Sayings of Imam Ali (P)
Vol. 2 Issue 43
Thursday, December 27, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 43
Guest of the Beneficent
Thu. Dec 27, 2007
· To lose or to waste an opportunity will
result in grief and sorrow.
· What difference is there between
a deed whose pleasure passes away
leaving behind it the pangs of pain and
punishment and the deed whose cruel
severity or oppressive harshness comes
to an end leaving behind it heavenly
rewards and blessings.
· Whoever is not diligent in his work
will suffer sorrow and loss; whoever
has no share of Allah in his wealth and
in his life then there is no place for him
in the realm of Allah.
· If you understand the majesty of
the Lord then you will not attach any
importance to the universe and its
marvels.
· An angel announces daily: "The
birth of more human beings means
so many more will die; the collection
of more wealth means so much more
will be destroyed; the erection of more
buildings means so many more ruins in
time to come."
· A friend cannot be considered as
a friend unless he is tested on three
occasions: in time of need, behind your
back, and after your death.
· This world is not a place of permanent
settlement, it is a passage, a road
on which you are passing; there are
two kinds of people here, one is the
kind who has sold his soul to eternal
damnation (by doing evil). The other is
who has purchased his soul and freed it
from damnation (by doing good).
8 The Truth
The Truth
Angel Gabriel/Jibrail (P) told Mohammed
By: Safi Abdi
500 Years the Messenger of God (May Allah’s Peace
Guest of the Beneficent and Blessings be upon him and his Progeny)
Is a bare-footed beggar
A poor thing invited by One Rich and Mighty
of Worship the following incident about a man in the past
To answer the call of a lifetime, who worshipped Allah (G) continuously for
a pledge made to God. 500 years. He was granted a shelter on top of a
Guest of the Beneficent is a humble follower
Of a humble Prophet, himself a follower
mountain that was surrounded by salty water.
However, Allah caused a stream of sweet water
In the footsteps of his father Abraham,
For the first to make the call was Abraham to flow through the mountain for that individual.
To this house of God and from him sprang The man would drink from this water and use
Prophets by the Beneficent blessed, chosen.
Guest of the Beneficent on the path it to make ablution. Allah (G) also raised a
Of such a one blessed with modest walks pomegranate tree from which the man would eat
All pretense and ornaments shed one fruit every day.
Eyes fixed heart trembling hands raised
A willing guest in tears drenched
CONT’D ON PAGE 2
The guest is a single entity in a sea of guests
Swimming in tears remorseful
For the flesh is weak and man given to haste…
Guest of the Beneficent is humbled
By feelings of smallness felt
Insignificant he’s for once lost
Philosophy of Hajj (Part 3)
In an ocean of devotees
he looks towards the Lord
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you halted in Arafat, did
With heart longing for freedom you intend to recognize Allah, Glorified is He, and
From a self to blunders given. His knowledge, and recognize that He is holding
Guests of the Beneficent are people
Pulled together by a Hand Powerful on the record of your deeds and that He has full
Able to call whom He wills when He wills. acquaintance with your hidden intentions and
These beggars by the Door of the Merciful
In tongues diverse cry secrets?
In sizes and hues various appear Shibli: No, I did not.
But in unison they answer this Call sublime Submitted by:
Joyful in a union at last made they chant Mulla Mujahidali Sheriff
To the beat of a Truth long desired. CONT’D ON PAGE 3
Hajj is a time of bonding
Beneath a sky open
The seeker learns and teaches
Equal are the guests of God
In attires easy and plain
Kings and penniless all Needy
Taking care of orphans and widows in Islam
Shoulder to shoulder before a King Mighty
This is a time of repentance A mother, tired and exhausted, with the
An occasion of release in an ocean of tears. water-skin on her back, she was gasping and
From the attachments to sin and wrong-doing
going towards her house where innocent
To the bonds of fellowship, hearts healing
These days of consoling, delivery children, their eyes fixed at the door, were
And elevated hopes
The guest of the Beneficent returns not home eagerly waiting for the arrival of their mother.
