Majlis 1: DEVOTION TO THE IMAM
selected from "Code of Conduct for the followers of Imam"
(pp. 17-20)
This chapter concerns all the servants of God. If I enter into detail, it will exceed the limits of this book and will make an independent book by itself. Hence I have dealt with only that part of the matter which it is absolutely necessary for the purpose.
A firm faith in the "Wilayat" of the Imams, submission to the Imamat and devotion to the Imams are the ground work of this book. They are the basic principles which deserve our foremost attention.
Those who are well acquainted with the true position of the Imams and have a firm faith in their Imamat, look upon the duties they owe to them and obedience to their commands as the duties enjoined on them by God. They should have a greater regard for the glory and sublimity of the Imams than the followers and office-holders of the temporal kings have for their masters. They should stand in greater awe of the Imams than these officers stand in awe of their kings.
God has laid down in His Holy Book that it is our duty to obey them. He has associated the devotion to the Imams with devotion to Him and devotion to the Prophet saying "Obey God, the Prophet and your Spiritual Leaders." (Chapter IV Verse 59 Al-Nisa (Women) Holy Quran). This makes it obligatory for those, who, by the grace of God, belong to the various categories of the followers of the Imams, to have full faith in their Imamat and feel in their hearts of hearts that the pleasure of the Imams is the pleasure of God and that their displeasure is the displeasure of God. They should earn 'jannat' as a reward for seeking the pleasure of the Imams which is the pleasure of God and should shun the hell fire which is the inevitable consequence of the wrath of the Imams which is the wrath of God.
They should concentrate on things which can bring them nearer to the Imams and should train themselves in such a way as to act always to the satisfaction of the Imams. Their love and hatred, their pleasure and displeasure should be regulated by the will of the Imams. If they detect in their minds any inclination to unwillingness in doing this, they should discipline their minds and gain complete mastery over them and see that their un-willingness is turned into willingness. They should solicit God for the forgiveness of this which is the greatest sin. They should realise that repentance is meaningless if they do not uproot that tendency in them and do not like or dislike what the Imams like or dislike and do not love or hate what the Imams love or hate.
They should have implicit faith in these things and they should give a proof of their faith by profession in words and by practice in their intentions and actions. They should not mind it even if in doing this they have to lose their lives and suffer the loss of their families, properties and children. They should submit to the Imams in all their affairs and the motive behind their submission should be obedience and no other consideration.
They must bear in mind that if they fail to do this or make the slightest omission in this direction, they cease to be 'momins'. God says "Certainly by the Lord they will not be considered as 'momins' unless they refer their disputes to you and you are not discontented with your decision and submit to you entirely" (Chapter 4 Annisa (Women) verse 59. Holy Quran). This is the duty enjoined on the 'momins' by God who has associated with the devotion to Himself, the devotion to the Prophet and the devotion to the Imams and who has made the Imams His Vice-regents on earth after the Prophet, may the greetings of God be on him and on the Imams the chosen and the best of his descendants.
Accordingly it is our bounden duty to hold the Imams in the highest esteem and to acknowledge their supremacy in thoughts, words and actions.
The Imam of the time has as much claim on the followers of his time as the Prophet had on the followers of his time, and the devotion to the Imam must be the same as the devotion to the Prophet because God has associated this devotion with the devotion of Himself, and He is above every body and beyond the comprehension of men.
In short, no devotion of a devotee will be taken into account unless it is made to the Imams and none will be included among the 'momins' unless he submits to the Imams.
What we have said in this chapter will be sufficient for intelligent readers provided they use their intelligence to understand it.
majalis of Qadhi numan
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Al-Uqul
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
Majlis 2: LOVE FOR THE IMAMS
(pp. 21-24)
God the great says to Mohammed His Prophet, may the greetings be on him and his descendants, "Say, I do not ask you to pay me (for the guidance) any reward excepting your love for my kith and kin" (Ch. 42. V.22 Ash-Shura (the counsel) holy Quran). When the messenger of God was asked as to who were his kith and kin, he replied "Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husain." He further said "He who loves them, loves me. He who hates them, hates me," none but a 'momin' loves Ali and none but a hypocrite hates Ali. It is said that in the days of the Prophet, 'momins' could not be distinguished from the hypocrites by any thing but their love for Ali. The Prophet ordained and exhorted his followers to love Ali and God enjoined it as a duty on the Moslems in general.
