ZIARAT-E-JAMEA KABIR - 1

Shaykh Saduk (a.r.) had quoted from Musa ibn Abdullah that he requested Imam Ali al-Naqi (a.s.) to teach him an eloquent and perfect ziarat that could be recited at any of the tombs of all Imams of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), hence the Imam taught this famous “Ziarat”. It affords us some glimpses of the paramount status of our Infallible Imams:

I bear witness that there is no god save Allah (s.w.t.), One and Only having no partner.

And I bear witness that Muhammad, may Allah send blessings on him and his Progeny, is His servant and Messenger.

Peace be upon you, O Household of Prophet hood, location of the Divine mission, frequently visited by the angels, destination of the Divine revelation, core of mercy, hoarders of knowledge, ultimate degree of forbearance, origins of generosity, leaders of all nations, sustainers of bounties, foundations of the dutiful, pillars of the upright, maintainers of the servants of Allah, supporters of the lands, doors to true faith, trustees of the all-Beneficent Allah, descendants of the Prophets, choice of the Messengers, and offspring of the select of the Lord of the worlds.

 Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you all.

Peace be upon the directors of right guidance, the lanterns in darkness, the patterns of piety, the owners of understanding, the gift with thought, the covers of the people, the inheritors of the Prophets, the perfect specimen, the most excellent call, and the arguments of Allah against the inhabitants of the world, the Hereafter, and the former world.

Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you all.

Peace be upon the exponents of the recognition of Allah, the centers of Allah’s blessings, the essence of Allah’s wisdom, the keepers of Allah’s secrets, and the progeny of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah send blessings upon him and his progeny.

Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon them.

Peace be upon the callers to Allah, the leaders to Allah’s pleasure, the abiders by Allah’s decree, the perfect in love for Allah, the sincere in professing Allah’s Oneness, the manifesters of Allah’s orders and prohibitions, and Allah’s honored bondsmen, who speak not until He has spoken, and act by His command.

Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon them.

Peace be upon the Imams, the heralds, the leaders, the guides, the chiefs, the authorities, the defenders, the protectors, the people of The Reminder (the Noble Qur’an), the men in authority, the left ones by Allah, His select, His party, the case of His knowledge, His argument, His path, His light, and His proof.

Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon them.

I bear witness that there is no god save Allah; One and Only and having no partner with Him just as Allah has testified to His Oneness to which His angels and His knowledgeable creatures testify. There is no god save Him; the Almighty, the all-Wise.

I also bear witness that Muhammad is His select servant and His approved Messenger. He sent him with right guidance and with the religion of truth that He may cause it to prevail over all religions however much the idol-worshipers may be averse (indisposed).

I also bear witness that you all are the Imams, rightly guiding, well-guided, infallible, highly revered, drawn near to Allah, pious, truthful, well-chosen, obedient to Allah, establishing His rule, putting into practice His will, and winning His honoring.

He chose you on account of His eternal knowledge, approved of you to maintain His unseen knowledge, select you to keep His secrets, decided on you by means of His Omnipotence (Qudrat-e-Kamila), equipped you with His guidance, distinguished you with His clear proofs, chose you to hold His Light, supported you with His Holy Spirit, and accepted you as vicegerents in His Lands, arguments against His beings, supporters of His religion, keepers of His secrets, hoarders of His knowledge, stores of His wisdom, interpreters of His revelation, pillars of the professions of His Oneness, witnesses on His creatures, signs for His servants, light in His lands, and directors to His path. Allah has preserved you against slips, secured you against seditious matters, purified you from dirt, removed away from you uncleanness, and purified you with through purifying.

So, you have glorified His majesty, declared great His magnificence, glorified His nobility, perpetuated mentioning Him, consolidated His covenant, made firm your pledge of obedience to Him, acted sincerely to Him, privately and publicly, called unto His way with wisdom and fair admonition, sacrificed yourself for the sake of attaining His pleasure, acted patiently what has befallen you for His sake, performed the prayers, dispensed the poor-rate, enjoined the right, forbade the wrong, and strived in the way of Allah as exactly as striving should be, until you made known His call, rendered clear His obligations, executed His provisions, propagated for His enacted laws, acted out His rules, attained His pleasure through carrying out all these matters, surrendered to His will, and confirmed the truth of His past Messengers.

