ‫منقلب من خشى ربه و حذر ذنبه و نفسه‪ ،‬و تلك عقوبة من عصى منشئه و سولت له‬ ‫نفسه معصية مبدئه‪ ،‬ذلك قول فصل‪ ،‬و حكمة حكم عدل‪ ،‬قص قصص‪ ،‬و وعظ نص‪،‬‬ ‫تنزيل من حكيم حميد‪ ،‬نزل به روح قدس مبين )متين( من عند رب كريم على نبي مھتد‬ ‫مھدي رشيد رحمة للمؤمنين‪ ،‬مبين من عند رب كريم‪ ،‬و سيد حلت عليه سفرة‪ ،‬مكرمون‬ ‫بررة‪.‬‬ ‫عذت برب عليم حكيم‪ ،‬قدير رحيم‪ ،‬من شر عدو و لعين رجيم‪ ،‬فليتضرع متضرعكم‪ ،‬و‬ ‫يبتھل مبتھلكم‪ ،‬و يستغفر رب كل مربوب لي و لكم‪.‬‬ ‫ض َوال‬ ‫ثم قرأ بعدھا قوله تعالى‪  :‬تِ ْلكَ الدﱠا ُر ِ‬ ‫اآلخ َرةُ نَ ْج َعلُ َھا لِلﱠ ِذينَ ال يُ ِريدُونَ ُعلُ ّوًا فِي األَ ْر ِ‬ ‫سادًا َوا ْل َعاقِبَةُ لِ ْل ُمتﱠقِينَ ‪) ‬القصص‪.(83 :‬‬ ‫فَ َ‬ ‫‪One day, a heated discussion went on among the Arabs and Muslims‬‬ ‫‪during which it was said that there is no alphabet that recurs in‬‬ ‫‪speech more often than the "aleef", alpha ("A"). All attendants‬‬ ‫‪agreed. It was then that the magnificent lantern of language, its deep‬‬ ‫‪ocean and precise philosopher, namely Imām Ali ibn Abū Talib ,‬‬ ‫‪stood up and delivered a lengthy sermon which included praise of‬‬ ‫‪Allāh Almighty, prayers and salutations unto His Prophet,‬‬ ‫‪Mu¦ammed ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib  (peace and‬‬ ‫‪blessings of Allāh be with him and his progeny). The statements of‬‬ ‫‪the entire sermon, from beginning to end, did not contain a single‬‬ ‫‪word having the "elongated aleef" (alpha). The author’s humble‬‬ ‫‪translation of it is as follows:‬‬ ‫‪I praise the One Whose boon is great, whose blessing overwhelms,‬‬ ‫‪178‬‬

whose mercy is faster than His anger, the One whose word is perfect, whose will reigns, whose argument (issue) is wise, whose case is just. I praise Him as one recognizing His Godhead, submissive while adoring Him, dissociating himself from his sin, recognizing His Unity, seeking refuge with Him against His warning, hopeful for the mercy (forgiveness) of his Lord that saves him [from the Fire] on a Day when everyone will be distracted even from his offspring and tribe. We seek His help, guidance and directions. We believe in Him and depend on Him. I have testified to Him as a sincere and convinced servant/slave; I recognize His Uniqueness as a pious believer, and I have recognized His Unity like a submissive servant/slave. He has no partner in His domain; He relies on none in doing whatever He does. He is exalted above having an advisor or a vizier. He is above using a model or an assistant or a helper or a peer. He knows, so He covers; He is acquainted with the innermost, so He is most familiar [with our intentions]. He cast a look, so He assisted; He owns everything, so He subdues. He is disobeyed, yet He forgives; He is adored, so He thanks. He rules, so He affects justice, and He is generous and grants favors. He shall never come to an end, and He has always been as He is; there is nothing like Him. He, first and foremost, is a unique Lord in His exaltation, able through His might, holy through His sublimity, proud of His Majesty; no (mental) vision can realize Him, nor can anyone ever see Him. He is strong, invincible, seeing, hearing, clement, wise, affectionate and kind. One who attempts to describe Him can never do so; one who attempts to describe His attributes can never do so [either]. His blessing reaches those who get to know Him: He is near, so He is far [above mental or physical vision]; He is far yet He is near [closer to us than anything else]. He responds to the call of those who call on Him; He sustains His servant and surrounds him with His love; His niceties are hidden [from our comprehension]; His power is mighty; His mercy is wide; His penalty is painful; His mercy is broad, a Garden of grandeur (Paradise); His punishment is Hell filled with horrors and chains.

I have testified that He sent Mu¦ammed  as His servant and messenger, prophet, chosen one, loved one, friend, a link [with the Almighty] that grants him [Mu¦ammed ] fortune, bringing him 179

closer to Him, elevating him, granting him nearness and closeness [to the Almighty]. He sent him during a good (opportune) period of time, when there was disbelief, as mercy for His servants and a boon for more. Through him He sealed His prophetic messages, strengthened (explained) His argument. So he admonished, advised, conveyed the message and worked hard [for people]. He was affectionate towards every believer, merciful, easy to please, the friend of anyone who is generous and pure: mercy, salutation, blessing and honor with him from a forgiving, affectionate, kind, near, responsive and wise Lord.

I have admonished you, O folks who are present here with me, to be pious towards your Lord (as He has admonished), and I have reminded you of the Sunnah of your Prophet; so, take to awe that calms your hearts, fear that draws your tears, piety that saves you on a Day which will puzzle your minds and put you to the test, a day on which one shall win if the weight of his good deeds is heavy while that of his sins is light. Let your plea be in humility and surrender, appreciation and submission, repentance and dissociation [from sin], regret and return [to righteousness]. Let everyone of you seize the opportunity when he is healthy before the time when he is sick, when he is young before he is aged, old and sick, [the opportunity] of his ease before he is poor, of having free time before he is busy, of being wealthy before being impoverished, of being present at home before he is away traveling, of being alive before his death. He shall grow old, become weak, aged, sick, ailing, so much so that even his doctor is fed-up with him, even those who love him turn away from him. His lifespan will have come to an end. His color of complexion is changed. His mental power is decreased, so it is said that he is ailing and his body is failing. He is having a hard time as he finds himself suffering from the throes of death: He is attended by those who are close and who are distant. He gazes, yearns as he turns his eyes, his forehead sweating, his [physical] senses being snatched away from him [one by one]. His sighs are now silent, his soul has departed, so he is mourned by his wife. His grave is dug, his children are now orphans, those who were around him (his friends or foes) are now dispersed from him. What he had accumulated (legacy) has now been divided [among his heirs]. Gone are now his faculties of seeing and hearing; so he receives Talqeen; he is 180

stretched [on the ground] and directed [towards the Qibla]. He is stripped of his clothes, bathed naked, body wiped then directed [towards the Qibla]. Something has been spread on the floor for him as his shrouds are being prepared. His chin has been tied, his soul has already departed from his body and he has been bidden farewell by all. He is now shrouded, his head wrapped, so is his body, and he has been handed over [for burial]. He is carried in a wooden box (coffin); his funeral prayers have been performed with Takb朝r but without prostration or the rubbing of the forehead. He is taken away from a decorated abode [this life], from well built mansions and chambers topping each other, so he is now in an enclosure of a grave which is very narrow and separated from others; it is built with baked clay on top of each other and is sealed with a head stone.

Dust has been healed on him, so he now is sure about that of which he was warned; his chest is now heavy; he is now a thing of the past.

His friends, chosen ones, companions, in-laws and close friends have all left him behind. His company and loved ones are now changed, for he is now nothing but the filling of a grave and the pawn of a waste: Worms crawl all over his body, his pus drips from his nostrils on his neck and chest. Soil crushes his flesh as his blood dries and bone decays. He remains in his grave till the Day when he is herded with others and is given a new life; so, he is taken out of his grave. His trumpet is blown, he is called on to gather with others and stand trial. Graves are scattered around, the innermost in the hearts is recorded and computed. Every prophet, 俗idd朝q, martyr, anyone who speaks is brought and made to stand for the final judgment of an Able God Who is fully knowledgeable of His servants, seeing [all what they do]. Countless exhalations engulf him, sighs fade him (distance him), in a horrific position and an awesome scene before a Great King Who knows about everything small and big. He is reined by his sweat, his worry crushing him, yet his tear has none to feel sorry for, his scream (defense) is not accepted. His record of deeds is brought, his innermost becomes visible, and every part of his body now speaks of his wrongdoings: His eyes testify about what he had seen, his hands about those whom he beat, his legs about where he had gone, his skin about what he had contacted, his private parts about with whom he had had intercourse. He is threatened by Munkir and Nak朝r; and it is unveiled for him where he is heading; so his neck now is tied with 181

chains and his hands are cuffed. He is taken alone, dragged and brought to Hell as he is in a great distress and hardship. He remains in the torment of hell given to drink of very hot pus that grills his face and separates his skin from his body. He is beaten by the torture angels of hell with iron clubs. His skin returns again and again anew after having been baked. He cries for help, yet even the angels in Hell turn away from him. He pleads for mercy, so he stays for a while regretful, yet he finds none to care about his regret. His regret will then be in vain.

We seek refuge with an Able Lord from the evil of any final end such as this, and we plead for forgiveness similar to that of one with whom He is pleased and for an overlooking similar to that of one whose good deeds He has accepted; for He is my Master, ultimate pursuit and the one Who grants success to what I seek. Surely one who is pushed away from the torment of his Lord shall reside in Paradise near Him and shall remain forever in well built mansions, having huris with large lovely eyes and servants. He is given to drink of fresh cool water mixed with ginger and sealed with musk and fragrance that perpetuates happiness and provides the sense of pleasure. He drinks of wines in an orchard filled with all types of pleasures, wine that does not cause any headache to one who drinks it, and it never runs out; such is the ultimate end of one who fears his Lord, who is on guard about his sin, about the insinuations of his nafs (self), and that was the penalty of one who goes against the [sinless] way [in which] he was created, the one whose evil self decorates for him to do what is against his nature. Such is the final judgment and the ruling of One Who is just: He narrated parables, admonished through texts, sent revelations from a Praiseworthy Wise One, revelations which He sent down with a clear (able) Holy Spirit [arch-angel Gabriel] from a Glorious Lord unto a Prophet who is rightly guided and who guides others, one who shows others the right way, a mercy to the believers, clearly from a Great Lord, a master frequented by messengers (angels) who are honored and obedient [of their Lord].

I have sought refuge with a Lord Who is knowing, wise, able, 182

‫‪merciful, from the evil of an enemy who is cursed and stoned; so, let‬‬ ‫‪everyone who pleads plead, and let everyone who seeks [favors of‬‬ ‫‪his Lord] seek and ask forgiveness of the Lord of lords for myself‬‬ ‫‪and for you all.‬‬ ‫‪Having finished his miraculous sermon, the Imām  recited this‬‬ ‫)‪following verse of the Holy Qur’ān: "We shall grant that (eternal‬‬ ‫‪abode of the hereafter to those who intend neither high-handedness‬‬ ‫‪nor mischief on earth, and such end is (the best reward) for the‬‬ ‫‪righteous" (Qur’ān, 28:83).‬‬ ‫خطبة خالية من النقطة‪:‬‬ ‫ھذه خطبة ألمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب ‪ ‬جميع حروف كلماتھا خالية من‬ ‫"النقطة"‪:‬‬ ‫الحمد الملك المحمود‪ ،‬المالك الودود‪ ،‬مصور كل مولود‪ ،‬ومآل كل مطرود‪ ،‬ساطح‬ ‫المھاد وموطد األطواد‪ ،‬ومرسل األمطار ومسھل األوطار‪ ،‬عالم األسرار ومدركھا‪،‬‬ ‫ومدمر األمالك ومھلكھا‪ ،‬ومكور الدھور ومكررھا‪ ،‬ومورد األمور ومصدرھا‪ ،‬عم‬ ‫سماحه وكمل ركامه‪ ،‬وھمل‪ ،‬طاول السؤال واألمل‪ ،‬وأوسع الرمل وأرمل‪ ،‬أحمده حمدا‬ ‫ممدودا‪ ،‬وأوحده كما وحد األواه‪ ،‬وھو ﷲ ال إله لألمم سواه‪ ،‬وال صادع لما عدل له‬ ‫وسواه‪ ،‬أرسل محمدا علما لإلسالم وإماما للحكام‪ ،‬سددا للرعاع ومعطل أحكام ود‬ ‫وسواع‪ ،‬أعلم وعلم‪ ،‬وحكم وأحكم‪ ،‬وأصل األصول‪ ،‬ومھد وأكد الموعود وأوعد‪ ،‬أوصل‬ ‫ﷲ له اإلكرام‪ ،‬وأودع روحه اإلسالم‪ ،‬ورحم آله وأھله الكرام‪ ،‬ما لمع رائل وملع دال‪،‬‬ ‫وطلع ھالل‪ ،‬وسمع إھالل‪ .‬إعملوا رعاكم ﷲ أصلح األعمال‪ ،‬واسلكوا مسالك الحالل‪،‬‬ ‫واطرحوا الحرام ودعوه‪ ،‬واسمعوا أمر ﷲ وعوه‪ ،‬و صلوا األرحام و راعوھا‪ ،‬وآعصوا‬ ‫األھواء وآردعوھا‪ ،‬وصاھروا أھل الصالح والورع‪ ،‬و صارموا رھط اللھو والطمع‪،‬‬ ‫ومصاھركم أطھر األحرار مولدا وأسراھم سؤددا‪ ،‬وأحالمكم موردا‪ ،‬وھا ھو إمامكم وحل‬ ‫حرمكم مملكا‪ ،‬عروسكم المكرمه‪ ،‬وما مھر لھا كما مھر رسول ﷲ أم سلمه‪ ،‬وھو أكرم‬ ‫صھر‪ ،‬و أودع األوالد‪ ،‬وملك ما أراد‪ ،‬وما سھل مملكه وال ھم وال وكس مالحمه وال‬ ‫وصم‪ ،‬اسأل ﷲ لكم أحمد وصاله‪ ،‬ودوام إسعاده‪ ،‬وألھم كال إصالح حاله واألعداد لمآ له‬ ‫ومعاده‪ ،‬وله الحمد السرمد‪ ،‬والمدح لرسوله أحمد‪.‬‬ ‫‪Following is a sermon by the Commander of the Faithful Imām Ali‬‬ ‫‪ibn Abū Talib  all Arabic letters of which do not contain any dots‬‬ ‫‪at all:‬‬ ‫‪Praise to Allāh Who is the praiseworthy, the affectionate owner of‬‬ ‫‪183‬‬

everything, the One who forms everyone born, the ultimate end of everyone who is expelled, the One Who spreads out the earth, Who firms the mountains, Who sends out rain, who facilitates the attainment of goals, Who knows the secrets and realizes them, Who destroys the possessions and annihilates them, who folds out times and repeats them, who causes matters and is their source. His forgiveness covers all, His creation of the clouds is perfected: Rain showers succeed it. He prolongs pursuits and hopes, broadens sands and places them. I praise Him an extended praise, and I recognize His unity just as those who love Him the most recognize: He is Allāh, there is no god for the nations besides Him, nor is there anyone to cause a defect to what He straightens and does. He sent Mu¦ammed  as a banner for Islam and an Imām for those who rule, a helper to the commoners and one who puts an end to the judgments of Wadd and ¯uwā' (idols). He knows and He informs, He rules and He perfects: He is the origin of origins. He [Mu¦ammed ] paves the path [to the Almighty] and emphasizes the Promised Day, warning about it. Allāh has made honors in order to reach him, depositing in his soul Islam, blessing his honorable family and offspring so long as there is anything that shines like lightning, anyone who hurries his pace towards his pursuit, whenever a crescent appears and the announcement about it is made. Do, may Allāh look after you, righteous deeds, tread the paths of what is permissible, put what is prohibitive aside and abandon it, listen to the command of Allāh and realize it, keep in touch with your kinsfolk and look after them. Disobey your inclinations and curb them, give your daughters by way of marriage to the people of righteousness and piety, and stay away from the folks who sport and who covet, so your marriage ties may produce the most pure of freemen, the most eminent descent, those who will let you achieve your dreams. This should be before your eyes, your domain will thus be rightful, your brides honored, and let her dower be just as the Messenger of Allāh  had paid Umm Salamah, while he is the most honored of all inlaws, the most kind of all offspring, and he had whatever he wanted, though having it was not easy, nor did it worry him, nor did his epics ever diminish, nor was he ever stigmatized. I plead to Allāh to grant you the most praiseworthy of connection with Him, the perpetuation of pleasing Him; may He inspire each of you about that 184

which reforms your condition and prepares you for what you shall receive [in the Hereafter]. Eternal praise belongs to Him; lauding belongs to His Messenger Ahmed .

A Sunset View of the Shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib , al-Najaf alAshraf, Iraq

Baqī` or Baqee` ‫بقيع‬: the cemetery where some members of the Prophet’s family and many ¥a¦āba are buried. It is located in the H

H

185

south-east side of Medīna. The tomb of the Mother of the Faithful Khadīja daughter of Khuwaylid , the Prophet's first wife and main supporter in spreading Islam, was also located there before it was demolished by Saudi authorities, and so was the grave of Hamzah, uncle and strong supporter of the Prophet . A number of graves of other ¥a¦āba were gradually razed as well.

H

H

Barā'a or Barā'ah ‫براءه‬: dissociation, rejecting responsibility for; it also is one of the Chapters of the Holy Qur’ān and it has another name: Sūrat at-Ta¦reem, Chapter of Prohibition (Ch. 9). It was revealed to ban non-Muslims from entering the Haram of the Ka`ba in Mecca up to a certain perimeter. It is the only Qur’ānic chapter which does not start with the basmala.

Barak-Allāh or Barakalla ‫بارك ﷲ‬: This is an expression which means "May the blessings of Allāh (be upon/with you)." When a Muslim wants to thank another person, he uses different statements to express his thanks, appreciation and gratitude. One of them is to say "Bāraka Allāh."

Baraka or Barakah ‫بركه‬: blessing, Divine Grace Barzakh ‫برزخ‬: barrier, separator, the place and time wherein the souls undergo a life of their own in the spiritual world till the Day of Judgment when each soul is re-outfitted with an eternal, indestructible, body, physical form or shape; see the Holy Qur’ān, 23:100, 55:20 and 25:53.

Ba¥īra or Ba¥eerah ‫بصيره‬: (intellectual) vision, insight, circumspection, discernment Basmala ‫بسمله‬: the uttering of "BismillāhirRa¦mānir-Ra¦īm" (In the Name of Allāh, the most Gracious, the most Merciful); see also Bismillāh… below. Basmala (or Bismillāh, Arabic ‫ )ﺑﺴﻤﻠﺔ‬is an Arabic language noun which is used as the collective name of the whole of the recurring Islamic phrase bismillāhi ar186

Ra¦māni ar-Ra¦īm. This phrase constitutes the first verse of every "sūra" (chapter) of the Qur’ān (except for the ninth sūra, chapter), and it is used in a number of contexts by Muslims. It is recited several times as part of Muslim daily prayers, and it is usually the first phrase in the preamble of the constitutions of Islamic countries. ‫ بسم ﷲ الرحمن الرحيم‬bismillāhi ar-ra¦māni ar-Ra¦īm "In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” The word "basmala" itself was derived by a slightly unusual procedure in which the first four pronounced consonants of the phrase bismillāhi... were taken as a quadri-literal consonantal root bs-m-l (‫)ب س م ل‬. This abstract consonantal root was used to derive the noun basmala, as well as related verb forms which mean "to recite the basmala". The practice of giving often-repeated phrases special names is paralleled by the phrase “Allāhu Akbar", which is referred to as the "Takbīr ‫( "تكبير‬also Ta`awwudh ‫ تعوذ‬etc.); and the method of coining a quadri-literal name from the consonants of such a phrase is paralleled by the name " μamdala" for Al¦amdulillāh.

In the Qur’ān, the phrase is usually numbered as the first verse of the first sūra, but according to the view adopted by a§-±abari, it precedes the first verse. It occurs at the beginning of each subsequent sūra of the Qur’ān, except for the ninth sūra (see, however, the discussion of the 8th and 9th chapters of the Qur’ān at eighth sūra), but is not numbered as a verse except, in the currently most common system, in the first sūra (chapter).

The Basmala occurs twice in the 27th sūra, at the beginning and in verse 30 (where it prefaces a letter from Sulaymān (Prophet Solomon) to the Queen of Sheba, Balqees (or Balqīs).

The Basmala has a special significance for Muslims, who are to begin each task after reciting the verse. It is often preceded by Ta`awwudh. In Arabic calligraphy, it is the most prevalent motif, more so even than the Shahāda. The three definite nouns of the Basmala, Allāh, ar-Ra¦mān and ar-Ra¦īm correspond to the first three of the traditional 99 Names of Allāh in Islam. Both ar-Ra¦mān and ar-Ra¦īm are from the same triliteral root, rahm "to feel sympathy or pity". According to Lane, ar-ra¦mān is more intensive, H

H

187

including in its objects the believer and the unbeliever, and may be rendered as "The Compassionate", while ar-Ra¦īm has for its peculiar object the believer, considered as expressive of a constant attribute, and may be rendered as "The Merciful".

In a commentary on the Basmala in his Tafsīr, a§-±abari writes: “The Messenger of Allāh  said that Jesus  was handed by his mother Mary over to a school in order that he might be taught. [The teacher] said to him: ‘Write “Bism (In the name of)”.’ And Jesus  said to him: ‘What is “Bism”?’ The teacher said: ‘I do not know.’ Jesus said: ‘The “Ba” is Bahā’ullah (the glory of Allāh), the “Sin” is His Sanā’ (radiance), and the “Mīm” is His Mamlaka (kingdom, sovereignty, domain).”

The total value of the letters of "Bismillāh ar-Ra¦mān ar-Ra¦īm" according to one Arabic system of numerology is 786. There are two methods of arranging the letters of the Arabic alphabet. One method is the most common alphabetical order (used for most ordinary purposes), beginning with the letters Alif ‫ا‬, ba ‫ب‬, ta ‫ت‬, tha ‫ ث‬etc. The other method is known as the “Abjad numerals’ method” or ordinal method. In this method the letters are arranged in the following order:: Abjad, Hawwaz, μu§§i, Kalaman, ¯a`fas, Qarshat, Sakhāz, Zazāgh; and each letter has an arithmetic value assigned to it from one to one thousand. (This arrangement was done, most probably in the 3rd century of Hijra during the '`Abbāsid period, following the practices of speakers of other Semitic languages such as Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Chaldean, etc.)

Taking into account the numeric values of all the letters of the Basmala, according to the Abjad order, the total is 786. In the Indian subcontinent the Abjad numerals have become quite popular. Some people, mostly in India and Pakistan, use 786 as a substitute for Bismillāh ("In the name of Allāh" or "In the name of God"). They write this number to avoid writing the name of God or of Qur’ānic verses on ordinary sheets of paper which can be subject to dirt or come in contact with unclean objects. This practice does not date from the time of Mu¦ammed  and is not universally adopted by Muslims.

188

The basmala, or the phrase bismillāh ar-Ra¦mān ar-Ra¦īm, is one of the most oft-recited phrases in the life of every single observant Muslim. It occupies a key place in the Qur’ān itself, for it is the only non-Qur’ānic phrase that all copies of the Qur’ān included, apparently as a ‘marker’ between the Sūras. Numerous works have been written specifically about the basmala. In this response, a brief linguistic and grammatical explanation will be offered, followed by a discussion of the name ar-Ra¦mān.

The Basmala as Portrayed in Early and Medieval Islamic Sources The first verse of the Qur’ān has almost unanimously been portrayed as being Qur’ān, 96:1, ‘Recite in the name of your Lord who created.’ From this, some derived that the status of a rudimentary basmala was established, as the ‘name of your Lord’ is invoked. In another early Meccan Sūra, Noah is told to ride the Arc ‘…in the name of God’ (Qur’ān, 11:41). In yet another Meccan Sūra, reputed to have been revealed after this one, Solomon writes a letter to the Queen of Sheba in which her advisors tell her, “This (letter) is from Solomon, and it (says): In the name of God, the Ra¦mān, the Ra¦īm” (Qur’ān, 27:30).

The fact that the basmala in its present form was introduced to the Meccan Arabs by the Prophet is quite explicitly mentioned in many sources. One incident, recorded in some canonical works of ¦ādīth and the Sīrah book of Ibn Is¦āq (d. 150/767), mentions that during the writing of the Treaty of μudaybiyyah in 6 A.H., one of the emissaries of Mecca, Suhayl ibn ``Amr, refused to allow the Prophet to begin the treaty with the basmala. His reputed reason was, “As for this ‘ar-Ra¦mān’, I do not know who He is, but rather, write as we are accustomed to write: ‘In your name, O God! (bismika Allāhumma).’”

There are quite a few prophetic traditions that expound upon the blessings of this phrase and when it should be said. It might also have served a more mundane role: Ibn `Abbās is alleged to have said that the Prophet was not able to recognize the end of one Sūra from the beginning of the next until the basmala was recited by Gabriel.

189

The basmala is the only phrase of the Qur’ān that Sunni scholars have disagreed about: Is it a verse of the Qur’ān or is it not? There is agreement that it is a part of Qur’ān, 27:30, where it is mentioned in Solomon’s letter to the Queen of Sheba, and there is also agreement that it does not form a part of Sūra 9. But there was a disagreement about its status at the beginning of all other Sūras, especially the first, al-Fāti¦a. This disagreement is found amongst the four canonical schools of law as well as the ten recitations (qira'āt) of the Qur’ān. Some of them opined that the basmala was a separate verse at the beginning of every Sūra, others said it was part of the first verse. A third group claimed it was only a verse at the beginning of the al-Fāti¦a, while a fourth denied that it was a verse in any of these instances. And a fifth group posited that it was a verse by itself, not connected to any Sūra, which had been placed there as a ‘divider’ to separate two consecutive Sūras. This difference of opinion had a direct impact on certain rituals, such as whether one was obliged to recite the basmala out loud in every prayer or not. Shī`a Muslims do not dispute among themselves about this greatest verse, so great that only 4:255, āyat al-kursi, verse of the Throne, vies with it for greatness; therefore, they pronounce it at the beginning of Qur’ānic chapters which they recite during all daily prayers, and they recite it audibly even if the prayer itself does not have to be recited audibly as is the case with noon and afternoon prayers. Sunni imāms of Friday prayers do not pronounce it...

A Grammatical Breakdown and Exegetical Explanation of the Basmala The basmala consists of four words, the first of which has a prepositional letter attached to it. All of these words are nouns; no verbs or verbal nouns are present. The first letter of the basmala, the ‘b-’ is a prepositional letter (¦arf jarr), thus causing the first word (‘bism’) to be in a genitive state The preposition b- has many uses, but over here appears to be for seeking help (isti`ānah). The word ism is the Arabic for ‘noun’. Linguists differed whether it originated from sumuw (s-m-w), meaning ‘elevation’, or from wasam (wasm), meaning ‘branding’; the Ba¥ra school opted for the former, whilst 190

the Kūfa one preferred the latter. Shī`a Muslims believe that branding is used only for animals as a way of identifying their ownership, so they reject this argument altogether and choose the first option.

Due to the fact that the phrase bism is in a genitive state, it needs some actor (āmil) to which it can be attached (ta`alluq). The Kūfan school of grammar typically assumes that all missing actors must be verbs, as that is the basis of words for them. In contrast, the Ba¥ri school considers all missing actors to be nouns due to their position that nouns are the basis of words. The Kūfans then split up amongst themselves in three specific issues regarding the basmala. Firstly: what was this missing verb? Was it, ‘I recite,’ or ‘I begin,’ or perhaps a verb that varied depending upon the action being done at that time? Secondly, what was the tense of the verb: was it a command or was it in present tense? In other words, is the one who is reciting says, ‘I recite with the name of God’, or is God saying ‘I command you to recite with the name of God?’ Thirdly, what was the position of this missing verb: before the ‘bism’ or after?

Most Kūfans, as well as az-Zamakhshari in his al-Kashshaf ‫الكشاف‬, came to the conclusion that the verb is specific to the context of invoking the basmala (hence it can be used for any permissible act), that it was in the present tense (since the purpose of the basmala is to obtain God’s blessings upon the recitor), and that the missing verb’s place was after the ‘bismi’ (since it is more blessed to begin with the name of God, and since it reminded one that the purpose of doing any act was for God, and because it is a clear refutation of the pagans who would begin by saying ‘In the name of al-Lāt’).

The Ba¥ris, on the other hand, generally held that the missing noun was ‘My recitation’ (qirā'ati), or ‘My beginning’ (ibtidā'i), and that it was placed before the genitive. The question also arose: what does it mean seeking help from the ‘name’ (ism) of God? Specifically, the issue concerned the theological controversy over the implication of the Divine Names: are these Names God Himself, or do they belong to God, or originate from Him, or is the noun ‘ism’ superfluous (zā'id) and only needed for emphasis? The Ash’arites, Mu’tazilites 191

and ahl al-μadīth (to name the more prominent groups) each had its own position.

The next noun in the basmala is the divine name ‘Allāh’. This name raises a whole slew of questions, of which only a few will be dealt with here. There is no doubt that the name ‘Allāh’ was the primary name of the Islamic divinity. The name appears more than 2,700 times in the Qur’ānic text, and there is an overwhelming amount of evidence to show that this name was used for many centuries by the pagan Arabs to refer to a Supreme God – a god that even they, with their permissive idolatry, refused to draw or carve images of.

The linguistic meaning and origin of this name has always been a topic of much discussed in Muslim scholarship. Although a minority of Sunni theologians and linguists considered this name to be a proper name, devoid of any meaning, the majority of them considered it to be derived from some three-letter root. Some suggested that it was a rare transmutation from walaha, which means ‘to confound and confuse’, suggesting that the nature of God (‘Allāh’) confuses and befuddles the minds of all those who try to grasp or understand Him, perplexing them. Others suggested that it is from laha, which means ‘to conceal and cover’, since the true nature of God is concealed from all. However, the most prevalent opinion, amongst linguistics, theologians, and exegetes, is that the name is derived from alaha, which means ‘to show servitude and worship’; hence God (“Allāh”) is the only Being that is worthy of servitude and worship.

Some Western Islamists have posited Aramaic, Syriac or Hebrew origins for this name; strong evidence to substantiate this claim, however, remains lacking.

To summarize before moving on, the first two words of the basmala translate as, ‘My recitation is with the name of Allāh’ for the Basris, and as, ‘With the name of Allāh I recite…’ for the Kūfans.

192

This name (viz., ‘Allāh’), is then followed by two other nouns, arRa¦mān, and ar-Ra¦īm. Both can be derived from the root r-h-m, which means ‘to have mercy, to be compassionate.’ Both utilize known and common morphological forms: falan for the first and fail for the second. Before translating the basmala, it is crucial to understand the grammatical role of these two nouns, as that will decidedly determine the understanding of the basmala. We shall discuss the alleged origins of ‘ar-Ra¦mān’ in the next section.

Almost all classical works that I was able to reference (including works of theology, exegesis, and shurū¦ al-¦adīth) appear to understand these two nouns as adjectives of the first noun, viz., ‘Allāh’. Many books of grammatical analysis do not even mention any other opinion. If these two nouns are understood as being adjectives (i.e., nat), it will imply that both ar-Ra¦mān and arRa¦īm describe and characterize God (‘Allāh’). So it is as if the basmala translates as (according to the Kūfan understanding), “With the name of Allāh, who is ever Merciful (ar-Ra¦mān) and extremely Compassionate (ar-Ra¦īm), I begin this recitation.”

Numerous opinions are found in classical sources regarding the difference between these two names. Most scholars (but not all) are in agreement that the two names are not synonymous or even as efficacious as each other, but rather that ar-Ra¦mān is more indicative of God’s mercy than ar-Ra¦īm. Some opine that arRa¦mān is indicative of God’s mercy to believers and unbelievers in this world, and ar-Ra¦īm is indicative of His special mercy to believers in both worlds. Yet another opinion is that ar-Ra¦mān indicates that God’s Mercy is an essential part of His character, whereas ar-Ra¦īm indicates that God’s actions are always merciful.

Many scholars have sought to understand the wisdom of this particular order of names. A§-±abari posited that the reason these three names are in this order is that the Arabs typically start off with the primary name and then with its descriptions. God’s primary name is ‘Allāh’, hence it was used here. And since ar-Ra¦mān was more specific to God than ar-Ra¦īm, it was given precedence to it.

193

So far we have considered both nouns to be adjectives, and this is by far the ‘standard’ opinion. There seems to be another opinion, rarely expressed, that considers these two nouns to be substitutes (badal).

As a substitute, the basmala would translate as (according to the Ba¥ri opinion this time, for ease of understanding), ‘My recitation begins with the name of Allāh; my recitation begins with the name of ar-Ra¦mān; my recitation begins with the name of ar-Ra¦īm.’

The purpose of these reiterations would obviously not be to express three distinct deities but rather to express three of God’s 99 names.

A modern theologian, Mu¦ammed Abduh (or Abdoh), who appeared to lean towards such an explanation, claimed that this reiteration was meant as a refutation of the Trinity of the Christians, who began their rites with ‘In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.’ By mentioning three of His Names, God intended to demonstrate to the Christians that even if He has many attributes, He is still One in His essence.

Some modern Islamists pose a third position, and that is that only the first of these two nouns is a substitute (badal), and the second is an adjective (na`t) of it. If this understanding is taken, the basmala would translate as, ‘My recitation begins with the name of Allāh, the merciful ar-Ra¦mān.’ I was not able to find any scholar within the Muslim tradition who understood it in this manner. Additionally, since both ar-Ra¦mān and ar-Ra¦īm are placed after the first noun, in the same grammatical context, one would have to show why one of these nouns should be given a different grammatical role than the other, as this would be an awkward rendering of the Arabic expression.

If this third position is taken, then obviously the question arises as to why two names are emphasized (‘Allāh’ and ‘ar-Ra¦mān’), and what the relationship is between them. In order to do this, we need to first discuss the opinions regarding the origins of the name ‘arRahmān’.

Origin of the Attribute ar-Ra¦mān The discussion regarding the origins of the name ar-Ra¦mān is an ancient one. The Qur’ān itself quite explicitly states that this name 194

was unknown to the Quraish (as in Qur’ān, 25:60). Most scholars are of the opinion that ar-Ra¦mān is a unique name of God, and so cannot be used to describe the creation, unlike most other Divine Names, including ar-Ra¦īm. This is due to 17:110, where the two names ‘Allāh’ and ‘ar-Ra¦mān’ appear to be equivalent in sanctity.

There is also a tradition in the canonical works, a Qudsi ¦adīth, in which God is reported as saying ‘I am ar-Ra¦mān; I created the ties of kinship (ar-Ra¦m), and from it derived one of My Names.’ This was one of the primary evidences used by those who claimed that this name is derived from r-¦-m. On the other hand, a number of early Islamic authorities, such as al-Mubarrad, considered arRa¦mān to have a Jewish origin. Quite a few authorities are on record as stating that this name was a name given to ‘ancients’ as well.

It is clear that the Qur’ān itself considers the name ar-Ra¦mān to be an ancient name. Apart from the reference in Solomon’s letter (already given), this name is used as the God of all previous nations in Qur’ān, 43:45; Abraham beseeches God with it (Qur’ān, 19:44); Aaron uses it to remind the Israelites of their God (Qur’ān, 20:19); it appears on the tongue of an Israelite community (Qur’ān, 36:15); and it appears on the tongue of Mary, mother of Jesus  twice (in 19:18 and 19:26).

It is claimed by some that this name was a Meccan name that was later not emphasized as much, and perhaps even sidelined by later Muslims as a primary name of God. However, the name is mentioned in quite a few Medīna verses as well (for example, Qur’ān, 2:163, and 59:22). In addition, every single Sunni theologian who discussed the Divine Names considered the name ‘arRa¦mān’ as being one of those 99 names.

195

To conclude, as with many issues dealing with the academic study of religion, how one chooses to interpret the basmala has a lot to do with one’s basic theological and historical premises. If one believes that Mu¦ammed conjured up a new monotheistic system in order to unite the Arabs, then it is plausible to suggest that he might have wished to unite various factions of Arabia under the deities that they would be familiar with, hence ‘Allāh’ for the Arabs of μijaz and ‘arRa¦mān’ for the Arabs of Southern Arabia. And this is indeed the position of many modern Islamists. But such a position does lead to other questions, such as: why did he only choose the name of the god of one faction of Arabia (Southern Arabia), and not other areas and provinces? And why was he so stubbornly opposed to all the Meccan (and μijazi) pagan deities, allowing no compromise with those deities whatsoever? Also the question arises as to how the name of this obscure divinity reached him. The claim that Mu¦ammed  was reaching out to convert Arabs in Southern Yemen while he was still in the early stages of his message at Mecca presupposes that he was envisioning this new religion to be a dominant force in the farthest corners of Arabia, even while being persecuted and rejected in his own city.

“That ar-Ra¦mān should have been the name of a single God in central and southern Arabia is in no way incompatible with the fact that, when adopted by Islam, it assumes a grammatical form of a word derived from the root ra¦m.” For more details about this most important topic, refer to my already published book titled Allāh: The Concept of God in Islam (ISBN 978-964-438-008-2) or Vol. One of its U.S. edition which will soon go to the press, Inshā-Allāh, and will be available either late 2011 or early 2012.

Bā§il ‫باطل‬: false or falsehood, nullified, voided Ba§sh ‫بطش‬: despotic behavior, tyranny, oppression Batul or Batool ‫بتول‬: ascetic. It is ascribed to Fā§ima  (daughter of Prophet Mu¦ammed ) and some Muslims attribute it to Virgin Mary, mother of Christ .

196

Bawādi ‫بوادي‬: deserts, plural of Bādiya ‫بادية‬ H

H

Bay`a or Bay`ah ‫بيعه‬: oath of allegiance, pledge to a man of authority or prominence Bayān ‫بيان‬: statement, account, declaration, explanation, clarification, announcement Bayt al-Māl ‫بيت المال‬: State Treasury in the Islamic government Bee¤ ‫بيض‬: plural of‫ أبيض‬abya¤, white Bid`a or Bid`ah ‫بدعه‬: innovation, novelty (in religion), heresy Bighā' ‫بغاء‬: prostitution Bismillahir-Ra¦mānir-Ra¦īm ‫بسم ﷲ الرحمن الرحيم‬: This is a verse/statement from the Qur’ān which is articulated before the recitation of the Qur’ān; refer to the item on Basmala above. It is also recited before doing any daily activity, even when a husband starts making love to his wife, for love-making between legal spouses is as sacred as anything else, and it is rewardable by the Almighty, too, Who will surely punish those who permit themselves to having intercourse outside of the sacred limits of marriage unless they regret, repent and do good deeds to wipe out the bad ones.

Islam is not just a religion, it is a way of life, the most clean and the most fulfilling, one which brings happiness in both this life and in the Hereafter. The Basmala means: "In the name of Allāh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful." In the Fāti¦a, the first chapter of the Holy Qur’ān, the Basmala is a verse all by itself, whereas in all other chapters, with the exception of Barā'ah or Tawbah where it is not recited, it serves as an introduction to other verses. On pp. 39-40, Vol. 1, of his Tafsīr, al-Qummi chronologically arranges the isnād of one particular statement made by Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  and recounts the longest list of narrators we have ever come across. The list of narrators ends with Abū Bu¥ayr, a well-known companion of this great Imām , saying that he once asked Imām a¥-¯ādiq  about the exegesis of the Basmala. The Imām said the following: 197

"The ‫ ب‬is derived from ‫" بھاء ﷲ‬bahā-Allāh," the Splendor of Allāh; the ‫ س‬is derived from ‫" سناء ﷲ‬sanā-Allāh," the Majesty of Allāh; the ‫ م‬is derived from ‫" ملك ﷲ‬mulk-Allāh," the Kingdom of Allāh; "Allāh" is the God of everything; ‫ الرحمان‬is the One Who is Merciful to all His creation; ‫ الرحيم‬is the One Who singles out those who believe in Him to receive the greatest share of His mercy." On p. 506 of Mi¥bā¦ al-Kaf`ami ‫مصباح الكفعمي‬, the Messenger of Allāh  is quoted as saying that when a teacher, who teaches a child to recite the Holy Qur’ān, tells the child to recite this Basmala, and when the child recites it, the Almighty 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 that corresponds to the number of the keepers of the gates of hell; therefore, whoever pronounces it, Allāh will permit these letters to close the gates of hell against him.

Bi`tha ‫بعثه‬: the beginning of the Prophet's mission, his call to Prophethood, which started during the month of Rama¤ān, 13 years before the hijra, which coincided in the year 610 A.D. H

Burda ‫بردة‬: garment, gown Bu¥r ‫بصر‬: partially ripe dates Buhtān ‫بھتان‬: falsehood, untruth

Night View of Shrine of Commander of the Faithful Ali , al-Najaf al-Ashraf, Iraq

198

‫ ذ‬،‫ د‬D Dafn ‫دف ن‬: burial. In Islam, there are numerous rules relevant to burying the dead. One is that their dead must not be buried together with followers of other creeds. Muslims have to have their own cemeteries when they live in non-Muslim countries. The corpses have to be given their burial bath then clothed in clean white cotton sheets, shrouds. It is highly recommended to write verses of the Holy Qur’ān on these shrouds. It is also recommended a small copy of the Holy Qur’ān be buried with the deceased person, and two will be even better, one on each of his/her sides. Visiting graves has always been an Islamic tradition especially on certain religious occasions when the Qur’ān is recited at the grave of a loved one whose soul, rest assured, will hear the recitation and appreciate it tremendously. The body dies, but the soul is immortal. Performing prayers on behalf of the dead, especially the parents, has numerous rewards of which only the Almighty is familiar. Doing acts of charity on behalf of the dead has its rewards to both the doer and the person for whom they are done. Graveyards, cemeteries, burial grounds and the like have their own sanctity in Islam and must meet certain conditions to qualify to be called as such. There are also rules restricting the burying of Muslim dead to certain ways and certain places which must be distinguished from those of non-Muslims. A Muslim must not be buried at non-Muslims’ cemetery. “Life” in the grave is a big topic in Islam and is worth researching. This text touches on it lightly due to space constrictions.

Dahr ‫دھر‬: time, age, eternity, forever Dā'i ‫داع ي‬: Muslim missionary involved in da'wa ‫دع وﻩ‬, propagation of Islam. It can also have a general meaning referring to someone who calls others to a certain belief or ideology or to a gathering, meeting, banquet, wedding, etc.

H

H

199

Dā’im ‫دائ م‬: Permanent, continuous; if preceded by the definite article, i.e. ‫ ال دائم‬, it will then refer to the Almighty Who is always there and neither time, nor place, nor anything material applies to Him, the One and only God of everyone and everything.

Da`iyy ‫دع ي‬: One whose father is unknown and someone joins him to his own lineage, a foundling, illegitimately born Dajjāl ‫دجال‬: Impostor, charlatan, deceiver, pretender Daleel ‫دلي ل‬: evidence, proof, argument, indication, clue, guide, directory Dārij ‫دارج‬: current, common, familiar, parlance, colloquial, vernacular Da`wa ‫دعوه‬: inviting others to Islam, any missionary activity Dayn ‫دي ن‬: debt. It may be debt to other people or to the Almighty.

Some people die leaving debts behind which they owe to others who had loaned them to the Almighty to Whom they owe everything and Who required them to do what is surely within their human ability.

These debts, to people or to the Almighty, must be paid by the relatives of these unfortunate dead, and there is hardly one who leaves this temporary abode without leaving behind him/her many debts. This is why Islam emphasizes the need for writing wills.

Remember that whatever you owe people, or you owe your Maker, in this life will be so hard for you to pay in the life to come.

Dīn ‫دي ن‬: religion, creed, faith. Islam is all of this and much more; it is a complete and perfect way of life. Islam is referred to as a "deen" while it is much, much more than that, it is a complete, perfect and flawless way of life which leads to one's happiness in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. It regulates one's relations with other people on one hand and with his/her Creator on the other. It is provides a complete social, political and economic system.

Deewān or Dīwān ‫دي وان‬: a collection of poem; also a place of 200

meeting Dhaleel ‫ذلي ل‬: undignified, lowly, contemptible, one living in an undignified one Dhamm ‫ذم‬: slandering or slander, maligning, vilifying, speaking ill of someone. This is the habit of many people which will in the end lodge them in hell unless they regret, repent and amend. Beware of speaking ill of people unless they are publicly exposing their own sinning and perhaps even bragging about it. In such case, you should condemn them as should everyone else.

Dharee`ah ‫ذريعه‬: pretext, excuse, ostensible motive, excuse Dhakireen ‫ذاك رين‬: those who quite often mention the Name of the Almighty and Glorify Him Dhikr or Thikr or Zikr ‫ذكر‬: remembrance or the praising of Allāh.

Dhimmi or Thimmi or Zimmi ‫ذم ي‬: a non-Muslim individual who lives under the protection of a Muslim state. He is exempt from Islamic duties and obligations, including military service, but he must pay a protection tax called jizya.

H

H

Dhurriyya ‫ذريه‬: offspring, issue, progeny, descendants, children Dīnar or Dīnar ‫دين ار‬: an Islamic (now Arab) gold currency varying in weight, which used to be minited in gold but no longer is Dirham ‫درھ م‬: (historically an) Islamic silver currency weighing approx. 3.12 grams Diyya ‫دي ة‬: blood money, monetary compensation for manslaughter or intentional murder Du`ā' ‫دع اء‬: supplication, invocation, prayer; contemplate on this sacred verse: ‫ " قُ ْل َم ا يَ ْعبَ أ ُ بِ ُك ْم َربﱢ ي لَ ْوال ُد َع ا ُؤ ُك ْم‬Say: 'Had it not been for your prayers (supplications), my Lord would not have cared about you'" (Qur’ān, 25:77). It gives you an idea about how important 201

supplication in Islam is. Most likely, there is no religion in the world that has more supplications and invocations than Islam. This is so because Islam teaches the faithful that the Almighty created them so they may worship Him and only Him. This verse indicates so: ‫نس إِالﱠ لِيَ ْعبُدُون‬ َ ‫اإل‬ ِ ‫ َو َما َخلَ ْقتُ ا ْل ِجنﱠ َو‬ I have only created jinns and men so that they may worship Me (Qur’ān, 51:56) Du`āt ‫دع اة‬: plural of dā'iya or dā`iyah, a caller to Islam or any ideology H

H

Dukhān ‫دخ ان‬: smoke. Chapter 44 of the Holy Qur’ān is called "AlDukhān", the smoke. If you read the first 16 verses (out of a total of 59), you will notice how the Almighty warns those who disbelieve in the message brought from Him to Prophet Mu¦ammed : "Keep waiting, therefore, for the day when the sky brings an evident smoke that shall overtake men" (Qur’ān, 44:10-11). The Prophet , in a tradition dealing with the signs that denote the approach of the Day of Judgment, is quoted as having said, "The first of such signs is the smoke [to which reference is made in these verses]." He was asked what smoke it would be. He said, "It will cover the east of the earth and the west; it will remain for forty days and nights. It will affect the believer just like a cold [catarrh]. As to the unbeliever, he will feel as though he is intoxicated. It [smoke] will come out of his nostrils, ears and rear end." Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  is quoted as having said, "There will be a smoke that will overwhelm both ends of the earth (east and west or north and south), causing the death of two thirds of the world's population." This "smoke" can now be said as caused by the explosion of nuclear and hydrogen bombs and by the poison gases they release.

Dunya ‫دنيا‬: this world or life as opposed to the Hereafter, mortality

202

‫ع‬E Eid or Īd or `Eid or Eed ‫عي د‬: an Islamic feast, a joyous celebration, a merry or festive occasion. The word 'Eid is an Arabic noun which means: a festivity, celebration, recurring happiness. In Islam, there are two major 'Eids: the feast marking the end of the fast of the month of Rama¤ān, which is called 'Eīd al-Fī§r, and the Feast of Sacrifice, `Eid al-A¤¦a. Friday is also regarded as the greatest of all feasts.

203

‫ف‬F Fadak ‫ ف دك‬: a garden oasis in Khaybar, a tract of land approximately thirty miles from Medīna, and it was known for its water-wells, dates, and handicrafts. When the Muslims defeated the people of Khaybar at the Battle of Khaybar, which took place in the year 628 A.D., the oasis of Fadak was part of the booty given to the Prophet Mu¦ammed . Upon his death, he bequeathed it to his daughter, Fā§ima . It became the object of dispute between Fā§ima  and Abū Bakr (573 – 634 A.D.) after the latter had assumed power in the year 632 A.D. following the Prophet’s death.

A brief history of Khaybar tells us that in the 7th century, this oasis was inhabited by Arab Jews who pioneered the cultivation of the oasis and made their living growing date trees as well as through commerce and craftsmanship, accumulating considerable wealth.

The oasis was divided into three regions: an-Na§a§, ash-Shiqq ‫ال شﱢق‬, and al-Katība ‫الكتيب ة‬, probably separated by natural diversions, such as the desert, lava drifts, and swamps. Each of these regions contained several fortresses or redoubts containing homes, storehouses and stables. Each fortress was occupied by a clan and surrounded by cultivated fields and palm-groves. In order to improve their defensive capabilities, the fortresses were raised up on hills or basalt rocks.

Prophet Mu¦ammed  led the march on Khaybar oasis on DhulQa`da 6, 7 A.H., corresponding to May 7, 629 A.D., with approximately 1,500 men and one to two hundred horses. Primary sources, including the classic work titled Seerat Rasool Allāh (Biography of the Messenger of Allāh) of Ibn Is¦āq, describe the conquest of Khaybar, detailing the agreement of Mu¦ammed  with the Jews to remain in Fadak and cultivate their land, retaining one-half of the produce of the oasis. This agreement was distinct from the agreement with the Jews of Khaybar, which essentially entailed the practice of share-cropping. It is not entirely clear how Mu¦ammed  managed his possession of Fadak. Some Muslim commentators agree that after the conquest of Fadak, the property belonged exclusively to the Prophet . Various primary sources H

H

204

H

H

describe the acquisition of Fadak in the following way: An account indicates that eleven fruit trees in Fadak were planted by the Prophet  himself. Other scholars, who accept the view of Fadak as belonging exclusively to the Prophet  after the conquest of Khaybar, include Ali ibn A¦med as-Samhūdi, Ibn Hishām and Abul-Fidā’.

H

H

H

H

H

H

Upon the death of the Prophet  on Rabī’ I 2 or 12, 11 A.H./May 31st or June 12th, 632 A.D., his daughter Fā§ima  declared her claim to inherit Fadak as the estate of her father . The claim was rejected by Abū Bakr on instigation from Omer ibn al-Kha§§ab on the grounds that Fadak was public property and arguing that the Prophet had “no heirs”. Sources report that Ali  together with Umm Ayman  testified to the fact that Mu¦ammed  granted it to Fā§ima  when Abū Bakr required Fā§ima  to summon witnesses for her claim. Various primary sources contend that Fadak was gifted by Mu¦ammed  to Fā§ima , drawing on the Qur’ān as evidence. These include narrations of Ibn '`Abbās who argued that when the Qur’ānic verse on giving rights to kindred was revealed, Mu¦ammed  called to his daughter and gifted the land of Fadak to her.

H

H

H

H

Various scholars commenting on the Qur’ān, Sūrat Al-μashr (Chapter 59), verse 7, write that the Angel Gabriel came to the Prophet  and commanded him to give the appropriate rights to “Thul Qurba” (near kin). The verse reads: H

H

H

H

‫ ﱠما أَفَاء ﱠ‬ ‫ين‬ ُ ‫سولِ ِه ِمنْ أَھ ِْل ا ْلقُ َرى فَلِلﱠ ِه َولِل ﱠر‬ ُ ‫ﷲُ َعلَى َر‬ َ ‫ول َولِ ِذي ا ْلقُ ْربَى َوا ْليَتَا َمى َوا ْل َم‬ ِ ‫س‬ ِ ‫سا ِك‬ َ ُ ْ َ ً َ ُ َ ‫سو ُل فخذوهُ َو َما ن َھا ُك ْم‬ ‫َوا ْب ِن ال ﱠ‬ ُ ‫يل َك ْي ال يَ ُكونَ دُولة بَيْنَ األغنِيَاء ِمن ُك ْم َو َما آتَا ُك ُم ال ﱠر‬ ِ ِ‫سب‬ ْ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ُ َ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫د‬ ‫ي‬ ‫د‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫وا‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ا‬ ‫و‬ ‫وا‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫نﱠ‬ ُ َ ِ ِ ِ َ َ ُ َ‫َع ْنهُ فَانت‬ ِ َ

205

What Allāh has bestowed on His Messenger (and taken away) from the people of the towns, belongs to Allāh, to His Messenger, and to (the Prophet’s) kindred and orphans, the needy and the wayfarers; so that it may not be taken in turn by the rich among you. So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and abstain from what he withholds from you. And fear Allāh, for Allāh is strict in punishment (59:7). When asked by the Prophet  about who those ‫ذو القربى‬ “Thul Qurba” were referred to in that verse, Gabriel replied: “Fā§ima” and that by “rights” was meant “Fadak”, upon which Mu¦ammed  called Fā§ima  and presented Fadak to her.

When Omer became caliph, the value of the land of Fadak along with its dates was, according to some account, 50,000 dirhams.

Ali  again claimed Fā§ima’s inheritance during Omer's era but was denied with the same argument as in the time of Abū Bakr.

Omer, however, restored the estates in Medīna to `Abbās ibn `Abd al-Mu§§alib and Ali , as representatives of Mu¦ammed's clan, the Banu Hāshim. During Othmān's caliphate, Marwān ibn al-μakam, Othmān's cousin and bearer of his seal, was made trustee of Fadak. After Othmān, Ali  became caliph but did not overturn the decision of his predecessor in order to avoid being charged of using his office for his own personal interest. Some Muslims claim that he  maintained Marwān's position as trustee of the Fadak, but this is not true at all and is not supported by logic or history. During Ali's caliphate, Fadak was regarded to be under the control of the Prophet's family, so the caliph did not make a formal declaration of personal possession in order to avoid resurrecting old feuds and jealousies and thus the causing of disunity regarding it.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Under the Umayyads (661 – 750 A.D.), Mu`āwiyah, their first H

H

self-imposed ruler, did not return Fadak to Fā§ima's descendants.

This way was continued by later Umayyad rulers until the time of caliph Omer ibn Abd al-Azīz. When Omer ibn Abd al-Azīz, known as Omer II, became caliph in 717 A.D., the income from the H

H

H

H

206

H

H

H

H

H

H

property of Fadak was 40,000 dinars. Fadak was returned to Fā§ima's descendants by an edict given by Omer II, but this decision was renounced by later caliphs and may have been the cause of Omer being killed as well. The successor to Omer II, Yazīd ibn Abd alMalik (known as Yazīd II), overturned his decision, and Fadak was again made public trust. Fadak was then managed this way until the Ummayad Caliphate expired.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Under the `Abbāsids (750 – 1258 A.D.), in 747 A.D., a huge revolt against the Umayyad Caliphate took place. The Umayyad's were eventually defeated by the `Abbāsid army under the rule of “Abū `Abbās” Abdullāh as-Saffā¦. “As-Saffā¦” means in Arabic “bloodshedder” which perfectly describes him and his dynasty just as it describes the Umayyads. The last Umayyad ruler, Marwān II, was killed in a lesser battle a few months after the Battle of the Zāb of 750 A.D., thus ending the Umayyad rule. Historical accounts differ about what happened to Fadak under early `Abbāsid rulers. Most likely they collected its revenues and spent it as they pleased. Some Muslim writers say that there is consensus among Islamic scholars that Fadak was returned to the descendants of Fā§ima  during alMa'mūn's reign (831-833 A.D.). Al-Ma’mūn even decreed this to be recorded in his dīwāns (registrar office). Al-Ma’mn’s successor, alMutawakkil (847-861 A.D.), one of the worst tyrants in Islamic history, repossessed Fadak, confiscating it from the descendants of Fā§ima . Al-Munta¥ir (861-862 A.D.), however, apparently maintained the decision of al-Ma'mūn, thus allowing Fā§ima's offspring to manage Fadak. What happened thereafter is uncertain, but Fadak was probably seized by again and managed exclusively by the ruler of the time as his own personal property, and thus do some people behave when they have neither fear of the Almighty in their heart nor accurate knowledge of His religion in the name of which they claim the right to rule…

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Some objects found by the Muslims following their conquest of Khaybar and its fortresses included a siege-engine, 20 bales of Yemenite cloth, and 500 cloaks, an indication of an intense trade carried out by those Jews.

H

H

H

H

207

One may wonder what brought those Jews to Medīna. There are two theories. One says that those Jews were motivated by the desire to be the first to believe in the new Arabian Prophet whose name they had in their religious books and whose mission was about to start, so they made a mass immigration to Medīna. Their high rabbis told them that Medīna would be the place where the new Prophet, Mu¦ammed , would be preaching the divine message. This view is supported by verses 40 – 103 of Sūrat al-Baqara (Chapter of the Cow, i.e. Ch. 2) which repeatedly admonishes the Israelites and strongly rebukes them for seeing the truth but turning away from it.

According to this theory, those Jews with religious fervor had come from Jerusalem in general and Greater Syria (Shām) in particular.

The other theory seeks an explanation from the historic events that took place in southern Arabia, particularly Yemen, concluding that those Jews had migrated from there seeking religious freedom and better economic conditions. This is how advocates of this theory reason: The immigration of the majority of Jews into Yemen from abroad appears to have taken place about the beginning of the 2nd century A.D., although the province is mentioned neither by Josephus, better known as Yoseph (Yousuf) ben (ibn, i.e. son of) Mattithyahu (37 – cir. 100 A.D.), a Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry, nor by the main books of the Jewish oral law, namely the Mishnah and Talmud. According to some sources, the Jews of Yemen enjoyed prosperity until the 6th century A.D. The μimyarite King, Abū-Karib Asad Toban, converted to Judaism at the end of the 5th century, while laying siege to Medīna. It is likely some of his soldiers preferred to stay there for economic and perhaps other reasons such as the freedom to worship. His army had marched north to battle the Aksumites who had been fighting for control of Yemen for a hundred years. The Aksumites were only expelled from the region when the newly Jewish king rallied the Jews together from all over Arabia, together with pagan allies. But this victory was short-lived.

In 518, the kingdom of Yemen was taken over by Zar`a Yousuf, who was of “royal descent” but was not the son of his predecessor, Ma'di 208

Karib Ya`fur. Yousuf converted to Judaism and instigated wars to drive the Aksumite Ethiopians from Arabia. Zar`a Yousuf is chiefly known by his cognomen “Thu Nuwās”, in reference to his "curly hair." The Jewish rule lasted till 525 A.D., only 85 years before the inception of the Islamic Prophetic mission. Some historians, however, date it five years later, to 530, when Christians from the Aksumites Kingdom of Ethiopia defeated and killed Thu Nuwās, taking power in Yemen. According to a number of medieval historians, Thu Nuwās announced that he would persecute the Christians living in his kingdom, mostly in Najrān, because Christian states persecuted his fellow co-religionists (the Jews) in their realms. This persecution, which took place in 524 A.D., is blamed on one Dimnon in Najrān, that is, modern al-Ukhdud (or alOkhdood), area of Saudi Arabia. Any reader of the Holy Qur’ān must have come across verse 4 of Sūrat al-Burūj (Chapter 85) which refers to ‫اب األُ ْخ دُو ِد‬ ْ َ‫أ‬, fellows of the Ukhdud, which is imprecisely ُ ‫ص َح‬ translated in many English translations of the Holy Qur’ān as “the ditch self-destructed”. To the author of this book, “the ditch selfdestructed” does not make any sense at all. Actually, this “ukhdud” was a long ditch filled with firewood. It was lit and the believers were thrown into it if they refused to abandon their faith. Some ran away from this inferno, which may remind one of a similar situation which took place with Prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham) at the hands of Nimrud (Nemrod) of 13th Century B.C. Assyria. The survivors, most likely Christians and Jews, fled up north in the direction of Medīna which they made their home. The Almighty, God of the Muslims, or the God in Whom the Muslims believe, the One and Only God, Allāh, in 85:4 condemns this massacre in the strongest of terms, providing a testimony to the fact that the God of Islam is also the God of the Christians and of the Jews and of all mankind. He is One and the same no matter what name you give Him. According to some sources, after seizing the throne of the μimyarites (to whom Balqees, the Queen of Sheba, belonged), in 518 or 523 A.D., Thu Nuwās attacked the Aksumite (mainly Christian) garrison at ²afār ‫ظف ار‬, capturing them and burning their churches. He then moved against Najrān, a Christian and Aksumite stronghold. After accepting the city's capitulation, he massacred those inhabitants who would not renounce Christianity in this 209

ukhdūd incident. Estimates of the death toll from this horrific event reach as high as 20,000 according to some sources. So, believers in God, Christians and Jews, had reasons to go somewhere else where they would practice their religion freely while enjoying better business opportunities among Arabs who, at the time, were mostly nomads.

It is a sad fact that those Jews did not appreciate the good treatment meted to them at the hands of the Prophet of Islam  who signed with them a peace treaty the terms of which can hardly be matchd by the best peace treaty signed in modern times. They violated that treaty, sided with the Prophet’s enemies, Pagan Quraish, and turned their swords against the Prophet  who nevertheless won the battle against them, which is known as the Battle of the Khandaq, Moat, details of which are provided in many history books and in my book titled Allāh: The Concept of God in Islam. More details about this Fadak issue are provided when Fā§ima  is discussed in this book.

Fa'izeen or Fā'izūn ‫ف ائزين أو ف ائزون‬: winners, those who earn the Pleasure of the Almighty and His rewards Fājir ‫ف اجر‬: unrepentant sinner, adulterer; according to p. 94, 94, Vol. 5 (Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, edition of 1997) of the famous lexicon Lisān al-`Arab ‫ ل سان الع رب‬by Ibn Man¨our, it also means one who commits too many sins while putting off repentance for them; another meaning is: wrongdoer.

Fajr ‫فج ر‬: daybreak, obligatory pre-sunrise salat, prayer rite; another meaning for it, according to p. 94, Vol. 5 of Lisān al-`Arab lexicon, is abundance of wealth.

H

H

Faqīh ‫فقي ه‬: jurist, one who is knowledgeable in Islamic jurisprudence (law), the Sharī`a Farāsikh ‫فراس خ‬: plural of farsakh ‫فرس خ‬, parasang (a loan Persian word), a measure of distance. According to Lisān al-`Arab lexicon, it may be three to six (Arabian) miles. "It is called so," the author of this famous lexicon goes on, "because one who walks one farsakh 210

will have to sit to rest," suggesting that the original meaning of the word is to halt, to come to a standstill, to rest.

Far¤ ‫ف رض‬: something which is obligatory on a Muslim. It is sometimes used in reference to the obligatory part of ¥alāt.

H

H

Fāsiq ‫فاس ق‬: one of corrupt moral character who engages in various sins without feeling any sense of shame or regret Fatāwa ‫فتاوى‬: plural of fatwa, a religious edict or decision Fāti¦a, al-‫الفاتح ه‬: The Prophet  has quoted the Almighty as 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, "Al¦amdulillāhi Rabbil-`Ālameen," the Almighty says, "My servant has praised Me." And when he says, ''Ar-Ra¦mānir Ra¦īm," the Almighty says, "My servant has praised Me." And when he says, "Māliki YawmidDīn," Allāh says, "My servant has exalted Me." And when he says, "Iyyāka Na`budu wa iyyāka nasta`een," Allāh 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 Fāti¦a to the end, Allāh 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 Allāh  is quoted by Abū Ali al-Fa¤l ibn al-μassan ibn al-Fa¤l a§-±ibrisi ‫ الطبرس ي‬, may Allāh have mercy on his soul, saying that one who recites al-Fāti¦a will be regarded by the Almighty as though he recited two-thirds of the Holy Qur’ān and as though he gave by way of charity to each and every believing man and woman. "By the One 211

in Whose hand my soul is," the Prophet  continues, "Allāh Almighty did not reveal in the Torah, the Gospel, or the Psalms any chapter like it; it is the Mother of the Book and al-Sab` al-Mathāni (the oft-repeated seven verses), and it is divided between Allāh and His servant, and His servant shall get whatever he asks; it is the best Sūra in the Book of the most Exalted One, and it is a healing from every ailment except poison, which is death." He  is also quoted by al-Kaf'ami ‫ الكفعم ي‬as saying, "He (Allāh) bestowed it upon me as His blessing, making it equivalent to the Holy Qur’ān, saying, 'And We have granted you as-Sab` al-Mathāni and the Great Qur’ān (Sūrat al-μijr, verse 87).' lt is the most precious among the treasures of the 'Arsh." Indeed, Allāh, the most Sublime, has chosen Mu¦ammed  alone to be honored by it without doing so to any other Prophet or Messenger of His with the exception of Sulaymān (Solomon) ‫النب ي س ليمان‬, peace be upon him, who was granted the Basmala ‫( الب سمله‬see Qur’ān, 27:30, i.e. verse 30 of Sūrat an-Naml, Chapter of the Ant). One who recites it, being fully convinced of his following in the footsteps of Mu¦ammed  and his Progeny , adhering to its injunctions, believing in its outward and inward meanings, will be granted by Allāh 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 the one who recites it.

(‫من بعض أسرار سورة الحمد )الفاتحة‬ ‫كتب قيصر الروم كتابا إلى خلفاء بني العباس وجاء فيه )) جاء في كتاب اإلنجيل أنه من‬ ‫ وھذه األحرف عبارة‬، ‫ حرم ﷲ جسده من نار جھنم‬، ‫قرأ سورة خالية من سبعة أحرف‬ ‫ وفحصنا كثيرا فلم نعثر على ھكذا سورة‬. (‫ ف )ع‬، ‫ ظ‬، ‫ ش‬، ‫ ز‬، ‫ خ‬، ‫ ج‬، ‫)ع( ث‬: ‫عن‬ ‫ فھل يوجد في كتابكم السماوي تلك السورة؟‬، ‫في كتب التوراة والزبور واإلنجيل‬ ‫فجمع الخليفة العباسي جميع العلماء وعرض عليھم السؤال فعجزوا عن الجواب وأخيرا‬ ‫ ھذه السورة‬: ‫ فأجاب عليه السالم قائال‬ ‫طرحوا ھذا السؤال على اإلمام علي الھادي‬ . ‫ھي سورة الحمد التي تكون خالية من األحرف السبعة‬ ‫فسألوا اإلمام ما فلسفة خلو ھذه السورة من األحرف السبعة ؟ فأجاب اإلمام عليه‬ :‫السالم‬ 212

‫إن حرف ) ث( إشارة إلى الثبور ‪ ،‬وحرف ) ج ( إشارة إلى الجحيم ‪ ،‬وحرف ) خ (‬ ‫إشارة إلى الخبث ‪ ،‬وحرف ) ز ( إشارة إلى الزقوم ‪ ،‬وحرف ) ش ( إشارة إلى الشقاوة‪،‬‬ ‫وحرف )ظ ( إشارة إلى الظلمة ‪ ،‬وحرف ) ف ( إشارة إلى اآلفة ‪.‬‬ ‫فأرسل الخليفة ھذا الجواب لقيصر الروم ‪ ،‬وشعر القيصر بالفرح بعد حصوله على‬ ‫الجواب واعتنق اإلسالم وخرج من الدنيا مسلما‪ .‬فأكثروا من قراءة سورة الحمد‪ .‬ال تقرأ‬ ‫سورة الحمد )الفاتحة( بسرعة ‪ .........‬انظر لماذا؟‬ ‫كثير من الناس يقرؤون سورة الفاتحة في الصالة بسرعة وكأن الذئاب تالحقھم وال‬ ‫يعلمون ما فيھا‪.‬‬ ‫سلﱠ َم أنه قا ُل‪ :‬قَا َل ﱠ‬ ‫صلﱠى ﱠ‬ ‫سو َل ﱠ‬ ‫صالةَ‬ ‫س ْمتُ ال ﱠ‬ ‫روي عن َر ُ‬ ‫ﷲُ تَ َعالَى‪ :‬قَ َ‬ ‫ﷲُ َعلَ ْي ِه وآله َو َ‬ ‫ﷲِ َ‬ ‫سأَ َل فَإِ َذا قَا َل ا ْل َع ْب ُد‪} :‬ا ْل َح ْم ُد ِ ﱠ ِ َر ﱢب ا ْل َعالَ ِمينَ { قَا َل ُﱠ‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫بَ ْينِي َوبَيْنَ َع ْب ِدي نِ ْ‬ ‫صفَ ْي ِن َولِ َع ْب ِدي َما َ‬ ‫يم{ قَا َل ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲُ تَ َعالَى‪ :‬أَ ْثنَى َعلَ ﱠي َع ْب ِدي َوإِ َذا‬ ‫تَ َعالَى‪َ :‬ح ِم َدنِي َع ْب ِدي َوإِ َذا قَا َل‪} :‬ال ﱠر ْح َم ِن ال ﱠر ِح ِ‬ ‫ض إِلَ ﱠي َع ْب ِدي فَإِ َذا قَا َل‪} :‬إِيﱠاكَ‬ ‫ﱢين{ قَا َل‪َ :‬م ﱠج َدنِي َع ْب ِدي َوقَا َل َم ﱠرةً‪ :‬فَ ﱠو َ‬ ‫قَا َل‪َ } :‬مالِ ِك يَ ْو ِم الد ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ص َراطَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫نَ ْعبُ ُد َوإِيﱠا َك نَ ْ‬ ‫سأ َل فإِذا قا َل‪} :‬ا ْھ ِدنا ال ﱢ‬ ‫ست َِعينُ { قا َل‪َ :‬ھذا بَ ْينِي َوبَيْنَ َع ْب ِدي َولِ َع ْب ِدي َما َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ضالﱢينَ { قَا َل‪َ :‬ھذا لِ َع ْب ِدي‬ ‫ا ْل ُم ْ‬ ‫ب َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم َو َال ال ﱠ‬ ‫ص َراطَ الﱠ ِذينَ أ ْن َع ْمتَ َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم َغ ْي ِر ا ْل َم ْغ ُ‬ ‫ضو ِ‬ ‫ستَقِي َم ِ‬ ‫سأَل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ ‫د‬ ‫َولِ َع ْب ِ َ َ‬

‫‪Some mysteries about Sūrat al-Fāti¦a:‬‬ ‫‪One of Rome's Caesars wrote a letter to an `Abbāsid "caliph"—to‬‬ ‫‪use the word loosely since none of the Umayyads or `Abbāsid rulers‬‬ ‫‪deserved to be called a caliph but a despotic ruler with the exception‬‬ ‫‪of only Caliph Omer ibn Abdul-`Azīz, but we will use it here since it‬‬ ‫‪213‬‬

is quite commonly referred to those corrupt folks—saying, "It is written in the Bible that if anyone recites a chapter which does not contain seven letters, God will prohibit the Fire of Hell from consuming his body. These letters are: We have carefully examined in the Torah, Psalms and Bible but could not find such a chapter; so, is there in your divinely revealed Book such a Chapter?"

The `Abbāsid caliph gathered all scholars and presented the question to them, but they could not provide an answer. Finally, they submitted this question to Imām Ali al-Hādi  who answered saying that such a chapter is Sūrat al-μamd, the Fāti¦a, which does not contain these alphabetical letters. The Imām  explained the philosophy behind the exclusion of these alphabetical letters in the Fāti¦a Chapter as stated below, so the "caliph" sent this answer to Rome's Caesar who was very happy for having obtained it and immediately embraced Islam, departing from this world as a Muslim.

You, therefore, should recite Sūrat al-μamd (Fāti¦a) quite often, but do not do so. Why? Many people recite the Fāti¦a in their prayers quickly as if the wolves are chasing them, not knowing what it really contains: It has been narrated about the Messenger of Allāh  has said, "Allāh Almighty has said: 'I have divided the prayer (supplication) between Myself and My servant into two halves: Whenever the servant says َ‫ ا ْل َح ْم ُد ِ ﱠ ِ َر ﱢب ا ْل َع الَ ِمين‬Praise be to Allāh, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds, I say that My servant has praised Me. When he says ‫يم‬ ِ ‫ ال ﱠر ْح َم ِن ال ﱠر ِح‬The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, I say that My servant has lauded me. When he says ‫ﱢين‬ ِ ‫ َمالِ ِك يَ ْو ِم ال د‬Master of the Day of Judgment, I say that My servant has exulted me. In another narration of this tradition, the Almighty says, 'My servant has entrusted his (Hereafter) affairs to me'. When he says ‫إِيﱠ ا َك نَ ْعبُ ُد َوإِيﱠ ا َك‬ ُ‫ست َِعين‬ ْ َ‫ ن‬You do we worship, and Your aid do we seek, I say: 'This is between Myself and My servant, and My servant shall have what he pleads for'. And when he says َ‫ص َراطَ الﱠ ِذينَ أَ ْن َع ْم ت‬ ْ ‫ص َراطَ ا ْل ُم‬ ‫اھ ِدنَا ال ﱢ‬ ِ ،‫ستَقِي َم‬ َ ْ ‫ﱢ‬ ْ َ‫ضالين‬ ‫ب َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم َوالَ ال ﱠ‬ ُ ‫ َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم غ ْي ِر ال َمغ‬Guide us the Straight way, the way ِ ‫ضو‬ of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, those whose 214

(portion) is not wrath, and who do not stray, I say: 'This (too) is for My servant, and My servant shall be granted what he pleads for'."

Imām Ali al-Hādi  was asked about the philosophy behind the Fāti¦a containing none of these seven alphabetical letters, so the Imām  said: "The letter (‫ ) ث‬refers to ‫ ثب ور‬destruction." The Almighty refers to it in the Holy Qur’ān in places such as these: 25:13 and 14, 84:11 and to one who is really ruined, Pharaoh, in 17:102. "The letter (‫)ج‬," the Imām (‫ )ع‬went on, "refers to ‫جحيم‬, hell."

Numerous Qur’ānic verses refer to hell, warning those who heed the call about its torment. Some such verses are: 2:119, 5:10, 5:86, 9:113, 22:51, 26:91, 37:23, 37:55, 37:64, 37:68, 37:97, 37:163, 40:7, 44:47, 44:56, 52:18, 57:19, 69:31, 79:36, 81:12, 82:14, 83:16, 102:6, 73:12, to name few. The Imām  added saying, "The letter ( ‫) خ‬ refers to ‫ " خب ث‬which is any bad thing, deed, person, thought, etc. to which references in the Holy Qur’ān exist in verses such as these: 7:58, 2:267, 3:179, 4:2, 5:100, 8:37, 24:26, 14:26, 7:157 and 21:74.

The Imām  went on to say, "The letter ( ‫ ) ز‬refers to ‫زق وم‬ Zaqqoom)" which is a tree in hell of which the sinners eat and to which references in the Holy Qur’ān exist in verses such as these: 37:62, 44:43 and 56:52. "The letter ( ‫ ) ش‬," went on the Imām , "refers to ‫" ش قاوة‬, pain or suffering, a reference to the suffering of people, good or bad: The good people suffer in this life because of others unfairly and unjustifiably harming, hurting, oppressing belying them. They also suffer as they see things taking place and people behaving in an ungodly way and feel sorry for them. Some ordinary persons may suffer also during the period of the barzakh ‫ برزخ‬so the Almighty may punish them in the grave and forgive them later, while bad persons may suffer in this life and in the hereafter as well for their bad deeds. Its derivations exist in many verses such as these: 20:2, 20:117, 20:123, 11:105, 19:4, 19:32. 19:48, 87:11, 92:15, 91:12 and 23:106. The Imām  went on in stating why these letters do not exist in the Fāti¦a and said, "The letter ( ‫) ظ‬ refers to ‫" ظلم ة‬, darkness, either physical, material, tangible, as is the darkness in the grave or in hell, or non-physical, immaterial, such as darkness of one's outlooks, attitudes, etc. Notice that the word ‫ظل م‬ which means oppression or injustice is associated with this same word ‫ ظلم ة‬because people do not oppress others unless their 215

mentality is dark. Hundreds of references in the Book of Islam, the Holy Qur’ān, refer to both types of such darkness and to people who oppress others or wrong them: These references are only few for you to check if you wish: 4:153, 13:6, 16:61, 4:75, 18:35, 25:27, 35:32, 37:113. This is just a drop in the bucket. Explaining the last letter, the Imām  said, "The letter (‫ )ف‬refers to ‫ آف ة‬lesion, something which consumes, devours, spreads quickly like cancer cells, fire or a rash of bad deed in which many people are involved: This word fits many descriptions and applications, and it needs no further explanation.

The inquisitive reader may wonder who this Imām Ali al-Hādi  is; after all, not many are familiar with the immediate family of the Prophet of Islam ; therefore, we have included his biography in this Glossary under "Hādi, al-" to which you may refer.

Fatwa ‫فت وى‬: religious edict, which may be relevant to everyday matters or to the creed, issued by a mujtahid ‫مجتھد‬ Fidya ‫فدي ة‬: blood money, monetary compensation for either murder or a crime as serious as murder Fiqh ‫فق ه‬: knowledge of the science of Islamic jurisprudence, the Sharī`a ‫ش ريعة‬. The literal meaning of the word fiqh is: understanding, comprehension, knowledge and familiarity with Islam's jurisprudence. A jurist is called faqīh, one who is an expert in Islamic legal matters. A faqīh ‫ فقي ه‬issues verdicts within the rules of the Islamic Law, the Sharī`a ‫اﻟ ﺸﺮﻳﻌﻪ‬. Any action or step in Islam falls within the following five categories of fiqh: 1. Far¤ ‫( ف رض‬must, obligatory, mandatory): This category is a must for the Muslim to undertake such as the performance of the five daily prayers. Performing the fardh counts as a good deed, and not doing it is considered as a bad deed, a sin. It is also called wajib.

2. Mandūb ‫( من دوب‬recommended, commendable): This category is recommended for the Muslim to do such as additional prayers after the performance of the daily prayers. Doing what is mandub

216

counts as a good deed, while not doing it does not count as a bad deed or a sin.

3. Mubā¦ ‫( مب اح‬allowed, permissible): This category is optional and is left for the individual to decide, such as partaking of food, etc.

Doing or not doing the mubā¦ does not count as a good or bad deed.

One's intention can change mubā¦ into a far¤, mandūb, makrūh or harām. Other things can also change the status of the mubā¦. For example, anything mubā¦ becomes harām if it is proven to be harmful, whether physically or spiritually, and any necessary thing to fulfill a far¤ is a far¤, an obligation, too.

4. Makrūh ‫ مك روه‬hated, not commendable: This category includes acts that are detested, hated, things which one must stay away from such as letting his fingernails grow or sleeping on the stomach, etc.

Not doing what is makrūh counts as a good deed while doing it does not count as a bad deed.

5. μarām ‫ ح رام‬prohibited, banned: This category includes things a Muslim is prohibited from doing such as stealing and lying. Doing what is ¦arām counts as a sin, a bad deed, while not doing it counts as a good deed. Views of Islamic scholars about all the above vary.

Firdaws ‫ف ردوس‬: Paradise, heaven, abode of the blessed, place of eternal peace and happiness, the garden of bliss. Some linguists think this word is Persian, whether others think it is Babylonian in origin, that is, a loan word.

Firqa ‫فرقة‬: group, party, sect, division Fitna or Fitnah ‫فتن ه‬: sedition, something which creates division, discord, disagreement, dispute, etc. among people. Numerous references exist in the Holy Qur’ān about fitna, warning the believers about falling into its traps. One such verse is this: ‫الفتن ة أش د‬ ‫ م ن القت ل‬Sedition is harder than killing (Qur’ān, 2:191), a warning which apparently was not heeded even when Islam was still in its infancy: Some "Muslims" went as far as plotting to assassinate the Prophet of Islam  as he was returning from his last pilgrimage known as μijjat al-Wadā`, Farewell Pilgrimage, as he himself points out in his Ghadīr sermon, which is cited for you in this Glossary, when he refers to a sa¦eefa signed by the evil conspirators. The names of those conspirators were written in that sa¦eefa which was 217

buried at one of the walls of the Ka`ba in order to give it an air of “sanctity”. Imagine some Muslims calling the killing of their Prophet as something “sacred”! This is why they justified killing his saintly family members, one by one, some with poison and some with the sword. And it is still going on, my dear reader, some Muslims do, indeed, justify killing not only non-Muslims but Muslims who do not subscribe to their rotten and deviated beliefs.

The Almighty informed the Prophet  of the plot, and the Prophet  was too nice to expose the identity of those rogues whose lust for power justified for them the killing of the very best of Allāh’s creation, the Prophet  in whose Message they hypocritically claimed they believed, calling themselves “Muslims” and imposing their authority over all others.

During the lifetime of the Prophet , Muslims divided themselves into two communities: one following Ali  whom they saw as the embodiment of everything Islam stands for, and one followed a handful of very affluent and influential companions of the Prophet  in order to benefit from their money and prestige. As soon as the Prophet  passed away, this latter division became much more evident: The first camp preferred to keep their pledge, which was made to the Prophet on Dhul-μijja 18, 10 A.H./March 19, 632 A.D., during the Ghadīr Declaration, to obey Ali  as the Commander of the Faithful ‫ أمي ر الم ؤمنين‬, since he was granted this title by the Prophet of Islam  himself who appointed him on that day at Ghadīr Khumm as his successor as ordered by the Almighty. Details of this subject are recorded in this Glossary under the "Ghadīr" item below. That was one of the earliest fitnas that divided the Muslims of the world into two major sects, and its effects can still be seen in our time and will continue to be so till the end of time.

The fitna of the succession to the Prophet  almost led to Muslims killing each other, but Ali  preferred to submit his will to the Almighty rather than go out to demand the implementation of the Ghadīr wa¥iyya (will) of the Prophet . Abū Bakr, Omer ibn alKha§§ab then Othmān succeeded each other in ruling the Muslims, and during their governments many innovations found their way into the Islamic creed. The deliberate reluctance to follow the Prophet's 218

will as delivered in his Ghadīr sermon below, in which he appointed Imām Ali  as his successor in response to a command which he had received from the Almighty, was later regretted, but it was too little, too late.

Abul-¯alā¦ (man of righteousness), may Allāh sanctify his soul, has said in Taqreeb al-Ma`ārif ‫ تقري ب المع ارف‬the following: "When Omer [ibn al-Kha§§āb] was stabbed, he gathered the descendants of AbdulMu§§alib and said, 'O sons of Abdul-Mu§§alib! Are you pleased with me?' A man from among his fellows said, 'Who would be angry with you?' He (Omer) repeated his statement three times, getting the same response from the same man whom Omer rebuked and to whom he said, 'We know best how we made our hearts feel. We, by Allāh, made our hearts feel… what we plead to Allāh to spare us its evil.

Allegiance to Abū Bakr was a slip [from the Right Path] the evil of which we plead to Allāh to spare us.'

"He (Omer) said to his son Abdullāh, who was helping his father recline on his chest, 'Woe on you! Put my head on the ground.' He (Omer) was overtaken by a swoon. He (Abdullāh son of Omer ibn al-Kha§§āb) said, 'I felt quite worried about it.' He (Omer) said, 'Woe on you! Put my head on the ground.' He was again overtaken by a swoon. He (Abdullāh ibn Omer) said, 'I felt quite worried about it.'

He (Omer) said [for the third time], 'Woe on you! Put my head on the ground.' He (Abdullāh ibn Omer, a great reporter of ¦adīth) said, 'I put his head on the ground. Then he (Omer) said, 'Woe unto Omer, and woe unto his mother if Allāh does not forgive him.'

"He (Omer) also said at the time of his death: 'I repent to Allāh three things: my sending the slaves of Yemen back, my abandonment of Usāmah's army after the Messenger of Allāh  had placed him in charge over us, and our agreement against Ahl al-Bayt  that if the Messenger of Allāh  died, we would not let any of them take charge.'"

Yet the most serious innovations, actually deviations from the right path of Islam, were practices by the government during Othmān's time, so much so that Othmān gradually lost all respect he had 219

among the local Muslims and throughout the Islamic world. Among those who resented him was Mother of the Believers `Ā’isha daughter of Abū Bakr and wife of the Prophet .

On p. 794, Vol. 1/8 of the latest edition of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, we read the following: ،‫ عن الحسن بن الحسين األنصاري‬،‫ عن الثقفي‬،‫ عن الزعفراني‬،‫علي بن محمد الكاتب‬ ‫ جاءت‬:‫ قال‬ ‫ عن أبي جعفر‬،‫ عن فروة بن مجاشع‬،‫ عن فضيل بن الزبير‬،‫عن سفيان‬ ‫ لم‬:‫ فقال‬.‫ اعطني ما كان يعطيني أبي و عمر بن الخطاب‬:‫عائشة الى عثمان فقالت له‬ ‫ و انما كان أبوك و عمر بن الخطاب يعطيانك‬،‫أجد لك موضعا في الكتاب و ال في السنة‬ :‫ فقال لھا‬. ‫ فاعطني ميراثي من رسول ﷲ‬:‫ قالت‬.‫ و أنا ال أفعل‬،‫بطيبة من أنفسھما‬ ‫ ال يورث حتى‬ ‫أو لم تحسبي أنت و مالك بن أوس النضري فشھدتما أن رسول ﷲ‬ ‫ فكيف تطلبين اليوم ميراثا من النبي‬،‫منعتما فاطمه )بنت النبي( ميراثھا؟ أبطلتما حقھا‬ ‫ و كان عثمان اذا خرج الى الصالة أخذت ھي قميص رسول ﷲ‬،‫؟ فتركته و انصرفت‬ ‫ ثم قالت ان عثمان قد خالف صاحب ھذا القميص و ترك‬،‫ على قصبة فرفعته عليھا‬ .‫سنته‬ Ali ibn Mu¦ammed the scribe quotes az-Za`farāni quoting athThaqafi quoting al-μassan ibn al-μussain al-An¥āri quoting Sufyān quoting Fu¤ayl ibn az-Zubair quoting Farwah ibn Mujāshi` from Imām [al-Bāqir] Abū Ja`far  saying: "`Ā’isha went to Othmān and said to him: 'Give me what my father [Abū Bakr] and Omer ibn al-Kha§§ab used to give me.' Othmān said: 'I found no place for you in the Book of Allāh (Qur’ān) or in the Sunnah [that you should get 220

paid from baytul-mal]. Rather, your father and Omer ibn al-Kha§§ab used to give you out of the goodness of their hearts, and I do not do that.' She said: 'Then give me my inheritance from the Messenger of Allāh .' Othmān said to her: 'Did you not think about it when you and Mālik ibn Aws an-Na¤ari testified saying that the Messenger of Allāh  does not leave any inheritance, so much so that you prevented [through your testimony] Fā§ima  (daughter of the Prophet ) from getting her inheritance? You voided what was her legitimate right; so, how can you now demand any inheritance from the Prophet ?' So she left him. Whenever Othmān went out to pray, `Ā’isha used to hand the shirt of the Messenger of Allāh  on a reed and raise it high, then she would say: 'Othmān has violated the owner of this shirt and has abandoned his Sunna'."

And on the same page we also read the following: ‫ انما سماك رسول ﷲ‬،‫ يا نعثل يا عدو ﷲ‬:‫روى في كشف الغمة أن عائشة قالت لعثمان‬ ‫ و حلفت أن ال تساكنه بمصر‬،‫ فالعنته و العنھا‬،‫ باسم نعثل اليھودي الذي باليمن‬ ‫ اقتلوا‬:‫ قد نقل ابن أعثم صاحب الفتوح أنھا )عائشة( قالت‬:‫ ثم قال‬.‫ خرجت الى مكة‬،‫أبدا‬ .‫ و خرجت الى مكة‬،‫ ھذه ثيابه لم تبل‬: ‫ فلقد أبلى سنة رسول ﷲ‬،‫ قتل ﷲ نعثال‬،‫نعثال‬ It has been narrated in Kashf al-Ghumma that `Ā’isha said to Othmān, "O Na`thal! O enemy of Allāh! The Messenger of Allāh  called you 'Na`thal' ‫ نعث ل‬after the Jew in Yemen.' She cursed him and he cursed her, and she swore never to stay in the same city where he was staying at all; she went out [of Medīna] to Mecca."

The narrator went on to say: "Ibn A`tham, author of Al-Fitū¦ [conquests], has transmitted saying that she (`Ā’isha) said, 'Kill Na`thal, may Allāh kill Na`thal, for he has worn out the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allāh : Here are his clothes yet to wear out.'

She went out for Mecca."

According to p. 79, Vol. 5 of Ibn al-Athīr’s book An-Nihāya, Na`thal was originally from Egypt, a Jew with a long beard. “Na`thal” may also be an adjective, a misnomer, rather than a first or last name because it means “the foolish sheikh” according to Arabic lexicons, and surely Allāh knows best.

221

In the 1426 A.H./2005 A.D. Arabic edition of ‫ت أريخ األم م و المل وك‬ (History of nations and kings) (a fairly recent edition published by Al-Amīra House for Printing, Publishing and Distribution, Beirut, Lebanon; this is the edition which the author of this book uses) by imām Abū Ja'far Mu¦ammed ibn Jarīr a§-±abari, which is more famous as ±abari's Tārīkh, Vol. 3, p. 135: ‫ عن‬،‫ عن عبيد ﷲ بن رافع بن نقاخة‬،‫ و حدثني محمد بن صالح‬:‫قال محمد بن عمر‬ ‫ مر عثمان على جبلة بن عمرو الساعدي و ھو بفناء داره و معه‬:‫ قال‬،‫عثمان بن الشريد‬ ‫ و ألخرجنك الى حرة‬،‫ و ألحملنك على قلوص جرباء‬،‫ و ﷲ ألقتلنك‬،‫ يا نعثل‬:‫جامعة فقال‬ .‫ ثم جاءه مرة أخرى و عثمان على المنبر فأنزله عنه‬،‫النار‬ ‫ كان أول‬:‫ حدثني أبو بكر بن اسماعيل عن أبيه عن عامر بن سعد قال‬:‫حدثني محمد قال‬ ‫ مر به عثمان و ھو‬،‫من اجترأ على عثمان بالمنطق السيء جبلة بن عمرو الساعدي‬ ،‫ فرد القوم‬،‫ فلما مر عثمان سلم‬،‫جالس في نادي قومه و في يد جبلة بن عمرو جامعة‬ ‫ و ﷲ‬:‫ ثم أقبل على عثمان فقال‬:‫ لم تردون على رجل فعل كذا و كذا؟! قال‬:‫فقال جبلة‬ ‫ أي بطانة؟! فو ﷲ‬:‫ قال عثمان‬.‫ألطرحن ھذه الجامعة في عنقك أو لتتركن بطانتك ھذه‬ ‫ مروان تخيرته؟! و معاوية تخيرته؟! و عبد ﷲ بن سعد‬:‫ فقال جبلة‬.‫اني ألتخير الناس‬ .‫ و أباح رسول ﷲ دمه‬،‫تخيرته؟! منھم من نزل القرآن بدمه‬ .‫ فما زال الناس مجترئين عليه )يعني على عثمان( الى ھذا اليوم‬،‫ فانصرف عثمان‬:‫قال‬ Mu¦ammed ibn Omer has said: "Mu¦ammed ibn Sāli¦ has narrated to me citing Ubaydullāh ibn Rāfi` ibn Naqakhah from Othmān ibn ash-Shārid who said: "Othmān passed by Jiblah ibn `Amr as-Sā`idi as he was in the courtyard of his home, and he had chains, so he said, 'O Na`thal! By Allāh I shall kill you, and I shall carry you on a scabby she-camel (not yet trained to carry anyone or anything), and I shall get you out to the heat of the Fire.' Jiblah ibn `Amr as-Sā`idi also went once and saw Othmān on the pulpit (preaching), so he pulled him down it.

I [the author, a§-±abari, goes on to add] have been told by Mu¦ammed who said: I have been told by Abū Bakr ibn Isma'eel who quotes his father citing Āmir ibn Sa`d saying: "The first person to verbally abuse Othmān was Jiblah ibn `Amr as-Sā`idi: Othmān passed by him once as he was sitting in his folk's meeting place.

Jiblah ibn `Amr as-Sā`idi had a chain in his hand. When Othmān 222

passed by, he greeted [those present at the meeting place]. The folks responded [to the greeting], whereupon Jiblah said: 'Why do you respond to a man who has done such and such?!' Then he went to Othmān and said: 'By Allāh, I shall place this chain round your neck unless you abandon your train.' Othmān said, 'What train?! By Allāh, I choose from among people [for my close companions].' Jiblah said: 'You chose Marwān [ibn al-μakam, Othmān's young cousin and bearer of his seal]! And you chose Mu`āwiyah! And you chose Abdullāh ibn Sa`d! Some of these have been condemned to death by the Qur’ān, and some of them were condemned to die by the Messenger of Allāh !' He went on to say: 'Othmān left, and people kept verbally Abūsing Othmān till this day.’"

Why did the third caliph cause matters to deteriorate so badly? There is no room here to provide you with the detailed answer to this question, but we can refer you to a book written by one of Egypt's best intellectuals and scholars of the century, namely Dr. ±āhā μussein, who worte ‫ الفتن ة الكب رى‬The Greater Sedition. In it, you will find out that one of Othmān's serious mistakes was giving his seal to his young and reckless cousin Marwān ibn al-μakam, as you will read under the item "Hādi, al-" below, who greatly abused the power that seal gave him. Taha Hussein details how the public funds deposited at the State Treasury known then as baytul-māl ‫بي ت الم ال‬ were plundered and distributed among Othmān's family, relatives and supporters, so much so that Othmān had three mansions built for him each of each cost more than three million dinars. Arabs do not have the word "million" in their language; instead, they use the term "a thousand thousands" to describe the gold dinars and the silver dirhams spent on building mansions for Othmān and for his wife, Nā’ila daughter of al-Qarāfisa, who had so much jewelry, their jingle could be heard from a distance…

Another fitna was the falsification of a¦ādīth ‫أحادي ث‬, traditions, which make up one of the main sources of the Sunnah which every Muslim must follow, the other being the Holy Qur’ān. Abū Bakr prohibited the writing of ¦ādīth and most traditions were collected and burnt, so very few survived. Later, the Umayyad dynasty that ruled the Islamic world from 655 to 1031 A.D. was characterized by the flourishing of manufactures for making custom-designed 223

traditions tailored to please various Umayyad rulers the first of whom was Mu`āwiyah ibn Abū Sufyān ibn μarb. On pp. 332-3 of the 1426 A.H./2005 A.D. edition of ‫( ت أريخ األم م و المل وك‬History of nations and kings) by imām Abū Ja'far Mu¦ammed ibn Jarīr a§±abari, which is more famous as a§-±abari's Tārīkh, we read the following: ‫ ذوو رأي العرب و‬:‫ فقالوا‬،‫و كانوا يعدون دھاة الناس حين ثارت الفتنة خمسة رھط‬ ‫ و قيس بن‬،‫ و المغيرة بن شعبة‬،‫ و عمرو بن العاص‬،‫ معاوية بن أبي سفيان‬:‫مكيدتھم‬ .‫ و من المھاجرين عبد ﷲ بن بديل الخزاعي‬،‫سعد‬ Five men used to be regarded as the most cunning of all people when sedition erupted. People said that they were people of opinions and of scheming, and these are: Mu`āwiyah ibn Abū Sufyān, `Amr ibn al-Ā¥, al-Mughīrah ibn Shu'bah and Qais ibn Sa`d, all from the An¥ār, in addition to Abdullāh ibn Budayl al-Khuzā`i from among the Muhajirun.

Who is this man, Mu`āwiyah ibn Abū Sufyān ibn μarb?

