Saying No. 31: Din and Duniya (The Weight of Sins)
Date: April 7, 2005

Ya Ali Madad! In light of the recent firmans of NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam on Din and Duniya, let us reflect on the following ayats of the Holy Qur'an: "So know (O Muhammad) that there is no God save Allah, and ask forgiveness for thy sin and for believing men and believing women. Allah knoweth (both) your place of turmoil and your place of rest." (Holy Qur'an (Pickthall) 047.019) "Then have patience (O Muhammad). Lo! the promise of Allah is true. And ask forgiveness of thy sin, and hymn the praise of thy Lord at fall of night and in the early hours." (Holy Qur'an (Pickthall) 040.055) In the following excerpts of Khutba 119, NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) teaches us about ethics in the context of din and duniya: "If you have the same knowledge of things about life after death, things which are hidden from you and revealed to me, the information would have made you leave your hearth and home and to disperse in the world weeping over your sins, putting yourself to torture for the evil deeds committed by you and leaving your wealth and property in such as way that there will be no one to look after it and none to inherit it. The apprehension about the future and the remorse over the past would have so affected every one of you that nobody would have had time to think of anything besides his own future.   But you have forgotten what has been taught to you and (wrongly) believe yourself to be well protected from the things of which you were warned. The result is that your plans are upset and your affairs are confused.   I pray to God to separate me from you and to let me have the company of those who merited my companionship and whose company I deserve. By God, there were people who maintained a very sober and serious view about life. They were patient and human towards people. They were truthful and honest. They have given up evil ways of life. They were foremost in sincerely accepting Islam, always followed the true path and dying as true Muslims they succeeded in achieving high positions in heavens." (Nahjul Balagha: Sermons, letters and saying of Hazrat Ali, Khutba 119, p. 89) Peace, light, barakat, taid and didar, Noorallah

Saying No. 32: Din and Duniya (About Worldly Activities and Heaven)
Date: April 11, 2005

Ya Ali Madad! In light of the recent firmans of NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam on Din and Duniya, let us reflect on the following ayats of the Holy Qur'an: "Satan's plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer: will ye not then abstain?" (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 005.094) "O ye Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you, in the same manner as He got your parents out of the Garden, stripping them of their raiment, to expose their shame: for he and his tribe watch you from a position where ye cannot see them: We made the evil ones friends (only) to those without faith." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 007.027) "And Satan will say when the matter is decided: "It was God Who gave you a promise of Truth: I too promised, but I failed in my promise to you. I had no authority over you except to call you but ye listened to me: then reproach not me, but reproach your own souls. I cannot listen to your cries, nor can ye listen to mine. I reject your former act in associating me with God. For wrong-doers there must be a grievous penalty." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 014.022) In the following excerpts of Khutba 132, NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) teaches us about worldly activities and heaven in the context of din and duniya: "O people! you and all that you wish and desire of this world are like visitant with very limited time to stay. But your obligations (moral and religious) are like debts with a constant and pressing demand for repayment, and which you have to pay back in a very limited span of your life and with a set of actions which are to be taken account of. Some of you are such that due to ignorance you expend your lives to no purpose, while many others are over-jealous and not knowing the proper way they either overdo a thing or do it wrongly and thus cannot achieve what they want to.   You are born in an age when you are faced with more and more evil, and find good receding away and away from you. It is an age when Satan has greater desire of misleading people. His scheming maneuvers are being pursued more and more vigorously; his cunning devices to lure you are becoming very common and it is very easy for him now to gather victims from amongst you.   Look carefully around you and collect true information of the society. You will either find beggars who are suffering the tortures of poverty, or rich people who repay the bounties of God with ungratefulness and ingratitude; misers who though possessing millions yet refuse to attend to their obligations or pay their dues to God and man, or such arrogant and haughty persons who do not care to listen to good advices and suggestions (given by religion)." (Nahjul Balagha: Sermons, letters and saying of Hazrat Ali, Khutba 132, p. 98) Peace, light, barakat, taid and didar, Noorallah

Saying No. 33: Din and Duniya (About Worldly Activities and Heaven)
Date: April 13, 2005

