THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PATIENT

Dec 7, '12 11:54 AM for everyone

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) has said, ‘If a believer is tried with an affliction, and if he takes to patience, he will be rewarded with rewards fit for a thousand martyrs.’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 75). Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) has also said, ‘A servant of Allah may have a special status with Allah, the most Great, the most Exalted One, which he earns through one of two merits: his wealth may disappear, or he may be tried with an affliction in his own body.’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 199). Affliction, then, may either bring a believer rewards, thus elevating his status, or it may be his penalty and atonement, and both are good and liked by a man of wisdom. As for the rewards, this is quite obvious. As for the penalty, it is on account of narratives from Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) that Allah is too Gracious to penalize His servant twice [in the life of this world as well as in the Hereafter]. Anything for which He penalizes him in the life of this world, he is not going to penalize him for it in the Hereafter. So, if a believer has to be afflicted, he has to be patient. Allah created patience before affliction; otherwise, a believer’s heart would have cracked like an egg falling on a solid ground. Imam Ali (‘a) is quoted in Al-Kafi as having cited the Messenger of Allah (‘a) as saying, ‘Patience is of three types: at the time of affliction, during the time of obedience [of Allah’s Commandments] and at the time of avoiding committing a transgression. One who is patient when afflicted till he is solaced, Allah will write for him three hundred degrees between each is like the distance between the heavens and the earth. One who is patient while obeying [his Maker], Allah will write for him six hundred degrees, the distance between each is like the distance between the corners of the earth and the `Arsh. And when one is patient in order not to commit a transgression, Allah writes for him nine hundred degrees the distance between each is like the distance between the corners of the earth and the end of the `Arsh.’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 75). Al-Kafi also cites Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) as saying, ‘We [Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)] are quite patient, and our Shi`ah are even more so.’ Someone said to him, ‘May I be your sacrifice! How can your Shi`ah be more patient than you?!’ The Imam (‘a) said, ‘It is so because we are patient about what we know, whereas they are patient about what they do not know.’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 76).

Tags: hadees

LET ALLAH (S.T.) DECIDE...

Dec 7, '12 11:55 AM for everyone

Imam al-Rida (‘a), as we read in Al-Jawahir al-Saniyyah, cites his father citing his ancestor saying that the Messenger of Allah (‘a) said that Allah revealed to one of His prophets to ‘Tell so-and-so the king that I shall cause him to die on such-and-such [date].’ The prophet went and informed him. On his bed, the king kept supplicating to Allah till he fell from his bed saying, ‘Lord! Postpone my death till my son grows up, then take my soul away.’ Allah revealed to that prophet to tell that king that He agreed to postpone his death and add fifteen years to his life-span. The prophet said, ‘Lord! You know that I have never told a lie.’ Allah Almighty inspired to him saying, ‘You are to follow My orders.’ The prophet did, indeed, convey this message to the king, and Allah is never questioned about what He does, as we read on p. 123 of Al-Jawahir al-Saniyyah.  There is no doubt that keeping Allah, the most Exalted and the most Great, in mind, seeking refuge with Him, thinking well of Him, initiating an undertaking with offering charity, supplication and joining the ties of kinship..., all this certainly causes a change in one’s destiny. How can a worshipper be displeased with his Master’s destiny?! Imam al-Rida (‘a) has cited his forefathers (‘a) quoting the Messenger of Allah (‘a) as saying that Allah says, ‘O children of Adam! You all have strayed save those whom I have guided; you all are poor save those whom I enriched; you all shall be annihilated save those whom I shall save; so, plead to Me, and I shall give you sufficiently and guide you to the right path of your guidance. Among My believing servants are those who can be improved [spiritually] only when impoverished: If I enrich them, wealth will spoil them. Among My believing servants are those who cannot be improved except if I grant them good health: If I permit them to fall sick, it will spoil them. Among My believing servants are those who exert an effort to worship Me, spending their night praying, so I cause them to be drowsy out of My own kindness to them. They would sleep till the morning and leave the bed self-loathing, self-indicting. But had I permitted them to do what they wanted to do, they would have felt proud of their deed, so they would cause their own souls to perish on account of such pride and feeling of being pleased with themselves, thinking they have surpassed all worshippers and excelled in their endeavor beyond the limit of those who fall short. It is then that they grow distant from Me while thinking they are getting closer to Me. None should rely on their own deeds even if they are good, nor should the sinners lose hope [of My mercy] no matter how many sins they have committed. But let them trust in My mercy and hope for My favor. Let them be content with My looking well after them; I deal with My servants in ways which are best for their own good, and I am Munificent towards them, fully knowledgeable.’ (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 68, p. 140).

