THE AHLUL BAYT (AS)uisa.miu.ac.ir/uploads/willayah_n08.pdf · 2014. 10. 12. · The Ahlul Bayt are the Godly ones of the Family of the Holy Prophet whom the Muslim World as a whole

The Ahlul Bayt are the Godly ones of the Family of the Holy Prophet whom the Muslim World as a whole unanimously acknowledges as the Pure Personalities and hold them as Infallible Holy Ones Purified By God Himself. “The Almighty Allah has bestowed His trust on Ale Muhammad (The descendants of Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Them), who are the Strongholds of His Commandments. From where they are expounded and interpreted. They are The Fountain Heads of Knowledge Created by Him, Shelters for His Teachings, Forts for Heavenly Books, And lofty Citadels to defend His Religion. Islam needed help and support, By them Allah made Islam strong and powerful.”1 "And We assigned from among them some Imams(Leaders) who guide by Our Authority since they were patient and believed firmly in Our Signs. (Qur'an 32:24) And, He it is who made the stars for you that ye maybe rightly guided by observing them in the darkness of the land and the sea; Indeed we have made plain the Signs for the people who can know. (Qur'an 6:97). The Holy Prophet said: “As the stars in the sky are the Source of guidance to the travellers, The Holy Ones of my Ahlul Bayt ( The Twelve Imams) are The Source of Guidance for the people. And, as the stars will remain in the sky until The Day of Judgment, The earth will never be without a Divinely Guide from My Ahlul Bayt, That is an Imam”. And say those who disbelieve: "why hath not a sign been sent down unto him (Muhammad); Verily thou art a warner and for every people there is a guide (13:7)Firmly Ground in Knowledge : "He (God) is He Who Has revealed The Book (Quran) to you. Some of its verses are decisive; they are the Essence of The Book and the others are ambiguous; so as for those in whose hearts there is perversity, they follow the part of it which is ambiguous, seeking to mislead (people) and seeking to give it ( their own) interpretation. But NONE knows its interpretation , Save God a ambiguous, seeking to mislead (people) and seeking to give it ( their own) interpretation. But NONE knows its interpretation , Save God and those who are firmly established in Knowledge".(Qur'an 3:7). "Nay These are The Verses of The Qur'an in the Breast of those who are gifted with Knowledge. (Qur'an: 29:49). The Blessed Ones: “Guide us in the straight path: The path of those whom Thou hast blessed”.(1:6&7).They are those whom Allah has blessed among the Prophets and the truthful ones , and the martyrs and the righteous. (4:69) These are The Ones on The Guidance from their Lord and these are The Ones shall be The successful ones. (Qur'an: 2:5). The Purified Ones: “Verily It is Qur'an honourable, In a Book hidden, Toucheth It not save the purified ones. Sent down by The Lord of the Worlds. (56:77 to 80)”. The Highest degree of purity means to be kept constantly away from all the causes of impurity. This is termed as the State of Infallibility in Knowledge, character and ac-tion. It could have been applied generally to the whole mankind who are keeping aloof from all the impurities as The Word of God Commands. But, God expressively Has confined His Order to certain Group of Individuals by excluding the rest of the mankind from it in His Divine Will by declaring the 'Ahlul Bayt' as the persons purified by Him to be constantly in touch with the Qur'an in its original, hidden, well protected, exalted and purified form. It was Allah's Wish to remove all Blemish from them: “ Verily, verily God intendeth to keep off from you (every kind of filth), "O' ye The People of The House (Ahlul Bait), and purify you with a thorough purification. (Qur'an: 33:33).”Commandment :to love Ahlul Bayt In this Last Word of God (Qur'an), The Holy Prophet is being Commanded to ask the believers to love his kith and kin (that is his Ahlul Bayt) and that would be the return of his apostleship. That is of which God Give the glad tidings unto His servants who believe and do good deeds; Say thou ('O' Apostle Muhammad!) " I demand not of you any recompense for it (the toils of apostleship) save the love of (my) relatives...(42:23). Ordinance of God :And after returning from City of Mecca after his last or the parting Pilgrimage (Hajjatul Wida’) at a place called Ghadeer Khum this verse was revealed to The Holy Prophet Muhammad, which occupies a very important and a leading position in The Holy Qur'an and forms a very vital part of The Word of God: "O Apostle! deliver what has been Revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His Message, and Allah will you from the people, surely Allah will not guide the unbelieving people" (5:67rotect )Acknowledgement of Ali as the Successor: History reports how the Holy Prophet stopped the caravan, deliv-ered a long sermon, before a mammoth assemble of thousands of the pilgrims and he was standing there to convey the Message to the Muslims and to perform the duty he was ordered to perform.

Issue No 8 20014/080/1

Inside this issue:

Human Rights in Islam 2

Biography of Sayyi-dat Zaynab(as)

2

How Islam regards human rights

2

Concept of Wilayatul Faqih

3

Mosque, Impor-tance and manage-

4

Contents of the Issue

∗ The Quran, Prophet and Ahlul Bait (as)

∗ Worshiping

∗ Youth, and morals

∗ You and the society

∗ Education and Empow-erment.

