Is it not a myth that there is Allah.?

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq  (a.s) (702- 765 CE) was born in Medina on the 17 of Rabi ul-Awwal in the year of 82 Hijra. His father was the 5th Imam Mohammed Baqar (a) and his mother was Umme Farwa. It is said that Jafar as-Sadiq was born circumcised.

The foremost Islamic alchemist, Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan, known in Europe as Geber, was Ja’far Al-Sadiq’s most prominent student. Ja’far Al-Sadiq was known for his liberal views on learning, and was keen to have discourse with Scholars of other views.

• Scholars believed to have learned extensively from Ja’far Al-Sadiq:

1. Jābir ibn Hayyān – known in Europe as Geber, a great alchemist.
2. Isma’il ibn Jafar – his son, the seventh Shi’ah Imam according to the Ismailis.
3. Musa al-Kadhim – his son, the seventh Shi’ah Imam according to the Twelvers
4. Ali al-Uraidhi ibn Ja’far al-Sadiq- his youngest son.
5. Mufadhal ibn Amr- his Gate keeper and a prominent student.

• Scholars who either attended Ja’far Al-Sadiq’s lectures or learnt from him:

1. Abū Ḥanīfa – founder of the Hanafi school of thought.
2. Malik ibn Anas – founder of the Maliki school of thoughts
3. Wasil ibn Ata – founder of the Mu’tazili school of thought.

Contrary to the Western belief, the Shias firmly believe that Imam Jafar as-Sadiq had Ilm-e-Ladunni or ‘God given Knowledge’. The Shias believe that a man’s subconscious mind is quite different from his conscious mind. It is the treasure house of knowledge of mankind and of the world. Modern science lends support to this theory. Biological studies have gradually proved that every group of cells in the human body knows whatever is knowable from the beginning of the world till today. The Shias contend that when someone is chosen as a Prophet or as an Imam, the curtain which hangs between the conscious and subconscious mind, is lifted and he can make use of the knowledge which is stored in his subconscious mind.

Reader’s are just humbly requested to ponder on the scientific replies given by Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) and that too almost 1400 years back which now many of them we are able to understand as science has just proved those things within 1 or 2 centuries back …..

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a. s.) and Abu Shakir’s debate.

Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) was one of the most patient and tolerant teachers of his time. He used to take his classes every day. After his lectures he would listen and reply to the objections of his critics. He had asked his critics, who attended his classes, not to interrupt him during his lectures. They were quite free to ask him any question or raise any objection after the classes were over.

Once Abu Shakir, one of his opponents, said to him: “Would you allow me to say something and ask some questions?”

“Yes, you can”, replied Imam Jafar as-Sadiq.

Said Abu Shakir: “Is it not a myth that there is Allah? You want people to believe in a thing which does not exist. If there was Allah, we could have felt his existence through our senses. You may say that we can feel His presence by the help of our inner senses, but our inner senses also depend upon our five outer senses. We cannot conjure up an image of anything in which some of our senses were not involved. We cannot conjure up the picture of a person whom we have not met; recall to our memory his voice if we have not heard him and feel the touch of his hand by our inner senses if we have never taken his hand in our hand.”

“You may say that we can perceive the presence of Allah by our intelligence and not through our inner or outer senses. But our intelligence also needs the assistance of our five outer senses, without which it cannot function. We cannot make any reasoning or come to any conclusion without the help of our senses.

By your imagination you have created a being, which is of your own image. Since you see, talk, hear, work and rest, He also does exactly what you do.”

“You do not show Him to anyone. To maintain your hold on the people you say that He cannot be seen. You also say that He was not born from the womb of a woman. He does not procreate and that He would not die. I have heard that there is an idol in India, which is hidden behind a curtain and is not allowed to be seen by the Hindu devotees. The custodians of the idol say that it is out of mercy that their god does not appear before them, because whoever casts his eyes on it, would instantly die.”

“Your Allah is also like the veiled god of the Hindus. It is out of His mercy that He does not appear before us. If he does, we shall surely die. You say that the universe was created by Allah, who did not talk to anyone, except to the Prophet of Islam. As a matter of fact the universe came by itself. Does anyone create the grass, which grows in the field? Does it not grow and get green by itself? Does anyone create the ants and the mosquitoes? Do they not come out by themselves?”

“I must tell you, who claims to be a scholar and the successor of the Prophet, that among all the stories, which circulate among the people, none is more absurd and baseless than the story of Allah, who cannot be seen. There are many baseless stories, but they, at least, depict real life and present before us the people and personalities, who may themselves be fictitious, but their acts and deeds are like those of real human beings. We can see them. They eat, they drink, they talk, they sleep and they love. When we read these fictitious stories, we enjoy them. We know that they are false, but we see in them the faces of men and women, who are like us. The people mentioned in the stories might not have existed, but our common sense accepts existence of such people in the world. However, when we cannot see, feel or touch your Allah, our logic and reasoning, which depend upon our senses, do not accept his existence.”

“l know that some people, who have been deceived by you, believe in your invisible Allah, but you cannot deceive me and make me believe in Him. I worship God, who is made of wood and stone. Although my God does not talk, but I can see him with my eyes and touch him with my hands.”

“You say that the God whom I have made from my own hands is not worthy of being worshipped, while you ask the people to worship Allah, you have created by your imagination. You deceive innocent people by saying that your imaginary Allah has created the universe, but I do not deceive anyone. No one created the universe. There was no need of any god to create it. It came by itself. God cannot create anything. He is himself our creation. I created him by my hand and you by your imagination.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) did not say a word during the long tirade of Abu Shakir. Sometimes his students, who were present, wanted to intervene but he asked them to remain quiet. When Abu Shakir stopped his lengthy discourse, the Imam asked him, if he had anything more to say.

Retorted Abu Shakir: “By introducing your invisible Allah to the people, you want to acquire wealth and position and have a respectable, comfortable and luxurious life. These are my last words. I do not want to say anything more.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) said: “l would like to start with the last part of your speech. Your accusations that I want money, position and a comfortable life would have been justified if I was living like a caliph. You have seen today that I have eaten a few morsels of bread only and nothing else. I invite you to my house to see for yourself what I will have for dinner and how I live.”

“Abu Shakir, if I wanted to acquire wealth and have a good life, as you say, I was not obliged to teach and preach to get rich. I would have earned money and got rich by my knowledge of chemistry. Another way to get rich was to do business. I have more knowledge’ about foreign markets than any merchant in Medina. I know what goods are produced in different countries and where to sell them for profit. I also know how to bring them here to reduce the cost of transport. Our merchants import goods only from Syria, Iraq, Egypt and some other Arab countries. They do not know what goods are available in Isphahan, Rasht and Rome, otherwise they would have imported them and sold them with profit.”

“Abu Shakir, you have said that I ask the people to worship Allah to deceive them and to get rich. I must tell you that I have never taken anything from anyone, except some fruits as presents. One of my friends sends to me every year fresh dates from his garden and another some pomegranates from Taif. I accept these presents so that they may not get offended.”

“I have heard, O Abu Shakir, that your father was a pearl merchant. Perhaps you may have some knowledge about pearls. But I know all about pearls and precious stones. I can also appraise their market value. If I wanted to get rich I would have worked as a jeweller. Can you test and recognise a precious stone? Do you know how many kinds of rubies and emeralds there are in the world?”

“I know nothing about them”, replied Abu Shakir.

“Do you know how many kinds of diamonds there are and what colours they have?” asked Imam Jafar as-Sadiq.

“I do not know”, replied Abu Shakir.

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: “I am not a jeweller, but I know all about the pearls and precious stones. I also know where they come from. All jewellers must know about gems, what I know, but few of them know their sources.”

“Do you know what makes a diamond shine?”

“I never was a diamond merchant, nor was my father. How can I know why diamonds shine?; replied Abu Shakir.

Said the Imam: “Diamonds are obtained from the beds of rivers and streams. Rough diamonds are cut by experts. This is the cut of a diamond, which gives it its brilliance. Those who are experts in cutting diamonds are trained from the childhood in the profession of their fathers and forefathers. Cutting a diamond is a very delicate and difficult art. A diamond is cut only by a diamond.”

“Abu Shakir, I have said all this simply to show to you that if I wanted to accumulate wealth, I could have done so by making use of my knowledge about jewels. I have replied to your accusations and now I shall deal with your objections.”

“Abu Shakir, you have said that I have fabricated stories and ask the people to worship Allah, who cannot be seen. You refuse to acknowledge existence of Allah, because He cannot be seen. Can you see inside your own body?”

Replied Abu Shakir: “No, I cannot.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: “If you could have seen what is inside you, you would not have said that you do not believe in Allah, who cannot be seen.”

Abu Shakir asked: “What is the relationship between seeing within one’s own body and the existence of your unseen Allah?”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) replied: “You have said just now that a thing, which cannot be seen, touched, tasted or heard, does not exist.”

Abu Shakir said: “Yes, I have said that and I believe it is true.”

Jafar as-Sadiq asked: “Do you hear the sound of the movement of blood in your body?”

Said Abu Shakir: “No, I do not. But does blood move in the body?

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) said: “Yes, it does. It makes a full circuit of your body. If the circulation of blood stops for a few minutes you will die.”

Abu Shakir said: “I cannot believe that blood circulates in the body.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: “It is your ignorance, which does not let you believe that your blood circulates in your body, and the same ignorance does not let you believe in the existence of Allah, Who cannot be seen.”

Then the Imam asked Abu Shakir whether he has seen the tiny living beings, which Allah has created in his body.

Jafar as-Sadiq continued: “It is because of these small creatures and their wonderful work that you are kept alive. They are so small that you cannot see them. Since you are a slave of your senses, you do not know about their existence. If you increase your knowledge and decrease your ignorance, you will come to know that these small beings in your body are as large in number as the particles of sand in the desert. These small creatures are born in your body, multiply in your body, work in your body and die in your body. But you never see them, touch them, taste them or hear them in your life time.”

“It is true that one who knows himself knows his Allah. If you had known yourself and had the knowledge of what is going on inside your body, you would not have said that you do not believe in Allah, without seeing Him.”

Pointing his finger to a huge stone he said: “Abu Shakir, do you see the stone, which is in the foot of that portico? To you it seems lifeless and motionless, because you do not see the brisk motion, which is inside the stone. Again it is lack of knowledge or your ignorance, which would not let you believe that there is motion inside the stone. The time will come when the learned people would see the motion which is in the stone.”

Continued the Imam: “Abu Shakir, you have said that everything in the universe came by itself and has no Creator. You think that the grass in the field grows and gets green by itself. You must know that the grass cannot grow without seeds and seeds would not germinate without moisture in the soil and there would be no moisture if no rain falls. The rain does not fall by itself. First the water vapours rise and gather above in the atmosphere in the form of clouds. The winds bring the clouds. Then the water vapours condense and fall down as rain drops. The rain must also fall at the right time, otherwise no grass will grow and become green. Take the seeds of ten kinds of herbs and put them in a closed jar, which has sufficient water, but no air. Would they germinate? No, in addition to water, seeds need air also. It is possible to grow grass, herbs and fruits in hot houses, when it is very cold, provided there is sufficient air. Without the presence of air no grass will gr! ow in the fields and get green. If there is no air, all plants and animals, including human beings, would die.”

