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

Nimrod was a wicked king who claimed to be god. He was very powerful and ruled over the entire world. Everyone was afraid of him and did not dare oppose him. Nimrod led a very comfortable life without anyone to challenge him. This was until he was informed by a learned person in his kingdom about the birth of a child who would challenge him and finally overcome him. This made Nimrod very nervous and he made immediate plans to prevent the birth of the child.

Nimrod ordered his men to hunt down infants and small children in his kingdom and kill them all. His men did as they were commanded and began killing all the infants and children in Nimrod’s kingdom. Thousands of infants were killed because of Nimrod’s fear of that one infant who would finally overcome him.

Yet, Allah (S.W.T) the Almighty protects whosoever He wants and as a result, Hazrat Abraham (A.S) was born despite such difficulties. But it was dangerous for his mother to keep Hazrat Abraham (A.S) in the house as Nimrod’s men could come anytime to check upon her. So she took him to a cave at some distance from the city and left him there. In this way Hazrat Abraham (A.S) was all alone in the cave with no one to care for him.

Although apparently Hazrat Abraham (A.S) was lonely and helpless in the cave, he wasn't exactly abandoned. Allah, the Almighty, is not one to desert His special friends in difficulty. So while Hazrat Abraham (A.S) was in the cave hungry and thirsty, Allah (S.W.T) arranged food for him in a most amazing manner. The food came in the form of milk from Hazrat Abraham's (A.S) thumb. Yes! Allah caused milk to flow from Hazrat Abraham's (A.S) thumb. When a servant relies only on Allah for help, then He never disappoints him.

In the cave, Allah (S.W.T) caused Hazrat Abraham (A.S) to grow very fast. So much so that he grew in a day how much other children would grow in a week and he grew in a week how much other children grew in a month and he grew in a month how much other children grew in a year! One day, his mother visited the cave, expecting to see him dead. When she saw a big, handsome, healthy boy she was very surprised and embraced him. She then visited him regularly in the cave. Hazrat Abraham (A.S) remained in occultation inside the cave, away from the people, for quite some time. His occultation ended when he was big enough for people to consider him as a youth than a boy.

This was the interesting incident of Hazrat Abraham's (A.S) occultation. We learn some very important lessons from it:

1. Occultation was common among the previous prophets and Allah (S.W.T) kept even the Ulul Azm prophets in occultation to protect them from evil kings. So if Imam Mahdi (A.S) is in occultation it is not something strange and unbelievable.

2. Allah, the Almighty, never abandons His servants in difficulty. First He helped Hazrat Abraham's (A.S) mother from Nimrod’s men and then He helped Hazrat Abraham (A.S) himself while he was all alone inside the cave.

3. Allah, the Almighty, is aware of His servants' needs, like He was aware of Hazrat Abraham's (A.S) hunger. Therefore, whenever we have any need we should turn only to Allah (S.W.T) and He will help us, no matter how great our problem may be.

4. The evil kings try their best to harm Allah's proof (Hujjat), but Allah (S.W.T) protects them from all evil, while the kings are unaware of it.

5. Occultation is a great difficulty for Imam Mahdi (A.S) and for us and we should pray for Imam's (A.S) safety and earliest reappearance.