∗ Islamic teachings

∗ Women and children

∗ Platform of scholars

THE AHLUL BAYT (AS)

Editorial The Guardianship

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P.O Box 73892 Kampala

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Continuing the sermon, he said:"O people! Shortly I shall be called (to the Heaven),I am leaving amidst you, two most precious things, worthy of obedience, The Book of Allah (The Holy Qur'an), and 'My Ahlul Bayt' (The members of his family, Ali and Fatima and their Godly offspring), Should ye be attached to these Two, Never shall ye get astray after me, for Verily these TWO will not separate from each other until they meet me at the Fountain of Kauthar (Paradise)."And then he called Ali Ibn Abi Talib and raising him with the miraculous strength of his apos-tolic arms declared: 'Man kunto Maulaho fa haaza Ali-yun Maulahu' that is: Whomsoever I am The Maula,(Lord, Master), This Ali is his Maula. And declared him as The Ameer ul Momeyneen(Commander of the faithful). Then the Prophet said "Go now, and let those who have been present here today repeat and convey to those who are absent all that they have seen and heard."Then the Prophet said "Go now, and let those who have been present here today repeat and convey to those who are absent all that they have seen and heard." Approval of The Religion: And immediately after this historic event, the Divine inspi-ration again descended revealing: "This day I per-fected for you, your religion, and have completed my favor on you and chosen for you ISLAM (to be ) the Religion", ….(5:3).Commandment To Believe: Mankind! Verily The Apostle Mohammed hath come unto you with TRUTH from your Lord. Believe then unto him, it is good for you and if you disbelieve then God is whatever is in the Heavens and the Earth and God is All Knowing, All Wise.(4:170).And We made them Imams (Leaders) by OUR Command and We revealed to them the doing of Good and the keeping up of Prayers and giving of the alms. (And Us)(Alone) did they serve (21:73)God is He who sent down The Book with Truth and The Balance. What shall make you know , haply the hour (of Reckoning) be nigh (42:17."The Two inseparable Associates each one of whom stands as a witness to the truth of the other." “Since the Ahlul Bayt carry as much weight in the eyes of Allah as The Holy Quran, the former has the same qualities as the latter. Just as the Qur'an is true from beginning to end without the shadow of untruth in it, and just as it is incumbent (duty) of every Muslim to obey its commands, so also must the Ahlul Bayt be perfectly true and sincere guides whose commands must be followed by all. Therefore there can be no escape of accepting their leader-ship and following their creed and faith. The Muslims are bound by the sayings of prophet to follow them and no one else.”2 Those who have faith in god and do righteous deeds they are the best of creatures (khairul barriya). (98:7) These are none but our Infallible Imams. “Peace And The Mercy Of God Be Upon Muhammad And His Descendants. • Lord Who distinguished Muhammad with Excellence• Entrusted them with Thy mission;• And favored them with Thy privi-lege (of intercession); • Who made them The Heirs to The Prophets;• Who sealed upon them the succession and Guardianship of the Religion;• Who taught them The knowl-edge of all what was and all that remains; • Who made the hearts for mankind yearn for them. Lord, Bless Muhammad and his descendants, The Pure Ones, and Do unto us what Thou art Worthy of doing in this world, and the hereafter. Verily Thou Has Power over all things

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Fātimah bint Mūsā' al-Kādhim known as: al-Ma‘sūmah ( the Innocent), the daughter of the 7th Imām Mūsā' al-Kādhim and sister of the eighth Imām, ‘Ali ar-Ridhā. Every year, thousands of Shia Muslims travel to Qom to honor visit her shrine, for supplication to Allah and asking for interces-sion Despite having being infallible, Fatima Masu-mah is not considered one of the 14 most holy infallibles. Yet, her brother Imam Ali al-Ridha gave her the title "Masumah", means infallible or sinless. However, she has her own reputation of holiness and wisdom. She is said to have been learned in various Islamic sciences and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (saww), and to have trans-mitted many hadiths from her family members. She is honored in many hadiths, or teachings, from Imams that proclaim the benevolence of visiting her shrine in Qom. Her brother Imam 'Ali al-Rida (as) stated that visiting the shrine of Fatima Masumeh is equal to visiting his own shrine in Mashhad, demonstrating his honor of his sister. More miracles are reported to occur at her shrine in Qom .Before she was born, Imams (AS) foretold about Fatima Masumah's holiness and piety. She was born into Shia legacy, raised under the care of two Imams- her father and her brother. She absorbed their knowledge and holi-ness. Fatima Masumeh was born in Medina in 173 AH and spent the first six years of her life learning alongside her father, Imam Musa al-Kadhim. she had a "special gift" of knowledge and spiritual awareness, since in childhood. When she was 10 ten years, Harun al-Rashid, the 5th caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate sent her father to prison. This separation was very difficult for Fatima, but her brother 'Ali 'Ali and Fatima are among Imam Musa al-Kadhim's 37 children, but they are the only two

