FEB 25 Women in Glance - Wording of Imam Ali (as) Part 2

Believer

Here is a Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) ḥadīth from the Ahlul Bayt (عليهم السلام) on what constitutes a true mu’min (believer). In this ḥadīth Imām al-Ṣādiq (عليه السلام) says that in order to be considered amu’min (believer), one much willingly follow ALL the commandments given by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and the A’immah (عليهم السلام).

Among the scholars who have authenticated this ḥadīth are `Āṣif al-Muḥsinī[1], Hādī al-Najafī[2], Wahīd al-Khurāsānī[3], and al-Majlisī[4].

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنِ ابْنِ رِئَابٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع

`Alī b. Ibrāhīm[5] from his father[6] from Ibn Maḥbūb[7] from Ibn Ri’āb[8] from Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام),

قَالَ إِنَّا لَا نَعُدُّ الرَّجُلَ مُؤْمِناً حَتَّى يَكُونَ لِجَمِيعِ أَمْرِنَا مُتَّبِعاً مُرِيداً أَلَا وَ إِنَّ مِنِ اتِّبَاعِ أَمْرِنَا وَ إِرَادَتِهِ الْوَرَعَ فَتَزَيَّنُوا بِهِ يَرْحَمْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَ كَبِّدُوا أَعْدَاءَنَا بِهِ يَنْعَشْكُمُ اللَّهُ

Said: “Verily, we do not consider a man a mu’min until he follows ALL of our commands, willingly, [know that] a part of following out commands and wishing to fulfill it is through al-Wara`a (piety), then adorn yourselves with it (i.e. piety), may Allāh have mercy on you, and keep busy (fighting) our enemies with it (i.e. piety), may Allāh reinvigorate you”[9]

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[1] `Āṣif al-Muḥsinī, Mashra`ah Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 2, pg. 350 [He said the ḥadīth is Mu`tabar(Authentic)]

[2] Hādī al-Najafī, Alf Ḥadīth fī al-Mu’min, ch. 146, pg. 261, ḥadīth # 786 & Hadi al-Najafi,Mawsū`ah Aḥādīth Ahl al-Bayt , vol. 12, pg. 142, ḥadīth # 15115 [He said the ḥadīth has a Ṣaḥīḥ al-Isnād (Authentic Chain of narrators)]

[3] Wahīd al-Khurāsānī, Muqaddimah Fī Usūl al-Dīn, pg. 501 [He said this ḥadīth is Ṣaḥīḥ(Authentic)]

[4] al-Majlisī, Mir’āt al-`Uqūl, vol. 8, pg. 64 [He said this ḥadīth is Hasan (Good)]

[5] `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim al-Qummī is thiqah (trustworth) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 260, person # 680) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 100, person #45).

[6] Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim is praised according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 16, person # 18), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 12, person # 6) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 5, person #9).

[7] al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 122, person # 162 & al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 334, person # 4978) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 36, person # 1).

[8] `Alī b. Ri’āb al-Kūfī is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 263, person # 375) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 93, person # 13).

[9] al-Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 2, pg. 78, ḥadīth # 13

Bibliography

al-Ḥillī. al-Khulāṣah al-`Aqwāl. 1st ed. 1 vols. Qum: , Dār al-Dukhā’ir, 1411.

al-Khurāsānī, Wahīd. Muqaddimah Fī Usūl al-Dīn. Qum, n.d.

al-Kulaynī. al-Kāfī. Ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī. 3rd. 8 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1388.

al-Majlisī. Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl. 26 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410.

al-Muḥsinī, `Āṣif. Mashra`ah Bihār al-Anwār. 2nd. 2 vols. Beirut: Mu’assasah al-`Ārif lil-Maṭbū`āt, 1426/2005.

al-Najafī, Hādī. Alf Ḥadīth fī al-Mu’min. 1st ed. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, Qum, 1416, 1st ed., 1416.

