Written transcript of the lecture
The Meshkat-e Noor teachings series🌼🔆🌼 “The Salt of Hādī” “The Shi‘i heart: a schoolroom of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them)” 🌼🔆🌼
🔅🌹 “Transcendent technology” “The Shi‘a are both the beehive and the honeybee” An abstract with an addendum: “Knowledge of the Book and knowledge from the Book” “Escaping pleasure” On the eve of the martyrdom of Imam Ali al-Hadi (peace be upon him), and more … 1402.10.25 Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141 (903) 🌹🔅
🌹🔅☘️ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ ☘️🔅🌹
🔅🌼 We are buyers of the love of Hādī, from the family of Muhammad 🌼🔅
🌹What wealth could give us the courage to buy the love and affection of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them)?!
🌹How daring are the buyers of Joseph—and even more daring are those who buy the love of the Josephs of the Most Pure Fāṭima.
🌹Place your name among the buyers of the guardianship of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them).
🌹To speak of Hādī, from the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them), takes great courage. What kinship has a straw with a mountain!
🌹Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) overcame the darkness of the six Antichrists of his time with his own light and majesty.
🔅🌼 All beauty bears a trace of Hādī, from the family of Muhammad 🌼🔅
🌹In every beauty, one can find a trace of Hādī, from the family of Muhammad.
🌸🔆النَّجِيبُ الْمُرْتَضَى الْهَادِي النَّقِيُّ الْعَالِمُ الْفَقِيهُ الْأَمِينُ الْمُؤْتَمَنُ- الطِّيبُ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ الْعَسْكَرِيُّ وَ يُقَالُ لَهُ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الثَّالِثُ وَ الْفَقِيهُ الْعَسْكَرِيُّ.[1]
🔅🌼The guardianship of Hādī, from the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them), reigns over the gardens of Paradise 🌼🔅
🌹The guardianship of Imam Ali al-Hadi is the Garden of Eden for the faithful.
🌸🔆وَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَلْقَى اللَّهَ وَ يُحَاسِبَهُ حِسَاباً يَسِيراً فَلْيَتَوَلَّ عَلِيّاً الْهَادِيَ[2]
…🌸🔆وَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَلْقَى اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ يُحَاسِبَهُ حِساباً يَسِيراً وَ يُدْخِلَهُ جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّماواتُ وَ الْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ فَلْيَتَوَالَ عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الْهَادِيَ ʿ … [3]
🌸🔆Whoever wishes to meet God with an easy reckoning and enter a Garden as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the God-conscious, must be under the guardianship of and love Imam Hadi (peace be upon him).
🌹The guardianship of Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) is the seal affirming the trustworthiness of the companions of the right.
🌹Whoever receives their record of deeds in their right hand has surely received it from the right hand of Imam Hadi.
🌻🔆Al-Inshiqāq: 7 فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتابَهُ بِيَمينِهِ
🔆Then whoever is given their record in their right hand,
🌻🔆Al-Inshiqāq: 8 فَسَوْفَ يُحاسَبُ حِساباً يَسيراً
🔆will soon face an easy reckoning.
🔅🌼Art stands humbled before the beauty of Hādī, from the family of Muhammad 🌼🔅
🌹Whichever way you look at Hādī, from the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them), a new and exalted vista appears.
🌹To behold the sublime vista of Hādī, from the family of Muhammad, one must gaze from the greater horizons.
🌸🔆وَ كَانَ أَطْيَبَ النَّاسِ بَهْجَةً وَ أَصْدَقَهُمْ لَهْجَةً وَ أَمْلَحَهُمْ مِنْ قَرِيبٍ وَ أَكْمَلَهُمْ مِنْ بَعِيدٍ إِذَا صَمَتَ عَلَتْهُ هَيْبَةُ الْوَقَارِ وَ إِذَا تَكَلَّمَ سَمَاهُ الْبَهَاءُ وَ هُوَ مِنْ بَيْتِ الرِّسَالَةِ وَ الْإِمَامَةِ وَ مَقَرِّ الْوَصِيَّةِ وَ الْخِلَافَةِ شُعْبَةٌ مِنْ دَوْحَةِ النُّبُوَّةِ مُنْتَضَاةٌ مُرْتَضَاةٌ وَ ثَمَرَةٌ مِنْ شَجَرَةِ الرِّسَالَةِ مُجْتَنَاةٌ مُجْتَبَاةٌ وُلِدَ بِصَرْيَا مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ لِلنِّصْفِ مِنْ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ سَنَةَ اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ وَ مِائَتَيْنِ.[4]
🔆 Ibn Shahrashub says: “Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) was the most gracious of people in manner, the most truthful in speech, and the most charming in person; from afar, he was the most imposing. When he fell silent, the dignity of his bearing enveloped him, and when he spoke, his majesty and radiance shone forth.”