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teachings of the Holy Prophet and never strove for power. Because of his great knowledge and fine teaching, the people gathered around him, giving devotion and respect that washis due. This excited the envy of the Abbasid ruler al-Mansur ad Dawaniqi, who fearing the popularity of the Imam, decided to do away with him. al-`Allamah at-Tabataba'i writes: Imam Ja'far ibn Muhammad, the son of the Fifth Imam, was born in 83/702. He died in148/765 according to Shiite tradition, poisoned and martyred through the intrigue of the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur. After the death of his father he became Imam by Divine Command and decree of those who came before him. During the Imamate of the Sixth Imam greater possibilities and a more favourable climate existed for him to propagate religious teachings. This came about as a result of revolts in Islamic lands, especially the uprising of the Muswaddah to overthrow the Umayyad caliphate, and the bloody wars which finally led to the fall and extinction of the Umayyads. The greater opportunities for Shiite teachings were also a result of the favourable ground the Fifth Imam had prepared during the twenty years of his Imamate through the propagation of the true teachings of Islam and the sciences of the Household of the Prophet. The Imam took advantage of the occasion to propagate the religious sciences until the very end of his Imamate, which was contemporary with the end of the Umay-yad and beginning of the Abbasid caliphates. He instructed many scholars in differ-ent fields of the intellectual and transmitted sciences, such as Zurarah ibn A'yan, Muhammad ibn Muslim, Muminu 't-nTaq, Hisham ibn al-Hakam, Aban ibn Taghlib, Hisham ibn Salim, Hurayz, Hisham al-Kalbi an- Nassabah and Jabir ibn Hayyan (the alchemist). Even some important Sunni scholars such as Sufyan ath-Thawri, Abu Hanifah, the founder of the Hanafi school of law, al-Qadi as- Sukuni, al-Qadi Abu '1-Bakhtari, and others, had the honour of being his students. It is said that his classes and sessions of instructions produced four thousand scholars of hadith and other sciences. The number of traditions preserved from the Fifth and Sixth Imams is more than all the hadith that have been recorded from the Prophet and the other ten Imams combined. But toward the end of his life the Imam was subjected to severe restrictions placed upon him by the `Abbasid \caliph al-Mansur, who ordered such torture and merciless killing of many of the descendants of the Prophet who were Shi`ite that his actions even surpassed the cruelty and heedless-ness of the Umayyads. At his order they were arrested in groups, some thrown into deep and dark prisons and tortured until they died, while others were beheaded or buried alive or placed at the base of or between walls of buildings, and walls were constructed over them. Hisham, the Umayyad caliph, had ordered the Sixth Imam to be arrested and brought to Damascus. Later, the Imam was arrested by as-Saffah, the Abbasid caliph, and brought to Iraq. Finally, al-Mansur had him arrested again and brought to Samarrah where he had the Imam kept under supervision, was in every way harsh and discourteous to him, and several times thought of killing him. Eventually the Imam was allowed to return to Medina where he spent the rest of his life in hiding, until he was poisoned and martyred through the intrigue of al-Mansur. Upon hearing the news of the Imam's martyrdom, al-Mansur wrote to the governor of Medina instructing him to go to the house of the Imam on the pretext of expressing his condolences to the family, to ask for the Imam's will and testament and read it. Whoever was chosen by the Imam as his inheritor and successor should be beheaded on the spot. Of course, the aim of al-Mansur was to put an end to the whole question of the Imamate and to Shi’ite aspirations. When the governor of Medina, following orders, read the last will and testament, he saw that the Imam had chosen four people rather than one to ad-minister his last will and testament: the caliph himself, the governor of Medina, `Abdullah Aftah, the Imam's older son, and Musa, his younger son. In this way the plot of al-Mansur failed. (Shi`ite Islam) Death: On 25th Shawwal 148 AH, the governor of Medina by the order of al-Mansur, got the Imam martyred through poison. The funeral prayer was conducted by his son Imam Musa al- Kazim, the Seventh Imam, and his body was laid to rest in the cemetery of Jannatu 'l-Baqi'.al-Imam as-Sadiq, peace be on him, said: One who has these five characteristics is the choicest of men: one who feels joy-ous when he does something good; one who repents when he does something bad; one who is grateful when he receives something from Allah; one who pa-tiently endures Allah's trials; one who forgives when he is done some injustice or wrong. closer to Allah: forgiving one who has wronged him; being generous to one who had deprived him; being kind to a kinsman who has not observed his rights of kinship. The true believer does not transgress the limits of fairness in a fit of anger; he does not do anything unjustifiable for the sake of favour to some; neither does he take more than his due

