IMAM ALI

Are we really of the Shia of Ali?

I begin my speech as a reminder to myself above all……The question I put forward to myself firstly then to those present, ARE WE REALLY OF THE SHIA OF ALI? Are we celebrating the auspicious birth of this Great Imam from a cultural point of view, or do we really know the magnitude of this great man and the characteristics that he possessed?

Allah (swt) in his revelations to the prophet, other than Quran, known as hadeeth Qudsi says: The Wilayat (guardianship) of Ali bin Abi Taleb is my safe haven (sanctuary) and whomsoever enters my safe haven will be safeguarded from My punishment……

We the shia of Ali have found comfort in this sanctuary……..We are shias, we are followers of Ali, heaven is inevitable for us, we cant go wrong. I wonder is it through intentional negligence, or is that we turn a blind eye, or dismiss outright the fact that this wilayat cannot be complete,if belief in it and adherance to it with action is not met ….The Wilayat of Ali bin Abi Taleb is surely the safehaven Allah has bestowed upon the Shia of Ali, but WITH ITS CONDITIONS.

The essence of being a Shia and that which separates us from all other Islamic sects is our commitment to the leadership of Ahlul Bait. This commitment is not only acknowledging their superiority on our tongues, it is showing commitment to their teaching on a practical level, through action. In fact the hadeeth says in order to have true belief you have to possess these 3 traits……First faith embedded in the heart, secondly to profess this faith on the tongue, and last and most important is ACTION.

Allah in the Holy Quran says: Say Oh Prophet to your followers: If you truly love Allah, THEN FOLLOW ME, (obey me), then Allah will Also love you and forgive your sins.

How do we follow the Prophet and Ahlul Bait, and thus comply with the conditions which will envelop us in the safe haven of Allah, under the banner of Wilayat of Ali?

Do we follow, by wearing gleaming gold and silver swords around our necks which represent the sword of Ali, Dhul Fiqaar…..worse still wearing such a symbol and then falling into sin while wearing it, be it adultery, stealing or something else?

Do we follow by tattooing a faceless man on our arm representing Imam Mahdi, with Ya Mahdi Adrikna, written below it?

If we build grand mosques and husainiyas, with luxurious fittings etc, and then visit these mosques or husainiyas 10days for the mourning of Imam hussain and if we are good another 30 days for Shahr Ramadhan assemblies….does that make us the true followers of Ali?

Or maybe the purchase of a beautifully bound Quran to adorn a shelf, maybe that makes us true followers…..

How wrong we are!!!

Ameerul Moumineen in Nahjul Balaghah has described what the pious believer’s characteristics’ are, those whom deserve to be called of His Shia…(it is very long but I have taken what is beneficial to our social well-being….and affects our daily lives……..

Their speech is to the point (honesty), their dress is moderate and their gait is humble. They keep their eyes closed to what Allah has made unlawful for them, and they put their ears to that knowledge which is beneficial to them.

During a night they are upstanding on their feet reading portions of the Qur'an and reciting it in a well-measured way, creating through it grief for themselves and seeking by it the cure for their ailments……..

They bend themselves from their backs, prostrate themselves on their foreheads, their palms, their knees and their toes, and beseech Allah, the Sublime, for their deliverance.

They are not satisfied with their meager good acts, and do not regard their major acts as great……..

You will see his hopes simple, his shortcomings few, his heart fearing, his spirit contented, his meal small and simple, his religion safe, his desires dead and his anger suppressed…….

He forgives him who is unjust to him, and he gives to him who deprives him. He behaves well with him who behaves ill with him….. Indecent speech is far from him, his utterance is lenient,…….He is dignified during calamities, patient in distresses, and thankful during ease……… He does not call others bad names, he does not cause harm to his neighbour, he does not feel happy at others misfortunes…….

The Imam further describes in Nahjul Balagha the best of his shia…and the characteristics they possessed: Their bellies are thin through hunger, their lips dry through thirst and their eyes bleared through weeping."

Ameerul moumineen knows that many of us cannot reach the status that they reached, but nevertheless he states that we should atleast try: "These qualities are incumbent upon you. So you should acquire them and excel each other in them. Even if you cannot acquire them, you should know that acquiring a part is better than giving up the whole."

Imam Al-Baqir (as) also gives us a good picture of what is required of us so that we can qualify to be called of the Shia of Ali, the Shia of Ahlul Bait….

He addresses his companion Jaafar alJu’fi: By Allah one is NOT of our Shia unless he obeys Allah, is pious and upright Our Shia are recognized for their modesty, humility, excessive worship, frequent offering of salat, observance of fast and they honour their parents.

Our Shias care for neighbours, the disadvantaged, the needy, the indebted and the orphans.

Our Shia always speak the truth, recite the Holy Quran, hold their tongue against speaking ill of others.

Our Shia are trustworthy in all matters of social and spiritual relationships…

Another important characteristic in the true Shia of Ahlul bait that also comes to us from Imam al-Baqir is: Our Shias are committed to us (in our love) ……in that ….they do not praise some one who finds fault in us, and do not establish relationships with those who bear enmity towards us. (shi3atuna man la yamda7 lana mu3eeban. Sadly, all in the name of what they call UNITY today, many of the shias practically fall head over heels in order to make relationships with those who openly and without fear wage war against our beliefs and our love for Ali……with open arms we welcome them to participate in such events known as the “week of Unity”, whilst back home they propogate their lies and kill our scholars…..when will the madness end? When will the shias wake up and rise from this subservient frame of mind that they have fallen into??

The true shias of Ali are committed and are willing to go hungry, thirsty…..even die.

The likes of Maytham al-Tammar who sacrificied all for this love. Even when he was crucified on the branch of a tree (a method of slow death the despot regimes used), his actions did not cease….maybe he could no longer defend Ali (as) with his limbs, but he was still doing it with his tongue…….until it too was severed…..

Do we as supposed Shia’s of Ali, possess the strength to stand up to the mutawakkils of today, in the same manner that Ibn Sikkit, who was confronted by almutawakkil with his two sons in front of him….and asked whether they were dearer to ibn sikkit, who was their teacher, than Hasan and Husayn……(Almutawakkil had doubts about ibn sikkit, and feared that he leaned towards Ali)….What did ibn Sikkit say to the CALIPH of the time,….”By Allah, I swear that Ali’s slave Qanbar is definitely dearer to me than these two and their father”…

After all that was stated above, if we again take another look…. deep within our ourselves….can we honestly answer ourselves and say for sure without wincing that we ARE TRUE SHIAS OF ALI?

Imam alBaqir:

Is it sufficient for a man to say I love Ali and accept him as Wali, yet fails to include with this love ACTION?….If he should say that he loves Rasoolallah (sawa),….and then does not follow his path (his sunnah), his love for him is WORTHLESS. Be Pious and Perform…Whomsoever is obedient to Allah, is of our followers, and whomsoever is disobedient is our ENEMY…..and you will NOT achieve our WILAYAT except with ACTION (deeds) and piety!!…….