Cover Page

(Front)

Cover Page

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Food for Thought: - Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.) 02

2 Your Daily-Life Questions Answered 03

3 Wisdom in the Actions of the Holy Prophet (S) 04

4 The Economic Life during the Age of Imam Hasan al-Askari (A) 22

5 Unexpected Success 33

6 Managing the Children 42

7 Divorce or Dissolution of Marriage 45

8 Actions Speak Louder Than Words 52

9 Imam al-Mahdi in Shi’ism 55

10 What Are the Health Benefits of Vitamin D? 59

Kids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ Corner

11 Celebrating Wiladat of Imam Hasan al-Askari (A.S.) 61

12 Three Persons in a Cave 63

THE MESSAGE

Editor: Hujjat-ul-Islam Wal Muslimeen Sheikh Shabbir H. Lakhani (Maisami)

Editorial Board: Mr. Mazher Ali Jumani, Molana Sajjad Qaimi, Dr. Hussain Kanani,

Mr. Hasnain Nanjiani, Dr. Sana Muhammad Sadiq.

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Email: themessage@zahraacademy.org Web: www.zahraacademy.org

Disclaimer: The Editor does not necessarily agree with the views expressed in the matter published herein. The views and opinions presented in the Journal reflect the views of the authors

and not of the Journal or its Editorial Board or the Publisher.

Published by

Zahra (S.A.) Academy Institute of Islamic Education, Development & Relief

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

2

1. Wake up early [in the

morning] for there is bless-

ing in early rising; and con-

sult each other, for success

is in consultation.

2. Hasten towards [virtuous]

actions before old age dis-

ables you.

3. I am the leader (ya‘sūb) of

the believers and wealth is

the leader of the wicked.

4. One, who carries out

transactions without

knowledge, falls into usury.

5. Be careful not to make

haste in sinning and to

delay repentance, thereby

making your punishment

greater.

6. The experienced person is

more proficient than a doc-

tor [who is inexperienced].

7. One of the obligations of a

person who possesses a

high rank is to use it to grant

the [needs of] one who

seeks from him.

8. Rage is a bout of insanity

because its possessor re-

grets [afterwards], but if he

doesn’t feel regret, then his

insanity is firmly estab-

lished.

9. Verily, the beggar is a

messenger of Allah, so one

who gives to him gives to

Allah and one who with-

holds from him, withholds

from Allah, the Glorified.

10. Proximity to Allah is

granted to those who obey

Him and keep away from

disobedience to Him.

11. Complement your food with

hunger and discipline your-

self with contentment.

12. Be a neighbour to one from

whose evil you are safe and

whose goodness does not

turn away from you.

13. One who is [overly] careful

[not to put himself in any

harm] is thrown [into it].

�����

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.)

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

3

Q.1: We know that reply-

ing to the greeting if it

was in the form of Salam

is obligatory. Is it obliga-

tory to reply to it if it was

in an internet group or

chat room?

Ans.: It is not obligatory.

Q.2: A father died, leaving

behind his two daughters

and a son as inheritors.

One daughter told her

brother that she will not

want her share. After

several years, the daugh-

ter demands her share

from her brother. Does

she have the right to it

now?

Ans.: If she gave her share to

her brother and he received it,

then she cannot claim the

given share back for herself. If

she did not give it to him but

only promised him that she will

give him her share, then she is

allowed to change her mind;

the same ruling applies if she

gave her share to him but he

did not receive it.

Q.3: Can a mature man

wear short pants (up to

his knees or a little

above), in public?

Ans.: It is not part of the

pubic area that men should

cover when they are in public

unless such a thing subjects

the person to be humiliated

then it becomes prohibited.

Q.4: Is it permissible to

breastfeed during the

state of Janabah?

Ans.: Yes, it is permissible.

Q.5: What is the age limit

for a baby to be allowed to

be breastfed?

Ans.: It is permissible to

breastfeed the child even if

he/she exceeds the age of

two years.

Q.6: I wanted to know if

giving blood is prohibited.

If not is it a good deed??

Ans.: It is permissible to give

blood and donate it. It is

some sort of charity and an

expression of high morality.

�����

Your Daily-Life Questions Answered

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

4

Then he began to formulate

policies on running the

society. When one takes a

look and sees that the Holy

Prophet (S) moved forward

wisely step by step, one

realizes what brilliant ideas

and calculations were behind

that firm determination.

Naturally, this is not possible

except through divine revela-

tions. Today when people

study the events that took

place during those ten years,

they do not understand

anything. When one studies

each event by separating it

from the others, one does not

understand anything. One

should understand how these

events were interrelated and

how all these things were

carried out with wisdom and

with accurate calculation.

The first important thing that

that the Holy Prophet (S) did

was creating unity. Not all the

people of Medina became

Muslims. The majority of them

became Muslims and a few of

them did not become Mus-

lims. Besides, three important

Jewish tribes Banu Qaynuqa,

Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayza

were living in Medina. They

were living in their own

fortifications which were

attached to Medina.

They had moved to Medina

100, 200 years earlier. It is a

long story why they had

moved to Medina. When the

Holy Prophet (S) entered

Medina, these Jewish tribes

were known for these two,

three things: one was that the

main sources of wealth such

as the best farms, the best

businesses and the most

profitable industries such as

gold-smithery and other such

things were in the hands of

these tribes. The majority of

the people of Medina would

go to these tribes when they

needed something.

They would borrow money

from them and pay back the

Wisdom in the Actions of the Holy Prophet (S)

By: Ayatollah al-Uzma Sayyid Ali Khamenei

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

5

money with interest, i.e.,

financially speaking, every-

thing was in the hands of the

Jews. Another thing was that

these Jews had cultural

superiority over the people of

Medina because they had a

scripture and they were

familiar with different religious

concepts, concepts which

were foreign to the minds of

the semi-barbarous people of

Medina. Therefore, they had

intellectual domination over

the people of Medina.

In modern terms, the Jews

would be considered to be the

intellectual class. Therefore,

they used to humiliate and

ridicule the people of Medina.

Of course, whenever they felt

that they were in danger and

whenever it was necessary,

they showed humility.

However, they were superior

to the people of Medina. The

third characteristic is that they

were in touch with distant

places. That is to say, they did

not confine themselves to

Medina. The Jews were a

reality in Medina. Therefore,

the Holy Prophet had to take

them into consideration. He

prepared a multilateral treaty.

When he entered Medina, it

became clear that the leader-

ship of this society belonged

to the Holy Prophet (S).

This happened without any

formal agreements. He did not

ask the people for anything

and the people did not have

any negotiations about this

leadership. That is to say, the

great character of the Holy

Prophet (S) naturally made

everybody obey him. It

became clear that he was the

leader and what he said was

the pivot. The Holy Prophet

(S) drew up a treaty which

was accepted by everybody.

This treaty was about social

interactions, business transac-

tions, conflicts and the rela-

tions between the Holy

Prophet (S) and his opponents,

the Jews and other non-

Muslims. All these things were

written down and recorded

with all the details which have

perhaps taken up 2-3 pages in

great old history books.

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

6

The next important thing that

he did was strengthening the

spirit of brotherhood. Aristoc-

racy, the kind of prejudice

which was based on supersti-

tion, tribal arrogance and

separation of different groups

of people from one another

were the most important

disasters for biased and

ignorant Arab societies of that

time. By strengthening the

spirit of brotherhood, the Holy

Prophet (S) trampled on these

things.

He created the spirit of

brotherhood between the

head of such and such a tribe

and such a lower-class or

middle-class individual. He

said to them that they were

brothers and they most

willingly accepted this broth-

erhood. He established

equality between the nobility

or outstanding personalities

and slaves who had just

become Muslims and who had

just been freed.

By doing this, he removed all

obstacles in the way of social

unity. When they wanted to

choose a muezzin for the

mosque, there were many

handsome individuals with a

pleasant voice. There were

many outstanding and knowl-

edgeable personalities. But

among all these people, the

Holy Prophet (S) chose Bilal

al-Habashi. Beauty, good

voice and family reputation

were not an issue. Only Islam,

faith, Jihad in the way of God

and self-sacrifice were im-

portant. Notice how he

practically specified the

values. His actions and his

behavior influenced hearts

more than his words did.

The Three stages of estab-

lishing an Islamic Gov-

ernment

There were three stages to

the task of organizing the

affairs of the Muslim commu-

nity. Stage one was:

1. Building the foundation

of the government

This duty was carried out by

doing the things that I dis-

cussed. Stage two was

protecting this government.

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

7

Naturally a nascent and

growing system which makes

powerful leaders feel endan-

gered if they know what it is

to have certain enemies. If

the Holy Prophet (S) could not

have wisely protected this

auspicious system against the

enemy, it would have been

destroyed and all his efforts

would have been futile.

Therefore, he had to protect

it. Stage three was building

the structure.

Building the foundation was

not enough. It was the first

step. These three stages were

done in parallel with one

another. Primarily, building

the foundation was important.

Even in building the founda-

tion, he took the enemies into

consideration. After building

the foundation, protection

began. In building the founda-

tion, individual and social

structures were taken into

consideration and this contin-

ued to be done even after

this.

The Holy Prophet (S) realized

that five main enemies were

threatening this nascent

society. The first enemy was a

minor and insignificant one.

However, it must not have

been ignored. It was possible

that it would cause a big

danger. This enemy was the

semi- barbarous tribes around

Medina. There were semi-

barbarous tribes who lived 60,

90, 120 kilometers away from

Medina. All their life was

centered around waging wars,

shedding blood, plundering,

killing and stealing from one

another.

If the Holy Prophet (S)

wanted to create a healthy,

safe and peaceful social

structure in Medina, he had to

take these tribes into consid-

eration, and he did so. He

signed a treaty with the ones

that enjoyed a trace of

guidance and salvation. In the

beginning, he did not tell

them that they should defi-

nitely become Muslims. They

were pagans and unbelievers.

But he signed a treaty with

them so that they would not

carry out any attacks. The

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

8

Holy Prophet (S) completely

honored his pledges and

promises. I will speak about

this point later on. Some of

these tribes were vicious and

unreliable.

The Holy Prophet (S) cured

them of their wrong behavior

and he himself established

contact with them. As you

have heard, the Holy Prophet

(S) used to send twenty, fifty

people to different tribes and

they tried to establish contact

with these tribes. They were

not peaceful and one could

not direct them towards the

right path. They could not live

except by shedding blood and

using force. Therefore, the

Holy Prophet (S) went to

them and put them in their

place.

2. The arrogant and pow-

erful aristocrats who were

ruling Mecca

The second enemy was Mecca

which played a central role. It

is true that there was not a

government in common terms

in Mecca. But an arrogant,

powerful, influential and

aristocratic group of people

ruled this city. These people

had certain disagreements,

but they became united

against this nascent system.

The Holy Prophet (S) knew

that the main danger came

from these people. And the

same thing happened in

practice.

He felt that if he waited for

them to come to him, they

would have a good opportuni-

ty. Therefore, he started to

get involved with them. But

he did not move towards

Mecca. There was a caravan

from Mecca which had to pass

through a road near Medina.

The Holy Prophet (S) began

to attack them. In the begin-

ning, the Battle of Badr was

the most important attack.

The Holy Prophet (S) began

these attacks and these

arrogant tribes waged a war

against him because of their

prejudice and obstinacy.

For around four, five years,

the situation was the same.

That is to say, the Holy

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

9

Prophet (S) did not leave

them alone. On the other

hand, they were hoping to

root out this nascent system

that is to say, the Islamic

government which threatened

them. This was the reason

behind the Battle of Uhud and

many other battles.

