Lesson 2; Death part 1 of 5

One of the fearsome stages of the Hereafter is the grave, which calls out daily: “I am the abode of loneliness, I am the house of terror, I am the home of worms”.

 

Terror of the Grave

It is quoted in Man La Yahzaruhul Faqih, that when a dead body is brought for burial, it should not be buried immediately. For there is no doubt that the terror of the grave horrifies the dead person, and he seeks refuge from Allah's wrath. The dead body should be laid to rest for sometime far from the grave, so that it prepares itself, and gets accustomed to it. Again one should stop and then take it to the grave. Allamah Majlisi while commenting on the above, says that even though the spirit is separated from the body, it is still maintains relation with it, and remains somewhat attached to it. The darkness & loneliness, questioning by ‘Munkir & Nakeer’, Squeezing in the grave (Fishar), and the chastisement in hell are some of the frightful stages. Hence it is necessary for man to take lessons from a dead man's state, and reflect upon it, because one day he himself will have to pass through these stages. Yunus narrates that one day he asked Imam Moosa-al-Kazim (A.S.) that, “Whenever I think about the door of a house, the house becomes narrow in my sight, why is it so”? Imam (A.S.) replied, “It is so because whenever you take a dead body for burial, you should lay it to rest for sometime near the grave, so that the dead person may ready itself to enter there in, and collect strength to answer the questions of ‘Munkir’ & Nakeer’”.

Bara bin Azib, one of the companions (Ashab) of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S) says that one day I was in the presence of the Prophet, when we saw a group of people gathered. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S) asked them as to why they had gathered? They replied that they had gathered to dig a grave. As soon as the Prophet heard the name of the grave, he hurried towards it and sat on one side of the grave. I sat on the other side facing him so as to get a clear view of what he did. I saw that the Prophet (S.A.W.S) started weeping bitterly so much so that his face became wet, then he looked at us and said, “O my brothers! Prepare yourselves for this house”.

Shaikh Bahai says that at times he saw many kings and rulers regretting their sins and wailing over their lives while dying. The Shaikh asked one such person who was about to die as to what was the reason for such regret. The dying king replied, “What do you have to say about the person who is proceeding for a journey without having gathered any provisions for it, and devoid of a helpful companion. He is stopped on the way in a horrifying grave, to be produced later before the Almighty Ruler, without having any goodness in store”.

Allamah Qutubuddin Rawandi says, that after the death of Hazrat Maryam (A.S.), her son Prophet Isa (A.S.) called her, “O mother! Please speak to me, and tell me whether you are desirous of returning back to this world”. Hazrat Maryam (A.S.) answered, “Yes, I desire to return back, so that during the cold winter nights I could recite Namaz, and during the hot summer days I could fast. O my dear! Verily the way to the hereafter is very difficult.”

It is narrated that when the last moments of Hazrat Fatema (A.S.) neared, She called Amirul Mo'meneen Ali (A.S.) and said, “When I die, you bathe me, shroud me, pray Namaz over my dead body, and bury me. When you do so, sit near my grave for sometime and recite the Holy Qur'an, and pray for my forgiveness. For verily after death the dead person relies totally on the prayers (dua's) and affection of the living ones”.

When Hazrat Fatema binte Asad (the mother of Hazrat Ali) died, Amirul Mo'meneen (A.S.) came weeping to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S) and gave Him the new of her death. The Prophet was grieved and said, “My mother has died”. History bears witness that she had brought up the Prophet affectionately like a mother. The Prophet (S.A.W.S) gave her his own gown for the shroud (Kafan), and Himself lay in the grave for sometime before burying her. After burying her, he stood near the grave and called out: “Your son, your son, not Aqeel, nor Ja'far”. People were surprised and asked him the reason for uttering these words. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S) replied that, “One day we were discussing about Qayamat, and I said that on that day people will be come out of their graves in a state of nakedness. My aunt (Fatema binte Asad) started crying, so I assured her that I would give her my own gown for shroud, so she would not have to face that humiliation. She was scared of the squeeze in the grave (Fishare Qabr) , so I lay myself in her grave so as to save her from this too. After burying her, Munkir & Nakeer came to question her. They asked her about her Lord, she replied that Almighty Allah was her Lord. Then they asked her about Prophet hood (Nabuwwah), she bore testimony that I was Allah's Apostle. But when they questioned her about her Imam, she was a bit confused. Hence I called out to her that “Your son, your son, not Aqeel nor Ja'far (but Ali)”. Fatema binte Asad was a distinguished lady, who had the honor of giving birth to a son like Ali (A.S.), and herself remaining in the Ka'bah for three days as Allah's guest. She was the second woman who accepted the Prophet hood of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S) the first being Hazrat Khadija (A.S.) even then she was fearful of the hereafter and wept. And we being sinful have forgotten our end, and do not take account of our deeds, but are averse to the terror of the hereafter.