Tags: hadees

Devil's Slave

Dec 7, '12 12:00 PM for everyone

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.  He Practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target.  Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved.  In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister  watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, " Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make Supper."  Sally just smiled and said," Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck? " So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.  After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's, he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.  Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you. " ********** Thought for the day and every day thereafter? Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done...  the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.) ....whatever it is....You need to know that Allah was standing at the window and He saw the who let hing..... He has seen your whole life.  He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you . The great thing about Allah is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets . It is by Allah's grace andmercy that we are saved.   Always remember : Allah is at the window.

Tags: islamic talks

The Fatal Fortress

Dec 7, '12 12:02 PM for everyone

Once upon a time, a king,  read in a remote pattern of  the scattered stars that a great calamity would overtake him on a certain day and at a particular hour. He, therefore, ordered a rock stronghold to be constructed, and when it was completed he had numerous armed guards posted outside.
On the day that the stars foretold his fate, he entered his fortress. 
But when he got inside, he found that he could still see daylight. He located the gap in the wall and filled it immediately to prevent misfortune from entering. He enclosed himself completely, but by blocking out the last opening against disaster, he also imprisoned himself without light or air.
Needless to say, without air the king soon died. The stars had not
lied, after all.

There are countless building blocks that our minds use to construct our personal prisons: anger, resentment, hate, feelings of inferiority, guilt, impatience, prejudice, anticipation of calamities. And our spirits can be suffocated by the fortresses of fear that we build around ourselves.

Tags: islamic talks

DUTIES OF A TRUE MUSLIM

Dec 7, '12 12:07 PM for everyone

Duties of a True MuslimVerily, the Almighty Allah has sent a Book for your guidance. It is a Book which clearly defines, describes and distinguishes between right and wrong, vice and virtue, and truth and falsehood. You should adopt the path of truth and virtue so that you may be guided, and should shun vice and wickedness so that you may achieve salvation. Find out your social, moral and religious obligations and perform your duties sincerely; sincere performance of your duties will qualify you for Paradise. Allah has ordained certain actions to be illegal, immoral and irreligious and He has Mercifully explained them to us in detail; He has also decreed certain things to be legal and sanctified. Performance of these duties will bring no harm and injury to mankind. Respect of a Muslim is a thing which has received highest sanctity, and rights of Muslims have also been for the purpose of social unity, closely bound and linked with sincere belief in Islam and in the Oneness of Allah (that is, for those who believe in Islam and in the Oneness of Allah it is obligatory to respect the rights of Muslims). A true Muslim is he from whose hands and tongue every other Muslim is safe, but not at the cost of truth and justice. No one is allowed to transgress the rights of a Muslim. Make haste to face the problems of social justice, peace and security. These problems are common to all, and when you have done your duty in these spheres, then think of the problem which concerns everyone of you as an individual, and that is death. Remember that those things, which deserve your attention, care and sympathy, (society and introduction of reforms in social structure and State) are in front of you, and those towards which you are approaching are the days of your reckoning and reward; your approach should be accompanied by good deeds as death is drawing you nearer to them day by day. Be bold, reduce the burden of sins and do good so that death may bring for you the opportunity of being in company of the chosen people. Those good people who have gone before are waiting for those who are to follow. Fear Allah in so far as the rights of an individual or a society is concerned because you will be questioned about performance of your duties and obligations in the sphere of your activities, even in respect of the land you live in and the animals you are in contact with. Obey Allah and do not rebel against His Orders, try to attain and achieve good whenever and wherever you find an occasion for it and turn away from evil wherever you see it. This is considered as one of the few sermons which Imam Ali delivered soon after he took charge of the Muslim State.  In this sermon, Imam Ali has advised people to respect the rights of others, to do good to others, to respect truth and justice, to follow the dictates of Allah and religion, and not to do any harm to human beings.

