Ayatollah Muhammad Jawad Fazel Lankarani's Lecture on the Occasion of the Martyrdom of Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a)

Ayatollah Muhammad Jawad Fazel Lankarani's Lecture on the Occasion of the Martyrdom of Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a)

Saturday, 25^th of Shawwal is the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Ja'far Sadiq, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, the head of Shia religion. Imam Sadiq (a) is who Shia is proud of for the sciences which all the seminaries are teaching. See how many a number of hadiths (traditions) we have from Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a) and how a great many companions and personalities have related traditions from him.

I would like to draw your kind attention to two points within these few minutes: The first point to mention has to do something with the Seera (lifestyle) of Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.) about honoring the guardians and protectors of the religion. It is something that we should understand and should see who according to Imam Sadiq (a) were the guardians of faith and religion and who he was giving credit to and how much. It is very important for us as the students of religion, those who claim to be protecting the religion and carrying its message, to under Imam Sadiq's way of life. If we deal with this question, it will become clear for us as to how important and valuable the task is. Indeed, others will also be held responsible. When the importance of clerics and their duty is made clear, then others should not start doubting or considering the religious scholars and students of the seminaries as regular and ordinary people. They should not tell that you are as much important as all other people out in the street. In fact, the reports which have been passed on to us are not as such. Let me read you a few of those reports:

Fazl bin Abdul Malik says:

«سمعت ابا عبدالله عليه السلام يقول أَحَبُّ النَّاسِ إِلَيَّ أَحْيَاءً وَ أَمْوَاتاً أَرْبَعَةٌ بُرَيْدُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ الْعِجْلِيُّ وَ زُرَارَةُ وَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ وَ الْأَحْوَلُ وَ هُمْ أَحَبُّ النَّاسِ إِلَيَّ أَحْيَاءً وَ أَمْوَاتاً»

"The most beloved of people to me, whether they are alive or dead, are four people: Buraid bin Mu'awiyah al-'Ijli, Zurarah, Muhammad bin Muslim and Ahwal. They are the dearest of people to me, irrespective of whether they are dead or alive."

In another tradition Jamil bin Darraj says:

«بَشِّرِ الْمُخْبِتِينَ بِالْجَنَّةِ بُرَيْدُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ الْعِجْلِيُّ وَ أَبُو بَصِيرٍ لَيْثُ بْنُ الْبَخْتَرِيِّ الْمُرَادِيُّ وَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ وَ زُرَارَةُ أَرْبَعَةٌ نُجَبَاءُ أُمَنَاءُ اللَّهِ عَلَى حَلَالِهِ وَ حَرَامِهِ لَوْ لَا هَؤُلَاءِ انْقَطَعَتْ آثَارُ النُّبُوَّةِ وَ انْدَرَسَتْ»

In the above narration also, the Infallible Imam (a) names those four people. He says that if they were not there, the traces of prophethood would have been wiped out and destroyed. However, in this tradition, he also mentions names of Abu Basir and Leith bin al-Bakhtari al-Muradi.

Dawud bin Sarhan narrates from Imam Sadiq (a) as having said:

إنّه قال إنّ أصحاب أبيه كانوا زيناً أحياءاً و امواتاً»

Imam Sadiq (a) said that the companions of his father were the beauties of the religion and people, regardless of whether they were alive or dead. This emphasis implies that that the importance of these people is not restricted to the period and time of their lives. That is to say, they maintain their importance and value even after their death. Having mentioned the names of those four people, the Imam then says:

«هولاء القوامون بالقسط، هولاء القوالون بالصدق»

"These are the people who establish equity (which has been mentioned in the Quran) and they are the people who establish the truth.

«هؤلاء السابقون السابقون اولئك المقربون»

"And those Foremost in Faith, they are the closest ones."  There are some people who say that all those who lived during the time of the Prophet (s) and in his company were the Sabiqun (those who lead in the race), it is not true.  Because the verse does not refer to temporal precedence. Precedence has something to do with one's doing good  and being foremost in the name of the religion. Those who supersede others to protect the religion and strengthen it, they are the Sabiqun. Time is not the criterion and we cannot say that whoever lived in the company and in the time of the Prophet (s) is closest to God.

There is yet another narration which is somewhat lengthier. Jamil bin Darraj says: One day I went to visit Imam Sadiq (a). There was a man in his company and he was going out.  The Imam said:

«لقيت الرجل الخارج من عندي»

"Did you meet the man who went out?"

I said: "Yes, he is one of our companions and he is from Kufa."

Then Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a) said:

«لا قدّس الله روحه و لا قدّس مثله»

"May God purify his soul."

This saying is either a curse or it may mean that this prayer should include him which is one degree lower than a curse. It may even imply curse or we can say that the Imam (a) did not intend to curse him. He meant something lower than a curse. That is to say, this prayer which includes the saints should not include such a person. Then the Imam said:

«إنّه ذكر اقواماً كان أبي ائتمنهم علي حلال الله و حرامه»

Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a) explained as to why he was cursing him.  He said that he started to talk ill of those people who were the confidants of the Imam's father. They were people whom his father (Imam Baqir (a)) trusted in matters related to haram and halal. They were the repositories of my father's knowledge as they are the confidants with whom I entrust my secrets.

