Bismillah Arrahman Arraheem
As-salamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatoh,
Husain Shabani says that he asked Imām Ja'far al-Sādiq (A.S.):
“ One of your followers considers the property and blood of Bani Umayya permissible for himself. He is also in possession of some property entrusted to him by the Bani Umayya?"
Imām Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq (A.S.) replied:
"Restore the entrusted property to its owner even if they are Majoos (fireworshippers).".
[Reference: Greater sins,Volume 2, chapter 22 ]
السلام على الحسين وعلى علي بن الحسين وعلى أولاد الحسين وعلى أصحاب الحسين
Iltemase dua
Lessons in Life
The Star fish
I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the misty dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.
As I approached, I sadly realized that the youth was not dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea. I asked the youth the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back to the sea."
As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions beyond my sight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me and I countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."
The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."
I left the boy and went home, deep in thought of what the boy had said. I returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish in to the sea.
The Elephant Rope
As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.
He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”
The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?
Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.
IMAM AL-HASAN BIN ‘ALI AL-MUJTABA (A.S.)
SOME LESSONS FROM HIS NOBLE LIFE:
Spiritual Side:
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said: "Hasan bin Ali (a.s.) was certainly the most true worshipper, ascetic and merited man among the people of his time."
Rawdhat al-Wa'ideen (Orchard of the Preachers) mentions that whenever "Hasan would do his ablution, he would tremble and his face would turn pale. He was asked about it, and he replied: 'It is only natural that one who stands in the presence of the Lord of the Throne turns ashen, and trembles...'"
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) is also reported to have said: "Hasan bin Ali (a.s.) had certainly gone to hajj twenty-five times on foot. He shared his property with Allah twice...or three times."
Ali bin Jadh'an, and Abu-Na'im report in Hulyat al-Awaliya' (Ornament of the Saints) and Tabaqat bin Sa'd (Castes of bin Sa'd) that Imam Hasan had given all his money to the needy twice, seeking Allah's pleasure, and had given half his money to the needy three times. When he approached the door of the mosque, he would say. 'O Lord! Your guest is at Your gate. O Generous! The transgressor has come to You. Forgive me my ugly deeds with Your Generosity. O Generous!'
When he remembered death he wept. When he thought of the grave he wept. When he thought of the Resurrection and Day of Judgement he gasped so deeply and painfully that he fainted because of it.
When he recited the Quran and came across a verse addressing the faithful by these words: 'O you who believe...,' he said: 'Here I am, my Lord, here I am...”
Scientific Side:
"What is asceticism?" the Imam was once asked.
"The desire to be pious and abstemious in this life," he replied.
"What is forbearance?" he was asked.
"Restraining one's anger and controlling oneself," he answered.
"What is righteousness?" he was asked.
"Replacing the bad with the good," came the answer.
"What is honour?" they asked.
"Being kind to one's relatives and shouldering people's burdens of sin."
"What is the succour?" he was asked.
"Defending the neighbour, patience in war, and advance during adversities," he said.
"What is glory?" he was asked.
"Giving while being in debt and forgiving others their offences."
"What is manliness?"
"Holding onto the faith, keeping one's self-respect, being merciful, being kind, giving back people's trusts, and ingratiating oneself to the people..." (Tuhaf al-‘Uqool)
Ethical Side:
A Syrian, imbued with hatred and spite against the family of the Messenger of Allah (saww), by Mu’awiya bin Abi-Sufyan, once saw the Imam on horseback. He at once emitted a series of curses! Imam Hasan (a.s.) did not put in a word of protest or interruption. When the man finished, Imam Hasan (a.s.) approached him with a tender smile. He said to him:
"O old man! I think you are a stranger here. Maybe you mistook me for someone else? If you propitiate us, we will satisfy you. If you ask us, we will give you what you need. If you ask our advice, we will guide you. If you ask us to give you a ride, we will take you with us. If you are hungry, we will satisfy you. If you are naked, we will clothe you. If you are in need, we will make you rich. If you are a refugee, we will give you lodgings. If you have a request, we will grant it. If you join your luggage to ours, and be our guest until the time of your travel, it will be more useful to you, because we have a spacious place, a good social position, and a vast amount of money."
Upon hearing these words, the Syrian broke into tears. Then he said: "I bear witness that you are the viceroy of Allah on the earth. Allah knows best whom to entrust with His message. You and your father were the most hateful creatures of Allah to me. But now you and your father are the most beloved from among all the creatures of Allah to me." Then the Imam took the Syrian to his house as his guest till the time of his departure. The man had completely changed his opinion and position toward Ahlul-Bait (a.s.).
The most eminent of Imam Hasan (a.s.)’s attributes is his generosity. He believed that money was only a means to clothe the naked, help the destitute, pay the debts of the indebted, or satisfy the hungry. Once, he was asked: "We do not see you disappoint a beggar. Why?"
He replied: "I am asking Allah for His favours, and I love to be near Him. I am ashamed, as I am myself in need of Allah, to repulse a beggar. Allah got me used to a habit; to shower me with His bounties, and I get Him used to me showering His bounties on the people. I fear that should I stop my habit, He may stop His habit."
On the occasion of the martyrdom of Imam al-Hasan (as), we extend our deepest sympathy and condolence to Imam al-Hujjah (AJ), and to all the followers of Ahlul-Bayt (as)
--
YA ALLAH (ONE N ONLY) !!!
