Islam For Kids

Islam For Kids

One of the Best Things You Can Do

The Messenger of Allah [s] says:

"Among the best things about a man being Muslim is that he does not interfere in things which he is not concerned, so beware of this as you will not be excused of it."

In this hadith, the Holy Prophet [s] forbids us from interfering in the affairs of people which have nothing to do with us and with which we have no connection.

For example, if you see two persons holding a private conversation, do not eavesdrop or try to join in. It maybe that they have certain confidences between them which they do not want others to be aware of or involved in.

If someone says something which has nothing to do with you, do not try to involve yourself in such a conversation, or speak as a representative for one who has not asked you. And if you find out something which does not concern you, do not use it to intervene.

For example, do not lend your friend's book to another person. It is not yours to do so, and if you do indeed you have interfered in another person's business.

For sure, the faithful with strong beliefs and good morals is not arrogant and never interferes in other's affairs.

If you do involve yourself, indeed you have committed a grave mistake against people and must correct yourself by apologizing because you have done harm to others in affairs that do not concern you. Among the best characteristics of the believer is not doing harm to anyone and in case of erring, one should repent and confess their fault.

A faithful differs from a hypocrite, who never admits his/her mistake nor apologizes for the harm he/she continually does against people.

Although it is among the believer's characteristics not to become involved in others' affairs and not to be officious, it is necessary to distinguish between interfering and intervening in the case of bidding what is right and forbidding what is wrong.

For instance, it we see a person committing a crime, or lying, stealing, or oppressing others, or deceiving or behaving in a vulgar manner, it is obligatory upon us to advise them of their wrong doing in order that they abstain from such misdeeds. Such intervention is not interfering but only doing one's moral duty as a true believer.
Summary
Surely, among the faithful's characteristics is not to interfere in the affairs of others.
The faithful neither hurts others nor causes them harm, and if he commits a mistake he apologizes.The hypocrite only harms and hurts others and never apologizes to them.
There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

The Best of Morals

It is reported from the Prophet [s] that he said:
"I was sent to complete the best of morals."

Allah, the Almighty, has given man intellect and made him a creature who thinks and differentiates between good and evil. He shows him what is the best and what is the worst and what is the most desirable and what is the most disliked among deeds. Man indeed knows that injustice, lying and tormenting others are hateful while justice, truthfulness and being benevolent are good. His ability to think makes him distinct from animals; to love good, praiseworthy and moral behaviour and dislike bad, and immoral conduct.

It is man's sense of morals that is among the essential characteristics which distinguish him from other creatures. Animals neither know morals or principles nor are responsible in the same way as man is in being able to differentiate between what is good and righteous and what is bad and evil.

Therefore a man who is characterised by bad morals, like lying, cheating, being unjust, deceitful and hypocritical is worse than an animal and his existence in human society is a danger to all other people.

Islam teaches us as human beings to follow a life of principles, characterised by the best moral virtues, and to avoid wrongful behaviour.

The Holy Prophet [s] explains through his saying: "I was sent to complete the best of morals." That among the fundamental aims of Islam is to educate man with the most virtuous principles and to steer him clear from vices and immoral conduct.

A man with a bad character causes harm not only to society but also to himself. He who tells lies, does unjust deeds, backbites, hates, deceives and betrays others, surely loses the trust and respect of others.

An ill-tempered man also exposes himself to Allah's anger as well as to people's aversion. He causes the spread of corruption in social life, and becomes a decaying influence and a destroyer among the people. Therefore, the Holy Prophet [s] warns us against such ill-natured men through his sermon: "Whoever is ill-tempered causes harm to himself" in which he also instructs Muslims to be good-mannered and virtuous as the path towards man's perfection.

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq [a] quotes the Messenger of Allah [s] as having said:
"Indeed the most perfect among the believers is of the best of morals."

The Glorious Messenger [s] further told us that among the best deeds on the Resurrection Day are good manners. He said: "Nothing will be put on man's scale on Resurrection Day better than good manners."

It is obligatory for Muslims to improve their manners and to treat people gently and avoid those who are characterised by ill behaviour. Prophet Muhammad [s] himself, due to his truthfulness, honesty, and his fair dealing with people, forgiving evil-doers, and being generous, courageous, just, and the doer of good for all, is exemplary and the prime model of conduct for all Muslims to follow.

The Holy Qur'an aptly and precisely describes and praises such people by saying:
"And most surely you conform (yourself) to sublime morality." Holy Qur'an (68:4)

Practising Good Manners

The human soul is in need of developing educationally in order to become characterised by the best of morals and refrain from evil doings. This can be achieved by teaching ourselves the following points:

1. Following in the footsteps and copying the examples of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad [s], his infallible household (Ahlul Bayt) and the most righteous among his companions. Studying their biographies and considering all aspects of their virtuous behaviour are essential ways of being led on the right path.

2. Practice makes perfect and we should practise conducting ourselves with the best of morals, like truth, courage, generosity, mercy, benevolence and forgiveness. Whoever repeatedly does good deeds and behaves in a principled manner, such conduct will undoubtedly become habitual, whereas whoever commits misdeeds and ill-natured vices like hypocrisy, lying, deceiving …etc. will accept them to such an extent that they will not feel their abomination and the damage they cause.

3. Avoiding people characterised by bad manners and not making them friends, because not mixing with such people removes the danger of being misled and should also discourage their unprincipled behaviour.

4. We should also ask the forgiveness of Allah in case of committing sins or doing evil deeds and should regret and repent for such actions. This can be done through reprimanding ourselves and feeling that such action is bad and should not be repeated.

To Summarise

1. Good manners surely indicate the goodness of the upright human soul while bad manners indicates that the soul of that man is evil and wicked. A good human soul is like a sweet flower from which fragrant perfume is emitted. Conversely one which is wicked can be likened to a poisonous smell that harms people.

2. Allah bids us towards the best morals and will reward us accordingly on the Resurrection Day and also forbids us against bad morals for which He will duly punish us.

3. Bad morals cause the destruction of society and the spread of corruption; he who has vices, his personality will be disliked and he will be liable to punishment, and people will avoid and humiliate him.

4. The man with good morals is considered the foundation on which the structure of a sound Islamic society is built, and is among the causes of giving strength to Muslims.

5. But if Muslim communities lose their good morals of justice, mercy and benevolence, they will be destroyed, and all the scientific progress and abundance of wealth can not prevent it. When moral principles are abandoned, the quality of life is disrupted and led astray.

Thus we see war, gross injustice and rising crime spreading in immoral societies.

Vices like lying, selfishness, greed, deceit and hypocrisy fester in the same way as germs destroy the human body.

6. The onus is on all Muslims to ensure good morals which are preserved by way of self-education and practising exemplary behaviour

The Truthful Belief

Imam Ja'far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq [a] reportedly quotes his forefathers from the Messenger of Allah [a] as saying:

"Whoever recites sincerely that there is no god but Allah enters paradise, and his sincerity should forbid him what Allah has forbidden."

It is well established that everything has a foundation and the foundation stone of Islam is confirming the Oneness of Almighty Allah. Whoever truthfully says, "There is no god but Allah", indeed fixes the foundation of Islam in his heart as a builder digs the foundation for a building.