EID-E-MUBAHELA

In the early days of Islam, Najran was a big center whose inhabitants were idol-worshipers.

Subsequently, they accepted Christianity as their religion. Najran is in Saudi Arabia, south of Jiddah. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) had sent letters to the heads of different countries inviting them to Islam. One such letter was sent to the Christians of Najran.

It read as follows:

In the name of the God of Ibrahim, Ishaaq and Yaqoob. This letter is from Muhammad, the Prophet and Messenger of Allah to the Bishop of Najran.

Praise be to the God of Ibrahim, Ishaaq, and Yaqoob. I invite you to worship Allah instead of His servants. I invite you to come out of the rule of servants of Allah and into the rule of Allah Himself.

It is also stated that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) included the following verse of the Noble Qur’an:

“Say, (O’Muhammad) O People of the Book (Bible), come to an agreement between us and you; that we shall worship none but Allah and that we shall claim no partner to Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords besides Allah”

And if they turn away, then say, “Bear witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).

This was the event of 10 A.H. Sixty learned priests headed by their chief monk priest, Abdul Masih came to Madinah and went straight to meet the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)dressed in silken clothes. The Prophet did not like their attire and turned his face away from them.

The Commander of the faithful, Maula Mushkil-Kusha came to their rescue and advised them to dress in simple clothes. When they returned wearing simple clothes, the Prophet warmly welcomed them.

 Following conversation took place:

The Holy Prophet: I invite you to the belief of Tauheed and the worship of one God and submission to His will. (Then he recited Ayah 64 of Sura al-Aale Imran.)

Abdul Masih: If Islam means faith in the one God of the universe, we already believe in Him and follow His commands.

The Holy Prophet: Islam has a few other signs and some of your actions show that you have not accepted true Islam. How do you claim worship of one God when you worship the cross and do not abstain from eating pork and believe that God has a son?

Abdul Masih: Certainly he [Isa (a.s.)] was the son of God because his mother Mary [Mariyam (s.a.)] had given birth to him without marrying any one in the world. Therefore, obviously his father is the God of this universe. And also because he used to bring dead back to life, cure the sick and create birds from clay and make them fly. All this points to the fact that he is God.

The Holy Prophet: No, he was the servant and creature of God, and placed in the womb of his mother Maryam (s.a.). All his power and strength was granted to him by God.

At this time, Archangel Jibra’eel brought the following Ayah of the Noble Qur’an:

“Surely the example of Isa to Allah is like that of Adam; He created him from dust and the said to him, “Be” and he was” (Noble Qur’an 3:59)

This means that if Isa (a.s.) could be called the son of God because he was born without father, then Adam (a.s.) deserves this title more because he was born without a father and mother. The priests could not reply to this argument and continued to argue out of obstinacy.

Then the following Ayah 61 of Surah Ale Imran was revealed:

              “And whoever argue with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge then say, come, let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then let us humbly pray (to our Lord) and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars” 

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) produced this verse before the priests and challenged for “Mubahela”. The priests consulted each other and accepted the challenge. It was agreed that the two parties' contest would take place the next day in the open desert outside Madinah. On 24^th Zilhajj, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) came out for Mubahela. He was holding Imam Hussayn (a.s.) in his arms, and held Imam Hasan (a.s.) by his hand. Lady of Paradise Hazrat Fatima Zahra (s.a.) was behind him, while the Lion of Allah, Imam

Ali (a.s.) was behind her. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said to them, “When I pray for curse of Allah, you should say Ameen”.

In compliance of the Ayah of Mubahela , the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) brought Imam Hasan and Imam Hussayn (a.s.) as his “SONS”, Hazrat Fatima (s.a.) in place of “WOMEN” while he could have brought three women, and Imam Ali (a.s.) as his “SELF”while the Ayah had the accommodation for three.

