Ahlebayt | Senile Delusions...

Trip To Syria: The Lioness’s Den

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

Continued from Trip To Syria: Flying Away.

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We reached the hotel in Muhalla-e-Zainabia on the outskirts of Damascus. Imagine waking up from a deep sleep and then having to carry sixteen heavy suitcases to the hotel building. And it doesn’t stop at that. The room was on the third floor. Thank God for the elevators!

We were told to come down for tea. What ‘down’ turned out to be was ‘down – 1′ i.e. the basement. It was divided into parts. Ours had plastic seats and tables set up for around thirty people. The tea was served and IT WAS PATHETIC! My cook makes better tea.

Khair, not to be unfair to the Maulana Sahab cooking for us there, I think it was the tea’s fault.

We were told that the Haram was to close at eight-thirty.

I came back up and went to sleep. Woke up around six-thirty and got busy in getting ready. That usually consists of emptying myself (in this case, all the Etihad food and specially the Octopus) and taking a bath. Left at seven-thirty with my uncles.

The hotel was five minutes from the Haram and my taya (father’s elder brother) led the way through the crowded streets of Muhalla-e-Zainabia. We entered through one of the small side gates and came upon a small opening with people sitting. The place was extremely crowded. Crossing another gate, we came into the main courtyard.

The burial chamber sits in the middle, surrounded by a circular courtyard and then again by a circular building that houses administration offices and other rooms. Two tall minarets stand in the courtyard on both sides of the main entrance. The huge gold brick dome sits on top of the large burial chamber, marking the resting place of the eldest daughter of Haider, the lion of Allah. The place emits an aura of authority and fearlessness, all the while maintaining a charming elegance and attraction for millions of devotees.

Welcome to Syria, the place where the Captives of Karbala (A.S.) were brought tied up in chains, bare-footed, bare-headed, being stoned from all sides, in a state of helplessness that does not find it’s counterpart in the realms of documented and undocumented history. This was the place where Yazeed (La’natullah) ruled and the people were hardcore enemies of the Ahle Bayt (A.S.). Where the mention of Ali (A.S.) was met with curses and abuses.

Who could have thought that the stronghold of Bani Umayyah (La’natullah), the capital of Muawiyah (La’natullah) and Yazeed (La’natullah), would fall to Lady Zainab (S.A.) in such a way that nothing would remain of their kingdom and they would become the focal point of all curses and abuses themselves? That their followers would become a minority and the country would come under the rule of people who would hail Ali (A.S.), not as a Caliph, nor an Imam, not even one of the most astounding creations of God, BUT GOD HIMSELF!

And the daughter of this God “sleeps” near Damascus. Welcome to the Lioness’s Den!

I went with my phupa (father’s sister’s husband) towards the burial chamber and stopped outside the door. An Arab with whom my phuppa had become acquainted helped us read the Ziarat of Lady Zainab (S.A.) that hung beside the door. Then we went in. I will not describe what I saw inside. You will see for yourselves in later posts!

My taya had told us that it would be impossible to reach the Zareeh (gold and silver cage above the grave) in the middle of the chamber on the first go due to the usually huge crowd but we did not find one of such size. The reason being that this was the first year when all barriers to Karbala had been lifted and most Zaireen (visitors) had gone there. The gathering in Karbala on Arbaeen this year was 20 million strong as compared to only 1.7 million for Hajj!

Result: we got to the Zareeh easily.

After praying and paying our respects, we came outside and offered the Ziarat prayers. I left my phuppa with the Arab and returned to the hotel, cursing myself for not taking my camera with me.

NOTE: I have uploaded some pictures of the tour to my Facebook account and will upload the rest with each related post. You can see them there if you want.

14.04.2009 Ali(A.S.), Amazing, Captives of Karbala(A.S.), Enemies of the Ahle Bayt (A.S.), Me, Religious, World 18 Comments

Back But Khuda Hafiz Again

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

I’m back.

Where was I? Well, my grandmother called me and I went to pay her a visit.

I am now officially a Zaair of Lady Zainab Binte Ali (S.A.), Princess of Islam and Queen of Syria!

Man, what a peaceful visit! No tension, no problems, nothing to bug me. Just me and my thoughts, beliefs and the Ahle Bayt (A.S.). Aaahh!

And what beauty!

The shrine is magnificent! From outside it looks small but once inside, and after some exploration you come to know how large it is. The dome is made of gold bricks. The minarets are tall and beautiful. And the burial chamber is simply breath-taking!