On the 10th of Hijra/630 A.D., the date of the Conquest of Mecca, Abū Sufyān, father of this Mu`āwiyah, had to choose either to accept Islam or be beheaded, so he pretended to accept Islam while all his actions and those of his family members proved that they never really did. Abū Sufyān was a wealthy and influential man who belonged to the Banu Umayyah clan of the once pagan tribe of Quraish of Mecca, μijāz, that fought the spread of Islam relentlessly during the time of the Prophet of Islam . He was contemporary to the Prophet of Islam  whom he fought ferociously. His date of birth is unknown, but he died in 31 A.H./652 A.D. “Abū Sufyān” is his kunya, surname; his name is Sakhr ibn μarb ibn Umayyah. He is father of Mu`āwiyah and grandfather of Yazīd.

Abū Sufyān led pagan Quraish in its many wars against Prophet Mu¦ammed  and his small band of supporters, making alliances with other pagan tribes and with the Jews of Medīna against the new rising power of Islam. He kept leading one battle after another till the fall of Mecca to the Muslims in 630 A.D. It was then that he had to either accept the Islamic faith or face a sure death for all the mischief he had committed against the Muslims, so he preferred to 224

live in hypocrisy as a "Muslim," though only in name, rather than accept death. He was the most cunning man in all of Arabia and one of its aristocrats and men of might and means. He saw Islam as the harbinger of the waning of his own personal power and prestige and those of his tribe, Quraish, not to mention the decline of his faith, paganism, and the pre-Islamic way of life to which he and his likes were very much accustomed, the life of promiscuity, lewdness and debauchery, with all the wine, women and wealth aristocrats like him very much enjoyed. His likes are present throughout the Islamic lands in our time and in every time and clime... This has always been so, and it shall unfortunately remain so...

Mu`āwiyah son of Abū Sufyān was born out of wedlock in 602 A.D. during the jāhiliyya, the time of ignorance, the period that preceded Islam. His mother, Maysūn, was one of his father’s slave-girls.

Maysūn had a sexual intercourse with one of Mu`āwiyah’s slaves and conceived Yazīd by him. Mu`āwiyah, in total disregard for Islamic or Arab traditions, claimed Yazīd as his son. A testimony to this fact is the well-documented tradition of the Prophet  wherein he said, “The murderer of my [grand]son al-μussain is a bastard.”

This tradition is quoted on p. 156, Vol. 1, of Kanz al-`Ummāl of alMuttaqi al-Hindi. The stigma of being a bastard applies actually not only to Yazīd but also to both Shimr ibn Dhul-Jawshan and `Ubaydullāh ibn Sa`d, the accomplices about whom the reader can read a great deal in my book titled Kerbalā and Beyond: An Epic of Immortal Heroism.

One glaring proof about the fact that Mu`āwiyah never really accepted Islam is the following famous verse of poetry which Mu`āwiyah composed: ‫األسل‬

‫وقع‬

‫تشل‬

‫ال‬

‫فاعتدل‬

‫الخزرج‬

‫يزيد‬

‫يا‬

‫ببدر‬

‫وحي نزل‬ ‫فعل‬

‫من‬

‫كان‬

‫ال‬

‫و‬ ‫أحمد ما‬

‫جزع‬

‫شھدوا‬

‫ببدر‬

‫ليت أشياخي‬

:‫قالوا‬

‫ثم‬

‫فرحا‬

‫استھلوا‬

‫عدلناه‬

‫و‬

‫ساداتھم‬

‫من‬

‫جاء‬

‫خبر‬

‫من بني‬

‫فال‬

‫بالملك‬

‫و‬

‫القرم‬

‫ألھلوا‬ ‫قتلنا‬

‫ھاشم‬

‫قد‬ ‫لعبت‬

‫لست من خندف ان لم أنتقم‬ 225

I wish my ancestors at Badr witnessed Anxiety of the Khazraj as spears clamped They would have made tahleel in elation, Then they would have said: May your hand, O Yazīd, never be paralyzed!

We killed the mountain peaks of their masters, Then we compared it with Badr, And it surely was straight like Badr!

Hāshim (clan) played with power: Neither news came nor revelation descended.

I do not belong to Khandaf if I do not Seek revenge on Ahmed’s progeny For what he had done to me.

Examine these verses of poetry and see how Yazīd refers to the Battle of Badr when many of his apostate ancestors, for whom he still longs, were killed at the hands of “A¦med’s progeny,” a reference to Imām Ali , μussain’s father. Notice how he now feels that the record has been set straight by avenging the killing of those rotten ancestors of his, the Kāfir that they all were, with the killing of μussain  and his family members and supporters.

Indeed, neither Yazīd, nor his father Mu`āwiyah nor his grandfather Sufyān ever accepted Islam truly. They only pretended to have done so in order to “go with the tide” and escape the penalty for apostasy.

Their actions, all of them, testify to this fact. Yet you can find among the “Muslims” of our times and other times those who defend these Umayyads and justify the crimes which they had committed as well as the distortion of the true Sunna. May these defenders be lodged on the Day of Judgment in the company of Yazīd and his ancestors and offspring, all of them, and may He lodge us, followers of Ahl al-Bayt  in the company of the Prophet  and his holy Ahl al-Bayt , Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھ م آم ين‬. Those whose only weapon is to cast doubt about how un-Islamic and anti-Islamic the Umayyads were should read the verses cited above in their own original text as reported in the following list of references: Al-Luhoof fī Qatla al-±ufoof, p. 105; Ibn A`tham, Al-Fitoo¦, Vol. 5, pp. 15051; al-Khawārizmi, Maqtal al-μussain, Vol. 2, pp. 66-67; Tathkirat al-Khawa¥¥, p. 261; Yanābī` al-Mawadda, Vol. 3, p. 32; Al-Nasā’ih al-Kāfiya, p. 263; Al-Bidāya wan-Nihāya, Vol. 8, p. 209 in the events of the year 61 A.H. as well as in other references which all 226

are in Arabic.

Mu`āwiyah played a major role in distorting the Islamic creed by paying writers to tailor design "traditions" to serve his interests and support his deviated views. He installed himself as ruler of Syria in 40 A.H./661 A.D. and ruled for twenty long years till his death at the age of seventy-eight. Shortly before his death, which took place in the month of Rajab of 60 A.H./May of 680 A.D., he managed to secure the oath of allegiance to his corrupt and immoral son Yazīd as his successor. He did so by intimidation once and once by buying loyalty and favors, spending in the process huge sums of money that belonged to the Muslims. The weak-minded majority of the Muslims of his time swore allegiance to him. This proves that the majority does not necessarily have to be right. Imām al-μussain , together with a small band of devotees to the cause of truth, refused to bow their heads to the oppressive forces, hence this tale of heroism.

Mu`āwiyah declared himself "caliph" in Syria when he was 59 years old and assumed authority by sheer force. He was not elected, nor was he requested to take charge. He did not hide this fact; rather, he bragged about it once when he addressed the Kufians saying, "O people of Kūfa! Do you think that I fought you in order that you may establish prayers or give zakāt or perform the pilgrimage?! I know that you do pray, pay zakāt and perform the pilgrimage. Indeed, I fought you in order to take command over you with contempt, and Allāh has given me that against your wishes. Rest assured that whoever killed any of us will himself be killed. And the treaty between us of amnesty is under my feet."

Mu`āwiyah’s rule was terror in the whole Muslim land. Such terrorism was spread by many convoys sent to various regions.

Historians have narrated that Mu`awiyh summoned Sufyān ibn `Awf al-Ghāmidi, one of the commanders of his army, and said to him, "This army is under your command. Proceed along the Euphrates River till you reach Heet. Any resistance you meet on your way should be crushed, and then you should proceed to invade Anbar.

After that, penetrate deeply into Madā’in. O Sufyān! These invasions will frighten the Iraqis and please those who like us. Such campaigns will attract frightened people to our side. Kill whoever holds different views from ours; loot their villages and demolish their homes. Indeed, fighting them against their livelihood and 227

taking their wealth away is similar to killing them but is more painful to their hearts."

Another of his commanders, namely Bishr ibn Ar§a’ah, was summoned and ordered to proceed to μijāz and Yemen with these instructions issued by Mu`āwiyah: "Proceed to Medīna and expel its people. Meanwhile, people in your way, who are not from our camp, should be terrorized. When you enter Medīna, let it appear as if you are going to kill them. Make it appear that your aim is to exterminate them. Then pardon them. Terrorize the people around Mecca and Medīna and scatter them around."

During Mu`āwiyah’s reign, basic human rights were denied, not simply violated. No one was free to express his views. Government spies were paid to terrorize the public, assisting the army and the police in sparing no opportunity to crush the people and to silence their dissent. There are some documents which reveal Mu`āwiyah’s instructions to his governors to do just that. For instance, the following letter was addressed to all judges: "Do not accept the testimony of Ali’s followers (Shī`ites) or of his descendants in (your) courts." Another letter stated: "If you have evidence that someone likes `Ali and his family, omit his name from the recipients of rations stipulated from the zakāt funds." Another letter said, "Punish whoever is suspected of following `Ali and demolish his house." Such was the situation during the government of Mu`āwiyah, Yazīd’s infamous father. Historians who were recording these waves of terror described them as unprecedented in history.

People were so frightened, they did not mind being called atheists, thieves, etc., but not followers of Imām `Ali ibn Abū ±ālib , the right hand of Prophet Mu¦ammed , confidant and son-in-law.

Another aspect of the government of Mu`āwiyah was the racist discrimination between Arabs and non-Arabs. Although they were supposed to have embraced Islam which tolerates no racism in its teachings, non-Arabs were forced to pay khirāj and jizya taxes that are levied from non-Muslims living under the protection of Muslims and enjoying certain privileges, including the exemption from the military service. A non-Arab soldier fighting in the state’s army used to receive bare subsistence from the rations. Once, a dispute flared up between an Arab and a non-Arab and both were brought to court.

The judge, namely Abdullāh ibn `Āmir, heard the non-Arab saying 228

to his Arab opponent, "May Allāh not permit people of your kind (i.e. Arabs) to multiply." The Arab answered him by saying, "O Allāh! I invoke You to multiply their (non-Arabs’) population among us!" People present there and then were bewildered to hear such a plea, so they asked him, "How do you pray for this man’s people to multiply while he prays for yours to be diminished?!" The Arab opponent said, "Yes, indeed, I do so! They clean our streets and make shoes for our animals, and they weave our clothes!"

Imām al-μussain’s older brother, Imām al-μassan , was elected in Medīna on the 21st of the month of Rama¤ān, 40 A.H./January 28, 661 A.D. as the caliph, but his caliphate did not last long due to the terrorism promoted by Mu`āwiyah who either intimidated, killed, or bribed the most distinguished men upon whom Imām al-μassan  depended to run the affairs of the government. Finally, Mu`āwiyah pushed Imām al-μassan  out of power after signing a treaty with him the terms of which were, indeed, honorable and fair, had they only been implemented. Finding his men too weak or too reluctant to fight Mu`āwiyah, Imām al-μassan  had no alternative except to sign the said treaty with a man whom he knew very well to be the most hypocritical of all and the most untrustworthy.

This is the father. The mother is Maysūn, a slave girl conceived by another slave and gave birth to him. Having seen how his father, Abū Sufyān, became a "Muslim"—but never a Mu’min—, Mu`āwiyah fled away to Bahrain where he sent his father a very nasty letter reprimanding him for accepting Islam...

Mu`āwiyah “son” of Abū Sufyān was born out of wedlock in 602 A.D. during the jāhiliyya, the time of ignorance, the period that preceded Islam. His mother, Maysūn, was one of his father’s slavegirls. Maysūn had a sexual intercourse with one of Mu`āwiyah’s slaves, conceiving Yazīd by him. Mu`āwiyah, in total disregard for Islamic or conventional Arab traditions, claimed Yazīd as his son, the same Yazīd who fought and killed Imām μussain . A testimony to this fact is the well-documented tradition of the Prophet  wherein he said, “The murderer of my [grand]son al-μussain is a bastard.” This tradition is quoted on p. 156, Vol. 1, of Kanz al229

`Ummāl of al-Muttaqi al-Hindi. The stigma of being a bastard applies actually not only to Yazīd but also to both Shimr ibn DhulJawshan and `Ubaydullāh ibn Sa`d, the accomplices about whom the reader can read a good deal in my other book titled Kerbala and Beyond: An Epic of Immortal Heroism. All of these men were born out of wedlock.

Mu`āwiyah played a major role in distorting the Islamic creed. He installed himself as ruler of Syria in 40 A.H./661 A.D. and ruled for twenty long years till his death at the age of seventy-eight. Shortly before his death, which took place in the month of Rajab of 60 A.H./May of 680 A.D., he managed to secure the oath of allegiance to his corrupt and immoral son Yazīd as his successor. He did so by intimidation once and once by buying loyalty and favors, spending in the process huge sums of money that belonged to the Muslims.

The weak-minded majority of the Muslims of his time swore allegiance to him. This proves that the majority does not necessarily have to be right. Imām al-μussain , together with a small band of devotees to the cause of truth, refused to bow their heads to the oppressive forces, hence this tale of heroism.

The greatest damage Mu`āwiyah caused to the Islamic creed is through falsification, fabrication and manufacturing of ¦ādīth. He found in Abū Hurayra al-Dawsi his best tool to achieve this goal.

Who is this Abū Hurayra, and why did he manufacture as many as three thousand traditions during the three-year period when he was in the ¯uffa, a shelter for indigent Muslims, close to the Prophet's Mosque in Medīna?

In the year 7 A.H./629 A.D., a young and very poor man from the Daws tribe of southern Arabia (Yemen), met the Prophet immediately after the battle of Khaybar and embraced Islam. He is well known in history as “Abū Hurayra,” the fellow of the kitten, after a kitten to which he was very much attached, reportedly carrying it wherever he went. His name shone neither during the lifetime of the Prophet nor of the four “righteous caliphs” but during the un-Islamic Umayyad reign of terror which lasted from 655, when Mu`āwiyah seized power in Damascus, to 750 A.D., when Marwān II, the last Umayyad ruler in Damascus, died. It was during that period that the Islamic world witnessed an astronomical number of 230

“traditions” which were attributed, through this same Abū Hurayra, to the Prophet of Islam . Since these traditions, known collectively as ¦ādīth, constitute one of the two sources of the Islamic legislative system, the Sharī`a, it is very important to shed a light on the life and character of this man even if some readers may consider this chapter as a digression from the main topic. At the same time, we must state a word of caution here: It is quite possible the Umayyads paid other “traditionists” to fabricate traditions and attribute them to Abū Hurayra with or without his knowledge.

Another possibility is that the machine that produced so many false “traditions” kept working years after Abū Hurayra had already died.

The blame must not be placed entirely on Abū Hurayra but on the Umayyads many of whose followers still live among us…

It is of utmost importance to expose the facts relevant to Abū Hurayra so that Muslims may be cautious whenever they come across a tradition narrated by him or attributed to him which, all in all, reached the astronomical figure of 5,374 “traditions,” although he spent no more than three years in the company of the Prophet, a fact supported by the renown compiler al-Bukhāri, whenever such company did not involve any danger to his life, and despite the fact that Abū Hurayra did not know how to read and write... The reader can easily conclude that this figure is unrealistic when he comes to know that Abū Bakr, friend of the Prophet and one of the earliest converts to Islam, narrated no more than 142 traditions. Omer ibn alKha§§ab, the story of whose conversion to Islam is narrated earlier in this book, narrated no more than 537 traditions. Othmān ibn `Affān narrated no more than 146 traditions. And Ali, the man who was raised by the Prophet and who was always with him, following him like his shadow, and whose memory and integrity nobody at all can question, narrated no more than 586 traditions. All these men, especially Ali and Abū Bakr, spent many years of their lives in the company of the Prophet and did not hide when their lives were in jeopardy, as is the case with Abū Hurayrah, yet they did not narrate except a tiny fraction of the number of “traditions,” many of which cannot be accepted by logic and commonsense, narrated by or attributed to Abū Hurayra. This is why it is so important to discuss this man and expose the factories of falsification of ¦ādīth established by his benefactors, the Umayyads, descendants and supporters of Abū Sufyān, then his son Mu`āwiyah, then his son Yazīd, all of whom were outright hypocrites and had absolutely 231

nothing to do with Islam.

Abū Hurayra's name is said to be `Omayr ibn `Āmir ibn `Abd ThishShari ibn ±areef, of the Yemenite tribe of Daws ibn `Adnan 1 . His mother's name is Umaima daughter of Safeeh ibn al-μārith ibn Shabi ibn Abū Sa`b, also of the Daws tribe. His date of birth is unknown, but he is said to have died in 57, 58, or 59 A.H., and that he had lived to be 78. This would put the date of his birth at 677, 678 or 679 A.D. F

F

When he came to the Prophet , he was young and healthy and, hence, capable of enlisting in the Prophet's army. But he preferred to be lodged together with destitute Muslims at the ¯uffa referred to above. Most of the time which Abū Hurayra spent with the Prophet was during the lunches or dinners the Prophet hosted for those destitute. Abū Hurayra himself admitted more than once that he remained close to the Prophet so that he could get a meal to eat.

Another person who used to shower the destitute of the ¯uffa with his generosity was Ja`far ibn Abū ±ālib (588 - 629 A.D.), the Prophet's cousin and a brother of Ali ibn Abū ±ālib. He was, for this reason, called “Abul Masakeen,” father of the destitute. This is why, Abū Hurayra used to regard Ja`far as the most generous person next only to the Prophet. When the Prophet mandated military service for all able men in the Mu'ta expedition, Ja`far ibn Abū ±ālib did not hesitate from responding to the Prophet's call, but Abū Hurayra, who considered Ja`far as his patron, preferred not to participate, thus violating the order of the Prophet. History records the names of those who did likewise.

1

According to Al-Munjid fil lugha wal a`lam ‫المنجد في اللغة و األعالم‬, however, Abū Hurayra's name is recorded as `Abd ar-Ra¦mān ibn Sakhr al-Azdi, and that he died in 59 A.H./678 A.D. The same reference indicates that this man spent “a long time in the company of the Prophet,” which is not true at all; he accompanied the Prophet from time to time for only 3 years. The Publisher of this Munjid, namely Dar al-Mashriq of Beirut, Lebanon, is sponsored by the Catholic Press of Beirut.

Undoubtedly, the information about Abū Hurayra in this Arabic-Arabic dictionary must have been furnished by some Sunnis who try their best to elevate the status of Abū Hurayra even at the risk of sacrificing historical facts and data, thus jeopardizing the integrity of the Islamic faith itself.

232

In 21 A.H./642 A.D., during the caliphate of Omer ibn al-Kha§§ab, Abū Hurayra was made governor of Bahrain. After two years, he was deposed because of a scandal. The details of that scandal are recorded in the books of Ibn `Abd Rabbih, the Mu`tazilite writer, and in Ibn al-Athīr's famous classic book Al-`Iqd al-Fareed. A summary of that incident runs as follows: When Abū Hurayra was brought to him, Omer said to him: “I have come to know that when I made you governor of Bahrain, you did not even have shoes to wear, but I am now told that you have purchased horses for one thousand and six hundred dinars.” Abū Hurayra said, “I had horses which have multiplied, and I received some as gifts.” Omer then said, “I would give you only your salary.

This (amount) is a lot more than that (more than your salary for both years). Pay the balance back (to baytul-māl, the Muslim state treasury)!” Abū Hurayra said, “This money is not yours.” Omer said, “By Allāh! I would bruise your back!” Saying this, Omer whipped Abū Hurayra till he bled. Then he thundered: “Now bring the money back!” Abū Hurayra replied: “I am to account for it before Allāh.”

Omer said, “This could be so only if you had taken it rightfully and had paid it back obediently. I shall throw you back to your mother as though you were dung so that she would use you to graze donkeys.”

According to the sequence employed by Ibn Sa`d in his ±abaqāt, Abū Hurayra ranks in the ninth or tenth class. He came to the Messenger of Allāh  near the end of the seventh Hijri year.

Hence, historians say that he accompanied the Prophet no more than three years 1 according to the best estimates, while other historians say it was no more than two years if we take into consideration the fact that the Prophet sent him to accompany Ibn al-Ha¤rami to Bahrain, then the Messenger of Allāh  died while he was still in Bahrain.

F

F

This paragraph and the ones that follow it are excerpted from my translation of Dr. Mu¦ammed at-Tijani as-Samawi's book Shī`as are the [real or true] Ahl as-Sunnah (New York: Vantage Press, 1996), pp. 207-215.

1

Al-Bukhāri, ¯a¦ī¦, Vol. 4, p. 175, where the author quotes Abū Hurayra talking about himself in a chapter dealing with the characteristics of Prophethood.

233

Abū Hurayra was not known for his jihad or valor, nor was he among those who were regarded as brilliant thinkers, nor among the jurists who knew the Qur’ān by heart, nor did he even know how to read and write... He came to the Messenger of Allāh  in order to satisfy his hunger as he himself said, and as the Prophet came to understand from him, so he lodged him among the people of the Suffa to whom the Prophet used to send some food.

Yet he became famous for the abundance of a¦ādīth ‫ أحادي ث‬which he used to narrate about the Messenger of Allāh . This fact attracted the attention of verifiers of ¦ādīth especially since he had not remained in the company of the Prophet for any length of time and to the fact that he narrated traditions regarding battles which he had never attended.

Some critics and verifiers of ¦ādīth gathered all what was narrated by the “righteous caliphs” as well as by the ten men given the glad tidings of going to Paradise in addition to what the mothers of the faithful and the purified Ahl al-Bayt, and they did not total one tenth of what Abū Hurayra had narrated all alone. This came despite the fact that among the latter was Ali ibn Abū ±ālib who remained in the company of the Prophet for thirty years.

Then fingers were pointed to Abū Hurayra charging him with telling lies and with fabricating and forging ¦ādīth. Some went as far as labeling him as the first narrator in the history of Islam thus charged.

Yet some Muslims the extent of whose knowledge is apparently quite limited call him “Islam's narrator”, so he is surrounded with a halo, a great deal of respect. They totally rely on him and even go as far as saying “Ra¤iya Allāhu `anhu,” Allāh be pleased with him, whenever they mention his name. Some of them may even regard him as being more knowledgeable than Imām Ali ibn Abū ±ālib , who never parted with the Prophet  and grew up in his lap, due to one particular tradition which he narrates about himself and in which he says, “I said, `O Messenger of Allāh! I hear a great deal of your ¦ādīth which I have been forgetting!' He said, `Stretch your mantle,' so I stretched it, whereupon he made a handful then said, ‘Close upon it,’ whereupon I closed upon it and never forgot of it a thing ever since,” as we read on p. 38, Vol. 1, of al-Bukhāri’s ¯a¦ī¦ where the author dedicates a chapter on acquiring knowledge.

234

Abū Hurayra kept narrating so many a¦ādīth that Omer ibn alKha§§ab beat him with his cane and said to him, “You have quoted too many a¦ādīth, and it seems that you have been telling lies about the Messenger of Allāh .” This was due to one particular narration which Abū Hurayra reported and in which he quoted the Prophet supposedly saying that Allāh had created the heavens, the earth and all creation in seven days. When Omer heard about it, he called him in and asked him to repeat that ¦ādīth. Having heard him repeating it, Omer struck him and said to him, “How so when Allāh Himself says it was done in six days, while you yourself now say it was done in seven?!” Abū Hurayra said, “Maybe I heard it from Ka`b al-Ahbar...” Omer said, “Since you cannot distinguish between the Prophet's a¦ādīth and what Ka`b al-A¦bar says, you must not narrate anything at all.” 1 F

It is also narrated that Ali ibn Abū ±ālib has said, “Among all the living, the person who has told the most lies about the Messenger of Allāh  is Abū Hurayra al-Dawsi,” as we read on p. 28, Vol. 4 of Ibn Abul-Hadeed's work Shar¦ Nahjul-Balāgha. Mother of the faithful `Ā’isha, too, testified to his being a liar several times in reference to many a¦ādīth which he used to attribute to the Messenger of Allāh . For example, she resented something which he had once said so she asked him, “When did you hear the Messenger of Allāh  say so?” He said to her, “The mirror, the kohl, and the dyestuff have all diverted you from the ¦ādīth of the Messenger of Allāh ,” but when she insisted that he was lying and scandalized him, Marwān ibn al-μakam interfered and took upon himself to verify the authenticity of the ¦ādīth in question. It was then that Abū Hurayra admitted, “I did not hear it from the Messenger of Allāh ; rather, I heard it from al-Fa¤l ibn al`Abbās,” according to al-Bukhāri, ¯a¦ī¦, Vol. 2, p. 232, in a chapter dealing with a fasting person who wakes up finding himself in the state of janaba, and Mālik, Maw§a', Vol. 1, p. 272. It is because of this

particular narration that Ibn Qutaybah charged him with lying saying, “Abū Hurayra claimed that al-Fa¤l ibn al-`Abbās, who had by then died, testified to the authenticity of that tradition which he attributed to him in order to mislead people into thinking that he had 1

Refer to the book titled Abū Hurayra by the Egyptian author Ma¦mūd Abū Rayyah.

235

heard it from him, according to al-Dhahbi's book Siyar A`lām anNubalā’. In his book Ta'weel al-A¦ādīth ‫تأوي ل األحادي ث‬, Ibn Qutaybah says, “Abū Hurayra used to say: `The Messenger of Allāh  said such-and-such, but I heard it from someone else.” In his book A`lam an-Nubalā’, al-Dhahbi says that Yazīd ibn Ibrāhīm once cited Shu`bah ibn al-μajjāj saying that Abū Hurayra used to commit forgery.

In his book Al-Bidāya wan-Nihāya ‫البداي ة و النھاي ة‬, Ibn Kathīr states that Yazīd ibn Haroun heard Shu`bah ibn al-μajjāj accusing him of the same, that is, that he forges ¦ādīth, and that he used to narrate what he used to hear from Ka`b al-A¦bār as well as from the Messenger of Allāh  without distinguishing one from the other.

Ja`far al-Iskāfi has said, “Abū Hurayra is doubted by our mentors; his narrations are not acceptable,” as we read on p. 68, Vol. 4, of Ibn Abul-μadeed’s book Shar¦ Nahjul-Balāgha.

During his lifetime, Abū Hurayra was famous among the ¥a¦āba of lying and forgery and of narrating too many fabricated a¦ādīth to the extent that some of the ¥a¦āba used to deride him and ask him to fabricate a¦ādīth agreeable with their own taste.

For example, a man belonging to Quraish put on once a new jubba (a long outer garment) and started showing off. He passed by Abū Hurayra and [sarcastically] said to him, “O Abū Hurayra! You narrate quite a few traditions about the Messenger of Allāh ; so, did you hear him say anything about my jubba?!” Abū Hurayra said, “I have heard the father of al-Qāsim saying, `A man before your time was showing off his outfit when Allāh caused the earth to cave in over him; so he has been rattling in it and will continue to do so till the Hour.' By Allāh! I do not know whether he was one of your people or not,” as we read in Ibn Kathīr's book Al-Bidāya wanNihāya, Vol. 8, p. 108.

How can people help doubting Abū Hurayra's traditions since they are so self-contradictory? He narrates one “¦ādīth” then he narrates its antithesis, and if he is opposed or his previously narrated traditions are used against him, he becomes angry or starts babbling

236

in the Ethiopian tongue. 1 F

How could they help accusing him of telling lies and of forgery after he himself had admitted that he got traditions out of his own pouch then attributed them to the Prophet?

Al-Bukhāri, in his ¯a¦ī¦, states the following: “Abū Hurayra said once, ‘The Prophet said, `The best charity is willingly given; the higher hand is better than the lower one, and start with your own dependents. A woman says: `Either feed me or divorce me.' A slave says, `Feed me and use me.' A son says, `Feed me for the woman who will forsake me.'” He was asked, “O Abū Hurayra! Did you really hear the Messenger of Allāh  say so?”

He said, “No, this one is from Abū Hurayra's pouch,’” as we read in Bukhāri, ¯a¦ī¦, Vol. 6, p. 190, in a chapter dealing with spending on the wife and children.

Notice how he starts this “tradition” by saying, “The Prophet said,” then when they refuse to believe what he tells them, he admits by saying, “... This one is from Abū Hurayra's pouch”! So congratulations to Abū Hurayra for possessing this pouch which is full of lies and myths, and for which Mu`āwiyah and Banu Umayyah provided a great deal of publicity, and because of which he acquired position, authority, wealth, and mansions. Mu`āwiyah made him the governor of Medīna and built him the Aqeeq mansion then married him off to a woman of honorable descent for whom he used to work as a servant...

Since Abū Hurayra was the close vizier of Mu`āwiyah, it is not due to his own merits, honor, or knowledge; rather, it is because Abū Hurayra used to provide him with whatever traditions he needed to circulate. If some ¥a¦āba used to hesitate in cursing “Abū Turab,” finding doing that embarrassing, Abū Hurayra cursed Ali in his own house and as his Shī`ites heard: Ibn Abul-μadeed says, “When Abū Hurayra came to Iraq in the company of Mu`āwiyah in the Year of the Jamā`a, he came to Kūfa's 1

Al-Bukhāri, ¯a¦ī¦, Vol. 7, p. 31.

237

mosque. Having seen the huge number of those who welcomed him, he knelt down then beat his bald head and said, “O people of Iraq!

Do you claim that I tell lies about the Messenger of Allāh  and thus burn myself in the fire?! By Allāh! I heard the Messenger of Allāh  saying, `Each prophet has a sanctuary, and my sanctuary is in Medīna from Eer [area] to [the mountain of] Thawr; so, anyone who makes it unclean will be cursed by Allāh, the angels, and all people, and I bear witness that Ali had done so.” When Mu`āwiyah came to hear this statement, he gave him a present, showered him with his generosity, and made him the governor of Medīna.” 1 F

Suffices us to point out to the fact that Abū Hurayra was made governor of Medīna by none other than Mu`āwiyah. There is no doubt that verifiers and researchers, who are free of prejudice, will doubt anyone who befriended the enemy of Allāh and His Messenger and who was antagonistic towards the friends of Allāh and of His Messenger... would reward Abū Hurayra for nothing.

There is no doubt that Abū Hurayra did not reach that lofty position of authority, namely Governor of Medīna, then capital of the Islamic world, except by virtue of the services which he had rendered to Mu`āwiyah and other authoritative Umayyads. Praise to the One Who changes the conditions! Abū Hurayra had come to Medīna with nothing to cover his private parts other than a tiny striped piece of cloth, begging passers-by to feed him. Then he suddenly became ruler of the sacred precincts of Medīna, residing in the Aqeeq Mansion, enjoying wealth, servants and slaves, and nobody could say a word without his permission. All of this was from the blessings of his “pouch”!

Do not forget, nor should you be amazed, dear reader, that nowadays we see the same stage plays being reenacted, and history certainly repeats itself. How many ignorant indigent persons sought nearness to a ruler and joined his party till they became feared masters who do and undo, issuing orders as they please, having a direct access to wealth without being accounted for it, riding in automobiles without being watched, consuming foods not sold on the market...? One such person may not even know how to speak his own language, nor does he know a meaning for life except satisfying his stomach and sexual 1

Ibn Abul-μadeed, Shar¦ Nahjul-Balāgha, Vol. 4, p. 67.

238

appetite. The whole matter is simply his having a “pouch” like the one Abū Hurayra used to have with some exception, of course, yet the aim is one and the same: pleasing the ruler and publicizing for him in order to strengthen his authority, firm his throne, and eliminate his critics.

Abū Hurayra loved the Umayyads and they loved him since the days of Othmān ibn Affān, their leader. His view with regard to Othmān was contrary to that of all ¥a¦āba who belonged to the Muhajirun and the An¥ār; he regarded all the ¥a¦āba who participated in or encouraged the killing of Othmān as being “apostates”.

Undoubtedly, Abū Hurayra used to accuse Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  of killing Othmān. We can derive this conclusion from the statement which he made at Kūfa's Grand Mosque that Ali made Medīna unclean and that he, therefore, was cursed by the Prophet, the angels, and everyone else. For this reason, Ibn Sa`d indicates in his ±abaqāt that when Abū Hurayra died in 59 A.H./679 A.D., Othmān's descendants carried his coffin and brought it to the Baqee` to bury it as an expression of their appreciation of his having had high regards for Othmān. 1 F

Surely Allāh has his own wisdom in faring with His creation.

Othmān ibn Affān, the master of Quraish and their greatest, was killed although he was the Muslims' caliph bearing the title of “Dhul-Noorayn”, the man with two lights, and of whom, according to their claim, the angels feel shy. His corpse did not receive the ceremonial burial bath nor was it shrouded; moreover, it was not buried for full three days after which it was buried at Medīna's then Jewish cemetery. ‫ لما قتل عثمان ألقي على المزبلة ثالثة أيام‬:‫قال ابن عبد البر في االستيعاب‬ On p. 80, Vol. 3, of Al-Istī`āb ‫( االس تيعاب‬original Arabic text) by Ibn Abd al-Birr, we read the following: “When Othmān was killed, his body was thrown on a pile of garbage for three days. When it was nighttime, twelve men went to his corpse. Among them were: μuwai§ib ibn Abd al-Uzza, μakeem ibn μizām, Abdullāh ibn az1

Ibn Sa`d, ±abaqāt, Vol. 2, p. 63.

239

Zubair, Mu¦ammed ibn μā§ib and Marwān ibn al-μakam. When they went to the cemetery to bury him, some people from Banu Māzin shouted at them saying, ‘By Allāh! If you bury him here, we will tell people about it tomorrow [so they may dig the corpse up and remove it].’ They had to carry his corpse till they reached μash Kawkab, a wall in Medīna, where they dug up a grave for him. `Ā’isha daughter of Othmān [not to be confused with `Ā’isha daughter of Abū Bakr] was carrying a lantern. When the men took him out to bury him, `Ā’isha wailed, whereupon Abdullāh ibn azZubair said to her, ‘By Allāh! If you do not remain silent, I will hit you on the head.’ She stopped wailing, and he (Othmān) was buried.”

Ibn Abul-μadeed quotes a§-±abari saying that Othmān’s corpse was kept for three days unburied. The author of this book has a copy of the 2005 A.H. edition of a§-±abari’s voluminous Tārīkh published

by Al-Amīra house for publication and distribution of Beirut, Lebanon. He would like to quote ver batim what pp. 160-61 of Vol. 3 of this edition states with regard to Othmān’s burial: ‫ ثم ان حكيم بن حزام القرشي ثم أحد بني أسد بن عبد‬،‫نبذ عثمان ثالثة أيام ال يدفن‬ ‫ و طلبا اليه‬،‫ كلما عليا في دفنه‬،‫ و جبير بن مطعم بن عدي بن نوفل بن عبد مناف‬،‫العزى‬ ‫ فلما سمع بذلك قعدوا له في الطريق‬،‫ و أذن لھم علي‬،‫ ففعل‬،‫أن يأذن ألھله في ذلك‬ ‫ يقال له حش‬،‫ و ھم يريدون به حائطا بالمدينة‬،‫ و خرج به ناس من أھله‬،‫بالحجارة‬ ‫ و ھموا‬،‫ فلما خرج به على الناس رجموا سريره‬،‫ كانت اليھود تدفن فيه موتاھم‬،‫كوكب‬ ‫ فانطلق حتى‬،‫ ففعلوا‬،‫ فأرسل الى الناس يعزم عليه ليكفن عنه‬،‫ فبلغ ذلك عليا‬،‫بطرحه‬ ‫ فلما ظھر معاوية بن أبي سفيان على الناس أمر بھدم ذلك الحائط‬،‫دفن في حش كوكب‬ ‫ و أمر الناس أن يدفنوا موتاھم حول قبره حتى اتصل ذلك‬،‫حتى أفضى به الى البقيع‬ .‫بمقابر المسلمين‬ “[The corpse of] Othmān remained for three days without being buried. Then μakeem ibn μizam al-Qarashi (from the Quraish tribe) and one of the offspring of Banu Asad ibn Abd al-`Uzza, as well as Jubayr ibn Mu§`im ibn `Adiyy ibn Nawfal ibn Abd Manāf, spoke with [then caliph] Ali  about burying him, requesting him to permit his [Othmān’s] family to bury him, which he did. Ali  permitted them. When people heard about it, they lurked in the streets with rocks in their hands. Some people from among Othmān’s family came out with his corpse and wanted to go to a wall in Medīna called μash Kawkab where the Jews used to bury their dead. When people saw it [Othmān’s coffin], they pelted his 240

coffin and were about to throw the body down. Ali  came to know about it, so he sent a message to people to leave the corpse alone and not expose it to their harm, which they did. It was taken out till it was buried at μash Kawkab. When Mu`āwiyah ascended to power, he ordered that wall to be demolished, joining its area with that of the Baqee`. He ordered people to bury their dead around his [Othmān’s] grave till the graves connected with the Muslims’ graves.”

These details and more are also narrated in Ibn al-Athīr’s Al-Kāmil and in Ibn al-A`tham’s Tārīkh, in addition to the Istī`āb of Ibn Abd al-Birr. On the same page of the latter reference (p. 80, Vol. 3), the author indicates that Othmān’s body did not receive the ceremonial bathing and that he was shrouded in the same clothes which he was wearing when he was killed. Perhaps this much suffices to give the reader an idea about how angry people were with Othmān and with the men whom he chose to run their affairs, plunder the state treasury and spread iniquity throughout the Muslim world.

Anyway, let us go back to Abū Hurayra who died after having enjoyed pomp and power. He was an indigent man whose lineage and tribal origins were not known to anybody. He had no kinship to Quraish. Despite all of this, the caliph's sons, who were in charge of running the affairs during Mu`āwiyah's reign, took to bearing his corpse and to burying it at the Baqee`...! Let us now examine Abū Hurayra’s attitude towards the Prophet's Sunna.

In his ¯a¦ī¦, al-Bukhāri quotes Abū Hurayra saying, “I learned the fill of two receptacles [of a¦ādīth] from the Messenger of Allāh : I have disseminated only one of them; as for the other, if I disseminate it, this throat will be slit,” as we read on p. 38, Vol. 1, of al-Bukhāri’s ¯a¦ī¦ in a chapter dealing with learning Here is Abū Hurayra revealing what erstwhile is hidden, admitting that the only traditions he quoted were the ones that pleased the ruling authorities. Building upon this premise, Abū Hurayra used to have two pouches, or two receptacles, as he called them. He used to disseminate the contents of one of them, the one which we have discussed here that contains whatever the rulers desired. As for the other, which Abū Hurayra kept to himself and whose a¦ādīth he did not narrate for fear his throat would be slit, it is the one containing 241

the authentic traditions of the Prophet. Had Abū Hurayra been a reliable authority, he would have never hidden true a¦ādīth while disseminating illusions and lies only to support the oppressor, knowing that Allāh curses whoever hides the clear evidence.

Al-Bukhāri quotes him saying once, “People say that Abū Hurayra narrates too many a¦ādīth. Had it not been for two [particular] verses in the Book of Allāh, I would not have narrated a single ¦ādīth: `Those who conceal what We have revealed of clear proofs and the guidance, after Our having clarified [everything] for people in the Book, these it is whom Allāh shall curse, and those who curse shall curse them, too' (Qur’ān, 2:159). Our brethren from the Muhajirun used to be busy consigning transactions at the marketplace, while our brethren from the Ansār used to be busy doing business with their own money, while Abū Hurayra kept in the shadow of the Prophet in order to satisfy his hunger, attending what they did not attend, learning what they did not learn.” 1 F

How can Abū Hurayra say that had it not been for a couple of verses in the Book of Allāh, he would not have narrated a single ¦ādīth, then he says, “I learned two receptacles [of a¦ādīth] from the Messenger of Allāh : I have disseminated one of them; as for the other, if I disseminate it, this throat will be slit”?! Is this not his admission of having concealed the truth despite both verses in the Book of Allāh?!

Had the Prophet not said to his companions, “Go back to your people and teach them”? as we read in al-Bukhāri’s ¯a¦ī¦, Vol. 1, p.

30. Had he not also said, “One who conveys is more aware than one who hears”? Al-Bukhāri states that the Prophet urged the deputation of `Abd Qays to learn belief and scholarship “... then convey what you learn to those whom you have left behind,” as we read in the same reference. Can we help wondering: Why should the throat of a ¥a¦ābi be slit if he quotes the Prophet ?! There must be a secret here which the caliphs do not wish others to know. Here, we would like to briefly say that “the people of the remembrance” was [a phrase in] a Qur’ānic verse revealed to refer to Ali's succession to the Prophet.

1

Ibid., Vol. 1, p. 37.

242

Abū Hurayra is not to blame; he knew his own worth and testified against his own soul that Allāh cursed him, and so did those who curse, for having hidden the Prophet's ¦ādīth. But the blame is on those who call Abū Hurayra the narrator of the Sunnah while he himself testifies that he hid it then testifies that he fabricated it and told lies in its regard, then he further goes on to testify that it became confused for him, so he could not tell which one was the statement of the Prophet and which one was made by others. All of these a¦ādīth and correct admissions are recorded in al-Bukhāri's ¯a¦ī¦ and in other authentic books of ¦ādīth.

How can anyone feel comfortable about a man whose justice was doubted by the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abū ±ālib who charged him with lying, saying that among the living, nobody told more lies about the Prophet than Abū Hurayra?! Omer ibn alKha§§ab, too, charged him of the same; he beat him and threatened to expel him. `Ā’isha doubted his integrity and many times called him a liar, and many other ¥a¦āba cast doubts about his accuracy and rejected his contradictory a¦ādīth, so he would once admit his error and would sometimes prattle in Ethiopian. 1 A large number of Muslim scholars refuted his traditions and charged him with lying, fabricating, and throwing himself at Mu`āwiyah's dinner tables, at his coffers of gold and silver.

F

F

Is it right, then, for Abū Hurayra to become “Islam's narrator” from whom the religion's injunctions are learned?

Judaica and Jewish doctrines have filled the books of ¦ādīth. Ka`b al-A¦bar, a Jew, may have succeeded in getting such doctrines and beliefs included into the books of ¦ādīth, hence we find traditions likening or personifying Allāh, as well as the theory of incarnation, in addition to many abominable statements about the prophets and messengers of Allāh: all of these are cited through Abū Hurayra.

A word of caution must be stated here, and I implore the Almighty 1

Abū Hurayra was bilingual. He spoke Arabic (his mother tongue) and Amharic. Historically speaking, during Abū Hurayra's time, Amheric was the language of “aristocrats” due to the fact that the Ethiopians had for many years colonized Yemen till they were kicked out of it at the hands of Sayf ibn Thi Yazun (or Yazin), Himyar's king who died in 574 A.D.

243

to testify that I have made it so I may not bear the burden of speaking ill of one of His servants, namely Abū Hurayra, while pleading to my Sunni and Shī`ite brothers everywhere, now and till the end of time, to bear witness to it and not be blinded by prejudice: There is a very strong likelihood that throughout their history, which is detailed in another place in this book, the Umayyads paid recorders of ¦adīth to fabricate traditions and attribute them to Abū Hurayra even after the latter had already died. Hence, the man may be innocent of a good deal of what is attributed to him, and Allāh will judge him just as He will judge those who fabricated traditions of His Prophet  then claimed that Abū Hurayra quoted them.

Moreover, not all traditions narrated by Abū Hurayra must be discarded. Discarding them would be a big blow to the sacred Sunnah of the Prophet of Islam, a huge blow to the fiqh and Sharī`a.

As a matter of fact, many traditions quoted by Abū Hurayra already exist in major works by prominent Shī`ite scholars throughout the entire Islamic history. The only requirement needed here is caution and research. Commonsense must be applied, too, to judge some traditions. Sunnis must not feel offended when this man is criticized, and Shī’ites must not be blinded by prejudice to reject all traditions narrated, whether authentically or not, by Abū Hurayra. Muslims have to weigh these traditions and compare them with commonsense, for Islam is the religion of commonsense.

Mu`āwiyah was succeeded by his corrupt and equally sinner Yazīd who is famous for staging the Kerbalā massacre of the immediate family, relatives and some supporters of Imām μussain son of Ali son of Abū ±ālib, peace be with them all. The Imām felt obligated to rise against Yazīd due to the depths to which the Islamic faith was driven at the hands of Yazīd and his father Mu`āwiyah, preferring to be martyred rather than endorse Yazīd's illegitimate appointment as the "commander of the faithful" imposed on the Muslims. Full details can be found in my book titled Kerbalā and Beyond: An Epic of Immortal Heroism and in many other books written on the Kerbalā epic of heroism to which I would like to refer the seeker of the truth. In order to demonstrate to the reader how hostile Yazīd was not only to Imām μussain but also to his father and grandfather, the Prophet of Islam , I would like to quote here verses of poetry which demonstrate this hostility: 244

‫ و لما رأى السبايا و الرؤوس على أطراف‬،"‫كان يزيد جالسا في منظرة على "جيرون‬ :‫الرماح و قد أشرفوا على ثنية جيرون نعب غراب فأنشأ يزيد يقول‬ ‫تل ك ال رؤوس عل ى ش فا جي رون‬

‫لم ا ب دت تل ك الحم ول و أش رقت‬

‫فق د اقت ضيت م ن الرس ول دي وني‬

‫ ق ل أو ال تق ل‬:‫نع ب الغ راب فقل ت‬

Yazīd was sitting at a surveillance outpost overlooking Jerun Mountain when he saw the captives with the severed heads planted atop spears as their throng came close and a crow croaked, so he composed these lines of poetry: When those conveyances drew nigh And the heads on the edge of Jerun, The crow croaked, so said I: “Say whatever you wish to say “Or say nothing at all, “From the Messenger have I today “What he owed me he did repay.”

Notice the last couple of verses and how Yazīd considered the Prophet  as owing him, and how what he did to Imām μussain  was the "repayment" of that debt! An in-depth study of what Yazīd had in mind will take the reader back to the Battle of Badr in which many relatives of Mu`āwiyah were killed, so the Umayyads were hostile to Islam and Muslims, including the Prophet  himself, since then, and their actions prove that they really never accepted Islam wholeheartedly, and their offspring, who exist among us, in our time never will.

Fī§ra ‫فط ره‬: the amount (in cash or kind) paid to the needy at the end of the month of Rama¤ān; see text on this topic in my book titled Fast of the Month of Rama¤ān: Philosophy and A¦kām for more details. Another meaning for this word, ‫فط رة‬, is: nature, the human nature, the way the Almighty created it Fuqahā' ‫فقھاء‬: plural of faqih, jurist H

H

245

Furoo` or Furū` ‫ف روع‬: branches (of the faith, teaching, tree, company or anything else)

‫ غ‬G, Gh Ghadeer or Ghadīr ‫غدير‬: pool, shallow water lake. The most famous shallow water lake in history is Gahdīr Khumm, the place where the Prophet of Islam  delivered a famous speech, nominating Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  as his successor.

Ghadīr Khumm ‫غ دير خ م‬: Non-Muslims who like to attack Islam accuse the Prophet of Islam  of having neglected to name his successor, not knowing that he actually did exactly so in accordance with the Divine order which he had received on Dhul-μijja 17, 10 A.H./March 18, 632 A.D., announcing the name of his successor the very next day, and here are the details: In 10 A.H./632 A.D., immediately following μijjatul-Wadā` ‫حج ة‬ ‫( ال وداع‬the Farewell Pilgrimage, the last pilgrimage performed by Prophet Mohammed , a divine order was revealed to the Prophet 246

 to convey the remaining Islamic tenets: the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and the Imāmate of the Twelve Infallible Imāms . The Prophet  called upon the faithful to accompany him on his last pilgrimage; he knew that it would be his last and that he would soon have to leave this temporary abode for the eternal one. More than one hundred and twenty thousand Muslims responded to his call.

The Prophet and his company put on the ihram garbs at the appropriate time at Masjid ash-Shajara, a short distance from Mecca, his birthplace, which he entered on Dhul-μijja 5, 10 A.H./March 6, 632 A.D. The Prophet's call reached Yemen where Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  was acting as his representative. Twelve thousand Yemenite pilgrims came out headed by Ali  in response to the Prophet's call to accompany him on his historic Pilgrimage, bringing the total number of those early pilgrims to more than one hundred and thirty-two thousand.

The Islamic pilgrimage starts in the month of Dhul-μijja (month of the pilgrimage), the last Islamic lunar calendar month, and continues for at least ten days. First, each pilgrim dons a special garb called ihram; males' i¦rām ‫ اح رام‬consists of two white sheets or towels covering the upper and lower parts of the body, whereas females wear a full white cotton outfit, simple and modest. This ihram reminds the pilgrim of his/her death and of the equality of all before God. All pilgrims perform the same rituals; none receives any favorable treatment or distinction on account of his status, power, or wealth. The pilgrimage starts by the §awāf, the circling of the Ka`ba seven times. The Ka`ba is identified in Islamic literature as an earthly counterpart to the Almighty's Throne ('Arsh) in heaven where the angels circle it in adoration. Likewise, in imitation of those angels, Muslim pilgrims circle the Ka`ba in adoration of their Lord. The tawāf ‫ ط واف‬is followed by the Sa`i ‫س عي‬: the pilgrims run back and forth seven times between the ¯afa and the Marwa in commemoration of Hagar (Hajar), mother of Ishmael, frantically searching for water for her newborn son Ishmael. After that, the pilgrims drink of the well of Zamzam which had appeared miraculously for Hagar and Ishmael, wash with it or use it to make ablution for prayers at the Ka`ba but never use it in the toilet; 247

Zamzam is too sacred for such an application. Then the pilgrims leave Mecca for Muzdalifa, 'Arafa, and finally Mina to perform certain rites which fall outside the scope of this book which is intended to be a historical account of the Prophet of Islam , not one of fiqh. The author of this book is a writer, a researcher, one who, according to a friend of his, "insists on finding out who the foundling's father is!" But he is not a faqīh. Now let us go back to our original story after having cast a glimpse at the rite of the pilgrimage in Islam.

It was at Arafa that the divine command was received by Prophet Mu¦ammed to appoint Ali as "Ameerul-Mu’minīn," ‫ أمي ر الم ؤمنين‬the Commander of the Faithful, title of the bearer of the highest temporal and religious powers in the Islamic State, one reserved solely for caliphs, those who are supposed to be the most knowledgeable of all people of secular and religious problems and of how to solve them. Mu¦ammed was also ordered to convey to Ali  the knowledge which the Almighty had bestowed upon him so that it would not be lost once he is dead. In Mina, the Prophet delivered two sermons in preparation for the great announcement to come. In the first, he referred to Ali's caliphate and reminded the audience of one particular ¦ādīth which he had conveyed to them on various occasions and which is identified in books of ¦ādīth as "¦ādīth ath-Thaqalain ‫"ح ديث الثقل ين‬, tradition of the two weighty things (the first being the Holy Qur’ān and the second being the Prophet's Progeny, the" Ahl al-Bayt"  mentioned in verse 33 of Chapter 33 [al-A¦zāb] of the Holy Qur’ān). He delivered his second sermon at Masjid al-Khaif, also located in Mina in the Meccan valley. In it, the Prophet reminded his audience of Ali's Imāmate, emphasizing the necessity of disseminating the contents of his sermon, announcing that those present were duty-bound to convey it to those who were absent. In both of these sermons, the Prophet publicly vested upon Ali both powers referred to above.

As soon as the rituals of the pilgrimage were completed, and to be exact on Dhul-μijja 17, 10 A.H./March 18, 632 A.D., the divine order came to the Prophet embedded in verse 67 of Chapter 5 (a1Mā’ida) quoted in the text of the Prophet's sermon to follow. The 248

Prophet immediately ordered Bilal ibn Rabah, his caller to prayers and one of his faithful ¥a¦āba ‫ص حابه‬, to convey the following order to the faithful: "Tomorrow, nobody should lag behind but should go to Ghadīr Khumm ‫غدير خم‬."

The word "Ghadīr" means "swamp," an area where rain water gathers to form a shallow lake. Ghadīr Khumm is located near the crossroads of trade and pilgrimage caravans coming from Medīna, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Nejd on their way to Mecca. The presence of water and a few old trees there served as a resting place for trade caravans for centuries. A mosque, called Masjid al-Ghadīr, was later built on the same spot where the great gathering took place to commemorate that momentous event, an event which has unfortunately been forgotten by the vast majority of the Muslims who, by thus forgetting, forgot the most important part of their creed, one without which their faith is not complete at all according to the Prophet's sermon to follow and according to the text of the Holy Qur’ān...

The announcement conveyed by Bilal was transmitted by one person to another till it reached as far as Mecca proper, and people were wondering about what it could be. They had expected the Prophet to linger a little bit longer at Mecca where the pilgrims could meet him and ask him whatever questions they had about this new institution called "¦ajj" and about other religious matters.

In the morning of the next day, Dhul-μijja 18, 10 A.H./March 19, 632A.D., the Prophet and his 120,000 companions went to Ghadīr Khumm ‫غ دير خ م‬, and so did Ali  with his 12,000 Yemenite pilgrims who had to change their route to the north instead of to the south where they would be home-bound. The Prophet also issued an order to four of his closest ¥a¦āba, namely Salmān al-Fārisi, Abū Dharr al-Ghifāri, Miqdād ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi and Ammār ibn Yāsir, with whom the reader is already familiar, to clear the area where the old trees stood, to uproot the thorn bushes, collect the rocks and stones, and to clean the place and sprinkle it with water.

Then these men took a piece of cloth which they tied between two of those trees, thus providing some shade. The Prophet told those ¥a¦āba that a ceremony that would last for three continuous days 249

would be held in that area. Then the same men piled the rocks on top of each other and made a makeshift pulpit over them of camel litters as high as the Prophet's own length. They put another piece of cloth on the pulpit which was installed in the middle of the crowd, giving the Prophet an overview of the whole gathering. A man was selected to repeat loudly what the Prophet was saying so that those who stood the furthermost would not miss a word.

The adhān ‫ أذان‬for the noon prayers was recited, and the congregational (jamā`a) ‫ صالة الجماعة‬prayers were led by the Prophet.

After that, the Prophet ascended the pulpit and signaled to Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  to stand on his right. Ali did so, standing one pulpit step below the Prophet. Before saying anything, the Prophet looked right and left to make sure that people were prepared to listen to every word of his. The sun was so hot that people had to pull some of their outer mantles over their heads and under their feet in order to be able to somehow tolerate the heat. Finally the Prophet delivered his historic sermon which he intended, as the reader will see, to be not only for the assembled crowd but for all those who were not present at that gathering and for all their offspring, one generation after another, till the Day of Judgment.

Here is the text of the Prophet's sermon. We hope it will bring the reader guidance in the life of this world and happiness and success in the life to come through the intercession of Mu¦ammed , the one loved the most by Allāh, and true companions  who obeyed him during his lifetime and after his demise and who did not forget or pretend to forget his following khu§ba (sermon): PROPHET'S HISTORIC GHADĪR SERMON: Below is the original Arabic text of this great sermon and below it you will find a humble translation by the author of this book. The text and translation were published through efforts of Darul-Salām Center in Annandale, Virginia, U.S.A., in Dhul-μijja 1419/March 1999 when the author of this book was still living in the U.S. A copy of this translation is posted on the Internet, too. Here is the original Arabic text of this historic sermon:

250

‫ص خطبة الغدير المباركة‬ ‫نَ ّ‬ ‫حيم‬ ‫بِ ْ‬ ‫س ِم ّ ِ‬ ‫ﷲ ال ﱠر ْح َم ِن ال ﱠر ِ‬ ‫س ْلطانِ ِه َو َعظُ َم‬ ‫الحمد والثناء ‪ :‬ا ْل َح ْم ُد ِ ّ ِ الﱠذي َعالَ في تَ َو ﱡح ِد ِه َو َدنَا في تَفَ ﱡر ِد ِه َو َج ﱠل في ُ‬ ‫ق بِقُ ْد َرتِ ِه َوبُ ْرھانِ ِه‪،‬‬ ‫في أَ ْركانِ ِه‪َ ،‬وأَ َحاطَ بِ ُك ﱢل ش َْي ٍء ِع ْلما ً َوھ َُو في َم َكانِ ِه‪َ ،‬وقَ َھ َر َجمي َع ا ْل َخ ْل ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ت َو َجبﱠا ُر األ َرضينَ‬ ‫ئ ا ْل َم ْ‬ ‫َمجيداً لَ ْم يَ َز ْل‪َ ،‬م ْح ُموداً الَ يَزَا ُل‪ .‬بَا ِر ُ‬ ‫َاحي ا ْل َمد ُْح ﱠوا ِ‬ ‫ت و َد ِ‬ ‫س ُمو َكا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ميع َمنْ بَ َرأهُ‪ُ ،‬متَطَ ﱢو ٌل‬ ‫وح‪ُ ،‬متَفَ ﱢ‬ ‫وح‪َ ،‬ر ﱡب ا ْل َمالَئِ َك ِة َو ﱡ‬ ‫سبﱡ ٌ‬ ‫ت‪ ،‬قُد ٌ‬ ‫َوال ﱠ‬ ‫ﱡوس ُ‬ ‫س َما َوا ِ‬ ‫ض ٌل َعلَى َج ِ‬ ‫الر ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫س َع ك ﱠلُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ميع َمنْ أنشَأهُ‪ .‬يَل َحظ ك ﱠل َع ْي ٍن َوال ُعيونُ ال تَراهُ‪ .‬كري ٌم َحلي ٌم ذو أناة‪ ،‬ق ْد َو ِ‬ ‫َعلَى َج ِ‬ ‫ست َ​َحقﱡوا ِمنْ‬ ‫ش َْي ٍء َر ْح َمتُهُ َو َمنﱠ َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم بِنِ ْع َمتِ ِه‪ .‬الَ يَ ْع َج ُل بِا ْنتِقَا ِم ِه‪َ ،‬والَ يُبَا ِد ُر إلَي ِھ ْم بِ َما ا ْ‬ ‫شتَبَ َھتْ َعلَ ْي ِه‬ ‫ض َمائِ َر‪َ ،‬ولَ ْم ت َْخفَ َعلَ ْي ِه ا ْل َم ْكنونَاتُ َوالَ ا ْ‬ ‫س َرائِ َر َو َعلِ َم ال ﱠ‬ ‫َع َذابِ ِه‪ .‬قَ ْد فَ ِھ َم ال ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫اإلحاطَة بِ ُك ﱢل ش َْي ٍء‪َ ،‬وا ْل َغلَبَة َعلَى ُك ﱢل ش َْي ٍء‪َ ،‬وا ْلقُ ﱠوةُ في ُك ﱢل ش َْي ٍء‪َ ،‬وا ْلقُ ْد َرةُ‬ ‫ا ْل َخفِيﱠاتُ ‪ .‬لَهُ َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫س ِط‪ ،‬الَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ب‬ ‫م‬ ‫ئ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ق‬ ‫م‬ ‫ئ‬ ‫َا‬ ‫د‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ء‬ ‫َي‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ء‬ ‫َي‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ئ‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫و‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫و‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ء‬ ‫َي‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ث‬ ‫م‬ ‫س‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫حينَ‬ ‫ْ َ ٌِ ٌِ ِ ِ ْ‬ ‫َعلَى ُك ﱢل ش َْي ٍء‪ُ ِ ُ َ َ ٌ ْ ُ ِ َ ْ َ ،‬‬ ‫ْ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫صا َر َو ُھ َو اللطيفُ‬ ‫صا ُر َوھ َُو يُ ْد ِر ُك األ ْب َ‬ ‫إلَهَ إالﱠ ھ َُو ا ْل َعزي ُز ا ْل َحكي ُم‪َ .‬ج ﱠل عَنْ أَنْ تُ ْد ِر َكهُ األ ْب َ‬ ‫س ﱟر َو َعالَنِيَ ٍة إالﱠ بِ َما َد ﱠل‬ ‫ا ْل َخبي ُر‪ .‬الَ يَ ْل َح ُ‬ ‫ق أَ َح ٌد َو ْ‬ ‫صفَهُ ِمنْ ُم َعايَنَ ٍة‪َ ،‬والَ يَ ِج ُد أَ َح ٌد َكيْفَ ھ َُو ِمنْ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫سهُ‪َ ،‬والذي يَغشَى األبَ َد نو ُرهُ‪،‬‬ ‫س ِه‪َ .‬وأ ْ‬ ‫ش َھ ُد أنهُ ﷲُ الذي َمأل ال ﱠد ْھ َر ق ْد ُ‬ ‫َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل َعلَى نف ِ‬ ‫َوالﱠذي يُ ْنفِ ُذ أَ ْم َرهُ بِالَ ُمشَا َو َر ِة ُمشي ٍر‪َ ،‬والَ َم َعهُ شَري ٌك في تَ ْقدي ِر◌ٍ َوالَ يُ َعا َونُ في تَدْبي ِر◌ٍ ‪.‬‬ ‫ال‪.‬‬ ‫ق َما َخلَ َ‬ ‫ال‪َ ،‬و َخلَ َ‬ ‫ف َوالَ ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ق بِالَ َم ُعونَة ِمنْ أَ َح ٍد َوالَ تَ َكلﱡ ٍ‬ ‫احتِ َي◌َ ٍ‬ ‫ص ﱠو َر َما ا ْبتَ َد َع َعلَى َغ ْي ِر ِمثَ ٍ‬ ‫سنُ‬ ‫أَ ْنشَأَھَا فَ َكانَتْ ‪َ ،‬وبَ َرأَھَا فَبَانَتْ ‪ .‬فَ ُھ َو ﷲُ الﱠذي الَ إلَهَ إالﱠ ھ َُو ا ْل ُم ْتقِنُ ال ﱠ‬ ‫ص ْن َعةَ‪ ،‬ا ْل َح َ‬ ‫ض َع‬ ‫صني َعةُ‪ ،‬ا ْل َع ْد ُل الﱠذي الَ يَ ُجو ُر‪َ ،‬واألَ ْك َر ُم الﱠذي ت َْر ِج ُع إلَ ْي ِه األُ ُمو ُر‪َ .‬وأَ ْ‬ ‫ال ﱠ‬ ‫ش َھ ُد أَنﱠهُ الﱠذي تَ َوا َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫س‬ ‫س ﱢخ ُر ال ﱠ‬ ‫ض َع ُك ﱡل ش َْي ٍء لِ َھ ْيبَتِ ِه‪َ .‬ملِ ُك األ ْمالَ ِك َو ُمفَلﱢ ُك األفالَ ِك َو ُم َ‬ ‫ُك ﱡل ش َْي ٍء لِقُد َْرتِ ِه‪َ ،‬و َخ َ‬ ‫ش ْم ِ‬ ‫س ّمى‪ .‬يُ َك ﱢو ُر اللﱠ ْي َل َعلَى النﱠ َھا ِر َويُ َك ﱢو ُر النﱠ َھا َر َعلَى اللﱠ ْي ِل يَ ْطلُبُ ُه‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫َوا ْلقَ َم ِر‪ُ ،‬ك ﱞل يَ ْجري ألَ َج ُ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ص َم ٌد‬ ‫اص ُم ُك ﱢل َجبﱠا ٍر عَني ٍد‪َ ،‬و ُم ْھلِ ُك ُك ﱢل َ‬ ‫ض ﱞد َوالَ نِدﱞ‪ ،‬أ َح ٌد َ‬ ‫ان َمري ٍد‪ .‬لَ ْم يَ ُكنْ َم َعهُ ِ‬ ‫َحثيثا ً‪ .‬قَ ِ‬ ‫ش ْيط ٍ‬ ‫اجدٌ‪ ،‬يَشَا ُء فَيُ ْمضي‪َ ،‬ويُري ُد‬ ‫لَ ْم يَلِ ْد َولَ ْم يولَ ْد َولَ ْم يَ ُكنْ لَهُ ُك ْفواً أَ َح ٌد‪ .‬إلَهٌ َو ِ‬ ‫اح ٌد َو َر ﱞب َم ِ‬ ‫ضح ُك َويُبكي‪َ ،‬ويَمن ُع َويُ ْعطي‪،‬‬ ‫فَيَ ْقضي‪َ ،‬ويَ ْعلَ ُم فَيُ ْحصي‪َ ،‬ويُميتُ َويُ ْحيي‪َ ،‬ويُ ْفقِ ُر ويُغنِي‪َ ،‬ويُ ِ‬ ‫لَهُ ا ْل ُم ْل ُك َولَهُ ا ْل َح ْمدُ‪ ،‬بِيَ ِد ِه ا ْل َخ ْي ُر َو ُھ َو َعلَى ُك ﱢل ش َْي ٍء قَدي ٌر‪ .‬يُولِ ُج اللﱠ ْي َل فِي النﱠ َھا ِر َويُولِ ُج‬ ‫صي‬ ‫ار فِي اللﱠ ْي ِل‪ ،‬الَ إلَهَ إالﱠ ھ َُو ا ْل َعزي ُز ا ْل َغفﱠا ُر‪ُ .‬م ُ‬ ‫النﱠ َھ َ‬ ‫جيب ال ﱡدعَا ِء َو ُم ْج ِز ُل ا ْل َعطَا ِء‪ُ ،‬م ْح ِ‬ ‫ص َر ُ‬ ‫َص ِرخينَ َوالَ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬الَ يُ ْ‬ ‫ست ْ‬ ‫اخ ا ْل ُم ْ‬ ‫ش ِك ُل َعلَ ْي ِه ش َْي ٌء‪َ ،‬والَ يُ ْ‬ ‫ض ِج ُرهُ ُ‬ ‫س َو َر ﱡب ا ْل ِجنﱠ ِة َوالنﱠا ِ‬ ‫األَ ْنفَا ِ‬ ‫ق لِ ْل ُم ْفلِحينَ ‪َ ،‬و َم ْولَى ا ْل َعالَمينَ ‪ .‬الﱠذي‬ ‫صالِحينَ ‪َ ،‬وا ْل ُم َوفﱢ ُ‬ ‫اص ُم لِل ﱠ‬ ‫يُ ْب ِر ُمهُ إ ْل َح ُ‬ ‫اح ا ْل ُملِ ّحينَ ‪ .‬ا ْل َع ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ش ﱠد ِة‬ ‫ق أنْ يَ ْ‬ ‫ض ﱠرا ِء َوال ﱢ‬ ‫ست َ​َح ﱠ‬ ‫ق ِمنْ ُك ﱢل َمنْ َخلَ َ‬ ‫ا ْ‬ ‫س ﱠرا ِء َوال ﱠ‬ ‫ش ُك َرهُ َويَ ْح َم َدهُ‪ .‬أ ْح َم ُدهُ َعلَى ال ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫س َم ُع ألَ ْم ِر ِه َوأُطي ُع َوأُبَا ِد ُر إلى ُك ﱢل َما‬ ‫أ‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ل‬ ‫س‬ ‫ر‬ ‫و‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ك‬ ‫و‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ئ‬ ‫ال‬ ‫م‬ ‫ب‬ ‫و‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ب‬ ‫م‬ ‫و‬ ‫أ‬ ‫و‬ ‫ء‬ ‫ا‬ ‫خ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ال‬ ‫َو ﱠ ِ َ ِ نُ ِ ِ َ ِ َ ِ ِ ِ َ ِ ِ َ ُ ُ ِ ِ ْ‬ ‫ضائ ِه‪َ ،‬ر ْغبَةً في طَا َعتِ ِه َو َخ ْوفا ً ِمنْ ُعقُوبَتِ ِه‪ِ ،‬ألنﱠهُ ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ الﱠذي الَ يُؤْ َمنُ‬ ‫ستَ ْ‬ ‫ضاهُ‪َ ،‬وأَ ْ‬ ‫سلِ ُم لِقَ َ‬ ‫يَ ْر َ‬ ‫َم ْك ُرهُ َوالَ يُ َخافُ َج ْو ُرهُ‪.‬‬

‫أمر الھي في موضوع ھام‬

‫الربُوبِيﱠ ِة‪َ ،‬وأُؤَ دّي َما أَ ْو َحى إل ﱠي َح َذراً ِمنْ أَنْ الَ‬ ‫وأُقِ ﱡر لَهُ َعلَى نَ ْفسي بِا ْل ُعبُو ِديﱠ ِة َوأَ ْ‬ ‫ش َھ ُد لَهُ بِ ﱡ‬ ‫أَ ْف َع َل فَت َِح ﱠل بي ِم ْنهُ قَا ِر َعةٌ الَ يَ ْدفَ ُع َھا َعنّي أَ َح ٌد َوإنْ َعظُ َمتْ حيلَتُهُ؛ الَ إلَهَ إالّ ُھ َو‪ .‬ألَنّهُ ق ْدَ‬ ‫ض ِمنَ لي تَبَا َركَ َوتَ َعالَى‬ ‫سالَتَهُ‪َ ،‬وقَ ْد َ‬ ‫أَ ْعلَ َمنِي أَنّي إنْ لَ ْم أُبَلﱢ ْغ َما أَ ْنزَ َل إلَ ﱠي فَ َما بَلﱠ ْغتُ ِر َ‬ ‫‪251‬‬

‫ص َمةَ َو ُھ َو ّ‬ ‫حيم‪ ،‬يَا أَيﱡ َھا ال ﱠرسو ُل‬ ‫ﷲُ ال َكافِي ال َكري ُم‪ .‬فَأَ ْو َحى إلَ ﱠي‪﴿ :‬بِ ْ‬ ‫ال ِع ْ‬ ‫س ِم ﷲِ ال ﱠر ْح َم ِن ال ﱠر ِ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ب ـ َوإنْ لَ ْم تَ ْف َع ْل‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ط‬ ‫بي‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ال‬ ‫خ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫في‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ر‬ ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ز‬ ‫ن‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫نْ‬ ‫كَ‬ ‫كَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱢ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ ٍ‬ ‫ِ ﱟ ِ ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ ِ ِ ِ ﱢ ِ‬ ‫بَلﱢ ْغ َ ِ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ص ْرتُ في تَ ْبليغ َما أن َز َل‬ ‫س‪َ ،‬ما ق ﱠ‬ ‫س﴾‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫فَ َما بَلﱠ ْغتَ ِرسالتَهُ َوﷲُ يَ ْع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النا ِ‬ ‫ص ُم َك ِمنَ النا ِ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫سالَ ُم َھبَطَ إل ﱠي ِم َراراً‬ ‫زول َھ ِذ ِه اآليَ ِة‪ :‬إنﱠ َج ْب َرئي َل َعلَ ْي ِه ال ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲُ تَ َعالَى إلَ ﱠي َوأَنَا ُمبَيﱢنٌ لَ ُك ْم َ‬ ‫سبَ َب نُ ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ض‬ ‫سال ُم ـ أنْ أقو َم في َھذا ال َم ْ‬ ‫سال ِم َربّي ـ َو ُھ َو ال ﱠ‬ ‫َن ال ﱠ‬ ‫ش َھ ِد فأ ْعلِ َم ك ﱠل أ ْبيَ َ‬ ‫ثَالثا يَأ ُم ُرني ع ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫صيّي َو َخليفَتِي َواإل َما ُم ِمنْ بَ ْعدي‪ ،‬الﱠذي َم َحلﱡهُ ِمنّي‬ ‫َوأَ ْ‬ ‫س َو َد‪ :‬أَنﱠ َعلِ ﱠي بْنَ أبي طَالِ ٍ‬ ‫ب أخي َو َو ِ‬ ‫َم َح ﱡل ھَارونَ ِمنْ ُموسى إالﱠ أَنﱠهُ الَ نَبِ ﱠي بَ ْعدي َوھ َُو َولِ ﱡي ُك ْم بَ ْع َد ﷲِ َو َرسولِ ِه‪َ .‬وقَ ْد أَ ْنزَ َل ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ‬ ‫تَبَا َر َك َوتَ َعالَى َعلَ ﱠي بِ َذلِ َك آيَةً ِمنْ ِكتَابِ ِه‪﴿ :‬إنﱠ َما َولِيﱡ ُك ُم ّ‬ ‫سولُهُ َوالﱠذينَ آ َمنُوا الﱠذينَ‬ ‫ﷲُ َو َر ُ‬ ‫صالَةَ َوآتَى‬ ‫ب أَقَا َم ال ﱠ‬ ‫يُقي ُمونَ ال ﱠ‬ ‫َلي بْنُ أَبي طَالِ ٍ‬ ‫صالةَ َويُؤْ تُونَ ال ﱠز َكاةَ َو ُھ ْم َرا ِكعُونَ ﴾‪َ ،‬وع ﱡ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ليغ‬ ‫سألتُ َج ْب َرئي َل أنْ يَ ْ‬ ‫ال ﱠز َكاةَ َو ُھ َو َرا ِك ٌع يُري ُد ﷲَ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل في ُك ﱢل َحال‪َ .‬و َ‬ ‫ستَ ْعفِ َي لِ َي عَنْ تَ ْب ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ال اآلثِمينَ َو ِحيَ ِل‬ ‫غ‬ ‫د‬ ‫إ‬ ‫و‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫قينَ‬ ‫ذلِكَ إلَ ْي ُك ْم ـ أَ ﱡي َھا النﱠ ُ‬ ‫اس ـ لِ ِع ْلمي بِقِلﱠ ِة ا ْل ُمتﱠقينَ َو َك َ ِ ُ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫س في‬ ‫ستَھ ِزئينَ بِاإل ْ‬ ‫ا ْل ُم ْ‬ ‫سالَ ِم‪ ،‬الذينَ َو َ‬ ‫سنَتِ ِھ ْم َما ل ْي َ‬ ‫صف ُھ ُم ﷲُ في ِكتَابِ ِه بِأن ُھ ْم يَقولونَ بِأل ِ‬ ‫س ﱡموني أُ ُذنا ً‬ ‫سبُونَهُ َھيﱢنا ً َو ُھ َو ِع ْن َد ﷲِ عَظي ٌم‪َ ،‬و َك ْث َر ِة أَ َذا ُھ ْم لي َغ ْي َر َم ﱠر ٍة‪َ ،‬حتﱠى َ‬ ‫قُلُوبِ ِھ ْم‪َ ،‬ويَ ْح َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫اي َوإقبَالي َعلِ ْي ِه‪َ ،‬حتﱠى أن َز َل ﷲُ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل في ذلِكَ‬ ‫َو َز َع ُموا أَنّي َكذلِ َك لِ َكث َر ِة ُمال َز َمتِ ِه إيﱠ َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫قُ ْرآنا ً‪﴿ :‬و ِم ْن ُھ ُم الﱠذينَ يُؤْ ُذونَ النﱠبِ ﱠي َويَقُولُونَ ھ َُو أذنٌ ‪ ،‬قُ ْل أذنُ ـ َعلَى الﱠذينَ يَ ْز ُع ُمونَ أنﱠهُ‬ ‫س ﱠم ْيتُ ‪َ ،‬وأَنْ‬ ‫س ﱢم َي بِأَ ْ‬ ‫س َمائِ ِھ ْم لَ َ‬ ‫شئْتُ أَنْ أُ َ‬ ‫أُ ُذنٌ ـ َخ ْي ٍر لَ ُك ْم‪ ،‬يُؤْ ِمنُ بِا ّ ِ َويُؤْ ِمنُ لِ ْل ُمؤْ ِمنينَ ﴾‪َ .‬ولَ ْو ِ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ﷲ في أ ُمو ِر ِھ ْم قَ ْد تَ َك ﱠر ْمتُ ‪.‬‬ ‫أُو ِم َي إلَ ْي ِھ ْم بِأ َ ْعيَانِ ِھ ْم ألَ ْو َمأْتُ ‪َ ،‬وأَنْ أَ ُد ﱠل َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم لَ َدلَ ْلتُ ‪َ ،‬ولَ ِكنّي َو ّ ِ‬ ‫ضى ّ‬ ‫صلﱠى ﷲُ َعلَ ْي ِه َوآلِ ِه‪﴿ :‬يَا أَ ﱡي َھا‬ ‫ﷲُ ِمنّي إالﱠ أَنْ أُبَلﱢ َغ َما أَ ْن َز َل إلَ ﱠي‪ .‬ثُ ﱠم تَالَ َ‬ ‫َو ُك ﱡل ذلِ َك الَ يَ ْر َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫سالَتَهُ َو ّ‬ ‫ص ُمكَ‬ ‫ال ﱠر ُ‬ ‫سو ُل بَلﱢ ْغ َما أُ ْن ِز َل إلَ ْيكَ ِمنْ َربﱢكَ ـ في َعلِ ﱟي ـ َوإنْ لَ ْم تَف َع ْل ف َما بَلﱠ ْغتَ ِر َ‬ ‫ﷲُ يَ ْع ِ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫س﴾‪.‬‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ِمنَ‬ ‫ِ‬

‫االعالن الرسمي بأمامة األئمة االثنى عشر)عليھم السالم ( وواليتھم‬

‫س أَنﱠ ّ‬ ‫ھاجرينَ‬ ‫ﷲَ قَ ْد نَ َ‬ ‫فَا ْعلَ ُموا َم َع ِ‬ ‫صبَهُ لَ ُك ْم َولِيّا ً َوإ َماما ً ُمفتَ َرضا ً طَا َعتُهُ َعلَى ا ْل ُم ِ‬ ‫اش َر النّا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫اض ِر‪َ ،‬و َعلى األع َْجم ﱢي َوال َع َربِ ﱢي‪،‬‬ ‫صا ِر َو َعلى التﱠابِعينَ ل ُھ ْم بِ ْ‬ ‫إح َ‬ ‫َواألَ ْن َ‬ ‫ان‪َ ،‬و َعلى البَادي َوال َح ِ‬ ‫س ٍ‬ ‫ض‬ ‫ض َواألَ ْ‬ ‫لوك‪َ ،‬وال ﱠ‬ ‫َوا ْل ُح ﱢر َوا ْل َم ْم ِ‬ ‫س َو ِد‪َ ،‬و َعلَى ُك ﱢل ُم َو ﱢح ٍد‪َ .‬ما ٍ‬ ‫صغي ِر َوا ْل َكبي ِر‪َ ،‬و َعلَى األَ ْبيَ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ص ﱠدقَهُ‪ ،‬فَق ْدَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ؤْ‬ ‫ُح ْك ُمهُ‪َ ،‬جا ٍز قَ ْولُهُ‪ ،‬نافِذ أ ْم ُرهُ‪َ ،‬مل ُعونٌ َمنْ خالفهُ‪َ ،‬م ْر ُحو ٌم َمنْ تَبِ َعهُ‪ُ ،‬م ِمنٌ َمنْ َ‬ ‫آخ ُر َمقَ ٍام أَقو ُمهُ في َھذاَ‬ ‫َغفَ َر ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ لَهُ َولِ َمنْ َ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠهُ ِ‬ ‫س ِم َع ِم ْنهُ َوأَطَا َع لَهُ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫ﷲَ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل ھ َُو َم ْوالَ ُك ْم َوإلَ ُھ ُك ْم‪ ،‬ث ﱠمُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫س َمعوا َوأَطيعوا َوا ْنقَادُوا ألَ ْم ِر َربﱢ ُك ْم‪ ،‬فَإنﱠ ّ‬ ‫ا ْل َم ْ‬ ‫ش َھ ِد‪ ،‬فا ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ب لَ ُك ْم‪ ،‬ث ﱠم ِمنْ بَ ْعدي َعلِ ﱞي َولِيﱡ ُك ْم َوإ َما ُم ُك ْم بِأ ْم ِر َربﱢ ُك ْم‪،‬‬ ‫اط ُ‬ ‫ِمنْ دُونِ ِه ُم ُح ﱠم ٌد‪َ 1‬وليﱡ ُك ْم ا ْلقَائِ ُم ال ْمـ ُ َخ ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫سولَهُ‪ .‬الَ َحالَ َل إالﱠ َما أَ َحلﱠهُ ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﷲُ‪َ ،‬والَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫و‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫و‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ت‬ ‫م‬ ‫و‬ ‫ْ نَ َ َ َ ُ‬ ‫ثُ ﱠم اإل َما َمةُ في ُذ ﱢريﱠتِي ِمنْ ُو ْل ِد ِه إلَى يَ ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ض ْيتُ بِ َما َعل َمنِي َربّي ِمنْ ِكتَابِ ِه‬ ‫َح َرا َم إالﱠ َما َح ﱠر َمهُ ﷲُ‪َ ،‬ع ﱠرفَنِي ا ْل َحالَ َل َوال َح َرا َم َوأنَا أف َ‬ ‫صا ه ُ ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ فِ ﱠي‪َ ،‬و ُك ﱡل ِع ْل ٍم ُعلﱢ ْمتُ‬ ‫س‪َ ،‬ما ِمنْ ِع ْلم إالﱠ َوقَ ْد أَ ْح َ‬ ‫َو َحالَلِ ِه َو َح َرا ِم ِه إلَ ْي ِه‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫اش َر‬ ‫فَقَ ْد أَ ْح َ‬ ‫ص ْيتُهُ في إ َم ِام ا ْل ُمتﱠقينَ ‪َ ،‬و َما ِمنْ ِعل ٍم إالﱠ َعل ْمتُهُ َعلِيّاً‪َ ،‬وھ َُو اإل َما ُم ال ُمبينُ ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫ستَ ْن ِكفُوا ِمنْ ِوالَيَتِ ِه‪ ،‬فَ ُھ َو الﱠذي يَ ْھدي إلَى‬ ‫َض ﱡلوا َع ْنهُ َوالَ تَ ْنفِ ُروا ِم ْنهُ‪َ ،‬والَ تَ ْ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬الَ ت ِ‬ ‫النﱠا ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫اط َل َويَن َھى َعنهُ‪َ ،‬وال تَأخذهُ فِي ﷲِ ل ْو َمة الئِ ٍم‪ .‬ث ّم إنهُ أ ﱠو ُل َمنْ‬ ‫ا ْل َح ﱢ‬ ‫ق َويَ ْع َم ُل بِ ِه‪َ ،‬ويُز ِھ ُ‬ ‫ق البَ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ول ّ‬ ‫ﷲِ َوالَ أ َح َد‬ ‫س ِه‪َ ،‬و ُھ َو الﱠذي َكانَ َم َع َر ُ‬ ‫آ َمنَ بِا ّ ِ َو َرسولِ ِه‪َ ،‬و ُھ َو الﱠذي فَدَى َر ُ‬ ‫سولَهُ بِنَ ْف ِ‬ ‫س ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ضلَهُ ّ‬ ‫يَ ْعبُ ُد ّ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲُ‪َ ،‬وا ْقبَلُوهُ فَق ْدَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ضلوهُ فق ْد ف ﱠ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬ف ﱢ‬ ‫سولِ ِه ِمنَ ﱢ‬ ‫ﷲَ َم َع َر ُ‬ ‫ال َغ ْي ُرهُ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫الر َج ِ‬ ‫اش َر النا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُوب ّ‬ ‫صبَهُ ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ َعلَى أ َح ٍد أ ْن َك َر ِوالَيَتَهُ َولَنْ يِ ْغفِ َر‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠهُ إ َما ٌم ِمنَ ﷲِ‪َ ،‬ولَنْ يَت َ‬ ‫نَ َ‬ ‫ﷲُ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫‪252‬‬

‫لَهُ‪َ ،‬ح ْتما ً َعلَى ّ‬ ‫ﷲِ أَنْ يَ ْف َع َل َذلِكَ بِ َمنْ َخالَفَ أَ ْم َرهُ فيه َوأَنْ يُ َع ﱢذبَهُ َع َذابا ً شديداً نُ ْكراً أَبَ َد اآلبَا ِد‬ ‫ارةُ أُ ِعدﱠتْ‬ ‫اح َذ ُروا أَنْ ت َُخالِفُوهُ‪ ،‬فَت ْ‬ ‫َو َد ْھ َر ال ﱡدھُو ِر‪ .‬فَ ْ‬ ‫َصلُوا نَاراً َوقُو ُدھَا النﱠ ُ‬ ‫اس َوا ْل ِح َج َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫سلينَ ‪َ ،‬وأنا خاتِ ُم األنبِيا ِء‬ ‫لِ ْل َكافِرينَ ‪ .‬أَيﱡ َھا النّ ُ‬ ‫اس‪ ،‬بي َوﷲِ بَش َﱠر األ ﱠولونَ ِمنَ النبِيّينَ َوال ُم ْر َ‬ ‫ميع ا ْل◌َ ْ‬ ‫ش ﱠك في‬ ‫ت َواألَ َرضينَ ‪ .‬فَ َمنْ َ‬ ‫مخلُوقينَ ِمنْ أَھ ِْل ال ﱠ‬ ‫َوا ْل ُم ْر َ‬ ‫س َماوا ِ‬ ‫سلينَ َوا ْل ُح ﱠجةُ َعلَى َج ِ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ش ﱠك في الك ﱢلُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ش ﱠك في ش َْي ٍء ِمنْ ق ْولي َھذا فق ْد َ‬ ‫َذلِكَ فَ ُھ َو كافِ ٌر كف َر الجا ِھلِيﱠ ِة األولى‪َ ،‬و َمنْ َ‬ ‫س‪َ ،‬حبَانِ َي ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ بِ َھ ِذ ِه ا ْلفَضيلَ ِة َمنّا ً ِم ْنهُ َعلَ ﱠي‬ ‫ِم ْنهُ‪َ ،‬والشﱠا ُك في ذل َك فَلَهُ النﱠا ُر‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫سانا ً ِم ْنهُ إلَ ﱠي َوالَ إلَهَ إالﱠ ھ َُو‪ ،‬لَهُ ا ْل َح ْم ُد ِمنّي أَبَ َد اآلبِدينَ َو َدھ َْر الدﱠا ِھرينَ َو َعلَى ُك ﱢل َحال‪.‬‬ ‫َو ْ‬ ‫إح َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫س بَ ْعدي ِمنْ ذ َك ٍر َوأ ْنثى‪ .‬بِنَا أ ْن َز َل ّ‬ ‫ق‬ ‫الر ْز َ‬ ‫ﷲُ ﱢ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬ف ﱢ‬ ‫ضلُوا َعلِيّا ً فاِنﱠهُ أف َ‬ ‫َم َع ِ‬ ‫ض ُل النﱠا ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫م‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ل‬ ‫م‬ ‫ض‬ ‫غ‬ ‫م‬ ‫وب‬ ‫ض‬ ‫غ‬ ‫م‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫ع‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ل‬ ‫خ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ي‬ ‫وب َمنْ َر ﱠد َعلَ ﱠي قَولي َھ َذا َولَ ْم يُ َوافِ ْقهُ‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠ‬ ‫ونٌ‬ ‫ونٌ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ ُ ٌ َ ُ ٌ‬ ‫َ ُ‬ ‫َ ُ‬ ‫َوبَقِ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َج ْب َرئي َل َخبﱠ َرني ع َِن ﷲِ تَ َعالى بِذلِ َك َويَقُو ُل‪َ :‬منْ عَادَى َعلِيّا ً َولَ ْم يَتَ َولهُ ف َعلَ ْي ِه لَ ْعنَتِي‬ ‫س َما قَ ﱠد َمتْ لِ َغ ٍد َواتﱠقُوا ّ‬ ‫ﷲَ ـ أَنْ ت َُخالِفُوهُ فَتَ ِز ﱠل قَ َد ٌم بَ ْع َد ثُبُوتِ َھا ـ إنﱠ‬ ‫ضبِي‪َ ﴿ ،‬و ْلتَ ْنظُ ْر نَ ْف ٌ‬ ‫َو َغ َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ب ﷲِ الذي ذ ِك َر في ِكتَابِ ِه‪ ،‬فقَا َل تَ َعالى‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنهُ َجن ُ‬ ‫ﷲَ َخبي ٌر بِ َما تَ ْعل ُمونَ ﴾‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النا ِ‬ ‫س َرتَا َعلَى َما فَ ﱠر ْ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬تَ َدبﱠ ُروا‬ ‫س يَا َح ْ‬ ‫ُم ْخبراً‪﴿ :‬أَنْ تَقُو َل نَ ْف ٌ‬ ‫ﷲ﴾‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫ب ِّ‬ ‫طتُ في َج ْن ِ‬ ‫اش َر النّا ِ‬ ‫القُ ْرآنَ َوا ْف َھ ُموا آيَاتِ ِه َوا ْنظُ ُروا إلَى ُم ْح َك َماتِ ِه َوالَ تَتﱠبِعوا ُمتَشَابِ َھهُ‪ ،‬فَ َو ّ‬ ‫ﷲِ لَنْ يُبَيﱢنَ لَك ْمُ‬ ‫ض ِد ِه‬ ‫آخ ٌذ بِيَ ِد ِه َو ُم ْ‬ ‫ص ِع ُدهُ إلَ ﱠي َوشَائِ ٌل بِ َع ُ‬ ‫اج َرهُ َولَنْ يُ ِ‬ ‫وض َح لَ ُك ْم تَ ْفسي َرهُ إالﱠ الﱠذي أَنَا ِ‬ ‫زَ َو ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫صيّي‪،‬‬ ‫َو ُم ْعلِ ُمك ْم‪ :‬أنﱠ َمنْ كنتُ َم ْوالهُ ف َھذا َعلِ ﱞي َم ْوالهُ‪َ ،‬وھ َُو َعلِ ﱡي بْنُ أبي طالِب أخي َو َو ِ‬ ‫َو ُم َواالَتُهُ ِمنَ ّ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠ َعلِيّا ً َوالطﱠيﱢبينَ ِمنْ ُو ْلدي ھُ ُم‬ ‫ﷲِ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل أَ ْن َزلَ َھا َعلَ ﱠي‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱢ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ق لَهُ‪ ،‬لَنْ يَ ْفتَ ِرقَا‬ ‫آ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫و‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬ ‫و‬ ‫م‬ ‫و‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ب‬ ‫اح‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ئ‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫د‬ ‫اح‬ ‫و‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ف‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ك‬ ‫األ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ال‬ ‫َنْ‬ ‫َ ِ​ِ​ِ َ ُ َ ِ ٌ‬ ‫ص َغ ُر‪ ْ َ ،‬نُ‬ ‫الثﱢ ْق ُل األَ ْ‬ ‫ﱡ َ ِ ٍ ُ ِ ٌ‬ ‫َُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ض ِه‪ .‬أَالَ َوقَ ْد أَ ﱠد ْيتُ ‪ ،‬أَالَ َوق ْدَ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ض‪ُ .‬ھ ْم أ َمنَا ُء ّ‬ ‫َحتى يَ ِردَا َعلَ ﱠي ال َح ْو َ‬ ‫ﷲِ في َخلقِ ِه َو ُح ﱠكا ُمهُ في أ ْر ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َن ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲِ َع ﱠز‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫أ‬ ‫و‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ج‬ ‫و‬ ‫ز‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ض‬ ‫و‬ ‫أ‬ ‫د‬ ‫ق‬ ‫و‬ ‫ال‬ ‫أ‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫و‬ ‫ال‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫تُ‬ ‫تُ‬ ‫س َم ْعتُ‬ ‫إنﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ َ ْ‬ ‫بَلﱠ ْغتُ ‪ ،‬أَالَ َوقَ ْد أَ ْ‬ ‫َ َ ﱠ َ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫مير ال ُمؤْ ِمنينَ « غ ْي ُر أخي َھذا‪َ .‬والَ ت َِح ﱡل إ ْم َرةُ ال ُمؤْ ِمنينَ بَ ْعدي أل َح ٍد‬ ‫س »أ َ‬ ‫َو َج ﱠل‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠهُ لَ ْي َ‬ ‫َغ ْي ِر ِه‪.‬‬

‫رفع علي ‪ ‬بيدي رسول ﷲ ‪‬‬

‫سالَ ُم‬ ‫سالَ ُم فَ َرفَ َعهُ‪َ ،‬و َكانَ أَمي ُر المؤمنينَ َعلَ ْي ِه ال ﱠ‬ ‫ض ِد َعلِ ﱟي َعلَ ْي ِه ال ﱠ‬ ‫بي◌َ ◌َ ِد ِه إلَى َع ُ‬ ‫ثُ ﱠم َ‬ ‫ض َر َب ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫صا َرت‬ ‫صلى ﷲُ َعل ْي ِه َوآلِ ِه َوشَا َل عَليّا َعل ْي ِه ال ﱠ‬ ‫ص َع َد َر ُ‬ ‫سال ُم َحتﱠى َ‬ ‫سو ُل ﷲ َ‬ ‫ُم ْن ُذ أ ﱠول َما َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ول ّ‬ ‫س‪َ ،‬ھذا َعلِ ﱞي أخي‬ ‫ِر ْجلُهُ َم َع ُر ْكبَ ِة َر ُ‬ ‫ﷲِ َ‬ ‫صلﱠى ﷲُ َعلَ ْي ِه َوآلِ ِه‪ .‬ث ﱠم قَا َل‪َ :‬م َع ِ‬ ‫س ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ب ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﷲِ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل‪َ ،‬والدﱠاعي إلَ ْي ِه‬ ‫َا‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ر‬ ‫سي‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ى‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫و‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ت‬ ‫م‬ ‫أ‬ ‫في‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ف‬ ‫لي‬ ‫خ‬ ‫و‬ ‫مي‪،‬‬ ‫صيّي َو َواعي ِع ْل‬ ‫ﱠِ َ َ‬ ‫ِ ِ ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫َو َو ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫صيَتِ ِه‪.‬‬ ‫ضاهُ َوال ُم َحا ِر ُ‬ ‫َوا ْل َعا ِم ُل بِ َما يَ ْر َ‬ ‫ب أل ْعدَائِ ِه َوال ُم َوالي َعلَى طا َعتِ ِه َوالنﱠاھي عَنْ َم ْع ِ‬ ‫ول ّ‬ ‫اسطينَ َوا ْل َما ِرقينَ‬ ‫َخليفَةُ َر ُ‬ ‫ﷲِ َوأَمي ُر ا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنينَ َواإل َما ُم◌ُ ا ْل َھادي َوقَاتِ ُل النﱠا ِكثينَ َوا ْلقَ ِ‬ ‫س ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫بِأ َ ْم ِر ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﷲِ‪ .‬أقو ُل َو َما يُبَ ﱠد ُل القَ ْو ُل ل َد ﱠ‬ ‫ال َمنْ َواالَهُ َوعَا ِد َمنْ عَادَاهُ‬ ‫ي بِأ ْم ِر َربّي‪ ،‬أقو ُل‪ :‬الل ُھ ﱠم َو ِ‬ ‫لي‬ ‫َوا ْل َعنْ َمنْ أَ ْن َك َرهُ َوا ْغ َ‬ ‫ض ْب َعلَى َمنْ َج َح َد َحقﱠهُ‪ .‬اللّ ُھ ﱠم إنﱠ َك أَ ْن َز ْلتَ َعلَ ﱠي أَنﱠ اإل َما َمةَ بَعدي لِ َع ﱟ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫صبِي إيﱠاهُ بِ َما أك َملتَ لِ ِعبَا ِد َك ِمنْ دينِ ِھم َوأ ْت َم ْمتَ َعل ْي ِھم بِنِع َمتِك‬ ‫َولِيﱢ َك ِع ْن َد تِبيَاني َذلِكَ َون ْ‬ ‫سالَ ِم دينا ً فَلَنْ يُ ْقبَ َل ِم ْنهُ َو ُھ َو فِي‬ ‫اال ْ‬ ‫َو َرضيتَ لَ ُھ ْم اإلسالَ َم دينا ً فَقُ ْلتَ ‪َ ﴿ :‬و َمنْ يَ ْبت َِغ َغ ْي َر ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫اآلخ َر ِة ِمنَ َ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫س‪،‬‬ ‫اسرينَ ﴾‪ .‬اللّ ُھ ﱠم إنّي أُ ْ‬ ‫الخ ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ش ِھ ُد َك َو َكفَى بِ َك شَھيدا أني ق ْد بَلغتُ ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النا ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫إنّ َما أَ ْك َم َل ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل دينَ ُك ْم بِإ َما َمتِ ِه‪ .‬ف َمنْ لَ ْم يَأتَ ﱠم بِ ِه َوبِ َمنْ يَقُو ُم َمقَا َمهُ ِمنْ ُو ْلدي ِمنْ‬ ‫ض َعلَى ّ‬ ‫ﷲِ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل فَأُولئِ َك الﱠذينَ َحبِطَتْ أَ ْع َمالُ ُھ ْم َوفِي النﱠا ِر‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ص ْلبِ ِه إلى يَ ْو ِم ا ْلقِيَا َم ِة َوا ْل َع ْر ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ص ُر ُك ْم‬ ‫ُھ ْم َخالِدُونَ ‪﴿ ،‬الَ يُ َخفﱢفُ َع ْن ُھ ُم ا ْل َعذ ُ‬ ‫س‪َ ،‬ھذا َعلِ ﱞي‪ ،‬أ ْن َ‬ ‫اب َوالَ ُھ ْم يُ ْنظرُونَ ﴾‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫‪253‬‬