Whoever believes in the Oneness of Allah, and that Allah alone is the Creator and Provider in whose hand is death and life that He is Able over everything and He alone should be worshipped …is a truthful believer, who is sincerely committed to Islam.

Whoever believes that there is no god other than Allah Who is All-Powerful over all things and Who punishes man for his misdeeds and sayings…does not disobey Him but avoids what is forbidden (haram) because he believes that Allah is All-Knowing of what we do and will judge us on the Resurrection Day for our actions.

This truthful belief restrains man from doing forbidden acts; he neither wrongs nor deceives anyone, nor does he steal or drink alcohol; he is neither undutiful towards his parents nor does harm others.

The Messenger of Allah [s] teaches us that Islam is a confession from the heart spoken by the tongue, that a true Muslim is one who applies Islamic methods in organising his personal and social life as well as in his public life. So, a true Muslim has truthful belief that deserves paradise and Allah's pleasure.

But whoever utters "There is no god but Allah" only with his tongue while his heart does not confess it and does not refrain from what Allah has forbidden, is not a true faithful. If he were truthful, he would not commit forbidden acts and would not disobey Allah; hence ultimately his end will be in hell.

In Summary

Islam is a belief in the heart and doing righteous deeds in this life.
A true belief in Allah is belief that causes man to abstain from what He has forbidden.
A true belief is the base to reform society and spread the goodness and virtues of life.
The consequence for those who believe in the Oneness of Allah and obey Him is paradise and blissful eternal life.

Say: There is no god but Allah, and you will succeed.

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq [a], is the son of Muhammad al-Baqir [a]. son of Ali al-Sajjad [a], son of al-Hussain al-Sibt [a], son of Fatimah [a], the daughter at the Messenger of Allah [s], and Imam Ali [a]. He was born in Madina in the year 83 A.H. (after hijra). He narrated Prophetic traditions through his forefathers from the Messenger of Allah [s]. It is from Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq [a] that all the scholars and Imams after him took the Prophetic traditions, the interpretation of the Qur'an and the Islamic laws concerning what is lawful and what is unlawful

Who is a Believer

The Messenger of Allah [s] said:

"Whoever is pleased with his good actions and displeased with his bad actions is a faithful."

How happy you feel when you see a poor needy man and help him with some money.

How elated you are if you recite some verses of the Holy Qur'an at dawn.

Your sense is of great satisfaction, when you do an action which pleases your parents.

All are good deeds which you love because you are a believer and are happy to do them and always think of doing them.

Conversely, people who do evil deeds, are emotionally disturbed in feeling pleased by cheating people, or lying to them or stealing something, or doing something that is forbidden. He gives up prayer without feeling himself a sinner because he loses his conscience. He does not judge himself for his irresponsibility or question why he has done such evil deeds.

Surely, there is no truthful belief in the heart of such a man.

Surely, the true believer is he who suffers in case he has committed a mistake, and finds himself guilty in the case of committing an evil action. Consequently, he asks Allah's forgiveness and then repents. He apologizes to the people whom he has wronged.

The Messenger Muhammad [s] says:

"The faithful is he whose evil deeds displease him."

This Prophetic tradition means that he is displeased with himself when committing a misdeed and feels a strong aversion to doing it again.

He who likes doing evil deeds cannot be good but he who loves doing good deeds shows his virtuous nature and can only be good.

As an example we can compare flies with bees; flies, on the one hand live in dirt and gather germs, even from dead animals. In this way, they carry sickness to people, causing people to dislike them and spray poisonous substances to kill them and prevent the spread of disease.

Bees, on the other hand love beautiful flowers, from which they gather pollen, which gives us honey as a useful nourishment for our bodies. Therefore, people approve of bees and even breed them and safeguard their lives.

In Summary

People feel happy and satisfied by doing good acts and giving charity, but dislike doing evil deeds, which causes harm, This feeling in us is called conscience.

The Islamic religion wants to bring out the conscience in us in order that we do beneficial acts and avoid committing evil deeds and actions. The aim is to speed us on our way to becoming true faithful

A Believers Deeds

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful.
"Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their prayers, and who keep aloof from, what is vain, who are givers of poor-rate and who guard their private parts, except before their mates or those whom their right hands possess, for they surely are not to blame. But whoever seeks to go beyond that, these an they that exceed the limits. And those who are keepers of their trusts and their covenant, and those who keep a guard on their prayers, these are they who are the heirs, who shall inherit paradise; therein they shall dwell forever."

Holy Qur'an (23:1-11)
This narration from the Holy Qur'an is about the believer's attributes.

It describes believers as humble in their prayer; so the believer is he who stands before Allah in absolute sincerity and without any feeling of vanity. He calls upon Allah, worships Him and approaches Him; he asks His forgiveness and remission; his heart, mind and bodily limbs are focussed together as a mere being in front of the Almighty, the Most High.

When believers hear untrue profanity spoken by disbelievers such as curses, they avoid such people because their characters are aloof from such matters and never indulge in meaningless or debasing conversations.

Believers pay poor-rates (zakat), which is an obligatory amount of money paid by the rich to the poor. They help in funding charitable projects such as schools, hospitals, dwellings, mosques, libraries …etc. so that no one in an Islamic society has to remain poor, or in need of education, or a place to live or medical care. Indeed, Islam wants to protect people from poverty, ignorance, illness and need.

Male and female believers are able to guard themselves from committing forbidden acts through Allah's constituting marriage as the lawful way for people to live together and be near families.

Believers keep the covenants which they have made, pay back trusts and never betray. If a believer agrees to do something, he does it; if someone entrusts him with property, with a secret, with a will, he guards them for their owners, or if people choose him to be a judge for them, he returns their confidence in him by acting fairly.

Another obvious signs of a true believer is prayer, which distinguishes him or her from a disbeliever. Whoever stops praying or despises it as a burden is disliked by Allah, the Almighty, and His Messenger, and even believers dislike them and cut their relations with them. They do not talk, greet, visit nor help the one who does not pray.

Wherever we find the above mentioned attributes in the individuals of any community, that society will be an Islamic one, happy and progressive; far from corruption and vice, in which people live contentedly in security.

The reward of such believers will be paradise and happiness in the hereafter as well as benefits in the life of this world as long as Islamic laws and principles are applied to behaviour and manners.

Who Allah Loves Most
The Messenger of Allah [s] said:

"All mankind belongs to Allah; therefore the most favoured by Allah is the one who is good to his or her own family".

A man once asked the Messenger of Allah [s]:

"What people does Allah love most?"

He said: "Those who are most useful to other people."

Through the quoted holy traditions (hadith), the Messenger of Allah [s] teaches us in simplistic terms how to deal with people and how a Muslim should behave with individuals in society.

Indeed, a Muslim should be a useful member of the community in which he or she lives, because human society is like the human body. The human body consists of different organs for different functions, for instance the eye takes the duty of seeing, the tongue for speaking, the legs for walking and the hands for working. Consequently, each of these organs has a benefit and use for the human body without which man cannot live normally.

Therefore, human society is made up of different people, who carry out certain duties to perform necessary services.

A farmer supplies food, a doctor attends to the sick, the holy struggler (mujahid) defends his religion and country, and the teacher educates people. These few examples show that each person offers advantages in providing for people.

