Islam Guidance

It is narrated from Muhammad Hamdan, from Ibrahim Baltun, from his father, he said: “I was one of the gatekeepers of Mutawaakil. One day fifty slaves were gifted to him by Khazar, Mutawakkil ordered me to take their custody and treat them well.
A year later, I was in the court of Mutawakkil, while Abul-Hassan Imam Ali Ibn Muhammed An-Naqi (A.S) arrived, while Imam (A.S) took his seat, Mutawakkil ordered me to bring out those slaves from their shelters, hence I brought all of them. When they came, they all fell in prostration (Sajdah) for Abul-Hassan (A.S)
As soon as they saw him. Mutawwakkil couldn’t control his anger on seeing this, stood up and walked out, hiding himself behind the curtain. After a while Imam Abul-Hassan (A.S) left.
When Mutawakkil realized that he (A.S) has gone away, he came out and screamed in anger; “Woe unto you O Baltun! What have these slaves done?
I replied: “By Allah (S.W.T), I do not know at all”.
He said: ask them, and then I asked them about their action. They replied: “This (holy) person comes to us every year for ten days and teaches us religion and he is the vicegerent of Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P)”.
Then Mutawakkil ordered me to kill them, and then I had to kill all of them.
Later that evening I went to Abul-Hassan (A.S), as I reached his door, the slave of Imam (A.S) looked at me, recognized me and allowed me to go inside. Then I entered the house.
Imam Hadi (A.S) was sitting, he asked: “What happened to those people O Baltun!?
I replied: “By Allah (S.W.T), all of them were killed.”
Imam (A.S) asked: “All of them?”
I replied: “Yes by Allah (S.W.T).”
He (A.S) said: “Would you like to see them?”
I replied: “Yes O, the son of Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P)!”
He (A.S) pointed toward a curtain and told me to enter, as soon as I entered, I saw all of them were sitting (alive) and eating fruits kept in front of them!
[Source: As Saqib Fil Manaqib P 529]

Ref: Marefate AhleBait (A.S).com

“O Spirit of Allah, I have come to ask for the hand of the daughter of your successor Simon in marriage for this son of mine…” (The words of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H&H.P) addressing Prophet Jesus (A.S))
Bishr ibn Sulayman was one of the lovers of Imam Hadi (A.S) and Imam al-Askari (A.S). He was the neighbor of these two Imams in Samarra. He has narrated that:
One day Imam Hadi (A.S) called me. He then wrote a letter in Roman, stamped it with his ring, gave the letter to me along with two hundred and twenty gold coins and said,” Take these to Baghdad, and get to a specific location. Some boats which carry a group of captives will arrive there in the morning”. Then he described one of the captives for me, and ordered me to give her the letter, and to say that I was the representative of the owner of the letter, so that she would follow me.
I acted as Imam Hadi (A.S) had ordered me. I found the captive the Imam (A.S) had described, and gave her the letter. When she saw the letter, she was driven to tears, and agreed to follow me. When we reached a resting area in Baghdad, she took the letter of Imam Hadi (A.S) out, started kissing it and wiping it over her eyes. I asked her in shock,” You are kissing a letter whose writer you do not know?”
She said,” You cannot understand the greatness of the children and successors of the Prophets. Listen to me so that I narrate my story. I am “Malakah”, daughter of “Yashu’a” (son of the Roman Emperor). My mother is a descendant of Simon, the successor of Prophet Jesus (A.S).
One night, I saw Prophet Jesus (A.S) and his disciples in my dream making a pulpit of light. Then, the Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H&H.P) and his successor and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib (A.S) and a number of the Imams among his children blessed the palace with their presence.
Then, Prophet Jesus (A.S) received Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H&H.P). Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H&H.P) said,” O Spirit of Allah, I have come to ask for the hand of the daughter of your successor Simon in marriage for this son of mine”, and he pointed to Imam al-Askari (A.S).
Prophet Jesus (A.S) then said to Simon,” The glory of the two worlds has turned to you. Connect your progeny with that of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H&H.P)”.
Simon accepted the offer, so all of them went on top of the pulpit. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H&H.P) recited a sermon, and he and Prophet Jesus (A.S) married me to Imam al-Askari (A.S), while children of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H&H.P) and the disciples were witnessing.
Later, Imam al-Askari (A.S) came to my dream and informed me that:” Your grandfather will send an army to the Muslim territories. You have to join them while wearing the clothes of the maids so that you would not be recognized”. I followed the instructions. The Muslim army fought ours and achieved victory, so we were caught as captives, and you saw how it ended. No one other than you knows that I am the daughter of the Roman Emperor. I introduced myself to the old man who made ma captive as “Narjis”.
Bishr ibn Sulayman narrates that:
“When I took her to Imam Hadi (A.S) in Samarra, he asked her,” How did Allah (S.W.T) show you the glory of Islam and the honor of Muhammad (P.B.U.H&H.P) and his family?
She replied,” How can I describe to you something which you know better than me?”
Imam Hadi (A.S) said,” Glad tidings to you for a son that shall become the king of the east and the west of world. He shall fill the earth with justice and equity after it will be filled with injustice and oppression. He is the son of the person whom the Messenger of Allah (S.W.T) married you to”.
Then, he said to his sister, Hakimah Khatun,” Take her home and teach her the obligatory and recommended acts, as she is the wife of Imam al-Askari (A.S) and the mother of the Saahib al-Zaman (Owner of Time, referring to Imam Mahdi(A.S))”.
Indeed Narjis had the best social status and the best means of joy and comfort in the Roman Empire at that time; however, she manifested purity and sincerity in herself in a way that the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H&H.P) married her to Imam al-Askari (A.S), and she was honored to become the mother of unique savior of the world. Nevertheless, Imam Hadi (A.S) has taught is that besides all the qualifications, the best and most fundamental foundation for a family is based on knowing the commands of Allah (S.W.T) and fulfilling them. Therefore, when such a family, which will create the destiny of mankind, was about to form, the first step was to learn the Divine commands.
So on what basis do we form our lives?
(The above is a selection taken from “Al-Abqari al-Hisan fi Ahwal Maulana Sahib al-Zaman”, by Ayatullah Shaykh Ali Akbar Nahawandi (with some changes and additions))

