Mr. Anderson, Religions of Universe, Vol 2, Pg 25-27:
“When I look at Ali’s personality and sayings, I feel that the whole Universe got created from His hands but my religion does not permit me to believe this. But this much is for certain that it was created in His presence.”
Wooooooooooooo!!!!! 
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.
Please read my previous post before reading this.
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The Prophet Eesa (A.S.) was walking with his followers when on their way they passed a house where a wedding was to take place and celebrations were underway. He addressed his followers that when they would return the house would be filled with mourning as the bride would be dead.
But when they returned, the celebrations had not ceased.
The Prophet was extremely bewildered by this. He entered the house and found the bride in her room. He asked whether she had moved anywhere.
She replied that a beggar had come to the door but due to the celebrations nobody had heard him except her. Since no one had responded to his cries, she had gone and gotten him a flour bag and he went away happy.
After hearing this, Eesa (A.S.) quickly removed her pillow from the bed and beneath that, was a black snake!
Her good deed had saved her life, even when she was supposed to die.
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There are 124,000 prophets and all were given separate parts of ‘knowledge’. That is, they knew a lot but they didn’t know it ‘all’.
A popular example can be seen in the Quraan where Hazrat Musa (A.S.) learns a lot from Hazrat Khizr (A.S.)
The only prophet who was given the knowledge of “All To Happen” and the power to change that was our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.), the reason for the creation of this Universe.
In the case above, Hazrat Eesa (A.S.) knew that the bride would die but what he didn’t know was the fact that she would give food to the beggar and it would change her destiny i.e. Loh.
But who changes that destiny? Who has the power to alter the Loh? Who has the power to change the Universe, yet keep it in a perfect state?
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Sadqa (صدقہ) is the averter of calamities and that is why we hear ‘Sadqa Rad-de-Bala Hai’ (صدقہ ردِّ بلا ہے)!
The Universe is perfect. Allah made it so. It will achieve whatever it’s ultimate objective is. And it will follow the Loh.
By the Loh, if someone is to be killed by a snake, then it will happen. But Sadqa is something that can prevent that. Giving sadqa will avert any misfortunes coming one’s way but that would require changes in the Loh. And Allah is the only one who can do that. So the proof of Allah’s existence or that Allah is still alive is that he still interferes in the affairs of the Universe by editing the Loh and sadqa is the only thing that guarantees it. There are countless examples available through out our books.
Miracles and prayers can be said to change fate, but they don’t guarantee it. Sadqa does.
But is it also written in the Loh that the person will give sadqa?
That would mean the Loh is evolving. So what is the future of the Loh?
Only Allah knows, or Muhammad (S.A.W.W.).
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The Sadqa of Islam
اسلام کا صدقہ
In 61 AH, Islam was a relatively young religion, an infant, and it wouldn’t be absurd to say that it hadn’t even crawled on all fours till then. It was a new faith with shallow roots and was still taking over people’s hearts and lives. It was at that time that a tyrant came to power after his father’s death.
He made the claim that there was no Allah, no heaven nor hell and that Prophethood was just a drama by the Bani Hashim (A.S.). He claimed that no revelations had occurred, no angel had come and that Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) had deceived all. The infant Islam was in grave danger. ‘Allah’ was in danger!
After making these claims, he decided to drive the nail into the coffin and force the heir of Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) to swear allegiance to him as the rightful ruler and accept his claims. A “hand or head” offer was extended to that heir.
The heir rejected to provide his hand in allegiance and set forth on a journey with his entire family to Makkah. The tyrant dispatched his men to try and kill the heir during Hajj.
The heir came to know of this and changed his Hajj to an Umrah. Then he left the city of Makkah in order to preserve it’s Holiness and to prevent bloodshed within the boundaries of the Haram. His final destination became the desert land that Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) had promised would be the grounds of his slaughter.
There he stopped and set up camp. Forces of the tyrant started to arrive soon after. They forced the heir to move his camp away from the water and blocked it.
Children in the heir’s camp started crying and begging for water. Even the six-month old had nothing to drink.
Three days later, all men were cut to pieces, including many children and even the six-month old was butchered from ear to ear by a three-pronged arrow. The heir sacrificed every thing and everyone for the sake of truth, then offered himself. He fought valiantly and reduced the tyrants massive army to countable numbers. When it was the time of Asr, he put his sword back in it’s sheath, was pierced by arrows from every direction and then bowed to Allah. His head was cut off in the state of Sajdah. The remaining man, women and children were captured and subjected to the most inhuman tortures possible.
All martyrs gave their lives to prove that Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) was right, there had been revelations, there are heaven and hell and that it was worth dying for. They showed the world the difference between right and wrong.
They offered their lives as Sadqa over Islam and Islam’s fate changed!
The heir saved the religion of Allah. Now Islam has grown into a 1400 year old, mature religion with roots deep into people’s lives. It is the fastest growing religion of all. Allah is still alive in the minds of Muslims everywhere.
And so is Husain…
انسان کو بیدار تو ہو لینے دو
ہر قوم پکارے گی ہمارے ہیں حسین
اسلام کے دامن میں بس اس کے سوا کیا ہے
اِک ضربِ یداللّہی ، اِک سجدہءِ شبّیری
شاعر: علامہ محمد اقبال
Yadullah is the title of Hazrat Ali (A.S.) meaning the hand of Allah while Shabbir is the title of Imam Husain (A.S.).
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SAWJ’s Note: This is a post written on the go, without any planning. If you disagree, try to be polite!
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People Who Almost Got The Answer: Adnan, Saadat.
People Who Wasted My Time In Trying To Prove The Question Wrong: Absar, Brickwall. 
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