The Messenger of Allah [s] likens human society to a single family by saying:

All mankind belong to Allah, the Exalted, Who loves goodness and benefits them; and Who preserves their interests and welfare, like a man who takes care of his or her own family by providing care and assistance.

Therefore, Allah loves those who do good to people and whoever helps the needy, cares for the sick, provides food for the hungry, reconciles people, discovers new medicines, builds a school or establishes an orphanage to look after children without parents. Indeed a true believer does all these for the benefit of other people and is a useful asset to his or her society.

Consequently, the most useful person in society is he who is the best and most beneficial, whom Allah loves most, because an Islamic society cannot be a strong and caring one, in which peace and happiness prevails, unless people do good to the advantage of all and ignore their own personal interests.

To Summarise
The best among people is the one who does good to all and is most useful to society.
A Muslim is one who loves to do good for society.
 Allah surely loves those who do good for society.

Bestowing Love and Peace

The Messenger of Allah [s] said:

"I swear to Allah in Whose hand my life is, that you cannot attain heaven and eternal happiness unless you have faith, and you cannot have faith unless you love each other. Should I not guide you towards some task, as a result of which, love and friendship will be created among you?" They answered:

"Yes, O Prophet of Allah" He added: "So, salute each other (with peace) openly and clearly."

Our religion is Islam. It is the religion of fraternity and brotherhood among people. Prophet Muhammad [s] called people towards friendship and caring because they are the foundation of co-operation and happiness in this life. One feels happy and at peace when living with one's own family or with loving friends. That feeling and love and respect goes both ways and one cannot forget family and friends because of one's loves for them.

It is when there is no love that enmity among people is created which often leads to aggression breaking out. If there was real love, fighting among people would not erupt nor would one steal another's property nor would there be such a gap between rich and poor.

Allah will not be pleased with us and we not will live in happiness unless we love each other.
Our Prophet [s] guides us towards the right path by instructing us to greet each with the salutation of peace (salam) as the first sign of showing affection for each other. He says: "Salute each other (with peace) openly and clearly."

He guides us in this way because such a salutation and greeting make both love and happiness enter our souls.Love among Muslims is a sign for their true and sincere belief, and all Muslims are brothers and they love each other.

So, whoever dislikes his Muslim brothers and hurts them is not a true believer. This is endorsed by the Messenger of Allah [s] who says: No believers will be true in their belief unless they love each other.

These holy traditions (hadith) guide us to the knowledge that Allah will be displeased with us and will not let us enter Paradise unless we believe and act upon the guidance of His Prophet. His Messenger has spelt out: It is obligatory for Muslims to love each other in order to be believers and thus enter Paradise.

To Summarise

No one will enter Paradise except the person who truly believes in Allah.
A Muslim cannot be a true believer unless he loves his other Muslim brothers.
Initially saluting each other with peace causes love and fraternity among people and reaches their hearts.

Those who salute and greet others deserve and gain the double reward of happiness in the life of this world and in the Hereafter.

The Character of a Believer
The Holy Prophet Muhammad [s] describes the believer in his sermon:

"Blessed is he who earns his living through lawful ways and he whose inward status is good, outward is decent; spends his surplus wealth in charity; abstains from excessive talking; people remain safe of (any) evil from him; he treats others with justice. Surely whoever believes in Allah fears Him, and whoever fears Allah guards himself against the evils of this world."

Let us ponder on the meanings, thoughts, and instructions of these everlasting words of the Glorious Messenger of Allah [s] in order to understand and apply them in our daily life. We can learn morals, good behaviour, laws, and a whole system of life from Prophet Muhammad [s] who made clear the right path for us in order to guide us, so that we could purify ourselves and inform the rest of society.

Surely, the Messenger of Allah Muhammad [s] wanted, through his sermon, to teach us various things. Among them are:

That congratulations are for the servant of Allah, who makes his living through lawful means and does righteous deeds; and, as the result, he leads a fulfilling and successful life both in this world and in the hereafter.

The Messenger [s] certainly wants us to earn our living through lawful ways and avoid what is unlawful.

That congratulations are for whoever improves his moral behaviour. Indeed, happiness and a good life are found where there are good morals and other people are treated well. These are well-known attributes of a believer and of a praiseworthy character.

Congratulations thus are for whoever improves his own character and thus improves his life.

In the sermon, Holy Prophet Muhammad [s] praises faithful men who are simple-hearted, i.e. he who bears no evil in his heart towards anyone nor is hypocritical, hasty or deceitful, but whose heart is pure and his self is cleansed against any filth or evil.

Who is a Believer?

The believer of whom the Messenger [s] praises his character and attributes is also the one who spends whatever he can out of his own wealth in charitable and benevolent programmes, and deeds, seeking Allah's pleasure.

A believer is the one who strives to obtain his living through lawful means and not depend on others, dissatisfied with unemployment and squandering time. He uses his income thriftily on himself and provides for his family according to their needs, while he spends the rest in the cause of Allah. Never is any money amassed for its own sake or deprived from helping the poor and needy as this is against Islam.

Another characteristic of a believer who deserves a good life and pleases Allah is in the way of speaking. Controlling the tongue eliminates all idle chatting and presents one from interfering in or provoking any hostility. A believer says nothing which displeases Allah, the Almighty and instead voices what is useful in knowledge and advice, in uttering what is good and saying what is righteous.

A believer never does harm to others. People will feel safe and secure when they live with a believer because he is the doer of good, who shows his love of good by performing it and his dislike of evil by avoiding it.

Apart from this, he is also just and never forfeits the rights of others. He respects another's rights and abides by them.

In the same sermon, the Messenger of Allah [s] explains that belief in Allah and knowing Him makes a man fearful of committing sins and evil deeds. He, who fears Allah, never becomes over-involved with the life of this world in which people strive against each other for mere material gain. Instead he directs himself towards life in the Hereafter and strives for its sake.

In Summary

A believer is one who deserves Allah's pleasure and for him there will be a good life and happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. The believer is the one in whom the following characteristics are found:

Doing what are lawful and righteous deeds.

Having good morals and treating people with respect.

Having a purified heart and soul, neither hating others nor being hypocritical.

Spending whatever he has out of his wealth in the cause of Allah i.e. in the fields of charity.

Being offensive to no one.

Causing no harm to others.

Respecting other people's rights.

These characteristics are only found in truly faithful persons who know Allah well and fear His punishment because those who know Him do not think much of this world's life, and wish only to achieve the performance of as many good deeds as possible in it, in order to be rewarded in the life hereafter.

Love and Respect Towards Parents

Allah, the Exalted, says:

"And your lord has commanded that you shall not worship (any) but Him and (show) goodness to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say not to them (so much as) 'Ah' nor chide them, but speak to them a generous word. And make yourself submissively gently to them with compassion, and say: O my Lord! Have compassion on them, as they brought me up (when I was) small."
Holy Qur'an (17:23-24)

If your friends give you a nice present, you will certainly thank them and your love will grow towards them.

If someone offers you help and assistance in your life, surely you will respect them and recognize their favour and kind attitude.

No one does more for you than your parents and it is they of all people who deserve great love, thanks, and respect. They are the ones who bear tiredness and difficulty for the sake of us, their children.

A mother first carries her child as an embryo (foetus) in her womb and it is fed by her blood. Then when she has given birth, she spends nights on attendance, taking care of and watching over her baby with love and affection.

