Every member of the “Golden
Chain of Divine Guides” possessed unlimited merits which cannot be condensed in
a short article. However, efforts shall be made to highlight some of their
qualities and characters.
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir was the son of Imam Ali ibnal Husayn
(a.s.) and his mother was the daughter of Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (a.s.). He was
born in Madinah and was martyred and buried in “Jannat ul Baqi’” in Madinah.
Clemency was the most important quality of the Imam.
He did not mistreat anyone who wronged him. He forgave them and treated them kindly. Once a man
from another revealed religion attacked him saying, “You are baqr (cow)” The
Imam smilingly replied, “No, I am Baqir” The man continued, “You are the son of
a cook”. The Imam calmly replied, “It is her job”
Patience was the hallmark of all the members of
Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). They were patient towards hardships and misfortunes. His
grandfather, the Master of Martyrs, Imam Husayn (a.s.) had demonstrated
unbelievable patience in Karbala. One of the example of his patience is that
while he was sitting with his companions, a servant came and informed him about
the death of his son. He said, “Praise belong to Allah for what he has given
and what He has taken. Prevent them from weeping, prepare him for burial. No
harm will come to you” Later, the Imam ordered the companions to pray over his
son and bury him. On inquiry, the Imam told them that his slave girl had
dropped the baby. The Imam freed the slave girl. Similarly, his great
grandfather, Imam Ali (a.s.) was openly cursed from the mosques, but he
restrained his anger.
He honored and
released the slaves. He ordered his family members address the beggars respectfully.
He had 60 slaves and released 20 before his death.
He was very generous
towards his companions, the students and the poor of Madinah. Sulayman bin
Qaram said that the Imam used to give us 600 to 1,000 dirhams. Other companions
such as al-Hasan bin Kuthayr.
He, being the Imam of the pious, his face would turn yellow
by the fear of Allah like his father, Imam Zayn al-Abidin (a.s.). Like one of
the Traditions, “A servant is closer to
his Lord when he is prostrating”. He had reported hundreds of traditions
from his great grandfather, the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.). In the book under
review, 74 hadiths are reported. Extracts from some of them are; Whoever fears Allah, Allah makes everything
afraid of him. Whoever does not fear Allah, Allah makes him afraid of everything.
Whoever is satisfied with the little livelihood of the property of Allah, He
(Allah) is satisfied with his little deed Ali! I am the city of knowledge and
you are the gate. He who claims that he can reach the city not through the gate
tells lies. Sitting with the people of religion, is the honor of here and
hereafter. Among the signs of unhappiness are: the impudence (shamelessly bold)
of the eye, the cruelty of the heart, the intensity of the greediness in
seeking livelihood, and the persistence of the sins. Four acts deaden the
heart: sin after sin, much talk with the women, disputing with the fool,
sitting with the extravagant. Belief is with the appreciation with heart,
acknowledgment with tongue, and action with limbs. Every eye will weep on the
Day of Judgment except three eyes: the eye that weeps out of the fear of Allah,
the eye that blinks at what Allah has prohibited, and the eye that stays awake
at night for Allah. Two kinds of community have no share in Islam: the
extremists and the fatalists. Whoever helps the poor and treats the people with
justice is a true believer. If two kinds of people from my community are
righteous, my community is righteous. When they are corrupt my community is
corrupt; they are the jurists and the rulers. The people are ungrateful for two
blessings: security and good health. Accept the word of wisdom from fool and
forgive the word of foolishness from the wise man. Allah’s anger and my anger
are intense against him who sheds my blood and hurts me in respect of my
family.
Source: The Life of Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (a.s.) by
Baqir Shareef al-Qurashi (al-islam.org)
No comments:
Post a Comment