Islam Guidance

The following is taken from the book Al-Qatra by Sayed Ahmad Mustanbat Vol. 2, Pg. 205, and Hadith. 57 From the book ‘Al-Majmoe al-Raiq min azhaar al-Hadaiq’, 100 merits specifically for the commander of the faithful (A.S), from those which Shaikh Sadooq narrated on the day of Ghadeer in the year 361 Hijri, with the chain of narrators going up to the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) about those merits which Allah (S.W.T) chose specifically for the commander of the faithful (A.S). And from those we have chosen 28 merits:
Allah (S.W.T) created Imam Ali (A.S) from the light (noor) of His greatness/Majesty, as the Prophet (PBUHHP) has said, "I and Ali were created from a single light (noor)."
Imam Ali (A.S) worshiped Allah (S.W.T) in the loins of His forefathers and wombs of his mother's since Adam (A.S).
When Imam Ali (A.S) was born, light (noor) appeared from the sky to the surface of the Ka'ba. And the idols that were upon the Ka’ba fell down [upon their faces]. And Satan cried out saying, 'Woe be to the Idols and its worshipers from this new born'
Imam Ali (A.S) used to explain of the sayings (hadith) of the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) and He used to narrate (or remember?) the sayings (hadith) of all the Messengers.
Imam Ali (A.S) is the container of the knowledge of the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P).
Imam Ali (A.S) was the one to drive away distress/worries from the face of the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P).
Imam Ali (A.S) is similar to Isa bin Maryam (S.A) in his proofs except for Prophet Hood.
Imam Ali (A.S) is similar to Ayyub (A.S) in his patience.
Imam Ali (A.S) is similar to Abraham (A.S) in his generosity.
Imam Ali (A.S) is similar to Dawood (A.S) in his power/strength and in his voice.
Imam Ali (A.S) is similar to Solomon (A.S) in his splendor/beauty and his supremacy.
Imam Ali (A.S) is similar to Luckman (A.S) in his wisdom.
Imam Ali (A.S) is similar to Ismael (A.S) in his acceptance/submission and honesty.
Imam Ali (A.S) is similar to Noah (A.S) in the acceptance of his prayer.
Imam Ali (A.S) is similar to Yunus (A.S) in his affairs.
Imam Ali (A.S) is similar to the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) in his judgement/ruling except for Prophet Hood.
Imam Ali (A.S) when in battles had Gabriel on his right side and Mikael on his left side and the angel of death in front of Him. And He did not return until Allah (S.W.T) granted victory upon Him.
Imam Ali (A.S) is the first one to be called by His name on the day of Judgement.
The angels seek nearness to Allah (S.W.T) by means of Wilayat of Imam Ali (A.S).
Imam Ali (A.S) uprooted the door of Khaibar and threw it behind his back to a distance of 40 arm’s length. Then made it a bridge, carrying it upon the palm of his hand until all the soldiers crossed over.
The Wilayah of Imam Ali (A.S) was put forth to parts of the earth. So those parts that accepted His Wilayah become beautiful and pure. And those who did not accept His Wilayah became salty land (not supporting any growth)
The Wilayah of Imam Ali (A.S) was put forth to the plants. So those that accepted His Wilayah became beneficial/useful for the people and those that did not accept His Wilayah became poisonous killing.
The moon talked to Imam Ali (A.S) on night of Qadr.
Imam Ali (A.S) was free (in no need) from all the people and the people were in need of Imam Ali (A.S) in knowledge.
Imam Ali (A.S) was along with all the Prophets secretly and with Prophet Mohammad apparently.
When the ring of the door of paradise is hit/struck, it rings and says ‘Ya Ali’.
The tree of Tooba in Paradise is in the house of Imam Ali (A.S) and its branches are in the houses of the believers.
Imam Ali (A.S) is the speaking book of Allah (S.W.T).
[Source: Al-Majmoe al-Raiq min azhaar al-Hadaiq, Vol. 2, Pg. 320]