‫ان‪َ .‬و َما نَزَ لَتْ آيَةُ‬ ‫لي َوأَ َحقﱡ ُك ْم بي َوأَ ْق َربُ ُك ْم إلَ ﱠي َوأَع ﱡَز ُك ْم َعلَ ﱠي‪َ ،‬و ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ َع ﱠز َ‬ ‫وج ﱠل َوأَنَا َع ْنهُ َر ِ‬ ‫اضيَ ِ‬ ‫ب ّ‬ ‫رآن إالﱠ في ِه‪،‬‬ ‫ِرضا ً إالﱠ في ِه‪َ ،‬و َما َخاطَ َ‬ ‫ْح فِي ا ْلقُ ِ‬ ‫ﷲُ الﱠذينَ آ َمنوا إالﱠ بَدَأَ بِ ِه‪َ ،‬والَ نَ َزلَتْ آيَةُ َمد ٍ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫س َواهُ َوالَ َمد َ​َح بِ َھا‬ ‫َوالَ َ‬ ‫ش ِھ َد ﷲُ بِا ْل َجنﱠ ِة في ﴿ َھ ْل أتى َعلى اإلن َ‬ ‫ان﴾ إال لهُ‪َ ،‬والَ أن َزل َھا في ِ‬ ‫س ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ول ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﷲِ‪َ ،‬و ُھ َو التﱠقِ ﱡي النﱠقِ ﱡي‬ ‫س‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ل‬ ‫د‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ج‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫و‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫دين‬ ‫ر‬ ‫اص‬ ‫ن‬ ‫و‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫س‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ر‬ ‫اش‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ ‫َنْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ ُ‬ ‫َغ ْي َرهُ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫س‪،‬‬ ‫ا ْل َھا ِدي ال َم ْھ ِد ﱡ‬ ‫صيَا ِء‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫ص ﱟي َوبَنوهُ خ ْي ُر األ ْو ِ‬ ‫صيﱡك ْم خ ْي ُر َو ِ‬ ‫ي‪ .‬نبِيﱡك ْم خ ْي ُر نبِ ﱟي َو َو ِ‬ ‫اش َر النا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ب أمي ِر ا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنينَ َعلِ ﱟي‪.‬‬ ‫ص ْلبِ ِه‪َ ،‬وذ ﱢريﱠتِي ِمنْ ُ‬ ‫ُذ ﱢريﱠةُ ُك ﱢل نَبِ ﱟي ِمنْ ُ‬ ‫ص ْل ِ‬ ‫سدوهُ فَت َْحبَطَ أَ ْع َمالُ ُك ْم َوتَ ِز ﱠل‬ ‫س ِد‪ ،‬فَالَ ت َْح ُ‬ ‫ليس أَ ْخ َر َج آ َد َم ِمنَ ا ْل َجنﱠ ِة بِا ْل َح َ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠ إ ْب َ‬ ‫َم َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ص ْف َوةُ ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ى‬ ‫ل‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ط‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫أ‬ ‫م‬ ‫د‬ ‫آ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ف‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫م‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ﷲِ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل‪َ ،‬و َكيْفَ بِ ُك ْم‬ ‫و‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫و‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫ة‬ ‫د‬ ‫اح‬ ‫و‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ئ‬ ‫طي‬ ‫خ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ض‬ ‫ر‬ ‫األ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫نﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ٍ َ ِ ٍ َ َ َ‬ ‫أَ ْقدَا ُم ْ ِ‬ ‫ْ ِ ِ‬ ‫َ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫شقِ ﱞي‪َ ،‬والَ يُ َوالي َعلِيّا ً إالﱠ تَقِ ﱞي‪َ ،‬والَ‬ ‫ض َعلِيّا ً إالﱠ َ‬ ‫َوأَ ْنتُ ْم أَ ْنتُ ْم َو ِم ْن ُك ْم أ ْعدَا ُء ﷲِ‪ .‬أالَ َوإنﱠهُ الَ يُ ْب ِغ ُ‬ ‫س ِم ّ‬ ‫من‬ ‫ص ِر‪﴿ :‬بِ ْ‬ ‫سو َرةُ ا ْل َع ْ‬ ‫يُؤْ ِمنُ بِ ِه إالﱠ ُمؤْ ِمنٌ ُم ْخلِ ٌ‬ ‫ﷲ ـ نَزَ لَتْ ُ‬ ‫ص‪َ .‬وفي َعلِ ﱟي ـ َو ِ‬ ‫ﷲِ ال ﱠر ْح ِ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ق‬ ‫بالح ﱢ‬ ‫سانَ لفي خ ْ‬ ‫حيم َوا ْل َع ْ‬ ‫سر إالﱠ الذين آمنوا َو َع ِملوا ال ﱠ‬ ‫اص ْوا َ‬ ‫صالِ َحات َوتَ َو َ‬ ‫ص ِر إنﱠ اإل ْن َ‬ ‫ال ﱠر ِ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ستَ ْ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ر‬ ‫اش‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ ‫سو ِل‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ر﴾‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ا‬ ‫و‬ ‫اص‬ ‫س‪ ،‬قَ ِد ا ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫سالَتِي َو َما َعلَى ال ﱠر ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ش َھدْتُ ﷲَ َوبَلﱠ ْغتُ ُك ْم ِر َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫َوت َ​َو ْ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫إالﱠ البَالَ ُ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫اش َر‬ ‫س‪ ،‬اِتﱠقوا ﷲَ َح ﱠ‬ ‫ق تُقاتِ ِه َوال تَ ُموتُنﱠ إال َوأنتُ ْم ُم ْ‬ ‫سلِ ُمونَ ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫غ ال ُمبينُ ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النا ِ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫س ُو ُجوھا ً فَنَ ُر ﱠدھَا‬ ‫س‪﴿ ،‬آ ِمنُوا ِبا ّ ِ َو َر ُ‬ ‫سولِ ِه َوالنﱡو ِر الﱠذي أ ْن ِز َل َم َعهُ ِمنْ قَ ْب ِل أنْ نَ ْط ِم َ‬ ‫النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱡ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫وج ﱠل‬ ‫َعلَى أ ْدبَا ِرھَا أ ْو نل َعن ُھ ْم ك َما ل َعنا أ ْ‬ ‫اب ال ﱠ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬النو ُر ِمنَ ﷲِ َعز َ‬ ‫ص َح َ‬ ‫ت﴾‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫س ْب ِ‬ ‫اش َر النا ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ي الﱠذي يَأ ُخذ بِ َح ﱢ‬ ‫ب‪ ،‬ث ﱠم فِي النﱠ ْ‬ ‫َم ْ‬ ‫س ِل ِم ْنهُ إلَى ا ْلقَائِ ِم ا ْل َم ْھ ِد ﱢ‬ ‫َلي ْب ِن أَبي طَالِ ٍ‬ ‫سلُو ٌك فِ ﱠي ثُ ﱠم في ع ﱢ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫و‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ق‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ى‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ج‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ج‬ ‫د‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ج‬ ‫و‬ ‫ز‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫أل‬ ‫ا‪،‬‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ُو‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ب‬ ‫و‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ ﱢ رينَ َ ُ َ ِدينَ‬ ‫ُ ﱠ َ‬ ‫َ َ‬ ‫ﷲِ َ ِ ﱢ َ ﱟ َ‬ ‫نﱠ َ َ َ ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َو َ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬أ ْن ِذ ُر ُك ْم أنّي‬ ‫ميع ال َعالَمينَ ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫المخالِفينَ َوال َخائِنينَ َواآلثِمينَ َوالظالِمينَ ِمنْ َج ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫س ُل‪ ،‬أَفَإنْ ِمتﱡ أَ ْو قُتِ ْلتُ ا ْنقَلَ ْبتُ ْم َعلَى أَ ْعقَابِ ُك ْم؟ َو َمنْ يَ ْنقَلِ ْب‬ ‫الر‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ق‬ ‫م‬ ‫تْ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫خ‬ ‫د‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫نْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ِ ِْ َ ﱡ ُ‬ ‫َرسو ُ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫صابِرينَ ‪ .‬أالَ َوإنﱠ َعلِيّا ً ُھ َو‬ ‫ض ﱠر ﷲَ َ‬ ‫سيَ ْج ِزي ﷲُ الشﱠا ِكرينَ ال ﱠ‬ ‫َعلَى َعقِبَ ْي ِه فلنْ يَ ُ‬ ‫ش ْيئا ً َو َ‬ ‫ص ْب ِر َوال ﱡ‬ ‫صوفُ بِال ﱠ‬ ‫ش ْك ِر‪ ،‬ثُ ﱠم ِمنْ بَ ْع ِد ِه ُو ْلدي ِمنْ ُ‬ ‫ا ْل َمو ُ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬الَ تَ ُم ﱡنوا َعلَى ﷲِ‬ ‫ص ْلبِ ِه‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنهُﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫سالَ َم ُك ْم فيَ ْ‬ ‫إ ْ‬ ‫ب ِمنْ ِعن ِد ِه‪ ،‬إنه لبِال ِم ْر َ‬ ‫سخط َعل ْي ُك ْم َويُصيبَ ُكم بِعذا ٍ‬ ‫صا ِد‪َ .‬م َعا ِ‬ ‫ش َر النا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠ َّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ر‬ ‫اش‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ة‬ ‫م‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫و‬ ‫ي‬ ‫و‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ى‬ ‫ل‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ع‬ ‫د‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ة‬ ‫م‬ ‫ئ‬ ‫أ‬ ‫دي‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ب‬ ‫م‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ي‬ ‫س‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫نْ‬ ‫ونُ‬ ‫ُونَ‬ ‫ُونَ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ َ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َان ِمن ُھ ْم‪.‬‬ ‫َوأنا بَريئ ِ‬ ‫ْس‬ ‫صا ُر ُھ ْم َوأَ ْتبَا ُع ُھ ْم َوأَ ْ‬ ‫شيَا ُع ُھ ْم فِي الد ْﱠر ِك األَ ْ‬ ‫سفَ ِل ِمنَ النﱠا ِر َولَبِئ َ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠ ُھ ْم َوا ْن َ‬ ‫َم َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫صحيفَتِ ِه!!‬ ‫َم ْث َوى ا ْل ُمتَ َكبﱢرينَ ‪ .‬أالَ إنﱠ ُھ ْم أ ْ‬ ‫اب ال ﱠ‬ ‫ص َح ُ‬ ‫صحيفَ ِة‪ ،‬ف ْليَ ْنظ ْر أ َح ُد ُك ْم في َ‬ ‫صحيفَ ِة‪(.‬‬ ‫ش ْر ِذ َمةٌ ِم ْن ُھ ْم ـ أَ ْم ُر ال ﱠ‬ ‫)قَا َل‪ :‬فَ َذھ َ‬ ‫س ـ إالﱠ ِ‬ ‫َب َعلَى النﱠا ِ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنّي أَ َد ُع َھا إ َما َمةً َو ِو َراثَةً في َعقِبِـي إلى يَ ْو ِم ا ْلقِيَا َم ِة‪َ ،‬وقَ ْد بَلﱠ ْغتُ َما أُ ِم ْرتُ‬ ‫َم َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫ش َھدْ‪ُ ،‬ولِ َد أَ ْو لَ ْم‬ ‫ش ِھ َد أَ ْو لَ ْم يَ ْ‬ ‫ب َو َعلَى ُك ﱢل أَ َح ٍد ِم ﱠمنْ َ‬ ‫اض ٍر َو َغائِ ٍ‬ ‫ليغ ِه ُح ﱠجةً َعلَى ُك ﱢل َح ِ‬ ‫بِتَ ْب ِ‬ ‫سيَ ْج َعلُونَ اإل َما َمةَ بَ ْعدي ُم ْلكا ً‬ ‫اض ُر ا ْل َغائِ َب َوا ْل َوالِ ُد ا ْل َولَ َد إلَى يَ ْو ِم ا ْلقِيَا َم ِة‪َ .‬و َ‬ ‫يُولَدْ‪ ،‬فَ ْليُبَلﱢ ِغ ا ْل َح ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫سنَ ْف ُر ُ‬ ‫صاباً‪ ،‬أَالَ لَ َعنَ ّ‬ ‫غ لَ ُك ْم أيﱡ َھا الثﱢقَالَ ِن﴾‪َ ،‬و‬ ‫َصبينَ ‪َ ،‬و ِع ْن َدھَا ﴿ َ‬ ‫َوا ْغتِ َ‬ ‫اصبينَ ا ْل ُم ْغت ِ‬ ‫ﷲُ ال َغ ِ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠ ّ‬ ‫ﷲَ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل ل ْمَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫س ُل َعل ْيك َما ش َواظ ِمنْ نار َون َح ٌ‬ ‫﴿يُ ْر َ‬ ‫ان﴾‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اس فال تنت ِ‬ ‫اش َر النا ِ‬ ‫َص َر ِ‬ ‫ب‪َ ،‬و َما َكانَ ّ‬ ‫يَ ُكنْ لِيَ َذ َر ُك ْم َعلَى َما أَ ْنتُ ْم َعلَ ْي ِه َحتّى يَمي َز ا ْل َخ َ‬ ‫ﷲُ لِيُ ْطلِ َع ُك ْم َعلَى‬ ‫بيث ِمنَ الطﱠيﱢ ِ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠهُ َما ِمنْ قَ ْريَة إالﱠ َو ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ ُم ْھلِ ُك َھا بِتَ ْكذيبِ َھا َو َك َذلِ َك يُ ْھلِ ُك القُرى َوھ َُي‬ ‫ب‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫ا ْل َغ ْي ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬ق ْدَ‬ ‫ص ﱢد ٌ‬ ‫َلي إ َما ُم ُكم َو َولِيﱡ ُكم َو ُھ َو َم َواعي ُد ﷲِ‪َ ،‬وﷲُ ُم َ‬ ‫ق َو ْع َدهُ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫ظَالِ َمة‪َ ،‬و َھذا ع ﱞ‬ ‫‪254‬‬

‫اآلخرينَ ‪ .‬قَا َل ّ‬ ‫ظَ ﱠل قَ ْبلَ ُك ْم أَ ْكثَ ُر األَ ﱠولينَ ‪َ ،‬و ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ تَ َعالَى‪﴿ :‬أَلَ ْم‬ ‫ﷲُ لَقَ ْد أَ ْھلَ َك األَ ﱠولينَ ‪َ ،‬و ُھ َو ُم ْھلِ ُك‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫اش َر‬ ‫نُ ْھلِ ِك األَ ﱠولينَ ثُ ﱠم نُ ْتبِ ُع ُھ ُم‬ ‫اآلخرينَ َكذلِ َك نَ ْف َع ُل بِا ْل ُم ْج ِرمينَ َو ْي ٌل يَ ْو َمئِذ لِ ْل ُم َك ﱢذبينَ ﴾‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠ ّ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﷲَ قَ ْد أَ َم َرني َون َھاني‪َ ،‬وق ْد أ َم ْرتُ َعلِيّا ً َون َھ ْيتُهُ‪ .‬ف ِعل ُم األ ْم ِر َوالن ْھ ِي ِمنْ َربﱢ ِه َع ﱠز‬ ‫النﱠا ِ‬ ‫صي ُروا إلَى‬ ‫سلَ ُموا‪َ ،‬وأَطي ُعوهُ تَ ْھتَدُوا‪َ ،‬وا ْنتَ ُھوا لِنَ ْھيِ ِه ت َْر ُ‬ ‫َو َج ﱠل‪ ،‬فَا ْ‬ ‫س َم ُعوا ألَ ْم ِر ِه تَ ْ‬ ‫شدُوا‪َ ،‬و ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ستَقي ُم الذي‬ ‫ُم َرا ِد ِه َوالَ تَتَف ﱠر َ‬ ‫ص َراط ﷲِ ال ُم ْ‬ ‫ق بِك ُم ال ﱡ‬ ‫سبُ ُل عَنْ َ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬أنا ِ‬ ‫سبيلِ ِه‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫ق َو ِب ِه يَ ْع ِدلُونَ ‪.‬‬ ‫ص ْلبِ ِه أئِ ﱠمة يَھْدونَ إلَى ا ْل َح ﱢ‬ ‫اع ِه‪ ،‬ثُ ﱠم َعلِ ﱞي ِمنْ بَ ْعدي‪ ،‬ثُ ﱠم ُو ْلدي ِمنْ ُ‬ ‫أَ َم َر ُك ْم بِاتﱢبَ ِ‬ ‫حيم ا ْل ُح ْم ُد ّ ِ َر ﱢب ا ْل َعالَمينَ ‪ ﴾...‬إلَى آخرھَا‪َ ،‬وقَال‪ :‬فِ ﱠي نَزَ لَتْ‬ ‫ثُ ﱠم قَ َرأَ‪﴿ :‬بِ ْ‬ ‫من ال ﱠر ِ‬ ‫س ِم ﷲِ ال ﱠر ْح ِ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﷲ الَ َخ ْوفٌ َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم َوالَ ُھ ْم‬ ‫َوفي ِھ ْم نَ َزلَتْ ‪َ ،‬ولَ ُھ ْم َع ﱠمتْ َوإيﱠا ُھ ْم َخ ﱠ‬ ‫صتْ ‪ ،‬أولئِ َك أ ْولِيَا ُء ّ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫يَ ْحزَ نُونَ ‪ ،‬أَالَ إنﱠ ِح ْز َب ّ‬ ‫ﱢ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫اق‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫و‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ون‬ ‫اق‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫أ‬ ‫م‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫َلي‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ء‬ ‫َا‬ ‫د‬ ‫ع‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ال‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ﱢ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫إنﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ﷲِ ُھ ُم ا ْل َغالِبُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ َ‬ ‫ﱟ ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫الحادﱡونَ َو ُھ ُم ال َعادُونَ َو ْ‬ ‫ض ز ُْخرُفَ القَ ْو ِل‬ ‫إخ َوانُ ال ﱠ‬ ‫اطين الذينَ يُوحي بَ ْع ُ‬ ‫َو َ‬ ‫ض ُھ ْم إلى بَ ْع ٍ‬ ‫شيَ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ز‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ف‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ب‬ ‫َا‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ك‬ ‫في‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫م‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ذ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫ء‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ال‬ ‫أ‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ا‬ ‫رور‬ ‫ُغ‬ ‫إنﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫وج ﱠل‪﴿ :‬الَ ت َِج ُد قَ ْوما ً يُؤْ ِمنُونَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ذينَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ ِ​ِ‬ ‫َ ُ ُ‬ ‫ْ َِ َ ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫سولهُ َول ْو َكانوا آبَا َء ُھ ْم أ ْو أ ْبنَا َء ُھ ْم أ ْو إخ َوانَ ُھ ْم‬ ‫اآلخ ِر يُ َوادﱡونَ َمنْ َحا ﱠد ﷲَ َو َر ُ‬ ‫بِا ِ َواليَ ْو ِم ِ‬ ‫صفُ ُھ ُم ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ َع ﱠز‬ ‫َشيرتَ ُھ ْم‪ ،‬أُولئِكَ َكت َ​َب في قُلوبِ ِھ ُم اإلي َمانَ ‪ .﴾...‬أَالَ إنﱠ أَ ْولِيَا َء ُھ ُم الﱠذينَ َو َ‬ ‫أَ ْو ع َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫سوا اي َمان ُھ ْم بِظلم أولئِكَ ل ُھ ُم األ ْمنُ َو ُھ ْم ُم ْھتَدُونَ ﴾‪ .‬أال إنﱠ‬ ‫َو َج ﱠل فَقَا َل‪﴿ :‬الذينَ آ َمنوا َول ْم يَلبِ ُ‬ ‫سالَ ٌم‬ ‫سالَ ٍم آ ِمنينَ ‪ ،‬تَتَلَقﱠا ُھ ُم ا ْل َمالَئِ َكةُ بِالتﱠ ْ‬ ‫أَ ْولِيَا َء ُھ ُم الﱠذينَ يَد ُْخلُونَ ا ْل َجنﱠةَ بِ َ‬ ‫ليم يَقولُونَ ‪َ :‬‬ ‫س ِ‬ ‫َعلَ ْي ُك ْم ِط ْبتُ ْم فَاد ُْخلُوھَا َخالِدينَ ‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠ أَ ْولِيَا َء ُھ ْم الﱠذين قَا َل لَ ُھ ُم ﷲُ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل ﴿يَد ُْخلُونَ ا ْل َجنﱠةُ‬ ‫سعيراً‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠ أَ ْعدَا َء ُھ ُم الﱠذينَ‬ ‫ب﴾‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠ أَ ْعدَا َء ُھ ُم الﱠذينَ يَ ْ‬ ‫يُ ْر َزقُونَ في َھا بِ َغ ْي ِر ِح َ‬ ‫صلَ ْونَ َ‬ ‫سا ٍ‬ ‫س َمعُونَ لِ َج َھنﱠ َم شَھيقا ً َو ِھ َي تَفو ُر َولَ َھا زَفير‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠ أَ ْعدَا َء ُھ ُم الﱠذينَ قَا َل ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ في ِھ ْم‪ُ ﴿ :‬كلﱠ َما‬ ‫يَ ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫د َ​َخلَتْ أ ﱠمة لَ َعنَتْ أ ْختَ َھا﴾‪ .‬أالَ إنﱠ أ ْعدَا َء ُھ ُم الﱠذينَ قا َل ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل‪ُ ﴿ :‬كلﱠ َما ألقِ َي في َھا ف ْو ٌج‬ ‫سأَلَ ُھ ْم َخ َزنَتُ َھا أَلَ ْم يَاْتِ ُك ْم نذي ٌر قَالوا بَلَى قَ ْد َجا َءنَا نَذي ٌر فَ َك ﱠذ ْبنَا َوقُ ْلنَا َما نَ ﱠز َل ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ ِمنْ ش َْي ٍء‪،‬‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ب‪ ،‬لَ ُھ ْم َم ْغفِ َرةٌ َوأَ ْج ٌر‬ ‫إنْ أَ ْنتُ ْم إالﱠ في َ‬ ‫ضالَل َكبير﴾‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠ أَ ْولِيَا َء ُھ ُم الﱠذينَ يَ ْخش َْونَ َربﱠ ُھ ْم بِا ْل َغ ْي ِ‬ ‫الجنﱠ ِة‪َ .‬عد ﱡُونَا َمنْ َذ ﱠمهُ ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ َولَ َعنَهُ‪َ ،‬و َولِيﱡنَا َمنْ‬ ‫س‪َ ،‬‬ ‫شتﱠانَ َما بَيْنَ ال ﱠ‬ ‫سعي ِر َو َ‬ ‫َكبي ٌر‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َمد َ​َحهُ ّ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬أالَ َوإني ُمن ِذ ٌر َو َعلِ ﱞي ھَاد‪.‬‬ ‫ﷲُ َوأ َحبﱠهُ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النا ِ‬ ‫صيّي‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠ َخاتَ َم األَئِ ﱠم ِة ِمنﱠا ا ْلقَائِ ُم ا ْل َم ْھ ِد ﱠ‬ ‫ي‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠهُ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنّي نَبِ ﱞي َو ِعل ﱞي َو ِ‬ ‫َم َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ن‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ال‬ ‫أ‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ظ‬ ‫ال‬ ‫م‬ ‫م‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ن‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ال‬ ‫أ‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ر‬ ‫الظﱠا ِھ‬ ‫ّين‬ ‫د‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ى‬ ‫مينَ‬ ‫نَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ون َوھَا ِد ُم َھا‪ .‬أالَ إنﱠهُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ُ ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫دين ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ﷲِ‪.‬‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ر‬ ‫اص‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ن‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ال‬ ‫أ‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ء‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫أل‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ر‬ ‫د‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ن‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ال‬ ‫أ‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ﱢر‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ْل‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫أ‬ ‫م‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ل‬ ‫بي‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ ُْ ِ ِ ﱢ ٍ ْ َ ِ ِ‬ ‫ْ ِ‬ ‫ٍ ِ نْ ِ‬ ‫ِ ُ ِ ِ‬ ‫قَاتِ ُل ﱢ‬ ‫ضلِ ِه َو ُك ﱠل ذي َج ْھل بِ َج ْھلِ ِه‪ .‬أالَ​َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ضل بِفَ ْ‬ ‫س ُم ُك ﱠل ذي ف ْ‬ ‫أَالَ إنﱠهُ ا ْل َغ ﱠرافُ في بَ ْح ٍر عَميق‪ .‬أالَ إنﱠهُ يَ ِ‬ ‫إنﱠهُ ِخيَ َرةُ ّ‬ ‫ﷲِ َو ُم ْختَا ُرهُ‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠهُ َوا ِر ُ‬ ‫ث ُك ﱢل ِع ْل ٍم َوالمحيطُ بِ ُك ﱢل فَ ْھم‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠهُ ال ُم ْخبِ ُر عَنْ َربﱢ ِه‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ش َر‬ ‫ض إل ْي ِه‪ .‬أالَ إنﱠهُ ق ْد بَ ﱠ‬ ‫َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل َوال ُمنَبﱢهُ بِأ ْم ِر إي َمانِ ِه‪ ،‬أالَ إنﱠهُ ال ﱠرشي ُد ال ﱠ‬ ‫سدي ُد‪ .‬أالَ إنﱠهُ ال ُمف ﱠو ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ور إالﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫سلَفَ بَيْنَ يَ َد ْي ِه‪ .‬أَالَ إنﱠهُ ا ْلبَاقي ُح ﱠجةً َوالَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ال‬ ‫و‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫ه‬ ‫د‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ج‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫و‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ ‫ال‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫بِ ِه َمنْ َ‬ ‫َ َ ُ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ض ِه‪َ ،‬و َح َك ُمهُ في خلقِ ِه‪،‬‬ ‫ِع ْن َدهُ‪ .‬أَالَ إنهُ الَ غالِ َب لهُ َوالَ َمن ُ‬ ‫ص َ‬ ‫ﷲ في أ ْر ِ‬ ‫ور َعل ْي ِه‪ .‬أالَ َوإنهُ َولِ ﱡي ِ‬ ‫س ﱢر ِه َو َعالَنِيَتِ ِه‪.‬‬ ‫َوأَمينُهُ في ِ‬ ‫اء‬ ‫س‪ ،‬قَ ْد بَيﱠ ْنتُ لَ ُك ْم َوأَ ْف َھ ْمتُ ُك ْم‪َ ،‬و َھ َذا َعلِ ﱞي يُ ْف ِھ ُم ُك ْم بَ ْعدي‪ .‬أَالَ َوإنّي ِع ْن َد ا ْنقِ َ‬ ‫ض ِ‬ ‫َم َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫صافَقَتِ ِه بَ ْعدي‪ .‬أَالَ َوإنّي ق ْدَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫األق َرا ِر بِ ِه‪ ،‬ث ﱠم ُم َ‬ ‫ُخ ْطبَتِي أدْعوك ْم إلى ُم َ‬ ‫صافقتِي َعلى بَ ْي َعتِ ِه َو ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫آخذ ُك ْم بِا ْلبَ ْي َع ِة لَهُ ع َِن ّ‬ ‫بَايَ ْعتُ ّ‬ ‫ﷲِ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل‪﴿ .‬إنﱠ الﱠذينَ يُبَايِ ُعونَكَ‬ ‫ﷲَ َو َعلِ ﱞي قَ ْد بَايَ َعنِي‪َ ،‬وأنَا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ف‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫م‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫دي‬ ‫ي‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ق‬ ‫و‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫د‬ ‫ي‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫س ِه‪َ ،‬و َمنْ أَ ْوفَى بِ َما‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ى‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫ف‬ ‫نْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫إنﱠ َما يُبَايِعونَ َ َ‬ ‫ِ َ َ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ ْ َ ْ ِْ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ش َعائِ ِر ّ‬ ‫عَا َھ َد َعلَ ْيهُ ّ‬ ‫ﷲِ‪،‬‬ ‫صفا َوال َم ْر َوةَ ِمنْ َ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠ ال ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲَ ف َ َ‬ ‫سيُؤْ تي ِه أ ْجراً عَظيماً﴾‪َ .‬م َعا ِ‬ ‫ش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫‪255‬‬

‫س‪ِ ،‬ح ﱡجوا ا ْلبَيْتَ ‪،‬‬ ‫﴿فَ َمنْ َح ﱠج ا ْلبَيْتَ أَ ِو ا ْعتَ َم َر فَالَ ُجنَ َ‬ ‫اح َعلَ ْي ِه أَنْ يَطﱠ ﱠوفَ بِ ِھ َما﴾‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫س‪َ ،‬ما َوقَفَ‬ ‫ت إالﱠ ا ْ‬ ‫فَ َما َو َر َدهُ أَ ْھ ُل بَ ْي ٍ‬ ‫ستَ ْغنَ ْوا‪َ ،‬والَ ت َ​َخلﱠفوا َع ْنهُ إالﱠ ا ْفتَقَ ُروا‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ضتْ َح ﱠجتُهُ‬ ‫سلفَ ِمنْ ذنبِ ِه إلى َوقتِ ِه ذلِ َك‪ ،‬فاِذا انق َ‬ ‫ف ُمؤْ ِمنٌ إال غف َر ﷲُ لهُ َما َ‬ ‫بِا ْل َم ْوقِ ِ‬ ‫اج ُم َعانُونَ َونَفَقَاتُ ُھ ْم ُم َخلﱠفَةٌ َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم‪َ ،‬و ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ الَ يُضي ُع أَ ْج َر‬ ‫ا ْ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬ا ْل ُح ﱠج ُ‬ ‫ستَأْنَفَ َع َملَهُ‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫سنينَ ‪.‬‬ ‫ا ْل ْ‬ ‫مح ِ‬ ‫ص ِرفُوا ع َِن ا ْل َمشَا ِھ ِد إالﱠ بِتَ ْوبَ ٍة‬ ‫ّين َوالتﱠفَ ﱡق ِه‪ ،‬والَ تَ ْن َ‬ ‫َم َع ِ‬ ‫س‪ِ ،‬ح ﱡجوا ا ْلبَيْتَ بِ َك َم ِ‬ ‫ال الد ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫صالَةَ َوآتُوا ال ﱠز َكاةَ َك َما أ َم َر ُك ُم ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل فإنْ طا َل َعلَ ْي ُك ُم‬ ‫س‪ ،‬أقي ُموا ال ﱠ‬ ‫ع‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫َوإ ْقالَ ٍ‬ ‫صبَهُ ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ ع ﱠز َوج ﱠل لَ ُك ْم بَ ْعدي َو َمنْ‬ ‫األَ َم ُد فَقَ ﱠ‬ ‫ص ْرتُ ْم أَ ْو نَسيتُ ْم فَ َعلِ ﱞي َولِ ﱡي ُك ْم َو ُمبَيﱢنٌ لَ ُك ْم‪ .‬الﱠذي نَ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َخلﱠفَهُ ﷲُ ِمنﱢي َو ِم ْنهُ يُ ْخبِ ُرونَ ُك ْم بِ َما تَسألونَ َع ْنهُ َويُبَيﱢنُونَ لَ ُك ْم َما الَ تَ ْعلَ ُمونَ ‪ .‬أالَ إنﱠ ال َحالَ َل‬ ‫صيَ ُھ َما َوأُ َع ﱢرفَ ُھ َما فَآ ُم َر بِا ْل َحالَ ِل َوأَ ْنھى ع َِن ا ْل َح َر ِام في َمقَ ٍام َواحد‪،‬‬ ‫َوا ْل َح َرا َم أَ ْكثَ ُر ِمنْ أَنْ أُ ْح ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫فَأ ُ ِم ْرتُ أَنْ ُ‬ ‫بول َما ِجئْتُ بِ ِه ع َِن ﷲِ ع ﱠز َوج ﱠل في َعلِ ﱟي أمي ِر‬ ‫آخ َذ ا ْلبَ ْي َعةَ ِم ْن ُك ْم َوال ﱠ‬ ‫صفقَة ل ُك ْم بِقَ ِ‬ ‫ي إلى‬ ‫ا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنينَ َواألَئِ ﱠم ِة ِمنْ بَ ْع ِد ِه الﱠذينَ ُھ ْم ِمنّي َو ِم ْنهُ إ َما َمةً في ِھ ْم قَائِ َمةً‪َ ،‬خاتِ ُم َھا ا ْل َم ْھ ِد ﱡ‬ ‫يَ ْو ِم يَ ْلقَى ّ‬ ‫ق‪.‬‬ ‫بالح ﱢ‬ ‫ﷲَ الﱠذي يَ ْقضي َ‬ ‫س‪َ ،‬و ُك ﱡل َحالَ ٍل َدلَ ْلتُ ُك ْم َعلَ ْي ِه‪َ ،‬و ُك ﱡل َح َر ٍام نَ َھ ْيتُ ُك ْم َع ْنهُ؛ فَإِنّي لَ ْم أَ ْر ِج ْع عَنْ ذلِ َك‬ ‫َم َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫اص ْوا بِ ِه‪َ ،‬والَ تُبَ ﱢدلُوهُ َوالَ تُ َغيﱢ ُروهُ‪ .‬أالَ َوإنّي أ َج ﱢد ُد‬ ‫َولَ ْم أُبَ ﱢد ْل‪ .‬أَالَ فاذ ُك ُروا ذلِ َك َو ْ‬ ‫احفَظوهُ َوتَ َو َ‬ ‫صالَةَ َوآتُوا ال ﱠز َكاةَ َو ْأ ُمروا بِا ْل َم ْع‬ ‫روف َوا ْن َھ ْوا ع َِن ا ْل ُم ْن َك ِر‪ .‬أَالَ َوإنﱠ‬ ‫ا ْلقَ ْو َل‪ :‬أَالَ فَأَقي ُموا ال ﱠ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ض ْر‪،‬‬ ‫ھي ع َِن ال ُم ْن َك ِر أنْ تَ ْنتَ ُھوا إلى ق ْولي َوتُبَلﱢغوهُ َمنْ لَ ْم يَ ْح ُ‬ ‫َر ْأ َ‬ ‫س األَ ْم ِر بِا ْل َم ْع ُر ِ‬ ‫وف َوالنﱠ ِ‬ ‫َوتَأْ ُم ُروهُ بِقَبُولِ ِه َعنّي‪َ ،‬وتَ ْن َھ ْوهُ عَنْ ُم َخالَفَتِ ِه فَإنﱠهُ أَ ْم ٌر ِمنَ ّ‬ ‫ﷲِ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل َو ِمنّي‪َ .‬والَ أَ ْم َر‬ ‫صوم‪.‬‬ ‫وف َوالَ نَ ْھ َي عَنْ ُم ْن َك ٍر إالﱠ َم َع إ َم ٍام َم ْع ُ‬ ‫بِ َم ْع ُر ٍ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬ا ْلقُرآنُ يُ َع ﱢرفُ ُك ْم أَنﱠ األَئِ ﱠمةَ ِمنْ بَ ْع ِد ِه ُو ْل ُدهُ‪َ ،‬و َع ﱠر ْفتُ ُك ْم أَنﱠ ُھ ْم ِمنّي َوأَنَا ِم ْنهُ‪َ ،‬ح ْي ُ‬ ‫ث‬ ‫َم َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫يَقُو ُل ّ‬ ‫س ْكتُ ْم‬ ‫َضلﱡوا َما إنْ تَ َم ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲُ في ِكتَابِ ِه‪َ ﴿ :‬و َج َعلَ َھا َكلِ َمةً بَاقِيَةً في َعقِبِ ِه﴾‪َ ،‬وقُ ْلتُ ‪﴿ :‬لَنْ ت ِ‬ ‫ﷲُ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل‪﴿ :‬إنﱠ َز ْلزَ لَةَ‬ ‫سا َعةَ َك َما قَا َل ّ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬التﱠ ْق َوى‪ ،‬التﱠ ْق َوى‪َ ،‬و ْ‬ ‫اح َذ ُروا ال ﱠ‬ ‫بِ ِھ َما﴾‪َ .‬م َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َي‬ ‫سبَةَ بَ ْينَ يَد ْ‬ ‫ال ﱠ‬ ‫المحا َ‬ ‫اب َوا ْل َم َوازينَ َو َ‬ ‫س َ‬ ‫سا َع ِة ش َْي ٌء عَظي ٌم﴾‪ .‬اُذ ُك ُروا ا ْل َم َماتَ َوا ْل َمعا َد َوا ْل ِح َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ف‬ ‫اب‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫س لَ ُه‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ئ‬ ‫ي‬ ‫س‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ء‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ج‬ ‫م‬ ‫و‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ثيب‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ن‬ ‫س‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ء‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ج‬ ‫م‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫و‬ ‫اب‬ ‫و‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ال‬ ‫و‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ب‬ ‫َ َ ْ َ َ َ نْ َ َ ِ ﱠ ﱢ َ ِ ْ َ‬ ‫َر ﱢ َ مينَ َ َ َ َ ِ َ َ نْ َ َ ِ َ َ ِ‬ ‫ان نَ‬ ‫صيب‪.‬‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫فِي ا ْل ِجنَ ِ‬ ‫ني ّ‬ ‫ﷲُ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل أَنْ ُ‬ ‫آخ َذ‬ ‫س‪ ،‬إنﱠ ُك ْم أَ ْكثَ ُر ِمنْ أَنْ ت َ‬ ‫ُصافِقُوني بِ َكفﱟ َو ِ‬ ‫َم َع ِ‬ ‫اش َر النﱠا ِ‬ ‫اح ٍد‪َ ،‬وقَ ْد أَ َم َر َ‬ ‫سنَتِ ُك ُم اإل ْق َرا َر بِ َما َعقَدْتُ لَ َعلِ ﱟي أَمي ِر ا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنينَ ‪َ ،‬ولِ َمنْ َجا َء بَ ْع َدهُ ِمنَ األَئِ ﱠم ِة ِمنّي َو ِم ْنهُ‪،‬‬ ‫ِمنْ أَ ْل ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫سا ِمعُونَ ُمطيعُونَ َراضُونَ‬ ‫َعلَى َما أ ْعل ْمتُ ُك ْم أنﱠ ذ ﱢريﱠتِي ِمنْ ُ‬ ‫صلبِ ِه‪ .‬فقولوا بِأ ْج َم ِع ُك ْم‪» :‬إنا َ‬ ‫ص ْلبِ ِه‬ ‫ُم ْنقَادُونَ لِ َما بَلﱠ ْغتَ عَنْ َربﱢنَا َو َربﱢكَ في أَ ْم ِر إ َما ِمنَا َعلِ ﱟي أَمي ِر ا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنينَ َوأَ ْم ِر ُول ِد ِه ِمنْ ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫سنَتِنَا َوأَ ْيدينَا‪َ .‬علَى َذلِكَ نَ ْحيى َو َعل ْي ِه‬ ‫ِمنَ األَئِ ﱠم ِة‪ .‬نُبَايِ ُع َك َعلَى ذلِ َك بِقُلُوبِنَا َوأَ ْنفُ ِ‬ ‫سنَا َوأَ ْل ِ‬ ‫نَ ُموتُ َو َعلَ ْي ِه نُ ْب َع ُ‬ ‫َاب‪َ ،‬والَ نَ ْر ِج ُع ع َِن‬ ‫ث‪َ .‬والَ نُ َغيﱢ ُر َوالَ نُبَ ﱢد ُل‪َ ،‬والَ نَشُكﱡ َوالَ نَ ْج َح ُد َوالَ نَ ْرت ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ؤْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ق‪ .‬نطي ُع ﷲَ َونطي ُعكَ َوعَليّا أمي ِر◌َ ال ُم ِمنينَ َواألئِ ﱠمة الذينَ ذك ْرت ُھم‬ ‫ض ا ْلميثا َ‬ ‫ا ْل َع ْھ ِد َوالَ نَ ْنقُ ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ق لَ ُھ ْم َمأ ُخوذ ِمنﱠا‪ِ ،‬منْ‬ ‫سيْنَ ‪ ... .‬فا ْل َع ْھ ُد َوا ْلميثا ُ‬ ‫سنَ َوا ْل ُح َ‬ ‫ِمنْ ُذ ﱢريﱠتِكَ ِمنْ ُو ْل ِد ِه بَ ْع َدهُ‪ ،‬ا ْل َح َ‬ ‫سانِ ِه‬ ‫ض َما ِي ِرنَا َو ُم َ‬ ‫سنَتِنَا َو َ‬ ‫صافَق ِة أَيدينَا‪َ .‬من أَد َرك َھا بِيَ ِده َوإالﱠ فَقَد أَقَ ﱠر بِلِ َ‬ ‫سنَا َوأَ ْل ِ‬ ‫قُلُوبِنَا َوأَ ْنفُ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َوالَ يَبغي بِذلِكَ بَ َدالً َوالَ يَ َرى ّ‬ ‫سنَا َع ْنهُ ِح َوالً أبداً‪ .‬نَ ْحنُ نُؤَ دّي ذلِكَ َع ْنكَ ‪ ،‬الدﱠاني‬ ‫ﷲُ ِمنْ أ ْنف ِ‬ ‫‪256‬‬

ّ ‫ش ِھ ُد‬ .«‫ﷲَ بِذلِ َك َو َكفى بِا ّ ِ شَھيداً َوأَ ْنتَ َعلَ ْينَا بِ ِه شَھي ٌد‬ ْ ُ‫ َون‬،‫َوا ْلقَاصي ِمنْ أَ ْوالَ ِدنَا َوأَھَالينَا‬ ّ ‫ َما تَقُولُونَ ؟ فَاِنﱠ‬،‫س‬ ‫س ِه‬ َ ‫ﷲَ يَ ْعلَ ُم ُك ﱠل‬ ِ ‫ ﴿فَ َم ِن ا ْھتَدى فَلِنَ ْف‬،‫ص ْوت َو َخافِيَةَ ُك ﱢل نَ ْفس‬ ِ ‫َم َع‬ ِ ‫اش َر النﱠا‬ ّ ‫ َو َمنْ بَايَ َع فَإنﱠ َما يُبَايِ ُع‬،﴾‫ض ﱡل َعلَ ْي َھا‬ ّ ‫ ﴿يَ ُد‬،َ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ش َر‬ َ ‫ﷲِ فَ ْو‬ َ ْ‫َو َمن‬ ِ ‫ َم َعا‬.﴾‫ق أَ ْيدي ِھ ْم‬ ِ َ‫ض ﱠل فَإنﱠ َما ي‬ ً‫سيْنَ َواألَئِ ﱠمةَ َكلِ َمةً طيّبة‬ َ ‫سنَ َوا ْل ُح‬ َ ‫ فَاتّقُوا ﷲ َوبَايِ ُعوا َعلِيّا ً أَمي َر ا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنينَ َوا ْل َح‬،‫س‬ ِ ‫النﱠا‬ َ ّ ‫بَاقِيَة؛ يُ ْھلِ ُك‬ ُ ‫ ﴿فَ َمنْ نَ َك َث فَاِنﱠ َما يَ ْن ُك‬.‫ﷲُ َمنْ َغ َد َر َويَ ْر َح ُم َمنْ َوفى‬ ‫س ِه َو َمنْ أ ْوفى‬ ِ ‫ث َعلَى نَ ْف‬ َ َ ُ ُ ْ ‫ﱠ‬ ّ ُ َ ‫ﱠ‬ ً ً ُ ْ‫ؤ‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ذي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫وا‬ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫ق‬ ، ‫س‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ر‬ ‫اش‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ ‫سلﱢ ُموا‬ ‫و‬ ‫م‬ . ﴾ ‫ا‬ ‫َظيم‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ج‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ه‬ ‫تي‬ ‫ي‬ ‫س‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ه‬ ْ ِ ُ َ ُ ُ ‫بِ َما عَا َھ َد َعلَ ْي‬ َ ِ َ َ َ َ ْ ُ‫ت‬ ِ َ ُ ُ َ ْ :‫ َوقولُوا‬،‫س ِم ْعنَا َوأط ْعنَا غف َرانَ َك َربﱠنَا َوإلَ ْي َك ا ْل َمصي ُر‬ َ :‫ َوقُولُوا‬، َ‫َعلَى َعلِ ﱟي بِاِ ْم َر ِة ا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنين‬ ّ ‫ي لَ ْوالَ أَنْ ھَدانَا‬ ‫ضائِ َل‬ َ َ‫ إنﱠ ف‬،‫س‬ َ ‫ا ْل َح ْم ُد ِ ّ ِ الﱠذي َھدَانَا لِ َھ َذا َو َما ُكنﱠا لِنَ ْھتَ ِد‬ ِ ‫ َم َع‬.ُ‫ﷲ‬ ِ ‫اش َر النﱠا‬ ُ َ َ َ َ ْ ّ ‫َعلِ ﱢي بْنَ أَبي طَالِب ِع ْن َد‬ ‫صيَ َھا في‬ ِ ‫رآن ـ أ ْكث ُر ِمنْ أنْ أ ْح‬ ِ ُ‫ﷲِ َع ﱠز َو َج ﱠل ـ َوقَ ْد أ ْن َزلَ َھا فِي الق‬ ّ ‫ َمنْ يُ ِط ِع‬،‫س‬ ً ‫ﷲَ َو َرسولَهُ َو َعلِيّا‬ َ َ‫ فَ َمنْ أَ ْنبَأ َ ُك ْم بِ َھا َو َع ﱠرفَ َھا ف‬،‫احد‬ ِ ‫ َم َع‬.ُ‫ص ﱢدقُوه‬ ِ ‫َمقَ ٍام َو‬ ِ ‫اش َر النﱠا‬ َ َ َ َ ‫ﱠ‬ .ً ‫َواألَئِ ﱠمةَ الذينَ ذ َك ْرتُ ُھ ْم فقَ ْد فا َز ف ْوزاً عَظيما‬ ‫ليم َعلَ ْي ِه بِإ ْم َر ِة ا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنينَ أُولئِكَ ُھ ُم‬ ْ ‫سابِقُونَ إلى ُمبَايَ َعتِ ِه َو ُم َواالَتِ ِه َوالتﱠ‬ ‫ ال ﱠ‬،‫س‬ ِ ‫َم َع‬ ِ ‫س‬ ِ ‫اش َر النﱠا‬ ّ ‫ضى‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ُ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ر‬ ‫اش‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ . ‫عيم‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ج‬ ‫في‬ ‫ز‬ ْ‫ فإن‬،‫ﷲُ بِ ِه َع ْن ُك ْم ِمنَ ا ْلقَ ْو ِل‬ َ‫ون‬ َ َ َ ‫ قُولُوا ما يَ ْر‬،‫س‬ َ ِ ِ ِ‫ا ْلفَائ‬ ِ َ ِ َ َ ْ ْ َ ْ ّ ّ َ ْ ً ً َ ْ‫ؤ‬ ُ ‫ض ْب‬ َ َ‫ض ﱠر ﷲ‬ ُ َ‫ض َجميعا فلنْ ي‬ َ ‫ الل ُھ ﱠم اغفِ ْر لِل ُم ِمنينَ َواغ‬.‫ش ْيئا‬ ِ ‫تَ ْكفُ ُروا أنت ْم َو َمنْ فِي األ ْر‬ . َ‫ َوا ْل َح ْم ُد ّ ِ َر ﱢب ا ْل َعالَمين‬، َ‫َعلَى ا ْل َكافِرين‬ Here is the author’s humble translation of this most important text which, unfortunately, most Muslims, their vast majority, overlook, taking it lightly or, worse, ignoring it altogether: "All Praise is due to Allāh Who is Exalted in His Unity, Near in His Uniqueness, Sublime in His Authority, Magnanimous in His Dominance. He knows everything; He subdues all creation through His might and evidence. He is Praised always and forever, Glorified and has no end. He begins and He repeats, and to Him every matter is referred. Allāh is the Creator of everything; He dominates with His power the earth and the heavens. Holy, He is, and Praised, the Lord of the angels and of the spirits. His favors overwhelm whatever He creates, and He is the Mighty over whatever He initiates. He observes all eyes while no eye can observe Him. He is Generous, Clement, Patient. His mercy encompasses everything, and so is His giving. He never rushes His revenge, nor does He hasten the retribution they deserve. He comprehends what the breast conceals and what the conscience hides. No inner I thought can be concealed from Him, nor does He confuse one with another. He encompasses everything, dominates everything, and subdues everything. Nothing is like Him. He initiates the creation from nothing; He is everlasting, 257

living, sustaining in the truth; He is greater than can be conceived by visions, while He conceives all visions, the Eternal, the Knowing.

None can describe Him by seeing Him, nor can anyone find out how He is, be it by his intellect or by a spoken word except through what leads to Him, the Sublime, the Mighty that He is.

"I testify that He is Allāh, the One Who has filled time with His Holiness, the One Whose Light overwhelms eternity, Who effects His will without consulting anyone; there is no partner with Him in His decisions, nor is He assisted in running His affairs. He shaped what He made without following a preexisting model, and He created whatever He created without receiving help from anyone, nor did doing so exhaust Him nor frustrated His designs. He created, and so it was, and He initiated, and it became visible. So He is Allāh, the One and Only God, the One Who does whatever He does extremely well. He is the Just One Who never oppresses, the most Holy to Whom all affairs are referred.

"I further testify that He is Allāh before Whom everything is humbled, to Whose Greatness everything is humiliated, and to Whose Dignity everything submits. He is the King of every domain and the One Who places planets in their orbits. He controls the movements of the sun and of the moon, each circles till a certain time. He makes the night follow the day and the day follow the night, seeking it incessantly. He splits the spine of every stubborn tyrant and annihilates every mighty devil.

"Never has there been any opponent opposing Him nor a peer assisting Him. He is Independent; He never begets nor is He begotten, and none can ever be His equal. He is One God, the Glorified Lord. His will is done; His word is the law. He knows, so He takes account. He causes death and gives life. He makes some poor and others rich. He causes some to smile and others to cry .He brings some nearer to Him while distancing others from Him. He withholds and He gives. The domain belongs to Him and so is all the Praise. In His hand is all goodness, and He can do anything at all. He lets the night cover the day and the day cover the night; there is no god but He, the Sublime, the oft-Forgiving One. He responds to the supplication; He gives generously; He computes the breath; He is the 258

Lord of the jinns and of mankind, the One Whom nothing confuses, nor is He annoyed by those who cry for His help, nor is He fed-up by those who persist. He safeguards the righteous against sinning, and He enables the winners to win. He is the Master of the faithful, the Lord of the Worlds Who deserves the appreciation of all those whom He created and is praised no matter what. I praise Him and always thank Him for the ease He brings me and for the constriction, in hardship and in prosperity, and I believe in Him, in His angels, in His Books and messengers. I listen to His Command and I obey, and I initiate the doing of whatever pleases Him, and I submit to His decree hoping to acquire obedience to Him and fear of His penalty, for He is Allāh against Whose designs nobody should feel secure, nor should anyone ever fear His "oppression."

"I testify, even against my own soul, that I am His servant, and I bear witness that he is my Lord. I convey what He reveals to me, being cautious lest I should not do it, so a catastrophe from Him would befall upon me, one which none can keep away, no matter how great his design may be and how sincere his friendship. There is no god but He, for He has informed me that if I do not convey what He has just revealed to me in honor of Ali in truth, I will not have conveyed His Message at all, and He, the Praised and the Exalted One, has guaranteed for me to protect me from the (evil) people, and He is Allāh, the One Who suffices, the Sublime. He has just revealed to me the following (verse): In The Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O Messenger! Convey what has (just) been revealed to you (with regard to Ali), and if you do not do so, you will not have conveyed His Message at all, and Allāh shall protect you from (evil) people; surely Allāh will not guide the unbelieving people (Qur’ān, 5:67).

"O people! I have not committed any shortcoming in conveying what Allāh Almighty revealed to me, and I am now going to explain to you the reason behind the revelation of this verse: Three times did Gabriel command me on behalf of the Peace, my Lord, Who is the source of all peace, to thus make a stand in order to inform everyone, black and white, that: Ali ibn Abū ±ālib is my Brother, Wasi, and successor over my nation and the Imām after me, the one whose status to me is like that of Aaron to Moses except there will 259

be no prophet after me, and he is your master next only to Allāh and to His Messenger, and Allāh has already revealed to me the same in one of the fixed of His Book saying,verses "Your Master is Allāh and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay zakāt even as they bow down" (Qur’ān, 5:55), and, Ali ibn Abū ±ālib the one who keeps up prayers, who pays zakāt even as he bows down, seeking to please Allāh, the Sublime, the Almighty, on each and every occasion.

"I asked Gabriel to plead to the Peace to excuse me from having to convey such a message to you, O people! Due to my knowledge that the pious are few while the hypocrites are many, and due to those who will blame me, and due to the trickery of those who ridicule Islam and whom Allāh described in His Book as saying with their tongues contrarily to what their hearts conceal, thinking lightly of it, while it is with Allāh magnanimous, and due to the abundance of their harm to me, so much so that they called me "ears" and claimed that I am so because of being so much in his (Ali's) company, always welcoming him, loving him and being so much pleased with him till Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime One, revealed in this regard the verse saying: " And there are some of them who harm the (feelings of the) Prophet and say: He is an ear (udhun ْ‫ أُ ُذن‬i.e. he always listens to Ali). Say: One who listens (to Ali) is good for you; He believes in Allāh and testifies to the conviction of the believers and a mercy for those of you who believe; and those who (thus ) harm the Messenger of Allāh shall have a painful punishment" (Qur’ān, 9:61). Had I wished to name those who have called me so, I would have called them by their names, and I would have pointed them out. I would have singled them out and called them by what they really are, but I, by Allāh, am fully aware of their affairs. Yet despite all of that, Allāh insisted that I should convey what He has just revealed to me in honor of Ali. Then the Prophet recited the following verse:) O Messenger! Convey what has (just) been revealed to you (with regard to Ali), and if you do not do so, you will not have conveyed His Message at all, and Allāh shall protect you from (evil) people. (Qur’ān, 5:67) "O people! Comprehend (the implications of) what I have just said, and again do comprehend it, and be (further) informed that Allāh has 260

installed him (Ali ) as your Master and Imām, obligating the Muhājirūn and the An¥ār and those who follow them in goodness to obey him, and so must everyone who lives in the desert or in the city, who is a non-Arab or an Arab, who is a free man or a slave, who is young or old, white or black, and so should everyone who believes in His Unity. His decree shall be carried out. His (Ali's) word is binding; his command is obligating; cursed is whoever opposes him, blessed with mercy is whoever follows him and believes in him, for Allāh has already forgiven him and forgiven whoever listens to him and obeys him.

"O people! This is the last stand I make in such a situation; so, listen and obey, and submit to the Command of Allāh, your Lord, for Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime One, is your Master and Lord, then next to Him is His Messenger and Prophet who is now addressing you, then after me Ali is your Master and Imām according to the Command of Allāh, your Lord, then the lmams from among my progeny, his offspring, till the Day you meet Allāh and His Messenger. Nothing is permissible except what is deemed so by Allāh, His Messenger, and they (the Imāms), and nothing is prohibitive except what is deemed so by Allāh and His Messenger and they (the Imāms). Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime One, has made me acquainted with what is permissible and what is prohibitive, and I have conveyed to you what my Lord has taught me of His Book, of what it decrees as permissible or as prohibitive.

"O people! Prefer him (Ali) over all others! There is no knowledge except that Allāh has divulged it to me, and all the knowledge I have learned I have divulged to Imām al-Muttaqīn ‫( امام المتقين‬leader of the righteous), and there is no knowledge (that I know) except that I divulged it to Ali, and he is al-Imām al-Mubīn ‫( ام ام مب ين‬the evident Imām) whom Allāh mentions in Sūrat Yā-sīn: "... and everything We have computed is in (the knowledge of) an evident Imām" (Qur’ān, 36:12).

"O people! Do not abandon him, nor should you flee away from him, nor should you be too arrogant to accept his authority, for he is the one who guides to righteousness and who acts according to it. He defeats falsehood and prohibits others from acting according to it, 261

accepting no blame from anyone while seeking to please Allāh. He is the first to believe in Allāh and in His Messenger; none preceded him as such. And he is the one who offered his life as a sacrifice for the Messenger of Allāh  and who was in the company of the Messenger of Allāh  while no other man was. He is the first of all people to offer prayers and the first to worship Allāh with me. I ordered him, on behalf of Allāh, to sleep in my bed, and he did, offering his life as a sacrifice for my sake.

"O people! Prefer him (over all others), for Allāh has preferred him, and accept him, for Allāh has appointed him (as your leader). O people! He is an Imām appointed by Allāh, and Allāh shall never accept the repentance of anyone who denies his authority, nor shall He forgive him; this is a must decree from Allāh never to do so to anyone who opposes him, and that He shall torment him with a most painful torment for all time to come, for eternity; so, beware lest you should oppose him and thus enter the fire the fuel of which is the people and the stones prepared for the unbelievers.

"O people! By Allāh! All past prophets and messengers conveyed the glad tiding of my advent, and I, by Allāh, am the seal of the prophets and of the messengers and the argument against all beings in the heavens and on earth. Anyone who doubts this commits apostasy similar to that of the early jāhiliyya, and anyone who doubts anything of what I have just said doubts everything which has been revealed to me, and anyone who doubts any of the Imāms doubts all of them, and anyone who doubts us shall be lodged in the fire.

"O people! Allāh, the most Exalted and the Almighty, has bestowed this virtue upon me out of His kindness towards Ali and as a boon to Ali and there is no god but He; to Him all praise belongs in all times, for eternity, and in all circumstances. O people! Prefer Ali (over all others), for he is the very best of all people after me, be they males or females, so long as Allāh sends down His sustenance, so long as there are beings. Cursed and again cursed, condemned and again condemned, is anyone who does not accept this statement of mine and who does not agree to it. Gabriel himself has informed me of the 262

same on behalf of Allāh Almighty Who he said (in Gabriel's words): "Anyone who antagonizes Ali and refuses to accept his wilāyat shall incur My curse upon him and My wrath." "... and let every soul consider what it has sent forth for the morrow, and be careful of (your duty to) Allāh" (Qur’ān, 59:18), "And do not make your oaths a means of deceit between you lest a foot should slip after its stability" (Qur’ān, 16:94), "Allāh is fully aware of all what you do" (Qur’ān, 58: 13).

"O people! He (Ali) is janb-Allāh mentioned in the Book of Allāh, the Sublime One: The Almighty, forewarning his (Ali's) adversaries, says, "Lest a soul should say: O woe unto me for what I fell short of my duty to Allāh, and most surely I was of those who laughed to scorn" (Qur’ān, 39:56).

"O people! Study the Qur’ān and comprehend its verses, look into its fixed verses and do not follow what is similar thereof, for by Allāh, none shall explain to you what it forbids you from doing, nor clarify its exegesis, other than the one whose hand I am taking and whom I am lifting to me, the one whose arm I am taking and whom I am lifting, so that I may enable you to understand that: Whoever among you takes me as his master, this, Ali is his master, and he is Ali ibn Abū ±ālib, my Brother and wa¥i, and his appointment as your wali is from Allāh, the Sublime, the Exalted One, a commandment which He revealed to me.

"O people! Ali and the good ones from among my offspring from his loins are the Lesser Weight, while the Qur’ān is the Greater One: each one of them informs you of and agrees with the other. They shall never part till they meet me at the Pool (of Kawthar). They are the Trustees of Allāh over His creation, the rulers on His earth.

Indeed now I have performed my duty and conveyed the Message.

Indeed you have heard what I have said and explained. Indeed Allāh, the Exalted One and the Sublime, has said, and so have Ion behalf of Allāh, the Exalted One and the Sublime, that there is no AmeerulMu’minīn ‫( أمير الم ؤمنين‬Commander of the Faithful) save this Brother of mine; no authority over a believer is permissible after me except to him."

263

Then the Prophet  patted Ali's arm, lifting him up. Since the time when the Messenger of Allāh  ascended the pulpit, AmeerulMu’minīn was one pulpit step below where the Messenger of Allāh  had seated himself on his pulpit. As Ali was on his (Prophet's) right side, one pulpit step lower, now they both appeared to the gathering to be on the same level; the Prophet lifted him up. The Prophet then raised his hands to the heavens in supplication while Ali's leg was touching the knee of the Messenger of Allāh . The Prophet continued his sermon thus: "O people! This is Ali, my Brother, Wa¥i, the one who comprehends my knowledge, and my successor over my nation, over everyone who believes in me. He is the one entrusted with explaining the Book of Allāh, the most Exalted One, the Sublime, and the one who invites people to His path. He is the one who does whatever pleases Him, fighting His enemies, befriending His friends who obey Him, prohibiting disobedience to Him. He is the successor of the Messenger of Allāh  and Ameerul-Mo'mineen, the man assigned

by Allāh to guide others, killer of the renegades and of those who believe in equals to Allāh, those who violate the Commandments of Allāh. Allāh says, "My Word shall not be changed, nor am I in the least unjust to the servants" (Qur’ān, 50.29), and by Your Command, O Lord, do I (submit and) say, O Allāh! Befriend whoever befriends him (Ali) and be the enemy of whoever antagonizes him; support whoever supports him and abandon whoever abandons him; curse whoever disavows him, and let Your Wrath descend on whoever usurps his right.

"O Lord! You revealed a verse in honor of Ali, Your wali, in its explanation and to effect Your own appointment of him this very day did You say, "This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor on you, and chosen for you Islam as a religion" (Qur’ān, 5.3); "And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers" (Qur’ān, 3:85). Lord! I implore You to testify that I have conveyed (Your Message).

"O people! Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime, has perfected your 264

religion through his (Ali's) Imāmate; so, whoever rejects him as his Imām or rejects those of my offspring from his loins who assume the same status (as lmāms) till the Day of Judgment when they shall all be displayed before Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime, these are the ones whose (good) deeds shall be nil and void in the life of this world and in the hereafter, and in the fire shall they be lodged forever, " ...their torture shall not be decreased, nor shall they be given a respite" (Qur’ān,2:162).

"O people! Here is Ali, the one who has supported me more than anyone else among you, the one who most deserves my gratitude, the one who is closest of all of you to me and the one who is the very dearest to me. Both Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime, and I are pleased with him, and no verse of the Holy Qur’ān expressing Allāh's Pleasure except that he is implied therein, nor has any verse of praise been revealed in the Qur’ān except that he is implied therein, nor has the Lord testified to Paradise in the (Qur’ānic) Chapter starting with "Has there not come over man a long period of time when he was nothing (not even) mentioned?" (Qur’ān, 76:1) nor was this Chapter revealed except in his praise.

"O people! He is the one who supports the religion of Allāh, who argues on behalf of the Messenger of Allāh . He is the pious, the pure, the guide, the one rightly guided. Your Prophet is the best of all prophets, and your wa¥i is the best of all wa¥is, and his offspring are the best of wa¥is. O people! Each prophet's progeny is from his own loins whereas mine is from the loins of Arneerul-Mu'mineen Ali. "O people! Iblis caused Adam to be dismissed from the garden through envy; so, do not envy him lest your deeds should be voided and lest your feet should slip away, for Adam was sent down to earth after having committed only one sin, and he was among the elite of Allāh's creation. How, then, will be your case, and you being who you are, and among you are enemies of Allāh? Indeed, none hates Ali except a wretch, and none accepts Ali's wilāyat except a pious person. None believes in him except a sincere Mu’min, and in honor of, Ali was the Chapter of Asr (Ch. 103) revealed, I swear to it by Allāh: "In the Name of Allāh, the Beneficent, the Merciful. I swear 265

by time that most surely man is in loss" (Qur’ān, 103:1-2) except Ali who believed and was pleased with the truth and with perseverance.

"O people! I have sought Allāh to be my Witness and have conveyed my Message to you, and the Messenger is obligated only to clearly convey (his Message). O people! "Fear Allāh as He ought to be feared, and do not die except as Muslims" (Qur’ān, 3:102). O people! " ...Believe in what We have revealed, verifying what you have, before We alter faces then turn them on their backs or curse them as We cursed the violators of the Sabbath" (Qur’ān, 4:47). By Allāh! Redid not imply anyone in this verse except a certain band of my ¥a¦āba whom I know by name and by lineage, and I have been ordered (by my Lord) to pardon them; so, let each person deal with Ali according to what he finds in his heart of love or of hatred.

"O people! The noor from Allāh, the Exalted One and the Sublime, flows through me then through Ali ibn Abū ±ālib then in the progeny that descends from him till al-Qā’im al-Mahdi ‫الق ائم المھ دي‬ (‫)ع ج‬, who shall effect the justice of Allāh, and who will take back any right belonging to us because Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime, made us μujjat (authority, evidence, argument, proof) over those who take us lightly, the stubborn ones, those who act contrarily to our word, who are treacherous, who are sinners, who are oppressors, who are usurpers, from the entire world.

"O people! I warn you that I am the Messenger of Allāh; messengers before me have already passed away; so, should I die or should I be killed, are you going to turn upon your heels? And whoever turns upon his heels shall not harm Allāh in the least, and Allāh shall reward those who are grateful, those who persevere. Ali is surely the one described with perseverance and gratitude, then after him are my offspring from his loins.

"O people! Do not think that you are doing me a favor by your accepting Islam. Nay! Do not think that you are doing Allāh such a favor lest He should void your deeds, lest His wrath should descend upon you, lest He should try you with a flame of fire and brass; surely your Lord is ever-watchful.

266

“O people! There shall be Imāms after me who shall invite people to the fire, and they shall not be helped on the Day of Judgment. O people! Allāh and I are both clear of them. O people! They and their supporters and followers shall be in the lowest rung of the fire; miserable, indeed, is the resort of the arrogant ones. Indeed, these are the folks of the ¥a¦īfa [a covenant written by a number of very prominent Muslims, some of whom are sanctified by some Muslims, pledging to assassinate the Prophet; it was written and signed then buried at one of the walls of the Ka`ba]; so, let each one of you look into his ¥a¦īfa! [This reference to the ¥a¦īfa has been overlooked by most people with the exception of a small band, and I, author of this book, will Inshā-Allāh shed light on this ¥a¦īfa in my later writings.

The Prophet continued his historic sermon thus:] "O people! I am calling for it to be an Imāmate and a succession confined to my offspring till the Day of Judgment, and I have conveyed only what I have been commanded (by my Lord) to convey to drive the argument home against everyone present or absent and on everyone who has witnessed or who has not, who is already born or he is yet to be born; therefore, let those present here convey it to those who are absent, and let the father convey it to his son, and so on till the Day of Judgment. And they shall make the Imāmate after me a property, a usurpation; may Allāh curse the usurpers who usurp, and it is then that you, O jinns and mankind, will get the full attention of the One Who shall cause a flame of fire and brass to be hurled upon you, and you shall not achieve any victory!

"O people! Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime, is not to let you be whatever you want to be except so that He may distinguish the bad ones from among you from the good, and Allāh is not to make you acquainted with the unknown. O people! There shall be no town that falsifies except that Allāh shall annihilate it on account of its falsehood before the Day of Judgment, and He shall give al-lmam alMahdi authority over it, and surely Allāh's promise is true.

"O people! Most of the early generations before you have strayed, and by Allāh, He surely annihilated the early generations, and He shall annihilate the later ones. Allāh Almighty has said, "Did We not 267

destroy the former generations? Then did We follow them up with later ones. Even thus shall We deal with the guilty. Woe on that Day to the rejecters!" (Qur’ān, 77: 16-19).

"O people! Allāh has ordered me to do and not to do, and I have ordered Ali to do and not to do, so he learned what should be done and what should not; therefore. you should listen to his orders so that you may be safe, and you should obey him so that you may be rightly guided. Do not do what he forbids you from doing so that you may acquire wisdom. Agree with him, and do not let your paths be different from his. O people! I am as-¯irāt al-Mustaqeem (the Straight Path) of Allāh whom He commanded you to follow, and it is after me Ali then my offspring from his loins, the Imāms of Guidance: They guide to the truth and act accordingly."

Then the Prophet recited the entire text of Sūrat al-Fāti¦a and commented by saying: "It is in my honor that this (Sūra) was revealed, including them (the Imāms) specifically; they are the friends of Allāh for whom there shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve; truly the Party of Allāh are the winners. Indeed, it is their enemies who are the impudent ones, the deviators, the brethren of Satan; they inspire each other with embellished speech out of their haughtiness. Indeed, their (Imāms') friends are the ones whom Allāh, the Exalted One, the Great, mentions in His Book saying, "You shall not find a people who believe in Allāh and in the latter Day befriending those who act in opposition to Allāh and to His Prophet, even though they may be their own fathers or sons or brothers or kinsfolk; these are they into whose hearts He has impressed conviction" (Qur’ān, 58:22). Indeed, their (Imāms') friends are the Mu’mins (believers) whom Allāh, the Exalted One, the Sublime, describes as: "Those who believe and do not mix up their faith with iniquity, those are the ones who shall have the security, and they are the rightly guided" (Qur’ān, 6:82).

"Indeed, their friends are those who believed and never doubted.

Indeed, their friends are the ones who shall enter Paradise in peace and security; the angels shall receive them with welcome saying, "Peace be upon you! Enter it and reside in it forever!" Indeed, their friends shall be rewarded with Paradise where they shall be 268

sustained without having to account for anything. Indeed, their enemies are the ones who shall be hurled into the fire. Indeed, their enemies are the ones who shall hear the exhalation of hell as it increases in intensity, and they shall see it sigh. Indeed, their enemies are the ones thus described by Allāh: "Whenever a nation enters, it shall curse its sister..." (Qur’ān, 7:38). Indeed, their enemies are the ones whom Allāh, the Exalted One and the Sublime, describes thus: "Whenever a group is cast into it, its keepers shall ask them: Did any warner not come to you? They shall say: Yea! Indeed, there came to us a warner but we rejected (him) and said: Allāh has not revealed anything; you are only in a great error. And they shall say: Had we but listened or pondered, we would not have been among the inmates of the burning fire. So they shall acknowledge their sins, but far will be forgiveness) from the inmates of the burning fire" (Qur’ān, 67:8-11). Indeed, their friends are the ones who fear their Lord in the unseen; forgiveness shall be theirs and a great reward.

"O people! What a difference it is between the fire and the great reward! O people! Our enemy is the one whom Allāh censures and curses, whereas our friend is everyone praised and loved by Allāh. O people! I am the Warner (nadhīr ‫ )ن ذير‬and Ali is the bearer of glad tidings (basheer ‫)ب شير‬. O people! I am the one who warns (mundhīr) while Ali is the guide (hādi ‫)ھ ادي‬. O people! I am a Prophet (nabi ‫ )نب ي‬and Ali is the successor (wa¥i ‫)وص ي‬. O people! I am a Messenger (rasool ‫ )رس ول‬and Ali is the Imām and the wa¥i after me, and so are the Imāms after him from among his offspring. Indeed, I am their father, and they shall descend from his loins. Indeed, the seal of the lmams from among us is al-Qā’im al-Mahdi. He, indeed, is the one who shall come out so that the creed may prevail. He, indeed, is the one who shall seek revenge against the oppressor. He, indeed, is the one who conquers the forts and demolishes them. He, indeed, is the one who subdues every tribe from among the people of polytheism and the one to guide it. He is the one who shall seek redress for all friends of Allāh. He is the one who supports the religion of Allāh. He ever derives (his knowledge) from a very deep ocean. He shall identify each man of distinction by his distinction and every man of ignorance by his ignorance. He shall be the choicest of Allāh's beings and the chosen one. He is the heir of all 269

(branches of) knowledge, the one who encompasses every perception. He conveys on behalf of his Lord, the Exalted and the Sublime, who points out His miracles. He is the wise one, the one endowed with wisdom, the one upon whom (Divine) authority is vested. Glad tidings of him have been conveyed by past generations, yet he is the one who shall remain as a μujja, and there shall be no μujja after him nor any right except with him, nor any noor except with him. None, indeed, shall subdue him, nor shall he ever be vanquished. He is the friend of Allāh on His earth, the judge over His creatures, the custodian of what is evident and what is hidden of His. "O people! I have explained (everything) for you and enabled you to comprehend it, and this Ali shall after me explain everything to you.

At the conclusion of my khu§ba, I shall call upon you to shake hands with me to swear your allegiance to him and to recognize his authority, then to shake hands with him after you have shaken hands with me. I had, indeed, sworn allegiance to Allāh, and Ali had sworn allegiance to me, and I on behalf of Allāh, the Exalted One and the Sublime, I require you to swear the oath of allegiance to him: "Surely those who swear (the oath of) allegiance to you do but swear allegiance to Allāh; the hand of Allāh is above their hands; therefore, whoever reneges (from his oath), he reneges only to the injury of his own soul, and whoever fulfills what he has covenanted with Allāh, He will grant him a mighty reward" (Qur’ān,48:10).

"O people! The pilgrimage (¦ajj) and the 'umra are among Allāh's rituals; "So whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit (to it), there is no blame on him if he goes round them [¯afa and Marwa] both" (Qur’ān, 2:158). O people! Perform your pilgrimage to the House, for no members of a family went there except that they became wealthy, and receive glad tidings! None failed to do so except that their lineage was cut-off and were impoverished. O people! No believer stands at the standing place [at 'Arafa] except that Allāh forgives his past sins till then; so, once his pilgrimage is over, he resumes his deeds. O people! Pilgrims are assisted, and their expenses shall be replenished, and Allāh never suffers the rewards of the doers of good to be lost.

270

"O people! Perform your pilgrimage to the House by perfecting your religion and by delving into fiqh, and do not leave the sacred places except after having repented and abandoned (the doing of anything prohibited). O people! Uphold prayers and pay the zakāt as Allāh, the Exalted One and the Sublime, commanded you; so, if time lapses and you were short of doing so or you forgot, Ali is your wali and he will explain for you. He is the one whom Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime, appointed for you after me as the custodian of His creation.

He is from me and I am from him, and he and those who will succeed him from my progeny shall inform you of anything you ask them about, and they shall clarify whatever you do not know. μalāl and ¦arām things are more than I can count for you now or explain, for a commandment to enjoin what is permissible and a prohibition from what is not permissible are both on the same level, so I was ordered (by my Lord) to take your oath of allegiance and to make a covenant with you to accept what I brought you from Allāh, the Exalted One and the Sublime, with regards to Ali Ameerul-Mu’minīn and to the wasis after him who are from me and from him, a standing Imāmate whose seal is al-Mahdi till the Day he meets Allāh Who decrees and Who judges.

"O people! I never refrained from informing you of everything permissible or prohibitive; so, do remember this and safeguard it and advise each other to do likewise; do not alter it; do not substitute it with something else. I am now repeating what I have already said: Uphold the prayers and pay the zakāt and enjoin righteousness and forbid abomination. The peak of enjoining righteousness is to resort to my speech and to convey it to whoever did not attend it and to order him on my behalf to accept it and to (likewise) order him not to violate it, for it is an order from Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime, and there is no knowledge of enjoining righteousness nor prohibiting abomination except that it is with a ma'soom (infallible) Imām ‫إمام معصوم‬.

"O people! The Qur’ān informs you that the Imāms after him are his (Ali's) descendants, and I have already informed you that they are from me and from him, for Allāh says in His Book, "And he made it a word to continue in his posterity so that they may return " (Qur’ān, 43:28) while I have said: "You shall not stray as long as you uphold 271

both of them (simultaneously)." O people! (Uphold) piety, (uphold) piety, and be forewarned of the Hour as Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime, has said, "O people! Guard (yourselves) against (punishment from) your Lord; surely the violence of the Hour is a grievous thing" (Qur’ān, 22:1).

“Remember death, resurrection, the judgment, the scales, and the account before the Lord of the Worlds, and (remember) the rewards and the penalty. So whoever does a good deed shall be rewarded for it, and whoever commits a sin shall have no place in the Gardens. O people! You are more numerous than (it is practical) to shake hands with me all at the same time, and Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime, commanded me to require you to confirm what authority I have vested upon Ali Ameerul-Mu’minīn and to whoever succeeds him of the Imāms from me and from him, since I have just informed you that my offspring are from his loins. You, therefore, should say in one voice: ‘We hear, and we obey; we accept and we are bound by what you have conveyed to us from our Lord and yours with regard to our Imām Ali Ameerul-Mu’minīn, and to the Imāms, your sons from his loins. We swear the oath of allegiance to you in this regard with our hearts, with our souls, with our tongues, with our hands. According to it shall we live, and according to it shall we die, and according to it shall we be resurrected. We shall not alter anything or substitute anything with another, nor shall we doubt nor deny nor suspect, nor shall we violate our covenant nor abrogate the pledge. You admonished us on behalf of Allāh with regard to Ali Ameerul-Mu’minīn, and to the Imāms whom you mentioned to be from your offspring from among his descendants after him: alμassan and al-μussain  and to whoever is appointed (as such) by Allāh after them. The covenant and the pledge are taken from us, from our hearts, from our souls, from our tongues, from our conscience, from our hands. Whoever does so by his handshake, it shall be so, or otherwise testified to it by his tongue, and we do not seek any substitute for it, nor shall Allāh see our souls deviating there from. We shall convey the same on your behalf to anyone near and far of our offspring and families, and we implore Allāh to testify to it, and surely Allāh suffices as the Witness and you, too, shall testify for us.’

272

“O people! What are you going to say?! Allāh knows every sound and the innermost of every soul; "Whoever chooses the right guidance, it is for his own soul that he is rightly guided, and whoever strays, it is only to its detriment that he goes astray" (Qur’ān, 17:15). O people! Swear the oath of allegiance to Allāh, and swear it to me, and swear it to Ali Ameerul-Mu’minīn, and to alμassan and al-μussain and to the Imāms from their offspring  in the life of this world and in the hereafter, a word that shall always remain so. Allāh shall annihilate anyone guilty of treachery and be merciful upon everyone who remains true to his word: "Whoever reneges (from his oath), he reneges only to the harm of his own soul, and whoever fulfills what he has covenanted with Allāh, He will grant him a mighty reward" (Qur’ān, 48:10).

"O people! Repeat what I have just told you to, and greet Ali with the title of authority of " Ameerul-Mu’minīn" and say: "We hear, and we obey, O Lord! Your forgiveness (do we seek), and to You is the eventual course" (Qur’ān, 2:285), and you should say: "All praise is due to Allāh Who guided us to this, and we would not have found the way had it not been for Allāh Who guided us" (Qur’ān, 7:43).

"O people! The merits of Ali ibn Abū ±ālib with Allāh, the Exalted and the Sublime, the merits which are revealed in the Qur’ān, are more numerous than I can recount in one speech; so, whoever informs you of them and defines them for you, you should believe him. O people! Whoever obeys Allāh and His Messenger and Ali and the Imāms to whom I have already referred shall attain a great victory. O people! Those foremost from among you who swear allegiance to him and who pledge to obey him and who greet him with the greeting of being the Commander of the Faithful are the ones who shall win the Gardens of Felicity. O people! Say what brings you the Pleasure of Allāh, for if you and all the people of the earth disbelieve, it will not harm Allāh in the least. O Lord! Forgive the believers through what I have conveyed, and let Your Wrath descend upon those who renege, the apostates, and all Praise is due to Allāh, the Lord of the Worlds."

Thus did the Prophet of Allāh  speak on behalf of the Almighty 273

Who sent him as the beacon of guidance not only for the Muslims but for all mankind. But the question that forces itself here is: "What happened after that historic event? Why did the Muslims forget, or pretend to have forgotten, their Prophet's instructions with regards to Ali and supposedly "elected" someone else in his stead?" To answer this question requires the writing of another book and, indeed many such books have been written. May the Almighty grant all of us guidance, and may He count us among His true servants who recognize the truth when they see it, who abide by His tenets, Who revere His Prophet and follow his instructions in all times, in all climes, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھم آمين‬.

The reader may wonder what happened following this Ghadīr incident. The answer is very simple: The most prominent Muslims of the time, and there is no need to mention their names here since they are too well known to any average student of Islamic history or any average Muslim, prtended to have forgotten it, so they met at ‫ سقيفة بني ساعدة‬the shed of Bani Sā'ida, few meters from the Prophet's Mosque, where they kept for days fussing with each other about who would succeed the Prophet  as the caliph while the corpse of the Prophet  was lying in state waiting to be buried… And the rest is history.

The Ghadīr incident is immortalized in Arabic poetry. μassān ibn Thābit, the Prophet's poet, was there and then witnessing the appointment of Ali  as ‫ أمير المؤمنين‬Commander of the Faithful, so he composed the following lines of poetry on the occasion which I roughly translated below: ‫مناديا‬

‫بالنبي‬

‫أكرم‬

‫و‬

،‫بخم‬

‫نبيھم‬

‫الغدير‬

‫يناديھم‬

:‫فقالوا و لم يبدوا ھناك التعاديا‬

‫و وليكم‬

‫و لن تجدن منا لك اليوم عاصيا‬

‫ولينا‬

‫رضيتك من بعدي اماما و ھاديا‬

‫ قم يا علي فانني‬:‫له‬

‫مداويا‬

‫و كان علي أرمد العين يبتغي‬

274

‫يشتكيه‬

‫مما‬

‫لعينيه‬

‫موالكم‬

‫يوم‬

‫و أنت‬

‫ فمن‬:‫يقول‬ ‫الھك موالنا‬ ‫فقال‬

‫راقيا‬

‫بورك‬

‫و‬

‫مرقيا‬

‫فبورك‬

‫فداواه خير الناس منه بريقه‬

Their Prophet on the Ghadīr Day calls upon them all At Khumm, how great the Prophet is when he does call!

He said, "Who is your Master and Wali?"

They said, showing on that day no hostility, "Our Master is our God while our Wali is you, You shall find today none to disobey you."

He said to him, "Stand up, O Ali, for I did find "You to be and Imām after me and a guide."

Ali was sore in the eyes and did seek a remedy For that from which was complaining Ali, So he was doctored with the saliva of the best of all, So the one who received it and who gave it are blessed by all.

(Reference: al-Qandūzi, Yanabī’ al-Mawadda ‫ينابيع المودة‬, p. 120) For those who have the habit of casting doubt about anything in which they do not wish to believe, we would like to state below some mostly classic references where this Ghadīr Khu§ba is quoted.

In these references the reader can deliberate on the various portions of this historic sermon as quoted in bits and pieces in these references. Most of these references are considered reliable by the majority of Muslims, Sunnis and Shī`ites, and most of these references are very highly respected classic Sunni reference books: 1. Jalāl ad-Dīn as-Sayyū§i, Kitāb al-Itqān, Vol. 1, p. 31.

2. al-Majlisi, Bi¦ār al-Anwār, Vol. 21, pp. 360-90, Vol. 37, pp.

111-235, and Vol. 41, p. 228.He Quotes book Al-I¦tijāj by a§±ibrisi (vol.2) 3. Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wan-Nihāya, Vol. 5, p. 208.

4. al-Shaybāni, Badeea’-Ma`āni, p. 75 5. al-Khateeb al-Baghdādi, Tārīkh Baghdād, V01. 1, p. 411 and V01. 8, p. 290.

6. Ibn ‘Asākir, Tārīkh Dimashq, Vol. 5, p. 210.

7. Ibn al-Jawziyya, Tadhkirat al-Khawā¥¥, pp. 18-20.

8. Ibn as-Sa'ūd's Tafsīr, Vol. 8, p. 292.

9. a§-±abari, Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, Vol. 3, p. 428 and Vol. 6, p. 46.

10. al-Fakhr ar-Rāzi, At-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, Vol. 3, p. 636.

11. Abul-Mu`een al-Mataridi, At-Tamhīd fī Usūl ad-Dīn, p. 171.

275

12. Abdul-Mu¦sin al-Qāsim, Tayseer al-Wu¥ūl, Vol. 1, p. 122.

13. Ghiyāth ad-Dīn ibn Hammām, Tārīkh μabīb as-Siyar, V01. 1, p.

144.

14. al-Maqrīzi, Khu§a§, p. 223.

15. as-Sayyū§i, Ad-Durr al-Manthūr, Vol. 2, pp. 259, 298.

16. a§-±abari, Dhakhā'ir al-`Uqba, p. 68.

17. Ma¦mūd al-Ālūsi, Rū¦ al-Ma`āni, Vol. 2, p. 348.

18. Mo¦ibb a§-±abari, AI-Riyā¤ an-Na¤ira, Vol. 2, p.169. Look it up also in his Tārīkh.

19. Al-Kah§īb al-Sharbīni, As-Sirāj al-Munīr, Vol. 4, p. 364.

20. al-Hākim, As-Sīra al-μalabiyya, Vol. 3, p. 302.

21. Mu¦ammed az-Zurqāni, Shar¦ al-Mawāhib al-Laduniyya, Vol. 7, p. 13.

22. Ibn μajar al-`Asqalāni, As-¯awā`iq al-Mu¦riqa, p. 26.

23. Ibn al-Badriq, Al-'Umda, p. 52.

24. Badr ad-Dīn, 'Umdat al-Qāri fī Shar¦ al-Bukhāri, V01. 8, p. 584.

25. μassan al-Āmīn, Al-Ghadīr, V01. 2, p. 57.

26. Sharafud-Dīn ¯adr ad-Dīn al-Mousawi, Al-Fusūl al-Muhimma, pp. 25-27.

27. Imām A¦med ibn μanbal, Fa¤ā'il a¥-¯a¦āba, p. 272.

28. Mu¦ammed Abdur-Ra’ūf al-Qāhiri, Fay¤ al-Ghadīr, V01. 6, p.

218.

29. Abul-μassan al-Arbīli, Kashf al-Ghumma, p. 94.

30. al-Ganji al-Shāfi`i, Kifāyat a§-±ālib, pp. 17, 28.

31. al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Ummāl, Vol. 6, p. 397.

32. Imām Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, V01. 4, p. 281.

33. Ibn Abdullāh at-Tabrīzi, Mishkāt al-Ma¥ābī¦, p. 272.

34. at-Tahawi, Mushkil al-Athar, Vol. 3, p. 196.

35. Kamāl ad-Dīn Mu¦ammed ibn A¦med, Ma§ālib as-Su'l, p. 16 (a 17th century manuscript).

36. Mu¦mmad al-Shirwāni, Muftā¦ an-Najāt, p. 216.

37. ash-Shahristāni, Al-Milal wan-Ni¦al, V 01. 1, p. 220.

38. al-Khawārizmi, Manāqib, pp. 80, 94.

39. Ibn al-Maghāzli, Manāqib, p. 232.

40. al-Qa¥§alāni, Al-Mawāhib, Vol. 2, p. 13.

41. as-Samhūdi, Wafā’ al-Wafā, Vol. 2, p. 173.

There is a question that forces itself here, folks: What is the location of this Ghadīr and how does it look like now? As you have already 276

come to know, the event took place in 10 A.H./632 A.D., that is, 1,422 Hijri years ago, 1,379 years ago according to the Christian calendar; the Hijri year is a little bit shorter than the CE (or A.D., Anno Domini, “Year of our Lord”, as they call it). Surely the site has undergone a great deal of change since then. Kamāl al-Sayyid, an Iraqi scholar, has conducted a research which Ansāriyan Publications published in booklet form in 1419 A.H./1998 A.D. then reprinted it in 1424 A.H./2003 A.D. It falls in 45 small but interesting pages plus nine pages of color photographs and site maps. It is titled ‫ الطري ق ال ى غ دير خ م‬The Road to Ghadīr Khumm. We would like to quote below some of its contents for the curious reader: The “Ghadīr Khumm” area is located midway on the route between Mecca and Medīna near the Ju¦fa. Our Prophet  passed through it during his historic hijra, or Hegira, migration, in September of 622 A.D. then on the 18th of Dhul-μijja of the 10th Hijri year (March 16, 632 A.D. according to the Julian calendar or the 19th of March of the same year according to the Gregorian calendar) during his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage ‫حج ة ال وداع‬. Sands have covered the ancient caravan routes in this area which is now called the Ghurba ‫غرب ة‬, but a water spring still gushes out of the core of stones in a spacious valley bordered by two mountain series from the north and the south. One who leaves the port city of Jidda on the Red Sea will arrive at the Ju¦fa junction near Rābīgh city ‫ مدين ة راب غ‬where there is a local air port on the route’s right side. The distance between the said junction and the Mīqāt Mosque ‫م سجد الميق ات‬, which was built on the ruins of an ancient mosque, extends up to 10 kilo meters. From this Mīqāt Mosque, one can head in the direction of the Alyā’ Mansion ‫ ق صر علي اء‬across a route full of sand dunes where the blessed migration route can still be seen. This Mansion is located on the borders of the Juhfa village in the direction that leads to Medīna and to Rābīgh city, whereas the Mīqāt Mosque is located, in the direction that leads to Mecca. The distance between the Mīqāt Mosque and the Alyā’ Mansion is about five kilo meters. Sand dunes and torrential rains have created sand dams between both areas where there are mountain heights that form the path leading to an open valley where routes diverge. From there, one can go in the 277

A road map showing location of Ghad朝r Khumm almost in the center

278

direction of the Ghurba, which is not easy to get to because of the sand dunes. As for the Ghadīr area itself, it falls at the borders of the Harra, an area filled with black stones where it is impossible for anything to grow, at the end of which the broad valley opens and leads to the Ghadīr spring. It is in this very spot that the Prophet  stopped to convey the caravans of pilgrims and the entire Islamic nation, then, now and till the Judgment Day, the last of the Almighty’s directives to the faithful.

Because of violent torrential floods during rainy seasons, the area’s features keep changing. One who seeks the blessing of this spot, where the very last of the Almighty’s prophets and their very best, Mu¦ammed , stopped to make history, can go via one of two routes: either the Ju¦fa or the Rābīgh: The first route starts from the Juhfa junction at the Rābīgh Airport where there is a paved road extending up to nine kilo meters to the Ju¦fa village, where there is a large mosque, and from there he takes a route to the right to a distance of two kilo meters of sand dunes and dark rocks, as dark as the hearts of all those Muslims who forgot, or pretended to have forgotten, the Ghadīr Declaration and left it behind their backs and will continue to do so for all time to come. At the end of that route, the Ghadīr valley starts.

The second route starts from the Mecca-Medīna junction in the direction of Rābīgh. After a distance of ten kilo meters, the road leading to the Ghadīr diverges; the distance from Rābīgh to the Ghadīr is about 26 kilo meters. The Ghadīr valley is located, generally speaking, to the east of the Mīqāt Mosque in the Ju¦fa at the distance of eight kilo meters, or to the south from Rābīgh city at the distance of 26 kilo meters. In this sacred spot, a mosque was built. Its structure has for long been covered by sands and torrential waters. Winds and other soil erosion factors have all taken their toll on it. This mosque may have remained up to the beginning of the 8th century; only its walls remain as indicted in books of fiqh and history as well as texts of ziyāra of those who seek Allāh’s blessings at it, supplicating to the Almighty and pleading to Him to keep them 279

firm on the footsteps of the Prophet of Islam  and to count them among those who act upon the last will of His beloved Prophet and Messenger  who never spoke a word of his own but only conveyed the Divine Message which he received from his Lord and Maker.

It is a shame that only Shī`ite Muslims now joyously celebrate the Eid al-Ghadīr feast, as if the Prophet  singled them out to do so rather than generalizing the message to all those who testify that ‫رسول ﷲ‬

 ،‫ال اله اال ﷲ‬

There is no god save Allāh, Mu¦ammed  is the Messenger of Allāh. And do not be surprised, dear reader, if someone, a Muslim, of course, tells you that all what is said about Ghadīr Khumm is simply “old hags’ tales”, for there are such people in all times and climes. Their only weapon is casting doubts rather than producing facts which they can prove to be facts. May the Almighty keep us away from such folks. May He forgive them and lead them to His Path, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھم آمين‬.

Ghāra ‫غ اره‬: raid, incursion, sudden descent (upon something), (predatory) invasion Ghāwi ‫غ اوي‬: aberrant (individual or group), deviate, stray, misguided Ghāzi ‫غازي‬: Muslim soldier, warrior Ghazwa ‫غزوة‬: military expedition, campaign, invasion Ghulāt ‫غ الة‬: plural of ghāli, an extremist, one whose views and/or actions are excessive, the name of a renegade sect; noun: ‫ غل و‬ghulu; the best (worst) example of extremists these days are the Takfīris who follow to the letter the philosophy of Ibn Taymiyyah.

Ghusul ‫غ سل‬: ceremonial bath conducted in certain ways; physical purification for occasions such as Friday ghusul, Janāba ghusul, 280

Burial ghusul, etc. ‫ه‬،‫ ح‬H μabs ‫حبس‬: confinement, imprisonment, detention, jail μadas ‫حدس‬: conjucture, presumption, a sense of something μadd ‫ح د‬: penalty imposed by the Sharī`a, border, adjoin, margin, frontier, barrier, ceiling, limit Hādi ‫ھ ادي‬: guide, one who shows the right path to others: It may be any ordinary person who guides others towards what is good for them, something which is righteous, useful and beneficial. If the definite article "the " is added to it, it will have a special meaning, a much broader one: It will then refer to the Almighty Who guides His servants to His Right Path, or it may be one of the Infallible Imāms who, in turn, are guided by the Almighty and instructed to show the right way to people. Here are two examples for you: One is "Al-Hādi ‫"الھ ادي‬, the Almighty God, Allāh ‫س بحانه و تع الى‬ Praise and Exaltation belong to Him and only Him. The Most Glorified and Exalted One has said, ... and sufficient is your Lord as a Guide and a Helper (Qur’ān, 25:31). “Al-Hādi” is an Attribute derived, linguistically, from hidāya, guidance, which means: to attract someone to something, such as attracting the heart of a believer to al-Hādi, to the One Who provides such guidance.

Guidance means bringing the hearts closer to the Almighty.

Guidance is the following of one's sound reason and common sense and the graceful way of bringing someone to the anticipated goal. He guides the elite from among His servants whom He has chosen to know His Essence, so much so that they see things through Him, and He guides the commoners among them to witness His creatures, so much so that they have seen them as signs of His being their Creator and Sustainer. He has guided everything He created to whatever means whereby it can satisfy its needs. He has guided the baby to suck the breast of its mother, the young birds to pick the seeds, and 281

the bees to build their honey-combs in hexagonal shapes which are the best to suit the forms of their bodies, and such examples are quite lengthy indeed. Al-Hādi guides the guilty to repentance, and those blessed with knowledge to the facts regarding nearness to Him. Al-Hādi occupies the hearts by truthfulness and equity, the bodies by life and death. Al-Hādi has given everything He has created its shape and characteristics, and He guides whom He creates to the goals behind His creating them, to issues related to their life in this world and to those related to their creed, in addition to everything else related to them. He guides the hearts to know Him and the souls to obey Him; He guides the guilty to the path of repentance, the sincere ones to nearness to Him after being far from it. He keeps the hearts filled with love for equity and truth; He enables them to treat people justly. Al-Hādi is in all reality Allāh. Al-Hādi has guided the elite from among His servants to wisdom and knowledge. Whenever the Messenger of Allāh  woke up during the night for prayers, he would supplicate to his Lord saying, “Lord! God of Gabriel, Michael and Israfil, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unknown and the Witness! You judge between Your servants regarding that wherein they dispute! I plead to You to guide me to that wherein they have differed, by Your will, for You guide whomsoever You please to a straight path." We know that the Almighty is the source of all guidance, but we also know that He works through mediums, agents, servants of His who obey His commandments and guide others to His Path, the Path of happiness in this life and in the life to come. These guides can be ordinary men and they can be scholars of theology who dedicate years of their life to studying His Holy Book, the Qur’ān, and His Prophet's Sunna.