The priests, by seeing these shining faces emitting light, were spellbound. Their hearts trembled and they began to shake on seeing the light radiating from The Holy Panjetan (a.s.).

Their leader asked: “who are these persons who have come with Muhammad”

A man told their names and their relationship with the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)

He could no longer hold his patience and cried out:

“By God, I am seeing such faces that if they were to pray to God to move the mountain, God Almighty would move the mountain for them. O You People of Najran, if you contest with Muhammad in this prayer of invoking curses on the liars, then I warn you that all of you will be destroyed and not a single soul will remain on this earth. I feel that it would be better to surrender to them and obey them”

After the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) heard these words, he later remarked:

“By God, had the Christians of Najran contested with us, they would have been transformed into monkeys and swines. Fire would have rained over them”  

It is a historic event of a unique triumph of Islam. This event unquestionably established the truth about Islam and the the spiritual purity of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). It proved beyond doubt as to who were the members of The House of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.).

There is a point to be remembered here that in Arabic language the plural tense is used for more than three. Allah had provided the place for three or more than three persons in the categories of “SONS”, “WOMEN”, and “SELVES”. But the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) had to decide as to who were the persons who were “TRUTHFUL” and never lied in their life time, because Mubahela would bring Allah’s curse up on the “LIARS”. It was a crucial test for Islam. Hence, he picked-up Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Hussayn (a.s.); only two persons for the place in “SONS”. While in the place of “WOMEN”, he picked-up his daughter, The Lady of Paradise, Hazrat Fatima Zahra (s.a.). Similarly, in the place of “SELVES”, he picked up The Conqueror of Khybar, Imam Ali (a.s.).

After the sad demise of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.), at one time, when Hazrat Fatima Zahra (s.a.) claimed her gifted property of Fidak, which was given to her by her father, Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.). The Caliph did not accept her testimony, that of Imam Ali (a.s.) nor Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Hasnain (a.s.). These were the same Panjetan, whose Truthfulness was accepted by Allah on the eve of Mubahela!

MARTYRDOM OF THE SONS OF HAZRAT MUSLIM BIN AQIL (A.S.)

Imam Hussayn (a.s.) had send his cousin, Hazrat Muslim bin Aqil (a.s.) as his emissary to Kufa to ascertain the truth about the thousands of letters sent to the Imam (a.s.) from the Kufans requesting him to come to Kufa for guidance. Hazrat Muslim took two of his sons with him. They were Muhammad and Ibrahim. Both were of the age below 10 years. Hazrat Muslim (a.s.), after reaching Kufa and witnessing the treachery of the Kufans handed them over to Qazi Shurayh who kept them up to the time of the martyrdom of Hazrat Muslim (a.s.).

Subsequently, Ibn Ziyad issued the warning that whoever had the knowledge of the whereabouts of the sons of Hazrat Muslim (a.s.) and did not communicate to him, would be killed. Qazi Shurayh told his son to take the young boys to a caravan heading to Madinah.

When they reached the place, the caravan had just departed and could be seen from behind. Hazrat Aqil (a.s.)’s orphans ran towards it but lost the track. Tired and hungry, they were captured by the Ibn Ziad’s forces and sent to the prison. When the jailer came to know their identity, he freed them. When Ibn Ziad was informed about their escape, he ordered that 50 lashes be whipped over him. The jailer died before completing 50 lashes. They were once again on the run. They were hiding on a tree, when an Ethiopian woman came to collect water from the pond, when she saw their bright images in water she took the boys to her mistress, who was the wife Harith bin Urwah. When she came to know that they were from the A’ale Muhammad, she treated them respectfully and warned them of her husband’s character and that they may rest in a separate room. After eating meals, the boys slept.