Sayyed ibne Tawoos relates from the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S) that he said that the first night is the most fearful and difficult for the dead person, hence give Sadqa for his safety. If you do not have to give anything as ‘Sadqa’ then recite two unit (Rak'at) Namaz: In the first Rak'at after Surah-al-Hamd recite twice Surah-at-Tawheed, and in the second Rak'at after Surah-al-Hamd recite ten times Surah-at-Takasur. After finishing the Namaz recite the following dua:

اَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ على مُحَمَّدٍ وآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وابْعَثَ ثَوابَها اِلى قَبْرِ ذِلِكَ المَيِّتِ فُلان بن فُلان.

(here take the name of the dead man)

Allah will immediately send one thousand Angels to the grave of the dead person with attires of Paradise, and expand his grave till Qayamat. And for the one who recites this Namaz, Allah will offer him great rewards and exalt his position forty times.

The other Namaz to be recited on the first night of burial is as follows: Two Rak'at Namaz is to be recited, in the first Rak'at after Surah-al-Hamd recite once Ayatal Kursi, and in the second Rak'at after Surah-al-Hamd recite ten times surah-al-Qadr. After finishing Namaz say:

اَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ على مُحَمَّدٍ وآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وابْعَثَ ثَوابَها اِلى قَبْرِ فُلان

(here take the name of the deceased person).

My teacher Allamah Mirza Husain Noori (may Allah exalt his position) quotes in his book Darus Salaam from his teacher Haj Fath Ali Sultanabadi that he said: It was my routine that whenever I heard about the death of follower (Shi'ah) of Ahlulbait (A.S.), whether known or unknown to me, I recited (the above stated) Namaz, and this was not known to anyone else except myself. One day I met one of my friends who told me that the previous night he saw in a dream a Shi'ah who had died some days ago. May friend asked him as to how his state was. He replied that he was in deep trouble facing the consequences of his deeds, till one so and so (he took my name) person recited Namaz for him. He said that, “May Allah bless his father, he rescued me from severe chastisement”. My friend asked me regarding the Namaz and I had to tell him.

 

Those deeds which are beneficial for warding off fear of the Grave.

One of them is performing Ruku' with entire recitation. Imam Mohammad-al-Baqir (A.S.) says, that a person reciting entire recitation of Ruku' in Namaz will be saved from the fear of the grave. And one who recites.

لا إلهَ إلاّ اللهُ المَلِكُ الحَقُّ المُبينُ

100 times daily, will be saved from anxiety in the grave, will become prosperous  and the doors of Paradise will be opened for him. It is also related that the person who recites Surah-al-Yaseen before going to bed, and the following Namaz (Namaze Laylatur Raghaib), he will be saved from the terror of the grave. The first night of the month of Rajab is known as Laylatur Raghaib.

The Holy Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.S.) used to fast on the first Thursday of the month of Rajab, and between Maghrib and Isha Prayers recite twelve Rak'at Namaz (in si sets of two units) as under:

In every Rak'at after Surah-al-Hamd recite three times Surah-al-Qadr and twelve times Surah-an-Naas. After Salaam recite seventy times:

اَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ على مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبيِّ الأمِّي وَعلى آلِهِ

Then go into prostration (Sajdah) and say seventy times:

سُبُّوحٌ قُدُّوسٌ رَبَّ المَلائِكَةِ والرُّوحِ

Then sit erect and say seventy times:

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَتَجاوَزْ عَمَّا تَعْلَمُ إنَّكَ أنْتَ العَليُّ الأعْظَمُ

Then again go into Sajdah and say seventy times:

سُبُّوحٌ قُدُّوسٌ رَبَّ المَلائِكَةِ والرُّوحِ

It has been related that a person who fasts for twelve days in the month of Sha'ban, Allah will send seventy thousand Angels daily to his grave. And if a person visits an ailing man, Allah appoints an Angel for him who accompanies him in his grave till Qayamat.

Abu Sa'eed Khudri says, that he heard the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S) telling Amirul Mo'mineen Ali (A.S.), “O Ali! Give glad tidings to your Shi'ahs that their death will be eased, and they will be saved from the terror of the grave and Qayamat”.

Narrowness of. and Squeeze in the Grave (Fishare Qabr).

This event is so horrifying, that it makes a person shiver with fright in this very world. Amirul Mo'meneen Ali (A.S.) says: “O the servants of Allah! The state in the grave of a person whose sins are not forgiven is more horrifying than death it self. Fear it's (grave's) narrowness, it's squeezing, it's imprisonment  and it's loneliness. Verily the grave calls out daily: I am the house of loneliness, of terror and worms. Grave is like a garden of Paradise for a good doer, while it is like a dungeon of hell for the evil doer. Allah tells His enemies that He will send ninety nine serpents in their graves, who will tear their flesh and smash their bones, and this punishment will continue till the outbreak of Qayamat. If one of the serpents exhales towards this earth, all plants and trees will be destroyed. O servants of Allah! Your souls are tender, and your bodies delicate, you cannot confront any ordinary serpent of this world, how then will you face them”. It is related that Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq (A.S.) used to get up daily in the middle of the night and call out in a loud voice so that everyone in the house could hear, and would say:

اللّهُمَّ أعِنِّي عَلى حَوْلِ المُطَّلَعِ وَوَسِّعْ على ضِيقِ المَضْجَعِ وَارْزُقْني ما قَبلَ المَوتِ وارْزُقني خَيرَ ما بَعدَ المَوتِ.