The last battle which they

fought against the Holy

Prophet (S) was the Battle of

the Trench which was one of

the most important battles.

They gathered all their

strength and they received

help from others. They said,

"We will go and kill the Holy

Prophet (S) and 200, 300, 500

of his close companions. We

will plunder Medina and we

will return comfortably. There

will be no sign of them

anymore." Before they arrived

in Medina, the Holy Prophet

(S) became aware of the

invasion and he dug that

famous trench.

Medina could be attacked

from one side. Therefore,

they dug a 40-meter trench

along that side. This hap-

pened during the month of

Ramadan. According to

certain narrations, it was very

cold. The rainfall was low that

year and the people did not

have a source of income. So,

there were many problems.

The Holy Prophet (S) worked

harder than everybody.

During the time they were

digging the trench, whenever

he saw that somebody had

become tired and could not

go on, he took the shovel

from him and he did his work.

That is to say, he did not only

order things to be done. He

was physically active among

the people. The unbelievers

gathered on the other side of

the trench. But they realized

that they could not pass

through it. Therefore, they

had to return while they were

humiliated, hopeless and

frustrated. The Holy Prophet

(S) said, "It is over. This was

the last attack that Quraysh

carried out against us. From

now on, it is our turn. We will

move towards Mecca and we

will confront them."

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

10

A year after that, the Holy

Prophet (S) announced that

the Muslims wanted to go to

Mecca for Umrah. The event

of Hudaybiyyah which is a

very significant event hap-

pened during this time. The

Holy Prophet (S) moved

towards Mecca to perform

Umrah. They saw that the

Holy Prophet (S) was coming

to Mecca during a Haraam

month a month in which

fighting is forbidden and the

people of Mecca as well as the

Muslims respected Haraam

months. What should they

do? Should they clear the way

for him to enter Mecca? What

will Muslims do after this

success? How can they

confront the Holy Prophet (S)?

Should they fight with him?

How should they fight?

Finally, they decided to

prevent him from coming to

Mecca. They said, "We will

massacre them if we find a

good pretext." By relying on

his wisdom, the Holy Prophet

(S) acted in a way that they

had to sign a treaty with him

in order to make him return.

Under this treaty, he could

return to Mecca a year after

that and perform Umrah.

Throughout the region, the

ground was prepared for him

to promote Islam. This treaty

is referred to as a peace

treaty. But Allah the Exalted

says in the Holy Quran, "Verily

We have granted you a

manifest victory."[1]

If people refer to reliable

history books, they will see

how amazing the event of

Hudaybiyyah is. A year after

that, the Holy Prophet (S)

went to Mecca for Umrah and

unlike them, the power of this

great personality began to

increase. A year after that is

to say, in the eighth year after

the migration the Holy Proph-

et (S) went and conquered

Mecca after the unbelievers

had breached the treaty. It

was a great victory and it

showed the power of the Holy

Prophet (S). So, he treated

this enemy with wisdom,

strength and patience and

without becoming frantic and

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

11

retreating even one single

step. He continued moving

forward every day.

3. The three Jewish tribes

The third enemy was the Jews

that is to say, the unreliable

outsiders who temporarily

agreed to live with the Holy

Prophet (S) in Medina. But

they did not stop being

deceitful and creating prob-

lems. If you take a look at the

Holy Quran, you will see that

an important part of Sura al-

Baqara and other suras in the

Holy Quran is about the

behavior of the Holy Prophet

(S) towards the Jews and his

cultural battle against them.

Since as I said they had a rich

cultural background, they

were knowledgeable in certain

areas and they deeply influ-

enced the minds of people

who did not have a strong

faith. These Jews hatched

plots, made the people

hopeless and they pitted them

against one another. They

were an organized enemy.

The Holy Prophet (S) tolerat-

ed them as much as he could.

But when he saw that they

could not be tolerated, he

punished them. The Holy

Prophet (S) did not get

involved with them without

any reason. Each of these

three tribes did something

and the Holy Prophet (S)

punished them based on their

actions.

First, it was Banu Qaynuqa

who betrayed the Holy

Prophet (S). He went to them

and announced that they

should leave. He made them

move out of Medina and all

their things remained for the

Muslims to use. The second

tribe was Banu Nadir. They

also betrayed the Holy Proph-

et (S) – the story of their

betrayal is important. The

Holy Prophet (S) told them

that they should take some of

their things and leave. And

they had to leave.

The third tribe was Banu

Qurayza whom the Holy

Prophet (S) allowed to stay.

He did not make them leave

Medina. He signed a treaty

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

12

with them so that during the

Battle of the Trench these

Jews would not let the enemy

enter Medina through their

settlements. But they be-

trayed the Holy Prophet (S)

and they allied themselves

with the enemy so that they

could attack the Holy Prophet

(S) alongside the enemy.

That is to say, not only did

they not adhere to their treaty

with the Holy Prophet (S), but

they also went and negotiated

with the enemy so that they

together with the enemy

could enter Medina through

their settlements and stab the

Holy Prophet (S) in the back.

This happened while the Holy

Prophet (S) was digging a

trench in a part of Medina

which could be penetrated.

The settlements of the Jews

were on the other side of

Medina where they were

supposed to prevent the

enemy from entering Medina.

In the middle of their plots,

the Holy Prophet (S) became

aware of the situation. The

siege of Medina lasted for

almost one month. It was in

the middle of this month that

the Jews began to commit

this act of betrayal. The Holy

Prophet (S) found out about

their decision. By adopting a

very wise measure, he did

something to make these

Jews and Quraysh break off

their relations, which has

been recorded in history

books. He acted in a way that

the Jews and Quraysh lost

their trust in one another.

This was one of the most

beautiful tricks that the Holy

Prophet (S) used in wars.

That is to say, he temporarily

held the Jews at bay so that

they could not inflict any

harm.

After Quraysh and its allies

were defeated and after they

drifted away from the trench

to return to Mecca, the Holy

Prophet (S) returned to

Medina. On the same day that

he returned, he performed

noon prayers and then he

said, "We will be saying

afternoon prayers in front of

Banu Qurayza castles. We

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

13

should move towards them."

He did not even delay it for

one night. He went there and

besieged them.

The Holy Prophet (S) be-

sieged and fought with them

for 25 days. Then he killed all

the Jewish men who were

able to fight because their

betrayal was greater than the

other ones and they were

irredeemable. The Holy

Prophet (S) treated them in

such a way.

That is to say, he foiled the

attempts of the hostile Jews

mainly in the issue of the

Banu Qurayza and, before

that, in the issue of the Banu

Nadir and, later on, in the

issue of the Jews involved in

the Battle of Khaybar -

against the Muslims with his

wisdom, strength and persis-

tence while observing his

noble and humane principles.

In none of these events, the

Holy Prophet (S) broke his

pledges. Even the enemies of

Islam agree that the Holy

Prophet (S) did not break his

pledges in any of these

events. It was them who

broke their pledges.

4. The Hypocrites

The fourth enemy was the

hypocrites. The hypocrites

were among the people. They

were the people who did not

believe in Islam from the

bottom of their heart. They

were mean and hostile people

who were prepared to coop-

erate with the enemy. But

they were not organized. This

was the difference between

them and the Jews. The Holy

Prophet (S) behaved towards

an organized enemy, which

was ready to attack and inflict

harm, in the same way as he

treated the Jews and he did

not give them any opportuni-

ty. But he tolerated enemies

who were not organized, who

did not believe in Islam and

whose obstinacy, hostility and

wickedness were based on

individual actions.

Abdullah ibn Abi was one of

the chief enemies of the Holy

Prophet (S). He was alive

almost until the last year of

the Holy Prophet's (S) life. But

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

14

the Holy Prophet (S) did not

treat him badly. Although

everybody knew that he was

a hypocrite, the Holy Prophet

(S) tolerated him and he

treated him the way he

treated other Muslims. He

paid him his share through

Beyt al-Mal, provided him with

security and treated him with

respect. He did so although

hypocrites hatched many

vicious plots. In Sura al-

Baqara, a certain section is

about these hypocrites.

When a group of hypocrites,

hatched organized plots, the

Holy Prophet (S) confronted

them. On the issue of Zarar

Mosque, they set out to build

a center for their activities.

They established relations

with people outside the world

of Islam with a people who

resided in the Roman territory

such as Abu Amer Rahib and

they prepared the ground to

send troops from Rome

against the Holy Prophet (S).

At this time, the Holy Prophet

(S) confronted them and he

destroyed and burnt the

mosque which they had built.

He said, "This is not a

mosque. This is a place for

plotting against mosques,

Allah and the people."

Similarly, when a group of

hypocrites revealed that they

were unbelievers and moved

out of Medina to raise an

army, the Holy Prophet (S)

fought them. He said, "If they

approach us, we will confront

them and we will fight them.”

Although a group of hypo-

crites stayed in Mecca, he did

not do anything against them.

So, the Holy Prophet (S)

behaved towards the third

enemy in an organized and

determined way. But he

behaved towards the fourth

enemy in a lenient way

because they were not

organized and their threats

centered around individual

actions. With his behavior, the

Holy Prophet (S) made them

feel embarrassed.

5. Internal conflicts, inner

human passions and the

tendency towards devia-

tion

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

15

And the fifth enemy was the

enemy that existed in every

Muslim and religious person.

And this was the most dan-

gerous enemy. This enemy

exists within ourselves as well.

It is our passions, selfishness

and the tendency towards

deviation and wrongdoing. We

ourselves prepare the ground

for them to grow. The Holy

Prophet (S) also fought hard

with this enemy. But he did

not fight this enemy with a

sword.

He fought with it through

education, promotion of piety

and warning. When the

people returned from the war

after going through a lot of

trouble, the Holy Prophet (S)

said, "You have carried out

the lesser Jihad. Now you

should engage in the greater

Jihad." They said, "O Messen-

ger of Allah, what is the

greater Jihad? We have

engaged in such a great and

difficult Jihad. Is there a kind

of Jihad which is greater than

this?" The Holy Prophet (S)

said, "Yes, Jihad against your

passions." When the Holy

Quran says, "Those in whose

hearts is a disease," [2]

It does not mean hypocrites.

Of course, some hypocrites

are among "those in whose

hearts is a disease". But

anybody "in whose hearts is a

disease" is not a hypocrite.

Sometimes, these people are

believers, but in their hearts,

there is a disease. What does

this disease mean? It means

moral weaknesses, debauch-

ery and a tendency towards

different kinds of selfishness.

If you do not restrain these

negative qualities and if you

do not fight with them, they

will take faith away from you

and you will be hollow on the

inside. When these qualities

take faith away from you, your

heart will be empty of faith,

but you appear to have it. In

such conditions, you are in fact

a hypocrite. If, God forbid, our

hearts become empty of faith

while we appear to have it and

if we stop being committed to

our religious beliefs while our

tongues say the same things

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

16

as in the past, this means

hypocrisy. This is also danger-

ous. The Holy Quran says, "In

the long run evil in the ex-

treme will be the end of those

who do evil, for they rejected

the Signs of Allah."[3]

Those who committed evil

acts, the worst thing will

happen to them. What is this

worst thing? It is rejecting

“the Signs of Allah”. Else-

where in the Holy Quran, God

says that those who did not

carry out this great responsi-

bility making charitable

donations in the way of God.

