EID-E-GHADEER

Shia Muslims have 5 Eids: Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha, Eid-e-Mubahela, Eid-e-Ghadeer,

Wedding of Bibi Fatima Zehra (s.a.) and Commander of Faithfuls Imam Ali (a.s.).

Apart from these, the birth days of Chahardah Masoomeen are also days of rejoicings and celebrations and may be treated as Eids.

On the 18^th day of Dhul-Hijjah 10 A.H., the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) was returning along with some 100,000 Muslims after performing the last Hajj, when Archangel Jibra’il descended and brought Sura al-Mai’dah verse 67, “O Apostle, deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord, and if you don’t do it, you have not delivered His message (at all); and Allah will protect you from the people.” By that time, every command of Allah has been delivered and nothing was added after this day. A question arises as to why Allah was threatening His Messenger that if he did not do as directed by Allah then it will liquidate his efforts of the whole life. Because, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) died about 70 days after the Last Hajj. The last sentence indicates that the Prophet was mindful of the reaction of his people in delivering that message but Allah informed him not to worry, for He will protect His Messenger from the people.

The Noble Prophet (s.a.w.s.) spent about 5 hours at Ghadeer-e-Khumm in the scorching heat of Arabian Desert. He recited about 100 verses of the Holy Qur’an for about 3 hours. The Messenger declared “It seems the time had approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer that call. I am leaving for you two precious things (Thaqalayn) and if you adhere to them both, you will never go astray after me. They are the Book of Allah and my Progeny that is my Ahlul Bayt. The two shall never separate from each other until they come to me by the Pool of Kauthar (in Paradise)” The Messenger continued “Do I not have more right over You (the believers) than what You have over yourselves?” People cried and answered “Yes, O Messenger of God” Then followed the key sentence denoting the clear designation of Imam Ali (a.s.) as the Leader of the Muslim Ummah. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) held up the hand of Imam Ali (a.s.) and said “For whoever, I am his Leader (Maula), Ali is his Leader (Maula)" The Prophet continued

“O’God, love those who love him and be hostile to those who are hostile to him.”

Immediately after the Prophet finished his speech, the following verse was revealed, Sura al-Maida verse 3 “Today, I have perfected your religion, completed My favors to you, and have chosen Islam as your religion”. This verse clearly indicates that Islam, without finalizing the matter of leadership after Prophet, was not complete, and completion of religion was due to the announcement of Imam Ali(a.s.) as his successor.

As soon as the Prophet completed his sermon, Hassan Bin Thabit, the companion and poet of the Messenger of Islam asked for his permission to compose a few verses of poetry for the newly crowned successor Imam Ali (a.s.) for the audience. The Prophet said “Say, with the blessings of Allah”. Hassan stood up and said “O People of Quraysh, I follow with my words what preceded and witnessed by the Messenger of Allah. He then composed the following verses extempore:

            He calls them on the Day of Ghadeer, their Prophet

            In Khumm so hear (and heed) the Messenger’s call

            He said “Who is your Guide and Leader?

            They said, and there was no apparent blindness clearly:

            “Your God, our Guide, and you are our leader

            And you won’t find from among us, in this, any disobedient”

            He said to him “Stand up O' Ali, for I am

            Pleased to announce you Imam and Guide after me

            So whomever I was his leader (mawla), then this is his leader (mawla)

            So be to him supporters in truth and followers”

            Then he prayed “Allah! Be a friend and Guide to his follower

            And be, to the one who is Ali’s enemy, an enemy”

After his speech, The Messenger of Allah asked everybody to give the oath of allegiance to Imam Ali and congratulate him. Among those who did so included Umar bin al-Khattab, who said “Well done, Ibne Abi Talib! Today you became the Leader (mawla) of all believing men and women.”