One of his (A.S.)'s Supplication (Du'a) is also stated:

اللّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لي في المَوتِ اللّهُمَّ أعِنّي على سَكَراتِ المَوتِ اللّهُمَّ أعِنّي على غَمِّ القَبْرِ اللّهُمَّ أعِنّي على ضَيْقِ القَبْرِ اللّهُمَّ أعِنّي على وَحْشَةِ القَبْرِ اللّهُمَّ زَوِّجْني مَنَ الحُورِ العِينِ.

 

Who's a true Shia? Hadith 12

Ibrahim bin Umar narrated that Musa bin Ja’far (Imam Kazim)
said: “Whoever does not evaluate what his soul has done each day is not our follower. He should ask God for an increase in his good deeds, and should repent and ask for God's forgiveness if he has done any bad deeds.” (27)

___________________________
27 Mishkat ul Anwar- English edition, pg 182

Suitable Engravings for Every Gem:

Husain ibne Khalid visited Imam Reza (a.s.) and asked him if it was permissible
to visit the toilet wearing a gem on which was engraved:
‘There is no God but Allah.’
The Imam (a.s.) replied that this act was good for no one. Husain further
asked if the Prophet and other ancestors did not visit the toilet with
the ring on. The Imam (a.s.) replied in the affirmative but also stated that
the ring was in the right hand and that Husain should stop defaming his
ancestors. Then Imam (a.s.) said that naqsh (engraving) on the gem of
Adam, which was brought from heaven, was thus:
‘There is no God but one Allah and Mohammed is the Messenger of
Allah.’
The engraving on the Prophet's ring was:
‘There is no God but Allah, Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah.’
The engraving on Hazrat Ali (a.s.)'s ring was:
‘Allah is Master of the kingdom.’
The engraving on Imam Hasan (a.s.)'s ring was:
‘Verily, All honour (as a whole) belongeth (only) to God.’
The engraving on Imam Husain (a.s.)'s ring was:
‘Verily God accomplisheth His purpose.’
The ring worn by Hazrat Ali ibnul Husain (a.s.) and Imam Mohammed
Baqir (a.s.) belonged to Imam Husain (a.s.).
The engraving on the ring of Imam Ja'far-e-Sadiq (a.s.) was:
‘Allah is my master and He will safeguard me from His creatures.’
The engraving on the ring of Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s.) was:
‘Sufficient for me is Allah.’
After speaking about the engraving of Imam Ali Reza (a.s.), he put
forth his hand on which he was wearing the ring of his father.
According to the tradition from Syed Ibne Taoos (r.a.), a person visited
Imam Ja'far-e-Sadiq (a.s.) and said that he was scared of the ruler of Jazeerah
as his enemies had poisoned the ears of ruler and he may kill him.
The Imam (a.s.) ordered him to make a ring set in with a thick gem of
Hadeed Cheeni on one side of which the following three sentences
should be engraved:
‘I seek the refuge of the Mightiness of Allah. I seek the shelter of the
words of Allah. I seek the shelter of the Prophet of Allah.’
and at the back of the gem the following two lines should be engraved:
‘I have brought faith on Allah and his Books. I myself rely on Allah
and his Prophets.’ and further, the following should be engraved on all the four corners
of the gem:
‘I stand witness with all submission to there being no Creator except
Allah.’
When he will wear this ring all his difficulties will be solved; especially
he will not be afraid of the wicked. And if the ring is tied, women
will have an easy delivery and they will not be affected by any evil eye.
It is very important to protect this gem. Dirt should be kept away from it
and it should not be taken in bathroom or toilet as it contains the secrets
of God. Shias of Ahle Bait (a.s.) who are afraid of the enemy should keep
this ring dearer than life and hide it from their enemies and keep it a
secret except from those who are reliable. According to the traditionalist,
his experience proved what the Imam (a.s.) had said.
According to Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s.), if a person possesses a
ring set in with Aqiq and turns it towards his palm and then looks at it
and recites the 97th chapter of the Holy Book (Sura Inna Anzalna):
‘In the name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful.
Verily, We sent it (The Quran) down in the night of Qadr! What can
make thee know what the night of Qadr is? The night of Qadr is better
than a thousand months. The Angels and the Spirit descend therein with
the permission of their Lord, with (decrees) of all affairs; Peace is (in the
whole night) till the breaking of the dawn!’
And recites this prayer:
‘I have brought faith on that One Allah who has no partner and I do
not believe in Jibl and Taghoot (idols)! And have also brought faith on
the beginning and the end, the visible and the invisible (aspects) of Mohammed
(s.a.w.a.) and Ale Mohammed (a.s.) whether their Imamat has
been declared or they are in their temporary disappearance. Mohammed
(s.a.w.a.) is the Prophet of Allah and Hazrat Ali (a.s.) is the Divine Vicegerent
of Allah.’
then God keeps him protected the whole day from trouble whether
they are descendent from heaven or earth and he will be protected till
the evening by God and God's friends will guide him.
According to another tradition, a person who makes a ring set in Aqiq
should have the following engraved on it so that God will protect him
from a bad death and he will die in his faith:
‘Mohammed (s.a.w.a.) is the Prophet of Allah and Hazrat Ali (a.s.) is
the Divine Vicegerent of Allah.’

