Synopsis:
Towards the end of Ibn Qutaybah's Kitab al-Ma'arif, there is a section on "al-Baras" where he lists notable people who contracted leprosy or leukoderma during their lifetime. The first entry is for Anas b. Malik, the Companion of the Prophet (s), and the author notes an incident showing that the reason for this disease was a curse by Imam 'Ali (a).
According to the published Egyptian edition, there is a sentence at the end of the ...
By:Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi
"Barzakh" literally means 'barrier'. In the Qur'an, it has been used for the period between death and the Day of Resurrection.
"And behind them is the Barzakh (barrier) till the Day they will be Resurrected". (Qur'an, 23:100).
Our 6th Imam (A) has said that "We will intercede on your behalf on the Day of Judgement; but by Allah, I am worried about you for the period when you would be in Barzakh".[12][13]
Imam ...
The demolition of Jannatul-Baqi on 8 Shawwal,1345AH(April 21,1925) at the hands of Al-e-Saud was a great tragedy in the history of Islam. Jannat-ul-Baqi is simply a graveyard but Muslims all over the world attach it a high importance because it is situated in Madinat-ur-Rasool Where besides great companions of prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h)his infallible progenitor Imam Hasan Ibn Ali (2nd Imam), Imam Ali Ibn Al-Husayn (4th imam), Imam Muhammad Ibn ...
The eighth among the Greater Sins is to usurp the property of an orphan who has not attained maturity.
This is categorized as a Greater sin by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.), Imam Ali (a.s.), Imam Reza (a.s.), Imam Kazim (a.s.) and Imam Taqi (a.s.). It is a sin, the punishment of which is fixed by Allah to be the fire of Hell.
The Quran says, "(As for) those who swallow the property of the orphans unjustly, surely they only swallow fire into ...
The tenth Greater sin is adultery (zina) according to the traditions of Masoomen (a.s.). Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.), Imam Musa al-Kazim (a.s.), Imam Ali Reza (a.s.) and Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.) have all described it as a Greater Sin.
In the following ayat the Almighty says: "And they who do not call upon another god with Allah and do not slay the soul which Allah has forbidden except in the requirements of justice, and (who) do not commit ...
Even though the belief in Allah and the fear of His retribution is present in man, he is still prone to sins. It is not that one who believes in Allah cannot sin. For example, who does not know that a dead body cannot cause any harm? Everyone firmly believes in it. Yet how many people can stay alone with a corpse at night? Here a firm belief is unable to rid the man of his fear of the dead. Even a firm belief cannot guarantee one's actions. It ...
We know that the Divine mission of prophethood is a great rank endowed upon some of the purified distingished members of the human race. Since the purpose of prophethood is the comprehensive guidance ruling over the body and spirit of individuals, and society, toward perfection and the laying down of a legal system and social order for mankind, the assumption of responsibility involved is necessarily heavy and taxing. So, it requires great ...
Sorcery and soothsaying are evil
To comprehend the evil of magic and soothsaying it is enough to know the numerous frauds, crimes, thefts and cheating committed through them. The sorcerer discontinues all the good actions and concentrates only on performing satanic rituals. He commits adultery with a married woman, sometimes he kills a person or drinks human blood. He shows disrespect to the things that Allah has made respectful. For example, ...
By: Ayatullah Shaheed Sayyid Abdul Husain DastghaibYawma…Afwaajaa (Surah Nabaa: 78, V: 18) meaning: The day the Trumpet will be blown and you will come up in various groups.It is mentioned in Tafseer Maj Ma Ul Bayaan that Muaaz asked for the explanation of this verse from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) who replied: You have asked a very important thing. Then the eyes of the Holy Prophet became tearful. He said: On the Day of Judgement, my ...
Kant's Critique of Empirical Evidence
Kant raises a powerful objection to any theory that claims to grasp knowledge of God. He claims that in terms of knowledge there can be no jump from the physical to the metaphysical. Kant distinguishes between noumanal and phenomenal objects. The noumena are objects that lie beyond all possible experience, and the phenomena are the ones we directly experience. Hence, for him the metaphysical is the noumenal ...
