Allaah draws us on to all that is kind and good, for that way lies the forgiveness of our sins, and greater real prosperity and satisfaction. No kind or generous act ever ruined any one. As Allaah knows all our motives and cares for all, and has everything in His power, it is obvious which course a wise man will choose. But wisdom is rare, and it is only wisdom that can appreciate true well-being and distinguish it from the false appearance of well-being.
Allaah says in the Quran that, “He grants wisdom to whom He pleases; and he to whom wisdom is granted receives indeed a benefit overflowing.” (2:269)
The word wisdom in the holy Quran implies the best knowledge seeking to act with fullness and soundness of one’s own conscience. True knowledge is spiritual illumination or divine guidance worked through the grace of Allaah as and when the necessity for it occurs. This being the active result of the constant seeking for it by man from the All Wise and the Almighty. The highest kind of this unique gift is revelation through divine agency which is conferred upon the divinely chosen and the purified ones, i.e. Prophets and Imaams.
Allaah orders to His chosen ones in His book Quran that, “Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best.” (16:125)
This divine plan to send the Last Prophet with the most advanced knowledge and wisdom is to convey the final message along with the provision for the continuance of the divine guidance to the last day of the life of the world. Hence the All Wise, Almighty created Ahl-e-Bait-Rasool (AS), the People of the Holy House of Prophet Mohammad (saws), with the purity needed for the purpose of their mission.
Prophet Mohammad (saws) said, “I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is its Gate.” And also “I am the House of Wisdom and Ali is its Gate.” And also “None shall convey anything or preach on my behalf save myself or Ali who is mine and I am his.”
Allaah says in the Holy Quran that, “Verily We have shown him (man) the way, be he (man) grateful or ungrateful.” It has been left to the independent choice or the responsibility of every individual seeker after truth, to know these divine agencies of true guidance and be guided aright, or to reject them and get astray. The right way has been shown to man for all times.
Maulaana Imam Ja’far us-Saadiq bin Imam Muhammad (AS) said, “Faith (imaan) consists in professing by the tongue, believing with the heart, and acting in accordance with its Islamic tenets. This, and nothing but this, is valid.”
The assertion of the common Muslim that faith (imaan) consists in profession and action without the conviction of intent (niyyat) is impossible; for they are unanimous in believing that if a man were to abstain from food and drink for the whole day till night and yet had not conscientiously resolved to fast, he has not fasted. Similarly, if a man were to stand for prayer, bend (ruku’), and prostrate himself (sajda), and yet no intent to pray, he has not prayed; if a man were to halt at ‘arafat and his conscious purpose was not to perform the pilgrimage, he has not performed the pilgrimage; and if, without the intent to pay the zakaat, a man were to give away the whole of his wealth in charity, he has not fulfilled the obligation to pay it; and they hold the same regarding the obligation acts in general. Thus what Saiyed ul-Ambiya Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saws) said is proved, namely that faith consist of profession (qawl), action (a’amaal), and intent (niyyat). This rule and no other is sound.
Saiyed ul-Ambiya Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saws) said, “Verily, actions can be judged only by intentions and every person will be rewarded or punished for what he has intended to do.
Faith consists in testifying that there is no God other than Allaah alone; that He is without associate, and Saiyed ul-Ambiya Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saws) is His Servant and His Messenger; that Heaven and Hell and the Resurrection are verities; that The Hour of Judgement will surely come, there is no doubt thereof; in believing faithfully in the prophets of Allaah and in His messengers and Imams; in knowing the Imam of the time and accepting him faithfully, obeying his commands; in acting in accordance with what Allaah has rendered obligatory upon His servants and avoiding what has been prohibited, and obeying the Imam and accepting what comes from him.
Ameer ul-Mumineen Maulana ‘Ali bin Abi Taalib (AS) said, He was asked, “What is Imaan, and what is Islam?” He replied, “Islam is affirmation (iqraar); while Imaan is affirmation plus cognition (ma’refat). Whosoever has been given knowledge by Allaah regarding Him, His prophets and His Imams, and then professes his faith in these three, is a mumin.”