Ja`far Ibn Muhammad As-Sadiq (Peace be on him) Name: Ja'far. Title: as-Sadiq. Agnomen: Abu Abdillah. Father's name: Muhammad al-Baqir. Mother's name: Umm Farwah. Birth: In Medina, on Monday, 17th Rabi’ul-awwal 83A.H. Death: Died at the age of 65, in Medina on Monday, 25th Shawwal 148 AH; poisoned by al- Mansur ad-Dawaniqi, the `Abbasid caliph. The Holy Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq was the sixth in the succession of the twelve Apostolic Imams. His epithet was Abu `Abdillah and his famous titles were as-Sadiq, al-Fadil and at- Tahir. He was the son of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, the Fifth Imam, and his mother was the daughter of al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq was brought up by his grandfather, Imam Zaynu'1-Abidin in Medina for twelve years and then remained under the sacred patron-age of his father Imam Muhammad al-Baqir for a period of nineteen years. Imamate: After the death of his holy father in 114 AH, he succeeded him as the Sixth Imam, and thus the sacred trust of Islamic mission and spiritual guid-ance was relayed down to his custody right from the Holy Prophet through the succession of the preceding Imams. Political Condition: The period of his Imamate coincided with the most revo-lutionary and eventful era of Islamic history which saw the downfall of the Umayyad Empire and the rise of the Abbasid caliphate. The internal wars and political upheavals were bringing about speedy reshufflements in government. Thus, the Holy Imam witnessed the reigns of various kings starting from `Abdu '1-Malik down to the Umayyad ruler Marwan al-Himar. He further survived till the time of Abu 'l- Abbas as-Saffah and al-Mansur among the `Abbasids. It was due to the political strife between two groups viz., the Umayyads and `Abbasids for power that Imam was left alone undisturbed to carry out his devotional duties and peacefully carry on his mission to propagate Islam and spreading the teachings of the Holy Prophet. In the last days of the Umayyad rule, their Empire was tottering and was on the verge of collapse, and a most chaotic and demoral-ized state of affairs prevailed throughout the Islamic State. The `Abbasids ex-ploited such an opportunity and availing themselves of this political instability, assumed the title of "Avengers of Banu Hashim". They pretended to have stood for the cause of taking revenge on the Umayyads for shedding the innocent blood of the Holy Imam Husayn. The common people who were groaning under the yoke of the Umayyads were fed up with their atrocities and were secretly yearning for the progeny of the Holy Prophet to take power. They realized that if the leadership went to the Ahlu'l-bayt, who were its legitimate heir, the pres-tige of Islam would be enhanced and the Prophet's mission would be genuinely propagated. However, a group of the Abbasids secretly dedicated their lives to acampaign for seizing power from the hands of the Umayyads on the pretext that they were seizing it only to surrender it to the Banu Hashim. Actually, they were plotting for their own ends. The common people were thus deceived into supporting them and when these `Abbasids did succeed in snatching the power from the Umayyads, they turned against the Ahlu'l-bayt. Religious Condition:The downfall of the Umayyads and the rise of the Abbasids constituted the two principal plots in the drama of Islamic history. This was a most chaotic and revolutionary period when the religious morals of Islam had gone down and the teachings of the Holy Prophet were being neglected, and a state of anarchy was rampant. It was amidst such deadly gloom that the virtu-ous personage of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq stood like a beacon of light shedding its lustre to illuminate the ocean of sinful darkness around. The world got inclined towards his virtuous and admirable personality. Abu Salamah al-Khallal also offered him the throne of the caliphate. But the Imam keeping up the character-istic tradition of his ancestors flatly declined to accept it, and preferred to con-tent himself with his devotional pursuits and service to Islam. On account of his many debates with the priests of rival orders like Atheists, Christians, Jews, etc. Teachings: The versatile genius of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq in all branches of knowl-edge was acclaimed throughout the Islamic world, which attracted students from far-off places towards him till the strength of his disciples had reached four thousand. The scholars and experts in Divine Law have quoted many ahadith (traditions) from Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq. His disciples compiled hundred of books on various branches of science and arts. Other than fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), hadith (tradition), tafsir (exegesis of the Holy Qur'an), etc., the Holy Imam also imparted mathematics and chemistry to some of his disciples. Jabir ibn Hayyan at-Tusi, a famous scholar of mathematics, was one of the Imam's disciples who benefited from the \Imam's knowledge and guidance and was able to write four hundred books on different subjects. It is an undeniable historical truth that all the great scholars of Islam were indebted for their learning to the very presence of the Ahlu'l-bayt who were the fountain of knowledge and learning for all. al- Allamah ash-Shibli writes in his book Siratu'n-Nu`man: "Abu Hanifah remained for a considerable period in the attendance of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, acquiring from him a great deal of precious research on fiqh and hadith. Both the sects -Shi'ah and Sunni - believe that the source of Abu Hanifah's knowledge was mostly derived from his association with Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq." The Imam de-voted his whole life to the cause of religious preaching and propagation of the