Allah ordered His Prophet to inform the people of this designation at a time of crowded populace so that all become the narrators of the tradition, while they exceeded a hundred thousand. Narrated by Zayd bin Arqam: Abu al-Tufayl said “I heard from the Messenger of Allah and there was no one there except that he saw him with his eyes and heard him with his ears”

Some Sunni commentators report that when the first three verses of Sura al-Maa’rij were revealed, some problem arose when Prophet reached Madina as discussed below:

On the day of Ghadeer, the Prophet summoned the people towards Ali and said “Ali is the mawla of whom I am the mawla. The news spread quickly all over the urban and rural areas. When Harith Ibne Nauman al-Fahri came to know of it, he rode his camel and came to Madina and went to the Messenger of Allah and said to him “You commanded  us to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah. We obeyed you. You ordered us to pray five times a day and we obeyed. You ordered us to observe fasts during the month of Ramadan and we obeyed. Then you commanded us to offer pilgrimage to Makkah and we obeyed. But you are not satisfied with all this and you raised your cousin by hand and imposed upon us as our master saying ‘Ali is the mawla of whom I am mawla.’ Is this imposition from Allah or you?”

The Prophet said “By Allah, who is the only deity! This is from Allah, The Mighty and The Glorious” On hearing this Harith turned back and proceeded towards his she-camel saying “ O Allah! If what Muhammad said is correct then fling on us a stone from sky and subject us to severe pain and torture” He had not reached his she-camel when Allah, who is above all defects, flung at him a stone which struck him on his head, penetrated his body, and passed out through his lower body and left him dead. It was on this occasion that Allah, the Exalted revealed the following verse “A questioner questioned about the punishment to fall. For the disbelievers, there is nothing to avert it, from Allah, The Lord of the Ascent.” Sura al-Maa’rij verses 1-3.    

            

IMAM HUSSAYN (A.S.)'S DUA AT ARAFAH

Following are the extracts from Dua by Imam Hussayn (a.s.) at Arafah during Hajj:

Praised be to Allah Whose determination cannot be repelled by anything, Whose gifts cannot be stopped by anything, Whose making cannot be resembled by the making of anyone. He is the All-Magnanimous, the All liberal. He originated the genus of the wonderfully created things and He perfected the made things by His Wisdom. All growing things cannot be hidden from Him and all things deposited with Him shall never be wasted. He is also the Hearer of the prayers, the Warder-off of anguishes, the Raiser of ranks, and the Suppressor of the tyrants. There is no god other than Him, and there is nothing equivalent to Him, and He is the All Hearing, the All-seeing, the All-gentle, the All-aware, and He has power over all things. O Allah, I willingly desire for You, and I testify to the Lordship of You, confessing that You are verily my Lord and to You shall be my return. You had begun bestowing on me before I was any thing worth mentioning, and You created me from dust. You then put me up in the loins, (making me) from vicissitudes of time, and change of ages and years. I was moving from a loin to a womb through out the passage of the past days and the ancient ages. You have safeguarded me in the cradle as a child. You have given me into the charge of merciful mothers. So, exalted be You, O All- merciful, O All-beneficent. When I commenced (my life) by pronouncing words, You perfected for me the affluent bestowals, and brought me up with increase every year. When my creation was accomplished, You put me under the obligation of Your Claim, You inspired with the recognition of You, and alarmed me by the wonders of Your wisdom, and You aroused in me that which You created in Your heavens and lands, which is the excellent creation of You. You attracted my attentions to thank and mention You. You made obligatory on me to obey and worship You. You made me understand that with which Your Apostles came.