Hence it is the duty of the Momins to love the Imam of their time who is the descendant of the Prophet. Abu Jafar Mohammed al-Baqir bin Ali, greetings be on him, was asked to explain the meaning of the verse "I do not ask for any remuneration excepting love for my kith and kin." He explained it by saying, "It is the duty of every 'momin' to love us who are the 'Ahlebait', the kith and kin of Mohammed." He further said "He who loves us, will rise with us on the Day of Judgment." Again he said "Religion is nothing but love." God says, "He made you love your faith and adorned it in your hearts" (Ch. 49. V. 7 Al-Hujurat (Chambers) Holy Quran).
Another verse of the Quran says, "If you love God, then follow me, God will love you and forgive you your sins" (Ch 3. Aali-Amran (the Family of Amran) Holy Quran). Ali, peace be on him, is reported to have said to some of his followers, "May I inform you of a virtuous deed which secures the doer from the frightfulness of the Day of Judgment and of a vice which drags its perpetrator head-long to Hell-fire?" They said, "Yes, O the Commander of the Faithful tell us." He said, "The virtue is to love us and the vice is to hate us."
It behoves those who know the true position of the Imams to love them sincerely. They should see that their faith in them is prompted by love and not by the expectation of a worldly gain from them.
For, if one's love is prompted by a worldly consideration it ceases with the loss of consideration. Hence let the love be love for the sake of love and let it continue to be the same whether one is favoured or disfavoured by the Imams and whether one is in prosperous or adverse circumstances. What is done for the sake of God cannot be affected by the vicissitudes of life. Change of circumstances can affect only those things which are done out of some worldly consideration.
Jafar bin Mohammed, may the greetings of God be on him, says, "He who loves us should make his love as pure gold."
Ali, may the greetings of God be on him, says, ""If I were to strike a blow on the nose of a 'momin', he will never hate me, on the other hand if I were to shower gold and silver on a hypocrite he will never love me."
Thus, those who love the Imams, should be sincere in their love towards them and should pay them their dues. It is the duty of the lover to love his beloved with sincerity. It is his duty to return to him the 'amanat' with honesty and support him and never forsake him or disobey him. It is his duty to like and dislike for him what he likes and dislikes for himself. It is his duty to see that his inward regard does not differ from his outward behaviour. This is the quality of love which the lovers display to their beloveds of the world. One can easily imagine then the quality and intensity of love which one is expected to extend to the Imam who is loved by God, who knows all about what we do openly or in secret. The best thing for a lover of this category is to keep a watch on his own self to see that his love for the Imam inwardly and outwardly does not fall below the standard.
In conclusion, O momins, be sincere in your love for the Imams so that you may be amply rewarded by God. Whatever I have mentioned in this chapter will suffice for those who are on the right path.
(pp. 21-24)
God the great says to Mohammed His Prophet, may the greetings be on him and his descendants, "Say, I do not ask you to pay me (for the guidance) any reward excepting your love for my kith and kin" (Ch. 42. V.22 Ash-Shura (the counsel) holy Quran). When the messenger of God was asked as to who were his kith and kin, he replied "Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husain." He further said "He who loves them, loves me. He who hates them, hates me," none but a 'momin' loves Ali and none but a hypocrite hates Ali. It is said that in the days of the Prophet, 'momins' could not be distinguished from the hypocrites by any thing but their love for Ali. The Prophet ordained and exhorted his followers to love Ali and God enjoined it as a duty on the Moslems in general.
Hence it is the duty of the Momins to love the Imam of their time who is the descendant of the Prophet. Abu Jafar Mohammed al-Baqir bin Ali, greetings be on him, was asked to explain the meaning of the verse "I do not ask for any remuneration excepting love for my kith and kin." He explained it by saying, "It is the duty of every 'momin' to love us who are the 'Ahlebait', the kith and kin of Mohammed." He further said "He who loves us, will rise with us on the Day of Judgment." Again he said "Religion is nothing but love." God says, "He made you love your faith and adorned it in your hearts" (Ch. 49. V. 7 Al-Hujurat (Chambers) Holy Quran).
Another verse of the Quran says, "If you love God, then follow me, God will love you and forgive you your sins" (Ch 3. Aali-Amran (the Family of Amran) Holy Quran). Ali, peace be on him, is reported to have said to some of his followers, "May I inform you of a virtuous deed which secures the doer from the frightfulness of the Day of Judgment and of a vice which drags its perpetrator head-long to Hell-fire?" They said, "Yes, O the Commander of the Faithful tell us." He said, "The virtue is to love us and the vice is to hate us."
It behoves those who know the true position of the Imams to love them sincerely. They should see that their faith in them is prompted by love and not by the expectation of a worldly gain from them.