Ameer ul-Mumineen Maulana ‘Ali bin Abi Taalib (AS) was asked, “O commander of the faithful, what is the least action by which one may be considered as of the faithful (mumin), or a disbeliever (kaafir),or misguided (zaall)?” Maulana Ali (AS) said, “The least by which a man becomes a mumin is that Allaah should grant him true knowledge of his own self so that he may accept obedience to Allaah; and that He should grant him knowledge of His Prophet so that he may obey him; and that He should instruct him concerning His proof (hujjat, the Imam) on His earth and His witness (shaahid) to mankind, so that he may believe in his imaamat and affirm his obedience to him.” He was asked, “What happens if he is ignorant of other things?” He replied, Yes it is all right, but when commanded, he should obey, and when prohibited he should desist.
Maulana Ali (AS) continued, “The least thing that will make him an “associator” (mushrik, commonly termed as polytheist) is believing in what Allaah has forbidden, and asserting perversely that Allaah has so ordered it, then proclaiming it as a creed, and alleging that he worships that which he has been commanded to worship, while that is something or someone other than Allaah the Mighty and Glorious. The least that will cause a man to be misguided is not to recognize the Proof (hujjat) of Allaah on His earth and His Witness to mankind, the Imam, so that he could follow the Imam’s example.
The incident of Ghadeer-e-Khumm, and the Messenger of Allaah’s position on the occasion with regard to the walaayat of Maulana ‘Ali (AS), is generally recognized and well known, and not to be denied by friend or foe. When Saiyed ul-Ambiya Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saws) returned from the Farewell Pilgrimage and came to Ghadeer-e-Khumm, he gave the order that some large trees with wide branches be trimmed and the ground cleared, and announced a congregational prayer. The people then assembled and Messenger of Allaah Mohammad (saws) took Maulana ‘Ali (AS) by the arm and made him stand next to him, and said, “O you people, know that what Haroon (AS) was to Moosa (AS), ‘Ali (AS) is to me, except that there shall be no prophet after me, and he is your Wali after me. Thus Maulana ‘Ali (AS) is the master (maula, commander) of the one who has acknowledged me as his master.” Then the Messenger of Allaah Saiyed ul-Ambiya Muhammad (saws) raised his arms until the whiteness of his armpits could be seen by the assembled people and said, “O Allaah, be affectionate to him who is devoted to ‘Ali (AS), and hostile to him who is hostile to ‘Ali (AS); give victory to him who helps ‘Ali (AS), and forsake him who forsakes ‘Ali (AS) - and make the truth go with ‘Ali (AS) where ever he goes.” What compact (bay’at, misaaq) then could be more binding than this compact and the walaayat?
The people said to Maulana ‘Ali (AS), “Enlighten us with one of the examples of your attainments, O commander of the faithful.” ’Ali (AS) then replied, ‘Once there came two Christian scholars to Saiyed ul-Ambiya Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saws), and they spoke to him concerning Jesus. Subsequently, Allaah revealed the following verse to Saiyed ul-Ambiya Muhammad (saws): Lo! The likeness of Jesus with Allaah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust….to the end of the verse. Then Saiyed ul-Ambiya Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saws) came and took me, Hasan, Husain, and Fatima by the hand and went out for the imprecation (mubaahala). He raised his palms upwards towards the sky, separating out the fingers, and invited the two scholars, to take part in the imprecation. When the two scholars saw Saiyed ul-Ambiya Muhammad (saws) like this, one of them said to his companion, “If he is a prophet, by Allaah, we shall surely be destroyed; and if he is not a prophet, his people will suffice us in his respect we will leave him to his people, who will destroy him for us”; and so they desisted and went away.’