Harith returned late and told his wife that Ibn Ziad had announced a big reward for the capture of Hazrat Muslim (a.s.)’s orphans. In the middle of the night, the elder brother, Ibrahim was awakened and told his brother, Muhammad that he had seen “The Panjetan” in the dream who were telling him about their shahadat. The younger brother said that he had also the same dream. Harith was awakened by their talk and came in the room and was delighted to see them. He slapped the children, tied them and left.

In the morning, he took the boys, his son and his slave and arrived at the river Euphrates.

He ordered his son and the slave to kill the orphans, but both of them refused. The ruthless man killed his own son and the slave and wanted to kill the orphans. They begged him to give time to pray the final namaz but he refused to grant their request. His wife continued to ask him to refrain from the heinous crime, but he tried to kill Ibrahim but Muhammad tried to shield his brother. Ultimately he killed both the orphans, severed their heads and threw the bodies in the river.

When Harith brought the heads of the orphans to Ibn Ziad, he was furious and disclaimed their killings but wanted them alive. Hence, Harith was brought at the spot where the boys were mercilessly slaughtered; he was also executed.

It is a good example of “Lust for material wealth” and how stoop a man can go down and behave like animals or worst than that.

Allah says in the Noble Qur’an, Surah al-Shura, Ayah 23; “(Muhammad, say, I do not ask you for any payment for my preaching to you except (your) love of (my near) relatives.”. It is an irony that Muslims had inflicted insults, injuries and opressions to the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) after the demise of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.).

Reference

The Noble Qur’an

Azadari Jaunpur 

AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF GHADEER-E-KHUMM BY THE ORIENTALISTS

If the objective is to correctly and truly understand any subject, one must be impartial, unbiased and approach with an open mind.

The Western scholars approached Islamic history through the biased Sunni writers from early days of Islam up to the fall of Ottoman Empire after the First World War.

The Muslim historians who were mostly Sunnis always tried to show that all other schools of thought than their own were not only false but, if possible, were less than true Muslim. Until very recently, western scholars easily described Sunnism as ‘Orthodox Islam, and Shi’ism as a heretical (separatist) sect. Consequently, when ever an orientalist found time to study Shi’ism, his recommittment to Judeo-Christian tradition of the west was compounded with the Sunni bias towards Shi’ism.  

The event of Ghadeer-e-Khum is a very good example to trace the Sunni bias which found its way in to the mental state of the orientalists. Whenever the Shi’as present a hadith, the Sunni writers respond in the following manner:

Firstly, they will out right deny the existence of any hadith or event. Secondly, when confronted with hard evidences from their own sources, they will cast doubts on the reliability of the transmitters of that hadith or event. Thirdly, when they are shown the reliability of all transmitters by Sunni standards, they will give an interpretation of that hadith or event quite different from the Shi’as.

A quotation from Ibne Khaldun’s Muqaddimah: “The Shi’as believe that Ali is the one Muhammad appointed. The (Shi’as) transmit the texts (of traditions) in support of this belief…The authority of Sunnah and the transmitters of the religious law do not know these texts (1) Most of them are suppositions, or (2) some of their transmitters are suspect, or (3) their (true) interpretation is very different from the wicked interpretation that (the Shi’as) give to them. (Franz Rosenthal, Pantheon Books 1958)

It is a case of conflict of interest. If the Sunni writers would have included the events at Ghadeer, which was the compliance of the Divine Command and clear Traditions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.), then the historical facts of elections by the people for the Khilafat after Prophet’s death, will contradict the Divine Command!

Allama Abdul Hussayn al-Amini have written a book, al-Ghadeer in Arabic spread over 11 volumes in which he had provided the complete list of trusted traditionalists, historians, exegetic and poets from first century to the fourteenth century. It also includes the names of 110 Sahabas of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and 84 tabi’un (disciples of the Sahaba).

N.B. Please refer to my previous article “EID-E-GHADEER” dated October 29, 2012

Reference:

Orientalists and Ghadeer Khumm-Al-Islam.org

IMAM MUHAMMAD AL-BAQIR (A.S.)