Fathers also take part in caring and giving affection, and go to work and strive to provide food, shelter and other material necessities. In addition, both parents spend time educating their children and rearing them towards adulthood.

In the verses quoted above, Allah commands us to worship and obey none but Him. And at the same time He commands us to love our parents and acknowledge their favour and benevolence to us.

Allah also enjoins us not to speak unkindly or harm them, not to give even as much as a sigh against them, especially when they grow old or are in need, or unable to do things for themselves.

Hospitality Towards Guests
The Messenger of Allah [s] further guides us by saying:

"Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should be hospitable with his or her guests."

Our great Prophet [s] teaches us to be generous and how to entertain guests. He wants a Muslim to show gratitude and be kind and happy when receiving guests. One should respect and welcome his guests, in particular when they are strangers, or have no family or friends in that country.

It may even happen that a guest comes while relatives or friends are being entertained, or other travellers are staying and there is lack of space; or you are unprepared and have few provisions or are even short of money. In any eventuality, guests who come to your home should be made welcome, shown respect and be provided with whatever food and drink are available. One should sit with them in order to make them feel comfortable and happy, and take care to pay great attention to them.

Surely, our glorious Prophet [s] guides us towards respecting guests and being generous towards them. In this respect, he says: "Indeed whoever believes that Allah is All-Generous, Who provides for His creation and rewards those who are hospitable towards their guests, should look after his guest."

Surely, Allah will increase our provision if we welcome our guests and give them food and drink, and will reward us on the Resurrection Day.

Allah is All-Generous, who loves the generous ones and dislikes those who are mean.

Controlling The Tongue
The Messenger of Allah [s] says:

Blessed is the man who speaks good and is triumphant; or keeps silent in the face of evil and is secure".

Among Allah's blessings upon man is that He made him a thoughtful and sane being and created a tongue for him. He made him able to utter sounds and clarify what he wants through the words which he speaks. He has only to speak to let people know what he wants.

Thus, we should thank Allah for the blessings which He bestowed upon us. We should use our speech in useful ways; not to speak but goodness. For example, if we are in a meeting or a gathering and want to speak with people, or any discussion comes up then we should first think what we want to say and choose which words to use. If we can offer useful counsel to people or offer advice, we should speak in such a way to make others want to listen. Hence your words will be acceptable to Allah and the people because your speech is beneficial in guiding towards goodness or reconciling people, or teaching useful knowledge, and will increase the love of people to each other.

If we say a word of goodness we will get Allah's reward and the love and respect of the people and so we will be triumphant. As our glorious Prophet Muhammad [s] says: If man is not able to say something useful, he should keep silent from bad words and his silence will keep him far from Allah's wrath and from the harm which might befall him as a result of saying bad words. Whoever does evil deeds to people, people will surely confront him with evil too. And certainly, if you speak bad words it may cause you problems and harm and make you regret and wish you had kept silent and had not spoken.

Consequently, our Holy Prophet Muhammad [s] educates us with good manners saying: Either you speak a useful and good word, or be silent which is better for you than speaking evil words.

In Summary

Among the best characteristics of a Muslim is to speak only the words of goodness and reconciliation.

It is better to remain silent if you cannot speak the word of goodness.

Whoever does not keep a check on his tongue will regret it.

For those who do good is good (reward) and even more than that.

Faithful To A Promise

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq [a] quoted the Messenger of Allah [s] as saying:

"Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should keep their promise when they make it."

Our Holy Prophet Muhammad [s] teaches us the best morals and the most useful customs, and also how to fulfil a promise and be punctual.

Imagine that one day you have an appointment with your friend and have agreed to meet him half-an-hour before noon prayer in the mosque to recite the Holy Qur'an together. You arrived on time and waited until the prayer caller (Mu'adhin) called for the noon prayer. You performed the prayer but your friend still had not come. Certainly, you will blame your friend for not keeping his promise and making you wait. Hopefully your friend will feel responsible and apologise to you.

But how happy and glad you are if someone promises to do something for you and keeps his promise. Keeping a promise is among the morals of the true believer. And whoever does not fulfil their promise, no one will respect their word nor trust them.

It is obligatory for us to be honest in making a promise and keeping an appointment we have made. It is also obligatory upon us to be punctual about time and not to waste it. We should be exactly on time in school, at work, or at an agreed meeting place.

A Promise Fulfilled by our Prophet Muhammad [s]

Prophet Muhammad [s] promised a man that he would remain sitting in a certain place until the man returned. That man went away and the sun rose. Soon it became very hot but the Prophet never changed his place. One his companions said: "O Prophet of Allah! What difference does it make if you come and sit in the shade?" The Prophet replied: "I promised to meet him here and not to change a place till he comes, in order to fulfil my promise to him. If he does not come, then it will be he who is breaking the promise."
And Most Surely You Conform (Yourself) To Sublime Morality.

Considerate with Young and Old

Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) reportedly quotes from the Prophet [s]:

"Whoever has no pity for the young and does not respect the old is not one of us."

When you see a baby crying, your heart is sympathetic and you feel kind. You begin to joke and play with the baby in order to stop its crying.

It may also happen that you help and be kind to a small child who is lost in the market or cannot find its family.

Surely, these moral attitudes are among those of the faithful whom Allah and His Messenger love most. The believer is the one whose heart is full of mercy for people, especially the needy and the oppressed, and small children, as they are the most vulnerable and weak and are in need of our help. So, if we give them our help and assistance, surely Allah will be pleased with us and will help us in this world by making our lives successful, and will also have mercy upon us in the Hereafter.

Our Prophet [s] teaches us to be kind to the young, and respect the old.

You may have your grandfather, grandmother or one of your relatives living in your home, and see that they have grown old and are unable to do much, and are in need of help and assistance. Our Prophet enjoins us to respect such people and if they are in need of something to help them. If they ask us, we should bring them food and drink, help them reach where they want to go, and get the things which they need.

When we sit with old people, we should sit properly and leave a comfortable place for them. When we speak to them, we should not raise our voice nor talk before they start speaking, nor interrupt them. If we walk with them on the street, we should take care that their way is easy and make sure to walk at their pace.

Giving Thanks To Allah

The Messenger of Allah [s] said:

"Surely the faithful who is satisfied with food and drink; and then thanks Allah, is given the same reward as a fasting man. Allah is Gracious and appreciates gratitude."

One of the companions of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir [a] reported the following incident, when he was travelling with the Imam on the road towards Madina. On the way, he saw the Imam get down and began prostrating to Allah, which greatly surprised him. After completing his prostration the Imam said to his companion:

"It seems that you are astonished to see me prostrating"

His companion answered: "Yes," and the Imam said:

"Remembering one of Allah's blessings to me, I could not continue until I had given thanks to Him."

Thus the infallible Imams of Ahlul-Bait [a] instruct us to thank Almighty Allah for each of His blessings.

As we see, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir [a], remembering one of Allah's blessings on his way, stopped and prostrated to Allah to give thanks for His blessings.

Surely Allah gives us so many favours (blessings) that we are not able to count them all, He provides us with good health, and intellect with which to think; eyes with which to see; ears with which to hear. He also supplies us with food and drink. It is through His favour that we may be healed when we are ill. We should always feel thankful for the blessings of Allah and praise and thank Him.