But happy. CONT’D ON PAGE 7
 500 Years of Worship Taking care of orphans and widows in Islam
IF YOU WANT TO From PAGE 1
RECEIVE YOUR WEEKLY From PAGE 1
One day, this person supplicated to Allah that, “Oh Allah,
DIGITAL COPY bring my death while I am in the state of prostration.” Allah On her way, an unknown man some good acts. Either let me
(PDF FORMAT) accepted this dua of his. Whenever Jibrail (P) came down to approached her. He took the water- knead the flour and bake the
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE the Earth, he found this man prostrating to Allah. Jibrail (P) skin from her and placed it on his bread or allow me to look after the
TO THE TRUTH’S said that on the day of Judgment, Allah will tell the angels to
back. The door opened and the children.”
take this individual to Paradise through His mercy. However,
MAILING LIST @ this man will insist that he should enter paradise through the children saw their mother entering
“Very well, but I can do the
HTTP://GROUPS.GOOGLE. good deeds that he had performed. the house with a stranger. He placed
job of kneading and cooking better
COM/GROUP/THET- Then, God will tell the angels to compare his good deeds the water-skin on the ground and
than you. You take care of the
with the blessings that were given to him in the world. It will said:
RUTH110 be seen that those 500 years of his worship does not even children till I finish cooking”.
equal to the gift of eye sight that was given to him by Allah. “Well, it seems you don’t have
The angels will be asked to take him towards the hell fire. anyone to fetch water for you; how She went to knead the flour.
Then the man will plead, “Oh Allah! Enter me into Paradise
come you are so forlorn?” Immediately he grilled some meat,
only through Your Mercy.” At that point, the following which he had brought and fed the
IF YOU WANT ANY discussion will take place between Allah and that man.
“My husband was a soldier; Ali children saying to each child while

Thursday, December 27, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 43

Thursday, December 27, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 43

MATERIAL TO BE God: Oh my servant, who created you?

sent him to the frontier where he was putting morsel in his mouth: “My
PUBLISHED PLEASE The worshipper: Oh God, You have created me.
killed. Now I am alone with these son, forgive Ali if he has failed in his
God: Were you created because of the good deeds you
SEND US AN E-MAIL. have done or because of My Mercy? small children.” duty towards you”
The worshipper: Because of Your Mercy.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE God: Who granted you the ability to worship for 500 The stranger said no more. The flour got ready; she called:
years? Bowing down his head he went “Gentleman! Put fire in the oven”. He
HAVE THE RIGHT The worshipper: Oh the Almighty! You have granted me that away. But the thought of the helpless went and put fire in the oven. When
TO ACCEPT, ability.
widow and orphans remained in his flames rose up, he brought his face
EDIT OR REFUSE God: Who placed you on the mountain surrounded by
close to the fire and said, “Taste the
the ocean? Who caused a stream of sweet water to flow mind. He could hardly sleep in the
ANY CONTENT. in between the salty water? Who caused a pomegranate night. Early in the morning he picked heat of fire. It is the punishment for
tree to grow for you? Who granted you death while in the up a basket; put some meat, flour and those who fail in their duty towards
EDITOR IN CHIEF: state of prostration? dates in it; went straight to her house orphans and widows.”
HASSAN TABATABAI The worshipper: Oh the Sustainer of the Worlds! You have
and knocked at the door.
done all of these. By chance, a woman from
EDITOR: Then God will say, “All these have happened due to My
“Who are you?” the neighboring house came in.
AHMAD AL NAJJAR Mercy and you too will enter Paradise only through My
Recognizing the stranger, she cried:
DESIGNED BY: Mercy.” “I am the man who brought “Woe, don’t you recognize the man
NAGI GIRGUIS We can never thank God for the blessings that He has
your water yesterday. Now I who is helping you? He is Ameer al
given us. Let us use these blessings to recognize God have brought some food for the Moemeeneen (commander of the
PLEASE SEND US before our death. children.” faithful), Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib
YOUR FEEDBACKS, Footnotes:
“May God bless you and (P).”
COMMENTS, (G) Glorious and Exalted is He / Refers to Allah, God judge between us and Ali, for he The widow came forward and
AND SUGGESTIONS is responsible for the death of my
(M) May Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him and his Progeny / shamefacedly cried: “Curse and
TO THE FOLLOWING Refers to Prophet Muhammed husband since he sent him to war “ shame to me. I beg your pardon.”
E-MAIL: (P) Peace be upon Him / Refers to Angels, Prophets, Imams, and
She opened the door. Entering
thetruth110@gmail.com Infallible Ladies. “No, I beg your pardon for I
the house he said: “I wish to do failed in my duty towards you.”

2 The Truth The Truth 7

 Dividing Inheritance
Imam Ali (P) was endowed with a
quick, sharp, incisive, mathematical mind.
Here are a few interesting stories in which
Imam Ali’s mathematical brilliance revealed
itself.
