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A GOOD WORD

REMARKABLE COMPANIONS 1

HUJJAT SATURDAY WORKSHOPHusaini Shia Islamic Centre

Wood Lane, Stanmore, Middx HA7 4LQUnited Kingdom

www.hujjat-workshop.org

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“Have you not considered how Allah sets forth a parable of a good word being like a good tree, whose root is firm and whose branches are in heaven,yielding it’s fruit in every season with the permission of its Nourisher........”

Qur’an - Suratu Ibraheem - 14:24

“Soft words in a lullaby put a baby to sleep.Hateful words stir violence.Eloquent words will send armies into the face of death.Encouraging words will fan the flame of genius of a Salmanor a Jabir.Powerful words will mould the public mind as the sculptormoulds his clay.Words, spoken or written are a dynamic force.Words are the swords we use in battles for success andhappiness.How others react towards us depends, in a large measure,upon the words we utter to them.Life is a great whispering gallery that sends back echoes ofthe words we send out.Our words are immortal - they go marching through the yearsin the lives of all those with whom we come into contact.They will survive us.”

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Contents Page

Khutba 1

Majlis 1 3Hazrat Salman Muhammadi

Majlis 2 11Hazrat Abu Dharr Ghifari

Majlis 3 19Hazrat Ammar ibn Yasir

Majlis 4 27Hazrat Miqdaad Aswad

Majlis 5 35Hazrat Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari

Majlis 6 43Hazrat Bilal ibn Rab’a

Majlis 7 51Hazrat Malik Ashtar

Majlis 8 59Hazrat Kumayl ibn Ziyad

Majlis 9 67

Hazrat Abu Hamza Thimali

Majlis 10 75Hazrat Mukhtar Al-Thaqafy

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Majlis 1

“O people! Indeed We created you from male and female,and made you into nations and tribes so that you may recognise each other; Indeed the most honoured of you with Allah is the one with taqwa; Indeed Allah is All-Knowing, All- Aware. Qur’an - Suratul Hujurat - 49:13

The aya of Qur’an addresses humankind as a whole. WithAllah, colour, creed, community, position or profession holdno distinction. The one and only criterion of superiority and

honour in His eyes is ‘taqwa’. Taqwa simply translated intotal obedience to Allah - fulfilling the wajibaat and refrainingfrom the muharramaat.

A person once came to Prophet Isa (A.S.) and asked himwho was the most superior amongst human beings. ProphetIsa (A.S.) picked up a handful of earth in each hand and said:“All human beings are equally made from the dust and willreturn to it but the one who is most superior in the eyes ofAllah is the one with taqwa.”

The Arabs were a people who took pride in their tribal statusalthough the Prophet (S.A.W.) continually admonished themagainst it. Islam forbids racism or prejudice of any kind. TheProphet (S.A.W.) has said:“Whosoever possesses in his/her heart asabiyya (prejudiceof any form - racism, nationalism...) even to the extent of a

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mustard seed, will be raised by Allah on the day of Qiyamawith those of the Pre-Islamic Jahiliyya (ignorant)”

However, some people still persisted in showing off abouttheir backgrounds. One day, in the mosque of Madina, justbefore Dhuhr Salaa, Hazrat Salman entered the mosque.Hazrat Salman was from Iran and not an Arab. To tease him,

some of these sitting in the mosque started saying loudlywhich tribe they belonged to. “I belong to the tribe ofQuraysh” one said. Another said “ And I am from the tribe ofTamim”. Hazrat Salman was silent. Then someone askedhim: “And you O Salman! Which tribe do you belong to?” Toteach them what it really meant to be a Muslim, HazratSalman said:“I am the son of Islam. I was lost, and Allah guided methrough Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). I was poor, and Allahmade me rich through Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). I was aslave, and Allah freed me through Prophet Muhammad

(S.A.W.). Islam is my family and tribe!”

Let us look at how Hazrat Salman came to be one of thosefor whom the Prophet (S.A.W.) said:“Salman is one of our Ahlul Bayt”.

Hazrat Salman was born in a small town called Jiyye wheretoday the city of Isfahan stands in Persia (Iran). His Persianname was Rozeba. He was born into a Zoroastrian family.He was not satisfied with the belief and always was in searchof truth.

One day he was sent out of his hometown by his father foran errand. He saw a church and heard voices. He went inand enquired about their belief. On being explained themessage of the Oneness of God - the Creator of all and theAll - Powerful, he accepted monotheism and Prophet Isa(A.S.) as a Prophet of Allah. He spent time reading their

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scriptures and was late back. When he returned home andrevealed to his father the reason for his lateness and hisacceptance of Christianity, his father was furious andpunished him by putting him in a dark dungeon.

Salman was freed from the dungeons by his Christian friendswho found out about his plight when they enquired about

him. He joined a caravan and left Iran. He lived in variousplaces amongst them Damascus (Shaam), Mosul andAmmuria. He studied the scriptures and was still not totallysatisfied with the answers he got from them. Hazrat Salmanfound that there were a lot of questions in his mind whichwere unanswered.It was in Ammuria that he heard of the appearance of a newProphet in Makka. A Prophet who forbade the worshipping ofidols and preached the absolute oneness of God. Could thisbe the answer to his prayers, he thought?

Hazrat Salman tried to find out as much as he could aboutthe Prophet (S.A.W.). Eventually he found a group oftravellers who were going towards Arabia, to Yathrib - the oldname for Madina. He joined them and found that as theycrossed into Arabia, he was a stranger both to the languageand the culture. When on the caravan he refused to eat deadanimal meat and drink wine, he was made fun of and thetraders of the caravan took advantage of him being aloneand sold him to a Jew. The Jew made him work very hard.Hazrat Salman was very much in demand for his strengthand physical stature. His master sold him to his cousin who

lived in Quba (near Madina). Those around him realised thathe did not speak much and when he did, the words were fullof wisdom. His new master refused to sell him for any pricefor Hazrat Salman not only worked hard but also gave goodadvice.

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One day he overheard his master talking of the Prophet andheard that he (the Prophet) was on his was to Madina.When he heard of the Prophet's arrival in Quba HazratSalman went to meet him. Salman had read of the signs of aProphet -(i) Does not accept sadaqa.(ii) Does not refuse gifts.

(iii) Has a mark between shoulders.Salman took dates as sadaqa and noticed that the Prophetdid not eat them. He also saw a cloud over the Prophet.When he visited Madina again he took dates as a gift andnoticed that the Prophet accepted them. The third sign wasapparent to him when he accompanied a funeral with theProphet and saw the mark of Prophet hood when the breezemoved the Prophets cloak.Hazrat Salman accepted Islam ..

One day the Prophet visited Hazrat Salman who was ill. He

prayed for him that Allah keep him far from all 'ills' (body &soul) till death. Since then he came to be called - Salman(Safety).

In Madina when the Prophet arranged brotherhood , HazratSalman was made the brother of Abu Dharr.

When Hazrat Salman's master found that Salman hadaccepted Islam he did not like it and was cruel to him.Hazrat Salman wished to be a free man. For his freedom hismaster wanted 30-40 young date palms and 4oz of gold. He

told the Prophet who requested the other Muslims to help.Soon with their help, Hazrat Salman was made free.

Hazrat Salman learnt as much as he could from the Prophet,at times spending whole nights with him. He learnt perfectArabic and translated the Qur'an into Persian for his

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countrymen. Next to Imam Ali (A.S.) there was none tomatch his bravery and knowledge.The Prophet (S.A.W.) called him:"The first gift of Persia (Iran) to Islam" .

One day the Prophet (S.A.W.) was sitting in the mosque ofMadina with his sahaabaa and asked some questions:

“Who spends his entire night in salaa?”“I do” Hazrat Salman replied.“Who fasts every day of the year?” The Prophet (S.A.W.)asked“I do” Hazrat Salman said“Who completes the recitation of the entire Qur’an everyday?” the Prophet (S.A.W.) asked“I do” Hazrat Salman replied.The other sahaabaa were waiting for a chance to belittle himbecause he was not an Arab, and told the Prophet(S.A.W.).... “ but we have seen him eating, sleeping......”

The Prophet (S.A.W.) smiled and asked Hazrat Salman toexplain his statements -Hazrat Salman said: “ It was from you, O Prophet! That Ilearnt that if one does wudhoo before one sleeps then it is asthough one has spent the whole night in ibada. If one fastson the 13th 14th and 15th of every lunar month (ayyamulbaydh), then it is as though one has fasted for the wholemonth and if one recites Suratul Ikhlas three times beforegoing to bed, then it is as though one has recited the wholeQur’an. O Prophet! I do wudhoo before I sleep, I recite

Suratul Ikhlas three times every night and I fast on all theayyamul baydh”The other sahabaa had no answer!

It was Hazrat Salman who advised the digging of the ditcharound Madina in the battles of Khandaq. When the ditch

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was being dug both Ansars & Muhajirs claimed that HazratSalman was one of them but the Prophet (S.A.W.) said:"Salman is neither an Ansar nor a Muhajir but is one of us - the people of the house (The Ahlulbayt)" .After the battle of Khandaq, the Muslims went to Taif wherethe enemies had enclosed themselves behind walls. HazratSalman taught the Muslims how to throw rocks in 'slings' like

giant catapults to break the walls and so Taif was won over.The Prophet's death grieved Hazrat Salman immensely andhe cried continuously. He loved and served Imam Ali (A.S.)He was made governor of Madaen and it was here that hedied at the age of 88 years in 656 AD. Imam Ali (A.S.) camefrom Madina to give ghusl and kafan to Salman and he wasburied by Imam in Madaen at a place which is called SalmanPak today.Hazrat Salman had two aims in his life, one to find the truthand the other to uphold it. He realised both his aims. InKarbala there was a family who were searching for the truth

and succeeded in finding it and upholding it.Wahab ibn Abdullah Al-Kalbi had just got married and wasreturning to his hometown with his mother and the newly-wedbride. Passing through Karbala, they found a camp pitchedon one side and a large army poised against the few in thosetents. On enquiries Wahab came to know that Imam Husayn(A.S.), son of Ali and grandson of the Prophet, had beensurrounded on all sides by Yazid's army who were insistingon Imam Husayn (A.S.) either to accept Yazid's spiritualleadership or to die at their hands. Wahab carried the newsto his wife and mother.