Certainly we thank Allah when He gives us food and drink.

The Greatest Sins

The Messenger of Allah [s] says:

"Shall I inform you of the greatest sins? Associating others with Allah, being undutiful to parents, and false words."

Sin and crime are both evil for people. Associating other partners with Allah, being undutiful to parents, and uttering false words are all mentioned by the Holy Prophet [s] in this hadith as being among the greatest sins. Others include theft, murder, deceit, gambling, sorcery, and harming others…etc.

All cause as much harm to their doers as they harm other people. Indeed, Allah promises the wrongdoers who commit these offences severe punishment, i.e. hell, but some of these sins are worse than others. This is because they are more harmful and endanger the lives of people, and also because they cause sins.

The most abominable of these atrocious sins are the following:

1. Associating other Partners with Allah




Associating other partners with Allah is to believe in the existence of a god other than Allah, or to say that Allah has sons as the Jews and the Christians allege, and Whose beginning is like that of other creatures. Such beliefs are considered among the greatest sins because they cause people to deviate from the straight path, and it is telling lies about Allah.






And he whose belief is corrupt and lies against Allah, does not respect people, nor guards the welfare of humanity nor forbids crimes and wrongdoing. That is why polytheism is among the greatest sins.




2. To Be Undutiful towards Parents




A Muslim's heart is filled with love and kindness towards parents. Both have favoured for us and are the origin of our existence in this life. Our education, instruction and care are due to them. No one forgets his father's favour, who strives to work and supports his family. And no one forgets his mother's favour, bearing us in her womb while her life blood nourishes us, and watching over us many a night sleepless for our sake, keeping us, rearing us and educating us.






Parents are the source of love and benevolence for each individual in society, and whoever wrongs their parents and does not carry out his duties towards them is surely an unrighteous person, having no respect and being ungrateful to those who bestowed such benevolence upon us. Such a person will become habitual in doing evil against others and extorting from them their rights.






The Holy Messenger [s] instructs us that being undutiful towards our parents is among the greatest sins, and Allah is wrathful with those who wrong their parents and deny them respect.




3. False Words




Speaking false words is denying what is true. Indeed, the Holy Messenger [s] says: It is considered among the greatest sins because the liar causes harm both to people and to himself.






Lying is the result of doing various evil deeds, like a thief stealing property and denying it belongs to others. When asked why he has stolen another's property; he will claim that he did not take it. Or there is the oppressor who denies people their basic rights and when he is asked why he behaves in such a bad way, he lies about it.






Lying is the route to destruction of all moral behaviour in contrast to being really truthful and confessing misdeeds to ensure they are not committed again.






It is said one lie leads to another, and the Messenger Muhammad [s] says: Surely, lying is among the greatest sins due to its being the cause for crimes, and when man gives it up and is truthful, he will be far from such crimes.

Controlling Anger

Once a man approached the Messenger of Allah [s] and asked: "Advise me". Then the Messenger of Allah [s] said:

"Do not be angry". The man repeated the same question and (the Prophet) again said: "Do not be angry," and continued: "He is not strong and powerful who throws people down but he is strong who withholds himself from anger."

Allah created man and gave him different psychological emotions like love, hate, fear, anger…etc. Every man feels these emotions in him according to conditions and circumstances. Thus, he likes and dislikes, becomes afraid or enraged in certain situations. Each emotion offers some profit to man if used correctly. But equally, there is the grave danger of provoking harm if they are used incorrectly. Harm will be inflicted not only on others but also will backfire on the inflictor.

For instance, Allah, the Almighty, made fear in the human soul so that he might protect himself against danger, and stay away from evil and crime. For such an occasion, fear is a good way to keep man from evil and corruption.

The faithful who fears Allah also fears committing sins and evil deeds. Consequently, he keeps to the right path by staying away from such crimes. But there is a difference between fear and cowardice. It is not right for the faithful to be a coward or to be controlled by weakness, without standing up to an aggressor or without confronting oppression, evil and corruption. Being afraid in a cowardly way only leads to being submitted to humiliation and aggression.

Anger as an emotion existing in the human soul, has a useful aim for man and can be a counterbalance to cowardice if he uses it in a correct way.

Man should be angry about an evil action or corruption in society. He should be angry for the right, for Allah alone, and he should defend good and goodness. But anger can harm himself and other people and even be changed to evil if he becomes angry for meaningless causes and does not control himself, allowing his anger to overwhelm his will. Anger then pushes man to oppress others and to commit crimes by its uncontrollable use, which is in gross disobedience to Allah.

Cheating And Deceit

The Messenger of Allah [s] says:

"Whoever deceives another Muslim or harms him or even dislikes him is not one of us."

Deceiving is strictly forbidden

Like other acts it harms others as well as the deceiver.

How cheated you feel and how you complain if you buy food and then discover that it is bad and the seller has deceived you and has benefited himself at your expense!

How cheated you feel and how you complain if your watch is broken and you take it to a watch-maker to repair, but he deceives you about fixing it and after a few days it breaks down again with the same fault!

Indeed, you feel that these people are mischievous and troublesome and have misled you by taking your money in an unlawful (haram) way and by deceiving you and causing annoyance to you. You have the right to return the bad food to the one who cheated you and get your money back; and you have the right to return the watch to the watch-maker to repair it again because both tried to deceive you.

Surely, deceiving is unlawful and an immoral deed, so believers never do it.

Among our Islamic morals is to advise others both in speech and action on what is correct. Thus if one of us does something or carries out a task, it is obligatory for him to do it with sincerity and without deceiving people. If someone asks for advice, a believer should advise him truly without deceiving him.

Surely, the Holy Messenger [s] says: He who deceives Muslims is incomplete in belief and is not one of us!

Causing Harm is Forbidden

As the Messenger of Allah [s] warned us against deceiving people through this hadith, he also warned us against any deed which causes harm and hurts others. Whoever causes harm to others intentionally is not a believer, so it is obligatory for a believer to indemnify people for any harm caused by him to them.

For example, the farmer who prevents water from reaching other farmers in order to destroy their crops is surely a destructive man who deliberately wants to cause harm. Whoever deliberately damages a footpath indeed causes harm to other people. These acts and others like them are intentionally damaging and cause destruction to society. A faithful should avoid doing anything which harms others. A Muslim is a useful man, who does good actions, tries to benefit others and never thinks of just himself.

Cunning is Forbidden

Indeed, the Islamic religion wants a Muslim to deal with people in a straight manner - not to deceive or cheat them. Indeed, neither the cheater nor the deceiver are believers.

Among the examples of deceiving is the way some traders behave in order to cheat each other, such as one who goes to another trader and tells him: Surely, this product is no good, so do not buy it. He says this so that no one competes with him in buying that product, and if others listen to him, he can buy it in order to obtain maximum profits for himself.

Verily, this act of cunning and the like are forbidden, as it is a form of deceiving, which a Muslim with true belief never does.

Indeed, a Muslim does not cheat another Muslim nor does any act which causes harm to him.

Repentance (Asking Allah for Forgiveness)

The Messenger of Allah [s] says:

"A repentant person is like one who has no sin."

