Muhammad Taqi(A.S.) | Senile Delusions...

Rasool-e-Ummi

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Surah-e-A’raf, Verse 157:

“Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who is an Ummi, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel (which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful for them all good things and prohibit for them only the foul; and he will relieve them of their burden and the fetters that they used to wear. Then those who believe in him, and honour him, and help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him: they are the successful.”

Allah gave the Prophet “Risalat”, “Nabuwwat” and “Ummiyat“.

Muslim translators and mufassirs wrote the meaning of Ummi as “one who does not know how to read or write”.

What needs to be thought upon is level by level, literacy and accumulation of knowledge increases. First you pass level one, then two, then you move on to class/level three. Here it is first Risalat, then Nabuwwat, then the Prophet becomes illiterate!

If this is the meaning of Ummi, then it’s a disgrace to Risalat and Nabuwwat.

If the Prophet did not know how to read and write, then why was it said in the first revelation to “Read!”? And in the same revelation was also the phrase “Bil-Qalam”: We taught him to write with the pen!

“Read with the name of your Lord Who created, created man from a clot. Read, and your Lord only is the Most Beneficent, The One Who taught to write with the pen!” (Al-Alaq 96: 1-4)

Taught whom? Why isn’t it “Say in the name of your Lord”? Why is it specifically “Read”?

The first revelation contains both reading and writing, then why are Muslims saying “didn’t know how to read or write”?

“Nun, and by the Pen, and that which will be written. Thou art not, for thy Lord’s favour unto thee, a madman.” (68:1-2)

Mufassirs have written the meaning of Nun as “fish”. Now what does a fish have to do with a pen? We have the pen, and what it will write, the only thing left to complete the set is a “dawaat” (ink bottle). Does the letter Nun resemble a container of sorts?

Why did Allah reveal this verse? Did the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) ask for a pen, paper and an ink bottle, and was declared a madman ever?

It is a strange thing that in Arabic, every word has 20-25 meanings. The Prophet said “Man Kunto Maulahu Fahaza Ali Un Maula!” Here the meanings of Maula have been declared by Muslims as brother, aide, helper, servant, neighbor, friend, etc so that the real meaning gets lost somewhere. But when it comes to Ummi, they have declared just one meaning “illiterate”. Why has the dictionary shrunk here?

Risalat means to convey the message, and Nabuwwat means to get it from Allah, if a Prophet passes away then neither will the message come from Allah nor would it be conveyed to the people. This means that both ranks get terminated. But the Holy Prophet is above all the other prophets, so there must be a rank that does not end ever.

Prophet Ibrahim was given Risalat, Nabuwwat, then Khullat (ref Khalilullah), showing that the rank is increasing, not decreasing, and in the end he was given Imamat. The last rank is the highest of them all: “We have made you the Imam of all humanity.” This rank will go on till Qayamat, all other ranks ended at his passing.

Imamat, Imam and Ummi, there is a strong connection between these three in Arabic. Since Ibrahim was the first Imam, this rank was passed on in his lineage till Qayamat. Since the Holy Prophet is above Ibrahim, then he must have a rank that is greater than that of an Imam i.e. Ummi.

Ummi is a rank that will go on till Qayamat and beyond that. Higher than Risalat, higher than Nabuwwat!

To understand this word, we must see where it comes from. Ummi is derived from the word “Umm” (ام). “Umm” has a lot of meanings and in the light of each and every one of them, the Holy Prophet is an “Ummi”.

“Umm” means “mother”, “Umm” means the “origin/reality of everything”, e.g. the origin of Ummah, Ummi. The origin of Imamat, Ummi. “Umm” also means “basis/foundation”, and it also means “root”.

“Umm” means “central land”, “Umm” means “central/main Alam(flag)”, “Umm” means “where two rivers meet and form the main river”.

Umm means main alam/flag. A flag is the identity of an army, it’s purpose to bring all soldiers closer to their base. Flags are raised so that all those who have gone astray may reach their destination. On tall buildings, in villages, alams were hoisted so that a traveller, a stranger may find inhabitations easily. The first alam was used for gathering people. When Shees decided to avenge Abel’s murder from Cain, the children of Adam were scattered over great distances so Shees asked Gabriel on how to unite them. Gabriel brought an alam from Heaven and asked Shees to raise it. An Alam unites people, it does not create divisions. The one who raises it is an Ummi.

But the Holy Prophet never held an Alam throughout his entire life. It was either Hamza, or Ja’far-e-Tayyar and in Khyber he announced that he would give the Alam to the one who is a Man (Rajul) and it was awarded to Ali. Then which Alam is this? It’s the Alam of Shafa’at. On the Day of Judgment, this Alam will be in the Prophet’s hand, and this honor has not been bestowed on any Nabi or Rasool.