Some beautiful Maxims of Imam Al-Kadhem (as).

All of the Ahadith below are mentioned in Tuhaful-Uqool:

Anyone who acknowledges God should not complain when his earnings are delayed and should not accuse God of His acts.

As a man asked him about conviction, Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) answered:
The conviction is to depend upon God, submit to Him, consent to His acts, and entrust Him with the affairs.

Abdullah bin Yahya said: Within the supplication that I wrote to Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him), there was the sentence, ‘Praise be to God as much as the utmost of His knowledge.’ The Imam answered my missive saying: Do not say, ‘the utmost of His knowledge,’ because His knowledge has no limits. You may say, ‘the utmost of His satisfaction.’

As a man asked him about the munificent, Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) answered: Your question has two references. If you refer to the created munificent, I can tell you that he is the one who fulfills what God has imposed upon him, while the miserly is the one who withholds what God has imposed upon him. If you refer to the All-munificent God, I can tell you that He is the All-munificent whether He gives or not. If He gives, He gives you what is not yours, and if He does not give, He deprives you of what in not yours.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said to one of his adherents:

 Fear God and say the truth even if it will cause you to perish, for your salvation lies in telling the truth. Fear God and leave the wrong even if it will save you, for your perdition lies in telling the wrong.

As his agent swore he had not betrayed him, Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said to him:

To betray me and waste my wealth are the same. However, betrayal is more harmful for you.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:

Beware of depriving anyone in fields of obedience to God lest, you will lose two folds in fields of disobedience to God.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said: 
The believer is like the two pans of a balance — the more faith he enjoys the more misfortunes he faces.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said as he stopped near a grave: 
It is quite proper to leave the first of a matter the end of which is this (grave). It is also quite proper to fear the end of a thing the first of which is this (grave).

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said: 
He who speaks in the Essence of God will perish, he who seeks power will perish, and he who feels self-conceited will perish.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said: 
The supplies of this world and the religion are difficult. Whenever you extend your hand towards any source of the worldly supplies, you will found out that a sinful has preceded you there. When you intend to obtain a source of the religious supplies, you will not find anyone helping you.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said: 
Four deeds are originated from extreme solicitude. They are eating soil, crumbling the clay, clipping the nails with the teeth, and biting the hair of the beard. Looking at three things improves the sight. They are verdure, flowing water, and handsome faces.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said: 
Good neighborhood is not abstinence from harm. It is to tolerate the harm (of the neighbors).

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:

Do not take liberties with your friend. You should keep any quantity of respect among you lest you will lose pudency.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said to one of his sons:
O son, let not God see you committing an act of disobedience against which He warned you, and let Him not miss you in an act of obedience to Him of which He ordered you. Keep serious and do not convince yourself that you are worshiping and obeying God perfectly, because no one can achieve perfection in the fields of worshiping God. Beware of joking because it extinguishes the illumination of your faith and disgraces you personality. Beware of indolence and laziness because they both prevent you from receiving your shares of the pleasures of this world and the world to come.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:
When injustice predominates over the right, it is unacceptable to expect good from anybody before investigation.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:
Kissing on the mouth is not acceptable except from the wife and the little child.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:
Try to divide your time into four parts. The first part should be dedicated to (secret) supplication to God, the second to seeking earnings, the third to associating with the friends and the trusty people who show you your defects and treat you sincerely, and the fourth to your legal pleasures. Through this part, you can manage the other three parts. Do not think of poverty and long age. He who thinks of poverty will be stingy and he who thinks of long age will be acquisitive. Offer a share of the worldly pleasures to yourselves by enjoying moderately the legal pleasures that do not injure your personality. Make such pleasures help you fulfill your religious duties perfectly. It is said that, “As for those who neglect the legal worldly pleasures completely and adhere to the religious duties or neglect the religious duties and adhere to the worldly affairs, they are not from us.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:
Learn the religious question, for jurisprudence is the key of intelligence, the perfection of worship, and the means to the high standings and the respectful positions in this world and the world to come. The priority of the knowledgeable over the worshiper is as same as the priority of the sun over the stars. God will not accept the deeds of those who avoid learning the religious questions.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said to Ali bin Yaqttin:
The expiation of working with the (unjust) rulers is to treat the friends with kindness.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:
Whenever people perpetrate unprecedented sins, God will inflict upon them unexpected misfortunes.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:
In the time of the just ruler, you should thank and he will gain rewards. In the time of the unjust ruler, you should tolerate and he will burden the punishment of the sin.

Abu Hanifa related: After I had performed the hajj I went to Medina to visit Abu Abdillah As-Sadiq (peace be upon him). I entered his house and sat in the entrance waiting for his permission. After a while, a male toddler went out. “O boy,” I asked, “where should the stranger excrete in your country?” The boy asked for a respite before he sat to a wall and spoke:

You should be away from riversides, places were fruits fall, yards of mosques, and roadbeds. You should also hide against a wall, lift up your dress, avoid turning the face or the back to the kiblah, and then you can excrete anywhere. 