Below is information about one of His servants who dedicated his life to serving his Creator and the servants of this Creator; he is Infallible Imām Ali al-Hādi, peace be with him and with all Imāms from among the Prophet's Progeny : The other is Imām al-Hādi : His first name is Ali which is usually prefixed by one of his many titles the most famous of which are: an-Nā¥i¦, al-Muftā¦, an-Najīb, al-Murta¤a, al-Hādi, an-Naqi, al`Ālim, al-Faqīh, al-Āmīn, al-Mu'taman, a§-±ayyib, al-Mutawakkil, a title which he avoided very much during the `Abbāsid ruler who also was called "al-Mutawakkil", and the "Askari Faqīh". Because both Imāms Ali ibn Abū ±ālib, al-Murta¤a, and Ali ar-Ri¤a, peace be 282

with both of them , were called "Abul-μassan " each, Imām Ali al-Hādi  is referred to as "Abul-μassan III". His mother’s name is Sumāna Khātūn. He was born in Sāria, a suburb of Medīna, now "Saudi Arabia", on Rajab 5, 214 A.H./September 8, 829 A.D. He enjoyed the love of his father, Imām at-Taqi  for only six years because his father had to leave for Baghdad where he died on the 29th of Dhul-Qa`da 220 A.H./November 24, 835 A.D. and the responsibilities of Imāmate devolved on his young son’s shoulders.

Province was the only tutor and instructor that reared and raised him to the extreme zenith of learning and human perfection. This is a very brief idea about this great man, and if you wish to know his full story, read my book Kerbala and Beyond. μadīth or μadeeth ‫ح ديث‬: A report on a statement or tradition (action) of Prophet Mu¦ammed  or what he witnessed and approved of is called ¦ādīth (sing.; plural: a¦ādīth). These are the explanations, interpretations and living examples of the Prophet  as he taught the nation and/or explained the teachings of the Qur’ān.

Other meanings of this word include: modern, new, talk, speech, conversation, fresh, novel μadīth Qudsi ‫ح ديث قدس ي‬: one of a¦ādīth in which the Prophet cites the Almighty; i.e. the speech of the Almighty as worded by His Prophet Mu¦ammed . The meaning of these a¦ādīth indicates revelations to the Prophet which the Prophet  put in his own words, unlike the Qur’ān which is the word of Allāh Almighty as conveyed to the Prophet  exactly, verbatim. μāfi¤ ‫ح افض‬: one who has learned the entire text of the Holy Qur’ān by heart; plural ¦uffā¤; another meaning refers to an angel in charge of protecting a human’s life till it is time for his/her demise μājib ‫حاجب‬: doorkeeper, usher; it also means eyebrow μājiz ‫ح اجز‬: barrier, curtain, separator, obstruction, check or control post 283

μajj or μāj or μijj ‫ح ج‬: μajj is an Arabic word which means: the performance of the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in μijāz, northern Saudi Arabia. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. A Muslim is to perform ¦ajj at least once in his/her life, if he has the means (of health and financial ability) to do so. There are rules and regulations as well as specific outfits related to the performance of this rite. The Islamic pilgrimage takes place during the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar, namely the month of “Dhul-μijja” which means “the month of the pilgrimage”. μajz ‫حج ز‬: seizure, sequestration, garnishment, confinement, impounding μalāl ‫ح الل‬: something which is lawful, permissible, in Islam, the opposite of ¦arām μalīf or μaleef ‫حلي ف‬: ally, one who enjoys the protection of a tribe but does not belong to it μākim ‫حاكم‬: ruler, governor, judge, magistrate μalaqa ‫حلق ة‬: ring, circle, cycle, a group of students involved in the study of Islam μamīd or μameed ‫ حميد‬: praiseworthy, commendable, laudable μamīm or μameem ‫حم يم‬: intimate, very close (friend); another meaning refers to the boiling water or pus given to the residents of hell whenever they ask for water μāmiya ‫حاميه‬: garrison, protection force μāmil ‫حامل‬: bearer, carrier, conveyor, holder, expectant, pregnant μamiyya ‫حمية‬: fervor, zeal, fanaticism, awareness μanān ‫حنان‬: affection, tenderness, sympathy, compassion μanīf or μaneef ‫حني ف‬: μaneefs are people who, during the pre284

Islamic period of jāhiliyya, rejected the worship of idols. These people were in search for the true religion of Prophet Abraham.

H

H

μānith ‫حانث‬: perjurer, guilty of perjury μanna§a (v.) ‫ح نط‬: embalmed, (n.) embalming ‫حن وط‬. A word of caution here: Do not confuse what the Muslims do to corpses of their dead with that of non-Muslims, mostly the Christians who embalm their dead by draining them of blood then injecting a liquid in them.

This is not permissible in Islam. Instead, Muslims anoint/oil the corpse with a special mixture of herbs which preserve the freshness of the corpse for some time. The best who excelled in this art are the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The hardest period that follows death (which, in Islam, means: the separation of the eternal and indestructible soul from the temporal and decaying body) is the first three days of our own counting. Researching true life, eternal life, that is, life after death, is from my viewpoint a most fascinating research. For those who wish to research this subject, the best reference I have come across is Sheikh (mentor) `Abbās al-Qummi's Manāzil al-Ākhira which was originally written in Farsi then translated into Arabic by Dr. Abdul-Mahdi Yargari who, by the way, did an outstanding job. The edition I read was published in 1990 by the Balagh Foundation of Beirut, Lebanon. It falls only in 124 pages, yet it draws a road map for you and explains what you should expect, and how to be prepared for it, as the stages on the very long and rough road to eternity succeed each other. μaqq ‫ح ق‬: the truth, what is right, an obligation, a responsibility, what belongs to someone μarām or μarām ‫ح رام‬: a thing or action which is forbidden, prohibited, made unlawful by Islam μaram ‫ح رم‬: sanctuary, a sacred territory. Mecca has been a ¦aram since time immemorial. All things within the limits/boundaries of the ¦aram are protected and considered inviolable; non-Muslims are not supposed to enter them. Medīna was also declared a ¦aram by the Prophet . The term “μaramain” refers to both sanctuaries of Mecca and Medīna.

H

H

285

μa¥ana or μa¥ānah ‫حصانه‬: immunity, privilege, exemption, liberty μashd ‫ح شد‬: crowd (of people, etc.), throng, multitude (of persons, etc.), riotous assembly μashr ‫ح شر‬: crowding, grouping, gathering together, assembling ‫ي وم‬ ‫( الح شر‬such as for the Day of Judgment). Speaking of the Day of Judgment, here is the picture I have drawn in my imagination for the Gathering on that Day: First of all, the place where I believe the Judgment will take place will be on our Planet Earth since we all are earthlings. The globe will change its form considerably: The mountains will be crushed and made to look like cotton being worked by a cotton carder (‫ )ن داف‬as we are told in 101:5 (Chapter 101, Verse 5) of the Holy Qur’ān and the oxygen will be separated from the hydrogen in water and the oxygen is set ablaze, so much so that you will see oceans set on fire as we are told in verses such as 81:6 and 52:6, till the entire earth is flattened like a computer's storage CD. This completely circular disk will be split into at least 128,000 triangles, this number corresponding to the number of prophets whom the Almighty sent to various nations of the human species. If you place many triangles side by side, you will come up with a circle. On tip of each pyramid will be the prophet who will face the nation to whom he was sent as those closest to him will be the nearest followed those who emulated them, and so on and so forth. For example, immediately facing the prophet will be his wasis ‫( األوص ياء‬successors to prophets), then the walis ‫األولي اء‬, then the martyrs ‫ال شھداء‬, then the scholars ‫العلم اء‬, that is, the people of knowledge who did not profit by their knowledge, who did not sell their religion, who did not become wealthy or politically powerful (or who gained both wealth and power while losing all their balance with God), those who did not write for fame or reputation but to benefit the public and hopefully earn the Almighty's Pleasure and rewards. Another tough condition for these scholars is that they should have acted upon what they had taught the people, a condition which not many of them can meet, and this includes the writer of this book who, therefore, needs your prayers and supplications, perhaps these prayers and supplications will benefit him on the Day of Gathering ‫ي وم الح شر‬. These will be followed by others and others 286

who disseminated knowledge or who in some way benefited the people especially in assisting them in getting closer to know and to worship their Maker rather than worship their ego, whims and desires. Within each triangle, there will be numerous groups. Each group will share one or more characteristic. People, we are told by a number of a¦ādīth (traditions), will be gathered in the company of those whom they love the most, and "love" here does not mean only emotional but in actuality, in practicality, in reality, in degree of emulation and following. So, it is now up to you to give your heart to whomsoever you please: the movie stars, the singers, the dancers and their likes, or those who sacrificed their lives for the sake of humanity, setting immortal models for self-denial and self-sacrifice, rather than self-worship, such as the prophets and messengers of God who we, Muslims, respect and revere without making distinctions, as we are instructed to do in the Holy Qur’ān. Now, and only now, you have an option. When the Day of Gathering comes, there will be no options left. The angels will know exactly where to place you for judgment; they are the judgment angels, for each angel has a function for which the Almighty creates him, and "him" here is used loosely since angels in Islam have no gender nor will have the souls. After the judgment is done and the accounts are settled (make sure you do not die while owing people some money or a past due apology!), the fortunate ones will be transported, in groups or individually, to the gardens of bliss ‫جن ات النع يم‬, which I think will occupy the vast cosmos at that time—and only God knows if that cosmos will be similar to this one, and most likely it will not— whereas those doomed will remain on earth. At that time, the earth will take another shape, becoming an inferno with numerous methods and chambers of torture described vividly in the Holy Qur’ān for our admonishment. This is just an imagined picture, that is all, and you can say that I have a "wild imagination"! If you have a better idea, let us hear it! Surely Allāh knows best. μasra or μasrah ‫حسره‬: regret, sorrow, remorse μawza ‫ح وزه‬: place of acquisition (of higher learning), religious seminary; among the world's most famous ¦awzas are located in a number of cities in Iraq and Iran.

287

μayā' ‫حي اء‬: timidity, shyness, feeling of decorum or propriety, modesty μayawān or μaywān ‫حي وان‬: animal. It also means "eternal life", everlasting life, eternity, as we read in Ch. 29 (Al-`Ankabūt, Spider), Verse 64. Most Arabic words have more than one meaning. μayawi ‫حي وي‬: vital, full if vitality and energy, of utmost importance, essential μayawiyya ‫حيويه‬: vitality, energy μay¤ or μaydh ‫حيض‬: menstruation period μay§a or μee§a ‫ ”حيط ه‬precaution, safeguard; al-a¦wa§ ‫ األح وط‬refers to what is regarded by the creed as the most precautionary measure μazan or μuzn ‫حزن‬: grief, agony, sorrow μāzim ‫حازم‬: strict, stringent, stern μif¨ ‫حف ظ‬: preservation, protection from loss, memorization (usually of the Holy Qur’ān). Anyone who memorizes the entire text of the Holy Qur’ān is called ¦āfi¨. μīla or μeelah ‫حيل ه‬: trick, cunning, ruse, artifice, stratagem, ingenuity, contrivance μijāb ‫حجاب‬: veil, curtain, barrier μijāma or μijāmah ‫حجامه‬: cupping μikma ‫حكمه‬: wisdom, sagacity, prudence Hilāl ‫ھالل‬: crescent, singular of ahilla μilf ‫حلف‬: alliance, confederation, an oath Hijra ‫ھج ره‬: migration. The hijra or hegira refers to the Prophet's 288

migration from Mecca to Medīna. This journey took place in the 13th year of his mission (which coincided at the time with the month of September of 622 A.D.). This is the beginning of the Muslim calendar. The word "hijra" means: leaving a place in order to seek sanctuary or freedom from persecution or to go where there is freedom of religion, or for any other purpose. Hijra can also mean to leave a bad way of life for a good or more righteous way, or to leave the company of bad folks and choose that of good folks.

H

H

μiqd ‫حق د‬: grudge, animosity, intense hatred, hostility, malice. (Do not let any of these diseases eat your heart up. Instead, pray for the wrongdoers to see the light of the Right Path so they may return to their senses, amend their ways and spare people their mischief. Do not harbor such negative feelings towards any human being, animal, plant or even stone, for all these are servants of the Almighty. Direct such sentiments towards bad actions caused through the insinuations of the Devil, arch-enemy Satan, Lucifer, and those of his tribe.

Direct your contempt towards the deed rather than the doer for the doer may not be aware of what he does or why he does it. Empty your heart of hatred and fill it with love for everyone and everything, and this love will return back to you multiplied many times. Those who sow good seeds will reap a good harvest. Try it! It comes with a guarantee!) μisāb ‫ح ساب‬: accounting, accounting (or right and wrong, etc.), arithmetic, computation μi¥ār ‫حصار‬: siege, boycott, blockade, embargo μiwār ‫ح وار‬: dialogue, conversation (usually between two persons or groups) μizb ‫ح زب‬: literally, it means party (plural a¦zāb); another meaning is each 60th portion of the text of the Holy Qur’ān μi¥n ‫ح صن‬: fortress, fortified place, chateau, citadel, protection against or a protective place or measure, security against, immunity μudūd ‫ح دود‬: limits ordained by Allāh. This includes the punishment 289

for crimes; it also refers to the plural of ¦add ‫حد‬, specific penalty μujja ‫حجة‬: proof, argument, evidence, authority μūri ‫ح وري‬: heavenly wives known for their extreme whiteness and large lovely eyes married to the male residents of Paradise μurr ‫حر‬: free, liberal, open-minded

Ka`ba's Clock Tower, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

290

‫ع‬،‫ إ‬I I`āra or I`ārah ‫إعاره‬: lending, loaning `Ibāda ‫عب اده‬: worship, adoration, religious service, rite, cult; Muslims feel honored when described as "obedient servants of Allāh". They testify that Prophet Mu¦ammed , the very best not only of mankind but of all creation, is the servant and Messenger of Allāh . Anyone who serves anyone else other than Allāh is a mean, humiliated and miserable loser in both this life and the life to come, whereas a sincere servant of the Almighty is a winner of both.

Ibā¦a or Ibā¦ah ‫إباح ة‬: Sufferance, tolerance or toleration, passive consent, disclosure, divulgence and sometimes it means: promiscuity, pornography ‫إباحية‬ Ibhām ‫إبھام‬: ambiguity, obscurity; it also means thumb Ib§āl or Ib§āl ‫إبطال‬: nullification, annulment, voiding Ibtihāl ‫ابتھال‬: supplication, invocation `Idha or I¨a ‫عظه‬: admonition, lesson, warning sermon Iddi`ā' ‫إدعاء‬: allegation, claim, contention, assertion, declaration Idmān ‫إدمان‬: addiction `Iffa ‫عف ه‬: uprightness, probity, modesty, honesty, incorruptibility, continence If§ār ‫إفطار‬: time or meal for breaking the fast; breakfast Ifti`āl ‫إفتعال‬: contriving, designing, scheming Iftirā¤ ‫إفتراض‬: supposition, hypothesis, assumption I¦rām ‫إح رام‬: pilgrimage garb, white unwoven cotton shroud worn by 291

pilgrims I¦sān ‫إحسان‬: benevolence, charity, beneficence, kindness I¦tifāl ‫إحتف ال‬: festivity, celebration, a merry occasion; plural: ‫إحتف االت‬ i¦tifālāt Islamic Festivities: Other than the two major Islamic feasts or `Īds, there are few festivities which Muslims enjoy. These are related to different activities or special occasions. Some of these special occasions are: ‫ عقيق ة‬Aqīqa: It is a dinner reception held after a child is born.

Relatives, friends, and neighbors are invited for such an occasion.

2) ‫ وليم ة‬Walīma: It is a dinner reception during or after marriage is consummated. It is offered by the parents and/or the married couple. Friends, relatives, and neighbors are also invited.

1)

I¦tijāj ‫إحتج اج‬: protesting, remonstrance, under protest, the producing of evidence, proof, rebuttal I¦tikār ‫إحتكار‬: monopoly, monopolization I¦tirāz ‫إحتراز‬: taking precaution, precautionary measure I¦tiyā§ ‫إحتي اط‬: precaution, taking precautionary measures, advance care/measure Ij¦āf ‫إجحاف‬: injustice, inequity Ijmā` ‫إجماع‬: unanimity, consensus Ijtihād, Ijtehād, Ijtihād or Ijtehād ‫إجتھ اد‬: the degree one reaches in order to be qualified as a mujtahid, one who is capable of deriving religious decisions on his own. It is exerting one's total ability to uncover Allāh's rulings on issues from their sources (Qur’ān, Sunnah, consensus, etc.).

Ikhtilāq ‫إختالق‬: fabrication, invention, innovation Ikrāh ‫إكراه‬: coercion, imposition, forcing 292

Ikrām ‫إك رام‬: honoring, being generous to, revering, respecting, esteeming, recognizing, venerating Il¦āf ‫إلح اف‬: insistence, importunity, soliciting or requesting while being too pushy `Illiyeen or `Illiyoon ‫علي ون‬: the highest pinnacle of Paradise; see Holy Qur’ān, 83:18. `Ilm ‫عل م‬: knowledge, learning, knowing, science; ‫ عل م األج واء‬: aerology; ‫ عل م األم راض‬: pathology; ‫عل م أم راض الجل د‬: dermatology; ‫عل م‬ ‫ أمراض النساء‬: gynaecology; ‫علم األمراض النفسيه‬: psychiatrics; ‫علم األنساب‬ : genealogy; ‫ عل م األن سان‬: anthropology; ‫ عل م البيئ ه‬: ecology; ‫عل م التربي ه‬ ‫ الزراعيه‬: agrology; ‫ علم التشريح‬: anatomy; ‫ علم الجرائم‬: criminology; ‫علم‬ ‫الح شائش‬: agrostology; ‫ عل م الح شرات‬: entomology; ‫ عل م ال صحه‬: hygiene; ‫ علم الصخور‬: petrology; ‫ علم طبقات األرض‬: geology; ‫ علم الطبيعي ات األرض يه‬: geophysics; ‫ علم الفلك‬: astronomy; ‫ علم الفن ون ال صناعيه‬: technology; ‫عل م‬ ‫ الكوني ات‬: cosmology; ‫ عل م ال نفس‬: psychology; ‫عل م النووي ات‬: nucleonics; ‫ علم الوراثه‬: genetics.

Iltibās ‫إلتباس‬: confusion, complication, predicament Imām or Emām ‫إ م ام‬: leader of an ummah, a group of people (small or big); he may be the one who leads others in congregational prayers, or a supreme religious or political authority or both, or one of the Twelve Infallible Imāms . An imām is a religious community leader. Any person who leads a congregational prayer is called an imām. A religious leader who also leads his community in the political affairs may be called an imām, an amīr (or emīr) or caliph. Īmān or Emān ‫إيمان‬: faith and trust in Allāh, conviction Imtiyāz or Emtiyāz ‫إمتي از‬: distinction, excellence, eminence, privilege, concession, franchise Infilāq ‫إنفالق‬: cleaving, fission (of nucleus, molecules, etc.)

293

Infirā§ ‫إنف راط‬: dispersal, breaking down (of group, coalition, etc.), disruption, separation, falling apart Injīl ‫إنجي ل‬: the revelations that were sent down during the time of Prophet Isa (Jesus ). It is referred to as the New Testament.

Innā lillāhi wa innā ilahi raji`ūn ‫إن ا و إن ا إلي ه راجع ون‬: When a Muslim is struck with a calamity, such as when he loses one of his loved ones, or when he becomes bankrupt, he should be patient and utter this statement with full conviction. It means: "We are from Allāh and to Him do we return." Muslims believe that Allāh is the One who gives and who takes away. He tests us. A true Muslim submits himself to Allāh wholeheartedly, during good times and bad times. He is grateful and thankful to Allāh for whatever He decrees for him. He is patient and says this expression during times of turmoil and calamity.

Inshā-Allāh or In Shā' Allāh ‫إن شاء ﷲ‬: When a person wishes to plan to do something in the future, when he promises someone to do something for him or to give him something, when he makes resolutions, and when he makes a pledge…, he does so only with permission of the Almighty Who enables him to do so, Who provides him with the means, tools, resources, etc., to achieve this end. For this reason, a Muslim uses the Qur’ānic instructions by saying "In-Shā' Allāh", which means: "If Allāh so wills." Muslims are supposed to strive hard and to trust in Allāh, not in themselves, not in anyone else. They leave the results in the hands of Allāh.

Inshiqāq ‫إن شقاق‬: separating from, breaking open, cleaving, breaking apart; title of Ch. 84 of the Holy Qur’ān Inshi§ār ‫إنشطار‬: fission, cleaving, splitting, dividing, tearing apart Inti¦āl ‫إنتحال‬: impersonation, simulation Intikā¥ ‫إنتك اص‬: recanting, repudiation, renunciation (of a previous assertion or conviction) Iq`ād ‫إقعاد‬: paralysis in the lower half of the body 294

Iqāma or Iqāmah ‫إقام ه‬: the pronouncement of certain statements in preparation for the performing of the prayers. It usually follows the adhān. Iqāma means that the prayer ritual is ready to start, to be performed, whether individually or collectively (in a congregation).

It is to be recited in Arabic before every obligatory prayer.

Iqnā` ‫إقناع‬: convincing, persuading, inducing Irhāb ‫إرھاب‬: terrorism, terrorizing, intimidation Irtidād ‫إرتداد‬: reneging, defection, apostasy, reversion Irtiyāb ‫إرتياب‬: suspicion, doubt, apprehension Ishā' ‫ع شاء‬: nighttime, evening, time for obligatory evening salat, prayer, after sunset, later in the evening. It also means supper.

H

H

Ishtiqāq ‫إشتقاق‬: derivation, deduction Islām ‫إس الم‬: Islam is an Arabic word the root of which is "silm", peace, and "salām", which also means peace. Among its other meanings are these: greeting, salutation, obedience to the Almighty, loyalty, allegiance, and submission to the will of the Creator of the Universe. Islam is the last and final religion to all mankind and to all generations irrespective of color, race, nationality, ethnicity, language or one's social, political or any other position. The religion of Islam is not to be confused with so-called "Mohammedanism", a misnomer created by some ignorant folks in order to tarnish the image of this pristine faith. Muslims do not accept this name as it gives wrong information about Islam and Muslims. If you really wish to know what Islam is all about, ask Muslims, not those who are hostile to the adherents to this religion of peace, and unfortunately there are many such folks.

Isnād ‫إس ناد‬: the method whereby one ¦adīth is traced and in the end attributed to a mu¦addith, traditionist, one who first transmitted it Isrā' ‫إس راء‬: night journey; usually a reference to the Prophet's night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, an incident which took place in 295

the year 622 A.D. Isrāf ‫إسراف‬: extravagance, eccessiveness, going to extremes Ithbāt ‫إثبات‬: proof or proving, evidence (or presenting an evidence) Idh`ān ‫إذع ان‬: surrender, submission, obedience, resignation, succumb-ing, acceding Ithnā-`Asheris or Ithna-`Ashariyya ‫اإلثن ا ع شرية‬: Shī`ite (or Shī`a or Shī`i) Muslims who follow the path of the 14 Infallibles, namely the Prophet of Islam , Fā§ima  daughter of the Prophet  and the Infallible Imāms who descended from Ali . Ithna-Asheris are also called Ja`faris, after Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  whose biography and those of the other Infallible Imams are all detailed in my book titled Kerbala and Beyond: an Epic of Immortal Heroism. Here is a brief narrative of their biographies for you: THE 14 INFALLIBLES 1. Prophet Mu¦ammed : He is Mu¦ammed ibn (son of) Abdullāh ibn Abdul-Mu§§alib ibn Hāshim ibn Abd Manāf ibn Qu¥ayy ibn Kilāb ibn Murrah ibn Ka`b ibn ibn Ghālib ibn Fahr ibn Mālik ibn Na¤ar ibn Kinānah ibn Khuzaymah ibn Mudrikah ibn Ilyās ibn Ma¨ar ibn Nazār ibn Ma`ad ibn `Adnān ibn Isma`eel (Ishmael) ibn Ibrāhīm (Abraham), peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him, his progeny, and righteous ancestors, especially his great grandfathers Isma`eel and Ibrāhīm. PROPHET'S FATHER: Abdullāh ibn Abdul-Mu§§alib (545 - 570 A.D.). The Blessed Prophet's father, Abdullāh ibn Abdul-Mu§§alib, was born in 545 296

A.D., 25 years before the Year of the Elephant. Abū ±ālib and az-Zubair were his brothers by the same father and mother. So were the girls, except ¯afiyya. When his father died, the Prophet of Allāh  was two months old, though reports about this differ. Abdul-Mu§§alib loved `Abdullāh immensely because he was the best of his children, the most chaste and the most noble among them. Once Abdul-Mu§§alib sent his son on business, and when the caravan passed by Yathrib (Medīna), Abdullāh died there. He was buried in the house of Arqam ibn Ibrāhim ibn Surāqah al-`Adawi. PROPHET'S FOSTER FATHER: Alμārith son of Abd al-`Uzza ibn Rifā`ah ibn Millān ibn Nā¥irah ibn Fu¥ayyah ibn Na¥r ibn Sa`d ibn Bakr ibn Hawāzin.

PROPHET'S FOSTER MOTHERS: Thawbiyya; she was a bondmaid of Abū Lahab, the paternal uncle of the Messenger of Allāh . She breast-fed him with the milk of her son Masrū¦. μalīma, the Prophet's foster mother. She was the daughter of "Abū Thu'aib" Abdullāh ibn Shajnah ibn Jābir ibn Rizām ibn Nā¥irah ibn Sa`d ibn Bakr ibn Hawāzin al-Qaisi. She breast-fed the Messenger of Allāh  with the milk of her son Abdullāh and reared him  for four years (till the year 574 A.D.).

PROPHET'S CHILDREN: 1) Ibrāhim, 2) Abdullāh; 3) alQāsim; 4) stepdaughter (some say daughter) Zainab (d. 629 A.D.); 5) stepdaughter (some say daughter) Ruqayya (d. 624 A.D.), 6) stepdaughter (some say daughter) Umm Kulthūm (d.

630 A.D.); 7) the Prophet's daughter Fā§ima , peace with her and her progeny . For more details, refer to my book titled Mu¦ammed: Prophet and Messenger of Allāh.

2. Fā§ima  Daughter of Mu¦ammed : Fā§ima (615 – 632 A.D.), mother of the Imāms , is the daughter of the Messenger of Allāh  by his first wife, Khadīja daughter of Khuwaylid, may the Almighty be pleased with her. Fā§ima was born in Mecca on a Friday, the 20th of Jumāda II in the fifth year after the declaration of the Prophetic message which corresponds, according to the Christian calendar, to the year 615. She was only 18 and 75 days when she died in Medīna few days only (some say 75) after the death of her revered father : The Prophet  passed away on ¯afar 28/May 28 according to the Christian Gregorian calendar, or the 25th 297

according to the Julian calendar, of the same year. Fā§ima passed away on the 14th of Jumāda I of 11 A.H. which corresponded to August 7, 632 A.D. She was buried somewhere in the graveyard of Jannatul-Baqī` in Medīna in an unmarked grave. According to her will, her husband, Imām Ali , did not leave any marks identifying her grave, and nobody knows where it is. According to Shī`ite Muslims, she was the only daughter of the Holy Prophet .

Fā§ima has nine names/titles: Fā§ima ‫فاطم ة‬, al-¯iddīqa ‫( ال صديقة‬the truthful one), al-Mubāraka ‫( المباركة‬the blessed one), al-±āhira ‫الط اھرة‬ (the pure one), al-Zakiyya ‫( الزكي ة‬the chaste one), al-Ra¤iayya ‫الرض ية‬ (the grateful one), al-Mar¤iyya ‫( المرض ية‬the one who shall be pleased [on Judgment Day]), al-Mu¦addatha ‫( المحدث ة‬the one, other than the Prophet, to whom an angel speaks) and az-Zahrā' ‫( الزھ راء‬the splendid one, the lady of the shiny light).

The Prophet  taught Fā§ima  divine knowledge and endowed her with special intellectual brilliance, so much so that she realized the true meaning of faith, piety, and the reality of Islam. But Fā§ima  also was a witness to sorrow and a life of anguish from the very beginning of her life. She constantly saw how her revered father was mistreated by the unbelievers and later how she herself fell a victim to the same abuse, only this time by some “Muslims”.

A number of chronicles quote her mother, Khadīja, narrating the following about the birth of her revered daughter: “At the time of Fā§ima’s birth, I sent for my neighboring Quraishite women to assist me. They flatly refused, saying that I had betrayed them by marrying and supporting Mu¦ammed. I was perturbed for a while when, to my great surprise, I saw four strange tall women with halos around their faces approaching me. Finding me dismayed, one of them addressed me thus, ‘O Khadīja! I am Sarah, mother of Is¦āq (Isaac). The other three are: Mary mother of Christ, Āsiya daughter of Muzā¦im and Umm Kulthūm sister of Moses. We have all been commanded by God to put our nursing knowledge at your disposal.’ Saying this, all of them sat around me and rendered the services of midwifery till my daughter Fā§ima was born.”

298

The motherly blessings and affection received by Fā§ima  were only for five years after which Khadīja left for her heavenly home.

The Holy Prophet  brought her up thereafter.

The Holy Prophet said: “Whoever injures (bodily or otherwise) Fā§ima, he injures me; and whoever injures me injures Allāh; and whoever injures Allāh practices unbelief. O Fā§ima! If your wrath is incurred, it incurs the wrath of Allāh; and if you are pleased, it makes Allāh pleased, too.”

M.H. Shakir, one of the translators of the Holy Qur’ān, a translation which the author of this book edited, writes the following: “Fā§ima, the only daughter of the Holy Prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca on 20th of Jumāda ath-Thāniya 18 B.H. (Before Hijra). The good and noble lady Khadīja  and the Messenger of Allāh  bestowed all their natural love, care and devotion on their lovable and only child, Fā§ima , who in her turn was extremely fond of her parents. The Princess of the House of the Prophet was very intelligent, accomplished and cheerful. Her speeches, poems and sayings serve as an index to her strength of character and nobility of mind. Her virtues gained her the title ‘Our Lady of Light’. She was moderately tall, slender and endowed with great beauty which caused her to be called ‘az-Zahrā' (the Lady of Light)".

Fā§ima  was called az-Zahrā' because her light used to shine among those in the heavens. After arriving in Medīna, she was married to Ali in the first year of Hijra, and she gave birth to three sons. Her sons were: μassan and μussain , Masters of the youths of Paradise, and Mu¦sin. Mu¦sin never saw the light because he was aborted as his mother stood behind her house door fending for herself while rogues were trying to break into it and force her husband to swear the oath of allegiance to Abū Bakr. The details of that incident can be reviewed in my translation of the Tragedy of alZahrā' book which was published by Imām μussain Foundation. It is also available on the Internet: www.almujtaba.com. Fā§ima  had two daughters: Zainab, the heroine of Kerbalā, and Umm Kulthūm. Her children are well-known for their piety, righteousness and generosity. Their strength of character and actions have changed 299

the course of history and will continue to do so forever.

The Holy Prophet said ‫فاطم ة ب ضعة من ي‬, " Fā§ima is part of me". He would go out to receive his daughter whenever she came from her husband's house. Every morning on his way to the Mosque, he would pass by Fā§ima's house and say, "as-Salāmu `alaykum yā Ahla Bayt annnubuwwah wa ma`din ar-risāla" (Peace be with you, O Ahl al-Bayt  (Household of the Prophet) and the Substance of the Message).

Fā§ima  is famous and acknowledged as the "Sayyidatu nisā'i1`Ālamīn" (Leader of all the women of the world for all times) because the Prophethood of Mu¦ammed  would not have been everlasting without her. The Prophet  is the perfect example for men, but could not be so for women. For all the verses revealed in the Holy Qur’ān for women, Fā§ima  is the perfect role model who translated every verse into action. In her lifetime, she was a perfect woman, being daughter, wife and mother at the same time.

Fā§ima  inherited the genius and wisdom, the determination and will power, piety and sanctity, generosity and benevolence, devotion and worship of Allāh, self-sacrifice and hospitality, forbearance and patience, knowledge and nobility of disposition of her illustrious father, both in words and in actions. “I often witnessed my mother,” says Imām Hussain, "absorbed in prayer from dusk to dawn." Her generosity and compassion for the poor was such that no destitute or beggar ever returned from her door empty-handed. She  worked, dressed, ate and lived very simply. She was very generous; and none who came to her door ever went away empty handed. Many times she gave away all the food she had had, staying without any food at all. As a daughter, she  loved her parents so much that she won their love and regard to such an extent that the Holy Prophet  used to stand up whenever she came to him.

Marriage: When Fā§ima  came of age, a number of hopefuls sought her hand in marriage. The Holy Prophet was awaiting the Divine order in this respect until Imām `Ali  approached him and asked for her hand in marriage. The Holy Prophet came to Fā§ima 300

 and asked, "My daughter! Do you consent to be wedded to `Ali, as I am so commanded by Allāh?" Fā§ima  thereupon bowed her head in modesty. Umm Salamah  narrates the following: "Fā§ima’s face shone with joy and her silence was so suggestive and conspicuous that the Holy Prophet stood up to shout: Allāhu Akbar' (Allāh is great)! Fā§ima's silence is her acceptance." On Friday, Thul μijja 1, 2 A.H., which corresponded to May 25, 624 A.D. according to the Julian Christian calendar or to the 28th of May of the same year according to the Gregorian Christian calendar which is widely used in the text of this book, the marriage ceremony took place. All the Muhājirūn (emigrants) and An¥ār (supporters) of Medīna assembled in the mosque while Imām `Ali  was seated before the Holy Prophet with all the ceremonious modesty of a bridegroom.

The Holy Prophet first recited an eloquent sermon then declared: “I have been commanded by Allāh to get Fā§ima  wedded to `Ali , and so I do hereby solemnize the matrimony between `Ali  and Fā§ima  on a dower of four hundred mithqāl of silver.” Then he asked Imām Ali , "Do you consent to it, O Ali? " "Yes, I do, O Holy Prophet of Allāh!" replied Ali . Then the Holy Prophet  raised his hands and supplicated thus: “O Lord! Bless both of them, sanctify their progeny and grant them the keys of Your beneficence, Your treasures of wisdom and genius, and let them be a source of blessing and peace to my umma.” Her children, Imām μassan, Imām μussain, Zainab and Umm Kulthūm , are wellknown for their piety, righteousness and generosity. Their strength of character and actions changed the course of history and fortified Islam which otherwise would have been lost to mankind.

As a wife, she was very devoted. She never asked Ali for anything in her entire life. As a mother, she cared for and brought up wonderful children; they have left their marks on the pages of world history which time and the plots of enemies of Ahl al-Bayt  will never be able to erase.

FĀ±IMA  AFTER THE PROPHET’S DEMISE ‫قال ابن الجوزي )أبو الفرج عبد الرحمن بن أبي الحسن علي بن محمد القرشي التيمي‬ ،‫ الفقيه الحنبلي الحافظ المفسر الواعظ المؤرخ األديب المعروف بابن الجوزي‬،‫البكري‬ H

H

301

‫ فقيه حنبلي محدث ومؤرخ ومتكلم‬،‫ وأدخله فسيح جناته‬،‫رحمه ﷲ رحمة واسعة‬ ‫ روي عن علي )عليه‬: (‫ھـ [ ولد وتوفي في بغداد‬592 ‫رمضان‬12 - ‫م‬1116/‫ھـ‬510] ‫ لما مات رسول ﷲ )صلى ﷲ عليه وآله وسلم( جاءت فاطمة )عليھا‬:‫السالم( قال‬ :‫ فبكت وأنشأت تقول‬،‫السالم( فأخذت قبضة من تراب القبر فوضعته على عينيھا‬ H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

‫ي ا ليتھ ا خرج ت م ع الزف رات‬

‫نف سي عل ى زفراتھ ا محبوس ة‬

‫اتي‬

‫ال خي ر بع دك ف ي الحي اة وإنم ا‬

‫ول حي‬

‫ة أن تط‬

‫ي مخاف‬

‫أبك‬

H

Ibn al-Jawzi, namely Abul-Faraj Abdur-Ra¦mān ibn Abul-μassan Ali ibn Mu¦ammed al-Qarashi (or Quraishi, of Quraish tribe) alTaymi al-Bakri, was a μanbali faqīh who knew the Holy Qur’ān by heart, an orator, historian and a man of letters. He was born in Baghdad in 510 A.H./1117 A.D. and died there on the 12th of the month of Rama¤ān of 592 A.H. which coincided with August 16, 1196 A.D. according to the Gregorian Christian calendar or the 9th of the same month and year according to the Julian calendar. May the Almighty shower him with His broad mercy and admit him into His spacious Paradise. He quotes Imām Ali  saying that when the Messenger of Allāh  died, Fā§ima  went to his gravesite, took a handful of its dust, put it on her eyes, wept and composed these verses of poetry: My soul is confined with every sigh, How I wish it departed as sighs depart.

No good is there in life after you so I For fear my life will prolong do I cry.

PROPERTY OF FADAK: The Prophet  taught Fā§ima  divine knowledge and endowed her with special intellectual brilliance, so much so that she realized the true meaning of faith, piety, and the reality of Islam. But Fā§ima  also was a witness to sorrow and a life of anguish from the very beginning of her life. She constantly saw how her revered father was mistreated by the unbelievers and later how she herself fell a victim to the same abuse, only this time by some “Muslims”. For more details about Fadak, refer to its proper place in this Glossary.

302

‫‪KHU±BA OF FĀ±IMA AZ-ZAHRĀ  DEMANDING FADAK‬‬ ‫خطبة فاطمة الزھراء ‪ ‬بنت النبي محمد ف ي م سجد أبيھ ا ‪ ‬عن د مطالبتھ ا بف دك و‬ ‫ميراثھا من أبيھا‪:‬‬ ‫روى عبد ﷲ بن الحسن باسناده عن آبائه ‪ ،‬أنه لما أجمع أبوبكر وعمر على منع فاطم ة‬ ‫عليھا السالم فدكا و بلغھا ذلك الثت خمارھا عل ى رأس ھا و اش تملت بجلبابھ ا وأقبل ت ف ي‬ ‫لم ٍة من حفدتھا ونساء قومھا تطأ ذيولھا‪ ،‬ما تخ رم م شيتھا م شية رس ول ﷲ ‪ ،‬حت ى‬ ‫دخلت على أبي بكر وھو في حشد من المھاجرين واألنصار وغيرھم فنيطت دونھ ا م الءة‬ ‫فجلست ثم أنَت أنَةً أجھش القوم لھا بالبكاء فأرتج المجلس ثم أمھلت ھنيئة حت ى إذا ك ن‬ ‫نشيج القوم وھدأت فورتھم افتتحت الكالم بحمد ﷲ و الثن اء علي ه وال صالة عل ى رس وله‬ ‫فعاد القوم في بكائھم فلما أمسكوا عادت في كالمھا فقالت عليھا السالم‪:‬‬ ‫الحم د عل ى م ا أنع م ول ه ال شكر عل ى م ا ألھ م والثن اء بم ا ق دم م ن عم وم نع م ابت داھا‬ ‫وسبوغ آالء أسداھا وتمام منن أوالھا جم ع ن اإلح صاء ع ددھا ون أى ع ن الج زاء أم دھا‬ ‫وتف اوت ع ن اإلدراك أب دھا ون دبھم الس تزادتھا بال شكر الت صالھا واس تحمد إل ى الخالئ ق‬ ‫بإجزالھا وثنى بالن دب إل ى أمثالھ ا وأش ھد أن ال إل ه إال ﷲ وح ده ال ش ريك ل ه كلم ة جع ل‬ ‫اإلخالص تأويلھا وضمن القلوب موصولھا وأنار في التفكر معقولھا الممتنع من األب صار‬ ‫رؤيت ه وم ن األل سن ص فته وم ن األوھ ام كيفيت ه ابت دع األش ياء ال م ن ش يء ك ان قبلھ ا‬ ‫وأنشأھا بال احتذاء أمثلة امتثلھا كونھ ا بقدرت ه وذرأھ ا بم شيته م ن غي ر حاج ة من ه إل ى‬ ‫تكوينھا وال فائدة له في تصويرھا إال تثبيتا لحكمته وتنبيھ ا عل ى طاعت ه وإظھ ارا لقدرت ه‬ ‫تعبدا لبريته وإعزازا لدعوته ث م جع ل الث واب عل ى طاعت ه ووض ع العق اب عل ى مع صيته‬ ‫ذيادة لعباده من نقمته وحياشة لھم إلى جنته وأشھد أن أبي محمدا عبده ورسوله اخت اره‬ ‫قبل أن أرسله وس ماه قب ل أن اجتب اه واص طفاه قب ل أن ابتعث ه إذ الخالئ ق بالغي ب مكنون ة‬ ‫وبستر األھاويل مصونة وبنھاية العدم مقرونة علما م ن ﷲ تع الى بمآي ل األم ور وإحاط ة‬ ‫بح وادث ال دھور ومعرف ة بمواق ع األم ور ابتعث ه ﷲ إتمام ا ألم ره وعزيم ة عل ى إم ضاء‬ ‫حكم ه وإنف اذا لمق ادير رحمت ه ف رأى األم م فرق ا ف ي أديانھ ا عكف ا عل ى نيرانھ ا عاب دة‬ ‫ألوثانھا منكرة مع عرفانھا فأنار ﷲ بأبي محمد ص ظلمھا وكشف ع ن القل وب بھمھ ا‬ ‫وجل ى ع ن األب صار غممھ ا وق ام ف ي الن اس بالھداي ة فأنق ذھم م ن الغواي ة وب صرھم م ن‬ ‫العماية وھداھم إلى الدين القويم ودع اھم إل ى الطري ق الم ستقيم ث م قب ضه ﷲ إلي ه ق بض‬ ‫رأفة واختيار ورغبة وإيثار فمحمد ‪ ‬من تعب ھ ذه ال دار ف ي راح ة ق د ح ف بالمالئك ة‬ ‫األب رار ورض وان ال رب الغف ار ومج اورة المل ك الجب ار ص لى ﷲ عل ى أب ي نبي ه وأمين ه‬ ‫وخيرته من الخلق وصفيه والسالم عليه ورحمة ﷲ وبركاته‪.‬‬ ‫ثم التفتت إلى أھل المجلس وقالت ‪ :‬أنتم عباد ﷲ نصب أمره ونھيه وحملة دينه ووحيه‬ ‫وأمناء ﷲ على أنفسكم وبلغاءه إلى األمم زعيم حق له فيكم وعھد قدمه إليكم وبقية‬ ‫استخلفھا عليكم كتاب ﷲ الناطق والقرآن الصادق والنور الساطع والضياء الالمع بينة‬ ‫بصائره منكشفة سرائره منجلية ظواھره مغتبطة به أشياعه قائدا إلى الرضوان اتباعه‬ ‫مؤد إلى النجاة استماعه به تنال حجج ﷲ المنورة وعزائمه المفسرة ومحارمه المحذرة‬ ‫‪303‬‬

‫وبيناته الجالية وبراھينه الكافية وفضائله المندوبة ورخصه الموھوبة وشرائعه المكتوبة‬ ‫فجعل ﷲ اإليمان تطھيرا لكم من الشرك والصالة تنزيھا لكم عن الكبر والزكاة تزكية‬ ‫للنفس ونماء في الرزق والصيام تثبيتا لإلخالص والحج تشييدا للدين والعدل تنسيقا‬ ‫للقلوب وطاعتنا نظاما للملة وإمامتنا أمانا للفرقة والجھاد عزا لإلسالم والصبر معونة‬ ‫على استيجاب األجر واألمر بالمعروف مصلحة للعامة وبر الوالدين وقاية من السخط‬ ‫وصلة األرحام منسأة في العمر ومنماة للعدد والقصاص حقنا للدماء والوفاء بالنذر‬ ‫تعريضا للمغفرة وتوفية المكاييل والموازين تغييرا للبخس والنھي عن شرب الخمر‬ ‫تنزيھا عن الرجس واجتناب القذف حجابا عن اللعنة وترك السرقة إيجابا للعفة وحرم ﷲ‬ ‫الشرك إخالصا له بالربوبية فاتقوا ﷲ حق تقاته وال تموتن إال وأنتم مسلمون وأطيعوا‬ ‫ﷲ فيما أمركم به ونھاكم عنه فإنه إنما يخشى ﷲ من عباده العلماء‪.‬‬ ‫ثم قالت‪ :‬أيھا الناس اعلموا أني فاطمة و أبي محمد ص أقول عودا وبدوا وال أقول ما‬ ‫س ُك ْم َع ِزي ٌز َعلَ ْي ِه ما َعنِتﱡ ْم‬ ‫أقول غلطا وال أفعل ما أفعل شططا ‪ ،‬لَقَ ْد جا َء ُك ْم َر ُ‬ ‫سو ٌل ِمنْ أَ ْنفُ ِ‬ ‫ص َعلَ ْي ُك ْم بِا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنِينَ َر ُؤفٌ َر ِحي ٌم ‪ ،‬فإن تعزوه وتعرفوه تجدوه أبي دون نسائكم وأخا‬ ‫َح ِري ٌ‬ ‫ابن عمي دون رجالكم ‪ ،‬ولنعم المعزى إليه ص فبلغ الرسالة صادعا بالنذارة مائال عن‬ ‫مدرجة المشركين ضاربا ثبجھم آخذا بأكظامھم داعيا إلى سبيل ربه بالحكمة والموعظة‬ ‫الحسنة يجف األصنام وينكث الھام حتى انھزم الجمع وولوا الدبر حتى تفرى الليل عن‬ ‫صبحه وأسفر الحق عن محضه ونطق زعيم الدين وخرست شقاشق الشياطين وطاح‬ ‫وشيظ النفاق وانحلت عقد الكفر والشقاق وفھتم بكلمة اإلخالص في نفر من البيض‬ ‫الخماص وكنتم على شفا حفرة من النار مذقة الشارب ونھزة الطامع وقبسة العجالن‬ ‫وموطئ األقدام تشربون الطرق وتقتاتون القد و الورق أذلة خاسئين تخافون أن يتخطفكم‬ ‫الناس من حولكم فأنقذكم ﷲ تبارك وتعالى بمحمد ص بعد اللتيا واللتي وبعد أن مني ببھم‬ ‫الرجال وذؤبان العرب ومردة أھل الكتاب كلما أوقدوانارا للحرب أطفأھا ﷲ أو نجم قرن‬ ‫الشيطان أو فغرت فاغرة من المشركين قذف أخاه في لھواتھا فال ينكفئ حتى يطأ جناحھا‬ ‫بأخمصه ويخمد لھبھا بسيفه مكدودا في ذات ﷲ مجتھدا في أمر ﷲ قريبا من رسول ﷲ‬ ‫سيدا في أولياء ﷲ مشمرا ناصحا مجدا كادحا ال تأخذه في ﷲ لومة الئم وأنتم في رفاھية‬ ‫من العيش وادعون فاكھون آمنون تتربصون بنا الدوائر وتتوكفون األخبار وتنكصون‬ ‫عند النزال وتفرون من القتال‪ .‬فلما اختار ﷲ لنبيه دار أنبيائه ومأوى أصفيائه ظھر فيكم‬ ‫حسكة النفاق وسمل جلباب الدين ونطق كاظم الغاوين ونبغ خامل األقلين وھدر فنيق‬ ‫المبطلين فخطر في عرصاتكم وأطلع الشيطان رأسه من مغرزه ھاتفا بكم فألفاكم لدعوته‬ ‫مستجيبين وللعزة فيه مالحظين ثم استنھضكم فوجدكم خفافا وأحمشكم فألفاكم غضابا‬ ‫فوسمتم غير إبلكم ووردتم غير مشربكم ھذا والعھد قريب والكلم رحيب والجرح لما‬ ‫يندمل والرسول لما يقبر ابتدارا زعمتم خوف الفتنة أال في الفتنة سقطوا وإن جھنم‬ ‫لمحيطة بالكافرين فھيھات منكم وكيف بكم وأنى تؤفكون وكتاب ﷲ بين أظھركم أموره‬ ‫ظاھرة وأحكامه زاھرة وأعالمه باھرة وزواجره الئحة وأوامره واضحة وقد خلفتموه‬ ‫وراء ظھوركم أرغبة عنه تريدون أم بغيره تحكمون بئس للظالمين بدال ومن يتبع غير‬ ‫اإلسالم دينا فلن يقبل منه وھو في اآلخرة من الخاسرين ثم لم تلبثوا إال ريث أن تسكن‬ ‫نفرتھا ويسلس قيادھا ثم أخذتم تورون وقدتھا وتھيجون جمرتھا وتستجيبون لھتاف‬ ‫الشيطان الغوي وإطفاء أنوار الدين الجلي وإھمال سنن النبي الصفي تشربون حسوا في‬ ‫‪304‬‬

‫ارتغاء وتمشون ألھله وولده في الخمرة والضراء ويصير منكم على مثل حز المدى‬ ‫ووخز السنان في الحشا وأنتم اآلن تزعمون أن ال إرث لنا ‪ ،‬أ فحكم الجاھلية تبغون ومن‬ ‫أحسن من ﷲ حكما لقوم يوقنون أفال تعلمون ‪ ،‬بلى قد تجلى لكم كالشمس الضاحية أني‬ ‫ابنته أيھا المسلمون أأغلب على إرثي يا ابن أبي قحافة أفي كتاب ﷲ ترث أباك وال أرث‬ ‫أبي؟ لقد جئت شيئا فريا أفعلى عمد تركتم كتاب ﷲ ونبذتموه وراء ظھوركم إذ يقول ”‬ ‫سلَيْمانُ دا ُودَ" وقال فيما اقتص من خبر يحيى بن زكريا إذ قال ‪" :‬فَ َھ ْب لِي ِمنْ‬ ‫‪َ :‬و َو ِر َث ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ض فِي‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ب‬ ‫لى‬ ‫و‬ ‫أ‬ ‫م‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫ض‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ب‬ ‫حام‬ ‫ر‬ ‫األ‬ ‫وا‬ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫أ‬ ‫و‬ ‫”‬ ‫‪:‬‬ ‫وقال‬ ‫"‬ ‫وب‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ي‬ ‫آل‬ ‫م‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ي‬ ‫و‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ي‬ ‫لَ ُد ْن َك َولِيًّا َ ِ ِ َ َ ِ ِ نْ ِ َ ْ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ ِ َْ ُ ُْ ْ َِْ ٍ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ﱢ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫وصي ُك ُم ﱠ‬ ‫ب ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲُ فِي أَ ْوال ِد ُك ْم لِلذ َك ِر ِمث ُل َحظ ْاأل ْنثيَ ْي ِن“ وقال ‪” :‬إِنْ ت َ​َركَ َخ ْيراً‬ ‫ﷲِ" وقال‪”:‬يُ ِ‬ ‫ِكتا ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫وف َحقًّا َعلَى ا ْل ُمتﱠقِينَ "‪ ،‬وزعمتم أن ال حظوة لي وال‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ق‬ ‫األ‬ ‫و‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ي‬ ‫د‬ ‫ل‬ ‫وا‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ينَ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َِ ِ َُْ ِ‬ ‫ا ْل َو ِ ﱠ ِ ِ ْ ِ َ‬ ‫إرث من أبي وال رحم بيننا أفخصكم ﷲ بآية أخرج أبي منھا أم ھل تقولون إن أھل ملتين‬ ‫ال يتوارثان أو لست أنا وأبي من أھل ملة واحدة أم أنتم أعلم بخصوص القرآن وعمومه‬ ‫من أبي وابن عمي؟ فدونكموھا مخطومة مرحولة تلقاكم يوم حشركم‪ ،‬فنعم الحكم ﷲ‬ ‫والزعيم محمد والموعد القيامة‪ ،‬وعند الساعة يخسر المبطلون‪ ،‬وال ينفعكم إذ تندمون‪،‬‬ ‫ولكل نبأ مستقر وسوف تعلمون من يأتيه عذاب يخزيه ويحل عليه عذاب مقيم‪.‬‬ ‫ثم رمت بطرفھا نحو األنصار فقالت‪:‬‬ ‫يا معشر النقيبة وأعضاد الملة وحضنة اإلسالم‪ ،‬ما ھذه الغميزة في حقي والسنة عن‬ ‫ظالمتي أما كان رسول ﷲ أبي يقول المرء يحفظ في ولده سرعان ما أحدثتم وعجالن ذا‬ ‫إھالة ولكم طاقة بما أحاول وقوة على ما أطلب و أزاول أتقولون مات محمد ‪ ‬فخطب‬ ‫جليل استوسع وھنه واستنھر فتقه وانفتق رتقه وأظلمت األرض لغيبته وكسفت الشمس‬ ‫والقمر وانتثرت النجوم لمصيبته وأكدت اآلمال وخشعت الجبال وأضيع الحريم وأزيلت‬ ‫الحرمة عند مماته‪ ،‬فتلك وﷲ النازلة الكبرى والمصيبة العظمى ال مثلھا نازلة وال بائقة‬ ‫عاجلة أعلن بھا كتاب ﷲ جل ثناؤه في أفنيتكم وفي ممساكم ومصبحكم يھتف في أفنيتكم‬ ‫ھتافا وصراخا وتالوة وألحانا ولقبله ما حل بأنبياء ﷲ ورسله حكم فصل وقضاء حتم " َو‬ ‫س ُل أَ فَإِنْ ماتَ أَ ْو قُتِ َل ا ْنقَلَ ْبتُ ْم عَلى أَعْقابِ ُك ْم َو َمنْ‬ ‫سو ٌل قَ ْد َخلَتْ ِمنْ قَ ْبلِ ِه ﱡ‬ ‫الر ُ‬ ‫ما ُم َح ﱠم ٌد إِ ﱠال َر ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫سيَ ْج ِزي ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ﷲُ الشﱠا ِك ِرينَ ‪ “.‬إيھا بني قيله أأھضم‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ش‬ ‫و‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ئ‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ض‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ي‬ ‫نْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ َ‬ ‫يَ ْنقَلِ ْب عَلى َعقِبَ ِ‬ ‫َ ُ ﱠ َ‬ ‫تراث أبي وأنتم بمرأى مني ومسمع ومنتدى ومجمع تلبسكم الدعوة وتشملكم الخبرة‬ ‫وأنتم ذوو العدد والعدة واألداة والقوة وعندكم السالح والجنة توافيكم الدعوة فال تجيبون‬ ‫وتأتيكم الصرخة فال تغيثون؟ أنتم موصوفون بالكفاح معروفون بالخير والصالح والنخبة‬ ‫التي انتخبت والخيرة التي اختيرت لنا أھل البيت قاتلتم العرب وتحملتم الكد والتعب‬ ‫وناطحتم األمم كافحتم البھم ال نبرح أو تبرحون نأمركم فتأتمرون حتى إذا دارت بنا رحى‬ ‫اإلسالم ودر حلب األيام وخضعت ثغرة الشرك وسكنت فورة اإلفك وخمدت نيران الكفر‬ ‫وھدأت دعوة الھرج واستوسق نظام الدين فأنى حزتم بعد البيان وأسررتم بعد اإلعالن‬ ‫ونكصتم بعد اإلقدام وأشركتم بعد اإليمان؛بؤسا لقوم نكثوا أيمانھم من بعد عھدھم وھموا‬ ‫بإخراج الرسول وھم بدءوكم أول مرة أ تخشونھم فا أحق أن تخشوه إن كنتم مؤمنين‬ ‫أال وقد أرى أن قد أخلدتم إلى الخفض وأبعدتم من ھو أحق بالبسط والقبض وخلوتم‬ ‫بالدعة ونجوتم بالضيق من السعة فمججتم ما وعيتم ودسعتم الذي تسوغتم فإن تكفروا‬ ‫أنتم ومن في األرض جميعا فإن ﷲ لغني حميد أال وقد قلت ما قلت ھذا على معرفة مني‬ ‫بالجذلة التي خامرتكم والغدرة التي استشعرتھا قلوبكم ولكنھا فيضة النفس ونفثة الغيظ‬ ‫‪305‬‬

‫وخور القناة وبثة الصدر وتقدمة الحجة فدونكموھا فاحتقبوھا دبرة الظھر نقبة الخف‬ ‫باقية العار موسومة بغضب الجبار وشنار األبد موصولة بنار ﷲ الموقدة التي تطلع على‬ ‫ فبعين ﷲ ما تفعلون وسيعلم الذين ظلموا أي منقلب ينقلبون وأنا ابنة نذير لكم‬، ‫األفئدة‬ .‫بين يدي عذاب شديد فاعملوا إنا عاملون و انتظروا إنا منتظرون‬ Abullāh son of Imām al-μassan  quotes his forefathers saying that Abū Bakr and Omer decided to prevent Fā§ima  from her Fadak property. When she came to know about it, she put her veil on her head, wrapped herself with her outer cloak and, accompanied by some of her relatives and men of her folks, stepping on her gown, her gait not differing from that of the Messenger of Allāh , she went and entered [the Mosque of the Prophet] where Abū Bakr was.

Abū Bakr was in the company of a crowd of the Muhājirūn, An¥ār and others. A curtain was placed behind which she sat and moaned.

Hearing her thus moaning, everyone present there and then burst in tears, so much so that the meeting place shook. She waited for a moment till the sobbing stopped and the fervor abated. She started her speech by praising Allāh and lauding Him, sending blessings to His Messenger , whereupon people resumed their cries. When they stopped, she resumed her speech saying, “Praise to Allāh for that which He bestowed (on us). We thank and laud Him for all that which He inspired and offered, for the abundant boons which He initiated, the perfect grants which He presented.

Such boons are too many to compute, too vast to measure. Their limit is too distant to grasp. He commended them (to His beings) so they would gain more by being grateful for their continuity. He ordained Himself praiseworthy by giving generously to His creatures. I testify that there is no God but Allāh, the One without a partner, a statement which sincere devotion is its interpretation, the hearts guarantee its continuation, and in the minds and hearts is its perpetuation. He is the One Who cannot be perceived with vision, nor can He be described by tongues, nor can imagination comprehend how He is. He originated things but not from anything that existed before, created them without pre-existing examples.

Rather, He created them with His might and spread them according to His will. He did so not for a need for which He created them, nor 306

for a benefit (for Him) did He shape them, but to establish His wisdom, bring attention to His obedience, manifest His might, lead His creatures to humbly venerate Him and exalt His decrees. He then made the reward for obedience to Him and punishment for disobedience so as to protect His creatures from His Wrath and lodge them into His Paradise.

“I also testify that my Father, Mu¦ammed , is His servant and messenger whom He chose. Prior to sending him, the [souls of all] beings were still concealed in that which was transcendental, protected from anything appalling, associated with termination and nonexistence. Allāh the Exalted One knew that which was to follow, comprehended that which would come to pass and realized the place of every event. Allāh sent him (Mu¦ammed ) to perfect His commands, accomplish His decree and implement the dictates of His Mercy. So he (Mu¦ammed ) found nations differing in their creeds, obsessed by their fires [Zoroastrians], worshipping their idols [Pagans], and denying Allāh [atheists] despite their knowledge of Him. Therefore, Allāh illuminated their darkness with my Father, Mu¦ammed , uncovered obscurity from their hearts, and cleared the clouds from their insights. He revealed guidance to the people.

He delivered them from being led astray, taking them away from misguidance, showing them the right religion and inviting them to the Straight Path (a¥-¯irā§ al-Mustaqeem).

“Allāh then chose to recall him mercifully, with love and preference.

So, Mu¦ammed  is now in comfort, released from the burden of this world, surrounded by angels of devotion, satisfied with the Merciful Lord and with being near the powerful King. So, peace of Allāh with my Father, His Prophet, the trusted one, the one whom He chose from among His servants, His sincere friend, and peace and blessings of Allāh with him.”

Fā§ima  then turned to the crowd and said: “Surely you (people) are Allāh's servants at His command and prohibition, bearers of His creed and revelation. You are the ones whom Allāh entrusted to fare with your own selves, His messengers 307

to the nations. Amongst you does He have the right authority, a covenant which He brought forth to you and a legacy which He left to guard you: the eloquent Book of Allāh, the Qur’ān of the truth, the brilliant light, the shining beam. Its insights are indisputable, its secrets are revealed, its indications are manifest and those who follow it are surely blessed. (The Qur’ān) leads its adherents to righteousness; listening (and acting upon) it leads to salvation.

Through it are the enlightening divine arguments achieved, His manifest determination acquired, His prohibited decrees avoided, His manifest evidence recognized, His convincing proofs made apparent, His permissions granted and His laws written. So Allāh made belief (in Islam) an act of purification for you from (the filth of) polytheism. He made prayers an exaltation for you from conceit, zakāt an act of purification for the soul and a (cause of) growth in subsistence, fasting an implantation of devotion, pilgrimage a construction of the creed and justice (`Adl) the harmony of the hearts. And He made obedience to us (Ahl al-Bayt ) the management of the affairs of the nation and our leadership (Ahl alBayt ) a protection from disunity. He made jihād a way for strengthening Islam and patience a helping course for deserving (divine) rewards. He made commending what is right (al-`Amr bil ma`rūf) a cause for public welfare, kindness to parents a safeguard from (His) wrath, the maintaining of close ties with one's kin a cause for a longer life and for multiplying the number of offspring, in-kind reprisal (qi¥ā¥ ‫ )ق صاص‬for saving lives, fulfilling vows the earning of mercy, the completing of weights and measures a cause for avoiding neglecting the rights of others, forbidding drinking wines an exaltation from atrocity, avoiding slander a veil from curse, and the abandonment of stealing a reason for deserving chastity. Allāh has also prohibited polytheism so that one can devote himself to His Mastership. Therefore; Fear Allāh as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam. Obey Allāh in that which He has commanded you to do and that which He has forbidden, for surely those who truly fear Him from among His servants are those who have knowledge.'

“O People! Be informed that I am Fā§ima, and my father is Mu¦ammad ; I say so repeatedly and initiate it continually. I do 308

not utter mistakenly, nor do I do what I do aimlessly. Now has come unto you a Prophet from amongst yourselves; it grieves him that you should perish; ardently anxious is he over you; to the believers he is most kind and merciful. Thus, if you identify and recognize him, you shall realize that he is my father and not the father of any of your women; the brother of my cousin (Ali ) rather than any of your men. What an excellent identity he was, may the peace and blessings of Allāh be with him and his descendants Thus, he propagated the Message, coming out openly with the warning, inclining away from the path of the polytheists, (he) struck their strength and seized their throats, while he invited (everyone) to the way of his Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching. He destroyed idols and defeated heroes until their group fled and turned on their heels. So night revealed its dawn; righteousness uncovered its genuineness; the voice of the religious authority spoke out loud; the evil discords were silenced; the crown of hypocrisy was diminished; the tying of (the knots of) infidelity and desertion were untied, so you spoke the statement of devotion amongst a band of starved ones, and you were on the edge of a pit of the fire. (You were) the drink of the thirsty; the opportunity of the desiring ones; the fire brand of one who passes in haste; the step for feet. You used to drink of stagnant water gathered on roads; eat dry jerked meat. (Lady Fā§ima  was stating their miserable living conditions before Islam). You were despised outcasts always in fear of being abducted by those around you. Yet, Allāh rescued you through my father, Mu¦ammad  after much ado, and after he was confronted by mighty men, Arab beasts, and demons of the people of the Book Who, whenever they ignited the fire of war, Allāh extinguished it; and whenever the thorn of the devil appeared, or a mouth of the polytheists opened wide in defiance, he would strike its discords with his brother (Ali ), who comes not back until he treads its wing with the sole of his feet, and extinguishes its flames with his sword. (Ali  is) diligent in Allāh's affair, near to the Messenger of Allāh , a master among Allāh's worshippers, setting to work briskly, sincere in his advice, earnest and exerting himself (in serving Islam), while you were calm, cheerful and feeling safe in your lives of ease, waiting for us to face disasters, awaiting the spread of news. You fell back during every battle and took to your heels at times of fighting. Yet, When 309

Allāh chose His Prophet to Him from the abode of His prophets, the abode of His sincere (servants), the thorns of hypocrisy appeared on you, the garment of faith became worn out, the misguided ignorant ones from among you spoke out, the sluggish ignorant ones came out to the front and brayed. The vain camel wiggled its tail in your courtyards and the devil stuck its head out of its hideout calling on you, finding you responsive to his invitation and observant of his deceits. He then excited you and found you quick (to answer him), inviting you to wrath; therefore, you branded other than your camels and proceeded to other than your drinking places. Then, while the era of the Prophet was still near, the gap was still wide, the scar had not yet healed, and the Messenger  was not yet buried…, a (quick) undertaking you claimed, saying that you aimed at preventing discord. Surely they have fallen into trial already! And indeed Hell surrounds the unbelievers. How preposterous! What a notion! What falsehood! Allāh's Book is still amongst you; its affairs are apparent; its rules are manifest; its signs are dazzling; its restrictions are visible, and its commands are evident. Yet, indeed you have cast it behind your backs! What?! Do you detest it? Or according to something else do you wish to rule? Evil would be such a barter for the wrongdoers! And if anyone desires a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost. Surely you have not waited until its stampede stopped and it became easier to deal with.

You started fueling its flames, feeding its coal, complying with the call of the misled devil, putting out the light of the manifest religion, and extinguishing the light of the sincere Prophet. You concealed sips on froth and proceeded towards his (Prophet’s) kin and children in swamps and forests [i.e. you plotted against them in deceitful ways]. But we are patient with you as if we are being notched with knives and stung by spearheads in our abdomens.

“Still, you now claim that there is not inheritance for us! What?! "Do they, then, seek the ruling of (the Days of) ignorance? But how so for people whose faith is assured? Can you give a better ruling than Allāh? Do you not know? Yes, indeed it is obvious to you that I am his daughter. O Muslims! Will my inheritance be usurped? O son of Abū Qu¦āfa (Abū Bakr)! Where is it in the Book of Allāh that you inherit your father and I do not inherit mine? Surely you have come 310

up with an unprecedented thing. Do you intentionally abandon the Book of Allāh and cast it behind your back? Do you not read where it says: ‘And Solomon (Sulaymān) inherited David (Dāwūd)' (Qur’ān, 27:16)? And when it narrates the story of Zacharias, it says: `So grant me (O Lord!) one (heir) who will inherit me and inherit the posterity of Jacob ' (19:16) And: `Blood relatives are nearer to each other in the Book of Allāh ' (Qur’ān, 8:75). And: ‘Allāh (thus) directs you regarding your children's (inheritance): to the male is a portion equal to that of two females' (Qur’ān, 4:11). And: ‘It is prescribed for you that when death approaches any of you, if he leaves behind any goods, that he make a bequest to parents and next of kin in goodness, a duty incumbent on the pious' (Qur’ān, 2:180).

You (O Abū Bakr!) claim that I have no share! And that I do not inherit my father! What?! Did Allāh reveal a (Qur’ānic) verse regarding you from which He excluded my father? Or do you say that these (Fā§ima  and her father ) are from people of two (different) faiths, so they do not inherit each other?!' Are we not, I and my father, people adhering to one and the same faith? Or is it that you have knowledge about the specifications and generalizations of the Qur’ān more than my father and my cousin (Imām Ali )? So, here you are! Take it! (Ready with) its nose rope and saddle! But it shall encounter you on the Day of Gathering: How Great a judge Allāh is when the claimant is Mu¦ammad !

What what a day it shall be, the Day of Rising! At the time of the Hour shall the wrongdoers lose, and it shall not benefit you to regret (your actions) then! For every Message, there is a time limit, and soon shall you all know who will be inflicted with torture that will humiliate him, and who will be confronted by an everlasting punishment.

(Fā§ima  then turned towards the An¥ār and said:) “O you people of intellect! The strong supporters of the nation! And those who embraced Islam: What is this shortcoming in defending my right? And what is this slumber (while you see) injustice (being done to me)? Did not the Messenger of Allāh , my father, use to say: ‘A man is upheld (remembered) by his children’? O how quick have you violated (his orders)?! How soon have you plotted against 311

us? But you still are capable (of helping me in) my attempt, and powerful (enough to help me) in that which I request and (in) my pursuit (of it). Or do you say: ‘Mu¦ammad has perished’? Surely this is a great calamity; its damage is excessive, its injury is great, its wound (is much too deep) to heal. The Earth became darkened with his departure; the stars eclipsed for his calamity; hopes were dashed; mountains submitted; sanctity violated, and holiness encroached upon after his death. Therefore, this, by Allāh, is the great affliction, and the momentous calamity; there is not an affliction-which is the like of it; nor will there be a sudden misfortune (as surprising as this). The Book of Allāh—excellent in praising him—announced in the courtyards (of your houses) in the place where you spend your evenings and mornings, a call, a cry, a recitation and (verses) placed in order. It (death) had previously come upon His (Allāh's) Prophets and Messengers; (for it is) a decree final, and predestination fulfilled: ‘Mu¦ammed is but a Prophet: Many were the Prophets that passed away before him. If he dies or is slain, will you all then turn back on your heels? If any did turn back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allāh; but Allāh (on the other hand) will swiftly reward those who (serve Him) with gratitude.’ O you people of reflection! Will I be usurped of the inheritance of my father while you hear and see me?! (And while) You are sitting and gathered around me? You hear my call and are included in the (outcome of the) affair? (But) You are numerous and well equipped! (You have) the means and the power, the weapons and the shields. Yet, the call reaches you but you do not answer; the cry comes to you but you do not come to help? (This happens) while you are characterized by struggle, known for goodness and welfare, the selected group, and the best ones chosen by the Messenger  for us, we Ahlul-Bayt . You fought the Arabs, bore with pain and exhaustion, struggled against the nations and resisted their heroes. We were still, so were you in ordering you, and you in obeying us. So Islam triumphed, the accomplishment of the days came near, the fort of polytheism was subjected, its outburst was quelled, the outburst of infidelity calmed down, and the system of religion was well-ordered. Thus, (why have you) become confused after clearness, concealing matters after announcing them? Do you thus turn on your heels after charging, associating (others with Allāh) after believing? Will you not fight 312

people who violated their oaths, plotted to expel the Prophet and became aggressive by being the first (to assault) you? Do you fear them? Nay, it is Allāh Whom you should more justly fear, if you believe! Now I see that you are inclined to easy living, having dismissed one who is more worthy of guardianship [referring to Ali ]. You secluded yourselves with meekness and dismissed that which you accepted. Yet, if you show ingratitude, you and all those on earth put together, Allāh is free of all want, worthy of all praise.

Surely I have said all that I have said with full knowledge that you intend to forsake me, and knowing the betrayal that your hearts sensed. But it is the state of the soul, the effusion of fury, the dissemination of (what is in) the chest and the presentation of the proof. Hence, here it is! Bag it (leadership and) put it on the back of an ill she-camel which has a thin hump with everlasting grace, marked with the wrath of Allāh and the blame of ever (which leads to) the Fire of (the wrath of Allāh kindled (to a blaze), that which mounts (right) on the hearts. Allāh witnesses what you do, and soon will the unjust assailants come to know what vicissitudes their affairs will take! And I am the daughter of a warner (Prophet ) to you against a severe punishment. So, act and so will we, and wait, and we, too, shall wait.'” ‫ يا بنت رسول ﷲ لقد كان أبوك بالمؤمنين عطوفا كريما رءوفا‬: ‫فأجابھا أبو بكر وقال‬ ‫ إن عزوناه وجدناه أباك دون النساء‬،‫رحيما وعلى الكافرين عذابا أليما وعقابا عظيما‬ ‫ ال يحبكم إال سعيد‬،‫ آثره على كل حميم وساعده في كل أمر جسيم‬،‫وأخا إلفك دون األخالء‬ ،‫ فأنتم عترة رسول ﷲ الطيبون الخيرة المنتجبون على الخير‬،‫وال يبغضكم إال شقي بعيد‬ ‫ وأنت يا خيرة النساء وابنة خير األنبياء صادقة في قولك‬.‫أدلتنا وإلى الجنة مسالكنا‬ ‫ وﷲ ما عدوت‬،‫سابقة في وفور عقلك غير مردودة عن حقك وال مصدودة عن صدقك‬ ‫ وإني أشھد ﷲ وكفى به شھيدا‬،‫رأي رسول ﷲ وال عملت إال بإذنه والرائد ال يكذب أھله‬ ‫ نحن معاشر األنبياء ال نورث ذھبا و ال فضة و ال دارا‬:‫ يقول‬ ‫أني سمعت رسول ﷲ‬ ‫و ال عقارا و إنما نورث الكتاب والحكمة والعلم والنبوة وما كان لنا من طعمة فلولي‬ ‫ وقد جعلنا ما حاولته في الكراع والسالح يقاتل بھا‬،‫األمر بعدنا أن يحكم فيه بحكمه‬ .‫المسلمون ويجاھدون‬ ‫ عن كتاب ﷲ صادفا وال‬ ‫سبحان ﷲ! ما كان أبي رسول ﷲ‬: ‫فقالت عليھا السالم‬ ‫ بل كان يتبع أثره ويقفو سوره؛ أفتجمعون إلى الغدر اعتالال عليه بالزور‬،‫ألحكامه مخالفا‬ ‫وھذا بعد وفاته شبيه بما بغي له من الغوائل في حياته؟ ھذا كتاب ﷲ حكما عدال وناطقا‬ ُ ‫يَ ِرثُنِي َو يَ ِر‬ :‫فصال يقول‬ ‫◌َ وبين عز‬‫سلَيْمانُ دا ُود‬ ُ ‫ َو َو ِر َث‬ ‫ و يقول‬‫وب‬ َ ُ‫آل يَ ْعق‬ ِ ْ‫ث ِمن‬ 313

‫وجل فيما وزع من األقساط وشرع من الفرائض والميراث وأباح من حظ الذكران‬ ‫واإلناث ما أزاح به علة المبطلين وأزال التظني والشبھات في الغابرين؛ كال بل سولت‬ . ‫لكم أنفسكم أمرا فصبر جميل وﷲ المستعان على ما تصفون‬ ‫ صدق ﷲ ورسوله وصدقت ابنته معدن الحكمة وموطن الھدى والرحمة‬:‫فقال أبو بكر‬ ‫ ھؤالء المسلمون بيني وبينك‬،‫ ال أبعد صوابك وال أنكر خطابك‬،‫وركن الدين وعين الحجة‬ ‫ وھم‬،‫ غير مكابر وال مستبد وال مستأثر‬،‫قلدوني ما تقلدت وباتفاق منھم أخذت ما أخذت‬ .‫بذلك شھود‬ :‫فالتفتت فاطمة عليھا السالم إلى الناس و قالت‬ ‫ أفال‬،‫معاشر المسلمين المسرعة إلى قيل الباطل المغضية على الفعل القبيح الخاسر‬ ‫تتدبرون القرآن أم على قلوب أقفالھا؟ كال بل ران على قلوبكم ما أسأتم من أعمالكم فأخذ‬ ‫ لتجدن‬،‫بسمعكم وأبصاركم ولبئس ما تأولتم وساء ما به أشرتم وشر ما منه اغتصبتم‬ ‫وﷲ محمله ثقيال وغبه وبيال إذا كشف لكم الغطاء وبان بإورائه الضراء وبدا لكم من‬ .‫ربكم ما لم تكونوا تحتسبون و خسر ھنا لك المبطلون‬ Abū Bakr responded to her by saying, “O daughter of the Messenger of Allāh! Your father was always affectionate with the believers, generous, kind and merciful, and towards the unbelievers was he a painful torment and a great punishment. Surely the Prophet is your father, not anyone else's, the brother of your husband, not of any other man's; he surely preferred him over all his friends and (Ali ) supported him in every important matter. No one loves you save the lucky and no one hates you save the wretch. You are the blessed progeny of Allāh's Messenger, the chosen ones, our guides to goodness, our path to Paradise. And you, O the best of women, the daughter of the best of prophets, are truthful is your statements, excelling in reasoning. You shall not be driven back from your right... But I surely heard your father saying: `We, group of prophets, do not inherit, nor are we inherited. Yet, this is my situation and property, it is yours (if you wish); it shall not be concealed from you, nor will it be stored away from you. You are the Mistress of your father's nation, and the blessed tree of your descendants. Your property shall not be usurped against your will nor can your name be defamed. Your judgment shall be executed in all that which I possess. Do you think that I would violate your father's (will)?"

314

Fā§ima then refuted Abū Bakr's claim that the Prophet had stated that prophets could not be inherited. She said: "Glory to Allāh!! Surely Allāh's Messenger did not abandon Allāh's Book, nor did he violate His commands. Rather, he followed its decrees and adhered to its chapters. So do you unite with treachery justifying your acts with fabrications? Indeed this—after his departure—is similar to the disasters which were plotted against him during his lifetime. But behold! This is Allāh's Book, a just judge and a decisive speaker, saying: `… One who will inherit Me and inherit the posterity of Jacob (Ya`qūb),' (Qur’ān, 19:6) and 'Sulaiman (Solomon) inherited Dawood (David).' (Qur’ān, 27: 16) Thus, He (Glory to Him) made clear that which He made all heirs share, decreed from the amounts of inheritance, allowed for males and females and eradicated all doubts and ambiguities (pertaining to this issue which existed with the) bygones. Nay! But your minds have made up a tale (that may pass) with you, but (for me) patience is most fitting against that which you assert. It is Allāh (alone) whose help can be sought."

It is apparent that Abū Bakr seized the moment when he was addressed Lady Fā§ima  after delivering her speech to defend himself. Listen to his following speech which is his reply to Fā§ima's speech.

Abū Bakr said: "Surely Allāh and His Prophet are truthful, and so has his (the Prophet's) daughter told the truth. Surely you are the source of wisdom, the element of faith, and the sole authority. May Allāh not refute your righteous argument, nor invalidate your decisive speech. But these are the Muslims among us who have entrusted me with leadership, and it was according to their satisfaction that I received what (authority) I have undertaken. I am not being arrogant, autocratic or selfish, and they are my witnesses."

Upon hearing Abū Bakr speak of the people's support for him, Lady Fā§ima Zahrā'  turned towards them and said: "O people who rush towards uttering falsehood and are indifferent to disgraceful and lost actions! Do you not earnestly seek to reflect upon the Qur’ān, or are your hearts isolated with locks? But on your hearts is the stain of the evil which you committed; it has seized 315

your hearing and your sight. Evil is that which you justified, cursed is that which you reckoned, and wicked is that which you have taken for an exchange! You shall, by Allāh, find bearing it (to be a great) burden, and its consequence disastrous. (That is) on the Day when the cover is removed and what is behind it of wrath appears to you.

When you will be confronted by Allāh with that which you can never expect, there and then, those who stood on falsehoods will perish."

Although parts of Abū Bakr's speeches cannot be verified with authentic evidence, and despite the fact that we have already mentioned part of the actual speech, which Abū Bakr delivered after Lady Fā§ima's arguments, it appears certain that Abū Bakr was finally persuaded to return Fadak to her. Nevertheless, when Fā§ima was leaving Abū Bakr's house, Omer suddenly appeared and exclaimed: "What is it that you hold in your hand?"

Abū Bakr replied: 'A decree I have written for Fā§ima  in which I returned Fadak and her father's inheritance to her." Omer then said: "With what will you spend on the Muslims if the Arabs decide to fight you?!" .‫شقﱠه‬ َ ‫ أن عمر أخذ الكتاب ف‬:- 391 ‫ ص‬3 ‫وفي سيرة الحلبي ج‬ According to p. 391, Vol. 3, of al-Halabi’s Seera book, Omer [ibn al-Kha§§ab] seized the decree and tore it to pieces…

In some reports, Abū Bakr, a longtime ¥a¦ābi of the Prophet and one of the earliest men to embrace Islam, honored Fā§ima’s request and returned Fadak to her. He wrote her a deed of the Fadak property in his own hand and gave it to her, whereupon she  left the Prophet’s Mosque, which Abū Bakr had made the seat of his government, feeling happy. She happened to be seen by Omer who asked her what she was carrying in her hand. When she told him what it was, he grabbed it from her hand in a rude way and with force, spitted in it then tore it to pieces. For references from Sunni books detailing this incident, refer to the two-volume book which the author of this book translated for the Imām μussain Foundation; 316

‫‪it is titled Tragedy of al-Zahrā': Doubts cast and rebuttals which is‬‬ ‫‪mentioned in more than one place in this book.‬‬ ‫ثم عطفت على قبر النبي ) ص ( و قالت‪:‬‬ ‫ق د ك ان بع دك انب اء و ھنبث ة‬

‫ل و كن ت ش اھدھا ل م تكث ر الخط ب‬

‫ان ا فق دناك فق د االرض وابلھ ا‬

‫واخت ل قوم ك‪ ،‬فاش ھدھم‪ ،‬فق د نكب وا‬

‫و ق د ُرزين ا بم ا ل م ي رزه أح د‬

‫م ن البري ة ال عج م و ال ع رب‬

‫حامتن ا‬

‫ي وم القيام ة أن ى س وف ينقل ب‬

‫ض اقت عل ﱠي ب الدي بع دما رحب ت‬

‫وس يم س بطاك خ سفا ً في ه ل ي ن صب‬

‫و ك ل أھ ل ل ه قرب ى و منزل ة‬

‫عن د االل ه عل ى األدن ين مقت رب‬

‫أب دت رج ال لن ا نج وى ص دورھم‬

‫لم ا م ضيت و حال ت دون ك الت رب‬

‫تجھمتن ا رج ال و آس تخف بن ا‬

‫اذ غب ت عن ا ف نحن الي وم نغت صب‬

‫وكن ت ب درا و ن ورا يست ضاء ب ه‬

‫علي ك ين زل م ن ذي الع زة الكت ب‬

‫ق د ك ان جبري ل باآلي ات يؤن سنا‬

‫فق د فق دت و ك ل الخي ر محتج ب‬

‫فلي ت قبل ك ك ان الم وت ص ادفنا‬

‫لم ا م ضيت و حال ت دون ك الكث ب‬

‫ف سوف نبكي ك م ا ع شنا وم ا‬

‫بقي ت م ن العي ون بتھم ال لھ ا س كب‬

‫و ق د رزين ا ب ه مح ضا خليقت ه‬

‫ص افي ال ضرائب و األع راق و الن سب‬

‫كلھ م‬

‫و أص دق الناس حين ال صدق و الك ذب‬

‫س يعلم المت ولي ظل م‬

‫فأن ت خي ر عب اد ﷲ‬

‫‪After you, reports and momentous chaotic events we found,‬‬ ‫‪Had you witnessed them, calamities would not abound.‬‬ ‫‪We missed you as sorely as earth would miss its rain,‬‬ ‫‪Your folks lost balance, see how from the creed they did refrain,‬‬ ‫‪We, like no others, have suffered affliction,‬‬ ‫‪Unlike all Arabs, or others from among Allāh’s creation.‬‬ ‫‪317‬‬

One who has oppressed us will come on Judgment Day To know what fate will be awaiting him.

My homeland is now narrow after its great expanse indeed, Both your grandsons have been wronged, so my heart is grieved, Every family has relatives and a place With the Almighty Who is close to those of grace, Certain men what their chests hid did they to us reveal, When you went, and now you from our sights did a grave conceal, Men assaulted and slighted us, when you became far away So, now what rightfully belongs to us is being taken away.

You were the moon, your light showed us what we should heed, Messages from the Exalted One were to you revealed.

With the Verses did Gabriel make our day, Now you are gone, every good thing is kept away.

How we wish in our direction death did the Almighty guide Before you left us, and you did the dunes from us hide.

We shall cry over you so long as our tears can pour, So long as floods of tears can withstand and endure.

We have been afflicted with tragedy on his account One who is pure in peers, folks and lineage, For you are the best of Allāh’s creation and Most truthful of those who only the truth defend. ‫ـ من أشار إلى خطبة الصديقة فاطمة )عليھا السالم( أو روى شيئا ً منھا نذكر بعضا ً منھم‬ :‫ وھم كالتالي‬،‫على سبيل المثال ال الحصر‬ ،‫ في كلمة الل ّمة‬323 / 8 :‫ ھـ( في كتاب العين‬175 ‫ـ الخليل بن أحمد الفراھيدي )ت‬1 ‫ وفي الحديث جاءت فاطمة )عليھا السالم( إلى أبي بكر في لُميمة من حفدتھا ونساء‬:‫قال‬ .‫قومھا‬ .(‫ ھـ‬538 ‫ـ جار ﷲ محمد بن عمر الزمخشري )ت‬2 ّ ‫ إنھا‬:(‫ وفي حديث فاطمة )عليھا السالم‬:‫ في مادة اللمة أيضا ً قال‬331 / 3 :‫في الفائق‬ .‫ حتى دخلت على أبي بكر‬،‫خرجت في لمة من نسائھا تتوطّأ ذيلھا‬ (.‫ ھـ‬597 ‫ )ت‬،‫ـ أبو الفرج عبد الرحمن بن علي بن الجوزي‬3 ‫ أنّ فاطمة )عليھا السالم( خرجت في‬:‫ وفي الحديث‬:‫ وقال‬333 / 2 :‫في غريب الحديث‬ .‫ من الثالث إلى العشر‬:‫ أي في جماعة؛ وقيل‬.‫لمة من نسائھا إلى أبي بكر فعاتبته‬ (.‫ ھـ‬606 ‫ـ مجد الدين أبو السعادات ابن األثير )ت‬4 318

:(‫ في حديث فاطمة )عليھا السالم‬:‫ وقال‬273 / 4 :‫في النھاية في غريب الحديث واألثر‬ .‫ إلى أبي بكر فعاتبته‬،‫إنّھا خرجت في لمة من نسائھا تتوطّأ ذيلھا‬ .(‫ ھـ‬711 ‫ـ أبو الفضل جمال الدين بن منظور )ت‬5 ّ ‫ إنھا خرجت في‬:(‫ وفي حديث فاطمة )عليھا السالم‬:‫ وقال‬548 / 12 :‫في لسان العرب‬ .‫ ذكرھا في مادة لمم‬.‫لمة من نسائھا تتوطّأ ذيلھا إلى أبي بكر فعاتبته‬ References to this speech by the Truthful One, Fā§ima, peace with her, including some who cited excerpts of it, include the following: 1. Al-Khalīl ibn A¦med al-Farāhīdi ‫( الخليل بن أحمد الفراھيدي‬d.

175 A.H./792 A.D.) on p. 323, Vol. 8, of Kitāb al-`Ayn, 2. Jarallāh Mu¦ammed ibn Omer al-Zamakhshari 1 ‫( الزمخشري‬d.

538 A.H./1144 A.D.) on p. 331, Vol. 3, of Al-Fā’iq; 3. Abul-Faraj Abdur-Ra¦mān ibn Ali ibn al-Jawzi ‫( ابن الجوزي‬d.

597 A.H./1201 A.D.), 4. Majd ad-Dīn Abū al-Sa`ādāt Ibn al-Athīr ‫( ابن األثير‬d. 606 A.H./1210 A.D.) on p. 273, Vol. 4 of his book titled AnNi¦āya, 5. Abul-Fa¤l Jamāl ad-Dīn ibn Man¨our ‫( ابن منظور‬d. 711 A.H./1312 A.D.) on p. 548, Vol. 12 (old edition) of his lexicon titled Lisān al-`Arab.

F

F

FĀ±IMA FURTHER OPPRESSED Throughout her life, Fā§ima  never spoke to those who had oppressed her and deprived her of her rightful claims. She kept her grief to herself. During her sickness which preceded her death, she requested that her oppressors should be kept away even from attending her funeral. Her ill-wishers even resorted to physical violence. Once the door of her house was pushed on her, and the child, Mu¦sin, she was carrying was hurt and killed. This incident took place, and it is very well documented by Shī`ite and Sunni historians and chroniclers, when Omer ibn al-Kha§§ab was urging, sometimes even beating, people to go to the Prophet’s Mosque to swear allegiance to his friend, Abū Bakr. Omer promoted Abū Bakr to the seat of “caliph”, being the very first person to swear allegiance 1

Refer to a footnote about al-Zamakhshari above.

319

to him, after being convinced that it would not be long before he, too, would occupy the same seat. Fā§ima’s house was set on fire.

Having been mistreated and stricken with grief, which crossed all limits of forbearance and endurance, she expressed her sorrows in an elegy which she composed to mourn her father the Holy Prophet . In that elegy, she makes a particular reference to her woeful plight. Having taken a handful of earth from her father’s grave, putting it on her eyes, crying, she said, ‫أن ال ي ش ّم َ م دى الزم ان غوالي ا؟‬

‫م اذا عل ى م ن ش ﱠم ترب ةَ أحم د‬

‫ص ْرنَ ليالي ا‬ ُ ِ ‫ص بّت عل ى األيّ ام‬

‫صائب ل و أنّھ ا‬ ‫ص بّت عل ﱠي م‬ ٌ ُ

‫ال أخت شي ض يما ً و ك ان جمالي ا‬

‫ق د كن ت ذات حم ى بظ ل محم د‬

‫ و أدف ع ظ المي بردائي ا‬،‫ض يمي‬

‫ف اليوم أخ شع لل ذليل وأتق ي‬

‫ بكي ت ص باحيا‬،‫ش جنا ً عل ى غ صن‬

‫ف إذا بك ت قمري ة ف ي ليلھ ا‬

‫و ألجعل ن ال دمع في ك وش احيا‬

‫فألجعل ن الح زن بع دك مؤن سي‬

What blame should be on one who smells Ahmed’s soil That he shall never smell any precious person at all?

Calamities have been poured on me (like waters boil) Were they poured on days, they would become nights.

In the shade of Mu¦ammed, I enjoyed all protection And he was my beauty, and I feared no oppression, But now I surrender to the lowly and fear I am done Injustice, pushing my oppressor with only my gown.

So, if a dove cries during its night, forlorn, Out of grief on its twig, I cry in my morn.

So, I shall after you let grief be a companion for me, And my tears that mourn you my cover they shall be.

On p. 218, Vol. 2, of a§-±abari’s Tārīkh (Dār al-Amīra for Printing, Publishing and Distribu-tion, Beirut, Lebanon, 2005), it is stated that when Fā§ima  could not get her inheritance, Fadak, from Abū 320

Bakr, she boycotted him and never spoke to him till she died.