So, if I pray You, You will respond to me; and if I beg You, You will give me; and if I obey You, You will thank me; and if thank You, You will give me more. All that is completion of Your favors for me, and Your kindness to me. So, all glory be to You. You are verily Originator, and Reproducer (of the creation) and worthy of all praise and full of all glory. Holy be Your Names as your bounties are immeasurable. Which of Your favors, O my God, can I count in numbers and examples? Or which of Your gifts can I thank properly? They are, O my Lord, too numerous to be counted by counters, or to be realized by memorizers. And I bear witness, O my God, with true belief, and the fortitude of the determination of my convictions and the purity of my open belief in Your Oneness and the essence of the secrets of my conscience, and the ties of the canals of the light of my sight, and the lines of my forehead and the hallows of the courses of my breath, and the (nasal) cavities of my nose, and the courses of the meatus of my hearing, and whatever my two lips hide and cover up, and the motions of the vocalization of my tongue, and the socket of my palate of my mouth and jaw, and the matrices of my dents, and the tasting of my food and my drink, and the carrier of my skill, and the tube of the tissues of the neck and what is included by the cloak of my chest, and the carriers of the cord of my aorta, and the cords of the pericardium of heart, and the pieces of the retinues of my liver, and that which is included by the cartilages of my ribs, and the cavities of my joints, and the interacting of my organisms, and the extremes of my fingertips, and my flesh and my blood, and my hair and my skin, and my nerve, and my sinews, and my bones, and my brain, and my veins, and all my organs, and that which was pieced together during the days of my suckling, and whatever of my body that the ground carries, and my sleeping, and my wakefulness, and my motionlessness, and the movements of my bowing and prostrations (by all that I bear witness) that if I try my best and strive through out all ages and all times, if I live them, to thank properly only one of yours, I will not be able to do that, except through a favor of You, which also requires me to thank You for it, once again with new thanking and with praise that is newly acquired.

May Allah send His blessings to His select Muhammad, the Seal of Prophets, and upon his Household, the pure, immaculate, and well chosen, and may He send benedictions upon them.

O Allah, (please) make me fear You as if I can see You. Do not make me unhappy by disobeying You. O Allah, (please) make my richness in my conscience, conviction in my heart, sincerity in my deeds, light in my sight, and insight in my religion. Help me against calamities of ages and changes of nights and days, rescue me from the horrors of this world and the anguishes of the Hereafter, and save from the evils of what the wrongdoers do in the earth. (please) do not cause me to die while You are wrathful with me and do not inflict on me Your rage. You have right to scold, You have right to scold. There is no god save You; Lord of the Holy City, the Holy Monument, and the Ancient House that You have encompassed with blessings and made security for people.

O He, Who pardoned the great sins by His Forbearance, O He Who bestowed bounties by His favoring! O He Who gave in abundance by His generosity! O my means in my hardship! O my companion in my loneliness! O my relief in my agony! O my benefactor in my amenities! O my god and god of my forefathers!

PROPHET ISMA'IL'S SACRIFICE

Let us start with the verses of the Noble Qur’an relating to the sacrifice.

Sura al-Saffat verse 99 to 109:

“Ibrahim said ‘I will go to my Lord who will guide me’ and he prayed ‘Lord grant me a righteous son’ We gave him the glad news of the birth of a forbearing son. When his son was old enough to work with him, he said, ‘My son, I have had a dream that I must sacrifice you. What do you think of this?’ He replied, ‘Father, fulfill whatever you are commanded to do and you will find me patient, by the will of Allah’. When they both agreed and Ibrahim had laid down his son on the side of his face (for slaughtering). We called to him, ’Ibrahim, you have fulfilled what you were commanded to do in your dream. Thus do We reward the righteous ones. It was certainly an open trial. We ransomed his son with a great sacrifice and perpetuated his praise in later generations.Peace be with Ibrahim”

Hazrat Ibrahim is called the “Father of Prophets”. He was in his seventies but did not have any children with Bibi Sarah. Both were very fond of children. Bibi Sarah advised him to marry their servant Bibi Hajerah (Hagar) so that they can have a baby in the house.

Hazrat Ibrahim married Bibi Hajerah and Hazrat Ismail was born.

A time came when disagreement grew between his two wives and at last one day Hazrat Ibrahim brought Hazrat Ismail, who was still an infant and Bibi Hajerah to the place where the present city of Makkah is located. He left some food and water and left.

When water was finished, Bibi Hajerah went in search of help. She first climbed the Mount Safa and looked around then ran to the opposite side and climbed the Mount Marwah. She kept on running between these mountains in search of water but found nothing. Hazrat Ismail was dragging his feet on the ground and to her surprise she saw a spring of water erupted near his feet. She quenched the thirst of the baby. During the Hajj, Muslims repeat her act of running between these mountains. The spring is still there and is called Zamzam and Hajjis drink this sacred water and take with them. Noble Qur’an Sura al-Baqarah verse 158 “Safa and Marwa (Names of two places in Makkah) are reminders of Allah. It is no sin for one who visits the Sacred House (In Makkah) to walk seven times between Safa and Marwa. Whoever willingly does a good deed in obedience to Allah, he will find Allah All-knowing and fully Appreciative."