Umm also means “central land”. When the world was being created, the first land to be formed was Makkah, that’s why one of it’s names is “Umm-ul-Qara”. “Qarion ki Maan” (mother of villages), the origin of cities. A resident of Lucknow is Lakhnavi, that of Dehli is Dehlavi, the one from Umm-ul-Qara is Ummi. Mufassirs have written that in relation to Umm-ul-Qara, the Holy Prophet has been called Ummi. But that means every resident of Makkah becomes an Ummi, and everyone can not be an Ummi.

Allah says in the Quraan:

“We sent an Ummi from amongst Ummis.”

During the tafseer of this verse, the literal meaning was taken. If every infidel from Makkah becomes an Ummi, then this is a disgrace for this rank.

And if we repeat the previous meaning that “We sent an illiterate from illiterates” then the Quraan again refutes by saying that “He recites verses over them. He narrates the Quraan”…one who narrates the Quraan cannot be illiterate…and neither were the inhabitants of Makkah. They were so learned that their children used to say poetic verses effortlessly while walking. They used to recognize the rider by looking at the hoof-prints of the horse or camel. They used to say rhapsodies on the go during battles and were proud of their eloquence. They called themselves Arabs and all others Ajams (mutes). They were not illiterates. These Arab non-believers were not illiterate but the Prophet was…won’t the one saying this be called an infidel himself?

Then what does the Quraan mean by saying that we sent an Ummi from Ummis?

Sometimes the application of “Ummat” is on one man. The Quraan says that Ibrahim was an Ummat [Ibrahima Kana Ummatan (16:120)], this Ummat is still alive after Ibrahim in his progeny…this Ummat is of Abdul Muttalib, Abdullah, Abu Talib, Fatimah Binte Asad, Khadijah and Ali, etc. And from amongst these Ummis, the Prophet was sent.

Coming to the meaning of Umm that is “where two rivers meet to form the main river”:

Two bahars (seas) met…Ibrahim is one bahar, Hajra another, both met and this process led till Hashim. Hashim got married to Salmah of Madinah, Abdul Muttalib was born. Abdul Muttalib and Fatimah-e-Makhzoomia form two bahars, and Abdullah is born. Abdullah and Aminah meet, and the Noor of the Prophet appears. Where two Umms meet, appears an Ummi. Khadijah’s lineage comes from Ibrahim…she gets married to the Prophet and Fatimah Zehra’s Noor appears. Abu Talib and Fatimah Binte Asad meet and the Noor of Ali appears. Ali and Fatimah Zehra come together then the Quraan moves forward and declares:

“Pearls and Coral” like Hasan and Husain are born.

Now we come to the most important meaning of Umm…”mother”.

Ummi means “son of one’s mother”, this means that the son of every Umm is an Ummi. No, every son of an Umm is not Ummi, only one whose mother is the pride of the Creation.

This is a strange merit…whenever the Prophet selected anyone from his Ummat to award a title or merit, then the highest merit was always awarded to Ali, and to Fatimah among the women. The Prophet declared everyone in his Ummat to be the brother of another, but made Ali his own brother…highest merit for Ali.

He made all his wives the mothers of the Ummat, Ali the father.

But for Fatimah, the merit had to be higher, so he called Fatimah “Umm-e-Abiha” (mother of her father)!

By calling Fatimah his mother, the Prophet wanted to show the Ummat that a prophet’s mother is always pure, and devoid of impurities and faults, like Fatimah. And the one who raised him on his lap was a mother like Fatimah Binte Asad. Ayah-e-Tatheer stands witness over their purity and infallibility.

It is now clear that the Prophet was not illiterate, the translators and mufassirs are the illiterate ones. Then how high a standard does the Prophet have of knowledge? This can only be declared by an Infallible. Muhammad-e-Taqi, his successor, states:

“The Prophet knew how to read and write in the 97 languages in use at that time!“

**************

This is a modified and translated extract (almost half) of Dr. Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi’s speech on the topic “Rasool-e-Ummi”, from the book “Mairaj-e-Khitabat” Volume III. Most parts have been removed to prevent choking due to overdose. Sorry!

Any mistakes or discontinuities are my faults, I am a mere human being after all. The full speech can be found in the book above.

**************

Picture of Allama Dr. Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi

Allamah Dr. Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi

Born in Lucknow in 1947, Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi is one of the prominent scholars of Pakistan, having a breath-taking command over history, not just of Islam or Muslims but the whole goddamn world, and maybe more. Having two Ph. Ds to his credit, one on “Khitabat” and the other on “Mir Anees”, he has been conducting research on God knows how many topics for the past 50 years. Not only this, he has command over languages including Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Hindi and (again) God knows what else (I’ve even heard him speak in some dehaati language!). Ask him about the origin or roots of any word or idiom and he’ll tell you.

