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Imam 'Ali Sunshine of Civilized Islam

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Imam 'Ali Sunshine of Civilized Islam Published on Books on Islam and Muslims | Al-Islam.org (https://www.al-islam.org) Home > Imam ‘Ali Sunshine of Civilized Islam Imam ‘Ali Sunshine of Civilized Islam Author(s): Muhammad Husayn Tahmasebi [3] Publisher(s): Ansariyan Publications - Qum [4] This text presents Imam Ali's accomplishments and role during and after the life of the Holy Prophet (S). It describes his humane qualities and virtues. Category: Early Islamic History [5] Imam Ali [6] Important notice: DISCLAIMER The information presented in this Digital Edition is for information purposes only and cannot be used to determine current Islamic legal opinions nor as a definitive stance of the teachings of Islam as conveyed by the Prophet and the Ahlul Bayt and as such. The Ahlul Bayt DILP Team Miscellaneous information: Editor: Abdullah al-Shahin First Edition 1423-1381 ISBN: 964-438-377-X Featured Category: Introducing the Ahlul Bayt [7] Resources for Further Research [8] Person Tags: Imam Ali (a) [9] Preface So long as three great problems of the world; the degradation of man through indigence and pauperism, the corruption of women through hunger, the ignorance and poverty existing on earth, are unsolved; so long as spuriously creating hells amid the civilization on earth and social suffocation is possible in any part of the world, the personality of Imam ‘Ali (as) and his speeches and maxims collected in Nahj al- Balaghah cannot fail to be of use. Nowadays many people of the world are in easy circumstances because of the advancement of learning and technique, but regretfully the morals and ideality are, at the same time, disappearing among them and it seems that the world is badly in need of morals and spirituality. It is clear that the modern science is the result of a series of quarrels occurred between church and the scientists during the Dark Ages. The people expected that church would teach them the principles of religion and would direct the society to welfare and peacefulness, but it was contrary to their expectation that the church persisted in its opinion to protect its prestige and imposition of its pretended ideas as the divine religion. It surprised every scientific movement and consequently scientists became involved in many difficulties. When they cleared the immoral acts of church, they were put to torture and finally they were badly killed. As history says, Giordano Bruno, the philosopher and physicist of Italy was burnt to death before the crowed after spending eight years in jail. Also Copernicus the famous mathematician was harassed by the church. Galilee, the famous astronomer was thrown into jail at the age of seventy and eventually got a temporary release when he fell down on his knees and asked for forgiveness. Such ill-treatment towards scientists and reaction against enlightenment made people hate church and turn back from religion. The people, on the supposition that knowledge is the only means of deliverance from misfortunes, kept themselves back from the spiritual centers and unfortunately they (the Europeans) kept on that until the present time. Of course disgust against religious matters brings to being atheism and irreligion and atheists do not assume any responsibility for their acts towards conscience and morals. Therefore the science which is taught in Europe is poor in morals and spiritual things and its teaching is merely for the science itself apart from morality or what it results later on. Although the modern learning has made life so much more, easy as all people can delight in it, it does not accept any responsibility for being useful for the good of society per se, as many terrible and destructive weapons have resulted from it. In general, the Europeans have separated religion from worldly attachments. According to their opinion there is no any relevance between them and finally they have chosen the last one. The science without principles was set by the hands of many cruel and impious exploiters, who enjoyed the products of the people's labor in backward countries and if they wanted to get rid of their mischief, greater dangers impended upon (threatened) them. In addition to that, we ourselves see that the low classes of people especially the black-skinned are inhumanly treated in America and racial feelings have made thousands and thousands of people in Europe live homelessly and helplessly. These ill-favored actions indicate non-observance morals and justice and it, automatically, is arisen from irreligion and impiety. Nowadays, racialism and unjust discrimination as well as being inattentive to people's rights are, surely, big tragedies at the days of advancement of learning. Recently some startling news are heard on radios that a number of teenage students have organized criminal groups and entered into classrooms armed with pistols or knives. It is more regretful that narcotics are distributed by them too. The numbers of such organizations have been increased twice as many since 1989 in the U.S. of America. The competent authorities have cautioned the parents that if the circumstances continued unabated the United States would face many perils. It can easily be said that so many crimes, assassinations, suicides and intentional fire accidents which are of frequent occurrence all over the world, are resulted from immorality and irreligiousness. It is worthy to be mentioned that all divine religions, especially Islam, have encouraged people to learn the knowledge of public utility and have guaranteed it from the view of conscience and moral, in order to fulfill this purpose. God has sent Prophets with the laws that suited people's requirements of their own time and have showed them the way of their life. Each new Prophet has cancelled some of the previous laws by a new divine law as the nations would progress. In Principle they have called people to theism and it was applied to all attainments and virtues. There were among them five arch-Prophets, who had missions for the whole world. They were Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ and Muhammad, peace be upon them all. Every one of them had appointed a competent man as his successor to protect the divine law from deviation and distortion. Jesus Christ had educated twelve persons as his disciples. The progress of Christianity was indebted to their services. Muhammad was the last Prophet of God. The Holy Qur’an was descended from Heavens to him. It guides people, it shows the way of life and it shall suit the requirements of mankind till the Day of Resurrection. The education done by Muhammad enabled the people of Arabia to win a victory over two great empires of that time, Iran and Rome though they (people of Arabia) were not worthy of attention before the advent of Islam. Although the history says that Imam ‘Ali was the fourth caliph of Islam but according to the reliable traditions of the great scholars of Sunni and Shia, the Prophet of Islam had appointed him as his successor and also his executor. He was educated by the Prophet since childhood and had accompanied him step by step and at the time when the verses of Qur’an would come down from Heavens he was present with the Prophet and he perceived the interpretation of the verses directly by the Prophet (S). Therefore he learned the whole virtues and the good qualities, and consequently his words and deeds conformed to the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Qur’an acted upon him more than anyone else. He who likes to understand Islam has to study Imam ‘Ali’s life carefully to react to the stimulus of civilized Islam. Therefore Imam ‘Ali's words and deeds are perfect examples for the different classes of people especially the leaders and the statesmen. As it was said earlier, there are many corruptions and crimes all over the world. The youths are subjected to dangers on account of misusing of science, publication of immorality and exploiting unfairly the people of the backward countries by some irreligious and Mammonish groups. Self-Denial And Piety A question comes up for discussion about those, who deny themselves and go on without everything though some of them are able to be in easy circumstances and take pleasure in easy life, but they fall into habit with containment and keep aloof from a luxury life. From immemorial time secession from worldly pleasure had been regarded as a means of purification of spirit and improvement of inner serenity. Those, who wanted to keep aloof from the worldly attachments, used to go out of cities and stay in the forests or take refuge in the caves of mountains to worship God according to their own principles. They would pass their life with bare subsistence, if the inhabitants of the nearby villages gave them something to eat or they could find some fruits of wild trees of forests. At first some people were under necessity of leaving their houses because of the oppression of the rulers but later on whoever determined on saving himself from worldly ties adopted this way of worshiping God and usually took the consequences. But their actions were not governed by a divine law; therefore passions and desires might have overcome them and would break all moral fetters. Of course Islam does not permit the Muslims to adopt this way of worship nor it does approve leaving their houses to seclude and pray in such fashion, but it has incidentally recommended them to put to use all possibilities of time and place in moderation. A Muslim should be responsible for his wife and children. He should earn his livelihood through lawful means. He should not trespass against the others' rights and should follow virtues and piety, and behave in opposition to carnal desires.
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