The Truth
Efforts and Success Tyranny is Condemned in
“Man will not get anything unless he
works hard”
Holy Qur’an (53:39)
There is no doubt about
the fact that man cannot
make any progress without
effort and hard work. For
example, one who studies
whole-heartedly becomes
a scholar. Similarly, a
farmer who ploughs the farm and sows seeds
in it and waters them is soon rewarded with
crops. On the other hand, whoever is lazy
and indolent and does not do any work, is
faced with woes and worries. Indolence and
irresponsibility results in poverty and grief,
and Islam dislike these things very much.
Islam regards hard work a duty.
The Holy Prophet always insisted upon
Thursday, October 25, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 34
working hard. He is reported to have said:
“One who works is the friend of God, and
one who does not work is considered by
God, to be His enemy”.
Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (A.S.), our sixth Imam,
also impressed upon the people the advantages
of hard work. He has said:
“God does not love those who sleep too
much, and do not work”.
Don’t Ridicule Others
“One group of people should not make fun
of another group of people. May be they (the
latter) are better than they (the former).”
Holy Qur’an (49:11)
Some people make fun of others, and
humiliate them in the eyes of their fellow-
beings. People, who speak ill of others, are
usually those whose education and upbringing
have not been up to the mark, and who have
not learnt proper social manners. They are
not perhaps, aware that all human beings are
equal, and no one has the right to humiliate or
hurt another. They also forget that it is quite
possible, that those whom they ridicule may in
fact be better people than themselves, because
of their good qualities.
It is the duty of every Muslim to respect
others. If he observes any defect in the body,
dress or house of another, he should not laugh
at him or ridicule him.
8 The Truth
Islam
“Whoever harms others, will become a loser.”
Holy Qur’an (20:111).
In the above verse, the Almighty God warns
Vol. 2 Issue 34 Thu. Oct 25, 2007
the evil-doers and declares every evil deed to
be unlawful. One who harms another person,
makes fun of him, talks ill of him behind his
back or accuses him falsely is an evil-doer.
h e Just Truly God created mankind on this earth,
T
Those who infringe upon the rights of others,
hurt them or usurp their belongings are evil giving people wisdom with which to think,
people. and to differentiate right from wrong, and
If we do not look after our parents, bother them to know useful things from harmful ones,
and disobey their orders, we are guilty of doing
evil to them. We commit evil deeds if we tease and having the ability to do good or evil.
our brothers and sisters or misbehave towards Thus man is able to worship God, pray,
our class-mates. fast, help the poor, reconcile among people
We should not forget that Almighty God does
not like the evil-doers. in case of a conflict, behave well towards
his parents, relatives and neighbours and
Reward for Goodness do other good deeds.
“Is the reward of goodness anything but CONT’D ON PAGE 2
goodness.”
Holy Qur’an (55:60).
The Messenger of God (P.) said:
Giving “Surely the faithful who is satisfied with food
and drink; and then thanks God, is given
Thanks the same reward as a fasting man. God is
Gracious and appreciates gratitude.”[1]
If you are passing along a mountain and say
something aloud, you will hear your own voice
again after a moment. It will echo or resound.
To One of the companions of Imam Muhammed
al-Baqir (A.S.)[2] reported the following
incident, when he was traveling with the Imam
You will hear once again exactly the same
thing which you have said. For example, if
you have said aloud ‘good’, the echo will be
God on the road towards Madina.
CONT’D ON PAGE 3
‘good’, but if you have uttered ‘bad’, you will
once again hear the word, ‘bad’.
Similar is the case with our actions. If a
person helps his fellow beings, others will also IMAM ZAYN AL-ABIDIN (A.S.)
help and honour him. Allah is also pleased The fourth Imam Ali (A.S.) was born in Madina on 15th Jumadi I, 37 A.H.
with such a person, and showers many more He was very pious and was usually busy praying to God. For this reason,
blessings upon him. However, if a man does
evil deeds and harms others, he loses all
people called him Zayn al-Abidin (Ornament of the worshippers) and al-
sympathizers and no one turns up to help him Sajjad (One who prostrates).
when he is in difficulty. The Almighty Allah He was the only son of Imam Hussain (A.S.) who survived after the
says: “Whoever does good, will see the result
tragedy of Karbala. Thereafter, he devoted himself to God’s worship and
of his goodness, and whoever does bad, will
also see the result of his wrong-doing.” guidance of the people.
CONT’D ON PAGE 7
 IMAM ZAYN AL-ABIDIN (A.S.)
If you wanT To From PAGE 1
The Just From PAGE 1
receIVe your weekly
dIgITal copy All these actions can be distinguished as good
(pdf formaT) and righteous as opposed to bad, through man’s
please subscrIbe use of his mind.
To The TruTh’s On the one hand, man is able to do good deeds,
and on the other hand he is able to do evil and
maIlIng lIsT @
wicked ones. He is able to steal, lie, cheat, kill,
http://groups.google.
hurt people, disbelieve in God, and obey the
com/group/thetrr
oppressor, while his wisdom is able to differentiate
ruth110
that these actions are wicked and evil.
Man can do good or evil deeds through his own
will and choice and he himself decides between
the two. God gave him this ability so it is up to
If you wanT any man how he behaves.
maTerIal To be