Having read books of all Muslim schools of thought, including Shia, Hanafi, Barelvi, Ahl-e-Hadees, Deobandi, Maliki, etc and even those of other religions like Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism, he has devoted his life to upholding the merits of the Holy Prophet and His Progeny (S.A.W.W.) and condemning all actions taken by the perpetrators of heinous crimes against them, or in current times by the supporters of these perpetrators. He has taken it upon himself to defend these virtuous personalities and their forefathers, e.g. Hazrat Abu Talib (A.S.), Hazrat Abdul Muttalib (A.S.), by refuting all degrading theories, and proving their virtues and high status with the help of the Quraan, Ahadees and History. This has earned him the title of “Wakeel-e-Wila-e-Ali” from his fans and followers, belonging to both Shia and Sunni sects. He has delivered lectures in various countries including Pakistan (obviously!), India, Iran, Iraq, Syria, UK, USA, Greece, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, etc, etc, etc, bus main thak gaya!

Author of more than 300 books and articles, on topics like “Mir Anees Ki Shairi Mein Rangon Ka Istimal”, “Ilm-e-Maasoom”, “Shu’raye Urdu aur Ishq-e-Ali”, “Fatah-e-Imam-e-Hasan [w.r.t the deal with Muawiyyah (L.A.)]“, “Janab-e-Zainab aur Tareekh-e-Mulk-e-Shaam”, “Gham-e-Imam-e-Husain Aur Azadaron Ki Shifa’at”, etc, and personalities like Hazrat Ali (2000 pages), Bibi Fatimah Zehra(2000 pages), Hazrat Ja’far-e-Tayyar, Shahzada-e-Qasim Ibne Hasan (two volumes, 1000 and 900 pages), Bibi Umm-ul-Baneen (500 pages), etc and being an excellent poet himself (by the name ‘Akhtar’), he is famous in the literary world as well and many of his books are present in the Library of the U.S. Congress.

Bus buhat ho gaya, I’m tired. Find more here: Allamah Zameer Akhtar Naqvi

26.01.2009 Ali(A.S.), Amazing, Captives of Karbala(A.S.), Facts, Fatimah Zehra(S.A.), General Knowledge, Hasan(A.S.), History, Husain(A.S), Muhammad Taqi(A.S.), Muhammad(S.A.W.W.), Reflections, Religious 29 Comments

Martyrdom of Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.)

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

The 25th of Rajab marks the day of martyrdom of Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.), the seventh Imam in the Progeny of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.). He was the son of Imam Ja’far-e-Sadiq (A.S.) and Lady Hameedah Khatoon (S.A.). He was born on the 7th of Safar, 128 AH in Abwa between Makkah and Madinah.

Courtesy: Syed Awn Husain Rizvi

Family Tree

Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.), son of Ja’far-e-Sadiq (A.S.), son of Muhammad-e-Baqar (A.S), son of Ali Zain-ul-Abideen (A.S.), son of Husain (A.S.), son of Ali (A.S.) and Fatimah (S.A.), son-in-law and daughter of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) respectively.

Name, Kunniyat and Title

Imam Musa-e-Kazim was named Musa by his father. One question that arises is why was he named Musa when all the other Imams had names that had either never been used before or used only by the Bani Hashim (A.S.). The reason will be explained in a later post.

His Kunniyat was Abul Ali. Abul Hasan and Abul Ibrahim are also stated. His titles include Kazim (The Restrained or Calm One) and Abdus Sualeh (The Virtuous Slave of Allah).

Childhood

Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.) spent 20 years of his sacred life under the gracious patronage of his father. His inherent genius and gifted virtues, combined with the enlightened guidance and education from his father, Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (A.S.), was manifested in his personality. He was fully versed with Divine Knowledge in his childhood as are all Imams (A.S.).

Allamah Majlisi relates that once Abu Hanifa happened to call upon the holy abode of Imam-e-Sadiq (A.S.) to ask him about some religious matters. The Imam was asleep; so he was kept waiting outside till the Imam’s awakening. Meanwhile, Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.), who was 5 years old, came out of the house. After offering him his best regards, Abu Hanifah inquired, “O son of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.)! What is your opinion about the deeds of a man? Does he do them by himself, or does Allah make him do them?”

“O Abu Hanifa!”, the 5-year-old Imam replied. “The doings of a man are confined to three possibilities:

That Allah alone does them while the man is quite helpless

That both Allah and the man equally share the commitment

That the man does them alone

Now, if the first assumption is true, it obviously proves the injustice of Allah who punishes His creatures for sins which they have not committed. If the second condition be accepted, even then Allah is unjust if He punishes a man for sins in which he is equally a partner. But the undesirability of both these conditions is evident in the case of Allah. Thus, we are naturally left with the third alternative to the problem that men are absolutely responsible for their actions.”