He fought bravely on the day of ‘Ashura with his motherencouraging him form the camps and was martyred. His wifeHaniyya went to his side wiping off the blood from his face.Shimr saw her and ordered his slave to kill her. She was theonly woman martyr of Kerbala.

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The enemy threw his head to his mother who congratulatedher son, kissed him and sent the head back saying “We donot take back what we gove in the way of Allah”.There was another head that was sent to a young child inprison. The cries of the child could be heard in the silence ofthe night. Yazid could not sleep. Everytime he closed hiseyes, the muffled sobs were carried by the wind to his ears.

He sent his soldiers to find out where the noise was comingfrom."It is the daughter of Husayn! " he was told. "She cannot bear the parting from her father." Yazid said: "I know what will quieten her!" Yazid sent a present to the child.When Sakina lifted the cover from the platter she saw thehead of her father. Taking it in her arms she cried herself tosleep.In the morning at the time of Fajr Salaa, Imam Ali ZaynulAbedeen (A.S.) found his young sister on the floor of the

prison lying motionless. He gathered her in his arms andsaid: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un- Indeed we are from Allah and to Him do we return." The yateem of Husayn (A.S.) had been united with her dad.

“...and soon those who do injustice shall know to what final place of turning they shall turn back”

Suratush Shuara 26:227

“..indeed we are from Allah, and Indeed to Him we return” Suratul Baqara 2:156

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As soon as he had accepted Islam and left the company ofthe Prophet he went to the Ka'ba and called out:"Hear O Quraish! I stand witness that Allah is one and Muhammad (S.A.W.) is the Prophet of Allah" .The Quraysh beat him up but he still persisted until theProphet told him to return home to his tribe and spread Islamthere. The Prophet told him to stay home until he heard that

the Prophet had migrated to the city of date palms. (Yathrib-Madina).

On returning home he succeeded in converting to Islam hisfamily and the majority of his tribe members of Ghifarincluding the chief of the tribe (whose name was Khafaf).The first Salatul Jama'a was prayed by the tribe of Ghifar.When the Prophet migrated to Madina (Hijra), he passedthrough the place where the tribe of Ghifar stayed and theytestified their faith to him.

Hazrat Abu Dharr left his home to spend his life near theProphet in Madina. He was made the brother of Salman inMadina. He was with the Prophet (S.A.W.) at everyopportunity to gain knowledge - One day he entered themosque of Madina to find the Prophet (S.A.W.) sitting alone.Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) asked him to pray 2 raka’ts ofsalaa. When Hazrat Abu Dharr returned he asked theProphet (S.A.W.) -“Which is the best of deeds?”The Prophet (S.A.W.) replied: “To believe in Allah and to do

jihad (strive) in His way!”

Which mu’min is the most perfect, O Prophet?”The Prophet replied: “ The one who has the best akhlaq!”

Hazrat Abu Dharr continued: “ Which mu’min is under thegreatest protection?”

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The Prophet (S.A.W.) replied: “The one from whose tongueand hands Muslims are safe!”

“Which hijra (migration) is the best, O Prophet!?”“The hijra from sins, O Abu Dharr”

Hazrat Abu Dharr, after asking many questions,with tears in

his eyes, asked the Prophet (S.A.W.) for advice which wouldbenefit him in the world and in the hereafter.The Prophet (S.A.W.) agreed to do so saying “..remember it,for surely it is the collection of the paths of goodness.Surely if you memorise them and put them into practice, youwill have by two doses of mercy - in this world and thehereafter.”

“O Abu Dharr! "Worship Allah as if You see Him... thenbelieve in me, that Allah sent me to all of humanity as abearer of glad tidings, a warner, a caller to Allah by His

permission ...Then have the love of the Ahlul Bayt...”

“O Abu Dharr! There are two blessings of Allah that aremisused by mankind. They are health and spare time. Sotake advantage of five things before five things catch up withyou; Your youth before Your old age, your health before yoursickness, Your wealth before your poverty, your spare timebefore your being busy and your life before you death......”

“O Abu Dharr! Don't look at the smallness of the sin but lookat the one you disobeyed.....”

“Allah has made the pleasure of my eye in Salaa, and hasmade me to love Salaa like food is made loveable to thehungry and water to the thirsty. And surely the hungry one,when he eats, he is satiated and the thirsty one, when hedrinks he is quenched but I am not satiated from Salaa.Anyone who prays 12 rakaa'ts of Mustahab salaa besides

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the wajibaat, he/she has a sure right to a house in Janna. Aslong as you are in Salaa, you are knocking on the door of theGreat King, and whoever knocks much on the door of theKing it will be opened for him....”

“O Abu Dharr! Lower your voice during a funeral, duringbattle and during the recitation of the Qur'an...”

“O Abu Dharr! Truth is heavy and bitter and lying is light andsweet and it may be that the pleasure of an hour will result ina long period of grief...”

“O Abu Dharr! The one who does dua without deeds is likeone who tries to shoot his arrow without a string on hisbow.....”

“O Abu Dharr! Every sitting in the mosque is a waste exceptthree; the recitation of one praying salaa, the remembrance

of Allah, and the seeking of knowledge.....”

Hazrat Abu Dharr not only memorised and acted upon thewords of the Prophet (S.A.W.) but he also taught them toothers and wrote them down for all to benefit.

The Prophet's death grieved him greatly and he continuouslyreminded the people of the events of Ghadeer. He was oneof the very few who were present at Sayyida Fatima'sfuneral.

When Hazrat Abu Dharr found out how the public treasurywas being squandered, he complained loudly using the verseof the Qur'an - Suratut Tawba 9:34,35 "... and those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in Allah's way, announce to them a painful punishment. On the day of judgement when it shall be heated in the fire of hell and with it their foreheads, sides and back will be

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branded and they will be told: This is what you hoarded for yourselves and now taste what you have hoarded".

After Abu Bakr’s death, Hazrat Abu Dharr was expelled toSyria where it was thought that Muawiya would be able todeal with him.

Muawiya was even worse. When Hazrat Abu Dharr sawMuawiya priding over his palace that had just been built hetold him:"O Muawiya! If this palace is being built with the public treasury then it is a breach of trust and if it is being built with your own money then it is extravegence".

Hazrat Abu Dharr used to go daily to the gate of Damascusand to the palace of Muawiya and call out loudly at theinjustices and squandering of public money done byMuawiya. Muawiya was furious and eventually imprisoned

him, finally sending him back to Madina.

Hazrat Abu Dharr was put on a wild camel's bare back andthe camel was made to run all day and night without anystops until he reached Madina. By the time Hazrat AbuDharr reached Madina he had grown weak and old and hisskin was ruptured and wounded. His family was left behindin Syria.In Madina Hazrat Abu Dharr continued preaching the truthand this angered Uthman who on seeing that none of hiswarnings were taken heed of banished him to Rabza - a

desert area 3 miles away from Madina.

Imam Ali (A.S.), Imams Hasan and Husayn (A.S.), HazratAmmar, and Hazrat Aqeel (Imam Ali’s brother) went toaccompany him until they got outside Madina and Imam Ali(A.S.) told him

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"O Abu Dharr! Don't worry, people got scared of you because of their greed for the world, and you did not fear them on account of your faith till the time came when they exiled you... The truth will be your companion in times of loneliness. I know that you can get alarmed only by untruth and that can not come near you".

Imam Hasan (A.S.) told him:“O Uncle, have sabr until you meet the Prophet (S.A.W.) for he will be pleased with you.”

Imam Husayn (A.S.) said:“O Uncle, may Allah grant you sabr and victory.”

Hazrat Abu Dharr wept saying:“O Ahlul Bayt! O people of the house of mercy, may Allah have mercy upon all of you. When I see you, I remember the Prophet of Allah.”

When Muawiya found out that Hazrat Abu Dharr had beenexiled to Rabza he sent Hazrat Abu Dharr’s wife and familythere too. Rabza was a desert land where no food couldgrow and they soon became weak. His son Dharr became illand died. His wife too died of eating poisonous grass.

After the death of his wife he became even more lonely.Hunger and weakness took over and he died. Just as theProphet had said a group of passing Iraqis including Hazrat

Malike Ashtar gave him ghusl and kafan and buried him. Hedied on the 8th of Dhulhijjah 32 A.H. at the age of 85 years.

Hazrat Abu Dharr was fortunate that even in exile in thedesert there was someone to bury him. In the deserts ofKarbala the bodies of the shuhada of Karbala lay unburied,their heads raised on spears and paraded from town to town.

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The women, their hijabs snatched from them and the childrenwere taken as prisoners, bound together hand and foot.

When the caravan of the prisoners reached the main gate ofKufa, Sayyida Zaynab (A.S.) asked Imam Ali ZaynulAbedeen (A.S.) to ask Shimr to allow them to go into the citythrough one of the side gates.

Shimr would not agree and forced them to go through themain city centre.