When Hazrat Ismail grew up then Allah commanded them to reconstruct The House of Allah; The Kaabaa. Hence, these two prophets extended the walls of Kaabaa. Allah then revealed this verse in The Noble Qur’an Sura al-Hajj verses 26-27 “When We prepared for Ibrahim the place to build the Sacred House, We told him not to consider any thing equal to Me and to keep the House clean for those walking around it, those standing, bowing down, and prostrating in prayer. (We commanded Ibrahim), Call people for Hajj. They will come on foot and on lean camels from all the distant quarters.”

When Hazrat Ismail was about 14 years of age, one day Hazrat Ibrahim told him that he had a dream which showed as if he was sacrificing him (Ismail). What was his decision. By the way he saw that dream 3 times. Unlike regular people, Prophet’s dreams are real and a command by Allah to do certain act. Hazrat Ismail was also a prophet and he was fully aware that it was a command of Allah. He replied to his father that he should comply with Allah’s command and that, by the Will of Allah, he will be among the patient ones.

Next day Hazrat Ibrahim picked up a knife and a rope and took Hazrat Ismail along with him and both proceeded towards Arafaat, a suburb of Makkah. When Hazrat Hajerah inquired as to why he was taking a knife and a rope, he replied that he might need it at his friend’s house to slaughter a goat. At Mina, Shaytan tried to persuade him to abandon the sacrifice. He refused to listen and as he was bothering the prophet, he threw stone at him 7 times. During Hajj, Muslims go to the place “Jamaraat” and repeat the sunnat-e-Ibrahimi and they also throw stones 7 times. Prophet Ibrahim blind-folded himself so that he may not witness the pain and distress of his son. He also tied-up Hazrat Ismail’s hands and legs to reduce struggle during the sacrifice. He placed the knife on Hazrat Ismail’s throat and kept cutting. When he had finished the sacrifice and removed the blindfold, he was both surprised and delighted to see his son was safe. Instead, a goat was slaughtered.

Allah has the knowledge of our intentions and in this case also Hazrat Ibrahim was blindfolded and he thought he had sacrificed his son but by Allah’s order he was replaced by a goat.

As mentioned above, Sura al-Saffat verse 107 “We ransomed his son with a great sacrifice”. This great sacrifice was the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain. In Karbala, when Imam Hussain (a.s.) was talking to his son, Hazrat Ali Akbar, The Ismail of Karbala, and forecasted that they all were going towards death. Hazrat Ali Akbar asked “Father, are we not on the Right Path?” When Imam Hussain (a.s.) replied in affirmative then he said “We are not worried about death”. Similarly, when Hazrat Qasim ibne Hasan wanted permission to go to the battlefield, Imam Hussain (a.s.) asked him “Qasim! How do you see death?” He replied “Sweeter than honey”

For a moment, just compare these youths. Hazrat Ismail was a prophet and when his father narrated his dream about sacrifice in Allah’s way, he replied that in the face of death, he will be found among “the patient ones”. In Karbala, the grandsons of Imam Ali (a.s.) were welcoming death!

Similarly, once Hazrat Ibrahim inquired from Allah as to how He revives the dead as stated in the Noble Quran, Sura al-Baqara verse 260 “When Ibrahim prayed ‘ Lord show me how you bring the dead back to life,’ the Lord said, ‘ Do you not yet believe? Ibrahim replied ‘I believe but want more confidence for my heart’ Allah told him,’ Take four birds, induce them to come to you, cut and scatter their bodies leaving parts on every mountain top, then call them and they will swiftly come to you.’ Know that Allah is

Majestic and Wise.” Imam Ali (a.s.)’s faith in Allah was at the zenith of faiths as he said “There will not be any change in my faith even if the curtains are lifted!”

So every year, Muslims from all over the world congregate in the Holy City of Makkah to perform Hajj and repeat all the above-mentioned acts including running between the Mounts of Safa and Marwa called “Sa’ee”, throwing stones to the three Shaytaan called "Rammi-e-Jamaraat”, slaughters a goat and drink water of Zamzam.