I was highly admired by the wording of that boy. I therefore asked about his name. “I am Musa bin Ja’far bin Mohammed bin Ali bin Al-Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Talib,” answered he. I then asked him about the source of the acts of disobedience to God. He answered: 

The source of any sin is unquestionably one of three: either the God, the God and the servant, or the servant. If God is the source of sins –yet He is not-, then it is improper for Him to punish the servants for what they did not commit. If God and the servants are together the source of sin –yet this is not accurate-, then it is improper for the stronger partner to wrong the weak partner. If the servant is the source of the sins –and this is quite accurate-, then the Lord may pardon out of His generosity and liberty or punish for the commitment of such a sin. 

After I had heard so, I left before I could meet Abu Abdillah since that wording was sufficient for me.

Abu Ahmed Al-Khurasani asked Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) whether atheism preceded polytheism or the opposite. ‘You have not been accustomed to ask such questions,’ answered the Imam, ‘I do not know that you intrude yourself in the theological discussions.’ Abu Ahmed confessed that it had been Husham bin Al-Hakam who ordered him to put such a question before the Imam. The Imam, then, answered:

 
Atheism preceded polytheism. The foremost atheist was Eblis about whom God says: 
He refused and he was proud, and he was one of the unbelievers –atheists-.¹

Atheism is one thing while polytheism is not. Polytheism is to believe in one (god) and associate others with him.
As he noticed two men reviling at each other, Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) commented:
The first person to revile is the more wrongful. He should burden –the inconvenience- of his sin as well as the sin of the other unless the other was the aggressor

.
Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:

On the Day of Resurrection, a caller will summon those whose rewards should be presented by God individually. Except those who forgave and reformed themselves, no one will attend.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:

The liberal well-mannered ones are in the shelter of God Who will not abandon them until they reside in Paradise. Prophets of God are all liberal. My father incessantly commanded me to hold on liberality and noble manners until he departed.

As-Sindi bin Shahek² narrated: When Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) was dying, I offered to enshroud him. He answered:
We, the Prophet’s family, should cover the expenditure of our first pilgrimage, the dowries of our women, and our coffins from our legal fortunes.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said to Fadhl bin Younus: 

Convey the good, say the good, and do not be yes-man. 
“What is yes-man?” asked Fadhl, and the Imam instructed: 
Do not say, ‘I am with people,’ or ‘I am like others,’ for the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: “O people, they are only two ways — either good or evil. Do not prefer the way of evil to that of good.”

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) passed by an ugly villager, greeted him, sat with him, talked with him for a considerable time, and then asked him to settle his needs when he will be in need for him. Some said,

“O son of God’s Messenger, how do you sit with this one and ask him to settle your needs while he is in need for you?” The Imam (peace be upon him) answered: 
He was one of God’s servants, a brother in the Book of God, and a neighbor in the lands of God. He and we enjoy the same best father — Adam (peace be upon him) and the same best religion that is Islam. Perhaps, our need will someday be in his hand and we will have to sit modestly before him. 

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) then recited a poetic verse: 

We regard even those who do not deserve our regard so that we will not be friendless.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:

Asking for –financial- help is acceptable only in blood money that is imposed on an insolvent, heavy debts, and extreme poverty.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:

The best kind of alms giving is to help the weak.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:

The astonishment of the ignorant at the intelligent is greater than the astonishment of the intelligent at the ignorant.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:

For the steadfast, the misfortune is one, while it is two for the impatient.

Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said:
Only the sufferers of injustice can realize its intensity.
_________________________________________________________________________________
1 The Holy Quran, Sura of Al-Baqara (2) Verse (35)
2 As-Sindi bin Shahek was appointed by Harun Ar-Rashid as the jailer of Imam Musa Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him).

Imam Al-Kadhim’s Wording to Harun ar-Rashid

Imam Al-Kadhim (as) visited Harun Ar-Rashid¹ who had intended to arrest him for accusations that were forged against the Imam.² Ar-Rashid gave the Imam (peace be upon him) a long roll that contained many sayings that were falsely ascribed to Shiism.

After he had read the content, the Imam (peace be upon him) spoke:

O Amirul Muminin, we are the household who had to face fabricated lies. Our Lord is forgiving and coverer. He does not accept to reveal the secrets of His servants before the day when He will settle the account with them. “The day on which property will not avail, nor sons. Except him who comes to Allah with a heart free from evil.”³

My father told me that his father told him that Ali told that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: “When two individuals of the same family touch each other, their kinship will be stirred up and them relax.” Now, Amirul Muminin can cause our kinship to stir up by shaking hands with me.

As soon as he heard these words, Ar-Rashid jumped from his seat and extended his hand to the Imam (peace be upon him). Then he took him from the right hand, embraced him, and asked him to sit to his right. He then spoke, “I declare that you are honest, your father was honest, your grandfather was honest, and the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) was honest. When you first visited me, I was the most malicious and enraged with you because of what has been said to me about you. But when you uttered your words and shook hand with me, I was relieved and my rage was changed into satisfaction.