This was the same Kufa where Sayyida Zaynab (A.S.) andUmme Kulthum (A.S.) were respected members of thecommunity. Their father had been the Khalifa. Memoriesflooded back.

At each step stones were hurled at them. Some people threwdates as sadaqâ. Sayyida Zaynab (A.S.) told the children notto eat it for the AhlulBayt could not take sadaqâ.

A lady called Umme Habiba saw a young girl who wasbruised and whose lips were parched asking a lady near herfor a little water. She rushed to the child with some food andwater."This is for you, child!" Before Sayyida Sakina (A.S.) could bring the cup of water toher lips, Umme Habiba said:"Child! Before you drink it please do two duas for me for I have heard that the dua of a yateem (orphan) is heard!" Sakina looked at Sayyida Zaynab (A.S.) who nodded.

Umme Habiba continued:"Pray that no Muslim family suffers the fate that your family has suffered and child, please pray that I get the opportunity to go to Madina to do the ziyara (to visit) of my Mawla and Imam Husayn (A.S.)" Sayyida Zaynab (A.S.) looked up at Umme Habiba and said:

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"Umme Habiba! Look ahead at the spears which carry the heads. Your dua has been accepted ! You may do the ziyara of your mawla here!"

“...and soon those who do injustice shall know to what final

place of turning they shall turn back” Suratush Shuara 26:227


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Majlis 3

"He who disbelieves in Allah after having believed, not he who is forced while his heart is at rest on account of faith, but he who opens his breast to belief, on these is the anger of Allah and they shall have a great punishment"

Qur'an - Suratun Nahl 16:106

This aya of the Qur'an, clearly says that he who has eiman inhis heart but is forced to say kufr in words has committed nosin. It was revealed to the Prophet (S.A.W.) in honour of

Hazrat Ammar.

The family of Hazrat Ammar was the first family persecutedfor Islam. His mother, Sayyida Sumayya was tortured tostabbed to death by Abu Jahl for refusing to give up Islam asher religion. Sayyida Sumayya is the first 'shahida' (martyr)of Islam. She was killed whilst her husband Hazrat Yasir andher son Hazrat Ammar watched.

Abu Jahl then killed Hazrat Yasir and his other son Abdullah.Then he returned for Hazrat Ammar saying if you do not

praise our gods, I will kill you. Hazrat Ammar told him whathe wanted to hear. Abu Jahl left him but Hazrat Ammar wasvery upset. He went straight to the Prophet (S.A.W.)weeping and relating what had happened.The Prophet (S.A.W.) asked him gently: “O Ammar! whatabout your heart? What does that say?”

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Ammar said: “O Prophet of Allah! My heart is certain ofeiman”.It was at this moment that the aya of Qur’an I have justrecited was revealed. The Prophet (S.A.W) told HazratAmmar the aya revealed in his honour.

This is called taqiyya. It does not mean that we are allowedto conceal our faith every time we are faced with an issue. Aswe see in Hazrat Ammar’s case it was allowed to preserveone's life or that of others, or to preserve honour. But if Islamis in danger, then there is no place for taqiyya as it is calledand for silence. As Imam Husayn (A.S.) and the shuhada ofKarbala showed, that where eiman (faith) is in danger, theneverything else including life takes second place.Taqiyya is the opposite of hypocrisy. A hypocrite (Munafique)is one who does not have eiman in his/her heart but pretendsto have eiman in order to deceive others.

We are all born with eiman. It is neither acquired nor taught;it is our most natural state. A young child, for example, justhas natural faith. Tell him/her a fairy tale and although he/shemay sense it is not ‘real’ he/she will believe you. As he/shegrows older, he/she accepts less at face value for he/sherealises that his/her faith has been continuously abused. Toprotect him/herself he/she uses reason to establish a systemof values.

However, we must learn to unite our faith and reason. The

faith of a child is blind and immature. Becoming faith is whena human being has travelled far with his/her reason andheart, finally reaching a place which is only reached byeiman. Reason may tell us how to live but faith tells us why to live.

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It is said that two young men once visited a town where thewinters were extremely harsh. On a Friday morning theywanted to do ghusl of Jumua’ only to find that the hammaam(in those days there was a general washing place in thetowns - each house did not have running water) was at thefoot of a slippery hill which was covered in ice. On askingaround they were told that no one dared go there except one

old man who went every day. The young men decided tofollow the old man. He looked weak but they watched himmake his way down steadily. The young men followed only toslip and fall.When they finally made it to the hammaam covered in cutsand bruises, they asked the old man respectfully how hemanaged to come down the hill so well. The old man replied“ When one is connected above with eiman, one does not fallbelow.”

We all have the ability and responsibility to let our eiman

shine out and combine it with our daily lives. Cultivate eimanthrough salaa, dua and studying. Actualise it through gooddeeds and serving others. Every day after salaa, take time tokeep your mind silent. Allow yourself to hear the voice withinyou. Allah is nearer to us then our jugular vein.

Let us look at the life of one for whom the Prophet (S.A.W.)said:"Ammar is one in whom Allah has placed faith in every drop of his blood and in each of his bones"

His father was Yasir bin Amir bin Malik of Yemen. Yasir withtwo of his brothers had left Yemen to look for their 4thbrother who had left on a trip but had not returned. When hereached Makka and still had not found his brother they satdown near the Ka'ba in dismay. A man called Huzayfa whowas the leader of the tribe of Banu Makhzum saw them andasked them what the matter was. He kept them as his

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guests. Yasir's two brothers returned to Yemen but Yasirstayed on. He liked Huzayfa's slave girl called Sumayya andgot married to her. As a result Hazrat Ammar was born inMakka.

When Ammar heard of the Prophet's message in Makka itwas a time when Huzayfa had died and people regarded

Ammar as a slave. He went to the Prophet (S.A.W.) andaccepted Islam. The day Hazrat Ammar accepted Islam hisfather Yasir saw a dream which saddened him.

He told his wife Sumayya that he had seen himself in avalley. One of the sides of the mountain was split and therewas fire flowing down. on the other side of the fire there wasa garden in which he saw Hazrat Ammar and Sumayya.Hazrat Ammar and Sumayya both called him to step into thefire and go to them. Yasir said that he saw himself step intothe fire whilst Sumayya and Hazrat Ammar watched.

In the evening when Yasir came back Sumayya told him thatthe meaning of his dream was solved for Hazrat Ammar hadbought good news from the Prophet of Islam. Hazrat Ammarrelated the words of the Prophet to his father and quoted theQur'an. He also said that the Prophet had said that therewould be difficulties. Yasir accepted Islam saying this is mydream.

Hazrat Ammar had two other brothers - Abdullah and Hurayb(who had been killed). Abdullah too accepted Islam and the

family of Yasir is the first family in Makka to accept Islam.

When the Makkans found out that they had all acceptedIslam they were furious. Especially the tribe of BanuMakhzun (Huzayfa's tribe who had looked after Yasir). AbuJahl who was a cousin of Huzayfa got together the youth ofBanu Makhzun and although refused by the elders of the

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tribe they looted Yasir's house burnt all their belongings andtied them all in chains. They were taken outside Makka to aplace where slaves were punished and beaten up, heavystones put on them and laid on fire in the desert. Thescreams of pain could be heard in Makka to discouragethose who were going to accept Islam.

It was then that Hazrat Ammar’s parents and brother werekilled. Yasir and Sumayya were about 70 years old andHazrat Ammar about 50 - he was 5 years older than theProphet (S.A.W.)

Hazrat Ammar is one of those who prayed behind theProphet (S.A.W.) when the qibla was changed. Imam Ali(A.S.) and he, were the only ones who changed qibla withoutany confusion.

He helped in the construction of the Masjid of Quba and the

Prophet's masjid in Madina. When the masjid was being builtsome of the Muslims avoided doing the work which involvedgetting covered in dust. Hazrat Ammar did twice the amountof carrying than the others. The Prophet (S.A.W.) watchedhim saying that his thawab would be twice as much. He wasthe first person to have made a masjid in his house.

He took part in all the battles. In the battle of Badr when AbuJahl was killed the Prophet (S.A.W.) told Hazrat Ammar thathis mother's murderer had been killed.

After the Prophet (S.A.W.) died Hazrat Ammar could notbear to see the injustice done to the AhlulBayt.

Hazrat Ammar could not stand to see the changes that werebeing made in the name of Islam. When Baytul Maal (thepeoples treasury) was being misused, he objected forcefully.Once for speaking against the government (khilafat) he was

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arrested and beaten in the Prophet's Masjid and then thrownout. At the time Hazrat Ammar was 90 years old. UmmeSalma brought him to her house and looked after him. Hegained consciousness at midnight. It was the first time hissalaa was qadha.

Imam Ali (A.S.) made him the commander of a group in the

battle of Siffeen which lasted 17 months. One day during thebattle he was offered a cup of milk.To those around him he said that this would be his last day,for he remembered the Prophet (S.A.W.) who had told himthat he would be killed in a battle by an unjust group ofpeople and his last meal would be a cup of milk.

He had said that his clothes were not to be cleaned nor hisblood wiped for he wanted to be buried as he was.

Hazrat Ammar is buried in the valley of Siffeen. He was 96

year old. Imam Ali (A.S.) buried him and prayed SalatulMayyit. Imam said at his burial:"He who has no sadness of Ammar's death has no faith" .

In Karbala we see the examples of those who had perfecteiman from the young to the very old. Just like Hazrat Ammarwho fought in battles at an advanced age when qitaal is nolonger wajib, there was Muslim ibn Awsaja. Age had bent hisback but not dampened his eagerness for the cause of truth.