The death of the Prophet  affected her very much. She was very sad and grief-stricken. She wept her heart out crying all the time, so much so that the people of Medīna requested her to cry either during the day or during the night. Unfortunately, after the death of the Prophet , the government confiscated her estate of Fadak. Fā§ima  was pushed behind her house door (when they attacked Ali’s house and took him away in order to force him to accept the caliphate of Abū Bakr), so the fetus she was carrying, namely Mu¦sin, was subsequently aborted. Omer ibn al-Kha§§ab ordered his servant, Qunfath ‫قنفذ‬, to set her house on fire, an incident which is immortalized by verses of poetry composed by many poets throughout the centuries, including during our time of one poem by the famous Egyptian poet μāfi¨ Ibrāhīm which is reproduced here for the reader without an English translation. The author of this book has preferred not to translate it in order not to hurt the feelings of his Sunni brethren, especially non-Arabs: ‫الشاعر حافظ ابراھيم يفتخر ان عمربن الخطاب احرق دار بنت المصطفى في قصيدة‬ :‫شعرية‬ ‫ـھا‬

‫م بملقي‬

‫أك‬

‫و قول ـة لعل ـي قالـھ ـا ع ـمر‬

‫إن ل م تب ايع و بن ت الم صطفى فيھ ا‬

‫حرق تُ دارك ال أبق ي علي ك بھ ا‬

‫ـيھا‬

‫أم‬

‫م ا ك ان غي ر أب ى حف ص يف وه بھ ا‬

‫ال تـنث ـني أو يك ون الح ق ثاني ـھا‬

‫كالھم ا ف ي س بيل الح ق عزمت ه‬

‫أعاظم ا ألﱢھ وا ف ي الك ون تألي ـھا‬

‫فاذكرھم ا وت رحم كلم ا ذك روا‬

‫ـان وحام‬

‫سامعھا أعظ‬

‫ارس عدن‬

‫رم ب‬

‫ام ف‬

‫قصيدة ألحمد الدفاعي‬ ‫دائما م ا يت بجح الوھابي ة ان ق صة الزھ راء مفبرك ة ومكذوب ة ول يس لھ ا اص ل وھ ي م ن‬ ‫اختراع ات الراف ضة ول م اك ن اتوق ع ان اح دا م ن ابن اء العام ة يق ر بھ ا او يعت رف بھ ا او‬ .‫يصححھا النھا جريمة نكراء وكل المسلمين يستحون منھا النھا وصمت عار في التاريخ‬ ‫حتى عثرت على قصيدة طويلة للشاعر حافظ ابراھيم ال يعترف بھ ا وال ي صححھا فح سب‬ 321

‫بل يمجد عمر ابن الخطاب فيھا ويعتبره شجاعا حيث ان تجرأ امام امير الم ؤمنين وھ دده‬ ‫ان لم يبايع اطول عليكم القصيدة طويلة واقتطعت منھا االبيات االتي تخص الموظوع‪.‬‬ ‫احرق وا ال دار وجبري ُل ي ئن‬

‫قي ل‪" :‬فيھ ا ف اط ٌم" ق ال‪" :‬وإن؟"‬

‫اللّھم العن اول ظالم ظلم حق محمد وال محمد‪.‬‬ ‫وح ين س معت الق صيدة‪ ،‬وان ي ق د قرأتھ ا من ذ ‪ 14‬عام ا ورأي ت الوھابي ة تف رح ص راحة‪،‬‬ ‫بكيت وحزنت على الزھراء وكانت الساعة ‪ 2‬بعد منتصف الليل اجھشت بالبك اء ونادي ت‪:‬‬ ‫ي ازھراء‪ ،‬اغيثين ي واعينين ي عل ى كتاب ة أبي ات أرد بھ ا عل ى ق رد الني ل؟‬ ‫وما كانت اال لحظات غفوت‪ ،‬وكان اح ُد ُھم يقول لي‪ :‬الزھراء تكلمك؛ قم واكتب !‬ ‫فأخذت القلم والورقة والھمس باذني يملي علي وانا اكتب فكانت االبيات كالتالي‪........‬‬

‫ابيات ناثر العنبر‬ ‫مقال‬ ‫م‬

‫ة لق‬ ‫اق‬

‫)وقول‬ ‫وقول‬

‫ر ِد الني‬ ‫ال ح‬

‫ِل يلقيھ‬

‫ا‬

‫فھ ي مثال ب بح ق ُع َم ر يجنيھ ا‬

‫افظ ّإال تَ َجنّي‬

‫اً‬

‫عل ى مق ام النب ّي‪ ،‬ف ال ينفيھ ا‬

‫ا عم‬

‫ر‬

‫عظ م بملقيھ ا(‬ ‫أك ِرم ب سامعھا‪ ،‬أ ِ‬

‫ةٌ قالھ‬

‫رب‬ ‫ر‪ ،‬أي ﱢ‬

‫عظ‬ ‫أ ِ‬

‫ة قالھ‬

‫ا عم‬

‫بر الوص ﱢي‬ ‫وقول ة بيﱠن ت ص َ‬

‫وعج‬

‫مب‬

‫ز عم‬

‫فاف صح الت اريخ قباح ة فعل ه‬

‫عل‬

‫حرق‬ ‫حرق‬

‫تُ دا َركَ ي‬

‫ا عل‬

‫افظ حاكيھ‬ ‫ٍ‬

‫ا‪:‬‬

‫ٍر لبي‬

‫ىل‬

‫تُ دا َر عل‬

‫ان تاليھ‬

‫ا‬

‫سامعھا وآخ‬

‫سان ح‬

‫ي وال أُب‬

‫ُذل ُملقيھ‬

‫ا‬

‫الي‬

‫ش‬ ‫ُ‬

‫لﱠت يَ‬

‫داكَ إن كن‬

‫تَ ُملقيھ‬

‫ا‬

‫ي وإنْ‬

‫ك‬

‫انَ محم‬

‫ٌد للزھ‬

‫را ِء يَحميھ‬

‫ا‬

‫)حرق تُ دا َر َك ال أُبق ي علي ك بھ ا‬

‫إن ل م تب ايع‪ ،‬وبن ت الم صطفى فيھ ا(‬ ‫ا‬

‫آذي ت ب ضعةَ المخت ا ِر وق د‬

‫س‬

‫معتَ الرس‬

‫اب ال ذي طالم ا‬ ‫ك سرتَ الب‬ ‫َ‬

‫َدقﱠ‬

‫تْ أنام‬

‫و َل يوص‬ ‫ٌل للنب‬

‫ينا فيھ‬ ‫ِي عليھ‬

‫ا‬

‫‪322‬‬

‫و أفزع‬

‫تَ ريحانت‬

‫اه متعم‬

‫دا‬

‫ج‬

‫راءة حت‬

‫ى محم‬

‫ٌد ال يثنيھ‬

‫ا‬

‫الخطّ‬ ‫آبنَ َ‬

‫ب‪ ،‬ألقيھ‬ ‫ا ِ‬

‫ا!‬

‫شيطانُ مفتيھ‬

‫ا‬

‫ال أتﱠقيھ‬

‫ا‬

‫دنانَ وحاميھ‬

‫ا(‬

‫أض رمتَ ن اراً والمن افقون حولَ َك‪:‬‬

‫بورك‬

‫ان ا م ا فعل تُ ذل ك اال لبيع ٍة‬

‫دع‬

‫ُ‬ ‫شيخ الكبي ُر أيﱠ َدني‬ ‫ك ذلك ال‬

‫ب‬

‫ص يف وهُ بھ ا‬ ‫)م ا ك ان غي ر أب ي حف ٍ‬

‫أم‬

‫ص‬ ‫فم ا ك ان لھ ا غي ر أب ي َحف ٍ‬

‫ت أحم ٍد وبَنيھ ا‬ ‫تَ َج ﱢري ا ً عل ى بِ ْن‬ ‫ِ‬

‫وم ا ك ان غي ر أب ي حف ص لھ ا‬

‫س نن س و ٍء ف ي االس الم يُرس يھا‬ ‫ُ‬

‫ارس ع دنان أمامھ ا‬ ‫فتقھق ر ف‬ ‫ُ‬

‫ل شقّھا ع صا الم سلمين ودم اءاً تليھ ا‬

‫ب ي ا قِ ر َد الني ِل بقول ك؟‬ ‫ف اين المناق ُ‬

‫ي ش جاع ٍة الب ن ال صھاك تُف شيھا؟!‬ ‫وأ ﱡ‬

‫ق د اثب تﱠ مثالب ا ً إلب ِن ال صھاك‬

‫ب بجوا ِر ِح ِه يُخفيھ ا‬ ‫و أم‬ ‫َ‬ ‫راض قل ٍ‬

‫ارس ع دنانَ ص ابرا‬ ‫وآس ترجع ف‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫◌ً‬ ‫فق ر ُد الني ِل‪ ،‬أعن ي حافظ ا ً‪،‬‬

‫ول‪ :‬فِتَن ا ً تُالقيھ ا‬ ‫عھ داً م ن الرس‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫أثب تَ أنﱠ علي ا ً ال غي ره حاميھ ا!‬

‫ف إن قل تَ ‪ :‬إن علي ا ً لالس الم حامي ا ً‬

‫قلن ا‪ :‬إذاً إب نُ ال صھاك ك ان فانيھ ا‬

‫فآذكرھم ا و تَ َر ﱠحم ُكلﱠم ا ُذ ِك روا‬

‫ون تأليھ ا(‬ ‫أعاظم ا ً أُلّھ وا ف ي الك‬ ‫ِ‬

‫فت رحم عليھم ا أينم ا ُذ ِك روا‬

‫رحمن ناويھ ا!‬ ‫قول ة ال ت ستقي ُم عن د ال‬ ‫ِ‬

‫ص لّوا عل ى واح ٍد ِمن ُھم ا‬ ‫بَ ْل َ‬

‫فمجن ًّي َعلي ِه‪ ،‬وص احبُ ُكم ك ان جانيھ ا‬

‫ف صلّوا عل ى عل ﱟي َو ْح َدهُ وآترك وا‬

‫صلّيھا‬ ‫ُع َم راً‪ ،‬فَ َعلي ِه قِ ْر ُد الني ِل يُ َ‬

‫تي‬ ‫اني لھ‬ ‫روح إبل‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ا َم ف‬

‫ا ال‬

‫يس‪ ،‬ف‬ ‫َ‬

‫ارس ع‬

‫فيا ناثر العنبر‪ُ ،‬جزيتَ خيرا على ما فاح من عنبر قصيدتك‪ ،‬وثَبﱠتَن ا ﷲُ وايّ اكم عل ى َم َحبﱠ ِة‬ ‫الزھراء عليھا السالم‪.‬‬

‫‪323‬‬

‫عمر أحضر الحطب ليحرق عليھم الدار‬ ‫قال الم سعودي )ت ‪ 346‬ھ ـ(‪ :‬وك ان ع روة ب ن الزبي ر يع ذر أخ اه عب دﷲ ف ي ح صر بن ي‬ ‫ھاشم في الشعب‪ ،‬وجمعه الحطب ليحرقھم‪ ،‬ويقول‪ :‬إنم ا أراد ب ذلك أال تنت شر الكلم ة‪ ،‬وال‬ ‫يختل ف الم سلمون‪ ،‬وأن ي دخلوا ف ي الطاع ة فتك ون الكلم ة واح دة‪ ،‬كم ا فع ل عم ر ب ن‬ ‫الخط اب ببن ي ھاش م لم ا ت أخروا ع ن بيع ة أب ي بك ر‪ ،‬فإنّ ه أح ضر الحط ب ليح رق عل يھم‬ ‫الدار)‪.( 1‬‬ ‫قال‪ :‬زيادة عن م‪ ،‬حيث جاء بعد ذلك‪ :‬كما أرھ ب بن و )= بن ي( ھاش م وجم ع لھ م الحط ب‬ ‫إلحراقھم‪.‬‬ ‫وھ ذا م ا ي دلنا عل ى أنّ ي د التالع ب والتموي ه تري د أن تخف ي الحق ائق الت ي ال يمك ن وال‬ ‫يتسنى ألحد إخفاءھا‪ ،‬إذ ال ب ّد أن تثأر الحقيقة لنفسھا‪.‬‬ ‫وكما يشھد على ھذه الحقيقة ـ التي أرادوا التعتيم عليھا وحذفھا من كتاب مروج الذھب ـ‬ ‫نص الم ذكور ك امال ع ن الم سعودي ف ي ش رح‬ ‫كامال ابن أبي الحديد المعتزلي‪ ،‬فقد ذك ر ال ّ‬ ‫نھج البالغة‪ 147 / 20 :‬فراجع لترى الحقيقة‪.‬‬

‫أح َرقوا دارھا بمن فيھا‬ ‫الشھرستاني )ت ‪ 548‬ھـ( عن إبراھيم بن سيار بن ھانىء النظ ام‪ :‬أنّ عم ر ك ان ي صيح‪:‬‬ ‫أحرقوا دارھا بمن فيھا‪ ،‬وما كان في الدار غير عل ي وفاطم ة والح سن والح سين )عل يھم‬ ‫السالم)‪) .(1‬راجع كتاب الملل والنحل للشھرستاني‪(.59 / 1 :‬‬

‫____________‬ ‫‪ 1‬ذكره المسعودي في مروج الذھب ط الميمنية‪ ،86 / 3 :‬وال يوج د ف ي طبع ات الكت اب‬‫االُخرى‪ ،‬إذ حذفت جملة‪ :‬كما فعل عم ر ب ن الخط اب ببن ي ھاش م ال خ‪ ،‬فراج ع عل ى س بيل‬ ‫المثال مروج الذھب ‪ 86 / 3‬ط السعادة‪ ،‬القاھرة سنة ‪ 1384‬ھـ ـ ‪ 1964‬م و‪ 77 / 3‬ن شر‬ ‫دار االن دلس‪ ،‬بي روت ط االُول ى ‪ 1385‬ھ ـ ـ ‪ 1965‬م تح ت عن وان اب ن الزبي ر وآل بي ت‬ ‫الرسول )صلى ﷲ عليه وآله وسلم(‪ .‬و‪ 276 / 3‬رقم‪ 1943 :‬نشر الجامعة اللبناني ة‪ .‬لك ن‬ ‫محق ق الكت اب األخي ر أش ار ف ي ھ امش ال صفحة الم ذكورة معلق ا ً عل ى كلم ة ع روة ب ن‬ ‫الزبير‪ :‬إنّما أراد بذلك إرھابھم ليدخلوا في طاعته‪.‬‬ ‫‪324‬‬

‫ق دا َرنا؟‬ ‫أجئتَ لتحر َ‬ ‫أبو الفداء‪ ،‬عماد الدين إسماعيل )ت ‪ 732‬ھـ(‪ :‬ث ّم أنّ أبا بك ر بع ث عم ر ب ن الخط اب إل ى‬ ‫علي )عليه ال سالم( وم ن مع ه ليخ رجھم م ن بي ت فاطم ة )عليھ ا ال سالم( وق ال‪ :‬إن أب وا‬ ‫علي ك‪ ،‬فق اتلھم! فأقب ل عم ر ب شيء م ن ن ار عل ى أن ي ضرم ال دار‪ ،‬فتلقت ه فاطم ة )عليھ ا‬ ‫السالم( وقالت‪ :‬إلى أين يا ابن الخطاب؟ أجئت لتحرق دارنا؟!‬ ‫قال‪ :‬نعم‪ ،‬أو تدخلوا فيما دخل فيه األُ ّمة‪ ...‬كذا نقله القاضي جمال الدين بن واصل وأسنده‬ ‫إلى ابن عبد ربّه المغربي ‪.‬‬ ‫قال األميني عليه الرحمة في موسوعته الغدير )‪:(85 / 8‬‬ ‫ويؤجج النيران الخامدة ويجدّد تلك م‬ ‫ث ّم ما عساني أن أقول بعدما يعربد شاعر النيل اليوم‪،‬‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫الجنايات المنسية )الھا ﷲ ال تنسى مع األب د( ويع دّھا ثن اء عل ى ال سلف‪ ،‬ويرف ع عقيرت ه‬ ‫ويتبجح بقول ه ف ي )الق صيدة العمري ة( تح ت‬ ‫بعد مضي قرون على تلكم المع ّرات‪ ،‬ويبتھج‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫عنوان‪ :‬عمر وعلي‪ ...:‬وذكر األبيات‪.‬‬ ‫ماذا أقول بعدما تحتفل االُمة المصريّة في حفلة جامعة في أوائ ل س نة ‪ 1918‬بإن شاد ھ ذه‬ ‫القصيدة العمرية التي تت ضمن م ا ذك ر م ن األبي ات؟ وتن شرھا الجرائ د ف ي أرج اء الع الم‪،‬‬ ‫ويأتي رجال مصر نظ راء أحم د أم ين‪ ،‬وأحم د ال زين‪ ،‬وإب راھيم األبي اري‪ ،‬و عل ي ج ارم‪،‬‬ ‫وعلي أمين‪ ،‬وخليل مطران‪ ،‬ومصطفى الدمياطي بك وغيرھم‪ ،‬ويعتنون بن شر دي وان ھ ذا‬ ‫شعره! وبتقدير ش اعر ھ ذا ش عوره! ويخدش ون العواط ف ف ي ھ ذه األزم ة ف ي ھ ذا الي وم‬ ‫العصبصب‪ ،‬ويع ّك رون بھ ذه النع رات الطائفي ة ص فو ال سالم والوئ ام ف ي جامع ة اإلس الم‪،‬‬ ‫ويشتّتون بھا شمل المسلمين‪ ،‬ويحسبون أنھم يحسنون صنعا ً؟!‬ ‫وت راھم يج دّدون طب ع دي وان ال شاعر وق صيدته العمري ة خاص ة م ّرة بع د أُخ رى‪ ،‬ويعلّ ق‬ ‫عليھا شارحھا الدمياطي قوله في البيت الثاني‪ :‬المراد أنّ علي ا ً (علي ه ال سالم( ال يع صمه‬ ‫من عمر سكنى بنت المصطفى في ھذه الدار!!‬ ‫وج اء ف ي ھ امش ال ديوان الم ذكور م ا يل ي‪ :‬ي شير بھ ذه األبي ات إل ى امتن اع عل ّي )علي ه‬ ‫السالم( عن البيعة ألبي بكر يوم السقيفة‪ ،‬وتھديد عمر إيّاه بتحري ق بيت ه إذا اس تمر عل ى‬ ‫امتناعه‪ ،‬وكان فيه زوجة علي فاطمة بنت الرسول )صلى ﷲ عليه وآله وسلم( ‪...‬‬

‫قصة حطب أمر به ابن الخطاب‬ ‫قال الدكتور عبد الفتاح عبد المقصود‪:‬‬ ‫س بقت ال شائعات خط وات اب ن الخط اب ذل ك النھ ار‪ ،‬وھ و ي سير ف ي جم ع م ن ص حبه‬ ‫‪325‬‬

‫ومعاونيه إلى دار فاطمة )عليھا السالم(‪ ،‬وفي باله أن يحمل ابن ع ّم رسول ﷲ )صلى ﷲ‬ ‫عليه وآله وسلم( ـ طوعا ً وإن كرھا ً ـ على إقرار ما أباه حتى اآلن‪.‬‬ ‫وتح دّث أُن اس ب أنّ ال سيف س يكون وح ده م تن الطاع ة!‪ ...‬وتح دّث آخ رون ب أنّ ال سيف‬ ‫سوف يلقى السيف!‪ ...‬ث ّم تحدّث غير ھؤالء وھؤالء بأنّ "النار" ھي الوسيلة المثلى إل ى‬ ‫حفظ الوحدة‪ ،‬وإلى "الرضا" واإلقرار‪!...‬‬ ‫وھل على ألسنة الناس عقال يمنعھا أن تروي قصة حطب أمر به ابن الخطاب فأحاط بدار‬ ‫"فاطمة )عليھا السالم(" وفيھا عل ّي )عليه السالم( وصحبه‪ ،‬ليكون عدّة اإلقناع‪ ،‬أو عدّة‬ ‫اإليقاع؟‪ ...‬على أنّ ھذه األحاديث جميعھا‪ ،‬ومعھا الخطط المدبّرة أو المرتجلة كان ت كمث ل‬ ‫الزبد‪ ،‬أسرع إلى ذھاب ومعھا دفعة ابن الخطاب!‬ ‫أقبل الرجل‪ ،‬محنقا ً مندلع الثورة‪ ،‬على دار عل ّي )عليه السالم(‪ ،‬وقد ظاھره معاونوه ومن‬ ‫جاء بھم فاقتحموھا‪ ،‬أو أوشكوا على اقتحام‪.‬‬ ‫فاذا وجه كوجه رسول ﷲ )صلى ﷲ عليه وآله وسلم( يبدو بالباب حائال م ن ح زن‪ ،‬عل ى‬ ‫ق سماته خط وط آالم‪ ،‬وف ي عيني ه لمع ات دم ع‪ ،‬وف وق جبين ه عب سة غ ضب ف ائر‪ ،‬وحن ق‬ ‫ثائر‪ ...‬وتوقّف عمر من خشية‪ ،‬وراحت دفعته شعاعاً‪ ،‬وتوقف خلفه ـ أمام الب اب ـ ص حبه‬ ‫الذين جاء بھم‪ ،‬إذ رأوا حيالھم صورة الرس ول )ص لى ﷲ علي ه وآل ه وس لم(تط العھم م ن‬ ‫ضوا األبصار‪ ،‬من خزي أو من استحياء‪....‬‬ ‫خالل وجه حبيبته الزھراء )عليھا السالم(وغ ّ‬ ‫ث ّم ولّت عنھم عزمات القلوب‪ ،‬وھم يشھدون فاطمة )عليھا السالم(تتح ّرك كالخيال‪ ،‬وئي داً‬ ‫وئي داً‪ ،‬بخط وات المحزون ة الثكل ى‪ ،‬فتقت رب م ن ناحي ة قب ر أبيھ ا )ص لى ﷲ علي ه وآل ه‬ ‫وس لم(‪ ...‬وشخ صت م نھم األنظ ار‪ ،‬وأرھف ت األس ماع إليھ ا‪ ،‬وھ ي ترف ع ص وتھا الرقي ق‬ ‫الحزين النبرات‪ ،‬تھتف بمح ّمد (ص لى ﷲ علي ه وآل ه وس لم(الث اوي بقربھ ا‪ ،‬تنادي ه باكي ة‬ ‫مرير البكاء‪" :‬يا أبت رسول ﷲ! يا أبت رسول ﷲ "‪!...‬فكأنّم ا زلزل ت األرض تح ت ھ ذا‬ ‫الجمع الباغي‪ ،‬من رھبة النداء‪.‬‬ ‫وراح ت الزھ راء )عليھ ا ال سالم( وھ ي ت ستقبل المث وى الط اھر‪ ،‬ت ستنجد بھ ذا الغائ ب‬ ‫الحاضر‪" :‬يا أبت رسول ﷲ!! ماذا لقينا بعدك من ابن الخطاب‪ ،‬وابن أبي قحافة!؟‪".‬‬ ‫فم ا ترك ت كلماتھ ا إالّ قلوب ا ً ص دّعھا الح زن‪ ،‬وعيون ا ً ج رت دمع اً‪ ،‬ورج اال ودّوا ل و‬ ‫استطاعوا أن يشقّوا مواطىء أقدامھم‪ ،‬ليذھبوا في طوايا الثرى مغيّبين )‪.(1‬‬ ‫____________‬ ‫‪1-‬المجموعة الكاملة اإلمام علي بن أبي طالب )عليه السالم(‪.190 / 1 :‬‬

‫‪326‬‬

‫أخرج الطبراني في معجمه الكبير والضياء المقدسي في األحاديث المختارة وغيرھما عن‬ ‫عبد الرحمن بن عوف أن أبا بكر ق ال ف ي مرض ه ال ذي ت وفي في ه‪ :‬أم ا إن ي ال آس ي عل ى‬ ‫شيء إال على ثالث فعلتھن وددتُ أن ي ل م أفعلھ ن‪ ،‬وث الث ل م أفعلھ ن وددتُ أن ي فعل تھن‪،‬‬ ‫وثالث وددتُ أني سألت رسول ﷲ )ص( عنھن‪ ،‬فأم ا ال ثالث الت ي وددت أن ي ل م أفعلھ ن‪،‬‬ ‫فوددتُ أني لم أكن كشفتُ بيت فاطمة‪ ،‬وتركتُه وإن أغلق عل ﱠي الحرب‪ ...‬الحديث ‪(1).‬‬ ‫وذكر ھجوم القوم على بيت فاطمة عليھا السالم أيضا ً جملة من أعالم أھل السنة‪:‬‬ ‫فقد قال ابن قتيبة في اإلمامة والسياسة ‪:‬وإن أبا بكر رضي ﷲ عنه تفقﱠد قوما ً تخلفوا عن‬ ‫بيعته عند علي كرم ﷲ وجھه‪ ،‬فبعث إليھم عمر‪ ،‬فج اء فن اداھم وھ م ف ي دار عل ي‪ ،‬ف أبوا‬ ‫لتخرجنﱠ أو ألحرقنﱠھ ا عل ى م ن‬ ‫أن يخرجوا‪ ،‬فدعا بالحطب‪ ،‬وقال‪ :‬والذي نفس عمر بيده‪،‬‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫فيھا‪ .‬فقيل له‪ :‬يا أبا حفص‪ ،‬إن فيھا فاطمة! فقال‪ :‬وإن ‪.‬فخرجوا فبايعوا إال عليًّا‪.‬‬ ‫إلى أن قال ‪:‬ثم قام عم ر‪ ،‬فم شى مع ه جماع ة‪ ،‬حت ى أت وا ب اب فاطم ة‪ ،‬ف دقّوا الب اب‪ ،‬فلم ا‬ ‫ت ي ا رس ول ﷲ‪ ،‬م اذا لقين ا بع دك م ن اب ن‬ ‫س معتْ أص واتھم ن ادتْ ب أعلى ص وتھا ‪:‬ي ا أب ِ‬ ‫الخطاب وابن أبي قحافة؟ فلما سمع القوم صوتھا وبكاءھا ان صرفوا ب اكين‪ ...‬وبق ي عم ر‬ ‫ومعه قوم‪ ،‬فأخرجوا عليًّا‪ ،‬فمضوا به إلى أبي بكر‪ ،‬فقالوا له‪ :‬بايِع‪.‬‬ ‫فقال‪ :‬إن أنا لم أفعل فَ َم ْه؟‬ ‫قالوا‪ :‬إذن وﷲ الذي ال إله إال ھو نضرب عنقك ‪.‬‬ ‫قال‪ :‬إذن تقتلون عبد ﷲ وأخا رسوله؟‬ ‫ق ال عم ر‪ :‬أم ا عب د ﷲ ف نَ َعم‪ ،‬وأم ا أخ و رس وله ف ال‪ .‬وأب و بك ر س اكت ال ي تكلم‪،‬‬ ‫فقال له عمر‪ :‬أال تأمر فيه بأمرك؟‬ ‫فقال‪ :‬ال أُ ْك ِرھُه على شيء م ا كان ت فاطم ة إل ى جنب ه‪ .‬فلح ق عل ي بقب ر رس ول ﷲ )ص(‬ ‫____________‬ ‫د ‪.202/5‬‬ ‫ع الزوائ‬ ‫ي ‪ .62/1‬مجم‬ ‫ر للطبران‬ ‫م الكبي‬ ‫)‪ (1‬المعج‬ ‫األحاديث المختارة ‪ 88/1‬وقال ال ضياء المقدس ي‪ :‬وھ ذا ح ديث ح سن ع ن أب ي بك ر‪ ،‬إال‬ ‫ي )ص(‪.‬‬ ‫ول النب‬ ‫نق‬ ‫يء م‬ ‫هش‬ ‫يس في‬ ‫هل‬ ‫أن‬ ‫كن ز العم ال ‪ 631/5‬وق ال‪ :‬إن ه ح ديث ح سن‪ ،‬إال أن ه ل يس في ه ش يء ع ن النب ي )ص(‪.‬‬ ‫ت اريخ مدين ة دم شق ‪ .423-418/30‬ت اريخ الطب ري ‪ .619/2‬اإلمام ة وال سياسة‪ ،‬ص‬ ‫‪ .18‬مروج الذھب ‪.301/2‬‬ ‫يصيح ويبكي‪ ،‬وينادي‪ :‬يا بن أُ ّم إن القوم استضعفوني وكادوا يقتلونني ‪(1).‬‬ ‫‪327‬‬

‫وق ال أب و الف داء ف ي تاريخ ه ‪:‬ث م إن أب ا بك ر بع ث عم ر ب ن الخط اب إل ى عل ي و َم ن مع ه‬ ‫ليخرجھم من بيت فاطمة رضي ﷲ عنھا ‪ ،‬وقال‪ :‬إن أبَوا عليك فقاتلھم‪ .‬فأقبل عمر بشيء‬ ‫م ن ن ار عل ى أن ي ضرم ال دار‪ ،‬فلقيت ه فاطم ة رض ي ﷲ عنھ ا وقال ت‪ :‬إل ى أي ن ي ا اب ن‬ ‫أو تدخلوا فيما دخل فيه األمة ‪....‬‬ ‫الخطاب؟ أجئت لتحرق دارنا؟ قال‪ :‬نعم‪ْ ،‬‬ ‫واعت رف اب ن تيمي ة ب أن أب ا بك ر ق د ك بس بي ت فاطم ة س الم ﷲ عليھ ا‪ ،‬إال أن ه علﱠل ه بم ا‬ ‫يُضحك الثكلى‪ ،‬فق ال‪ :‬نح ن نعل م يقين ا ً أن أب ا بك ر ل م يق دم عل ى عل ي والزبي ر ب شيء م ن‬ ‫األذى‪ ،‬بل وال على سعد ب ن عب ادة المتخلﱢ ف ع ن بيعت ه أوالً وآخ راً‪ ،‬وغاي ة م ا يق ال‪ :‬إن ه‬ ‫كبس البيت لينظر ھل فيه شيء من مال ﷲ ال ذي يق سمه‪ ،‬وأن يعطي ه لم ستحقه‪ ،‬ث م رأى‬ ‫أنه لو تركه لھم لجاز‪ ،‬فإنه يجوز أن يعطيھم من مال الفيء‪.‬‬ ‫وم ن يتتبﱠ ع كت ب الت اريخ يج د فيھ ا الكثي ر مم ا د ﱠل عل ى ك شف الق وم لبي ت فاطم ة عليھ ا‬ ‫السالم‪.‬‬ ‫والعجي ب أن الكات ب اعتب ر كلم ة أمي ر الم ؤمنين علي ه ال سالم ( ‪ :‬إن الق وم است ضعفوني‬ ‫وكادوا يقتلونني ) ُجبنا ً وضعفا ً ‪ ،‬مع أنھا مقتبسة م ن كلم ة نب ي ﷲ ھ ارون علي ه ال سالم‬ ‫ح ين عاتب ه موس ى علي ه ال سالم بع د مجيئ ه م ن الميق ات‪ ،‬ف ال ن دري ھ ل يعتب ر الكات ب‬ ‫ھارون عليه السالم جبانا ً أيضا ً لما ترك منابذة السامري وأتباعه‪ ،‬وخاف عل ى نف سه م ن‬ ‫القتل؟ !‬ ‫)‪ (1‬اإلمامة والسياسة‪ ،‬ص ‪.13 ،12‬‬ ‫‪On p. 220, Vol. 2, of a§-±abari’s‬‬ ‫‪Tārīkh (Arabic text), it is stated that‬‬ ‫‪the Holy Prophet  remained‬‬ ‫‪unburied for three days. His sacred‬‬ ‫‪body finally received the burial bath‬‬ ‫‪by his cousin and son-in-law,‬‬ ‫‪Fā§ima’s husband Ali . Besides‬‬ ‫‪Ali , those who attended the burial‬‬ ‫‪of the Prophet  were: al-`Abbās‬‬ ‫‪ibn Abdul-Mu§§alib, his son al-Fa¤l,‬‬ ‫‪Quthām ibn al-`Abbās, Usāmah ibn Zaid and Shuqrān, a freed slave‬‬ ‫‪of the Prophet , as stated on the same page. According to the‬‬ ‫‪famous classic historian, Ibn Is¦āq, Aws ibn Khawli, who had taken‬‬ ‫‪part in the Battle of Badr, earnestly requested Ali  to let him‬‬ ‫‪assist in burying the Messenger of Allāh  and the Commander of‬‬ ‫‪328‬‬

the Faithful  acgreed.

The tragedy of her father's death and the unkindness of her father's followers, some self-interest seekers ¥a¦āba, were all too much for the good, gentle and sensitive lady who breathed her last on Jumda I 14, 11 A.H. which coincided at the time with August 7, 632 A.D., exactly seventy-five days after the death of her revered father, the Holy Prophet of Islam . Grieved about the way she was treated by certain “¥a¦āba” of the Prophet , the confiscation of her property, Fadak, the aborting of her son, Mu¦sin, and the confiscation of the right to caliphate from her husband, Ali , were all too much for her, so much so that they eventually put an end to her life when she was in the prime of her youth at the age of eighteen, although various historians provide different dates. She was buried in Jannatul-Baqī`, Medīna.

FĀ±IMA’S DEATH On p. 218, Vol. 2, of his famous book Tārīkh, which is available in Arabic with the author of this book (a new 1426 A.H./2005 A.D. edition published by Dār al-Amīra of Beirut, Lebanon), a§-±abari says, ّ ‫ و لم‬،‫فدفنھا علي ليال‬ ‫يؤذن بھا أبا بكر‬ “Ali buried her at night, and Abū Bakr did not call the adhān (to announce her death, burial and funeral prayers).”

Fā§ima  did not survive more than seventy-five days after the demise of her father. She breathed her last on the 14th of Jumāda I, 11 A.H. Before her demise, she told her will to her husband, Imām Ali , thus: 1. O Ali, you will personally perform my funeral rites.

2. Those who have displeased me [a reference to some ¥a¦āba of the Prophet  with vested interests] should not be allowed to attend my funeral.

3. My corpse should be carried to the graveyard at night.

329

Thus, Imām Ali , in compliance with her will, performed all the funeral rites and accompanied exclusively by her relatives and sons, carried her at night to Jannatul-Baqī`, where she was laid to rest and her wishes fulfilled.

Having buried her, in the darkness of the night, her husband, the Commander of the Faithful Ali , composed these verses of poetry: : ‫ھذي قصيدة االمام علي بن ابي طالب عندما كان عند قبر فاطمة الزھراء‬ ‫قب ر الحبي ـب فل ـم ي ـر ّد جواب ـي؟‬

‫م ا ل ي وقف ت عل ى القب ـو ِر ُم سلمـا‬

‫أَن سيت بع ـدي خلﱠ ـة األَحب ـاب؟‬

‫ م ا ل ك ال ت ـرد جوابن ـا‬،‫ـب‬ ُ ‫أحبي‬

‫و أن ـا رھي ـن جن ـادل و ت راب؟‬

‫ وكي ف ل ي بج وابكم‬:‫ق ال الحبِي ب‬

‫وحجب ـت ع ن أَھل ي وع ن أَتراب ي‬

‫راب محاسن ـي فن سيت ُكـم‬ ‫أَك ل الت‬ ُ

‫من ـي و منك ـم خلّ ـة األحب ـاب‬

‫فعل يكم من ـي ال سـالم تقطع ـت‬

0B

Why did I stand at the graves to greet, The tomb of the loved one, but it did not respond?

O loved one! Why do you not answer us?

Have you forgotten the friendship among loved ones?

The loved one said: How can I answer you While I am held hostage by soil and stones?

Earth has eaten my beauties, so I forgot about you, And I now am kept away from family and peers; So, peace from me to you, the ties are now cut off And so are the ties with loved ones.

On p. 136 of Dalā’il al-Imāma ‫دالئل االمامة‬, we are told that those who attended Fā§ima’s burial in the darkness of the night were, besides her husband Ali , were none other than both her sons al-μassan and al-μussain , her daughters Zainab and Umm Kulthūm, her maid Fī¤¤a and Asmā’ daughter of Umays. The author of this reference, as quoted on p. 92, Vol. 10 of the newly published edition 330

of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, adds the following:

331

‫و أص بح البقي ع ليل ة دفن ت و في ه أربع ون قب را ج ددا‪ ،‬و ان الم سلمين لم ا علم وا وفاتھ ا‬ ‫ضج‬ ‫جاءوا الى البقيع فوجدوا فيه أربعين قبرا‪ ،‬فأش كل عل يھم قبرھ ا م ن س ائر القب ور‪ ،‬ف ّ‬ ‫الناس و الم بعضھم بعضا و قالوا‪ :‬لم يخلّف نبيكم فيكم اال بنتا واحدة‪ ،‬تموت و تدفن و لم‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫تحضروا وفاتھا و الصالة عليھا و ال حتى تعرفوا قبرھا‪.‬‬ ‫ثم قال والة األمر منھم‪ :‬ھاتم من نساء المسلمين من ينبش ھذه القبور حتى نجدھا‬ ‫فنصلي عليھا و نزور قبرھا‪ .‬فبلغ ذلك أمير المؤمنين صلوات ﷲ عليه‪ ،‬فخرج مغضبا قد‬ ‫احمرت عيناه و درت أوداجه و عليه قباه األصفر الذي كان يلبسه في كل كريھة و ھو‬ ‫متوكيء على سيفه ذي الفقار حتى ورد البقيع‪ ،‬فسار الى الناس النذير و قال‪ :‬ھذا علي‬ ‫بن أبي طالب قد أقبل كما ترونه يقسم با لئن حول من ھذه القبور حجر ليضعن السيف‬ ‫على غابر اآلخر‪.‬‬ ‫فتلقاه عمر )بن الخطاب( و من معه من أصحابه و قال له‪ :‬ما لك يا أبا الحسن؟ و ﷲ‬ ‫لننبشن قبرھا و لنصلين عليھا‪ .‬فضرب علي ‪ ‬بيده الى جوامع ثوبه ) يعني ثوب‬ ‫عمر( فھزه‪ ،‬ثم ضرب به األرض و قال‪ :‬يا ابن السوداء! أما حقي )في الخالفة( فقد‬ ‫تركته مخافة أن يرتد الناس عن دينھم‪ ،‬و أما قبر فاطمة‪ ،‬فو الذي نفس علي بيده‪ ،‬لئن‬ ‫رمت و أصحابك شيئا من ذلك‪ ،‬ألسقين األرض من دمائكم‪ .‬فان شئت‪ ،‬فأعرض يا عمر‪.‬‬ ‫فتلقاه أبو بكر فقال‪ :‬يا أبا الحسن بحق رسول ﷲ و بحق من )ھو( فوق العرش اال خليت‬ ‫عنه‪ ،‬فانا غير فاعلين شيئا تكرھه‪ .‬فتخلى عنه و تفرق الناس و لم يعودوا الى ذلك‪.‬‬ ‫‪In the morning of the eve during which she (Fā§ima ) was buried,‬‬ ‫‪al-Baqī` was found to have forty newly dug graves. When the‬‬ ‫‪Muslims came to know about her death, they went to al-Baqī` where‬‬ ‫‪they found forty freshly made graves, so they were confused and‬‬ ‫‪could not identify her grave from among all of them. People fussed‬‬ ‫‪and blamed each other. They said, “Your Prophet left only one‬‬ ‫‪daughter among you. She dies and is buried while you do not attend‬‬ ‫‪her burial or perform the (funeral) prayers for her or even know‬‬ ‫”‪where her grave is...‬‬ ‫‪Those in authority among them said, “Bring from among the‬‬ ‫‪Muslims’ women those who would inter these graves till we find‬‬ ‫‪her, perform the prayers for her and visit her grave.” The report‬‬ ‫‪reached the Commander of the Faithful , Allāh’s blessings with‬‬ ‫‪him, so he came out furious, his eyes reddened, his veins swollen‬‬ ‫‪and wearing his yellow outer garment which he always put on‬‬ ‫‪whenever there was trouble, leaning on his sword, Dhul-Fiqār, till he‬‬ ‫‪332‬‬

reached al-Baqī`. A warner rushed to people to warn them saying, “Here is Ali ibn Abū ±ālib coming as you can see, swearing by Allāh that whoever move a brick of these graves, he will kill each and every one of them.”

He was met by Omer [ibn al-Kha§§ab] and some of his [Omer’s] companions. Omer said, “What is wrong with you, O father of alμassan?! By Allāh, we shall inter her grave, and we shall perform the [funeral] prayers for her.” Ali  took hold of Omer’s garment, shook him and threw him on the ground as he said, “O son of the black woman! As regarding my right [to succeed the Prophet as the caliph], I have abandoned it for fear people might revert from their religion. As for Fā§ima’s grave, I swear by the One Who holds Ali’s soul in His hands that if you and your fellows want to do any such thing, I shall let the earth drink of your blood, all of you; so, if you want, stay away from it, O Omer.”

Abū Bakr met him and said, “O father of al-μassan! By the right of the Messenger of Allāh  and by the right of the One on the `Arsh, leave him, for we shall not do anything which you dislike.” Ali  left Omer alone. People dispersed and did not make any further attempt. This incident, one of many, shows the reader how Abū Bakr was blessed with a much higher degree of wisdom than Omer. ‫ھ ذه االبي ات م ن ق صيدة فاطم ة س يدة ن ساء الع المين للمرح وم ال شيخ مح سن أب و الح ب‬ :‫الكبير أھديھا الى كل الفاطميات‬ ‫أو قـ ـيل مـ ـريم ق ـلت ف ـاطم أفـ ضل‬

‫فإن قــيل حـ ّوا قـلت ف ـاطم ف ـخرھا‬

‫أم ھـ ـل لمـ ـريم مـ ـثل ف ـاطم أش ـبل؟‬

‫أفـ ـھل لحــ ـ ّوا والــ ـد كـ ـمح ّم ٍد‬

‫مـ ـنھا عـ ـقول ذوي البــ صائر ت ـذھل‬

‫كــ ـ ّل لھـ ـا عـ ـند ال والدة حـ ـالة‬

‫رطـ ـبا جـ ـنيّا ً فـ ـھي مـ ـنه تأكـ ـل‬

‫ھـذي لنــخلتھا التـجت فـتساقطت‬

‫ى األب سـل؟‬ ّ ‫سـر‬ ّ ‫أنّـ ـى وحـ ـارسھا ال‬

‫وضعت بـعيسى وھـي غـير مـروع ٍة‬

‫ فأس ـقطت م ـا ت ـحمل‬،‫ب ـنت النّـــ ـب ّي‬

‫وإلى الجـدار وصفحة البـاب التـجت‬ 333

‫ـيم جـ ـَ ْحفَ ُل‬ َ ‫مـِ ـن كـ ُ ـ ّل ذي َح‬ ٍ ‫س‬ ٍ ‫ب لئ‬

‫سـقطت وأسـقطت الجــنين وحـولھا‬

‫و يــ ـردھا ھــ ـذا و ھــ ـذا يـ ـرك ُل‬

‫ھــ ـذا يــ ـعنّفھا و ذاك يــ ـدعّھا‬

‫ ھـ ـل ك ـھذا مـع ض ُل؟‬،‫ـالحبل قـ ـنفذ‬ ‫بـ‬ ِ

‫و أمــامھا أســ ُد األسـ ـو ِد يـ ـقوده‬

‫ت شكـــو ال ى رب ال ســماء و تــ ـعول‬

‫و لســوف تأتـي ف ـي الق ـيامة ف ـاطم‬

:‫ســما تــ ـتزلزل‬ ّ ‫ب شكـــاي ٍة مـ ـنھا ال‬

‫و لتــ ـعرفنّ جــ ـنينھا و حــ ـنينھا‬

‫ و أبـ ـنائي جـ ـميعا ً ق ـتّلوا‬،‫غــ صبوا‬

‫ربّـــاه! مــيراثـي و بــعلي حـقّه‬

Following are verses of poetry in honor of Fā§ima , Head of the Women of Mankind, composed by the late Shaikh Mu¦sin Abū alμabb Senior presented to all ladies who descended from Fā§ima : When they mention Eve, I say that Fā§ima is her pride, Or if Mary is mentioned, I say that Fā§ima is superior.

Can anyone underestimate a father such as Mu¦ammed?

Or does Mary have a lion cub more brave than Fā§ima’s?

Each had a status at her birth that puzzles sages’ minds: This to her date tree resorted, so of fresh ripe dates she ate, Giving birth to Jesus without fright, how so when the guard Is the most brave night sojourner?

And to the wall and the door’s slab did this resort, Prophet’s daughter, so she aborted what she was bearing.

She fell, and her fetus [Mu¦sin] fell with her, surrounded by Every one of a mean descent and lowly birth: This rogue rebukes her, that one reprimands her, This one dismisses her, that one even kicks her…

Though before her was the lion of lions being led By the rope…, so, is there a greater calamity?

Fā§ima will come on the Judgment Day to complain To the Lord of the Heavens, and she will wail, And you will know who her fetus was, why she wails Why she presents a complaint from which the heavens shake: “Lord! My inheritance and my husband’s right did they confiscate “And, moreover, all my sons did they kill, O Lord!”

334

‫قصيدة للشاعر المسيحي عبد المسيح األنطاكي يمدح فيھ ا فاطم ة الزھ راء ‪ ‬فال سيدة‬ ‫الزھراء ‪ ‬قد شھد بفضلھا المخالف والمؤالف ألنھا سيدة ن ساء الع المين م ن األول ين‬ ‫واألخرين‪:‬‬ ‫و إنھ ا ف ﱠزةٌ ب ين الن ساء ف ال‬

‫بن تُ لح وا َء ت دنو م ن معاليھ ا‬

‫ش َعا َع ال شمس جبھتُھ ا‬ ‫وم ن يُ ش ﱡع َ‬

‫ا‬

‫و ال تُالل‬

‫ي إذا الح‬

‫ت كالليھ‬

‫ھ ي الج ديرةُ ب ال ُكف ِء الك ريم لھ ا‬

‫َم ن‬

‫وج ُھ ْم‬ ‫ب أكف ا ٌء تَ ّز ُ‬ ‫ب تطل ُ‬ ‫وال ُع ْر ُ‬

‫س نيةُ ت أبى تع ّد ْيھا‬ ‫بناتِھ ا‪ّ ،‬‬

‫سبُهُ‬ ‫و ُك ُل عق ٍد بغي ر ال ُك ف ِء تح َ‬

‫ران يُخزيھ ا‬ ‫ع اراً عليھ ا ل دى األق‬ ‫ِ‬

‫ت ال ُم صطفى ح سبا ً؟‬ ‫فم ن يلي ُ‬ ‫ق ببن ِ‬

‫و َم ن‬

‫ِم ن ال َع َرب ال َعربَ اء كافيھ ا؟‬

‫س ب ط ه ك ي يُ صاھَرهُ‬ ‫و َم ن ينا َ‬

‫وھ ي‬

‫الم صاھ ّرةُ الم سعو ُد ُملقيَھ ا؟‬

‫صطفى و ل ه‬ ‫غيُ ر العل ّي حبي ب الم ُ‬

‫ق الھداي ِة ُم ذ ن ادى مناديھ ا‬ ‫س بَ ُ‬ ‫َ‬

‫فان ه بع َد ط ه خي ُر م ن ول دَتْ‬

‫ش ُمن َذ ب را الب اري ذراريھ ا‬ ‫قُ ري ٌ‬

‫الم تعرفُ هُ تل ك‬ ‫و أن ه بط ُل اإلس ِ‬

‫الح روب الت ي أم سى ُمجليّھ ا‬

‫اخر ِ و ال ُعلي ا يُحاكيھ ا‬ ‫بالمف ِ‬

‫‪Here is a poem composed by the Christian poet Abdul-Masee¦ al‬‬‫‪An§āki (of Antioch city) in praise of Fā§ima az-Zahrā' , for those‬‬ ‫‪who agree with our [religious] views, and those who do not, have all‬‬ ‫‪testified to Fā§ima’s distinction: She is the Mistress of all Women of‬‬ ‫‪Mankind from the early generations to the very last:‬‬ ‫‪Among women, hers is a unique birth:‬‬ ‫‪No other daughter of Eve comes to her distinctions close.‬‬ ‫‪One from whose forehead the sun’s rays shine,‬‬ ‫‪From her standing places glitter glows.‬‬ ‫‪She is the peer of the honored one and only who‬‬ ‫‪In his feats and supreme honors is her only match.‬‬ ‫‪Arabs seek competent peers for daughters to marry‬‬ ‫‪A tradition which they refuse to forgo.‬‬ ‫‪335‬‬

‫‪Any marriage without a competent peer they regard‬‬ ‫‪As a shame on them that debases them among peers.‬‬ ‫?‪Who can match in lineage the daughter of the Chosen one‬‬ ‫?‪Who among the Arabs in honors matches her‬‬ ‫‪Who suits Taha to be his son-in-law,‬‬ ‫‪A marriage tie that brings happiness to one who wins it‬‬ ‫?‪Other than Ali, the one loved by the Chosen One‬‬ ‫‪He accepted Guidance since the Messenger called for it.‬‬ ‫‪Next to the Chosen One, he is the best of Quraish‬‬ ‫‪Since the Almighty created its souls.‬‬ ‫‪And he is the hero of Islam well known‬‬ ‫‪By those wars that raised his status.‬‬

‫ما ھو "مصحف فاطمة"؟‬

‫))وخلفت فاطمة عليھا السالم مصحفاً‪ ،‬ما ھو قرآن‪ ،‬ولكنه كالم من كالم ﷲ‪ ،‬أنزله‬ ‫عليھا‪ ،‬إمالء رسول ﷲ‪ ،‬وخط علي عليه السالم(( )بحار األنوار ج‪ 26‬ص‪ 41‬رواية‪73‬‬ ‫باب‪ (1‬ولذا س ﱢميت فاطمة‪ ،‬فھي مظھر فاطر السموات واألرض‪ .‬وحيث أن الملك المرسل‬ ‫من قبَله تعالى يحدﱢثھا‪ ،‬س ﱢميت المحدﱠثة‪ ،‬كما م ﱠر أنه كان يخبرھا ع ّما سيحدث بعدھا في‬ ‫ذريّتھا من المصائب والباليا‪ ،‬واألھم من ذلك ما ستكتسبھا الذرية‪ ،‬من انتصارات‬ ‫عظيمة‪ ،‬ونجاح كبير في عصر الغيبة‪ ،‬ومن ث ّم ظھور ابنھا المھدي المنتظر‪ ،‬عج ّل ﷲ‬ ‫تعالى فرجه الشريف‪.‬‬ ‫‪.‬‬

‫كاتب المصحـف‬ ‫عل ﱞي عليه السالم‬ ‫ُ‬

‫تحس بالملك‪ ،‬وتسمع صوته‪ ،‬ولم تكن تشاھده‪،‬‬ ‫أنﱠ الزھراء‪ ،‬سالم ﷲ عليھا‪ ،‬كانت‬ ‫ﱡ‬ ‫علي‪ ،‬عليه السالم‪ ،‬حيث لم تكن تتوقعﱠ‬ ‫فبمج ﱠرد أن حصل ذلك‪ ،‬شكت إلى أمير المؤمنين‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫علي‪ ،‬عليه السالم صاحب‬ ‫المؤمنين‬ ‫أمير‬ ‫ھذا األمر بھذه الصورة المستم ﱠرة‪ .‬اذن كان‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫فكرة كتابة المصحف‪ ،‬حيث يسمع صوت روح األمين‪ ،‬فيكتب كلما يسمعه‪ ،‬إلى أن اجتمع‬ ‫في مصحف متكامل‪ ،‬وھو مصحف الزھراء عليھا السالم‪ .‬وال يخفى عليك ‪ ،‬أنّه ليس من‬ ‫صة اإللھيﱠة التي امتاز بھا‬ ‫السھل كتابة ما يلقيه جبرئيل‪ ،‬بل كان ذلك ضمن العلوم الخا ﱠ‬ ‫أمير المؤمنين‪ ،‬عليه السالم‪ ،‬فھو الذي كتب من قبل ما أماله رسول ﷲ عليه‪ ،‬وھو الذي‬ ‫م َع القرآن الكريم في المصحف الشريف كما ھو ثابت في محلﱢه‪.‬‬

‫محتـوى المصحـف‬ ‫إنﱠ الم صحف ي شتمل عل ى أم و ٍر كثي ر ٍة ت تلخص ف ي كلم ة واح دة وھ ي‪ :‬اس تيعابه لجمي ع‬ ‫الح وادث الخطي رة اآلتي ة‪ ،‬خ صوصا ً م ا س يواجه ذريتُھ ا‪ ،‬م ن الم صائب والبالي ا‪ ،‬وأي ضا ً‬ ‫االنتصارات‪ ،‬ويشتمل عل ى أس ماء جمي ع المل وك والح ّك ام إل ى ي وم القيام ة‪ ،‬كم ا ورد ف ي‬ ‫الحديث‪)) :‬ما من نبي و ال وصي وال ملك إال وفي م صحف فاطم ة(( )بح ار األن وار ج‪47‬‬ ‫ص‪ 32‬رواية ‪ 29‬ب اب ‪ .(4‬ويحت وى عل ى أم ور ترج ع إل ى ش خص رس ول ﷲ‪ ،‬ص لى ﷲ‬ ‫‪336‬‬

‫عليه وآله وسلم‪ ،‬وأيضا ً يشتمل على وصيتھا سالم ﷲ عليھا‪.‬‬ ‫))ابن ھاشم عن يحيى بن أبي عمران عن يونس عن رجل عن سليمان بن خالد قال ‪ :‬قال‬ ‫أبو عبد ﷲ عليه السالم‪ ..‬فإن فيه وصية فاطمة عليھا السالم‪)((..‬بحار األنوار ج‪26‬‬ ‫صة‪ ،‬تتعلﱠق‬ ‫ص‪ 43‬رواية‪ 76‬باب‪ .(1‬ومن الطبيعي أنﱠ الوصيﱠة تشتمل على أمو ٍر خا ﱠ‬ ‫بحزنھا عليھا السالم‪ ،‬وبالمصائب الواردة عليھا‪ ،‬من أعدائھا‪ ،‬ليُنفﱢذھا ابنھا اإلمام الثاني‬ ‫عجل ﷲ تعالى فرجه الشريف‪ ،‬ألنﱠه ھو اإلمام مبسوط اليد‪ ،‬الذي‬ ‫عشر المھدي المنتظر‪ ،‬ﱠ‬ ‫به يمأل ﷲ األرض قسطا ً وعدالً‪ ،‬كما ُملئت ظلما ً وجوراً‪.‬‬

‫األئﱢ ﱠمة عليھم السالم ومصحف فاطمة‬

‫كان اإلمام الصادق عليه السالم‪ ،‬يؤ ﱢكد دائما ً على علوم أھل البيت عليھم السالم‪ ،‬ففي‬ ‫الحديث أنﱠه كان يقول "أنﱠ علمھم عليھم السالم غابر ومزبور ونكتٌ في القلوب ونقر في‬ ‫األسماع" وأنﱠھم يمتلكون "الجفر األحمر‪ ،‬والجفر األبيض‪ ،‬ومصحف فاطمة‪ ،‬والجامعة"‬ ‫فھم عليھم السالم رغم ارتباطھم وسماعھم صوت المالئكة ورغم تبعيّتھم لمصحف اإلمام‬ ‫علي الذي ھو الجامعة المشتملة على جميع األحكام حتى أرش الخدش‪ ،‬ورغم معرفتھم‬ ‫ﱟ‬ ‫بعلم الجفر الذي يشتمل على "علم ما يحتاج إليھا الناس إلى يوم القيامة من حالل و‬ ‫حرام" إالّ أنﱠھم كانوا يعتمدون في فھم الحوادث الخطيرة على مصحف فاطمة عليھا‬ ‫السالم كما ورد في الحديث "فنحن نتبع ما فيھا فال نعدوھا" حيث يشتمل على الحوادث‬ ‫الخارجية جميعا ً‪ .‬وأيضا ً أسماء الملوك إلى يوم القيامة‪ ،‬ففي الحديث‪)) :‬سئل عن محمد‬ ‫بن عبد ﷲ بن الحسن فقال عليه السالم‪ :‬ما من نبي وال وصى وال ملك إالّ وھو في كتاب‬ ‫عندي‪ .‬يعنى مصحف فاطمة‪ ،‬وﷲ ما لمحمد بن عبدﷲ فيه اسم(( )بحار األنوار ج‪47‬‬ ‫ص‪ 32‬رواية‪ 29‬باب‪.(4‬‬ ‫لقد وصل المصحف إلى مستوى من الرفعة والسم ّو بحيث صار مصدر سرورھم‬ ‫واستبشارھم‪ ،‬كما يستفاد من جملة قرت عينه في الحديث التالي‪)) :‬عن فضيل بن عثمان‬ ‫عن الحذاء قال‪ :‬قال لي أبو جعفر عليه السالم يا أبا عبيدة كان عنده سيف رسول ﷲ‬ ‫صلى ﷲ عليه وآله وسلم ودرعه ورايتُه المغلبة ومصحف فاطمة عليھا السالم ق ﱠرتْ‬ ‫عينُه(( )بحار األنوار ج‪ 26‬ص‪ 211‬رواية‪ 22‬باب‪.(16‬‬

‫ھل مصـحف فاطمة ھو القرآن؟‬ ‫إنﱠ الكثير من الناس كانوا وال زالوا يتص ﱠورون أنﱠ المصحف يشتمل على اآليات القرآنية‬ ‫الشريفة‪ ،‬أو أنﱠ ھناك قرآنا ً آخر عند الشيعة‪ ،‬كما يزعم‬ ‫الجھا ُل من العا ﱠمة‪ .‬ولكنﱠ‬ ‫بعض ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫الواقع ھو خالف ذلك‪ ،‬فإنﱠ المصحف ال يشتمل حتى على آية واحدة من آيات القرآن‬ ‫الكريم‪ ،‬كما ھو المستفاد من األحاديث الكثيرة ‪،‬كما أنﱠه ليس من قبيل القرآن وال يشبھه‬ ‫من ناحية المحتوى أصالً‪ ،‬فھو من مقول ٍة أخرى‪ ،‬فأحاديثنا صريحةٌ في ذلك فقد ورد في‬ ‫حديث‪...)) :‬عن على بن سعيد عن أبي عبد ﷲ عليه السالم‪ ...‬ما فيه آيةٌ من القرآن((‬ ‫)بحار األنوار ج‪ 26‬ص‪ 42‬رواية‪ 74‬باب‪.(1‬‬ ‫‪337‬‬

‫وفي أحاديث أخر‪...)) :‬عن على بن الحسين عن أبى عبد ﷲ عليه السالم ‪ ..‬عندنا‬ ‫مصحف فاطمة‪ ،‬أما وﷲ ما فيه حرفٌ من القرآن(()بحار األنوار ج‪ 26‬ص‪ 46‬رواية‪84‬‬ ‫باب‪.(1‬‬ ‫))عبد ﷲ بن جعفر عن موسى بن جعفر عن الوشاء عن أبي حمزة عن أبي عبد ﷲ‬ ‫عليه السالم قال‪ :‬مصحف فاطمة عليھا السالم ما فيه شيء من كتاب ﷲ‪)((..‬بحار‬ ‫األنوار ج‪ 26‬ص‪ 48‬رواية‪ 89‬باب‪.(1‬‬ ‫))عن عنبسة بن مصعب قال‪ :‬كنا عند أبي عبد ﷲ عليه السالم‪ ..‬ومصحف فاطمة أما وﷲ ما‬ ‫أزعم أنه قرآن(()بحار األنوار ج‪ 26‬ص‪ 33‬رواية‪ 50‬باب‪.(1‬‬

‫عند مالحظة األحاديث تعرف أنﱠ الشبھة كانت منتشرة في عصر األئمة عليھم السالم‪،‬‬ ‫سلون بالقسم لنفي ذلك‪ ،‬غير أنﱠ ھناك حديثا‬ ‫ولھذا نراھم يستنكرون بك ﱢل حزم وجدّ‪ ،‬ويتو ﱠ‬ ‫يد ّل على أنّ المصحف‪)) :‬فيه مثل قرآنكم ھذا ثالث مرات(()بحار األنوار ج‪ 26‬ص‪38‬‬ ‫رواية ‪ 70‬باب(‪.‬‬ ‫والظاھر أنّ المقصود ھو من ناحية الكميّة وحجم المعلومات‪ ،‬ال من حيث المحتوى‪ .‬ث ﱠم ال‬ ‫معان فتأ ﱠمل جيﱢداً‪.‬‬ ‫يخفى عليك ما في كلمة قرآنكم من‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫وأيضـا ً‪ :‬المستفاد من أحاديث كثيرة أنﱠ مصحف الزھراء عليھا السالم ليس فيه شيء من‬ ‫الحالل والحرام أصالً‪ ،‬ومن تلك األحاديث قوله عليه السالم‪)) :‬أما إنﱠه ليس من الحالل‬ ‫والحرام(()بحار األنوار ج‪ 26‬ص‪ 44‬رواية‪ 77‬باب‪.(1‬‬

‫?‪WHAT IS FĀ±IMA’S MU¯μAF‬‬ ‫‪Fā§ima  has left us a book behind her which is not a Qur’ān but‬‬ ‫‪speech of the Almighty revealed to her, dictated by the Messenger of‬‬ ‫‪Allāh  and written down by Ali , according to p. 41, Vol. 26‬‬ ‫‪of Bi¦ār al-Anwār. This is why she is named “Fā§ima ”: the one‬‬ ‫‪who manifests the speech of the Fatir (Creator) of the heavens and‬‬ ‫‪earth. Since the angel sent by Him speaks to her on behalf of the‬‬ ‫‪”, one spoken to. Also,‬المحدثة ‪Almighty, she is called “mu¦addatha‬‬ ‫‪the angel used to tell her the calamities and afflictions that will‬‬ ‫‪happen after her death to her progeny and, more importantly, the‬‬ ‫‪gains such progeny will earn, the great victories and success during‬‬ ‫‪the Time of Occultation then during the time when her descendant,‬‬ ‫‪al-Mahdi, the Awaited One, may the Almighty speed up his holy‬‬ ‫‪ease, reappears.‬‬

‫‪338‬‬

Ali  was the scribe of this mu¥¦af. Az-Zahrā'  used to sense the presence of the angel and hear his voice, but she did not see him.

When this took place, she complained about it to the Commander of the Faithful Ali  because she did not expect the matter would thus continue taking place.

Ali , then, was the one who thought about writing the mu¥¦af down since he heard the voice of the trusted angels, so he would write down what he heard till a complete mu¥¦af was gathered which is az-Zahrā's mu¥¦af, peace with her. You realize that it is not easy to write down what Gabriel was dictating; rather, this was among the special divine sciences which characterized the Commander of the Faithful . He was the one who used to write down what the Messenger of Allāh  used to dictate to him, and he was the one who compiled together the Holy Qur’ān as is confirmed.

MU¯μAF’S CONTENTS Fā§ima’s mu¥¦af (book) contains many matters which can be summarized thus: It absorbs all upcoming serious events, especially the calamities and afflictions her progeny would face as well as the victories. It is said to contain names of kings and rulers till Judgment Day, according to this tradition which is recorded on p. 32, Vol. 47, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār: “There is no prophet or wa¥i or king except that he is mentioned in Fā§ima’s mu¥¦af.” It also contains matters relevant to the person of the Messenger of Allāh  as well as her own will .

Ibn Hishām quotes Ya¦ya ibn Abū Omrān quoting other sources citing Abū Abdullāh (Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq ) saying that it contains the will of Fā§ima  as stated on p. 43, Vol. 26, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār. Naturally, the said will contains personal matters relevant to her grief and the predicaments she had to go through which her enemies caused so her descendant, the 12th Imām, the Awaited Mahdi, may Allāh Almighty hasten his sacred ease, would carry it.

This is so because the Mahdi is the one who will have the power to do so, who will be empowered by Allāh to fill the earth with justice and equity after having been filled with injustice and iniquity.

339

IMĀMS  AND FĀ±IMA’S MU¯μAF Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  used to always emphasize the significance of the sciences of Ahl al-Bayt . In one tradition, he used to say, “Their knowledge, peace with them, transcends time, comprehended and recorded, effective in the hearts, having an impact on those who hear it,” that they have ‫الجفر األحمر و الجفر األبيض‬, the Red Wide Well (or pool) and the White one, Fā§ima’s mu¥¦af and al-Jāmi`a.” The red and white wells or pools referred to above are connotations of what is prohibitive and permissible in Islam. As for al-Jāmi`a , it is a collection of writings by the Commander of the Faithful Ali  who held them so precious, he attached them to his sword, Dhul-Fiqar.

The contents of this Jāmi`a were recorded on animal’s skin and used to be inherited, as is the case with Fā§ima’s book, by the immediate family of the Prophet , the Ahl al-Bayt , who were subjected to untold trials and tribulations, persecution, imprisonment, poisoning, beheading and a host of injustices because of which these precious writings are now lost. Ahl al-Bayt  used to maintain connection with the angels and adhere to the contents of Imām Ali’s book, the Jāmi`a which contained all judicial rulings, including the penalty for one slightly scratching someone else’s cheek. Their knowledge included the “science of Jafr” which contains branches of knowledge relevant to what is permissible in Islam and what is not needed by people of all times till the Judgment Day. But they used to depend in understanding serious events on Fā§ima’s book according to a tradition that says, “We follow its contents and do not go beyond them.” Such contents include all external [beyond the Household of the Prophet ] incidents as well as the names of kings till the Day of Judgment. One tradition states that Mu¦ammed son of Abdullāh son of Imām al-μassan  was once asked and he said this in his answer: “The names of every prophet, wa¥i, king… is with me in a book,” meaning Fā§ima’s book, adding, “By Allāh! It does not contain any mention of [Prophet] Mu¦ammed ibn Abdullāh ,” according to p. 32, Vol. 47, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār.

This mu¥¦af reached a high level of loftiness, so much so that it became a source of happiness and optimism as is concluded from the phrase “apple of his eyes” in the following tradition: “Fu¤ail ibn 340

Othmān quotes al-μaththā’ saying that Imām Abū Ja`far [al-Bāqir]  said to him, ‘O Abū Ubaidah! He used to have the sword of the Messenger of Allāh , his shield, winning banner and Fā§ima’s mu¥¦af, the apple of his eyes,” as indicated on p. 211, Vol. 26, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār.

IS FĀ±IMA’S MU¯μAF THE HOLY QUR’ĀN?!

Most people used to, and still do, imagine that this mu¥¦af contains the sacred Qur’ānic verses, or that there is another Qur’ān the Shī`as have, as ignorant commoners claim. But the reality is contrary to this: This mu¥¦af does not contain a single verse of the verses of the Holy Qur’ān, as is understood from many traditions. Also, it is not similar to the Qur’ān, nor is it like it from the standpoint of context at all. It tells quite a different tale. Traditions are clear in this regard: One tradition says, “… quoting Ali ibn Sa`īd citing Abū Abdullāh , ‘It does not contain any verse of the Qur’ān,’” according to p.

42, Vol. 26, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār.

In another tradition, it is indicated that “… from Ali son of al-μussain who quotes Abū Abdullāh , ‘We have Fā§ima’s mu¥¦af.

By Allāh! It does not contain a single syllable of the Qur’ān,” as stated on p. 46, Vol. 26, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār.  Abdullāh ibn Ja`far quotes Mūsa ibn Ja`far quoting al-Washa citing Abū μamzah citing Imām Abū Abdullāh  saying, ‘The mu¥¦af of Fā§ima  does not contain anything of the Book of Allāh,’” according to p. 48, Vol. 26, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār.  `Anbasah ibn Mus`ab has said, “We were in the company of Abū Abdullāh … and Fā§ima’s mus¦af; by Allāh, he did not claim at all that it is a Qur’ān,” as we read on p. 33, Vol. 26, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār.

When examining these traditions, you will come to know that this 341

confusion spread even during the time of the Imāms ; therefore, we find them strictly and seriously denouncing it, swearing about denying it. There is one tradition which indicates that this mus¦af “contains three times the like of your Qur’ān,” according to p. 38, Vol. 26, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār. It is quite obvious the comparison is with regard to the quantity and size of information, not from that of context. You can conclude that from the phrase “your Qur’ān”; so, carefully ponder.

‫أئمتي اثنا عشر‬ ‫كالقمر‬

342

‫امام‬

‫كل‬

‫عشر‬

‫اثنا‬

‫بعد النبي خير البشر‬

‫علي‬

‫ساداتي‬

‫و نسلھا سام أغر‬

‫وعاؤھم‬

‫الدرر‬

‫المجتبى السبط الحسن‬

‫قالدة‬

‫ثاني‬

‫أئمتي‬ ‫أول‬ ‫فاطمة‬

‫شھيد كربال األغر‬

‫ثالث‬

‫الحسين‬

‫ثم‬

‫امام كل من نظر‬

‫سجادھم‬

‫باقر علم من غبر‬

‫محمد‬

‫و فقھه ال يستتر‬

‫و السادس صادقھم‬

‫كاظمھم بمن صبر‬

‫و السابع ابن جعفر‬

‫ش ّرف طوس فاستقر‬

‫الرضا‬

‫كريم سادات مضر‬

‫جوادھم‬

‫التاسع‬

‫و‬

‫بسر من رأى يسر‬

‫ھاديھم‬

‫العاشر‬

‫و‬

‫امامنا الحادي عشر‬

‫و العسكري الحسن‬

‫ھو االمام المنتظر‬

‫و الخاتم الثاني عشر‬

‫الرابع‬

‫و‬

‫الخامس‬

‫و‬

‫الدر‬

‫الثامن‬

‫و آجعلنا ممن حضر‬

‫يا رب يسر أمره‬

‫الظفر‬

‫نوره‬

‫له‬

‫مالزم‬

‫و‬

‫ظھوره‬

Many traditions conclude that the mus¦af of az-Zahrā'  does not contain anything about what is permissible and what is not; among such traditions is this statement (by Imām a¥-¯ādiq, peace with him): “It is not about what is permissible and what is not,” as stated on p.

44, Vol. 26, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār.

The list of the other Infallible Fourteen  is as follows: 3. Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  4. Al-μassan ibn Ali  5. Al-μussain ibn Ali  6. Ali ibn al-μussain  7. Mu¦ammed ibn Ali al-Bāqir  8. Ja`far ibn Mu¦ammed a¥-¯ādiq  9. Mousa ibn Ja`far al-Kā¨im  10. Ali ibn Mūsa al-Ri¤a  11. Mu¦ammed ibn Ali at-Taqi  12. Ali ibn Mu¦ammed an-Naqi  13. al-μassan ibn Ali al-`Askari  14. Mu¦ammed ibn al-μassan al-Mahdi (‫)ﻋﺞ‬.

The biographies of these saints are detailed in my book titled Kerbala and Beyond: An Epic of Immortal Heroism.

The author of this book, his family and ancestors up to about 150 years back have been followers of the Shī`a Ithnā-`Asheri faith.

Earlier than that, his ancestors were Sunnis, and the conversion of his first ancestor took place in al-Kā¨imiyya city following a bloody incident which shook him. Details of this incident and the persecution to which early Jibouri (author’s tribesmen) Shī`as were exposed, as well as the prejudice the author received from some 343

Sunnis in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was studying for his graduate degree, are all recorded in his Memoirs. These Memoirs are available for all to read on an Internet web page by clicking on this link: http://www.scribd.com/yasinaljibouri/ and also on the eSnips site if you click on: http://www.esnips.com/web/yasinaljibourisStuff.

H

H

Istidrāk ‫إس تدراك‬: retraction, catching up (with), overtaking (somebody ahead) Istighfār ‫إستغفار‬: seeking Allāh's forgiveness Isti¦qāq ‫إستحقاق‬: entitlement, worth, value, merit, maturity (of debt) Isti¦sān ‫إستح سان‬: preference, finding something to be valuable, worthwhile, commending, advising Istihtār ‫إس تھتار‬: rash behavior, disregard (for laws, customs, traditions, ethics, etc.), wantonness, recklessness, disregard for others' feelings, sentiments, interests, etc.

Istimnā’ ‫اس تمناء‬: masturbation. What does Islam say about it?

Following is quoted from p. 106, Vol. 1, of Al-Khi¥āl (tradition 68): ‫)الخصال( عن أبيه عن سعد عن الطيالسي عن عبد الرحمن بن عوف عن ابن أبي‬ ‫ ثالثة ال‬:‫ يقول‬ ‫ سمعت أبا عبد ﷲ‬:‫نجران التميمي عن ابن حميد عن أبي بصير قال‬ ‫ الناتف شيبه و‬:‫يكلمھم ﷲ يوم القيامة و ال ينظر اليھم و ال يزكيھم و لھم عذاب أليم‬ .‫الناكح نفسه و المنكوح في دبره‬ (Al-Khi¥āl) [the author quotes] from his father from Sa`d from al±ayālisi from Abdur-Ra¦mān ibn `Awf from Ibn Abū Najrān atTamīmi from Ibn μameed from Abū Bu¥ayr said: “I heard Abū Abdullāh  [Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq] saying: ‘Three [types of men] to whom Allāh shall not speak on the Judgment Day, nor will He look at them nor purify them [of their sins], and they shall have a painful torment: one who removes his gray hair, one who masturbates and one who lets another man penetrate his anus.”

Istinsākh ‫إستنساخ‬: copying, duplicating, cloning 344

Istintāj ‫إس تنتاج‬: reaching conclusion, deduction (from certain events or facts) by inference Isti§ān ‫إستيطان‬: settling (usually on someone else's land) Istithnā' ‫إستثناء‬: exception, exclusion I`tikāf ‫إعتك اف‬: the act of remaining most of the time at a mosque for prayers and supplications `Itrat ‫عترة‬: progeny (usually) of Prophet Mu¦ammed  Itmām ‫إتمام‬: Completion, conclusion, consummation Ittikāl ‫إتكال‬: reliance (on), dependence on, dependency Ittizān ‫إت زان‬: rationality, sobriety, the keeping of sedateness (of conduct), balance, poise Izdiwājiyya ‫إزدواجي ة‬: duplicity, duality (of control, allegiance, jurisdiction, etc.), measuring by two scales, judging by double standards

345

‫ج‬J Jadaf ‫ج دف‬: (v. or n.) to blaspheme (the name of God) or blashempy, to revile or reviling, to swear to a lie Jahannam ‫جھ نم‬: Hell; reference to and description of it has already been made in my book titled Fast of the month of Rama¤ān: Philosphy and A¦kām. However, if you do not have a copy of it, here is what I wrote in explaining the Hebrew origin of this word: “Ge hen Hinnom,” Hebrew for “the valley of the son of Hinnom.”

Jews believe that this valley is a place near Jerusalem where, according to Jeremiah 19:5, [Gentile] children were burnt in sacrifice to Baal. The latter was the fertility god of then polytheist Canaanites (Arabs, descendants of Ken`ān, as he is known in Arabic, or Cenaan, as his name exists in Western references, who inhabited Greater Syria. According to Vol. 1, p. 24 of Civilization: Past and Present, “'Phoenician' is the name which the Greeks gave to those Canaanites who dwelt along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, an area that is today Lebanon.”). The Greeks, then, were the ones who called those Arabs "Phoenicians". Ge hen Hinnom is Arabized as “Jahannam.” Before the advent of Islam, Arabs believed neither in heaven nor in hell; they had no clear concept of the afterlife. They, therefore, had no words for Paradise or Hell in their very rich and extensive vocabulary. “Janna ‫جن ة‬,” by the way, means: a garden, an orchard, but it really does not describe Paradise fully. Paradise is a lot more than an orchard or a garden. It is a whole world by itself.

346

Incidentally, the word “Paradise” (firdaws) is also a loan word, some say from Persian, others from Babylonian.

Jā¦id ‫جاح د‬: ingrate, unappreciative, denies favors, denies the existence of the Creator (apostate), atheist Jāhil ‫جاھل‬: ignorant, illiterate, unlettered Jāhiliyya ‫جاھلي ه‬: period of overwhelming ignorance, a reference to the conditions of the Arabs before the advent of Islam. It implies is a combination of views, ideas, and practices that totally defy and reject commonsense and the guidance sent down by God through His Prophets.

Jā’ir ‫ج ائر‬: oppressive, unfair, unjust, inequitable, transgressing, encroaching, transgressing Jā'iz ‫جائز‬: permissible, allowable, admissible, possible, probable Jalbāb ‫جلباب‬: long loose fitting garment worn by the Arabs Jalda or Jaldah ‫جلده‬: lash, whip Jallād ‫جالد‬: executioner, headsman, hangman Jāmi`a ‫جامع ه‬: inclusive, universal, university; it also means handcuffs. Another meaning: a book written by Imām Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  which contained explanations of some verses of the Holy Qur’ān, some traditions of the Prophet of Islam , brief narratives of some incidents of the time and a host of other branches of knowledge. The Imām  used to attach the sheets on which he wrote it, mostly pieces of deer skin, to his sword Dhul-Fiqār.

Descendants of the Imām  inherited this record one after another till it was unfortunately lost. The same applies to an almost similar book written by the Imām’s wife, Fā§ima , the mu¥¦af to which reference is made above and which has nothing to do with the Holy Qur’ān, also referred to as the al-Mu¥¦af al-Shareef ‫الم صحف ال شريف‬, the Holy Book of Islam. It, too, was lost. Other books written by the 347

Imāms  include ‫ ال صحيفة ال سجادية‬al-¥a¦īfa as-Sajjādiyya, a compilation of supplications, duā`s, which was written by Imām Ali’s grandson, namely Imām Ali son of al-μussain son of Ali son of Abū ±ālib  known as as-Sajjād . This book has been preserved in men’s memory, so it is available and a good deal of its text has been translated into English. The best source for such translations is Mafāti¦ al-Jinān book by Sheikh `Abbās al-Qummi details of which are recorded in the right place in this Glossary.

Another book by Imām as-Sajjād  is known as Risālat al-μuqūq ‫رس الة الحق وق‬, the dissertation of rights. It by far surpasses the United Nations’ Charter. These rights cover not only human rights but also animal and bird rights as well as rights of all beings, rights which nature makes incumbent on us to respect for our own good, including respect for inanimate objects, for keeping the atmosphere clean and not pollute it, be it air, ground, above and under, water, above and under, or anything else in existence. Imām Ali ibn Mousa ar-Ri¤a , too, wrote Ar-Risāla adh-Dhahbiyya ‫الرس الة الذھبي ة‬, the golden dissertation, also known as ±ibb al-Imām ar-Ri¤a (“Medicine of Imām ar-Ri¤a,” which was published once in Najaf, Iraq, in book form, and I had the opportunity to read it. It details the medical benefits of a large number of herbs, plants, vegetables and fruits.

Other Imāms , too, such as Imām μassan al-`Askari  wrote mostly tafsīr, exegesis, books. Remember that all these Imāms  were fought fiercely by the rulers of their time who regarded them as competitors for power and authority, jailing, killing or poisoning them. In reality these holy saints did not have any interest whatsoever in ruling the public.

Janāba ‫جنابه‬: uncleanness caused by seminal discharge Jannat or Jannah ‫جن ه‬: heaven, Paradise, garden, the eternal abode of those with whom the Almighty is pleased; plural: jannāt Jāni¦ ‫جانح‬: devious, errant, delinquent, misdemeanant Jāmi` ‫ج امع‬: mosque, house of congregational worship, same as masjid ‫ ;م سجد‬literally, it means "place where people gather ‫ يجتم ع‬for prayers" 348

Janīn ‫جنين‬: fetus Jard ‫جرد‬: stock-taking, inventory Jarrada ‫ج رد‬: stripped one (of property, clothes, etc.), deprived of, despoiled, denuded Jāriya ‫جاريه‬: bondmaid, slave girl, concubine, servant Jasha` ‫ج شع‬: greed, avarice, avidity; one who is greedy is called jashi` ‫جشع‬ Jazā'i ‫جزائي‬: punitive, penal, vindicatory Jazāk Allāhu khayran or Jazāk Allāhu Khairan, Jazāk Allāh Khair, Jazāk Allāhu Khair ‫ج زاك ﷲ خي را‬: This is a statement of thanks and appreciation said to the person who does a favor. Instead of saying "thanks" (Shukran), the Islamic statement of thanks and appreciation is to say this phrase. Its meaning is: "May Allāh reward you for the good deed which you have done." One tradition of the Prophet of Islam  says that one cannot thank the Almighty if he does not thank His servants. It is understood that humans cannot repay one another enough, especially and particularly parents and educators. Hence, it is better to plead to the Almighty, Allāh, to reward the person who did you a favor to grant him what is best for him.

Jawhara ‫جوھره‬: jewel, precious (stone, etc.)

Jāzim ‫جازم‬: positive, sure, categorical Jidāl ‫جدال‬: arguing, argument, debate, discussion Jihād ‫جھاد‬: It is an Arabic word the root of which is "jāhada" which implies one who has strived for a worthy cause, a better way of life, etc. The nouns from which the word is derived are: juhd (effort, endeavor, exertion, exhaustion), mujāhid (one who exerts himself or defends the creed, provided such defense is not done through 349

aggression or through any means not allowed by Islam), jihād (struggle, defense of the Islamic creed) and ijtihād (ultimate effort exerted in order to derive a solution for a problem related to jurisprudence; one who does so is called mujtahid ‫مجتھد‬, a highly learned jurist capable of deriving Islamic rulings). The other meanings are: strain, exertion, effort, diligence, fighting to defend one's life, land and religion. Jihād has commonly been mistranslated or misrepresented to the world to mean "holy war". In the absence of the Prophet, such a war does not exist in Islam, nor will Islam allow its followers to be involved in this so-called "holy war".

Unfortunately, the past few years have witnessed the rising of a number of extremist movements that justify the shedding of the blood not only of non-Muslims but even of Muslims who do not agree with their twisted ideologies. Those who are hostile to Islam have utilized the acts of terrorism committed by these groups, mostly identified as Takfīri groups influenced by some extremist views, groups that label all others as "kāfirs", apostates, to tarnish Islam's image. These Takfīri groups use Islam as a pretext for their acts just as the crusaders had done during the Middle Ages when even some crusaders shed the blood of their own Christian brethren for purely materialistic gains. More details about Crusaders killing Christians can be reviewed in the Appendix to this book. Jihād is not a war to force the Islamic faith on others, as many ignorant people think or portray. Contrariwise, there is an explicit verse in the Qur’ān that says, ‫ش ُد ِمنَ ا ْل َغ ﱢي‬ ْ ‫الر‬ ‫ﱢين قَ ْد تَبَيﱠنَ ﱡ‬ ِ ‫ال إِ ْك َراهَ فِي الد‬ "There is no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clearly from error" (Chapter Al-Baqara, verse 256). Jihād is not only a defensive war but a struggle, through peaceful means, against any unjust regime or any injustice, period. If such a regime exists—and there are many—such an effort has to be exerted against the leaders, the decision-makers, not against the people. An example is this ¦adīth of the Prophet  which is quoted on pp. 325 and 4344, Vol. 2 of Abū Dāwūd’s Sunan as well as on pp. 318, 2265, Vol. 3 of at-Tirmidhi’s Sunan where both references quote the great ¥a¦ābi Abū Sa`īd alKhudri: 350

‫أفضل الجھاد كلمة حق عند سلطان جائر‬ “The best (type of) jihād is a just statement in the presence of an unjust ruler.”

Another ¦adīth, which is cited on pp. 285 and 10519, Vol. 4, of Kanzul-`Ummāl of al-Muttaqi al-Hindi from Abū Hurayra, says the following: ‫أفضل الجھاد أن يجاھد الرجل نفسه و ھواه‬ “The best (type of) jihād is a man fighting his own (evil insinuating) nafs (self) and (illicit) inclinations.”

Islam strongly prohibits terrorism, kidnapping, hijacking and depriving one of his freedom, even if this "one" is an animal or a bird. ٌRead these quotations about the Prophet of Islam  as recorded in the books of the Sunna: ‫ ) ع ُّذبت امرأة في ھ ّرة‬: ‫ قال‬- ‫ صلى ﷲ عليه وسلم‬- ‫عن عبد ﷲ بن عمر أن رسول ﷲ‬ ‫ وال ھي‬، ‫ وال سقتھا إذ حبستھا‬، ‫ فدخلت فيھا النار ؛ ال ھي أطعمتھا‬، ‫سجنتھا حتى ماتت‬ .‫تركتھا تأكل من خشاش األرض ( متفق عليه‬ ‫وفي صحيح البخاري عن أسماء بنت أبي بكر أن النبي – صلى ﷲ عليه وسلم – رأى‬ ، ‫ فإذا امرأة تخدشھا ھ ّرة‬، ‫ ودنت مني النار‬..) : ‫تلك المرأة في صالة الكسوف حيث قال‬ ‫ وال أرسلتھا تأكل‬، ‫ ال أطعمتھا‬، ‫ حبستھا حتى ماتت جوعا‬: ‫ قالوا‬، ‫ ما شأن ھذه ؟‬: ‫قلت‬ `Abdullāh ibn Omer (ibn al-Kha§§āb) is quoted as having said that the Messenger of Allāh  said, “A woman was tormented (in hell) because of a pussycat which she confined, causing her to die, so she entered hell because of her. She neither gave her food nor drink when she confined her, nor did she let her eat of what is on the ground.” This is an agreed on tradition in the books of ¦adīth.

In Bukhāri’s ¯a¦i¦, Asmā’ daughter of (first caliph) Abū Bakr is quoted as having said that the Prophet  had seen a vision of that woman as he was performing the eclipse prayer. He  said, “The 351

Fire came close to me, and I saw a woman in it being scratched with the claws by a pussycat. I inquired, ‘What is with her?’ They [angels] said, ‘The woman confined the pussycat till she died hungry. She neither fed her, nor did she let her go to find something to eat.’”

As for some "Muslim" political figures, leaders and rulers who waged wars against non-Muslims in the pretext of "spreading Islam," they were further from Islam than the earth is from the sun and did what they did for political, economic or selfish reasons.

They were ignorant of the true message of Islam. Unfortunately, there are many such "Muslims" in our time and in all times and climes, and such men exist in other faiths as well.

Jināya or Jināyah ‫جنايه‬: serious crime, felony Jinn or Jin or Ginn ‫ج ن‬: These are spiritual beings, “genies”, that inhabit the world. The Almighty has obstructed their view from our eyes due to His kindness and mercy on us. Like humans, they are required to follow the commandments of their Creator. They are held accountable for their deeds. Some of them are good while most of them are not, as is the case with humans. The meaning of the word "jinn" in Arabic is "hidden", invisible, because they cannot be seen by most humans. The jinns were created by the Almighty from smokeless fire. I discussed the jinns in more detail in my book titled Allāh: The Concept of God in Islam.

Jirāb ‫جراب‬: pouch, bag, sack Jizya or Jizyah ‫جزي ه‬: tribute, protection tax paid to Muslims by nonMuslims residing in areas under Islamic control. The Muslims collect this tax in exchange for protecting the lives and possessions of these non-Muslims, exempting them from the military service and awarding them full freedom to practice their religion, whatever it may be. If the Islamic State cannot protect those who have paid the jizya, they are entitled to get it back. In all reality, such tax is hardly collected because even in Pakistan, where the majority are Muslims living with mostly Hindu and Buddhist minorities, the latter do not pay any jizya.

352

Judhām ‫جذام‬: leprosy Jumood ‫جم ود‬: stagnation, freezing, inaction, inactivity, passiveness (to influence, change, etc.)

Jun¦a or Jun¦ah ‫جنحه‬: misdemeanor Junoon or Jinoon ‫جن ون‬: madness, insanity; this word is derived from “jinn” because Arabs used to think that mentally disordered people were possessed by jinns. Modern science has discovered that mental disorders are attributed to a number of causes one of which is a chemical imbalance that affects the brain.

Juzāf ‫جزاف‬: at random, haphazard, casual

353

‫خ‬،‫ ك‬K, Kh K`ba or Ka`bah ‫كعب ه‬: the first house of worship built for mankind, the cubic-shaped structure which is the most sacred to the Muslims of the world. It was originally built by Adam and was rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael because it was damaged by torrential rain. It has the Black Stone which is believed as having been brought by an angel for Adam from another planet. The stone has been subjected to tests and analyses which all proved that it was unlike any other on our planet, thus proving the Muslims' claim that it is not earthly but cosmic. It is located in Mecca, the city located in μijāz to which all Muslims of the world turn as they perform their five daily prayers and all other prayers, obligatory or optional.

Mecca now is a very modern city with luxury hotels, malls, commercial centers and all modern facilities, and its people are most courteous, kind, generous and hospitable. Many pilgrims did not like to leave it once they had completed their pilgrimage rituals, so they married there and lived happily ever after.

Aerial evening view of the Ka`ba's Grand Mosque

354

Kaffāra ‫كف اره‬: atonement from sin, a penalty for wrongdoing. It is great if sinners pay for their sins in this short life for the price they will have to pay in the Hereafter will be quite dear. Kaffāra sometimes is done by paying a certain amount of money determined by a jurist to the poor and the needy. Other ways of paying it may be with performance of rituals such as prayers, fast, pilgrimage, etc.; so, dear reader, if you have committed a sin—and who has not?! —, try to atone for it before it is too late.

Kāfir ‫ك افر‬: infidel, apostate, atheist, one who does not believe in the existence of the Creator. The noun kufr denotes a person who refuses to submit to the will of Allāh (God), who disbelieves in God. It also means one who deliberately covers up the truth while fully knowing it.

Kalām ‫ك الم‬: Talk or speech as in "kalamu-Allāh". It also means the science of logic or philosophy.

Kalima or Kalimah ‫كلمه‬: Synonymous to "shahāda," it is a Muslim's declaration of faith (that is, to testify that there is no god except Allāh, and that Mu¦ammed  is the Messenger of Allāh), and it is always pronounced in Arabic.

Kin§ār ‫قنط ار‬: in Arabic, it is qin§ār, a varying weight of 100 rat,.ls (rotls); a rat,.l in Syria is roughly 3.202 kg., whereas in England it is 449.28 grams, and in Lebanon it is 2.566 kg.

A

A

EA

EA

Khabīr ‫خبير‬: expert, learned, informed, connoisseur (of), specialist Khafaqān ‫خفقان‬: palpitation (of heart, etc.)

Khalā`a ‫خالعه‬: indecency, immorality, debauchery Khaleefa or Khalīfah ‫خليف ه‬: caliph; the word "khalīfah" refers to the successor of Prophet Mu¦ammed :) or simply to any ruler who claims that he rules the Muslims according to the will of the Almighty, whether he is justified in his claim or not. History has proven that most of these claims are false! This person sees himself 355

as the head not only of his country but of the entire Muslim nation, so let us leave him enjoying this thought! Another title for the khalīfah is "Amīr Al-Mu’minīn", Commander of the Faithful, which is explained above.

Khāli¥ ‫خالص‬: whole, clear, pure, candid, genuine, exclusive Khandaq ‫خن دق‬: ditch, moat. This word reminds the Muslims of the "Battle of the Khandaq" which took place during Islam's early years, that is, in 627 A.D. First of all, there are two theories about how contemporary Jews went to and settled in Mecca and Medīna. One theory says that they fled the persecution of the Romans who had by then subjected Jerusalem, which Jews call Ur-o-Shalom, the city of peace, and went to Arabia where they felt confident that the Romans would not chase them there. Arabia at that time did not have much to attract foreign invaders. Another theory says that these Jews, who spoke Arabic besides Hebrew and Yiddish, had actually fled away from the persecution of cruel and fanatical Christian rulers of Najrān, southern Yemen, who were at the time appointed by the emperors of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). In Medīna, most Jews settled within small fortified towns. Upon settling down at Khaibar, one of their tribes, Banu Na¤īr, decided to seek revenge against the Muslims because of an incident which had taken place at Medīna's main bazaar: A Jewish shop owner went from behind a Muslim woman and pulled her gown up, exposing her private parts. A Muslim man noticed the incident, attacked the Jew and killed him.

The Jews went into a riot and contacted the Meccans. Twenty Jewish leaders and 50 others from pagan Quraish made a covenant in the Ka`ba that as long as they lived, they would fight Mu¦ammed  and the Muslims. Then the Jews and Quraish contacted their allies and sent emissaries to a number of tribes. Banu Gha§fān, Banu Asad, Banu Aslam, Banu Ashja`, Banu Kinānah and Banu Fizārah readily responded. The Meccans, four thousand strong, including three hundred cavaliers and fifteen hundred camels, were joined by six thousand allies from among the Jews and the bedouin tribes. The three armies set out, ten thousand strong, under the command of Abū Sufyān, father of Mu`āwiyah and grandfather of Yazid, in the beginning of the month of Shawwāl, 5 A.H. (the end of February 627 A.D.) to attack Medīna.

356

When news of these preparations reached Medīna, the Prophet consulted his companions, as he always did during such situations.

There was hardly sufficient time to make preparations for the war.

He decided this time to remain within the city and fight back. The stone houses of the city were built adjacent to one another so as to make a high and continuous strong wall for a long distance except in the north-west where a wide open space could afford the enemy an easy entry. At this place, with the suggestion of the great ¥a¦ābi Salmān al-Fārisi, who was familiar with the mode of defending cities in other countries such as his home country (Persia), a trench, fifteen feet in width and fifteen feet in depth, was dug up. Muslims were divided into parties of 10 each, and each party was allotted 10 yards to dig. The Prophet himself participated in this task, carrying the excavated earth away. The khandaq (moat) was completed in the nick of time: just 3 days before the host of the enemies reached Medīna. The houses outside the city were evacuated, and the women and children were accommodated for safety on the tops of the double-storied houses at the entrenchment. Muslims could muster only three thousand men to face this huge army, and they immediately took cover behind the ditch. The Propeht camped in the center of the entrenchment in a tent of red leather on a space shaped like a crescent. The camp had the rising ground of Silā` on its rear and the trench in the front. μuyaiy ibn al-Akh§ab ‫حي ي ب ن األخط ب‬, head of Banu Na¤īr Jews of Medīna, met secretly with Ka`b ibn Asad, head of Banu Qurai¨ah, another Jewish tribe which was still in Medīna. μuyaiy was the most antagonistic Jew towards the Prophet . Banu Qurai¨ah, on his instigation, tore down the treaty which they had concluded with the Muslims. The Jews decided that they would assist the pagan Quraishites after ten days' preparations and would attack the rear of Mu¦ammed's army from the city’s northwestern side which was located on the southeastern side of their fortress and which was easily accessible to them.

Rumours reached the Prophet about the Jews' schemes, so he sent two chiefs, one from the Aws and one from the Khazraj, namely Sa`d ibn Mu`ādh and Sa`d ibn `Abādah—whom the reader may 357

remember when I referred to him in my book titled Allāh: The Concept of God in Islam while discussing the jinns, genies— respectively, to verify the truth of the information. Both men proceeded to meet with the Jews. Having made inquiries and some scouting of their own, they returned to report to the Prophet that the temper of the Jews was even worse than it had been feared. This news alarmed the Prophet . It was then deemed necessary to take precautions against any surprise attack or treachery from the side of those Jews. The northwestern part of the city, which was located on the side of the Jewish stronghold, was the weakest of all defenses. In order to protect the families of his followers throughout the city, the Prophet, as a meager measure of precaution, had no choice except to send a considerable number of his men from his already small army of three thousand to afford them such protection. His men's supplies were hardly adequate due to the length of the siege of the entrenchment which formed his defense line. Still, he had no choice except to detach two parties, one of three hundred men under the command of Zayd ibn μārithah, his freed slave whom he raised since childhood, and another of two hundred men under the command of a chieftain from Medīna. Their job was to patrol the city’s streets and the alleys night and day.

This treachery and danger from inside Medīna, when Muslims were surrounded by the combined armies of pagans and Jews of all of Arabia on the outside, had a telling effect on the Muslims. The enemy was astonished to see the moat because it was a novel military tactic for the Arabs. They camped on the outside for 27 (or 24) days. Their number increased day by day, and many Muslims were extremely terrified, as the Qur’ān portrays for us. Sūrat alA¦zāb (Coalitions, i.e. Chapter 33 of the Holy Qur’ān) describes various aspects of this siege. For example, read the following verses: When they came upon you from above you and from below, and when the eyes turned dull, and the hearts rose up to the throats, you began to think diverse thoughts about Allāh. There, the believers were tried, and they wee shaken a tremendous shaking. (Qur’ān, 33:10-11) At that time, many hypocrites, and even some Muslims whose faith 358

was weak and who are unfortunately described by some scholars as being ¥a¦āba, companions of the Prophet , asked permission to leave the ranks of the Muslims and to go home: A party of them said: O people of Yathrib! There is no place for you to stand. And a party of them asked permission of the Prophet saying: Verily our houses are exposed, and they were not exposed; they only (thus) described (them in order) to flee away. (Qur’ān, 33:13) The bulk of the army, however, steadfastly withstood the hardship of inclement weather and rapidly depleting provisions. The coalition's army hurled arrows and stones at the Muslims.

Finally, some of Quraish's more valiant warriors, namely ``Amr ibn Abdwadd, Nawfal ibn Abdullāh ibn al-Mughīrah, ®irār ibn Kha§§ab, Hubairah ibn Abū Wahab, `Ikrimah ibn Abū Jahl (an unbelieving cousin of the Prophet) and Mirdās al-Fahri, succeeded in crossing the moat. ``Amr called for battle; nobody responded; he was considered to be equal to one thousand warriors. History accounts state that all the Muslims were as though birds were sitting on their heads: they were too afraid to raise their heads.

Three times did the Prophet exhort the Muslims to battle ``Amr. Three times it was only Ali  who stood up. In the third time, the Prophet  allowed Ali  to go. Ali  was born in 600 A.D. and the Battle of Khandaq took place in 627, so he was 27 at the time.

When Ali  was going to the battlefield, the Prophet  said: ‫ب رز‬ ‫“ االيم ان كل ه للكف ر كل ه‬The whole faith is going to fight the whole infidelity;” that is, the embodiment of the former bounds was to crush the entirety of the latter. The Prophet  put his own turban on Ali's head, his own coat of mail over Ali's body, and he armed Ali  with his own sword, Dhul-Fiqār, then he sent him to face his foe. Then the Prophet  raised his hands to supplicate thus: “O Allāh! `Obaydah, my cousin, was taken away from me (martyred) in the Battle of Badr, μamzah, my uncle, in [the Battle of] U¦ud. Be 359

Merciful, O Lord, and do not leave me alone and undefended. Spare Ali to defend me. You are the best of defenders.”

Ali  invited ``Amr to accept Islam, return to Mecca or alight from his horse since Ali  had no horse and was on foot.

“Nephew,” said ``Amr to Ali, being a friend of Ali's father Abū ±ālib, “By God I do not like to kill you.” Ali  replied, “By God, I am here to kill you!” ``Amr, now became enraged at this reply and alighted from his horse. Having hamstrung his horse, a token of his resolve never to run away from the battlefield but either to conquer or to perish, he advanced towards Ali . They were immediately engaged in a duel, turning the ground underneath them into a cloud of dust, so much so that for a good while, only the strokes of their swords could be heard while they themselves could not be seen. ``Amr succeeded once in inflicting a serious cut on Ali's head. At last, Ali's voice was heard shouting, “Allāhu Akbar! Allāhu Akbar!”

That was his cry of victory. It always is Muslims' cry of victory.

This is why all those who are hostile to Muslims do not like it!

Seeing how the most brave among them has been killed by Ali , the other pagans who crossed the moat now took to their heels with the exception of Nawfal whose horse failed to leap; it fell into the ditch. As the Muslims showered him with a hail of stones, he cried out thus: “I rather die by the sword than by the stones!” Hearing this, Ali  leaped into the ditch and fulfilled the infidel’s “last wish”, speedily dispatching him to hell!

Ali , contrary to the Arab custom prevailing there and then, did not, however, strip either men from their armor or clothes. When ``Amr's sister came to her brother's corpse, she was struck with admiration at the noble behavior of her slain brother's adversary and, finding out who he was, she felt proud of her brother having met his fate at the hands of the person who was known as the unique champion of spotless character. She said, as recorded in Tārīkh alKhamīs, “Had his conqueror been someone else other than the one who killed him, I would have mourned ``Amr for the rest of my life.

But his opponent was the unique spotless champion.” Ali , ‫أسد ﷲ‬ ‫ الغالب علي بن أب ي طال ب‬the victorious “Lion of God,” thus distinguished 360

himself as on previous occasions: in the battles of Badr and of U¦ud.

About this battle, the Prophet said: “Verily, one attack of Ali in the Battle of Khandaq is better than the worship of all human beings and jinns up to the Day of Resurrection.” It was an attack that saved Islam from extinction.

No further activity was attempted by the enemy that day, but great preparations were undertaken during the night. Khālid ibn al-Walīd, with a party of cavaliers fom the camp of the polytheists, attempted during the night to clear the ditch for crossing the next day. The next morning, the Muslims found the entire enemy force arrayed in fighting formations along their line of entrenchment. The enemies tried to overrun the Muslim side of the trench but were repelled at every point. The ditch served its purpose; it could not be crossed.

During the entire military campaign, by the way, only five Muslims were martyred. The Muslims' vigilance paralyzed the enemies despite their numeric superiority. Numeric superiority is not always a prerequisite for victory, folks, keep that in mind, please. The Almighty grants victory to whosoever He pleases.