For, if one's love is prompted by a worldly consideration it ceases with the loss of consideration. Hence let the love be love for the sake of love and let it continue to be the same whether one is favoured or disfavoured by the Imams and whether one is in prosperous or adverse circumstances. What is done for the sake of God cannot be affected by the vicissitudes of life. Change of circumstances can affect only those things which are done out of some worldly consideration.
Jafar bin Mohammed, may the greetings of God be on him, says, "He who loves us should make his love as pure gold."
Ali, may the greetings of God be on him, says, ""If I were to strike a blow on the nose of a 'momin', he will never hate me, on the other hand if I were to shower gold and silver on a hypocrite he will never love me."
Thus, those who love the Imams, should be sincere in their love towards them and should pay them their dues. It is the duty of the lover to love his beloved with sincerity. It is his duty to return to him the 'amanat' with honesty and support him and never forsake him or disobey him. It is his duty to like and dislike for him what he likes and dislikes for himself. It is his duty to see that his inward regard does not differ from his outward behaviour. This is the quality of love which the lovers display to their beloveds of the world. One can easily imagine then the quality and intensity of love which one is expected to extend to the Imam who is loved by God, who knows all about what we do openly or in secret. The best thing for a lover of this category is to keep a watch on his own self to see that his love for the Imam inwardly and outwardly does not fall below the standard.
In conclusion, O momins, be sincere in your love for the Imams so that you may be amply rewarded by God. Whatever I have mentioned in this chapter will suffice for those who are on the right path.
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Al-Uqul
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
Majlis 3: THE RETURN OF THE "AMANAT" TO THE IMAM
(pp. 25-30)
God says, "God commands you to pay back the 'amanat' to their owners'." "If any one of you were to deposit something with some one then let the one with whom the things are deposited return the deposit to its depositor." "O momins, do not commit breach of trust in your dealings with God and the Prophet and do not abuse the trust in the matter of 'amanats' knowingly." The Prophet says, "Do not commit breach of trust, do not go to excess and do not be deceitful." "It is your duty to return the 'amanat.' He who deceives us is disowned by us." "It is unlawful for you to shed the blood of one another and to misappropriate the properties of one another."
Ali, be the greetings of God on him, says to some of his followers, "Pay back what has been deposited with you and do not commit the breach of trust in your dealings even with those who have abused your trust." Imam Jaffar-us-Sadiq, be the greetings of God on him, says, ".Return the deposit to its owner, it matters little whether he is Red or Black, a Haruri, a Syrian or an Ommayade. Pay back the 'amanat' even if the owner is your enemy, even if he is the murderer of Husain"
These quotations from the Quran and the traditions make it clear to us, that God, the Prophet and the Imams have ordered us in unequivocal terms to return the deposits to their owners regardless of their being our friends or foes. It is the duty of the Momin to pay back the "amanat." This keeps up his credit, guards his religion and purifies his soul. If he commits the breach of trust, he loses his credit, and brings disgrace to himself, his religion and his reputation.
As far as the depositor is concerned, he loses nothing of the kind. His loss or gain is a monetary one. If the deposit is not returned to him, he loses some money and if it is returned to him it adds to his capital.
It then behooves every one who fears God and safeguards his self-respect that he should pay back the "amanat." If it is obligatory on us to return the "amanat" to all sorts of people, how many times more obligatory does it become on us that we should return the "amanat" which belongs to the Imams? To commit a breach of trust in your dealings with Imams is a dreadful affair and the worst possible sin. God says, "O momins don't commit breach of trust in your dealings with God and the Prophet." Thus he who deceives the Prophet, deceives God. God says, "Those who make covenant with you make covenant with God." "He who obeys the Prophet obeys God. Obey God, obey the Prophet and obey your spiritual heads." It follows that obedience to the Imams is obedience to God and disobedience to them is disobedience to God. He who is treacherous to them is treacherous to God and he who is true to them is true to God. If breach of trust is forbidden in general, then breach of trust in our dealings with the Imam is the worst sin.
In short, breach of trust in our dealings with the Imams belongs to the category of great sins.
This chapter is applicable to all classes of the followers of the Imams and even to the non-followers. For, return of the "amanat" to its owner and sincerity are incumbent on every Muslim. The Prophet says, "Religion means sincerity to God, the Imams and the Momins in general. Lack of sincerity to God and the Imams is impermissible." God says, "The weak, the sickly and the poor (who cannot take part in the religious war) are not to be blamed if they are sincere to God and His Prophet. There is nothing against good men. God is forgiving and merciful. Nor are those persons to be blamed who come to you for riding animals to carry them (to the battle field) and who return with grief with tears flowing from their eyes when you tell them that you cannot provide them with the animals and when they find that they have no money to pay for them." These verses clearly show that if the Muslims are unable to join the war, they are permitted to give it up but under no circumstances are they allowed to give up sincerity. Cessation of love in one's heart for God and the Prophet and the Imams is equally impermissible. Imam Husain bin Ali, the greetings of God be on him, says, "He who lodges in his heart love for us and uses his tongue and his hands in defense of us, will stay with us in the highest regions. He who loves us at heart and defends us by his tongue but is unable to use his hands will also be with us in heaven but his rank will be below the rank of the first one. He who loves us at heart and is unable to use his tongue and his hands in fighting for us, will also be in heaven with us and his rank will be a little lower than the rank of the second person. But the one who can neither use his tongue nor his hands in our favour nor loves us in the heart of his heart, has nothing to expect from us."