“Abu Shakir, do you see the air, on which your very existence depends. You only feel it when it moves. Can you refuse to believe in the existence of air? Can you deny that to grow and get green the grass needs many things like seeds, soil, water, air, a suitable climate and above all a strong managing power, which may co-ordinate the action of these different elements. That Managing and Co-ordinating Power is Allah.”

“You say that everything comes by itself because you are not a scientist. No scientist would ever say that. All scientists and all scholars believe in the existence of a creator, albeit, they may call Him by different names. Even those, who do not believe in Allah, believe in a Creative Force.”

“Abu Shakir, it is not because of one’s knowledge, but it is due to his ignorance that he does not believe in Allah. When a wise man thinks of himself, he finds that his own body needs a controller so that all its organs and systems may function properly. He then realises that this vast universe also needs a controller or supervisor so that it may run smoothly.”

“You said just now that both of us create our own gods – you by your hands and I by my imagination. But there is a big difference between your god and my Allah. Your god did not exist before you made him out of wood or stone, but my Allah was there before I could think about Him. I do not create my Allah by my hands or by my brain. What I do is to know Him better and think of His Greatness. When you see a mountain you try to know more about it. It is not creating the mountain by imagination. That mountain was there before you saw it and it would be there when you are gone.”

‘You cannot know much about the mountain because of your limited knowledge. The more your knowledge grows, the more you will learn about it. It is impossible for you to find out when and how that mountain came into being and when it would disappear. You cannot find out what minerals are there inside or underneath the mountain and what is their benefit to mankind.”

“Do you know that the stones, out of which you make your idols came into being thousands of years ago and shall exist for thousands of years more. These stones have come here from a distant place. They could travel that long journey because different parts of the earth are always moving, but this movement is so slow that you do not feel it. There is nothing in the universe, which is not in motion. Rest or motionlessness is meaningless. We are not at rest even when we are sleeping. We are in motion because the earth is in motion. Besides, we have a motion inside our own bodies.”

“Abu Shakir, if you had any knowledge about the piece of stone, out of which you carve an idol, you would not have denied the existence of Allah and said that I have created Him by my imagination. You do not know what a stone is and how it came into being. Today you can handle it as you like and cut it into any shape or form, but there was a time when it was in liquid state. Gradually it cooled down and Allah solidified it. In the beginning it was quite brittle and would have broken into pieces in your hand like a piece of glass.”

Asked Abu Shakir: “Was it in a liquid condition before?”

“Yes, it was”, replied Jafar asSadiq (A. S.)

Abu Shakir burst into a peal of laughter. One of the students of Jafar as-Sadiq got angry and was about to say something when he was stopped by his teacher.

Abu Shakir said: “I am laughing because you say that the stones are made of water.”

Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) replied: “I did not say that the stones are made of water. What I had said was that in the beginning they were in a liquid state.”

Abu Shakir said: “What difference does it make. The liquid and water are the same things.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq replied: “There are many liquids which are not water. Milk and vinegar are liquids, but they are not water, although they have a water content in them. In the beginning the stones were liquid like water and they flowed like water. Gradually they cooled down and became hard so that you could cut them and make them into idols. The same hard stones will turn into liquid, if they are heated.”

Said Abu Shakir: “When I go home I will check the truth of your statement. I will put the stone in the fireplace and see if it turns into liquid or not.”

Said the Imam: “You cannot liquefy stone in your fireplace. Can you liquefy a piece of iron at home? A very high temperature is required to turn solid stone into liquid.”

“Do you realise how you could make the idols out of stones? It was Allah, who made the stones. It was He Who created you and gave you the hands with the unique fingers, which enabled you to handle tools and chisel out the idols from the stones. Again it was He who gave you power and intelligence, which you used in making the idols.”

“Abu Shakir, do you think that the mountains are only heaps of stones? The Great Allah has created them to serve some very useful purpose. They were not created so that you may take stones and turn them into idols. Wherever there is a mountain there is flowing water. Rain and snow which fall on the mountain tops produce streams of fresh water. These streams combine together to form big rivers, which irrigate farms and fields. The people who live in the valleys, through which the rivers flow, are assured of constant supply of water. People who can afford it, go to the mountains during the summer season to escape the heat of the plains.”

“The mountains work as a great bulwark and protect towns and villages, which are in their valleys from the devastation and destruction of hurricanes. Green mountains provide good grazing grounds for sheep. When scorching heat burns the pastures down in the plains and no fodder is left, the shepherds take their flocks of sheep to the mountains and stay there till the end of summer. Mountains are also habitats of birds and animals, some of which are a good source of food for those, who live there. Even the mountains, which are not green, are not without some use. If the people try, they may discover in them mines of metals and minerals which are useful for mankind.”

“Abu Shakir, I am too small and too weak to create Allah with my brain. It is He, who has created my brain, so that I may think of Him and know Him – my Creator. He was there before I came into being and He would be there when I am no more. I do not mean that I would be totally destroyed. Nothing in the universe is totally destroyed. Everything is subject to change. It is only Allah, Who does not change.”

“Abu Shakir, please tell me sincerely to whom will you turn for help when you are in trouble? Do you hope that the idol you carve out of stone can come to your succour? Can it cure you when you are sick; save you from mishaps and calamities; save you from starvation and help you pay your debts?”

Abu Shakir replied: “I have no such expectations from the stone, but, I think there is something inside the stone, which will help me. Moreover, I cannot help worshipping it.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq enquired: “What is inside the stone? Is it also stone?”

“I do not know what it is. But it cannot help me if it is also stone,” replied Abu Shakir.

Said Imam Jafar as-Sadiq: “Abu Shakir, what is inside the stone and is not stone and can help when you are in trouble is, Allah.”

Abu Shakir pondered over the subject for a while and then said: “Is Allah, who cannot be seen, inside the stone?”

The Imam replied: “He is everywhere.”

Abu Shakir said: “I cannot believe that a thing may be everywhere but remain unseen.”

The Imam said: “Do you know that the air is everywhere but cannot be seen?”

Said Abu Shakir: “Although I cannot see the air, I can, at least, feel it when it moves. But I can neither see your Allah nor feel his presence.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: “You do not feel the presence of air when it is not moving. The air is only a creation of Allah. He is everywhere, but you cannot see Him or feel His presence by your senses. You have admitted just now that although you do not see it, but your instinct or your soul tells you that there is something inside the stone, and is not the stone, which can help you. That something is Allah. Your instinct also tells you that you cannot live without Allah and without worshipping Him.”

Abu Shakir said: “It is true. I cannot live without worshipping idols.”

Said Imam Jafar as-Sadiq: “Do not say idols. Say Allah. It is He, Who is worthy of worship. just like you everyone is obliged to worship Him. One, who does not worship Allah has no guide and no guardian. He is just like one, who cannot see, cannot hear, cannot feel and cannot think. He does not know where to go and on whom to depend when in trouble. Worshipping Allah is a part of living. Every living being worships Him instinctively. Even the animals cannot live without worshipping Him. We cannot ask them and they cannot tell us that they worship Allah, but their well regulated and orderly life is sufficient proof that they worship Him.

“I do not say that the animals believe in Allah and worship Him just as we do. But there is no doubt that they obey the laws made by their Creator faithfully, which means they worship Him. If they were not obedient to their Creator, they could not have such an orderly and regulated life.”

“We see that just before the advent of spring the titmouse (a kind of small bird) always comes at the same time and sings, as if to give us the tiding of the new season. The itinerary of these migratory birds is so regulated and their schedule so fixed that even if the last days of winter are still cold, their arrival is not delayed for more than a few days. When Chilchila (a migratory bird) returns after covering a distance of thousands of miles, it builds its nest at the same place, where it had built it last spring. Was it possible for these small birds to have such a well organised life if they did not obey the laws of Allah and worship Him?”

“Abu Shakir, even the plants obey the laws made by Allah faithfully and worship Him. Out of 150 species of plants, which are further divided into hundreds of sub-species you will not find even one plant, which has a disorganised and disorderly life.”

“Abu Shakir, just like us the plants also do not see their Creator, but they worship Him by obeying His laws instinctively.”

“I know that you will not accept, or perhaps you do not understand, what I say. A man must have sufficient knowledge to understand complicated problems.”

“Abu Shakir, not only animals by their animal instinct and plants by their plant instinct obey Allah and worship Him, the lifeless and inanimate objects also, with whatever instinct they have, obey Allah and worship Him. If they did not worship Him, they would not have followed the laws made by Him. As a result, their atoms would have broken apart and they would have been destroyed.”

“The light which comes from the sun also worships Allah by obeying his laws, which are very stringent and exact. It comes into being by the combination of two opposite forces. These forces also obey the laws of Allah and worship Him, otherwise they cannot produce light.”

“Abu Shakir, if there was no Allah there would have been no universe and no you and me. The sentence, “There is no Allah’, is meaningless. The existence of Allah is a must. If attention of Allah is diverted, even for a moment from the affairs of the universe to something else, it would break up. Everything in the universe obeys His laws, which are permanent and eternal. Because of His absolute wisdom and knowledge, He could make such wonderful laws, which will last for ever. Each and every law, made by Him serves some special and useful purpose.”

When the Imam concluded his discourse, Abu Shakir fell into a deep reverie as if he was greatly inspired.

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq asked: “Do you now believe that Allah, who cannot be seen, does exist and what you worship is the unseen Allah?”

Abu Shakir replied: “I am not yet convinced. I am in a quandary. I am full of doubts and misgivings about my faith and my convictions.”

Jafar as-Sadiq remarked: “The doubt about idol worship is the beginning of the worship of Allah.”

The Daughter’s Disloyalty towards the Father

Satrun, whose title was Dhizan was the king of Hadhar, a state located between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. In Hadhar, there was a beautiful palace by the name of Jausaq.

Once, the king attacked a city that was under the control of Shapur; looting and plundering it, he massacred a great number of its people and eventually occupied it. In the process he managed to take Shapur’s sister as captive.

When Shapur came to know of this, he gathered his army and set out towards the king. Dh|zan had locked himself inside a strong fort which Shapur laid siege to. This siege continued for a period of four years but Shapur was unable to penetrate the fort.

One day, Dh|zan’s daughter, Nadh|rah, an extremely beautiful maiden, was strolling outside the fort when Shapur’s eyes fell on her. He was instantly captivated by her beauty. He sent word to her that if she helped him conquer the fort, he would marry her. During one of the nights, Nadh|rah, who too had fallen for Shapur, got the guards of the fort intoxicated and opened its doors to Shapur’s forces. In the battle that ensued, her father Dh|zan was eventually killed.

In keeping with his promise, Shapur married Nadh|ra. One night he noticed that there was blood on her bed. As he set about to investigate the cause of it, he observed that a strand of thick hair lay on her bed and this had caused her delicate and subtle body to become scratched and injured.

“What did your father feed you with?” he asked her.

“Yolk of eggs, brain of lambs, butter and honey,” she replied.