Ya Ali Madad! In light of the recent firmans of NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam on Din and Duniya, let us reflect on the following ayats of the Holy Qur'an: "He that doeth good shall have ten times as much to his credit: He that doeth evil shall only be recompensed according to his evil: no wrong shall be done unto (any of) them." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 006.160) "O ye who believe! if ye fear God, He will grant you a criterion (to judge between right and wrong), remove from you (all) evil (that may afflict) you, and forgive you: for God is the Lord of grace unbounded." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 008.029) "And fear the Day when ye shall be brought back to God. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 002.281) In the following excerpts of Khutba 132, NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) teaches us about worldly activities and heaven in the context of din and duniya: "Where are your generous, merciful, noble and liberal minded men? Where are those who have been honest in their trades and transaction? Where are the people who had made piety their aim in life? Have they not left this world which is so mean and so full of calamities and afflictions? What did you get of this world but dreg (residue) and refuse of men and material? Various strata of your society are composed today of such people that it is not worthwhile even to speak ill of them. Surely we belong to Allah and to Him we shall certainly return (Holy Quran: 002:156). May God grant us patience over this loss of the standards of morality.   Wickedness and depravity (moral corruption) have so spread that those who do not like them cannot put a stop to them and those who hate and abhor the cannot keep themselves away from them. With all this viciousness and perversity do you still desire to secure a place in the realm of God (the Paradise) or to be considered His friends? What a childish whim? Nobody can deceive God and secure a place in His Heaven through cheating, and nobody can win His Favour but by implicitly obeying Him. Curse of God be upon those who advise others to be good but do not follow the advice themselves. Woe be unto them who tell others to abstain from evil and they themselves do not abstain from it." (Nahjul Balagha: Sermons, letters and saying of Hazrat Ali, Khutba 132, p. 99) Peace, light, barakat, taid and didar, Noorallah

Saying No. 34: Din and Duniya (Do Your Duty and Prepare for a Quick Departure)
Date: April 15, 2005

Ya Ali Madad! In light of the recent firmans of NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam on Din and Duniya, let us reflect on the following ayats of the Holy Qur'an: "The Forgiver of sin, the Accepter of repentance, the Stern in punishment, the Bountiful. There is no God save Him. Unto Him is the journeying." (Holy Qur'an (Pickthall) 040.003) "He created the heavens and the earth with truth, and He shaped you and made good your shapes, and unto Him is the journeying." (Holy Qur'an (Pickthall) 064.003) "Say: Is that (doom) better or the Garden of Immortality which is promised unto those who ward off (evil)? It will be their reward and journey's end." (Holy Qur'an (Pickthall) 025.015) In the following excerpts of Khutba 135, NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) teaches us about doing our duty and preparing for a quick departure: "Beware! Sights of thousands of living human beings around you may deceive you. They are all bound to go, one following the other. You had enough experience of such a person who was alive till the other day. He had amassed wealth and was afraid of poverty. He had thought himself immune for the consequences of life. He has inordinately high hopes and had considered himself to be safe from the hands of death. You have also seen how death overtook him; how it has teared him from his hearth and home; how he was lifted on the shoulders of others to his grave.   Have you not seen such people with great expectations, had build palatial houses to live in and had collected great wealth around themselves. Did not their houses turn into graves? Did not the wealth hoarded by them get destroyed or inherited by others? Anyway they had to part with it. Did not their widows marry other persons? Now (after death) they cannot either make an addition to their deeds nor can they offer any excuse for the evil lives they had led.   But the person who made up his mind to lead honest and virtuous life, has made a real use of the span of life granted to him and has succeeded in securing the reward reserved for such a life. Remember that none of you is immortal; the duration of your life here is like a passage on a bridge. Do good deeds in this life and thus provide for the next world. Do your duty and be prepared for a quick departure." (Nahjul Balagha: Sermons, letters and saying of Hazrat Ali, Khutba 135, p. 100) Peace, light, barakat, taid and didar, Noorallah