He had seen the Prophet (S.A.W.) getting down from the

mimbar in the mosque at Madina in the middle of a sermonwhen Imam Husayn (A.S.) fell down by tripping over thedate-leaf mat.

He had seen how the Prophet (S.A.W.) got upset if ImamHusayn (A.S.) during his childhood, cried on account of anypain suffered by him.

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He had been a witness to the sight when, on an Eid day, theProphet had gone through the streets of Madina carryingImams Hasan and Husayn (A.S.) on his two shoulders anduttering the cries of a camel, to please these belovedchildren who wanted to have a camel ride. He had heard oneof the Prophet's companions exclaim in amazement at this

sight: "What a wonderful mount these children have got!" andthe Prophet's prompt reply: "Nay, do not say that, You mayrather say what excellent riders I have got."His eiman and reason could not even bear the thought ofleaving Imam Husayn even though Imam Husayn did hisbest to convince him that at his age engaging in a battle wasunthinkable.He tightened a belt around his waist to straighten it andpulled his drooping eyelids up with a band around hisforehead. On the battlefield he fought a brave battle, finallygiving his life for Islam.




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Majlis 4

“O you who believe! Have sabr (patience) and excel in sabr and remain steadfast; and have taqwa for Allah, so that you may be successful.”

Qur’an - Suratu Aali ‘Imraan - 3:200

This aya of Qur’an illustrates the need of sabr in order to besteadfast. So, what is sabr? Or patience as is the literalEnglish translation.Normally, it is defined as tolerance of unpleasantcircumstances. However, this definition is far from the truth.From the ahadith of our Ma’sumeen, sabr is defined as the

resistance showed by a human being on the road towardsbeing steadfast in his eiman - in other words in maintainingtaqwa.

It can be compared to the example of a mountain climberwho in order to reach the peak has to face internal andexternal difficulties. The internal difficulties are the lack ofcomfort, as well as fear, despair, etc.. The external difficultiessuch as weather conditions, rocks, wild animals, etc.. slowdown his progress. One who is faced with these difficultieshas the option to give up his/her journey or continue by

overcoming each difficulty using his/her reason, faith anddetermination. This combination of remaining steadfast toachieve one’s goal which is the pleasure of Allah is known assabr in Islam.

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During one’s lifetime, the human being from birth to death isa traveller on the road towards his/her final destination.His/her aim is to do jihad (to strive) for perfection in order togain Allah’s pleasure and to remain steadfast on his mission.Therefore in a nutshell to be a Saabir (one who excels inpatience), one has to refrain from that which is haraam, fulfilall that which is wajib and stand up for the truth despite all

the hardships.

Imam Ali (A.S.) has said:“A steadfast person is never denied success, even if itmaterialises after a long time.”

In another hadith he says:“Whosoever mounts the horse of sabr, will definitely findhim/herself in the field of victory.”

One of the companions of the Prophet (S.A.W.) - Hazrat

Miqdaad was known for his steadfastness. His strength ofcharacter and steadfastness in faith was described like theAlif in the Qur'an .

The Prophet (S.A.W.) used to say:"I have been given an order from Allah to love four people - Ali (A.S.), Salman, Abu Dharr Ghifari and Miqdaad-e-Aswad" .He also said that Hazrat Miqdaad was one of the four peoplethat Janna (paradise) desired.

His father Amr had left his home town to go to Yemen as

there was a lot of killing going on amongst the tribes wherehe lived. In Yemen he became 'haleef' which means he gotprotection from another tribe (like being adopted) and hemarried a girl from the town of Kinda where Hazrat Miqdaadwas born.Thus Hazrat Miqdaad is also known as Miqdaad e Kindi.

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Hazrat Miqdaad grew up to be a courageous and strongyoung man who was very good at archery, sword fighting. Hewas also an excellent horse rider. One day he saw a richman doing injustice (being mean) towards a poor man. Hegot into an argument with the rich man and in the resultingfight Hazrat Miqdaad killed him. He had to leave Yemenbecause of this and he went to Makka. Here he got

protection from the tribe of Banu Zahra which was closelyrelated to the Banu Hashim. The leader of the tribe of BanuZahra adopted him as a son. His name was Aswad binYa'us. Thus the name Miqdaad e Aswad

He heard about the Prophet (S.A.W.) and was one of the firstseven people to accept Islam.

Hazrat Miqdaad was constantly harassed by the Qurayshand the Prophet (S.A.W.) advised him to go to Abyssinia(Ethiopia) with the other Muslims led by Ja'fer Tayyar.

Hazrat Miqdaad lived in Ethiopia for 4-5 years. When hereturned to Makka he was harassed by the Quraysh whowould not let him go to Madina to join the Prophet (S.A.W.).

Once the Quraysh sent spies to Madina to see what theMuslims were doing. Hazrat Miqdaad went as a spy. Whenhe got to Madina he defected and swapped sides to join theProphet (S.A.W.)

As he arrived later than all the other Muhajireen (those whodid hijra) he could not be accommodated with an Ansaar (

helper - resident of Madina). The Prophet (S.A.W.) therefore asked Hazrat Miqdaad tostay with him. At the time the Prophet's masjid had not beenbuilt but the Prophet's house was nearby and HazratMiqdaad and a couple of other Muslims who too werehomeless stayed there until they had settled into thecommunity. The place is marked in the mosque of Madina

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even today as Suffa which means ‘platform’. Every day theProphet (S.A.W.) used to sit with the homeless and talk tothem after Salatul Tahajjud.

Hazrat Miqdaad was married to the Prophet's cousin -Zababa binte Zubayr. They had two children - a son Sa'eed(or Aswad) and a daughter Kareema.

One day Imam Ali (A.S.) saw that there was no food in thehouse and went out to get some. He borrowed a Deenarfrom someone and was walking back home in the hotafternoon when he saw Hazrat Miqdaad. There was aworried expression on his face. It was unusual for people tobe out in the hot afternoon in Arabia as people rested thenand came out when it was a little cooler in the evenings.Imam asked Hazrat Miqdaad what was wrong and after a lotof persuasion Hazrat Miqdaad said he was out in search offood as his children were crying with hunger back home.

Imam Ali (A.S.) gave the Deenar he had borrowed to HazratMiqdaad and returned home empty-handed to find SayyidaFatima (A.S.) cooking some food and the Prophet (S.A.W.)present there also.The Prophet (S.A.W.) told him:"O Ali! For the Deenar you gave away in charity today, Allah has sent food in return" . They thanked Allah.

Once just before the battle of Badr, the Prophet (S.A.W.)asked all the Muslims to give some advice before the battle.Some said to fight against the Quraysh was disloyalty to their

own people. When it came to Hazrat Miqdaad's turn he said:"O Prophet of Allah! We will support you. We shall not say what the Bani Israel told Musa(A.S.) when they were asked to fight - they said - O Musa! You and your Lord, go and fight...We say that we shall fight from all sides. Let the swords and arrows first fall on us" .

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At these words the Prophet (S.A.W.) smiled and prayed forHazrat Miqdaad. This was the first dua of Jihad. HazratMiqdaad’s words gave enthusiasm to the other Muslims.

In the battle of Badr the Muslims had only two horsemen.one of them was Hazrat Miqdaad who fought so bravelycombating the 100 horsemen of the Kuffar on his own when

the other horseman Haarith was killed.

He was one of the companions who attended the burial ofboth the Prophet (S.A.W.) and Sayyida Fatima (A.S.) Afterthe Prophet's death he stood by Imam Ali (A.S.) and talkedopenly of the injustices that were carried out.

Hazrat Miqdaad fell ill a few during the Khilafa of Uthman. Hesuffered from a disease which made him very heavy and feelvery thirsty. A Roman servant of his said he could cure him

by performing an operation. The operation was performedbut the cut became septic and Hazrat Miqdaad died a fewdays later in a place 3 miles out of Madina. When peopleheard they all came and the funeral procession stretched the3 miles to Madina. Hazrat Miqdaad is buried in JannatulBaqee in Madina. He died at the age of 70 years.

Hazrat Miqdaad's son fought against Imam Ali (A.S.) in thebattle of Jamal. Hazrat Ammar told him that it was good thathis father was not present as he would not have been able tobear it.

Sadly this was an example of a son like the son of ProphetNuh (A.S.) who did not choose the path of steadfastness thattheir father’s followed.

In the events of the year 61 AH, we see an examples ofthose who followed their father’s righteousness and

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steadfastness thus earning them the pleasure of Allah. Onesuch example is Hazrat Qasim.

On the night before Ashura Imam was reading out the list ofmartyrs, he read the names out - Habib, Zuhayr.....One by one all the names were read, when Hazrat Qasim -the thirteen year old son of Imam Hasan (A.S.) asked his

uncle :"O uncle Husayn! Is my name not on the list ?" Imam said: "Qasim! how do you view death ?" Hazrat Qasim replied: "O Uncle! Death to me is sweeter than honey!!" Hazrat Qasim was 4 yrs old when his father was poisoned.He was brought up by Imam Husayn (A.S.) who consideredhim as his own.He was not yet baligh on the day of ‘Ashura but pleaded forpermission to fight. Imam told him he was the remembranceof his brother and he did not wish to see his nephew killed

before him. Hazrat Qasim was disappointed and ran to hismother's tent. When Umme Farwa found out why her sonwas so sad she told him to take the letter that Imam Hasan(A.S.) had given to her to give to Hazrat Qasim on such anoccasion.In the letter Imam Hasan (A.S.) asked Hazrat Qasim torepresent his father on the day when Imam Husayn (A.S.)would be surrounded by an army of thousands. HazratQasim ran to Imam with the letter. On seeing his brother'shandwriting, Imam wept and said he had to obey the wishesof his brother.