The pure Imams, the friends of Allaah, are the Proofs through which He established His claim against His creature. They are also the Gates of His mercy which He opened to His servants, and the means to attain salvation (najaat), which He devised for His friends and followers. Without obedience of the Imams, a man’s work are not accepted. Only those who have given credence to their imaamat and have shown their devotion to them, excluding those who have displayed enmity toward them and have disobeyed them, will be recompensed.
Saiyed ul-Ambiya Mohammad Rasoolullaah (saws) was asked about those who were subjected the most to the trials and tribulations in this world. He replied, “The prophets, then the vicegerents (awsiya), then the Imams, and finally the faithful.”
Ameer ul-Mumineen Maulana ‘Ali Bin Abi Taalib said, “Certain people came to him asking him about some worldly affairs and sought to ingratiate themselves with him in this matter by saying, ‘We are from among your partisans, O Commander of the Faithful.’ Maulana ‘Ali (AS) gazed at them steadily and said, ‘I do not know you nor do I perceive that you bear the mark that you claim. The distinguishing marks of our partisan are that a person should believe in Allaah and His Messenger Saiyed ul-Ambiya Muhammad (saws), act in obedience to Him and avoid the things He has pronounced as sins, obey us in what we command him, and respond to our call to what we invite him to do. Our partisans keep a constant watch over the sun, the moon, and the stars in order to observe the appointed times of prayer. Our Shi’a are marked by our parched lips and hollow stomachs. The marks of asceticism are writ large on their faces.’ He who would take what is not rightfully his is not of our party, nor is the one who would wrong the people, nor he who would take what is not his to take.”
There are plenty of flowers of wisdom in the garden of sayings of Ameer ul-Mumineen Maulana Maulaana Ali (AS). Describing the facts and truth about the knowledge and wealth, Maulaana Ali (AS) has said some excellent and priceless citations which serve as a true determination and motivation for the mumineen.
“Knowledge is better than worldly riches, because knowledge is your guardian, but you have to safeguard your property. Worldly riches diminish if spent or given our but knowledge increases if imparted to others. Whatever is obtained and built up with worldly property will be destroyed with the consumption of that property.”
Maulaana Ali (AS) has compared knowledge and wealth on many occasions, and has always described knowledge as superior and more valuable than wealth. In the above saying, too, Maulaana Ali (AS) underlines the superiority of knowledge to worldly riches. He sets out three reasons in support of this view:
First, knowledge protects man from the problems of life and afflictions of the next world. Wealth however is in no way a safeguard. In fact, the possessor of wealth is compelled to spend of his time, resources and energy to preserve this wealth.
Second, the possessor of wealth, when he gives out part of his property to others, his wealth is rescued in proportion with this donation. But the possessor of knowledge, however much he imparts his knowledge to others, his knowledge will increase and not diminish. Through his instruction of others, he himself will become more capable and gain more in expertise and ability in his field of knowledge.
Third, when property and wealth are destroyed, all that one obtained as a result of wealth will be destroyed too. For example, if one has reached a position wherein his wealth secures for him worthiness and respect among a group or if individuals have befriended him because of his wealth, then as soon as his wealth is destroyed for whatever reason, his position, respect and friends will be lost along with his wealth.
However the man of knowledge obtains by virtue of his knowledge will never be destroyed, because this knowledge which has brought him privileges will be retained forever.
“How beautiful is the modesty of the rich in the face of the poor for winning Allaah's satisfaction; and how more beautiful is the pride and heedlessness of the poor towards the rich, owing to their trust in Allaah.”
In Islam neither wealth nor poverty are standards of superiority. This means that a Muslim, who has true faith in Allaah's commands, does not maintain more respect for the rich and less for the poor or vice versa. Because Allaah has said that man's value rests upon piety, therefore the more pious a man, the more respect he deserves.
Unfortunately, however. There are individuals for whom this Islamic behavior has little meaning. Such persons, if they are wealthy, behave proudly because of their riches.