—. Mawsū`ah Aḥādīth Ahl al-Bayt. 1st. 12 vols. Beirut: Dār Iḥyā’ al-Turāth al-`Arabī, 1423/2002.

al-Ṭūsī. al-Fihrist. Najaf: al-Maktabah al-Raḍawiyyah, n.d.

—. al-Rijāl. 1st. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1415.

The reality behind Prophet Nuh (as)'s ark... Wonderful story.

During the month of July 1951 a team of Russian archaeologist experts, were surveying the Valley of Kaaf. Perhaps they were busy in finding a new mine. They noticed a few pieces of rotten wood at a place. The group officer started digging the place. To his surprise he found heaps of wood pressed there under the earth. Experts by observing a few layers speculated that these woods are extraordinary and possess obscure mystery.  Read more...

Women in Glance - Wording of Imam Ali (as) Part 1

The Mukhlasin and Mukhlisin

There is a stark difference between two relatively similar terms: al-Mukhlasin and al-Mukhlisin – and even though there is only one vowel point which makes the pronunciation different, however that one difference radically changes the meaning of the words.

In his seminal work, Tafsire Namuneh, Ayatullah al-Uzma Shaykh Nasir Makarim Shirazi states that: It must be noted that the word “al-Mukhlas” is the passive participle (al-ism al-maf’ul) and is in the meaning of ‘one who has been made sincere’; while the word “al-Mukhlis” which is the active participle (al-ism al-fa’il) can be rendered as ‘one who is making himself sincere’. By carefully studying the verses of the Qur’an we clearly see that “al-Mukhlis” has been used more often than “al-Mukhlas” and [this word] is used in reference to a person who is at the first of many stages of perfection and on the path of self-building, for example in the verse of the Qur’an which states:

فَإِذَا رَكِبُوا فِي الْفُلْكِ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ إِذَا هُمْ يُشْرِكُونَ

“When they board the ship, they invoke God putting exclusive faith in Him, but when He delivers them to land, behold, they ascribe partners [to Him.]” (Al-Ankabut (29) v. 65)

And also:

وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ

“Yet they were not commanded except to worship Allah, dedicating their faith to Him as men of pure faith, and to maintain the prayer, and pay the zakat. That is the upright religion.” (Al-Bayyinah (98), v. 5)

However the word “al-Mukhlas” is a higher station which one can only attain after traversing the station of the struggle with the self; and this is the level at which Satan loses all hope of using his influence or whisperings to misguide these individuals; and is that station in which Allah himself guards the person so that no impurity can touch him.

Therefore, the one who is initiating that ‘act of making one sincere’ is Allah Himself, and the one who is ‘receiving the status of being made sincere’ is the human being [who has been bestowed with this lofty status]; and in essence such a person has been granted a level of insurance from Allah.

Therefore we read:

قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

“He said, ‘My Lord! As You have consigned me [Satan] to perversity, I will surely glamorize [evil] for them on the earth, and I will surely pervert them, except Your exclusive servants among them.’” (Al-Hijr (15), v. 39-40)

Shaykh Saleem Bhimji

Hadith narrated in Al-Kafi, Chapter 98 Hadith 1

Muhammad ibn Yahya and Ahmad ibn Muhammad have narrated from Muhammad ibn alHassan from Ibrahim ibn Hashim from ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman from Ibrahim ibn Ayyub from 
‘Amr ibn Shimr from Jabir from abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who has said the following.

 "Once when Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) was on the pulpit a serpent entered from one of the doors of the 
mosque. People wanted to kill him. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) asked them to leave him alone. 
They left him alone. The serpent began to crawl to the pulpit. He stretched and saluted to 
Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.). Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) made a gesture to him to wait until the 
sermon is completed. When the sermon was completed he came to him and said, "Who are 
you?" He said, "I am ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman, your deputy among the Jinns. My father has died 
and he has asked me in his will to come to you and find out your instructions and that is why I 
am here. What do you command me to do and what do you see." Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) 
said, "I ask you to be pious before Allah and go back and act as the successor of your father 
among the Jinns. I appoint you as my deputy over them." The narrator has said that ‘Amr then 
said farewell to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) and left as his deputy over the Jinns. I asked The 
Imam (a.s.), may Allah take my soul in service for your cause, does ‘Amr fulfill that 
obligation on him?" He said, "Yes, he does so."