Glasswork and patterns on walls, the magnificent interior of the dome, the solid gold and silver cage (Zareeh) that covers the grave. The doors to the chamber are of gold and silver, plated with glass. The shrine gives the impression of some lioness’s den. Well, it is.

And then there is another shrine. That of Sakinah Binte Husain (S.A.), the four year old daughter of Imam Husain (A.S.) who died in the dungeon of Yazeed’s (L.A.) palace. This shrine looks small too but it’s huge, beautifully simple and simply beautiful!

This shrine has an aura of innocence, of the masoomiat of a child. And it’s even more beautiful than that of Lady Zainab (S.A.).

I also visited the shrines of Bibi Sakinah Binte Ali (S.A.) [under construction in Darayya], the Ahle Bayt (A.S.) section of the graveyard of Bab-e-Saghir in Damascus, the grave of Sahabi-e-Rasool Bilal-e-Habashi (A.S.), the Christian priest’s house in Halab where Imam Husain’s (A.S.) head was kept on a stone and the stone weeps blood on Ashurah to this day.

I visited Riqqa where the graves of the Sahabis of Muhammad (S.A.W.W.), Ammar-e-Yasir (A.S.) and Awais-e-Qarani (A.S.) are located. It’s actually the battleground of Siffin where the army of Ali (A.S.) trampled Muawiyah’s (L.A.) like ants. These two Sahabis gained martyrdom here and about Ammar-e-Yasir, the hadees of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.):

“O Ammar, you will be killed by a group of rebels!“

On Ammar’s martyrdom, Ali (A.S.) was enraged, entered the battleground and slaughtered Muawiyah’s (L.A.) troops like carrots and radishes. The battle was won.

I visited Bazaar-e-Shaam (the Bazaar of Hamidia), Bab-us-Sa’at and Yazeed’s palace.

I witnessed moujzaat (miracles) at the shrine of Lady Zainab (S.A.), two general and four personal. Yes, with me!

All those who can see my bruised eye in my Facebook dp, I rubbed it with the Zareeh of Lady Zainab (S.A.) and it healed in no time. The dark bruise that was refusing to go vanished within two days!

This is only a small summary of my visit. I hope I get invited again.

But right now, I’m sitting in Pakistan, back in the grip of life. And I’m going to take an indefinite break. Could be two hours, two days or two months. I don’t know. I’m going to relax now, enjoy the pack of Dunhill’s My Mixture No. 16 Limited Edition that I got from Abu Dhabi airport.

When I come back, that is if I do, I’ll write about my journey, complete with pictures and videos. But right now, it’s Khuda Hafiz again. Take care.

23.02.2009 Ali(A.S.), Amazing, Captives of Karbala(A.S.), Enemies of the Ahle Bayt (A.S.), Facts, General Knowledge, History, Husain(A.S), Martyrs Of Karbala(A.S.), Me, Muhammad(S.A.W.W.), Reflections, Religious, Women, World 18 Comments

Justice to Muslims, and the Justice of Muslims

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

One day a man was traveling on his camel with his possessions and his slave. He stopped at a mosque and went inside to pray, leaving the slave to take care of the goods.

When he was gone, the slave climbed on the camel’s back. When the master returned, the slave declared himself as the master and the actual master as his slave. A quarrel ensued.

The matter was then taken to Ali Ibne Abu Talib (A.S.), cousin and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.). He was seated on the ground in a field with some of his friends and followers, and his slave Qambar.

Upon hearing the matter, Ali ordered Qambar to make a wall out of mud. He then told Qambar to make two head-sized holes in it. He gave his sword, Zulfiqar, to Qambar to unsheath and hold high above the wall.

Ali addressed the two men and ordered them to put their heads in the holes. They obliged. Ali then turned to Qambar and ordered:

“Behead the slave!”

Upon hearing this, the real slave quickly withdrew his head, got up and ran away screaming.

Ali turned to the remaining man and declared him the real master.

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In another event, two women were brought to Ali. They both claimed they were the mother of the same child.

Ali ordered the child to be brought to court. He then told to cut the child in two and hand a piece to each woman.

Upon hearing this, one woman denounced her claim and asked to give the child to the other woman.

Upon hearing this, Ali ordered the child to be given to the woman who had spoken, saying that a real mother would never allow her child to get hurt, even if it means staying away from him!

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Examples of Ali’s wisdom and generosity are here, here, here and here.