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Advent of Imam Ja’afar Bin Muhammad Al-Swadiq (as)

Appearance of the Terminology. in the Holy Qur'an, the words wila’, muwalat, and tawalli are used many times. Icertain matters are set out under these headings, and, on the whole, it can be seen from contemplation of this purified text that from the vantage point of Islam there are two kinds of wila': negative and positive. on the other hand. "Wila", affirmative and Islamic, is in turn of two kinds: general wila’, and special wila’. This special wila’ is also of several different kinds. These are: a wila' of love, a wila' of Imam-ate, a wila' of social leadership, and a wila' of universal disposal. Here briefly, we shall discuss

each one of these. 1. Negative "Wila': Qur'an strongly warns Muslims against accepting fellowship with, and protection from, non-Muslims: not that it takes a bad view of love for other human beings, or sup-ports hatred by Muslims against non-Muslims in all circumstances, or is against kindness towards

them. The Qur’an explicitly says:﴾Allah does not

forbid you respecting those who have not

THE CONCEPT OF WILAYATUL FAQIH THE CONCEPT OF WILAYATUL FAQIH

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These examples are among tens of Qur’anic verses about social relations and social affairs in addition to a larger num-ber of the sayings of the Holy Prophet (S) and the pure Imams (‘a). Now, are these Qur’anic verses and traditions about personal matters and relation between man and God, or about people’s relation with one another and organizing social relations? If what is contained in these Qur’anic injunc-tions and narrations represent the core of Islam, can it be claimed that Islam has nothing to do with the administration of social affairs and has totally delegated people’ worldly affairs to themselves and only dealt with the hereafter, para-dise and hellfire? Fair-minded and rational people have no iota of doubt that Islam is not so. Of course, out of obsti-nacy, some people may ignore lots of things, but the explicit contents of Qur’anic verses are solid evidence of Islam’s involvement in political affairs and administration of society, and ignoring this fact is like ignoring the existence of the sun, which appears everyday in the sky, giving heat and light to the entire world. We can also examine if there are Qur’anic verses related to politics in another way. Therefore, it is possible to examine Qur’anic verses on the basis of the view that a government and political system should consist of three powers. In other words, it has been known that since the time of Montesquieu16 an administrative body has had three powers, viz. the legislative power, executive power, and judicial power. With this idea in mind, we can embark on examining whether or not the Holy Qur’an has dealt with questions related to each of these three powers. It is obvi-ous that if we find that there are verses related to each of these powers, the involvement of Islam in politics, and as a result, the political nature of Islam, will become mani-fest. The function of the legislative power is enactment of laws for managing society’s affairs—that is, under what spe-cific conditions the people should observe certain behaviour so that justice, security and order in society may govern, the rights of individuals not be trampled upon, and the society move toward reform and progress. Along with the legislative power is the executive power whose function is the execu-

tion of the laws enacted by the legislative body, which is represented by the cabinet and prime minister, or by the president and ministers. Finally, alongside these two powers, there is what is known as the judicial power or judiciary, which is neither a law-making body nor executor of laws. Instead, it assumes the responsibility of putting into effect the general laws in particular cases and adjudicat-ing the disputes that may occur between people or between people and government. Now, let us see whether or not the Qur’an has said some-thing about these subjects, mentioned something about these functions, and specified the pertinent duty of the Muslims, or whether it has delegated them to the Muslims themselves to do what they consider exigent and appropriate. Regarding the law-making function (that is, social laws), as we have said earlier and cited some examples about it, Islam and the Qur’an have dealt with this sub-ject by establishing civil laws, legal and penal laws, trade and transaction laws, and many others. Therefore, Islam takes care of the issues pertain-ing to country management including enactment of laws for the purpose of managing society’s affairs. In addition, the Qur’an has also mentioned that the Holy Prophet (S) has the right to lay down laws in certain cases in accordance with the conditions of the time and space and they have to be compatible with the changes in the conditions of the time and space, and made it incumbent on the people to comply with them. In this regard, the Qur’an states: “A faithful man or woman may not, when Allah and His Apostle have decided on a matter, have any option in their matter.”17 According to this verse, if God and the Prophet (S) decide something for the people and enjoin a matter, no one has the right to go against it. The Muslims have no prerogatives for

