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Friday Messages | Ahl-ol-Bait

Friday Messages: HEAVEN on earth - Part 1

Contributed by bineshan on 09 Sep 2009 - 02:35 PM

HEAVEN on earth

Part 1



Yet another glorious Ramadan, with all its Heavenly grandeur and magnificence, is upon us. On this Ramadan, we wish to wrap a beautiful and gentle true story, in a soft, sky blue celestial wrapping paper with angels carrying white and gray clouds hither and thither, while the rays of the golden and brilliant Sun are shining through the clouds, and here and there, the beautiful Sun is coming out and smiling …; and our hearts would like to offer this gift to all hearts out there who love and beat for that golden Sun. The story is not about Ramadan, but about the Sun whose ever-flowing warmth is always embracing our existence, but … .



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The following story is narrated by one of the most trusted and known Shi'ah scholars named "Mohaddeth Noori" in his renowned book "A-Nnajm-O-Ththaaqeb"; and to his opinion, the story is most certainly correct and it is to be fully trusted, so much so that he has said himself, this one correct and very beneficial narration by itself, is enough to have caused this book to be so much credited and held in honor.



Haji Ali Baghdadi, a very sincere-hearted, righteous and pious man, has narrated to Shaikh Mohammad Hasan Kaazemaini:



I was under obligation to pay eighty Tomans1 as the Imam's Portion and Wealth2. So I traveled to the city of Najaf where I gave three twenty Tomans to Shaikh Mortada, Shaikh Mohammad Hosain Kaazemaini, and Shaikh Mohammad Hasan Sharooqi; thus I still had twenty Tomans which I had owed and I was planning to give it to Shaikh Mohammad Hasan Kaazemaini, when I'd return.



After I returned to Baghdad, I wanted very much to hasten and pay what I had owed; so on a Thursday when I had gone to the Ziyaarat [pilgrimage] of the two Imams (PBUT) in Kaazemain3, I went to Shaikh Mohammad Hasan Kaazemaini and gave him a portion of that remaining twenty Tomans, and I promised that after eventually some goods would be sold and the money sent to me, I would give it to the deserving [as specified by the Religion]. The Shaikh asked me to stay that evening, but I apologized and said that I had to return to pay the wages of the workers in my cloth weaving factory, as I had usually paid them on Thursday evenings.



So I left Kaazemain for Baghdad; I had almost gone a third of the way when I saw a very majestic and noble Sayyed gentleman coming toward me from Baghdad's direction; as he got closer, he said Salaam and greeted me, and moved his hand to shake my hand, and opened his arms to embrace me, we both kissed each other; he had a light green turban on his head, and a black mole on his beautiful face. He wished me well and asked: "Where are you going Haji Ali?" I said that I had gone to the Ziyaarat of Kaazemain (PBUT) and was returning to Baghdad. He reminded me that it was Thursday evening and advised me to return [to Kaazemain, for, Ziyaarat on Thursday evenings are very highly recommended]; I told him that it was not possible, but he said that it was so. He said: "Return, so that I will bear witness that you are of the Mowaaliyaan [those who love and obey and cling to and …] of my forefather Amir-Ol-Mo'meneen and of us, and the Shaikh will also bear witness; because if Allah -the Exalted- has commanded to seek two witnesses, then do seek two witnesses!"



Later, after that day had passed, Haji Ali Baghdadi explained that he, at that time, had in his mind to request Shaikh Mohammad Hasan Kaazemaini to write him a note bearing witness that he [Haji Ali] was of the Mowaaliyaan of the AhlulBayt (PBUT) so that, when being buried, he would have it placed in his shroud.



I asked him how he could bear witness, while he did not know me?! He responded: "How could he, whose 'Right' has been delivered, not know the deliverer?" I asked: "What Right?" He said: "the 'Right' which you delivered to my deputy." I asked him who his deputy was, and he answered, Shaikh Mohammad Hasan. I said: "Is he your deputy?!" And he replied that he was.