He was born in 57A.H. in Madinah. He was 4 years old in the Great Tragedy of Karbala. He lived with his father, Imam Ali Zain-ul-Abedin (a.s.) for 39 years. His mother, Umme Abdullah was the daughter of Imam Hasan al-Mujtabah (a.s.). Period of his Imamate was 18 years. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) informed his companion, Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari and said: “You will live and meet one of grandsons who will be the grandson of (Imam) Husayn (a.s.), who will spread knowledge. When you meet him, give my “Salaam” to him”

Miracles of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.):

In Amali, Muhammad ibn Sulayman narrates from his father that there was a Syrian who used to visit the Imam. He was an enemy of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) but was impressed by the Imam’s knowledge and good manners. He fell sick and told his companion to request the Imam to pray his Namaz-e-Janaza. By next morning, his body was cold and was presumed dead. When the man came to the Imam (a.s.), the Imam told him not to rush to prepare his burial. The Imam (a.s.) prayed two rakaat namaz and came to the Syrian’s house and called him by name. He replied the Imam, who sat with him and comforted him. The Imam returned home. After some time, he came to the Imam and wished to speak in seclusion. He narrated: “O Imam, you are the Hujjat of Allah and the Right Path. I was in a semi sleep condition when I heard someone saying ‘return his soul as Muhammad ibn Ali had requested for him!” Same was also reported by “Manaqib Shaher Ashoob”.

According to “Kashfil Ghima and Shaher Ashoob” Abdullah ibn Ata Makki wanted to meet the Imam in Madinah, hence he reached near the Imam’s house when it was mid night and raining. He was about to return when he heard the Imam asking his slave to open the door for me (ibn Ata).

Abu Baseer was a blind man. He went in the presence of the Imam and inquired as he was the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and inheritors of the miracles of all prophets, can he cure a blind man. The Imam replied that with the permission of Allah, he can cure him. The Imam asked Abu Baseer to come near him and moved his hand over his eyes. He became normal and could see. The Imam said to him: “Do you want to live like normal seeing person and rise on the Day of Resurrection with hope and despair or go to Paradise as a blind man?” Abu Baseer replied that he wanted to revert to the previous condition. The Imam again moved his hand over his eyes, and he became blind again.” (A’alam ul Wara, Manaqib)

Result of enmity with Ahlul Bayt (a.s.):   

Abu Utaibah narrates in “Al-Kharaij”: “I was sitting in the presence of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) when a Syrian man came and told the Imam that he was his Shiah but his father loved Bani Umayyad. He had a garden in Ram Allah. After his death he searched for his father’s wealth but could not find it.” The Imam asked if he wished to meet his dead father, he replied in affirmative. The Imam gave him a letter and told him to go to Baqiyyah Graveyard the same night and call “Darjaan”, a man in turban will appear, give the letter to him. Next morning, Abu Utaibah came in the presence of the Imam to know as to what had transpired with that Syrian. They both entered the Imam’s house simultaneously. The Syrian said: “Only Allah knows whom to give His knowledge. I went to the graveyard last night and a man came, took the letter and asked me to wait. After a wile he brought a man who was black and said that he was my father. I refused to accept it. The man told me that because of the fire and smoke of Hell, his complexion had changed. I inquired from the man if he was my father. He replied that he was my father. But because he loved Bani Umayyad and I loved Ahlul Bayt hence he developed enmity with me and wanted to deprive me of his wealth. Hence he had safely buried it in the garden under the olive tree.”

   

Miracle Thread of Musa and Haroon:

Ja’bir ibn Yazeed Ja’afi narrates in “Manaqib Shaher Ashoob” that people complained to Imam Zain-ul-Abedin (a.s.) about the opressions of Bani Umayyad. The Imam called his son Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) and gave him a thread and directed him to slowly move it. The Imam came in the mosque, prayed two rakat namaz, placed his cheek on the soil, recited some thing. After the prayer, he drew a thread which smell like musk, and gave one end to me to hold it and slowly moved the thread. There was an earth-quake, sounds of crying of the people could be heard, and many houses were demolished. The Imam went up the minaret and loudly said; “You Liars” and recited the Ayah 26 of Surah al-Nahl: “Their ceilings toppled on their heads and torment struck them from a direction which they have never expected.” People imagined it to be a voice from skies and fell on their knees. The Imam told Ja’bir the thread belonged to Prophet Musa and was given to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) by Jibra’eel.