When he heard this, Shapur reflected for a while and then said:

“Despite these comforts provided by your father, you were not loyal to him; how can you ever be loyal and faithful to me?”

He ordered that she be tied to a horse’s tail and the animal made to gallop through the desert so that the desert thorns become coloured by the blood of this treacherous and unfaithful daughter.

Namunah-e-Maarif, Volume 5, Page 142, Al-Mustatraf, Volume 1, Page 210 Treachery, Anecdotes for Reflection Part II Pg. 144

Benefits of Crying

Crying is often the result of feelings of sadness and frustration, but after crying many people experience a feeling of release and catharsis (Byslma, 2008).  Humans are the only species that shed tears emotionally.  Crying is something that all people of all ages and cultures do (Hendriks, 2008).  Since crying is a trait that has evolved solely in humans, there must be some sort of evolutionary advantage to emotional crying.  Many studies have been done which examine the effect that crying has on the body, and most of them have actually found that crying actually has a negative impact physiologically (Hendriks, 2008).  However, many people including psychologists have always believed that crying is good for you (Hendriks, 2008).  Perhaps crying  developed evolutionarily for a non-physiological reason.  “Attachment Theory” suggests that crying is a behavior that is natural to humans from birth.  As an infant, babies learn that crying will result in comforting, which creates a relationship bond.  This behavior is continued to create attachments in life (Hendriks, 2008).

 

Crying/Weeping has numerous benefits, which ones should we mention?  here are few scientific benefits mentioned to the readers.

 

1)       Sad tears are totally different than Stuff-stuck-in-your-eye tears: As far back as 1957, it was revealed that tears caused by emotion are chemically different than tears caused an eye irritant. In fact, the components of tears are far more complex than we would imagine. One psychological study had some volunteers watch a sad movie and later cut onions while collecting their tears during both activities. They found that the chemical make-up of the two sets of tears were vastly different. Sad tears include stress hormones and various toxins!

2)        Release the toxins: Research indicates that there is a significant increase in the type and number of stress hormones produced in our bodies prior to crying. If you don’t actually cry, these toxins remain in you body. Biomedical studies explain that stress hormones negatively affect almost every system in the body including the cardiovascular, gi, musculoskeletal, and immune systems. It’s pretty evident that crying the primary method for the body to eliminate these harmful stress hormones and protect you adverse effects. So do it!

3)        Mood Benefits: After analyzing over 3,000 reports of crying episodes, Jonathan Rotttenberg, USF Assistant professor of psychology, reports in a paper in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology that “the majority of participants reported mood benefits after crying.”  Most of us know this to be true: you feel better after a good cry!

4)        Calming effects: Crying has calming effects such as the slowing of breath. It has been shown that during the cry, you may experience increased heart rate and sweating; however, the calming effects usually last longer than any unpleasant arousal. You’ll feel this calm after you cry which accounts for why people usually remember the pleasant side of crying.

5)        Other good stuff: Emotional tears open up the lungs, exercise the eyes, and soften the temper. The release you feel is one of the mind, body, and soul.

6)        Preventing emotions from being suppressed: do you know that sometimes people get depressed because of suppressed emotions? Do you know that many times we feel bad just because we have some emotions inside of us that needs to come out, crying is one of the best healthy ways to get out those suppressed emotions.

7)        You’ll look better! Alan Wolfelt, University of Colorado Medical School professor, works primarily with people who are mourning the passing of a loved one. Dr. Wolfelt states, “In my clinical experience with 1000s of mourners, I observe changes in physical appearance after the expression of tears. Not only do people feel better after crying, but they also look better.”

“Crying is a highly evolved behavior,” explains Dr. Hasson. “Tears give clues and reliable information about submission, needs and social attachments between one another. My research is trying to answer what the evolutionary reasons are for having emotional tears.

 

Other References Links :

• ·         Benefits of Crying
• Dr. Oren Hasson, a professor at Tel Aviv University, recently conducted a study in which he studied different types of crying and the benefits of crying.
• ·         Check out our follow up article on The Secret of Crying.
• Association for Psychological Science (2008, December 19).  Cry Me a River: The Psychology of Crying.  ScienceDaily.  Retrieved October 11, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217123831.htm
• Possible health benefits of crying by Dr. Kevin Keough
• The Effects and Blessings of Mourning over Imam Husain (a.s.)
• Mourning over Imam Husain (a.s.) from Ahle Sunnah
• Mourning over Imam Husein (a,s) is not Innovation (Bidat)

 

 

 

 

Mourning on Dead & Martyrs from Ahle Sunnah

I didn’t wanted to have a  debate on this blog as some people have raised a question on Mourning on Imam Husein (a.s) then it was necessary to reply and make other readers also aware of the truth. I have quoted & highlighted just few traditions from Ahle Sunna, there are numerous such tradition which proves on Mourning & remembrance on Imam Husein (a.s) as a sunna because of his High position and greatest sacrifice for saving the ISLAM. Imam Husein (a.s) hold such a high position in the eyes of humanity that even the non believers remembers his sacrifice every year….Inshallah if God wills will post more references related to this.

To remember the Martyrs is not only the Sunnah of Prophet(s) but also the practice of Sahaba

When read in Al Bidayah wa al Nihaya, Volume 4 page 45, published Beirut:
It is narrated by Abu Hurariah(r) that the Prophet(s) used to visit the graves of martyrs every year. When He(s) would reach the entrance of the mountain, He(s) would say (to the martyrs): ‘Asalam alailekum Bima Sabartum’. This means ‘peace be on you due to your patience and you have reached a pleasant place due to this.’ Then after Prophet(s), Abu Bakar also used to come (every year), and after him Umar used to do the same and then Usman also did the same”After this narration the word ‘every year’ is recorded in the narrations of Waqidi.

The Shi’a accordingly commemorate the memory of martyrs of Kerbala every year. The Prophet (s) and his companions would visit the graves of Uhud’s martyrs every year. Similarly we like to go to the tomb of Imam Husayn (as) every year in Muharam.If one cannot implement this practise by practically visiting Kerbala every Muharam there is no grounds to abandon it altogether, we seek to do as much as we can to remember our ill-treated Imam. So we commemorate the day with processions, conferences, and mourning to show our love and faith, though we cannot go to the tomb every year.

Mourning from History & it’s repeatation

1. Mourning by Adam (as) and Hawa (as) for their slain son.
“The Father and Mother of humanity wept for their son Habeel for so long that their tears turned into a stream”. [Tareekh Yaqoobi, volume 1, page 3]

2. It is said that Prophet Yaqoob (a.s.) wept so much for his son Yusuf (a.s.) that the pupils of his eyes became white.
“And he turned away from them, and said: O my sorrow for Yusuf! And his eyes become white on account of the grief,” (Surah Yusuf 12:84)

3.Unanimously all Muslim agree that the Holy Prophet (s) named the year in which Khadija (as) and Abu Talib (as) died as “Aam al Huzn” i.e. ‘The Year of Grief’.

What other reason could there be for naming a whole year as ‘Aam al Huzn’, other than the Prophet(s) dedicating it to commemorate the loss of his uncle and beloved wife? Is this act of the Prophet(s) a Sunnah or not? We the Shi’a mourn our Imam (as) for ten days, Rasulullah (s) mourned for an entire year. Even after the passage of a year Rasulullah (s) never got over this grief, and this was known to Ayesha who wanted him (s) to abandon his remembrance of his dead wife.

We read in Saheeh al Bukharee Hadeeth: 5.166 this narration from Ayesha:

“I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet as much as I did of Khadija though I did not see her, but the Prophet used to mention her very often, and whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would cut its parts and send them to the women friends of Khadija. When I sometimes said to him, “(You treat Khadija in such a way) as if there is no woman on earth except Khadija,” he would say, “Khadija was such-and-such, and from her I had children”.

The testimony of Ahl’ul Sunnah’s from H.Aysha is clear evidence that the Prophet (s) never got over grieving his wife and it is obvious that the Dhikr of Khadija (as) would also have taken place in presence of receptive ears. The process of Dhikr between a speaker and listener is called a congregation (Majalis). We likewise commemorate the deaths of Khadija (as) and Abu Talib (as) and the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (as).If Muslims have no issue with celebrating nights such as the Miraaj of our Prophet (s) then there is no reason to abandon the remembrance of calamities because both grief and happiness are important in life.

4. H.Umar said: ‘whenever I venture out at sunrise I remember the death of my brother Zaid bin Khattab [al Bidaya wa al Nihaya, Volume 6 page 370].

Look at the words of your Master Umar who remembered the death of his brother throughout his life. so what it the harm in remembering the death of Holy prophet (s.a) or his grandson Imam Husein (a)

5. We read in the Sunni text Gham – e – Husayn, Page 7 the following words of this Sufi Saint: The ten days of Muharam are for we Muslims, days of mourning and grief. To lament on the slaughtered Imam is certainly following in the Holy Prophet’s (a) footsteps. I consider weeping and lamenting on Imam Husayn (as) and making others too cry & weep an act of great reward. I do not wish to talk or remember anything other than the Tragedy of Imam Husayn (as) during these ten days of Muharam. All the Saints and holy men and Sufi personalities in Hindustan have always openly expressed grief and sorrow and cried and wept profusely on the Day of Ashura. Maulana Shah Muhammad Suleiman Hanafi Qadri Chishti, the residing Saint of Phulwari Shareef also commemorated this grief & sorrow.
If expressing grief and sorrow, weeping for Imam Husayn (as) and making others do the same were Haraam, then all the Sufi Saints and holy men of Hindustan would not have perpetually practiced this sorrow during their

6. “Imam al Harmain” whose actual name was Abdal Malik having Ziauddin as his title, according to Allamah Shibli Naumani was considered as a supreme scholar of his era and many renowned ulema were his students which included Imam Ghazali. Imam Ghazali while mentioning the mourning over his death writes in his authority work ‘Kunjeena Hidayaath’ the Urdu translation of Kameela Sa’aadth page 3 “The Imam of Haramain died in 478 Hijri. At that time all the market stalls in Nishapur were closed and the pulpit in the Jami Mosque was broken, his students that numbered almost 400 destroyed their books and pens and mourned him for a whole year.”

We appeal to justice. These are the people, who have a historical enmity with writing materials, but we have no idea why the pulpit was destroyed. Did these esteemed students (who were themselves scholars) have no knowledge of the verses on patience

7. Shah Abdul Aziz Muhadith Dehlavi while explaining the philosophy of Martyrdom writes in the preface of his Book ‘Sirr al Shahdatain’: “The martyrdom of Imam Husayn (as) is in reality the martyrdom of his grandfather Muhammad Mustafa (s)” We therefore infer from this that mourning of the leader of the martyrs, Husayn (as) is mourning (Azadari) of his grandfather the Seal of Prophets, the most beloved of Allah’s creation, Muhammad Mustafa (s).

8. In Uswa – e – Sufia Uzzaam, Page 9 that : Sheikh al Islam Maqdoom Ala’ al Haq Pindavi (ra) used to mourn for all ten days of Muharam and would say: “How could one achieve sainthood when he does not mourn and weep on the family of the Holy Prophet (s) and perform Azadari for these pure personalities? One who doesn’t have a heart of stone.” 

