The Last Day Of The Final Judgment (qiamat)

The Last Day of the Final Judgment (Qiamat)

IT IS NOW for any intelligent one to say that if the above fundamentals of the faith are those prescribed by the Holy Qur'an or not, or if they contain anything more or less than what the Holy Prophet preached and enjoined upon his followers.

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As regards the practice of the faith a Shia muslim shall:

1. Offer regularly the prescribed five times compulsory prayers.

2. Fast the whole of the Holy month of Ramadhan.

3. Perform Traf i.e., pilgrimage to the Holy Ka'ba in Mecca at least once in his life provided he could afford to do it as laid down by the Holy Prophet.

4. Pay the 'Zakat' (the prescribed poor-rate) of 2-1/2 per cent of his assets as prescribed by the Holy Qur'an and explained by the Holy Prophet.

5. Pay the 'gums' (the /5th of the nett savings as laid down by the Holy Qur'an and explained by the Holy Prophet.

6. Endeavour his most, i.e., 7ehad', as needed for the defence and the welfare of the faith and the faithful and even fight in the way of the Lord for the purpose if called to do it by the Apostle of God or any one of God's commissioned Guides the Imams.

7. Preach or enjoin what is good to his brethren in all peaceful and desirable ways.

8. Preach abstinence from evil, to his brethren in all peaceful and desirable ways.

9. Love God, God's chosen men and godliness and be always attached to the godly ones particularly to the Holy Prophet Muhammad and his Holy AhlulBait.

Always keep himself away from evils and the evil ones, having nothing to do with the wicked ones with definite aversion to their wicked conduct and character.

Let any unbiased reader who pursues the above fundamentals and their practice declare, if there is nothing but good and it is nothing but godliness pure, in belief and practice, or if there is anything bad or objectionable in it.

As regards the Holy Qur'an, a Shia muslim believes that the present Holy Qur'an, is the very same Book of God, complete in itself without any deduction or addition to it and without any

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alteration or misarrangement of its verses. This is the Holy Qur'an which was revealed to the Holy Prophet which was then and there recorded in writing by Ali ibne Abi Taleb, Abdullah ibne Mas'ood, and Ma'aaz ibne Jabal and which was read out to the Holy Prophet during his very lifetime.

As regards the Tiblah' or the point of turning towards, during prayers, a Shia muslim holds the Holy Ka'ba in Mecca as his Qiblah.

As regards the daily prayers a Shia muslim offers regularly the five times compulsory daily prayers with the number of the Rak'ats or units as given below:-

Prayer	Wajib	Rak'ats or units	Sunnat
Fajr Morning	2	''	2
Zohr (Mid-day)	4	''	8
Asr (afternoon)	4	''	8
Maghrib (Evening)	3	''	4
Isha (Night)	4	''	2
Total Compulsory	17	''	24

The 'Kalema-e-Shahadat' or the verbal declaration of the faith, the Kalema of a Shia muslim is the same as that of any other muslim

A Shia muslim declares his identity with the Islam-Original to mean that his Islam is that of the Ahlul-Bait whose head after the Holy Prophet was Ali, and not the Islam adulterated by unwarranted authorities, pronouncing his faith in Ali as the Friend of God or the Divinely commissioned Guardian over the muslims after the Holy Prophet. To do this a Shia muslim declares with in continuation of the above declaration:-

Be it known that the above two clauses are pronounced not as a part of the Kalema but just as a note of distinction of the faith from the creed adulterated later.

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This is the whole of the Shia'ism or the Islam-Original and nothing else.

Under the Ninth article of the practice of the faith called Tawallah' a Shia muslim mourns the martyrdom of each of the holy ones of the Ahlul-Bait and expresses his sorrow and grief for the miseries and the calamities the holy ones suffered, individually and also collectively in congregational services called the Majlise-Aza in which are recited the Holy Qur'an and the life-readings of the holy ones with the Islamic philosophy and religious teachings for the information of the fellows in the Shia faith.

