GIVING QUOTATIONS FROM THE HOLY QURAN:
As Muslims, we must feel proud to have the Book
of Allah (SWT) – the Holy Quran among us. We must recite it
regularly with proper understanding and form the habit of quoting
from it time and again. This way, we shall be able to remind
ourselves about our religious obligations and admonish others too.
Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) once passed through a city that
had turned into ruins. One of his companions recited a poem, which
described how everything in this world would perish. Imam (a.s.)
instantly recited the following verse from the Holy Quran,
“How many gardens and
springs did they leave behind! Fields and splendid places, and the
bounties wherein they rejoiced! So it was, and We bequeathed them to
another people. So neither the sky wept for them, nor the earth; nor
were they granted any respite”. (44:25-29)
Imam (a.s.) then said,
“These people (inhabitants of
the ruins) had inherited all these from others and later, they too
were inherited because they never expressed their gratitude to Allah
(SWT) for all His bounties. On account of their disobedience, their
bounties were taken away from them…you too should safeguard from
ingratitude and protect yourselves from such calamities”.
(Kanzul-Fawaid)
KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY QURAN:
Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) has said,
“Ask me anything you wish
about the Book of Allah. By Allah! There is not a single verse
revealed, during night or day, during travel or at home except that
the Holy Prophet (saww) informed me about it and taught me its
meanings”. Ibn Kuwa asked,
“O Commander of the faithful! Has it ever been
that a verse was revealed and you were absent?”
Imam (a.s.) replied,
“Whenever a verse was
revealed in my absence, the Holy Prophet (saww) would memorise it
and read it over to me when we met. He (saww) would say: ‘O ‘Ali!
When you were away, Allah (SWT) revealed such and such verse upon
me’, and then he (saww) would teach me the knowledge of that verse”.
(Aamaali of Shaykh Toosi)
TEACHING THE HOLY QURAN TO OTHERS:
Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) used to teach the Tafseer of the
Holy Quran to the Muslims. Among the people who extensively
benefited from such sessions was Ibn ‘Abbas (r.a.).
Ibn ‘Abbas (r.a.) has reported that,
“He (‘Ali) explained to me the Tafseer of the
letter BAA of Bismillah from the beginning of the night till its
end”. (Quran-o-‘Itrat)
Once Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) heard a person reciting the
verse, “Verily we
belong to Allah and verily unto Him shall be our return”.
Imam (a.s.) said,
“Our saying: ‘Verily we
belong to Allah’, is an admission of His Majesty over us; and our
saying: ‘And verily unto Him shall be our return’, is an admission
of our being mortal”. (Nahjul-Balaghah)
Zar bin Jaysh has reported that,
[One day I
recited the whole of the Holy Quran in presence of Imam ‘Ali (a.s.)
in the main mosque of Kufa. When I reached the chapters beginning
with HA MEEM Imam (a.s.) said,
“You have reached the brides
of the Holy Quran” (implying the
chapters that adorns the Holy Quran).
When I reached the verse in the chapter of
HA MEEM ‘AIN SEEN QAAF,
which reads, “But
those who have faith and do righteous deeds will be in the gardens
of paradise: they will have whatever they wish near their Lord. That
is the greatest grace”. (42:22) Imam (a.s.) began to weep
loudly and then turning towards the sky said,
“O Zar! I am invoking to Allah and you
say: Ameen”.
Imam (a.s.) then invoked in the following words:
“O Lord! Make me
most submissive to You; Give me the sincerity of those who have hope
in You; Bless me with friendship of the virtuous; Give me the
understanding of faith as it deserves the understanding; Enrich me
with goodness; Protect me from every evil; Make me a deservant of
Your Mercy; Make me attain Your great forgiveness; Grant me with a
place in paradise and save me from the hellfire”.
Then the Imam (a.s.) said,
“O Zar! On completion of
Quran, recite this supplication for this is what my beloved Prophet
(saww) has taught me to do”.] (Riyadh al-Saliheen)
To be
continued………………………..
mulla@almahdi.org.uk