themselves against what has been decided by God and the Prophet (S). In other words, next to God’s commands and the confirmed divine laws, the law of the Prophet (S) has to be observed by all those living in a Muslim society under the banner of the Islamic government. No one has the right to oppose what the Prophet (S) has enacted and decided for the sake of the people or to set an alternative for one-self. The mentioned verse along with the verse “The Prophet is closer to the believers than their selves”18 represents the highest legal and executive position which may be given to a person. In Islam, this privilege has been bestowed to the Holy Prophet (S). Of course, the idea whether or not this position has been given to others after the Prophet (S) will be dealt with in the succeeding sec-tions of this book. We have so far noticed that Islam and the Qur’an assign special importance to the function of legislative power, and apart from the enactment of social laws, the Qur’an has given the Prophet (S) the right of making laws under different circumstances and has made it incumbent on people to observe these laws. Similarly, we have noticed that the purport of the two mentioned verses (Surah al-Ahzab 33, verses 6 and 36) include some ideas about the function of executive power and implemen-tation of these laws. As for the judicial power and the idea of adjudicating disputes and conflicts, which constitute another dimension of governance and politics, they have been given attention by the Holy Qur’an, which states, hence: “But no, by your Lord! They will not believe until they make you a judge in their disputes, then do not find within their hearts any dissent to your verdict and submit in full submission.”19 Not only has the very question of adjudication which is the function of judicial power been established in Islam, but it has also been made a requisite of faith. With the special emphasis (implied by the negative swearing in the Qur’an), it swears that “The people will not attain faith unless they take you as the judge in their disputes and come to you for adjudication (and not to refer to other people) and when you give judgment, they should......To be continued

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The Second Way of coming to Know God

The Outer Way

With a quick glance at the world that we live in, we realize that the world is not in chaos and disorder. Rather, all phenomena are in motion moving towards a clear and determined direction. The facilities of the world are like a great army which has been divided into well organized units which move in a determined direction. The following points will clarify any ambi-guities: 1. In order to come into being and to remain, every living creature must be a part of a series of laws and special conditions. For instance, for a tree to be, water and suitable soil and a specific temperature are necessary for us to plant seeds and nourish them and each seed to become green and grow. If these conditions do not exist, there is no possibility for growth and the choosing of these conditions and proving the necessary preliminaries re-quires an intellect and knowledge. 2. Every creature has a special effect which is exclusive to it. Water and fire each have their own particularities which do not separate from them and they constantly follow permanent laws. 3. All of the members (organs) of living creatures work and are coordinated with each other. As an example, this very human body, which is itself a world, all works together consciously and unconsciously in a special coordi-nation. For instance, if a danger arises, all are mobilized for defence. This relationship and cooperation is another sign of the order in the universe. 4. One look at the world scene makes it clear that not only are all organs of one body of one living creature in coordination with each other, but all the various creatures of the world are also in special coordination with each other. For instance, for the nourishment of living creatures, the sun shines, clouds bring rain and the earth and resources of the earth also help.

This all shows the existence of one clear system in the universe. The Relationship of Order and Intellect This truth is clear for everyone’s conscience that whenever order exists in a facility, this shows intellect, thought, a plan and a goal. The Rela-tionship of Order and Intellect This truth is clear for everyone’s conscience that whenever order exists in a facility, this shows intellect, thought, a plan and a goal Because whenever a human being sees order, permanent laws and a reckoning of things, he or she knows that beside that source, knowledge and power must also be sought and in understanding this, in one’s conscience, he or she does not see need for reasoning. He or she knows that a blind person or an illiterate person can never type a good essay or write a social or critical article, that a child of two years old can never paint beautiful and valuable painting by the drawing of lines on a piece of paper. Rather, if we see a good essay or read a good article, we know that a person who is literate or if we have seen very beautiful paintings, we will have no doubt that an expert painted them even if we have never met or seen that painter. Thus, wherever there is a sense of order, beside that, there has been an intellect and however much larger that system be, it is more accurate and more interesting, the knowledge which brings that into being in the same proportion is greater. Sometimes, in order to prove this issue that every system needs a source of knowledge, the law of probabilities, which has been achieved in high mathematics is used to prove that, for instance, if an illiterate individual wants to type an article or an essay or a poem by randomly pressuring on the keys of the machine, accord-ing to the law of probabilities, this will take millions of years to attain for which one lifetime . The Holy Qur’an says: “Soon will We show them Our Signs upon the horizons and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that Thy Nourisher is aware of all things.” (41:53) Think and Answer 1. Give a few examples (other than those presented in the story) about industrial units, the observation of which shows the existence of a Creator of the world Who is Aware. 2. What is the difference between ‘horizons’ and ‘souls’? Give examples of God in the ‘horizons’ and within one’s own ‘soul’.

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Page 4 The Guardianship To Serve and Save