Thursday, October 25, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 34

Thursday, October 25, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 34

God, the Almighty, bids man to do good and

publIshed please pious deeds and forbids him to commit wicked
send us an e-maIl. Imam Zayn al-Abidin (A.S.) was very mindful of the welfare of the sick,
and evil actions.
Thus, He sent the prophets to mankind to make
the needy and the poor. He usually left home late at night with some food
please noTe ThaT we clear to people what is bad and harmful and what and money. Without being observed by the general public he reached the
haVe The rIghT is forbidden. He also clarified for them what is houses of the needy and delivered these things to them. After having done
To accepT, useful and lawful and obligatory for people to this, he returned home.
edIT or refuse follow. Verily, the Almighty will charge us on the
It was the keen desire of Imam Zayn al-Abidin (A.S.) that people should
any conTenT. Day of Resurrection regarding our deeds which
become learned. He, therefore, encouraged all the Muslims, especially the
we do in our life. Those who do evil and disobey
Him are cast into hell and those who do well and children, to acquire knowledge.
edITor In chIef:
hassan TabaTabaI obey Him enter the Garden of Paradise.
One day he saw a group of children studying together, This pleased him
edITor: Surely God in His wisdom and justice does not
very much. After saying Salam in reply to their greetings, he said:
ahmad al najjar make the doer of good and evil equal.
desIgned by: According to their deeds, each will be either “O dear children! Study well You are children today but will grow up
Nagi Girguis rewarded or punished on Judgment Day. after some time. Take care that the knowledge you acquire should be
Among God’s justice is that He does not place beneficial for humanity”.
please send us any burden upon a person, which is beyond their
ability to bear. For instance, no sick or old person The invaluable collection of the Imam’s edited supplications is known as
your feedbacks,
will be blamed for not fasting because it would “Sahifa al-Kamila.” The collection is an invaluable treasury of wonderfully
commenTs,
harm their health. Obligations, however, are quite effective supplications to God in an inimitably beautiful language.
and suggesTIons
modest, like prayer being only five short duties a Through these supplications, the Imam gave all the necessary guidance to
To The followIng day, which virtually no one should find difficult
e-maIl: the faithful during his seclusion.
to perform.
thetruth110@gmail.com O God, bless Muhammed and his Progeny. Only that knowledge is worth acquiring which is beneficial for humanity.

2 The Truth The Truth 7


Humility
One day, Imam Musa al-Kadhim (A.S.)
1
chanced to pass by the tent of a dark
skinned nomad. He went up to him and
said, ‘Salamun Alaikum’2. Then he
enquired about his health and welfare, and
conversed with him for some time. When
the Holy Imam took his leave and bade
him good-bye, he added, “If there is anything I can do for you, I am
quite willing to do it”.
When the disciples of the Imam saw him treating that man in
such a friendly manner, they said, “O’ Holy Imam! You went up
to that humble and ordinary man and conversed with him; and
while departing also you told him very warmly that if there was
Thursday, October 25, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 34
anything you could do for him, you would be quite willing to do it.
Is it appropriate for a person like yourself to go and meet such an
ordinary man and converse with him in such a cordial manner?”
The Holy Imam replied, “You forget that he, too, is a servant of God
and God has created all men equal to one another. Furthermore,
since he is also a Muslim, he is our brother-in-faith. Besides this,
you should also remember that the circumstances of any person
don’t remain the same for ever. It is possible that we may be
obliged to seek assistance of the same person tomorrow, who
stands in need of our help today. If we withhold our help from
him now, it will be embarrassing for us to face him at the time
of our own need.”
Imam Ali (A.S.) quotes from the Holy Prophet (P.) saying:
“A Muslim should not leave his brother-in-faith alone to face
hardships and should consider that thing for him which he
considers to be good for himself and should not desire that thing
for him which he does not desire for himself”.
A Muslim should protect the honour of his brother-in-faith.
Footnotes:
1
Imam Musa Al-Kadhim (A.S.) is the seventh Imam / Leader / Successor after Prophet Muhammed (P.)
2
Salamun Alaikum is the Muslim greeting, it means Peace be upon you.
6 The Truth
Giving Thanks To God
From PAGE 1
On the way, he saw the Imam get down and began prostrating to God,
which greatly surprised him. After completing his prostration the Imam
said to his companion:
“It seems that you are astonished to see me prostrating”
His companion answered: “Yes,” and the Imam said:
“Remembering one of God’s blessings to me, I could not continue until
I had given thanks to Him.” [3]
Thus the infallible Imams of Ahlulbayt (A.S.) instruct us to thank Almighty
God for each of His blessings.
As we see, Imam Muhammed al-Baqir (A.S.), remembering one of God’s
blessings on his way, stopped and prostrated to God to give thanks for His
blessings.
Surely God gives us so many favours (blessings) that we are not able to
count them all, He provides us with good health, and intellect with which
Thursday, October 25, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 34
to think; eyes with which to see; ears with which to hear. He also supplies
us with food and drink. It is through His favour that we may be healed
when we are ill. We should always feel thankful for the blessings of God
and praise and thank Him.
Certainly we thank God when He gives us food and drink.
And how grateful we are when He saves us from danger or harm!
And how we thank Him if He delivers us from drowning, or a car
accident!
And how we thank Him when we see a disabled man or a blind man while
we are in a good health!
We are aware of God’s blessings upon us when we see all these happenings.
Indeed, from the Hadith (Sayings/Traditions) of the Prophet of God,
Muhammed (P.), we know that our Prophet said: “Whoever is satisfied
with food and drink and praises God for His blessings, God will
certainly reward him for his thanks as surely as He gives the fasting
man a reward for his fasting, because God appreciates the good deeds
of His servants and He loves them to show their gratitude.”
My Lord, Sustain me that I may be thankful for the favours that You have
conferred upon me and my parents, and to do what is righteous that I may
receive Your satisfaction.
Footnotes:
[1] Tabrasi, Mashkat al-Anwar, p.28, 2nd Edition.
[2] Imam Muhammed al-Baqir is the son of Imam Ali al-Sajjad, son of Imam Husayn, son of Imam Ali (A.S.). He is considered as the
Imam for all Muslims and the leader for all believers. From Imam Al-Baqir (A.S.), Scholars (Ulama) quoted Prophetic narrations and
religious sciences.
[3] Tabrasi, Mashkat al-Anwar, p. 29.
The Truth 3