Allah, the Most High, sent us prophets in order to clarify the right path and explain what is lawful (halal), what is permitted for us to do, and what is forbidden (haram) and harmful which we should avoid, such as lying, murdering, gambling, stealing, being deceitful, being undutiful towards parents, and other forbidden acts. Also he instructed us on what is obligatory (wajib) for us to perform such as prayer, fasting, helping the poor, respecting Prophet Muhammad [s] and his holy progeny (Ahlul-Bait) (peace be upon them all) and so on.

Some people deliberately disobey Allah and His orders which are beneficial for mankind and the welfare of the society. They do the forbidden such as stealing another's property or oppressing people or doing harm to their parents, or giving up their duties which Allah made obligatory, like paying poor-rates (zakat) for the needy, not performing prayers, and behaving badly towards their parents.

For whoever stops doing an obligatory duty or commits a forbidden act, it is obligatory for him to repent, take responsibility for his action and ask forgiveness from Allah by regretting the mistake. If someone oppresses people or takes their property unlawfully, then that person should apologise to them and return their rights so that Allah is pleased with him.

Surely, Allah is Most-Merciful to His servants; therefore He accepts their repentance and forgives them if they regret for their evil deeds and want to make righteous people out of themselves again.

The Messenger Muhammad [s] says: Surely, Allah is Oft-Pardoning and Most-Merciful, Who forgives His servants' sins if they ask forgiveness and give them up, as if they had not committed any sin.

Thus, repentance purifies the self from sin as water purifies clothes from dirt.

Among the rights of Allah is to punish the disobedient and not accept their repentance but He is Most-Merciful with His servants and loves to help them by giving them opportunities to think and repent in order to set them on the right path towards reforming themselves and society.

The Good News

Abu Talib had heard good news from the people of the Book (the Jews and the Christians). The good news was that a Prophet would appear very soon. So, he took care of his nephew very much. He thought that he would be a Prophet. So, he didn't leave him alone.

When Abu Talib wanted to go on a trade journey to Sham (Syria), he took our Master Muhammad [s] with him. Muhammad was nine years of age then.

In Busra, a city situated on the road of the trade caravans, there was an abbey. A monk lived in the abbey. The monk's name was Buhaira. He was always looking forward to the appearance of a new Prophet whose time approached.

When the monk looked at Muhammad, he realized that he would be the promised Prophet because he had the personality and expression of a Prophet.

The monk began looking at the Makkan boy's face very carefully. Meanwhile, the good news from Jesus Christ sounded in his mind. The monk asked Abu Talib about the boy's name. So, Abu-Talib said:

"His name's Muhammad."

The monk became very humble at his holy name. So, he said to Abu Talib:

"Go back to Makkah. Protect your nephew from the Jews because he'll be of great importance!"

Abu Talib came back to Makkah. He adored Muhammad. He was very careful of his safety.

The Blessed Boy

The years passed. Makkah and its villages dried up because there was no rain.

The people came to Shaikh al-Bat-ha. They asked him to pray to Allah for rain. They said: "Abu-Talib, the valley's become rainless. Our families are without food. So come on and pray to Allah for rain."

Abu Talib went out. He had great confidence in Allah. He took his nephew, Muhammad with him.

Abu Talib and Muhammad stood beside the Ka'aba. The boy's heart took a pity on the people. Abu Talib asked Ibrahim's and Ismael's Lord to send down heavy rain.

Muhammad looked at the sky.

Only a little time passed. The sky was full of clouds. Lightening flashed. Thunder sounded. The rain came down heavily.

The rain water flowed in the villages. The people came back pleased thanking Allah for the blessing of the rain. Abu Talib also came back. His love for his nephew increased very much.

The years passed. Muhammad became a young man. He was extremely polite. So, people called him the Truthful, the Trustworthy One.

The Supporter of the Persecuted

Abu Talib disliked persecution very much. In the meantime, he liked the persecuted a lot. So, our Master Muhammad [s] liked Abu Talib very much.

One day, a battle took place between the tribe of Kinana and the tribe of Qais. The tribe of Qais was the aggressor.

A man from the tribe of Kinana came to Abu Talib and said:

"Son of the bird feeder and pilgrim water-giver; don't be absent from us. We get victory in your presence."

Abu Talib answered:

"I will not be absent from you when you avoid persecution, enmity, rudeness and falsehood."

So, they promised him to do that.

Our Master Muhammad [s] stood by his uncle, against Kinana.

The Alliance of Fodhool

Some people from Makkah attacked the pilgrims of Allah's House.

A man and his daughter, belonged to the tribe of Khathaam, came to visit Allah's House. A young man from Makkah took the young girl by force.

The Khathaamian man shouted:

"Help! Help! Help!"

A passer-by said to him:

"Go to The Alliance of Fodhool."

The man went to Abu Talib.

Abu Talib founded the Alliance of Fodhool. It was an agreement signed by the Makkan leaders. According to the agreement they decided to help the persecuted and to punish the unjust.

When the Khathaamian man got there and asked them for help, some men took their swords and went to the young man's house. They threatened him and brought back the girl to her father.

Our Master Muhammad [s] was a member of the Alliance of Fodhool.

The Happy Marriage

Abu Talib had a big family. He spent a lot of his money on the poor. In time, he too became poor. Our Master Muhammad [s] felt that he had to help his uncle. So, he decided to take Khadijah's goods to Sham.

The task was successful. Our Master Muhammad [s] gave the trusts to their owners. This made Khadijah think of him. So, she asked him to marry her.

Abu Talib was very pleased with that suggestion. So, he, a group of Bani Hashim, and Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib, our Master Muhammad's uncle, went to ask for Khadijah's hand from her family. Abu-Talib said:

"Praise be to Allah who has made us of Ibrahim's and Ismael's sons, made a protected house and a safe sanctuary for us, and made our country blessed."

Then he added:

"My nephew Muhammad bin Abdullah is the best and greatest man of all the Quraish. Besides, he's better than money because money's perishable. He likes Khadijah and she likes him. By Allah, he'll be of great importance. Khadijah's dowry is of my money."

Muhammad [s] and Khadijah got married.

The years passed. Allah gave Abu Talib a new baby. The baby's name was Ali.

Our Master Muhammad [s] wanted to relieve his uncle's worries. So, he went to his uncle's house to take Ali to his house.

Angel Jibreel/Gabriel

The years passed. Abu Talib became seventy years of age. Our Master Muhammad [s] was forty years of age. Muhammad went to Hira Cave every day. In that year, Jibreel came down from the sky. Our Master Muhammad [s] heard him saying:

Read! Read! In the name of your Lord who created.
He created man from a clot.
Read and your Lord is most Honorable, who taught (to write) with the pen, taught man what he knew not.

Then Jibreel said:

Muhammad, you're Allah's Messenger and I'm Jibreel.

Muhammad came back from Hira Cave holding the Mission of the Heavens.

His wife, Khadijah, believed in him. His cousin Ali bin Abu Talib believed in him, too.

One day, while our Master Muhammad [s] was praying and Ali was behind him, Abu Talib came and said kindly:

My nephew, what are you doing?

The Prophet [s] said:

We're praying to Allah according to the religion of Islam.

Abu Talib said happily:

There's no harm in what you're doing.

Then he said to his son Ali:

Ali, support your cousin. He does nothing but good.

In the Prophet's House

After a while, Jibreel came down holding Allah's Order:

And warn your nearest relations, and be kind to him who follows you of the believers.