As it is Wajib to fulfill the rights of the parents, it is also necessary to give them due respect and honour. Numerous traditions have been recorded from the Ahlul-bayt (a.s.)
1) One must not address the parents by their names. However, they can be addressed by their title or kunniyat. 2) One must not precede them while walking, nor should one sit down before them. 3) While having meals one should not begin before the parents. Hazrat Imam ...
In this section of the supplication, reference is made to two terms that have had huge impact on the spread of the faith:
1. Love; and
2. The migration of God’s lovers to Ethiopia.
The editor of the commentary Al-Minar, who is distinguished among Arab
Scholars, in describing the meaning of enmity(hatred) and love, on page 2 of his seventh volume of his commentary, under the fifty eighth verse of the Surah Maidah(Qur’an 5:58), ...
Divinity of JesusA concise reply to Christianity
A Muslim believes in the religion of Jesus, but sees mainline Christianity as a religion constructed about Jesus. Our protest is against two particular excesses. The apotheosis of Jesus. That is, the deification of a man, and the most frequent missionary tactics which are directed towards Muslims.
To deal with the first item, and much later on the second, Christians and Muslims who learn ...
O' my Lord! Do not discipline me by Your punishment, And do not plot against me in Your stratagem (wa la tamkur bi fi heelatik). From where do I obtain the bounties, O' Lord, while none can be found except with You, And how can I seek salvation while it can be granted by none but You, Neither can the good-doer do without Your help and mercy, nor can the sinful one who offended You (when sinning), and displeased You, bypass the realm of Your ...
The following tradition is indicative of the fact that murder is a Greater Sin.
Regarding the killing of a believer, Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says: At the time of his death the killer is told. 'Die as you wish, die as a Jew or a Christian or as a Magian.' (Al Kafi)
Another tradition: "A believer is free in the vast expanse of his belief till he colours his hands with the blood of a Momin."
Imam (a.s.) further says: "One who kills a ...
It should be known that in accordance with the view(surrounding) of the people of gnosis, the bismillah (`in Name of Allah') in every surah pertains to that surah itself and not to "I seek help" or anything of the kind, because ismullah (Name of
Allah) is the totality of the mashiyyah (Divine will) at the plane of manifestation (maqdam-e zuhuri), the station of the Most Sacred Effusion (fayd-e aqdas) at the plane of revelation ...
I have been asked to say something on the exegesis of Surah al-Hamd. The fact is that the exegesis of the Qur'an is not a thing of which we may be able to acquit ourselves well. In every period of Islamic history the top scholars including both the Sunni and the Shi'ites have compiled a large number of books on this subject. But every scholar has written his book from the angle with which he was well conversant and has interpreted only one ...
Can Satan and angels know our thoughts or only Allah knows them?Concise answerKnowledge of the unseen is prerogative of God. None other than God has knowledge of the unseen independently of God. However, every existent that has been allowed by God to have knowledge of the unseen can read our mind and can see the unseen. In other words, only God has knowledge of the unseen. Whenever He wants and deems appropriate, He opens the gate of the unseen ...
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said:Those people from amongst my ummah, who memorise forty traditions pertaining to those issues of religion, which they are in need of, Allah shall resurrect them on the Day of Judgment as jurisprudents and scholars. (Bihar al-Anwaar, vol. 2, p. 156; Al-Ikhtasaas, p.2)Hadith No.1The Heat of Husaini LoveThe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said:Surely, there exists in the hearts of the Mu\' mineen, ...
The verses of the Holy Quran and narrations about human-self could be divided into two categories. Some of the verses define human-self as a precious valuable jewel possessing Heavenly excellence, descended from Heaven, which is the source of all superior characteristics and human virtues. These verses recommend that human beings must strive for achieving self-refinement and self-perfection through training, and must be careful for its ...