Let the readers themselves judge if the above conduct could be in agreement or the token of devotion to God and the loyalty to the godly ones who suffered the calamities and laid their all in the way of the Lord for the guidance of mankind, or it could in any manner or sense be in the least objectionable. At the same time it has at last to he judged that not doing so will be ingratitude and disloyalty to God and the godly ones or not.

The Commemoration of The Historic 'Ashoora'

'AsHooRA' MEANS THE 'Tenth', i.e., the Tenth day, of the Lunar month of Moharram 61 A.H. on which historic day, Husain surrendered his all in the way of the Lord to save the truth and thus to save humanity from getting beguiled by the Brute on the throne and the brutal forces of the mercinary scholars whom he had enlisted under his command. All those who love truth and the welfare of mankind at large, will naturally love Husain and his holy family, and will naturally be moved to express their sympathy and sorrow for the Great Godly Hero of Karbala who sacrificed his all, suffered the worst of miseries and met the most torturous and brutal death but neither yielded to the blasphemy perpetrated by the Brute nor the destruction of the Divine Principle of his holy Grandfather.

Honestly, not to commemorate such a solemn occasion will be thanklessness and ingratitude to godliness and to God Himself, and to do it will surely earn the blessings of the Lord. Every one who has the least appreciation or the admiration for the matchless sacrifices, the Great Hero and his godly comrades who suffered martyrdom along with him, will naturally be moved to express his sorrow on the solemn occasion, and those who love devilry and the Devil Yazid, will naturally be festive on that day.

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Intercession or Shafa'at

THE POSSIBILITY OF intercession for the sinners on the Day of Judgment is quite obvious from the repeated declarations of the Holy Qur'an. The declarations are so clearly worded that none can misinterpret them otherwise:-

According to this verse, intercession is possible only with permission of the Lord. There are the following verses clearer still :

The above verses are too clear to create any doubt against some dear ones to the Lord having the authority from Him to intercede. Who else could be more entitled to this divine grace and unique privilege than the apostles of God, more particularly the Last one, the chief of them, and those who have surrendered their lives in the way of the Lord like Husain and his faithful comrades who were martyred along with him. The point is that to one who sincerely seeks to know the truth, a straight answer, with the simplest logic, will certainly suffice, but to one who wants to go on arguing merely for argument's sake, even the apostles from God could not satisfy. No amount of arguing will be of any avail when the understanding is never to come at all from within the enquirer. One can give an argument but never an understanding.

The Houses of Miracles and response to Prayers

LET THE MATERIALIST world know from the millions of the devoted muslims, who have visited the Shrines in Iraq and other holy places, how brightly the Glory of God shines in the shrines of Husain and the members of his holy family and also of his faithful comrades who sacrificed their lives along with him in Karbala. One need not wait long to witness any miraculous event on any of the week days, in the shrines of Husain and Abbas, particularly the holy shrine of Abbas-e-Alamdar (i.e., Abbas the Standard Bearer

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of Husain) is the place wherefrom hundreds of thousands of the sufferers get their prayers immediately heard, and many a time this valiant son of Ali, the Lion of God, has rendered miraculous and timely rescue to those who invoked the mercy of God in his holy name. It can be most confidently said, let any one try his holy name. It can be most confidently said, let any one try his luck if he needs any help from God with the necessary sincerity and devotion to the great saintly brother of the King of Martyrs. Even today the holy name 'ABBAS' is a watchword for millions and millions of his sincere devotees for the immediate and miraculous rescue needed, in any unavoidable risk or danger. Where is the wonder, for one who surrenders himself to God, God will also surely honour his name when mentioned in any prayer to Him. God Himself enjoins on man to seek a medium unto Him :-

It is the disbelievers who get hopeless of their dead.