Allah's Messenger ordered Ali aged ten to invite his tribe, namely Bani Hashim. Abu Talib, Abu Lahab and others came to the Prophet's house.

When they all had the food, our Master Muhammad [s] said:

No Arab young man had brought his people like what I've brought you. I've brought you the good of here and of the hereafter.

Then, he asked them to believe in Islam. Abu Lahab stood up and said with spite:

Muhammad's put a spell on you.

Abu Talib said angrily:

Shut up! It's none of your business!

Abu Talib turned to our Master Muhammad [s] and said:

Get up and say whatever you like. Spread Your Lord's Mission, for you're the Truthful, the Trusted one.

So, our Master Muhammad [s] got up and said:

My Lord has ordered me to ask you to believe in Him. So, who will support me in this matter? Who wants to be my brother; my regent, and my successor after me?

They kept silent.

So, Ali said eagerly:

Allah's Apostle,

The Prophet rejoiced and embraced his young-

In the Prophet's House

After a while, Jibreel came down holding Allah's Order:

And warn your nearest relations, and be kind to him who follows you of the believers.

Allah's Messenger ordered Ali aged ten to invite his tribe, namely Bani Hashim. Abu Talib, Abu Lahab and others came to the Prophet's house.

When they all had the food, our Master Muhammad [s] said:

No Arab young man had brought his people like what I've brought you. I've brought you the good of here and of the hereafter.

Then, he asked them to believe in Islam. Abu Lahab stood up and said with spite:

Muhammad's put a spell on you.

Abu Talib said angrily:

Shut up! It's none of your business!

Abu Talib turned to our Master Muhammad [s] and said:

Get up and say whatever you like. Spread Your Lord's Mission, for you're the Truthful, the Trusted one.

So, our Master Muhammad [s] got up and said:

My Lord has ordered me to ask you to believe in Him. So, who will support me in this matter? Who wants to be my brother; my regent, and my successor after me?

They kept silent.

So, Ali said eagerly:

Allah's Apostle, I.

The Prophet rejoiced and embraced his young cousin while he was weeping.

Bani Hashim stood up. Abu Lahab was laughing and saying sarcastically to Abu Talib:

Muhammad's ordered you to hear and obey your son.

But Abu Talib did not pay attention to him. Rather, he looked angrily at him.

Abu Talib kindly said to his nephew:

Go on what Allah's ordered you. By Allah, I'll support and protect you.

Our Master Muhammad [s] looked at his uncle respectfully. He felt strong as long as the Master of Makkah was with him.

The Supporter

Although Abu Talib was an old man, he strongly stood by Muhammad's Mission. He was always protecting him from the Quraishi polytheists.

A big number of the Makkans believed in Allah's religion paying no attention to the worship of the idols and to the threats of the Quraishi tyrants.

One day, the Quraishi leaders came to Abu Talib though he was confined to bed. They said angrily:

Abu Talib! Keep your nephew from us because he's weakened our thoughts and insulted our gods.

Abu Talib became sad because his people did not want to listen to the sound of truth. So, he said to them:

Give me time to speak to him.

Abu Talib told our Master Muhammad [s] the words of the Quraishi leaders.

The Prophet [s] said respectfully:

Uncle! I can't disobey my Lord's Order.

Abu Jahal, the most spiteful man, said:

We'll give him whatever he wants of our money. Rather, we'll make him king over us if he wants.

The Prophet [s] said:

I want nothing but one word.

Abu Jahal said:

What's the word? We'll give you as ten times as it!

Our Master Muhammad [s] said:

Say there's no god but Allah.

So, Abu Jahal was filled with anger:

Ask another word instead!

Allah's Apostle [s] said:

If you brought me the sun and put it in my hand, I'd not ask a word instead.

There was tension. The polytheists stood up. They were threatening our Master Muhammad [s].

Abu Talib said to our Master Muhammad:
Save your soul and don't overburden me.

The Prophets' eyes shed tears when he answered:
Uncle, by Allah, if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to leave this matter, I'd not leave it till Allah supports it or I perish for it.

The Prophet [s] stood up rubbing his tears. So, Abu Talib called him kindly and said:
Nephew draw near.

Our Master Muhammad [s] drew near. His uncle kissed him and said:
Nephew, go and say whatever you like. By Allah, I'll never leave you alone.

Then, he began chanting to confront the Quraishi might:

By Allah, they all won't reach you.
Till a pillow of dust will be put under my head.
And till I'll be buried.

The Light of Islam

Our Master Muhammad [s] went on preaching the new religion to bring out people from darkness into light.

Again the Quraishi tyrants came to Abu Talib. They used another style:

Abu Talib, this is Amarah bin al-Waleed (Khalid bin al-Waleed's brother). He's the strongest and the most handsome young man of all the Quraish. So, take him and give us Muhammad to kill.

Abu Talib was sorry to hear that idea. He answered them angrily:

Do you give me your son to feed him for you, while I give you my son to kill him? Have you ever seen a she-camel take pity on other than its young?

The polytheists harm became intense. They began torturing them. Abu Talib thought that their harm would include our Master Muhammad [s]. So, he sent for Bani Hashim. He asked them to protect and save the Prophet [s]. They accepted but Abu Lahab.

Abu Talib heard that Abu Jahal and other polytheists tried to kill our Master Muhammad [s].

So, he and his son Ja'far went to the hills of Makkah to look for him. They looked for him here and there.

Finally, they found him praying to Allah. In the meantime, Ali was praying on his right-hand side. They were sad to see that there was no one with our Master Muhammad [s] but Ali. Thus Abu Talib wanted to encourage his nephew. He turned to his son Ja'far and said:

Complete your cousin's wing.

Namely, pray on his left hand to feel determination, strength, and confidence. Ja'far stood with our Master Muhammad [s] and his brother Ali to pray to Allah, the Creator of the skies and the earth, the Lord of the Worlds.

Again, Abu Talib missed our Master Muhammad [s]. He waited for his return. But he did not come back. So, he went to look for him. He went to the place where our Master Muhammad [s] went frequently. But he did not find him.

So, Abu Talib came back, gathered Bani Hashim together and said to them:

Each one of you must take a strong iron bar. Now follow me. When I enter the mosque, each one of you must sit beside a Quraishi leader. He must kill him if we knew that Muhammad had been killed.

The young men of Bani Hashim obeyed Abu Talib. Each one of them sat beside a polytheist.

Abu Talib sat waiting for our Master Muhammad [s]. Meanwhile Zaid bin Harith came and told him that the Prophet [s] was safe.

Then, Abu Talib announced his plan to punish those who tried to hurt the Prophet [s].

The polytheists were abase. Abu Jahal kept silent. His face became yellow with fear.

Some of the polytheists urged their boys and slaves to hurt our Master Muhammad [s].

One day, the Prophet [s] was praying. A young man came and threw the wastes at him. The polytheists began laughing loudly. Our Master Muhammad [s] was very unhappy. So, he went to his uncle and told him about the young man's bad behaviour

Abu Talib became very angry. He took out his sword and came to the polytheists. He ordered his boy to throw the wastes at their faces.

They said:
Abu Talib, that's enough!