Imamate

Imam Ja’far-e-Sadiq (A.S.) was martyred on the 25th of Shawwal, 148 AH by Abassid Caliph Mansoor-e-Do-Anaqi (L.A.). Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.) succeeded him in the Holy Office of the Imamate as the seventh Imam. The period of his Imamate lasted 35 years. In the first decade of his Imamate, Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.) could afford a peaceful execution of the responsibilities of his sacred office, propagating the teachings of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.). But soon after, he fell victim to the ruling Caliphs and a greater part of his life passed in prison.

Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.) lived under the most trying times of the regimes of the despotic Abassid (L.A.) caliphs who were known for their tyrannical and cruel rule. He witnessed the reigns of Mansoor-e-Do-Anaqi (L.A.), Mehdi (L.A.), Hadi (L.A.) and Harun Rashid (L.A.). Mansoor (L.A.) and Harun (L.A.) were the despotic caliphs who put a multitude of innocent descendants of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) to the sword. Thousands of these martyrs were buried alive or put into horrible dark prisons. Many a Syed youth were “built” into the walls of the city of Baghdad. These depraved caliphs knew no pity or justice; they killed and tortured for the pleasure they derived from human suffering.

The Holy Imam (A.S.) was saved from the tyranny of Mansoor (L.A.) because, being occupied with his project of constructing the new city of Baghdad, the caliph did not have time to turn towards inflicting suffering on the Imam (A.S.). After Mansoor (L.A.), his son Mehdi (L.A.) ascended the throne. For a few years he remained indifferent towards the Imam (A.S.). When in 164 AH, he came to Madinah and heard about the great reputation of the Imam (A.S.), Mehdi (L.A.) could not resist his jealousy and the spark of his ancestral malice against the Ahle-Bayt (A.S.) was rekindled. He somehow managed to take the Imam (A.S.) along with him to Baghdad and got him imprisoned there. But after a year he realized his mistake and released the Imam (A.S.) from prison.

Hadi (L.A.), who lived only for a year, succeeded Caliph Mehdi (L.A.). In 170 AH, the most cruel and tyrannical of these caliphs, Harun Rashid (L.A.), appeared at the head of the Abasside Empire. It was during his reign that the Holy Imam (A.S.) passed the greater part of his life in a miserable prison, until his martyrdom.

The Reason For The Tital “Kazim”

Regarding Imam’s (A.S.) morality and ethical excellence, Ibne Hajar remarks, “The patience and forbearance of Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.) was such that he was given the title of Al-Kazim (one who swallows his anger). He was the embodiment of virtue and generosity. He devoted his nights to the prayers of Allah, and his days to fasting. He always forgave those who did him wrong.”

A servant of Imam (A.S.) was heating a metal rod for some reason. Imam’s young son came out playing and the heated metal accidentally dropped on his head. The accident was fatal.

The servant was captured. When he was being brought before the Imam (A.S.), he was trembling and sweating profusely at the impending death sentence to be given to him.

When he looked at the Imam (A.S.), he saw tears streaming down the Imam’s (A.S.) face and his son’s body in his arms. Imam looked at him and said:

“I free you in the name of Allah.”

Such was the state of Imam’s forgiveness and generosity.

Children

Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.) had 18 sons and 18 daughters. The most famous of his sons is his successor, Imam Ali-e-Raza (A.S.) and the most famous of his daughters is Fatimah Kubra known as Masuma-e-Qum who is buried in Qum, Iran.

Literary Achievements

Time and circumstances did not permit the Holy Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.) to establish institutions to impart religious knowledge to his followers, as his father, Imam Ja’far-e-Sadiq (A.S.), and his grandfather, Imam Muhammad-e-Baqar (A.S.), had done. He was never allowed to address a congregation. He carried on his mission of preaching and guiding people quietly. He also became the author of a few books, the most famous of which is “Masnad of Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.)”.

His Martyrdom

Harun Rashid (L.A.) sent his armies to Madinah to arrest the Imam (A.S.) and bring him to Baghdad. The houses of the Saadat (descendants of the Prophet [S.A.W.W.]) were burned. Women and children ran out of the houses towards the shrine of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.).

Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.) was arrested from the shrine of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) and many other Syed young men and boys were captured. Imam was taken to Basra while the rest were taken to a dungeon in Naishapur (Nieshabur), Iran and cut to pieces.

Imam was then moved to Baghdad where he spent 13 years of his life in a prison with no light, so low that one could not stand inside and with only a small hole for air. He became weak and frail, such that he could be described as only skin over bones.

One of the followers of Imam (A.S.) wanted to see him. His enthusiasm was so great that he convinced one of the guards, also a secret follower of the Imam (A.S.), to help him.