Be it noted that the Walema' or the Word of the Declaration of the Faith 'Shia'ism', is only :-

RESPECT, REGAL'' AND REVERENCE To the Sacred Emblems

Alams (the Emblems of Husain, Abbas and the other A'imma), The Zarees, Mimbers, Imambadas and the other things dedicated to the sacred memory of the Holy Ones of the Ahlul-Bait, held with feelings of sanctity by the Shias (the devotees of the Holy Ahlul-Bait).

SOME GUIDING CLARIFICATIONS

OF LATE, IT is frequently preached by some ill-informed people against paying respect, regard or reverence to Alams, Zarees, Mimbers, Imambadas or any such things dedicated to the sacred memory of the members of the Holy Ahlul-Bait, terming it, 'Shirk' or '13 id'at or 'Kufr'. Since there is the possibility of some innocent and ignorant Muslims and Non-Muslims alike, not knowing the difference between 'Marvaddat' (i.e., love or faithfulness), and, 'Oboodiat' (i.e., Worship), getting astray, it has become necessary to issue the following clarifications.

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Be it known that the move to criticise the expressions of Respect, Regard and Reverence to the Holy Ahlul-Bait and the things dedicated to their sacred memory, is nothing new. Such criticisms and accusations against the devotees of the holy ones, the Shias, have been in vogue since centuries having their start immediately following the departure of the Holy Prophet.

'Maivaddat' (i.e., love or devotion) practised by those attached to the Holy Ahlul-Bait has always been misrepresented as 'Oboodiat' (i.e. worship), just to condemn attachment to the Holy Family, terming the love and the devotion to the Holy ones, as 'Shirk' (i.e., Polytheism) or 'Kufr' (i.e., infidelity). This was done to stop people's attachment to the Ahlul-Bait, and to enlist strength against those who, inspite of the vicious propaganda against them and even suffering the miserable persecution, remained devoted to the Holy ones of the Prophet's family. The first of such a cry, motivated with the vicious object mentioned above, was raised by some opportunists aspiring for power and authority, immediately as the Holy Prophet departed from this world, saying:

This satiric cry was raised against the devotees of the Holy House, to declare them as Kafirs' Infidels i.e., those who worshipped the Holy Prophet instead of God, terming their 'Marvaddat' to the holy ones, which means only love and devotion, as 'Oboodiat' i.e., worship, and thus to declare the attachment to the Ahlul-Bait as 'Shirk' or 'Kufr', whereas only the devotees to the Ahlul-Bait are muslims in the true and the strict sense of the term, as they worship none but the One and the Only True God, and love the Holy Prophet and his Ahlul-Bait and remain devoted to them under the divine ordinance :-

Under the above ordinance from the Lord, none who does not pay the Holy Prophet the 'AY (i.e., recompense) in the love and devotion to the Ahlul-Bait, demanded him, can never be a muslim at all.

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In short, 'Mowaddat' i.e., the love towards the Holy AhlulBait, is purposefully termed as 'Oboodiat', i.e., worship, to blackmail their devotees, the Shias as 'Musrikeen' (i.e., the Polytheists) and Wuffar' (the infidels), and to dissuade people from attachment to the Holy Ones.

It must first be remembered that 'Shirk' means associating any thing with God, and these things which are held sacred by the Shias are never at all held as God, or gods, or in place of God, or that of the holy ones to whose memory they are dedicated. They are mere Emblems and Memorials, dedicated to their memory. This fact has already been made clear and it is once again repeated here for the information of the new uninformed or misinformed critics.

The move against respecting these sacred memorials of the dedicated tokens, is only to dissuade the public from their devotion to the Ahlul-Bait, in the guise of preaching 'Tauheed', i.e., the Unity of God, and warning against 'Shirk' which is the most abhorred thing in Islam, particularly in Shia'ism which is the Islam-Original.

Let the misinformed advocates of 'Taiiheed' and the Warners against 'Shirk' rest assured that the Shias, in particular when they pray for any divine boon or 1,- in the name of the Holy Imams, they never imagine for a while that the actual giver or the bestower of the boon or the giver of the help prayed for, is any one other than the Almighty Lord of the Universe, and the prayer in the name of the holy ones is only to invoke the mercy of the Lord through the medium of these holy souls who have been declared as God's chosen ones and the nearest and dearest ones to Him.