«وكذلك اليوم هم مستودع سرّي» أبي حقّاً إذا أراد الله لأهل الأرض سوءاً صرف بهم عنهم السوء»

I have transferred all the secrets of the religion to them. If God wants to send down a punishment, these are people for whose sake God removes the punishment from the people of the world. "They are the stars among my followers, dead or alive. They are the people who keep the memory of my father alive. It is through them that every innovation becomes known. They are the ones who unearth the innovations."

«يحيون ذكر أبی بهم يكشف الله كلّ بدعةٍ ينفون عن هذا الدين إنتحال المبطلين و تعوّل الغالين»

"They repel those who falsely relate themselves to the religion and who consider themselves to be followers of our religion but who do not really adhere to the religion."

Now, before reading the remaining parts of the hadith, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Imam Sadiq (a) cursed those who talked ill of Zurarah, Muhammad bin Muslim, Buraid etc. because of their lofty qualities and traits. The question I would like to ask is who the guardians of the religion are in our time? Which institution is responsible for safeguarding the religion?  There is no doubt that they are the clergies, the Islamic seminaries and religious authorities. In fact, the Imam's saying "may Allah purify his soul" is a curse which also includes those who disregard the religious authorities and try to falsify what they state.

Who are the trustees of the religion for the time being? Who are the ones who tell what is halal and what is haram.  Our religious authorities speak so much about Hijab and warn about it; they express their apprehension about it but we see that the way they react, comment and speak in the magazine and media is quite the opposite.

Jamil bin Darraj further says that Imam Sadiq (a) wept because he was angry at the man backbiting Muhammad bin Muslim and Buraid. He first declared his stance and then he wept as to why people should talk of ill of those people.

The narration goes on in the sense that Imam (a) said:

«عليهم صلوات الله و رحمته أحياءاً و امواتاً»  

"May peace and blessing of Allah be upon them, be they alive or dead." The Imam's saying should make us understand the importance of our task. The discussions and the great lectures which are going on in the seminaries are all aimed at helping us to know what halal and haram are. There is nothing so important to be proud of than to be a trustee over halal and haram of the religion of God in the sense that when he sees something to be halal he should say that it is halal and when he sees something haram, he should say that it is haram. He should not be scared. Basically, it is one of the characteristics of the trustees over halal and haram not to be afraid of anything. If a person does not tell what is haram or halal simply because he is afraid lest he should lose his position, he is not a trustee. The trustees are those who tell what is halal or haram and they are not afraid of anyone.

It has been narrated that one day Mansur Dawaniqi said to Imam Sadiq (a):

«لم لا تغشانا كما يغشانا ساير الناس»

"Why do not come by and sit round us as all other people do?" This saying shows that Mansur had said this to the Imam during the early days because Imam Sadiq (a) was martyred by the same man. In response to him, the Imam Said:

«ليس لنا ما نخافك من اجله»

We do not have anything for which to be afraid of you.

It is a nice answer which means that we are not afraid of you due to which we may come to you to remain protected.

«ولا عندك من أمر الأخرة ما نرجوك له»

You do not have anything for the hereafter so that we may come to you and expect you to give us.  There is no divine reward for our coming to you in the sense that we do not get proximity to God by coming by. Such a thing is not there!

«ولا أنت في نعمةٍ فنهنّيك عليها»

Nor are you enjoying a divine bounty or a divine gift for which we may congratulate you. Everyone has that general bounty. He had been taking people's properties per force and using them; it is not a blessing; in fact it is a haram thing in his possession.

«ولا تراها نقمةٌ فنعزيك»

Nor are you afflicted with a calamity on which to condole you.

See how Imam Sadiq (a) responded to Mansur Dawaniqi. This is the characteristic of those who are dedicated to God, the Exalted. They do not see whether the place where they go is in their worldly interest or not. They see whether going to such places will help them remember God or not. This is the criterion and this is something which we should take into consideration. Our communication and relations with people and our speaking of other people should be on the basis of this criterion. If we are establishing relations with someone we see whether he is of any scientific benefit for us or not? In terms of piety and spirituality, we should also be looking for the same.

One thing that used to exist in the seminaries in the past and which unfortunately have been put into oblivion or replaced with something bad was to find one of those scholars who had spent their lives for God's sake working for God and purifying themselves. The aim was to gain spiritual benefit from him. Now this practice no longer exists in the seminary.  How many of us have ever tried to find someone who is purified and who might have spent his life purging his soul. We tend to go for fake virtues, fanciful dreams and baseless findings. We must in fact know what our relations with other people are based on. If we are establishing a relation with a person in a high rank, we should know what our aim is? Do we establish our relations for God's sake? Do we have a worldly purpose? Do we, God forbid, aim to reach a worldly position or rank by our relations with other people?

This is the practical search of Imam Sadiq (a) towards the guardians of the religion and towards those who are of no use to the religion like Mansur Dawaniqi. See how Imam Sadiq (a) dealt with him by giving him a strong answer.

The second point to mention is in regards to a comprehensive will and testament on the part of Imam Sadiq (a) to his son Imam Kazim (a). He says: "O my son, if you act upon this Will, you will live a happy life and a die a blessed death." You can see the Imam's will for yourself.

«يا بنيّ إقبل وصيّتي و احفظ مقالتي فإنّك إن حفظتها تعيش سعيدا و تموت حميدا، يا بنيّ من رضي بما قسّم له استغني، من مدّ عينه إلي ما في يد غيره مات فقيرا»

Very important and highly moral and educational rules have been mentioned in this Will which I want you to refer to.

May peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad and his pure progeny.

21 Sept 2011