An open, welcoming face, truthful and gracious speech, beauty and charm, excellence and dignity—these were among the qualities that endeared the Imams to people. Their spiritual majesty found a place in people’s hearts and brought them social renown.
🌹Hadi of the Family of Muhammad is the world’s fragrant perfume and its captivating melody: Imam Ali al-Naqi al-Hadi, the savour and sweetness of creation. To take in the vast galaxy of Imam Ali al-Hadi, one must step back; to appreciate his subtle sweetness, one must draw near to his noble presence. His mighty mountain must be viewed from afar.
🌹His silence displayed the highest dignity and majesty; when he spoke, the supreme spectacle of existence in all its radiance and bloom unfolded. Each of his exalted states revealed a scene from the artistry of creation.
🌹Imam Hadi was a stranger in his own age, yet close to the inhabitants of heaven and the celestial realm.
🌹Knowing each of God’s proofs is a prerequisite to knowing His Eminence the Mahdi.
🔅🌼 If you do not know Hadi of the Family of Muhammad, you will be among the losers at the Supreme Gathering. 🌼🔅
🌹What words can you offer at the threshold of the Creator of all artistry to praise the art of Hadi?
🌹We should compose our finest odes in praise of God’s magnificent scenes. What ode have you prepared for the Hadi scene?!
🌻🔆Surah al-Duha: 11 وَ أَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ
🔆And proclaim the blessings of your Lord!
🌹What account of Hadi’s blessing can you offer? A taste for the art of devotion to the Imams is essential if we are to speak of the blessing of their love and allegiance.
🌹Let us learn about the blessing of allegiance to the Imams, and store up our answers for the questions about it that await us tomorrow!
🌻🔆Surah al-Takathur: 8 ثُمَّ لَتُسْئَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعيمِ
🔆Then, on that Day, you will surely be questioned about the blessings you enjoyed.
🌸🔆وَ لَكِنَّ النَّعِيمَ حُبُّنَا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ مُوَالاتُنَا يَسْأَلُ اللَّهُ عِبَادَهُ عَنْهُ بَعْدَ التَّوْحِيدِ وَ النُّبُوَّة[5]
🔆“As for the blessing, it is love for us, the Ahl al-Bayt, and allegiance to us; after asking about divine oneness and prophethood, God, Mighty and Majestic, will ask about it.”
🌹Whoever has not studied the lessons of divine oneness and prophethood will fail the class on allegiance to the Imams.
🌹Whoever fails the class on divine oneness and prophethood will not be admitted to the class on allegiance and love for the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).
🔅🌼 Creation’s senses are intoxicated by the fragrance of allegiance to the Imams. 🌼🔅
🌹We should inhale the fragrance of the Imamate as we would that of a flower, and take in its sweetness and purity.
🌹Every creature is drawn to beauty, light, tenderness and love—and the Imam is the wellspring of them all. The deepest bond, then, belongs to the household of purity and purification.
🌹A flower’s beauty captivates us; how, then, should we feel in the presence of the wellspring of all beauty?
🌹Everyone fears darkness and is at ease in the light. The blind know nothing of light and cannot understand that fear.
🌹One heedless of God’s light is blind of heart.
🔅🌼 A pure heart is a hive of the honey of allegiance to the Imams. 🌼🔅
🌹The Shi‘a are, in one respect, a hive of honey and, in another, the honeybee itself. They are a hive filled with the honey of their Imam’s knowledge; like bees, they are ever in flight over the garden of the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt, gathering the honey of divine verses and transforming it, with sweetness, into the purest honey.
🌸🔆عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فِي قَوْلِهِ وَ أَوْحى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ قَالَ نَحْنُ النَّحْلُ الَّتِي أَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهَا أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبالِ بُيُوتاً أَمَرَنَا أَنْ نَتَّخِذَ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ شِيعَةً وَ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ يَقُولُ مِنَ الْعَجَمِ وَ مِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ يَقُولُ مِنَ الْمَوَالِي وَ الَّذِي يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بُطُونِها شَرابٌ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوانُهُ الْعِلْمُ الَّذِي يَخْرُجُ مِنَّا إِلَيْكُم[6]
🔆Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: وَأَوْحَی رَبُّکَ إِلَی النَّحْلِ The honeybee refers to us, to whom [God] revealed: أَنِ اتَّخِذِی مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُیُوتًا He commanded us to choose followers for ourselves from among the Arabs وَ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ and non-Arabs. “And from what they build trellises for” refers to choosing followers from among our friends and servants. The drink of many colours refers to our knowledge, from which you benefit.