What is a wife’s share?
Imam Ali (P) was once interrupted
while he was delivering a sermon from the
pulpit by someone who asked him how to
distribute the inheritance of someone who
had died leaving a wife, his parents and two
daughters. The Imam instantly answered:
“The wife’s share becomes one
ninth.”
How?
Thursday, December 27, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 43
This answer is in fact the result of
a long analysis with a number of steps.
Ordinarily, we have to decide on the original
share of each of these heirs, in the following
way:
The wife takes one eighth, in view of
the presence of an inheriting child. [Holy
Quran 4:12]
The deceased’s father and mother take
one sixth each. [Holy Quran 4:11]
The two daughters take two thirds of
the inheritance. [Holy Quran 4:11]
So the total will be:
1/8 + 1/6 + 1/6 + 2/3 = 3/24 + 4/24 + 4/24 +
16/24 = 27/24
This means the share becomes less
than 1/8 in view of the increase of the
total of the shares which are so fixed and
prescribed. So the one eighth, the original
share due to the wife out of twenty-four
total shares, has become three shares out
of a total of twenty-seven, which is one
ninth.
Imam Ali’s mind went through this
complex mathematical process in a second!
6 The Truth
The Miser and the
Angel of Death
A saver had
accumulated, by effort,
trade and lending,
three hundred thousand
dinars. He had lands
and buildings, and all
kinds of wealth. He
then decided that he would spend a
year in enjoyment, living comfortably,
and then decide as what his future
should be.
But, almost as soon as he had stopped
amassing money the Angel of Death
appeared before him, to take his life
away.
The miser tried, by every argument
which he could muster, to dissuade the
Angel, who seemed, however, adamant.
Then the man said: “Grant me but
three more days and I will give you
one-third of my possessions.”
The angel refused, and pulled again at
the miser’s life, tugging to take it away.
Then the man said:
“If you only allow me two more days
on earth, I will give you two hundred
thousand dinars from my store.”
But the Angel would not listen to him.
And the Angel even refused to give the
man a solitary extra day for all his three
hundred thousand pieces.
The miser said:
“Please, then, give me just time
enough to write one little thing
down.”
This time the Angel allowed him this
single concession, and the man wrote,
with his own blood:
“Man, make use of your life. I could
not buy one hour for three hundred
thousand dinars. Make sure that you
realize the value of your time.”
From PAGE 1
Philosophy of Hajj (Part 3)
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): AS you mounted jabal-al-
Rahma, did you recognize that Allah would
have mercy upon every believing man and
woman and see to every Muslim male and
female?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you were on Nemira,
did you recognize that your advices and
warnings to people are fruitless unless they are
originated from Allah’s instructions?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you stopped at al-
Alam and an-Nemirat, did you recognize
that these signs would testify for your acts of
obedience (to God) and would keep you like
the Keeping Angel’s whose mission is to keep
you according to Allah’ instructions?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): In that case, you did not
really stop on Arafat, mount Jabal-al-Rahma,
recognize Nemira, supplicate to Allah, or stop
at an-Nemira. You passed by the two signs (Al-
Alamain), offered a two-rakat prayer before
so, walked in Muzdalifa, picked up pebbles
there, and passed by al-Mash’ar al-haram, did
you not?
Shibli; Yes, I did
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you offered the prayer,
did you intend it to be thanksgiving...that
saves from every hardship and alleviates all
difficulties?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you walked between
the two signs without turning to right or left,
did you intend not to turn away from the right
religion with heart, tongue, or other organs?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you walked in Muzdalifa
and picked up pebbles, did you intend to get rid
of every act of disobedience and every item of
ignorance and to fix in your behaviours every
item of knowledge and good deed?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you passed by al-
Mash’ar al-haram, did you intend to carry in
heart the slogan of the pious people and the
God-fearing ones?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): In that case, you did
not really pass by the two signs, offer a two-
rakat prayer, walk in al-Muzdelifa, pick up
pebbles there, or pass by Mash’ar -al-haram.
The Truth
You reached in Mina, threw the pebbles (i.e.
performed the Ramy-al-jamarat), had your
hair cut, slaughtered your sacrificed animal,
offered prayer in Kheif Mosque, returned to
Mecca, and performed Tawaf al-Ifadha, did
you not?