Thus a Sunni saint has himself declared that he who does not perform Azadari cannot be a saint (wali) and he who abstains from such mourning, is stone – hearted.

9. When we read about Owais al-Qarni the great Muslim Sahabi, praised by both Shi’a and Sunni erudite.

He had an immense love for the Holy Prophet (s). When the news reached him in Yemen that two teeth of the Holy Prophet (s) were brokenin the battle of Ohad, he extracted all his teeth. When the Holy Prophet (s) got the news in Medina that Owais had struck down all his teeth, he (s) exclaimed, “Indeed Owais is our devoted friend”. This event can be found written in [Seerate Halbia' vol II, page 295.]

The renowned Sunni Scholar Shiekh Farid al Din Attaar in ‘Tadhkhirah tul Awliya’ Urdu translation page 17 and 18 writes:

” Uways Qarni (ra) said to Umar Khattab (ra): ‘If you were true in friendship than why on the day when the holy teeth of the Prophet (s) were broken didn’t you break your teeth in companionship? Because, it is a condition of companionship.’ Then he showed his teeth all of which were broken and said ‘I broke all of my teeth without seeing you (O Prophet) and in the state of Ghaybah in your companionship. I had

broken one tooth but couldn’t get satisfaction so kept on breaking them one by one until I had broken them all ‘”.

Had the breaking of teeth by Uways Qarni (ra) been in opposition to Shariah,

Umar would certainly have pointed it out at the time or at least commented and answered the accusation by Uways Qarni (ra) of his less than perfect companionship. The silence of Umar proves that he didn’t deem the act of breaking one’s teeth as done by Uways Qarni (ra) as opposed to Shariah but considered it an act of sincerity and also a proof of friendship

Secondly even Holy prophet (s) did not condemn this act but was happy with this extreme form of self harm and said “Indeed Owais is our devoted friend”  so this proves that self harming in love of Holy prophet (s) was the sign of ectreme Love which isnot bidat nor prohibited.  

Weeping on death of Holy prophet (s)

Ibn Abbas cried and even Bhukari in his Sahih mentions this incident as a “Calamity of Thursday”

Narrated by Said bin Jubair
That he heard Ibn ‘Abbas saying, “thursday! And you know not what thursday is? After that Ibn ‘Abbas wept till the stones on the ground were soaked with his tears. On that I asked Ibn ‘Abbas, “What is (about) thursday?” He said, “When the condition (i.e. health) of Allah’s Apostle deteriorated, he said, ‘Bring me a bone of scapula, so that I may write something for you after which you will never go astray.’The people differed in their opinions although it was improper to differ in front of a prophet, They said, ‘What is wrong with him? Do you think he is delirious? Ask him (to understand). The Prophet replied, ‘Leave me as I am in a better state than what you are asking me to do.’ Then the Prophet ordered them to do three things saying, ‘Turn out all the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula, show respect to all foreign delegates by giving them gifts as I used to do.’ ” The sub-narrator added, “The third order was something beneficial which either Ibn ‘Abbas did not mention or he mentioned but I forgot.’

[SAHIH BUKHARI, Eng Volume 4, Book 53, Number 393 ]

H.Abu Bakr wept on death of Holy prophet (s)
Narrated by H.’Aisha
Abu Bakr came from his house at As-Sunh on a horse. He dismounted and entered the Mosque, but did not speak to the people till he entered upon ‘Aisha and went straight to Allah’s Apostle who was covered with Hibra cloth (i.e. a kind of Yemenite cloth). He then uncovered the Prophet’s face and bowed over him and kissed him and wept, saying, “Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you. [SAHIH BUKHARI, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 733

All people wept on death of Holy prophet (s)

Narrated by H.'Aisha
(the wife of the Prophet) Allah's Apostle died while Abu Bakr was at a place called As-Sunah (Al-'Aliya) 'Umar stood up and said, "By Allah! Allah's Apostle is not dead!" 'Umar (later on) said, "By Allah! Nothing occurred to my mind except that." He said, "Verily! Allah will resurrect him and he will cut the hands and legs of some men." Then Abu Bakr came and uncovered the face of Allah's Apostle, kissed him and said, "Let my mother and father be sacrificed for you, (O Allah's Apostle), you are good in life and in death. By Allah in Whose Hands my life is, Allah will never make you taste death twice." Then he went out and said, "O oath-taker! Don't be hasty." When Abu Bakr spoke, 'Umar sat down. Abu Bakr praised and glorified Allah and said, No doubt! Whoever worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die." Then he recited Allah's Statement.: "(O Muhammad) Verily you will die, and they also will die." (39.30) He also recited: "Muhammad is no more than an Apostle; and indeed many Apostles have passed away, before him, If he dies Or is killed, will you then Turn back on your heels? And he who turns back On his heels, not the least Harm will he do to Allah And Allah will give reward to those Who are grateful." (3.144) The people wept loudly..... [SAHIH BUKHARI,Volume 5, Book 57, Number 19]

MORE ABOUT WEEPING FOR DEATH FROM AHLE SUNNAH

Holy Prophet(s) wept on the death of his son Ibrahim 
Narrated by Anas bin Malik
We went with Allah’s Apostle (p.b.u.h) to the blacksmith Abu Saif, and he was the husband of the wet-nurse of Ibrahim (the son of the Prophet). Allah’s Apostle took Ibrahim and kissed him and smelled him and later we entered Abu Saif’s house and at that time Ibrahim was in his last breaths, and the eyes of Allah’s Apostle (p.b.u.h) started shedding tears. ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf said, “O Allah’s Apostle, even you are weeping!” He said, “O Ibn ‘Auf, this is mercy.” Then he wept more and said, “The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Lord, O Ibrahim ! Indeed we are grieved by your separation.” [SAHIH BUKHARI, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 39]

Holy Prophet(s) wept on the death of  son of one of his daughters 

Narrated by Usama
A son of one of the daughters of the Prophet was dying, so she sent a person to call the Prophet. He sent (her a message), “What ever Allah takes is for Him, and whatever He gives is for Him, and everything has a limited fixed term (in this world) so she should be patient and hope for Allah’s reward.” She then sent for him again, swearing that he should come. Allah’s Apostle got up, and so did Mu’adh bin Jabal, Ubai bin Ka’b and ‘Ubada bin As-Samit. When he entered (the house), they gave the child to Allah’s Apostle while its breath was disturbed in his chest. (The sub-narrator said: I think he said, “…as if it was a water skin.”) Allah’s Apostle started weeping whereupon Sa’d bin ‘Ubada said, “Do you weep?” The Prophet said, “Allah is merciful only to those of His slaves who are merciful (to others).”  [SAHIH BUKHARI, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 540]

Holy Prophet(s) wept on the death of Zaid, Jafar & Abdullah bin Rawaha

Narrated by Anas bin Malik
The Prophet said, “Zaid took over the flag and was martyred. Then it was taken by Jafar who was martyred as well. Then ‘Abdullah bin Rawaha took the flag but he too was martyred and at that time the eyes of Allah’s Apostle were full of tears. Then Khalid bin Al-Walid took the flag without being nominated as a chief (before hand) and was blessed with victory.” [SAHIH BUKHARI Volume 2, Book 23, Number 338]

Narrated by Anas bin Malik
Allah’s Apostle delivered a sermon and said, “Zaid received the flag and was martyred, then Ja’far took it and was martyred, then ‘Abdullah bin Rawaha took it and was martyred, and then Khalid bin Al-Walid took it without being appointed, and Allah gave him victory.” The Prophet added, “I am not pleased (or they will not be pleased) that they should remain (alive) with us,” while his eyes were shedding tears. [SAHIH BUKHARI Volume 4, Book 52, Number 29]

Holy Prophet(s) wept on the death of Sad bin ‘Ubada 

Narrated by ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar
Sad bin ‘Ubada became sick and the Prophet along with ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf, Sad bin Abi Waqqas and ‘Abdullah bin Masud visited him to enquire about his health. When he came to him, he found him surrounded by his household and he asked, “Has he died?” They said, “No, O Allah’s Apostle.” The Prophet wept and when the people saw the weeping of Allah’s Apostle (p.b.u.h) they all wept. He said, “Will you listen? Allah does not punish for shedding tears, nor for the grief of the heart but he punishes or bestows His Mercy because of this, He pointed to his tongue .” and added, “The deceased is punished for the wailing of his relatives over him.” ‘Umar used to beat with a stick and throw stones and put dust over the faces (of those who used to wail over the dead). [SAHIH BUKHARI Volume 2, Book 23, Number 391]

The tradition of Umar and his son as explained by H.Ayesha
Narrated by ‘Abdullah bin ‘Ubaidullah bin Abi Mulaika
……Ibn Abbas added, “When ‘Umar died I told all this to Aisha and she said, ‘May Allah be merciful to Umar. By Allah, Allah’s Apostle did not say that a believer is punished by the weeping of his relatives. But he said, Allah increases the punishment of a non-believer because of the weeping of his relatives.” Aisha further added, “The Quran is sufficient for you (to clear up this point) as Allah has stated: ‘No burdened soul will bear another’s burden.’ ” (35.18). Ibn Abbas then said, “Only Allah makes one laugh or cry.” Ibn Umar did not say anything after that  [SAHIH BUKHARI Eng Volume 2, Book 23, Number 375] & [Sahih Muslim. Chap. 9, Tradition No.25]

Zainab binte Jahash the wife of Prophet (s.a.w.s.) narrates:
One day the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s) was in my house and Husain (a.s.) was also there. For some moments I forgot about him. He entered into the Prophet’s room. I tried to pick him up but the Messenger of Allah restrained me. Then he stood up to perform the prayers while holding Husain (a.s.) in his arms. When he went into ruku (bending in genuflection) or sajdah (prostration) he put down Husain (a.s.) and again took him in his arms when he stood up. Then he sat down and wept. When he finished his prayers I said, “O Messenger of Allah! Today I have seen you do something that I had never seen before.”
He said, “Jibraeel came to me and informed me that this Husain (a.s.) will be killed by my ummat (people).” (Mustadrakul Sahihain, 4:398)
He then showed me the soil of the place of his martyrdom. He gave me (a handful of) red dust.”

It is human’s nature that a person weep or grief on him, whom he loves very much. No one weeps on an unknown person or enemy. It is not BIDDAD to weep, because weeping is in human’s nature and it is gifted by ALLAH, so He never prohibit such a thing which He has kept in our nature. As ALLAH says in Holy Quran, “And that is He (Allah) it is Who makes (Men) laugh and makes (them) weep”. (Chp-53 : Verse-43)

Now you can judge by this few tradition with YOUR SELVES,
1) Whether Weeping is in human’s nature and its attachment is with the heart or not?
2) If someone is put to death by torture, whom we love, then, will we weep in his respect or not?
3) If such a tragedy falls on the day of Eid, or any death occurs in our family, shall we celebrate that day as a Eid?
4) If Prophet Muhammad (P.) can weep on Hazrat Husain (p), Why can’t we?
5) Is it suitable to celebrate Marriage, Birthday or any other function in the month of Muharram?
6) Do we celebrate or do we attend such happy occasions when there is a death of our beloved? where as Imam Husein (a) was the beloved of Holy prophet (s)
7) Whether grieving for martyr is Biddad or Sunnah of Holy Prophet (P.)?  Whether a day of Ashura is a day of Sorrow or Happiness?

