Imam Kadhim (a.s.) at Hajj

He decided to perform Hajj; however, his intention was not to benefit from it, but to show off his power; nevertheless, he was negligent that he had to circumambulate the sanctuary of the Absolute Power. As he entered Masjid al-Haram, the guards started opening the way for him so that he could perform the rituals. In fact, nobody dared to precede Harun al-Rashid (1), the Abbasid Caliph, in the rituals.
Meanwhile, another person who was also circulating around the Kaaba was pushed away by a guard. In return, he shouted with a loud voice that could be heard by Harun, ”Allah has made all his servants equal in this place”, and then he recited the following verse from the Holy Quran with the same stress: “We have made equally for all men, (for) the dwellers therein and (for) the visitors…”(2)
The man continued performing his rituals without any fear from the Caliph, as he was confident in Someone else. He actually preceded the Caliph in all the rituals. When the Caliph noticed the man’s courage and bravery, he sent someone after him. The man responded by saying, ”I have no business with him. If he needs me, he has to come to me”. After hearing this respond, Harun said, ”He is right”, and went to him.
First, Harun greeted him and got the response. Then, he said to the man, ”Woe on to you! You have harmed the Caliph of the Muslims”. Then, he continued, ”I have a question for you. If you can not answer it, I will punish you”. The man replied, ”I am ready to answer”.
Harun asked, “What is your duty to Allah (SWT)?”
The man replied, ”1, 5, 17, 34, 94, 153, 1 out of 12, 1 out of 40, 1 out of 200, 1 in lifetime, and one for one”. Harun laughed mockingly and said, ”I ask you about obligatory deeds and you count numbers for me?” The man answered, ”Do you not know that religion is all about taking accounts, and if it were no accounts in religion, Allah (SWT) would not hold his slaves accountable?” Then he recited the following verse from the Holy Quran:” …And though there be the weight of a grain of mustard seed (of good or bad deeds), (yet) will We bring it, and sufficient are We to take account” (3).
Next, he continued by saying, ”As for the one, it is the religion of Islam; the five refers to the five prayers in a day; the 17 means the number of Rak’ats of prayers per day; thirty four is the number of Sajdahs (prostrations) ninety four refers to the number of Takbirs (glorification) in prayers; and One hundred and fifty three is the number of Tasbihs (sanctification) in the prayers of a day. As for one out of twelve, I referred to the fasting of one month, the month of Ramadan, out of the twelve months in each year; one out of forty specifies the portion of Zakat (alms) each person has to pay; five out of two hundred mentions the portion of money that has to be offered to the poor; once in lifetime refers to the obligatory Hajj each Mustati (one who can afford) person has to perform once in his/her lifetime; and the one for one specifies that whoever kills a person has to be killed, as Allah (SWT) says,” … life for life…”(4)”
At this point, Harun became excited from the man’s answer…After that, as the man exited Masjid al-Haram, a group followed him and asked about his name. It was then revealed that the honorable man was Musa ibn Ja’far, Imam Kadhim (PBUH).
When Harun got the news, he said, ”I swear to God I knew that such a person could be no one but the fruit of the blessed tree (of Prophethood)” (5).
Footnotes:
1. Harun was the most powerful of Abbasid Caliph whose kingdom spread half of the world then. Imam Kadhim (PBUH) was severely poisoned and martyred by this oppressor Caliph
2. The Holy Quran, (22:25)
3. The Holy Quran, (21:47)
4. The Holy Quran, (5:45)
5. Manaaqib of Ibn Shahr Ashub, vol. 4, p. 312

Offers condolences to you upon 25th of Rajab, the anniversary of the martyrdom of the 7th star of Wilayah, the door of requests, Imam Musa ibn Ja’far (PBUH)

Hazrat Ali (a.s.) and Number

One day a person came to Ali (a.s.), thinking that since Ali thinks he is too smart, I'll ask him such a tough question that he won't be able to answer it and I'll have the chance to embarrass him in front of all the Arabs. He asked 'Ali (a.s.), tell me a number, that if we divide it by any number from 1-10 the answer will always come in the form of a whole number and not as a fraction.' Hazrat Ali (a.s.) Looked back at him and said, 'Take the number of days in a year and multiply it with the number of days in a week and you will have your answer.'
The person got astonished but as he was a Mushrik he still didn't believe Ali (a.s.). He calculated the answer Ali (a.s.) gave him. To his amazement he came across the following results:
The number of Days in a Year = 360 (in Arabic Calendar)
The Number of Days in a Week = 7
The product of the two numbers = 2520
2520 divide by 1 = 2520
2520 divide by 2 = 1260
2520 divide by 3 = 840
2520 divide by 4 = 630
2520 divide by 5 = 504
2520 divide by 6 = 420
2520 divide by 7 = 360
2520 divide by 8 = 315
2520 divide by 9 = 280
2520 divide by 10= 252