Omar Bin Abdul Aziz’s respect for AhlulBayt (a.s.):

According to “Qurb-ul-Asnad”, the only caliph of Bani Umayyad, who was not oppressive like the rest, Omar Bin Abdul Aziz, openly said that he had heard the traditions about the Lady of Paradise, Bibi Fatima Zahra (s.a.) that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) loved her immensely and had said that whoever makes her unhappy, that person makes the Prophet himself unhappy.

Return of Fadak to AhlulBayt (a.s.):

The Imam was visiting Omar Bin Abdul Aziz and saw him crying. The Imam asked for the reason. He replied that he was crying for some of the actions of Husham. The Imam said: “O Omar, this world is a bazaar, people buy beneficial and harmful things, so fear Allah and remember two things; watch for and send those deeds which you want to be with you in the presence of Allah on the Day of Judgment, and watch and exchange those deeds which you do not want to be with you in Allah’s presence. Help the oppressed and stop the oppressor.

The Imam further said: “Remember three things for perfect faith; do not be happy in committing wrong, let not your anger distract you from righteousness, when you have power, do not acquire a thing which does not belong to you.” Hearing this, Omar Bin Abdul Aziz summoned the writing material and wrote:

               In the name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful

I, Omar Bin Abdul Aziz, am hereby returning the property of Fadak, which was acquired by oppression and without justification, to Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.)

On way to Syria, a priest asked the Imam (a.s.) that in Paradise, people will eat and drink but there will not be any defecation, is there any resemblance in this world like that? The Imam (a.s.) replied: “a baby in mother’s womb!” He further asked: “A woman gave birth to twins, who were born, died and buried at the same time, their ages were 150 and 50 years, who they were?

Imam (a.s.) replied: “These were two brothers; Uzair and Uzaira. Both lived together for 30 years. Then, Allah made Uzair dead for 100 years while Uzaira remained alive. After Uzair was brought back to life, both brothers live for another 20 years!” The priest told the people that he did not see any one more knowledgeable than this person (Imam).

The Noble Qur’an

Bihar-ul-Anwar                                    Allama Muhammad Baqir Majlisi

THE MUSLIM UMMAH

The basis of Muslim brotherhood is the belief in One God, Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), the last Prophet of Allah, belief in the last Divine Message of Allah-The Noble Qur’an, and Ka’baa towards which all Muslims turn their faces while praying in any part of the world. Ka’baa is the visual center of gravity for the Muslim Ummah. The Noble Qur’an and the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has emphasized that all Muslims are brothers of each other.

Brotherhood in the Noble Qur’an:

“Believers are each other’s brothers. Restore peace among your brothers. Have fear of Allah so that perhaps you will receive mercy.” (49:10)

“All of you must hold fast to the rope of Allah (the Qur’an and His Messenger), and recall how He favored you when your hostility towards each other had torn you apart. He united your hearts in one faith and through His Grace you became brothers.” (3:103)

“If they repent, perform their prayers, and pay religious tax, they will be your brothers in the religion.” (9:11)

“Those who migrated later (to Madinah) say, “Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in the faith, and clear our hearts of any ill will against the believers. Lord, you are Compassionate and All-Merciful.” (59:10)

“People, We have created you all male and female and have made you nations and tribes so that you would recognize each other. The most honorable among you in the sight of Allah is the most pious of you. Allah is All-Knowing and All-Aware.” (49:13) 

Brotherhood of Prophets with their people:

Allah has referred certain Prophets as the brother of their people e.g.:

“We sent Hud to his brethren, the tribe of A’ad, who told them, “My people, worship Allah for He is your only Lord. Will you not become pious?” (7:65)