They do not heed the poor and often times are not willing to associate with those less fortunate than themselves.
On the other hand one who is less fortunate and uses flattery and bows down before the rich, indeed loses his self-respect.
In this respect, Maulana Ali (AS) has said; “Instead of showing pride and heedlessness, if a rich man shows respect and modesty towards the poor in order that he may please Allaah, then certainly he has done right, because real riches ad respect are rewards that belong to Allaah.”
But more worthily an act is that a poor man does not bow down before the rich, but rather shows pride ad heedlessness. One who first relies upon Allaah derives his needs from Him. Such a person in no way needs to kowtow to the rich or try to draw their affections in the hope that they fulfill his requirements.
A man who trusts in Allaah derives all his requirements from Him alone. Thus this man does not need to degrade himself in the eyes of the rich.
9 + 1 = 10
It has been revealed By the Prophet Mohammad (saws), That when Allaah created Adam (as), At the same time he also created, Things along with it, And distributed some of the human qualities accordingly.
The Words of Wisdom of the Master of Walis, the Sun of Bravery and the Moon of Austerity, Maulaana Ali (as), the Commander of the Faithful, for maintaining a better health of mumineen and following certain habits that are beneficial in a long run, are such wise and prudent that if followed appropriately then the up and down of one’s health would be considerably reduced. If the believers adopt or implement the small and big measures expressed by our Maulaa Ali, then there would not be any need to see the doctor.
One man came to Imaam Ja’far us-Saadiq (as) saying, May my father and mother be ransom to you and may I sacrifice myself on you by thousand lives, Please advise me so that my life becomes easy, trouble free, full of satisfaction and contentment, and when I am on the death bed, none of my longings would have remained unfulfilled.
Imaam Ja’far us-Saadiq (as) replied him, O my Dear! May Allaah bless you with the sound understanding, and may your questioning lead you to climb the ladder of success and may our teachings make your days and nights become resplendent. You should regard our saying as amulets, because its worthy of keeping them besides your heart and its value is greater than worldly treasures, and if you act accordingly then you are sure to get the mercy of Allaah Ta’aala.
O Brother, remember our saying, that whatever you do, think, expect from others, expect good results after doing something, you should think over all these and ask yourself this question, “WHY?”, so you would realize that many things that you do are unnecessary, and you would be drawn to the essential things that should have been done more effectively, religiously and dedicatedly without wasting your time of this precious life.
During the battle of Badr, Allaah Ta’aala sent an army of thousand angels to help the Muslims who were battling against idolaters-Kuffaar and it was getting fierce minute after minute. Allaah Ta’aala assured Rasoolullaah (saws) that if the strength of Kuffaar increases, then We are ready to send for your help not only 3,000 but 5,000 angels, so that, O Rasoolullah (saws)! You and your companions could emerge victorious and may your hearts get filled with faith and peace. In the midst of the battle, Rasoolullaah (saws) told ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Abbaas (as) that, he could spot Jibra’eel (as) standing with his horse by holding its halter in his hands.
During the war, an Ansaari attacked a Mushrik, but before he can thrash him with his sword, someone attacked on him fiercely and a voice was being heard from the ghayb-unseen saying that, “ O Hayzoom, Go ahead!” and after this lightning attack, Ansaari to his surprise saw the Mushrik lying there dead with his clothes shredded, his mouth was cut and torn apart and his body being full of wounds and blood. Rasoolullah (saws) was asked, How did that happen? And he replied that, He was Jibra’eel (as) riding on his horse, who was attacking the enemies along with Muslims. The Kuniyat of Maulaana ‘Ali’s father Maulaana ’Imraan (as) was Abu Taalib and he was also called as Abu Haazim too. It was being derived from the Horse of Maulaana Jibra’eel (as) named “Hayzoom.” Sa’ad bin Waqas says that, he was present at the battle of Badr and what he saw there he might have never seen it throughout his life. He further describes it by saying that, when I was there in the battle-ground I saw two men wearing white clothes and with shining faces and this got so deeply inscribed in my mind that I forgot where I was and what am I doing there. When I asked Rasoolullaah (saws) about this then he revealed to me that, they were Maulaana Jibra’eel (as) and Maulaana Mika’eel (as) who were lending helping hand to Mujaahideen to pave the way for victory.