Imam Musa al-Kadhim (a.s.) & Mansur

One Nawroz day, Mansur Dawaaniqi, the Abbasid Caliph who took over the caliphate after his brother Abu al-A’bbas Saffaah, ordered Imam Musa Kadhim (a.s.) to present himself in the gathering of the Eid of Nawroz. This was so that the people could come and greet him and offer their gifts to him, which he should accept.
The Imam (a.s.) told Mansur, “Nawroz is the customary Eid of the Iranians and nothing has been said about it in Islam.”
To which Mansur replied, “This act is politically motivated and is intended to keep my soldiers happy. I place you under the oath of the Great God that you accept my request and present yourself at that gathering.”
The Imam (a.s.) agreed and arrived at the assembly. The army generals, nobles and the common masses arrived in his august presence, greeted him, and presented their gifts to him.
In the meantime, Mansur had ordered one of his slaves to position himself near the Imam (a.s.) and maintain a record of the money and gifts presented to him. The last person who had come to meet the Imam (a.s.) was an old man, who said to him:
“O’ Son of the Messenger of Allah! I am an impoverished person and lack the money to present you with gifts, but my gift for you today are three verses of elegy, which my grandfather had composed for your grandfather, Husain Ibn A'li(a.s.).”
Having said this, he then recited the verses.
The Imam (a.s.) responded appreciatively, saying, “I have accepted your gift,” after which he prayed for the man.
Then, turning to the slave, he instructed, “Go to Mansur, inform him of these gifts and ask him what has to be done about them?”
The slave did as he was told and upon returning, said to the Imam (a.s.):
“The Caliph has said: I have given them to you (Imam Musa Kadhim) as gifts. Spend them as you desire.”
The Imam (a.s.) told the old man, “Take these riches and gifts, for I am giving them all to you as gifts.”

Azazeel

His name was Azazeel. He is also known as Iblees. He used to pray a lot and even used to give lectures to the angels. One day there was a notice in the heavens which said that someone was going to be ordered out of the heavens. All the angels were very worried because they thought it might be one of them. They went to Jibrael who was one of the most important angels to ask him whether he could do anything. Jibrael said he too was worried because it might be himself. Jibrael suggested that they go to Azazeel because he was very clever. Azazeel told them not to worry at all for the would pray to Allah for all of them. He forgot himself thinking he was the best and it could never be him. He had kibr (pride). Allah made the first human being - Prophet Adam (as). He asked all the angels including Azazeel to do sajdah to Prophet Adam (as). Iblees disobeyed Allah and refused to do sajdah saying that he was better than Prophet Adam (as) and so he would not do sajdah."I am made out of fire and he is made out of earth!" he told Allah. You see, he was only looking at the outside and not the inside and more important, he disobeyed Allah. He was ordered out of heaven.

(thanks Ehtesham)

Lower Your Gaze

"There was a companion of ours in Glasgow who became ill and was hospitalized. He was admitted for three days and on the fourth day the attendant nurse said, "Marry me".He [the brother in Glasgow] asked, "Why? I am a Muslim, you and I cannot become companions."She said, "I will become Muslim"."What's the reason?" it was asked.She said, "In all my time that I have served in hospitals, except you, I have never seen a man lower his gaze in front of a woman. In my life you are the first person who lowers his gaze when seeing a woman. I come, and you close your eyes. Such great modesty can be taught by none other than a true religion."The protection of one's gaze entered Islam in her. She testified to the Oneness of Allah and became a Muslim. They both got married. By now, the same woman was and is the means of bringing so many other girls and women into Islam.

In a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported as having said: "And the eyes commit zina (adultery). Their zina is gazing."The Prophet Muhammad (saw) commanded Imam Ali (as) said: "Ali! Do not look once after another, for the first look is for you (since it happens accidentally) while the second is against you."

Showing Off

Informing People of Worship
In the tribe of Bani Isra`il, there lived a worshipper who after years of worship, requested Allah to manifest to him his rank and status, and prayed: 'O' Lord! If my deeds are to Your liking, I would strive further in performing good deeds, but if not, then I would want to make amends for it before death overtakes me, and engage myself (more) in acts of worship.'
In his dreams he was informed: 'In the eyes of Allah, you do not possess any good deed.' Perturbed, he exclaimed: 'O' Allah! Where then have my deeds gone?' It was said to him: 'You do not possess any deed, for whenever you performed a good deed, you informed the people of it. Therefore, the pleasure that you derived out of informing them of your acts is your reward for those acts.' This disturbed him immensely and left him greatly saddened.
For the second time, he was informed in his dreams: 'Now purchase your life from Us. Give charity equivalent to the number of veins in your body, every day!'
He pleaded: 'O' Lord! How can I give such a large amount in charity when I do not possess anything?'
He heard: 'We do not impose any duty on a soul except in the measure of its ability. Recite the following three hundred and sixty times daily; every word of it is charity for a vein of your body:
Subhan Allahi, Wal Hamdu Lillahi, Wa La Ilaha Illallahu, Wallahu Akbar, Wa La Haul Wa La Quwwata Illa Billah.' (Arabic in attachment)
The worshipper, who was overjoyed to hear these words, said: 'Grant me more than this', whereupon it was said to him: 'The more you recite the more reward you shall earn. 'Reference: Anecdotes for Reflection, vol 3, Showing off, Pg 57.