From previous issue Performance assessment The madrasah should support a system of continuous and comprehensive assessment. ‘Continuous’ in the sense that assessment goes on throughout the year, and ‘comprehensive’ in the sense that it covers not just the materials taught, but also Islamic behaviour and conduct. With this in mind, teachers could hold regu-lar tests, give homework assignments (but remember-ing that pupils going to mainstream schools will already be doing homework). Teachers should also evaluate behaviour in the class and, more generally, during the madrasah hours. Parent-teacher meetings: The madrasah should con-stantly be in touch with parents and make frequent appointments to discuss their child’s progress. One-to-one meetings should be arranged, to help parents understand the progress so far and what actually is being taught in the madrasah. Open and continuous communication with the family will help in the three-sided teaching approach. Recognition and reward: Excellence, determination, commitment and passion should be recognised and rewarded. Positive behaviour, and keeping to madrasah rules and values, should be appreciated regularly with prizes and tangible rewards. This will help create a winning and motivating atmosphere. The types of rewards could include certificates, books or gift vouch-ers. Rules and regulations:The rules and regulations of the madrasah should be written down and given to all pupils when they join the madrasah. You should also put up notices showing the rules in places where stu-dents can easily see them inside the madrasah. It is also a good idea to give a copy of the rules to parents. Different people should be responsible for: pupils, parents teachers. madrasah management. These responsibilities should be written down, and you should give a copy of the documents to parents and pupils when they join the madrasah. This gives you a system that is clear and open, and tells parents and pupils what to expect. Lesson planning It is unfortunate that people may assume that the standard of subjects taught in the madrasahs should be

In view of the above, it is important the mosque and madrasah management offer access to the following training courses: 1.Learning and teaching methodologies and approaches.2.Positive discipline and class management.3.Islamic education and studies.4.Psyche, development and growth of children.5.Observation and assessment methods. Counselling, moti-vation and personal effectiveness. These courses are available in most local colleges or higher educational institutions. ACTION. The mosque should make an allowance in its budget so that it can invest in the human development of the teachers and Imams in the mosque. It is expected that teachers of the Islamic sciences continue to develop their under-standing of the Islamic faith through ap-propriate methods. Child protection: Madrasahs, like any other organisation, have a responsibility to communicate any concerns about a child’s welfare. It is therefore vital that madrasahs develop and maintain aware-ness about child protection issues among voluntary staff and specifically the teach-ers who are in direct contact with chil-dren. This is to make sure that staff have the skills they need, and the knowledge of local procedures, to recognise abuse and tell the relevant agencies. You may want to think about training someone in the area of child protection. You can get help from local agencies if you don’t think you have anyone qualified to do the training. But the sooner you develop a policy on child protection the better it is for the madrasah. You need to have clear guide-lines on child protection, and on appro-priate methods of disciplining students. Parents trust madrasah administrators with the education and welfare of their children during their time in the ma-drasah. This responsibility covers many aspects of the child’s development and

Affective Muslim

From previous Issue

1) Pray the Nafila (sunna) Prayers before and/or any Prayer: I know it’s easier to just pray the obligatory prayers and rush out of the mosque! However, when we realize the rewards we’re missing from not praying these Nafila prayers we won’t leave them. Over the years I have learnt there’s only ONE way of getting yourself to pray these Sunnah prayers constantly: Get into the habit of praying them! They’ll soon become part and parcel of your Swalah and your Swalah will

feel incomplete without performing these acts. 2) Remembrance of Allah in any Swalah: Again, it’s easy to rush out after Swalah due to our busy lives, though if we are honest, how long does it take to recite the supplications after Swalah? (The Answer: 5-7minutes!). If you’re not sure what I’m referring to, you may and the supplications here. Nowadays you’ll and pocket notebooks/or phone applications with these supplications. Get into the habit of reciting them daily after each Swalah to

enrich your Swalah experience. 3) Morning/Evening Remembrance of Allah: Step 2 is also included in this habit. There exists a beauti-ful set of duas/remembrances from the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad and Ahlul Bayt (AS) which he used to say before sunrise and after sunset. They are true stress relievers and energy boosters which never fail to make my days and

evenings feel blessed. 4) Night Prayer: Hamdulillah, during Ramadan we have the wonderful 1000 Rakat of prayers we should attend to. However, outside of Ramadan there are many opportunities to still obtain the reward of the night prayer. If you’re new to night prayer or you don’t pray it constantly during the year, make sure you try to attend prayers each and every night in congregation at the mosque (particularly brothers), and give yourself a ‘no-excuse’ policy. Develop a habit of praying Tahajjud and continuing to pray them for anentire 30 days; this will set you on better footing to continue with the Night Prayer for the rest of the year

inshaAllah. 5) Recommended Nafila of all Prayers: Here’s a Productive Muslim’s top secret to a productive day: 2 rak’ahs before Fajar,4 before and after Dhuhur, 8 before Asir, 2 after Madgrib and 2 after Isha. The reward of this prayer is similar to giving charity on behalf of every bone in your body, and the energy and buzz you feel during the day is amazing. 6) Supplications before you Sleep: You’ve just had a long day and you’re super tired. You climb into bed and you want to hit the sack… but wait! Before you do, can you give yourself just 10 more minutes to recite the supplications before sleeping? That’s all. Try them and yourself experiencing the most beautiful sleep ever and waking up for Fajr easily, Insha'Allah. 7) Reciting one hour of Quran each day: Notice: I said here recite one hour of! Quran!Each day and not one juz’ or one Surah. The amount of Quran! you read is not as important as the quality of your understanding. If you spend one hour reciting one verse but understand it fully, that’s more important and bene$cial then reciting lots of Quran at break-neck speed yet not understanding a word.