The guard arranged for him to secretly peek into the dungeon through the small hole mentioned above. The man looked inside, turned back to the guard and said there was no one inside.

“What do you see?”, asked the guard.

“Only a white sheet spread flatly on the ground”, replied the man.

“That sheet is spread over Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.)”, replied the guard.

On the 25th of Rajab, 183 AH, Harun Rashid (L.A.) poisoned the Imam. Four laborers were brought to take the body of Imam (A.S.) to the bridge of Baghdad on a wooden board and leave it there.

Imam’s (A.S.) burial rites were performed by his son Imam Ali-e-Raza (A.S.), also his successor as Imam, and he was buried in Baghdad. The place is now known as Kazmain. Imam’s (A.S.) grandson Imam Muhammad Taqi (A.S.) is also buried there.

Some Pictures of Kazmain

30.07.2008 Ali Raza(A.S.), Ali(A.S.), Fatimah Zehra(S.A.), General Knowledge, History, Husain(A.S), Jafar-e-Sadiq(A.S.), Muhammad Baqar(A.S.), Muhammad Taqi(A.S.), Muhammad(S.A.W.W.), Musa Kazim(A.S.), Religious, Zain-ul-Abideen(A.S.) 8 Comments

Date of Birth of Imam Muhammad Taqi (A.S.)

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

The 10th of Rajab marks the date of birth of the 9th Imam in the Progeny of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.), Imam Muhammad Taqi (A.S.). He was born in the year 195 AH in Madinah.

Courtesy: Syed Awn Husain Rizvi

Name, Title and Kunniyat

He was born Muhammad to Imam Ali Raza (A.S.) and Bibi Sabikah Khatoon (S.A.), whom Imam Raza (A.S.) used to call by the name Khaizarun. She belonged to the tribe of Bibi Maria-e-Qibtia (S.A.), the wife of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) from whom he had his son Ibrahim (A.S.) who died in infancy.

About Bibi Sabikah Khatoon (S.A.), the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) said:

“My father be sacrificed on the mother of the 9th Imam who will be a pure and pious Nubian.”

The most famous of his titles are Taqi (Pious) and Jawwad (Generous). His Kunniyat is Abu Ja’far, meaning father of Ja’far.

Family Tree

Muhammad-e-Taqi (A.S.), son of, Ali-e-Raza (A.S.), son of Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.), son of Ja’far-e-Sadiq (A.S.), son of Muhammad-e-Baqar (A.S.), son of Ali Zain-ul-Abideen (A.S.), son of Husain (A.S.), and Fatimah (S.A.), daughter of Hasan (A.S.), both sons of Ali (A.S.) and Fatimah (S.A.), son-in-law and daughter of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.), respectively.

Childhood

Imam was only 5 years old when his father was called to Baghdad by Mamun Rashid (L.A.), the then Abassid (L.A.) caliph, to be his ‘heir apparent’. When Imam Ali Raza (A.S.) was leaving he saw his son putting sand in his hair. He asked why and the young Imam replied that this was what an orphan did.

Imam Raza (A.S.) was poisoned by Mamun Rashid (L.A.) in 203 AH and Imam Taqi (A.S.) became Imam at the small age of 8 or 9 years.

The Level of Knowledge and Scholastic Attitude

Mamun (L.A.) called the young Imam (A.S.) to Baghdad from Madinah and offered his daughter, to try to bribe him by making him his heir and also in the hopes that the much awaited Imam Mehdi (A.S) to be born in Imam’s lineage would be from his daughter’s children. This infuriated his family (the Abassids [L.A.]). To prove to them the excellence of Imam even at a young age he arranged a meeting between Imam and the most learned of men at that time – Yahya bin Aksam.

It was a grand occasion with some 900 other scholars present.

Imam (A.S.) was first asked by Yahya:

What is the compensation (kaffara) for a person in Ehraam who hunted and killed his prey?”

Imam replied that there were many more details required before he could answer the question:

1. Did the Muhrim (one in Ehraam) hunt in the haram or outside?
2. Did the Muhrim know Sharia or not?
3. Did he hunt intentionally or not?
4. Did he hunt for the first time or was this one of many times?
5. Was he free or a slave?
6. Was his prey a bird or an animal?
7. Was it big or small?
8. Had he hunted by day or by night?
9. Was he baligh or not?
10. Was he repentant or not?
11. Was his ehraam for Hajj or Umra?

Yahya was stunned!

Although Mamun (L.A.) did succeed in forcing Imam (A.S.) to marry his daughter Ummul Fazl (L.A.), his plan never neared fruition as his daughter gave birth to none and he could not subdue Imam (A.S.) either.