Saying No. 35: Din and Duniya (The Proccess of Death)
Date: April 18, 2005

Ya Ali Madad! In light of the recent firmans of NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam on Din and Duniya, let us reflect on the following ayats of the Holy Qur'an: "Say: "The Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls: then shall ye be brought back to your Lord." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 032.011) "They will present their excuses to you when ye return to them. Say thou: "Present no excuses: we shall not believe you: God hath already informed us of the true state of matters concerning you: It is your actions that God and His Apostle will observe: in the end will ye be brought back to Him Who knoweth what is hidden and what is open: then will He show you the truth of all that ye did." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 009.094) "If any one does a righteous deed, it ensures to the benefit of his own soul; if he does evil, it works against (his own soul). In the end will ye (all) be brought back to your Lord." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 045.015) In the following excerpts of Khutba 112, NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) describes the process of transition from this world to the next: "The transition of such a (materialistic) person from this life to the next is so painful that it cannot be easily described. The painful sensation of death, and the disappointment and shame of having lost life-long opportunities of being and doing good, crowd into his mind. The consciousness of a guilty life makes him feel sad and shameful, and the horror and hopelessness of the situation leaves him pale. Just at such moment death steps in stopping the faculty of speech and expression. The dying man is surrounded by his relatives, though his power of speech has left him, yet his mind is wonderfully clear now. He can see and hear, he can visualize realities, and can understand the truth. He thinks of the life that he has wasted, of wealth that he had amassed by sinful and vicious ways, by adopting every means foul or fair. He now realizes that he has to face the consequences of amassing wealth from which he is now forced to part forever, leaving it to others who will enjoy it. He knows that the pleasures of enjoyment will be theirs and the pains of punishment will be his lot, because all the sins and crimes that he had committed to accumulate this have been noted by angels of God. At this moment how keenly evident it is to him that he has irrecoverably mortgaged his soul to gather these worldly possessions and how it is impossible now to undo what has been done; and it is too late even to repent. The sorrow and shame of the situation is so poignant that it makes him wince and hate the very things which he so much loved when he was fully alive to life and its pleasures. He wishes that those people who used to envy him for his power, wealth and worldly possessions, had all of them and he would have led a simple and honest life.   As his mind passes through these tortures of sorrow, shame, regret and contrition (repentance), death approaches him a step nearer and like the power of speech he loses the power of hearing also. He can now neither hear nor speak, yet the power of sight is still with him, he can see people around him, can see their lips moving but cannot hear any sound. Death comes still nearer and gradually his sight also deserts him; shortly the soul parts with the body, leaving him a corpse amongst his relations. They now feel afraid to come near his dead body and want to keep away from it. He cannot now sympathize with the mourners nor reply to their call. He is then carried to his grave and surrendered there to the consequences of his faith and deeds. They shall not see him again till the day of resurrection, a day when all human beings will be joined by those who follow them, it is the day when the span allotted to life on the earth will come to an end, and the Will of God, to create and resurrect human beings will be carried into effect." (Nahjul Balagha: Sermons, letters and saying of Hazrat Ali, Khutba 112, p. 81-82) Peace, light, barakat, taid and didar, Noorallah

Saying No. 36: Din and Duniya (How Man Becomes a Slave of this World)
Date: April 20, 2005

Ya Ali Madad! In light of the recent firmans of NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam on Din and Duniya, let us reflect on the following ayats of the Holy Qur'an: "It is only the devil who would make (men) fear his partisans. Fear them not; fear Me, if ye are true believers." (Holy Qur'an (Pickthall) 003.175) "O mankind! do your duty to your Lord, and fear (the coming of) a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. Verily, the promise of God is true: let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the chief Deceiver deceive you about God." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 031.033) "Say: "O ye my servants who believe! Fear your Lord, good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world. Spacious is God's earth! those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!" (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 039.010) In the following excerpts of Khutba 163, NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) show how man becomes a slave of this world: "Man often wrongly claims that he relies only upon God. But, by the Great God, his actions belie (contradict) him and his belief. Actions of every man naturally disclose what he expects as reaction in form of rewards or punishments. But so far his faith in God is concerned, it is found that his belief in God and His justice is neither unmixed or sincere. Man appears to be affected by every kind of fear except fear of God. It appears as if fear of God has been accorded a secondary importance by him. Obviously man should expect great rewards from God and smaller returns from his fellow beings and yet he serves man more sincerely, vigorously and diligently than God. Where God is concerned man's behaviour is most surprising. He grudges to God what he willingly and sincerely offers to man. O man! Are you afraid that your fellow beings will not reward you unless you work for them more faithfully and persistently than you work for God, or, is it that you do not expect to find any source of reward more genuine, objective and real from a man like yourself?   Similar is the phenomena of human mind when he is afraid of another individual or society of his fellow beings; this fear in him manifests itself more strikingly than the fear of God. Whys is this so? Does man's belief in displeasure and anger of another man is more sincere, convincing and forceful than his belief in the Wrath of God? Does he believe that anger of man will bear immediate results and Wrath of God is merely hearsay or something which may or may not take effect in some distant or uncertain future?   Identical is the case of those who attach undue importance to this world and have allowed great significance to it. They show more respect and regard to it than to God the Almighty, and they attach themselves to it and become its slaves." (Nahjul Balagha: Sermons, letters and saying of Hazrat Ali, Khutba 163, p. 122-123) Peace, light, barakat, taid and didar, Noorallah