Every Muslim, who can afford should perform Hajj at least once in life-time. However, every Muslim should slaughter a goat or any allowable halal animal every year.

WEDDING OF BIBI FATIMA(S.A.) & IMAM ALI(A.S.)

Allah had gifted Bibi Fatima the intellectual maturity and integrity of conduct. Bibi Fatima’s religious feelings and literary knowledge were unlimited. History has not witnessed any other woman who has achieved the high level of education, knowledge and social graces that Bibi Fatima achieved regardless of the fact that she did not attend any school other than the school of Revelation and Messenger ship.

One year after the Migration to Madina, proposals for Bibi Fatima (s.a.) began to be received by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) who politely refused saying that it is in the hands of Allah and he was awaiting Allah’s decree in this matter.

Bibi Fatima was the model of Prophet’s teachings for women just as the Lion of Allah; Imam Ali (a.s.) was the best embodiment of his teachings and the supreme manly qualities among men. They were the most suitable couple to be married, but he was too modest to speak about it. After some persuasions from his friends, he finally went to see the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) in the mosque and proposed for the marriage. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) told Bibi Fatima (s.a.) “Fatima, you know Ali ibne Abitalib’s relationship to us, his devotion and faithfulness to Islam. I asked Allah to give you in marriage to the best of His creatures, and the most beloved to Him; and Ali has declared his wish to marry you; what do you say?” Bibi Fatima did not reply, nor did she show any sign of rejection or resentment, so the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) stood up and said “Allah is the greatest! Her silence is her approval”. He inquired from Imam Ali (a.s.) about his state of preparedness to fulfill the requirements needed for the wedding, because legally and traditionally there has to be a dowry. This marriage would be remembered and be of great influence for generations to come. Imam Ali (a.s.) replied that he owned a sword, a shield and a camel. As advised by the Prophet (s.a.w.s.), he sold his shield of armor for 500 Dirham and brought the money to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) who added similar amount and asked his companions to buy household goods to setup home for the unique Holy Family.

Ahmad Ibne Yousuf Ad-Demishqi and other narrators of traditions report that Bibi Fatima said to her father “I ask you to kindly give the dowry back and supplicate to Allah, to make my dowry the right to intercede for the sinners among Muslims” It is apparent from the above tradition the greatness, honor and excellence of the Lady of Paradise, Bibi Fatima Zahra (s.a.)

 Marriage was solemnized by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) himself and after the marriage the couple went to live in a separate house next to the house of the Prophet, near the Masjid-e-Nabavi. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) arranged the wedding gifts of basic simple items of daily use.

Ibne Tauoos narrates that The Prophet had purchased a new dress for Fatima for her marriage. On her wedding night, a needy person knocked at the door and requested for any old clothes. Bibi Fatima was about to give her old dress having patches on it, when she remembered the Qur’anic verse “By no means ye shall attain righteousness unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love”. She gave the poor man her wedding dress. Consequently, the Jibra’il descended and said “O Muhammad, Allah sends His blessings upon you; He commanded me to greet Fatima and (give her the gift He sent her) which is a dress from Paradise, made of silk, brocade etc.”

The Holy Prophet(s.a.w.s.) asked Imam Ali(a.s.) to hold a dinner as Allah is pleased with those who do so; from the social good it does: such as bringing people together and implementing love and harmony among them.

When Imam Ali(a.s.) reached the mosque, he found it to be filled with hundreds of people. Imam Ali’s generosity and noble heartedness did not allow him to invite selected people. Hence he invited every one present in the mosque. Due to the presence of the Holy Prophet, not only every one ate but the Prophet sent some of the food to the companion’s homes. The Holy Prophet ordered his wives to prepare Fatima, perfume her and assist her wear the special dress from Paradise.

Ibne Abbas narrates that when Bibi Fatima was taken to Imam Ali’s house on the wedding night, the Prophet preceded her, Jibra’il was on her right side, and Meka’il was on left side and seventy thousand angels followed her. These angels praised and glorified Allah till dawn.