Source: Marefate AhleBait (A.S).com

The following are Allah's confidential talks to Moses (A.S) the prophet, son of Imran.
1- O’ Moses, do not have a long expectation in this world lest your heart will be hard. The hard-hearted are far away from Me. Deaden your heart with fear (of Allah). Your dress should be worn - out but your heart should be fresh. You should be unknown by the people of this earth but well-known for the inhabitants of the heavens. Cry to me, for the plenty of your sins, like the cry of the runaway from his enemy. Seek my help to do so, for I am surely the best One whose help is sought.
2- O’ Moses, I am above the servants and they are below Me. Everyone is submissive to Me. Make yourself the supervisor on yourself. Do not depend upon even your sons in the affairs of your religion except that your son, like you, loves the virtuous ones.
3- O’ Moses, be clean, wash yourself, and come near to my virtuous servants.
4- O’ Moses, you are my servant and I am your Lord. Do not humiliate the modest poor ones and do not envy the rich ones. Be earnest when you refer to me, and be hopeful when you recite my reference. Let me hear the delight of the Torah when you use a tuneful submissive voice as you recite it. Be tranquil when you refer to Me. Worship Me and do not associate anyone (or anything) with me. I am certainly the Lord. I have created you from an insignificant drop of fluid, from clay that I extracted from a gametic humble land, and it became human being. I am its Creator. Blessed be my face and sacred be my made. There is nothing like me. I am the Everlasting the Eternal Who never comes to an end.
5- O’ Moses, whenever you call on me, you will find me. I will forgive what you have done. The heavens are praising me out of their fear, the angels are fretful of fearing me, the earth is praising me out of desire, and all the creatures are praising me submissively. Adhere to the prayer, for I have a special consideration for it and it has a firm pledge with Me. Add to it the zakat of the offer to me. You should defray it from your best property and food, for I accept nothing but the best when it is intended purely to Me. Insert with it the regard of the relatives. I am the Beneficent the Merciful.
I created the relation of kinship from my mercy so that the servants will compassionate each other according to their relations of kinship. In the world to come, it will have a ruling authority (as it will intercede for those who have regarded it). I will surely disregard him whoever disregards it and regard him whoever regards it. Thus will I do to him who neglects my commandments?
6- O’ Moses, respect the beggars by means of a gentle rejection or a little donating. Those who come to ask from you are neither human beings nor jinn. They are the angels of the Beneficent whose purpose is to examine what you are doing with that on which I have made you custodian and examine how you will console (others) by means of that which I have given to you. Submit to Me by way of invocation and cry to me by wailing during reciting the (Torah) Book. You should understand that my calling to you is as same as the call of the master to his slave, so that you will attain the best of positions. This is a part of my favor to you as well as your past fathers.
7- O’ Moses, do not forget me under any condition and do not be happy for the abundance of your property. To forget me causes hard-heartedness. The abundance of property brings about the plenty of sins. The earth is submissive, the heavens are submissive, and the oceans are submissive (to me). He who disobeys me will surely be unhappy. I am the Beneficent the Merciful. I am the Beneficent in all times. I convey hardship after comfort and comfort after hardship. I bring kings after kings consecutively. All this and my kingdom are everlasting and never-ending. Nothing in the earth or in the heavens can hide from me. How can things hide from me when I am their only Originator? How do you not care totally for me when you will inevitably be returned to me?
8- O’ Moses, this world and its people are seditious matters for each other. Everybody sees what he is in as excellent. As for the believers, they see the world to come as excellent. They look at the world as a source of misfortune. The bliss of the world to come precluded them from enjoying the pleasures of their lives. It caused them to stay up to the last hours of night like the rider who longs for the finish line. They keep on depression and spend their nights with sadness. Bless are those. What great bliss they will see if only the screen is removed for them!
9- O’ Moses, the few that is intended purely for me is very much. The very much that is intended for anyone (or anything) other than me is few. The best of your days should be the coming. Hence, you should regard for the coming day and prepare your answers, for you will surely be stopped for interrogation. The long age in this (worldly) time is certainly short and the short age is long, since everything will come to an end. Act as if you can see the reward of your actions so that this will fill in you with desire for the life to come. The remaining age in this world is as same as that which passed away. Each doer should act sagaciously and experimentally. O son of Imran, think for yourself deeply so that you may win tomorrow when you will be interrogated. Therein, the wrongdoers will suffer defeat.
10- O’ Moses, the single good deed is rewarded tenfold, while perdition comes from the single bad deed. Do not associate others with me. It is illicit for you to associate anything with Me. Be as close as possible then aim at the target. Supplicate to me like the supplication of the desirous for that which is with me and the regretful for what he had committed. Blackness of night is erased by daylight and, in the same manner; the good deeds erase the evildoings. Gloomy of night covers up the light of day and, in the same manner, the evildoings blacken the good deeds.
[Source: Tuhaf al-Uqoul]