This article was borrowed from Islamic Occasion

The journey of servitude and love to Mecca has started. It's a fascinating journey. In this journey, the holy Ka'ba, the symbolic House of God, as the focal point of monotheism, is the center of gravity for all pilgrims.
It attracts hearts like a powerful magnate to such an extent that the pilgrims circumambulate it like moths going round the lamp. This is indeed a lively sight and a spectacle of Islamic unity. It is the House which God has decreed as the heart of the world. As God says in ayah 96 of Surah Aal-e Imran:
"Most surely the First House to be set up for mankind is the one at Bekka, blessed and guidance for all nations."
Historical resources are unanimous that the Ka'ba was built by the Father of the human race, Adam. We read that after building the Ka'ba, on God's command, Adam circumambulated around it. In the subsequent centuries or millenniums, the Prophets of God would make the journey to the holy Ka'ba. In the great flood of the times of Prophet Noah, the Ka'ba was damaged. Centuries later, God assigned Prophet Abraham to reconstruct the Ka'ba as the manifestation of monotheism and to invite people to worship God. Ka'ba has been the symbol of monotheism throughout history. Abraham left his wife and firstborn son, Ishmael beside this supreme symbol of monotheism for holding prayer in order to be a base for the world monotheists.
As is evident by its name the Ka'ba is a cubic edifice. It stands about 15 meters high; it is 12 meters long and 10 meters wide in the middle of a spacious courtyard which has been surrounded by the Masjid al-Haram. It is a very simple edifice without any decoration, yet it is very glorious, and has withstood the ravages of time.
The Ka'ba is indeed the source of guidance. After Abraham and Ishmael the sanctity of the Ka'ba was violated by the infidel Arabs. With the advent of Islam the Ka'ba again regained its prominence, especially after the peaceful surrender of Mecca to the Prophet and Muslims in 8 AH when it was cleansed of the filth of idols. Some years earlier, God decreed that the Ka'ba ought to be the Qibla of Muslims. The commandment came while Prophet was praying in Medina with face turned towards the direction of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Bait al-Moqaddas. In Surah Baqara, verse 144, we read:
"We certainly see you turning your face about to the heaven, so we shall surely turn you to a qiblah of your liking; turn then your face towards the Sacred Mosque, and wherever you may be, turn your faces towards it…"
The Ka'ba is the axis of Islamic worship. Muslims turn to it from all over the world at least five times a day for the daily prayers. The most important message of circumambulating the Ka'ba is Islamic solidarity and humbleness towards the Unseen and Omnipotent God.
Ka'ba has been decreed to be a safe and secure place for all people. It is the source of spiritual perfection. Those who tried to violate the sanctity of the Ka'ba were themselves destroyed. For instance, when Abraha, the Abyssinian governor of Yemen came to the Ka'ba at the head of elephant led corps, he was struck by divine wrath and his elephantine horde was destroyed. That was the year of the birth of the Prophet, and the custodian of the Ka'ba then was the Prophet's grandfather, Abdul-Mutallib.
The miraculous destruction of Abraha's elephantine army by a flock of birds carrying pebbles in their beak is mentioned in the holy Qur'an.
After the heartrending tragedy of Karbala and martyrdom of Imam Husain (A.S), the tyrant Yazid sent an army from Syria which attacked the holy Ka'ba and damaged it with fire and catapults. Even as the attack was underway, news reached from Damascus of the mysterious death of Yazid while on a hunting trip. Only his severed leg atop at horse was found and the whole body went straightaway into hell.
It is also worth mentioning that the Ka'ba is the place where the one and only person born in its sacred precincts, was none other than the Prophet's cousin, ward, son-in-law, and vicegerent, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (A.S).

Taken from: Iran English Radio

Najaf is considered so sacred because it's the site of the tomb of Ali, the first imam of the Shiites. When Mohammed died in A.D. 632, there was a schism over who should be his successor. A learned council called a Shura selected Abu Bakr, one of the prophet's closest friends and allies. But many of the faithful insisted that Mohammed had wished to pass the mantle to Ali, his cousin, adopted son, and son-in-law. They claimed that the prophet had expressed this desire in a sermon delivered during his last hajj, or holy pilgrimage. Those who revered Ali as Mohammed's rightful heir became known as the Shiat Ali, or "faction of Ali"—the forefathers of today's 150 million Shiites.
Ali eventually did become Islam's fourth caliph. His reign, however, was brief. An extremist sect known as the Kharijites, which advocated death for moderate Muslims, orchestrated Ali's assassination in 661. He was killed in a mosque at Kufa, approximately 6 miles from Najaf.
At that time Najaf was just a minor village. But Muslim tradition held that Abraham who is a venerated figure in all three of the world's major monotheistic faiths once visited the area, and he predicted that it would someday host a shrine of great importance. Abraham also stated that those buried in Najaf would be guaranteed entry to paradise. So Ali had requested that, when he died, he be buried not in his capital of Kufa but rather in neighboring Najaf.
Najaf's founding as a city dates back to 791, when the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid supposedly passed through during a hunt. When the villagers informed him that he'd encountered Ali's resting place, he ordered that a grand mausoleum be built atop the grave. That shrine, the Meshed Ali, soon attracted pilgrims and clerics, and the city became the pre-eminent center of Shiite scholarship.
In addition to Ali's tomb, the city also boasts one of the world's largest cemeteries, the Wadi-us-Salaam ("Valley of Peace"). Several Shiite prophets are buried there, and some believe that Ali himself endorsed the site as part of heaven. Shiites from around the world long to be buried there.
The city's religious importance diminished somewhat during Saddam Hussein's rule, as he brutally persecuted the Shiites; many pilgrims opted instead to visit the Iranian city of Qom. The pilgrimage trade has perked up significantly since Saddam's defeat.
Abraham wasn't Najaf's only famous ancient visitor. According to Muslim lore, one of Noah's sons refused to board the Ark, choosing instead to sit atop a mountain that covered present-day Najaf. But the mountain crumbled, drowning the son, and a river appeared in its place. The river eventually dried up, giving the city its name  Najaf means "dry river."

Derived from: Imam Ali Network