"So He made hypocrisy to

follow as a consequence into

their hearts till the day when

they shall meet Him because

they failed to perform towards

Allah what they had promised

with Him." [4]

Since they did not honor the

promises to God, hypocrisy

entered their hearts. This is a

big danger for the Islamic

community. Whenever you

read in history that the

Islamic community has

deviated from its path, this

deviation is because of this. It

is possible that a foreign

enemy comes and oppresses

and defeats you and he may

bring about a lot of destruc-

tion.

But he cannot destroy you

because there is faith in you

and this faith will show itself

somewhere. But when our

inner enemies attack us and

make us feel empty on the

inside, we will deviate from

our path. Wherever there is

deviation, it originates from

this. The Holy Prophet (S)

fought with this enemy too.

The Holy Prophet (S) behaved

wisely and he was quick to

act. He did not waste time on

any issue. He was modest and

pure and there were no

weaknesses in his auspicious

life. He was infallible and

pure. This is the most im-

portant factor in influencing

others. We should learn. Many

of these things should be said

to me too. I should learn. Our

government officials should

learn. Influencing others

through action is much more

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

17

effective than trying to

influence others through

words.

The Holy Prophet (S) was

decisive and he spoke explicit-

ly. His statements were never

vaguely worded. Of course,

whenever he confronted the

enemy, he carried out effec-

tive political actions and he

confused the enemy. In many

cases, the Holy Prophet (S)

surprised the enemy in

military or political arenas. But

he spoke explicitly and clearly

to believers and his own

people and he did not treat

them like a politician. Wher-

ever necessary, he was

lenient with certain people

such as Abdullah ibn Abi

about whom there are many

stories.

The Holy Prophet (S) never

broke his promises to the

people and the groups with

whom he had signed a treaty

– even his enemies and the

unbelievers of Mecca. He did

not break his promise to

them. It was them who broke

their promises. The Holy

Prophet (S) only responded

decisively. He never broke his

promises to anybody. There-

fore, everybody knew that

when they signed a treaty

with him, they could rely on it.

On the other hand, the Holy

Prophet (S) never stopped

worshipping God and he

strengthened his relationship

with God on a daily basis. In

the middle of wars, when he

was engaged in organizing

and encouraging his army,

when he himself was leading

his army in a determined way

or when he was teaching his

soldiers what to do, he would

kneel down in supplication, he

would raise his hands and he

would start to cry and speak

to God.

He said, "Dear God, help us.

Dear God, support us. Dear

God, You Yourself defeat Your

enemies." His praying did not

make him stop being active.

And his activities did not make

him stop praying and they did

not prevent him from preserv-

ing his relationship with God.

He paid attention to both

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

18

issues. He never showed fear

and he never hesitated in the

face of a hostile enemy. The

Commander of the Faithful

(a.s.) who is the embodiment

of courage says that whenev-

er they were faced with

difficult conditions during

different wars, they would go

to the Holy Prophet (S).

Whenever, somebody felt

weak in difficult situations, he

would go to the Holy Prophet

(S). He led Muslims for ten

years. But if we had a group

of active people do the things

that he did during those ten

years, they would not be able

to do all the things that he did

even if they were given 100

years.

If we compare our work with

the things that the Holy

Prophet (S) did, then we

realize what he has achieved.

Managing that government,

creating such a society and

being such a role model for

others are among the miracles

the Holy Prophet (S) per-

formed. The people lived with

him day and night. They used

to go to his house and he

used to go to their houses.

They went to mosque togeth-

er. They used to travel

together. They used to go to

sleep in one place. They

starved together and they

rejoiced together.

The life of the Holy Prophet

(S) also involved rejoicing and

being happy. He would make

jokes with the people. He

organized certain competitions

and he himself took part in

them. The love of the people

who lived with the Holy

Prophet (S) for ten years for

him and their belief in him

became deeper on a daily

basis. During the conquest of

Mecca, when Abu Sufyan

came to the camp of the Holy

Prophet (S) with the support

of Abbas, the Holy Prophet's

(S) uncle, so that he could ask

for his mercy, he saw that the

Holy Prophet (S) was per-

forming Wudu. He saw that

the people had gathered

around the Holy Prophet (S)

to snatch the drops of water

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

19

that was trickling down his

face and hands.

Abu Sufyan said, "I have seen

Khosrau [king of Persia] and

Caesar these powerful and

great kings in the world but I

did not see such greatness in

them." Spiritual greatness is

the true greatness.

"Honor belongs to Allah and

His Messenger, and to the

Believers." [5]

If believers follow the same

path, they will enjoy such

greatness too. On such a day

on the 28th of Safar this

heavenly light, this noble

person and this kind father

passed away, which made

everybody sad and mournful.

The day when the Holy

Prophet (S) passed away and

the days before that when the

Holy Prophet (S) was sick

were difficult days for the

people of Medina, particularly

because of the things that had

happened earlier.

The Holy Prophet (S) came to

the mosque and he sat on the

Minbar. Then he said, "If I

owe anybody anything, they

can come forward and get it

from me." The people started

to cry and they said, "O

Messenger of Allah, is it

possible for you to owe us

something?" He said, "Being

ashamed before God is more

difficult than being ashamed

before you. If I owe you

anything, you should come

and get it from me so that it

will not be delayed until

Judgment Day." Notice how

he behaved. Notice who said

these things.

The kind of person whom

Gabriel felt honored to speak

to say these things. And he

was not joking. He was

serious because he might

have violated somebody's

right unknowingly.

The Holy Prophet (S) repeat-

ed this two or three times. Of

course, there are many

narrations in history books

regarding this event and I do

not know which is reliable and

to what extent they can be

trusted. But the one which is

often cited is this: somebody

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

20

stood up and said, "O Mes-

senger of Allah, you owe me

something. Once you were

going past me while you were

riding a camel. I was riding a

camel too.

My camel came near yours

and you forced it to go with a

stick. But the stick hit my

stomach and you owe me an

apology." The Holy Prophet

(S) pulled his shirt up and he

told him, "Right now you

should do Qisas and you

should not let it be delayed

until Judgment Day." The

people were astonished and

they said, "Does this man

really want to do Qisas? Is he

that cruel to do that?" They

saw that the Holy Prophet (S)

sent somebody to his house

to bring the same stick. Then

he said, "Come and hit my

stomach with the same stick."

That man came forward. The

people looked astonished and

embarrassed, thinking that

the man might try to do that.

But they saw that he knelt at

the Holy Prophet's (S) feet

and he started to kiss his

stomach. The man said, "O

Messenger of Allah, I will save

myself from hell fire by

touching your stomach."

Dear God, by the blessedness

of Muhammad (S) and his

household and out of Your

generosity, bestow Your best

blessings and greetings on the

immaculate soul of our Holy

Prophet (S). Bestow on him all

the blessings because of what

he did for Islam, Muslims and

the entire humanity. Make us

a member of his Ummah.

Make us follow the right path

that he followed. Make our

society become like his

society. Bestow on all of us

the determination to follow

him.

The Importance and

effects of the Holy Proph-

et’s (S) birth

Definitely, the day when the

Holy Prophet (S) was born

and divine light enlightened

the world, should be consid-

ered the beginning of a new

epoch for humanity. As the

Commander of the Faithful

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

21

(a.s.) said, “The world was

devoid of brightness, and full

of open deceitfulness.” [6]

The Holy Prophet’s (S) light

revealed the signs of divine

rule and the reasons behind

the presence of divine proofs

among the people. The

astonishing things that

happened at the time of the

Holy Prophet’s (S) birth are in

fact a warning to humanity.

For example, that battlements

of the Persian king’s castle

collapsed or that the fire in

certain fire temples went out,

had a symbolic meaning as

well. The symbolic meaning of

those events is that after the

birth of the Holy Prophet (S),

a path would be opened up in

front of humanity and human

beings would be saved from

the darkness of illusions and

oppressive systems.

Choosing this path and

following it vigorously or

avoiding it and depriving

oneself of the blessings, are

matters that depend on the

willpower and determination

of those who make these

decisions. It is human beings

themselves who choose their

destiny and their future, but

this path has been opened up

in front of them. Moreover,

Allah the Exalted has ordained

that the general movement of

humanity will be towards

these noble goals. Divine laws

of nature have left human

communities with no choice

but to move towards these

goals, and this has been

proven by all historical events.

Scientific progress of human

communities and the growth

of collective human

knowledge are in line with the

teachings of the Holy Prophet

of Islam (S) and with the final

goals of this path. And today

human beings feel the need

for the teachings of the Holy

Prophet (S) more than ever

before.

1. Sura al-Fath, Ayah 1

2. Sura al-Anfal, Ayah 49

3. Sura ar-Room, Ayah 10

4. Sura at-Taubah, Ayah 77

5. Sura al-Munafiqoon, Ayah 8

6. Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 89

�����

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

22

The study of the age that

Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.)

lived in is no longer a kind of

luxury or ornamentation for

the book, rather it is a

necessity that the modern

scientific research requires.

Studying an age has become

one of the methodical studies

that a researcher cannot leave

aside, because it reveals the

reality of the general life which

that certain person lives in,

and also it sheds lights on the

events that takes place during

that age which naturally have

a great influence on the

behavior of that person.

Sociologists say that the social

life affects and is affected by

the people living in that age.

Anyhow, we objectively shall

offer several sides of the

general life of the age that

Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.)

lived in.

Before we shed light on the

economical life of the age of

Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.),

we would like to show that

Islam has paid extreme

attention to the developing of

the economy of the nation, the

growth of individual income,

and the prosperity of general

life. Islam has considered

poverty as a destroying

disaster which must be

removed by all means. Islam

has compared disbelief to

poverty, and as disbelief must

be removed due to the Islamic

Shariah, poverty must be

removed from society as well.

Islam has ordered Muslim

rulers and leaders to spare no

effort to save Muslims from

the dangers of poverty and

wretchedness which are the

reasons behind the intellectual

and moral deviation among

people.

of the creative methods that

the Islamic economy is based

on is that the Sharia has

limited the authorities of

The Economic Life during the Age of

Imam Hasan al-Askari (A.S.)

Excerpts from the book, “The Life of Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a.s.)”

By: Allama Baqir Shareef Al-Qurashi

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

23

rulers and officials. They are

not permitted in any case to

play with the treasury of the

state, because it is for all

Muslims and not for one

person. The wealth of Muslims

must be spent on Muslims,

and neither the ruler nor any

member of his government

has the right to extort from

the treasury to spend on

himself or his kin, for this is

treason against Allah and

against Muslims.

The Abbasid rule, during all its

ages, followed a special

economical policy that was

opposed to the true Islamic

system, and it was too far

from the laws Islam has

legislated to control the

wealth of the Islamic state.

We shall discuss here in brief

the general economical

system in the Abbasid age.

Incomes of The State

The majority of the state

income was collected from

land taxes and zakat which

ranged in the millions of

dinars. Historians said it was

about three hundred and sixty

million dirhams a year,[1] and

it was about five hundred

million dirhams in some

years.[2] In that age a dirham

had a good value. It equaled

the price of a sheep, a jar of

honey, or a jar of oil, whereas

a dinar equaled the price of a

camel.[3]

Unfortunately, these abundant

monies were not spent to

develop the scientific,

medical, and economical life

as Islam wanted, but they

went to the pockets of rulers

who spent them on building

high palaces, as al-Mutawakkil

did, and on singers, dancers,

drinking companions, and

other fields of debauchery and

pleasures.

Violence In Collecting The

Land Tax

Violence, oppression, and

punishments were common

methods in collecting the land

taxes during most of the

Abbasid ages. People suffered

exhausting kinds of

oppression from the

publicans, who had no bit of

mercy and kindness in their

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

24

hearts. They imposed taxes

according to their desires and

greed, and whoever refused

or delayed to pay the imposed

taxes his fate would be either

be the grave or prison.

