SHAB-E-ZARBAT, IMAM ALI (AS)

Shab-e-Zarbat (19th of Mah e Ramzan) or Night of attack on Imam Ali (as) at Kufa Mosque

The commander of faithful, the father of eloquence, the caretaker of the orphans, the shelter of the needy and the perfect of all humans after Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). Born in the House of Allah, Holy Kaaba, and martryed in the House of Allah, Masjid-e-Kufa. He died on the 21st day of Ramadan 40 A.H. and buried in Najaf al-Ashraf (Iraq). On the eve of the martyrdom of Imam Ali (as) we take this opportunity to extend our heartiest condolences to Imam of the time, Imam Mahdi (as) and the Muslim world. Oh Allah (SWT) help us live the life of Imam Ali (as)! Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) had prophesied his departure from this world several days before hand, and on the day of his martyrdom he mysteriously desired his sons Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain (as) to offer their morning prayers in the house and not to accompany him as they usually did to the mosque of Kufa. When Imam Ali (as) was leaving his abode, the household birds began making a great noise and when one of Imam Ali's servants attempted to quieted them, Imam Ali (as) said, "Leave them alone, for their cries are only lamentations foreboding my death." On the 19th of the month of Holy Ramadan (Mah e Ramzan) of the year 40 A.H, Imam Ali (pbuh) came to the mosque in Kufa for his morning prayers. Imam Ali (pbuh) gave the call for prayer (Azaan) and became engaged in leading the congregation. Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam pretending to pray, stood just behind Imam Ali (pbuh), and when Imam Ali (pbuh) was in a state of prostration, Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam dealt a heavy stroke with his sword, inflicting a deep wound on Imam Ali's (pbuh) head. This was the time when Imam Ali (as) uttered his famous words : "Fuzto warab-il-Kaaba" - "By the Rab of Kaaba, I am successful". Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had prophesied the assassination of Imam Ali (pbuh) and his issues. Regarding Imam Ali (pbuh) Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had said, "O Ali! I see before my eyes thy beard dyed with the blood of thy forehead." They assassinated Imam Ali (pbuh) at his finest time - the hour of standing before Allah, the Exalted, during a prayer of submission, in the best of days, while fasting during the month of Ramadan (Mah e Ramzan); during the most glorious Islamic duties, while preparing to wage jihad, and in the highest and most pure divine places, the Mosque of Kufa. May joy be to Amir al-Muminin Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (pbuh) and a blessed afterlife! The crime of assassinating Imam Ali (pbuh) remains one of the most cruel, brutal and hideous, because it was not committed against one man, but against the whole rational Islamic leadership. By assassinating Imam Ali (pbuh), they actually aimed at assassinating the message, the history, the culture and the nation of Muslims embodied in the person of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (pbuh). In doing so, the Islamic nation lost its guide of progress, and at the most wondrous opportunity in its life after the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Imam Ali (pbuh) suffered from his wound for three days, and He (pbuh) passed away on 21st of the month of Ramadan (Mah e Ramzan) at an age of 63 years. During these three days, he (pbuh) entrusted his son, Imam Hasan (pbuh) with the Imamate of guiding the nation ideologically and socially. During those three days, as during all his life, he never ceased remembering Allah, praising Him, and accepting Him and His ordinance. Likewise, he continued giving pieces of advice and directions leading to good, pointing to the right, defining the way to guidance, explaining the course for deliverance, calling for the observance of Allah's ordinances, and warning against following one's ill desires and set-backs from not carrying out the divine message. The following is one piece of advice offered to his sons, Imam Hasan (pbuh) and Imam Hussain (pbuh), as well as to his people, the nation and coming generations: "I advise you to fear Allah, and not to run after (the pleasure of) the world, even if it may run after you. Do not be sorry for anything from it which you have been denied. Say the truth and act for (Allah's) reward. Be an enemy of the oppressor, and be a helper of the oppressed." "I advise you, my children, my household and all those who may receive my message, to fear Allah, to arrange your affairs well, to maintain good relations among yourselves, for I have heard your grandfather (pbuh) saying: 'Good relations are better than prayer and fasting in general.'" "(Fear) Allah when handling matters of orphans. Do not let them starve, nor allow them to be lost as long as you are there." "(Fear) Allah in respect to your neighbors, for they were the trust of your Prophet (pbuh). He went on asking us to take care of them, so much that we thought he would make them heirs (of our heritage)." "(Fear) Allah in respect to the Holy Quran, (take care that) no one may excel you in following its tenets." "(Fear) Allah in respect to prayer, as it is the pillar of your religion." "(Fear) Allah in respect to your Lord's House (Kaaba), do not forsake it so long as you live, because if you do you will not be looked upon with respect." "(Fear) Allah in respect to Jihad, fight with your wealth, your lives and your tongues, in the way of Allah." "Have mutual liaison and give-and-take. Beware of turning your faces from, and of renouncing, one another. Do not abandon bidding good and forbidding evil, lest vicious people may overrule you, and then in such a case, your invocations will not be responded to (by Allah)." Then he said: "O, Banu Abdul Muttalib, certainly I do not want you to wade through the blood of the Muslims, crying: Amir al-Muminin was murdered. You certainly kill for me no one but my killer." "Wait till I die by this stroke of him (Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam), then strike a single stroke against him, and do not disfigure his body, for I had heard the Holy Prophet (pbuh) saying: 'Avoid mayhem even with a rabid dog.'" Such was the heroic end of this great man! The loss to the Mission and the nation was the gravest after the loss of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). By the death of Imam Ali (pbuh) the nation lost: A heroism that had become the song of the time; A courageous history that has never dreamt of its like; A wisdom no one can fathom, save Allah; A purity, the like of which was only in the prophets; An abstinence from the pleasures of life that could be attained only by the nearest to Allah; An eloquence such as to be the echo of Book; and A jurisprudence, and a thorough knowledge of the laws of religion, that made him the 'gateway of the city' of the Prophet's knowledge, and the authority to whom the Islamic nation referred in all its affairs. Peace be upon Amir al-Muminin the day he was born, the day he was martyred on his altar, and the day he shall be raised alive. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