Tags: islamic talks

ONE HAS TO TOLERATE PEOPLE

Dec 7, '12 12:09 PM for everyone

It is a Sunnah narrated about the Prophet (‘s). We have already cited Ali (‘a) as saying that the one loved by Allah the most is he who emulates His Prophet (‘s). The wisdom behind it is similar to that about hiding your secret from people. Actually, the latter is one way to tolerate people. Al-Kafi quotes Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) saying, ‘The Messenger of Allah (‘a) has said, ‘My Lord ordered me to tolerate people just as He ordered me to perform the obligations.’ He also cites his grandfather the Prophet (‘s) as saying, ‘Tolerating people is half the extent of conviction (iman), while kindness to them is half the livelihood.’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 117). Then Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) commented saying, ‘Socialize with the righteous secretly and socialize with the sinners publicly; do not be harsh with the latter lest they should oppress you. A period of time will come wherein the only one who safeguards his creed is one thought to be not very smart at all. He accustoms himself to being called unintelligent, one lacking the faculty to rationalize.’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 96). The Imam (‘a) also quotes his grandfather (‘a) as saying, ‘If someone lacks three merits, he cannot accomplish anything: piety which shields him from violating the sanctities of Allah (‘a), manners whereby he tolerates people, and clemency whereby he responds to the ignorance of an ignorant person. (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 95). Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) has also said, ‘One who keeps his hand from harming people keeps away only one hand while they will keep away from him many.’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 96). So, my Brother, what some people, who claim to be on the right track and are pious, say that they do not care about people, that they do not need them, and that they take them lightly, up to the end of such statements which fall in the category of lack of toleration..., all of this is actually following one’s own desires. It is ignorance about the way of Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) [37]. Many people confuse tolerating people with pretending to get along very well with them, imagining that the mandated toleration is pretension. But the difference between them is quite clear. Contemptible pretension is agreeing on making what is ugly look as though it were beautiful. Or it may be abandoning its rejection out of the desire to attain what they have, so that one may thus acquire some worldly benefits or win their hearts without avoiding a wrongdoing.

Tags: islamic talks

TO ALLAH (S.T.) WE ASK FOR FORGIVNESS

Dec 7, '12 12:15 PM for everyone

Almighty Allah, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek your direction and Guidance.

We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we Have done.  

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. 

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. 

We have rewarded laziness and called it Welfare. 

We have killed our unborn and called it Choice.  

We have shot abortionists and called it Justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our Children and called it building self esteem... 

We have abused power and called it Politics.  
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. 

We have polluted the air with profanity and Pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. 

Search us, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.  Ameen!  

HOW TO GIVE ALMS (SADAKA)

Dec 7, '12 12:20 PM for everyone

Whenever Imam Zeinul Abideen (A.S.) gave alms, he would kiss his own hands. 

 

When they asked him the reason, he said: 

Before alms is put in the hand of 

 

needy man, it is placed in God¹s hand.

Imam Ali (A.S.) has said: ³When you give alms to a needy man, the alms 

giver should kiss his hand, for God receives the alms before it is put in the hand of the needy man, since God is the Receiver of the alms.²

The Holy Prophet (SAW) has said: ³Alms given by a believer is put in the

hand of God before it is put in the needy man¹s hand.²

Then the Holy Prophet recited verse 104 of the Quranic chapter Tawbah

(Repentance): ³Do they not know that Allah accepts repentance from His 

servants and takes the alms and that Allah is the Oft-returning (to mercy),the Merciful?²

Imam Sadeq (AS) has been quoted as saying: God says:For every good deed I 

have appointed a deputy to receive it save alms which I Myself receive immediately. A man or a woman may give one or half date as alms but I will make it big as a colt grows into a horse and young camel grows into a camel to as to meet me on the Day of Judgment  while one or half date has become as big as Ohud Mountain.²

Imam Sadeq (AS) has said: ³Increase your sustenance through alms-giving.²

One day Imam Sadeq said to his son ³Muhammad²: My son, how much of 

allowance is left with you?

-Forty Dinars

-Take it out and give alms in the way of God.

-We have nothing other than this.

³Give it out in the way of God so that He will reward it to us. Don¹t you

know that everything has a key and the key to sustenance is alms? Therefore

give alms.²

The son of the Imam did so. Ten days had hardly passed when forty thousand

Dinars were sent for the Imam by someone.

