|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 The heading of this article comes from verse 4
of The Qur’anic Suratul Qalam. In a world
where morality, good character, honesty,
truthfulness and integrity are at a premium,
humankind
needs to learn the truth about The Prophet SAWW
and not merely hurl unfounded allegations and
insults based on age-old prejudices and blindness
to the Truth that has been acknowledged by
fair-minded Christians, Jews, Hindus and even
Atheists. That Truth is the personality, teachings
and conduct of The Prophet SAWW.
One of his advices gives a clue to the greatness
and holiness of his persona:
“Glad tidings to a person whose own shortcomings
prevent him from pointing at the shortcomings
of others, who spends money that has been earned
through lawful means, who associates with
people who heed Fiqh laws and have wisdom, who
shuns what may cause dishonor and keeps
away from the sinners and considers himself a
lowly person, whose habits and character are
pleasant, who does not speak unnecessarily,
controls the tongue and regrets the sins
committed,
who carries out the recommended acts and shuns
innovations (bid’ah) in religion.”
The Prophet SAWW is described as bashar in The
Qur’an, but this does not mean that every bashar
is equal for each can differ from the other in
quality and excellence. Stone sand pebbles that
strew
the streets are kicked and not made into necklaces
to adorn necks, yet diamonds that are also
stones are coveted and become jewels. In the
forests there are two types of deer: from the
belly
button of one of them there is a scent where from
the other there is only a stench. Two insects, a
fly and a bee differ; the former spews dirt from
its mouth whereas the latter emits honey.
So, any Amr, Zaid and Bakr (Tom, Dick and Harry)
can be a bashar but every bashar cannot be
Muhammad ibni Abdullah, The Final Prophet SAWW.
Every basher is born out of an impure origin,
whereas he was created from Noor of ALLAH SWT.
Thus, every bashar has najasah whereas he is “
Yutahhirakum Tathiraa” i.e. not only does najasah
not come near him but he purifies others.
Ordinary bashars have all sorts of bugs and germs
swarming on and around their body, whereas
no fly can ever sit on his body. When a bashar
leaves home there is no shade overhead, when The
Prophet SAWW walks a cloud provides shade and that
is one of the things that the Christian monk
Buhaira noticed when The Prophet SAWW was still
young and had accompanied his uncle on a
mercantile trip to Syria. An ordinary bashar’s
children are not ready to hear their father speak,
whereas Malikul Mulk is anxious to hear The
Prophet SAWW speak. A testimony given for any
bashar may turn a Muslim into a kafir, whereas
testimony given for The Prophet SAWW turns a
kafir into a Muslim. A bashar’s life-long
repentance may not earn salvation, whereas only a
smile
from The Prophet SAWW guarantees Paradise. As a
bashar, a person defaults in actions, whereas
The Prophet SAWW helps make up for a person’s
shortcomings in actions. So, when a bashar
wonders what distinguishes one bashar from The
Prophet SAWW, the answer is “Yuha Ilayya”. The
Prophet SAWW receives wahyi (Divine Revelation).
The spirituality (ruhaniyyah) of all the universes
cannot be compared to the bashariyyah of The
Prophet SAWW. Indeed spirituality is the means of
acquiring Nooraniyyah of The Prophet SAWW
and only the real followers of The Prophet SAWW
attain that honor by adhering to the Shari’ah
and Tariqah
Yet, that is not sufficient even to attain the
bashariyyah of The Prophet SAWW because even the
nooraniyyah of this world and of the heavens is
not sufficient to reach the bashariyyah of The
Prophet SAWW. This is illustrated by the event of
Mi’raj (Heavenly Ascension), when the Archangel
Jibraeel who is Ruhul Amiin and the leader of all
angels could not go beyond Sidratul Muntaha lest
his wings burnt. Yet The Prophet SAWW as a bashar
went beyond this point. So, where Jibraeel ’s
nooraniyyah ends, The Prophet SAWW’s bashariyyah
begins! Here nooraniyyah admits limitations
whereas the bashariyyah of The Prophet SAWW
seamlessly moves forward to be almost a distance
Go
to Top
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do
you have any questions about ethics, beliefts or
practical law? Send them to us and they will be
answered by Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani, The North
American Representative of Ayatullah Al-Udhma
Al-Haaj Al-Sayyid Ali Hussaini
Al-Seestani.
Send your questions to:
Al Huda Monthly Magazine
Imam Al-Khoei
Islamic Center
89-89 Van Wyck Exp
Way
Jamaica, NY 11435
Fax: (718)
658-5530
Ask Online: http://www.al-khoei.org/question.asp
|
|
|
|
|
Q: Is kissing the taboot or praying beside
it considered as bid’ah?