So, our ‘Aqeedah of taking Waseelah by the name of Imam uz Zamaan (as) and the yaqeen-belief of Nazr ul Maqaam gets strongly proven from this short excerpt. There are thousands of angels-farishtas present always in the khidmat-service of Imam uz Zamaan (as), the progeny of Aal e Mohammad (sa). If any Mu’min calls his Imaam with pure heart and deep trust, he always receives heavenly help and unseen support from him. Likewise the auspiciousness of Nazr ul Maqaam helps in making our troubles vanish and we could find reasonable solution to each and every problem, be it serious or small, seen or unpredictable.
Allaah Ta’aala has created three groups in His Creation – Angels (Farishta-ملائكۃ ), Demons (Jinn-جنات ) and Human Being (Insaan-إنسان ). Rasoolullaah (saws) says that – “Allaah has created Angels with Intellect (‘Aql- عقل ) and without Greed (Shahwat- شھوۃ ); Animals with Greed and without Intellect; and Human Being with Intellect and Greed. Now whoever’s Yearning exceeds his Intellect falls below the rank of Animals and whoever’s Intellect exceeds his Yearning ascends even above the rank of Angels.”
The importance of acquiring knowledge is highlighted in the words of Maulaana ‘Ali (as) that, “Whoever will acquire knowledge, listen to it carefully, accepts it from his heart and practices it will rise above the ranks of learned men. Rank of a teacher is always higher than his student. Teacher is like a mother and student is like a child. Mother knows very well what is beneficial or harmful to her child. Likewise a teacher should only give those things to his student which he deserves and beneficial to him. He should neither give excess to his student which he is unable to digest nor should he deprive him what is necessary for him.”
One of the disciples of Imaam Ja’far us-Saadiq (as) put forward a question to him, ‘O our Maulaa, O Imaam-e-Haqq (truthful Imaam), has Allaah Ta’aala compelled His followers to do His disobedience? Allaah Ta’aala is very just and righteous that He ever compels his followers to do His disobedience and then curses and punishes them for the same? Is this a favour from Allaah? Imaam (as) replied that, "Disobedience is neither a compulsion nor a favour from Allaah. Whoever does good deeds in his life and obeys Allaah and surrenders himself to us is safe and guarded. Whoever does evil and disobeys Allaah and does enmity with us is cursed and punished."
Allaah has given intellect to the human which is not there in any of His Creations-تخلیقات . It is through this intellect that a human decides what is correct and incorrect for him. There is Shari’at (شریعۃ) laid down by Allaah for him which consists of rules and regulations which everyone of us has to follow. In spite of intellect and Shari’at if one still disobeys the words of Allaah then he deserves curse and punishment. Allaah has sent His Nabi, Wasi and Imaam (as) to make people understand the true meaning of Shari’at and they are the one who guides the people to righteous path. Hence only Intellect or only Shari’at does not suffice but a right combination and use of Intellect in understanding the Shari’at of Allaah from the Nabi, Wasi, Imaam or Da’i makes one successful in this Life and the Hereafter (آخرۃ) .
Holy Imaams says that, “We have originated from the intellect and we would return to it, this journey is nothing but attaining zenith in the faith and treading the path of salvation (شفاعۃ) . The intellectual capacity of a man and woman is totally different as the intellect of woman lies in her excellence in maintaining household affairs and in shaping the character of her children. Man’s intellect is their beauty and it is reflected in the etiquettes-aadaab in all spheres of his life. Maulaatona Faatemah az-Zahraa (as) said that,
“The Best among the Women is the one who is intellectually sound and prefers to stay in her house except that some urgency compels her to step out that too in the knowledge of her family members.”