Thus sincerity to the Imams and the return of the "amanat" to them are the best things that we have been enjoined upon to do. He who fails to do this and deceives them, is cast off from their fold.
O devotees of God, beware of being treacherous or deceitful to them. Bear in mind that if one were to return the "amanat" to the Imams and show sincerity to them for no other laudable object in view than the acquisition of wealth or making a name for himself and securing himself from the worries of this world even then it will be worth his while to do so. We can easily imagine how much more profitable will it be if one were to do these things for a heavenly reward for which there is no substitute in this world and for securing himself from the frightful punishment of the next world from which none can save him. We know many men at the lowest wrung of the ladder of life such as workmen, petty traders and labourers who are in no way better than lower animals and who yet are very particular about the return of the "amanat." In spite of their extreme poverty, they return the "amanat" not for the sake of religion or for the sake of their belief in a particular code of conduct but for the fear of their being boycotted by the people and put to disgrace by them in consequence of breach of trust.
If this is the way in which low types of people behave towards one another in the matter of the return of the "amanat" what should then be the behaviour of those who have some knowledge of religion, some sense of the code of morality and some idea of self-respect? How can these men risk their position and lose every good thing by committing a breach of trust? If they are not attracted by heavenly a reward and are not afraid of the punishment of the Day of Judgment, even then in their own interest they will never commit the breach of trust.
(pp. 25-30)
God says, "God commands you to pay back the 'amanat' to their owners'." "If any one of you were to deposit something with some one then let the one with whom the things are deposited return the deposit to its depositor." "O momins, do not commit breach of trust in your dealings with God and the Prophet and do not abuse the trust in the matter of 'amanats' knowingly." The Prophet says, "Do not commit breach of trust, do not go to excess and do not be deceitful." "It is your duty to return the 'amanat.' He who deceives us is disowned by us." "It is unlawful for you to shed the blood of one another and to misappropriate the properties of one another."
Ali, be the greetings of God on him, says to some of his followers, "Pay back what has been deposited with you and do not commit the breach of trust in your dealings even with those who have abused your trust." Imam Jaffar-us-Sadiq, be the greetings of God on him, says, ".Return the deposit to its owner, it matters little whether he is Red or Black, a Haruri, a Syrian or an Ommayade. Pay back the 'amanat' even if the owner is your enemy, even if he is the murderer of Husain"
These quotations from the Quran and the traditions make it clear to us, that God, the Prophet and the Imams have ordered us in unequivocal terms to return the deposits to their owners regardless of their being our friends or foes. It is the duty of the Momin to pay back the "amanat." This keeps up his credit, guards his religion and purifies his soul. If he commits the breach of trust, he loses his credit, and brings disgrace to himself, his religion and his reputation.
As far as the depositor is concerned, he loses nothing of the kind. His loss or gain is a monetary one. If the deposit is not returned to him, he loses some money and if it is returned to him it adds to his capital.
It then behooves every one who fears God and safeguards his self-respect that he should pay back the "amanat." If it is obligatory on us to return the "amanat" to all sorts of people, how many times more obligatory does it become on us that we should return the "amanat" which belongs to the Imams? To commit a breach of trust in your dealings with Imams is a dreadful affair and the worst possible sin. God says, "O momins don't commit breach of trust in your dealings with God and the Prophet." Thus he who deceives the Prophet, deceives God. God says, "Those who make covenant with you make covenant with God." "He who obeys the Prophet obeys God. Obey God, obey the Prophet and obey your spiritual heads." It follows that obedience to the Imams is obedience to God and disobedience to them is disobedience to God. He who is treacherous to them is treacherous to God and he who is true to them is true to God. If breach of trust is forbidden in general, then breach of trust in our dealings with the Imam is the worst sin.
In short, breach of trust in our dealings with the Imams belongs to the category of great sins.