Al-Jahshiyari said, 'The people

of kharaj (who did not or

could not pay the land tax)

were punished severely with

different kinds of torment like

being thrown to beasts of

prey and bees.

Muhammad bin Muslim was a

close companion to al-Mahdi

(the Abbasid caliph). When al-

Mahdi became the caliph and

found that the people of

kharaj were tortured severely,

he consulted with Muhammad

bin Muslim who said to him,

'O Ameerul Mu'minin, this is a

situation that can be changed.

They are debtors of Muslims

and must be treated as

debtors.' Then the caliph

ordered to stop punishing

them.'[4]

During the reign of ar-Rashid,

people criticized al-Fadhl bin

Yahya al-Barmaki who was

the wali of Khurasan. They

complained a lot about him til

ar-Rashid deposed him and

appointed in place of him Ali

bin 'Isa, who killed many

notables from the people of

Khurasan and farmed great

monies. Once, he sent to ar-

Rashid ten million dirhams in

a sack made of silk.[5]

The people of Mosul also

suffered terrible oppression

because of the farming of the

kharaj (land tax). The wali,

appointed by ar-Rashid, on

them was Yahya bin Sa'eed.

He ordered them to pay him

the kharaj of past years, and

he whipped most of them.[6]

Islam has bound walis to be

kind to their subjects and to

improve their economical

conditions. People must not

meet any pressure from rulers

in farming the kharaj and

zakat, but most Abbasid kings

paid no attention to that, and

rather, they subjected the

nation by violence and

oppression in collecting the

kharaj.

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

25

Increasing The Kharaj

The officials of the Abbasid

governments often asked

people to pay more than the

legal taxes and they took the

extra amounts for themselves.

When Abu Ubaydillah bin

Yasar became the vizier of al-

Mahdi, he made the kharaj on

date palms and trees, and it

continued so after him.[7]

Egypt suffered different

misfortunes and distresses

because of the kharaj. Its

wali, Musa bin Mus'ab,

doubled the kharaj on every

acre, and he imposed taxes

on the people of markets and

on cattle. He took bribes in

judgment.

People revolted against him

because of his oppression.[8]

Ibn Taghri said, 'He pressed

on people in farming the

kharaj. He doubled the tax on

every acre unlike what had

been before him. People met

distresses from him. He was

bad to people. He took bribes

on judgments.soldiers hated

him. They caused him trouble

and often opposed him

because he was an oppressive

tyrant.'[9]

These doings were too far

from the essence and reality

of Islam. Those men were but

a gang of thieves and

highwaymen who went far

into crimes and sins. Umar bin

Ubayd said to al-Mansur ad-

Dawaniqi, the Abbasid caliph,

'Behind your door there are

fires flaming because of

oppression. Behind your door

are performes actions that are

neither from the Book of Allah

nor the Sunna of His

messenger.'[10]

Appropriating The Wealth

of The State

The Abbasids misappropriated

the wealth of the nation and

took for themselves and for

their kin, as they liked. The

income of Muhammad bin

Sulayman al-Abbasi a day was

about one hundred thousand

dirhams.[11] When he died,

he left a great inheritance

from which ar-Rashid took

sixty thousand dirhams.

Historians say, 'Great monies

came to al-Khayzuran (the

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

26

mother of Harun ar-Rashid)

until her wealth became about

one hundred million and sixty

thousand dirhams. Some

writer says that this amount

equaled the half of the

revenue of the state at that

time and two thirds of the

revenue of Rockefeller in this

[20th] century.

It was found with the wife of

al-Mutawakkil (an Abbasid

king) one million and eight

hundred thousand dinars. The

mother of al-Muqtadir (an

Abbasid king) was also

excessively wealthy.[12] Ibn

al-Jawzi said about her, 'She

had a great wealth that was

beyond counting. She got

from her lands one million

dinars every year.'[13]

The Abbasid kings gifted their

relatives with great monies.

Ar-Rashid distributed among

his uncles and relatives

monies that no caliph before

him had ever distributed.[14]

Al-Mansur ad-Dawaniqi

assigned one million dirhams

to each one of his uncles.[15]

The Abbasid family grew until

they were, at the reign of al-

Ma'mun, about thirty-three

thousand persons.[16] This

family, that had no any

preference to the rest of

Muslims, misappropriated the

wealth of the nation and

enjoyed the great monies,

while the rest of Muslim

peoples were sunk into

poverty, deprivation, and

wretchedness.

Great Gifts To Bondmaids

The Abbasid kings were

excessive in gifting the

bondmaids and songstresses.

Once, ar-Rashid gave his

bondmaid Dananir, at the

night of an eid, a necklace of

thirty thousand dinars.[17] Al-

Muqtadir gave to one of his

concubines the three weights

Orphan Pearl.[18] Abul Faraj

al-Isfahani said that Hamwayh

hired for his bondmaid some

jewels from some jeweler for

twelve million dinars. When

ar-Rashid saw the jewels, he

admired them. He bought

them and offered them as a

present to the bondmaid.[19]

Al-Muqtadir played with

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

27

money. He effaced coins and

then gave them to women

and bondmaids.[20] Al-

Mutawakkil had a bondmaid

called Fadhl. She sat on a

chair and argued with poets in

his presence. He asked her

when he bought her, 'Are you

a poet?'

She said, 'So claims he who

bought and sold me.'

Al-Mutawakkil laughed and

asked her to recite him some

verses of her poetry. She did,

and he admired her poetry

and ordered to give her fifty

thousand dirhams.[21]

Al-Muqtadir had a village-like

statue made of silver. It was

very expensive. He donated it

to one of his servants just

because one of his bondmaids

asked him to do that.

These are just few examples

on the wasting of the Abbasid

caliphs who spent the wealth

of the nation on their

pleasures paying no attention

to the welfare of the society

or to the development of the

general life.

Abundant Gifts To Poets

Poets were the only media in

that age. They supported the

Abbasid rule and spread

fabricated virtues ascribed to

the Abbasid kings. They

preferred those kings to the

Alawids who were the

propagandists of social justice

in Islam. The Abbasids

endowed poets with abundant

monies and made them

extremely wealthy.

Once, Abul Shibl al-Barjami al-

Kufi praised al-Mutawakkil

with a thirty-verse-poem and

al-Mutawakkil gave him thirty

thousand dirhams for

that.[22]

When al-Mutawakkil held a

general meeting for people to

pay homage to his three sons

al-Muntasir, al-Mu'tazz, and

al-Mu'ayyad as the heir

apparents after him, as-Sawli

recited a poem on the

occasion and al-Mutawakkil

gave him one hundred

dirhams, and so did each one

of his sons.[23]

Once, Ibrahim bin al-Mudbir

recited a poem praising al-

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

28

Mutawakkil who was pleased

with the poem and gave the

poet fifty thousand dirhams

and asked his vizier Ubaydillah

bin Yahya to find him a good

job.

Marwan bin Abul Janub was

one of the poets who got

abundant monies from al-

Mutawakkil. He was very

interested in praising al-

Mutawakkil. Once, he got

from him fifty thousand

dirhams after a poem. On the

occasion of the homage to his

three sons, al-Mutawakkil

gave the poet one hundred

and twenty thousand dirhams,

fifty garments, a mule, a

horse, and a donkey.[24] For

another poem, al-Mutawakkil

gave him one hundred gold

dinars.

Al-Buhturi, who was the emir

of poets at that time,

prepared all his talents to

praise al-Mutawakkil who

gave to him high titles and

good epithets besides great

wealth.

Al-Mutawakkil gave abundant

wealth to Ali bin al-Jahm and

invited him to his meetings

after praising him and

declared his enmity towards

the Ahlul Bayt (a.s). He

dispraised the Ahlul Bayt (a.s)

bitterly and preferred over

them the Abbasids who had

no virtue save seizing of the

rule and leading the nation

towards dark abysses of

oppression.

This wasteful spending on

poets scattered an important

part from the wealth of the

nation that had to be spent on

the public and to satisfy all

needs of the nation.

Palaces

The Abbasids were very

excessive in building palaces.

They spent incredible

amounts on building their

palaces and decorating them

with wonderful decorations

the like of which no one had

ever seen in history. Al-

Mutawakkil built a palace

called al-Burj. It was the most

beautiful building of al-

Mutawakkil. He constructed in

it large statutes of gold and

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

29

silver, and a wide pool with

plates of gold and silver.

Beside the pool there was a

tree of gold with birds that

whistled. It was adorned with

jewels. A big throne of gold,

with two big lions and a

drawer having statues of

beasts and eagles, was made

for him there with other

things as the throne of

Prophet Solomon (a.s.) had

been described. The walls

were covered from inside and

outside with mosaic and

gilded marble. He spent on

the building and decorating of

this palace about one million

and seven hundred thousand

dinars. He ordered that no

one should enter this palace

except in clothes of

embroidered silk. He brought

dancers, singers, musicians,

and drinking companions into

the palace. When he sat in

this paradise, his vizier Yahya

bin Khaqan said to him, 'O

Ameerul Mu'minin, I hope that

Allah will thank you for

building this palace and

reward you with the Paradise.'

Al-Mutawakkil asked, 'What

for?' Yahya said, 'You have

filled people with desire of the

Paradise by this palace, for

this will lead them to do good

deeds in order to be in

Paradise.' Al-Mutawakkil

became delighted at hearing

that.[25]

From the other palaces that

al-Mutawakkil had built was

al-Ja'fari. The cost of building

and decorating this palace

was more than two million

dinars. When the palace was

completed, he brought

singers, dancers, and clowns

and gave each of them two

thousand dirhams.[26]

Anyhow, we have mentioned

the great expenses that al-

Mutawakkil had spent on all

his palaces in our book "the

Life of Imam al-Hadi" which

showed the economical

imbalance in that time where

the Abbasid family

appropriated the revenue of

the state and spent it on their

pleasures and lusts.

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

30

The Luxury of The Abbasid

Women

The greater part of the state

revenue was spent on the

ladies of the Abbasid palace.

They lived in absolute luxury

and bliss. Lady Zubayda

(Harun ar-Rashid's wife) was

interested in expensive

embroidered clothes that one

dress of hers cost fifty

thousand dinars.[27] This

luxury was not limited to the

Abbasid ladies only, but it also

included the ladies of viziers.

Utabah, the mother of Ja'far

al-Barmaki had one hundred

bondmaids and each one of

them put on jewelry and

ornaments different from the

other.[28]

The Wretchedness of The

Public

It was natural that the

majority of the Muslim

peoples suffered poverty and

wretchedness after they had

been deprived from the state

treasury, since that was spent

on the pleasures of the kings,

viziers, and the media,

whereas poverty spread

among most of people.

Once, al-Asma'iy saw a poet

cling to the curtains of the

Kaaba while reciting, "O my

Lord, I am asking as You see,

wearing two (ragged) clocks

as You see, and my old wife is

sitting there as You see, and

my stomach is hungry as You

see, so what do You see

about what You see?"[29]

Many other poets described in

their poetry the miserable life

of sufferings they lived. It was

very difficult for them (and for

most of people) to find a bit

of food and a piece of cloth

for their hungry, naked

children.

The miserable life that some

poets, who had no relation

with the Abbasid palace, lived,

led them to beg through their

poetry viziers, judges and

other officials, and made their

poetry as a means for gaining.