SHAHADAT FIRST IMAM ALI (AS)

Second Infallible: Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb (as) Picture Gallery:

Najaf Ashraf Shrine Najaf Ashraf Shrine Najaf Ashraf Shrine Ali Wali Allah Masjid-e-Kufa Imam Ali (as) Tomb Ali Murtaza calligraphy Ali Wali Allah Ameer Al-Momineen Ameer Al-Momineen Ali Ma Al-Haq La Fatah Illa Ali La Saif Illa Zulfiqar

Second Infallible: Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb (as) Description:

Name: Ali Title: Ameer Al-Momineen, Al-Murtaza Designation: 1st Imam, Second Infallible Kunyat: Abul Hasan, Abul Hasnayn Father: Abu Talib ibn Abdul al-Mutalib Mother: Fatima bint Asad Born: 13th of Rajab (600 AD) Died: 21st Ramadan 40 AH (661 AD) Martyred by: Poisonous Sword Buried: Najaf Al-Ashraf, Iraq Lived: 63 years Ameer Al-Momineen Imam Ali (as)

Second Infallible: Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb (as) Sayings: [Peak of Eloquence, Nahjul Balagha]

One who develops the trait of greediness and avarice invites degradation; one who keeps on advertising his poverty and ill-luck will always be humiliated; one who has no control over his tongue will often have to face embarrassment and discomfort. When few blessings come your way, do not drive them away through thanklessness. Surrender and acceptance to the Will of Allah are the best companions; wisdom is the noblest heritage; theoretical and practical knowledge are the best marks of distinction; deep thinking will present the clearest picture of every problem. One who takes account of his shortcomings will always gain by it; one who is unmindful of them will always suffer. One who is afraid of the Day of Judgment is safe from the wrath of Allah; one who takes lessons from the happenings of life obtains vision, one who acquires vision becomes wise, and one who attains wisdom achieves knowledge. Treat people in such a way and live amongst them in such a manner that if you die they weep over you, and if you are alive they crave your company. If you get an opportunity and power over your enemy, then, in thankfulness to Allah for this: forgive him. He is very unfortunate who cannot in his lifetime gain even a few sincere friends and sympathizers and even more unfortunate is the one who has gained them and lost them (through his deeds). Failures are often results of timidity and fears; disappointments are the results of uncalled for modesty; hours of leisure pass away like summer clouds, therefore, do not waste the opportunity to do good. Whose deeds lower him, his pedigree cannot elevate. Be generous but not extravagant, be frugal but not miserly. To give up inordinate desires is the best kind of wealth and fortune. O son of Adam! When you see that in spite of Allah's constant favors your life is a continuous sin, and then take warning (His Wrath may not turn those very blessings into misfortunes.) Often your utterances and the expressions of your face reveal the secrets of your hidden thoughts. Happy is the man who always kept the afterlife in his view, who remembers the Day of Reckoning through his deeds, who led a contented life and who was happy with the lot that Allah hath destined for him. Adversities often bring your good qualities to the front. Success is the result of foresight and resolution, foresight depends upon deep thinking and planning, and the most important factor of planning is to keep your secrets to yourself. Hearts of people are like wild birds, they attach themselves to those who love and train them. Only he can forgive who has power to punish. If you help a deserving person without his request then it is generosity and if you help him after his request then mostly it is due to shyness to your refusal or fear of reproach. There is no greater wealth than wisdom, no greater poverty than ignorance, no greater heritage than culture and no greater helpmate than consultation. Wealth converts every foreign country into your native place, and poverty turns your native place into a strange land. Contentment is the capital which will never come to an end. Wealth is the fountainhead of inordinate cravings. Whoever warns you against sins and vices is like the one who is carrying news of salvation to you. People in this world are like travelers whose journey is going on as though they are asleep. (Life's journey is going on though men may not feel it.) To lose friends is to become a