🌸🔆Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī عَنْ مَسْعَدَةَ بْنِ صَدَقَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى وَ أَوْحى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبالِ بُيُوتاً وَ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَ مِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ إِنَّ فِي ذلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ فَالنَّحْلُ الْأَئِمَّةُ وَ الْجِبَالُ الْعَرَبُ وَ الشَّجَرُ الْمَوَالِي عَتَاقَةً وَ مِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ يَعْنِي الْأَوْلَادَ وَ الْعَبِيدَ مِمَّنْ لَمْ يُعْتَقْ وَ هُوَ يَتَوَلَّى اللَّهَ وَ رَسُولَهُ وَ الْأَئِمَّةَ ع وَ الشَّرَابُ الْمُخْتَلِفُ أَلْوَانُهُ فُنُونُ الْعِلْمِ قَدْ يُعَلِّمُهَا الْأَئِمَّةُ شِيعَتَهُمْ فِيهِ شِفاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ يَقُولُ فِي الْعِلْمِ شِفَاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَ الشِّيعَةُ هُمُ النَّاسُ وَ غَيْرُهُمْ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ مَا هُمْ قَالَ وَ لَوْ كَانَ كَمَا يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ الْعَسَلُ الَّذِي يَأْكُلُهُ النَّاسُ إِذَا مَا أُكِلَ مِنْهُ فَلَا يَشْرَبُ ذُو عَاهَةٍ إِلَّا بَرَأَ لِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ فِيهِ شِفاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَ لَا خُلْفَ لِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ وَ إِنَّمَا الشِّفَاءُ فِي عِلْمِ الْقُرْآنِ لِقَوْلِهِ وَ نُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ ما هُوَ شِفاءٌ وَ رَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَهُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَ رَحْمَةٌ لِأَهْلِهِ لَا شَكَّ فِيهِ وَ لَا مِرْيَةَ وَ أَهْلُهُ الْأَئِمَّةُ الْهُدَى الَّذِينَ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتابَ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنا مِنْ عِبادِنا.[7]
🔆Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: “The honeybee” refers to the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them); “mountains” means the Arabs; “trees” means freed slaves; and “what they build trellises for” means children and slaves who are not free. These groups follow God, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them). The drinks of many different colours are the various branches of knowledge that the Imams (peace be upon them) teach their followers فِیهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ —knowledge that brings healing and abundant benefit to people. “People” here means the followers; God knows what the rest of the people are. The Imam said: “If the verse meant the honey people think of—the honey they eat—then whenever a sick person ate it, they ought to recover, for God says: فِیهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ God never fails to keep His promise; whenever He makes a promise, it comes to pass. Rather, healing lies only in knowledge of the Qur’an, as He says: ‘We send down in the Qur’an that which is healing and mercy for the believers’ (al-Isrāʾ, 17:82). The Qur’an is healing and mercy for those who belong to it, and there is no doubt or uncertainty in this. Those who belong to it are the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them), of whom God says: ‘Then We gave the Book as an inheritance to those of Our servants whom We chose’ (Fāṭir, 35:32).
🔅🌼The light is a messenger from beyond itself.🌼🔅
🌹If its honey were drawn from knowledge and light, what flavour, purity and effects that honey would have!
🌹If only we knew the worth and value of the blessing of love for and allegiance to the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), so that we might attain such worth and station.
🌹The follower is a mine of sweetness—the sweetness of allegiance to the Ahl al-Bayt. Within their very soul, the follower holds a hidden treasure.