After a while, Ar-Rashid said to the Imam (peace be upon him), “I would like to ask you why was Ali preceded to Al-Abbas⁴ in the matter of the heritage of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), while Al-Abbas was the Prophet’s uncle and his father’s brother. The Imam asked the caliph to release him from answering this question. “No,” insisted the caliph, “By God, I will not allow you avoid answering this question. You should answer it, now.” Therefore, the Imam said, “If you will not free me from answering this question, will you then guarantee my safety?” “Yes,” said Ar-Rashid, “I guarantee your safety.”

The Imam (peace be upon him) spoke:

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) did not bequeath those who did not migrate (to Medina) while they were able to migrate. Al-Abbas, your father, believed but did not migrate, while Ali believed and migrated. God says:

The believers who did not leave their homes are not your guardians until they too leave their homes.⁵

The color of Harun’s face changed. Hence, he asked, “Why are you not ascribed to Ali your father, but ascribed to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) who is your grandfather?”

The Imam (peace be upon him) answered:

God ascribes Jesus to Abraham the intimate (peace be upon them) from the side of his mother the Virgin Mary –whom was never touched by any human being-. This is clear in God’s saying:

We gave (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob. Both had received Our guidance. Noah received Our guidance before Abraham and so did his descendants: David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron. Thus is the reward for the righteous people. We also gave guidance to Zechariah, John, Jesus, and Elias, who were all pious people.⁶

God ascribes Jesus to Abraham from the side of his mother only. In the same way, God ascribes David, Solomon, Job, Moses, and Aaron to Abraham from the side of both their fathers and mothers so that God will give Jesus an exclusive characteristic and an elevated standing for his mother alone. This is in God’s saying about Mary (peace be upon her):

"Behold," the angels told Mary, "God had chosen you, purified you, and given you distinction over all women.⁷

God gave Mary distinction over all women by the Christ who was born without the means of a father.

Likewise, our Lord chose Fatima (peace be upon her), purified her, and gave her distinction over all women by Al-Hasan and Al-Hussein (peace be upon them), the masters of the youth of Paradise.

Harun was confused by what he had heard. Therefore, he asked the Imam, “How do you claim that an illegitimacy may occur on the part of women or fathers to the man who does not settle the Khums?” The Imam (peace be upon him and his family) said:

Except you, no ruler, including Taim (Abu Bakr), Edi (Omar), and the Umayyads at all asked such a question. No one of my fathers was asked about such a question; therefore, do not cause me to divulge it.

Harun threatened, “I will cancel my pledge of safety to you if I know that you have divulged it.” “I agree,” said the Imam (peace be upon him).

Harun asked, “Numbers of the miscreants are increasing in Islam. The miscreants whom are brought to us are ascribed to you. For you, the Prophet’s family, what is the miscreant?” The Imam (peace be upon him) answered:

The miscreants are everyone who rejects God and His Messenger. They are those who oppose God and His Messenger. God says:

You will not find any people of faith in God and the Day of Judgment who would establish friendship with those who oppose God and His Messenger, even if it would be in the interest of their fathers, sons, brothers, and kinsmen. God has established faith in their hearts and supported them by a Spirit from Himself.⁸

They are also the apostates who deviated from monotheism into atheism.

Harun asked the Imam about the first one who apostatized and became an atheist. The Imam (peace be upon him) answered:

The first one who apostatized and became an atheist in the heavens was Eblis the cursed. He showed arrogance and took pride in himself against Adam (peace be upon him) the choice and confidant of God. The cursed said –as it is mentioned in the Quran-:

I am better than Adam, for You have created me out of fire and Adam out of clay.⁹

Thus, he rejected the Lord’s orders and became atheist. His offspring inherited atheism from him.

Harun wondered whether Eblis has offspring. The Imam (peace be upon him) answered:

Eblis has offspring. Listen to God’s saying:

When We told the angels to prostrate before Adam they all obeyed except Eblis. He was a jinn and he sinned against the command of his Lord. Why do you (people) obey him and his offspring instead of Me, even though they are your enemies? How terrible will be the recompense that the wrong doers will receive! I did not call (the unjust) to witness the creation of the heavens and earth nor to witness their own creation nor did I want to be helped by those who lead people astray.¹⁰

They mislead the offspring of Adam through their false vanities and lies. Meanwhile, they declare that there is no god but Allah. God describes them in His following saying:

If you ask them, "Who has created the heavens and the earth," they will certainly say, "God has created them." Say, "It is only God who deserves all praise, but most of them do not know."¹¹

This means that they declare so only with their tongues because they used to say so as one of their customs. He who does not believe, even if he declares with the tongue, will be suspicious, envious, and resistant. The Arabs therefore used to say: “He who had no knowledge of something will antagonize it, and he who cannot attain something will dishonor and disbelieve in it.” This is because he is ignorant, not knowledgeable.¹²

Then Harun Ar-Rashid requested, “By the right of your forefathers I beseech you, brief for us comprehensive statements regarding what we have discussed.” The Imam agreed. An inkwell and papers were fetched. The Imam (peace be upon him) recorded:

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

All the matters of the religions are gathered in four forms:

First, there is the unanimous matter. It is the consensus of the umma on the necessary matters that they have to face.