Derived from: Shia Search

One day Haroun was passing by on his way somewhere when he saw Bohlool riding a stick (as if it were a horse) and running with children. He called Bohlool who asked: "What do you want?"
Haroun said: "Criticize me."
Bohlool said, "Look at the palaces and graves of previous caliphs with the mind's eye. This is a great warning. You know very well that these people pass a length of time in their palaces with pleasure and enjoyment, pride and delight. Many regret and grieve over their bad deeds, and are shameful, but know nothing can be a remedy. Know that we are also hurriedly approaching these consequences."
Bohlool's advice made Haroun uneasy. He asked: "What should I do that would make Allah happy with me?"
"That deed by which Allah's creations would be happy with you."
"What should I do that Allah's creations would be happy with me?"
"Become just and equitable. What you don't think proper for yourself, don't think suitable for others. Listen patiently to the pleas and requests of the oppressed. Give answers nobly, prove yourself true to favors, rule with justice, and give just decisions."
"Well done Bohlool! You have given very good advice. I give the order to fulfill your debts."
"Debt from debt is never fulfilled. Today whatever is under your control is the public's wealth, shower it upon them and do not favor me."
"Then request something else from me."
"My request is that you follow my advice, but it is sad that this world's majesty and splendor has made your heart so hard that my advice will have no effect upon you."
Then Bohlool shook his stick and said, "Move away! My horse kicks!" He remounted his stick and ran away.

Ref: Stories of Bohlool

In the Middle East there is a land known as Palestine. Long before, in this land there lived a very great prophet. Prophet is a messenger of Allah. He has been chosen by Allah Himself to teach people religion, good thoughts and good deeds. The name of this great prophet was Hazrat Ibrahim. (He is also known as Abraham in the Bible). He had come to Palestine from Iraq.
Hazrat Ibrahim was very fond of guests. He liked to invite guests to his house. He was good to travelers. He took them to his house and gave them food to eat and bed to sleep. This good quality of his is described in the Qur'an.
Every morning Hazrat Ibrahim stood by the main road near his house and waited for travelers to pass. As soon he saw them he invited them to his house to be his guests. Hazrat Ibrahim liked this good deed very much. It pleased him to make other people happy and comfortable. Thus, Hazrat Ibrahim would everyday bring home one guest at least. If he came across no traveler even for a day he would become unhappy. Without having a guest, he would not touch food himself.
Once it so happened that no traveler passed that way for three days running. This, naturally, upset Hazrat Ibrahim. It made him sad. Without having a guest on his table he would not eat. Each morning Hazrat Ibrahim went to the main road hopefully. He would strain his eyes far away to the horizon. Yet no traveler was to be seen. Each evening he would return to his home disappointed.
Three days passed. One morning an old man appeared on a camel. Hazrat Ibrahim was happy. He invited the old man to his home to eat with him the old man accepted the invitation.
In the house they set to eat. Hazrat Ibrahim recited “Bismillah (In the name of God)” before taking the food, but the old man did not say anything. Hazrat Ibrahim asked why he did not remember Allah before taking his meal. Was not Allah our Creator, our Nourisher and our Master? Was it not proper to remember Him before partaking of the food provided by Him?
The old man said that it was not the custom in his religion. Hazrat Ibrahim asked him what his religion was. He said that he was one of those who worship fire.
Hazrat Ibrahim was very much annoyed and turned the old man out.
As soon as the old man went away, the angel Gabriel came to Hazrat Ibrahim, from Allah. Gabriel told Hazrat Ibrahim that Allah had been feeding this unbeliever person for seventy years. Could not Hazrat Ibrahim tolerate him for even one meal! Hazrat Ibrahim felt very sorry for this. He immediately ran after the old man. Finally he reached him and persuaded him to return to his house to have food together. He finally succeeded in getting the old man to his home.

Moral:
1. However good you may be, it does not give you right to judge other persons.
2. You should always seek the forgiveness and pleasure of God.
3. Always entertain and please a guest.

Source: Al-Islam.org

The reality is whether it is the life of the world or the hereafter, the final result of patience is very sweet and very peaceful. People who fail to show patience get caught in many problems and difficulties in their lives. There are some recommendations that help us increase our patience:
1. Believing in God; Imam Ali said:” base of patience is believing in God”
2. Having constant relation with God:  وَ اسْتَعينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَ الصَّلاةِ وَ إِنَّها لَكَبيرَةٌ إِلاَّ عَلَى الْخاشِعينَ
“And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive to Allah.”
3. Realizing the fact that all events originate from God’s mercy, even misfortune and unpleasant happenings.
4. Paying attention to the great reward of patience in the next world; “those who encounter with torment and pain, but don’t lose their patience they will be highly rewarded in the hereafter”
5. Paying attention to the fact that everything is limited in this world, both torment and pleasure will come to an end very soon.
6. Looking at those who deal with greater problems; there are people who are faced with permanent disabilities.
   