Abu Fir'own as-Sasi was in

utmost need, and when he

was unable to bear any more,

he went to al-Hasan bin Sahl

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

31

the vizier of al-Ma'mun and

praised him in a poem. In the

same poem he expressed his

bad condition and the

wretchedness of his children.

Poverty stung Abu Fir'own

severely and this time he

went to one of the judges of

Basra begging his help. It was

shame to those kings who had

the treasures of the world in

their hands but left their

peoples suffering neediness

and deprivation.

From the poets, who suffered

poverty, was Abush

Shamaqmaq who went to the

king begging him after he saw

his children writhe with

hunger and pain.

These poets represented the

lives of their peoples and their

sufferings of hunger, pain,

and loss. The economical life

was not sound and right, but

it was confused and

paralyzed. The Abbasid

governments did not achieve

ease for people, and did not

provide a good life for them.

The revenue of the state was

spent on the Abbasid family,

the viziers, and the prominent

statesmen, whereas the

majority of people lived in

poverty and wretchedness

and could not obtain even the

least necessities of living.

The Imam's Condition

Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.)

represented the front of

opposition to the Abbasid rule.

He often criticized the rulers

for appropriating the wealth

of the nation and extorting

the livelihood of people.

From the notable forms of the

opposition that Imam Abu

Muhammad (a.s.) followed

was that he prohibited himself

from communicating or

cooperating with those kings

who took the wealth of Allah

as theirs and the people of

Allah as their slaves. They

spared no effort to join the

imam (a.s.) to their retinues

but they could not, and then

they treated him with

absolute severity. They fought

him in the means of his living

and caused him to be in

pressing neediness. They

prevented monies to come to

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

32

him from his Shi'a followers,

but one of the Shi'a sent jars

of oil to the imam (a.s.) and

he put money inside them[30]

which decreased the pressure

of that blockade.

Anyhow, Imam Abu

Muhammad (a.s.) sided with

the poor and the deprived

who were the victims of those

kings who robbed the wealth

of the nation and left the

state in economical

imbalance.

Notes:

1. Tareekh at-Tamaddun al-

Islami (the history of the

Islamic civilization), vol.5 p.79.

2. Al-Wuzara' wel Kuttab (viziers

and clerks), p.288.

3. The life of Imam Musa b.

Ja'far.

4. Al-Wuzara' wel Kuttab, p.142.

5. Ibid., p.268.

6. Al-Kamil fit-Tareekh, vol.6

p.268.

7. Al-Fakhri, p.164.

8. Al-Wulat wel Qudhat (walis

and judges), p.125-126.

9. An-Nujoom az-Zahirah, vol.2

p.54, al-Khutat by al-Maqrizi,

vol.2 p.94.

10. Al-Akhbar at-Tuwal, p.384.

11. Al-Wuzara' wel Kuttab, p.250.

12. Nashwar al-Muhadharah,

vol.1 p.293.

13. Al-Muntadham, vol.6 p.253.

14. An-Nujoom az-Zahira, vol.2

p.65.

15. Al-Kamil fit-Tareekh, vol.6

p.319.

16. Ibid.

17. Al-Mustadhraf min Akhbar al-

Jawari by Salahuddeen, p.28.

18. Tareekh al-Khulafa' by as-

Sayouti, p.384.

19. Al-Aghani, vol.16 p.226.

20. Samt an-Nujoom al-Awali,

vol.3 p.354.

21. Nisa' al-Khulafa' (the caliph's

women) by ibn as-Sa'iy, p.86.

22. Al-Aghani, vol.14 p.193.

23. Al-Aghani, vol.14 p.193.

24. Al-aghani.

25. Uyoon at-Tawareekh, vol.6

p.170.

26. Mir'at az-Zaman, vol.6 p.158.

27. Murooj ath-Thahab, vol.2

p.366.

28. Al-Wuzara' wel Kuttab, p.192.

29. Al-Mahasin wel Masawi',

p.585.

30. Safeenat al-Bihar, vol.2 p.158.

�����

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

33

The system of the universe is

based on the law of cause and

effect. Even the minutest

happening is not an exception

to this universal law.

The roaring of the ocean, the

falling of the leaves, snowfall,

rain, the difference in palm

lines, variance in the faces,

rise and fall of nations, social

good and evil; in short each

and everything is bound by

this law of cause and effect.

Sometimes the reason is

apparent and sometimes it is

hidden from us. Therefore

there is no place for a

‘chance’. No philosophy of the

world can prove the existence

of ‘chance’. To rely on chance

is, in fact, to repose trust in

an imaginary thing, which is

far from reality. Unwise and

ignorant people think that

good or bad luck is connected

with this unbecoming imagi-

nation.

Luck, accident, chance and

fortune etc. are, really speak-

ing, superstitions. Only people

who are unaware of the

underlying causes of various

happenings mention them.

They tend to believe in such

things just to please their

condemning conscience by

trusting such unreal causes.

If at all, we have to trust in

‘chance’ then we should say

that only endeavor, work,

struggle and activeness

provide the basis of ‘chance’

and ‘good luck’. This invisible

cause lies behind activeness

and hard work.

Trust in luck is only an

instrument for remaining idle

and for misleading the mind.

It is a tranquilizer for soothing

the heart of idle and inactive

persons. In other words,

reliance on luck is a cover to

conceal the conscience of

sinners and wrongdoers.

If a player loses a game and

the medal is awarded to

someone else, he comes out

of the playground with a dark

Unexpected Success

By: Ayatollah Jafar Subhani

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

34

face and a forehead wet with

perspiration and, in order to

retrieve his loss tells his

friends something like, “The

luck of my rival was better.

Hence he won. This time my

fortune was not favorable and

therefore I lost.” What is

pitiable is that, for avoiding a

future defeat, he does not

find out the real causes of his

failure. Rather he resorts to

imaginary causes, which have

no basis from the viewpoint of

knowledge, intelligence and

philosophy or logic. He wants

that he should not be held

responsible for the defeat.

The fact is that there is an

incorrect tradition in our

society according to which

they make luck or fortune the

basis of life with regard to

family affairs, educational

matters and trade etc. Par-

ents, teachers and traders

create such conditions where-

by people automatically

attribute success and defeat

to be the effect of chance and

luck. The harmful effects of

this wrong tradition fill the

minds of people during

childhood, youth as well as in

old age.

A little verse in Quran, which

is small in words but very

great in meaning, has refuted

all such imaginary things. It

declares: Man gets only that

for which he strives.

Like lottery, gambling and

such other things resorting to

luck harms our society griev-

ously by making our youths

believe in such imaginary

things and thus deprive them

of an enthusiasm for work

and struggle. Thereafter,

instead of utilizing their

mental and physical powers,

they begin to rely on imagi-

nary things, like luck, for

attaining success, position and

wealth etc. in life.

Only those ladies and gentle-

men are successful in whose

dictionaries there are no

words like chance, star,

palmistry etc. because they

are like iron chains binding

the hands and feet of people.

Youths who want to attain

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

35

progress and perfection and

utilize their capabilities should

know that the real reason and

cause of the success of any

student, inventor, military

officer or diplomat is that he

has realized the reality of life

and has adopted the true

tools of success the list of

which is headed by work,

endeavor, steadfastness and

discipline. He must under-

stand that no star, magic or

chance can ever be the cause

of any success or victory.

One of my friends has recent-

ly returned from Germany.

Regarding the success of the

German people he says,

“Within a very short time, this

community has, sparing very

few things as memorials,

destroyed every sign showing

the devastation caused by the

World War in such a way that

now, it seems, no loss was

inflicted on them by the

enemy bombs a few years

ago.”

The lively soul and strong

mind of this community

proved to be the cause of its

success. They never relied on

chance and luck. They relied

only on their mental and

physical abilities. They knew

very well that if there is

anything like luck it is hidden

behind the mental and

physical capabilities.

Luck, stars and predictions

A wise man has said, “Only a

nation which has not realized

facts takes shelter behind

futile and imaginary things.”

A loss-making businessman

makes himself happy by

dreaming success. A defeated

nation hopes for victory by

looking at palm lines and

lucky draws. Sick womenfolk,

instead of going to a physi-

cian, fall in the trap of magi-

cians and fortune-tellers.

Superstitious and unwise

ignorant parents fill the minds

of their children with futile

and imaginary things. They

tell their children that if they

sit on a tablecloth full of

seven kinds of food while

holding a red colored purse in

hands would surely become

wealthy.

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

36

Our beloved Prophet

(s.a.w.w.) always opposed

such beliefs in all the fields of

life and at every stage.

One day, his foster mother

sent him for a walk in the

forest with her own sons and

hung a small Omani green

stone in his neck so as to

protect him from calamities.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.)

removed it and said, Mother,

what a superstition is this. My

protector is someone else

(Allah).”

Sometimes, a van driver,

instead of taking care of the

break, tires etc., and instead

of replacing old parts with

new ones, takes shelter

behind superstitious matters.

He fixes horseshoe at the

back of his vehicle and

believes that it would be safe

from mishaps.

An armed dacoit gets ten

years’ rigorous imprisonment.

When he enters the prison he

blackens the walls with

couplets like this:

No astrologer could recognize

the star of my luck. O God!

What a kind of luck I am born

with!

He is so unaware, and his

own words show that while

suffering the torments of the

prison he is not prepared to

understand the reality. In

order to satisfy his chiding

soul he attributes his crimes

to stars and luck. He does not

understand that he has

misused arms and endan-

gered public peace; that

shops and business estab-

lishments closed down due to

his mischief and that he

deserves this punishment.

Instead of the above quoted

couplet he should have

written these couplets of Nasir

Khusro:

Do not blame the blue sky.

Drive out the wind of care-

lessness from your head. If

you spoil your luck by your

own carelessness, you should

not hope for success from the

sky. The wood of a leafless

tree is being burnt down by

people. This indeed is the

punishment of not taking care

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

37

of the tree of life. If the fruits

of knowledge and intelligence

grow on the tree of your life,

such a tree can even bring

down the sky.

He alone is successful who

marches forward on the path

of his aim and refrains from

entertaining all kinds of

superstitions and baseless

things.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.)

strived hard, especially to free

the people from the bonds of

superstitions. Even if a

baseless thought was in his

favor he used to tell the

people, “Such a belief is

baseless.”

For example, the Holy Proph-

et’s son Ibrahim expired.

There was a solar eclipse that

day. Superstitious people

went to the Holy Prophet and

said, “The calamity, which has

befallen you, is so great that

the sun too is mourning. This

eclipse is due to the death of

your dear son.”

In response, the Holy Prophet

(s.a.w.w.) uttered this histori-

cal sentence, “O People! Sun

and moon do not mourn

anybody’s death. Rather, the

lunar and solar eclipses are

the signs of Allah’s power.

(Eclipse has a special reason.

It should not be attributed to

my son’s demise).”

Superstitious people of

the West

Some Westerners are so

superstitious that they are

afraid of engaging a room

numbered 13 in a hotel.

Therefore the hoteliers do not

use the number 13 but make

it “12+1” or 14 and complete-

ly omit the figure of 13! It is

said that in United Nations

headquarters the lift reaches

floor No. 14 after floor No. 12;

that there is no floor No. 13;

that in fact floor number 13 is

called floor 14!! These people

do not think, or do not want

to think at all that if the 13th

floor is inauspicious and

dangerous, that thing would

not change merely by chang-

ing its name.

Shaikh Saadi relates a beauti-

ful story in one of his poems:

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

38

The donkey of a villager died.

He cut off its head and hung

it on a grapevine.