This chapter is applicable to all classes of the followers of the Imams and even to the non-followers. For, return of the "amanat" to its owner and sincerity are incumbent on every Muslim. The Prophet says, "Religion means sincerity to God, the Imams and the Momins in general. Lack of sincerity to God and the Imams is impermissible." God says, "The weak, the sickly and the poor (who cannot take part in the religious war) are not to be blamed if they are sincere to God and His Prophet. There is nothing against good men. God is forgiving and merciful. Nor are those persons to be blamed who come to you for riding animals to carry them (to the battle field) and who return with grief with tears flowing from their eyes when you tell them that you cannot provide them with the animals and when they find that they have no money to pay for them." These verses clearly show that if the Muslims are unable to join the war, they are permitted to give it up but under no circumstances are they allowed to give up sincerity. Cessation of love in one's heart for God and the Prophet and the Imams is equally impermissible. Imam Husain bin Ali, the greetings of God be on him, says, "He who lodges in his heart love for us and uses his tongue and his hands in defense of us, will stay with us in the highest regions. He who loves us at heart and defends us by his tongue but is unable to use his hands will also be with us in heaven but his rank will be below the rank of the first one. He who loves us at heart and is unable to use his tongue and his hands in fighting for us, will also be in heaven with us and his rank will be a little lower than the rank of the second person. But the one who can neither use his tongue nor his hands in our favour nor loves us in the heart of his heart, has nothing to expect from us."
Thus sincerity to the Imams and the return of the "amanat" to them are the best things that we have been enjoined upon to do. He who fails to do this and deceives them, is cast off from their fold.
O devotees of God, beware of being treacherous or deceitful to them. Bear in mind that if one were to return the "amanat" to the Imams and show sincerity to them for no other laudable object in view than the acquisition of wealth or making a name for himself and securing himself from the worries of this world even then it will be worth his while to do so. We can easily imagine how much more profitable will it be if one were to do these things for a heavenly reward for which there is no substitute in this world and for securing himself from the frightful punishment of the next world from which none can save him. We know many men at the lowest wrung of the ladder of life such as workmen, petty traders and labourers who are in no way better than lower animals and who yet are very particular about the return of the "amanat." In spite of their extreme poverty, they return the "amanat" not for the sake of religion or for the sake of their belief in a particular code of conduct but for the fear of their being boycotted by the people and put to disgrace by them in consequence of breach of trust.
If this is the way in which low types of people behave towards one another in the matter of the return of the "amanat" what should then be the behaviour of those who have some knowledge of religion, some sense of the code of morality and some idea of self-respect? How can these men risk their position and lose every good thing by committing a breach of trust? If they are not attracted by heavenly a reward and are not afraid of the punishment of the Day of Judgment, even then in their own interest they will never commit the breach of trust.
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Al-Uqul
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
Majlis 12: LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE THE IMAM
(pp. 79-84)
God speaks of the momins in the following terms "They are harsh towards the infidels and are compassionate toward one another." "Momins are brothers to one another." "You will never find those who have faith in God and the day of judgement making friends with those who are the enemies of God and His Prophet." "O! Momins, do not take my enemy and your enemies to be your friends. Never love them." "Those of you who love them are the oppressors."
The Prophet while talking of Ali, peace be on them, says "O God, love those who love Ali and hate those who hate Ali." With regard to those whom God has declared to be His enemies and commanded us in His book and through His Prophet to be hostile to them and has prohibited us from befriending them, even if they happen to be our fathers and sons and other members of our families, it is but proper that those who are aware of this hostility of God to them should sever their friendly connections from them openly and secretly. They should have no consideration for their being their close or distant relatives. They should not mix with them in the hope of getting anything from them or for the fear of suffering at their hands. Imam Jafar Sadiq, peace be on him, says "He who wants to know whether a particular person is our friend or foe, should look to the persons with whom he associates. If they are our friends he is our friend; if they are our enemies he is our enemy." I have already said in this book that it is our duty to love the Imams sincerely and with the best of our intentions. Our duty does not end here. We have to keep aloof from their enemies and their evil intentions as long as they continue to be hostile to them. We have to cut off our friendly connections from them and we cannot trust them to the slightest degree. God says, "Do not trust the oppressors, you will be overtaken by Hell-fire." The worst of oppressors is the one who harms the 'Walees' of God and shows hostility to them.
Imam Muhammed Baqir, greeting be on him says, "Our followers are those who treat strangers as their relations and befriend them because of their love for us. They cut themselves off from their families and their closest relations because of their hostility to us. If we are pleased with anybody they are pleased with him. If we get excited against anyone, they get excited against him. If we fear someone, they also fear him. If we feel secure, they also feel secure. They never make friends with our enemies and they never become enemies of our friends."