Shibli: Yes, I did.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you arrived in Mina
and threw these pebbles, did you feel that you
achieved your aim and that your Lord would
settle all your needs?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you threw these
pebbles, did you intend to stone Eblis (Satan),
your enemy and challenge him through your
precious Hajj?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you shaved your head,
Thursday, December 27, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 43
did you intend to purify yourself from all
filth and liabilities of people that lie on your
shoulders, and to get rid of sins as if your
mother had just given birth to you?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you offered prayer in
Kheif Mosque, did you intend that you would
never fear anything except Allah and the
responsibilities of your (past) sins and that you
would hope for nothing except Allah’s mercy?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you slaughtered your
sacrificial animal, did you intend to cut off
the throat of greed by clinging to the reality of
piety, and to follow the exemplary tradition of
Ibrahim (P) who intended to slaughter his dear
son (so as to carry out God’s order)?
Shibli: No, I did not
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): As you returned to Mecca
and performed Tawaf-al-Ifadha, did you
intend to supply yourself with Allah’s mercy,
return to the obedience to Him, cling to His
love, perform all His precepts, and seek
nearness to Him?
Shibli: No, I did not.
Imam Al-Sajjad (P): In that case, you neither
reached Mina, nor did you throw these pebbles
on Satan, nor did you shave your head, nor did
you perform the rituals of the Hajj, nor did
you offer prayer in Kheif Mosque, nor did you
perform Tawaf-al-ifadha, nor did you offer
sacrifice for the Lord. Go back, you did not
perform Hajj.
(P) Peace be upon Him / Refers to Angels, Prophets,
Imams, and Infallible Ladies.
3
>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A Lesson from
Disabled People
Once, a visitor was being shown
around a leper colony in India. The
colony was built to provide a shelter for
Thursday, December 27, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 43
those people who were poor and had
various physical disabilities. At noon a
gong (a metal disk that produces a sound
when hit with a hammer) sounded to
gather the inhabitants for the midday
meal. People came from all parts of the
compound to the dining hall. Suddenly,
everyone started laughing at seeing two
young men; one riding on the other’s
back, pretending to be a horse and a
>>>>
rider. They were having lots of fun. As
the visitor watched, he was told that the
man who carried his friend was blind,
and the man being carried was lame (who
couldn’t walk). The one who couldn’t see
used his feet; the one who couldn’t walk
used his eyes. Together they helped each
other and reached their destination.
Let us use each other’s strengths to
make up for the weaknesses of others.
Our strength is in unity, not in division.
4
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Empty Hands
of a Rich Man
An Arab man from Montreal, Canada
narrated the following heart softening story
about his friend’s father who was very rich. He
owned many buildings and lots of properties.
When he attained old age, he became very sick
and was counting his last days. Few days before
his death, the old man kept on saying “Ana
Faqir, Ana Faqir” which means, “I am poor, I
am poor.” When his visiting children saw this,
they took him around and showed him all his
properties to assure him that he wasn’t poor at
all. But the old man kept on saying, “I am poor,
I am poor.” His children became confused and
brought a local Muslim Scholar to see their father. companies. One day, Dr. Anwar was requested
After spending some time with the old man, the
Scholar understood that the man is saying he is
poor not regarding his wealth but regarding his
good ‘Amal (deeds). This is because most of his
life was spent only in acquiring wealth and now
that he was on his death bed, he realized that he
should’ve given more time to worshipping and
thanking God. When that person was dieing, he
was still saying “Ana Faqir.”
So much time has gone from our lives in
useless matters. From now on, we should not
even waste one minute without remembering
Allah as every remembrance of Allah will
increase our position in the hereafter. So, why
not be rich in the everlasting life?
The Truth The Truth
>>>>
A Brilliant Student
The following
story was narrated by
Professor Anwar, who
teaches in the Ryerson
University located in
Toronto, Canada. He said
that during his student
life, he was studying at a
university in Bangladesh.
There, he had a good
friend who was very
Thursday, December 27, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 43
intelligent. This friend
was the only child of his family. Everyone used
to look up to his great future. And they were
right; he graduated with the highest mark in his
field. Immediately, calls came for him from big
by his friend to accompany him to one such
company for an interview. They were going by
riding on a motor cycle. On the way, a speeding
truck couldn’t manage itself and hit their motor
cycle from the back. At that collision, Dr. Anwar
flew off the motor cycle and fell on the side of the
>>>>
street. But his friend got hit from another vehicle
that was coming from the opposite side and died
instantly.
Here was a person who was at the peek of
material success in this world but little did
he know that his death was just around the
corner. We have spent much of our time
preparing for the life before death, but how
much time have we spent preparing for the
everlasting life after death?
5