Second, there are the generally accepted narrations. All the suspicious matters are advanced to such narrations, and every result is extracted from them, for they are the consensus of the umma.

Third, there is the matter that may be doubted or denied. Such a matter should be treated through providing evidence, from the Book of God, provided that its interpretation is unanimous, or evidence from the Prophet’s tradition provided that it is unanimously accepted.

Fourth, there is the law that the intelligent accede to its justice and neither the scholars nor the ordinary people can suspect or deny it. These two matters relate to the question of monotheism and whatever comes below and the question of the retaliation of a scratching and whatever comes above. The previous has been the matters to which the religious affairs are advanced. You should opt for only what is proved evidently and should shun what is suspected or obscure. Any of these three matters (the Book of God, the Prophet’s tradition, and the logical law) is the final authority to which God refers in His saying:

Say, "Final authority belongs only to God. Had He wanted, He would have given you all guidance.¹³

The final authority is attained by both the ignorant through his ignorance and the knowledgeable through his knowledge. This is because God is Just and He will never treat anybody wrongly. He provides to His creatures attainable arguments and call them to what they know, not ignore or deny.

Harun Ar-Rashid offered gifts to the Imam (peace be upon him)…

_____________________________________________________________

1¹ Harun ar-Rashid (763-809) is the fifth Abbasid caliph of Baghdad 786-809.

2 We choose definite statements of this long narration.

3 The Holy Quran, Sura of Ashu’araa (26) Verses 89-90.

4 Al-Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib is the Prophet’s uncle and the forefather of Harun Ar-Rashid.

5 The Holy Quran, Sura of Al-Anfal (8) Verse (72)

6 The Holy Quran, Sura of Al-An’aam (6) Verses 84-5

7 The Holy Quran, Sura of Aal Imran (3) Verse 42

8 The Holy Quran, Sura of Al-Mujadila (58) Verse (22)

9 The Holy Quran, Sura of Al-A’raf (7) Verse (12)

10 The Holy Quran, Sura of Al-Kahf (18) Verses (50-1)

11 The Holy Quran, Sura of Luqman (31) Verse (26)

12The Imam (peace be upon him) then had a long discussion with Abu Yousuf the Judge. We do not refer to that discussion because it is not our subject.

13 The Holy Quran, Sura of Al-An’aam (6) Verse (149)

• Tuhaf-ul-Uqool

Advantages of Miswak (i.e. Cleaning Teeth With Any Raw Branch of Tree):

(From the book of Allama Majlisi: Tehzeeb-ul-Islam)

According to many reliable traditions from Imam Ja'far-e-Sadiq (a.s.),
miswak is the sunnat of all Prophets. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used to
say that Hazrat Jibrael asked him to do miswak so often, that he started
fearing that his teeth would be rubbed off.
According to Imam Ja'far-e-Sadiq (a.s.), there are twelve advantages of
miswak:
a) It is the sunnat of Prophets
b) Cleans the mouth
c) Increases brightness of the eyes
d) Causes God's goodwill
e) Takes out sputum
f) Increases memory
g) Teeth are whitened
h) The reward of good deeds increases manifold
i) Stops weakness and falling of teeth
j) Strengthens roots of the teeth
k) Increases appetite in a healthy manner
l) Angels are happy with all those who do miswak
According to a tradition from Hazrat Ali (a.s.), the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) had advised people to do miswak at the time of every prayer.
According to Hazrat Moosa Kazim (a.s.) and Imam Ali Reza (a.s.),
among the sunnats of the Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.), there are five things
about the upper half of the body and five about the lower part of the
body. Among those that are concerned with head are:
a) To do miswak
b) Trimming the moustache
c) Parting hair to have place for masah
d) To gargle
e) To put water in the nose
The five things that are sunnat about the lower part of the body are:
a) To get circumcised
b) To remove unwanted hair on the lower abdomen
c) To remove hair under armpits
d) To cut nails
e) To clean with water after urination

According to Imam Ja'far-e-Sadiq (a.s.) when one gets up for Namaz-e-
Shab (night prayer) one should do miswak as an angel descends from heaven and keeps his mouth on one's mouth and whatever one is reciting;
Quran, prayers or durood, he takes it to heaven. Therefore it is necessary
that one's mouth should be smelling good. (If there is not enough
time, it is better to clean one's teeth with fingers only.)
According to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), there are three things which
sharpen memory and cure all pains - chewing kundoor, doing miswak
and reciting the Quran-e-Majeed.
Another tradition quotes the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) as saying that two
rakat prayers with miswak is better than seventy rakat prayers without
it.
According to Mohammed Baqir (a.s.), doing miswak in the bathroom
causes one's teeth to fall and also one should never stop doing miswak
even if it is done once in three days.