The Ban

When the polytheists knew that Abu Talib would not leave our Master Muhammad [s] alone and that he was ready to die for him, they decided to announce an economic and social ban on Bani Hashim. At the same time, they cut off all relations with them.

In the month of Muharram, the seventh year after the Prophetic Mission, forty Quraishi leaders signed the ban and fixed it to the wall in the Ka'aba.

The Quraish expected Abu Talib to surrender. But Shaikh al-Bat-ha had another plan.

Abu Talib took his tribe to a valley between two mountains to protect our Master Muhammad [s] from assassination. He was always visiting the valley to close the openings where the enemies might pass through to kill our Master Muhammad [s] at night.

Abu Talib, though old man, his brother Hamza, and some men of Bani Hashim were always guarding the Prophet [s] one by one at night. Abu Talib was always moving the Prophet's bed from one place to another to keep it a secret.

Days and months passed. The besieged were in perfect isolation. They suffered from the pains of hunger and deprivation. When the time of pilgrimage came, they got out to buy some food and clothes.

The richest Quraishi tyrants in Makkah were always buying all kinds of food to prevent the besieged from buying it.

During that bitter period of time, Abu Talib was as solid as the mountain. He was always standing by our Master Muhammad [s]. He was a fearless, resolute believer.

Abu Talib loved our Master Muhammad [s] more than his sons. He was sometimes looking at him, weeping and saying:

When I look at him, I remember my brother Abdullah.

One night, Abu Talib came and woke our Master Muhammad [s]. He said to his son Ali aged eighteen:

My son, sleep in his bed.

To know his father's loyalty to Muhammad, Ali said:

But, I'll be killed.

His father said:

Be patient!

Eagerly Ali said:

I'm not afraid of death. But I want you to know my support.

Abu Talib patted Ali's back. He took our Master Muhammad [s] to a safe place to sleep in.

When our Master Muhammad [s] went to bed, Abu Talib went to bed, too.

Months after months passed. The patience and hunger of the besieged increased. They ate the leaves of the trees. The Prophet [s] took pity on the hungry children.

The Good News

One day, our Master Muhammad [s] came to his uncle. He was filled with happiness. He said to him: Uncle, my Lord ordered the white ant to eat the Ban Page. So, it's eaten it all but Allah's Name.

Abu Talib said happily:
Has your Lord told you about that?

Muhammad [s] answered:
Yes, Uncle.

Abu Talib's heart was filled with belief. So, Abu Talib stood up and went to Darul-Nadwa, at the Kaaba, where the Quraishi leaders sat.

Abu-Talib addressed the sitting persons:
Quraish!

They got up for the respectful, old man. They listened to his words. They expected his surrender and defeat because of the ban.

But Shaikh al-Bat-ha said:

Quraish, my nephew Muhammad has told me that Allah ordered the white ant to eat your Ban Page. So it has eaten it all but His Name. if he is right, the end the ban.

Abu-Jahal said:
And, if he was a liar?

Abu Talib answered with confidence and belief:
I'll hand you my nephew.

The Quraishi leaders said:
Okay.

They opened the door of the Ka'aba. They found that the white ant had eaten every thing but Allah's Name.

The besieged got out of Abu Talib valley. Our Master Muhammad [s] and his companions began preaching Islam to the pilgrims of Allah's Holy House.

The Demise

Abu Talib was over eighty years of age. He became very invalid. So, he was confined to the bed. He thought about nothing but our Master Muhammad [s]. He knew that if he died, the Quraish would fear no one and they would kill his nephew.

The Quraishi leaders came to visit Shaikh al-Bat-ha. They said:

Abu Talib, you're our Shaikh and Master.

You're about to die. So, put an end to the enmity between your nephew and us. Tell him to stop hurting us. We'll stop hurting him. Tell him to leave us with our religion. We'll leave him with his religion.

Abu Talib looked at Abu Jahal, Abu Sufyan, and other Quraishi leaders. He said to them faintly:

If you hear Muhammad's words and obey his orders, you'll be happy. So, obey him and get happiness here and in the hereafter.

The atheists stood up. Abu Jahal said with spite:

Do you want us to make the gods one god?

Abu Talib was sad at the Quraishi stand. He was very anxious about our Master Muhammad's safety. So, he invited Bani Hashim and asked them to support our Master Muhammad [s] at any cost They all obeyed him. Then Abu Talib closed his eyes to die soundly.

Shaikh al-Bat-ha kept silent. He became a motionless body.

His son Ali wept bitter tears. Sad cries spread all over Makkah. The atheists rejoiced at his death.

Abu Jahal angrily said:

It's time to get my revenge on Muhammad.

Our Master Muhammad [s] came to say farewell. He kissed Abu Talib's bright forehead and murmured sadly:

Uncle, may Allah have mercy on you.

You educated me when I was small, looked after me when I became an orphan, and supported me when I became a grown-up.

So, may Allah reward you a lot.

Then he burst into tears. He began recalling the days of his childhood with his kind uncle. He embraced his cousin Ali. They began weeping together.

The Year of Sadness

Only a few weeks passed. Khadijah, Muhammad's wife died, too. So, our Master Muhammad [s] named that year the Year of Sadness.

The Quraish increased their harm against Muhammad and those who believed in him.

One day, a foolish person threw some dust at him. His head was covered with dust. So, he went home.

While Fatima, Muhammad's daughter, was washing his head, she began weeping. So, he patted her head and said:

Daughter, don't weep. Allah will save your father. He'll protect your father from the enemies of His religion and Mission.

Jibreel came down from the sky holding Allah's Order. He said:

Muhammad, go out of Makkah. Your supporter has died.

When the Quraish plotted to kill our Master Muhammad [s], Ali, Abu Talib's young son, came to sleep in his bed. He was ready to die for him.

Our Master Muhammad [s] went towards Yathrib (al-Madina al-Munawarah). From there the light of Islam started to illuminate the world.

When the Muslims go to visit Allah's Holy House every year, they remember the life of Shaikh al-Bat-ha when he was always defending Allah's religion.

Muhammad is Allah's Apostle, and those with him are firm of heart against the unbelievers, compassionate, among each other.

Islam is our religion. It is a complete code of life and the most prominent and distinguished system. Peace, Harmony, love , brotherhood and tranquility is its message. The topmost objective of Jafariyanews is to promote, enhance and thrive it by adopting the path of Muhammad-o-Aal-e-Muhammad(A.S).
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Peace be upon you and welcome.  The Shia Muslim Students Association is a student group which serves to organize the Shia community of Tucson and foster religious learning.  The SMSA holds weekly meetings to discuss the Holy Quran, the life of the Prophet and his pure family, may peace be upon them all.  If you would like to recieve community updates by email or updates about SMSA meetings and events please contact

Brother Jassem at krillan(at)comcast.net
 or
Sister Sakina at sas2010(at)email.arizona.edu 

Shia Muslim Student Association
University Of Arizona Tucson

Please Visit Our Website At:
http://www.shiatucson.com/index.php

Niche  English Islamic Videos

Anita L Says:
I listened to your teaching on Moderate Islam this morning, and I wanted to write and tell you I thought it was wonderful. I am not Muslim, although I am investigating Islam right now, but this particular teaching by this Imam touched my heart like nothing has in a very long time. Thank you so much for putting these teachings online.
http://shiaonline.wordpress.com/speciel-islamic-lectures-in-english/