Saying No. 37: Din and Duniya (Qualities of a True Muslim)
Date: April 22, 2005

Ya Ali Madad! In light of the recent firmans of NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam on Din and Duniya, let us reflect on the following ayats of the Holy Qur'an: "Say: "Our Lord will gather us together and will in the end decide the matter between us (and you) in truth and justice: and He is the one to decide, the One Who knows all." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 034.026) "And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed (before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say, "Ah! woe to us! what a Book is this! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account thereof!" They will find all that they did, placed before them: And not one will thy Lord treat with injustice." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 018.049) In the following excerpts of Khutba 141, NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) describes the qualilies of a true muslim): "May God bless the man who has heard His orders and remembered them; who was called by Him and obeyed the commands; who has affliated himself to His messenger and has thus secured his salvation, who has faithfully obeyed the commands and interdictions of his Preservor and Protector and fears the consequences of his sins; who has been sincere in doing such good deeds as will win for him rewards in Heaven; who has always acted sinlessly, righteously and honourably, who has tried to earn His blessings and avoided vices and sins; who has repudiated and discarded false pomp and glory of this world and concentrated in achieving an exalted position in the world to come; who has completely checked and restained his desires and longings and kept his fancies and cravings under control; who has decided that patience on suffering was the best way to reach Heaven and abstinence from sin as the best mode of securing slvation; who has adopted the best of the religions as his creed and followed the bright path of truth and justice; who has correctly decided that the span of his life is a period of grace allotted to him to do good before death and having provided himself for the next world is eager to welcome death." (Nahjul Balagha: Sermons, letters and saying of Hazrat Ali, Khutba 79, p. 46) Peace, light, barakat, taid and didar, Noorallah

Saying No. 38: Din and Duniya (The Right Path)
Date: April 25, 2005

Ya Ali Madad! In light of the recent firmans of NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam on Din and Duniya, let us reflect on the following ayats of the Holy Qur'an: "Whom God doth guide,- he is on the right path: whom He rejects from His guidance,- such are the persons who perish." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 007.178) "How can ye disbelieve, when it is ye unto whom Allah's revelations are recited, and His messenger is in your midst? He who holdeth fast to Allah, he indeed is guided unto a right path." (Holy Qur'an (Pickthall) 003.101) "And that those who have been given knowledge may know that it is the truth from thy Lord, so that they may believe therein and their hearts may submit humbly unto Him. Lo! Allah verily is guiding those who believe unto a right path." (Holy Qur'an (Pickthall) 022.054) In the following excerpts of Khutba 123, NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) teaches about the Right Path: "We the progeny of the Holy Prophet (may the peace of God be upon him and his descendants) are the doors through which real wisdom and true knowledge will reach mankind; we are lights of religion.   Remember that all the paths leading to the realm of God are one, they are straight and they direct people to moderation in life. Those who attain them reach the truth and gain reward which they deserve; those who miss these paths are lost and will feel the regret for the same.   Remember, today is the most opportune time for you to do good deeds and provide for the day when your role will change from a judge to that of a person who is to be judged. The day when the falsehood of hypocritical piety will be exposed. If one's sagacity and wisdom cannot be of use to him in this world, it can be of no avail to him in the next. Fear the fire of the hell; the hell which is extremely hot and deep, where there is hard and comfortless surroundings, and the worst kind of sustenance.   Remember, if God grants a man good reputation and good fame to leave behind him, this is better than wealth which he leaves to posterity who seldom remember him with respect and speak of him with regard and kindness." (Nahjul Balagha: Sermons, letters and saying of Hazrat Ali, Khutba 123, p. 91) Peace, light, barakat, taid and didar, Noorallah