Taken from: Roshd Islamic Shia Website

Every so often, we are shocked by the death of a young member of our community. We experience a short-lived rush to perform extra prayers, but the effect goes away quickly. Instead, we must learn to effectively reflect on our lives. Every day, we witness the deaths of people around us, but we pay minimal thought to the day when others will witness our death.
Attempts to speak about death are usually suspended by those who feel uneasy hearing about it. We are almost always subconsciously assuming that death will come only when we grow older, and so we do not want to concern ourselves with such an unpleasant subject. Yet it is imperative to keep in mind that living for even an additional hour cannot be guaranteed.
Life can be compared to fresh fallen snow. Our footprints show clearly, even if not to us. Let us dedicate ourselves to our Lord, the Holy Prophet, and the Pure Household (P.B.U.T). Let us not be led astray by meaningless materialistic enticements. Every action is recorded, and when the Day of Reckoning comes, all that will vouch for us will be our deeds. Let us devote our lives to Islam, devote ourselves to loving others, devote ourselves to the community around us, and devote ourselves to creating something that gives us purpose and meaning.
Imam Hadi (A.S) said: “People are respected in this world for possessing wealth and in the Hereafter for possessing righteous deeds.” An eye-opening tradition by Imam Ali (A.S) states: “If man perceived his death and its speed towards him, he would certainly detest the world and its hopes.” We must live graciously among people. Kindness is praised in Islam, and it is a blessed virtue we can all improve on. It is truly when we give of ourselves that we have truly given; likewise, it is when we finally begin to give that we also receive.
Countless thoughts cross our minds in a day. What to wear? Should I attend class today? What to have for lunch? Breakfast? Dinner? We kill time on worthless avenues such as Facebook, texting, and arguing with others. All of this is time lost doing nothing of benefit. Time waits for no one, and it will pass whether we act or not. We must restore our lives into our hands, and we should become the agents of change for ourselves on others. A positive influence can easily be spread, and others can take heed.
The biggest fear that we must have is not of death. Death is promised to each and every one of us. Instead, our biggest fear should be an inadequate life. We have been blessed with a religion that is so encompassing, yet surely we are at a loss! We continually disregard the blessing of Islam in search of a worldly alternative.
The solution? There is no simple answer. We must be willing to change and become better people. So, before you head out for work or school tomorrow, kiss your parents on the forehead and speak to them in kind words. Set your alarm clock so that you wake up for morning prayers. Remember all those people you wronged? How about catching up with them and asking their forgiveness? That reading of the Qur’an? Stop putting it off, please! Remember: a chapter a day keeps the devil away! The most important message: we only pass this way once, so let our lives be an enhancement of every good to us and our death a comfort from every evil.