stranger in one's own country. Not to have a thing is less humiliating than to beg it of others. Do not be ashamed if the amount of charity is small because to return the needy empty-handed is an act of greater shame. If you cannot get things as much as you desire, then be contented with what you have. An uneducated man or a savage will always overdo a thing or neglect to do it properly. Every breath you take is a step forward towards death. Anything which can be counted or reckoned is finite and will come to an end. If you are confused about good or bad effects of an action, then study carefully the cause and you will know what the effects will be. The value of each man depends upon the art and skill which he has attained. I appreciate an old man's cautious opinion more than the valor of young men. How I wonder at a man who loses hope of salvation when the door of repentance is open for him. He is the wisest and the most knowing man who advises people not to lose hope and confidence in the Mercy of Allah and not to be too sure and over-confident of immunity from His wrath and punishment. Like your body, your mind also gets tired and fagged; in such case find educational diversions for it. That knowledge is very superficial which remains only on your tongue; the intrinsic merit and value of knowledge is that you act upon it. Whenever a tradition of the holy Prophet (SAW) is related to you, examine it carefully and think over it deeply, do not be satisfied with mere verbatim repetition of the same, because there are many people who repeat the words containing knowledge, but there are few who ponder over them and try to fully grasp the meaning they convey. Those who give up religion to better their circumstances in life seldom succeed. The wrath of Allah makes them go through more calamities and losses than the gains they gather for themselves. There are many educated people who have ruined their future on account of their ignorance of religion. Their knowledge did not prove of any avail to them. Only such a person can establish the Divine Rule, who, where justice and equity are required, will neither feel deficient nor weak and who is not greedy and avaricious. When a community is composed of really honest, sober and virtuous people then your forming a bad opinion about any one of its members when nothing wicked has been seen of him is a great injustice to him; on the contrary, in a corrupt society, to form a good opinion of anyone out of those people and to trust him is doing harm to yourself. To lose or to waste an opportunity will result in grief and sorrow. What difference is there between a deed whose pleasure passes away leaving behind it the pangs of pain and punishment and the deed whose cruel severity or oppressive harshness comes to an end leaving behind it heavenly rewards and blessings. Blessings are the man who humbles himself before Allah, whose sources of income are honest, whose intentions are always honorable, whose character is noble, whose habits are sober, who gives away in the name and in the cause of Allah the wealth which is lying surplus with him, who controls his tongue from vicious and useless talk, who abstains from oppression and tyranny, who cheerfully and faithfully follows the traditions of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and who keeps himself away from innovation in religion. Whoever is not diligent in his work will suffer sorrow and loss; whoever has no share of Allah in his wealth and in his life then there is no place for him in the realm of Allah. If you understand the majesty of the Lord then you will not attach any importance to the universe and its marvels. An angel announces daily: "The birth of more human beings means so many more will die; the collection of more wealth means so much more will be destroyed; the erection of more buildings means so many more ruins in time to come." A friend cannot be considered as a friend unless he is tested on three occasions: in time of need, behind your back, and after your death. This world is not a place of permanent settlement, it is a passage, a road on which you are passing; there are two kinds of people here, one is the kinds who have sold their souls to eternal damnation. The other is of those who have purchased their souls and freed them from damnation. Daily prayers are the best medium to advance oneself