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This is the Ali about whom Umar remarked:

“اگر علی نہ ہوتا تو عمر ہلاک ہو جاتا“

“If Ali had not been, Umar would have been killed!“

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The 19th of Ramazan marks the day Ali was attacked by Abdur-Rehman Ibne Muljim (L.A.), a Kharjite (one of the Remnants from the battle of Naharwan), sent by Muawiyya (L.A.) Ibne Abu Sufyan (L.A.), the Umayyad (L.A.) daddy of the likes of Zakir Naik (L.A.), Israr Ahmed (L.A.), Javed Ghamdi (L.A.) and Amir Liaquat (L.A.).

Ali was leading the Fajr prayers in the mosque of Kufah when Ibne Muljim (L.A.) attacked him with his sword in the second Sajdah (prostration), bifurcating the top of his head from which blood began spurting. After the attack, Ali declared:

“Fuzto Bi-Rab-bil Ka’aba!“

meaning

“By the God of the Ka’aba, Ali has become successful!“

The sword that Ibne Muljim (L.A.) used was heavily poisoned and as soon as the medics examined the wound, they asked Ali(A.S.) to declare his will. (For more information on Ali’s Martyrdom, read this.)

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I’m talking about the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) whom the Prophet raised in his own house from the age of three months and fed him in such a way that according to Ali:

“He used to put the food in his mouth, soften it up with his tounge and then feed it to me like a bird feeds it’s chick i.e. put it directly in my mouth from his own!“

This is the Ali whom the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) declared as his own brother after the migration to Madinah when he was forming brotherhoods between the Mahajirs and the Ansars.

This is the Ali about whom the Prophet also declared that “Wherever truth goes, Ali will follow and wherever Ali goes, truth will follow!”

Once, Ali was seated with the Prophet (S.A.W.W.). Abu Bakr and Ayesha were also present. Ayesha noted that her father kept his eyes fixed on Ali’s face.

She asked her father, “Why do you keep looking at Ali’s face?”

He replied, “Have you not heard the Prophet say that Allah sends his blessings on Ali’s face and to look at it is the worship of Allah?”

This is the Ali who has the honor and distinction of coming to and leaving this world in the houses of Allah: Born in the Holy Ka’aba itself and martyred in the mosque of Kufah!

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It is a shame to say that none of the channels yet have aired a program on Ali Ibne Abi Talib (A.S.) on the occasion of his martyrdom. Geo TV’s Aamir Liaquat-guided-and-produced anchor did a program in which he informed the viewers that it was the date of the death of the ruler Abdur Rahman Saalis. And who the heck is that?

Our media can go out of their way to investigate and inform about a historical nobody like Abdur Rahman Saalis but fail to even acknowledge the occasion of the attack on perhaps the most popular undisputed personality in the history of Islam, after the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.). Why is every information related to the Ahle Bayt (A.S.) of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) hidden and suppressed by our media and scholars when it is present in coherence in the books of almost all the sects? What is there to be afraid of? Is this stubbornness, jealousy or plain defiance of the Prophet’s (S.A.W.W.) teachings and sayings?

One thing it is for sure, and that is shameless idiocy!

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“Innal-laha As-alukum Alaihin Ajran Illal Mawaddata Fil Qurba!“

“Say: I do not ask of you (followers) any return for it (teachings) but love for my near relatives.”

(Holy Quraan, 42:23)

The verse is popularly known as the Ayah-e-Mawaddah (Verse of Mawaddat or the Verse of Devotion)

The term “Al-Qurba” in this verse, based on the traditions narrated from the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.), embraces only “Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husain and no one else”.

The tradition from Ibne Abbas has it that when the “mawaddat ul-qurba” verse was revealed, the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) was asked: “O messenger, who are your near relatives who should be loved?”

He stated: “Ali, Fatimah, and their sons!”

This tradition has been narrated by Muhib Tabari in “Zakhair al-`Uqba” 25/1; Ibn Hanbal in “Manaqib” 110; Mo’min Shabilenji “Nural-Absar” 101; and Zamakhshari in “Kashshaf” as annotation to the said verse.

In the “Tafsir al-Kabir”, Fakhr Razi has related the said narration from “Kashshaf” and has said that based on this verse, Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husain should be revered and sanctified. He has also cited lines of verse from the Shafii’ Imam, Muhammad bin Idris Shafii’ in this regard. A line of it is as follows:

“If love for the members of the Household of the Holy Prophet is heresy, then the world should stand witness that I am a heretic.“

21.09.2008 Ali(A.S.), Enemies of the Ahle Bayt (A.S.), Facts, Fatimah Zehra(S.A.), General Knowledge, Hasan(A.S.), History, Husain(A.S), Muhammad(S.A.W.W.), Pakistan, Rants, Reflections, Religious, Society 18 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