But the Muslims were running out of provisions. The Prophet  had to tie a stone on his stomach in order to minimize the pangs of hunger. Abū Sa`īd al-Khudri said: “Our hearts had reached our throats in fear and in desperation.” On the other hand, the besieging army was getting restive, too; it could not put up any further with the rain and cold; its horses were perishing daily and provisions nearing depletion. The Prophet  went to the place where the Mosque of Victory (Masjidul-Fat¦) now stands and prayed to Allāh. The Prophet  pleaded saying, “O Lord! Revealer of the Sacred Book, the One Who is swift in taking account, turn the confederate host away! Turn them to flight, O Lord, and make the earth underneath them quake!”

A fierce storm raged, uprooting the tents of the enemies; their pots and belongings went flying in all directions; it blew dust in their faces, extinguished their fires, and their horses were running around as though they were possessed. An unbearable terror was cast in their hearts. In the fourth night, after having finished his prayers, 361

Mu¦ammed  asked his companion Abū Bakr if he would go to the enemy's camp to discern and report their activities. Abū Bakr replied saying, “I ask pardon of Allāh and of His Messenger.” The Prophet  promised Paradise to be the reward of anyone who would venture out for that purpose, then asked `Omer ibn al-Kha§§ab if he would do it. `Omer's answer was similar to that of Abū Bakr.

The Prophet's request is actually an order, a divine one, since it is coming from one who does not say anything or do anything without the Will of the Almighty. These facts are recorded in Tafsīr al-Durr al-Manthūr, As-Sīra al-Mu¦ammediyya, As-Sīra al-μalabiyya, Tārīkh al-Khamīs, and Raw¤at al-A¦bāb for all to review. The third person the Prophet asked was his true companion μuthayfah alYemāni who readily responded to the request and proceeded to the enemy camp in the darkness of the night where he saw the devastation wrought by the storm. He saw Abū Sufyān looking very depressed. When he came back to his camp and reported to the Prophet  in detail what he had seen, the Prophet  was delighted to find out that his plea to Allāh was answered.

Either feeling the pain of the severity of the weather or struck with terror at that storm which was interpreted as a manifestation of the Divine Wrath, Abū Sufyān decided to lift the siege and to march back at once. Summoning the chiefs of his allies, he announced his decision to them, issuing orders to dismantle the camp. He and all the Meccans with him, as well as the pagan tribes that allied themselves under his command, fled away. The first to flee was Abū Sufyān himself who was so upset that he tried to ride his camel without first untying its rope. Khālid ibn al-Walīd guarded the rear of the armies with two hundred cavaliers against a pursuit. The Gha§fān tribesmen and the bedouin allies returned to their deserts; not a single person remained on the battlefield in the morning. It was with great joy that in the morning the Muslims discovered the sudden disappearance of the enemy, finding themselves unexpectedly relieved. The siege lasted for twenty-four long days and ended in March of 627 A.D. This episode is referred to in the Qur’ān in this āyat:

362

‫يَا أَيﱡ َھا الﱠ ِذينَ آ َمنُوا ْاذ ُك ُروا نِ ْع َمةَ ﱠ‬ ‫يحا‬ ً ‫س ْلنَا َعلَ ْي ِھ ْم ِر‬ َ ‫ﷲِ َعلَ ْي ُك ْم إِ ْذ َجا َء ْت ُك ْم ُجنُو ٌد فَأَ ْر‬ ‫َو ُجنُودًا لﱠ ْم ت َ​َر ْوھَا َو َكانَ ﱠ‬ ‫صي ًرا‬ ِ َ‫ﷲُ بِ َما تَ ْع َملُونَ ب‬ O ye who believe! Remember the bounty of Allāh unto you when came upon you the hosts, so We sent against them a strong wind and hosts that ye saw not, and Allāh sees all what you do. (Qur’ān, 33:9) And also in āyat 25 which says: ‫ﷲُ ا ْل ُمؤْ ِمنِينَ ا ْلقِتَا َل َو َكانَ ﱠ‬ ‫ﷲُ الﱠ ِذينَ َكفَ ُروا بِ َغ ْي ِظ ِھ ْم لَ ْم يَنَالُوا َخ ْي ًرا َو َكفَى ﱠ‬ ‫ َو َر ﱠد ﱠ‬ ُ‫ﷲ‬ ‫قَ ِويًّا َع ِزيزًا‬ And God turned back the unbelievers in their rage; they did not achieve any advantage, and Allāh sufficed for the believers in fighting, and Allāh is Strong, Mighty (Qur’ān, 33:25).

Abdullāh ibn Mas`ūd was interpreting this thus: “And God sufficed the believers (through Ali ibn Abū ±ālib ) in their fight,” as we read in Tafsīr al-Durr al-Manthūr.

As a direct result of this defeat of the infidels' combined forces in the Battle of Khandaq (moat, or the Battle of A¦zāb, coalitions), Quraish's influence waned, and those tribes who were till then hesitating to accept Islam out of fear of Quraish began to send deputations to the Prophet . The first deputation came from the tribe of Mazīnah, and it consisted of four hundred persons. They not only accepted Islam but were ready to settle down in Medīna. The Prophet , however, advised them to return to their homes.

Likewise, a deputation of a hundred persons came from the Ashja` and embraced Islam. The tribe of Juhainah lived near them, so they were influenced by their conversion. One thousand of the latter's men came to Medīna to join the fraternity.

Kharāb ‫خراب‬: destruction, ruin, desolation, doom, waste Khardal ‫خردل‬: mustard 363

Khāriq ‫خ ارق‬: extraordinary, super-natural, exceptional, remarkable, piercing, penetrating Khāsir ‫خاسر‬: loser, loss-making, unprofitable Kha¥kha¥a ‫خصخصه‬: privatization Kha¥m ‫خصم‬: opponent, disputant, contender, foe Kha§§ ‫خط‬: line, path, method, style, writing, route Kha§īb or Kha§eeb ‫ خطي ب‬: orator, speaker, one who delivers the khu§ba, sermon, whether during the Friday prayer service or any other service Khawārij ‫خ وارج‬: defectors, renegades, an extinct group of individuals who split from the Islamic nation and declared a rebellion on elected caliph Ali ibn Abū ±ālib . Literally, the word means “outsiders” or "Those who Went Out"): a controversial term which is described by some Muslim scholars differently, each according to his level of education and extent of bias and prejudice.

If you are sincere about researching who these rogues were, you can start with p. 278, Vol. 3, of a§-±abari's famous book Tārīkh alUmam wal Mulook (famous as simply Tārīkh). There are many editions of this book available for reviewers, but the one I have is the most recently published; it is published by the Dār Al-Amīra for Publication and Distribution, Beirut, Lebanon, and is dated 1426 A.H./2005 A.D. Their history started in the year 37 A.H. (which then corresponded to the year 658 A.D.) when they first reverted against the then elected caliph, Ali , but returned to obedience after he had reasoned with them just to revolt against him again and one of them, namely Abdur-Ra¦mān ibn Muljim al-Sarīmi, assassinated caliph Ali , as he was leading the morning prayers, on a Friday the 11th, 13th or 17th of the month of Rama¤ān of 40 A.H., according to various narratives. Their ideology could not withstand the intellectual challenges of the time, so it gradually weakened and died away. I think they do not deserve more space 364

here! The ‫ خ وارج‬Khawārij and their ideology are both dead and decayed; so, there is no need to beat on a dead horse.

Khayr ‫خي ر‬: good, goodness, well-being, welfare, prosperity, benefit; in some verses of the Holy Qur’ān, it means "money" which, of course, can be a good tool for the doing of righteousness and for helping people.

Khazaf ‫خزف‬: ceramic Khidā` ‫خ داع‬: deceit, deception, trickery, cheating, fooling, doubledealing Khilāf ‫خ الف‬: dispute, disagreement, feud, variance (of opinion, etc.), discrepancy Khilāfa ‫خالفه‬: succession, [Islamic] caliphate Khirāj ‫خراج‬: religious tax collected at the end of the Islamic lunar year for baytul-māl Khitām ‫ختام‬: conclusion, end, termination Khitān ‫ختان‬: circumcision Khiyara ‫خيره‬: choice, option, prime, best Khulūd ‫خلود‬: immortality, eternity, forever Khums ‫خمس‬: one-fifth of one's savings and is now paid only by Shī`a Muslims; see Chapter 8, verse 41 of the Holy Qur’ān. It is set aside from one’s annual income or increase in wealth. It is divided into 2 equal parts: One, called "sahm as-Sādāt", is payable to needy Sādāt (or Sayyids), descendants of the Prophet  who are not allowed to receive charity (¥adaqa) in order to safeguard their dignity and prestige, and they are too dignified to ask for it. The other half, called "sahm al-Imām (‫")ﻋﺞ‬, is to be spent on promoting the Islamic creed, such as paying expenses for writing, translating, editing, publishing and printing of books or the building of schools, 365

religious seminaries, libraries, theologians having financial difficulties, etc. Khums, moreover, is collected from one's profits or gains which he earns, as well as from the following: minerals, treasure troves, amalgamation of ¦alāl (permissible) wealth with what is ¦arām (prohibitive), gems obtained from sea diving, spoils of war, land which a dhimmi (a non-Muslim living under the protection of Islamic Government) purchases from a Muslim. There are many rules and regulations about the collection of, exemption from and distribution of this khums which, according to 8:41 of the Holy Qur’ān is not optional, as some ill-informed individuals claim, but compulsory. Here is this verse for you: ‫سو ِل َولِ ِذي ا ْلقُ ْربَى َوا ْليَتَا َمى‬ ُ ‫سهُ َولِل ﱠر‬ َ ‫ َوا ْعلَ ُمو ْا أَنﱠ َما َغنِ ْمتُم ﱢمن ش َْي ٍء فَأَنﱠ ِ ﱠ ِ ُخ ُم‬ َ ‫ان يَ ْو َم ا ْلتَقَى‬ ‫ين َوا ْب ِن ال ﱠ‬ َ ‫َوا ْل َم‬ ِ ِ‫سب‬ ِ ‫يل إِن ُكنتُ ْم آ َمنتُ ْم بِا ﱠ ِ َو َما أَن َز ْلنَا َعلَى َع ْب ِدنَا يَ ْو َم ا ْلفُ ْرق‬ ِ ‫سا ِك‬ َ ‫ﱠ‬ َ ُ  ‫ان َوﷲُ َعلى ك ﱢل ش َْي ٍء ق ِدي ٌر‬ ِ ‫ا ْل َج ْم َع‬ And be informed that out of all the booty that you may acquire (in war), a fifth share is assigned to God and to the Messenger, and to near relatives, to the orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer, if you believe in Allāh and in the Revelation We sent down to Our servant on the day of testing, the day of the meeting of the two forces, for Allāh has power over all things. (Qur’ān, 8:41). What is stated in the Holy Qur’ān as permissible or not permissible remains so till the Day of Judgment, and if you disagree, it is your own burden which you will carry and not mine. If you have the risāla (compilation of edicts) of Grand Ayatollāh Sayyid Ali al-μussaini as-Sistāni, refer to his "Kitāb al-Khums" (khums Chapter) which starts on p. 387, Vol. 1, of the Arabic text of his 4-volume Minhāj as-Sāli¦een (published in the Hijri year 1427/2006 A.D. by the Grand Ayatollāh's office in Holy Mashhad, Iran). If you do not have a copy of the said risāla, the Internet can provide you with a wealth of information on this subject.

Khushū` ‫خ شوع‬: state of submission and full attention, humility, of being in reverence Khusūf (‫خسوف )القمر‬: eclipse of the moon

366

Khu§ba ‫خطبه‬: a speech or sermon. It is sometimes used to refer to the sermon given during the Friday congregational prayer.

Kuffār ‫كفار‬: plural form of kāfir, apostate, unbeliever, non-believer H

H

Kufr ‫كف ر‬: showing ungratefulness to Allāh and not believing in Him and in His religion, to deliberately hide the truth while fully knowing it with the ability to show the truth, actually any truth at all Kunya ‫كني ه‬: the use of "Abū" (father of) or "Umm" (mother of) someone, often used as a prefix for one’s name Kursi ‫كرس ي‬: Literally, it means "chair", theologically, however, it refers to the symbol of the Almighty's Seat of Judgment and Authority; see Holy Qur’ān, 2:255 (āyat al-Kursi, verse of the Throne).

Kusūf (‫كسوف )الشمس‬: eclipse of the sun

367

‫ل‬L Lāt ‫الت‬: a chief deity in the religion of pre-Islamic Arabs during the days of jāhiliyya H

Lā ¦awla wa lā quwwata illā billāh ‫ال ح ول و ال ق وة إال ب ا‬: The meaning of this expression is: "There is neither power nor strength save in Allāh." This expression is articulated by a Muslim when he is struck by a calamity or is taken over by a situation beyond his control. A Muslim puts his trust in the hands of Allāh, and submits himself willingly to Allāh.

Lā ilāha ilāl-Allāh or Lā Ilāha Ill-Allāh ‫ال إل ه إال ﷲ‬: This expression is very important in Islam. It is part of the first pillar of Islam which is called taw¦īd, the belief in the unity of God. It means: "There is no god worthy of worship except Allāh." The second part of this first pillar is to say "Mu¦ammedun Rasūl-Allāh" which means: " Mu¦ammed  is the messenger of Allāh." This statement is called the “key to Paradise”. Before you close your eyes and slepp, pronounce it three times because you do not know for sure whether you will wake up at all.

Labbayk !‫لبي ك‬: an exclamation conveying the meaning of "At your service!" or "Here I am!"

368

‫م‬M Ma`ād ‫مع اد‬: the return: a reference to the returning of the souls to new bodies/forms after the period of barzakh ‫( ب رزخ‬see above), their ultimate return to their Maker for judgment; generally, it is used to refer to death and the life hereafter.

Mafātī¦ al-Jinān ‫الجن ان‬ ِ ‫مف اتيح‬: title of a book of supplications compiled

by Sheikh Abbās al-Qummi. Its subtitle is “The Keys to the Gardens of Paradise.” In 2009, Ansariyan Publications published two large volumes of it containing Arabic text and its transliterated English translation. These supplications cover the following topics: general post-prayer litanies, exclusive porst-prayer litanies recited after each of the the five daily prayers, supplications for each day of the week, ziyāras of the Infallible Imāms , miscellaneous famous supplications some of which are included in my book Allāh: the Concept of God in Islam, brief supplications, 15 whispered prayers of Imām Zaynul-`Ābidin, rituals and prayers for each day of each Islamic month. The significance of prayers and supplications in Islam can never be over-stated, and this book is truly a treasure and a guide towards worshipping the Almighty in a much better way. It charges the hearts of the faithful with iman; so, do get your copy of it and enjoy spirituality like you never did before. See next page for an image of its front cover.

Ma¦laj ‫محلج‬: cotton gin, gin Maqām ‫مق ام‬: standing or staying place, a place where one usually stands to preach or address the public; “Maqām Ibrāhīm” is a small area in the precincts of the Ka`ba Mosque which shows footprints of 369

Abraham (prophet Ibrāhīm  where he used to stand to rebuild the Ka`ba.

Medīna or Madeenah ‫مدين ه‬: city, the first city-state that came under the banner of Islam. It is a city in μijāz, northern part of present day Saudi Arabia, where the Prophet's masjid and grave are located.

H

H

Maghāzi ‫مغازي‬: Prophet's military campaigns

H

Maghrib ‫مغ رب‬: sunset, time for the obligatory sunset prayer ritual, ¥alā H

370

Mahdi ‫مھ دي‬: Rightly guided in order to guide others; preceded by the definite article "‫"ال‬, it means (‫ المھ دي )ع ج‬the Awaited Imām, alQā’im, al-μujja, Savior of Mankind, the 12th in the series of the Infallible Imāms followed by Twelver Shī`ites, may the Almighty hasten his re-appearance. We owe it to the reader to introduce him to 371

this great personality, perhaps he will wake up from his slumber and realize that he has a lot of work to do in preparation for the reappearance of the Savior of Mankind. Needless to say, Sunni and Shī`ite sects believe in al-Mahdi but differ among themselves about his family lineage, birth and other issues which are not regarded as being major.

More details about Imām al-Mahdi (‫ )ﻋﺞ‬are already stated above.

Mahr ‫مھ ر‬: dowry paid by the groom to the bride (or vice versa in some cultures). It is part of the Muslim marriage contract. It can never be demanded back except when the bride refuses to cohabit with her groom in the absence of any legitimate excuse. In this case, she may be entitled to receive half the dower or none of it once the divorce takes place. By the way, do you know what dowry our father Adam paid our mother, Eve?! Did he pay it in cash, check or credit card?! If you do not, read my book titled Allāh: The Concept of God in Islam.

Ma¦ram or Ma¦rim ‫مح رم‬: "ma¦ram" refers to people who are unlawful for a woman to marry due to blood relationships. These people include: 1.

Her permanant ma¦rams on account of blood relationship: her father, son, brother, paternal uncle, maternal uncle, step-son and nephew.

2.

Her ra¤ā` ‫ رض اع‬ma¦rams on account of sharing the nursing milk when she was an infant; their status is similar to the permanent ma¦rams referred to above.

3.

Her (in law) ma¦rams because of marriage; these are: her husband's father (father in law), husband's son (step-son), her mother's husband (step-father) and her daughter's husband. These categories of people, along with the woman's husband, are permitted to escorts Muslim women when they travel as required by some countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Majālis ‫مج الس‬: meetings or gatherings held to commemorate certain religious occasions, mostly applied to those held during the month of Mu¦arram or to recite the Fāt,.i¦a for a deceased person; singular: A

372

EA

majlis, a place where people sit Manzil ‫من زل‬: (sing.) home, residence, abode; ‫ منزل ة‬manzila: status, position, esteem; (pl.) ‫ من ازل‬Manāzil: homes, positions, stages, phases. ‫ منازل اآلخ رة‬Stages or phases of the life in the hereafter: Brace yourself, Dear Reader, for the following text may not make you happy; shed a tear now before your tears later on will not avail you a bit. You will notice that there are so many supplications in the following text. This is due to the significance Islam, or any other religion, awards supplication. One authentic ¦ādīth ‫( ح ديث‬tradition) says: ‫ ال دعاء م خ العب ادة‬Supplication is the pith (or essence) of adoration." As for the Holy Qur’ān, it tells you in the following verse that had it not been for people supplicating to their Creator, He would have had nothing to do with them: ‫" قُ ْل َما يَ ْعبَأ ُ بِ ُك ْم َربﱢ ي لَ ْوال ُد َع ا ُؤ ُك ْم‬ Say: 'Had it not been for your prayers (supplications), my Lord would not have cared about you'" (Qur’ān, 25:77): STAGES OR PHASES OF THE HEREAFTER: ‫ منازل اآلخرة‬These are the phases through which one has to pass on his/her way to either eternal happiness in Paradise or endless doom in Hell, may the Almighty keep it away from us and from your own self ‫اللھ م آم ين‬ Allāhumma Āmīn. Following is a list of these stages or phases from some of which very few are exempted such as those who are very close to the Almighty on account of their being very deeply knowledgeable and ascetic such as the anbiyā' prophets ‫األنبي اء‬, awliyā', walis ‫األولي اء‬, `ulemā', scholars ‫العلم اء‬, sāli¦ūn, righteous ‫ ال صالحون‬and the shuhadā', martyrs ‫ال شھداء‬. If you are none of these, and most of us are not, brace yourself for the following phases. Of course, due to self-deception, every Muslim who performs his daily prayers thinks that he is included among the righteous, not knowing whether his/her prayers are accepted or not, forgetting that performing the daily prayers is only the very first step along a very lengthy and thorny path to salvation. Those included in the categories listed above will not taste any painful death, nor will they have to go anywhere in the company of hordes of angels except to Paradise and to nearness to the Almighty. Others have to go through the following: 1) An-Naza` al-Akhīr ‫ النزع األخير‬Drawing the Last Breath: Another 373

name is ‫سكرات الموت‬, Stupors of Death. Reference to these stupors of death exists in this Qur’ānic verse: َ‫ َذلِ َك َما ُكنت‬،‫ق‬ ‫ت بِا ْل َح ﱢ‬ َ ْ‫َو َجا َءت‬ ِ ‫س ْك َرةُ ا ْل َم ْو‬ ْ ‫" ِمنهُ ت َِحي ُد‬And the stupor of death will bring truth (before his eyes): “This was the thing which you were trying to escape!” (Qur’ān, 50:19). These are the moments when the dying person bids this vanishing world goodbye, casts a last look at it, mostly at his own self: Life will pass before his eyes like a flash, and he will realize how short it really was, how he wasted it, how he did not perform the purpose behind his very creation: to worship the Almighty his Lord and the Lord of all creation. How will one naturally die? The answer is in verses 88-96 of Sūrat al-Wāqi`a (Chapter 56): ‫ب‬ ْ َ‫ َوأَ ﱠما إِن َكانَ ِمنَ أ‬ ‫يم‬ ِ ‫ص َحا‬ ٍ ‫ فَ َر ْو ٌح َو َر ْي َحانٌ َو َجنﱠةُ نَ ِع‬ َ‫فَأَ ﱠما إِن َكانَ ِمنَ ا ْل ُمقَ ﱠربِين‬ ‫ فَنُ ُز ٌل‬ َ‫ضالﱢين‬ ْ َ‫سال ٌم لﱠ َك ِمنْ أ‬ ‫ َوأَ ﱠما إِن َكانَ ِمنَ ا ْل ُم َك ﱢذبِينَ ال ﱠ‬ ‫ب ا ْليَ ِمين‬ َ َ‫ ف‬ ‫ين‬ ِ ‫ص َحا‬ ِ ‫ا ْليَ ِم‬ َ ُ َ ْ ْ ‫يم‬ ‫ إِنﱠ َھذا لَ ُھ َو َح ﱡ‬ ‫يم‬ ْ ‫سبﱢ ْح بِا‬ ْ ‫ َوت‬ ‫يم‬ َ ‫ ف‬ ‫ين‬ ٍ ‫َصلِيَة َج ِح‬ ٍ ‫ﱢمنْ َح ِم‬ ِ ‫س ِم َربﱢكَ ال َع ِظ‬ ِ ِ‫ق اليَق‬ Thus, then, if he is of those nearest to Allāh, (there is) rest and satisfaction (for him) and a Garden of delights. And if he is of the companions of the right Hand, (for him there is salutation:) “Peace be unto you!” from the companions of the right Hand. And if he is one of those who treat (truth) as falsehood, who commit wrong, for him there is entertainment of boiling water and burning in HellFire. Truly this is the very truth, so celebrate with praise the Name of your Lord, the Supreme (Qur’ān, 56:88-96).

See how the Almighty in these verses classifies three methods of death perhaps the first of which is particularly interesting: One who is near to his Maker will smell fragrance which will turn death into a very pleasant and pleasūrable experience. Of course an opposite type of death awaits those who are not close to Him and who apparently will experience death by way of suffocation. According to some traditions, two angels pull life out of each and every cell of the dying person's body, and it will not be fun at all. During these moments, the dying person will have a moment of contemplation on what he has just left behind: worries about the little ones, separation from wealth, estates, precious items, homes on which he spent fortunes, wealth which he amassed without making sure where it exactly came from, etc. And there will be worries about how much he fell short of 374

carrying out with regard to his duties to others and to his Maker. In Nahjul-Balāgha, the Commander of the Faithful Imām Ali  has summarized it thus: ‫ ومشتبھاتھا قد لزمته‬، ‫»يتذكر أموالً جمعھا أغمض في مطالبھا وأخذھا من ُمص ﱠرحاتھا‬ ‫ تبقى لمن وراءه ينعمون بھا فيكون المھنأ لغيره‬،‫تبعات جمعھا وأشرف على فراقھا‬ .«‫والعب ُء على ظھره‬ "He shall remember wealth which he had overlooked where it had come from, accepting its sources as they were claimed to be, or as they were thought to be, the consequences of having collected it now are round his neck, haunting him, as he is about to leave it behind him for those who will now enjoy it, thus the pleasure will be for others while he bears the burden." Verse 22 of Sūrat Qāf states the following:  ‫ص ُر َك ا ْليَ ْو َم َح ِديد‬ َ ‫ لَقَ ْد ُكنتَ فِي َغ ْفلَ ٍة ﱢمنْ َھ َذا فَ َك‬ َ َ‫ش ْفنَا عَن َك ِغطَا َء َك فَب‬ "You were heedless of this, so We have removed your veil, and your sight is sharp (on) this Day!” (Qur’ān, 50:22). Indeed, the sight of the dying person during the stupors of death will be quite sharp: He will for the first time be able to see angels, who are created of light that can easily blind any human eye, and the jinns who are created of smokeless fire. He will be able to see and hear his family, relatives, friends and strangers who are around him at the time of death and who will soon bear his casket to the cemetery. But he will not be able to show any reaction because he has lost control over his temporal body and his soul, rū¦ ‫روح‬, now takes over. On the other hand, there will be a tremendous transformation in the process of changing from one form into quite another which now enables him to see what he could never see before: According to p. 170, Vol. 6 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, ‫فيرى رسول ﷲ وأھل بيته األطھار صلوات ﷲ عليھم ومالئكة الرحمة ومالئكة العذاب‬ ‫ وأي شيء سوف يوصون‬، ‫ي حكم يحكمون به‬ ّ ‫حاضرين عنده ليحكموا فيه وانّه يترقب ا‬ ‫ وھم يحاولون‬، ‫به ؟ ومن جھة اُخرى قد اجتمع ابليس واعوانه ليوقعوه في الشك‬ ‫ ومن جھة اُخرى يعاني من ھول‬.‫جاھدين أن يسلبوا إيمانه ليخرج من الدنيا بال إيمان‬ ‫ وبأي نحو سوف يقبض‬، ‫ وبأي صورة وھيئة سوف يجيئه به‬، ‫حضور ملك الموت‬ ،‫ "فاجتمعت عليه سكرات الموت‬:‫ قال أمير المؤمنين عليه السالم‬..‫ الى غير ذلك‬. ‫روحه‬ 375

."‫فغير موصوف ما نزل به‬ "He will see the Messenger of Allāh  and his Pure Family, peace and blessings of Allāh with them all, the angels of mercy and those of torment, all present near him as he awaits their verdict and what they will decide. On the other hand, the army of Satan and his helpers (will also be present in order to prevent him by all means from saying Lā ilāha illa-Allāh ‫ال إله إال ﷲ‬, There is no god save Allāh, which is the key to salvation), to cast doubt in his heart and try hard to rob him of his belief (imān ‫ )إيمان‬so he will come out of this life without imān. At the same time, he is overwhelmed by expecting the presence of the angel of death: In what form it will approach him and how he will take his life away, etc. The Commander of the Faithful  has said: 'The stupors of death surround him, so no description can be made for what has afflicted him.'" What about the munjiyāt ‫ المنجيات‬during this very critical and dangerous phase, the acts of adoration which one can form during his lifetime so they may help ease or even cancel his pain of death?

We are told on p. 9 of `Abbās al-Qummi's precious work ‫منازل اآلخرة‬ Manāzil al-Ākhira, which is the main source for this text material, that it is reported that the Messenger of Allāh  was present during the death of a young man. The Prophet  told the dying youth to testify that ‫ ال إله إال ﷲ‬Lā ilāha illa-Allāh (There is no god save Allāh), but his tongue was tied and he could not. Whenever the Prophet  repeated his ‫ تلقين‬talqeen (instruction to the dying person to make a pronouncement), the dying young man could not respond. The Prophet  asked a woman who was sitting at the head of the dying young man if she was his mother, and she answered in the affirmative. He again asked her if she was angry with her young son, and she again answered in the affirmative, adding that she had not spoken to him for the past six years. The Prophet  asked her to be pleased with her son now, so she said, "May Allāh be pleased with him on account of you being pleased with him, O Messenger of Allāh." When the mother thus expressed her pleasure with her dying son, the latter was able to pronounce La ilāha illa-Allāh ‫ال إله إال ﷲ‬. The Prophet  then asked the youth to tell him about what he saw. The youth said, "I see a very dark man, very ugly, extremely smelly, wearing very filthy outfits, emitting a 376

stench, coming in my direction, pressing on my mouth and respiratory passages." The Prophet  ordered him to say: ‫ إنﱠك أنت‬،‫ إقبل ِمنّي اليسير وآعف عنﱢي الكثير‬،‫يا من يقبل اليسير ويعفو عن الكثير‬ .‫الغفور الرحيم‬ "O One Who accepts little (of good deeds) while forgiving a lot (of sinning), do accept what is little [of the good deeds which I have done] and forgive a lot (of my sins); surely You are the Forgiving, the most Merciful." The young man did as instructed by the Prophet , so the Prophet  asked him again about what he now saw.

The dying young man said, "I now see a man with a glowing face, pleasant, smelling very nicely and wearing clean outfits coming in my direction, whereupon the dark one is going away and getting ready to depart." The Prophet  ordered the young man to repeat the statement which he had taught him then asked him once more about what he then saw. "The dark one has already gone, leaving no traces," the young man said, adding, "while the one having a glowing face remains beside me." It was at that moment that the young man passed away. This is recorded on p. 92, Vol. 1 of Mustadrak Wasā'il ash-Shī`ah. We also read on p. 380, Vol. 74 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār that Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  has said, "One who gives an outfit to his [believing] brother, whether for the summer or for the winter, it will be incumbent upon the Almighty to outfit the first with one of the outfits of Paradise, ease the stupors of death for him and expand his resting place." The greatest Prophet  has said: ‫ أزال ﷲ عنه مرارة الموت‬،‫من أطعم أخاه حالوه‬ "One who feeds his Muslim brother something sweet, Allāh will remove from him the bitterness of death." What also helps the dying person and eases his pain is hearing the recitation of Sūrat Ya-Sin (Chapter 36 of the Holy Qur’ān) and Sūrat a¥-¯āffāt (Chapter 37) as well as "du'ā al-faraj" which is: ‫ سبحان ﷲ رب السماوات السبع و‬،‫ ال إله إال ﷲ العليم العظيم‬،‫ال إله إال ﷲ الحليم الكريم‬ ،‫رب األرضين السبع و ما فيھن و ما بينھن و رب العرش العظيم و سالم على المرسلين‬ .‫و الحمد رب العالمين‬ 377

"There is no god save Allāh, the Clement, the Great; there is no god save Allāh, the all-Knowing, the Great; praise to Allāh, Lord of the seven heavens, Lord of the seven earths and everything in them and everything between them, and the Lord of the Great `Arsh; peace be with the Messengers, and praise be to Allāh, Lord of the worlds."

We read on p. 33, Vol. 97, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār that according to Imām a¥-¯ādiq , as we are told by the mentor a¥-¯adūq, "One who fasts the last day of the month of Rajab will be placed by Allāh in security against the intense pain of the stupors of death and the horror after death as well as the torment in the grave." As quoted by al-Kaf`ami on p. 397, Vol. 2, p. 397 of his Mu¥bā¦, the Prophet  is quoted as having said that if one recites the following supplication ten times every day, ten thousand of his major transgressions will be forgiven by Allāh Who will also save him from the stupors of death and from the constriction of the grave as well as grant him security from one hundred thousands of the horrors of the Judgment Day; He will also protect him from the evil of Satan and his hosts, will pay his debts on his behalf and remove his worries and concerns; this very precious supplication, which you should share with all the ones you love, is as follows: ‫ َولِ ُك ّل‬، ِ ‫الحم ُد‬ ‫»أعدَدتُ لِ ُك ّل‬ َ ‫ َولِ ُك ّل نِع َم ٍة‬، ُ‫ َولِ ُك ّل َھ ﱟم َو َغ ﱟم ما شاء ﷲ‬، ‫ھول ال إله إالّ ﷲ‬ ٍ َ ُ ‫ َولِك ّل ُمصيبَ ٍة إنا‬، ‫ب أستَغفِ ُر ﷲ‬ ُ ‫عجوبَ ٍة‬ ُ ‫ َولِ ُك ﱢل ا‬، ِ ‫َرخا ٍء الشﱡك ُر‬ ٍ ‫ َولِ ُك ّل ذن‬، ِ‫سبحان ﷲ‬ ‫ َولِك ّل قَضا ٍء َوقَ َد ٍر ت َ​َو ﱠكلتُ على‬، ‫سبي ﷲُ و نعم الوكيل‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ضيق‬ ‫ َولِ ُك ّل‬، ‫وإنا اليه راجعون‬ َ َ ٍ ّ ُ ‫عصيَ ٍة ال َحو َل وال قوهَ إال با ال َعل ﱢي‬ َ َ‫ﷲِ َولِ ُك ّل َعد ﱟُو اعت‬ ِ ‫ َولِك ّل طاع ٍة َو َم‬، ِ ‫صمتُ با‬ « .‫العظيم‬ "I have prepared for every horrific thing "There is no god save Allāh", for every worry and distress "The will of Allāh be done", for every blessing "Praise to Allāh", for every prosperity "Thanks to Allāh", for every amazing thing "Blessed be Allāh", for every sin "I seek forgiveness of Allāh", for every transgression "We belong to Allāh, and to Him shall we return", for every hardship "Allāh suffices me, and how good a Helper He is!", for every decree and destiny "I have relied on Allāh", for every enemy "I have sought refuge with Allāh" and for every obedience and disobedience "There is neither power nor might save in Allāh, the most Sublime, the most 378

Great". Another supplication has as many as seventy merits one of which is that one who recites it will be given glad tidings at the time of his/her death; it is this: «‫»يا أسمع السامعين ويا أبصر الناظرين ويا أسرع الحاسبين ويا أحكم الحاكمين‬ "O You, the most Hearing of those who hear, the most Seeing of those who see, the most Wise of those who decree!" Al-Kulayni has quoted Imām a¥-¯ādiq  as saying, "Do not ever be bored with reciting Sūrat az-Zalzala (Chapter 99 of the Holy Qur’ān), for if one recites it in the voluntary prayers, Allāh will keep earthquakes away from him; he will not die because of an earthquake or be struck by lightning or any of this life's catastrophes; a glorious angel will descend upon him, sit at his head and address the angel of death thus: 'Be kind to him, for he is a servant of Allāh who used to recite me quite often,'" as we read on p. 331, Vol. 92, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār.

Remember that in the life hereafter, there will be personification of everything: Each and every action or intention, good or bad deed, will have a form, a shape, an entity. Every verse of the Holy Qur’ān, every chapter and the Qur’ān as a whole will also have forms. So will desires, wishes, hopes, aspirations, remorse, regret, prayer, fast and all other norms of adoration: All will have forms. How one will distinguish one from the other is a faculty which will be created with him as he is re-created, re-formulated, re-born in a new form, for the hereafter is the true life awaiting all of us, so get ready for it; there is no escape from it. But if you do not believe in the Hereafter, this book is not written for you, and it is a pity it fell in your hands; someone else can make better use of it. Also, some non-Muslims may feel "sorry" for what the Muslims will have to go through in the Afterlife, feeling happy with the thought placed in their heads by their clergymen that they had nothing to worry about, that nothing but many good things await them after they die. Muslims, however, think that all followers of religions, or those who do not follow any religion at all, are entitled to their own wishful thinking.

2) The Adeela at the Time of Death ‫ ال َعديل ه عن د الم وت‬It means one turning from right to wrong as he dies due to the presence of Satan at the time of his death who will cast doubts in his heart through his evil insinuations in order to get him out of the right creed. There are 379

many supplications to seek protection for such ‫ َعديل ه‬: For example, the pride of all critics, may Allāh have mercy on his soul, has said that if one seeks security against Satan, he must bring into his presence the proofs of conviction and the five basic principles of Islam through irrevocable evidences, with ease of conscience, then he hands them all over to Allāh Almighty so He may return them to him at the time of his death. Having stated all the right doctrines, he should say the following: ‫ستودع ق د‬ ‫ وأنتَ خي ُر م‬،‫ انّي قد اودعتُكَ يقيني ھذا وثبات ديني‬،‫»اللّھ ﱠم يا أرحم الراحمين‬ ٍ .«‫ فردّه عل ّي وقت حضو ِر َموتي‬،‫أمرتنا بحفظ الودائع‬ "O Lord, the most Merciful of those who show mercy: I have entrusted You with this conviction of mine, with the firmness of my creed. Since You are the best of trusted ones, and You commanded us to safe keep the trusts, do return it to me at the time when I am to die." What also helps is performing the prayer rites on time; doing so helps during such a critical stage. According to one tradition, the angel of death looks at all people five times a day, that is, during the five daily prayers, so he may teach those who perform them on time the shahāda and spare him the evil of the cursed Satan. It is also highly recommended to recite the following supplication/Qur’ānic verse on every Sunday during the month of ThilQi`da: ‫ﱠاب‬ ُ ‫ إِنﱠكَ أَنتَ ا ْل َوھ‬،ً‫ َوھ َْب لَنَا ِمن لﱠدُن َك َر ْح َمة‬،‫ َربﱠنَا الَ تُ ِز ْغ قُلُوبَنَا بَ ْع َد إِ ْذ َھ َد ْيتَنَا‬ “Our Lord!” (they say,) “do not let our hearts deviate now that You have guided us, but grant us mercy from Your Own Presence, for You are the Giver of unlimited bounties" (Qur’ān, 3:8). Other Qur’ānic Chapters that have the same effect include Sūras 23 and 109.

3) Wa¦shat al-Qabr ‫ وح شة القب ر‬Grave's Loneliness: According to the book titled ‫ض ُرهُ الفَقي ه‬ ُ ‫ َم ن ال يح‬Man lā Ya¦¤uruhu al-Faqīh, there are tremendous horrors in the grave; therefore, when the deceased person is taken to his burial spot, he must not be entered into it suddenly. He must be placed near the pit for a while so the dead 380

person may get ready to enter it. Then one must bring him closer to it and wait a short while again after which the deceased person is to be placed in the grave. Al-Majlisi, the father, has explained the wisdom in these steps. He says that, true, the soul has already left the body, the ‫" ال روح الحيواني ة‬animal spirit" (spiritus animalis in Latin) or the moving soul; as for the ‫" ال روح الناطق ة‬articulate soul", it is yet to sever its ties with the body: There is fear about the grave's constriction, the questioning by Munkir and Nakeer, Ruman who tries to cause the dead to slip away into the torment, and the ‫الب رزخ‬ barzakh; so, the deceased person has a lot to worry about. ArRawandi has narrated saying that Jesus Christ  once addressed his mother, Maryam (Mary) , after her death saying, "Speak to me, Mother! Do you wish to return to the abode of the living?" She said, "Yes, so I may perform the prayers during an extremely cold night, and so I may fast during a very hot day. O Son! This path [of the dead] is frightful, horrific." It has also been narrated that Fā§ima az-Zahrā'  said once to her revered husband, Commander of the Faithful Ali , by way of her will: : ‫ انﱠ فاطمة عليھا السالم ل ّما احتضرت أوص ت علي ا ً علي ه ال سالم فقال ت‬: ‫وروي‬ ، ‫ وص ّل عل ﱠي وانزلن ي قب ري وألح دني‬، ‫ فتول أنت غ سلي وجھ ّزن ي‬،‫»اذا أنا مت‬ ‫ ف أكثر م ن ت الوة الق رآن‬، ‫ واجل س عن د رأس ي قبال ة وجھ ي‬،‫وس ّو الت راب عل ّي‬ «‫والدعاء فانّھا ساعة يحتاج الميت فيھا الى أُنس األحياء‬ "When I die, wash my body and outfit me [with the shrouds], perform prayers for me, get me inside the grave, place the grave stone, bury me in the earth, sit at my head facing me, recite the Book of Allāh and recite many supplications, for it is time when the deceased person needs the company of those alive." We are told on p. 148, Vol. 1, of Mustadrak al-Wasā'il ‫ م ستدرك الوس ائل‬that Ibn ±āwūs, may Allāh have mercy on his soul, has quoted the Prophet  as saying: ‫ ف ان ل م‬، ‫»ال يأتي على الميت ساعة أش ّد من أول ليلة؛ فارحموا موت اكم بال صدقة‬ ، ‫تجدوا فليصل أحدكم ركعت ين يق را فيھم ا فاتح ة الكت اب م ّرة وآي ة الكرس ي م ّرة‬ ‫ وف ي الثاني ة فاتح ة الكت اب م ّرة والھ اكم التك اثر ع شر‬، ‫وق ل ھ و ﷲ اح د م ّرتين‬ ‫ اللّھ ّم ص ّل على مح ّمد وآل مح ّمد وابعث ثوابھا الى قب ر ذل ك‬: ‫م ّرات ويسلم ويقول‬ ‫ فيبعث ﷲ ِمن ساعته الف ملك ال ى قب ره م ع ك ل مل ك ث وب‬، ‫الميت فالن بن فالن‬ 381

‫وحلة ويوسع في قبره من الضيق الى يوم ينفخ في الصور ويعط ى الم صلي بع دد‬ «‫ما طلعت عليه الشمس حسنات ويرفع له أربعون درجة‬ "There is nothing harder for the deceased person than the first night in the grave; so, send mercy to your dead by offering charity on his behalf, and if one does not have charity to offer, let him perform two rek`āts (prostrations) in the first of which he should recite Sūrat al-Fāti¦a, the Verse of the Throne and twice Sūrat at-Taw¦īd (al-Ikhlā¥). In the second, he should recite Sūrat al-Fāti¦a followed by reciting ten times Sūrat atTakāthur (Chapter 102 of the Holy Qur’ān). Then he should offer the tasleem [greeting the Prophet of Allāh ] and say, "Lord! Bless Mu¦ammed and the Progeny of Mu¦ammed, and send the rewards [of this prayer] to the grave of the deceased person so-and-so." Allāh Almighty will then instantly send a thousand angels to the grave of that dead person. Each angel will be carrying an outfit. His grave will be widened till the trumpet is blown. The person who performs this prayer will be granted good deeds as many as the expanse of what is under the sun, and he will be raised forty stations." What also helps lessen the pain of loneliness in the grave is one during his lifelong perfecting rukū' ‫( رك وع‬bowing down) very well during the prayers. Imām al-Bāqir  is quoted as having said: ‫م ن‬ ‫" أكم ل الرك وع ال ي دخل ال ى قب ره وح شة‬One who perfects his bowing down [during the performance of the daily prayers] will not feel lonely in his grave," according to p. 244, Vol. 6 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār. Actually, the doers of good do not have to worry about such loneliness, for angels will keep them company and they will be permitted to visit their relatives, the living or the dead, escorted by these angels, and this will be a diversion for them. Another act of munjiyāt ‫ منجي ات‬is repeating a hundred times this beautiful statement: ‫ ال ال ه اال ﷲ المل ك الح ق المب ين‬There is no god save Allāh, the true and obvious King. Such act will save one from poverty in his lifetime and from loneliness in the grave in the Hereafter. He will be wealthy in this life and the gates of Paradise will be opened for him in the next.

According to p. 217, Vol. 8 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, one who fasts 12 days during the month of Sha`bān will be visited in his 382

grave every day by seventy thousand angels till the trumpet is blown. Here we must point out that "every day" means days of our own counting, days of this short life, for the barzakh period precedes the Judgment Day. Starting with that Day, time will bear a different dimension. And one who goes to visit a sick person will be rewarded by Allāh Who will assign an angel to visit him in his grave till the Day of Gathering, the Assembling Day. Also, it is recorded in Rāwandi's Da`awāt ‫ دع وات‬that the Prophet  has said that if one recites the following supplication three times when a deceased person is buried, the torment from the latter will be lifted till the Trumpet is blown: ( َ‫)اللّھ ﱠم إنﱢي أسألكَ بحق محم ٍد وآل محم ٍد أن ال تُ َع ِذ َب ھذا ال َميِت‬ Lord! I plead to You through the status reserved with you for Mu¦ammed  and the Progeny of Mu¦ammed  not to torment this deceased person till the Day when the trumpet is blown."

4) Grave's Constriction (pressure) ‫ض غطة القَب ر‬ َ : This is a very terrifying phase to the extent that it is difficult for the living to imagine. Commander of the Faithful Imām Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  has said the following about it: ُ‫ض ن َكه‬ َ ‫ فاحذروا ض يقَةُ و‬،‫ القبر‬:‫ت‬ ِ ‫ت ل َمن ال يُغفَر له أش ﱡد ِمنَ ال َمو‬ ِ ‫»يا ِعباد ﷲ ما بَع َد ال َمو‬ ُ ‫بي‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ان‬ ! ‫ة‬ ‫الغرب‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ا‬ ‫أن‬ : ‫وم‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫يق‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ب‬ ُ‫الوح شَةِ! أن ا بَي ت‬ ُ‫ت‬ ُ‫ت‬ َ َ َ‫ إنﱠ الق‬، ُ‫وظُل َمتَ هُ َو ُغربتَ ه‬ َ ٍ َ ‫ُ ﱠ‬ َ ‫شة‬ ّ ّ ‫الدّودِ! َوالقَب ُر‬ َ ‫ َوإنﱠ َمعي‬: ‫ الى أن قا َل‬...‫روضةٌ من رياض الجنة أو ُحفرهٌ من ُحف ِر النار‬ َ ً‫ إنﱠه يُسلّطُ على الكاف ِر في قَبِ ره تِ سعة‬، ‫عذاب القبر‬ (‫نك الﱠتي َح ﱠذ َر ﷲُ ِمنھا َع ُد ﱠوهُ )ھي‬ ‫ال ﱠ‬ ُ ِ ‫ض‬ َ َ ً ‫ يَت ردﱠدنَ علي ه ك ذلك ال ى ي وم يبع ث ؛ ل و انﱠ‬،ُ‫كسرنَ عظمه‬ َ َ‫وتسعين تنينا فينھشن‬ ِ َ‫لحمهُ وي‬ ‫ضعيفة وأج ساد ُك ُم‬ ‫س ُك ُم ال ﱠ‬ َ ‫ إنﱠ انف‬:‫ ي ا عب اد ﷲ‬.ً ‫تنين ا ً ِمنھ ا نَفَ َخ ف ي األرض لَ م تُنبِ ت َزرع ا‬ .«‫الناعمة ال ّرقيقة التي يكفيھا اليسي ُر تَض ُعفُ عن ھذا‬ "O servants of Allāh! There is nothing harder, on those who are not forgiven, than death save the grave: So, beware of its constriction, darkness and loneliness. Each day, the grave says: 'I am the abode of loneliness! I am the abode of worms!' And the grave is either like one of the gardens of Paradise or one of the pits of Hell… Indeed, 383

the "life of hardship" about which Allāh has warned those who are hostile to Him is the torment in the grave: The unbeliever is assaulted as he is in his grave by ninety-nine dragons that tear up his flesh, crush his bones and keep visiting him thus till the Day of Resurrection. Had one of these dragons blown on earth, no vegetation would have ever grown in it. O servants of Allāh! Your weak selves, tender and soft bodies which are satisfied with little, are too weak to withstand all of this." As indicated above, the sins, transgressions and wrongdoings will each take a form in the hereafter, and the worse one is the worse its form will be. What will help during this difficult situation? Page 327, Vol. 4 of Usul al-Kāfi ‫أص ول الك افي‬, tradition No. 13, says that whenever Imām a¥-¯ādiq  woke up at the end of the night, he would raise his voice so his family members could hear him saying the following: ،‫ت‬ ‫»اللّھ ّم أَ ِعنﱢي على ھول‬ ِ ‫ اللّ ُھ ﱠم با ِرك لِي في المو‬،‫ و وسع علي ضيق المضجع‬، ‫المطلع‬ ِ ‫ت‬ َ ‫ و ارزقن ي خي ر م ا بع د الم وت؛ اللّ ُھ ّم أ ِعنﱢ ي عل ى‬،‫و ارزقني خير م ا قب ل الم وت‬ ِ ‫س كرا‬ ‫ش ِة‬ ‫ اللّ ُھ ﱠم أَ ِعنﱢي على‬، ‫ اللّ ُھ ﱠم أَ ِعنﱢي على غ ﱢم القَبر‬،‫ت‬ َ ‫أعنﱢي على َوح‬ ِ ‫ال َمو‬ ِ ‫ِ اللﱠ ُھ ﱠم‬،‫ضيق القَبر‬ ِ ّ َ «‫العين‬ ‫الحور‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫جني‬ ‫و‬ ‫ز‬ ‫م‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ال‬ ِ،‫القَب ِر‬ ُ ِ ‫ﱠ ﱢ‬ ِ "Lord! Help me with regard to the horror of what is awaiting me [after death] and expand for me the narrowness of the grave. Lord!

Grant me a blessing at the time of death, and grant me goodness before death, and grant me goodness after death. Lord! Help me during the time of the stupors of death. Lord! Help me against the agonies of the grave. Lord! Help me against the constriction of the grave. Lord! Help me against the loneliness of the grave. And Lord!

Do marry me to the ¦uris with large, lovely eyes." Be informed, dear reader, that most torment in the grave is due to one not paying enough attention and care while using the toilet, taking lightly the sources of najāsa ‫ نجاس ة‬uncleanness, and also due to committing calumny and backbiting as well keeping a distance from his family, according to p. 222, Vol. 6 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār. From a narration by Sa`īd ibn Jubayr, another cause is one having bad manners with his wife, speaking to her roughly rather than with kindness and consideration. Whatever the reason may be, we are assured by Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  that ‫" ال ينج و أح د م ن الم ؤمنين م ن ض غطة القب ر‬No believer is spared the grave's constriction," according to p. 221, Vol. 384

6 of the same reference. On p. 221, Vol. 6 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār and on p. 74, Vol. 2 of Safeenat al-Bi¦ār, Imām a¥-¯ādiq  is quoted as having said: ‫" ان ض غطة القب ر كف ارة ع ن نعم ة ض يعھا الم ؤمن‬The grave's constriction is atonement for a bliss wasted by a believer." Now let us review what helps in this terrible phase of the afterlife: Luckily, there are many acts of adoration which one can perform during his lifetime which will help him in the life to come, and the book titled ‫ من ازل اآلخ رة‬Manāzil al-Ākhira by `Abbās al-Qummi counts 15 of them. But we, in order to be brief, would like to cite the following for you: 1) Commander of the Faithful Imām Ali  has said ‫من قرأ سورة النساء من القرآن في كل يوم جمعة أمن من ضغطة القبر‬ "One who recites Sūrat an-Nisā’ (Chapter 4 of the Holy Qur’ān) every Friday will have security against the grave's constriction," according to p. 330, Vol. 74 of the same reference. 2) It is recorded on p. 397, Vol. 2 of Safeenat al-Bi¦ār that ‫ آمن ه ﷲ تع الى ف ي قب ره م ن ح شرات األرض و‬،‫م ن داوم عل ى ق راءة س ورة الزخ رف‬ ‫الحيوانات و ضغطة القبر‬ "One who recites Sūrat an-Nisā’ (Chapter of the Women [Chapter 4] of the Holy Qur’ān) every Friday will be granted security in his grave from the earth's insects, animals and the grave's constriction."

3) According to the same reference and page, some traditions of the Prophet  indicate that ‫ آمنه ﷲ من ضغطة القبر‬،‫من قرأ سورة "ن و القلم" في فريضة الصالة أو النافلة‬ "If one recites Sūrat Noon (Chapter 68 of the Holy Qur’ān which is also called Sūrat al-Qalam), during obligatory or optional prayers, Allāh will grant him security from the grave's constriction." 4) On pp. 221 and 243, Vol. 6 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, we are told that Imām ar-Ri¤a  has said: ‫ آمنه ﷲ من ضغطة القبر‬،‫من مات بين زوالي الخميس و الجمعه‬

385

"One who dies between the periods of zawāl ‫( زوال‬midday) of Thursday and Friday, he will be secured by Allāh from the grave's constriction." 5) Imām ar-Ri¤a  is also quoted as having said: ‫ و‬،‫ فما من عبد مؤمن قام آخر الليل فصلى ثم اني ركع ات ص الة اللي ل‬،‫عليكم بصالة الليل‬ ‫ اال و‬،‫ و استغفر ف ي قن وت ال وتر س بعين م رة‬،‫ و ركعة صالة الوتر‬،‫ركعتين صالة الشفع‬ ‫ و توسعت معيشته‬،‫ و طال عمره‬،‫ و من عذاب النار‬،‫آمنه ﷲ من عذاب القبر‬ "Uphold the Night Prayer; no believing servant of Allāh stands at the end of the night to offer 8 rek'ats (prostrations), two Shaf` rek'ats ‫ركعت ا ال شفع‬, one Witr Rek`a ‫ركع ة ال وتر‬, then he seeks forgiveness of Allāh in the Qunūt (invocation) of the Witr seventy times except that Allāh will grant him security against the torment of the grave and against the torture of the Fire, grants him a longer lifespan and expands his means of livelihood for him", as we are told on p. 397, Vol. 2 of Safeenat al-Bi¦ār where the subject of the grave is discussed.

5) Questioning by Munkir and Nakeer ‫س ؤال ُمن ِك ر و نَكي ر‬: On p. 223, Vol. 6 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  is quoted as having said: «‫ والشفاعة‬،‫ المسا َءلة في القبر‬،‫ المعراج‬:‫» ليس من شيعتنا َمن أنكر ثالثة أشياء‬ "Not among our followers (Shī`as) is one who denies three things: the ascension [to heavens], the questioning in the grave (by Munkir and Nakeer) and the intercession." In the same reference on p. 261, we are told the following: ‫ لھم ا ص وت كالرع د و أع ين‬،‫روي أن الملك ين )منك ر و نكي ر( يأتي ان ف ي ھيئ ة ھائل ة‬ ‫ و بما أن‬،‫ من ربك؟ و من نبيك؟ و ما دينك؟ و يسأالن عن وليه و امامه‬:‫ يسأالن‬،‫كالبرق‬ ‫ تع ين‬،‫ و أن ه ال ج رم يحت اج ال ى م ساعدة‬،‫ ص عبة عل ى المي ت‬،‫ ف ي تل ك الح ال‬،‫االجاب ة‬ ‫ و يستح سن أن يؤخ ذ كتف ه األيم ن‬،‫ أح دھما ح ين وض عه ف ي القب ر‬:‫التلقين في موضعين‬ ‫ و يح رك و يلق ن ف ي حال ة االھت زاز و االدخ ال‬،‫ و كتفه األيسر باليد اليسرى‬،‫باليد اليمنى‬ ‫ و ھ و‬،‫ ي ستحب أن يجل س أق رب أن سبائه‬،‫ و الثاني بعد وضعه في القبر و دفنه‬،‫في القبر‬ ‫ و يلق ن المي ت‬،‫ بع د أن ترك ه الب اقون و غ ادروا المك ان‬،‫ عل ى رأس المي ت‬،‫ول ي المي ت‬ ،‫ و يقرب ف اه م ن القب ر‬،‫ و يستحسن به أن يضع )الملقن( كفيه على القبر‬،‫بصوت مرتفع‬ ‫ يق ول منك ر‬،‫ فلقد ورد أن الملكين حينما يسمعان ھ ذا التلق ين‬،‫أو يفعل ذلك من ينوب عنه‬ 386

‫ فيترك ان ال سؤال و‬،‫ و ال يحت اج ال ى س ؤال‬،‫ فلق د لقن وه تلق ين الحج ة‬،‫ دعن ا نع ود‬:‫لنكي ر‬ .‫يعودان‬ It has been reported that the two angels (Munkir and Nakeer) come in a terrifying form: Their voice is like thunder and their eyes like lightening. They will ask the dead person: "Who is your God? Who is your Prophet? What is your religion?" And they will ask him about his wali and Imām. Since the answers under such conditions will be very difficult for the dead person, and he undoubtedly needs help, the talqeen becomes a must in two places: One of them when he is placed inside the grave, and it is recommended that his right shoulder be held by the mulaqqin and his left shoulder by the left hand and moved then instructed with talqeen when his body is being shaken and entered into the grave. The other place is after the deceased person is put in the grave and buried: It is recommended that the mulaqqin, who is a close relative and a wali of the deceased person, sits at the area of the head after everyone else had left. He should raise his voice as he conducts the talqeen, and it is recommended that the mulaqqin places both his hands on the grave and brings his mouth close to the grave. Someone else who acts on behalf of the mulaqqin may do so. It is reported that when both angels hear the talqeen, Munkir will say to Nakeer: "Let us go back, for they have taught him the talqeen of evidence, and he needs no question," whereupon they both leave. On p. 183, Vol. 1 of Mustadrak al-Wasā'il ‫م ستدرك وس ائل ال شيعة‬, we are told that Imām a¥¯ādiq  has said the following: ‫ و الزك اة ال ى ش ماله و أش رف علي ه‬،‫ حضرت الصالة الى يمين ه‬،‫"اذا دخل المؤمن القبر‬ ‫ يخاط ب ال صبر‬،‫ فاذا حضر الملكان ليسأاله‬،‫ أما الصبر فيستقر في جانب‬:‫البر و االحسان‬ ‫ فأن ا‬،‫ ف ان عج زتم ع ن ذل ك‬،‫ يعني الميت‬،‫ أعينوا صاحبكم‬:(‫الصالة و الزكاة و البر )قائال‬ "‫مستعد لذلك‬ If the believer enters the grave, prayer come at his right and zakāt at his left as kindness and benevolence look on. As for perseverance, it will stand aside. When both angels (Munkir and Nakeer) come to question him, perseverance will address prayer, zakāt and kindness saying, 'Help your fellow,' meaning the deceased person, 'and if you cannot, I am ready.'" Also, 387

‫ الطبع ة الحجري ة باإلس ناد ع ن زر ب ن‬146 ‫ ـ‬145 ‫ ص‬: ‫ف ي ب صائر ال درجات لل صفار‬ ‫ روي ف ي المحاس ن ب سند ص حيح ع ن اح دھما عليھم ا ال سالم ـ يعن ي االم ام‬: ‫جبيش قال‬ ، ‫ »اذا م ات العب د الم ؤمن دخ ل مع ه ف ي قب ره س تة ص ور‬:‫الصادق أو االمام الباقر ـ ق ال‬ : ‫ ق ال‬. ‫ وأنظفھ نّ ص ورة‬، ً ‫ وأطيبھنﱠ ريح ا‬، ‫ وأبھاھنّ ھيئة‬، ً ‫فيھنّ صورة أحسنھنّ وجھا‬ ‫ واُخ رى‬، ‫ واُخ رى خلف ه‬، ‫فتقف صورة عن يمينه واُخ رى ع ن ي ساره واُخ رى ب ين يدي ه‬ ‫ ف إن اُوت ي ع ن يمين ه منعت ه الت ي ع ن‬. ‫ وتقف التي ھي أحسنھنّ ف وق رأس ه‬. ‫عند رجله‬ ‫ وم ن أن تم‬: ‫ فتقول أحسنھنّ ص ورة‬: ‫ قال‬.‫ ث ّم كذلك الى أن يؤتى من الجھات الست‬،‫يمينه‬ : ‫ وتق ول الت ي ع ن ي ساره‬.‫ أنا ال صالة‬: ‫جزاكم ﷲ عنّي خيراً؟ فتقول التي عن يمين العبد‬ . ‫ أن ا الح ّج والعم رة‬: ‫ وتق ول الت ي خلف ه‬.‫ أن ا ال صيام‬: ‫ وتق ول الت ي ب ين يدي ه‬.‫أن ا الزك اة‬ ‫ َمن أنت ؟ فأن ت أح سننا‬: ‫ ث ّم يقلن‬.‫ أنا ب ّر َمن وصلت من اخوانك‬: ‫وتقول التي عند رجليه‬ ‫ أن ا الوالي ة آلل مح ّم د ص لوات ﷲ عل يھم‬: ‫ فتق ول‬. ‫ وأبھان ا ً ھيئ ة‬، ً ‫وجھ ا ً وأطيبن ا ريح ا‬ . «‫أجمعين‬ On pp. 145-146 of the old edition of a¥-¯āffar's Ba¥ā'ir ad-Darajāt, through isnād which goes back to Zurr ibn Jubaish narrating an authentic tradition in the Ma¦āsin book from one of them, peace be with them, namely Imāms a¥-¯ādiq and al-Bāqir, saying, "When a believer dies, six faces (forms or shapes, i.e. personifications) enter the grave with him, each is more beautiful, more fragrant and more clean than the rest. These faces settle in six positions: on his right side, on his left, behind him, in front of him and at his feet. The most beautiful and the most fragrant one rests at his head. If questioning or torture approaches him from all sides, it will be prevented by one of the six faces. The most beautiful face will ask the other faces saying: 'Who are you, may Allāh reward you well on my behalf?!'

The face settling at the believer's right side will say, 'I am the prayers.' The face settling on the believer's left side will say, 'I am the zakāt.' The face settling opposite to the believer's face will say, 'I am the fast.' The one settling behind the believer will say, 'I am the pilgrimage', while the one settling at his feet will say, 'I am kindness and benevolence towards the believing brothers.' Everyone will then ask him about himself thus: 'And who are you with your dazzling beauty and extra-ordinary fragrance?' He will say, 'I am the wilāya (mastership) of the Progeny of Mu¦ammed  (peace and blessings of Allāh be with them all ).'"

2. The Barzakh ‫( البرزخ‬Purgatory?) It is one of the terrifying phases or stages through which the vast majority of people will pass.

388

Exceptions are two kinds: People with whom the Almighty is very pleased, and these go straight to Paradise, and people with whom He is very displeased, and these go straight to hell. Neither group will go through whatever goes on in the grave as indicated above. The barzakh is mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān in places such as this: ‫َو ِم ن‬ ٌ ‫(" َو َرائِ ِھم بَ ْرز‬There) is a barrier before them till the Day َ‫َخ إِلَ ى يَ ْو ِم يُ ْب َعثُ ون‬ they are raised up (from their graves for judgment)" (Qur’ān, 23:100). This barrier separates this short temporal life as we know it from the other everlasting one awaiting us, but it is also one of its phases or stages, a station, if you will. On p. 71, Vol. 1 of Safeenat al-Bi¦ār ‫ س فينة البح ار‬we are told that Imām a¥-¯ādiq  pointed out to the barzakh once saying, "By Allāh, I fear for you the barzakh."

He was asked, "What is the barzakh?" He said, "It is the grave from the moment of death till the Day of Judgment." ‫ قي ل‬.‫ »ولكن ي وﷲ اتخ وف عل يكم م ن الب رزخ‬:‫قال االمام الصادق عليه السالم في حديث‬ .‫ القبر منذ حين موته الى يوم القيامة‬:‫ وما البرزخ ؟ قال‬:‫له‬ It has been cited from ar-Rawandi's book Lubb al-Lubāb ‫ لب اللباب‬that those in the graves go to call upon their families, offspring and relatives and tearfully plead to them saying: "O our children!! O our families! O our relatives! Have mercy on us and bestow upon us of the good things with you and the good deeds, and do remember us, may Allāh have mercy on you. We have sat in narrow prisons, bearing many worries and concerns; so, do not be too miser to pray for us and to pay alms on our behalf before your fate becomes similar to ours, perhaps Allāh will have mercy on us all. Alas! We used to be like you, enjoying blessings, but we did not spend in the way of Allāh, so our wealth turned into a calamity on our heads while others benefited from it; so, listen to us and do not forget to do us a favor with a dirham or a loaf of bread or whatever you wish, for you shall join us; you shall weep and your tears will not do you any good, just as we do although we find doing so to be futile. Work hard and seize the opportunity before it is gone and before your condition will be similar to ours." ، ‫ وف ي الخب ر ك ان الم وتى ي أتون فيقف ون‬:‫ب اللب اب للقط ب الراون دي ق ال‬ ّ ‫ونق ل ع ن ل‬ ‫ ي ا أھ اله ! ي ا ول داه ! وياقرابت اه ! اعطف وا‬: ً ‫وينادي ك ّل واح د م نھم ب صوت ح زين باكي ا‬ ، ‫ واذكرون ا وال تن سونا بال دعاء وارحم وا علين ا وعل ى غربتن ا‬، ‫علينا بشيء يرحمكم ﷲ‬ 389

‫ وال تبخل وا بال دعاء‬، ‫ فارحمون ا‬، ‫ وغ ّم طوي ل وش دّة‬، ‫فانّ ا ق د بقين ا ف ي س جن ض يق‬ ‫ فواح سرتاه ق د كنّ ا ق ادرين مث ل م ا أن تم‬.‫والصدقة لنا لعل ﷲ يرحمنا قبل أن تكونوا مثلنا‬ ‫ اسمعوا كالمن ا وال تن سونا ف انّكم س تعلمون غ داً ف انّ الف ضول الت ي‬: ‫قادرون فيا عباد ﷲ‬ ‫ فصار وباالً علينا‬، ‫ق‬ ّ ‫ ومنعنا عن الح‬، ‫في ايديكم كانت في أيدينا فكنّا الننفق في طاعة ﷲ‬ ‫ ثم ينادون م ا أس رع م ا تبك ون‬.‫ اعطفوا علينا بدرھم أو رغيف أو بكسرة‬. ‫ومنفعةً لغيرنا‬ .‫على انفسكم وال ينفعكم كما نحن نبكي وال ينفعنا فاجتھدوا قبل أن تكونوا مثلنا‬ Is the barzakh similar to the purgatory? Catholics believe that the purgatory is a place where the souls of the dead are cleansed before receiving God's grace, and such cleansing includes atonement through pain. This seems to be close to the Islamic concept because the Almighty punishes many of His servants in the grave in order to affect justice so He may not punish them again in hell. This does not apply to everyone, however, because some sinners are punished in this life, in the grave and in hell as well, and these are the worst category of sinners. This "purging" in which the Catholics believe may be close to the "grave's constriction" and torment detailed above. It is also stated in some traditions that this constriction, or the torment in the grave, is one of the manifestations of the Almighty Who does not wish to torment His servants twice; so, the grave is the last phase where they have to "pay" for some of their sins. But it is better, of course, to avoid such torment by doing simple things in this life that will spare you having to go through it, in other words, the munjiyāt ‫المنجي ات‬, acts bringing salvation, the easiest of which is recitation of supplications on a regular basis and helping others morally and financially, that is, those who deserve to be helped as explained in the Qur’ān and Sunna. The best way to offer charity, of course, is to give with the right hand what the left does not know, that is, let it be a secret you keep to yourself; do not make a show of it and thus lose its rewards. In the reference Jāmi` al-Akhbār ‫ج امع‬ ‫األخبار‬, we read the following on p. 197: ‫ "إبعثوا بھداياكم إلى موتاكم" فسئل عن‬:‫ أنه قال‬ ‫ذكر صحابي عن الرسول األعظم‬ ."‫ "الصدقه و الدعاء‬:‫ فقال‬،‫ھدايا الموتى‬ A companion of the Greatest Prophet  cited the Prophet  as saying, "Send your gifts to your dead." He was asked about what gifts could be sent to the dead, so he said, "Charity and 390

supplication." If you read the classic reference written by al-μarrāni titled Thawāb al-A`māl ‫ ث واب األعم ال‬1 , you will see how rewards for good deeds multiply by many times, starting from the tenfold promised in the Almighty for a good deed and go up the ladder till they reach an astronomical figure of one hundred thousand times.

Who will be rewarded so many times and for what? One who offers charity on behalf of both his deceased parents will receive them. If his parents still living, he will receive in the hereafter ten thousand times as much as he gives away as charity in the life of this world on their behalf. But if you have no money to pay charity, supplications will do. A combination of both is the best, though, if you really want to shun many horrors awaiting us in the hereafter and to live a very happy and blissful life here and hereafter.

F

F

‫ ف إن ملك ا يحملھ ا ف ي‬،‫ إذا تصدق أح دكم لمي ت‬:‫ أنه قال‬ ‫و فيه أيضا عن النبي الكريم‬ ‫ و ين ادي ب أعلى‬،‫ فيق ف عل ى حاف ة القب ر‬،‫ تمتد إشعته حتى تبلغ ال سماوات‬،‫طبق من نور‬ ‫ و ي دخلھا‬،‫ ھ ذه ھدي ة أھلك م إل يكم! فيت سلمھا المي ت‬،‫ السالم عليكم يا أھل القب ور‬:‫صوته‬ ‫ إعلم وا أن ه م ن ت رحم عل ى مي ت‬: ‫ ثم قال رسول ﷲ‬.... .‫ و يتسع بھا مضجعه‬،‫قبره‬ ‫ إذ ال ظ ل‬،‫ و ھو ي وم القيام ه تح ت ظ ل ع رش ﷲ‬،‫ فله أجر عند ﷲ مثل جبل أحد‬،‫بصدقه‬ .‫سواه يومذاك و ينجو بالصدقه األموات و األحياء‬ In the same reference, that is, Jāmi` al-Akhbār ‫ج امع األخب ار‬, we read the following on the same page: "The Revered Prophet  has been quoted as saying, 'If one of you offers charity on behalf of a deceased person, an angel carries it on a platter of noor (celestial light) the rays of which extend and reach the heavens. He stands at the edge of the grave and calls out as loudly as he can, saying: Peace be with you, O people of the graves! This is a gift sent to you by your family! The deceased person receives it and takes it with him inside his grave: It expands his resting place…" Then the Messenger of Allāh  added saying, "Be informed that when someone seeks mercy for a deceased person through offering charity on his behalf, he will get rewards as large as the U¦ud Mountain, and he will be on the Judgment Day under the shade of Allāh's `Arsh when, on that Day, there will be no shade other than it, and charity will be the 1

There are other books bearing the same title. One of them is Thawāb alA`māl wa `Iqāb al-A`māl by the mentor “Abū Ja`far” Mu¦ammed ibn Ali ibn al-μussain ibn Babawayh al-Qummi (d. 381 A.H./991 A.D.).

391

salvation of the dead and of the living." Here we must point out that many writers write about the thirst and hunger of the Judgment Day but do not say much about the darkness which will engulf the bad ones. There are many references to the noor ‫ن ور‬, celestial light, that will shine through and for the good ones on that Day, whereas the bad ones will be terrified because they will have no noor that will enable them to see what is around them, and they will most likely suffer from the stench of the pus coming out of the bodies of many in their company whose bodies will be smitten by the angels of torture. Contrary to their condition is enjoyed by those whom the Almighty will bless on that Day: These will have noor, shade on their heads rather than heat and be brought drinks and fruits from Paradise as they watch others being tried, that is, court marshaled!

On p. 59, Vol. 74 and on pp. 573-4 of Zād al-Ma`ād ‫زاد المع اد‬, we read the following statement by Imām a¥-¯ādiq : ‫ ي رد ال صوم و ال صالة و ال صدقة و الح ج و األدعي ة و الخي رات‬ ‫قال االم ام ال صادق‬ ‫ و يكتب ثواب جميع األعمال للميت و لفاعل الخير معا‬،‫على الميت في قبره‬ "Fast, prayers, charity, pilgrimage, supplications and good deeds reach the deceased person inside his grave, and the rewards of all deeds done on behalf of the deceased person will be recorded as they are for the doer of these deeds."

6) Qiyāma: Judgment Day ‫ القيام ه‬Belief in the Day of Judgment is one of the basic principles of the Islamic creed and of almost all other creeds, including primitive non-divine ones. For example, if you ask an Eskimo in the North Pole what will happen when one of his folks dies, he will tell you that he will be placed in his Alaskan husky dog-pulled chariot with plenty of food and clothes. The dogs will be told to pull it wherever they want, and he will be taken to a place reserved for the dead with which the huskies are familiar.

There, he will return to life and, if he is good, the Eskimo will go on, the place to which the dogs will take him will be very nice and warm: The food and clothes will keep recreating themselves indefinitely. And we know how the ancient Egyptians used to bury their dead with food, clothes and jewelry due to their belief in the

392

hereafter. Such belief is innate, natural, instinctive, deeply ingrained in the human nature. Islam portrays the Judgment Day as follows: ،‫ و فزعھا أكبر فزع‬،‫ بل ھولھا أشد األھوال و أعظمھا‬،‫القيامة من منازل اآلخره المھوله‬ ‫س اھَا قُ ْل‬ ْ َ‫ "ي‬:‫و قد وصفھا ﷲ )تب ارك و تع الى( ف ي الق رآن‬ ‫سأَلُونَكَ َع ِن ال ﱠ‬ َ ‫سا َع ِة أَيﱠ انَ ُم ْر‬ ْ َ ‫ض الَ تَ أتِي ُك ْم إِالﱠ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫األ‬ ْ‫إِنﱠ َم ا ِع ْل ُم َھ ا ِعن َد َربﱢ ي الَ يُ َجلﱢي َھ ا لِ َو ْقتِ َھ ا إِالﱠ ُھ َو ثَقُلَ ت‬ ‫و‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ا‬ ‫و‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫س‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ف‬ ْ ‫ﱠ‬ ِ ِ َ َ ِ َ َ َ َ َ ‫ﱠ‬ ْ َ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ال‬ ‫س‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ك‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫سأَلُونَ َك َكأَنﱠ َك َحفِ ﱞي َع ْن َھا قُ ْل إِنﱠ َما ِع ْل ُم َھا ِعن َد ﱠ ِ َ ِنﱠ‬ َ‫ِ َ ْ ُ ون‬ ْ َ‫بَ ْغتَةً ي‬ َ They ask you about the Hour (of Resurrection) when its appointed time will be. Say: 'The knowledge of this is with my Lord (alone): None but He can reveal when it will occur; its burden will be weighty throughout the heavens and the earth. It will come but suddenly to you'. They ask you as if you were solicitous of it; say: 'The knowledge of it is with Allāh (alone), but most men do not know'” (Qur’ān, 7:187). On p. 312, Vol. 6 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, we read the following: ‫روى الراون دي ع ن ال صادق م ن آل محم د )عل يھم ال سالم( إن عي سى ب ن م ريم )علي ه‬ ‫ متى تقوم القيامة؟ فارتعش جبرائيل حتى سقط على األرض مغشيا‬:‫السالم( سأل جبرائيل‬ ‫ ليس الم سؤول ب أعلم م ن ال سائل ع ن‬،‫ يا روح ﷲ‬:‫ قال‬،‫ و لما صحا‬،‫عليه و أغمي عليه‬ ‫ ثم تلى اآليه التي مر ذكرھا‬،‫أمر القيامة‬ "Ar-Rāwandi has quoted Imām a¥-¯ādiq  saying that Jesus son of Mary  asked Gabriel once: "When shall the Judgment Day be?"

Gabriel shook till he fell on the ground conscious, and he lost his consciousness. When he woke up from it, he said, "O Rū¦ullāh (Spirit of Allāh)! The asked person does not know about it more than the questioner." Then he recited the above verse. ‫ و يحمر وجھه الشريف‬،‫ يتغير صوته و يشتد‬،‫ يذكر القيامة‬ ‫روي أنه لما كان النبي‬ It has been narrated that whenever the Prophet  mentioned the Judgment Day, his voice would change and intensifies, and his holy face would change color. There are many munjiyāt ‫المنجي ات‬, acts of salvation, that can help during this terrifying Day about which so many Chapters and verses of the Holy Qur’ān warn. Here are some of them: 1) On p. 293, Vol. 7 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, we read the following: 393

‫ يبعث ي وم القيام ة جم يال كجم ال‬،‫ كل يوم أو كل ليلة‬ ‫روي أنه من قرأ سورة يوسف‬ ‫ و ال يستولي عليه فزع يوم القيامة األكبر‬، ‫يوسف‬ "One who recites Sūrat Yousuf (Chapter 12 of the Holy Qur’ān) every day or every night will be resurrected on the Judgment Day as beautiful as Yousuf (Joseph) (peace be with him) used to be, and he will not be overtaken by the greatest fright of the Judgment Day." On p. 295 of the same reference, Imām al-Bāqir  is quoted as having said: ‫ فإن ﷲ تعالى يبعثه مع اآلمنين المطمئنين‬،‫من قرأ سورة الدخان في فرائضه و نوافله‬ One who recites Sūrat al-Dukhān (Smoke, i.e. Chapter 44 of the Holy Qur’ān) in his obligatory as well as voluntary prayers will be resurrected by Allāh in the company of those who will be secure and contented." And the Imām  has also said the following as we read on p. 298 of the same reference: ‫ و يجعل ه‬،‫ ال يستولي عليه الخوف في ال دنيا‬،‫من قرأ سورة األحقاف كل ليلة أو كل جمعة‬ ‫ﷲ تعالى في أمان يوم القيامة‬ "Whoever recites Sūrat al-A¦qāf (Chapter 46 of the Holy Qur’ān) every night or every Friday will not be overtaken by fear in the temporary life, and Allāh Almighty will grant him security on the Judgment Day." On p. 298, Vol. 7 of the same reference, the Imām  is quoted as having said: ،‫ م شرق المحي ا‬،‫ يبع ث ي وم القيام ة ناص ع الوج ه‬،‫من قرأ سورة "و العصر" في نوافل ه‬ ‫ تبدو على شفتيه البسمة الى أن يدخل الجنة‬،‫قرير العين‬ One who recites Sūrat al-A¥r (Chapter 103 of the Holy Qur’ān) in his voluntary prayers will be resurrected on the Judgment Day with a bright face, shiny forehead, cooled eyes and a smile painted on his lips till he enters Paradise." 2) On p. 302, Vol. 7 of the same source, al-Kulayni cites Imām a¥-¯ādiq  as having said that the Messenger of Allāh  has said: 394

‫ و ال‬،‫ جعله ﷲ في أم ان م ن ف زع القيام ة األكب ر‬،‫من إحترم الذي بيض شعره في اإلسالم‬ ‫يخاف منه‬ "One who shows respect to a person who grows grey hair while being Muslim will be granted by Allāh security against the greatest fright of the Judgment Day and he will not fear that Day." 3) He is also quoted, as stated in the same reference and on the same page, as having said: ‫ و‬،‫ كان آمنا من فزع القيامة األكب ر‬،‫من مات في طريق مكه في ذھابه إليھا أو إيابه عنھا‬ " ‫ال يخاف منه‬ One who dies on his way going to Mecca or returning from it will be secure against the greatest fright of the Judgment Day, and he will not fear that Day." And on p. 57 of the same source, a¥-¯ādūq quotes him as having said: ‫ بعث ه‬،‫ زادھما ﷲ شرفا و تعظيما‬،‫ أي حرم مكة و حرم المدينة‬،‫من مات في أحد الحرمين‬ ‫ و ھم في أمان يوم القيامه‬،‫ﷲ مع الذين ال يخافون‬ "One who is buried in the holy precincts of Mecca the Venerable or in Medīna, may the Almighty increase their honor and glory, will be secure and resurrected by Allāh in the company of those who do not fear and will enjoy security on the Judgment Day." 4) On p. 303, Vol. 7 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, it is indicated that a¥-¯ādūq has narrated saying that the Messenger of Allāh  said: ‫ فتخلى عنھا و تجنب التورط فيھا خوفا من ﷲ تع الى ج ل‬،‫من تھيأت له فاحشه أو شھوه‬ ‫ و جعله في أمان من ھول القيامة و خوفھا‬،‫ حرم ﷲ عليه نار جھنم‬،‫و عال‬ "If one had the opportunity to commit a sin or satisfy a lustful desire but he let it pass by and avoided being involved in it out of his fear of Allāh, the most Sublime, the most Great, Allāh will prevent the fire of Hell from coming near him and will grant him security against the horror of the Judgment Day and of its fright." 5) The same source cites the Prophet  as having said: ‫ جعله ﷲ في أمان من فزع يوم القيامه‬،‫من عادى نفسه و لم يعاد الناس‬ 395

"If one opposes his desires while not being hostile to people, Allāh will grant him security against the greatest fear of the Judgment Day." 6) The great mentor, Sheikh Ali ibn Ibrāhīm al-Qummi, as we read in Vol. 62 of the same reference, has quoted Imām Mu¦ammed al-Bāqir  as having said: ‫ مأل ﷲ تعالى قلبه باإليمان و األمان‬،‫من كظم غيظه و ھو قادر على تنفيذه و تطبيقه‬ "If one suppresses his anger while being able to carry its dictates out and implement them, Allāh will fill his heart with conviction and security." 7) Allāh Almighty has said the following in the Holy Qur’ān: َ‫زَع يَ ْو َمئِ ٍذ آ ِمنُ ون‬ َ ‫" َم ن َج ا َء بِا ْل َح‬Whoever ٍ َ‫سنَ ِة فَلَ هُ َخ ْي ٌر ﱢم ْن َھ ا َو ُھ م ﱢم ن ف‬ does a good deed will be rewarded with better than it, and these will be secure against the fright of that Day" (Qur’ān, 27:89). A footnote on p. 117, Vol. 7 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār cites the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  commenting about the word ‫ الح سنة‬in this verse by saying: ‫الحسنه في ھذه اإليه المعرفة و الوالية و محبتنا نحن أھل البيت‬ "The doing of good in this verse is knowing about, accepting the mastership of and loving us, we Ahl al-Bayt  (immediate family of the Prophet )." 8) In the same reference, we are told that a¥¯ādūq has quoted Imām a¥-¯ādiq  as saying: ‫ أو أعان ه ف ي‬،‫ و أراح ه م ن ھم ه و غم ه‬،‫من أعان أخاه المغموم الضمآن بم ا ف ي وس عه‬ ‫ يعطي ه ﷲ ف ي ال دنيا رحم ة‬،‫ فل ه م ن ﷲ تع الى إثنت ان و س بعون رحم ة‬،‫ق ضاء حاجت ه‬ ‫ و يدخر له إحدى و س بعين رحم ة الباقي ه ألھوال ه و‬،‫ و بھا يصلح ﷲ أمر معاشه‬،‫واحدة‬ ‫فزعه يوم القيامة‬ "One who helps his distressed and thirsty brother as much as he can, or if he relieves him of his worry and concern, or if he helps him take care of something, he will receive from Allāh Almighty seventy-two blessings: Allāh will grant him in the life of this world one blessing whereby He repairs his livelihood while saving his remaining seventy-one blessings for the horrors and fright of the Judgment Day." More munjiyāt ‫منجيات‬, acts of adoration that result in 396

one's salvation, are stated on the pages of al-Qummi's Manāzil alĀkhria ‫ منازل اآلخرة‬to which we refer the reader.

7) Al-μashr ‫ الح شر‬The Gathering: It is a terrifying phase which starts when one comes out of his grave, having a new form with which he is not familiar, and it is one of the three most critical times through which a human being has to go. Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ ) refers to these three phases during which he will see nothing but peace as we read in verse 33 of Sūrat Maryam, a chapter in the Holy Qur’ān named after his saintly mother, Maryam (Mary), where Jesus is quoted by the Almighty as saying on the very first day when he was born, a miracle which testified to his extra-ordinary birth to an extra-ordinary Lady, the Mistress of the world of her time, the ُ ‫سال ُم َعلَ ﱠي يَ ْو َم ُولِ دتﱡ َويَ ْو َم أَ ُم وتُ َويَ ْو َم أُ ْب َع‬ following: ‫ث َحيًّ ا‬ ‫“ َوال ﱠ‬So peace is upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I shall be raised up to life (again)!” (Qur’ān, 19:33). In Sūrat al-Ma`ārij (Chapter 70 of the Holy Qur’ān), the Almighty says the following: ‫ث‬ ُ ‫فَ َذ ْر ُھ ْم يَ ُخو‬ ِ ‫ يَ ْو َم يَ ْخ ُر ُجونَ ِم نَ األَ ْج دَا‬ َ‫ضوا َويَ ْل َعبُوا َحتﱠى يُالقُوا يَ ْو َم ُھ ُم الﱠ ِذي يُو َعدُون‬ ‫صا ُر ُھ ْم ت َْر َھقُ ُھ ْم ِذلﱠةٌ َذلِ َك ا ْليَ ْو ُم الﱠ ِذي َك انُوا‬ ُ ُ‫س َراعًا َكأَنﱠ ُھ ْم إِلَى ن‬ َ ‫اش َعةً أَ ْب‬ ٍ ‫ص‬ ِ ِ ‫ َخ‬ َ‫ب يُوفِضُون‬  َ‫يُو َعدُون‬ "So leave them to plunge into vain talk and play until they encounter the Day they have been promised. (It is) the Day on which they will come out of their sepulchers in sudden haste as if they were rushing to a goal-post (fixed for them), their eyes lowered in dejection, ignominy covering them (all over). Such is the Day they are promised" (Qur’ān, 70:42-4). On p. 111, Vol. 7, of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, we read the following text: ،(‫ كن ت جال سا ف ي مح ضر أمي ر الم ؤمنين )علي ه ال سالم‬:‫روي ع ن اب ن م سعود أن ه ق ال‬ ‫ الموق ف األول ھ و الخ روج م ن‬.‫ و كل موقف ألف س نة‬،‫ في القيامة خمسون موقفا‬:‫فقال‬ ‫ فمن خرج م ن جدث ه مؤمن ا‬،‫ يحبس الناس فيه ألف سنة حفاة عراة جياعا عطاشى‬،‫القبر‬ ‫ و م صدقا لنبي ه و م ا‬، ‫ و مق را ب ا‬،‫ب ا و الجن ة و الن ار و البع ث و الح ساب و القيام ة‬ .‫ نجا من الجوع و العطش‬،‫أنزل من ﷲ تعالى‬ "In the Hereafter, there will be fifty stations: Each station lasts a thousand years. The first station is getting out of the grave. People 397

will be confined in it for a thousand years barefoot, hungry and thirsty. Whoever comes out of his grave believing in Allāh, in Paradise and Hell, in the Accounting and the Judgment, admitting Allāh as the Lord, believing in His Prophet and in what Allāh Almighty had revealed to him, will be saved from hunger and thirst."

The Holy Qur’ān refers to these fifty thousand years in the following verse: ‫سنَ ٍة‬ ‫تَ ْع ُر ُج ا ْل َمالئِ َكةُ َو ﱡ‬ ُ ‫الر‬ َ َ‫سينَ أَ ْلف‬ ِ ‫وح إِلَ ْي ِه فِي يَ ْو ٍم َكانَ ِم ْقدَا ُرهُ َخ ْم‬ "The angels and the spirit ascend to Him in a Day whose measure is fifty thousand years" (Qur’ān, 70:4). In Nahjul-Balāgha, the Commander of the Faithful Ali  says the following: ‫ خ ضوعا‬،‫ و ج زاء األعم ال‬،‫و ذلك يوم يجمع ﷲ فيه األولين و اآلخ رين لنق اش الح ساب‬ ‫ و‬،‫ و أحسنھم حاال من وجد لقدميه موضعا‬،‫ و رجفت بھم األرض‬،‫قياما قد ألجمھم العرق‬ ‫لنفسه متسعا‬ "It is the Day on which Allāh gathers the early generations and the last to discuss settling accounts and to reward good deeds. People will be submissive as they stand stifled by sweat, the earth having shaken underneath their feet. The best condition among them all is one who can find a foothold and a space." Obviously, the reckoning will take place on the same earth on which humans have been living for many years, but the earth will not be the same: All mountains will be then be flattened, all water in the seas and the oceans would have been turned into fire: The oxygen will be separated from the hydrogen then set ablaze: ‫ َوإِ َذا ا ْلبِ َح ا ُر‬ ْ‫ش َرت‬ ُ ‫ َوإِ َذا ا ْل ُو ُح‬ ْ‫ َوإِ َذا ا ْل ِع شَا ُر ُعطﱢلَ ت‬ ْ‫س يﱢ َرت‬ ُ ‫ َوإِ َذا ا ْل ِجبَ ا ُل‬ ِ ‫وش ُح‬  ْ‫س ﱢج َرت‬ ُ "When the mountains vanish (like a mirage); when the she-camels, ten months with young, are left untended; when the wild beasts are gathered together, and when the oceans boil over with a swell" (Qur’ān, 81:3-6). Notice the verse saying: "And when the wild beasts are gathered together" which indicates that the Day of Gathering will not be confined to humans but also to animals as well: All those who, without a justifiable cause, harmed these 398

animals will have to account for their sins on that horrific Day, and this proves to you how Islam cares so much not only about humans but also about animals. One can write a book about "animal rights in Islam" and compare these rights with the abuse these servants of the Almighty receive at the hands of either ignorant or selfish humans, but let us not get into that now. As for the last verse, No. 6, the one referring to the oceans "boiling over with a swell", I think it is a weak translation of what should be something like this: "And when the oceans are set ablaze." The earth will be flattened in order to make room for all billions of humans and animals and perhaps birds as well; it will be like a thin disk. Mentor al-Kulayni, as cited on p.

197, Vol. 7 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, quotes Imām al-Bāqir  as saying: ‫ غل ت أي ديھم و ربط ت إل ى‬،‫ان ﷲ تب ارك و تع الى يبع ث ي وم القيام ة أناس ا م ن قب ورھم‬ ‫ و معھم مالئكة يلومونھم‬،‫أعناقھم لدرجة أنھم ال يستطيعون أن يأخذوا بأيديھم قدر أنمله‬ ‫ و ھ ؤالء ھ م ال ذين م نحھم‬،‫ ھؤالء منعوا الخير القليل ع ن الخي ر الكثي ر‬:‫بشدة و يقولون‬ ‫ فامتنعوا عن أداء حقوق ﷲ من أموالھم‬،‫ﷲ من عطاياه‬ "Allāh, the most Blessed and the most Exalted One, will send on the Judgment Day people out of their graves: Their hands are tied to their necks to the extent they cannot take an iota of anything in their hands. The angels will be with them chastising them harshly and saying: "These (folks) prevented the doing of small acts of goodness while plenty was at their disposal. These are the ones whom Allāh granted out of His boons, yet they did not pay what belonged to Allāh from their wealth." In the same reference and on the same page, mentor a¥-¯adūq quotes the Messenger of Allāh  as saying the following in a lengthy tradition: ‫ و إذا م ا‬،‫ س لط ﷲ علي ه ف ي قب ره ن ارا تحرق ه إل ى ي وم القيام ه‬،‫من وشى ب ين شخ صين‬ ‫ سلط ﷲ عليه حيه سوداء تقطع لحمه إلى أن يدخل النار‬،‫خرج من قبره و حفرته‬ "If one drives a wedge between two persons, Allāh sends a fire in his grave that burns him till the Judgment Day. Once he gets out of his grave, Allāh will send on him a black snake that will tear his flesh apart till he enters hell." The Prophet  is also quoted in the same reference as having said:

399

‫ حشره ﷲ يوم القيامه م سمرا بم سامير ناري ه‬،‫من مأل عينه من النظر إلى المرأة الغريبه‬ ‫ فيحكم عليه أن يؤخذ الى النار‬،‫حتى يحكم ﷲ بين الناس‬ "If one fills his eyes with looking at a stranger woman, Allāh will gather him on the Judgment Day nailed with nails of fire till Allāh judges among the people. He will then rule to throw that man into the fire of hell." He  is also quoted on the next page of the same reference as having said the following: ‫ ي سيل‬،‫ مع وج الف م‬،‫ مائ ل العين ين معتم ة‬،‫شارب الخمر يحشر ي وم القيام ة م سود الوج ه‬ ‫ و قد أخرج لسانه من قفاه‬،‫اللعاب منه‬ "One who drinks wine will be gathered on the Judgment Day with a black face, his eyes are dark and slanted, his mouth twisted, saliva pouring down his mouth and his tongue sticking out of his back."

Sheikh a¥-¯adūq, as stated on p. 198 of the same reference cited above, has quoted Imām a¥-¯ādiq  as saying: ‫ و يخ رج م ن‬،‫ أزال ﷲ عنه ھموم اآلخرة و غمومھا‬،‫أنه من أزال عن مؤمن ھمه و غمه‬ ‫قبره مفرح القلب مثلجه‬ "If one removes the worry and the agony of another believer, Allāh will remove from him the worries and the agonies of the Hereafter, and he shall come out of his grave with a happy and cooled heart."

Both al-Kulayni and a¥-¯adūq, as stated in the same reference, narrate a lengthy tradition from Sadeer, the money exchanger, citing Imām a¥-¯ādiq  saying: ،‫ و كلما رأى المؤمن م ن أھ وال القيام ة‬،‫يحشر ﷲ المؤمن من قبره و معه تمثال و نظير‬ ‫ و يديم على بشارته حت ى‬.‫ ال تخف و ال تحزن فإن لك البشرى من الرحمن‬:‫قال له التمثال‬ ‫ فيق ول‬.‫ فيحاسبه ﷲ حسابا يسيرا و يأمر له بالجنة و التمثال أمام ه‬،‫يبلغ موقف الحساب‬ ‫ و داوم ت‬،‫ خرج ت مع ي م ن القب ر‬،‫ فق د كن ت ل ي خ ال ح سنا‬،‫ رحم ك ﷲ‬:‫المؤمن للتمث ال‬ :‫ فم ن أن ت؟ فيجيب ه التمث ال‬،‫على بشارتي بالسرور و كرامة ﷲ تعالى إلى أن تحقق ت ل ي‬ ‫ و ق د خلقن ي ﷲ ألب شرك‬،‫أن ا ال سرور ال ذي أدخلت ه ف ي قل ب أخي ك الم ؤمن ف ي ال دنيا‬ . ‫بالسرور الدائم و الفرح المداوم‬ "Allāh gathers a believer, once he is out of his grave, in the company of an image and a like form. Whenever the believer sees 400

horror in the Hereafter, the image says to him, "Do not worry and do not grieve, for you have the glad tidings from the most Merciful One." He keeps telling him such glad tidings till he takes his place for the judgment. Allāh will then be easy on him as He judges him.

He will order him to be lodged in Paradise. The image will still be standing in front of him, so the believer will ask it, "May Allāh have mercy on you! You have been a good companion to me: You came out with me from the grave and continued to give me glad tidings of happiness and honor from Allāh Almighty till this became a reality for me; so, who are you?!" The image will answer him saying, "I am the pleasure which you entered into the heart of your believing brother in the temporary life, and Allāh created me so I may inform you of the continuous happiness and incessant pleasure." On p. 168, Vol. 7 and p. 380, Vol. 74 of the same reference, mentor al-Kulayni narrates saying that Imām a¥-¯ādiq  has also said: ‫ فق د أوج ب ﷲ عل ى نف سه أن يك سوه‬،‫م ن ك سا أخ اه الم ؤمن ك سوة ال شتاء أو ال صيف‬ ‫ و تب شره المالئك ة‬،‫ و يوس ع علي ه قب ره‬،‫مالب س الجن ة و ي سھل علي ه م شاق الم وت‬ ‫ع األَ ْكبَ ُر‬ ُ ‫ال يَ ْح ُزنُ ُھ ُم ا ْلفَ َز‬ :‫بالبشرى حين خروجه من قبره إشارة الى ھ ذه اآلي ة الكريم ه‬ .  َ‫ َھ َذا يَ ْو ُم ُك ُم الﱠ ِذي ُكنتُ ْم تُو َعدُون‬:ُ‫َوتَتَلَقﱠا ُھ ُم ا ْل َمالئِ َكة‬ "One who gives his believing brother an outfit for the winter or for the summer obligates Allāh to clothe him from the outfits of Paradise, removes the hardships of death from him, expands his grave for him and the angels convey the glad tiding to him when he comes out of his grave as referred to in this sacred verse: 'The angels welcome them saying: This is your Day which Allāh promised you!'

(Qur’ān, 21:103)."