The misleading question which the critics raise, in that way should not one seek the help he needs directly from God ? This question has in itself the answer that when such great devotees of God (i.e., the critics) get ill, why do they go to the doctor? Who is the actual Curer, God or the doctor ? Why not they depend upon God for the cure and avoid the means of the doctor, when the doctor is not the actual curer ? No, they do it because they have to seek a means or a medium and they do it for they cannot avoid it. This is quite in accordance with the divine guidance from the Lord:-

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The reverence and the regard for things dedicated to the sacred memory of the holy ones, is clearly warned by the verse 2:158 in which the Muslims have been ordained to run between the hillocks 'Safi' and 'Mama' while performing the 'Hal. And the following verse of the Holy Qur'an clearly declares the regard for any signs of God (i.e., anything by means of which man remembers God's Glory, His Authority or His Existence) as the piety of the heart of the individual :-

Shias go to the 'Imambadas', the 'Mahfils', the 'Mimbers' and recite there 'Fateha' (i.e., 1st Sura of the Holy Qur'an), and the masterly edited prayers of the great divines viz., Ameerul-Momineen Ali ibnul Husain and the other Imams. Let the advocates of 'Tauheed' and the warners against 'Shirk' go through the 'Dua'-eMashlool' or the 'Dua'-e-Komail' or the 'Joshan-e-Kabeer' or the 'Joshan-e-Sagheer' or any other prayers 'Duo' prescribed by the Holy Imams and then say if there can be a greater and a surer source of approaching God or invoking His mercy, than these mediums. People ignorant of these great things, are those who speak against the heavenly means to get nearer to the Lord to be blessed by Him.

It is also necessary to inform the advocates of 'Tauheed' and the warner against 'Shirk' that it is the declared faith and the conviction of every Shia that nothing without the compulsory Salat or Namaz, duly performed, can ever benefit any one in approaching God or getting any boon or help from Him or from any one of the

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holy ones, and the Mosque is the holiest place with nothing to be compared to it.

Sajdah

WHO SAID SA JDAH or prostration in obeisance to any one besides God is allowed. Sajdah to 'Ghairallah' or 'Masiwallah' (i.e., other than God) is 'Ilaram', i.e., strictly prohibited, and Shia'ism the Islam-Original, more than any other school of faith, abhors it, and guards its adherents against it, both from the pulpit and the press. The critic should first know that Sajdah to God differs from the act of merely laying the head on the ground which also is termed as Sajdah. The Sajdah to God is not only laying the head on the ground, but submitting one's self wholely to God with the realisation of one's negation of his finite existence granted to him, before the infinite. Almighty and the Absolute Existence of the Only Self Existing One, with the intention of worshipping Him as the only Creator, Sustainer, Lord of the Universe. Mere laying of the head on the ground before any one in any ceremonial way of paying any conventional regard or formal reverence to any one other than God, can never be the 'Sajdah-e-Oboodiat' (the prostration of subservience). It will be a 'Sajdah-e-Tazeemi' (i.e., the prostration or regard) which was demanded of the angels for Adam:

This is what God Himself ordered the angels to do:-

If Sajdah in any sense whatsoever was prohibited save to God, the stars would not have been caused to appear to Joseph in his vision, offering 'Sajdah' or prostration to him.

And why did Yacoob (Jacob) an apostle of God, offer 'Sajdah' to his son Joseph :-

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It is sufficiently clear if one wants only to know the truth that Sajdah by way of worship to any object besides God, is strictly prohibited as Viaram' and abhorred by Shia'ism which is Islam-Original, whereas the act of mere laying of head before anybody in any conventional or ceremonial way of paying the regard, or expressing one's humility to any greatness, or excellence particularly in the case of any divine object, which was expected of the angels even by God Himself, and was practised even by a prophet of God like Jacob, is not worship, and hence not objectionable.