Imam’s Holiness and Knowledge of All To Happen

Following the martyrdom of Imam Raza (A.S.), eighty men of wisdom traveled to perform Hajj. On the way, they arrived in Madinah and went to Imam’s (A.S.) house to pay him a visit. Imam (A.S.) who was at a young age (child), moved into the aggregation and all of them stood up to honor and respect him.

Then they asked questions about their problems and heard responses of the Imam (A.S.) and were very glad. One of them named Ishaq says, “I had written down a number of problems to ask from the Imam (A.S.) and request him to pray for me so that God gives me a son. Since the assembly was quite overcrowded I got up to go and come back the next day. Imam (A.S.) saw me and told me that O Ishaq, God has granted my demand (prayer) and will give you a son. Name him ‘Ahmad’.

“Thereafter, Imam (A.S.) answered my problems. I heard the answers to my questions without even putting them to Imam (A.S.).

“I was much surprised and said that I thank God for the benediction and boon that he has given us. He is the same proof of God (Imam) as I returned to my city, not long after God gave me a son just as Imam (A.S.) had said. I named him ‘Ahmad’.”

Ashari Qumi says, “I had the honor to visit Imam (A.S.). I humbly said that one of the ladies, who is your follower, has asked me to bring along with me one of your dresses for her so that she may use it as her coffin.

“Imam said that she did not need it any longer.

“I did not exactly understand what it meant. I did not utter a word and said good-bye to Imam (A.S.) and came back. Afterwords, I came to know that a few days before my reaching the Imam (A.S.), that woman had died.”

One day in Baghdad, some children were busy playing on a street. Standing near them was the 9th Imam (A.S.). Suddenly the children saw Mamun Rashid (L.A.), the Abbasid (L.A.) ruler passing by with his soldiers. The children quickly dispersed from that place. However, Imam (A.S.) did not run away, rather he (A.S.) stood at his place.

When Mamun (L.A.) arrived at that spot, he looked at the young boy and asked, “Haven’t you recognized me? Why didn’t you move from this place?”

The young child replied, “The path is not narrow that it would become wider by moving aside, nor have I committed any crime that I should run away from you. Moreover, I do not think that you are the sort who would punish someone who is innocent”.

This hit Mamun (L.A.) very hard. He stared at the handsome and illuminated face of this young child for sometime and was wonder-struck. He realized that this child couldn’t be an ordinary child so he asked, “Tell me what is your name?”

The child said, “I am Muhammad”.

“Whose son are you?” asked Mamun (L.A.).

The child replied, “I am the son of Ali-e-Raza, son of Musa, (A.S.)”.

When Mamun (L.A.) heard this, he praised the 8th Imam (A.S.) and left.

However, the incident does not end here.

After this brief meeting with our Imam (A.S.), Mamun (L.A.) proceeded to a nearby forest for hunting. There, he released his eagle, which flew and returned after a while with a small live fish in its beak. Mamun (L.A.) was quite surprised by this. As he returned and passed by the same spot where he had met our Imam (A.S.), he found the young child again at the same place.

So he halted and asked him, “O Muhammad! Tell me what do I have in my hand?”

Imam (A.S.) replied, “Allah has created many vast oceans from which clouds are formed. When clouds are forming, they absorb small live fish which are caught by the eagles of kings, who then use them to test the Imams of their times”.

Mamun was dumbfounded by this reply and said, “Indeed you are the son of Ali-e-Raza, son of Musa, (A.S.) – for such miracles are not impossible from his son”.

(Soure: Ahsan al-Muqaal)

Martyrdom

When Mamun (L.A.) died, Mu’tasim (L.A.) ascended the throne. He, like his Abbasid (L.A.) ancestors, was worried about the leadership of Ahle Bayt (A.S.) and their political and scholarly status. Therefore, he exiled Imam Taqi (A.S.) from Madinah to Baghdad in the year 219 AH, for fear from his popularity and extending his effect. He did this, in order to draw the Holy Imam near the center of power and scrutiny and isolate him from practicing his popular, political and scholarly role.

Imam (A.S.) stayed in Baghdad until the year 220 AH, when he was martyred from poisoning by his wife Ummul Fazl (L.A.) at the instigation of the ruling Abbasid caliph Mu’tasim (L.A.).

His short life lasted twenty five years and some months, and was full of historical, ideological and scholarly struggles and achievements. He is the Imam martyred at the youngest age, and second youngest Infallible with respect to age, behind Bibi Fatimah (S.A.), the Prophet’s (S.A.W.W.) daughter, who was martyred at the age of slightly less than eighteen.

The Holy Imam (A.S.) was martyred in Baghdad in the year 220 AH, on the 29th of Ziqa’ad and was burried in the graveyard of Quraish behind his grandfather, Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.), the seventh holy Imam. The place has became famous as Kazmain, in Iraq.