8) ‫ المي زان‬Al-Mīzān: The Scales of Deeds It is one of the terrifying phases/stages of the hereafter; the Almighty says the following in Sūrat al-A`rāf: ‫ َوا ْل َو ْزنُ يَ ْو َمئِ ٍذ ا ْل َح ﱡ‬ ُ‫ َو َم نْ َخفﱠ تْ َم َوا ِزينُ ه‬ َ‫ فَ َمن ثَقُلَتْ َم َوا ِزينُهُ فَأُولَئِكَ ُھ ُم ا ْل ُم ْفلِ ُحون‬‫ق‬  َ‫س ُھم بِ َما َكانُو ْا بِآيَاتِنَا يَ ْظلِ ُمون‬ َ ُ‫س ُرو ْا أَنف‬ ِ ‫فَأُولَئِ َك الﱠ ِذينَ َخ‬ "And truly We shall recount their whole story with knowledge, for We were never absent (at any time or place). The balance that Day 401

will be (absolutely) true: Those whose scales (of good deeds) will be heavy will prosper" (Qur’ān, 7:8-9). Following is Sūrat al-Qāri`a, Chapter of the noise and clamor that announce the reckoning: ‫ يَ ْو َم‬‫ َو َم ا أَد َْرا َك َم ا ا ْلقَا ِر َع ةُ؟‬‫ َم ا ا ْلقَا ِر َع ة؟‬‫ ا ْلقَا ِر َع ة‬:‫ب سم ﷲ ال رحمن ال رحيم‬ ْ‫ فَأ َ ﱠم ا َم ن ثَقُلَ ت‬‫ش‬ ُ ‫يَ ُك ونُ النﱠ‬ ِ ‫ش ا ْل َم ْبثُ و‬ ِ ‫ َوتَ ُك ونُ ا ْل ِجبَ ا ُل َك ا ْل ِع ْھ ِن ا ْل َمنفُ و‬‫ث‬ ِ ‫اس َك ا ْلفَ َرا‬ ‫ َو َما أَد َْرا َك‬ٌ‫ فَأ ُ ﱡمهُ ھَا ِويَة‬ُ‫ َوأَ ﱠما َمنْ َخفﱠتْ َم َوا ِزينُه‬‫اضيَة‬ َ ‫ فَ ُھ َو فِي ِعي‬ُ‫َم َوا ِزينُه‬ ِ ‫ش ٍة ﱠر‬  ‫ نَا ٌر َحا ِميَة‬‫َما ِھ َي؟‬ In the name of Allāh, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. The (Day) of noise and clamor: What is the (Day) of noise and clamor? And what will explain to you what the (Day) of noise and clamor is? (It is) a Day on which men will be scattered about like moths, and the mountains will be like carded wool. It is then that one whose balance (of good deeds) will be (found) heavy, he will be in a life of good pleasure and satisfaction. But if one's balance (of good deeds) will be (found) light, he will have his home in a (bottomless) pit (of hell).

And what will explain to you what this (pit) is? (It is) a fiercely blazing Fire" (Qur’ān, 101:1-11). It is called so because it hammers on the hearts with fear and terror. We read the following on p. 64 of al-Qummi's book ‫ منازل اآلخرة‬Manāzil al-Ākhira: ‫إعلم أنه ربما ال يساوي عمل لترجيح كفة الميزان في ثقله مثل الصالة على النب ي الك ريم‬ ‫و آله البررة )صلوات ﷲ عليھم أجمعين( و مثل الخلق الحسن‬ Be informed that perhaps there is nothing that tilts the scales of good deeds due to its weight like blessing the Venerable Prophet and his righteous progeny, peace and blessings of Allāh be with them all, and like good manners. On p. 49, Vol. 2 of Safeenat al-Bi¦ār, we read the following: :(‫ كي ف ن صلي عل ى محم د وآل ه؟ فق ال ال صادق )علي ه ال سالم‬: ‫س أل م ن روى الح ديث‬ ‫ صلوات ﷲ وصلوات مالئكته وانبيائه ورسله وجميع خلق ه عل ى محم د وآل محم د‬:‫تقول‬ ‫ م ا ث واب م ن‬:‫ ف سألت االم ام‬: ‫ ق ال ال راوي‬. ‫والسالم علي ه وعل يھم ورحم ة ﷲ وبركات ه‬ ‫ ثواب ه الخ روج م ن معاص يه‬:(‫ص لى عل ى النب ي ھك ذا؟ فق ال ال صادق )علي ه ال سالم‬ .‫ اي انه يتطھر منھا كمن ولد من أمه‬،‫وسيئاته‬

402

"The person who narrated this tradition asked Imām a¥-¯ādiq : 'How should we bless Mu¦ammed  and his progeny?' The Imām  said, 'You should say: Blessings of Allāh, of His angels, prophets and messengers and all creation be with Mu¦ammed  and the progeny of Mu¦ammed ; greeting upon him and upon them, the mercy of Allāh and His blessing.' The narrator said, 'I asked the Imām : What is the reward of one who thus blesses the Prophet ? The Imām  said: Its reward is one coming out of his transgressions and sins, that is, he will be purged of them as though he has just been born." On p. 443, Vol. 4 of the Tafsīr book

by Sheikh Abū al-Fitū¦ ar-Rāzi, we read the following text: ‫ ف ي‬:‫روى الشيخ أبو الفتوح الرازي عن رسول ﷲ )صلى ﷲ عليه و آله و سلم( أنه ق ال‬ ،‫ وف ي ك ل ي د أل ف إص بع‬،‫ رأيت ملكا له أل ف ي د‬،‫ عندما وصلت الى السماء‬،‫ليلة المعراج‬ ‫ إنه ملك موكل عل ى‬:‫ فقال‬،‫ فسألت جبرائيل عن إسمه و وظيفته وعمله‬.‫كان يعد بأصابعه‬ ‫ ھل تعلم عدد قطرات المطر ال ساقطة‬:‫ فسألت الملك‬.‫عد قطرات المطر النازلة الى األرض‬ ‫ ي ا رس ول ﷲ )ص لى ﷲ‬:‫على األرض منذ أن خلق ﷲ تعالى األرض؟ فاج اب المل ك ق ائال‬ ‫ إن ي ألعل م ع دد قط رات المط ر‬،‫ و الذي بعثك بالحق نبيا الى الخالئق‬،(‫عليه و آله و سلم‬ ‫ كم ا أعل م ال ساقطة ف ي البح ار والقف ار والمعم ورة‬،‫النازلة من السماء الى األرض عام ة‬ ‫ فتعجبت‬:(‫ قال النبي )صلى ﷲ عليه و آله و سلم‬.‫والمزروعة و األرض السبخة والمقابر‬ ،(‫ يا رسول ﷲ )ص لى ﷲ علي ه و آل ه و س لم‬:‫ فقال الملك‬.‫من ذكائه وذاكرته في الحساب‬ ‫ ف اني أعج ز م ن ع د‬،‫ولكني بما لدي من األيدي واألصابع وما عندي من الذاكرة وال ذكاء‬ ‫ اذا اجتمع عدد من أفراد أمتك في محفل وذك روا‬:‫ وما ذاك االمر؟ قال‬:‫ فقلت له‬.‫أمر واحد‬ ‫ فحينذاك أعجز عن حفظ ما لھؤالء من األجر والثواب إزاء ص لواتھم‬،‫اسمك فصلوا عليك‬ .‫عليك‬ Sheikh Abū al-Fitū¦ ar-Rāzi has quoted the Messenger of Allāh  saying, "In the Ascension Night, when I reached the heavens, I saw an angel having a thousand hands. In each hand he had a thousand fingers. He was counting with his fingers. I asked Gabriel about his name, function and job. Gabriel said, 'He is an angel in charge of counting the drops of water that fall to the ground.' I asked the angel, 'Do you [really] know the number of rain drops that fall on the earth since Allāh Almighty created the earth?' The angel answered saying, 'O Messenger of Allāh , by the One Who sent you in truth as a Prophet to the creation, I know the number of the rain drops that fall from the sky to the earth, all of it. I also know those that fall in the seas, on the deserts, on inhabited areas, on farms, on salty land and 403

on the grave sites.' The Prophet  said, 'I was amazed at his intelligence and memory in calculation.' The angel, therefore, said, 'O Messenger of Allāh , but despite all the hands, fingers, memory and intelligence, I am unable to count one thing.' I said to him, 'What is it?' He said, 'If some members of your nation gather together, mention your name and bless you, it is then that I am unable to calculate how many rewards they will receive for having blessed you.'" Also, al-Kulayni, the mentor, articulated the following after having performed the prayers ritual in the afternoon of a Friday: ‫ اللھ م ص لي عل ى محم د وآل محم د‬:‫روى ال شيخ الكلين ي ذي ل ص لوات ع صر الجمع ة‬ ‫ والسالم عليه وعل يھم‬،‫األوصياء المرضيين بأفضل صلواتك وبارك عليھم بأفضل بركاتك‬ ‫ ف إن ﷲ ي رد علي ه بع دد ك ل‬،‫ إنه من قرأ ھ ذه ال صلوات س بع م رات‬.‫و رحمة ﷲ وبركاته‬ .‫ ويأتي يوم القيامة و بين عينيه نور‬،‫ وعمله مقبول يوم القيامة‬،‫عبد حسنة‬ Lord! Send Your peace upon Mu¦ammed  and the progeny of Mu¦ammed , the wa¥is, the pleased ones, bless them with the best of Your blessings, peace be with him and with them, the mercy of Allāh and His blessings. Anyone who recites this supplication seven times will be rewarded by Allāh with rewards the number of which equals that of all of His servants; his good deeds will be accepted on the Judgment Day, and he will come out on the Judgment Day with noor (celestial light) shining between his eyes."

On p. 49, Vol. 2 of Safeenat al-Bi¦ār, we read the following text: ‫ اللھ م ص لي عل ى محم د وآل ه وعج ل ف رجھم‬:‫روي أنه من قال بعد صالة الصبح والظھر‬ ‫ فانه ال يم وت اال و م درك الق ائم م ن آل محم د )عل يھم‬،‫واحشرنا معھم وارزقنا شفاعتھم‬ (‫السالم‬ "One who recites the following after the morning and afternoon prayers will not die before seeing al-Qā’im [al-Mahdi ‫ ]ﻋ ﺞ‬from among the progeny of Mu¦ammed , peace be with them : 'Lord! Bless Mu¦ammed , and his progeny, speed up their ease, gather us in their company and grant us their intercession.'"

9) Al-μisāb ‫ الح ساب‬Reckoning: It is one of the most terrifying of all phases/stages of the hereafter, so much so that the hereafter is often 404

referred to, as a whole, as "the Day of Reckoning". Numerous verses in the Holy Qur’ān refer to it, emphasizing its significance and urging the faithful to prepare themselves for it with good deeds and acts of adoration, the latter cannot be accepted if the former are not.

Some of the verses which refer to reckoning and to the fact that people take it lightly are these: ‫بسم ﷲ الرحمن الرحيم‬ ْ َ ْ َ ‫ث إِالﱠ‬ ْ َ ‫س ِح‬ ٍ ‫ َما يَأتِي ِھم ﱢمن ِذك ٍر ﱠمن ﱠربﱢ ِھم ﱡم ْح َد‬ َ‫سابُ ُھ ْم َو ُھ ْم فِي غفل ٍة ﱡم ْع ِرضُون‬ ِ ‫ا ْقتَ َر َب لِلنﱠا‬ ‫ش ٌر‬ َ َ‫ َھ ْل َھ َذا إِالﱠ ب‬:‫س ﱡرو ْا النﱠ ْج َوى الﱠ ِذينَ ظَلَ ُم و ْا‬ ْ ‫ا‬ َ َ‫ ال ِھيَ ةً قُلُ وبُ ُھ ْم َوأ‬ َ‫ستَ َم ُعوهُ َو ُھ ْم يَ ْل َعبُ ون‬ ْ َ َ َ ‫ض َو ُھ َو‬ ‫ﱢم ْثلُ ُك ْم؟ أفَتَأتُونَ ال ﱢ‬ ‫ قَا َل َربﱢي يَ ْعلَ ُم ا ْلقَ ْو َل فِ ي ال ﱠ‬‫صرُونَ ؟‬ ِ ‫س ْح َر َوأنتُ ْم تُ ْب‬ ِ ‫س َماء َواأل ْر‬ ْ ُ َ َ ْ َ َ ْ ُ ُ ‫ض َغ‬ ‫س َل‬ ْ ‫ بَ ْل قالو ْا أ‬‫س ِمي ُع ا ْل َعلِي ُم‬ ‫ال ﱠ‬ ِ ‫ فليَأتِنَ ا بِآيَ ٍة َك َم ا أ ْر‬،‫ بَ ْل ُھ َو شَا ِع ٌر‬،ُ‫ بَ ِل افت َ​َراه‬،‫الم‬ ٍ ‫اث أ ْح‬ َ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ ُ َ َ ْ ْ‫ؤ‬  ‫ أف ُھ ْم يُ ِمنونَ ؟‬،‫ َما آ َمنتْ ق ْبل ُھم ﱢمن ق ْريَ ٍة أ ْھلكناھَا‬ َ‫األَ ﱠولون‬ "In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Mankind's reckoning comes closer and closer: Yet they do not heed, and they turn away. (Nothing) ever comes to them of a renewed message from their Lord except that they listen to it as in jest, their hearts toying with trifles. The wrongdoers conceal their private counsels (saying), 'Is this more than a man like your own selves?

Will you yield to witchcraft with your eyes open?' Say: 'My Lord knows (every) word (spoken) in the heavens and the earth: He is the One Who hears and knows (all things).' 'No,' they say, '(these are) medleys of dreams! No, he forged it! No, he is (but) a poet! Then let him bring us a Sign like the ones that were sent to (Prophets) of old!'

(As for those) before them, not one of the populations which We destroyed believed: Will these believe?" (Qur’ān, 21:1-6). Another reference is this: ‫ش ِديدًا َو َع ﱠذ ْبنَاھَا َع َذابًا‬ َ ‫سابًا‬ ُ ‫ َو َكأَيﱢن ﱢم ن قَ ْريَ ٍة َعتَ تْ َع نْ أَ ْم ِر َربﱢ َھ ا َو ُر‬ َ ‫س ْبنَاھَا ِح‬ َ ‫س لِ ِه فَ َحا‬ ‫ش ِديدًا فَاتﱠقُوا ﱠ‬ ‫ أَ َع ﱠد ﱠ‬‫س ًرا‬ َ ‫ﷲُ لَ ُھ ْم َع َذابًا‬ ْ ‫ فَ َذاقَتْ َوبَا َل أَ ْم ِرھَا َو َكانَ عَاقِبَةُ أَ ْم ِرھَا ُخ‬‫نﱡ ْك ًرا‬ َ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ت ﱠ‬ ‫ب الﱠ ِذينَ آ َمنُوا قَ ْد أَن َز َل ﱠ‬ ‫ت‬ ُ ‫ ﱠر‬‫ﷲُ إِلَ ْي ُك ْم ِذ ْك ًرا‬ ٍ ‫ﷲِ ُمبَيﱢنَ ا‬ ِ ‫س وال يَ ْتلُ و َعلَ ْي ُك ْم آيَ ا‬ ِ ‫يَا أُولِي األَ ْلبَا‬ ‫ت ِم نَ ال ﱡ‬ ‫ت إِلَ ى النﱡ ور َو َم ن يُ ؤْ ِمن بِ ا ﱠ ِ َويَ ْع َم ْل‬ ‫لﱢيُ ْخ ِر َج الﱠ ِذينَ آ َمنُ وا َو َع ِملُ وا ال ﱠ‬ ِ ‫ظلُ َم ا‬ ِ ‫صالِ َحا‬ َ َ َ ‫سنَ ﱠ‬  ‫ﷲُ لَهُ ِر ْزقًا‬ َ َ ‫ت ت َْج ِري ِمن ت َْحتِ َھا األ ْن َھا ُر َخالِ ِدينَ فِي َھا أبَدًا قَ ْد أ ْح‬ ٍ ‫صالِ ًحا يُد ِْخ ْلهُ َجنﱠا‬ “How many generations that insolently opposed their Lord's command and (that) of His Prophets did We call to account, to a severe account? And We imposed on them an exemplary punishment.

405

Then they tasted the evil result of their conduct, and the end of their conduct was perdition. Allāh has prepared a severe punishment for them (in the hereafter). So fear Allāh, O you men of understanding who have believed, for Allāh has indeed sent down a message for you, a Prophet who rehearses God's Signs to you, containing clear explanations, so that he may lead forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the depths of darkness into the light. And those who believe in Allāh and do righteous deeds He will admit into gardens beneath which rivers flow to dwell therein forever: Allāh has indeed granted a most excellent provision for them” (Qur’ān, 65:8-11). Just as there are numerous references to reckoning in the Holy Qur’ān, there are also numerous references to it in the Sunnah of the Prophet . Many traditions warn the believers about its woes and perils. On p. 258, Vol. 7 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, we read the following: ‫روى ال شيخ ال صدوق )رحم ة ﷲ علي ه( ع ن طري ق أھ ل البي ت )عل يھم ال سالم( أن ه ق ال‬ ‫ إال و أن ي سأل‬،‫ ال تتحرك قدما عبد من عب اد ﷲ‬:(‫رسول ﷲ )صلى ﷲ عليه و آله و سلم‬ ‫ و ف يم‬،‫ و عن ماله من أين وجده‬،‫ و عن شبابه فيم قضاه‬،‫ عن عمره فيم أفناه‬:‫عن أربعه‬ .‫ و عن محبتنا نحن أھل البيت‬،‫صرفه‬ Sheikh a¥-¯adūq  (may Allāh be pleased with him) has narrated through the path of Ahl al-Bayt  saying that the Messenger of Allāh  said: "The feet of a servant of Allāh do not move before he is asked about four things: his lifespan and how he spent it, his youth and what he did during it, his wealth and where he found it and how he spent it and about love for us, we Ahl al-Bayt ." On p. 267 of the same reference, we read the following: ‫ أول م ا‬:‫روى الشيخ الطوسي )رحمة ﷲ عليه( عن االمام الب اقر )علي ه ال سالم( أن ه ق ال‬ . ‫ إن قبلت قبل ما سواھا‬،‫يحاسب عنه العبد الصالة‬ Sheikh at-±ūsi  has narrated from Imām al-Bāqir  saying: "The first thing about which a servant of Allāh is questioned is prayer. If it is accepted, everything else is accepted." On p. 274 of the same reference, we read the following:

406

،‫ ف اذا ك ان للم دين ح سنات‬،‫روى ال شيخ ال صدوق أن ال دائن ي أتي ي وم القيام ة و ي شتكي‬ ‫ فتؤخ ذ م ن معاص ي ال دائن و ت ضاف ال ى‬،‫ و ان ل م تك ن ل ه ح سنات‬،‫تؤخ ذ من ه لل دائن‬ .‫معاصي المدين‬ "Sheikh a¥-¯adūq has narrated saying that the creditor comes on the Judgment Day and complains. If the borrower has good deeds, these deeds (some, if not all) will be taken away from him and given to the lender. But if he has no good deeds, some of the sins of the creditor will be taken and added to those of the borrower." On p. 82 of Manāzil al-Ākhira, we read the following: ‫ ال ينج و م ن مخ اطر الح ساب و دق ائق المي زان إال م ن‬:‫إعل م أن بع ض المحقق ين ق د ق ال‬ ‫حاسب نفسه في الدنيا و آختبر شخصه بميزان الشرع االسالمي و كذلك أعمال ه و أقوال ه‬ ‫ حاس بوا أنف سكم قب ل أن‬:‫ فق د ق الوا‬،‫و أفعال ه و س يئاته و لحظات ه و حركات ه و س كناته‬ .‫تحاسبوا‬ "Be informed that some critics have said: Nobody is spared the perils of reckoning and the precisions of the scales except one who holds himself to account in the short life and tests his person according to the scales of the Islamic Sharī`a, applying the same to his actions, statements, deeds, sins, looks, motion and stillness, for they have said: Hold yourselves to account before you yourselves are held to account."

10) ‫ ت سليم ص حيفة األعم ال‬Tasleem ¯a¦eefat al-A`māl: Delivering the Book of Deeds: It is one of the terrifying phases of the Judgment Day when the list of deeds is delivered to the one it belongs to. The Almighty has made a number of references to this book of deeds; here are some of them: ْ‫ش َرت‬ ‫ " َوإِ َذا ال ﱡ‬When the scrolls are laid ِ ُ‫ص ُحفُ ن‬ open" (Qur’ān, 81:10); and also these verses: ‫ب إِلَ ى أَ ْھلِ ِه‬ ُ ِ‫ َويَنقَل‬ ‫سي ًرا‬ ُ ‫س‬ َ ‫ب ِح‬ َ ‫س ْوفَ يُ َحا‬ َ َ‫فَأ َ ﱠم ا َم نْ أُوتِ َي ِكتَابَ هُ بِيَ ِمينِ ِه ف‬ ِ َ‫سابًا ي‬  ‫س ِعي ًرا‬ ْ ‫َم‬ ْ َ‫ َوي‬ ‫س ْوفَ يَ ْدعُو ثُبُو ًرا‬ َ ‫صلَى‬ َ َ‫ ف‬ ‫ َوأَ ﱠما َمنْ أُوتِ َي ِكتَابَهُ َو َراء ظَ ْھ ِر ِه‬‫س ُرو ًرا‬ "He who is given his book in his right hand, soon his account will be taken by an easy reckoning, and he will turn to his people, rejoicing!

But whoever is given His record behind his back, He will soon cry for perdition, and he will enter a blazing Fire" (Qur’ān, 84:7-12). On 407

p. 314, Vol. 7 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, al-`Ayyāshi quotes Imām a¥-¯ādiq  saying: ‫ و ي ذكره ﷲ جمي ع‬،‫ إق رأ‬:‫ تعط ى لك ل واح د قائم ة أعمال ه و يق ال ل ه‬،‫إذا قام ت القيام ة‬ ‫ و خطوات ه و غيرھ ا و كأن ه قالھ ا‬،‫ و كذلك جميع أقواله‬،‫أعماله بالنظر إلى تلك الصحيفة‬ ‫ م ا لھ ذا الكت اب ال يغ ادر ص غيرة و ال‬،‫ "ي ا ويلتن ا‬:‫ فيقول ون‬،‫و فعلھا و خطاھا في الح ال‬ "‫كبيرة إال أحصاھا؟‬ When it is Judgment Day, everyone will be handed over his list of deeds, and it will be said to him, 'Read!' Allāh will remind him of all his deeds through looking at this tablet, and the same applies to his statements, steps and everything else, as if he said, did or treaded them instantly. People will say, 'Woe unto us! Why does this book not leave out the recording of anything, be it small or big?!'"

(Qur’ān, 18:49). Ibn Qawlawayh has quoted Imām a¥-¯ādiq  as saying: ‫من زار قبر الح سين )علي ه ال سالم( ف ي ش ھر رم ضان و م ات ف ي س فر زيارت ه للح سين‬ .‫ أدخل الجنة ال خوف عليك‬:‫ فال يتعرض ألمر أو حساب و يقال له‬،(‫)عليه السالم‬ "If one visits the gravesite of Imām al-μussain  during the month of Rama¤ān and dies during his trip to visit al-μussain , he will not be exposed to anything, nor will he be held to account, and it will be said to him, "Enter Paradise, you shall not fear." Due to sheer ignorance, some people cast doubt about such a statement. Such folks do not know the status of Imām al-μussain in Islam. They do not know that had it not been for his heroic revolution, Islam would have been distorted the same way Christianity and Judaism and other religions have been distorted. They need to read about al-μussain’s revolution in order to know that Islam is not just prayers, fast, pilgrimage, etc. These are only rituals. Islam is much, much more than rituals; it is a complete and perfrect way of life. `Allāma al-Majlisi , may Allāh be pleased with him, has quoted Imām ar-Ri¤a  through two reliable isnāds as saying: ‫ و عن د‬،‫ يوم القيامة ألنقذه من أھوالھ ا‬:‫ أتيته في مواطن ثالثة‬،‫من زارني على بعد قبري‬ ‫ و‬،‫ و على الصراط‬،‫ و صحائف المجرمين إلى شمائلھم‬،‫تطاير كتب المحسنين إلى يمينھم‬ 408

.‫على الميزان‬ "If one comes from a distance to visit my gravesite, I shall go to him on three occasions: on the Judgment Day to save him from its woes, when the books of the doers of good are flown to their right hands, when the tablets of the criminals are flown to their left, on the ¯irā§ [path between Paradise and Hell] and at the Mīzān (scales of deeds)." In the book titled Al-μaqq al-Yaqeen ‫الح ق اليق ين‬, it is indicated that al-μussain ibn Sa`īd has quoted Imām a¥-¯ādiq  as having said: ‫ و يحاس به فيم ا بين ه و بين ه دون أن‬،‫ أعط اه كتاب ه بيمين ه‬،‫إذا أراد ﷲ أن يحاسب مؤمن ا‬ ‫ لق د‬،‫ إلھ ي‬:‫ فيجي ب العب د‬،‫ لقد فعلت ك ذا و ك ذا‬،‫ عبدي‬:‫ و يقول له‬،‫يطلع على حسابه أحد‬ ‫ س بحان ﷲ! إن‬:‫ فيق ول الن اس‬.‫ غفرت ل ك و بدلت ه إل ى ح سنات‬:‫ و يقول ﷲ تعالى‬.‫فعلته‬ ‫فَأ َ ﱠم ا َم نْ أُوتِ َي‬ :‫ و ھ ذا معن ى قول ه تع الى‬،‫ و ل م يرتك ب قبيح ا‬،‫ھذا العبد لم يقت رف ذنب ا‬ -7 ،‫ )اإلن شقاق‬‫س ُرو ًرا‬ ْ ‫ب إِلَى أَ ْھلِ ِه َم‬ ُ ِ‫ َويَنقَل‬ ‫سي ًرا‬ ُ ‫س‬ َ ‫ب ِح‬ َ ‫س ْوفَ يُ َحا‬ َ َ‫ِكتَابَهُ بِيَ ِمينِ ِه ف‬ ِ َ‫سابًا ي‬ ‫ أي أھل يقصد بھذا األھل؟ ھل يصحب الم ؤمن أھل ه ال ذين ك انوا مع ه‬:‫ فسأل الراوي‬. (9 ‫ إذا أراد ﷲ بعب د س وءا حاس به جھ را أم ام الخالئ ق و أت م‬: ‫ف ي ال دنيا؟ ق ال ال صادق‬ ‫ " َوأَ ﱠم ا َم نْ أُوتِ َي ِكتَابَ هُ َو َراء‬:‫ كم ا ق ال ﷲ تع الى‬،‫عليه حجته و أعطاه كتاب ه إل ى ش ماله‬ ‫س ُرو ًرا– يعن ي ف ي‬ ْ ‫ إِنﱠ هُ َك انَ فِ ي أَ ْھلِ ِه َم‬‫س ِعي ًرا‬ ْ َ‫س ْوفَ يَ ْدعُو ثُبُ و ًرا َوي‬ َ ‫صلَى‬ َ َ‫ظَ ْھ ِر ِه ف‬ ‫ " إِنﱠهُ ظَنﱠ أَن لﱠن يَ ُحو َر" يعني أنه لن يعود — و ھذا يشير إلى أن أي دي الكف ار‬،—‫الدنيا‬ ‫ و إل ى ھ اتين الح التين أش ير ف ي‬،‫و المنافقين تغل و تقيد و ت سلم ص حائفھم إل ى ش مالھم‬ ‫ "اللھ م أعطن ي كت ابي بيمين ي و خل ودي ف ي الجن ه‬:‫أدعي ة الوض وء عن د غ سل الي دين‬ ‫ و ال‬،‫ و ال تعطني كتابي ع ن ش مالي و ال وراء ظھ ري‬،‫ و حاسبني حسابا يسيرا‬،‫بشمالي‬ ."‫تغل يدي إلى عنقي‬ "If Allāh wants to hold a believer to account, he gives him his book [of deeds] in his right hand and judges him between Himself and the believer without anyone seeing it. He will then say to him, 'My servant! You have done this and that.' The servant will say, 'Lord, I have done it.' Allāh Almighty will say, 'I have forgiven you and change it into good deeds.' People will say, 'Blessed be Allāh! This servant of Allāh did not commit a sin, nor did he do anything contemptible!' This is the meaning of the verse of the Almighty: Then whoever is given his record in his right hand, soon his account will be taken by an easy reckoning, and he will turn to his people, rejoicing!' (Qur’ān, 84:7-9). The narrator asked, 'What is meant by his people (his family)? Does the believer accompany his folks who 409

used to be with him in this life?' Imām a¥-¯ādiq  said, 'If Allāh wants something bad to afflict His servant [on account of the latter's deeds], He will try him before all creations, complete His argument against him then gives him his book in his left hand as Allāh Almighty has said: Truly he thought that he would not have to return (to Us)!' (Qur’ān, 84:14). This points towards the hands of the unbelievers and hypocrites being tied and chained and their tablets delivered on their left side. It is to both these conditions that the supplications related to ablution refer: 'Lord! Give me my book in my right hand and my eternity in Paradise on my left; do judge me easily and do not give me my book on my left or behind my back, and do not tie my hands to my neck."

11) A¥-¯irāt al-Mustaqeem ‫ ال صراط الم ستقيم‬The Straight Path is also one of the most terrifying phases/stages of the Hereafter if not the very most. It is described in both Holy Qur’ān and authentic Sunnah in numerous verses and traditions (a¦ādīth ‫ )أحادي ث‬due to its significance, so much so that the faithful are reminded of it ten times a day in their obligatory daily prayers and in all optional ones (nawāfil ‫ )نواف ل‬when they recite Sūrat al-Fāti¦a, the Opening Chapter to the Book of Allāh, the Qur’ān. Following is a good deal of more information about this ¯irā§; so, keep reading.

On pp. 103-105, Vol. 46 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, we read detailed descriptions of this ¯irā§, and additional text is indicated on pp. 6971 of the same reference. Here is some of the text on the latter pages: ‫ و ج اء ف ي الرواي ات أن ه أدق‬.‫ ال يدخل الجن ة إال م ن اجت ازه‬،‫ھو جسر ممدود على جھنم‬ ،‫ يعبره خالص المؤمنين كالبرق الخاطف‬.‫من الشعرة و أحد من السيف و أصلى من النار‬ ‫ و بعض الم ارة ي سقطون ف ي جھ نم‬.‫و بعضھم يعبره بصعوبة لكنه يجتازه و ينجو بنفسه‬ ‫ و ھ و نم وذج م ن ص راط ال دنيا الم ستقبم حي ث ال دين الح ق و‬.‫من بعض عقبات الصراط‬ ‫ و متابع ة أمي ر الم ؤمنين و ذريت ه األئم ة الط اھرين )ص لوات ﷲ عل يھم‬،‫طري ق الوالي ة‬ ‫ فق د‬،‫ فمن مال عن ھذا الصراط الدنيوي و ع دل عن ه إل ى الباط ل ق وال أو عم ال‬،(‫أجمعين‬ ‫ و ال صراط الم ستقيم ال ذي تج ده ف ي‬،‫ارتجف من عقبة صراط اآلخرة و سقط الى الجحيم‬ .‫سورة الحمد في القرآن الكريم يشير إلى صراط الدنيا و صراط اآلخرة كليھما‬ "It is a bridge extended over Hell: Nobody enters Paradise without successfully passing over it. Traditions indicate that it is thinner than 410

‫‪hair, sharper than the sword and hotter than fire. Sincere believers‬‬ ‫‪cross over it like lightning that snatches the eyes. Some of them pass‬‬ ‫‪over it with difficulty but they pass it and are thus saved, whereas‬‬ ‫‪others fall into Hell from one of the obstacles on this ¯irā§. It is a‬‬ ‫‪sort of this life's A¥-¯irā§ al-Mustaqeem where true faith, the path of‬‬ ‫‪, is to follow in the footsteps of the Commander of‬والي ة ‪the wilāya‬‬ ‫‪the Faithful and the Purified Imāms (peace of Allāh be with all of‬‬ ‫‪them): Anyone who swerves from this worldly path and leans‬‬ ‫‪towards falsehood by speech or by action, the obstacle of the‬‬ ‫‪Hereafter's ¯irā§ will shake under his feet, causing him to fall into‬‬ ‫‪hell. A¥-¯irā§ Al-Mustaqeem which you find in Sūrat al-μamd in the‬‬ ‫‪Holy Qur’ān points out to both ¯irā§s: the one in this life and the one‬‬ ‫"‪in the hereafter.‬‬ ‫‪ , where he quotes Al‬الحق اليقين ‪In his book titled Al-μaqq Al-Yaqeen‬‬‫‪ by Sheikh a¥-¯adūq, may Allāh have mercy on his‬العقائ د ‪`Aqā’id‬‬ ‫‪soul, al-Majlisi states the following:‬‬ ‫إنن ا نعتق د أن ك ل عقب ة م ن العقب ات الت ي تعت رض س بيل المح شر ھ و إس م لفري ضة م ن‬ ‫الفرائض—األوامر و الن واھي—ف إذا وص ل اإلن سان ال ى عقب ة م سماة بإس م فري ضة‪ ،‬و‬ ‫ك ان مق صرا ف ي ذل ك الواج ب‪ ،‬اوق ف ف ي تل ك العقب ة و طل ب من ه تأدي ة ح ق ﷲ تع الى‬ ‫بالنسبة لذلك الواجب‪ .‬فإن إستطاع الخروج من تلك العقبة باألعمال الصالحة التي قدمھا‪،‬‬ ‫أو برحمة من ﷲ تشمله‪ ،‬فق د خ رج و اجت از تل ك العقب ة بال ذات‪ ،‬و م دة التوقي ف ف ي ك ل‬ ‫عقبة ألف س نة‪ ،‬و تت والى العقب ات‪ ،‬و تتواص ل التوقيف ات و تنھ ال األس ئلة و اإلس تنطاق‬ ‫عما يعود إلى مسمى إسم تلك العقبة من الواجب و الفريضة‪ ،‬حتى إذا أجاب عن جميع م ا‬ ‫عليه بما يجب من حسن اإلجابة‪ ،‬إنتھى من العقبة األخيرة إلى دار البقاء و س رح س راحا‬ ‫جم يال‪ ،‬و يحي ى حي اة خال دة ال م وت فيھ ا و ال ب وار‪ ،‬و ي سعد س عادة ال ش قاء فيھ ا و ال‬ ‫دم ار‪ ،‬و ي سكن إل ى ج وار رحم ة رب ه م ع النبي ين و الحج ج و ال صديقين و ال شفعاء و‬ ‫الصالحين و حسن أولئك رفيقا‪ .‬أما إذا استجوب في عقب ة م ن العقب ات‪ ،‬و طل ب من ه ح ق‬ ‫قصر في تأديته في الدنيا‪ ،‬و لم يقدم عمال صالحا يكافىء ذلك التقصير‪ ،‬و ال تدركه رحم ة‬ ‫من ﷲ تعالى لينجو من تلك العقبة‪ ،‬فتزل قدمه في تلك العقبة و يسقط منھا إلى الھاوية و‬ ‫الجحيم‪ ،‬و نعوذ با من ذلك األم ر‪ .‬و جمي ع ھ ذه العقب ات عل ى ال صراط‪ ،،‬ت سمى واح ده‬ ‫منھا الوالية‪ ،‬يتوقف فيھا جميع الخالئق‪ ،‬في سأل ع ن والي ة أمي ر الم ؤمنين عل ي ب ن أب ي‬ ‫طالب و األئمة الطاھرين من بعده‪ ،‬فإذا كان قد أتاھا و إتبعھا فقد نجا و اجتاز ھذه العقبة‪،‬‬ ‫سئُولُونَ " )الصافات‪ :‬آيه ‪ ،(24‬و‬ ‫و إال فقد ھوى إلى الجحيم‪ .‬قال تعالى‪َ " :‬وقِفُو ُھ ْم إِنﱠ ُھم ﱠم ْ‬ ‫ص ا ِد" )الفج ر‪ :‬آي ة ‪ .(14‬يق ول ﷲ تع الى‪:‬‬ ‫أھ م العقب ات ھ ي المرص اد‪" :‬إِنﱠ َربﱠ َك لَبِا ْل ِم ْر َ‬ ‫بعزت ي و جالل ي ال يف وتني ظل م ظ الم‪ .‬و ت سمى عقب ة أخ رى بعقب ة ال رحم‪ ،‬و أخ رى‬ ‫ف ِ◌إِن لكل فريضة أو أمر من أوامر ﷲ‪ ،‬أو نھ ي م ن‬ ‫باألمانة‪ ،‬و أخرى بالصالة‪ ،‬و ھكذا ِ‬ ‫نواھيه‪ ،‬يقف المرء ليجيب عما ھو مسؤول عنه‪.‬‬ ‫‪411‬‬

"We believe that each of the obstacles along the path to the Gathering represents the name of one of the obligations, i.e. what the Almighty has commanded or prohibited. If someone reaches an obstacle bearing the name of an obligation, and if he had fallen short of performing that obligation, he will be stopped at it and will be required to pay what he owes Allāh Almighty. If he can get out of that obstacle through the good deeds which he had done, or there may be mercy from Allāh which will include him, he will get out and pass that particular obstacle. The time period of keeping anyone at each of these obstacles is a thousand years. The obstacles continue, following each other; questions go on and arguments are pursued about what each station represents: the obligations and the commandments. If one answers duly, he will pass by the last station to the abode of eternity and will be released most beautifully: He will live a perpetual life where there is neither death nor loss, and he will taste happiness where there is neither misery nor destruction. He will live beside the mercy of his Lord with the prophets, the Signs of Allāh, the Truthful Ones, the ones who can intercede on behalf of others, the righteous ones whose company is truly the very best. But if he is asked at one of the obstacles and required to make up for falling short of performing it during his lifetime, if he did not offer an act of righteousness to make up for that shortcoming, and if he is not saved through mercy from Allāh Almighty that rescues him from that obstacle, his feet will slip in that area and he will fall from it into the abyss and into Hell, we seek refuge with Allāh against this.

All these obstacles are on the ¯irā§. One of them is called the wilāyat (mastership of or loyalty to the Imāms from among the Ahl al-Bayt (‫))ع‬: All people will be stopped at it and asked about the wilāyat of the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abū ±ālib and the Pure Imāms after him . If one was observing this wilāyat, adhering to it, he will pass this obstacle; otherwise, he will fall into Hell. Allāh Almighty has said َ‫سئُولُون‬ ْ ‫" َوقِفُ و ُھ ْم إِنﱠ ُھ م ﱠم‬But stop them, for they must be asked" (Qur’ān, 37:24). And the most important of these obstacles is the Mirsad: ‫ص ا ِد‬ َ ‫" إِنﱠ َربﱠ كَ لَبِا ْل ِم ْر‬For your Lord is (as a Guardian) on a watch-tower" (Qur’ān, 89:14). Allāh Almighty says: ‫" بعزت ي و جالل ي ال يف وتني ظل م ظ الم‬By My Honor and Greatness (do I swear) that no oppression committed by an oppressor escapes My knowledge." Another obstacle is called the kinship obstacle. Another 412

is called amana ‫أمان ة‬, trust (something entrusted for safe keep to someone), another is called salat ‫صالة‬, prayer, and so on: ‫لك ل فري ضه م ن الف رائض—األوام ر و الن واھي—يوق ف العب د عن دھا ليجي ب عم ا ھ و‬ ‫مسؤول عنه‬ Each obligation—what is commanded and what is prohibitive—has an obstacle at which the servant of Allāh is stopped to answer about his responsibility towards it."

On p. 65, Vol. 8 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, we read the following: ‫ و ترى آخرين ق د تعلق وا بأي ديھم‬،‫فترى الناس على الصرا ط يسقطون كالفراش المبثوث‬ ‫أو بي د واح ده أو ب أرجلھم و ھ م يم سكون خوف ا م ن الھب وط و المالئك ة ح ولھم واقف ون‬ ‫ و‬،‫ اغفر لھؤالء و اعف عن ھؤالء بف ضلك و ج ودك‬،‫ أيھا الرب الحليم‬:‫يدعون و ينادون‬ ،‫ فم ن اجت از ال صراط برحم ة ﷲ الواس عة‬.‫س لمھم ليج اوزوا ال صراط و يقطع وا ال صراط‬ ‫ و أحم د ﷲ ال ذي‬،‫ و تنم و الح سنات‬،‫ و بنعم ة ﷲ ت تم ص الحات األعم ال‬، ‫ الحم د‬:‫ق ال‬ .‫ ان ربنا ألعمال العباد لغفور شكور‬،‫ بعد أن كنت قد يئست‬،‫نجاني منك بفضله و منه‬ "So you would see people on the ¯irā§ falling like scattered butterflies while others are holding to it with their hands or feet or even with one foot fearing they would fall down as the angels around them stand, call upon the Almighty and plead to Him saying: 'O Clement Lord! Forgive these people, overlook them through Your favor and generosity, let them safely pass on the Path and cross it.'

Whoever passes the Path does so through wide mercy from Allāh and says, 'Praise to Allāh and through a blessing from Allāh that good deeds are sealed and blessed actions grow, and I praise Allāh Who saved me from you through His favor and boon after I had lost all hope; surely our Lord forgives the servants' [sinful] deeds, appreciative [of good deeds]'." On p. 410, Vol. 22 of the same reference, we are also told that the great ¥a¦ābi Abū Dharr al-Ghifāri  has cited the Messenger of Allāh  saying: ‫ س ار عل ى‬،‫ فم ن وص ل ال رحم و أدى األمان ة‬،‫ال رحم و األمان ه عل ى طرف ي ال صراط‬ .‫ فإن طرفي الصراط يحفظانه من السقوط و الھبوط في النار‬،‫الصراط‬ "Kinship and trust are at both ends of the Path: Whoever maintains good relations with his kinsfolk and returns the trust safely will pass 413

over the Path, for both ends of the Path shall protect him against falling into the Fire." In another narrative, Imām al-Bāqir  said: ‫ ف إن أعمال ه الح سنة ال تنفع ه م ا دام ت ل ه‬،‫إذا ورد قاطع الرحم و خ ائن األمان ة ال صراط‬ .‫ھاتان الخصلتان و تسقطانه في النار‬ "If one who severed his ties and betrayed the trust reaches the Path, his good deeds will not avail him so long as both these characteristics were in him, and they will cause him to fall into the Fire (of hell)."

May the Almighty have mercy on us in this life and the life to come and enable us to keep our feet firm on His ‫ ال صراط الم ستقيم‬Straight Path and admit us into His Paradise, Allāhomma Āmīn ‫اللھم آمين‬. :‫ أعم ال لت سھيل الم رور عل ى ال صراط‬Good deeds that make the passage on the ¯irā§ easy: 1. According to p. 639 of the book ‫ إقبال األعمال‬Iqbal al-A`māl by Ibn ±āwūs, one who offers 21 rek'as after the sunset prayers in the eve of the first of the month of Rajab in each rek'a of which he recites both Sūrat al-Hamd (Chapter 1) and Sūrat at-Taw¦īd (Chapter 112), then he recites the tasleem after each couple of prostrations will be protected by the Almighty, and his family, wealth and children will be protected, too, and he will be granted security from the torment in the grave. Moreover, he will pass over the ¯irā§ without any questioning like lightning. ، ‫من صلّى أول ليلة م ن ش ھر رج ب بع د ص الة المغ رب ع شرين ركع ة بالحم د والتوحي د‬ ‫ وجاز‬،‫ وأجير من عذاب القبر‬،‫ويسلم بين كل ركعتين ليحفظ في نفسه وأھله وماله وولده‬ .‫على الصراط كالبرق الخاطف‬ 2. On p. 136 of Thawab al-A`mal, we are told that one who fasts six days during the month of Rajab will be secure on the Day of Reckoning and will pass over the ¯irā§ without being asked any questions.

414

‫ بعث من اآلمنين يوم القيامة حتّى يم ّر عل ى ال صراط بغي ر‬... ‫من صام من رجب ستة أيّام‬ .‫حساب‬ 3. Ibn ±āwūs also narrates that one who performs ten rek'as during the 29th eve of the month of Sha'ban, reciting in each rek'a Sūrat alHamd once and at-Takathur (Chapter 102) ten times, in addition to both Chapter 113 and Chapter 114 ten times each and Sūrat atTaw¦īd (Chapter 112), he will be granted by the Almighty rewards of those who exert their utmost in learning the creed and in teaching it, making his scale of good deeds heavier and easing for him to pass over the ¯irā§ like lightning. ‫َمن صلّى في الليلة التاسعة والعشرين من شعبان عشر ركع ات يق رأ ف ي ك ل ركع ة فاتح ة‬ ‫ وقل ھو ﷲ أحد ع شر‬،‫ والمعوذتين عشر م ّرات‬، ‫الكتاب م ّرة وألھاكم التكاثر عشر م ّرات‬ ‫ ويم ّر على‬،‫ ويخفف عنه الحساب‬،‫ وثقل ميزانه‬،‫ أعطاه ﷲ تعالى ثواب المجتھدين‬،‫م ّرات‬ .‫الصراط كالبرق الخاطف‬ 4. On p. 102, Vol. 34 of Bi¦ār al-Anwār, we are told that one who performs the ziyāra of Imām ar-Ri¤a  despite his grave being so far, the Imām will visit him at three places on the Judgment Day in order to save him from their horrors, and one of these horrors is the ¯irā§. ‫ فانّه يأتي عنده يوم القيامة ف ي‬،‫سالم على بعد قبره الشريف‬ ‫من زار االمام الرضا علي ِه ال ﱠ‬ . ‫ وانّ أحدھا عند الصراط‬، ‫ثالثة مواطن ليخلصه من أھوالھا‬ ◌ِ What will happen after all of these phases/stages? The answer is very simple: One will be led either to eternal happiness in Paradise or to damnation in hell. And surely Allāh knows best.

Marji` taqlīd ‫مرج ع تقلي د‬: the highest theological authority-referee followed Marwa or Marwah ‫م روه‬: a mound near the Ka`ba referred to in the Qur’ān as a place one of Islam's rites, the sa`i ‫ س عي‬between the ¯afa and the Marwa, is performed seven times during the pilgrimage or `umra H

H

Masjid ‫م سجد‬: a place of worship, a mosque, where people can 415

perform the ¥alāt rite. The life of the early Muslims used to revolve around the masjid. Meetings were held there and discussions took place.

H

H

Mash`ar ‫م شعر‬: a place where certain rites are conducted, a sacred area or place or precinct Ma`sūm ‫معصوم‬: infallible, divinely protected against sinning Mawla ‫م ولى‬: It is a word with dual meaning: Depending on its usage, it may mean either "master" or "slave," or it may mean one who is most fit for a specific position of honor and prestige. Derived from the adjective awla (one who is best qualified), it denotes the person who is best suited to be the religious and/or temporal leader of the Muslims. It also means a person/slave who does not have tribal protection.

Mawlaya !‫موالي‬: a form of address to a ruler who is referred to as the protector Mi¦rab ‫مح راب‬: a recess/area in the masjid, mosque that indicates the direction of the Qibla H

H

Mina or Minā ‫من ى‬: a plain within the limits of the ¦aram, precincts, of Mecca, about five kilometers outside the city limits. During the ¦ajj, the pilgrims pass the night between the eighth and ninth day before proceeding to `Arafāt on the ninth day.

H

H

H

H

H

H

Minbar ‫منبر‬: pulpit, podium Mi`rāj ‫معراج‬: Prophet’s ascension from Jerusalem to the heavens Mithqāl ‫مثقال‬: a weight equivalent to 24 karats or 4.68 grams Mu'adh-dhin or Mu’aththin ‫م ؤذن‬: the person who calls the adhān, the call for prayers H

H

Mufassir ‫مف سر‬: theologian who is well-versed in the exegesis of the Holy Qur’ān and is capable of interpreting its verses 416

Mufti ‫مفت ي‬: a judge who enjoys the power to issue binding legal opinions relevant to the Islamic faith Mu¦addith ‫مح دث‬: traditionist, one who tracks and quotes statements of Prophet Mu¦ammed  Muhājir ‫مھاجر‬: person who undergoes hijra, migration H

H

Mujāhid ‫ مجاھ د‬: one who practices jihād (se jihād above), someone who is active and who struggles for the dignity and honor of Islam, a Muslim struggler Mujtahid ‫مجتھ د‬: one who acquires the degree of ijtihād and thus becomes capable of deriving religious decisions/verdicts on his own Mu’min ‫م ؤمن‬: believer, one who has iman, conviction, true belief, a person who has deep faith in Allāh and is a righteous and obedient servant of His Munāfiq ‫من افق‬: hypocrite, one whose external appearance is Islamic (with regard to performing the rituals or to promoting the creed) but whose inner reality conceals kufr—often unknown to the persons themselves. (See Al-Baqara, verses 8-23). A munāfiq is more dangerous to the society and the religion and worse than a Kāfir: plural: munāfiqūn, hypocrites; refer to Ch. 63 of the Holy Qur’ān titled al-Munafiqūn ‫المن افقون‬, the hypocrites, which refers to interestseekers and loafers from among the ¥a¦āba, Prophet’s companions, who used to hang around the Prophet not out of their love for the Prophet of Islam  but for other selfish objectives and ambitions as well as lust for power and authority.

H

H

Murābi§ ‫م رابط‬: a person who disseminates and propagates for the Islamic creed Musta¨`afūn: ‫ م ستظعفين أو م ستظعفون‬a downtrodden, weak and oppressed person

417

Mu¥¦af ‫مصحف‬: a book, a sacred book, usually refers to a copy of the Qur’ān but linguistically it refers to any book; a book manuscript (Mu¥¦af Fā§ima, the very first book written in Islam; it contained some traditions of the Prophet , narratives about some important contemporary incidents, explanations of some verses of the Holy Qur’ān and other very interesting and valuable information; it seems that this great book was lost; it must not be confused with the Holy Qur’ān simply because it is not) on which the names of all the succeeding Imāms were written down; three of them were named Mu¦ammed and four were named Ali, all being her offspring, and the last was named al-Qā’im (‫القائم )عج‬. Fā§ima’s Mu¥¦af ‫مصحف فاطم ة‬ must not be confused with the Holy Qur’ān. It is not a Qur’ān; refer to what is stated about Fā§ima  daughter of the Prophet  above for details.

Mushāwarah ‫مشاوره‬: consultation, consulting Mushrik ‫م شرك‬: polytheist, a person who ascribes partners to Allāh or believes in the existence of many gods Musnad ‫م سند‬: compilation of traditions (a¦ādīth) which are consecutively and chronologically traced back to their transmitters Mutawātir ‫مت واتر‬: consecutively reported, traced by a perfect chronological chain of ascertained narrators of ¦ādīth Mu'aththin ‫مؤذن‬: caller to prayers (usually at a mosque) Mut`a ‫متعة‬: literally it means: enjoyment; temporary marriage; refer to verse 24 of Chapter 4 (an-Nisā’) of the Holy Qur’ān:  ً‫ضة‬ ْ ‫ فَ َما ا‬ َ ‫ستَ ْمتَ ْعتُ ْم بِ ِه ِم ْن ُھنﱠ فَـَاتُوھُنﱠ أُ ُجو َرھُنﱠ فَ ِري‬ where the root word for it is: ‫ستَ ْمتَ ْعتُ ْم‬ ْ ‫ا‬, that is, “you enjoyed”.

Temporary marriage existed during the time of the Prophet , of first caliph Abū Bakr and part of second caliph, Omer ibn al-Kha§§ab who, because of a certain incident, banned it although his son, the famous and highly respected narrator of ¦ādīth, namely Abdullāh 418

ibn Omer, son of caliph Omer ibn al-Kha§§āb, kept practicing despite his father’s prohibition. He is reported as having regarded mut`a as being Islamically permissible. A¦med, Musnad, No. 2, p. 95; Ali ibn Abū Bakr al-Haithami, Mujma` Az-Zawā’id, Vol. 7, pp. 332-33; Sa`īd ibn Man¥ūr, Sunan, Vol. 1, p. 252 and Abū Ya'li, Musnad, Vol. 10, p. 68 quote Abdullāh ibn Omer saying, ‫ زانين و ال مسافحين‬ ‫و ﷲ ما كنا على عھد رسول ﷲ‬ “By Allāh! During the time of the Messenger of Allāh , we were neither adulterers nor fornicators." In two places of his ¯a¦ī¦, alTirmithi indicates on p. 143, Vol. 3 and p. 175, Vol. 1, that a man from Syria asked Abdullāh ibn Omer about the mut`a. Ibn Omer said, “It is ¦alāl (lawful, permissible).” The man said, “But your father banned it.” Abdullāh ibn Omer said, !‫ أنترك السنة و نتبع قول أبي؟‬،‫ و وضعھا رسول ﷲ‬،‫أرأيت ان كان أبي نھى عنھا‬ “Do you see that if my father bans something which the Messenger of Allāh  permitted, should we abandon the Sunnah and follow what my father says?!” This statement is also quoted by imām A¦med ibn μanbal in his Musnad in three places: on p. 95 and 104 of Vol. 2 and p. 436, Vol. 4. Likewise, it is cited on p. 365, Vol. 2 of al-Qurtubi’s Tafsīr and on p. 21, Vol. 5 of al-Bayhaqi’s Sunan. Also, refer to p. 185, Vol. 1 of Mujma` az-Zawā’id where it is quoted.

Although all these references are reliable classic Sunni references, only Shī`ites now perform this marriage.

The reader may think that only the renown scholar of ¦ādīth, Abdullāh son of second caliph Omer ibn al-Kha§§ab, insisted on practicing the mut`a marriage, but a review of other classic Arabic books reveals contrariwise. Read the following as an example: ‫ كان )عبد ﷲ( ابن عباس يأمر بالمتعة و كان‬:‫روى مسلم عن قتادة عن أبي نضرة قال‬ :‫ فقال‬،(‫ فذكرت ذلك لجابر بن عبد ﷲ )األنصاري‬:‫ قال‬،‫)عبد ﷲ( ابن الزبير ينھى عنھا‬ ‫ ان ﷲ كان يحل‬:‫ فلما قام عمر قال‬ ‫ تمتعنا مع رسول ﷲ‬،‫على يدي دار الحديث‬ ‫ و ان القرآن قد نزل منازله فأتموا الحج و العمرة كما أمركم‬،‫لرسوله ما شاء بما شاء‬ ‫ﷲ عز و جل و اثبوا نكاح ھذه النساء فلن أوتى برجل نكح امرأة الى أجل اال رجمته‬ 419

.‫بالحجارة‬ Muslim has narrated from Qatādah from Abū Na¤ra saying that [Abdullāh] ibn `Abbās enjoined the practice of mut`a, whereas [Abdullāh] ibn az-Zubair used to prohibit it. He said: I mentioned this to Jābir ibn Abdullāh [al-Ansāri]. He [Jābir] said, “I witnessed the talk. We practiced mut`a during the time of the Messenger of Allāh . When [caliph] Omer came to power, he said, “Allāh used to permit His Messenger whatever He willed however He willed.

The Qur’ān has reached its full stages, so you should complete the pilgrimage and the `umra as Allāh, the most Exalted, the most Great, commanded you and keep away from cohabiting with these women, for I shall never be brought a man who cohabited with a woman for a set period of time without stoning him.”

Refer to p. 206, Vol. 7 of al-Bayhaqi’s Sunan where the author says that Muslim has quoted it in his ¯a¦ī¦ through other sources from Humām.

The list of other famous ¥a¦āba of the Prophet who differed from caliph Omer and insisted that this Islamic institution of temporary is valid includes the following: 1 F

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

1

Imām Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  Imām al-μassan ibn Ali  Imām al-μussain ibn Ali  Abdullāh ibn `Abbās, the nation’s scribe ‫َحبَ ْر األُ ّمة‬ Abdullāh ibn Mas`ūd Jābir ibn Abdullāh al-An¥āri Abū Sa`īd al-Khudri Salamah ibn al-Akwa` al-Mughīrah ibn Shu`bah

Additional information is available on this subject in the book titled Tārīkh al- μadith an-Nabawi bayna an-Na¥¥ wa Na¥¥ as-¯ul§a ‫تأريخ الحديث‬ ‫ النبوي بين النص و نص السلطة‬by Sayyid Mu¦ammed Ali al-μilo (Dār al-Kitāb al-Islāmi, Qum, Iran, 1386 A.H./1966 A.D.). The lists of these ¥a¦āba is published on p. 168 and the next one, that of the tābi`īn, is published on the same and the next page of the same reference.

420

10. Asmā’ daughter of first caliph Abū Bakr 11. Omrān ibn μa¥in al-Khuzā`i 12. Zayd ibn Thābit al-An¥āri 13. Anas ibn Mālik 14. Khālid ibn `Abdullāh al-An¥āri 15. Mu`āwiyah ibn Abū Sufyān 16. `Abdullāh ibn Omer ibn al-Kha§§ab (caliph’s son) 17. `Amr ibn Harīth 18. Rabī`ah ibn Umayyah 19. Salamah ibn Umayyah al-Makhzūmi 20. Safwān ibn Umayyah 21. al-Barā’ ibn `Āzib 22. Ya`li ibn Umayyah 23. Rabī` ibn Maysarah 24. Sahl ibn Sa`d as-Sā`idi The list of the famous tabi`in who also endorsed the institution of mut`a includes the following: 1. Imām Zaynul-`Ābidīn  2. Imām Mu¦ammed ibn Ali al-Bāqir  3. Imām Ja`far ibn Mu¦ammed a¥-¯ādiq  (founder of the Ja`fari School of Muslim Law, also referred to as the Twelver Shī`a School of Islam) 4. Mujāhid (refer to a footnote about him in this book, he is so famous, only his name suffices to identify him) 5. `Atā’ ibn Abū Rabā¦ 6. Tāwūs 7. Abū az-Zubayr ibn Mu§rif 8. Mu¦ammed ibn Sari 9. al-μassan al-Ba¥ri 10. Ibrāhīm an-Nakh`i 11. Sa`īd ibn Jubayr 12. Jābir ibn Yazīd al-Ju`fi 13. Ibn Juray¦ 14. `Amr ibn Dīnār 15. al-μassan ibn Mu¦ammed ibn Ali (ibn al-μanafiyya, also referred to as al-μassan II) 421

Mut`a marriage is never a substitute for the blessed institution of permanent marriage. As a matter of fact, top Shī`a faqīhs and scholars caution the faithful about abusing this institute which provides a bitter pill for a much, much more bitter ailment. On p.

720, Vol. 2 of Man la Ya¦¤uruhu al-Faqīh ‫ من ال يحضره الفقيه‬by ‘allāma Shaikh a¥-¯adūq, the following is stated: ‫ انه سئل عن‬:‫ قال‬ ‫روى الحسن بن محبوب عن أبان عن أبي مريم عن أبي جعفر‬ ‫ فاليوم ال‬،‫ انھن كن يؤمن يومئذ‬،‫ ان المتعة اليوم ليست كما كانت قبل اليوم‬:‫ فقال‬،‫المتعة‬ .‫يؤمن فاسألوا عنھن‬ “Al-μassan ibn Ma¦būb narrated from Aban from Abū Maryam who quotes (Imām) Abū (father of) Ja`far (al-Bāqir) . He said that al-Bāqir was asked about the mut`a. He (Imām al-Bāqir ) said, “Mut`a now is not what used to be. They (women) used to believe then; nowadays, they do not believe; so, ask about them.”

What the Imām  means is that women used to be closer to the fountains of true Islamic knowledge, but nowadays they are not; they are quite distant from them. This is why he recommended that one should inquire about a woman’s Islamic conduct which reflects the depth of her imān, conviction, before considering marrying her for a pre-determined period of time. Imagine how the status of women has suffered, deteriorated, from the time of Imām al-Bāqir  and till now!

On the same page of the reference cited above, we read the following about the founder of the Shī`a Ja`fari fiqh, namely Abū Abdullāh Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  also cautioning about getting involved in this type of marriage with women who are not familiar with its a¦kām, rules and regulations: :‫عن المتعة فقال‬ ‫ سألت أبا عبد ﷲ‬:‫روى داود بن اسحاق عن محمد بن الفيض قال‬ ‫ و قل‬،‫ فاعرض عنھا‬:‫ فان لم تكن عارفة؟ قال‬،‫ جعلت فداك‬:‫ قلت‬،‫نعم اذا كانت عارفة‬ ‫ و اياكم و الكواشف و‬،‫ و ان أبت و لم ترض بقولك فدعھا‬،‫ فان قبلت فتزوجھا‬،‫لھا‬ ‫ اللواتي يكاشفن و بيوتھن‬:‫ ما الكواشف؟ فقال‬:‫ فقلت‬،‫الدواعي و البغايا و ذوات األزواج‬ ‫ اللواتي يدعون الى أنفسھن و قد عرفن‬:‫ فالدواعي؟ قال‬:‫ فقلت‬،‫معلومة و يؤتين‬ 422

‫ المطلقات‬:‫ فذوات األزواج؟ قال‬:‫ قلت‬،‫ المعروفات بالزنا‬:‫ فالبغايا؟ قال‬:‫ قلت‬،‫بالفساد‬ .‫على غير السنة‬ Dāwūd ibn Ishāq narrated from Mu¦ammed al-Fay¤ saying, “I asked (Imām) Abū Abdullāh (a¥-¯ādiq)  about the mut`a. He said, ‘Yes, if she knows it.’ I said, ‘May I be sacrificed for your sake, what if she does not?’ He said, “Then turn away from her and speak to her; if she accepts, marry her, but if she refuses and does not accept your statement, leave her alone. Beware of women who reveal themselves, who solicit, who are prostitutes and who practice polyandry.’ I said, ‘Who are those who reveal themselves?’ He said, “They are those who reveal their ornaments and whose houses are well known (to the public), and they are visited (by stranger men).’ I said, ‘Who are the solicitors?’ He said, ‘They are the ones who try to attract others to themselves, and they are known to be corrupt.’ I said, ‘Who are the prostitutes?’ He said, ‘They are the ones known to be committing adultery.’ I asked, ‘Who are those who take many husbands?’ He said, ‘They are the ones whose divorces are not conducted according to the Sunna.’”

As you can see from this quotation, many categories of women must be excluded when one contemplates on getting married for an agreed about term. Nowadays, we see many married and single “solicitors” walking down streets with make-up, tight clothes and making suggestive gestures. It is one of the signs of the time, folks, the last period of time before the end of time, so beware.

Some Shī`a Muslims still practice mut`a marriage the rules, regulations, permissions and prohibitions, rights and obligations of which are available in fiqh books. They do so on a very limited basis, i.e. in rare situations. They do not encourage it except when there are legitimate reasons for it. For example, adult students who study in non-Muslim countries are prone to surrender to temptation, and many of them fall victims to temptation. Some businessmen stay abroad for extended periods of time. The sexual urge of both of these categories of strangers in foreign lands has to be met legitimately in both of these situations; it is not healthy to suppress this perfectly natural urge. Another situation is one who has no financial ability to bear the expenses of a permanent marriage.

423

Temporary marriage must be dealt with as a bitter medicine for a much, much more bitter situation. On the other hand, some Sunnis, notably Shāfi`is, seem to have found a number of almost similar types of marriage the most famous of which is ‫ زواج المسيار‬misyār marriage, as well as “marriage with the intention to divorce”, “coworker’s marriage”, etc. Have they found a verse in the Holy Qur’ān similar to 4:24 or a tradition of the Prophet  referring to misyār or other types of newly invented temporary marriages?!

424

‫ن‬N Nabi or Nebi or Nabee ‫نب ي‬: The meaning of the word Nabi is a prophet. To be a prophet he should receive a revelation from Allāh that does not necessarily mean a revealed book. When a prophet is instructed to deliver his message to a certain group of people, he is a messenger. It is stated in the Qur’ān that there are no more prophets and messengers after Mu¦ammed .

Naddāf ‫ن داف‬: cotton carder, cotton teaser, one who works cotton into some usable form Nafaqa ‫نفقة‬: maintainence expenses; nafaqa applies to the obligation of the husband towards the wife while they are married. Alimony, on the other hand, applies in the West to the "spousal support" which the ex-husband has to pay his divorced wife.

Nafl ‫نف ل‬: (also Nāfila ‫ )نافل ة‬optional, non-compulsory, supererogatory, highly recommended act of worship; plural nawāfil Najāsa ‫نجاسه‬: uncleanness, impurity; adjective najis Najwa ‫نج وى‬: silent supplication, invocation, the time when one pleads silently to his Maker; recommended periods for such supplications are: evenings, before dawn, during times of trials and tribulations or when one is sick Nasab ‫نسب‬: lineage or genealogy Na¥ī¦a or Na¥ee¦ah ‫نصيحه‬: sincere good advice Nathr or Nadhr ‫ن ذر‬: one's pledge to do something to show appreciation for the Almighty's favorable response to his supplication and the attainment of his worldly wish; plural: nuthur Nikā¦ ‫نكاح‬: Islamic marriage

425

Ni¥āb ‫نصاب‬: amount of savings or capital or product a Muslim has so the payment of zakāt becomes obligatory on him; it is also applied in courts where it means “legal quorum” Nifās ‫نفاس‬: period of a woman’s pre-natal bleeding Noor ‫ن ور‬: divine or celestial light; Muslims believe that the angels are created of such noor. Human eyes cannot withstand the intensity of their light, so they are veiled by their Maker from being seen by humans. Humans will see the angels starting from the moment when the soul starts its journey out of the body and into the afterlife.

Nubuwwah ‫نب وه‬: prophethood, the belief in prophets and their messages

426

P P.B.U.H. “” These acronyms refer to the phrase "Peace Be Upon/with Him" which mean in Arabic: "'Alaihis Salām" ‫علي ه ال سالم‬, an expression articulated when the name of a prophet is mentioned. This expression does not convey the meaning of  "Salla Allāhu 'Alaihi Wa Alihi wa Sallam" ‫ ص لى ﷲ علي ه وعل ى ال ه و س لم‬which means: Allāh blesses him and his family and sends them His greetings."

427

‫ق‬Q

Qa¤a’ ‫ق ضاء‬: compensatory, making up for a missed rite; it also means “county” Qā¤i ‫قاضي‬: judge Qā`ideen or Qā`idūn ‫قاع دين أو قاع دون‬: people who remain inactive and do not actively fight; the opposite of mujāhid H

Qāniteen or Qānitūn ‫قانتون‬: those who constantly supplicate Qāni§ūn or Qāni§oon ‫ق انطون‬: those who lose hope of the mercy of Allāh, who despair Qar¤ ‫ق رض‬: a loan given for a good cause in the name of Allāh, in hopes of repayment or reward in the Hereafter Qāri ‫قاريء‬: someone who recites the Qur’ān being knowledgeable of the rules of such recitation Qayyim ‫ق يم‬: person in charge of something, one charged with authority or responsibility

H

Qibla ‫قبل ة‬: the direction that Muslims face when they perform their ¥alāt. It is in the direction of the Ka`bah in Mecca H

H

H

Qi¥ā¥ ‫ق صاص‬: retaliation/reprisal in kind (an eye for an eye). In Islam, though, retaliation should be forgone as an act of charity; see Sūra 5, Āya 48 (5:48). According to some Muslim jurists, qiyās is a method, a yardstick, for measuring or reaching a legal decision on the basis of evidence (precedent) in which a common reason, or an effective cause, is applicable.

H

H

H

H

Qiyām ‫قي ام‬: standing (usually, but not necessarily, during the performance of the prayers); it also means caretaking Qiyāma or Qiyāmah ‫قيام ة‬: Day of Judgment, resurrection, the dead 428

rising from their graves and are herded for their Judgment Qu¤āt ‫قضاة‬: plural form of qā¤i, judge H

H

Qudsi ‫قدسي‬: divine, related to the Almighty Qunūt,. ‫قن وت‬: optional but very highly recommended supplication during the prayer rite's second rek`āt A

EA

Quraysh or Quraish ‫قريش‬: the Arabian tribe to whom the Prophet of Islam  belongs; for the meaning of “quraish”, refer to my book titled Mu¦ammed: Prophet and Messenger of Allāh.

Qur’ān or Korān or Kurān ‫ق رآن‬: The holy book of Islam is called the Qur’ān. It was revealed to Prophet Mu¦ammed , through arch-angel Gabriel (Jibrīl or Jibrā’īl ‫ )جبرائي ل‬during a period of 23 years. There is only one Qur’ān in the whole world and it is in Arabic. The Qur’ān has one text, one language, and one dialect. It has been memorized by millions of Muslims in different parts of the world. The Qur’ān is composed of 114 sūras (chapters). Rules and regulations apply to its methods of recitation and chanting. The authenticity and pristine originality of the Qur’ān have been documented and recognized. It is the ultimate source of guidance for people in all aspects of their spiritual and material lives. It also is described as being bounteous, glorious, mighty, honored, exalted, purified, wonderful, blessed, and confirming the truth of previous revelations to prophets who preceded Mu¦ammed .

429

‫ر‬R Rabb ‫رب‬: Owner, master, head, owner; ar-Rabb ‫ ال رب‬refers to the Almighty, Lord, Creator, Master of all, the Adored One. In Arabic, He is referred to as "Allāh" which literally means "the One and Only God": It has no gender, and you cannot derive from it a plural form.

As for rabb, one can be the rabb, head, of his family, or owner of home, business, etc.

Rabeeb ‫ربي ب‬: foster-child, step-child, someone brought up by another parent or parents. Islam does not permit adoption but strongly encourages custody, and the guardian is not supposed to give his last name to anyone other than children of his own loins.

Ra¤iya Allāhu `Anhu ‫“ رض ي ﷲ عن ه‬”: This is an expression used

by Muslims whenever a name of a good and respectful companion, ¥a¦ābi, of the Prophet Mu¦ammed , or someone who is really very highly respected by Muslims, is mentioned. Not all the companions of the Prophet are worthy of praise and veneration; contrarily, some of them are condemned by the Almighty in Chapter 63 of the Qur’ān titled "Al-Munafiqūn ‫"المن افقون‬, the hypocrites.

These hypocrites were some companions of the Prophet . The Messenger of Allāh  was too nice and too polite to tell some leeches, loafers and seekers of interests to get off his back, go somewhere else and get lost. Believe it or not, some "companions" went as far as plotting to kill the Prophet by throwing rocks at him from mountains. They even signed a pledge, covenant, to commit their conspiracy and buried their covenant at one of the walls of the Ka`ba in order to swear to it solemnly. Keeping these hypocrites aside, not all believers will escape the fire of hell: Read verses in which the Almighty addresses the believers, those who believe, ‫المؤمن ون‬, or ‫ ال ذين آمن وا‬where there are stern warnings of the Almighty's wrath on them or where they are warned not to take their conviction ‫ إﻳﻤ ﺎن‬for granted. One such verse is this: "O you who believe [‫ !]ي ا أيھ ا ال ذين آمن وا‬Save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones, over which stern (and) strong angels are appointed, (angels) who do not flinch (from executing) the commands they receive from Allāh but do (precisely) what they 430

are commanded" (Qur’ān, 66:6). So, let the believers watch their conduct, fear their Lord and not look down at others as being inferior to them or harm them or others (unbelievers) in any way at all. The road to Paradise is not strewn with rose petals but with thorns.

Rāfi¤a or Rāfi¤is ‫راف ضة أو راف ضي‬: Literally, it means “rejecters” or “rejectionists”; a misnomer used to insult Shī`ites by reminding them (as if they forgot!) that they rejected the governments established by the first three “righteous caliphs”. These days, Saudi Arabia’s Wahhābis in general and Takfīri extremists in particular, are circulating this misnomer in order to stir hostility against Shī`ite Muslims and thus justify beheading them, raping their women, killing their children, destroying their mosques…, etc. The best answer we provide for these ignorant Wahhābis and Takfīris are these poetic verse by none other than one of the four main imāms of the Sunnis, namely Imām ash-Shāfi`i (150 – 206 A.H./767 – 206 A.D.; notice how he founded this sect one century and a half after the hijra, migration, whereas Ali , cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet , was there a long time before then): ‫ض‬ ِ ‫واھتِ فْ بق ـا ِع ِد ِخيفِھ ا والنّ ا ِھ‬

‫ب م ن ِمن ى‬ ‫ي ا راكب ـا ً قِ فْ بال ُم َح ﱠ‬ ِ ‫ص‬

:‫ض‬ ِ ‫فَي ضا ً َك ُم ْل تَ ِط ِم الفُ را‬ ِ ِ‫ت الف ـائ‬

‫يج إل ى ِمن ى‬ ‫اض‬ ُ ‫الحج‬ َ ‫س َحراً إذا ف‬ َ ِ

!‫ضي‬ ِ ِ‫راف‬

‫أَنّي‬

ُ‫الثﱠقـ َـالن‬

‫ش َھ ِد‬ ْ َ‫فَ ْلي‬

‫إِنْ كانَ َرفضا ً ُح ﱡب آ َل ُم َحمـ ﱠـ ٍد‬

O rider! Stop at the Muhassab in Mina and shout At one who sits at its Kheef (Mosque) and who stands At the time of sahar, when pilgrims flood Mina A flood like the Euphrates when it floods That if loving Mu¦ammed’s Progeny is Rafdh, Let both humans and jinns testify that I am Rafidhi.

The “Mu¦a¥¥ab” is an area in Mina, one of the stations where pilgrims perform the rituals of the pilgrimage. The “Thaqalān” is a collective word that refers to both jinns and mankind combined.

Imām ash-Shāfi`i  used to recite these verses with tears in his 431

eyes whenever he was on top of any hill or mountain while performing the pilgrimage.

Rak`at or Rakat or Rek'a ‫ركعة‬: an individual unit of salat H

H

Rama¤ān ‫رم ضان‬: the holy month of prescribed fasting for the Muslims. It was during this month that the Qur’ānic revelations began. For details about this month, as well as about 40 types of fast in Islam, refer to my book titled Fast of the Month of Rama¤ān: Philosophy and A¦kām.

Rāshid ‫راش د‬: adult, adolescent, the age of distinguishing between right and wrong through commonsense and instinct, the age of responsibility, of accountability, of questioning on the Day of Questioning; it also means wise, sage.

Rasūl or Rasool ‫رس ول‬: The meaning of the word “rasūl” is: a messenger. Allāh sent many prophets and messengers to mankind.

Amongst them, the names of twenty-five are mentioned in the Qur’ān. From within the list, the Qur’ān states the names of five rasuls, messengers, who are the mighty ones and who are known as "ulul-azm", prophets of determination and resolution: Nū¦ (Noah), Ibrāhīm (Abraham), Mūsa (Moses), Isa (Jesus)  and Mu¦ammed . What is the difference between a Rasool and a Nabi, prophet? A messenger carries a message for people, some people, while the prophet does so to all people, and he foretells, prophecizes, for them about things that will happen to them or to others, i.e. he makes a prediction according to divine inspiration which he receives from the Almighty. The word "prophet" in Islam carries much more weight than it does in other religions.

Riba ‫رب ا‬: usury, lending for an exorbitant interest, which is prohibited in Islam for both giver and taker Rijs ‫رج س‬: defilement, uncleanness, evil or Islamically prohibitive thought or act; Satan is believed to be the source of inspiring such thoughts to people; so, beware of his insinuations!

432

Risāla ‫رسالة‬: Literally, it means an oral “message” or a written letter; also: published collection of religious rulings by a marji`; dissertation containing what is permissible or prohibitive in Islam Roo¦ or Rū¦ ‫روح‬: spirit, soul, essence, an animating or life-giving principle or material. Some say that the origin of this word is rī¦ ‫رﻳ ﺢ‬ which means "wind" or "air": It cannot be seen but felt through motion. A human body is created of two main ingredients: the body and the soul. Most people look after their bodies while ignoring their souls, their need for spiritual nourishment, thus creating an imbalance between these two components which will eventually cause them either serious psychological or physical problems or both. In Islam, the soul never dies; only the material body does.

Scientists tell us that bodily cells are constantly born and die. Death is the separation of the soul from the body. The soul has much more faculties than the body: Souls of the dead can see, hear, feel and react to causes and causations, but it they have no means to show all these faculties to us since the means, the body, has expired. What will happen to all the dead when the time comes for them to stand on the Day of Judgment to answer to what they had done in this life?

Another question: How will life return to the dead when the resurrection process starts? Scientists tell us that the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) never dies, is never extinct, indestructible.

There are numerous verses in the Holy Qur’ān which paint a picture of how all the dead buried in our planet will be brought back to life as the resurrection process starts in preparation for the big Day, the Judgment Day. On that Day, all outstanding accounts are settled and those who call others bad names or harm them in any way get what they deserve. One of these verses is 35:9 which reads: "It is Allāh Who sends forth the winds so that they raise up the clouds, and We drive them [clouds] to a land that is dead, and revive the earth with them after its death: Even so (will be) the Resurrection!" Do you get the picture?! It seems that when that time comes, the Almighty will send a cloud the "rain water" of which will fall on the earth and will rearrange the DNA of each and every human being, and perhaps non-human beings, too, such as those of animals as we are told in 81:5 which reads: "And when the beasts (animals) are herded together (for Judgment)", in preparation for an eternal life either in bliss or in damnation. Just as a seed receives rain and it sprouts and 433

brings about a new life, the dead will receive this "rain water", which most likely be different than water as we know it in this life, and life will start sprouting in them again. This water will infuse a new life in each DNA. At that time, the souls will be clothed with new bodies, forms, shapes, of some sort. How will these forms or shapes or bodies be, only the Creator knows. Will they be similar to ours? We do not know for sure, but we know that just as the soul during the barzakh ‫ ب رزخ‬period needs spiritual nourishment, these bodies will need food, fuel, something to keep them going. And we know that there will be eating and drinking in both Paradise and hell; so, will our stomachs be similar to the way they are now, we simply do not know; most likely they will not.

Rukū` or Rukoo` ‫رك وع‬: The root of this word is raka`a ‫ رآ ﻊ‬which means: bowed down. During prayers (¥alāt), a Muslim make rukū` before Allāh to express veneration to him, he bows forward at the waist, stands with the hands on knees and the back parallel to the ground. While in the position of rukū`, a Muslim glorifies Allāh three times.

Rushd ‫رش د‬: adolescence, mental maturity, the ability to distinguish right from wrong Ru§ab ‫رطب‬: ripe dates, opposite: busr H

434

‫ص‬،‫ س‬S Sabeel ‫سبيل‬: path, way, avenue, same as ¯irā§ ¯ābirīn or ¯ābirūn ‫ص ابرين أو ص ابرون‬: people who are patient and steadfast, who persevere ¯abr ‫صبر‬: patience, steadfastness, perseverance ¯adāq or ¯edāq ‫صداق‬: same meaning as mahr, dower H

H

¯adaqa ‫صدقة‬: (singular) charity offered voluntarily; plural: ¥adaqāt ¯adeed ‫ص ديد‬: pus collected from bleeding wounds and served to the sinners in hell to drink when they ask for water to quench their thirst ¯afa ‫ص فا‬: a mound near the Ka`bah referred to in the Qur’ān as one of the spots held sacred by Allāh. It is in conjunction with Marwah.

H

H

H

H

¯afawis or ¯afavids or a¥-¯afawiyyoon ‫الصفويون‬: Some ignorant fanatics apply the misnomer “¯afawis” to taunt Shī`ite Muslims, not even knowing exactly what the word means. For this reason, we decided to go into details to narrate to you the history of these ¯afawis, perhaps one of these fanatics will wake up. The Internet’s Wikipedia tells us that the Safavids (Persian: ‫ ;صفويان‬Azerbaijani: Səfəvilər) formed one of the most significant ruling dynasties in Iran’s history. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shī`a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning points in Muslim history. This Shī`i dynasty was of mixed ancestry (Kurdish and Azerbaijani, with intermarriages with Georgian and Pontic Greek dignitaries), ruling Iran from 1501 to 1722 A.D. H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

The ¯afavid dynasty had its origin in the ¯afaviyya ¯ufi order which was established in the city of Ardabil in the Azerbaijan region. From their base in Ardabil, the ¯afavids established control over all of Greater Iran and reasserted the Iranian identity of the region, thus H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

435

becoming the first native dynasty since the Sassanid Empire to establish a unified Iranian state.

H

H

Despite their demise in 1736 A.D., the legacy that they left behind was the revival of Persia as an economic stronghold between East and West, the establishment of an efficient state and bureaucracy based on “checks and balances”, their architectural innovations and patronage of fine arts. The ¯afavids have also left their mark down to the present era by spreading Shī`a Islam in major parts of the Caucasus and West Asia. Perhaps this is why the Wahhābis of Saudi Arabia are so hostile to the Shī`ites in general and to Iranians in particular.

H

H

H

H

Even though the ¯afavids were not the first Shī`a rulers in Iran, they played a crucial role in making Shī`a Islam the official religion in all of Iran. There were large Shī`a communities in some cities like Qum and Sabzevar (Sabzawār) as early as the 8th century. In the 10th and 11th centuries, the Buwayhids, who were of the Zaidiyya (Zaidi) branch of Shī`a Islam, ruled in Fars, Isfahan and Baghdad. As a result of the Mongol conquest and the relative religious tolerance of the Ilkhanids, Shī`a dynasties were re-established in Iran, Sarbedaran in Khorasan being the most important. The Ilkhanid ruler Öljaitü and converted to Twelver Shī`ism in the 13th century.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Following his conquest of Iran, Isma’il I made conversion mandatory for the largely Sunni population. The Sunni ulema, clergy, were reportedly either killed or exiled. Isma’il I, despite his heterodox Shī`a beliefs, brought in Shī`a religious leaders and granted them land and money in return for loyalty. Later, during the Safavid, especially the Qajar period, the Shī`a ulema's power increased, and they were able to exercise a role, independent of or compatible with the government. Despite the Safavid's Sufi origins, most ¯ufi groups were prohibited, except the Ni’matullahi order.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Iran became a feudal theocracy: The Shah was held to be the divinely ordained head of state and religion. In the following centuries, this religious stance cemented both Iran's internal cohesion and national feelings, provoking attacks by its Sunni neighbors. After the disastrous invasion of the Mongols, in the 436

1200s, migrated Turks and Mongolian tribes adopted the Persian customs and even language. In the 1300s, the Ilkhanids, a dynasty founded by "Genghis Khan's" grandson, Holagu Khan, had been an influential factor in Persia. During these turbulent years of 13th century, the Persians had submerged themselves deeper in Islamic devotion and Sufism.

Towards the end of the 14th century, Timur (Tamberlane) claimed to be a descent from Genghis Khan's family. The disturbed conditions in Mongol Transoxania gave him in the town of Kish the chance to build up a kingdom in Central Asia. He entered Iran in 1380, and in 1393 he reduced the Jalayirids’ power and domination after taking their capital, Baghdad. In 1402 A.D., he captured the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid at Ankara and conquered Syria then turned his attention to campaigns to the east of his quickly acquired and illcemented empire. He died in 1405 on an expedition to China. He showed interest in Sufism, a form of mysticism. Timur may have hoped to find popular leaders whom he could use for his own purposes. But he encountered ill-treated Iranians who proved that they knew him perhaps better than he knew himself. His legacy was the reverse of stability to Iran; and division of his ill-assimilated conquests among his sons ensured that an integrated Timurid Empire would never be achieved.

The Timurid state came to being an integrated Iranian empire under Timur's son, Shahrokh Shah (1405-47), who endeavored to weld Azerbaijan, which demanded three military expeditions, as well as western Persia to Khurasan (which means in Persian “land of sunshine”) and eastern Persia in order to form a united Timurid state for a short and troubled period of time. He only succeeded in loosely controlling western and southern Iran from his beautiful capital at Herat. He made Herat the seat of a splendid culture, the atelier of great miniature painters of Herat school, Behzad notable among them, and the home of a revival of Persian poetry and philosophy.

This revival was not unconnected with an effort to claim for an Iranian center once more the leadership in the propagation of Sunni ideology; Herat used to send copies of Sunni canonical works on request to Egypt. The reaction in Shī`ism's ultimate victory under the Safavid shahs of Persia was, however, already in preparation.

437

In the mean time, the "Qara Qoyunlu" (Black Sheep) Turkman, used to dominate Western Iran. In Azerbaijan they had replaced their former masters, the Jalayirids. Timur had put these Qara Qoyunlu to run away, but in 1406, they regained their capital, Tabriz. On Shahrokh's death, Jahan Shah (reigned c. 1438-67) extended Qara Qoyunlu rule out of the northwest deeper into Iran. The Timurids relied on their old allies, the Qara Qoyunlus' rival Turkman of the "Aq Qoyunlu" (White Sheep) clans, whose Jahan Shah was destroyed by the Uzun μassan of Aq Qoyunlu by the end of 1467.

H

H

Uzun μassan (1453-78) achieved a short-lived Iranian empire, but under his son Yaqub (1478-90), the state was subjected to fiscal reforms associated with a government-sponsored effort to reapply hard purist principles of orthodox Islamic rules for revenue collection. Yaqub attempted to purge the state of taxes introduced under the Mongols and not sanctioned by the Muslim canon. His Sunni fanaticism was discredited when the inquiries made into his activities by the orthodox religious authorities.

The attempts to revive religious orthodoxy through revenue reform gave momentum to the spread of Safavid Shī`a faith. Economic decline, which had resulted from fiscal reforms introduced by Yaqub, must have been another factor as well.

Shaikh Jonayd's son, Shaikh Heydar (or Haider), led a movement that had begun as a Sufi order under his ancestor, Shaikh Safi udDin Ardabili (of Ardabil 1252-1334). This order may be considered to have originally represented a puritanical, but not legalistically so, reaction against the corruption of Islam, the staining of Muslim lands, by the Mongol infidels. What began as a spiritual, unearthly reaction against irreligion and the betrayal of spiritual aspirations developed into a manifestation of the Shī`a quest for dominion over Islamic authority. By the 15th century, the Safavid movement could draw on both the mystical emotional force and the Shī`a appeal to the oppressed masses to gain a large number of dedicated adherents.

Shaikh Heydar toke his numerous followers to warfare by leading them on expeditions from Ardabil into the nearby Caucasus. He was killed on one of these campaigns in 1488. His son Esma'il, then was 438

one year old, was to avenge his death and lead his devoted army to a conquest of Iran whereby Iran gained a great dynasty, a Shī`a regime, and in most essentials its shape as a modern nation state.

Yaqub did not kill Shaikh Heydar's sons, whose mother was Yaqub's sister, but instead sent them to exile in Fars province. Death of Ya`qūb in 1490 caused turmoil and paved the path for Esmail and his brothers to leave their exile and secretly taking refuge in Lahijan, Gilan province, as its governor had sympathy toward Shī`a.

A militant Islamic ¯ufi order, the ¯afavids, appeared among Turkish speaking people of west of the Caspian Sea, at Ardabil. The ¯afavid order survived the invasion of Timur to that part of the Iran in the late 13th century. By 1500 the ¯afavids had adopted the Shī`a branch of Islam and were eager to advance Shī`ism by military means. ¯males used to wear red headgear. They had great devotion for their leader as a religious leader and perfect guide as well as a military chieftain, and they viewed their leaders position as rightly passed from father to son according to the Shī`a tradition. In the year 1500, Esma'il the thirteen-year-old son of a killed Safavid leader, Shaikh Heydar, set out to conquer territories and avenge death of his father. In January 1502, Esma'il defeated the army of Alvand Beig of Aq Qoyunlu, ruler of Azerbaijan, and seized Tabriz and made this city his capital. ¯afavids went on and conquered rest of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Khorasan; they became the strongest force in Iran, and their leader, Esma'il, now fifteen, was declared Shah (King) on March 11, 1502.

In that era Iran had a variety of settled peoples; in addition to Persians it had Kurds, Arabs, Turkmans and Baluchis to name a few.

Safavid's power over various tribes was not strong enough to consolidate an absolute supremacy; tribal leaders remained those who had been tribal chieftains and consider their tribes to be independent. However, the Safavids laid claim to authority over all that had been Persia.

Turkish language was spoken at Shah Esma'il's court, but having adopted Persian as official language and much of Persian culture the ¯afavids were mistakenly thought by outsiders to be Persian, but they were truly Iranian with a unifying spirit. To help organize the 439

state the ¯afavids used Persian bureaucrats with a tradition in administration and tax collecting, and they tried to create a religious unity. Shah Esma'il described himself as a descendant, on their father's side, of the Prophet Mu¦ammed  and claimed to have royal Sassanian blood as well. Shī`ism became the state religion.

Esma'il ignored the Sunni branch of Islam and tried to force people to become Shī`a, some people claim, which was a difficult task with a variety of tribes and less than complete authority. Other historians record that the people embraced Shī`ism willingly, without being compelled, with a minority maintaining their Sunni beliefs and practices. This may explain why in Iran there is a Shī`a majority and a Sunni minority. Had there been compulsion, why did the Sunnis remain in Iran? Nobody forced them to stay. Nobody forced Sunnis to become Shī`is, and nobody should. If some Sunnis wish to become Shī`is, or if some Shī`is wish to become Sunnis, why should anyone in the world stand in their way? Islam gurantees the freedom of choice as we are told in Verse 256 of Chapter 2, al-Baqara (The Cow): ْ ‫لر‬ ‫ش ُد ِمنَ ا ْل َغ ﱢي‬ ‫ﱢين؛ قَ ْد تَبَيﱠنَ ا ﱡ‬ ِ ‫ال إِ ْك َراهَ فِي الد‬ Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clearly from error.

Anyone who tries to force non-Muslims to become Muslims is not better than the terrorists who use religion to justify killing the innocents in order to receive payments from their sponsors who are usually fanatical Wahhābis or Salafis. These sponsors have their own vested interests to serve while financing the killing of the innocents, and these interests have absolutely nothing to do with Islam. As for the campaigns waged by some Muslims in the pretext of spreading Islam, if they were aggressive and unprovoked, they are not justified at all. Indonesia now contains the largest Muslim population in the world. Nobody fought “jihād” in Indonesia to convert its people to Islam. They accepted the faith wholeheartedly and have been good Muslims ever since. No “jihād” was ever waged in Indonesia. Sadly, many Muslims abuse this institution of jihād, and for this they will be dealt with by the Almighty who does not accept an animal to be killed without a just cause, let alone a human 440

being. True jihād is standing in the face of one’s unholy desires and Satanic insinuations, and it is in defense of the faith, not in attacking others without being provoked. At least this is the jihād according to the beliefs of the author of this book.

Let us now go back to our main topic.

The newly established Iranian Empire lacked the resources that had been available to the Islamic rulers of Baghdad in former times through their dominion over Central Asia and the West in order to consolidate their power over the Islamic authority. Asia Minor and Transoxania were gone, and the rise of maritime trade in the West was unfavorable to a country whose wealth had depended greatly on its position on important east-west overland trade routes like the famous Silk Road. The rise of the Ottomans held back Iranian westward advances and contested with the ¯afavids' control over both the Caucasus and Mesopotamia. By 1506, Shah Esma'il had conquered Arak, Esfahan, Fars, Kerman, Yazd, Kashan, Semnan, Astarabad (Gorgan or Jurjan) and, in 1507, he added Shī`a holy cities of Najaf and Kerbalā to Iran.

In 1507, the Portuguese invaded what is called the “Persian Gulf” and captured Hormuz Island. It became a naval base and a trade outpost which lasted for more than a hundred years. Shah Esma'il, having no navy, reluctantly accepted this European presence. In the mean time, the ¯afavids extended their rule by capturing Baghdad and Iraq in 1508. Later on, after defeating the Uzbeks and killing their leader, Mu¦ammed Sheybani (Shaibani), nicknamed Sheibak Khan, in a battle near Merv on December 1510, Shah Esma'il absorbed the large province of Khorasan into his state as well as Merv, Herat and Qandahar. But Uzbeks remained a formidable rival to the Safavids’ domination of Northern Khorasan throughout the 16th century.

In his message, the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II congratulated Shah Esma'il on his victories and advised him to stop destroying the graves and mosques of Sunni Muslims. Shah Esma'il was convinced of the righteousness of his cause, ignoring the request. With many Shī`a Muslims in Asia Minor under the authority of the Ottoman 441

sultan, Bayezid II was concerned about the power of the Safavids.

The new sultan in Constantinople after 1512, Sultan Selim (Salim), fought against Shī`a Muslims under his rule, killing thousands and displacing others. Sultan Selim waged war also against the ¯afavids.

On August 23, 1514, just west of Tabriz in the Chalderan plain, the army of Shah Esma'il suffered a crushing defeat. His cavalry and infantry were armed with spears, bows and swords and were fighting against Ottoman's superior numbers as well as field artillery and musketeers. Shah Esma'il and his followers firmly believed that Allāh was on their side, but they were confused by their military setback. Tabriz, their capital, was briefly occupied. This battle and defeat of Safavid Shah paved the path for the Ottoman conquest of Diyarbakr, Erzinjan and other parts of eastern Anatolia as well as northern Iraq. Shah Esma'il himself found relief from psychological depression in wine and died ten years later at the age of only thirtyseven.

Shah Esma'il's descendants, namely Shah Tahmasp I (1524-1576), Shah Esma'il II (1576-1577) and Shah Mu¦ammed (1577-1587), ruling in succession, recovered some of the original Safavid confidence and expanded in the opposite direction of the Ottomans, as far as Transoxania. ¯afavid shahs tightened their controls over Iran; each district had its own ¯afavid leader, a "Qezelbash" chief who answered to the shah. In time of war, the Qezelbash chiefs were responsible for providing soldiers for the shah's army and to collect revenues to pay for war. The local Qezelbash chiefs grew wealthy in land and in collecting taxes. Shah Tahmasp I the eldest son of Shah Esma'il ascended the throne at the age of ten, and for the first ten years of his reign, real power was held by a number of leaders of competing Qezelbash factions, which caused much political instability. In 1533, Shah Tahmasp I asserted his authority. One of his legacies was the introduction of converted slaves into court and the military. They were drawn from thousands of Georgian, Circassian and Armenian prisoners captured in campaigns fought in the Caucasus in the 1540s and 1550s. Female slaves entered the royal harem, becoming mothers of princes and a force in court politics and dynastic quarrels. Some of the male slaves began to acquire positions of influence, under Shah `Abbās I, reaching high offices that challenged the supremacy of the Qezelbash.

442

During the reign of Shah Tahmasp I, Uzbeks launched as many as five major invasions of Khorasan with the intent of retaking the area.

Safavids were successful in driving back the Uzbeks threat; and in 1545 they captured of Qandahar from the Mughal Empire. The Safavid capital was moved to Qazvin in 1548, following the temporary capture of Tabriz by the Ottomans. Despite periodic wars between Iran and the Ottoman Empire, they maintained an extensive trade, especially in the highly prized Iranian silk, which large quantities of silk were shipped from Iran to commercial centers such as Aleppo and Bursa and from there re-exported to Marseilles, London, and Venice.

Shah Tahmasp I, encouraged carpet weaving on the scale of a state industry. The exquisite miniatures illustrating the Iranian national epic known as the "Shahnama" (Epic of Kings) were painted at the request of Shah Tahmasp. This masterpiece is known as "Shahnameh of Tahmaspi" and was presented by the ¯afavid ruler to the Ottoman sultan Selim II in 1568.

In 1576 Qezelbash faction interested in a prince whose mother was Turkman rather than Circassian or Georgian, brought Shah Esma'il II son of Shah Tahmasp I to power. Shah Esma'il II reign was marked by brutality and a pro-Sunni policy. Consequently in November 1577, he was poisoned with the participation of his sister Pari Khan Khanom.

Mu¦ammed Shah was the only surviving brother of Shah Esma'il II, proved to be a weak leader. His wife Mahd-e Olya initially dominated him; but after her assassination in 1579 the Qezelbash took control. Meanwhile, Ottomans took advantage of Iran's political turmoil to launch a major invasion of the country. Consequently, extensive territories were lost to the Ottomans, including most of Azerbaijan, with Tabriz and Georgia.