O the followers of the Imams who have faith in their 'Imamat', you should also behave in this manner. Test the man with whom you associate. Distinguish between the friends and the foes of the Imams. Bear in mind that the people are divided into three classes. There is no fourth class to them with the exception of this that in each of the three categories there are people of different grades and there is no criterion by which we can sort them out according to the degrees of their ambitions, their intelligence, their knowledge, their faith and their power of apprehension.
One of these three classes consists of the devotees of the Imams. They are men of different grades and different degrees of spiritual attainments. The next one consists of their enemies. They too are of different grades and of different types of hostility to the Imams. The third one consists of those who are weak-minded and indecisive. God speaks of them in the following terms. "They are neither here nor there. They neither know the truth nor they deny untruth. They are like cattle, nay, they are straying further away from the path." These people, although their condition is miserable, are in a way better than the out-and-out enemies of the Imam.
Hence, it is necessary for us to test the people and know their proper position in life. Once we have known this we should put every one of them in his proper place. We should befriend those who are the friends of the Imams and be hostile to those who are hostile to the Imams. With regard to the weak-minded and indecisive people let us try to guide them and show them the right path. If they hear the truth they will accept it. With regard to our enemies let us attract them to our side by our good deeds and leave no room for their excuse. Let us give up discussing with them. If we prolong the discussion with them it will end in a fiasco. We have already talked of this in one of the preceding chapters. Let us follow in this matter the words and the actions of the Imam. Let us adopt his policy in our dealings with them. We should do what the Imam wants us to do. We should not go against his instructions.
Abu Jafar Mohammed bin Ali, greetings be on him, has described his followers in the following terms, "Our followers do not praise those who find fault with us, do not join those who hate us and never associate with those who do not like us. If they meet a 'momin' they honour him, If they meet an ignorant fellow they flee away from him. They say what we say. They cut themselves off from their friends for our sake. They treat the strangers as their close relatives because of their love for us. They treat their close relatives as strangers because of their hatred for us. Our followers are warners to the people on earth. They are the lamp-posts; they are the light for those who seek it. They are the leaders of the devotees of God. They will bear testimony on the day of judgement against those who oppose them. They are an asylum for those who come to them. They are extra kind to them and over generous and forgiving. This is the description of the faithful followers of the Prophets given in the Tawrah ,Injil and the Holy Quran. The learned men amongst our followers control their tongues and satisfy their urge by their devotion to God. They harbour ill-feelings in their hearts against the enemies of God. They know their defects but they never tell them what they think about them. They pass their time with indifference to them. They watch their evil deeds and listen to their evil talk with patience. They invoke curses on them, they hate their friends and love their enemies. The Prophet says, "Be what God and His 'Walees' have described you to be." The Prophet says, "Be what God and His 'Walees' have described you to be."
O momins, hate for the sake of God and love for the sake of God. Follow your Imams and carry out their orders. Reveal what they have revealed to you. Have faith in what they have faith. God has made them your leaders. Follow them and obey their orders. Be hostile to those who are hostile to them and friendly to those who are friendly with them. Love those whom they love. Hate those whom they hate. It matters little whether the persons whom they love or hate are your friends or foes or they are your relatives or strangers to you. Let you do what you do for the sake of God. For, what is done for the sake of God cannot be influenced by passion. No misrepresentation or hypocrisy can affect it. May God help us and help you in loving Him and may He protect us and you from incurring His wrath.
(pp. 79-84)
God speaks of the momins in the following terms "They are harsh towards the infidels and are compassionate toward one another." "Momins are brothers to one another." "You will never find those who have faith in God and the day of judgement making friends with those who are the enemies of God and His Prophet." "O! Momins, do not take my enemy and your enemies to be your friends. Never love them." "Those of you who love them are the oppressors."
The Prophet while talking of Ali, peace be on them, says "O God, love those who love Ali and hate those who hate Ali." With regard to those whom God has declared to be His enemies and commanded us in His book and through His Prophet to be hostile to them and has prohibited us from befriending them, even if they happen to be our fathers and sons and other members of our families, it is but proper that those who are aware of this hostility of God to them should sever their friendly connections from them openly and secretly. They should have no consideration for their being their close or distant relatives. They should not mix with them in the hope of getting anything from them or for the fear of suffering at their hands. Imam Jafar Sadiq, peace be on him, says "He who wants to know whether a particular person is our friend or foe, should look to the persons with whom he associates. If they are our friends he is our friend; if they are our enemies he is our enemy." I have already said in this book that it is our duty to love the Imams sincerely and with the best of our intentions. Our duty does not end here. We have to keep aloof from their enemies and their evil intentions as long as they continue to be hostile to them. We have to cut off our friendly connections from them and we cannot trust them to the slightest degree. God says, "Do not trust the oppressors, you will be overtaken by Hell-fire." The worst of oppressors is the one who harms the 'Walees' of God and shows hostility to them.