Other links:

• The Effects and Blessings of Mourning over Imam Husain (a.s.)
• Mourning over Imam Husein (a,s) is not Innovation (Bidat)

Science explained 1400 yrs ago

Before reading this whole Incedent kindly keep in mind that this incident took place 1400 yers ago when science was in very much infant stage and only rectly 2 centuries back all the below thories have been proved.. It’s Amazing !!!!

Below are extracts from the book

“The Great Muslim Scientist and Philosopher  Imam Jafar Ibn Mohammed As-Sadiq (a. s.) (Sixth successor after the Holy prophet [s.a.w])

Translated and published by Kaukab Ali Mirza
Publisher: Willowdale, Ont. : K.A. Mirza, 1996.
ISBN: 0969949014   Edition: $6.00
Second Edition Printed in 1997  275 pages.

INTRODUCTION

This book is a translation of “Maghze Mutafakkir Jehan Shia”, the famous Persian book, which has been published four times in Tehran, Iran. The Persian book is itself a translation from a French thesis published by The Research Committee of Strasbourg, France, about the contribution made by Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (A.S.) to science, philosophy, literature and irfan (gnosticism) .

‘Kaukab Ali Mirza’ did the English translation from Persian

 

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a. s.) and abu Shakir

Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) was one of the most patient and tolerant teachers of his time. He used to take his classes every day. After his lectures he would listen and reply to the objections of his critics. He had asked his critics, who attended his classes, not to interrupt him during his lectures. They were quite free to ask him any question or raise any objection after the classes were over.

Once Abu Shakir, one of his opponents, said to him: “Would you allow me to say something and ask some questions?”

“Yes, you can”, replied Imam Jafar as-Sadiq.

Said Abu Shakir: “Is it not a myth that there is Allah? You want people to believe in a thing which does not exist. If there was Allah, we could have felt his existence through our senses. You may say that we can feel His presence by the help of our inner senses, but our inner senses also depend upon our five outer senses. We cannot conjure up an image of anything in which some of our senses were not involved. We cannot conjure up the picture of a person whom we have not met; recall to our memory his voice if we have not heard him and feel the touch of his hand by our inner senses if we have never taken his hand in our hand.”

“You may say that we can perceive the presence of Allah by our intelligence and not through our inner or outer senses. But our intelligence also needs the assistance of our five outer senses, without which it cannot function. We cannot make any reasoning or come to any conclusion without the help of our senses.

By your imagination you have created a being, which is of your own image. Since you see, talk, hear, work and rest, He also does exactly what you do.”

“You do not show Him to anyone. To maintain your hold on the people you say that He cannot be seen. You also say that He was not born from the womb of a woman. He does not procreate and that He would not die. I have heard that there is an idol in India, which is hidden behind a curtain and is not allowed to be seen by the Hindu devotees. The custodians of the idol say that it is out of mercy that their god does not appear before them, because whoever casts his eyes on it, would instantly die.”

“Your Allah is also like the veiled god of the Hindus. It is out of His mercy that He does not appear before us. If he does, we shall surely die. You say that the universe was created by Allah, who did not talk to anyone, except to the Prophet of Islam. As a matter of fact the universe came by itself. Does anyone create the grass, which grows in the field? Does it not grow and get green by itself? Does anyone create the ants and the mosquitoes? Do they not come out by themselves?”

“I must tell you, who claims to be a scholar and the successor of the Prophet, that among all the stories, which circulate among the people, none is more absurd and baseless than the story of Allah, who cannot be seen. There are many baseless stories, but they, at least, depict real life and present before us the people and personalities, who may themselves be fictitious, but their acts and deeds are like those of real human beings. We can see them. They eat, they drink, they talk, they sleep and they love. When we read these fictitious stories, we enjoy them. We know that they are false, but we see in them the faces of men and women, who are like us. The people mentioned in the stories might not have existed, but our common sense accepts existence of such people in the world. However, when we cannot see, feel or touch your Allah, our logic and reasoning, which depend upon our senses, do not accept his existence.”

“l know that some people, who have been deceived by you, believe in your invisible Allah, but you cannot deceive me and make me believe in Him. I worship God, who is made of wood and stone. Although my God does not talk, but I can see him with my eyes and touch him with my hands.”

“You say that the God whom I have made from my own hands is not worthy of being worshipped, while you ask the people to worship Allah, you have created by your imagination. You deceive innocent people by saying that your imaginary Allah has created the universe, but I do not deceive anyone. No one created the universe. There was no need of any god to create it. It came by itself. God cannot create anything. He is himself our creation. I created him by my hand and you by your imagination.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) did not say a word during the long tirade of Abu Shakir. Sometimes his students, who were present, wanted to intervene but he asked them to remain quiet. When Abu Shakir stopped his lengthy discourse, the Imam asked him, if he had anything more to say.

Retorted Abu Shakir: “By introducing your invisible Allah to the people, you want to acquire wealth and position and have a respectable, comfortable and luxurious life. These are my last words. I do not want to say anything more.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) said: “l would like to start with the last part of your speech. Your accusations that I want money, position and a comfortable life would have been justified if I was living like a caliph. You have seen today that I have eaten a few morsels of bread only and nothing else. I invite you to my house to see for yourself what I will have for dinner and how I live.”

“Abu Shakir, if I wanted to acquire wealth and have a good life, as you say, I was not obliged to teach and preach to get rich. I would have earned money and got rich by my knowledge of chemistry. Another way to get rich was to do business. I have more knowledge’ about foreign markets than any merchant in Medina. I know what goods are produced in different countries and where to sell them for profit. I also know how to bring them here to reduce the cost of transport. Our merchants import goods only from Syria, Iraq, Egypt and some other Arab countries. They do not know what goods are available in Isphahan, Rasht and Rome, otherwise they would have imported them and sold them with profit.”

“Abu Shakir, you have said that I ask the people to worship Allah to deceive them and to get rich. I must tell you that I have never taken anything from anyone, except some fruits as presents. One of my friends sends to me every year fresh dates from his garden and another some pomegranates from Taif. I accept these presents so that they may not get offended.”

“I have heard, O Abu Shakir, that your father was a pearl merchant. Perhaps you may have some knowledge about pearls. But I know all about pearls and precious stones. I can also appraise their market value. If I wanted to get rich I would have worked as a jeweller. Can you test and recognise a precious stone? Do you know how many kinds of rubies and emeralds there are in the world?”

“I know nothing about them”, replied Abu Shakir.

“Do you know how many kinds of diamonds there are and what colours they have?” asked Imam Jafar as-Sadiq.

“I do not know”, replied Abu Shakir.

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: “I am not a jeweller, but I know all about the pearls and precious stones. I also know where they come from. All jewellers must know about gems, what I know, but few of them know their sources.”

“Do you know what makes a diamond shine?”

“I never was a diamond merchant, nor was my father. How can I know why diamonds shine?; replied Abu Shakir.

Said the Imam: “Diamonds are obtained from the beds of rivers and streams. Rough diamonds are cut by experts. This is the cut of a diamond, which gives it its brilliance. Those who are experts in cutting diamonds are trained from the childhood in the profession of their fathers and forefathers. Cutting a diamond is a very delicate and difficult art. A diamond is cut only by a diamond.”

“Abu Shakir, I have said all this simply to show to you that if I wanted to accumulate wealth, I could have done so by making use of my knowledge about jewels. I have replied to your accusations and now I shall deal with your objections.”

“Abu Shakir, you have said that I have fabricated stories and ask the people to worship Allah, who cannot be seen. You refuse to acknowledge existence of Allah, because He cannot be seen. Can you see inside your own body?”

Replied Abu Shakir: “No, I cannot.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: “If you could have seen what is inside you, you would not have said that you do not believe in Allah, who cannot be seen.”

Abu Shakir asked: “What is the relationship between seeing within one’s own body and the existence of your unseen Allah?”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) replied: “You have said just now that a thing, which cannot be seen, touched, tasted or heard, does not exist.”

Abu Shakir said: “Yes, I have said that and I believe it is true.”

Jafar as-Sadiq asked: “Do you hear the sound of the movement of blood in your body?”

Said Abu Shakir: “No, I do not. But does blood move in the body?

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) said: “Yes, it does. It makes a full circuit of your body. If the circulation of blood stops for a few minutes you will die.”

Abu Shakir said: “I cannot believe that blood circulates in the body.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: “It is your ignorance, which does not let you believe that your blood circulates in your body, and the same ignorance does not let you believe in the existence of Allah, Who cannot be seen.”

Then the Imam asked Abu Shakir whether he has seen the tiny living beings, which Allah has created in his body.

Jafar as-Sadiq continued: “It is because of these small creatures and their wonderful work that you are kept alive. They are so small that you cannot see them. Since you are a slave of your senses, you do not know about their existence. If you increase your knowledge and decrease your ignorance, you will come to know that these small beings in your body are as large in number as the particles of sand in the desert. These small creatures are born in your body, multiply in your body, work in your body and die in your body. But you never see them, touch them, taste them or hear them in your life time.”

“It is true that one who knows himself knows his Allah. If you had known yourself and had the knowledge of what is going on inside your body, you would not have said that you do not believe in Allah, without seeing Him.”

Pointing his finger to a huge stone he said: “Abu Shakir, do you see the stone, which is in the foot of that portico? To you it seems lifeless and motionless, because you do not see the brisk motion, which is inside the stone. Again it is lack of knowledge or your ignorance, which would not let you believe that there is motion inside the stone. The time will come when the learned people would see the motion which is in the stone.”

Continued the Imam: “Abu Shakir, you have said that everything in the universe came by itself and has no Creator. You think that the grass in the field grows and gets green by itself. You must know that the grass cannot grow without seeds and seeds would not germinate without moisture in the soil and there would be no moisture if no rain falls. The rain does not fall by itself. First the water vapours rise and gather above in the atmosphere in the form of clouds. The winds bring the clouds. Then the water vapours condense and fall down as rain drops. The rain must also fall at the right time, otherwise no grass will grow and become green. Take the seeds of ten kinds of herbs and put them in a closed jar, which has sufficient water, but no air. Would they germinate? No, in addition to water, seeds need air also. It is possible to grow grass, herbs and fruits in hot houses, when it is very cold, provided there is sufficient air. Without the presence of air no grass will gr! ow in the fields and get green. If there is no air, all plants and animals, including human beings, would die.”

“Abu Shakir, do you see the air, on which your very existence depends. You only feel it when it moves. Can you refuse to believe in the existence of air? Can you deny that to grow and get green the grass needs many things like seeds, soil, water, air, a suitable climate and above all a strong managing power, which may co-ordinate the action of these different elements. That Managing and Co-ordinating Power is Allah.”

“You say that everything comes by itself because you are not a scientist. No scientist would ever say that. All scientists and all scholars believe in the existence of a creator, albeit, they may call Him by different names. Even those, who do not believe in Allah, believe in a Creative Force.”

