Posting No. 6: Courage Strengthens Faith and Generates the Lord's Mercy
Date: July 23, 2004

Ya Ali Madad. Courage strengthens faith and generates the Lord's Mercy as explained in verse 312 of NOOR Mowlana Murtazâ Ali (a.s.)'s Kalâmê Mowlâ: Himat badee eemâân nishannee, bhâee badee râkho apnee himat, jees keeseekee himat badee, us upar sahee âwê rabkee rahêmat Great courage is the sign of faith (Imaan). Brothers, be very courageous. The one who has great courage, upon him will be the Lord's mercy and grace. rabkee rahêmat so eemân purâ, usthee ârâm pâwê jeew aur tan, rabkee rahêmat sab âshâ purê adka howê mâl aur dhan ......312 Through the grace and mercy of the Lord, faith is complete, from which the body and soul attains rest. Through the grace and mercy of the Lord, all hopes are fulfilled, and property and wealth increases. ......312 Peace, light, barakat, taid, and didar, Noorallah Juma

Posting No. 7: Defeat Your Lower Self (Nafs-i Ammâra)
Date: July 26, 2004

Ya Ali Madad. "The great Lord of Lords, Mawlâ 'Ali,—upon whom be the blessings of God, the King, the All High!—said that once the Prophet (blessings of God be upon him) send a party of his companions on a military expedition. On their return, when they came before his presence, he greeted them as men who had participated in a jihâd-i asghar, or the smaller war in the cause of religion, and said they still has to take up the jihâd-i akbar, the greater war. Whereupon they inquired from the Apostle of God, asking: "What is jihâd-i akbar?" And he replied that the most glorious war is that which one wages against his own vile instincts (nafs-i ammâra). This is, indeed, the truth,—blessings of God be upon him who said this!" (Source: True Meaning of Religion, pp. 1-2) In verse 60 of Kalâmê Mowlâ, NOOR Mowlana Murtazâ Ali (a.s.) has elaborated on the concept of struggle against one's lower self as follows: Jêhâd karnâ kâfarsênthee, a kalâmmê hukam hay rabkâ, to badâ kâfar hay nafsê ammârâ, sahee bujo bandê sabkâ To wage Holy War against an infidel is the command of the Lord. But a greater infidel is your lower self (nafs-i ammâra), Know this as true for all. To jees bandênê nafsku(n) mârâ, usnê fatêh pâee donu(n) jahân, jo koee tâbê mankê rahyâ, to donu(n) jahânmê(n) huâ pashêmân ......60 The one who has defeated the lower self, has indeed achieved success in both worlds. The one who surrenders to the lower self, is miserable in both worlds. .....60 Peace, light, barakat, taid, and didar, Noorallah Juma

Posting No. 8: Raise Consciousness for the Next World
Date: July 28, 2004

Ya Ali Madad. In verse 138 of Kalâmê Mowlâ, NOOR Mowlana Murtazâ Ali (a.s.) exhorts us to raise our consciousness for the next world because it is greater and permanent compared to this material world. The transliteration and translation of the verse is as follows: Duniyâ bêch yê fânee hay, aur mul lê âkbat kâm, duniyâ têrê sang na rahêsee, khub âkbat mukâm Sell the world, it is perishable and buy the dwelling of the hereafter. The world will not remain with you, and all worthwhile is in the abode of hereafter. duniyâ din châr hay, chêt tu(n) chhod jâyesee, eesê bêch âkbat besâlê, wey tujê kâm ayesee .....138 The world lasts four days, take heed, you will leave it; sell it and dwell in (the awareness of) the hereafter, this will be useful to you. The following excerpt from the Pir Shihabu'd-din Shah Al-Husayni's True Meaning of Religion gives a context to the above verse: "Have you ever heard of a clever merchant who spent his time in trade which did not bring him any profit, and even involved the loss of his capital, or actually lost it? Think, therefore, for yourselves, friends, and say to yourselves: I want my capital (to be used) in the trade by which I can obtain the profit of eternal life. What are these few days of life which pass, and from which nothing substantial can be derived? Really, all that part of my life which has passed so far, is nothing but a loss of my original capital; this day, this very moment must I value as the most precious advantage, because it is still another day, holding off my end, which is postponed. If this day, or moment, were not given to you as a respite, would not you too be amongst the dead, and then would not you covet this very day, this very moment, as many people would do who are now dead while only yesterday they were living. Have you any doubt that if you would have died yesterday, you would regret very much about the life which you had lost? Appreciate, therefore, while you still have it, the priceless gift which today God has given you. Do devote it to the worship of God, because this short period of your life may reduce to nothing all that was before. Seize the opportunity to perform some righteous deed that will be your justification, so that in the next life you may not be in the same position as those who feel ashamed of themselves." (Source: True Meaning of Religion, pp. 5-6) Peace, light, barakat, taid, and didar, Noorallah Juma