Arabia, during the time of the Holy
Prophet Muhammed (P.), was a
country without any central authority.
It was a country far from the civilized
nations of those days.
At the time Prophet Muhammed (P.)
was spreading Islam; asking people
to turn away from worshipping
idols to worshipping God (God),
the Almighty, the All-Knower, the
Master.
Thursday, October 25, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 34
The Prophet sent letters of invitation
to Kings and Rulers of various
countries in the world, inviting them
to embrace Islam. Many of the letters
were met with a favourable response
whilst others were rejected. In many
cases, the messengers of the Prophet
were badly treated and abused. But
the Prophet was not worried by these
setbacks. He was inviting people to
the right path and a few setbacks
could not deter him from propagating
Islam.
Abu Sufyan a leader of the tribe of
Quraish and the arch enemy of the
Prophet was in Constantinople on
a business trip, when the Prophet’s
letter of invitation reached Hercules,
the Byzantine emperor of Eastern
Roman Empire. Hercules, at the time
was in his court at Constantinople
celebrating his victory over the
Persians.
4 The Truth
Hercules and Islam
Hercules read the letter through
an interpreter and then asked the
people in his court, to find out if
there was someone in the city, who
knew the Prophet. Abu Sufyan with
his companions was brought into the
court.
The emperor asked Abu Sufyan,
“What kind of family does Muhammed
belong to?”
“Noble”, replied Abu Sufyan
“Has there been a king in his family?”
Hercules asked.
“No,” said Abu Sufyan
“Are the people who have accepted
his religion poor or rich?”, Hercules
questioned again.
“They are poor”, replied Abu
Sufyan.
Hercules was now becoming more
and more interested and he went on
asking questions.
His next question was, “Are
his followers on the increase or
decrease?”
“Increasing”, Abu Sufyan replied
shortly.
“Have you known him to tell lies”?
asked Hercules.
“No”, admitted Abu
Sufyan.
“Does he ever go
against his convents?”,
Hercules once again
asked.
“Not so far. But we have
to see whether he carries
out the new agreement
Thursday, October 25, 2007. Vol. 2 Issue 34
made between us and
him”, Abu Sufyan he was preaching Islam.
answered lengthily for a change.
Hercules stood up and said, “If all
“Have you ever fought him in wars?” you said is true, then I am sure that
Hercules questioned. this Prophet’s Kingdom will reach
here where I am standing. I was
“Yes”, answered Abu Sufyan certain that a Prophet was coming,
but I didn’t know that he would be
“What has been the result?” Hercules
born in Arabia. If I were to go there,
asked, getting more and more
I would embrace Islam and wash the
interested.
Prophet’s feet with my own hands.”
“Sometimes we have won, sometimes
This was the way in which the
he”, replied Abu Sufyan.
Prophet spread Islam. He impressed
“What does he teach?” asked them by his truthfulness, honesty,
Hercules noble character and dedication in the
service of God. He did not compel
“Worship One God, join no people to accept Islam under threat
partners with Him, carry out your of waging wars, nor did he compel
prayers, be chaste, speak the truth people to accept Islam by the force of
and keep union with your relatives”, the sword. He fought only in defense,
answered Abu Sufyan, even surprised and only when the enemies waged
at his own answer as it sounded like war on him.
The Truth 5