Some Pictures of Kazmain

15.07.2008 Ali Raza(A.S.), Ali(A.S.), Facts, Fatimah Zehra(S.A.), General Knowledge, Hasan(A.S.), History, Husain(A.S), Imam-e-Zamana(A.S.), Jafar-e-Sadiq(A.S.), Muhammad Baqar(A.S.), Muhammad Taqi(A.S.), Muhammad(S.A.W.W.), Musa Kazim(A.S.), Religious, Zain-ul-Abideen(A.S.) 9 Comments

Date of Birth of Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.)

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

The 5th of Rajab marks the date of birth of the 10th Imam in Prophet Muhammad’s (S.A.W.W.) progeny, Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.). He was born ‘Ali’ to Imam Muhammad Taqi (A.S.) and Hazrat Samanah Khatoon (S.A.). His father Muhammad Taqi (A.S.) was the son of Ali Raza (A.S.), son of Musa-e-Kazim(A.S.), son of Jafar-e-Sadiq (A.S.), son of Muhammad-e-Baqar (A.S.), son of Ali Zain-ul-Abideen (A.S.), son of Imam Husain (A.S.) who is the brother of Hasan (A.S.) and son of Ali (A.S.) and Fatima (S.A.), the son-in-law and daughter of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.), respectively.

Courtesy: Syed Awn Husain Rizvi

Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.) spent most of his life under the tyrannical rule of Mutawakkil (L.A.), the Yazid of the Abassids (L.A.). He wasn’t more than 8 years old when his father Muhammad Taqi (A.S.) was poisoned by Mu’tasim Billah (L.A.), Mutawakkil’s (L.A.) father. He became Imam at such a small age and had the longest period of Imamate till his martyrdom at the age of 42 in Samarrah due to poisoning by Mo’taz Billah (L.A.) of the Abassids (L.A.). He spent half of the period of his Imamate teaching his followers and the other half under imprisonment by the Abassid (L.A.) Caliphs.

Titles and Kunniyat

The two most famous titles of Imam are Naqi (Pure) and Haadi (Guide). His kunniyat is Abul Hasan (father of Hasan). His son Hasan Askari (A.S.) became Imam after him.

The Ring on Imam’s finger

Each Imam used to wear a ring on his right hand however each Imam had a special Dua engraved on its stone. The 10th Imam had two such prayers which included, “Allah is my Lord and He is my protection from His creations.” The other ring had the following line inscribed upon it, “Maintaining and safeguarding one’s promises is of the etiquette of the servants (of Allah).”

Example of Imam’s Knowledge of ‘All and Everything’

In the tribe of Rabee’ah, there lived a Christian by the name of Yusuf, son of Yaqoob.
One day, Mutawakkil, the Abassid ruler, summoned this Christian to his court. Not knowing the reason, this Christian was extremely terrified. Since he was aware that Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.) was the most pious and saintly person of their time, the Christian set aside 100 ashrafis to gift to the Imam (A.S.) in hope of receiving protection from Allah. He took the money with him and proceeded to Samarrah.

Samarrah was a new place for this Christian. Neither did he know anyone there nor was he familiar with the place. When he arrived in Samarrah, he was aware that Imam (A.S.) was under house arrest and being a Christian, it would be all the more difficult for him to inquire about Imam (A.S.). Not knowing what to do, he climbed on his donkey and left the donkey free to take him anywhere in hope that he will find a solution to his problem.

The donkey moved on its own with the Christian seated on it until it came and stopped outside a house. The Christian tried his level best to move the donkey further but it would not budge. When the Christian asked a passer-by about the house, he was told that it belonged to Ali (A.S.), son of Muhammad (A.S.).

The Christian told himself, “God is great! This is sufficient for me to understand the status of this man”.

Suddenly a black slave appeared from the house and asked, “Are you Yusuf, son of Yaqoob?”

The Christian replied affirmatively and said to himself, “This is the second proof. No one here knows me, how did this man call me by my name?”

The slave asked the Christian to come and wait at the doorstep of the house while he went inside. After sometime, he appeared again and said, “The 100 ashrafis, which you have brought along, give them to me.”

The Christian handed the envelope to the slave who took it inside. He said to himself, “This is the third proof!”

Finally, the slave appeared again and invited the Christian to enter the house. Imam (A.S.) was sitting on a humble mat and as soon as he saw the Christian, he asked, “O Yusuf! Hasn’t the time of your guidance come yet?”

The Christian replied, “My Master! Today I have found such evidences that are sufficient for me to believe in you”.

Imam (A.S.) said, “What you have spoken is far-fetched. You will never become a Muslim! However, your son is our follower. O Yusuf! People say that our Mastership and friendship does not benefit people like you. They are liars! People like you also benefit from our friendship. Now go for the purpose you have taken the trouble to come here and you will be successful.”