Imam Muhammed Baqir, greeting be on him says, "Our followers are those who treat strangers as their relations and befriend them because of their love for us. They cut themselves off from their families and their closest relations because of their hostility to us. If we are pleased with anybody they are pleased with him. If we get excited against anyone, they get excited against him. If we fear someone, they also fear him. If we feel secure, they also feel secure. They never make friends with our enemies and they never become enemies of our friends."
O the followers of the Imams who have faith in their 'Imamat', you should also behave in this manner. Test the man with whom you associate. Distinguish between the friends and the foes of the Imams. Bear in mind that the people are divided into three classes. There is no fourth class to them with the exception of this that in each of the three categories there are people of different grades and there is no criterion by which we can sort them out according to the degrees of their ambitions, their intelligence, their knowledge, their faith and their power of apprehension.
One of these three classes consists of the devotees of the Imams. They are men of different grades and different degrees of spiritual attainments. The next one consists of their enemies. They too are of different grades and of different types of hostility to the Imams. The third one consists of those who are weak-minded and indecisive. God speaks of them in the following terms. "They are neither here nor there. They neither know the truth nor they deny untruth. They are like cattle, nay, they are straying further away from the path." These people, although their condition is miserable, are in a way better than the out-and-out enemies of the Imam.
Hence, it is necessary for us to test the people and know their proper position in life. Once we have known this we should put every one of them in his proper place. We should befriend those who are the friends of the Imams and be hostile to those who are hostile to the Imams. With regard to the weak-minded and indecisive people let us try to guide them and show them the right path. If they hear the truth they will accept it. With regard to our enemies let us attract them to our side by our good deeds and leave no room for their excuse. Let us give up discussing with them. If we prolong the discussion with them it will end in a fiasco. We have already talked of this in one of the preceding chapters. Let us follow in this matter the words and the actions of the Imam. Let us adopt his policy in our dealings with them. We should do what the Imam wants us to do. We should not go against his instructions.
Abu Jafar Mohammed bin Ali, greetings be on him, has described his followers in the following terms, "Our followers do not praise those who find fault with us, do not join those who hate us and never associate with those who do not like us. If they meet a 'momin' they honour him, If they meet an ignorant fellow they flee away from him. They say what we say. They cut themselves off from their friends for our sake. They treat the strangers as their close relatives because of their love for us. They treat their close relatives as strangers because of their hatred for us. Our followers are warners to the people on earth. They are the lamp-posts; they are the light for those who seek it. They are the leaders of the devotees of God. They will bear testimony on the day of judgement against those who oppose them. They are an asylum for those who come to them. They are extra kind to them and over generous and forgiving. This is the description of the faithful followers of the Prophets given in the Tawrah ,Injil and the Holy Quran. The learned men amongst our followers control their tongues and satisfy their urge by their devotion to God. They harbour ill-feelings in their hearts against the enemies of God. They know their defects but they never tell them what they think about them. They pass their time with indifference to them. They watch their evil deeds and listen to their evil talk with patience. They invoke curses on them, they hate their friends and love their enemies. The Prophet says, "Be what God and His 'Walees' have described you to be." The Prophet says, "Be what God and His 'Walees' have described you to be."
O momins, hate for the sake of God and love for the sake of God. Follow your Imams and carry out their orders. Reveal what they have revealed to you. Have faith in what they have faith. God has made them your leaders. Follow them and obey their orders. Be hostile to those who are hostile to them and friendly to those who are friendly with them. Love those whom they love. Hate those whom they hate. It matters little whether the persons whom they love or hate are your friends or foes or they are your relatives or strangers to you. Let you do what you do for the sake of God. For, what is done for the sake of God cannot be influenced by passion. No misrepresentation or hypocrisy can affect it. May God help us and help you in loving Him and may He protect us and you from incurring His wrath.
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
In absence of Imam S.A. Our guiding light is Dai-al-Mutlaq. Forget about Dai, Progressive cult questions the presence of Imam. Fatimi Mustali Dawoodi Bohra differs from other muslameens on the basis of this faith of imamat. By questioning the fundamental belief Progressive cannot call them self Dawoodi Bohra at all. May be progressive or Rerformist or whatever they called their cult is appropriate name. The cult which denies Imamat and hates Dail-Al-Mutlaq. I hope Mr Insaf and this cohorts agress wih this.