Upon arriving, the Holy Prophet placed Bibi Fatima’s hand in Imam Ali’s hand and said “May Allah bless His Messenger’s daughter; Ali, this is Fatima, you are responsible for her. Ali, what an excellent wife Fatima is! Fatima, what an excellent husband Ali is! O Allah bless them, bless their lives, bless their children. O Allah, surely they are the most beloved to me from among your creatures, so love them too, and assign for them a guardian. I place them and their progeny under your protection from the cursed devil”

This sacred marriage also took place at the fourth heaven when angels gathered and Allah ordered one of the angels named Rahil to ascend the Mimber of Light and praise and glorify His Names. After enumerating His Mercy and Benevolence on angels, he continued as “Allah, the Omnipotent king, chose the one who was bestowed with special Divine Honor, and the worshipper of His Greatness, for His worshipper, the Mistress of women, and the daughter of the best of Prophets, the Master of all Messengers, and the Imam of the pious; so He brought into relations the Prophet with a man from his kin. One who is his believing companion, and was prompt in answering his call- Ali the devout, with Fatima, the splendid and the daughter of the Messenger.”

Then, Jibra’il added the following words on behalf of Allah: “Prays is My garment, Greatness is My Magnificence, All the creatures are My slaves, men and women. I give Fatima, My Worshipper in marriage to Ali My chosen worshipper. So bear witness O My angels.” (Bihar ul Anwaar)

It is to be noted that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) performed the marriage ceremony in the mosque and announced the dowry. For the Dowry, he said “Avoid exaggerations in (the amounts of) dowries, because this causes enmity (between you)”

The Prophet (s.a.w.s) also assigned the desirable practice of limiting the dowry to 500 Dirhams. He and the Infallible Imams never exceeded this amount of dowry in marriages.

BLESSINGS OF ALLAH - 1

There are innumerable blessings of Allah upon His creatures as stated in the Holy Qur’an Sura al-Ibrahim verse 34 “Had you wanted to count the bounties of Allah, you would not have been able to do it”.  In His creations human beings are on the top of the list. If we look around, every part of this universe is filled with His blessings. Although, it is impossible to count Allah’s blessings but this should not deprive us from identifying them as much as possible. Some times, we take things for granted and do not bother to watch closely about His blessings and bounties to us.

Let us start with the outer world. If we only concentrate upon our solar system; earth and other stars are revolving around the sun for thousands of years. Allah had embodied every astronomical body with two forces which are equal and opposite. They are Centripetal Force and Centrifugal Force. Centripetal Force attracts the heavenly bodies towards the sun and Centrifugal Force pulls them away from the sun. If for a split of a second any one of these opposing forces stop, the consequences would be a colossal catastrophe. By the way who is responsible for maintaining the balance?

Allah had created a blanket of air around the earth, about 150 miles. It is called atmosphere. It is a natural protecting buffer which prevents the deadly ultra-violet rays coming from the sun and also protects the earth from falling debris of outer space. Air is a mixture of many gases but major gases are Nitrogen 78% and Oxygen 21%. Oxygen inhaled by the humans is used up in the lungs and Carbon Dioxide is exhaled. Allah in His Paramount Mercy and Wisdom towards mankind had made Carbon Dioxide as essential for plants and hence they inhale it and exhale Oxygen which is so important for human life.

Allah made giant mountains to stabilize the earth as mentioned in Holy Qur’an Sura al-Nahl verse15 “Allah has fixed the mountains on earth lest you should be hurled away when it quakes. Therein He has also made rivers and roads so that you will find your way”

Air, Solar energy, and Water are the basic necessities of life and Allah has provided them free and in abundance. The usage of water is countless; from irrigation of farms to human consumption. From sea water, we get different kinds of food, collect pearls and have navigation and transportation of merchandise from place to place to name a few.Drilling is done under sea for petrochemical products to supply the needed fuel. Water evaporates from the oceans making clouds which bring rain to the thirsty lands across the globe as mentioned in Holy Qur’an Sura al-Qaf verse 9 “We have sent blessed water down from the sky to grow gardens, harvestable crops”

Sun is the center of life on earth. Sun’s rays are essential for plants, flowers, evaporation from ocean, and human health. In summer, when sun is comparatively nearer to earth, the ultra-violet rays become dangerous. It is partly filtered by the atmosphere but if human bodies are exposed to it for a longer time it may be fatal.