As-salamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatoh,
Husain Shabani says that he asked Imām Ja'far al-Sādiq (A.S.):
“ One of your followers considers the property and blood of Bani Umayya permissible for himself. He is also in possession of some property entrusted to him by the Bani Umayya?"
Imām Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq (A.S.) replied:
"Restore the entrusted property to its owner even if they are Majoos (fireworshippers).".
[Reference: Greater sins,Volume 2, chapter 22 ]
السلام على الحسين وعلى علي بن الحسين وعلى أولاد الحسين وعلى أصحاب الحسين
Iltemase dua
Lessons in Life
The Star fish
I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the misty dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.
As I approached, I sadly realized that the youth was not dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea. I asked the youth the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back to the sea."
As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions beyond my sight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me and I countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."
The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."
I left the boy and went home, deep in thought of what the boy had said. I returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish in to the sea.
The Elephant Rope
As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.
He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”
The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?
Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.
IMAM AL-HASAN BIN ‘ALI AL-MUJTABA (A.S.)
SOME LESSONS FROM HIS NOBLE LIFE:
Spiritual Side:
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said: "Hasan bin Ali (a.s.) was certainly the most true worshipper, ascetic and merited man among the people of his time."
Rawdhat al-Wa'ideen (Orchard of the Preachers) mentions that whenever "Hasan would do his ablution, he would tremble and his face would turn pale. He was asked about it, and he replied: 'It is only natural that one who stands in the presence of the Lord of the Throne turns ashen, and trembles...'"
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) is also reported to have said: "Hasan bin Ali (a.s.) had certainly gone to hajj twenty-five times on foot. He shared his property with Allah twice...or three times."
Ali bin Jadh'an, and Abu-Na'im report in Hulyat al-Awaliya' (Ornament of the Saints) and Tabaqat bin Sa'd (Castes of bin Sa'd) that Imam Hasan had given all his money to the needy twice, seeking Allah's pleasure, and had given half his money to the needy three times. When he approached the door of the mosque, he would say. 'O Lord! Your guest is at Your gate. O Generous! The transgressor has come to You. Forgive me my ugly deeds with Your Generosity. O Generous!'
When he remembered death he wept. When he thought of the grave he wept. When he thought of the Resurrection and Day of Judgement he gasped so deeply and painfully that he fainted because of it.
When he recited the Quran and came across a verse addressing the faithful by these words: 'O you who believe...,' he said: 'Here I am, my Lord, here I am...”
Scientific Side:
"What is asceticism?" the Imam was once asked.
"The desire to be pious and abstemious in this life," he replied.
"What is forbearance?" he was asked.
"Restraining one's anger and controlling oneself," he answered.
"What is righteousness?" he was asked.
"Replacing the bad with the good," came the answer.
"What is honour?" they asked.
"Being kind to one's relatives and shouldering people's burdens of sin."
"What is the succour?" he was asked.
"Defending the neighbour, patience in war, and advance during adversities," he said.
"What is glory?" he was asked.
"Giving while being in debt and forgiving others their offences."
"What is manliness?"
"Holding onto the faith, keeping one's self-respect, being merciful, being kind, giving back people's trusts, and ingratiating oneself to the people..." (Tuhaf al-‘Uqool)
Ethical Side:
A Syrian, imbued with hatred and spite against the family of the Messenger of Allah (saww), by Mu’awiya bin Abi-Sufyan, once saw the Imam on horseback. He at once emitted a series of curses! Imam Hasan (a.s.) did not put in a word of protest or interruption. When the man finished, Imam Hasan (a.s.) approached him with a tender smile. He said to him:
"O old man! I think you are a stranger here. Maybe you mistook me for someone else? If you propitiate us, we will satisfy you. If you ask us, we will give you what you need. If you ask our advice, we will guide you. If you ask us to give you a ride, we will take you with us. If you are hungry, we will satisfy you. If you are naked, we will clothe you. If you are in need, we will make you rich. If you are a refugee, we will give you lodgings. If you have a request, we will grant it. If you join your luggage to ours, and be our guest until the time of your travel, it will be more useful to you, because we have a spacious place, a good social position, and a vast amount of money."
Upon hearing these words, the Syrian broke into tears. Then he said: "I bear witness that you are the viceroy of Allah on the earth. Allah knows best whom to entrust with His message. You and your father were the most hateful creatures of Allah to me. But now you and your father are the most beloved from among all the creatures of Allah to me." Then the Imam took the Syrian to his house as his guest till the time of his departure. The man had completely changed his opinion and position toward Ahlul-Bait (a.s.).
The most eminent of Imam Hasan (a.s.)’s attributes is his generosity. He believed that money was only a means to clothe the naked, help the destitute, pay the debts of the indebted, or satisfy the hungry. Once, he was asked: "We do not see you disappoint a beggar. Why?"
He replied: "I am asking Allah for His favours, and I love to be near Him. I am ashamed, as I am myself in need of Allah, to repulse a beggar. Allah got me used to a habit; to shower me with His bounties, and I get Him used to me showering His bounties on the people. I fear that should I stop my habit, He may stop His habit."
On the occasion of the martyrdom of Imam al-Hasan (as), we extend our deepest sympathy and condolence to Imam al-Hujjah (AJ), and to all the followers of Ahlul-Bayt (as)
--
YA ALLAH (ONE N ONLY) !!!
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