AlMujtaba Islamic Articles > Imam Ali (AS)
 

THE HOLY QURAN – PART 16

IMAM ‘ALI BIN ABI TALIB (A.S.) & THE HOLY QURAN (SECTION 2)

 

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


Source: http://www.almahdi.org.uk