Imam Ali (as) said

When asked on the unity

of Allah and his justice;

Unity means that you do

not subject Him to the

limitation of your

Imagination, and justice

means that you should

not lay any blame on

Him

Contentment Of Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s) Hisham was deeply inimical to Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s). He was always in the dread that the Imam would gather the followers of Ali and rise up in revolt against him and he was always thinking up of a way to distance the Imam from Medina and keep him at Damascus under his surveil-lance. Once he sent the message to the Imam that since he was spending life under such difficult financial circumstance be should come over to Damas-cus. Hisham told him that he would provide the Imam with a magnificent house and fix for him sufficient pension so that his life passes in peace and com-fort. He also said that for the time being he was sending one thousand gold coins to the Imam. When the messengers of Hisham conveyed Hisham's message and placed the bag of gold coins before Imam (a.s) his face became red with anger and he said, “When have I expressed my financial problems to Hisham or his agents? By Allah! This tattered mat and old worn-out cloak of mine is much better than the kingdom of Hisham. We have no need for material wealth. We have no desire for comfort and luxuries. Take these gold coins back and tell him that wherever and in whichever condition I am, it is better for me.”

The Guardianship Editorial

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The Wedding Night: Wedding Night A°māl It is narrated from the Prophet (S): “The doors of Heaven to mercy will be opened in four situations: when it rains; when a child looks kindly at his parent’s face; when the door of the Ka°bah is opened; and when marriage (occurs).”1 As indicated by the above tradition, the concept of marriage in Islam is so sacred and valued, that the doors of Allāh (SwT)’s mercy are open on this occasion. Indeed, this is not surprising when one considers that marriage secures a large portion of one’s faith and protects it from the evil of Satan, as narrated from the Prophet (S): “There is not a single young person that gets married during his youth, except that his Satan cries out that ‘Woe onto him, woe onto him, he has protected two thirds of his faith from me’; therefore, mankind must have taqwā (God-Consciousness) in Allāh (SwT) to protect the remaining one third of his faith.” It is therefore essential that a couple, when embarking on this step, take utmost care to protect the sanctity of this sacred union and do not taint it from the start by allowing the occasion of marriage to become a source of sin and extrava-gance. In particular, the wedding night is the first night that a man and woman come together as husband and wife, and it is highly recommended that they form this union with the intention of obtaining the nearness and pleasure of Allāh (SwT) and perform the recommended amaal for this night. At this point it is necessary to take a look at what state the ‘mistress of the women of the worlds’, Haďrat Fāťima (sa) had on the night of her wedding, and how she started her life with her husband, Imām °Alī (as) the wedding night, Imām °Alī (as) Haďrat Fāťima (sa) upset and in tears, and asked her why she was in this state. She replied: “I thought about my state and actions and remembered the end of life and my grave; that today I have gone from my father’s house to your house, and another day I will go from here to the grave and the Day of Judgement (Qiyāmat). Therefore, I swear by you to Allāh (SwT); come let us stand for Ŝalāt so that we can worship Allāh (SwT) together in this night.”3 The following A°māl are recom-mended for this night:1. Try to be in Wuďū for as much of the night as possible, and especially during the amaals below. 2. Begin by praising Allāh (SwT), then say Allāhu Akbar ,( أ�ُ أَ��ر ( followed by a Ŝalawāt3. Recite a two Rak°at Ŝalāt, with the intention of ‘Mustaĥab Qurbatan Allāh (SwT)’ a recommended prayer, seeking the pleasure of Allāh (SwT)], followed by a Ŝalawāt. 4. Recite the following Du°ā, followed by a Ŝalawāt. First the groom should recite it, after Which the bride should say: Ilāhī Amīn [May Allāh (SwT) accept this]. “O Allāh (SwT)! Bless me with her affection, love and her acceptance of me; and make me pleased with her, and bring us together in the best form of a union and in absolute harmony; surely You like lawful things and dislike unlawful things.” 5. Even if a couple are not intending to conceive on the wedding night, it is recommended that the following Du°ās are recited for righteous children (whenever they are conceived): a. The groom should then place his right palm on the bride’s forehead facing Qibla and recite: “O Allāh! I have taken her as Your trust and have made her lawful for myself by Your words. Therefore, if you have decreed for me a child from hver, then make him/her blessed and pious from among the followers of the family of Muĥam-mad; and do not let the Satan have any part in him/her.” b. The following Du°ā should also be recited: “O Allāh! I have made her lawful for myself with Your words, and I have taken her in Your trust. O Allāh! Make her fertile and devoted.” 6. The groom should wash the bride’s feet and sprinkle that water in all the four corners of the room and house. Allāh (SwT) will remove 70,000 types of poverty, 70,000 types of blessings will enter the house and 70,000 blessings will come upon the bride and groom.