Posting No. 9: Control Temptations
Date: August 2, 2004

Ya Ali Madad. In verse 60 of Kalâmê Mowlâ, NOOR Mowlana Murtazâ Ali (a.s.) explains that knowledge of the faith and constant remembrance (dhikr) of God are the mechanisms to control temptations. The transliteration and translation of the verse is as follows: Kurân padê dil roshan howê, momeen dil bohot howê sukh, bohot kurân padê to lâlach ghatê, ke lâlach dilku(n) bedâ hay dukh The heart of the person who reads the Holy Qur'ân is enlightened, and such a momin's heart attains peace. By reading the Holy Qurân frequently, the worldly temptations are reduced, for temptations are the cause of great unhappiness to the heart. Kurân padê jo padnâ jâno, nahee to suno rabkâ kalâm, sunnâ bhee jone pâo keeseesê, to hardam leeo khudâa rasulkâ nâm .....90 Recite the Holy Qurâân if you know how to, else listen to the sayings of the Lord. And if you do not get an opportunity to listen to them, recite the name of the Prophet of God always. Divine Remembrance (dhikr) helps to overcome many other problems as described below: "The single remedy for every kind of false fear, every kind of perplexity, inferiority complex, worldly greed, embarrassment, torment of bad or disturbing thoughts, sadness, restlessness, disappointment, unwanted anger, indignity, slip of tongue, lack of courage, malice, pride, vanity, ignorance, negligence, laziness, meanness, uneasiness, oblivion, obtuseness, mental confusion and other such ethical and spiritual diseases, is the satisfaction of heart which is attained from the blessings of Divine remembrance as is said in verse (13:28): "Verily in the remembrance of God do the hearts find satisfaction (gradually)." It should be remembered that, from the remembrance of God, the hearts find satisfaction gradually. Since the hearts are in different ranks, therefore, from the beginning to the end, the satisfaction depends on the knowledge and good deeds of each individual." [Source: Spiritual Healing, p. 11] Please note that NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) has advised us to learn about the Qur'an. If this is not possible, then we should at least learn from his sayings. If that is not possible, we should to listen to teachers of true, spiritual knowledge. If the latter is not possible, we should call on the names of Allah, Holy Prophet and Holy Imams. Refer to 40 prayer cards to learn about the power of Divine remembrance (Dhikr). The URL is http://salmanspiritual.com/Prayer_Cards/index.html. Also, please also refer to the Zikr & Tasbi section for audio files of tasbis. The URL is: http://salmanspiritual.com/prayers.html. Peace, light, barakat, taid, and didar, Noorallah Juma

Posting No. 10: Luminous Prayer (Bandagi)
Date: August 17, 2004

Ya Ali Madad. In verse 171 of Kalâmê Mowlâ, NOOR Mowlana Murtazâ Ali (a.s.) explains that luminous prayer (bandagi) (with a luminous word at a luminous time) leads to spiritual elevation. This is the mechanism which the lover of Soul (Ruh) and Light (Noor) uses to meet the Beloved. The transliteration and translation of the verse is as follows: Rean martabâ bohot badâ hey, sab khalkat pâwê ârâm, Pir payegambar walee Oleeâ, rât bandagisê sab pâa nâm, The status of night is great (because it contains a luminous hour). The entire creation attains rest during the night. Pirs, Prophets, Friends and Saints, attained a lofty status through luminous prayers (bandagi). Merâj rasul bhee râtmê (n) pâyâ, âshak wasal pâwê mâshuk, Jo tu(n) sâcha âshak hey, to rean bandagisê mat chuk .....171 The Messenger also attained Merâj (ascension) at night and the lover attains union with the Beloved (through luminous prayer). If you are a true lover (of Soul and Light), then do not miss the night's luminous prayer (bandagi) It is important to first recognize the position of the Holy Imam from a perspective of Light (Luminosity). This is defined as follows: Ta'wil of word 'Abad' (Timelessness, haziratu'l-qudus): "The sacred Sanctuary, i.e. the greatest treasure of secrets is in the light of the forehead of the manifest Imam, where God has gathered together all things related to intellect, knowledge, recognition and spirituality. The same sacred light also rises in the forehead of the perfect arif (a knowledgeable person) for the sake of recognition. Thus, azal (pre-eternity), abad (post-eternity) and other realities are gathered together and centered in the enclosure of the light of the forehead." [Source: Tawil 13: A Thousand Wisdoms] Please note the tight connection between the luminous (Noorani) personality of the manifest Imam, the luminous word, the luminous time and the luminous prayer. The murid has to first know the position of the manifest Imam, link the luminous word to the luminous personality of the manifest Imam, and then follow the path lit by the manifest Imam by practising luminous prayers in the small watches of the night, i.e., in the early hours before sunrise. Peace, light, barakat, taid, and didar, Noorallah Juma

Article by Dr. Noorallah Juma
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