 اللهم من الشيطان الرجيم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله على السيدنا وحبيب قلوبنا وشفيع نفوسنا أب القاسم محمد وعلى آل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين المعصومين لاسيما بقية الله روحي وأرواح العالمين لتراب مقدمه الفداء ومع بعد رسبكتد سكولرز ألدز برزن سيستز السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته إن شاء الله تنايت we want to commemorate the martyrs that have been martyrs in the way of Ahl al-Bayt as that that the Ahl al-Bayt were martyred before them and we dedicate tonight's lecture in honor of these people that have fought to uphold the name of Ahl al-Bayt died and were martyred to uphold the message died for the people that died before them now insha'Allah tonight we want to analyze a very important aspect in relations to the society we live in today and this aspect insha'Allah we want to look at from three different steps or three different points and this aspect is the misconception and the viewpoint that people might take into consideration when looking at the school of thought of Ahl al-Bayt as you know many people may come forth and tell us that you know what kill them because they are kuffar other people may come forth and say what that they are مغالين other people may come forth and say you know what the shia are those that have elevated the imams over the prophets and many other misconceptions that have come forth now insha'Allah it's our duty as each and every individual in this particular Husayniyah and everywhere around the world it's our duty first and foremost to have knowledge of what the school of Ahl al-Bayt teaches us on the first level and secondly to correct every misconception that we may find within the world within the communities that we live in within universities within high schools even within primary schools even within someone's family and insha'Allah tonight we want to look at the very basis of these misconceptions and we want to look at the first point in which someone may view the school of thought of Ahl al-Bayt in which we look at the viewpoint insha'Allah tonight is dedicated to the viewpoint how someone may come forth and look at the school of Ahl al-Bayt and what problems arise when looking at the school of Ahl al-Bayt and how do misconceptions come forth and insha'Allah you can assist me in starting the lecture tonight by reciting about Ahl al-Bayt and Muhammad insha'Allah the first point I want to look at is the point we want to look at what is meant or what's the viewpoint of being poor and what's another viewpoint of being wealthy as you know someone was mentioned poor what do you think of when someone is mentioning someone that's poor often people come with the conclusion that he's lacking money other people may come to the conclusion that you know what he doesn't have enough sustenance for a day others may come forth and say that doesn't have enough sustenance for a week others may come and say month or a year different definitions of that which is poor Islam has its own definition of course however on the social level when you find saying that someone or refer to someone as poor often it's associated with sustenance often it's associated with wealth money status possessions little do we look at the health of someone as being poor if someone is lacking health is often referred to as having poor health the thing I want to look at tonight in reference to someone being poor is being poor in knowledge why because that's one of the most important faculties that we have to teach ourselves if we lack knowledge that is the true definition that we can take in this society nowadays in the modern world in the 21st century if we lack knowledge of everything around us if we lack the knowledge of our Imam if we lack the knowledge of what the Ahl al Bayt teach us that's in definition makes us poor as in when we look at the people that come towards the shrine of Aba Abdullah when we look at the people that come forth and say you know what we want to when we look at the people that come forth and say the school of thought of Ahl al Bayt should be fought and we have people such as ISIS such as the people that call themselves Wahhabis that come forth and say that all the Shi'as the followers of the prophet and his household are the people that should be prosecuted that should be killed anywhere in the land we have to look at why and this is the lack when we look at them when we not only look at them in anger and saying why do they believe this we should look at them with pity on the first level why because they do not have the knowledge they do not see that great aspect that we have that great miracle that Allah has gifted to us which is the willaya of Ali ibn Abi Talib if we look at it in essence these people we have to look and pity and say they do not have that which we have that is why they have come to the conclusion that if we kill look at the irony of their belief so you may acknowledge what kind of system they believe in they say until today you find the people that are going and bombing themselves they say we want to go and kill and especially the people that kill in and around the Iraq area in and around the shrines of Ahl al Bayt look at the analogy that they are giving us they say we want to go towards heaven by what by killing the people that are visiting one of Sayyidi Shabaab Ahl al Jannah now look at that in an instance the irony of the sentence in itself it contradicts itself I want to go towards heaven by killing the visitors of who the Prophet of Islam said is the master or one of the masters of the gate of paradise there is only two Sayyidi Shabaab Ahl al Jannah they say we will kill the people that visit them in order to have whatever it may be breakfast or lunch with the Prophet and they go towards bombing themselves and they have a spoon or a fork in their pocket when we are resurrected we will have breakfast or lunch with the Prophet look at the lack of knowledge this is what the truth is in being poor the lack of knowledge of who Muhammad و آل محمده and therefore on the reverse angle if we want to ask who in our communities who in the world that we can refer to as being wealthy is it the one that has a large bank balance is it the one that has cars lined up in front of these house is it the person that owns buildings upon buildings no if we want to look at the truth in the wealth the wealth that can be used in this dunya and the hereafter the true wealth is the knowledge and the will of صلى الله عليه و محمد و ألم and on that reference on the first hand we are wealthy to have the door to knowledge but we are not allowing ourselves to gain the full extent of this wealth because we do not go out and learn about the Ahl al Bayt as much as we should we don't go out and apply their knowledge to our lives and that instance when we do that will truly be wealthy in that instance now let's look at one particular example on the second level the first level we looked at the reference between being poor and being wealthy in knowledge in معرفة now let's look at the difference of viewpoints as in when someone looks at the school of thought of Ahl al Bayt and he seeks to understand he goes out and he endeavors to understand the way we view our imams the way we view not only our imams because that's what they firstly refer to the way we view Allah SWT the way we view the prophets and then the way we view the imams