“Abu Shakir, it is not because of one’s knowledge, but it is due to his ignorance that he does not believe in Allah. When a wise man thinks of himself, he finds that his own body needs a controller so that all its organs and systems may function properly. He then realises that this vast universe also needs a controller or supervisor so that it may run smoothly.”

“You said just now that both of us create our own gods – you by your hands and I by my imagination. But there is a big difference between your god and my Allah. Your god did not exist before you made him out of wood or stone, but my Allah was there before I could think about Him. I do not create my Allah by my hands or by my brain. What I do is to know Him better and think of His Greatness. When you see a mountain you try to know more about it. It is not creating the mountain by imagination. That mountain was there before you saw it and it would be there when you are gone.”

‘You cannot know much about the mountain because of your limited knowledge. The more your knowledge grows, the more you will learn about it. It is impossible for you to find out when and how that mountain came into being and when it would disappear. You cannot find out what minerals are there inside or underneath the mountain and what is their benefit to mankind.”

“Do you know that the stones, out of which you make your idols came into being thousands of years ago and shall exist for thousands of years more. These stones have come here from a distant place. They could travel that long journey because different parts of the earth are always moving, but this movement is so slow that you do not feel it. There is nothing in the universe, which is not in motion. Rest or motionlessness is meaningless. We are not at rest even when we are sleeping. We are in motion because the earth is in motion. Besides, we have a motion inside our own bodies.”

“Abu Shakir, if you had any knowledge about the piece of stone, out of which you carve an idol, you would not have denied the existence of Allah and said that I have created Him by my imagination. You do not know what a stone is and how it came into being. Today you can handle it as you like and cut it into any shape or form, but there was a time when it was in liquid state. Gradually it cooled down and Allah solidified it. In the beginning it was quite brittle and would have broken into pieces in your hand like a piece of glass.”

Asked Abu Shakir: “Was it in a liquid condition before?”

“Yes, it was”, replied Jafar asSadiq (A. S.)

Abu Shakir burst into a peal of laughter. One of the students of Jafar as-Sadiq got angry and was about to say something when he was stopped by his teacher.

Abu Shakir said: “I am laughing because you say that the stones are made of water.”

Jafar as-Sadiq (A. S.) replied: “I did not say that the stones are made of water. What I had said was that in the beginning they were in a liquid state.”

Abu Shakir said: “What difference does it make. The liquid and water are the same things.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq replied: “There are many liquids which are not water. Milk and vinegar are liquids, but they are not water, although they have a water content in them. In the beginning the stones were liquid like water and they flowed like water. Gradually they cooled down and became hard so that you could cut them and make them into idols. The same hard stones will turn into liquid, if they are heated.”

Said Abu Shakir: “When I go home I will check the truth of your statement. I will put the stone in the fireplace and see if it turns into liquid or not.”

Said the Imam: “You cannot liquefy stone in your fireplace. Can you liquefy a piece of iron at home? A very high temperature is required to turn solid stone into liquid.”

“Do you realise how you could make the idols out of stones? It was Allah, who made the stones. It was He Who created you and gave you the hands with the unique fingers, which enabled you to handle tools and chisel out the idols from the stones. Again it was He who gave you power and intelligence, which you used in making the idols.”

“Abu Shakir, do you think that the mountains are only heaps of stones? The Great Allah has created them to serve some very useful purpose. They were not created so that you may take stones and turn them into idols. Wherever there is a mountain there is flowing water. Rain and snow which fall on the mountain tops produce streams of fresh water. These streams combine together to form big rivers, which irrigate farms and fields. The people who live in the valleys, through which the rivers flow, are assured of constant supply of water. People who can afford it, go to the mountains during the summer season to escape the heat of the plains.”

“The mountains work as a great bulwark and protect towns and villages, which are in their valleys from the devastation and destruction of hurricanes. Green mountains provide good grazing grounds for sheep. When scorching heat burns the pastures down in the plains and no fodder is left, the shepherds take their flocks of sheep to the mountains and stay there till the end of summer. Mountains are also habitats of birds and animals, some of which are a good source of food for those, who live there. Even the mountains, which are not green, are not without some use. If the people try, they may discover in them mines of metals and minerals which are useful for mankind.”

“Abu Shakir, I am too small and too weak to create Allah with my brain. It is He, who has created my brain, so that I may think of Him and know Him – my Creator. He was there before I came into being and He would be there when I am no more. I do not mean that I would be totally destroyed. Nothing in the universe is totally destroyed. Everything is subject to change. It is only Allah, Who does not change.”

“Abu Shakir, please tell me sincerely to whom will you turn for help when you are in trouble? Do you hope that the idol you carve out of stone can come to your succour? Can it cure you when you are sick; save you from mishaps and calamities; save you from starvation and help you pay your debts?”

Abu Shakir replied: “I have no such expectations from the stone, but, I think there is something inside the stone, which will help me. Moreover, I cannot help worshipping it.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq enquired: “What is inside the stone? Is it also stone?”

“I do not know what it is. But it cannot help me if it is also stone,” replied Abu Shakir.

Said Imam Jafar as-Sadiq: “Abu Shakir, what is inside the stone and is not stone and can help when you are in trouble is, Allah.”

Abu Shakir pondered over the subject for a while and then said: “Is Allah, who cannot be seen, inside the stone?”

The Imam replied: “He is everywhere.”

Abu Shakir said: “I cannot believe that a thing may be everywhere but remain unseen.”

The Imam said: “Do you know that the air is everywhere but cannot be seen?”

Said Abu Shakir: “Although I cannot see the air, I can, at least, feel it when it moves. But I can neither see your Allah nor feel his presence.”

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: “You do not feel the presence of air when it is not moving. The air is only a creation of Allah. He is everywhere, but you cannot see Him or feel His presence by your senses. You have admitted just now that although you do not see it, but your instinct or your soul tells you that there is something inside the stone, and is not the stone, which can help you. That something is Allah. Your instinct also tells you that you cannot live without Allah and without worshipping Him.”

Abu Shakir said: “It is true. I cannot live without worshipping idols.”

Said Imam Jafar as-Sadiq: “Do not say idols. Say Allah. It is He, Who is worthy of worship. just like you everyone is obliged to worship Him. One, who does not worship Allah has no guide and no guardian. He is just like one, who cannot see, cannot hear, cannot feel and cannot think. He does not know where to go and on whom to depend when in trouble. Worshipping Allah is a part of living. Every living being worships Him instinctively. Even the animals cannot live without worshipping Him. We cannot ask them and they cannot tell us that they worship Allah, but their well regulated and orderly life is sufficient proof that they worship Him.

“I do not say that the animals believe in Allah and worship Him just as we do. But there is no doubt that they obey the laws made by their Creator faithfully, which means they worship Him. If they were not obedient to their Creator, they could not have such an orderly and regulated life.”

“We see that just before the advent of spring the titmouse (a kind of small bird) always comes at the same time and sings, as if to give us the tiding of the new season. The itinerary of these migratory birds is so regulated and their schedule so fixed that even if the last days of winter are still cold, their arrival is not delayed for more than a few days. When Chilchila (a migratory bird) returns after covering a distance of thousands of miles, it builds its nest at the same place, where it had built it last spring. Was it possible for these small birds to have such a well organised life if they did not obey the laws of Allah and worship Him?”

“Abu Shakir, even the plants obey the laws made by Allah faithfully and worship Him. Out of 150 species of plants, which are further divided into hundreds of sub-species you will not find even one plant, which has a disorganised and disorderly life.”

“Abu Shakir, just like us the plants also do not see their Creator, but they worship Him by obeying His laws instinctively.”

“I know that you will not accept, or perhaps you do not understand, what I say. A man must have sufficient knowledge to understand complicated problems.”

“Abu Shakir, not only animals by their animal instinct and plants by their plant instinct obey Allah and worship Him, the lifeless and inanimate objects also, with whatever instinct they have, obey Allah and worship Him. If they did not worship Him, they would not have followed the laws made by Him. As a result, their atoms would have broken apart and they would have been destroyed.”

“The light which comes from the sun also worships Allah by obeying his laws, which are very stringent and exact. It comes into being by the combination of two opposite forces. These forces also obey the laws of Allah and worship Him, otherwise they cannot produce light.”

“Abu Shakir, if there was no Allah there would have been no universe and no you and me. The sentence, “There is no Allah’, is meaningless. The existence of Allah is a must. If attention of Allah is diverted, even for a moment from the affairs of the universe to something else, it would break up. Everything in the universe obeys His laws, which are permanent and eternal. Because of His absolute wisdom and knowledge, He could make such wonderful laws, which will last for ever. Each and every law, made by Him serves some special and useful purpose.”

When the Imam concluded his discourse, Abu Shakir fell into a deep reverie as if he was greatly inspired.

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq asked: “Do you now believe that Allah, who cannot be seen, does exist and what you worship is the unseen Allah?”

Abu Shakir replied: “I am not yet convinced. I am in a quandary. I am full of doubts and misgivings about my faith and my convictions.”

Jafar as-Sadiq remarked: “The doubt about idol worship is the beginning of the worship of Allah.”

Nice Teachings

First-year students at Veterinary school were attending their first Anatomy class, with a real dead pig.

They all gathered around the surgery table with the body covered with a White sheet. The professor started the class by telling them, ‘In Veterinary Medicine it is necessary to have two important qualities as a Doctor: The first is that you not be disgusted by anything involving the Animal body’. For an example, the Professor pulled back the sheet, touched his finger in the mouth of the dead pig, withdrew it and put his Finger in his mouth. ‘Go ahead and do the same thing,’ he told his students.

The students freaked out, hesitated for several minutes. But eventually took turns putting their finger in the mouth of the dead pig and tasted in their mouth.

When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and said, ‘The Second most important quality is observation. I touched with my second Finger and tasted on my index finger. Now learn to pay attention
Moral of the story:

Life is Tough but its a lot tougher when you are stupid and Never assume anything and always observe things minutely which we usually overlook.

Man is a miniature world

Man is a miniature world and a specimen of the greater world as has been said by Amirul Momineen Imam Ali  (a.s.):
“Do you think that you are merely a tiny body?

 A great universe is hidden in you. The bones in your body are like mountains of the earth and the flesh is like dust.

The big and small veins are similar to rivulets.

Man’s head, which is the centre of his strength and intelligence, is like a sky above the body containing stars etc., which throw light on earth.

The vapours rising from stomach and reaching brain and after cooling drop from eyes and brain are like those vapours, which rise from the earth and reach the cold strata of upper space and then drop in the form of rain.

Moreover, the powers of brain reach the entire body through the back brain nerves just as the starlight affects the earth.

 Just as there are kings and commanders in the world on earth so also there are some servants and rulers in the body too and their king is the faculty of speech, which is also called Qalb (heart) from the viewpoint that first its relation is with the animal spirit and then it is nourished by the heart.

Just, as the world’s habitation is in the north so also the heart, which is the cause of the habitation of the body, is in the north.

Just as the kings have their ministers who distribute sustenance to the ruled so also whatever is cooked in the kitchen of liver is being distributed in the entire body.

Just as some earthly wastes are disposed through rivers such arrangement is also in the human physique.