Hazrat Qasim rode to the battle field and with a loud voiceintroduced himself.He killed several soldiers. Then he saw Umar Sa'ad givingwater to his horses. He told Umar Sa'ad :"You should be ashamed of yourself ; the children of Husayn are crying of thirst"

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He was attacked by one Amru b Sa’d b Nufail al-Azadi (mayAllah curse him). When Hazrat Qasim fell, Imam ran to hisaid and attacked the enemy. When Imam came to Amru heraised his sword and Amru tried to protect himself with hisarms. Both his arms were severed and he screamed loudly.His colleagues came to his cry but trampled over him.When the dust settled, Imam found himself near Hazrat

Qasim; seeing him painfully scraping the earth with his feet.Imam said: “It is hard for your uncle that you call him but hecannot answer, and if he answers he cannot help you, and ifhe arrives to help you, he cannot save you. Away with thepeople who killed you. This is a day which has manyadversaries and few friends.”Hameed ibn Muslim writes that Imam lifted his nephewholding him to his chest - he says - it is as if I still see that hisfeet dangled drawing lines on the earth. Imam took him andlaid his body near that of his son Hazrat Ali Akber




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Majlis 5

"And do not think of those who are killed in Allah's way as dead; They are alive and are provided with sustenance from their Lord".

Qur'an - Suratu Ali Imran 3:169

Shaheed literally means "present." Those who personallychoose the martyrdom as a symbol of their love for a dyingtruth. They are alive, present, witnesses, and observers.They are not only so in the sight of Allah, but also in the sightof the people in every age and every land.

In confronting oppression and aggression, the shaheedshows, teaches, and triumphs over the enemy by his owndeath, disgracing the enemy if not defeating him.

A shaheed is one who has sacrificed his life to achieve asacred cause and specially if the sacrifice is made willinglyand consciously. It is the only type of death which is higher,greater and holier than life itself.

The sacred cause that leads to shahadat (martyrdom) hasbecome a law in Islam. It is called jihad. A Mujahid (one who

does Jihad) sacrifices his life to save his society andsurrenders himself totally to Allah.

A shaheed is the heart of history. The heart gives blood andlife to the otherwise dead blood-vessels of the body. Like theheart, a shaheed sends his own blood into the half-deadbody of the dying society whose children have lost faith in

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themselves, which is slowly approaching death, which hasaccepted submission, which has forgotten its responsibility,which is alienated from humanity, and in which there is nolife, movement, and creativity. The greatest miracle ofshahada is giving to a generation a renewed faith in itself.

A shaheed is ever-present and every-lasting as the aya of

Qur’an illustrates so clearly.

A shaheed can be compared to a candle whose function is toburn and get extinguished in order to give light for the benefitof others. Without the martyr’s light no human organisationcan shine for they are the candles of humanity.

The aya was revealed in honour of the shuhada of the battleof Uhud. Hazrat Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari was a companionof the Prophet (S.A.W.) whose father was one of those who

was a shaheed in the battle of Uhud. Hazrat Jabir went to theProphet (S.A.W.) to express his worries of how he would beable to look after his nine sisters and repay his fathers largedebt. He was also worried about his father soul and whathad happened to him.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) told him that Allah had asked his fatherwhether he had any desire and his father had said that hewould like to be returned to the world again so that he couldbe killed in the way of Islam once more. His other desire wasto convey to his children that he was all right. The Prophet

(S.A.W.) then quoted the aya of Qur’an that had just beenrevealed to him about the immortality of the shuhada.

Hazrat Jabir was still worried about how he would repay hisfather's debt. Hazrat Jabir had a camel which the Prophet(S.A.W.) requested if he could buy from him. Hazrat Jabirsaid he would give it to the Prophet (S.A.W.) The Prophet

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(S.A.W.) insisted on paying for it and paid Hazrat Jabir theprice he bought it including three fifths more. He then giftedthe camel back to Hazrat Jabir. He asked him to use themoney to pay his fathers debts.

Let us look at the life of Hazrat Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari.

Hazrat Jabir was born six years before the announcement ofProphethood to Abdullah bin Amr of the who lived in the areabetween what is now Masjid-e-Qiblatayn and the town ofMadina. His grandfather Amr was a very wealthy man andafter his death Abdullah inherited the wealth. Abdullah was avery charitable person, so much so that he ran into debt.

When they heard the Prophet's message of Islam, HazratJabir was a young man of 16-17 years. They had alreadyheard of the coming of a Prophet from the Jews whoseinfluence was strong in Madina. Hazrat Jabir and his father

and other members of his family accepted Islam withoutseeing the Prophet (S.A.W.)

Most of the tribes in Madina had accepted Islam and oncethey sat to discuss their views. They concluded that theylonged for the Prophet (S.A.W.) to be with them and sincethe Prophet (S.A.W.) was suffering persecution in Makka,they would invite him to come and live in Madina. HazratJabir was one of those chosen to represent his tribe despitehis young age.

Once the Prophet (S.A.W.) arrived in Madina, Hazrat Jabirspent most of his time with him although he lived far fromMadina.

In the battle of Badr, Hazrat Jabir longed to go and fight withthe others but his father refused permission saying that ifboth of them went then there would be no one to look after

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Hazrat Jabir's nine other sisters. The other reason was thatAbdullah had a debt and if they were both martyred then thatwould not be paid. Hazrat Jabir went to the Prophet (S.A.W.)who said if Hazrat Jabir's father had refused he could not go.Hazrat Jabir was very sad. He went to Badr however to givewater to the Mujahids (soldiers) but could not participate inthe fighting. His father however fought with the 313 of Badr

and came back.

During the battle of Uhud again Hazrat Jabir was refusedpermission by his father who told him that he felt he wouldnot return this time. Abdullah Ansari was killed and his bodytoo was mutilated just like Hazrat Hamza's. Hazrat Jabir andAbdullah's sister both came to Uhud on hearing the newsand were given condolences by the Prophet (S.A.W.).

Hazrat Jabir married a pious lady called Suhayla binte Masudwho was married before and older than Hazrat Jabir because

Hazrat Jabir needed someone who was mature and caring tobe able to look after his younger sisters. When the Prophet(S.A.W.) heard this he praised Hazrat Jabir for his concernand care for his family and prayed for him.

After that Hazrat Jabir participated in nineteen other battles.In the battle of Khandaq (Ahzaab) the digging of the ditchwas hard tedious work. Hazrat Jabir was amongst thosewho were digging the ditch. There was little or no food andmost of them had tied stones around their stomachs to wardoff the hunger pains.

Hazrat Jabir saw that the Prophet (S.A.W.) had tied twostones around himself. Tears came to his eyes. He ranhome and asked his wife if there was any food in the house.Suhayla said there was a little grain and a baby lamb.Hazrat Jabir asked for food to be prepared and he went backto invite the Prophet (S.A.W.) for a meal. The Prophet

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accepted and announced that Hazrat Jabir had invited all theMuslims who were present for a meal.

Hazrat Jabir did not know how they were going to feed all ofthem as there was not enough food all but he trusted theProphet’s words and did not say anything, and welcomed theguests into his house. The Prophet (S.A.W.) came and

served everyone himself and it seemed as if the food wasnever ending. Everyone ate to their fill.

Hazrat Jabir did not like to be separated from the Prophet(S.A.W.) for long. He used to live away from Madina andwanted to move near the Prophet (S.A.W.)

Once he heard the Prophet (S.A.W.) saying that one whotravels to a masjid Allah grants him 70,000 thawabs at everystep of his journey and the forgiveness of sins. Hazrat Jabirremained far and travelled all the way to the Masjid every

day to gain more thawaabs.

Even later on in life when he lost his eyesight he continued totravel to the masjid everyday.

Hadithe Kisaa was narrated to Hazrat Jabir by SayyidaFatima (A.S.).

The Prophet (S.A.W.) had told Hazrat Jabir that he would livelong to see Imam Muhammad Baqir (A.S.) and that heshould convey the Prophet's (S.A.W.) salaams to him.

He was blind in his old age but used to go around the streetsof Madina saying "Ayna Muhammad?" (Where isMuhammad) looking for the fifth Imam so he could conveythe Prophet's salaams.

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He died in his late nineties and is buried in Madayan inSalman Paak (on the outskirts of Baghdaad).

Hazrat Jabir was the first zâir (pilgrim) to the graves of theShuhada of Kerbala. He did ghusl in the waters of the riverFurat - took off his shoes and approached the grave of ImamHusayn (A.S.) . He wept wishing he had been there on the

day of 'Ashura to assist Imam Husayn (A.S.)

When Yazid freed the prisoners of the family of the Prophet(S.A.W.) - the Ahlulbayt; they requested to go home toMadina via Kerbala.

It is reported that it was in the month of Safar of the followingyear - 62 A.H. that the ladies and children accompanied byImam Ali Zaynul Abedeen (A.S.) reached Kerbala.

Each lady went to the grave of her child and loved one.

Sayyida Zaynab (A.S.) went to the grave of Imam Husayn(A.S.). So many memories must have come back to her.

She must have remembered Sakina and thought:"We have left Sakina in Shaam, O Husayn!"

It is reported that Umme Rubab sat at the grave of her infantson Ali Asgher and told him of the events after ‘Ashura. Howthey were taken prisoners and paraded through the townswithout their hijabs.She must have told him how his sister had died and was

buried in the prison of Damascus, how when the lootedbelongings were returned, at the bottom of the pile there wasa small pair of earrings. How she ran to the grave of hissister saying:"Sakina!! They have returned these. Sakina! Who will wear these earrings now! Sakina ! You wanted to go home! We are going Sakina, only to leave you in the prison of Shaam."