🌸🔆 عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ: اتَّقُوا عَلَى دِينِكُمْ فَاحْجُبُوهُ بِالتَّقِيَّةِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا إِيمَانَ لِمَنْ لَا تَقِيَّةَ لَهُ إِنَّمَا أَنْتُمْ فِي النَّاسِ كَالنَّحْلِ فِي الطَّيْرِ لَوْ أَنَّ الطَّيْرَ تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي أَجْوَافِ النَّحْلِ مَا بَقِيَ مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ إِلَّا أَكَلَتْهُ وَ لَوْ أَنَّ النَّاسَ عَلِمُوا مَا فِي أَجْوَافِكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ تُحِبُّونَّا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ لَأَكَلُوكُمْ بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ وَ لَنَحَلُوكُمْ فِي السِّرِّ وَ الْعَلَانِيَةِ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ عَبْداً مِنْكُمْ كَانَ عَلَى وَلَايَتِنَا.[8]
🌸🔆Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: Be concerned for your faith, and shield it through taqiyya, for one who practises no taqiyya has no faith. Among people, you are like honeybees among birds. If the birds knew what was inside a honeybee, they would devour every one of them and leave none behind. And if people knew what was in your hearts—that you love us, the People of the House—they would devour you with their tongues, reviling you in secret and in the open. May God have mercy on a servant among you who holds fast to our wilaya.
🌸🔆عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع … وَ الشَّرَابُ الْمُخْتَلِفُ أَلْوَانُهُ فُنُونُ الْعِلْمِ قَدْ يُعَلِّمُهَا الْأَئِمَّةُ شِيعَتَهُمْ فِيهِ شِفاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ يَقُولُ فِي الْعِلْمِ شِفَاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَ الشِّيعَةُ هُمُ النَّاسُ وَ غَيْرُهُمْ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ مَا هُمْ قَالَ وَ لَوْ كَانَ كَمَا يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ الْعَسَلُ الَّذِي يَأْكُلُهُ النَّاسُ إِذَا مَا أُكِلَ مِنْهُ فَلَا يَشْرَبُ ذُو عَاهَةٍ إِلَّا بَرَأَ لِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ فِيهِ شِفاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَ لَا خُلْفَ لِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ وَ إِنَّمَا الشِّفَاءُ فِي عِلْمِ الْقُرْآنِ لِقَوْلِهِ وَ نُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ ما هُوَ شِفاءٌ وَ رَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَهُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَ رَحْمَةٌ لِأَهْلِهِ لَا شَكَّ فِيهِ وَ لَا مِرْيَةَ وَ أَهْلُهُ الْأَئِمَّةُ الْهُدَى الَّذِينَ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتابَ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنا مِنْ عِبادِنا[9]
🌸🔆Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him)—… The drinks of various colours represent the different kinds of knowledge that the Imams (peace be upon them) teach their followers. فِیهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ In that knowledge there is healing and abundant benefit for people. By “people” is meant the Shi‘a; God knows what the rest of the people are. The Imam said: “If the verse meant honey as people understand it—the honey they eat—then whenever a sick person ate it, they would have to recover from their illness, for God says: فِیهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ There is no failure in God’s promise; whenever He makes a promise, it is fulfilled. Rather, healing is found only in knowledge of the Qur’an, as He says: ‘We send down of the Qur’an that which is healing and mercy for the believers’ (al-Isra’ 17:82). The Qur’an is healing and mercy for those who belong to it, and there is no doubt or uncertainty in this. Those who belong to it are the infallible Imams (peace be upon them), of whom God says: ‘Then We gave the Book as an inheritance to those of Our servants whom We had chosen’ (Fatir 35:32).
🔅🌼The Shi‘a heart is a university of wilaya 🌼🔅
🌹The Shi‘a heart is a school of the People of the House, peace be upon them; it is a book and a notebook on which divine truths are written. Let us keep the heart pure, and the book and notebook of the Prophet’s family clean.
🌹The Shi‘a must continually draw in the light of their Imam, bringing the sweetness of that light to the honey.
🌹The Shi‘a must bring to light the honey of their Imam’s knowledge, wisdom, light and mysteries, and let it sweeten and heal all creation.
🔅🌼The candle of wilaya reveals the beauty of the moth’s wings 🌼🔅
🌹The Shi‘a must be the moth circling their Imam’s radiant candle. Let us not forget: they must be the moth, not the fly buzzing around their Imam’s candle. The moth is a source of pride to its Imam.
🌹The Shi‘a must be the moon of their Imam, a star in the Imam’s galaxy, a fish in the Imam’s vast sea, a pearl in the Imam’s shell, a bird in the Imam’s sky, and a seed in the Imam’s boundless earth.
🌹The seed of our being must be well sown in the Imam’s boundless earth, enhancing creation’s most sublime landscape.
🌹The Shi‘a must have a transcendent bond with God’s proof.