With their self-esteem and power derived from their increased wealth, some local Qezelbash chiefs wished to have more freedom from the shah's authority. They tried to convince Mu¦ammed Shah that he should select a successor agreeable to them. Some of these 443

chiefs tried to reduce the chances of another choice by executing the heir apparent, his mother and some other possible heirs within the royal family. As often happens, politics by murder was less than efficient. The younger brother of the murdered heir apparent was secretly send away to Khorasan, and Qezelbash chiefs loyal to the royal family fought and defeated Qezelbash chiefs who were not, and full power was returned to the old dynasty of shahs. `Abbās I (1587-1629), who succeeded Mu¦ammed Shah, learnt from his family's experience with the local Qezelbash chiefs, and he broke their power and confiscated their wealth. He extended state-owned lands and lands owned by the shah. Provinces were now to be administered by the state replacing the Qezelbash chiefs. He strengthened his government's bureaucracy and managed to relocate tribes in order to weaken their power. The ¯ufi bands, Qezelbash, which had been formed into artificial tribal units mainly for military purposes during the dynasty's formative period, as a source of recruitment, were replaced by a standing strong army of his own. He recruited soldiers from Persian villages and from among Christians, Georgians, Circassian, Armenians and others, equipped them with artillery and muskets. The Christians were proud to serve the shah and to call themselves "Ghulams" (slaves) of the shah although slaves they were not. To finance the new army, Shah `Abbās converted large pieces of land traditionally granted to tribal chiefs as assignments into crown lands that he taxed directly. This new military force was trained on European lines with the advice of Robert Sherley. Sherley was an English adventurer expert in artillery tactics who, accompanied by a party of cannon founders, reached Qazvin (the Caspian Sea) with his brother Anthony Sherley in1598.

In a short time Shah `Abbās created a formidable army, consisting of cavalry, infantry and artillery.

Shah `Abbās was open to the ideas and was mentally active as well.

He was curious and in ways more tolerant than his predecessors.

Previously, "infidels" (foreigners and non-Muslim subjects) had been denied entry to the shah's court. He welcomed foreigners and his non-Muslims subjects to his court, and enjoyed discussing with foreigners the complexities of religious ideology. He took an unusual step among Islamic rulers by allowing Christians to wear 444

what they wanted and allowing them to own their own home and land.

Shah `Abbās defeated the Uzbeks in April 1598 and recovered Herat and territories in Khorasan, including Mashhad, lost several years earlier. He consolidated the Safavid power strongly in Khorasan. He rebuilt and developed the shrine of Ali ar-Reza (Imām Reza or Ri¤a ) at Mashhad, the eighth Shī`a Imām, as a pilgrim, which was damaged by the Uzbeks. The shrine became a major center for Shī`a pilgrimage, and a rival to Shī`a holy places in Mesopotamia like Najaf and Kerbalā where visiting pilgrims took currency and attention out of ¯afavid into Ottoman territory.

H

H

The ¯afavids had earlier moved their capital from the vulnerable Tabriz to Qazvin. Since the Uzbek threat from east of the Caspian had been overcome, Shah `Abbās could move to his newly built capital at Esfahan (or Isfahan) in 1598, more centrally placed than Qazvin for control over the whole country and for communication with the trade outlets of the Persian Gulf.

H

H

Under Shah `Abbās I, Iran prospered; he also transplanted a colony of industrious and commercially astute Armenians from Jolfa in Azerbaijan to a new Jolfa next to Esfahan. He patronized the arts, and he built palaces, mosques and schools, Esfahan becoming the cultural and intellectual capital of Iran. Shah `Abbās encouraged international trade and the production of silks, carpets, ceramics and metal ware for sale to Europeans. Shah `Abbās also founded a carpet factory in Esfahan. Royal patronage and the influence of court designers assured that Persian carpets reached their zenith in elegance during the ¯afavid period. He advanced trade by building and safeguarding roads. He welcomed tradesmen from Britain, the Netherlands and elsewhere to Iran. His governmental monopoly over the silk trade enhanced state revenues. Merchants of the English East India Company established trading houses in Shiraz and Esfahan. After Shah `Abbās ousted the Portuguese from the island of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf in 1622, Bandar `Abbās (Port of `Abbās) became the center of the East India Company's trade. But Later the Dutch East India Company received 445

trade capitulations from Shah `Abbās. The Dutch soon gained supremacy in the European trade with Iran, outdistancing British competitors. They established a spice-trading center at Bandar `Abbās. In 1623-24 Shah `Abbās I launched an offensive against Ottomans and established control over Kurdish territories, Baghdad and the Shī`a Holy Cities of Najaf and Kerbalā.

During his reign, Shah `Abbās I paid considerable attention to the welfare institutions in Esfahan and other cities like establishing hospitals. Medical practice was still depended on medieval guides for the treatment of most illnesses. The standard reference work remained the Canon of Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (d. 1037), but new clinical works were written during the ¯afavid period as well. In the 17th century, a unique work, The Treasury of Surgery, was written by an army surgeon known as μākim Mu¦ammed and was dedicated to Shah Safi I. It included a detailed list of the instruments available to surgeons, including a special device for the removal of bullets; outlined various forms of anesthesia; and advocated surgery for cancerous tumors.

The bureaucracy, too, was carefully reorganized, bold reforms in the military, administrative, and fiscal structures helped to centralize state authority to a degree not achieved by Shah `Abbās I predecessors. But the seeds of the sovereignty's weakness lay in the royal house itself, which lacked an established system of inheritance by primogeniture. One of Shah `Abbās I innovations, however, weakened the ¯afavid state in the long run; fear of revolts by his sons led him to abandon the traditional practice of employing the princes to govern provinces. Instead, he instituted the practice of confinement of infant princes in the palace gardens away from the direct reach of conspiracies and the world at large. A reigning shah's nearest and most acute objects of suspicion were his own sons.

Among them, brother plotted against brother over who should succeed on their father's death; and conspirator, ambitious for influence in a subsequent reign, supported one prince against another. The new practice, followed also by his successors, resulted in ill-educated, indecisive shahs of lower competence, easily dominated by powerful religious dignitaries to whom the ¯afavids had accorded considerable influence in an attempt to make Shī`ism 446

the state religion After the death of Shah `Abbās I in 1629, his son, Shah Safi I, who ruled from 1629 to 1642, known for his cruelty, sat on the throne. He was the first of the ¯afavid shahs to be raised in the palace gardens.

Shah Safi I put to death potential rivals to the throne as well as some of his male and female relatives on his accession. He executed most of the generals, officers and councilors he had inherited from his father's reign. The dominant influence of Mirza Taqi, known as Saru Taqi, the Grand Vezir (chancellor, prime minister) at the Safavid court allowed the government to be run smoothly despite the shah's lack of interest in affairs of state.

On May 17, 1639, a peace treaty with the Ottomans was signed which established the Ottoman-¯afavid frontier and put an end to more than a hundred years of sporadic conflict. The treaty forced Shah Safi I to accept the final loss of Baghdad in Mesopotamia, recaptured by the Ottomans in 1638, and instead gave Yerevan in the southern Caucasus to Iran.

The era of Shah `Abbās II, who ruled from 1642 to 1667, was the last fully competent period of rule by a ¯afavid shah. Shah `Abbās II took an active role in government matters. Under his rule Iran revived, and some of Persia's glory in the eyes of the outside world returned. He increased the central authority of the state by increasing crown lands and often intervened in provincial affairs on the side of the peasants, but with peace on the frontiers the army declined in size and quality. He stuck to the notion that the ¯afavid ruler was sacred and perfect and openly disputed with members of the Shī`a religious establishment who had begun to articulate the idea that in the absence of the occult Imām Zamān (twelfth Shī`a Imām, alMahdi ‫)عج‬, true temporal authority rightly belonged to the mujtahid who merited emulation by the faithful. ¯afavid Shī`ism had not improved monarchy as an institution, but instead recognized the state as a theocracy. The ‘ulemā, religious leaders, rebuked the shahs, questioned the religious legitimacy of their power and claimed that the mujtahids had a superior claim to rule.

After `Abbās II died in 1667, decline set in again when Shah 447

Soleyman (Sulayman, Solomon) (Safi II), who ruled from 1667 to 1694, took power. He was renamed, superstitiously, to Soleyman because the first year and half of his reign was so disastrous. Shah Soleyman was not a competent ruler, and shortly after his accession food prices soared and famine and disease spread throughout the country. Although pressing problems faced him, he increasingly retreated into the harem and left his grand vezir to cope with affairs of state.

Sultan μossein (μussain or μussein), who ruled from 1694 to 1722, have been described as the most incompetent shah of ¯afavids. He was similar to some others who had inherited power by accident of birth. Indifferent to affairs of state, Shah Sultan Hossein effectively brought ¯afavid Empire to its sudden and unexpected end. He was of a religious temperament and especially influenced by the Shī`a religious establishment. At their insistence, he issued decrees forbidding the consumption of alcohol and banning ¯ufism in Esfahan. In 1694 Shah Sultan Hossein appointed Mu¦ammed Bāqir Majlisi (a drawing of him is included in this book), the most influential member of Shī`a religious establishment, to the new office of "Mulla Bashi" (Head Mulla). Al-Majlisi wrote Bi¦ār alAnwār (Seas of Light), an encyclopedic work dedicated to the preservation of the prophet Mu¦ammed's words and deeds. He devoted himself to the propagation of a legalistic form of Shī`ism and to the eradication of ¯ufism in Iran. Under his guidance specifically Shī`a popular rituals, such as mourning for the martyred third Imām, al-μussain (d. 680), `Āshūra, were en-couraged, as were pilgrimages to the tombs of holy Shī`a personages. Unchecked by the ¯afavid regime, Majlisi and the Shī`a clergy emerged with increased strength and independence from the ruling government in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The ¯afavid empire had also declined militarily, leaving it more vulnerable to invasion, which came out of the east. In 1722 Afghan invaders under Mahmoud, a former ¯afavid vassal in Afghanistan, captured Esfahan and murdered Shah Sultan μussain. The Afghan invasion was disastrous for Iran, which consequently in 1723 the Ottomans took advantage of the disintegration of the ¯afavid realm and invaded from the west, ravaging western Persia as far as 448

Hamadan, while the Russians seized territories around the Caspian Sea. In June 1724 the two powers agreed on a peaceful partitioning of Iran's northwestern provinces.

From this extensive research in the ¯afavid empire, one can conclude that those who taunt Shī`ite Muslims and call them “¯afavids” prove, by so doing, that they are so ignorant of the Islamic history, they ought to be ashamed of themselves, that is, if they know what shame is. Their brains are not bigger than those of birds, yet they are a lot more harmful. Birds are useful servants of Allāh, whereas some “Muslims”, certainly not “Mu’mins”, have throughout history harmed Islam’s reputation while thinking that they, and only they, are the true Muslims…! ¯af¦ ‫صفح‬: pardon, forgiveness, excuse ¯a¦āba ‫ص حابة‬: companions of the Holy Prophet Muh,.ammed ; singular ¥a¦ābi A

EA

¯a¦eefa or ¯a¦īfa ‫ص حيفة‬: page, tablet, scroll, parchment, manuscript, written document ¯a¦ī¦ ‫ص حيح‬: literally: authentic, correct, accurate; it is generally used to refer to the collection, group of collections, or book, of verified and authenticated a¦ādīth of Holy Prophet  Sajda ‫س جدة‬: prostration; it is also the title of Chapter 32 of the Holy Qur’ān ¯alāt or ¯alāh ‫ص الة‬: ¯alāt is an Arabic word which mean: a spiritual relationship and communication between the servant/being and his Creator. ¯alāt is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is performed five times a day at these times: fajr (pre-dawn or pre-daybreak), ¨uhr noon, 'a¥r (afternoon), maghrib (sunset) and `ishā' (late night). ¯alāt is to be performed with mental concentration, verbal communication, vocal recitation, and physical movement to attain spiritual upliftment, peace of mind, harmony with the soul and with the Creator and concord. Congregational prayer services are held on 449

Fridays at noon which they include a sermon (khu§ba) delivered by a religious leader (Imām) called khatib. To perform the ¥alāt ritual, a Muslim has to first perform the ablution (wu¤ū'). He/she should make sure about that cleanliness of the body, clothing, and place before performing the ¥alāt. How many types of prayers are there in Islam? There are many besides the daily prayers: The Ghufaila Prayers, the Sahu ‫( س ھو‬forgetfulness or miscalculation while performing obligatory prayers), the Janāza Prayers for a deceased person whose coffin is being witnessed, the Ghāyib Prayers for the deceased person whose coffin is not present, ¯alāt al-Wa¦sha which is performed for a deceased person in the same night of his death, ¯alāt al-Layl which is performed from the time after midnight and before Fajr, ¯alāt al-Āyāt which is performed at the time of eclipse of the sun or the moon, ¯alāt al-Shukr, a form of thanks giving prayer, ¯alāt al-μāja, a prayer performed when one wants to plea to his Maker so he may attain a certain objective, ¯alāt al-Istikhāra when one needs guidance from his Maker regarding a particular complex issue, a prayer to remove one’s worries and concerns, ¯alāt al-Tasabee¦ in which one praises the Almighty a great deal, Eid prayers, prayers on certain other occasions such as Laylatul-Qadr, etc…, to name only a few. Each of these prayers has its own rules and regulations. Refer to your mujtahid for details. But if you have no mujtahid to guide you, for sure you are a hopeless case, you are lost…! ¯alātul-`Īd ‫ص الة العي د‬: late morning prayers comprised of two rek`āt (prostrations) performed on the first day of `Id al-Fī§r (the feast of fast-breaking) which signals the end of the fast of the month of Rama¤ān ¯alla Allāhu `alaihi wa `ala Ālihi wa Sallam ‫ص لى ﷲ علي ه وعل ى آل ه و‬ ‫س لم‬: This is an expression which Muslims articulate whenever the name of Prophet Mu¦ammed , is mentioned or written. The meaning is: "May the blessings and the peace of Allāh be with him (Mu¦ammed .”

Saqīfah or Saqīfa or Saqeefa ‫س قيفه‬: a shelter from the sun, a shed with a roof. The companions of the Prophet  met in such a place 450

in Medīna known as "Saqīfat Banī Sā`idah ‫ "سقيفة بني ساعد ه‬to "elect" the first successor to the Prophet . The attendants actually represented a fraction of the Muslim community of the time and many dignitaries boycotted that "elections" and later cast doubts about its legitimacy, igniting a division among the Muslim the effects of which can still be felt even in our times and in all times to come. Many books have been written about this "saqīfa" incident, and the controversy will most likely never dissipate. On p. 215, Vol. 2 of a§-±abari's Tārīkh (Dār al-Amīra for Publication and Distribution, Beirut, Lebanon, 1426 A.H./2005 A.D.), we are told that the sacred body of the Prophet  remained without being buried for three full days because some people were arguing with each other at the saqīfa of Bani Sā`idah about who should be the successor to the Prophet . How many Muslims were there when the Prophet  was buried? On p. 408, Vol. 6/2 (combined edition published in 1427 A.H./2006 A.D. by the I¦yā’ al-Kutub alIslamiyya, Qum, Iran) of al-Majlisi's Bi¦ār al-Anwār ‫بح ار األن وار‬, we read precise details about who gave the Prophet  his burial bath and buried him. The sacred body of the Prophet  was given the burial bath by none other than his son-in-law, cousin and the man whom he raised in his lap: Ali ibn Abū ±ālib . A handful of the Prophet's closest relatives and true companions buried him, and these included, in addition to Ali, Aws ibn Khawli, "Abū ±al¦ah" Zaid ibn Sahl, al-`Abbās ibn Abdul-Mu§§alib and his son al-Fa¤l ibn al-`Abbās, Abū Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrā¦ and Usāmah ibn Zaid ibn μārithah. As for the rest, they were too busy fussing and arguing, almost fighting, with each other about who would be the next caliph to be concerned about burying the Prophet of Allāh …

Sarāya ‫س رايا‬: (plural) military campaigns personally ordered by Prophet Mu¦ammed ; singular: sāriya Sarmadi ‫سرمدي‬: eternal, everlasting, perpetual ¯awm ‫ص وم‬: ¯awm or ¯iyām implies a total abstinence from partaking of food, water or any liquid, smoking, intercourse, etc. from dawn till sunset for one whole lunar month. ¯awm (fasting) takes place during the ninth month of the lunar calendar called 451

Rama¤ān. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. How many types of fast are there in Islam? If you really want to know the answer, read my book Fast of the Month of Rama¤ān: Philosophy and A¦kām where you will find out that there are as many as forty types of fast in Islam. Muslims take their religion very seriously.

Sa`yee or Sa`ee or Sa`i ‫س عي‬: the going back and forth seven times between the ¯afa and the Marwa during the ¦ajj or `umra. It symbolizes μajar's search for water for her son Ishmael.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Sayyid ‫س يد‬: leader, head, master or chief; also: a descendant of the Prophet  Shafeer ‫شفير‬: brink, verge, brim, edge Shafee` ‫ش فيع‬: intercessor, preemptioner, one who intercedes on behalf of another. May the Almighty accept the Prophet of Islam  as our Shafee` and yours, Allāhomma Āmīn.

Shāhda ‫ش ھادة‬: martyrdom; it also means testimony, declaration of faith. A person must recite the shahāda in Arabic to convert to Islam. The shahāda in Islam is: Ashhadu an Lā Ilaha illa-Allāh wa anna Mu¦ammedan Rasūl Allāh, that is, "I testify that there is no god except Allāh and that Mu¦ammed  is the Messenger of Allāh." Other meanings for this word: certificate, testimonial; Shahādat Ashum ‫ش ھادة أس ھم أو ح صص‬: share certificate or scrip; ‫شھادة أسھم الحام ل‬: share-warrant to bearer; ‫ش ھادة أس ھم امتي از‬: certificate of preferred stock; (‫ش ھادة اكتت اب )بأس ھم‬: stock certificate; (‫أم ان )س فينه‬ ‫شھادة‬: certificate of safety (of a ship/vessel); ‫ شھادة ايداع‬: certificate of deposit; ‫ ش ھادة تأسيس‬: certificate of incorporation; ‫ ش ھادة ت سجيل س فينه‬: certificate of registry; ‫ش ھادة تفريغ‬: unloading certificate; ‫ ش ھادة س وابق‬: certificate of police record (criminal record) Shaheed or Shahīd ‫ش ھيد‬: a martyr, someone who dies in the way of Allāh Shahr ‫شھر‬: month

452

Shī`a or Shī`i or Shī`ite ‫ش يعي‬: a follower of the Islamic Sunnah according to the teachings of the Prophet’s immediate family, the Ahl al-Bayt  who are called so by the Almighty in 33:33 of His Holy Book, the Qur’ān, where He says that He removed all abomination from them and purified them with a perfect purification. The largest Shī`ite sect is the Ithnā-`Asheri (Twelver) which is detailed for you above. What are the beliefs of these Shī`a or Shī`is or Shī`ites? Their beliefs are not different from those of their Sunni brothers except in one and only article of faith: Imāmate, spiritual as well as temporal leadership, that is, who the imām who leads the prayers should be and who the imām who leads the nation, the caliph, emir, king, ruler, president…, should be. Shī`is believe in the One and Only God, All¡h, and in his Prophet Mu¦ammed , perform the five daily prayers, observe the fast of the month of Ramad¡n, perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, the ¦ajj, pay the zak¡t in addition to the khums, under the right leadership perform the jih¡d in defense of the faith rather than aggressively against non-Muslims for an expansionist, economic, egotistical or any other purpose; rather, they should regard these non-Muslims as their brothers in humanity, protect and assist them as much as they can. They also recite the same Qur’¡n which their Sunni brothers recite, the Book which the Almighty has protected against alteration, addition or deletion and is the only gospel that can boast of being so. Shī`is divide their article of faith into two divisions: U¥ūl ad-Dīn ‫أصول الدين‬, principles of the faith, creed; and Furū` ad-Dīn ‫ف روع ال دين‬, branches of the faith. The first division represents teachings and directives that provide the theoretical aspect, knowledge of the creed, to the believer. The second part contains a set of rulings that govern the behavior of such a believer. Thus, the creed is knowledge and acting upon such knowledge. Each part complements the other.

The principles of faith according to these Shī`is are five: 1) Taw¦īd ‫توحي د‬, the Unity of God, All¡h, that is, He is One, having no similitude or partner, individual and indivisible. Also, His Attributes ‫ص فات‬, such as knowledge, might, will, life, etc., are the same as His own Holy Self, Praise and Exalnation belong to Him. He is the only One to adore, obey, worship and be accepted as the Lord. 2) `Adl ‫ع دل‬, the belief that All¡h Almighty is fair and just; He does not 453

oppress as He judges and rules; He is above doing such bad things or require His servants to do what is beyond their human ability or what does not serve a good cause. 3) Nubuwwah ‫نب وة‬, that out of His mercy towards His servants, the Almighty sent prophets and messengers in order to guide people to what benefits them, what is good for them. Without these prophets and messengers , people would not have been guided to what they should regard as their life’s priorities; they would not have become familiar with the facts and mysteries of what surrounds them or even of their own selves as humans in all spheres of life. This concept implies acceptance of the second part of the Kalima, the Declaration of accepting Islam as one’s religion which every believer must pronounce while being fully convinced of its reality, that is, the Shah¡da, testimony, that “There is no god save All¡h and Mu¦ammed  is the Messenger of All¡h.” This concept, according to Shī`i Muslims, also requires the faithful to identify prophets of All¡h and to accept their messages through the following three mediums: 1. A prophet does not decrees anything which contradicts reason, such as saying that the Creator is more than one; 2. A prophet’s call must be to obey All¡h and to be on guard against offending Him; 3. A prophet must have a miracle which he manifests after he claims to have been sent with a Divine message, and he must establish it as evidence pointing out to his prophethood, to his being connected to All¡h, one with which he challenges the public. 4) Im¡mate ‫إمام ة‬, that is, succession to prophethood, performing the latter’s function with regard to the duties of the faithful, to what is right and what is wrong, in all aspect except with receiving Divine inspiration (wa¦i ‫ )وح ي‬without an intermediary. Moreover, Im¡mate must be based on a statement coming from All¡h Almighty and conveyed by His prophet or by the Im¡m who preceded that prophet; it is not left to people’s choice or “election”. The Im¡ms  after Prophet Mu¦ammed  are twelve according to statements made by the Prophet himself who named each and every one of them (refer to the discussion of the Declaration of Ghadīr Khumm). 5) Ma`¡d: ‫ مع اد‬belief in the afterlife, in the Day of Judgment when all people will be gathered, in their bodies and souls which will then be recreated, on a Promised Day so their Lord may hold them to account about what they did and did not do, so He may torment those who did not obey and serve Him in 454

their past lives and reward those who did.

As regarding Furū` ad-Dīn ‫ ف روع ال دين‬according to the Shī` Ja`fari Ithn¡-`Ashari School of Muslim Law, they are ten as follows: 1) ¯al¡t ‫ ص الة‬prayers, the five daily obligatory prayers which are to be performed during these times: fajr (before sunrise), noon, afternoon, sunset and evening. Shī`as also believe that there are many highly commendable prayers that have different numbers of rek`¡t (prostrations) and certain Qur’¡nic chapters to be recited, and they place special emphasis on ¯al¡t al-Layl ‫ص الة اللي ل‬, night prayer (which must not be confused with the obligatory evening prayer) which is performed in the last third of the night in eleven rek`¡t. The rewards of peforming this prayer are said to be beyond one’s highest hopes and expectations. 2) Zak¡t ‫ زك اة‬the Islamic obligatory tax which is explained in this Glossary in its right place. It is one of the pillars of Islam, and there are many conditions and rulings relevant to it, hence one’s unavoidable need for Islamic fiqh. Many translators have erroneously given zak¡t the meaning of giving out voluntary alms, charity, which is a serious mistake since alms are given voluntarily but zak¡t has to be paid: Not paying it means that one will be punished by the Almighty for not abiding by His laws as well as by the ruling Islamic State if he lives under the shade of one.

3) ¯awm ‫ ص وم‬fast, the obligatory fast of the month of Ramad¡n. 4) Hajj ‫ ح ج‬pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslim individuals who are adults, rational, healthy and can afford it, and they do so at least once in their lifetimes. 5) Khums ‫خم س‬: Shī`i Muslims believe that khums is one of the important matters of the Islamic faith, so much so that each individual should regulate his fiscal year in a way so that he may calculate his earnings and take out one-fifth of whatever exceeds his needs to pay All¡h, His messenger  and the messenger’s near in kin. More details about this obligatory tax are to be found somewhere else in this book. 6) Jih¡d ‫جھ اد‬: exerting real effort to defend Islam, which is called ‫ الجھ اد األص غر‬the minor or lesser jih¡d, and another effort to stand in the face of Satan’s evil insinuations and temptations which is called ‫ الجھ اد األكب ر‬the major or greatest struggle. Most translations of jih¡d define it as “holy war” which is not accurate except in the case when Muslims are attacked 455

or are about to be attacked. It is then that jih¡d becomes a selfdefnese right of all people whose lives and properties are in jeopardy. 7) Amr bil Ma`rūf ‫األمر ب المعروف‬: enjoining what is right. 8) Nahī `n al-Munkar ‫نھ ي ع ن المنك ر‬: forbidding what is wrong. Both 7 and 8 are to be performed through rational methods and without any form of violence or coercion since the Almighty has given His creatures their free will: Some will use it wisely and some will not.

Admonishment is an important mission which must be taken seriously by everyone, not only by Muslims, for we all need to be admonished and advised. 9) Tawalli ‫ت ولي‬: loyalty to and obedience of those whose wali, Master, is All¡h Almighty. Another way of putting this concept is this: One must not obey infidels, apostates or debauchees who are not God-fearing, who do not accept the Almighty as their Master and Lord. Actually, he must not even befriend them. 10) Tabarri ‫تب ري‬: dissociation from the enemies of All¡h.

Shaikh or Sheikh ‫ش يخ‬: The word “shaikh” is a title of an elderly person or a religious leader. This title is also given to a wise person, and it means, in this case, a mentor.

Shai§an or Shai§an ‫شيطان‬: Shai§ān (Satan) is the source of evil in the world. The plural name is Shayā§in, devils or demons. His other name is Iblis or Eblis which means "one who has lost everything".

The origin of this word is “shiyā§ ‫”ش ياط‬, burning, and from it the term “burnt with rage ‫ ”است شاط غ ضبا‬is derived. Rage surely burns! It, for example, burns homes: When a husband is angry with his wife, he goes ahead and divorces her, but rest assured that his divorce in this case is not legitimate at all. Read books of fiqh and learn the conditions for one’s divorce to be acceptable in Islam.

Shakk ‫ش ك‬: doubt, uncertainty, suspicion. In the Holy Qur’ān, 49:12, we are told to avoid being too suspicious because sometimes suspicion/doubt can be a sin.

Shāri` ‫ش ارع‬: street, road, thoroughfare; Musharri` ‫ م شرع‬legislator, lawmaker; Shar` ‫ ش رع‬law, doctrine, canon; Shir`a ‫ ش رعه‬law, precept, concept; Musharri` ‫ م شرع‬legislator, lawmaker, jurist; Sharī`a ‫ ش ريعه‬Islamic legislative system; Shar`i ‫ ش رعي‬legitimate, 456

lawful, legal, rightful, related to the Sharī`a Sharī`a ‫ش ريعة‬: path, method, way, manner, style, way of life, program; Islamic Sharī`a is the legislative system in Islam which is derived from two sources: the Holy Qur’ān and the Sunnah of the Prophet of Islam . This Sunna, which includes both actions and statements, is reported, narrated, detailed, chronicled and documented by two major groups of followers of Islam: 1) the ¯a¦āba of the Prophet , and 2) the immediate family members of the Prophet who are referred to the Holy Qur’ān as ‫ أھ ل البي ت‬Ahl alBayt, people of the house of the Prophet to whom the Almighty refers in Qur’ān 33:33 thus: ‫إِنﱠ َما يُ ِري ُد ﱠ‬  ‫ت َويُطَ ﱢھ َر ُك ْم تَ ْط ِھي ًرا‬ ‫ﷲُ ِليُ ْذ ِھ َب عَن ُك ُم ﱢ‬ َ ‫الر ْج‬ ِ ‫س أَ ْھ َل ا ْلبَ ْي‬ Allāh only wishes to remove all abomination from you, you Ahl alBayt (members of the Prophet’s immediate family), and to make you pure and spotless.

Followers of the first group like to be called “Sunnis” whereas followers of the other group are referred to as “Shī`ites”, “Shī`is”, “Shī`ites” or “Shī`as”. Unfortunately, some fanatics, instigated and paid by some politicians for one reason or another, have applied many derogatory names to the followers of Ahl al-Bayt , the Shī`ites, such as “Rafi¤is” ‫ راف ضة‬which means rejectors, perhaps a reference to their rejection of the ascension to power of the first three “righteous caliphs” who saw with their own eyes and heard with their own ears how the Prophet , as ordered by the Almighty, chose Ali  to be his successor rather than anyone else.

Anyhow, what is passed is past, and Islam now is like one tree stem having two main branches each of which has sub-branches, too.

Throughout history, some Muslims, for reasons of their own which may include serious research in Islamic literature and history, have shifted their following from one Islamic sect to another and this will always take place as is the case with all other religions of the world.

An example of such “conversion” from one Islamic sect to another took place in the author’s populous tribe, the Jibouri tribe ‫ع شيرة‬ ‫الجب ور‬, hence his last name "al-Jibouri," the man who belongs to the 457

Jibouri tribe. The author’s ancestors, because of an incident that took place about 140 years ago in north-western Baghdad, specifically in the holy city of al-Kā¨imiyya, changed their sect from Sunni to Shī`ite. For this reason, his ancestors were subjected to untold persecution, discrimination and suffering which all strengthened their conviction rather than weakening it. Two Imāms , direct descendants of the Prophet , are buried in a magnificent mausoleum in al- Kā¨imiyya, which is visited daily by tens of thousands, and on occasions by millions, by the faithful from all over the world, The autobiography of the author of this book, his Memoirs, details this incident, and it is available for you if you click on this link and search for it: http://www.scribd.com/yasinaljibouri/.

Now, dear reader, who do you personally think know the Sunnah best: the Prophet’s friends or his family members?! May the Almighty keep the Muslim umma united and foil the efforts of those who try to divide it, Allāhomma Āmeen ‫اللھم آمين‬.

H

H

The root of the word Sharī`a is "shara`a ‫"ش رع‬. Some other derivations of it are: shar`, shir'a and tashrī`. Sharī`a is the revealed and canonical laws of the Islamic faith. The Holy Qur’ān and the sacred Sunnah of the Prophet  are the sources of the Sharī`a, Islam's legislative code; Shar`iyya ‫ ش رعيه‬means legitimacy, legality.

As for the misnomer “Rafi¤i”, please refer to its place in this Glossary.

Sharr ‫ش ر‬: evil, mischief; Shirrīr ‫ ش رير‬evildoer, mischief-maker, baneful, pernicious Shatm ‫ش تم‬: taunting, reviling, insulting, calling someone bad names, cursing Shī`ite or Shī`i ‫ش يعي‬: a Muslim following the Sunnah of the Prophet  as reported by the Prophet's immediate family, the Ahl al-Bayt . The number of Shī`ites is estimated to range between 25% and 35% of the entire Muslim population of the world, but little is known about their beliefs for many reasons. Worse is the fact that their beliefs are often misrepresented, distorted, falsified and unjustifiably attacked by some other Muslims. This has been going 458

on for centuries. There are many Shī`ite sects which include, among others: ‫ الشيعه الجعفريه االثنا عشريه‬the Twelvers, that is, the Shī`a Ja`fari Ithna-Asheris (the Twelvers, followers of the fiqh of Imām Ja`far a¥¯ādiq  who constitute the majority of Shī`ites of the world), ‫ الزيديه‬the Zaidis who follow Zaid son of Ali son of al-μussain son of Ali son of Abū ±ālib  who live mostly in Yemen; ‫ االس ماعيليه‬the Isma`ilis who mostly live in Turkey, ‫ العلوي ه‬the Alawis or Alawides who live in Syria, and ‫ البھ ره أو البح اريون‬the Buhris, Bohris or Bi¦āris who live mostly in India.

Shiqāq ‫شقاق‬: discord, dissension Shirk ‫ش رك‬: polytheism, the belief in the existence of partners with Allāh. Shirk can also encompass any object that a person may regard as being higher in status than Allāh. It is the most serious of all sins and can never be forgiven.

Shubha ‫ش بھة‬: (singular) doubt, suspicion, uncertainty; its plural is: shubuhāt Shūra ‫ش ورى‬: the principle of mutual consultation, Islam's form of democracy; refer to verse 38, Chapter 42 (Shūra or Consultation) of the Holy Qur’ān: َ‫ش و َرى بَ ْي نَ ُھ ْم َو ِم ﱠم ا َرزَ ْقنَ ا ُھ ْم يُنفِقُ ون‬ ُ ‫ َوأَ ْم ُر ُھ ْم‬Those who listen to their Lord and establish regular prayers, who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation, who spend out of what sustenance We bestow upon them… (42:38). Some Muslim governments set up “shūra assemblies” to advise top officials and resolve main contentions. ¯iddīq or ¯iddeeq ‫ص ديق‬: one who testifies to the truthfulness of a prophet Sifā¦ ‫س فاح‬: cohabitation with a woman without a marriage contract, unlawful according to Islam and other divine religions, fornication or adultery ¯ihr ‫صھر‬: relative by marriage, an in-law

459

Sinn al-Bulūgh ‫س ن البل وغ‬: This is the age of maturity and puberty. It is the age at which a Muslim is considered to be an adult and, hence, becomes accountable for his/her actions and responsible for the Islamic duties and obligations. There is no fixed age for that in terms of years, and it is decided by three signs: having menstruation or monthly period for girls, and being physically mature, encountering wet dreams growing pubic hair, or reaching the age of fifteen, whichever comes first for boys,.

Sin at-Tamyīz ‫س ن التميي ز‬: This is the age of distinguishing. This age is used in fiqh to decide the age before which the mother has the right to keep the child after divorce. It varies from one person to another. The age is reached when the child can take care of himself or herself and no longer needs an adult to help him take care of himself/herself. In some Islamic schools of thought, it is seven years for the boy and nine for the girl. The girl is given longer time so that she can learn more about women's habits.

Sinn ‫س ن‬: literally, it means "tooth" or age such as: ‫ س ن االدراك‬: age of discretion (or mature realization, of distinguishing between right and wrong, lawful and lawful, etc.), (‫ س ن البل وغ )الرش د‬age of (physical) maturity, adolescence, ‫ س ن الحداث ه‬age of minors, ‫ س ن الح ضانه‬age of nurture, of nursing, ‫ س ن الرش د‬legal age, full age, ‫ س ن الرض ا‬age of consent.

Sīra or Seera ‫س يره‬: collective writings of the companions of the Prophet  about him, his personality, life story, ways of handling different situations…, etc. is called sīra. Among famous collectors of sīra are: a§-±abari, Ibn Is¦āq and Ibn Hishām. ¯irā§ ‫ص راط‬: path, highway; same as sabeel (sabil). A¥-¯irā§ AlMustaqeem ‫الصراط المستقيم‬: The Straight Path is the one mentioned in Sūrat al-Fāti¦a and in numerous other verses under different other names, and it is a plea to the Almighty made by the faithful: ‫ستَقِي َم‬ ْ ‫ا ْل ُم‬ َ‫ص َراط‬ َ ‫ال‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ ‫د‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫إ‬ Guide us (O Lord!) to the Straight Path" (Qur’ān, 1:6), ‫ﱢ‬ ِ ِ thus praying Allāh Almighty to keep their feet firm as they pass on it so it may lead them to happiness in this life and salvation in the life to come. All souls in the hereafter without any exception have to pass over it, and it is described as a bridge, a path, a passage that 460

stretches from Hell to Paradise; only those who successfully cross it will enter Paradise, the ultimate goal of all believers where they will stay forever. Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq , as recorded on p. 41, Vol. 1, of ±abā§abā’i's Al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān ‫المي زان ف ي تف سير الق رآن‬, was asked once about the meaning of this verse; so 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."

By the way, ±abā§abā’i's full name is: Mu¦ammed μussain ibn Sayyid Mu¦ammed ibn Sayyid μussain ibn Mirza Ali Asgher Tabrīzi ±abā§abā’i, the judge. He was born in 1892 in Tabrīz and died in Qum in 1981. His 21-Volume exegesis, Al-Mīzān, is only one of his numerous works. The edition utilized for this book was published in 1991 by Al-A`lami Foundation of Beirut, Lebanon.

Late μujjatul-Islām Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi , recognized scholar and founder of the Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania, may Allāh fill his resting place with noor ‫ن ور‬, spent years of his blessed life translating some volumes of this valuable exegesis into English.

In his Tafsīr, al-`Ayyāshi quotes Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  as saying that a¥-¯irā§ al-Mustaqeem is the Commander of the Faithful Imām Ali . A¥-¯irā§ al-Mustaqeem is referred to in verse 61 of Sūrat Yā-Sīn (Ch. 36), in verse 52 of Sūrat ash-Shūra (Ch. 42), in verse 16 of Sūrat al-Mā’ida (Ch. 5), in verses 126 and 161 of Sūrat al-An`ām (Ch. 6), in verses 70 and 174 of Sūrat an-Nisā’ (Ch. 4), in verse 42 of Sūrat al-μijr (Ch. 15), and in other verses where it is described as the Sabeel, another word for path, leading to the Almighty.

Abdur-Ra¦mān ibn Mu¦ammed al-Hassam quotes A¦med ibn `Īsa ibn Abū Maryam quoting Mu¦ammed ibn A¦med al-`Arjami quoting Ali ibn μātim al-Minqāri quoting al-Mufa¤¤al ibn Omer as saying, "I asked Abū Abdullāh (Imām a¥-¯ādiq ) about the ¯irā§, and he said, 'It is the Path to knowing Allāh, 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 ¯irā§ in this life is the Imām whose obedience is incumbent; whoever knows him in this life and follows his guidance will be able to pass on the (other) ¯irā§ 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 ¯irā§ in the hereafter, 461

causing him to fall into the fire of hell."' This is recorded on pp. 1314 of Ma`āni al Akhbār ‫ مع اني األخب ار‬and also on p. 66, Vol. 8, of Bi¦ār al Anwār ‫بحار األن وار‬. It is when you come to this ¯irā§, and you most certainly will, that you will find out how well you performed your prayers, fast and other religious obligations in the life of this world, how you dealt with your Maker, family, relatives and other members of the society. A¥-¯irā§ al-Mustaqeem is the straight path over hell, a fire more intense in heat than boiling molten brass, and it has seven bridges over it: Each is three thousand years in length: one thousand to vertically ascend, one thousand to horizontally cross, and one thousand to descend. It is thinner than a human hair, sharper 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 Allāh will 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 lifetime on this planet. In the first of such stops he will be asked about belief and conviction, shirk ‫( ش رك‬polytheism) and hypocrisy. In the second he will be asked about prayers, what they entail, how to perform, and whether he performed them properly and on time. In the third he will be asked about zakāt, its types, and whether he paid it or not. And it is in the fourth that he will be asked about the fast... It is there and 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 his sins during the month of Rama¤ān or not. In the fifth he will be asked about the ¦ajj, pilgrimage, and `umra, why he did not perform them, or why he failed to perform them properly, and how they must be performed. In the sixth he will be asked about wu¤ū’ (ablution) and ghusul, how he performed them, which one is compulsory and which 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 be prone to fall into the pit of hell underneath..., as Abdul-Jabbār ar-Rubay`i tells us in his book At-Tadhkira fī a¦wāl almawt wal Ākhira ‫التذكرة في‬ ‫أح وال الم وت و اآلخ رة‬, having collected such details from various books of ¦ādīth and Sunna. He adds saying, on p. 130, that the bridges will 462

be shaken by the weight of crossing people who will climb on top of each other, causing these bridges to move like a ship tossed by a wind storm in the midst of the sea.

A¥-¯irā§ separates Paradise from hell. With reference to those who will fall into hell, the Almighty says the following: ‫أَلَ ْم ت َ​َر إِلَى الﱠ ِذينَ بَ ﱠدلُو ْا نِ ْع َمةَ ﱠ‬ ِ‫َار ا ْلبَ َوار؟‬ َ ‫ﷲِ ُك ْف ًرا َوأَ َحلﱡو ْا قَ ْو َم ُھ ْم د‬ "Have you not considered those who have changed Allāh's favor into blasphemy and caused their people to fall into the abode of perdition?" (Holy Qur’ān, 14:28) where the "abode of perdition" connotes Hell; ‫ضبِي فَقَ ْد َھ َوى‬ َ ‫ …" َو َمن يَ ْحلِ ْل َعلَ ْي ِه َغ‬upon whomsoever My wrath descends shall fall therein" (Holy Qur’ān 20:81) where the word "fall" here means falling into Hell; ‫شقَى‬ ْ َ‫ض ﱡل َوال ي‬ َ ‫فَ َم ِن اتﱠبَ َع ُھ دَا‬ ِ َ‫ي فَ ال ي‬ "Whoever follows My guidance will not lose his way nor fall into perdition" (Holy Qur’ān, 20:123); ‫ …" َو َم ا يُ ْغنِ ي َع ْن هُ َمالُ هُ إِ َذا تَ َردﱠى‬Nor will his wealth benefit him when he falls headlong (into the pit of fire)" (Holy Qur’ān, 92:11). So, 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 for it 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 َ‫سئُولُون‬ ْ ‫ إِنﱠ ُھ م ﱠم‬:‫"قِفُ و ُھ ْم‬Stop them, for they must be questioned (by the angels)" (Holy Qur’ān, 37:24).

On p. 133, Vol. 17, of his book titled Al-Mīzān, `allāma ±abā§abā’i quotes various views regarding what the questions on this ¯irā§ will be. He says that some scholars are of the opinion that they will be asked about the Unity of Allāh, while others believe it will be about the wilāyat ‫والي ة‬, mastership, of Imām Ali , but he also concedes that such stopping and questioning will take place on the ¯irā§ over hell. On p. 107 of a¥-¯adūq's A1-Amāli ‫األم الي‬, and also on pp. 64-65, Vol. 8, of al-Majlisi's Bi¦ār al-Anwār ‫بح ار األن وار‬, al-Waleed quotes a¥-¯affār quoting Ibn `Īsa quoting Mu¦ammed al-Barqi quoting alQāsim ibn Mu¦ammed al-Jawhari quoting Ali ibn Abū μamzah quoting Abū Bu¥ayr quoting “Abū Abdullāh”, namely Imām Ja`far 463

a¥-¯ādiq , as saying, "People will pass on different levels on the ¯irā§, 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." Imām Abū Ja`far al-Bāqir  is quoted on p. 65, Vol. 8, of al-Majlisi's Bi¦ār al-Anwār as saying, "When the verse saying 'And hell is brought that Day' was revealed, the Messenger of Allāh  was asked about what it meant, so he  said, 'The trusted Spirit (Gabriel ) has informed me that when Allāh, the One and only God, resurrects all people and gathers their early generations and the last, 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 Allāh not delayed them for the reckoning, it would have caused everyone 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 Allāh, be he an angel or a prophet, will call out: `Save me, O Lord, save me,' except you, O Prophet of Allāh, for you will call out: Save my nation, O Lord, save my nation!"' Muqātil, `A§ā’ and Ibn `Abbās are among the greatest traditionists in the history of Islam without any contention. They are the ones who transmitted the a¦ādīth ‫ أحادي ث‬of the Messenger of Allāh  for all posterity. All three of them, as stated on p. 67, Vol. 8, of Bi¦ār al Anwār, have interpreted the verse saying: ‫يَ ا أَيﱡ َھ ا الﱠ ِذينَ آ َمنُ وا تُوبُ وا إِلَ ى ﱠ‬ ‫س يﱢئَاتِ ُك ْم‬ ُ ‫ﷲِ ت َْوبَ ةً نﱠ‬ َ ‫سى َربﱡ ُك ْم أَن يُ َكفﱢ َر َع ن ُك ْم‬ َ ‫ َع‬،‫وحا‬ ً ‫ص‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫ﱠ‬ ْ ‫ﱠ‬ ُ ُ ‫ ن و ُر ُھ ْم‬،ُ‫ت ت َْج ِري ِمن ت َْحتِ َھا األَ ْن َھا ُر يَ ْو َم ال يُخ ِزي ﷲُ النبِ ﱠي َوال ِذينَ آ َمنوا َم َع ه‬ ٍ ‫َويُد ِْخلَ ُك ْم َجنﱠا‬ َ َ ‫ش ْي ٍء‬ َ ‫ َربﱠنَا أ ْت ِم ْم لَنَ ا نُو َرنَ ا َوا ْغفِ ْر لَنَ ا إِنﱠ كَ َعلَ ى ُك ﱢل‬: َ‫س َعى بَيْنَ أَ ْي ِدي ِھ ْم َوبِأ ْي َمانِ ِھ ْم؛ يَقُولُون‬ ْ َ‫ي‬ ‫قَ ِدي ٌر‬ "O you who believe! Turn to Allāh with sincere repentance: In the hope that your Lord will remove your ills and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow, the Day that Allāh will not permit the Prophet and the believers with him to be humiliated.

Their celestial light (noor ‫ )نُ و ُر ُھ ْم‬will shine before them and on their right hands, while they say, 'Lord! Perfect our light for us, and grant us forgiveness, for You have power over all things”" (Qur’ān, 66:8) 464

to mean: "Allāh 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 Abū ±ālib, Fā§ima, al-μassan, al-μussain , al-μamzah and Ja`far , that "their light runs before them" means "Their light shall illuminate the ¯irā§ for Ali and Fā§ima  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 īmān ‫بِأ َ ْي َم انِ ِھ ْم‬, conviction. Others will follow. "Members of the Ahl al-Bayt  of Mu¦ammed , will pass over the ¯irā§ 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). Allāh will make it wide for the believers and very narrow for the sinners." Then these narrators interpret the verse saying: ‫َربﱠنَ ا‬ ‫" أَ ْت ِم ْم لَنَ ا نُو َرنَ ا‬Lord! Complete our light for us" to mean "complete it for us so that we may be able to pass on the ¯irā§."

Ibn Shahr Āshūb, in his Manāqib Ali ibn Abū ±ālib ‫مناق ب عل ي ب ن أب ي‬ ‫طال ب‬, comments, as quoted by al-Majlisi on the same page, saying, '"The Commander of the Faithful  will pass in a howdah of green emeralds accompanied by Fā§ima on a conveyance of red rubies, and she will be surrounded by seventy thousand ¦uris, as fast as lightning." On p. 182 of his Amāli, a§-±ūsi quotes al-Fa¦¦ām quoting Mu¦ammed ibn al-Hāshim al-Hāshimi quoting Abū Hāshim ibn alQāsim quoting Mu¦ammed ibn Zakariyya ibn Abdullāh quoting Abdullāh ibn al-Muthanna quoting Tumāmah ibn Abdullāh ibn Anas ibn Mālik quoting his father quoting his grandfather quoting the Prophet  saying, "On the Day of Judgement, the ¯irā§ will be spread over hell. None can pass over it except one who carries a permit admitting the wilāya (mastership) of Ali ibn Abū ±ālib ."

Also with reference to the ¯irā§, Abū Dharr al-Ghifāri  is quoted by both al-Majlisi on p. 67, Vol. 8, of his book Bi¦ār al Anwār, and by al-Kulayni on p. 152, Vol. 2, of his Al-Kāfi, as saying, "I have heard the Messenger of Allāh  say, 'The edges of our ¯irā§ on the Day of Judgment will be kindness to the kin and the returning of the 465

trust. When one who is kind to his kin and faithful to his trust passes (over the ¯irā§), 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 ¯irā§ will hurl him into hell." There are so many references to noor ‫نور‬, divine celestial light, throughout the Holy Qur’ān, in the ¦ādīth, and in du`ā’, supplication. It is the light of guidance whereby the Almighty guides whomsoever 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 ‫برزخ‬, 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 ¯irā§..., all depends on the depth and sincerity of his conviction, on his imān ‫ايم ان‬. No good deeds, no matter how great, will avail him as will his sincere and deep conviction regarding the Unity (‫ توحي د‬taw¦īd) and Justice (‫` ع دل‬Adl) of the Almighty, the truth which He revealed to His prophets (‫ نب وة‬Nubuwwah), and that we will most certainly be resurrected and judged (Ma`ād ‫)مع اد‬, so that one will be either rewarded or punished.

There will be no sun in the life hereafter as we know it, 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 beam of another's light, nor can one be benevolent and give of his light to another; it is nontransferable! There will be no giving. The time of giving is right here, in this life, folks; so, it is now your golden opportunity 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, the believing men and women, and to all mankind, your extended family, regardless of their creeds, for they are your brothers and sisters in humanity Give others of what Allāh has given you; pray for your believing brethren; be kind to everyone; do not hurt the feelings of anyone. Think well of others so that they may think well of you, too.

Observe the fast in months other than the month of Rama¤ān in order to remind yourself of the hunger from which others, especially indigent Muslims, suffer, and give by way of charity; otherwise, 466

keep everything to yourself, hoard, treasure, and be forever damned.

Hell is characterized by its darkness, yet its residents will still be able to see things, and whatever they will see will not please them at all. May Allāh Sub¦anahu wa Ta`āla keep us all away from it and keep it away from us, Allāhomma Āmīn ‫اللھم آمين‬.

Nobody in the entire lengthy history of Arabia has ever been known to be more courageous and daring, when confronting his foes on the battlefield, than Imām Ali ibn Abū ±ālib  who was the right hand of the Messenger of Allāh . Ali  was the man who singlehandedly uprooted the main gate of the fort of Khaybar of Medīna's Jews of the time, that is, in the year 628 A.D., a gate so heavy it required forty men to close or open. Ali  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 Allāh  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 Imām  said, "How intense my pain is! I have never felt such pain...," whereupon the Prophet  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. It is then that hell itself will scream because of the intensity of his pain and suffering." Having heard him say so, the Imām  stood up then sat and said, "O Messenger of Allāh! Please repeat what you have just said, for it has made me forget my own pain." Then the Imām  asked the Messenger of Allāh , "Will the soul of any member of your nation be taken away as you have described?" The Prophet  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 Allāh, Glory to Him and Exaltation, regarding one of the commandments which He has required him to uphold, one who does not recognize the Prophethood of Mu¦ammed , and his sacred Sunnah ‫ال سنة النبوي ة‬ ‫ الشريفة‬or anything required by Islam; such is the disbeliever.

You can reduce the agony of your death, or that of your loved one, by offering charity, fasting, or praying nafl (optional) prayers.

467

Among such prayers is one performed in two rek`āts ‫ ;ركع ات‬in each rek`a, you should recite Sūrat al-Fāti¦a once and al-Ikhlā¥ thrice.

The intention for that prayer is to pray it seeking nearness to Allāh.

Once you complete it, you supplicate to the Almighty thus: "O Allāh! Send blessings to Mu¦ammed , and the Progeny of Mu¦ammed , and send the rewards for these two rek`āts ‫ ركع ات‬to so-and-so", naming the dead person, be he/she one of your parents, or both of them, or anyone else. How about you send it as a gift to all Muslims, alive and dead? Imagine how many rewards you will then get, if your imagination can really grasp it! Never underestimate the extent of kindness and mercy of the Almighty; they are unlimited, infinite, and His doors of mercy are always open; how Great He is! If you fast either a few days or all of the months of Rajab and Sha`bān, according to your ability, the Almighty will reduce the agony of your death and the pain of loneliness in the grave. If you are truly concerned about these matters, and you most definitely should be, the month of Rama¤ān is your golden opportunity to earn as many blessings as Allāh 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 ¯irā§ 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, Allāhomma Āmīn ‫اللھم آمين‬.

Sirwāl ‫سروال‬: long under garment worn by Arabs Siwāk ‫س واك‬: a piece of tree branch or root used as a toothbrush, also called miswāk ¯iyām ‫( ص يام‬or ¯awm): Islamic fast, abstention from eating, drinking, smoking, intercourse or just speaking; in my book titled Fast of the Month of Rama¤ān: Philosophy and A¦kām, you can read about the 40 (forty) types of fast in Islam.

Sub¦anahu wa ta`āla ‫س بحانه و تع الى‬: This is an expression used by Muslims use whenever the name of Allāh is pronounced or written.

It means: "Praise to Allāh above having any partners, the most Exalted One above having a son". Muslims believe that Allāh has 468

neither partners nor offspring. Sometimes Muslims use or articulate other expressions when the name of Allāh is written or pronounced.

Some of these expressions are: "'Azza Wa Jall", that is, He is the Mighty and the Majestic; "Jalla Jalāluh", His Greatness is Great.

H

¯uffa ‫ص فه‬: a raised platform that was used by the Prophet as a welcoming point for newcomers or destitute peoplel rows of rooms accommodating poor and indigent Muslims who had no houses of their own. They were adjacent to and formed part of the Prophet's masjid, mosque, at the time.

H

¯ūfi ‫صوفي‬: an ascetic, a mystic; it is derived from suf or soof, wool, because early ¯ufis used to wear coarse wool clothes; if we discuss ¯ufis and ¯ufism, we will need to write an entire book!

Su¦oor or Su¦ūr ‫س حور‬: time or meal taken before daybreak in preparation for fasting during the day ¯u¦uf ‫صحف‬: pages, manuscripts, tablets Sujūd or Sujood ‫س جود‬: The root of those word is sajada, prostration to Allāh, usually done during one's daily prayers. When in the position of sujūd, a Muslim praises Allāh Almighty and glorifies Him. ¯ul§ān ‫س لطان‬: ruler who rules in the name of Islam, a Muslim monarch; it also means power, authority, ability Sunan ‫س نن‬: plural of sunna, a highly commended act of worship or way whereby a Muslim seeks nearness to Allāh Sunnah or Sunnah ‫س نة‬: In general, the word Sunnah means: way of life, habit, practice, customary procedure, action, norm and tradition followed by tradition. Usually, the word Sunnah refers to what Prophet Mu¦ammed , had said and done or approved of when said or done by someone else. It includes the Prophet's sayings, practices, living habits, etc. The ¦ādīth reports on the Sunna. The two major legal sources of jurisprudence in Islam are the Qur’ān and the Sunna.

469

Sunni or Sunnite ‫س نّي‬ ُ : a follower of the Islamic faith as reported, narrated and recorded by the Prophet’s ¯a¦āba ‫ص حابة‬, companions, and tabi`īn ‫ت ابعين‬, those who learned from the ¯a¦āba, may the Almighty be pleased with the good ones among them. Shī`ite Muslims differ from their Sunni brothers when it comes to these ¯a¦āba: Sunni Muslims believe that all the ¯a¦āba were great, as great as the stars in the heavens that shine on earth, and whoever follows any of them, he is rightly guided, as they claim, quoting a tradition which is not held as credible according to their Shī`ite brethren. Sunnis believe that if a scholar from amongst them acts on his own ijtihād, personal judgment, and if his ijtihād is sound, he will be rewarded twice. But if he errs, he will be rewarded only once, something with which the Shī`ites totally disagree. Shī`ites say that not all of those ¯a¦āba were good folks, that many of them were interest seekers who did not hesitate to sacrifice Islam to achieve their own selfish objectives, personal ambitions and preferences.

Shī`is say that if a mujtahid errs, he will have to bear the burden not only of his own error but that of all those who follow him as well.

The Sunni branch of the Islamic faith is comprised mostly of 4 sects: 1) μanafi, after “Abū μaneefah” Nu`mān ibn Thābit ibn Zuta ibn Mā¦ ibn Marzubān, who was born in 80 A.H. and died in 150 A.H. (699 – 767 A.D.); 2) μanbali, after its founder, namely A¦med ibn Mu¦ammed ibn μanbal ibn Hilāl ibn Asad ibn Idrīs ibn Abdullāh ibn μayyān ibn Abdullāh ibn Anas ibn `Awf ibn Qāsi§ ibn Māzin ibn Shaybān ibn Dhahl ibn Tha`labah ibn `Akābah ibn ¯a`b ibn Ali ibn Bakr ibn Wā’il ibn Qāsi§ ibn Hanb ibn Aq¥a ibn Da`mi ibn Jadīlah ibn Asad ibn Rabī`ah ibn Nazār ibn Adnān, of Banū Shaybān, originally of Najd in the Arabian Peninsula. He was born in 164 A.H. and died in 241 A.H. (781 – 856 A.D.); 3) Shāfi`i, after its founder, “Abū Abdullāh” Mu¦ammed ibn Idrīs ibn `Abbās ibn Othmān ibn Shīfi`i ibn ¯ā’ib ibn Ubayd ibn Abd Yazīd ibn Hāshim ibn Mu§§alib ibn `Abd Munāf, of a Quraishi Mu§§alibi Hāshimi lineage. He was born in 150 A.H. and died in 204 A.H. (767 – 820 A.D.); and 4) Māliki after Mālik ibn Anas ibn Mālik ibn Abū `Āmir, “Abū Abdullāh,” who was born in 95 A.H. (some say 93 A.H.) and died in 179 A.H. (714 – 795 A.D.). Dr. Mu¦ammed al-Tijāni alSamāwi, a Tunisian covert from Sunni to Shi`i Islam, wrote a very well documented, detailed and thorogh book in which he relied 470

mostly on major and reliable Sunni books and proved that in all honesty, the true followers of the Sunnah of the Prophet of Allāh are the Shī`as (or Shī`ites), not the Sunnis who follow the Sunnah of the sahaba, not that of the Prophet. The name of his book is Shi`as are the Followers of the Sunnah which I translated into English and you can look it up Online by one of its ISBNs: 978-1-4918-4368-0 (sc) (soft cover edition); ISBN: 978-1-4918-4366-6 (hc) (hard cover edition) or ISBN: 978-1-4918-4367-3 (e) (electronic edition).

Sūra or Soorah ‫س وره‬: The Qur’ān is composed of 114 chapters or sūras. The plural of sūra is suwar ‫سور‬, chapters.

S.W.T.: These letters are acronyms for "Sub¦anahu wa Ta`āla", Praise belongs to Him, the most Exalted One. When the name of Almighty Allāh is pronounced, a Muslim is expected to show his veneration of Him. This statement is a testimony that Allāh is too pure to have partners or sons or any family members or relatives.

471

‫ ذ‬،‫ ط‬،‫ ت‬T Ta`ā§uf ‫تعاطف‬: sympathy, favour, support Ta`āyush ‫تعايش‬: coexistence Ta`addi ‫تع دي‬: assault, assailing, attack, invasion, trespassing, encroachment Ta`ahhud ‫تعھد‬: pledge, commitment, promise, warrant, warranty Ta`ammuq ‫تعم ق‬: doing (something such as report, study, research, survey, book, etc.) in depth rather than superficially, the making of a profound (study or inquiry) Ta`aqqul ‫تعقل‬: prudence, good judgment Tābi`i ‫ت ابعي‬: (sing.:) one who accompanied for a good period of time and learned from a ¥a¦ābi ‫ص حابي‬, a companion of the Holy Prophet Mu¦ammed ; its plural is: tābi`īn ‫تابعين‬ Tabdhīr ‫تبذير‬: extravagance, profligacy, dissipation, wastefulness Ta¤amun ‫تضامن‬: solidarity, unity, sympathy Ta¤ārub ‫تضارب‬: conflict, discordance, clash, discord Ta¤arru` ‫تضرع‬: supplication, imploration, earnest plea, prayer Tadlīs or Tadlees ‫تدليس‬: deraud or defrauding, deception Tadnīs ‫تدنيس‬: defilement, desecration, profanation Tafādi ‫تف ادي‬: avoidance, evasion, escape from, shunning or eschewing, sidestepping, overlooking Tafā¤ul ‫تفاض ل‬: making a preference, preferring (something or someone) over others 472

Tafarruq ‫تفرق‬: dispersal, scattering, division Tafā'ul ‫تف اؤل‬: optimism, anticipating the best, auguring well, taking a bright view of something Tafāwut ‫تفاوت‬: variance, disparity, discrepancy, diversity Tafawwuq ‫تفوق‬: excellence, superiority Tafāwu¤ ‫تفاوض‬: negotiate, confer Tafsīr ‫تفسير‬: interpretation, explanation, elucidation Ta¦affu¨i ‫تحفظ ي‬: precautionary, protective (measure, custody, etc.), preventive, conservative, moderate Tahajjud ‫تھج د‬: night devotions. Mutahajjid is one who keeps vigilance, spending the night praying; the tahajjud prayer is an optional prayer that is supposed to be performed in the middle of the night. It is required that a person sleeps a little before getting up for the tahajjud prayers. It can be performed anytime during the period between the isha (evening) and the fajr (pre-dawn) time.

H

H

H

H

Tahakkum ‫تھكم‬: sarcasm, taunting, deriding with irony Ta¦akkum ‫تحكم‬: controlling, administering, directing ±ahāra ‫طھ اره‬: purification, the act of removing najāsa, uncleanness, impurity Tahattuk ‫تھتك‬: immorality, debauchery, licentiousness Tahayyub ‫تھي ب‬: feeling afraid or scared of/about, apprehension, timidity Ta¦kīm ‫تحكيم‬: arbitration Tā'ib ‫تائب‬: repentant, penitent, regretful, contrite 473

Tajrīd ‫تجري د‬: divestment, divestiture (of title), despoliation, deprivation or privation, stripping off rank, position, authority, etc.

Tajwīd ‫تجوي د‬: a saying or an act of reciting the Qur’ān in accordance with the established rules of Nu§q, pronunciation and intonations, such as tafkhīm, velarization, chanting and Iqlāb, transposition Takbīr ‫تكبير‬: the glorifying of Allāh by declaring in an audible voice: !‫" ﷲ أكب ر‬Allāho Akbar!" Allāh is Great! By the way, the Prophet’s flag was green on which this declaration is written in white cloth.

Takfīr or Takfeer ‫تكفي ر‬: labeling someone as "kāfir", apostate, unbeliever, excommunicating from the creed. People who do that are called "Takfīris" or Takfeeri". The terms is applied mostly to the most extremist and fanatical offshoot of the Wahhābi movement ‫الحرك ه الوھابي ه‬, and the Takfīris (‫ )التكفيري ون‬loosely apply this term to those who do not follow their own line, ideology or version of "Islam". They have so far killed, through acts of terrorism and sabotage, more Muslims than non-Muslims although they claim to be the protectors of the Islamic creed… They are found mostly in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf region, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and lately Iraq. Al-Qaeda (or Qaida, which must be pronounced Qā`ida, and it means base, basis, rule, foundation, principle) is these days one of the most famous and active Takfīri organizations due to the funding it receives from these Wahhābis and Takfīris. Their ideology is their own interpretation of writings by one "Abū Taymiyyah", namely A¦med ibn (son of) Abdul-μalīm ibn AbdusSalām ibn Abdullāh al-Khi¤r, also known as "Taqiyy ad-Dīn" and as "Abul-`Abbās". He was born in 661 A.H./1263 A.D. in μarrān, now an area north of Syria, and died inside a Damascus, Syria, prison in 728 A.H./1328 A.D. Abū Taymiyyah had his own personal radical and un-orthodox way of interpreting ¦ādīth and was at the time reputed as a scholar who followed the μanbali school of Sunni Muslim Law. Since these interpretations differed from those of anyone else, including his own contemporaries as well as classic jurists (faqīhs), he distinguished himself from all other scholars of jurisprudence. Those who adopt his views are called "Salafis", people who claim to follow in the footsteps of the "pious 474

predecessors" (‫)ال سلف ال صالح‬. Abū Taymiyyah is on the record as being the first person to disbelieve in the intercession ‫ ش فاعه‬on the Judgment Day although numerous references to intercession exist in the Holy Qur’ān such as these (first number corresponds to the Chaper/Sūra and the next to the verse): 2:255, 4:85, 7:53, 21:28, 26:100, 74:48, 6:51. 6:70, 10:3, 32:4, 40:18, 7:53, 30:13, 39:43, 6:94, 10:18, 2:48, 2:123, 2:254, 4:85, 19:87, 20:109, 34:23, 39:44, 43:86, 74:48, 36:23 and 53:26. If all these Qur’ānic verses do not convince Ibn Taymiyyah and his followers that intercession does exist in this life and will exist in the life to come, nothing else at all will convince him and them... Since they do not believe in intercession, most likely they will never see such intercession; neither the Prophet nor anyone else will intercede on their behalf on the Judgment Day and save their skins. For more details, read an extensive 463-page book titled Ibn Taymiyyah by a great scholar and researcher, namely ¯ā'ib Abdul-μamīd, but do not let the Salafis or, worse, the Takfīris, catch you reading it! Here in Iraq, al-Qaeda terrorists, who are brainwashed by the philosophy of this man and of that of Abdul-Wahhāb, founder of the Wahhābi movement, behead Muslims and say that anyone who severs a certain number of heads (7 or 70) is guaranteed to go to Paradise, so he is exempted for the rest of his life from having to pray, fast, perform the pilgrimage or perform any other Islamic rite…! The Prophet of Islam  continued to pray till the last day of his holy life; does this mean that he had no guarantee to go to Paradise?! We seek refuge with Allāh from the evil, mischief and schemes of such rotten and twisted minds that have brought about the worst reputation to Islam and Muslims. The enemies of Muslims never had it so good, thanks to these Takfīris and to the funds they receive to fuel sectarianism.

Takhmīn ‫تخمين‬: surmising, appraisal, assessment, guesswork Takia or Takya ‫تكي ة‬: place where ¯ufis perform their rituals and practices Takmīli ‫تكميلي‬: complementary, supplemental Takwīn ‫تكؤين‬: formation, formulation 475

Talakku' ‫تلك ؤ‬: procrastination, lingering, taking too long to do something ±alāq ‫طالق‬: divorce. Divorce in Islam is one of the most complicated teachings, and scholars of jurisprudence differ among themselves regarding its rules and regulations a great deal. According to Grand Ayatollāh Sayyid Ali as-Sistāni, divorce is of two main types: 1) ‫رجع ي‬, raj`i, revocable; and 2) ‫ ب ائن‬bā'in, irrevocable. Other types of divorce are: 1) ‫§ خلع ي‬alāq khal`i: It is one initiated by the wife. Yes, Islam permits the wife in certain circumstances to divorce her husband. It is a self-redemption divorce initiated by the wife; and 2) ‫§ ط الق المب اراة‬alāq al-mubārāt: It is a divorce based on mutual dislike for marriage and the desire to end it. How many conditions are there for a divorce to be valid according to Islam? You are dead wrong if you think that by merely pronouncing the statement “You are divorced ‫ ”أن ت ط الق‬that the divorce becomes valid even if you repeat it not three but three thousand times or more!

Talawwuth ‫تلوث‬: pollution, contamination Talbiyah ‫تلبي ة‬: uttering of !‫" لبي ك‬Labbayk!" which means "Here I come, at your service!" ±aleeq ‫طليق‬: an unconfined (free) man of Mecca who remained a non-believer in Islam till the conquest of Mecca in 630 A.D. ±āli¦ ‫طالح‬: bad, evil, wicked, the opposite of ¥āli¦ Talqeen ‫تلق ين‬: addressing/instructing a dead person during the early stages of his long trip to the Hereafter. It is instructing the deceased person, who then hears the living but cannot respond to them, about the basics of his creed. One who does so is the mulaqqin ‫ملق ن‬. Make sure you choose your mulaqqin before it is too late. For more details, refer to ‫ من زل‬Manzil above in the paragraph dealing with the questioning in the grave by angels Munkir and Nakeer.

Tamādi ‫تم ادي‬: transcending limits, indulgence in excesses, giving free rein (to) 476

Tamāluk (‫تمالك )نفس‬: (self) restraining, self-control Tamāru¤ ‫تمارض‬: feigning sickness, pretense of sickness Tamarrud ‫تمرد‬: rebellion, mutiny, disobedience Tamarrus ‫تم رس‬: acquiring mastership, becoming skilled, acquiring proficiency Tamāwut ‫تماوت‬: feigning death, pretending to be dead Tanāfur ‫تن افر‬: conflict, discord, feeling offended with/by, clash, disagreement, disharmony, revulsion Tanāfus ‫تنافس‬: competition or competing, being in a contest, rivalry Tanāsul ‫تناسل‬: procreation, propagation, reproduction Tanāsuq ‫تناسق‬: consistency, coordination, uniformity Tanjīm ‫تنجيم‬: astrology, star science, star reading Tannoor ‫تن ور‬: open oven, tandor. Another meaning is mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān in two places when the Almighty narrates to us the great flood of Prophet Noah : …‫ و فار التنور‬: "… and the fountains of the earth gushed forth…" (Qur’ān, 11:40 and 23:27), according to one translation of the Holy Qur’ān. You can refer to other translations of the Holy Qur’ān for both 11:40 and 23:27 if you wish. Is there any similarity between an "open oven" in which people bake their bread or meat and "fountains of the earth"?! In his translation of the Holy Qur’ān, S.V. Mir Ahmed Ali uses the word "oven", too. And surely Allāh knows best. I, author of this book, plead to the Almighty to enable me to complete a new English translation of the Holy Qur’an which will hopefully be viewed as being better than all existing translations due to the fact that I am an Arab who belongs to a deeply rooted Arab tribe and who studied and mastered English all his life, living among native speakers of this language for more than 31 years and has written, edited and translated books, magazines, newsletters and bulletins a list of most 477

of which is included in this book as a testimony.

Taqādum ‫تقادم‬: process of becoming old, obsolete or antiquated Taqashuf ‫تق شف‬: austerity measures, extreme economizing, the leading of a very simple life Tamāsuk ‫تماسك‬: cohesion, adhesion, conglomeration Taqiyya ‫تقيه‬: an obligatory measure for one whose life is endangered to exert precaution in order to save his creed or life when either is in jeopardy; a way for a Muslim to try to survive in the presence of sure perils.

Taqleed or Taqlīd ‫تقلي د‬: emulation or emulating, following a mujtahid or an authority recognized as the `ālim, scholar or a most knowledgeable person in Islamic fiqh Taqrībi ‫تقريبي‬: approximate, almost, not equal but close Taqwa ‫تق وى‬: love and awe that a Muslim feels for Allāh. A person having taqwa in his heart desires to please Allāh, so he stays away from doing things which displease or incur the Wrath of Allāh. He is careful not to go beyond the boundariess and limits set by Allāh.

Tarāwī¦ ‫تراويح‬: prayers performed in congregation by Sunnis during the nights of the month of Rama¤ān ±areeqa ‫طريق ة‬: a ¯ūfi method of conducting rituals, a ¯ūfi code of ritualistic religious conduct Tārīkh or Tāreekh ‫تأريخ‬: history writing, chronicling (of events) Tarteel ‫ترتي ل‬: chanting the Holy Qur’ān and following certain relevant rules of recitation Tarwiyah ‫تروي ه‬: The Day of Tarwiyah is the 8th of Dhul-μijjah when the pilgrims fill their water bags and prepare to go to Mina.

478

Tasāhul ‫تساھل‬: toleration, tolerance, indulgence Ta¥ālu¦ ‫ت صالح‬: reconciliation, patching up, mending walls, making peace Ta¥annu` ‫تصنع‬: pretension, make-belief, simulation Tashahhud ‫ت شھد‬: the testimony regarding Allāh being the Lord and Mu¦ammad being His Servant and Messenger; it is the uttering of ‫سولُه‬ ُ ‫أشھ ُد أنْ ال الهَ ّاال ﷲ و أَنﱠ ُم َح ﱠمداً َعب ُدهُ و َر‬ "Ashhadu an lā ilāha illa-Allāh, wa anna Mu¦ammedan `abdoho wa rasooloh": I testify that there is no god but Allāh and that Mu¦ammed is His servant and messenger.

Tashreeq ‫تشريق‬: the cutting and sun-drying of sacrificed meat Ta§hīr ‫تطھير‬: purification, disinfection, purgation or expurgation Tawakkul ‫توكل‬: reliance or dependence on, trust in Tawātur ‫ت واتر‬: consecutive reporting (of ¦ādīth, incident, etc.), succession of narrators or narratives, sequence, succession, repetition, frequency ±awāf ‫ط واف‬: the circling of (going around) the Ka`bah seven times, usually during `umra or ¦ajj.

H

H

H

H

H

H

Tawbīkh ‫توبيخ‬: reprimanding, reproofing Taw¦īd or Taw¦eed ‫توحي د‬: confirming or testifying to the Oneness of Allāh. It is the basis of Islam, the concept of the absolute Unity of God, the belief that God is One and indivisible.

Taw`iya ‫توعيه‬: raising consciousness or awareness, awakening Tawwabeen ‫ت وابين‬: the penitent ones, reportedly 686 in number, those who repented their reluctance to go to the rescue of Imām 479

μussain , when he was confronted with Yazīd's huge armies.

These penitents enlisted under the military command of al-Mukhtār ibn Abū Ubayd ath-Thaqafi (cir. 622 – 687 A.D.) and went on hot pursuit of those who massacred Imām al-μussain son of Ali ibn Abū ±ālib, killing them all.

Tayammum ‫ت يمم‬: the method of using clean dust to perform ablution (wudū’) in the absence of water or for health-related or other justifiable reasons Tayammun ‫تيمن‬: optimism, seeing or expecting realization of a good omen Tayh ‫تي ه‬: willful misleading, perdition or loss, straying, deluding, loss of the right path or guidance Tazammut ‫تزمت‬: zealotry, fanaticism, excessive conservatism Thabāt ‫ثب ات‬: firmness, steadfastness, holding grounds (in battle, etc.), solidity, stability Thanā' ‫ثناء‬: praise, commendation, compliment Thāqib ‫ثاقب‬: piercing, penetrating Thareed ‫ثريد‬: pieces of bread cut and dipped in stew Thawāb ‫ثواب‬: reward of blessing Thayyib ‫ثيب‬: a widow or divorcee Thiqal ‫ثقل‬: weight, burden, pressure Thuqāt ‫ثق اة‬: plural of thiqah ‫ثق ة‬, a trustworthy authority; this term is often used to testify to the truthfulness of some narrators of ¦ādīth.

Tīh or Teeh (‫تيه )ضياع‬: dispersion, diaspora, loss, random wandering without sense of direction 480

±ughyān ‫طغيان‬: tyranny, despotism, oppression, escessive or abusive exercise of power or authority Turāth ‫تراث‬: legacy, heritage, patrimony ‫ ع‬،‫ أ‬U `Ulamā’ or `Ulemā’ ‫علم اء‬: plural of `ālim, scholar-theologian, learned, knowledgeable in Islam Umma or umma ‫أم ه‬: nation, group of people, a community. It is used in reference to the community of Believers Umm al-Mu’mineen or Um al-Mu’mineen ‫أم الم ؤمنين‬: “mother of the Believers” or of the faithful. This was the title of each of the Prophet's wives; (Sūra 33 Āya 6 stipulated that they could not marry after the Prophet's death because all of the believers were their spiritual children).

H

H

H

H

`Umra ‫ ُعمره‬: minor pilgrimage; pilgrimage to Mecca during any time other than the prescribed (first ten) days of the month of Dhul-μijja `Urf ‫ ُع رف‬: custom, radition, social usage; ‫ع رف س ائد‬: prevailing custom; ‫ ُع رف ع ام‬: general custom; ‫ع رف متوط د‬: established custom; ‫ ُعرف مھنة‬: trade usage `Urwa ‫ ُعروه‬: tie, link, bond U¥ool or U¥ūl ‫أصول‬: the basics of jurisprudence `Uzza ‫ ُع زى‬: a chief goddess according to the beliefs of pre-Islamic Arabs, i.e. during the days of jāhiliyya H

481

‫و‬W Wa¦i or Wa¦ee ‫وح ي‬: revelation through arch-angel Gabriel or a divine inspiration Wājib ‫واجب‬: compulsory, obligatory, binding Wakīl or Wakeel ‫وكي ل‬: a person who is an authorized representative or proxy; agent. It can also mean lawyer in Urdu.

H

H

Wali or Walee ‫ول ي‬: person to whom wilāyat ‫ والي ه‬is obligatory. A wāli ‫وال ي‬, however, is a governor appointed by a Muslim ruler of a higher authority (such as a caliph, sultan, etc.), legal guardian, friend or protector, someone who is supposed to look after your interest Walīma ‫وليمه‬: post-wedding feast, bamqiet, reception Wa¥i ‫وصي‬: successor to a prophet; guardian, protector, custodian Wilāyat ‫والي ه‬: a binding supreme authority that combines both temporal and religious powers Wi¥al ‫وصال‬: fasting the last day of every lunar calendar month Wu¤u’ or Wuzu’ ‫وض وء‬: a purification (ablution) which must be performed before the ¥alāt or the recitation of the Qur’ān H

482

H

‫ ظ‬،‫ض‬،‫ ز‬Z Zakāt ‫زك اة‬: One of the five pillars of Islam is zakāt which literally means "purification", an increment of one's wealth. A Muslim who has money beyond a certain quantity is to pay zakāt. It is also called "alms dues" or "poor dues" except it is not optional. It is to be distributed for specific categories for the welfare of the society.

These categories are mentioned in the Qur’ān which include: the poor, the needy, the destitutes, the captives, the ones in debt, in the cause of Allāh, the wayfarers and for those who collect it. Literally, it means "purification;" it is a compulsory 2.5% tax on one of three categories of wealth 1) metal coins (gold, silver, etc.), 2) grain crops (barley, wheat, grain, rice, etc.), and 3) animals raised for food consumption. Zakāt is somehow a complicated subject. For details, the readers are advised to consult books dealing with fiqh. Among its types are: zakāt al-māl (taxable wealth accumulated during one full year) and zakāt al-fi§r (a tax to be paid by the head of a household at the end of the fast of the month of Rama¤ān).

Dhamān ‫ض مان‬: guarantee, security, guaranty, warranty; variations: ‫ ض مان لمحكم ه‬recognizance, ‫ ض مان إض افي‬collateral security; ‫ح سن س لوك‬ ‫ ض مان‬security for good behavior; ‫ ض مان شخ صي‬personal security; ‫ ض مان عق اري‬real estate security; ‫ ض مان لياق ه‬warranty of fitness; ‫مطل ق‬ ‫ ضمان‬absolute guaranty Zawāj ‫زواج‬: marriage, legal, legitimate and permissible cohabitation; spouses are: zawj ‫ زوج‬husband and zawja ‫ زوجه‬wife Zawāl ‫زوال‬: disappearance, passage, lapse, discontinuance. It also refers to the certain times related to the position of the sun: It may be a sunset ‫ غروب‬or midday, meridian ‫منتصف النھار‬.

Zendīq or Zindīq or Zindeeq ‫زن ديق‬: heretic, one who believes neither in the Unity of the Creator (Taw¦īd) nor in the Hereafter, one who goes so far into innovated and deviant beliefs and senseless sophistry without sticking to the truth which is already stated in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah to such an extreme extent that he actually 483

leaves Islam altogether. Accprding to Lisān al-`Arab lexicon by Ibn Man¨our, this word is not originally Arabic; its root is the Persian zand-kirai which means one who believes that life is eternal and that there is no life hereafter. ²ihār ‫ظھ ار‬: the making of a similitude between the back of one's wife and that of his mother; i.e. saying that his wife's back looks similar to his mother's back, a custom followed during the time of ignorance (jāhiliyya) which Islam banned; doing so implied that such a wife was divorced.

Ziyāra ‫زي اره‬: visit, social get-together. A pilgrimage to a holy site other than Mecca and Medīna is also called ziyāra and the one who performs it is a za’ir ‫زائر‬. ®u¦a ‫ض حى‬: afternoon; also: title of Chapter 93 of the Holy Qur’ān which comprised of 11 verses. ²uhr ‫ظھ ر‬: the obligatory ¥alāt, prayer, performed in the afternoon right after the sun moves away from its zenith H

H

²uhoor or ²uhūr ‫ظھ ور‬: Its simple meaning is "the appearing", or the coming out. If you give it the definite article "the" and make it ‫الظھ ور‬, you will be referring to the time when the Awaited One, the Mahdi, the Living 12th Imām (‫ )ع ج‬comes out of his occultation, concealment, and starts working on filling the earth with justice and ease after being filled with injustice, oppression and depression, and there will be so much prosperity that nobody will be needy. Any research about this reappearance of al-Mahdi (‫ )عج‬cannot be covered fully and fairly except by a voluminous book. But let me give you few thoughts to consider about this momentous event: Just as there is One God, call Him Allāh, Khuda, Diu, Jehovah, or whatever, for He is One and the same, there is also one single family that descended from Adam and Eve, our extended human family. And there is only one truth: It is revealed to nations each according to its history, culture, traditions, ways of life and levels of sophistication.

Likewise, there is one and only one Awaited Savior: The Christians believe he will be Christ re-incarnated, the Jews believe he will be one of the descendants of Prophet David, peace be with him, while 484

other religions refer to a savior of some sort. Just as the Creator has many names, so does this savior. In Islam, he is al-Mahdi (‫)ع ج‬, the guided one, the guide. Let us tell you a little about this great personality: Imām al-Mahdi (‫ )ع ج‬was born to the 11th Imām, Mu¦ammed son of μassan al-`Askari, who is buried in Samarra, Iraq, in what is now known world-wide as the "Askari Shrine" which was bombed by Wahhābi Takfīri terrorists on Wednesday, February 22, 2006, an event which almost hurled the Iraqis into the inferno of civil war. This shrine, which is now being rebuilt, has always been visited by the faithful from various parts of the world, so much so that plans are now plans underway to build an intenational airport in Samarra to cater to the influx of these pilgrims. His mother is Lady Nerjis Khatun, granddaughter of the Imām al-Askari's contemporary Byzantine king who was a descendant of prophet Sham`un or Simon, trustee of Jesus Christ . Imām al-Mahdi (‫ )عج‬was born on the 15th of Sha`ban of 255 A.H./July 29, 869 A.D. and became the Imām following the martyrdom of his revered father in 260 A.H./874 A.D. when he was only five. Do not be surprised and ask: How can a boy who is only five years old be an Imām?! Let me remind you that Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) was a prophet even when he was a child with neither a beard nor a moustache. The Almighty can do anything at all. His period of Imāmate lasted till the year 260 A.H./874 A.D. He went into the "minor occultation", that is, not appearing in public so he would not be a target of the enemies of the Prophet's family from among those who ruled the Muslims in the name of "Islam" (and there are some of such people living even in our time), during the period which extended from 260 to 329 A.H. (874 – 941 A.D.). During this period, he had deputies or representatives who acted as liaisons between him and the public and their names and biographies are available for review in books which discuss the Imām (‫)ع ج‬. After 329 A.H./874 A.D., it was too dangerous for anyone to represent the Imām (‫ )ع ج‬even to his followers, so he went into the period of the "major occultation" which extended from 329 A.H./941 A.D. to our time and will continue till his re-appearance which many Islamic scholars now stress will be very soon especially since the signs marking his reappearance, as recorded in Sunnah books, have already materialized, and there is no room to detail them here. Where will the Imām (‫)ع ج‬ reappear? His reappearance will be in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and it 485

will be seen on television screens all over the world. He will lead a campaign to purge the Islamic world of all those who do not deserve to live on our planet then establish alliances with non-Muslim countries based on mutual respect and brotherhood, and these nonMuslims will for the first time feel fully secure. We believe that he will reappear accompanied by prophet Jesus Christ  so the whole world will see how close these two religions are to each other, and Christ  will dissociate himself from all those who throughout the centuries played havoc with the pristine divine message which he had brought the world. We must add that there have been many imposters each one of whom claimed to be Imām al-Mahdi (‫ )ع ج‬in both Shī`ite and Sunni societies, but their falsehood was bared before the world, and most likely there will be many more in the future as well till the real Imām al-Mahdi (‫ )ﻋ ﺞ‬appears to start his global revolution in defense of the poor, rightousness, justice, equality and toleration.

A lengthy tradition (¦ādīth ‫ )ح ديث‬quoted in the classic reference Thawāb al-A`māl ‫ ث واب األعم ا ل‬cites Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq  quoting the Messenger of Allāh  saying, "Time will come to my nation during which their inwardly intentions are bad while they display good attitudes only because they covet this life and they do not desire what Allāh, the most Exalted, the most Great, has. They will have pretension without fear, so much so that they will be blinded by Allāh with penalty from Him, whereupon they will plead to him like one about to drown, but He will not respond to their plea."

Another tradition in the same source quotes the Messenger of Allāh  as having said, "Time will come upon my nation (Muslims) during which nothing remains of the Qur’ān except its form, nor of Islam except its name. They are called Muslims while they are the furthermost of people from it: Their mosques are crowded, yet they lack guidance. The faqīhs ‫( فقھ اء‬jurists) of that time will be the worst under the sky; from them did ‫ ﻓﺘﻨ ﻪ‬strife begin, and to them it shall return."

In the classic reference Ikmāl ad-Dīn ‫إكمال الدين‬, we read the 486

following tradition quoted from Imām Mu¦ammed al-Bāqir , father of Imām Ja`far a¥-¯ādiq , saying, "Al-Qā’im ‫( القائم‬one of the titles of Imām al-Mahdi (‫ ))ﻋﺞ‬will be supported with fear (in the hearts of his opponents), backed by victory; distances in the earth will be shortened for him; treasures will appear for him, and his authority will reach the east and the west. Allāh, the most Exalted, the most Great, will let His creed (Islam) be the uppermost through him though the infidels abhor it. There will be no ruin on earth without being repaired. And Rū¦ullīh ‫ روح ﷲ‬Jesus Christ  will descend and pray behind him. This will happen when men will look like women and women will imitate men, when a man is satisfied [sexually] by a man, and when a woman is by another woman, when females ride and false witnesses are accepted by courts while those of just men will be rejected, when people take bloodletting lightly, when adultery is committed and usury is consumed, when evildoers are avoided for fear of what they would say, when the Sufyāni comes out of Syria and the Yemani out of Yemen, when the desert gapes are out of and a young man from among the descendants medM is killed between the Rukn and the Maqām (in Holy Ka`ba) named Mu¦ammed son of al-μassan , a man of a pure soul, and when a cry comes out of the sky that he is a man of the truth and so are his followers; it is then when our Qā’im ‫ )عج( القائم‬comes out (of his occultation). So, when he comes out, he will recline his back on the Ka`ba, and 313 men will join him. The first that he will articulate is this verse: 'That which is left by Allāh for you is good for you, if you are believers' (Qur’ān, 11:86). He will then say, 'I am what is left by Allāh for you in His land.' When the full number of his supporters is complete, which is 10,000 men, anything worshipped on earth other than Allāh, the most Exalted One, the most Great, such as idols and other things, is set on fire and is burnt. This will take place after a long period of occultation so Allāh may ascertain who obeys Him in the unseen and who believes in Him." There are numerous theories surrounding this reappearance of alMahdi (‫ ;)ع ج‬some of them make some sense whereas others make some sense to some people and none to others, depending on people's level of understanding. One of these theories says that there will be major areas where vital roles will be played, all related to this 487

reappearance. These include: Yemen, μijāz (Saudi Arabia), Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Europe. Apparently, very significant events will take place in all these countries. This theory goes on to state that allies in Yemen will stage a revolution only a couple of months before the reappearance, which is commonly referred to as the ²uhoor ‫ظھ ور‬. These Yemenites will fill up the political vacuum in μijāz (upper Saudi Arabia) and will also assist the Imām (‫ )ع ج‬in his sweeping revolution. The reason for this vacuum will be the death of King Abdullāh who is currently the ruler of Saudi Arabia. This Abdullāh is supposed to be the last monarch to rule μijāz and Nejd (the two main parts of Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world named after its ruling Wahhābi minority clan). After him, there will be a huge fight for the inheritance of the throne. The fight for the throne will go on till the advent of our Imām (‫)ع ج‬. The monarchist system that has been ruling Saudi Arabia since 1932 will be reduced to few months. There shall be constant clashes among the tribes in μijāz after the death of King Abdullāh, and one person amongst these rulers will ruthlessly murder 15 important leaders or famous `ulema, scholars, and their sons who belong to his opponent's tribe. This could be a speculation, wishful thinking or true prediction; only Allāh knows for sure.

More details about al-Mahdi (‫ )ع ج‬are provided above under the item "Mahdi, al-" to which you may refer if you wish.

We pray the Almighty to hasten the reappearance of our Hidden Imām, al-μujja, al-Mahdi (‫)ع ج‬, and to count us among his soldiers who defend his message and to bless the humble effort exerted in putting this book together, Āmīn.

488

An Arab artist's vision of the birth of Christ, the Messenger of Peace and Brotherhood, peace and the blessing of the Almighty with him and with his saintly mother. The true Jesus ď is the one the Muslims, not the Christians, know and venerate...

489

APPENDIX

REBUTTAL TO HUNTINGTON’S “THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS?” In October of 1993, the author of this book was President of the International Islamic Society of Virginia, Inc. One of the functions of this Society was to respond to attacks, overt or covert, on Islam launched by some prejudiced individuals from among the nonMuslim communities in the United States and abroad. He was, at the same time, writing for Islamic Monitor, a high quality magazine to which reference is made in the Preface to this book. His fellow staffs of that magazine suggested he should respond to an article written

by Samuel Huntington titled “The Clash of Civilizations?” which was published in the summer of that year in New York’s Foreign Affairs magazine (www.foreignaffairs.com). Foreign Affairs is published by New York’s Council on Foreign Relations, Inc. According to Wikipedia, “The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. Founded in 1921 and headquartered at 58 East H

H

H

H

H

H

490

H

H

68th Street in New York City, with an additional office in Washington, D.C., the CFR is considered to be the nation's 'most influential foreign-policy think tank.' It publishes a bi-monthly journal Foreign Affairs.”

H

H

H

H

H

H

Samuel P. Huntington (1927 - ) is described by Wikipedia as: “an influential American political scientist who wrote highly-regarded books in a half-dozen sub-fields of political science, starting in 1957.

He gained wider prominence through his Clash of Civilizations (1993, 1996) thesis of a post-Cold War new world order.” Al-Jibouri wrote Huntington a two-page letter and enclosed the rebuttal below.

Needless to say, Huntington did not respond; therefore, the writer feels that his rebuttal deserves a much wider exposure than the one it could have received on the pages of Islamic Monitor. This is why he is reproducing his rebuttal, which is slightly edited, to the readers of this book hoping they will find it informative and useful.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

491

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

REBUTTAL to Samuel P. Huntington’s article

“The Clash of Civilizations?”

Prophecies made by Prophet Mu¦ammed  in which he forewarned the Muslims against falling prey to their enemies are numerous in the books of ¦adīth. The gist of one of them is that Muslims will be attacked in time to come as a carcass is attacked by hungry wolves.

Such time has already come, and if you do not believe it, read Samuel P. Huntington’s article “The Clash of Civilizations?” in the Summer 1993 issue of Foreign Affairs magazine. This article brings the following Qur’ānic verse to memory: ‫ت‬ ِ ‫يَا أَيﱡ َھا الﱠ ِذينَ آ َمنُو ْا الَ تَت ِﱠخ ُذو ْا بِطَانَةً ﱢمن دُونِ ُك ْم الَ يَأْلُونَ ُك ْم َخبَاالً َودﱡو ْا َما َعنِتﱡ ْم قَ ْد بَ َد‬  َ‫ت إِن ُكنتُ ْم تَ ْع ِقلُون‬ ُ ‫ضا ُء ِمنْ أَ ْف َوا ِھ ِھ ْم َو َما ت ُْخ ِفي‬ َ ‫ا ْلبَ ْغ‬ ِ ‫صدُو ُر ُھ ْم أَ ْكبَ ُر قَ ْد بَيﱠنﱠا لَ ُك ُم اآليَا‬ O you who believe! Do not take for intimate friends from among those other than your own people; they do not fall short of inflicting loss upon you; they love what distresses you; vehement hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater still... (Qur’ān, 3:118) ‫ﷲ ُھ َو ا ْل ُھ َدى؛‬ َ ‫ضى عَن َك ا ْليَ ُھو ُد َوالَ النﱠ‬ َ ‫ َولَن ت َْر‬ ِ ‫صا َرى َحتﱠى تَتﱠ ِب َع ِملﱠتَ ُھ ْم؛ قُ ْل إِنﱠ ُھدَى ﱠ‬ ‫صي ٍر‬ ِ َ‫ﷲ ِمن َولِ ﱟي َوالَ ن‬ ِ ‫َولَ ِئ ِن اتﱠبَعْتَ أَ ْھ َواءھُم بَ ْع َد الﱠ ِذي َجا َء َك ِمنَ ا ْل ِع ْل ِم َما لَ َك ِمنَ ﱠ‬ Neither the Jews nor the Christians will ever be pleased with you (O Mu¦ammed!) unless you follow their form of religion. Say: “God's

492

guidance__that is the (only) guidance.” Were you to follow their desires after the knowledge which has reached you, then you would find neither protector nor helper against Allāh. (Qur’ān, 2:120)

Let us review this article and assess the extent of vehement hatred in it and judge thereby what plots Huntington et al have in store for the Muslims of the world.

Most Attacks on Islam and Muslims are Launched by Jews First of all, the writer, a Jew living and woring in the largest Jewish community in the United States, claims that a war between Christianity and Islam has been raging for the past 1,300 years. This, unfortunately, is how some Christians see it and how Jews would like to portray it and, if possible, fuel it. They regard the advent of Islam as a harbinger of the fall of Christianity. Muslims do not regard Christians, Jews, Hindus, or adherents of any other faith as their enemies; they have better Islamic ethics and principles than that. One ¦adīth (tradition) tells the faithful that the Almighty sent throughout history as many as twenty-four thousand prophets and messengers to various nations and tribes of the world. Each of them spoke the language of the people to whom he was sent and argued with them in the way they understood best, and that the Almighty revealed to each and every one of them the same truth. Their nations, unfortunately, changed that truth; nevertheless, the Muslim faithful are taught to respect others’ beliefs and not antagonize them or hurt their feelings. At the same time, it is the Muslims’ obligation to explain to non-Muslims the message of truth revealed to Prophet Mu¦ammed , perhaps they may benefit from it, and they may even see in it the true solutions to their multitude of individual, social, global, economic, physical and spiritual problems. They may accept it, as we have been blessed, honored, and privileged to accept it, as the ultimately fulfilling way of life, for this is what Islam really is. It may emancipate them from whatever man-distorted creeds they have been raised to follow.

Religious beliefs held by Christians and Jews, as a matter of fact, are respected by the Muslim faithful more than those of followers of any other religion. Adherents of these creeds are referred to throughout the Holy Qur’ān as ahlul kitāb, People of the Book, namely the Old 493

and New Testaments, the originals of which (and only the originals) are accepted by Muslims as the word of God revealed to both Moses and Jesus , peace with them. Islam does not enjoin the faithful to wage an all-out war against these ahlul kitāb so long as the latter do not fight them. Unfortunately, though, some Christians (and certainly many, if not most, Jews) regard the mere existence of Muslims as a threat to their religion and “civilization.” Such paranoia reflects a great deal of lack of self-confidence and rests at the core of the problem. The knowledge these paranoid individuals have about Islam, if any, comes from what they were told by their ill-informed and biased clergy, or from the writings of those who wrote about Islam neither to explain nor to understand it, but to distort and attack it. They either deliberately ignore or are ignorant of the fact that Muslims and the People of the Book believe in the same Creator, in His heaven and hell, in the Day of Judgment, and in the fact that we all descended from Adam and Eve, so we are members of one large family. Muslims regard churches and synagogues as sacred houses of God; they believe in and sanctify all Biblical prophets the stories of whom are quite often so similar to what is contained in the Holy Qur’ān that many Christians have accused the Prophet of Islam  of having derived his faith from Christianity and Judaism. And they believe in and honor Christ and his virtuous and sinless mother , peace with them both. The best Christians and Jews in the world, in fact, are Muslims. The Holy Qur’ān testifies to all the miracles of Jesus as narrated in the Bible in addition to one more: that he spoke at the time of his birth. Muslims are permitted to marry Christian or Jewish ladies; even Prophet Mu¦ammed  did so. He married Mary, the Christian Egyptian Copt, mother of Ibrāhīm, and two Jewish ladies. Here are more details for you: The Prophet  married Maria (Mary, or Maryam) daughter of Sham`ūn (Simon) the Christian Copt. She was gifted by the ruler of Alexandria and Egypt, known then as the Muqawqis, in 7 A.H./628 A.D., and it was then that she accepted Islam, and so did her sister Sirin who also was gifted to the Prophet , on her way from Egypt to the Arabian Peninsula at the hands of the famous ¥a¦ābi μā§ib ibn 494