Explanation of above anecdote

Showing off is a tree that comes into existence as a result of hypocrisy and whose fruit is nothing but concealed polytheism. It is exhibited before entities that neither have the ability to grant life and death, nor the authority to fulfil the needs of any person.On the Day of Judgment, at the time of reckoning, it will be said to a person who showed off: "Collect the rewards of your deeds from those, whom you had made partners to Me and for whom you had performed your deeds!!"Showing off usually occurs in gatherings and with respect to clothes and acts of worship. Thus, it is essential to remain attentive towards and heedful of Allah in order to purge our interiors of this satanic vice.

Answers from the Holy Prophet (pbuh)

A traveller once came to the Masjid to see the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) after greeting the prophet, he was asked where he was from. The traveller replied that he came from very far just to get a few questions answered. Following is the dialogue between the traveler and the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH ),
Traveller : I do not want adhab (punishments) to be written in my account.
Prophet : Behave well with your parents
Traveller : I want to be known amongst people as an inteligent person.
Prophet : Fear Allah (Jalla Jalalah), always.
Traveller : I want to be counted amongst Allah's favourites.
Prophet : Recite Quran every morning and evening.
Traveller : I want my heart to always be enlightened. ( Munawer )
Prophet : Never forget death.
Traveller : I never want to be away from Allah's blessing.
Prophet : Always treat fellow creatures well.
Traveller : I never want to be harmed by my enemies.
Prophet : Always have faith in only Allah.
Traveller : I never want to be humiliated.
Prophet : Be careful of your actions.
Traveller : I wish to live long.
Prophet : Always do sile rahm. (Goodness towards blood Relations)
Traveller : I want my sustenance to increase.
Prophet : Always be in wudhoo.
Traveller : I wish to stay free of adhab in the grave.
Prophet : Always wear pure (paak) clothes.
Traveller : I never want to be burned in hell.
Prophet : Control your eyes and tongue.
Traveller : How do I get my sins forgiven?
Prophet : Always ask forgiveness from Allah with a lot of humility.
Traveller : I want people to respect me always.
Prophet : Never extend your hands of need at people.
Traveller : I want to always be honoured.
Prophet : Never humiliate or put down anyone.
Traveller : I don't want to be squeezed by fishare qabr.(Squeezing in the grave)
Prophet : Recite Surat Al Mulk (The Dominion) often.
Traveller : I want my wealth to increase.
Prophet : Recite surat el Waqiah (The Inevitable) every night.
Traveller : I want to be safe and at peace on Day of Judgment.
Prophet : Do zikr (Praises) of Allah from dusk to night.
Traveller : I want to be in full attention & concentration during prayers.
Prophet : Always do wudhoo with concentration and attention.

Advice from Satan

After Prophet Nuh (a.s.) had disembarked from his ark, the Satan approached him and said: "You have greatly obliged me and so I wish to thank you for your obligation and give you something in exchange!"

Nuh (a.s.) said: "I am indisposed to the fact that I oblige you and you recompense me for it. Anyway, go on and tell me the truth."

Satan said: "Indeed I have to strive hard and exert myself before I can lead one person astray, but you cursed the people and all of them were destroyed and so, at least at present, I am at ease till another community is born and reaches the age of responsibility before I invite them towards disobedience (of Allah)!! Now, in reciprocation of your good deed, I shall give you a word of advice. Stay away from three attributes:

Firstly - never exhibit arrogance, for it was because of this vice that I did not prostrate before your father, Adam and was expelled from the presence of Allah.

Secondly - stay away from greed, for it was this due to this that Adam consumed the wheat and was deprived of Paradise.

Thirdly - distance yourself from envy, for it was because of this vice that Qabil killed his brother Habil and eventually perished as a result of Divine punishment."

Reference:

• Anecdotes for Reflection, Vol 3, Satan, Anecdote 1, Pg 88

Why do I read Qur'an?

Why do we read Quran, even if we can't understand a single Arabic word???? This is a beautiful story.
An old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Quran. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Quran just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Qur'an do?"
The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.
The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.
At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"
"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.
"Son, that's what happens when you read the Qur'an. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah in our lives."

70 names of a dog in Arabic Language

It is said that the great poet and linguist of the eleventh century, Abul-Ala Al-Miary, who was blind, stumbled into one of the princes at the court of Saleh ibn Mirdas, the autonomous ruler of Northern Syria. The noble guest lost his temper, especially because the poet was poor, and poor poets, are not supposed to stumble into rich nobility! So the guest called the poet an ignorant dog. Abul-Ala answered swiftly: “the dog among us is the one who does not know seventy names for the dog!” Of course the noble guest, the prince and half the linguists of the court could not count so many names. Later on, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when the preservation of the language became an obsession, the seventy names were listed. They were not quite synonymous, for they did not all simply mean: “dog”, rather, they were descriptions of a dog’s conditions; an angry dog had a name different from a joyful one, the dog that had one ear pointing up and the other down had a name different from the one who had both ears up or both ears down. What is true of the dog is true of most other creatures.