Etiquette of Joking, Laughing, Whispering, Sitting in a Company and of Keeping the Sanctity of a Gathering:

(Tehzeeb-ul-Islam, Allama Majlisi's book)

According to a tradition coming from Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s.), one
should not whisper when there are only three people gathered, as it is
bound to hurt the third person present.
According to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), when a person ignores and
cuts short the talk of a fellow-momin, it is like scratching the face of the
fellow-momin.
Many traditions have stated that when one sits with someone, or in
some gathering, then one should not disclose the talk which had taken
place in their company before others, unless one has taken their prior
permission.
According to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), one should keep the sanctity
of all meetings and gatherings except when murder, rape or loot were
committed.
Imam Ja'far-e-Sadiq (a.s.) states that there is no momin who is not used
to humour and is also well-behaved.
According to Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s.), a person who enlivens
the mood of a company, is considered a friend by the Almighty God,
provided he is not using bad language for the purpose.
According to Imam Ja'far-e-Sadiq (a.s.), a momin only laughs with a
smile, not with a loud sound.
In another tradition he (a.s.) has stated that laughing loudly makes a
coward of a man and wastes faith in the same manner as salt melts in
water; and that laughing without any purpose is ignorance.
Yet in another tradition, laughing a lot has been prohibited as it spoils
the youthfulness of one's looks.
He (a.s.) has also stated that you can only joke with those you are intimate
with, but you should never use your hands and feet (i.e. no practical
jokes should be done).
A reliable tradition states that when one roars with laughter, one is
submitting oneself to shaitan and a lot of laughing robs one of one's look
of freshness.
Hazrat Ali (a.s.) has stated that one should not make fun of others as it
is understood to be a low type of abuse and it creates more improper
feelings in the other's heart.
A reliable tradition from Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s.) states that joking a
lot makes one lose the light of faith and lessens generosity and
manliness.
In another tradition it is stated that Prophet Yahya (a.s.) used to cry
only - he never smiled. Whereas Prophet Esa (Jesus) (a.s.) used to cry and
laugh as well. In another tradition it is related that Hazrat Dawood (a.s.)
asked his son Hazrat Sulaiman (a.s.) that he should not laugh a lot, for a
lot of laughing makes a man poor on the Day of Judgement.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has stated that for a person aware of hell it
is very difficult to laugh.
According to Imam Ja'far-e-Sadiq (a.s.), people who laugh a lot, just to
while their time or on account of corruption, will have to cry a lot on the
Day of Judgement. There are a few people who cry over their sins and
they will laugh a lot.
All these traditions emphasize that a momin should not always make a
face and be reserved with everyone; on the contrary, a momin should be
broad minded, well-mannered and laugh a little, but he should not laugh
a lot and make fun of others and it is a sigh of a low and degraded
person.

Lesson 1; Death part 1 of 5

THE RETURNING (MA'AD)

Ma'ad is derived from the root word Aud which means to return. Hence. the returning of the spirit (rooh) back to it's body is called Ma'ad. Ma'ad is one of the fundamental principals of Islamic faith and belief in it is incumbent upon all muslims. After death every soul shall arise to see the reward or retribution (as the case may be) of their deeds.

Ma'ad consists of five stages - Death (Maut), Grave (Qabr), Intermediate Stage (Barzakh), Resurrection (Qayamat) and Paradise (Jannat) or hell (jahannam). Ma'ad can not be perceived by the five senses of man, but can be comprehended by reasoning alone. What happens after death? The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S.) through the medium of Revelation (Wahy) has explained to us in detail regarding it. Man's senses has it's own limitations beyond which it is not possible for him to understand. For example a child in the mother's womb can not perceive the vastness of the outside world. In the same manner, a soul captivated by the influences of matter cannot easily understand the hidden world and it's realities. The knowledge of this unseen world is concealed from man and he can only understand it through the medium of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S.) and his Vicegerents, the Holy Aimmah (A.S.). Hence to have a better comprehension of the hereafter, we have to rely totally upon Them, because They are the Inheritors of the knowledge of Allah and His Hidden Wisdom.

 

Is a person's body effected after death?

Many are of the opinion that after death man's body becomes an absolute nothing like a dry wood, hence the question of reckoning in the grave does not arise.Such doubts are the out come of sheer ignorance and lack of belief in the unseen (Ghaib). Speech is the effect of the tongue and movements are impressions of a living body. But the spirit (rooh) is motionless and is hence independent of movements. Whilst dreaming a man's tongue or his lips do not move, and a person awake will bear witness to it. After awakening the person will narrate the discussions he had with people, he will also claim to have travelled far off cities, but his body in reality having laid motionless on the bed all throughout the night.

 

Dreams (Ru'ya)

Imam Moosa-al-Kazim (A.S.) states that in the former part of creation, man did not dream. Allah sent upon the people His Apostle to guide them towards virtue and warn against evil. The Prophet advised them that if they followed the Right Path as preached by Him, they would be successful and be rewarded in Paradise. But if they erred and did not avoid sin, they would face tribulation in hell. They asked the Prophet as to how could they rely on something which they had never seen. They said that they observed that after death a man's body become motionless and turns into dust, how could then he be rewarded or chastised for his actions. It is after this incident that they started dreaming in which they witnessed Allah's rewards in Paradise and His wath in hell. They went to the Prophet and narrated this to him. The Prophet replied that as in the dreams they met people, conversed with them, and visited far off places, after death even if their bodies would be reduced to dust, they would still taste chastisement or reward (as the case may be) in Paradise or hell.