Ref: By islam.com

There is no doubt that the universe is the creation of Allah and operates according to his commands and the traditions he has determined. Allah is the cause of all causes (the ultimate cause) therefore He's the one, who, through His never-ending wisdom, has assigned every cause its particular effect, hence, furthermore he's capable to take away that effect. Like when God removed the natural effect of fire – which was to burn and provide heat – right before the idol worshipers through Prophet Ibrahim into it, in order to save him. Or when Allah prevented the sharp knife in Prophet Ibrahim's hand from penetrating that saved Ismail from being sacrificed by his father. Of course, we believe that God was able to dull the swords and daggers of Yazidi’s Army and miraculously save Imam Hussein and his companions, but this did not happen because not everything is supposed to happen by miracles. Actually in contrast to that, Allah's divine custom is to allow things to happen through their own natural and ordinary causes.
In addition to such, there were many other purposes intended in the incident of Ashura which were only possible if it were carried out by natural means. Some are as follows:
1. When regarding the complicated political condition that Muawiyah and Yazid had created, justifying the wrong they would do by doing whatsoever they desired and merely labeling it with Islam and also the fact that distinguishing wrong from right had become very difficult, we can come to the conclusion that the only way to stop this situation and revive Islam was for the Imam to become martyred along with his children and companions.
2. The hadiths regarding this matter indicate that the Imam was destined to be martyred so he could achieve his ultimate purpose which was awakening the ummah (Muslim nation) and saving them from ignorance. [Bihar ul-Anwar, vol. 44, pg. 329]
3. Imam Hussein believed that martyrdom was the most beautiful and honorable death possible. This can be seen in the sermon that he gave on his departure from Mecca to Iraq: "The beauty of death for mankind is like the beauty of a necklace on the neck of maidens.” [Bihar ul-Anwar, vol. 44, pg. 366; Muhaddith Ardebili, Kashful-Ghummah fi Ma’rifatil-A’immah, vol. 2, pg. 29; Luhuf, pp. 110-111] Meaning that death isn’t a restriction imposed onto one, but rather like the beauty of a necklace, a blessing granted to him. So, why would anyone refuse to wear this necklace, especially when it is for Allah's sake?! And for Imam Hussein (A.S), dying for the sake of his religion was very pleasant and like honey. Martyrdom isn’t a flaw or deficiency, rather, it is of high and great value and Imam Hussein would have missed out on it if his martyrdom was to be prevented.
4. Meeting Allah and his Prophets meant much more to Imam Hussein than remaining in this world - especially with the governing circumstances at that time - as he mentioned in his sermon in Mecca: "My eagerness to meet my ancestors is like the eagerness of Jacob to meet Joseph." [Bihar ul-Anwar, vol. 44, pg. 366; Kashful-Ghummah fi Ma’rifatil-A’immah, vol. 2, pg. 29; Luhuf, pp. 110-111]
5. The Imam wasn’t willing to use miracles, because he was obliged to conform to ordinary circumstances all humans must consent and adapt to. In addition to that, one of the main reasons why Imam Hussein has had such a great impact upon the lives of Muslims and all seekers of justice and freedom is the fact that he carried out his acts without using supernatural means but rather conducted based on common and standard circumstances. Leading his household to an unfair battle, those being taken as prisoners and all the disrespect they saw were reasons to why Imam Hussein's uprising became monumental and lasted. True, the imam could have overthrown Yazid using miracles, but the effect of such would be very much less than what he did on Ashura and wouldn’t reveal the sinister intentions of the Umayyad.
6. The event of Ashura and the way Imam Hussein (A.S) fought oppression is an act of standing before deviation from Allah's commands, something that might happen at any period of time for any Muslim and a true Muslim must follow the path of the Imam and fight for it. If Imam Hussein (A.S) wanted to perform this vital duty by miracles and his authority in cosmic guardianship he would not have been able to be a role model for all humans of all times. Thus Prophets and Imams were bound to act according to the ordinary standards of knowledge and power in their day to day lives and merely do things like miracles only when God desired and when it was for the sake of the community and nation’s (ummah) guidance. God Almighty has appointed the prophets and imams to be the role models and teachers of mankind so we can pick up the right lifestyle by observing their lives and codes of conduct, thus if Imam Hussein (A.S) had saved himself from martyrdom by using miracles, he and his household would no longer play the role of being an example of resistance, fighting oppression, and patience when facing difficulties and making sacrifices for greater values.