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She also told Ali Asgher the hardest moment for her waswhen on the journey to Kufa and Shaam, his killer Hurmalakept on approaching her camel. Her hands were tied and shewas helpless, her heart burning at the sight of the murdererof her young son.

When it was time to leave, Umme Rubab did not want toleave Kerbala saying:

"My son and my husband are both here, my daughter is in Shaam, this is my home now; I do not wish to return to Madina." It is reported that Umme Rubab used to carry with her asmall parcel wherever she went. After her wafat, whenSayyida Zaynab opened the little knotted piece of cloth, shefound in it the few burnt remains of Ali Asgher’s cradle.

“...and soon those who do injustice shall know to what final

place of turning they shall turn back” Suratush Shuara 26:227


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Salaa is seen by some as some sort of a deal like work to beexchanged for wages. Like the employee who only works forthe salary at the end of the month, but an employer pays forthe benefit he derives from his employees. What benefit canthe Lord of the worlds get from our salaa?

Salaa is the ladder to attain nearness to Allah.

It has a form and a soul, an appearance and an innermeaning. That which is expressed by the tongue and themovements of the body are the outer mould. The soul ofsalaa is the significance attached to it by the the one prayingit, his/her attitude towards it, the satisfaction and benefitderived from it and he extent to which it has taken him/her onthe journey towards Allah.

Imam Ali (A.S.) sums up the attitudes of people towardsworship in the following hadith:

"A group of people worship Allah out of desire for reward;This is the worship of traders.Another group worship Allah out of fear; This is the worshipof slaves.Yet another group worship Allah out of gratitude; This is theworship of free people.

The root of all the aspects of salaa lies in the remembranceof Allah and to live by the knowledge that Allah is observingand watching.

Those whose niyya for worship is solely for the pleasure ofAllah are described by Imam Ali (A.S.) as:"Indeed, Allah, the Glorified has made His remembrance the shine of the hearts, which makes them hear after deafness,see after blindness and humble after being undisciplined. In all periods of times when there were no prophets, there were

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individuals to whom He spoke in whispers through their conscience and intellect."

This speaks of the wonderful effect of salaa and other formsof worship on the heart, to the extent of making it capable ofreceiving divine inspiration and bringing it to communicatewith Allah.

Salaa is likened to the mi’raaj of a mu’min. Imam Ali (A.S.)has said:“If he/she who offers salaa knew how much grace Allahbestows upon him/her during the salaa, he/she would not lifthis/her head from sajda.”

It is also the support of the whole Muslim Umma. Each andevery day on hearing adhan, Muslims assemble to praysalaa. On Friday, whole communities, villages and townsgather for Salaatul Jumua’, likewise during Hajj, Muslims

from all over the world gather together for salaa,

The first muadhin of Islam was Hazrat Bilal.

His father was Rab'a; a slave from Abysinia (Ethiopia) whohad been brought to Makka. He belonged to a man calledKhalaf. Hazrat Bilal's mother was Hamama and she hadbeen captured after Abraha's army was destroyed by thebirds that Allah sent when they came to destroy the Ka'ba.Rab'a and Hamama were married and they had threechildren - a daughter and 2 sons one of whom was Hazrat

Bilal.

After Khalaf died his son Umayya became Hazrat Bilal'sowner. Umayya was a staunch enemy of the Prophet(S.A.W.) When Hazrat Bilal heard of the Prophet (S.A.W.)and his message he immediately became a Muslim but keptit a secret from his master.

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When Umayya found out that Hazrat Bilal was a Muslim hewas furious. He beat Hazrat Bilal up and tortured him.Hazrat Bilal was whipped, made to lie on the hot sand andheavy stones were placed on his chest.

Tears flowed from his eyes but Hazrat Bilal kept on saying

"Ahadun Ahad " (Only One God, Only One).

Umayya took red hot iron rods and branded Hazrat Bilal'slegs with them. It did not change Hazrat Bilal's conviction.He said: “Do you think that my eiman is hidden in the flesh ofmy thighs and therefore you wish to take it out with your redhot irons and destroy it?”History says he was one of the companions of the Prophet(S.A.W.) who suffered the most. Days passed and thetorture on Hazrat Bilal worsened. His condition became verybad. The Prophet (S.A.W.) instructed Abu Bakr to buy him

from Umayya and to set him free. This was done and HazratBilal was free. When he came before the Prophet (S.A.W.)he asked one question: “O Prophet of Allah! Am I on the rightpath?”The Prophet (S.A.W.) replied: “Yes, Bilal, you are on the rightpath.”

The Muslims wanted to find a way to call people to salaa.Everyone made a suggestion and the Prophet (S.A.W.)called everyone to the mosque to exchange views. Someonesuggested the blowing of a horn, whilst some suggested a

bell or lighting a fire to draw people’s attention. Onesuggested that a person should call out to the others and thatidea was adopted. The Prophet (S.A.W.) added that thecaller should say loudly “Assalatul Jaamia”

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Hazrat Bilal was picked by the Prophet (S.A.W.) to be thecaller to prayers , thus earning him the title of being the firstmuadhin of Islam.

The angel Jibrail brought the wordings of the Adhan to theProphet (S.A.W.) who asked Imam Ali (A.S.) to teach HazratBilal how to pronounce it.

Hazrat Bilal had a beautiful loud voice. Often the Prophet(S.A.W.) would tell him to recite the adhan so he could feel atpeace.

A few people through jealousy and pride objected to theProphet (S.A.W.) about Hazrat Bilal being the Muadhin.They came with excuses that he could not pronounce 'sh' and said 's' instead. The Prophet (S.A.W.) said that Allahhad accepted Hazrat Bilal's 'seen' for 'sheen' .

Hazrat Bilal was present in the hijra from Makka to Medinabut always craved to return to his home town Makka. He alsotook part in every battle to defend Islam. His former masterUmayya was killed in the battle of Badr.When the Muslims returned to Makka Hazrat Bilal climbedonto the Ka'ba and gave Adhan.

After the Prophet's death, Hazrat Bilal stopped giving Adhanbut continued to narrate the ahadith of the Prophet (S.A.W.) .Various ahadith on adhan are recorded from him.He said: “I heard the Prophet (S.A.W.) say that one who

recites adhan for the sake of Allah and to gain closeness toHim; Allah forgives his/her sins and will make him/her acompanion of the shuhada.”He told one Abdullah bin Ali “ If possible do not abandonAdhan and strive that you do not die before being amuadhin.”

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He objected to the injustice done to Imam Ali (A.S.) OnceSayyida Fatima Zahra (A.S.) asked him to give Adhan. Hedid but on hearing "Ash hadu anna Muhammad ar Rasulullah " she fainted for she remembered her father.Hazrat Bilal stopped the Adhan.

He decided to leave Madina and go to Damascus for he

could not bear to see the injustices happening. He returned9 years later in 20 A.H. for the Ziyara of the Prophet's grave.The people of Madina wanted to hear his Adhan but herefused and only agreed when Imam Hasan & Husayn (A.S.)asked him . It was early in the morning and the streets filledwith people who came out weeping as they remembered thetime of the Prophet (S.A.W.) Later he returned to Shaam(Damascus) and died there.

On the day of ‘Ashura, in 61 AH, we find those amongst thecompanions of Imam Husayn (A.S.) who kept salaa

uppermost in their minds.Abu Thamama As-Sai'di was an expert horseman of Arabiaand a companion of Imam Ali (A.S.). He lived in Kufa andhad supported Hazrat Muslim bin Aqeel when he had arrivedthere as the ambassador of Imam Husayn (A.S.)When the situation had become dangerous, Hazrat Muslimhad entrusted Abu Thamama with the funds and collection ofarms. After the shahadat of Muslim, Abu Thamama left Kufawith Nafi' bin Hilal and joined Imam Husayn (A.S.) on his

journey to Karbala.

On the day of Ashura, just as it was mid-day, Abu Thamamaapproached Imam in the midst of the battle and requestedhim to lead Dhuhr Salaa. Imam raised his hands and said:"O Abu Thamama! You have remembered salaa. May Allah place you among the musalleen (those who pray)".

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Majlis 7

“....Is he who guides the people to the truth more worthy to be followed or he who does not guide unless he himself is guided....?”.

Suratu Yunus - 10:35

We all need guidance and thus it is the justice and mercy ofAllah which provides us with divine guides However, when inlife we become preoccupied with our self interests - be theysmall or great we need leaders who will send out a wake upcall, alerting us to seek the true priorities in life.

So who is a leader?In our lives we all have relationships with people - forexample a parent, teacher, or a friend who changes the waywe look at life and the world. Someone who has highstandards, who inspires, and motivates us. Someone whoteaches us to set goals and instils the confidence in us to beable to achieve them. Such a person is a true leader.

A leader is not merely a manager but one who has vision,direction and the strength to reach one’s goals..

How do we recognise a true leader?In the society we live in we tend to think of a leader as aperson who is well connected, powerful or wealthy. We judgeour leaders by what they have but in essence we should

judge a leader by what he does not have - arrogance, anego, and selfishness. Leadership is not power and

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dominance but servitude. This does not mean that a leader isweak, but he/she derives his/her strength from his/herdedication to a purpose that is greater than him/herself.

Each of us can become a leader for every person hassomething to teach. Each of us has been given uniquestrengths and abilities. We ourselves choose to use them

selfishly or to share them with others.