Question: What is the purpose of the Qur'an in pointing towards 'seven heavens'?

AYATOLLAH NASIR MAKAREM SHIRAZI

Answer: Islamic scholars and commentators have narrated some clarifications regarding 'seven heavens' (towards which indication are made in the Holy Qur'an also).

1. Here, seven is meant to be multiplication (to be more). It means that He has created many heavens, i.e. He has created a number of times. And mostly it so happens that in Arabic, Persian, Urdu or other languages, the mention of numbers is done in the sense of plenty. It means that a number is mentioned but no definite quantity is meant. The purpose of saying is to convey plenty. For example, generally we say in Urdu that, I said this to you fifty times, or I have demanded from him ten times. However, it is not necessary that the act should have been done exactly fifty or ten times. But it is meant that I have said this many times or I have demanded that thing a number of times. The Holy Qur'an says about the word of Allah and the things known to Allah in this way:

"And were every tree that is in the earth (made into) pens and the sea (to supply it with ink), with seven more seas to increase it, the words of Allah would not come to an end."

(31:27)

It is obvious that here seven indicates excess; otherwise, as we know, if there is an addition of ten or hundred oceans, then too the unfathomed knowledge of Allah cannot be written, because Allah is by all means beyond words.

In the same way many other numbers 'sabeen', 'seventy', etc. also, are used in the sense of excess in the Holy Qur'an or other words (either in speech or writing) in Arabic and other languages. And the meaning of those numbers is not some definite number, but it is intended to point towards the excess of something.

2. By seven heavens it was meant to be those planets which were known to the people of that period or they are those planets which the general public of the present age can see with naked eyes.

3. By seven heavens are meant the multiple layers of different airs and gases that encircle the earth.

4. Still, according to the views of some great intellectuals, those small stars, galaxies, and Milky Way which are seen are all part of the first heaven, and beyond that six still bigger worlds are there. And by seven heavens, the Holy Qur'an means all those seven worlds which exist in the Universe. Maybe man's present age of scientific knowledge and wisdom has raised the curtain from only one of it, and it is quite possible that in future, as a result of gaining more knowledge, on the back of the present perceptible world, six great worlds are discovered. Favoring this view we present the following verse as proof.

"We have adorned the nearest heaven with an adornment, the stars."

(37:6)

With this verse it is known that all the stars are in the first heaven. (It should be remembered that in Arabic the word 'Duniya' means 'lower' and near.)

However, it seems necessary to mention that verses and traditions in which the number of heavens are said to be seven are not a corroboration of the theory of Ptolemaic astronomy in which he has presented the heavens as the layers of peels of onion like shape of heavenly spheres. (Because according to Ptolemaic theory, the number of heavenly spheres and heavens are nine.)

As long as seven earths are concerned (the mention of which is there in the Holy Qur'an is an indication and in some traditions, is given with specific mention), about them thoughts similar to the aforesaid are expressed. For example, that the number seven is in the sense of many or that by seven earths it is meant seven planets (Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and moon). That is the same number in solar system which we can see. (Obviously there are other bodies and moon in the solar system, but they cannot be seen with our naked eyes.) And based on this explanation, by seven heavens is meant to be the same atmosphere, which exists on each of those seven heavenly bodies.

In other words, these seven bodies are counted as earth; the atmosphere surrounding them is their heaven. It should be remembered that in Arabic dictionary 'Samaa' is means all such things, which are placed towards the upper portion.

This was the summary of those different interpretations, which our scholars and writers of exegeses have presented about seven heavens and earths. Especially the last Tafseer, which seems to be more acceptable compared to all others, and the narrations of those exegeses is in need of further explanation.