Haji Ali later explained that he then remembered that the Sayyed had called him by his name, so he thought that perhaps the Sayyed knew him, but he had forgotten the Sayyed; Haji also said to himself that possibly this Sayyed wanted some thing from the "Right of Saadaat"4, and Haji thought it would be good to give him some thing from the Imam's (PBUH) Wealth! So Haji told him that he had part of their "Right" [Saadaat's] and that he had gone to Shaikh Mohammad Hasan for that matter, to get his permission for delivering it to the deserving Saadaat.



Then he smiled at me and said: "yes you surely have delivered part of our 'Right' to our deputies in Najaf." I asked whether what I had given was accepted and he replied that it was.



Haji Ali later explained that he was quite astonished that the Sayyed was saying that the great scholars were his deputies, so Haji thought to himself that he must have meant that scholars were the Saadaat's deputies in seeking their Right; Haji Ali continued to be neglectful of what was really happening!



So he told me to return and do the Ziyaarat of his forefathers, and I turned back. As we were walking, his right hand was in my left hand; on our right, there was a limpid stream of clear water flowing, and lemon, naarenj [special odoriferous orange] and pomegranate trees and grape vines and … -all with fruit at the same time, while it was not their season- were casting their shadows upon us! I asked him about the stream and trees, and he responded: "Any of our Mowaaliyaan who do our Ziyaarat and the Ziyaarat of our forefathers, these are with them."



Then I told him that I wanted to ask a question, and he told me to do so. I said: "one day I was by the renowned Shaikh Abdo-Rrazzaaq who was a lecturer and has passed away, and I heard him say, if a person fasts all days of his entire life, worships all nights, performs forty Hajs and forty 'Omrahs, and dies between Safa and Marwah, if he is not of the Mowaaliyaan of the AmirulMo'meneen (PBUH), there is nothing for him." He said: "By Allah, there is nothing for him."



Then I asked him about one of my relatives, whether or not he was one of the Mowaaliyaan of the Amir-Ol-Mo'meneen (PBUH), and he said that he and all who were closely related to me, were so.



Then I told him that I had another question and he told me to ask, so I said that the reciters of Imam Hosain's (PBUH) Ta'ziyah [passion play] recite that Solaymaan A'mash went to a person and asked him about the Ziyaarat of the Sayyed-O-Shshohada, Imam Hosain (PBUH), and that person told him that it was bed'at [an innovation]. Then he had a dream in which he saw a camel litter floating in midair, and he asked who was in it? He was told, Fatemah Zahra and Khadijah Kobra (PBUT); then he asked where were they going? He was told, to Ziyaarat of Imam Hosain (PBUH) on Thursday evening. He then saw epistles falling from the litter on which it was written:

"An Amaan [protection, safety, security, refuge, immunity, …] from the Fire for the pilgrims of Hosain on the nights of Fridays [Thursday nights]; an Amaan from the Fire on Qiyaamat [Judgment Day]."

I asked him if this Hadith was correct, and he said that it was correct and complete; so I said: "Then it is true that any one who does the Ziyaarat of Imam Hosain (PBUH) on Thursday evenings, it is Amaan for him", and he said: "Swear by Allah, yes." And he cried and tears poured down his beautiful and blessed face.





Notes:



1- Toman is a monetary unit.



2- A financial duty which is considered as the "Right and Wealth" of the Infallible Imam of each time, and the Shi'ah, during Occultation, give it to just, pious and trustworthy scholars, in the absence of their Anticipated Infallible Imam Mahdi (PBUH), so that, based on the teachings and guidelines of the Qur'an, the Prophet Mohammad and his AhlulBayt (PBUT), it may be used for the spiritual and material benefits of the Shi'ah community.



3- A city very close to Baghdad which is named after the title of the seventh and the ninth Shi'ah Imams (PBUT) who are buried there.



4- A portion of that which has been explained in note 2 is considered to be the "Right of Saadaat", the descendants of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH&HP); the title Sayyed is used for them and Saadaat is the plural of Sayyed.



To be continued …