When an experienced old man

passed by it, he told the

gardener of the villager

laughingly: “O dear! Do not

think that this donkey will

protect the garden from an

evil eye? While alive, it could

not prevent the charge of a

stick on its head from the

hand of a weak man. So, how

can it, after its death, save

the garden from an evil eye?”

A same type of man had such

deep belief in luck that he

used to say, “I have come in

this world with a bad fortune.

It is so bad that if I been a

cap-maker people would be

born without heads!”

If such superstitions spread in

any society, particularly

among the youth, it should be

considered as one of the

causes of that society’s

decline.

Blaming the Stars!

Some people keep on com-

plaining against stars and

some throw the blame of their

bad conditions on the outer

space. Some writers even

blame the sky in their books!!

However the fact is that the

sky has been helpful to man

since Allah has created it for

the benefit of mankind. For

example, the sun nourishes

the animals through its golden

rays. The moon spreads

freshness in the atmosphere

and provides cool light. So the

things, which serve man,

should not be called oppres-

sors. There is no inauspi-

ciousness in the sun, the

moon, the stars or the sky

because, God has sworn by

them in the holy Quran thus

showing us their importance.

We must keep in mind that if

some authors and intellectuals

have ever complained against

the sky, they have, thereby,

meant the men living under it.

Otherwise the sky and the

stars revolving therein are

never at fault.

Waiting For a Chance

It cannot be denied that

sometimes incidents do ease

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

39

man’s difficulties and that

everybody experiences such

chances in his or her life.

History has recorded many of

such incidents and chances

some of which are as under:

(1) Imadud Daulah occupied

Isfahan and Faris and threw

out the governor of Isfahan.

Not before long his army’s

provisions were exhausted.

He was afraid that his men

would loot the property of

people and infuriate them.

Thinking this he looked at the

ceiling and saw a snake

poking its head out of a hole

and then withdrawing it. The

snake repeated this action

several times. He ordered the

demolition of the roof to find

out where the hole of the

snake leads. When they

reached the other end of that

snake-hole they found some

utensils full of golden coins

stored for emergency by a

former ruler of the territory.

Imadud Daulah ordered they

all be taken out. Thus he was

saved from a big financial

crisis.

(2) After defeating Amr Laith,

Shah Ismail Samani met with

financial crisis. Soldiers were

likely to plunder public wealth.

So he ordered the soldiers to

vacate the city. While march-

ing out the soldiers saw a

crow flying over their heads

with a necklace in its beak.

They followed the bird, which

dropped that necklace in a

well. At the command of the

king some soldiers went down

the well to find therein a box

full of precious stones. Slaves

of Amr Laith had hidden it at

the time of his arrest but

could not take it out thereaf-

ter.

(3) Shaikh Muslihuddin Sadi

Shirazi has narrated a story

about a shooting contest: A

prince had placed a narrow

ring at a high place so that

sharp shooters may try to

pass their arrow though it and

earn a big reward. All the

expert archers failed. In the

meanwhile a man who did not

know even the basics of

archery tried and hit the

target and got the prize.

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

40

But can such stories guide

people and can a man ever

rely on such chances?

The proportion of success

through chance is much less

than that achieved by efforts

and incidence of success by

chance is very less. It also

happens that chance gives a

fruit bitter than poison. Wise

men never sit idle waiting for

a chance. They never ignore

apparent causes and fall in a

superstitious chance. Such

chances are less than one in

thousands.

Suppose 10,00,000 people live

in a city. An airplane is about

to drop two gold coins in the

city. Can one leave his busi-

ness keeping his eye on that

plane?

If we do so and if our pocket

is empty our stomach too

would remain empty!!

Those nations, which do not

rely on their own efforts and

await favorable global condi-

tions for drawing mercy from

them, are sure to be de-

stroyed.

A student who does not study

and awaits an unusual hap-

pening bestowing him good

marks by chance is never

likely to succeed.

One of the religious leaders of

Islam has said something

which is very important in the

eyes of the wise people: “A

nation that has natural

resources on land and in

water but does not utilize

these great divine blessings

and becomes poor, the

Almighty Allah would drive it

away from His Mercy.”

No nation of the world has

ever won nor any individual

ever succeeded without

utilizing the apparent natural

causes. They must have taken

the trouble to walk towards

the goal with a strong faith in

Allah’s Omnipotence, without

waiting for favorable chances.

It is a law of nature that those

who get habituated to rest,

ease and luxury, Are sure to

be weakened.

May be some people or

nations get some success

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

41

owing to chance. But success

resulting through chance is as

baseless as winning a gamble.

In the words of a wise man:

“A short cut is most difficult

and dangerous. Though long

routes do take more time to

pass through but man reaches

his destination safely and

easily.”

Sometimes man also reaches

his destination via short cuts.

But if a nation remains idle

waiting for a short cut it is

doomed.

Advanced societies never wait

for chances, but idle and lazy

people who do not even want

to think always say: “Just see

this chance! Man must be so

lucky...”

However, a thing, which has

never contributed to the

success of the nations, is

something called ‘coincidence’

or ‘chance’. If the advanced

people have ever got a

chance it was the chance to

work and to strive.

Those who do not want to

perspire and want to scale

great heights via the imagi-

nary staircase of ‘chance’ fall

down before they could go

any further.

It is said that an apple inci-

dentally fell on Newton and he

discovered one of the greatest

laws (the law of gravity).

However there is misunder-

standing here as people have

seen such things several times

but never discovered any laws

from them.

The truth is that Newton

possessed the necessary

means for finding out the said

law. He thought over it and

had studied and any other

man of thought and research

too could have made such a

discovery.

If a scientist analyzed light by

observing the foam of soap it

was not chance. He had done

studied and worked on that

subject earlier. Otherwise

washer men see such bubbles

every day but derive nothing

from them and never discover

any law.

�����

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

42

Question: Each one of my

children has his own special

characteristics and ambitions.

How should I deal with them

in the house? I love them

from the depths of my heart,

but I am too arbitrary with

them, and I fear that it will

affect their futures. I do not

know whether I am right or

wrong in my way of dealing

with them!

The answer: Dear brother, I

have read wonderful educa-

tional statements of an

Iranian writer called Muham-

mad Taqi Ma'soomi. I trans-

late them here with my

additions in reply to your

question. The author says,

1. If you want your children to

live psychologically and

mentally in safety and sound-

ness, you should avoid

quarreling in their presence.

2. If you want your children to

not be obstinate, you should

not always reject their re-

quests, insult them, or shout

at them before others.

3. If you want your children to

listen to you, you should listen

to them carefully and respect-

fully.

4. If you want your children to

not get used to bad morals

and nervousness, you should

not treat them with rude,

superior orders and strict

instructions.

5. If you want your children to

not feel desperate or disap-

pointed, you should not scold

them with severe words when

they fail to achieve success in

something.

6. If you want your children to

not mistrust you, you should

not promise them what you

cannot fulfill.

7. If you want to strengthen

your children's self-

confidence, you should praise

them for their good deeds and

reward them with some gifts.

8. If you want your children to

obey you, you should not

scold them or insist that they

obey you.

Managing the Children

By: Hojjat al-Islam Abdul Adheem al-Muhtadi al-Bahrani

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

43

9. If you want your children to

be successful in the future,

you should be a good exam-

ple for them in orderliness,

planning, and deliberation.

10. If you want your children

to not be slack in speaking

and talking to you, you should

smile at them whenever they

want to speak and show them

that you will listen carefully to

them when they want to talk.

11. If you want to help your

children in studying their

lessons, you should not do

that without consulting

someone who specializes in

school affairs.

12. If you want to guide your

children out of their troubles,

you should listen to their

questions carefully and react

to their sufferings.

13. If your children are weak

in their studies and you want

to help them, you should not

blame them with words like

"failure", "weak", "dull",

"stupid," etc.

14. If you want your children

to not be defeated by despair

and to not submit to failure

when disappointed, you

should assure them that bitter

events pass away quickly.

Sowing the love of religion

in children

Question: How can I sow the

love of religion in my children

so that they will adhere to it

up to the last moment of their

lives?

The answer: There is no

doubt that the true religion of

Islam has intellectual and

practical teachings that feed

man with a sound sustenance

and make him happy in all

fields of life. Since it is so,

then the importance of

religion in man's life makes it

obligatory on him to make

every effort to arrive at

religion. Allah has said, (O you

who believe! save yourselves

and your families from a fire

whose fuel is men and

stones). [Holy Qur'an, 66:6.]

Now, what should we do to

sow the seed of religiousness

in our children and to assure

their adhering to it throughout

their lives?

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

44

It is very important for fathers

and mothers to know that

children are born with a

certain nature, but the

environments they live in take

them away from that nature.

And there is no difference

between home, school, and

the street.

Watching the environment

and purifying it from cultural

poisons is the first step in the

educational task. After that,

you can make your children

memorize the Qur'an, Hadith,

or some religious oratorios

and anthems according to

their ages and incorporate

that into their daily affairs; for

example, when they want to

go to bed, you can teach

them to recite some Qur'anic

verses and some supplica-

tions. You can say to them

that these verses and suppli-

cations will make them sleep

comfortably and they will see

nice dreams and on the Day

of Resurrection their reward

will be great, or when they

have their examinations, you

can teach them to give alms

and recite certain Qur'anic

verses and certain supplica-

tions so that Allah may grant

them success. You can also

prepare some religious

competitions for them and

give prizes to the winners.

Religious stories have great

influences on planting Islamic

concepts in children's minds,

especially the stories of the

prophets and imams (a.s.) and

the stories of Paradise and its

pleasures. Children must be

taken to religious meetings

and given a role there, such as

distributing sweets or the like.

You have to protect your

children with spiritual relations

and strengthen religious

values in them before they

reach adolescence or adult-

hood, because this stage is

the stage of physical, psycho-

logical, mental, and intellectu-

al changes. If their foundation

is solid and firm, they will not

be defeated by suspicions,

and they will pass the stage of

adolescence soundly and

successfully.

�����

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

45

Marital life ought to begin

with earnestness and should

continue happily under the

shadow of love, tolerance and

self-sacrifice. But practically

speaking marriage contract

and conjugal relations do not

in all cases continue to exist

till the end of life. In certain

cases it becomes impossible

for two parties to live together

in peace and harmony for

various reasons such as their

emergence of deep rooted

differences.

In such circumstances, there

must be a suitable way of

dissolving a marriage legally,

otherwise if the parties are

forced to continue to live

together, their life is likely to

become unbearable.

In many cases, the conse-

quences may be most regret-

table and even tragic. Any-

way, it is evident that as

marriage in itself is a social

need, in certain circumstances

its dissolution is also a social

necessity.

The social compulsions have

forced even the Christians to

frame and enforce laws

concerning divorce, though

their present religious book

forbids it except in the case of

unchastely and though their

Church has for long opposed

it vehemently.

"But I say unto you, that

whosoever shall put away his

wife, saving for the cause of

fornication, causeth her to

commit adultery: and whoso-

ever shall marry her that is

divorced committeth adul-

tery". (Matthew, V:32).

The divorce act is even

passed in Italy, which is the

seat of the Pope.

Divorce in Islamic Law

Divorce is the dissolution of

permanent marriage resulting

in the end of al responsibilities

of the husband and the wife

in regard to the rights and

obligations connected with it.

From the Islamic point of view

the disintegration of family

Divorce or Dissolution of Marriage

Taken from Philosophy of Islam by Dr. Behishti and Dr. Bahonar)

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

46

bond is very undesirable on

principle. It is the worst and

the most detestable act in the

eyes of Allah.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.)

has said:

1. The most detestable thing

before Allah is divorce.