 In short, a detailed discussion of this topic demands much space for which this is not an appropriate place.

THE CHARACTER OF STUDENT

THE CHARACTER OF STUDENT IN THE TRADITIONS OF THE AHLULBAYT (as)

Imam Sadiq (as) said, “Your teacher has the right over you that you should honor him and pay him respect in different assemblies. You should be very attentive to his words. you should not raise your voice above his. if anybody asks him a question, you should not give its reply. You should not converse with others in his presence and you should allow the people to benefit from his knowledge. You should not speak ill of anyone before him. If anybody speaks ill of him in your presence, you should defend him. You should conceal his shortcomings and bring his virtues to light. You should not associate with his enemies and should not dispute with his friends. If you act on these lines the angels of Allah will testify that you have paid attention to him and have acquired knowledge for the sake of Allah and not to attract the attention of the people. And the right of your pupils on you is that you should realize that in granting you knowledge and opening its path to you, Allah has appointed you to be their guardian. In case, therefore, you teach them properly and do not frighten them and are not furious with them, Allah will, through His kindness, increase your knowledge. But if you drive the people away from knowledge and, as and when they approach you for it, you frighten them and get annoyed with them, it will only be appropriate that the Almighty Allah may take away the light of knowledge from you and may degrade you in the eyes of the people.” The Messenger of God said:”A loving glance at the face of a learned [`alim] is an act of worship [ibada].” He also said: “Sitting with the people of learning is an honor in this life and the hereafter.” On the authority of Abu ‘Abd Allah, it is reported that the Messenger of God said: “A man will come on the day of resurrection. To his credit will be so many good deeds that they will be heaps, or towering mountains. He will ask: ‘O my Lord! All this for me-and what have I done for them?’ God will say: ‘This is the knowledge you taught to people, and they kept on acting on it after you.” Abu Ja’far said,”Whoever taught the path to guidance will have as much reward as those who acted upon it, without in any way decreasing the reward of the latter. Whoever taught the path to wrongdoing will have as much punishment as those who acted upon such teachings without in any way decreasing the punishment of the latter.”

THE CHARACTER OF STUDENT IN THE TRADITIONS OF THE AHLULBAYT (as)

The HOLY PROPHET of Islam peace be upon him said :“Be alert surely Allah loves those who seek knowledge.”(Behar ul Anvar v : 1; p : 172, Alkafi v : 1)

“Any thing even fish in sea ask pardon for those who obtain knowledge.”Behar ul anvar v : 1 ; p : 171

“One of the best alms is learning knowledge then teaching to his brother.”Mohajjat ul baiza v : 1 ; p : 22

“Whoever goes out of his house to learn a branch of knowledge for doing then for teaching, ALLAH rewards him for each his step ALLAH’S reward of thousand year fasts and saying prayers.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 ; P : 166

“I swear by Allah that any one to and from to learn knowledge, Allah rewards him for any his step reward of worship on one year and makes a city to him in paradise.”Behar ul Anvar V : 1 ; P : 184

“ Keep knowledge with writing.”Behar ul anvar V : 77,61 ; P : 141,124

“ Whoever obtains knowledge is like who fasts everyday and says prayer night long.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 ; P : 184

“Angels love to become friend with them (knowledge seekers) and cares them with their wings.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 ; P : 166

“One step will be between whoever dies obtaining knowledge to revive Islam and prophets in paradise.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 ; P : 184

“O ABAZAR whoever goes out of his house to obtain a branch of knowledge, God gives him a city in paradise for listening or writing each letter.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 P : 178

“Allah, Angels and prophets love those who search knowledge and any one except lucky doesn’t like knowledge, then good for knowledge seeker on doomsday.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 P : 178

“Whoever loves to look at delivered man from hell by ALLAH, should look at those who search knowledge.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 P : 184, Mohajjat ul baiza V : 1 P : 18

“If knowledge is suspended from pleiad, surely some of Iranians get it.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 P : 195

IMAM ALI peace be upon him said:“Virtuous men in it (world) are people of virtue and they listen carefully to useful knowledge.”Nahj ul Balagha, sermon: 193

“O’ people! Know certainly accomplishment of religion is obtaining knowledge and doing accordingly.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 P : 175

“Whoever travels to obtain knowledge is like who strive hard in ALLAH’S way.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 P : 179

“O young nation; keep your honour by being polite and your religion by knowledge.”“Knowledge is more than what you can learn all of that, then learn the best one.”Ghorar ul Hekam

“Whoever doesn’t listen to Wiseman, his wisdom will die.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 P : 53

“The best one to be learned by teenagers is what they will need when become old.”Nahjol Balagha of ibne abal hadid V : 20 P : 333 “817 word”

“Obtaining knowledge on young hood is like to engrave on stone.”Safynat ul behar P : 680

“Student should be polite about gaining knowledge and should be tireless on learning and never imagine that his knowledge is much.”Ghurar ul Hekam.

“O believer surely this knowledge and courtesy are your price the try to learn them.If your knowledge and courtesy become much, your price will be high. Then you are led to your lord by knowledge and you can serve your lord with courtesy very well.”Behar ul anvar V : 1 ; P : 180

“Whoever doesn’t obtain knowledge on childhood will not be vanguard on old hood.”Ghorar ul hekam P:697

“More studying and thinking about knowledge, opens wisdom.”Behar ul anvar V:1 ; P:52

IMAM HASSAN MOJTABA peace be upon him invited his children and brothers then said :“Surely you are child now and soon will be old then seek knowledge, and whoever can not memorize it, should write and keep it in his house.”Mounyat ul moried P : 196

IMAM SAJJAD peace be upon him said:“If people know what is in knowledge, certainly will obtain it though with bloodshed and going to deep sea.”Behar ul anvar V:1 ; P:185

IMAM SAJJAD peace be upon him about teacher’s right said:“Students should:

1) Respect his/her teacher and his/her session. 2) Be eager to meet him/her. 3) Listen to him/her carefully. 4) Speak to him/her politely. 5) Not answer questions unless he/she is asked to. 6) Not talk and backbite any one before him.7) Conceal his/her faults.8) Express his/her goodness. 9) Not meet with who are against him/her.10) Behave well with his/her friends.If student observes the above statements, angels will certify that he/she learns his/her knowledge for sake of ALLAH not people.” Vasael ashiah V:11 P: 134, Behar ul anvar V:2 P: 42, Tohaf ul Uqool.

IMAM SADIQ peace be upon him said:“Keep your books well since you need them soon.”Behar ul anvar V:2 P:152

“Write knowledge since you can’t memorize unless with writing. Heart confides to written.”Alkafi V: 1, Behar ul anvar V: 1 P: 202

“Whoever obtains knowledge and acts accordingly then teaches for sake of ALLAH, is called in heavens in to the skies honorably.”Alkafi V: 1 P: 35, Behar ul anvar V: 2 P: 27

IMAM MOSA ALKAZEM peace be upon him said:“Conversation with learned men on dunghill is better then conversation with ignorant leaning on pillow on carpet.”Alkafi V; 1 P: 39

IMAM REZA peace be upon him said:“Knowledge is treasure and it’s keys are question.”Behar ul anvar V: 1 P: 198

IMAM MAHDI peace be upon him prayed for students:“O GOD please do students a favour and grace them to study with pleasure and effort.”

The HOLY PROPHET of Islam peace be upon him said:“Sleeping with knowledge is better than saying prayer with ignorance.”Behar ul anvar V: 1 P: 185

“Those who gain knowledge among ignorant men are who live among dead men.”Behar ul anvar V: 1 P: 181

“Those who obtain knowledge won’t die even enjoy his/her effort as much as they try.”Behar ul anvar V: 1 P: 177

“Obtaining knowledge is obligatory for any muslem.”Behar ul anvar V: 1 P: 177

“Bravo to those who seek knowledge; surely angels embrace them with their wings.”Behar ul anvar V: 1 P: 185

IMAM SADIQ peace be upon him said:“Behave humbly with your teacher.”Alkafi V: 1 P: 36

IMAM ALI peace be upon him said:“More thinking about what is learned make it constant and make man learn new theme.”Ghorar ul hekam V: 2 P: 695

Dua Before Studying 

“Allahumma infa’nii bimaa ‘allamtanii wa’allimnii maa yanfa’uunii. Allahumma inii as’aluka fahmal-nabiyyen wa hifzal mursaleen al-muqarrabeen. Allahumma ijal leesanee ‘aiman bi dhikrika wa qalbi bi khashyatika. Innaka ‘ala ma-tasha’u qadeer wa anta hasbun-allahu wa na’mal wakeel.”

“Oh Allah! Make useful for me what you have taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me. Oh Allah! I ask you for the understanding of the prophets and the memory of the messengers, and those nearest to you. Oh Allah! Make my tongue full of your remembrance and my heart with consciousness of you. Oh Allah! You do whatever you wish, and you are my availer and protector and best of aid.”

 Dua After Studying 

“Allahumma inni astaodeeka ma qara’tu wama hafaz-tu. Farudduhu ‘allaya inda hajati elahi. Innaka ‘ala ma-tasha’-u qadeer wa anta hasbeeya wa na’mal wakeel” 

“Oh Allah! I entrust you with what I have read and I have studied. Oh Allah! Bring it back to me when I am in need of it. Oh Allah! You do whatever you wish, you are my availer and protector and the best of aid.”

 

 Dua While Studying Something

Difficult

“Allahumma la sahla illama ja-‘altahu sahla anta taj ‘alu al hazana eza ma shi’ta sahal.”

“Oh Allah! Nothing is easy except what you have made easy. If you wish, you can make the difficult easy.”

 Dua For Concentration 

“Salla-l-laahu alaa Muhammad wa aal-e Muhammad. Allahumma inni as’aluka yaa mudhakkira-l khayr wa faa’ilahu wa-l-aamimira bihi dhakir-ni maa ansaani-hi-shaytan.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION IN ISLAM

 THE CREATION OF NABI ADAM (A.S)When Hazrat Adam (A.S.) was created, Allah S.W.T. said to the angels to bow down. Everybody bowed down except Iblis. The reason Iblis refused to bow down was because he said that Nabi Adam (A.S.) was made of clay and he was made from fire. How can fire bow down to clay? The angels looked at it in a different way. They looked at the inside of Nabi Adam (A.S.) because Allah S.W.T. gave knowledge to Nabi Adam (A.S.)  In the Holy Qur’an, Allah S.W.T. says in Sura 2, verses 31-34: “And he taught Adam all the names, then presented them to the angels; then He said: Tell me the names of those if you are right. They said: Glory be to thee! We have no knowledge but that which Thou hast taught us; surely Thou art the knowing, the wise. He said: O Adam! Inform them of their names. Then when he had informed them of their names, He said: Did I not say to you that I surely know what is ghaib in the heavens and the earth and (that) I know what you manifest and what you hide? And when We said to the angels: Make obeisance to Adam they did obeisance but Iblis (did it not). He refused and he was proud and he was one of the unbelievers.”  

THE DUTY AND COMPULSION OF ATTAINING OF KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge is the most important thing in one’s life. There are two kinds of knowledge: Religious knowledge and Secular knowledge..These two kinds of knowledge’s are very important for a human being. Secular for this day to day dwelling and religious for his smooth life on earth and hereafter.  