As the Imam (A.S.) had predicted, the Christian was successful in his trip and no harm befell upon him from Mutawakkil. He died as a Christian but one of his sons accepted Islam and became a great follower of the Ahle-Bayt (A.S.).

(Source: Ahsan al-Muqaal)

One day a person had a disagreement with his brothers about the four fasts that are highly recommended to be kept every year. So they came to Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.). At the time Imam (A.S.) was at a place called Surya on his way to Samarrah.

As soon as he saw them, Imam (A.S.) told them, “You have come here to ask me about the four recommended fasts in a year”.

They replied, “Maula! You are right. Indeed we have come to ask you the same question”.

Imam (A.S.) said to them, “The four fasts are: 17th Rabi-ul-Awwal – the day when the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) was born; 27th Rajab – the day the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) proclaimed his Prophethood; 25th Zeqa’ad – the day the Earth was spread and 18th Zilhajj – the day of Ghadeer”.

(Source: Ahsan al-Muqaal)

Sayings of Imam

“Do not expect honesty and purity of intention from someone who has suffered from your malice; do not expect loyalty from one to whom you have been disloyal; do not expect goodwill from someone whom you regard with ill-will: his heart towards you is the same as your heart towards him.”

“Others will fear him who fears Allah. He who obeys Allah will be obeyed. He who obeys Allah will not care for the dissatisfaction of the creatures. He who enrages the Creator should be sure of encountering the dissatisfaction of the creatures.”

“You should present thorough obedience to those who present for you their thorough love and advice.”

“Do not feel secure from those who disgraced their personalities.”

“He who feels secure from Allah’s unexpected retribution and painful penalty will feel arrogant until Allah’s act and inevitable decree (death) will befall him. He whomever receives evidence from his Lord will belittle the worldly misfortunes even if he is cut into pieces.”

“There are definite places in which Allah likes the servants to supplicate to Him. One of these places is the shrine of Husain(A.S.), Sayyed-ush-Shuhada (Master of all Martyrs).”

Generosity

One example of Imam’s generosity is that he paid 30,000 dirhams to an Arab man of Kufah, saying to him, “We pay your debts.”

The man then, thanking the Imam (A.S.), said: “Sir, the debts I owe are only about one-third of the amount you gave me!”

The Imam (A.S.) added, “Then spend the rest on your family and your people!”

The man in astonishment of the Imam’s (A.S.) generosity said, “Allah knows whom to entrust with His Message of Divine Guidance!”

Martyrdom

Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.) was poisoned by Mo’taz. He left the world on 3rd Rajab 254 AH. His son Imam Hasan Askari (A.S.) performed the pre-burial rites and buried him at the particular sacred spot in his special chamber, where his tomb is now situated in Samarrah, Iraq, also the site of disappearance of his grandson, Imam Mehdi (A.S.).

10.07.2008 Ali Naqi(A.S.), Ali Raza(A.S.), Ali(A.S.), Facts, Fatimah Zehra(S.A.), General Knowledge, Hasan Askari(A.S.), History, Husain(A.S), Imam-e-Zamana(A.S.), Jafar-e-Sadiq(A.S.), Muhammad Baqar(A.S.), Muhammad Taqi(A.S.), Muhammad(S.A.W.W.), Musa Kazim(A.S.), Religious, Zain-ul-Abideen(A.S.) 8 Comments

Martyrdom of Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.)

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

The 3rd of Rajab marks the date of martyrdom of the 10th Imam in the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.), Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.). He is the son of Muhammad-e-Taqi(A.S.), son of Ali-e-Raza (A.S.), son of Musa-e-Kazim(A.S.), son of Jafar-e-Sadiq (A.S.), son of Muhammad-e-Baqar (A.S.), son of Ali Zain-ul-Abideen (A.S.), son of Imam Husain (A.S.) who is the brother of Hasan (A.S.) and son of Ali (A.S.) and Fatima (S.A.), the son-in-law and daughter of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.), respectively.

He was martyred during imprisonment by Mo’taz (L.A.) of the Abassids (L.A.), also known as the Yazid of the Abassids for his inhumane treatment of the Prophet’s family (S.A.W.W.).

Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.) was buried in Samarrah, Iraq in his home. His shrine is popularly known as the Mosque with the Golden Dome and the Al-Askariya Mosque, and houses the resting places of his son Imam Hasan Askari (A.S.), sister Hakimah Khatoon (S.A.), and Nargis Khatoon (S.A.), wife of Imam Hasan Askari (A.S.), also. In addition to this, it is hailed as the place where Imam Mehdi (A.S.) disappeared from the eyes of the world.

The shrine was bombed two years ago which resulted in the dome getting martyred. Then last year, terrorists bombed it again to martyr the standing minarets also.

Shrine of Ali Naqi and Hasan Askari in Samarrah, Iraq before 2006