2. Allah likes most, the house

which is inhabited in the

wake of a marriage and

dislikes most the house

which is abandoned in the

wake of separation.

In fact divorce may be

regarded as an unpleasant

and bitter pill which has to be

taken in the case of need.

Islamic traditions have

described unnecessary divorce

as a cause of remoteness

from the blessings of Allah.

Islam has suggested certain

precautionary measures to

ward off divorce as far as

possible.

For example:

1. Much stress has been laid

on the careful selection of

the wife.

2. Repeated recommenda-

tions have been made to

treat her well and connive

at her minor mistakes

which are common in life.

3. Self-control against

sudden outbursts of rage

and hasty actions.

4. Formation of an internal

family court to resolve the

differences arising be-

tween husband and wife.

It is possible that the relations

between the husband and the

wife might sometimes become

strained consequent on

differences and scolding

remarks.

Islam suggests that in such

cases a suitable way should

be found at the earliest to

resolve the differences and

there should be no talk of

separation so easily.

All cases of strained relations

are not such that we should

be disappointed of the resto-

ration of love and affection.

In most cases it is possible to

rectify the position.

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

47

Whenever it is not possible for

the husband and wife to sort

out their differences them-

selves, their case should be

considered by a family court

consisting of two arbiters, one

selected from the family of

the husband and the other

from the wife.

The arbiters should be sympa-

thetic and experienced so that

they may listen to the point of

view of both the parties, and

try to reconcile them.

In this respect the Quran

says:

"If you fear a breach between

the two (husband and wife),

appoint an arbiter from his

people and another from hers.

If they desire amendment,

Allah will make them of one

mind". (Surah al-Nisa, 4:35)

Obviously an arbiter should be

a trust worthy person, a good

conversationalist and fit for

making a just arbitration. The

two arbiters are to be selected

from among the members of

the two families because as

such they are expected to

have a knowledge of the

temperament of the husband

and wife as well as of their

domestic affairs; and also

because they will normally be

interested in settling their

differences.

Effects of divorce

From the psychological, legal

and social point of view,

divorce produces varied

effects, some of them being

related to the husband and

wife themselves and some of

them to their families. If there

are children, separation

between their parents will

affect their position also in

many ways.

In view of these results,

special conditions have been

visualized for divorce so that it

may be warded off as far as

possible, for if it is taken easy,

the future of children will

certainly be threatened.

What should be the condition

of a woman to be divorced:

1. Her periods must not be

on.

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

48

2. After the last sexual

intercourse, she must

have had her periods at

least once.

3. If the woman having been

pregnant has been deliv-

ered of a child, her rest

period after delivery (cer-

emonial purification from

child birth) must have

come to an end.

Of course if a woman is

pregnant or does not men-

struate, the above conditions

do not apply to her. In cases

other than these two, the

question of divorce should be

postponed till these conditions

materialize.

Conditions of the effec-

tiveness of divorce

Divorce is valid and operative

only if the following conditions

are fulfilled:

1. The husband who divorces

must be of mature age

and must be possessed of

understanding. Divorce

pronounced by a minor, a

lunatic or an idiot is inva-

lid.

2. The husband must be

exercising his own free

will. Divorce under com-

pulsion is not valid.

3. Presence of two witness-

es.

According to the Shia school

of thought and as expressly

mentioned in the Quran,

divorce must be pronounced

in the presence of at least two

trustworthy and righteous

witnesses. This condition

automatically implies that two

righteous persons should

become aware of the decision

of the spouses to dissolve

marriage. In many cases their

intervention and help may

save the situation, and they

may find a suitable way of

reconciling the husband and

wife. Further, their knowledge

and presence may be helpful

in settling financial and other

questions and finding a most

appropriate arrangement for

looking after the children.

Kinds of divorce

After the enforcement of

divorce it is possible to

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

49

resume conjugal relations in

some cases without contract-

ing marriage anew. In some

other cases a fresh marriage

is required before the resump-

tion of these relations. Hence

divorce is of two kinds;

revocable and irrevocable.

In the case of revocable

divorce if the man regrets and

wants to resume conjugal

relations, the tie is automati-

cally restored and there is no

need of contracting marriage

again, provided he revokes his

act within the period of

probation (iddah) which is

normally three months.

In the case of irrevocable

divorce it is not possible to

resume conjugal relations in

this way.

Kinds of irrevocable

divorce

There are several kinds of

irrevocable divorce.

(1) If the husband agrees to

dissolve the marriage at

the request of the wife, it

is called khula.

(2) If the marriage is dis-

solved because both the

husband and the wife

have asked each other to

terminate it, it is called

mubarat, that is mutual

release.

(3) The divorce pronounced

by the husband on his

own is regarded as irrev-

ocable in the following

circumstances:

a. If the dissolution of

marriage has been

brought about before

its consummation.

b. If the divorcee is a girl

whose periods have

not commenced or an

old woman who does

not menstruate, be-

cause she has reached

the age of menopause

i.e. is no longer capa-

ble of bearing children.

c. If the divorce has been

pronounced for the

third time.

d. In all these cases if the

two parties decide to

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

50

resume conjugal part-

nership, they should

remarry, for the first

marriage is no longer

effective.

NOTES:

(1) Remarriage with a wom-

an, who has been divorced

three times, by her former

husband who divorced her is

possible only on the condition

that she is married to another

man first and that such

second marriage is terminated

after consummation. This

condition precedent to reun-

ion has been laid down to

deter and discourage the

people from taking the

question of divorce too easy.

If divorces take place between

the husband and wife again,

and again (till nine times)

they cannot remarry under

any circumstances. This

restriction also ensures that

as far as possible divorces on

frivolous grounds may be

avoided.

2) In the case of khula and

mubarat reunion is possible

only if the woman demands

back what she had surren-

dered to the husband. Such

demand must be made before

the period of probation

expires.

In other cases, if they are

inclined to resume conjugal

partnership, they should

remarry in accordance with

the conditions they agree to.

Iddah of divorce

In the case of separation

between the husband and the

wife an important question is

to find out whether she is

pregnant by her former

husband. To ascertain this

point, the Islamic law has laid

down that during a period of

probation the woman should

not marry another person.

This period is called iddah.

Period of Iddah

The period of iddah for a

woman who is not pregnant is

the period covered by three

menstrual courses, which is

normally three months. The

iddah of a pregnant woman is

till she is delivered.

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

52

The most important method

used by the Prophet of Islam

(S) was the practical method.

He would act according to his

words. Because of that, his

actions are one of the reliable

sources in Islam called the

Sunnah (Tradition). He

himself acted upon his words

and instructions and used to

train others to do the same in

order to more effectively

affect others.

The Glorious Quran reproach-

es the people who don’t do

what they say. It says:

It is most hateful to Allah that

you should say that which you

don’t do. (61:3)

As Muslims saw that the

Prophet (S) was acting upon

his words and ideas, they

became more loyal to Islam

because the best manifesta-

tion of one’s opinions and

beliefs are one’s actions and

education and training can be

learned through actions more

than through words.

One of the strongest desires

in human beings is the desire

to imitate. A child learns many

customs, ways of eating,

communication, speaking,

dressing. Man imitates others

all through his life. But in the

5th or 6th year this desire

increases. A child is not aware

of corruption in the society

and cannot plan his/her goals.

So, he follows his/her parents

and mimics their actions.

A child needs an example in

his/her life in order to know

what to do. What behavior to

have, and how to face difficul-

ties. He needs to learn how to

solve problems and how to

cope with them.

For this reason Allah introduc-

es His Prophet (SAW) as the

best example for mankind:

So I put the best example for

you in Rasulullah. (33:21)

During history, the Prophet

(SAW) was the best and most

important symbol for man-

kind. By using his actions

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

By: Muhammad Reza Mutahhari

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

53

more than his words he

served as the best instructor

for mankind.

Moreover, children learn

visually more than audibly.

Research done by psycholo-

gists prove that 75% of

learning happens through

eyes, 13% through ears, 6%

through touching, 3% through

taste and 3% through smell-

ing. So it is the parents’ and

teachers’ responsibility to

guide children to the right

path by their own actions,

because the tongue of action

is more effective than the

tongue of words (i.e. speech).

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (AS)

says: Guide the people

towards Haq (Allah) by your

actions not by your tongue.

Martyr Beheshti in an explana-

tion of this Hadith, says: If we

are asked from when Muslims

collapsed? We have to answer

from the time that words

became more than actions.

Faith is a light which shines

from the believer’s heart and

goes to others’ hearts without

the use of the tongue.

Imam Ali (AS) says: The

advice which no one rejects,

and no benefit equals, is the

one which is received through

action not through words.

Again the Imam (AS) says:

How can one correct others

while he/she is unable to

rectify himself/herself.

Imam Khomeini’s (RA) daugh-

ter, Dr. Farideh Mostafavi

concerning the purification

and practical education of

Imam Khomeini (RA), says:

He never dictated the reli-

gious orders to us as his

family. We learnt through

observing his behavior and

actions. We were uncon-

sciously affected by them and

always tried to be like Imam

(RA) even though we couldn’t

achieve such a personality.

From the educational point of

view he was our model. He

never did anything which we

were forbidden to do. For

example, if he asked us to

pray, he used to make ablu-

tion 30 minutes to noon to get

prepared to pray, while we

were playing in the yard. He

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

55

The Occultation

The Occultation (ghayba) is a

period of concealment chosen

by God for the Imam who will

continue to live in this state as

long as God deems it neces-

sary. Then He will command

him to reappear and take

control of the world in order

to restore justice and equity.

The mysterious fate of the

son of the eleventh Imam

divided the early Shi’ite family

into some eleven to fifteen

different schisms.

But the idea according to

which the twelfth Imam was

alive and hidden and would

return at the End of Time,

was later adopted by all

Imamites due to the tenacious

efforts of authors/compilers

like al- Kulayni, al-Nu’mani

and especially Ibn Babuye,

who, through the great mass

of traditions surrounding this

belief, progressively managed

to convince the population of

the faithful.

In fact, early Imamites

attempted to present the

Imamate and Mahdi-ism of

the Twelfth Imam in occulta-

tion in a logical and rational

way. According to Imamite

sources, Imam Mahdi had a

first occultation when he was

a child, in 260 AH/874 AD, at

the time of his father’s death,

and it lasted nearly 70 years.

At Samarra in Iraq, beside the

shrines of the tenth and

eleventh Imams, is a mosque

under which there is a cave

from where the Imam Mahdi

is said to have disappeared

when he was five years old.

This cave was a place of

retreat and meditation for the

eleventh Imam and his son,

and also a hiding place from

the Abbasid agents. During

this Occultation, the Imam

communicated with his

faithful via four successive

representatives.

This was “the minor Occulta-

tion”. Then, around 329

AH/941 AD, came the begin-

Imam al-Mahdi in Shi’ism

By: A. Toussi

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

56

ning of “the major Occulta-

tion” (al-ghayba al-kubra)

after the fourth representative

received a last autographed

note from the hidden Imam:

“In the name of God, the

Compassionate, the Merciful;

Ali ibn Muhammad al-Simarri,

may God increase, through

you, the reward of your

brothers [in religion; that is

the Shi’ites]; your death will

take place in six days. Prepare

yourself and name no one as

your successor [as repre-

sentative] after your death.

This is the advent of the

second Occultation in which

there will be no more mani-

festation, except if it be with

divine permission, and that

will only take place after a

long time, when hearts will be

hardened and the earth filled

with violence.