The world was privileged by the presence of Prophet Muhammad SAWS for a particular noble purpose of moulding the religion of Islam to perfection that created a sense of wisdom and simple understanding among the people who were ignorant and pagan Arabs, by commencing the arrangements of secret gatherings and special sessions in the holy city of Mecca. It was due to the impeccable governance and the glory of the small gatherings that news travelled fast and people residing far away, were attracted like scattered pieces of iron towards a potent magnet, that is Mecca, the cradle of Islam.
From the Arab countries, to Iran and its ancient kingdoms recognized as Persia; from the domain of Russia to the Lazio region in Italy of Southern Europe; from the land of Egypt resting along the fertile river Nile or even from the localities of India; people used to come from every dimension and every side of the world, with the intention of learning and getting the enlightenment of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad SAWS. They thought Prophet Muhammad SAWS as the only saviour from the clutches of imaginary religion based on unjustifiable customs and forged practices.
Historic accounts regarding Prophet Muhammad’s SAWS propagation of Islamic principles revealed that there were many strong believers in the initial stage in Mecca and only five of them extremely knowledgeable yet simple men were capable of wearing the crown jewel of Imaan.
Allaah Ta'aala states in His holy book, Qur'an, "As-Saabequnas Saabequn, Ola’ekal Muqarrabun.”, meaning the first will continue to be the first; he is immediate to the blessings and benefits of Allaah Ta'aala. Their attained position and ranking is irreplaceable. Their spiritual struggle against sins caused due to their good deeds and choosing the correct path, makes them exceptionally good, dignified, honourable and magnificent.
In the Noble Divine Book “The Qur’an”, Allaah Ta’aala explains as to how people can adorn and improve their living by following the basic guidelines set by the Deen of Allaah, Allaah Ta’aala has provided lessons and scriptures through Ambiyaa and Awliyaa for making our present-living filled with simplicity, discipline and patience at the fullest. These Ambiyaa are friends and companions of the Deen of Allaah and their Habits and Character is such that people can definitely follow their examples and walk on their footsteps making them their role-model. Any person can adopt their Knowledge, Companionship, Practicality, Experience, and Inherent noble qualities and form his character based on his personal, financial, educational or social status with the best of his intentions and goals.
This could be definitely accomplished by following the Ambiyaa, who are the backbones of the Deen of Allaah. The life should be shaped in such a manner by shouldering Truth, Efforts, Responsibility, Consequences and Honesty then for sure his character-personality will be meaningful and fruitful. Personality or character of a Mumin has a few characteristics which are to be brought under the notice and will also put a feather on the cap if followed religiously and keeping full faith in the Decree and Wish of Allaah:-
In today's fast-paced world, the pursuit of health and fitness has become a cornerstone of modern living. Influencers on social media platforms ardently advocate for various forms of exercise, nutrition, and holistic wellness. It's a remarkable shift in awareness, often drawing comparisons to religious practices. Many express the sentiment that if only their religious teachings had been emphasized by their leaders then the world would have become a better place to live with manageable age-related ailments and reduced medical consultation. Yet, what escapes the notice of many is that Maulaana Ali AS provided profound guidance on holistic health and well-being that remains as relevant today as it was in his time.
Maulaana Ali AS illuminated the path to a healthy life with six invaluable principles, each akin to a trusted doctor tending to our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
By embracing these six doctors, rooted in the wisdom of Maulaana Ali AS, we pave the way for a life of vitality, balance, and fulfillment. These principles, encompassing sunlight, sleep, exercise, nutrition, self-belief, and cherished friendships, constitute a timeless prescription for holistic well-being that transcends eras and stands as a testament to the profound insight of our revered religious leaders. Through their guidance, we find the compass to navigate the modern world while safeguarding our most precious possession—Our Health.