We must each look at the areas within our lives - within ourhomes, in school, at work and ask ourselves - DO we doeverything to affect those around us positively? Are we usingour abilities to inspire them intellectually, emotionally andspiritually? Are we helping them to be leaders for one leadercreates another and so on.

One such leader who had the best of teachers and leadersto follow, was Hazrat Malik Al-Ashtar for whom Imam Ali

(A.S.) said: “Malik is to me as I was to the Prophet (S.A.W.)”He used to tell his companions “ I wish there were two menlike him amongst you; rather if there was one.”

Despite his bravery and status his humbleness waspraiseworthy. One day he was walking through a street inKufa, when a grocer sitting on his doorstep threw out somerubbish over Hazrat Malik who walked on, paying noattention, remembering how the Prophet (S.A.W.) actedwhen rubbish was thrown on him in the streets of Makka..The grocer laughed in scorn.

A passer by seeing the incident went up to the grocer andsaid: “Do you know to whom you showed such disrespect?That was Hazrat Malik, the close companion of Imam Ali(A.S.)?”The grocer ran quickly behind Hazrat Malik who had enteredthe mosque and apologised for his bad behaviour saying thathe had not recognised him.

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“I order you to use your head, heart, hands, and tongue tohelp the creations of Allah because the Almighty Allah holdsHimself responsible to help those who sincerely try their bestto help Him......”.”.....You must know that a good and virtuous man is knownand recognised by the good that is said about him and thepraise which Allah has destined him to receive from others.

Therefore, make your mind the source and fountain-head ofgood thoughts, good intentions and good deeds. this canonly be attained by keeping a strict control on your desiresand yearnings, however much they may try to incite andcoerce you....”“Remember, Malik, that amongst your subjects there are twotypes of people: those who have the same religion as youhave; they are brothers to you, and those who have religionsother than yours, they are human beings like you. Men ofeither category suffer from the same weaknesses anddisabilities that human beings are inclined to, they commit

sins, indulge in vices either intentionally or foolishly andunintentionally without realising the enormity of their deeds.Let your mercy and compassion come to their rescue andhelp it in the same way and to the same extent that youexpect Allah to show mercy and forgiveness to you .....”

“Do not feel ashamed to forgive and forget. Do not hurry overpunishments and do not be pleased and do not be proud ofyour power to punish. Do not get angry and lose your temperquickly over the mistakes and failures of those over whomyou rule .....”

“......Try not to expose the weakness of the people and Allahwill conceal your own weakness which you do not wantanybody to know....”“Remember that backbiters and scandal-mongers belong tomean/and cunning group, though they pretend to be sincere

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advisers. Do not make haste to believe the news they bringand do not heed their advice....”“Do not accept the advice of the misers, they will try theirbest to keep you away from acts of kindness and from doinggood to others. They will make you frightened of poverty.Similarly do not allow cowards to act as your advisorsbecause they will make you timid in enforcing your

orders....... At the same time avoid greedy and covetousperson who would aspire the position of acting as yourcounsellor because he will teach you how to exploit thecommunity and how to oppress people to get their wealth.....“You should not treat good and bad people alike because inthis way you will be discouraging good persons and at thesame time emboldening the wicked to carry on theirwickedness. Everyone should receive the treatment whichhis deeds make him deserve.”“.....You must finish a day’s work on that same day onlybecause each day will bring it’s own special work for you.

Reserve your best time for prayers to Allah, though everywork of the State is the work of Allah, especially if you aresincere and honest, and if your subjects are happy with yourrule and are safe from your oppression. ““Among those duties that you are to perform diligently mustbe your daily prayers. These should be offered sincerely andpersistently. You must fix times for this during days andnights...”

“....Do not reserve for yourself anything which is a commonproperty of all and in which others have equal rights....”

Muawiya was very worried at Hazrat Maliks’ governorship ofEgypt. He plotted to kill him and arranged for Hazrat Malik tobe given some poisoned honey.When Hazrat Malik took the first spoonful, he had severestomach pains and he realised it had been poisoned. He diedon his way to Madina from Egypt.

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Imam Ali (A.S.) was very sad at the news of Hazrat Malik’sshahadat. He said:“May Allah have mercy on Malik. He loved and obeyed meas I loved and obeyed the Prophet (S.A.W.)”Muawiya rejoiced at his death saying:“Ali ibn Abu Talib had two hands; I cut off one of them whenAmmar bin Yasir was killed in the battle of Siffeen, and today

I have severed the other - Malik Al-Ashtar”Muawiya displayed the same arrogance as his son Yazid did.When the prisoners from the family of the Prophet (S.A.W.)from Karbala were led into the court of Yazid, Imam Husayn'shead was brought to him on a golden tray. He hit Imam'steeth with his stick saying :"My ancestors who were killed at Badr have been avengedtoday. Now it is clear that Bani Hashim had staged a play togain power and there was never any divine revelation ."Sayyida Zaynab (A.S.) with confidence replied :O Yazid ! Do you believe that you have made our life

miserable and our existence impossible?That we are powerless persons just because we are standingin front of you tied and that you have gained power over us ?Do you believe that we have been disgraced and that youinstead have been honoured by Allah ?..........Is this your justice that the women of your house be inhijab whilst we, the daughters of the Prophet (S.A.W.) beimprisoned and paraded from place to place unveiled ?Your men have taken us from town to town where all sorts ofpeople .......have been looking at us- rich and poor, youngand old, honourable ones and those of disrepute; all gaze at

us from far and near , and we have no one to come to ouraid......You deny the Prophet (S.A.W.) and with pride and joyannounce from the roofs 'I, Yazid, have slaughtered andbutchered the sons of the Prophet and imprisoned his familymembers .' ........

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O Yazid ! you are striking the lips of Abu Abdullah , Al-Husayn (A.S.) with a cane. Do you not know that these arethe lips and the teeth that were constantly kissed by theProphet (S.A.W.) and yet your face reflects pleasure?..O Yazid ! remember that you have cut your own skin andflesh to pieces.....I swear by God who sent upon our household His book &

Prophet hood that you will never get our status. You willnever be able to destroy our status or extinguish our light,nor will you be able to wipe out your shame and dishonour...Your word is now weak and your days are numbered....Sayyida Zaynab's (A.S.) sermon changed the atmosphere inYazid's court. He was taken aback by her courage and hereloquence. All he could say was :"These persons have gone through so many hardships andthey seem to be afraid of nothing ..not even death ."




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Majlis 8

“..O Lord! Increase my knowledge..” Qur’an - Suratu Taha - 20:114

If there is one single factor within our control that can directlyinfluence who we are as people, it is the gaining ofknowledge.Thus, the famous ahadith of the Prophet (S.A.W.):“It is a duty for all Muslims to seek knowledge”“Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave”

The best of knowledge is that which makes one a betterhuman being (one who serves Allah better). It is thatknowledge which reaches deep inside a person, making one

more productive. Gaining of knowledge must start at birth forit is in childhood that a child’s character is formed andshaped. It is said that a human being is like a tree. If youmake a scratch on the branch of a full grown tree you onlyaffect the branch, but if you make a tiny scratch on a seed, itaffects the growth of the entire tree.” But gaining knowledgeis also life itself. It never ends.

The why of gaining knowledge must precede the how. Welearn mathematics so we can think methodically and be ableto run our lives efficiently. We learn languages to be able to

communicate ideas, science to understand the properties ofthe Universe we live in and so on. However, all these areimportant but not one of them will necessarily affect ourakhlaq and character in our day to day lives.

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In history, we have many examples of those who areproficient in the sciences but who have put their talents todestructive use.

In all our pursuits of gaining knowledge, we must always putAllah in the centre. Therefore, for example, when we learnthe sciences - about the Universe we live in, we must always

bear in mind that each new fact reveals the glory andperfection of the Creator.In the Qur’an there are 704 ayaat in which the word ‘ilm’ orwords of the same root are used. Seeking knowledge witheiman is a means of getting closer to Allah.

The Prophet (S.A.W) said:“I am the city of knowledge and Ali is it’s gate.”Imam Ali (A.S.) has said:“The Prophet (S.A.W.) taught me a thousand doors ofknowledge and each door led to a further thousand doors.”

Imam Ali (A.S.) had a companion from Yemen called Kumaylibn Ziyad Al-Nakhai who lost no opportunity to acquireknowledge from his great teacher. Everything he learnt, heendeavoured to put into practise and taught it to as manypeople as he could.The Prophet (S.A.W.) has said:“Listen to wise words, memorise them, act on them andteach them”

Imam Ali (A.S.) told him:

“O Kumayl! These hearts are containers of knowledge,therefore preserve what I am going to say to you:Know that knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledgeguards you whilst you have to guard wealth. Wealth isdiminished by spending whilst knowledge increases whenyou give it away. O Kumayl! Those who amass wealth die

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even when they are physically alive whilst those who haveknowledge continue to live for as long as time lasts.”

Hazrat Kumayl spent as much time as he could with Imam Ali(A.S.). It is reported that one day Imam Ali (A.S.) was in themosque of Basra on the14th of Sha’ban explaining aya 4 ofSuratud Dukhan - “..Therein every wise affair is made clear”

This night is an important night for all Muslims of every sect.Imam said that the aya referred to the 15th of Sha’ban addingthat - “ By Allah! The human being faces his fate on thisnight. Therefore he must read the dua of Prophet Khidr.Surely, Allah accepts it.”

When the sermon was over and everyone went home,Hazrat Kumayl followed Imam and requested him to teachhim the dua of Prophet Khidr. Imam (A.S.) asked him to sitdown and write whilst he dictated to dua.