A: Bid’ah is a very serious word that should
not be applied lightly because bid’ah leads to
dhalalah (straying from religion) and that is
haraam. Bid’ah is misconstrued as whatever was
not there in the time of The Prophet SAWW, unless
what is being done is considered to be part of
religion. Taboot per se is not what may be
considered part of religion, but a way to remember
the
tragedy of Karbala and to express one’s sorrow. To
express sadness for the tragedy of Karbala is
Sunnah, but methods of so doing vary and these
methods include the taboot etc. So, taking out
the taboot or praying besides them, not at them,
is not bid’ah and is permissible.
Q: If a father is non-Sayyid and the mother
is Sayyid, do the issues of this couple become
Sayyid?
A: Sayyids are descended from fathers. So, in
this case the children would not be considered
Sayyid.
Q: What is the proper way to call upon ALLAH
SWT to fulfill our wishes?
A: A person asked Imam Al-Sadiq AS as to why
Du’a was not accepted by ALLAH SWT. N reply,
the Imam AS said that when Du’a is made without
recognizing who ALLAH SWT is then they are
not answered. So, the first rule is to recognize
Who He is and obey His commands knowing that He
is the Law-Giver and the Sustainer
Q: Can one fast for three days and nights
continuously without eating or drinking anything?
A: This is called “Sawmul wisaal” and it is not
allowed.
Q: Can one break a sura of The Qur’an into
some parts and recite each part in different
cycles of tahajjud prayers?
A: No, one has to recite complete sura in each
rak’ah, otherwise it would disturb the form of the
salaat and that would make the salaat invalid.
Q: Is it necessary for one to witness
natural phenomenon oneself for salaatul ayaat to
become obligatory to perform?
A: No, one can rely upon any reliable source of
information if one does not witness it himself.
Q: Can one use the turbah on which there is
writing carved out?
A: Yes, provided the writing is not such that
the whole forehead is prevented from resting on
the
turbah.
Q: If a certain group of mumineen
establishes a Center in which salaat and
Husainiyyah activities are performed and they
restrict access or use or management of that
Center to members of that group is that allowed?
A: Yes, it is allowed as long as the center is
not formally (by pronouncing the sigha) is not
converted into a mosque.
Go
to Top
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Date |
Program/Activity |
Time |
Thursday, Mar 5
7 Rabi' ul
Awwal |
Shahadah of Hadhrat Imam Hasan
Al - Askari AS: Salaat, Fiqh, Du'a,
Ziyarah, Majlis |
7:30
pm |
Saturday, Mar 7
9 Rabi' ul
Awwal |
Eid - E - Zahraa: Salaat, Mahfil |
7:30 pm |
Sunday, Mar 08
10 Rabi' ul
Awwal |
Clocks spring forward by
one hour |
02:00 am |
Saturday, Mar 14
16 Rabi' ul
Awwal |
Eid Miladu NNabI Saww
& Wiladah of Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq A.S |
07:30
pm |
Friday , Mar 20
22
Rabi' ul
Awwal |
Tahwil of sun |
07:43:42 am |
LADIES’ MAJALIS/MAHFIL
| Date |
Program/Activity |
Time |
sunday, Mar 1
3 Rabi' ul
Awwal |
Wafaat of Seyydia Masuma Qum |
5:30 pm |
Thursday, Mar 5
7 Rabi' ul
Awwal |
Shahadah of Hadhrat Imam Hasan
Al - Askari AS: Salaat, Fiqh, Du'a,
Ziyarah, Majlis |
5:30 pm |
Saturday, Mar 7
9 Rabi' ul
Awwal |
Eid - E - Zahraa |
5:30 am |
Saturday, Mar 14
16 Rabi' ul
Awwal |
Eid Miladu NNabI Saww
& Wiladah of Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq A.S |
5:30 pm |
ALL DATES ARE
SUBJECT TO CONFIRMATION OF MOON-SIGHTING
LOCALLY Go
to Top |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AL-KHISAL: A Numeric Classification of
Traditions on Characteristics (Price
$50.00)
Click
here to buy
By: Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Al-Hussein
ibn Musa ibn Babooyeh Al-Qumi, Sheikh Saduq AR.
Ansariyan, Qum. 2008. 1238pp.
The Prefatory material describes AL-KHISAL as
“a great encyclopedia on Islamic Knowledge, the
forbidden acts, permissible acts, and historical
topics, interpretations of The Holy Qur’an,
philosophical points and political issues. It is
one of the most valuable sources of traditions
from the
members of the Holy Household of the Prophet of
God (MGB). It is an authentic source and many
authoritative works on Shiite traditions such as
Bihar Al-Anwar have cited it as a reference.”
The author, Sheikh Sadooq, is one of the greatest
Shi’a scholars, a prominent jurist and renowned
scholar of traditions. He is the compilers of the
four books of ahadith relied upon by Shi’a, namely
Al-Istibsar which earned him the title Imad
al-Din, the pillar of religion. Al-Khisal relates
traditions according to the number of
characteristics. There is a series of traditions
from one to twenty characteristics and then the
characteristics in tens to one hundred
characteristics and then four hundred and more
than a thousand characteristics. “It starts with
onecharacteristic and ends in millions” These
characteristics are described in 28 parts and the
main themes are ethics, manners and good
characteristics. Sheikh Sadooq compiled this book
to fill a gap that he found in literature dealing
with numbers and good and bad characteristics.