Taken from: Islamic Insight

Imam al-Hadi (A.S) suffered pressing misfortunes and distresses from the Abbasid tyrants. They spared no effort in oppressing and harming him. Al-Mutawakkil was the most spiteful towards Imam al-Hadi (A.S) from among all the Abbasid caliphs. He oppressed him too much. He moved the Imam from Yathrib to Samarra' and imposed on him house arrest, and surrounded his house with policemen who watched even his breaths.
Al-Mutawakkil prevented ulama, jurisprudents, and narrators from meeting him, taking from his knowledge and narrating his fatwas and opinions. Doing this, al-Mutawakkil committed a terrible crime against knowledge. He imposed economic blockade against the Imam and prevented people from taking the legal dues, which came from the different Islamic countries, to him. He left the Imam in a pressing neediness. He ordered his men to search the house of the Imam from time to time that they might find arms or books objecting to the Abbasid rule so that al-Mutawakkil might find an excuse to kill the Imam but nothing was found.
Sometimes, he ordered his men to bring him the Imam in whatever state he was. Once, the Imam was brought while al-Mutawakkil was drunk and before him there were vessels and cups of wine and he was surrounded by groups of male and female singers, but the Imam was sharp with him and began advising him, reminding him of the afterlife, and scolding him for the corruption he was in. When al-Mutawakkil saw the Imam insist on keeping away from him, refuse to associate with him, and devote himself to Allah, he ordered his men to arrest and put him into prison.
Narrators said that some man heard Imam al-Hadi (A.S) saying from inside the prison, 'I am more exalted near Allah than the she-camel of (Prophet) Salih. Then he recited this Qur'anic verse, ("Enjoy yourselves in your abode for three days, that is a promise not to be belied"). [Qur'an, 11:65] After three days, the tyrant was killed by his son al-Muntasir. [Alam al-Wara, p.363]
After the death of al-Mutawakkil, the distress of Imam al-Hadi (A.S) did not end. The Abbasid government kept on watching him and plotting day and night to do away with him. The Abbasids bore malice towards him because he was highly regarded and sanctified by the entire nation, whereas the Abbasids got no respect or regard like that. Besides that there was a big part of the nation believing in the Imamate of Imam al-Hadi (A.S) and believing that he was worthier of the Islamic caliphate than the Abbasids who indulged in pleasures and lusts and governed the nation, like the Umayyads, with violence, oppression, and haughtiness.

Martyrdom
Imam al-Hadi (A.S) became a heavy burden on al-Mu'tamid the Abbasid caliph after he saw people talk about the virtues, knowledge, asceticism, and piety of the Imam and prefer him to all other Muslim ulama. He became angry, envious, and spiteful against the Imam His ill will led him to commit the worst crime in Islam. He inserted fatal poison to the Imam, who, after having the poison, kept to bed. The poison reacted in all his body and he suffered intolerable pains. The Shia and the notables of the state visited him, and the all were covered with deep sorrow.

This article was borrowed form Imam Reza.Network.

Imam Hadi (A.S) was free of every material tendency. He was free from any kind of selfishness and he did not submit to any pleasure or fancy. Historians say that he worked in his farm to secure the living of his family. Ali bin Hamza said, “Once, I saw Abul Hassan the third (Imam Hadi (A.S)) work in a farm while his feet were soaked with sweat. I said to him, ‘May I die for you! Where are the men?’
He said, ‘O Ali, one, who was better than me and my father, worked with a spade in his farm.’
I said, ‘Who was he?’
He said, ‘the messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H&H.P), the commander of the faithful (A.S), and all my fathers worked with their hands. It was the work of prophets, apostles, and good saints…” [Man lā yahduruhu al-Faqīh]
Work was the sign of prophets. Every prophet worked in some field.

Ref: Imam Reza.Network