🔅🌼Through wilaya, the Shi‘a recite the book of creation 🌼🔅
🌹Let us read the secrets of God, letter by letter, and recite His Book in its entirety. This aspiration can be fulfilled only through connection with one’s Imam.
🌹A wise and discerning way of seeing means seeing through interpretation and instruction. A wise and discerning way of hearing means understanding through interpretation and instruction. When a Shi‘i sees, hears and understands alongside his Imam, he gains access to the inner reality of existence.
🌹Wise and discerning understanding is essential for drawing near to God and attaining His presence.
🌹Seeing is not the same as reading. To deepen one’s vision until one sees completely is to interpret and experience every line and every image, and to grasp the divine truth within them. This exalted aim is attained through connection with God’s Proof.
🌹When the senses are in harmony with the heart, the heart with the very essence of being, and all are joined to the central power—the Proof of God—we are guided to the clear waters of divine knowledge and mysteries.
🌹The secret to understanding the realities of existence lies in studying, retaining and bringing together, all at once, everything we see, hear, feel and understand. This becomes possible through connection with the system of God’s Proof.
🌹Weak memory, forgetfulness, incomplete absorption and excessive loss all stem from the small, broken vessel of our soul.
Knowledge leaks away from the souls of most people. The human soul is a vessel full of holes, and at the same time narrow and dark.
🌹When the vessel of the heart is connected to the heart of the divine Proof, that narrow, small and dark vessel becomes boundless, infinitely expansive and radiant.
🔅🌼The guardianship of the soul is a treasury of divine arts🌼🔅
🌹God’s Proof is the highest divine technology.
🌹The most wondrous and magnificent technologies of creation are the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt. When the human soul’s hardware can run this supreme technology, it attains the lofty aims of creation.
🌹The technologies of the faithful are miracle-centred. Technology grounded in the Most Beautiful Names is technology rooted in the divine will. 🌹Among the technologies mentioned in the Qur’an are those of Dhul-Qarnayn, Solomon, David, Asif and Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, peace be upon them.
🌻🔆Yā Sīn: 82 إِنَّما أَمْرُهُ إِذا أَرادَ شَيْئاً أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ
🔆His command is this: whenever He wills something, He says to it only, “Be!” and it comes into being at once
🌻🔆Al-Baqarah: 117 بَديعُ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ وَ إِذا قَضى أَمْراً فَإِنَّما يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ
🔆He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a thing, He says only, “Be!” and it comes into being at once
🌹With God, nothing impossible is impossible
🔅🌼I yearn for the knowledge of the Book🌼🔅
🌹Whoever lives under the complete guardianship of their Imam is endowed with the knowledge of the Book. This grace is the highest technology of creation.
🌹Perhaps the people of Jabulqa and Jabulsa have outstripped humanity, continually uncovering the truths of creation alongside God’s Proof.
🌹Modern humanity, having turned away from God’s Proof, makes ignorant use of knowledge. Knowledge has become a burden around its neck, bringing it ever closer to its own complete destruction.
🌹By what technology did the Messenger of God ascend?!
🌻🔆Al-Isrā’: 1 سُبْحانَ الَّذي أَسْرى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذي بارَكْنا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آياتِنا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّميعُ الْبَصيرُ
🔆Glory be to Him who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
🌻🔆Ar-Ra‘d: 43 وَ يَقُولُ الَّذينَ كَفَرُوا لَسْتَ مُرْسَلاً قُلْ كَفى بِاللَّهِ شَهيداً بَيْني وَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَ مَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتابِ
🔆Those who disbelieve say, “You are not a messenger!” Say, “God is sufficient as a witness between me and you, as is the one who possesses knowledge of the Book (and understanding of the Qur’an).”