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
Progressive what is your views on Imam-zaman? You call him fiction of our imagination. nauzbillah. Still do you want your self to be called Dawoodi Bohras?? A Big Question Mark for you?
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Al-Uqul
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
absolutly agreed.truebohra wrote:In absence of Imam S.A. Our guiding light is Dai-al-Mutlaq. Forget about Dai, Progressive cult questions the presence of Imam. Fatimi Mustali Dawoodi Bohra differs from other muslameens on the basis of this faith of imamat. By questioning the fundamental belief Progressive cannot call them self Dawoodi Bohra at all. May be progressive or Rerformist or whatever they called their cult is appropriate name. The cult which denies Imamat and hates Dail-Al-Mutlaq. I hope Mr Insaf and this cohorts agress wih this.
the Progressive Ismaili shia muslims led by Asghar ali engineer Beleive in Imam Tayyib(a.s)his successers and the authority of the Dai mutlaq.hoever the present Dai mutlaq has Broken the rules Laid down by Duaat like Syedna Hateem(r.a)how a dai should behave himself in Tuhfat al-Qulub.
http://dawoodi-bohras.com/news/68/97/Da ... l_article/
therefore ceases to be a dai.and he is Dai al-nizam that is,he is not dai by rule of Nass.and duaat are not masoum(ghir-masoom)and progressive merely ask the dai to correct his Actions.progressives abide by the rules and laws of the mustaali Mazhab.
there are some Ex-bohra and sunni who are mistaken as progressives on this forum,they have nothing to do with progressive and progressive nothing to do with them.I Myself have defended Imam Tayyib Extensivly on Two forums here!
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
Al-Uqul is correct in his summation of reformist bohars regarding their belief in Imam and dai. Just two corrections.
1) Reformists bohras are not "led" by Asghar Ali Engineer as such. There are many reformist leaders, Asghar Ali happens to me the most prominent of them. It is also important to note that reformists movement in actual sense is being led by certain principles and issues - the leaders only give voice to these issues.
2) The official position of the reformists is not to get involved in the controversy of nass. The consider the current dai to be the dai. Period. As you rightly said, we merely ask him to correct his actions.
1) Reformists bohras are not "led" by Asghar Ali Engineer as such. There are many reformist leaders, Asghar Ali happens to me the most prominent of them. It is also important to note that reformists movement in actual sense is being led by certain principles and issues - the leaders only give voice to these issues.
2) The official position of the reformists is not to get involved in the controversy of nass. The consider the current dai to be the dai. Period. As you rightly said, we merely ask him to correct his actions.
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profastian
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Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
You contradict yourself. If you believe the DAI to be DAI-ul-mutlaq, then he is supposed to be Masoon. Hence no room for corrective actions.Humsafar wrote: 2) The official position of the reformists is not to get involved in the controversy of nass. The consider the current dai to be the dai. Period. As you rightly said, we merely ask him to correct his actions.
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
The dai is not masoum. Only the Imam is masoum. Nowhere in our books or traditions has dai been mentioned as masoum. This is another lie you are being fed. Besides, the dai is on record for apologising for causing riots in Bombay. These are not the qualities of a masoum.profastian wrote:You contradict yourself. If you believe the DAI to be DAI-ul-mutlaq, then he is supposed to be Masoon. Hence no room for corrective actions.
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
Dear Hamsafar & Profastian:
We don't believe Dai to be Masoum like we believe Imam to be. But we believe Dai to be " Kal Masoum" which means "Masoum Jaisa".
We don't believe Dai to be Masoum like we believe Imam to be. But we believe Dai to be " Kal Masoum" which means "Masoum Jaisa".
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
Right. Kul masoum but not masoum. Profastian, take note.
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profastian
- Posts: 1314
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Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
Can you elaborate on the difference?bensaheba wrote:Dear Hamsafar & Profastian:
We don't believe Dai to be Masoum like we believe Imam to be. But we believe Dai to be " Kal Masoum" which means "Masoum Jaisa".
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Al-Uqul
Re: majalis of Qadhi numan
Near-Innocent and completely innocent,a Terminology recently invented.same as Twelvers and friday prayers wihtout their imam,they say its not Wajib but now the Ayatullahs have decreed it to be ''Near wajib''lol.there are Striking similarities of how both shia Sects are Losing their Essence turning froma Esoteric faith into a Cult of Hatefull,blindly following Slaves.profastian wrote:Can you elaborate on the difference?bensaheba wrote:Dear Hamsafar & Profastian:
We don't believe Dai to be Masoum like we believe Imam to be. But we believe Dai to be " Kal Masoum" which means "Masoum Jaisa".
Beats me,does msiguidance make any Sence?