Allah made the earth neither too soft so that our feet are stuck in it nor too hard to prevent agriculture or construction or make difficult to bury the dead. Allah had tilted the earth at the Poles so that seasons are formed. Earth’s rotation on its axis causes day and night.

By Solar light, we are able to work during the day. Night is made by Allah to relax our bodies and regain strength for the next day. The distance between the earth and the sun is reasonable so that our bodies are not burnt by its heat.

For the physical health and well-being, Allah has spread around the world different types of fruits, vegetables and plants. At the dawn of human civilization, when men used to live nearer to nature, they enjoyed sound health and longer life. It is reported that Prophet Nooh (a.s.) lived for 900 years. At the time of creation of man, Allah bestowed a latent prophet in our hearts, known as conscience. Every human being is warned by his conscience when he commits smallest sin or wrong. For the spiritual health and happiness, Allah sent 124,000 prophets in the world. Our Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) was the last one. He was provided by the last Divine Book; the Holy Qur’an. Before Holy Qur’an, Allah had sent Taurait, Injeel, and Zuboor. For the intervening period from the last Prophet to the Day of Judgment, there was a need for Divine Guidance. Hence, Allah sent Infallible Imams. First Imam was Imam Ali (a.s.) and the last one is Imam Mehdi (a.t.f.).

After the Eleventh Imam, the caliph wanted to kill the twelfth Imam, hence Allah, in His profound Mercy and Guidance, sent the Imam in Occultation. So the earth is not devoid of Divine Guidance. The Imam is guiding the followers like the sun obscured behind the clouds still showers light on the earth.

Hence, Allah’s messengers and Imams are His Blessings on the mankind.

Similarly, the Holy Qur’an is also Allah’s Blessing not only for Muslims but for all human beings.

Connected with this is the fact that it is a blessing of Allah that we are not only Muslim but also a Mumin.

If we are following the commandments of Allah and following the golden path of Muhammad (s.a.w.s) and his Progeny resulting in sound physical and spiritual health then that too is a great blessing of Allah.

In the physical world, gravity is a blessing of Allah. Someone might say “O it was discovered by Newton” There is a difference between “Invention” and “Discovery”.

Gravity was there for thousands of years when Allah created the heaven and the earth.

Newton only discovered it by correctly using his intellect. He was sitting under an apple tree and saw an apple fell on the ground. He started thinking why it did not go any where.

The major industrial development occurred during the last couple of centuries. Scientists did not create any basic material. They used the existing materials after experimenting with them and manufactured useful products. So that is “Invention”. What ever scientific advancements we witness today is the proper use of different materials in an intelligent way. Man cannot make even a leaf of a flower!

Holy Qur’an have been challenging the mankind to think about our surroundings.

Sura al-Yousuf verse 105 “There is much evidence in the heavens and the earth which they see, but ignore” . Sura al-Rad verse 3 “It is Allah who spread out the earth and fixed mountains and placed rivers therein. He made a pair of every fruit and made the night cover the day. All this is evidence for the people who think”

Sura al-Nahl verse 19 “With this water, He causes corn, olives, palm-tree, vines and all kinds of fruits to grow. In this there is evidence for people of understanding”

Sura al-Nahl verse 69 “(bees) then eat of every fruit and follow the path of your Lord submissively. From out of their bellies comes a drink of different color in which there is a cure for the human being. In this there is evidence (of the truth) for the people of understanding”

Sura al-Rum verse 21 “His creating spouses for you out of yourselves so that you might take comfort in them; and His creating love and mercy among you. In this there is evidence (of the truth) for the people who (carefully) think.”

Sura al-Zumar verse 42 “Allah preserves the souls when they die as well those which did not die during people’s sleep. He withholds those souls which He has decreed to die and releases the others for an appointed time. In this there is evidence (of the truth) for the thoughtful people.”

Allah is just and equitable. Whoever struggles for any objective irrespective of his affiliations, Allah will reward them.