🔅🌼The Secrets of the Knowledge of the Book 🌼🔅
🌸🔆فِي أُصُولِ الْكَافِي أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ عَبَّادِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ سَدِيرٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ أَنَا وَ أَبُو بَصِيرٍ وَ يَحْيَى الْبَزَّازُ وَ دَاوُدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ فِي مَجْلِسِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ إِذْ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا وَ هُوَ مُغْضَبٌ، فَلَمَّا أَخَذَ مَجْلِسَهُ قَالَ: يَا عَجَباً لِأَقْوَامٍ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّا نَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ مَا يَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ، لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ بِضَرْبِ جَارِيَتِي فُلَانَةَ فَهَرَبَتْ مِنِّي فَمَا عَلِمْتُ فِي أَيِّ بُيُوتِ الدَّارِ هِيَ؟ قَالَ سَدِيرٌ: فَلَمَّا أَنْ قَامَ مِنْ مَجْلِسِهِ وَ صَارَ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ دَخَلْتُ أَنَا وَ أَبُو بَصِيرٍ وَ مُيَسِّرٌ فَقُلْنَا لَهُ: جُعِلْنَا فِدَاكَ سَمِعْنَاكَ وَ أَنْتَ تَقُولُ كَذَا وَ كَذَا فِي أَمْرِ جَارِيَتِكَ وَ نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ عِلْماً كَثِيراً وَ لَا نَنْسُبُكَ إِلَى عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ؟ قَالَ: فَقَالَ: يَا سَدِيرُ أَ لَمْ تَقْرَءِ الْقُرْآنَ؟ قُلْتُ: بَلَى، قَالَ: فَهَلْ وَجَدْتَ فِيمَا قَرَأْتَ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ «قالَ الَّذِي عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْكِتابِ أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ»؟ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَدْ قَرَأْتُهُ، قَالَ: فَهَلْ عَرَفْتَ الرَّجُلَ وَ هَلْ عَلِمْتَ مَا كَانَ عِنْدَهُ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْكِتَابِ؟ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: أَخْبِرْنِي بِهِ قَالَ: قَدْرُ قَطْرَةٍ مِنَ الْمَاءِ فِي الْبَحْرِ الْأَخْضَرِ فَمَا يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْكِتَابِ؟ قَالَ قُلْتُ: جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ مَا أَقَلَّ هَذَا قَالَ: فَقَالَ: يَا سَدِيرُ مَا أَكْثَرَ هَذَا[10] انْ يَنْسُبَهُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ إِلَى الْعِلْمِ الَّذِي أَخْبَرَكَ بِهِ، يَا سَدِيرُ فَهَلْ وَجَدْتَ فِيمَا قَرَأْتَ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَيْضاً: «قُلْ كَفى بِاللَّهِ شَهِيداً بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَ مَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتابِ» قَالَ قُلْتُ: قَدْ قَرَأْتُهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ، قَالَ: فَمَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتابِ كُلِّهِ أَفْهَمُ، أَمْ مَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتابِ بَعْضِهِ؟ قُلْتُ: لَا بَلْ مَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتابِ كُلِّهِ، قَالَ: فَأَوْمَى بِيَدِهِ إِلَى صَدْرِهِ وَ قَالَ: عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ وَ اللَّهِ كُلُّهُ عِنْدَنَا، عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ وَ اللَّهِ كُلُّهُ عِنْدَنَا.[11]
🌸🔆“Sudayr, have you read all of this verse from God’s Book, which says: ‘Say, “God is sufficient as a witness between me and you, as is the one who possesses knowledge of the Book [and understanding of the Qur’an]”’ (al-Ra‘d 43)?” I replied, “I have, may I be your ransom.” He asked, “Is the one who possesses all the knowledge of the Book more discerning, or the one who possesses only part of it?” I said, “The one who possesses knowledge of the whole Book is more discerning.” He then gestured to his chest and said, “By God, the knowledge of the Book is with us; by God, all of it is with us.”
🌸🔆al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him)— قالَ الَّذِی عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْکِتابِ أَنَا آتِیکَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ یَرْتَدَّ إِلَیْکَ طَرْفُکَ قَالَ فَفَرَّجَ أَبُوعَبْدِاللَّهِ (peace be upon him) بَیْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ فَوَضَعَهَا فِی صَدْرِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ وَعِنْدَنَا وَ اللَّهِ عِلْمُ الْکِتَابِ کُلُّهُ.
🌸🔆Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him)— قَالَ الَّذِی عِندَهُ عِلْمٌ مِّنَ الْکِتَابِ أَنَا آتِیکَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَن یَرْتَدَّ إِلَیْکَ طَرْفُکَspread the fingers of his hand, placed it on his chest, and said, “By God, all the knowledge of the Book is with us.”