The Imam also said: ³Alms-giving in the way of God will help repay debts 

and leave blessings behind.²

The Imam further said: ³Whenever you become destitute, do business with God

through alms-giving.²

Imam Baqer (AS) has said: ³Surely alms-giving repels seventy afflictions of

the world including a bad death. Surely an alms-giver never dies a bad

death.²

It is related that one day Jesus (AS) and his disciples were sitting

together when a man passed by them. Jesus (AS) said to his disciples: ³This

man will die soon. After the passage of some time, they noticed that the 

man passed by them while he was carrying a load of wood. The disciples asked: O 

 

spirit of God! You said he would die soon where as he is still living.

Jesus said to that man: Put down your load of wood. He did so and opened  it.

They immediately saw that a big black snake with a stone in its mouth was

among the wood. Jesus said to that man: What have you done today? He said: 

O spirit of Allah, I had two loaves of bread. I met a beggar. I gave one of

them to him (wee it not for his charity, that black snake would bite and

kill the man).

Imam Sadeq (AS) said: ³Every person who gives alms, God will give a better

recompense to his children after his death.²

On verse 36 of the Quranic Chapter Hajj ³...and feed the poor man who is

contented and beggar...²

Imam Sadeq (AS) has been quoted as saying: ³The poor man who is contented 

 

is one who asks for something and beggar is your friend.²

Imam Sadeq (AS) was in Mina where a poor man came to him. The Imam ordered  

 

a bunch of grapes to be given to him. The poor man said: I do not need it. I 

 

need money. The Imam said: May God increase your sustenance? That man went 

 

on his way empty-handed. Then another poor man came along and the Imam gave 

 

him three single grapes. The poor man took those three single grapes saying:

³Praise is due to the Lord of the worlds² who gave my sustenance. The Imam

who saw this scene said to him: Wait. The Imam said to his servant: how 

many Dirhams are on you? He said: About twenty Dirhams. The Imam said: Give all 

 

Dirhams to him. The poor man took all Dirhams and said: Praise is due to 

 

Allah the Lord of the worlds. O God! This bounty comes from you. You are  

 

One and have no partner. The Imam further said: Wait.

Then he took off the shirt he was wearing and said: Put it on. That man put

on the shirt and said; Praise is due to Allah that gave a shirt and made 

me happy. O servant of God! May God reward you. With these words he said good 

 

bye and went away.

The narrator says: we were saying to ourselves: Had he not said good bye,

the Imam would have kept on giving away, for every time the poor man said

praise is due to Allah, the Imam would give him something.

Imam Sadeq (AS) said: ³If a person gives alms and receives his reward, he

should not ever make a business with it or spend it, for the charity 

belongs to God and no one should share it with God, for this wealth is like a slave 

 

who has been set free and enslaving him again is not lawful.²

About a person who intended to give alms but the poor man had gone away, it

is related by Imam Sadeq (AS) ³He should give it away and not return it to

his own wealth.²

Kinds of charity

Charity is classified into five categories:

1- Charity on wealth which was discussed.

2- Charity on position is when a man of position intercedes for saving

believers.

The Holy Prophet (SAW) has said: 

The best charity is the charity of  

tongue.

It was said: O Messenger of Allah, what is the charity of tongue? The Holy

Prophet said: It is intercession through which you can set a captive free,

prevent bloodshed, help your believing brother, and expel evil from him.²

If you treat believing brother fairly with regard to wealth and honor, 

these two will be safeguarded.

3- Charity on wisdom is counselling. In this relation, the holy Prophet

said: ³Show the right way to your believing brother with your knowledge and

protect him with your advice, for both are charity.²

4- The charity on tongue is when one can put out the fire of differences 

and make peace among them. In verse 114 of the Quranic Chapter, the women

(Nisa), God says:

³There is no good in most of their secret counsels except (in his) who

enjoins charity or goodness or reconciliation between people.....²

5- The charity on knowledge is through is dissemination among those who are

entitled to it. In this relation, the Holy Prophet (SAW) has said:

³One kind of charity is that one should learn and then teach to people what

he has learnt.²

The Holy Prophet (SAW) also said: ³The charity on knowledge is to teach it

to one who does not know it.²

It has been reported on the authority of Imam Sadeq (AS):³Every thing is

subject to charity and the charity on knowledge is to one who is entitled 

to it.

Tags: hadees