in favor of the Lord. Haj is a Jehad (Holy War) for every weak person. For everything that you own, there is Zakaat, a tax paid to the Lord, and the tax of your health is that you keep fast. The best Jehad of a woman against men is to render his home life-pleasing and congenial. If you want to pray to the Lord for better means of subsistence then first give something in charity. Sorrow will make you half as decrepit as old age. Many persons get nothing out of their fasts but hunger and thirst; many more get nothing out of their night prayers but exertions and sleepless nights. Wise and sagacious persons are praiseworthy even if they do not fast and sleep during the nights. Remember that there are three kinds of people, one kind is of those learned people who are highly versed in the ethics of truth and philosophy of religion, second is the kind of those who are acquiring the above knowledge, and the third is that class of people who are uneducated. They follow every pretender and accept every slogan, they have neither acquired any knowledge nor have they secured the support of firm and rational convictions. Remember Kumail, Knowledge is better than and superior to wealth because it protects you and you have to guard wealth because wealth decreases if you keep on spending it and knowledge increases the more you make use of it; and because what you get through wealth disappears as soon as wealth disappears. One who does not realize his own value is condemned to utter failure. (Every kind of complex, superiority or inferiority is harmful to man.) One who adopts patience will never be deprived of success though the success may take a long time to reach him. One who assents or subscribes to the actions of a group or a party is as good as if he has committed the deed himself. A man who joins a sinful deed makes himself responsible for two-fold punishments; one for doing the deed and the other for assenting and subscribing to it. One who guards his secrets has complete control over his affairs. Oppression and tyranny are the worst companions for hereafter. There is enough light for one who wants to see. Often the inordinate desire to secure a single gain acts as a hindrance for the quest of many profitable pursuits. People often hate those things which they do not know or cannot understand. One who seeks advices learns to recognize mistakes. One who fights for the cause of Allah secures victory over his enemies. When you feel afraid or nervous to do a thing then do it, because the real harm which you may thus receive is less poignant than its expectation and fear. Your supremacy over others is in proportion to the extent of your knowledge and wisdom. The best way to punish an evil-doer is to reward handsomely the good deeds of a good person. Obstinacy and stubbornness will not allow you to arrive at a correct decision. Deficiency will result in shame and sorrow, but caution and foresight will bring peace and security. To keep silent when you can say something wise and useful is as bad as to keep on propagating foolish and unwise thoughts. If two opposite theories are propagated, one will be wrong. One who starts tyranny will repent soon. One who cannot benefit by patience will die of grief and excitement. If you find that somebody is not grateful for all that you have done for him then do not get disappointed because often you will find that someone else feels under your obligation though you have done nothing for him and thus your good deeds will be compensated, and Allah will reward you for your goodness. Hearts (minds) have the tendencies of likes and dislikes, and are liable to be energetic and lethargic, therefore, make them work when they are energetic and on subjects which they like. The destitute is the messenger of Allah. Whoever denies him denies Allah and whoever gives him gives Allah. Avarice is disgrace; cowardice is a defect; poverty often disables an intelligent man from arguing his case; a poor man is a stranger in his own town; misfortune and helplessness are calamities; patience is a kind of bravery; to sever attachments with the wicked world is the greatest wealth; piety is the best weapon of defense. He who is greedy is disgraced; he who discloses his hardship will always be humiliated. The sin that makes you sad and repentant is more liked by Allah than the good deed which turns you arrogant.