🌸🔆 al-Naml: 40 قالَ الَّذي عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْكِتابِ أَنَا آتيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِنْدَهُ قالَ هذا مِنْ فَضْلِ رَبِّي لِيَبْلُوَني أَ أَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ وَ مَنْ شَكَرَ فَإِنَّما يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَ مَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّي غَنِيٌّ كَريمٌ
🌸🔆But someone who possessed knowledge of the Book said, “I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you!” When he saw it firmly placed before him, (Solomon) said, “This is by the grace of my Lord, to test me: will I give thanks, or be ungrateful? Whoever gives thanks does so for his own good; and whoever is ungrateful harms only himself. My Lord is indeed self-sufficient and generous!”
🌸🔆حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: الَّذِي عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ هُوَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، وَ سُئِلَ عَنِ الَّذِي عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ أَعْلَمُ أَمِ الَّذِي عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ؟ فَقَالَ: مَا كَانَ عِلْمُ الَّذِي عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ عِنْدَ الَّذِي عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا بِقَدْرِ مَا تَأْخُذُ الْبَعُوضَةُ بِجَنَاحِهَا مِنْ مَاءِ الْبَحْرِ وَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ: أَلَا إِنَّ الْعِلْمَ الَّذِي هَبَطَ بِهِ آدَمُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَ جَمِيعَ مَا فُضِّلَتْ بِهِ النَّبِيُّونَ إِلَى خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ فِي عِتْرَةِ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ.[12]
🌸🔆Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him)—Ibn Udhaynah relates that Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: “The one who possesses knowledge of the Book [and insight into the Qur’an]” (al-Ra‘d, 43) is the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (peace be upon him). He was asked, “Is the one who possesses knowledge of the Book more knowledgeable, or the one who possesses some knowledge of the Book?” He replied, “The knowledge of the one who possesses some knowledge of the Book, compared with the knowledge of the one who possesses knowledge of the Book, is no more than what a mosquito takes from the sea with its wing.” The Commander of the Faithful said, “All the knowledge Adam brought down from heaven to earth, and every scientific distinction of the prophets, through to the Seal of the Prophets, is entrusted to the family of the Seal of the Prophets (may God bless him and his family).”
🌹The scope of the mission of Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) extends beyond the geography of the earth.
🌹God’s Proof is driven away and estranged by the people of the earth, yet close, beloved and cherished by those beyond it.
🌹The true dawn of knowledge on earth will come with the ظهور of our Imam al-Mahdi.
🔅🌼 Renew your covenant of servitude at the special hour of Imam al-Hadi 🌼🔅
🌸🔆The tenth hour, لِعَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ ع وَ هِيَ مِنْ سَاعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ إِلَى قَبْلِ اصْفِرَارِ الشَّمْسِ
🔆the tenth hour is dedicated to Imam Ali ibn Muhammad al-Naqi al-Hadi. It begins two hours after the afternoon prayer and lasts until the sun turns yellow; his special supplication is:
🌸🔆 يَا مَنْ عَلَا فَعَظُمَ يَا مَنْ تَسَلَّطَ فَتَجَبَّرَ وَ تَجَبَّرَ فَتَسَلَّطَ يَا مَنْ عَزَّ فَاسْتَكْبَرَ فِي عِزِّهِ يَا مَنْ مَدَّ الظِّلَّ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ يَا مَنِ امْتَنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ يَا عَزِيزاً ذَا انْتِقَامٍ مُنْتَقِماً بِعِزَّتِهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الشِّرْكِ أَسْأَلُكَ بِحَقِّ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ وَ أُقَدِّمُهُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ حَوَائِجِي أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَ بِي كَذَا وَ كَذَا [13]
🌸🔆 يَا مَنْ عَلَا فَعَظُمَ يَا مَنْ تَسَلَّطَ فَتَجَبَّرَ وَ تَجَبَّرَ فَتَسَلَّطَ يَا مَنْ عَزَّ فَاسْتَكْبَرَ فِي عِزِّهِ يَا مَنْ مَدَّ الظِّلَّ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ يَا مَنِ امْتَنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ يَا عَزِيزاً ذُو انْتِقَامٍ يَا مُنْتَقِماً بِعِزَّتِهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الشِّرْكِ أَسْأَلُكَ بِحَقِّ وَلِيِّكَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ وَ أُقَدِّمُهُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ حَوَائِجِي وَ رَغْبَتِي إِلَيْكَ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ أَنْ تُعِينَنِي بِهِ عَلَى قَضَاءِ حَوَائِجِي وَ نَوَافِلِي وَ فَرَائِضِي وَ بِرِّ إِخْوَانِي وَ كَمَالِ طَاعَتِكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ وَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَ بِي كَذَا وَ كَذَا[14]
🔅🌼 The crisp bottom of the pot, 1402.10.25 🌼🔅
🌹A sign of loyalty: tawhid. Among the signs of tawhid are noble character, freedom from self-centredness and personal interpretation, true adherence to the Two Weighty Things, and following the teachings and example of the lives and traditions of God’s Proofs, both in knowledge and in practice.