Imam told Hazrat Kumayl that one should recite the duaevery Thursday night and if that was not possible then atleast once a month. If that too was difficult then at least oncea year on the 15th of Sha’ban and if that too was difficult thenat least once in a lifetime for it’s benefits were unfathomable.

Hazrat Kumayl followed the Prophet’s hadith of listening,memorising, acting and teaching knowledge and today,Muslims all over the world recite the dua every Thursdaynight as Dua Kumayl. Let us look at some extracts from DuaKumayl:

“O Allah, I ask You by Your Mercy which encompasses allthings.....O Allah, forgive me my sins which stop my duas fromreaching you...O Allah, forgive me for every sin I have committed and everyerror I have made.....

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Assume, my Allah, my Master, my Nourisher, that I maypatiently bear Your Punishment, but how will I bear theseparation from You?........

How can I inhabit the fire while I have hopes of YourForgiveness?....By Your Honour, my Master, my Lord if You will leave me

with the power of speech, I will from the cry out to You withthe voice of those that cry for help.

I will moan like those desperately in need of Your Help, and Iwill cry like those who have lost their dear ones..

I shall keep calling out to You, saying "Where are You, OFriend of the Believers? O Last Hope, O helper of those whoseek help! O the one who is close to the hearts of those whoare truthful, O Lord of the Universe....

How can the fire hurt he/she who has hope in Your Favourand Mercy?...

No, my Allah, such an idea can not be attributed to You, norhas it ever been known from Your Grace. You have neverdealt with those who have faith in Your Unity in this way,because of Your Goodness and never-ending Kindness....

O my God, my Master, I plead to You by that power whichYou possess .....to forgive me tonight, now, during this veryhour all the sins that I have committed, all the evils that I

have kept secret and all the foolishness I have committed inignorance, hidden or disclosed, covered or uncovered......

Hazrat Kumayl fought alongside Imam Ali (A.S.) in the battleof Siffeen and was his constant companion.

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Imam’s shahadat grieved him immensely. Hazrat Kumaylwas always under surveillance by the government (khilafat)of the time.The khalifa Abdul Malik, appointed as hisgovernor of Hijaz and Iraq one Hajjaj bin Yusuf -a cruel manwho enjoyed killing. In the days of Hajjaj it was a crime to bea Shia’ and it warranted death. Hajjaj killed anyone who waseven suspected of being a Shia’ - such was his hatred of

Imam Ali (A.S.)

Hazrat Kumayl was summoned by Hajjaj but he did not go.Hajjaj ordered that the salaries to those belonging to HazratKumayl’s tribe should be stopped. Hazrat Kumayl could notbear the fact that othes should be deprived of their rightsbecause of him. He gave himself up.Hajjaj told him: “I have wanted to arrest you for a long time”Hazrat Kumayl replied: “Do not be so arrogant. My mawla Alitold me that I shall be killed by you. O enemy of Allah! DOwhatever you like. Know that the day of judgement will be

after the killing”

Hajjaj said: “Disown Ali to save your self”

Hazrat Kumayl replied: “Show me a way better than that ofImam Ali (A.S.)”

Hajjaj ordered his men to behead Hazrat Kumayl. He isburied on a hill at Wadius Salaam in Najaf. It was his seekingand tableegh of knowledge which keeps him alive in thehearts of Muslims eternally. Every Thursday night the sound

of Dua Kumayl immortalises the brave companion of ImamAli (A.S.)

A close friend and companion of Imam Husayn (A.S.) wasalso beheaded before all the other martyrs of Karbala. Hetoo, worshipped the ground on which his mawla - ImamHusayn (A.S.) walked following every word of his. SO much

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so, that Imam regarded him as a close friend rather than acompanion.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) was walking with a companion calledMazahir when he stopped and sat on the ground. He calledMazahir's young son Habib to him and hugged and kissedhim. Mazahir said:

"O Prophet! what good deed has my son done to deservesuch affection"

With tears in his eyes the Prophet (S.A.W.) replied :"O Mazahir! whilst we were walking I happened to look atHabib. He was walking behind my grandson Husayn andwherever Husayn stepped he lifted the dust from underHusayn's feet and put it to his eyes in respect" O Mazahir!this Habib will come to my Husayn's aid one day"

In Kerbala Imam called no-one for help except Hazrat Habib.

He wrote a letter to his childhood friend Habib who was inKufa. He wrote that by the time Hazrat Habib receives theletter Imam would be surrounded by the army of Yazid.Hazrat Habib received the letter just as he was sitting downto have a meal with his wife. When he saw the letter his eyeswere filled with tears. His wife asked him what the matterwas. He said he had received a letter from Imam asking himto go to Kerbala.

To test his wife he said he was wondering what to dobecause he was worried about her. Hazrat Habib's wife got

up and got her hijab. She told him to wear the hijab and stayat home and she would go to help the son of Sayyida Fatima(A.S.)She told him: "Sayyida Fatima's son is calling you and youare wondering about me!!!!"Hazrat Habib said he was testing her and prepared to leavefor Kerbala.

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Kufa was surrounded by the troops of Ibn Ziyad. HazratHabib sent his servant out of the city first and then managedto sneak out himself. When he reached the spot where hisservant was waiting he heard the servant say to the horse :"If my master does not come I will go to the aid of the son ofFatima"

His slave asked him if he too could accompany him toKerbala. Hazrat Habib freed him and they both rode towardsKerbala as fast as they could.

In Kerbala, Imam Husayn (A.S.) was giving out the spears toall the Mujahids. There was one spear left when someoneasked :'O son of the Prophet ! who is the last spear for?"

Imam replied:"This one is for my childhood friend Habib."

Just then Hazrat Habib could be seen walking towards thecamp. Imam ran forward to greet him.

Sayyida Zaynab (A.S.) would ask Fizza to find out who hadarrived when there was the sound of horses. Everytime,Fizza would announce the arrival of more enemy troops.Suddenly, she said to Sayyida Zaynab (A.S.): "Our guest hasarrived".

Sayyida Zaynab (A.S.) sent Fizza to Hazrat Habib to convey

her salaams.

Hazrat Habib fought bravely on the day of Ashura. When hefell from his horse he cried out :"O my master Husayn ! Help me!!"

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When the caravan of the prisoners reached Kufa the soldierform Yazid's army who had the head of Hazrat Habib roundhis horse saw that a young boy was following him whereverhe went. He asked the young boy what he wanted.The young boy replied :"You have the head of my father round your neck! Pleasegive it back to me!"




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Majlis 9

“And when My servant asks you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the dua of the caller when he/she calls Me; so they should answer My call too, and believe in Me, so that they may be guided aright.”

Qur’an - Suratul Baqara - 2:186

We are made up of a physical body, a nafs and the ruh whichbinds our body to our nafs. The nafs is by nature that whichwishes to spiritually rise whilst the body insists on it’sdemands for physical nourishment. If you look at a candleyou will see a flame which rises upwards whilst the wick

seems to pull it back. It is similar to the body and nafs. It isup to us to choose to rise or fall.A student of madrasa was once asked where Allah was?From what he had understood he said “Wherever you let Himin.” Dua is a way to let Allah into our lives.

The battle between the body and nafs is greater today than itever has been. The material world towards which our body isdrawn is in a period of prosperity whilst the nafs is starvingfor nourishment. We need to feed our nafs more then ever,and strengthen it. Dua is the nourishment which the nafs so

badly needs. It is direct communication with Allah bringingcloseness to Him.

Imam Ali (A.S.) has said:“The best act of ibada is to keep away from that which isharam and the most agreeable act to Allah is dua to Him, for

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dua turns many a decree although ordained; it is the key tomercy, the route for needs to be satisfied, and that whichkeeps away calamities.”Imam (A.S.) also said:“Know that Allah owns the treasures of the heavens and theearth...by granting you the privilege of dua, He has handedover the keys of His treasure to you...”

“Sometimes you will find that requests are not immediatelygranted, do not be disappointed...more often fulfilment isdelayed because the Merciful Rabb wants to grant yougreater rewards....you will get better blessings becauseunknowingly you may have asked for that which is reallyharmful to you.”

Dua must be accompanied with action. Imam Ali (A.S.) hassaid:“One who merely does dua and fails to act is like one whowishes to shoot an arrow with a stringless bow.”

There are some conditions to dua that we must follow -The desire for what we are asking for must be genuine. If weask for forgiveness but make no effort or have no desire tokeep away from sins then the dua is like switching on a lightswitch to gain light from a light fitting with no bulb.

The dua must conform with the system of creation. Thismeans that we must ask for that which is obtainable. If weprayed for money to rain from the sky, then it is an illogicaldua. An anecdote to illustrate this may help. There was a

pious family whose town was flooded. The council sent atruck to rescue them but they said that they had prayed toAllah and He would save them. As the flood waters rose theyhad to move to the second floor of the house. The councilsent a boat this time. Again they refused help saying theyhad done dua and were sure Allah would save them. Theflood waters further rose and they were now on the roof of

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the house. The council sent a helicopter and again theyrefused the help with the same answer. Eventually, theydrowned and it is said that they complained to Allah sayingthey had relied on Him to help. The answer came - “I sentyou a truck, a boat and a helicopter - what more did youwant?”

The heart must be clean and the means of livelihood must be‘halal’. Imam Ja’fer As-Sadiq (A.S.) has said:“Whenever one of you wants his dua to be fulfilled, he/sheshould...unburden him/herself from that which was acquiredfrom the people unlawfully for Allah does not raise to Himselfthe dua of one who has gained something through harammeans.....”

One of the most beautiful duas is that taught by Imam AliZaynul Aabedeen (A.S.) to his companion Abu HamzaThimali. It is recommended to be recited in the month of

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