“We sent Salih to his brethren, the tribe of Thamud, who told them, “My people, worship Allah your only Lord…..” (7:73)

“We sent to the people of Madyan their brother Shu’ayb, who also told his people to worship, their only Lord….” (7:85)

After Migration (Hijrat) to Madinah, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) performed the first social decree. He made two groups of people, Ansaar-means helpers who were the residents of Madinah, and Muhajir- who were the migrants from Makkah. He called one person from Ansar and one from Muhajir and established  brotherhood between them. The Ansar helped the Muhajir in every possible way, even shared their wealth. When this brotherhood process was completed, Imam Ali (a.s.) was left out. When he (a.s.) pointed out, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) replied: “O Ali! You are my brother in this world as well as in the hereafter.”

Moral Rights of Brotherhood:

“Believers, let not a group of you mock another. Perhaps they are better than you. Let not women mock each other; perhaps one is better than the other. Let not one of you find faults in another nor let any one of you defame another. How terrible is the defamation after having true faith. Those who did not repent are certainly unjust.”

Surah al-Hujara’t Ayah 11

“Believers, stay away from conjecture; acting upon some conjecture may lead to sin. Do not spy on one another or back-bite. Would any one of you like to eat the disgusting dead flesh of your brother? Have fear of Allah; Allah accepts repentance and is All-Merciful.” Surah al-Hujarat Ayah 12

Traditions regarding Brotherhood:

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: “O Ali! The most commendable deeds are: Being just to the people even against your self, cooperation and material help to Muslim brothers, and remembrance of Allah in all circumstances.” “One, who starts his day without caring about the affairs of the Muslims, is not a Muslim.” (al-Kafi)

Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s.) said: “Helping the brothers-in-Allah (fellow Muslims) increases sustenance.” (al-Khisal)

Imam Jaffer al-Sadiq (a.s.) said: “Seek nearness to Almighty Allah through helping your Muslim brothers.” (al-Khisal)

“The best among you are those who are generous and the worst are the misers; one of the most desired deeds is to do good to Muslim brethren and try to fulfill their needs. This deed weakens Shaitaan, safeguards against the fire of Hell and leads one to Paradise.”

     (al-Amali)

In order to attain unity and enjoy the fruits of brotherhood, one should ponder on the huge areas of commonality and ignore the very minute differences and disagreements.

As mentioned in the beginning, whoever believes in Unity of Allah, prophet hood of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), accepts the Noble Qur’an as the last Divine Message, prostrate towards Holy Ka’baa while praying from any part of the world and believes in the Day of Resurrection, is part of the “Muslim Ummah”.

Efforts to unite the two major Muslim sects:

Muhammad Jawad Chirri, a renowned Muslim scholar from Dearborn, U.S.A., traveled to Cairo, Egypt and had a meeting with Shaikh of Al-Azhar University, Shaikh Mahmud al-Shaltute on July 1, 1959 and asked his opinion about different schools of thought and requested him to issue a “Declaration”. Accordingly, he issued a declaration in which he categorically asserted:

“Islam does not command any of its followers to follow a particular Madhab and one can change to another Madhab. Apart from the Four Sunni Schools of thought, Athna Ashari Shia Madhab is a sound Madhab. The Muslims ought to know this and get rid of their undue bigotry for particular Madhab.” For details of the declaration, please refer to “Inquiries about Islam” by Muhammad Jawad Chirri.

Ayatullah al-Uzma Imam Khomeni always fought for the Muslims as a whole. He even issued the famous fatwa wherein Salman Rushdi was declared to be killed as he had desecrated the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and his wives.

Muslim history is a testimony to the fact that always gulf was created between different sects of Islam to weaken them!

We must always remember “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”

References:

The Noble Qur’an

Islam: Faith, Practice and History                                  by S.M.Rizvi

Fraternity and Co-operation in Islam                             by WOFIS

Inquiries about Islam                                                     by Muhammad Jawad Chirri