Among my partisans, some

will claim to have seen me

with their eyes. Beware! He

who claims to have seen [me]

with his eyes before the

raising of al-Sufyani and [the

sounding of] the Cry is a liar

and an impostor. Greatness

and Power belong to God

alone.”

Six days later al-Simarri, on

his deathbed, was asked,

“Who will be your successor?”

He replied, “From this point

on, the matter is in God’s

hands, He will arrange it

Himself.” Those were his last

words.

The major Occultation is still

in effect, and will not end until

the End of Time (akhir al-

zaman) when the Mahdi

comes back to re-establish

Justice on earth. The Imam is

not completely cut off from

his followers but has spokes-

men, in the form of learned

jurists (marja’ taqlid), who

can act on his behalf and

guide the Shi’ites in their

religious matters. Imamite

traditions give four reasons

for the Occultation.

1. Safeguarding the life of

the twelfth Imam.

2. Independence vis-á-vis

temporal powers; through

his Occultation, the Mahdi

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

57

will owe allegiance to no

temporal powers.

3. Putting the Imamites to

the test; the Occultation

serves as a long period of

trial, a challenge to their

faith.

4. Finally, there is a hidden

reason for the Occultation,

that is said to be the most

important of all, although

it will not be revealed until

the Return of the Mahdi.

With the major Occultation,

the secret life of the Twelfth

Imam begins, whose occult

presence has dominated the

Shi’ite religious consciousness

for more than ten centuries.

The Twelver tradition illus-

trates this from as early as

the fourth AH/tenth AD

century, the hidden Imam

living in his physical body,

providentially endowed with a

long life.

To support this claim, Ibn

Babuye dedicates six chapters

of his Kamal al-din to those

known for their extraordinarily

long lives in the Arabic

tradition. It is also said in the

Twelver tradition that the

hidden Imam attends the

annual pilgrimage to Mecca,

and that he sees people even

if they cannot see him.

He is visibly present and walks

through their marketplaces

and into their homes, and

nobody recognizes him. In

this latter case, he is com-

pared to Prophet Yusuf, seen

but not recognized by his

brothers. God can allow him

to be recognized by some

people. The Prophet is said to

have stated: “...His faithful

are illuminated by his Light;

they profit from his wilaya

during his Occultation, just as

one profits from the sun even

when it is covered by clouds.”

The history of the twelfth

Imam during his major

Occultation is constituted of

stories and narratives re-

counted by those who saw

the Mahdi in their dreams or

in reality.

The compilations of al-

Kulayni, al-Nu’mani, and Ibn

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

58

Babuye, to name the oldest

and the best known, and

numerous other Shi’ite works

throughout the centuries,

contain a number of eyewit-

ness accounts from even

ordinary people who were in

great distress or other unfor-

tunate circumstances and who

claim having met the twelfth

Imam. “None of these myste-

rious appearances to his

faithful suspends his Occulta-

tion but each of these ap-

pearances suspends for his

faithful the common laws of

time and space for Men who

do not perceive the occult

presence of the Imam.”

The Return and the Rise

The future Return and Rise of

the Mahdi constitutes the

most frequent of the Imam’s

predictions and has been

described in numerous

traditions from the early times

in Imamite history. It is

believed that the Mahdi will

come to fulfill the mission of

all the prophets before him,

and complete the task of

Imam Husayn (the third

Imam), the great martyr of

Karbala.

He shall appear, according to

many traditions, on the day of

‘Ashura, the day on which

Imam Husayn, son of Imam

Ali, was killed, showing

himself first in Mecca, Islam's

holiest city, where he will be

joined initially by 313 believ-

ers, the number of the

martyrs of Badr, then he will

make his headquarters in

Kufah where Imam Ali was

killed and buried.

The Return as well as the

Rising of the Qa’im, will be

preceded by signs. The theme

of ‘Signs of the Return’ is one

of the most developed of

those that occur in collections

of hadith, in both Sunnite and

Shi’ite literature. Sometimes a

number of chapters are

dedicated to the subject. The

universal sign of the Return

consists in the generalized

invasion of the earth by Evil.

There are also a great number

of more specific signs listed in

the compilations.

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Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

59

Vitamin D, also known as the

sunshine vitamin, is produced

by the body as a response to

sun exposure; it can also be

consumed in food or

supplements.

Having enough vitamin D is

important for a number of

reasons, including maintaining

healthy bones and teeth; it

may also protect against a

range of conditions such as

cancer, type 1 diabetes, and

multiple sclerosis.

What is vitamin D?

Vitamin D is actually not a

vitamin.

Despite the name, vitamin D is

considered a pro-hormone and

not actually a vitamin.

Vitamins are nutrients that

cannot be created by the body

and therefore must be taken in

through our diet.

However, vitamin D can be

synthesized by our body when

sunlight hits our skin.

It is estimated that sensible

sun exposure on bare skin for

5-10 minutes 2-3 times per

week allows most people to

produce sufficient vitamin D,

but vitamin D breaks down

quite quickly, meaning that

stores can run low, especially

in winter.

Recent studies have suggested

that a substantial percentage

of the global population is

vitamin D deficient.

Health benefits of Vit. D

a) Healthy bones

Vitamin D is vital for bone

health. Vitamin D plays a

substantial role in the

regulation of calcium and

maintenance of phosphorus

levels in the blood, two factors

that are extremely important

for maintaining healthy bones.

We need vitamin D to absorb

calcium in the intestines and to

reclaim calcium that would

otherwise be excreted through

the kidneys.

Vitamin D deficiency in

children can cause rickets. In

What Are the Health Benefits of Vitamin D?

By: Megan Ware, RDN, LD

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

60

adults, vitamin D deficiency

manifests as osteomalacia or

osteoporosis. Osteomalacia

results in poor bone density

and muscular weakness.

Osteoporosis is the most

common bone disease among

post-menopausal women and

older men.

b) Reduced risk of flu

Children given 1,200 IU

(International Units) of vitamin

D per day for 4 months during

the winter reduced their risk of

influenza A infection by over

40 percent.

c) Reduced risk of diabetes

Several observational studies

have shown an inverse

relationship between blood

concentrations of vitamin D in

the body and risk of type 2

diabetes. In people with type 2

diabetes, insufficient vitamin D

levels may negatively effect

insulin secretion and glucose

tolerance. In one particular

study, infants who received

2,000 IU per day of vitamin D

had an 88 percent lower risk

of developing type 1 diabetes

by the age of 32.

d) Healthy infants

Children with normal blood

pressure who were given 2,000

IU per day had significantly

lower arterial wall stiffness

after 16 weeks compared with

children who were given only

400 IU per day.

Low vitamin D status has also

been associated with a higher

risk and severity of atopic

childhood diseases and allergic

diseases, including asthma,

atopic dermatitis, and eczema.

Vitamin D may enhance the

anti-inflammatory effects of

glucocorticoids, making it

potentially useful as a

supportive therapy for people

with steroid-resistant asthma.

e) Healthy pregnancy

Pregnant women who are

deficient in vitamin D seem to

be at greater risk of

developing preeclampsia and

needing a cesarean section.

Poor vitamin D status is

associated with gestational

diabetes mellitus and bacterial

vaginosis in pregnant women.

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Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

61

Kids

Corner

Celebrating Wiladat of Imam Hasan al-Askari

(A.S.)

Dear kids!

On 10th of Rabi-us Sani in

232 AH, Imam Hasan al-

Askari (AS), the 11th Infal-

lible Successor of Prophet

Mohammad (S), was born in

the city of Medina. On this

joyous occasion we extend

our heartiest greetings to

every Muslim in the world.

We pray to Almighty Allah

to make our world peaceful

and strengthen us to follow

Islam.

Imam Hasan al-Askari later

moved to Samarra to join his

father, Imam Ali al-Hadi

(AS), who was forced to

come to this city in Iraq by

the tyrant Mutawakkel, the

10th caliph of the usurper

Abbasid regime.

The mantle of Imamate or

divinely-decreed leadership

of mankind came to rest on

Imam Hassan Askari’s young

shoulders at the age of 22,

following the martyrdom of

his father through poisoning

by the next treacherous

caliph, Mu’taz.

For the next six years, the

11th Imam guided the

ummah, until his own mar-

tyrdom in the prime of

youth by another tyrannical

caliph, Mo’tamed. During this

period, his son and succes-

sor, Imam Mahdi (AS) was

born and brought up in

secrecy, safe and secure

from the Abbasid spies.

The 12th Imam who is in

occultation by God’s Will, is

expected to emerge in the

end times as the Redeemer

of mankind to cleanse the

earth of all vestiges of

corruption and oppression by

establishing the global

The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

62

government of peace,

prosperity and justice.

It is written by the scholars

that once our 11th Imam,

Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS)

who was still a child was

standing between some

other children who were

playing and having fun.

Suddenly a lover of the

Ahlul Bayt (AS) was passing

by. But he was trapped with

this scene that all the

children were playing but a

beautiful child was standing

alone crying. He decided to

approach this child to ask

what was wrong, maybe he

could help him. He said: “My

dear, are you crying because

you don’t have the toys

other children have. If you

like I can bring some toys to

you.” Imam Hasan al- Askari

(AS) replied: “Do you think

I’m crying for the toys. We

are not created to play with

toys and have fun but to

worship Allah (SWT) and

seek for knowledge. This

lover of the Ahlul Bayt (AS)

asked him that how he was

sure about that and the

young Imam Hasan al-Askari

(AS) answered: Have you not

read the verse of the Noble

Qur’an which guides us

saying:

“What! Did you then think

that We had created you in

vain and that you shall not

be returned to Us?” (Noble

Qur’an 23:115)

This lover of the Ahlul Bayt

(SD) was impressed with the

answer and said: “But why

are you so troubled in such a

young age. You have not

committed any sins. Imam

Hasan al-Askari (AS) rep-

lied: “Age does not matter. I

watch my mother every day

when she set fire to the

large twigs she uses the

small first. I am afraid that

may not the young children

of this world be used to

light the fire of Hell.” Allahu

Akbar, the Holy Imam Hasan

al-Askari (AS) who is an

infallible personality and a

Hujjat of Allah (SWT)

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

63

reflects so deeply, this

answer was only a lesson to

His followers to ponder

over. This capturing story of

Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS)

is a great learning lesson for

us all.

�����

Three Persons in a Cave

The Holy Prophet (S) has

related: "Three persons

from the tribe of Bani

Israel got together and

started out on a journey. On

the way, clouds gathered

above them and it started to

pour with rain and so they

sought shelter in a nearby

cave. Suddenly, a large

boulder slipped and blocked

the entrance to the cave,

trapping the three inside

and transforming the day

into a dark night for them.

They had no other alterna-

tive except to turn to God

for help. "Let us use our

sincere deeds as a means to

obtain deliverance from this

predicament," suggested one

of them. All the others

agreed with the suggestion.

One of them said, "O' Lord!

You are aware that I have an

extremely attractive cousin

and that I was infatuated

and obsessed with her. One

day, finding her alone, I took

hold of her and wanted to

satisfy my carnal desires,

when she spoke out to me

saying: O' My cousin! Fear

God and do not harm my

chastity'. Hearing this, I

crushed my lustful tenden-

cies and decided against the

evil act. O' Lord! If that

deed of mine had been out

of absolute sincerity and

only for the purpose of

acquiring Your pleasure,

deliver us from grief and

perdition." Suddenly they

witnessed that the huge

boulder had moved away a

little, faintly brightening up

the interior of the cave.

The second person spoke

out, "O' Lord! You know that

I had a father and a mother,

Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH The Message

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The Message Rabi-us-Sani 1439 AH

66

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