This article borrowed from Shia Studies.

“Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet, O you who believe! Send your blessings on him, and solute him a thorough salutation”. (33:56) one of the best ways to know the personality of great men is to study their literature and listen to their words. As Imam Ali (A.S) states in Nahjul-Balagha: "Man is hidden behind his tongue” meaning by our words we introduce ourselves not with our certificates.
Different people according to their job use different jargons. Politicians have their own jargons, as physicians do, as drivers do etc. The jargons of truck drivers are different from professors. Therefore, when people talk you can more or less depending on your skills in this field can tell which class of society do they belong to.
First of all let’s read a Hadith from Imam Reza (A.S):
Shaykh Saduq one of our distinguishing Olama who was living in the 4th century AH has written a book named ‘Uyun-Akhbar Al-Reza ' meaning ‘the fountains of the wisdom words of Imam Reza’. I quote the Hadith under the consideration from this book.
Imam Reza (A.S): “O Allah! Send your blessings onto the one that Daily Prayers is honored with having the Salawat on him'.
Salam and Salawat on the Prophet is an established fact in the Quran. In Sura 33 verse 56 we recite:
“Allah and His Angels send Salat on the Prophet, O you who believe! Send Salat on him and solute him a thorough salutation”. (33:56)
Sending Salam and Salawat to the prophet of Islam, is one of the distinguishing characteristics of our Prophet, of which the previous prophets were deprived. Muslims across the world from the time the above verse has been revealed up to the Day of Great Judgment are bound to send their Salawat onto the Prophet of Islam. Muslims five times a day when they call for Adhan and Eqama and even in their daily Prayers send their Salawat onto the Prophet of Islam.
This is due to the Divine Promise that “And We raised high for you your esteem” (94:4)

The Meaning of Salawat
1. Salawat is the plural form of Salat which simply means ‘to call' (Do'a). The reality of calling is that the person who calls tries to attract the attention of the one who is called to. This type of attracting the attention if it comes from a higher is called blessing (Rahmat) and if it comes from a lower is called pray (Do'a).

2. It is an established fact in Islamic Erfan that the existence of the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H&H.P) is the first existent came from Allah. In other words, his existence is on the peak of the cone of the creation. That means the blessing of existence which contains all other blessings comes to the prophet first and then goes to others. The prayer of people to Allah does not reach Him unless through His Messenger, as the blessings of Allah does not reach His creatures unless through His Messenger.

Therefore, the Salawat of Allah to the Prophet since it comes from Allah the Omnipotent, He is sending the constant blessings to His Messenger and hence, the Prophet becomes ‘ Rahmatun-lelalamin' (blessing for the universe). As, the Salawat of people to the Prophet is to pray to God to send His blessings to them through the Prophet who is Rahmatun-Lelalamin.

Taken from: duas.org

A heavy-built man was passing through the market of Kufa, his step was firm and assured. He had a fine physique and sun-burnt face; encounters of the battle-field had left their marks on him and the corner of one of his eyes was slit. A shop-keeper, to amuse his friends, threw a handful of sweepings onto the man. The man continued his walk in the same assured and firm manner, without raising an eye-brow or looking towards the shop-keeper. When he went away, a friend of the shop-keeper said:
"Do you know who the man is whom you have insulted just now?"
"No, I do not recognize him. He was a passerby like thousands of people passing this way every day. But tell me who this man is."
"Strange! Didn't you recognize him? He was Malik al-Ashtar, the renowned commander-in-chief of Imam Ali."
"Strange! He was Malik al-Ashtar! The same Malik whose bravery turns the heart of lions into water and mention of whose name makes his enemies tremble with fear?"
"Yes, that was Malik himself."
"Woe to me! What did I do? Now he will give orders to punish me severely. I must run to him immediately to apologize and request him to forgive my misbehavior."
He ran after Malik. He saw him turning towards a mosque. He followed him to the mosque and saw that he had started praying. He waited till he finished his prayer. Humbly introducing himself he told him:
"I am the man who had committed the silly prank and behaved disrespectfully to you."
Malik said: "By Allah, I did not come in the mosque but for your sake, because I understood that you were a very ignorant and misguided man and that you give trouble to the people without any reason.
I felt pity on you and came here to pray for you and ask Allah to guide you onto the right path. No, I did not have any such intentions that you were afraid of."

Source: Almujtaba Islamic articles page.