The Holy Prophet of Allah (S.A.W.) has said: “Atta libul ilm faridhatol kuli muslim.” This Hadith means: “Attainment of knowledge is a must for every Muslim.”  Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.) has said: “Acquire knowledge of religious jurisprudence. Any one among you who does not become efficient in religious jurisprudence is a rustic.” Allah S.W.T. says in the Qur’an in Sura 9, Verse 121:  

“……….let them devote themselves to studies in religion and admonish their comrades when they return to them so that they may guard themselves against evil.”  Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.) has said in this same subject: “I would rather like my companions to be flogged on their heads so that they may (be compelled to) acquire religious knowledge.”  

Allah S.W.T. says in the Holy Qur’an in Sura 107, Verse 1-7: “Didn’t you see the one who denies religion (din)? Such is the one who repulses the orphan and does not encourage the feeding of the poor. So woe to the worshippers, who are neglectful to their prayers; those who (want but) to be seen (of men) but refuse (to supply even) the neighborly needs.”   THE ACADEMY FOUNDED BY IMAM JAFFER AS-SADIQ (A.S.) 

I f we talk about knowledge, we can not forget Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.). Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.) was born on 17 Rabul-ul-awwal 83 A.H. Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.) has the same birth date as that of our Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). The Imam became the Imam of the time when he was 31 years old. Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.) has three titles; they are As-Sadiq, Al-Fadil and At-Tahir.  It was during the time of our sixth Imam (A.S.) that the Khalifah transferred from the Ummayids to the Abbasids. It was because of this transfer and the fights that took place, that Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.) had plenty of time to spread Islam. Many foreigners, other than Arabs, came to visit Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.) and Islam spread further.  

Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.)’s knowledge of all branches attracted many students from far places until his students numbered four thousand. Apart from fiqh, hadith, tafsir, etc. Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.) also taught science, and other arts e.g. mathematics, and chemistry. One of the famous students of Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.) was Jabir Ibn Hayyan who was a mathematician and a chemist. Jabir benefited so much from the Imam’s knowledge and guidance that he was able to write 400 books on different subjects. Wasil Ibn’Ata – founder of the Mutazlites, Abu Hanifah, the founder of the Hanafi sect and Malik Ibn Anas, the founder of the Maliki sect were all students of Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.).   KNOWLEDGE OF THE IMAMS

We believe that the Imam, like the Prophet, must be the best among mankind and that he must excel in all human qualities, such as bravery, generosity, chasteness, truthfulness, justice, prudence, reason, wisdom, and morality. The reason for this is the same as that of which we gave for the Prophet’s superiority. He derives his education, the Divine commandments and all his knowledge from the Prophet or from the previous Imam. When a new question arises, he knows the answer from the divine inspiration through the pure mind that Allah has given him. If he gives attention to some matter in order to know it, he will obtain a perfect understanding with no error, for the Imams do not derive their knowledge from the methodological reasoning or from the teachings of men of knowledge although it is possible for their knowledge to be increased and strengthened. For the Prophet of Allah (S.A.W.) has said:  “O Lord, increase my knowledge!”  

It has been narrated that Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (A.S) was passing along with his companions and saw a group of people waiting for a Christian priest who was to come out from a cave after his meditation of one whole year.  Imam Baqir (A.S.) also waited with other people; as soon as the priest came out he addressed everybody present there and addressed the Imam ‘you are not among these people’; the priest then asked ‘Are you among the educated or illiterate?’ The Imam replied ‘I am not amongst the illiterate.’ The Imam was the treasure of knowledge (Bakir al-Uloom). The Imam was carrying the same torch from Imam Ali (A.S.) of (Salooni) ASK ME? I HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF SKIES MORE THAN KNOWLEDGE OF EARTH. We as the followers of the Ahlul-Bait should acquire knowledge and part with knowledge whatever we can. 

LEARNED MEN ARE OF MANY KINDS

Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) is quoted to have said: “He who learns for the sake of haughtiness, dies ignorant. He who learns only to talk, rather than to act, dies a hyprocite. He who learns for the mere sake of debating, dies irreligious. He who learns only to accumulate wealth, dies an atheist. And he who learns for the sake of action, dies a mystic.”  

Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (A.S.) has said about acting with knowledge: “Accept not deed without knowledge, and there is not knowledge except with action. So, whoever knows, his knowledge leads him to action, and whoever acts not has no knowledge.”   DEATH OF A RELIGIOUS SCHOLAR 

Imam Musa al-Kazim (A.S.) has said: “When a believer dies, the angels weep over him and so do the portions of the earth on which he used to worship Allah and also the doors of heaven through which his good deeds ascended. His death causes such a void in Islam that nothing can fill up because the learned believers are fortresses of Islam like the protecting wall built around the city.”  The above hadith is trying to tell us that if we have knowledge we will succeed in the hereafter and if you have knowledge, don’t be proud of it. All the Imams and the Prophets were never proud of their knowledge and we should follow our Imams and the Prophets.  

To end this essay, I will caught the Prophet: “O Lord, increase my knowledge!” This above saying is trying to tell us that knowledge can never end, you can increase knowledge everyday.  Written by: Shahid Juma

REFERENCESThe Concept of Knowledge in Islam and it’s Implications for Education in a Developing Country. by Wan Moh’d Nor Wan Daud

The Faith of Shia Islam by Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar.Ahlul-Bait, The Prophet’s Household by Al-Baligh Foundation.

Status of Imam Sadiq (A.S.) Man and Faith by Morteza Mutahhari.

Islamic Religious Education, Book Five .Al-Kaafi, Selections Vol.1. Nahjul Balagha Holy Qur’an  

Importance of Knowledge in Islam

The Prophet (S.A.W.), says: “Learned discussions enliven the dead hearts provided they lead to Allah and His commands”.
(Usulul Kafi, p.20)

The Prophet (S.A.W.), says: “It is obligatory for every Muslim to acquire knowledge. Allah likes those who seek knowledge”.
(Usulul Kafi, p.15)

 
The Holy Qur’an says: “He giveth wisdom unto whom He will, and he unto whom wisdom is given, he truly hath received abundant good. But none remember except men of understanding.” (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:269)

 

Imam Sajjad, (A.S.), says: “If people had known the advantages of acquiring knowledge they would have acquired it even if it had necessitated the shedding of their hearts’ blood or of their going down into the deep seas”.
(Biharul Anwar, vol. 1, p.59)

 

The Prophet (S.A.W.), says: “Allah opens the path of Paradise to one who takes a step on the path of acquisition of knowledge”.
(Muniatul Murid, p.11)
 

 

The Prophet (S.A.W.), says: “The best monuments and legacies which a man leaves behind himself are a dutiful son, useful buildings, knowledge and wisdom which are benefited by the people after him”.
(Muniatul Murid, p.11)

 

  The Prophet (S.A.W.), says: “One who wishes to see those who are safe from the Fire of Hell should look at the seekers of knowledge”.
(Biharul Anwar, vol. 1, p.58)
 

 

The Prophet (S.A.W.), says: “Acquire knowledge even if it be in China”.
(Biharul Anwar, vol. 1, p.57)
 

Imam Ali, (A.S.), says: “Do not feel shy of learning what you do not know”.
(Nahjul Balaghah, p.1113)

 

Imam Ali, (A.S.), says: “O people! Remember that the excellence of your faith lies in acquiring knowledge and acting upon it. It is more essential for you to crave for knowledge than for riches”.
(Usulul Kafi, p.15)
 

Imam Ja’far Sadiq, (A.S.), says: “Knowledge and action are associated with each other because whoever possesses knowledge acts upon it and the knowledge and wisdom of the one who puts them into practice remains unimpaired. Knowledge is a Divine voice which invites its bearer to act upon it. If he accepts its invitation and acts his knowledge lasts but if he does not give a positive response it forsakes him”.
(Usulul Kafi, p.22)
 

Imam Ja’far Sadiq, (A.S.), says: “A person who learns a tradition for worldly gains does not benefit from it in the Hereafter,and if he learns it for his betterment in the next world, Allah blesses him in this world as well as in the Hereafter”.
(Biharul Anwar, vol. 1, p.111)
 

Imam Ja’far Sadiq, (A.S.), says: “Your teacher enjoys the right over you that you should honour him and pay him respect in different assemblies. You should be very attentive to his words. You should not raise your voice above his. If anybody asks him a question you should not give a reply thereto. You should not converse with others in his presence and you should allow the people to benefit from his knowledge. You should not speak ill of anyone before him. If anybody speaks ill of him in your presence you should defend him. You should conceal his shortcomings and bring his virtues to light. You should not associate with his enemies and should not dispute with his friends. If you act on these lines the angels of Allah will testify that you have paid attention to him and have acquired knowledge for the sake of Allah and not to attract the attention of the people. And the right of your pupils on you is that you should realise that in granting you knowledge and opening its path for you, Allah has appointed you to be their guardian. In case, therefore you teach them properly and do not frighten them and are not furious with them Allah will, through His kindness, increase your knowledge. But if you drive the people away from knowledge and as and when they approach you for it you frighten them and get annoyed with them it will be only appropriate that Almighty Allah may take away the light of knowledge from you and may degrade you in the eyes of the people”.
(Makarimul Akhlaq, p.484)

The Holy Qu’ran says: “Allah elevates to high positions those from amongst you who are faithful and those who have acquired knowledge”.
(Surah al-Mujadilah, 58:11)

Imam Ali, (A.S.), says: “The learned men and scholars will continue to exist till the world lasts. Although their bodies may be hidden from the eyes their impressions will for ever remain imprinted in the hearts of the people”.
(Nahjul Balaghah, p.1146)

The Prophet (S.A.W.), says: “Sleep of a scholar is superior to one thousand rak’ats of prayers offered by a devout person”.
(Biharul Anwar, vol.1, p.76)

“A scholar is like a person who always observes fast and offers prayers and he is like a mujahid who sacrifices his life in the cause of Allah. As and when a scholar dies a breach takes place in Islam which cannot be filled till the Day of Judgement”.
(Biharul Anwar, vol.1, p.82)

Imam Ali, (A.S.), says: “Two rak’ats of prayers offered by a scholar are better than seventy rak’ats of prayers offered by an ignorant person”.
(Biharul Anwar, vol.1, p.65)

The Prophet (S.A.W.), says: “Having the company of learned scholars is (Allah’s) worship”.
(Biharul Anwar, vol.1, p.64)

“Looking at their faces is (also) worship”.
(Biharul Anwar, vol.1, p.61)

 

Imam Ja’far Sadiq, (A.S.), says: “On the Day of Judgement Allah will be pleased with a person who honours and respects a Muslim scholar; and He will be annoyed with one who insults a Muslim scholar”.
(Biharul Anwar, vol.1, p.82)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knowledge is better than wealth because it protects you while you have to guard wealth. it decreases if you keep on spending it but the more you make use of knowledge ,the more it increases . what you get through wealth disappears as soon as wealth
disappears but what you achieve through knowledge will remain even after you.” Hazrat Ali Ibne Abi Talib (A.S)