Under one characteristic, for example, he begins
with Tauhid (One and One only God). Another hadith
that he cites is that of arrogant rider who takes
away the space of the pedestrians. “The love of a
man for his brethren is due to his love for
religion.” “Anger is the key to all evil”. “Love
for the people what you love for yourself.” An
interesting hadith in this section, amongst others
is, “When God likes someone, He will look at
him.When He looks at him, he will grant him one of
three gifts: a headache, fever or eye pain.” As to
two characteristics, the hadith cited is that two
things, fear of poverty and arrogance, ruin
people.
The tome continues in this vein quoting ahadith
with a chain of narrators going back to The
Prophet SAWW and Aimmah Al-At.haar AS. The book
has endnotes that comprise references quoted in
the texts from The Qur’an and other works, and
explanatory notes on terms and concepts used
in the matn (content) of the ahadith. This
hard-bound tome also has the original Arabic
version of the ahadith, so for those familiar with
Arabic
here is an opportunity to compare the original
with the translation in English which seems tom
flow well and is comprehensible. These endnotes
are
useful in many respects. One endnote, 441, for
example explains the symptoms of low and high
blood pressure while another explains an
anatomical abnormality in a woman that is ground
for divorce. It is indeed not only an encyclopedia
of religious knowledge per se but practical
knowledge that human beings would need.
Students of ahadith and researchers would cherish
this book that should adorn the shelf of every
esteemed scholar and student of Al-Islam. Go
to Top
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE HIJRAH OF THE PROPHET SAWW On 1st or Twelfth of Rabi’ul Awwal, ten years
after declaring his public mission as The Prophet
of
ALLAH SWT, The Prophet SAWW left Makkah under
duress to migrate to Madinah. This is the vent
of the Hijrah of The Prophet SAWW that was carried
out on the commands of The Almighty SWT
whose superior planning upstaged the bloodthirsty
Kuffar and Mushrikiin of Makkah who had
plotted to kill The Prophet SAWW as he slept in
his bed. ALLAH SWT mentions this in The Qur’an:
وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ
وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ
الْمَاكِرِينَ
|
“And when the disbelievers plotted to incarcerate
you or slay you or exile you and
they plotted while ALLAH SWT also planned and He
is the best Planner.
ALLAH SWT commanded The Prophet SAWW to migrate
when the Kuffar of Makkah plotted to
surround The Prophet SAWW with a killer from each
of the forty tribes and kill him as he slept. The
Prophet SAWW ordered imam Ali AS to sleep in his
bed and Imam Ali AS obeyed the command
sans any objection or reluctance. Imam Ali’s main
concern was the safety of The Prophet SAWW.
The Prophet SAWW had planned to leave secretly
alone, but on the way he saw Abu Bakr and
decided to take him along with him, presumably
fearing that Abu Bakr might reveal his
whereabouts had he gone back to Makkah. They
reached the cave wherein Abu Bakr began to cry
against The Prophet SAWW’s assurance that ALLAH
SWT was with them. This crying could have
been a signal to pursuing killers of the
whereabouts of The Prophet SAWW. The Qur’an
mentions
the incidence in The Qur’an:
“ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ
يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لاَ تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ
اللَّهَ مَعَنَا فَأَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَه ُُ
عَلَيْهِ
“
|
him being the second when
both of them were in the cave, when he said to his
companion: لاَ تَحْزَنْ Grieve not, surely
ALLAH is with us. So, ALLAH sent down His
tranquility upon him.” (9:40). This ‘sakinah’(tranquility) was sent down upon The prophet SAWW
and not the weeping companion. Yet, this “
sahabiyyah” is considered a merit of Abu Bakr
whose advocates cite this as his passport to being
the caliph of The Prophet SAWW!
Historians have recorded that when The Prophet
SAWW ordered Imam Ali AS to sleep in his bed
that night, Imam Ali AS did not hesitate nor
object; his only concern was if by his sleeping
The
Prophet SAWW’s life would be safe. Assured that
this would be so, Imam Ali AS slept soundly for
he had no fear or worry. ALLAH SWT summoned His
two chief angels, Jibraeel and Mikaeel and
asked them who would be ready to sacrifice their
life for the other and both sought life for
themselves, whereupon ALLAH SWT pointed to the
earth to Imam Ali AS’ readiness to sacrifice his
life for his brother. ALLAH SWT sent the two
angels to The prophet SAWW’s house to guard Imam
Ali AS and the angels conveyed the congratulations
to Imam Ali AS “Bakkhin Bakkhin laka Yabna
Abi Talib. ALLAH yubahi MalaikataHU”
Congratulations o Son of Abu Talib, ALLAH SWT is
proud
of you in front of His angels. Go
to Top
|
| |
|
|