🌹 Among the essentials of Qur’anic studies is the ability to distinguish abrogating verses from abrogated ones, clear verses from ambiguous ones, specific rulings from general ones, and explanations from concise passages.
🌹 Following another’s authority in matters of belief is invalid; everyone must reach the truth through investigation. But following qualified authority is permissible in practical legal matters.
🌻🔆 Repentance: 122 وَ ما كانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنْفِرُوا كَافَّةً فَلَوْ لا نَفَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِنْهُمْ طائِفَةٌ لِيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَ لِيُنْذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذا رَجَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ
🔆 It is not necessary for the believers to go forth all together. Why should not a group from each community remain behind, so that they may gain understanding of the religion and its teachings and rulings, and warn their people when they return to them? Perhaps they will beware and refrain from disobeying their Lord.
🌹In our time, in light of the policies pursued by each of the Imams, the Shia must make their knowledge known and explain their political stance.
Ali Sa‘i (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141(903)🌼
[1] Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib عليهم السلام (by Ibn Shahrāshūb), vol. 4, p. 401 Ibn Shahrāshūb Māzandarānī, Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī, Allāmeh — Qom, first edition, 1379 AH.
[2] Biḥār al-Anwār (Beirut edition), vol. 36, p. 296 Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir ibn Muḥammad Taqī, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī — Beirut, second edition, 1403 AH.
[3] Biḥār al-Anwār (Beirut edition), vol. 27, p. 108: Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir ibn Muḥammad Taqī, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī — Beirut, second edition, 1403 AH.
[4] Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib عليهم السلام (by Ibn Shahrāshūb), vol. 4, p. 401 Ibn Shahrāshūb Māzandarānī, Allāmeh — Qom, first edition, 1379 AH.
[5] ʿUyūn Akhbār al-Riḍā عليه السلام, vol. 2, p. 129 Ibn Bābawayh, Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī, Nashr Jahān — Tehran, first edition, 1378 AH.
[6] Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 1, p. 387 Qummī, ʿAlī ibn Ibrāhīm, Tafsīr al-Qummī, 2 vols., Dār al-Kitāb — Qom, third edition, 1404 AH.
[7] Biḥār al-Anwār (Beirut edition), vol. 24, p. 112 Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir ibn Muḥammad Taqī, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī — Beirut, second edition, 1403 AH.
[8] Al-Kāfī (Islamic edition), vol. 2, p. 218 Kulaynī, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyah — Tehran, fourth edition, 1407 AH.
[9] Biḥār al-Anwār (Beirut edition), vol. 24, p. 112 Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir ibn Muḥammad Taqī, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī — Beirut, second edition, 1403 AH.
[10]He writes in Mirʾāt al-ʿuqūl: “Perhaps this is a response to what one might infer from Sudayr’s words: that he regarded the knowledge granted to Āṣif عليه السلام as insignificant. Although it is small in comparison with the knowledge of the entire Book, it is in itself great and vast, because it is connected to the knowledge of the Book. In Baṣāʾir al-darajāt, the text reads: ‘How great is this favor attributed to him اللّه عزّ و جلّ …’”
[11] Tafsīr Nūr al-Thaqalayn vol. 2 522 Ḥuwayzī, ʿAbd ʿAlī ibn Jumʿah, Tafsīr Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 5 vols., Ismāʿīliyān — Iran, Qom, fourth edition, 1415 AH.
[12] Tafsīr Nūr al-Thaqalayn vol. 4 87 Ḥuwayzī, ʿAbd ʿAlī ibn Jumʿah, Tafsīr Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 5 vols., Ismāʿīliyān — Iran, Qom, fourth edition, 1415 AH.
[13] Miṣbāḥ al-mutahajjid wa-silāḥ al-mutaʿabbid, vol. 2, p. 517 Ṭūsī, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan, Muʾassasat Fiqh al-Shīʿah — Beirut, first edition, 1411 AH.
[14] The Secure City and the Impregnable Shield; text; p. 145 Kafʿamī, Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAlī ʿĀmilī, al-Aʿlamī Publications, Beirut, first edition, 1418 AH.