Saying No. 39: Din and Duniya (The Real Insight)
Date: April 27, 2005

Ya Ali Madad! In light of the recent firmans of NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam on Din and Duniya, let us reflect on the following ayats of the Holy Qur'an: "And We put coverings over their hearts (and minds) lest they should understand the Qur'an, and deafness into their ears: when thou dost commemorate thy Lord and Him alone in the Qur'an, they turn on their backs, fleeing (from the Truth).& (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 017.046) "Those who listen to the Word, and follow the best (meaning) in it: those are the ones whom God has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 039.018) "He giveth wisdom unto whom He will, and he unto whom wisdom is given, he truly hath received abundant good. But none remember except men of understanding." (Holy Qur'an (Pickthall) 002.269) In the following excerpts of Khutba 136, NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) teaches about the real insight of din and duniya: "This world is a thing of great and exclusive importance to those who have no breadth of vision, and who cannot see or substantialize what lies behind it and beyond it. The man with true insight of things realizes that not this but the next world is the place to rest and to receive rewards. (The one) who understand realities does not care to work for this world only, but one who cannot comprehend them concentrates his mind and energies on this life only.   Verily a real insight in the philosophy of life and death is the source of knowledge which will bestow new lives to minds dead to actualities, will give vision to eyes blind to realities, will confer power of hearing to ears deaf to the inner voice of conscience and reasoning, and will fully satisfy the thirst for greater knowledge. Remember that for one who sincerely and intelligently accepts religion there lies complete emancipation from legal, social, political and intellectual control of heathenism, superstitions and taboos, on it is based full freedom from the sway of the Satan and its allurements and therein lies real peace and true comforts. Your salvation is guaranteed by the book of God. With its help you will recognize the way He wants you to follow; through it you will speak the truth; from it you will hear the voice of reason and truth; its difficult or dogmatic sayings will explain each other and will bear testimony to their rationality and continuity; in explaining His commands and interdictions there are contradictions in its verses and it will not misguide or misinform those who try to understand and to follow it." (Nahjul Balagha: Sermons, letters and saying of Hazrat Ali, Khutba 136, p. 101) Peace, light, barakat, taid and didar, Noorallah

Saying No. 40: Din and Duniya (The Role of the NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam)
Date: April 29, 2005

Ya Ali Madad! In light of the recent firmans of NOOR Mowlana Hazir Imam on Din and Duniya, let us reflect on the following ayats of the Holy Qur'an: "And hold fast, all together, by the rope which God (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude God's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth God make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 003.103) "O mankind! verily there hath come to you a convincing proof from your Lord: For We have sent unto you a light (that is) manifest. Then those who believe in God, and hold fast to Him,- soon will He admit them to mercy and grace from Himself, and guide them to Himself by a straight way." (Holy Qur'an (Yusufali) 004.174-175) "Verily We, (and) We (alone) give life unto dead, and We write down what they have sent before them and (even) their footprints (which they leave behind them): And everything have We confined into a Manifesting Imam (Guide)." (Holy Qur'an (Mir Ahmed Ali) 036.012) In the following excerpts of Khutba 157, NOOR Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) teaches about the role of the Ahlayabaith (the progeny of the Holy Prophet (s.a.s.)): "Remember that we are the Ahlayabaith (the progeny) of the Holy Prophet (s.a.s.), we are his true companions, we are trustees and treasurers of the knowledge grant to him and we are doors through which one can reach this store house of wisdom and learning. It is unlawful to enter a house but through its door, and he who disregards this principle is a trespasser or a thief.   They own and possess in their deeds and words the excellence and nobleness which the Holy Quran preaches. They are the treasure houses of Mercy and Benevolence of God and they are the sources from which real wisdom and true knowledge, destined by Him for man, could be obtained.   Their speeches contain nothing but the truth. If they do not speak about any subject it is not because they do not know anything about it or any one can speak better but simply because it is advisable not to speak then. It is imperative on the man, who has been destined by God to guide the humanity, to explain things correctly and truly to his followers, should utilize his wisdom for their well being, should think more of the next world and teach people to attach more importance to it, because they are coming from there and have got to go back there." (Nahjul Balagha: Sermons, letters and saying of Hazrat Ali, Khutba 157, p. 116-117) Peace, light, barakat, taid and didar, Noorallah

Article by Dr. Noorallah Juma
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