then you will realize how different the different schools of thought are as in when we look at these three concepts when we look at God when we look at the prophets and we look at the imams there is something known to us as unlimited when looking at Allah other schools of Islam other schools of thought not just in Islam other schools of theology other religions they limit God I'll give you an example before we move on to the analogy that should explain this in more detail when someone comes forth and says and takes Jesus as his Lord or when someone as we know and even in the time of Imam Ali the reference as in many lectures have come forth and they've given the example and the reference between Ali ibn Abi Talib and Jesus son of Mary why? because they both had miracles upon miracles they had great things that people cannot comprehend and they were both in their time or after their time looked at to be divine as in people have taken Jesus son of Mary and made him divine and they've said you know what he's God or the son of God والعيادة بالله and on the same level people have come forth and taken Ali ibn Abi Talib to be their Lord now we look at that and say no this is against Islam altogether and it's not only against Islam and it's not only Khufr however it's minimizing it's lowering number one from the rank of Allah because they're limiting him and secondly from the rank of the Prophet and the Imams as in how great if they take Ali ibn Abi Talib or if they take Jesus son of Mary as their God or their divine figure what injustice is that when a person comes home says look at the injustice that they've done to Ali ibn Abi Talib says how great is the God or the Lord of Ali and the Lord of Jesus if they and they referred to Ali ibn Abi Talib and Jesus son of Mary as Lord he says how great is the Lord if these people that they've made divine take that Lord and they are their slaves look at that analogy when we recite in the Shahada the Prophet of Islam what do we refer to him do we refer to him as a messenger first or a slave firstly we refer to him as a slave وأشهد أن محمد عبده ورسوله صلوا عليه صلوا عليه so someone may come forth and look at the religion of Islam through the spectacle or through the eyes of the Ahl al-Bait and say what and say these people that call themselves the followers of Ahl al-Bait are extremists how they say that they are مغالين as an example they say that you know what they give ranks to their imams to their prophets far greater than what they deserve now what's the problem with this when we look at the imams and they say to us نزهونا عن ربوبي it says lower us from divinity lower us from giving us the status of being divine lower us from that it says and say whatever you want about us say whatever you want why it says whatever you say you will never reach the status that we are or what we are capable of however do not do injustice by making us divine yes they are great however they are still slaves of Allah that's the first instance that we must look at and I want to give you an example because the way we view our imams the way we view Allah the first aspect is he's infinite and he cannot be seen one of the aspects of توحيد other schools of thought say no they limit him to saying you know what and they refer to him as saying they say God is embodied by a young man that rides when he comes down other hadith say what that he puts his leg in bodies again giving him a body part objectifying him puts it into hellfire to allow hellfire to calm down and you find in the school of thought of أهل البيت they say no God cannot be comprehended nor can you objectify him on the first instance and then we believe that our imams are all infallible now the example I want to give you is a simile given by a philosopher a Greek philosopher by the name of Plato he gives a simile to give us an example on understanding of the knowledge of the prophets the knowledge of the imams what they can see what Allah has given them in reference to what we know and the belief that we have now I want you all to concentrate for 5 minutes just 5 minutes of your time I need your complete attention to this particular simile because if you miss one point it won't make sense to you the simile of the cave goes as follows I want you to imagine a group of people chained inside a dark cave example chained group of people their entire life they know nothing but this cave they've been chained to this cave and all they can see in front of them is a wall behind them is a fire in the entrance their whole life they've been chained they can't look right they can't look left they don't know what the people in either side look like they can only hear them what they see is anyone that goes past the entrance past the fire they can see their shadows on the wall in front of them and that's their life so imagine that the same particular figure would pass by every day or every month or every year and that particular shape they may refer to it as such and such or a particular noise it could be an animal it could be a human they recognize the voices they say that voice belongs to this particular person and that's the only knowledge that they have imagine that perspective now let's have that on our days if we are only encompassed to that which we see that's which we are accustomed to that's which we think we know now let's take the example of the cave imagine someone broke free of the chains and they went out of that cave and they began to see everything as it actually is in its essence they began to see that those shadows belonged to actual humans they begin to see that those voices and where it's being uttered from they begin to see that the shadows were formed by people going past that particular fire they begin to see everything in its essence now imagine this that person that went out and saw all of it and began to know the truth and understood the truth and the essence imagine when he goes back imagine that being prophets and being imams knowing the truth of the message of Allah understanding the miracles seeing that which is unseen such as the ملائكة such as the levels of heaven such as the levels of the earth the miracles of Allah having knowledge of all this now imagine that figure that went out of the cave returned to the cave imagine trying to explain himself towards the people that only know the shadows on the walls imagine what would you have to do people on the first hand would say that you're a liar because they can't comprehend it on the second they'll say you're a magician he'll be taken out of that circle he'll be looked down upon they will tell him stop talking like that because we can't comprehend it it doesn't fit into our capacity our mental capacity that person will be isolated now imagine the prophet of Islam do you remember what happened when he brought the message on the first level when the prophet brought the message and he began to tell them of the truth people couldn't comprehend it they say no we've always prostrated towards these idols we know not of a creator we cannot comprehend that there is a creator they could not comprehend that there is something greater than this universe because to them what they can see and the limit to what they can see that's the only limitations as in a person came towards Imam Sadaq and he asked him he came because he was an atheist and he wanted to ask the Imam he didn't know he was the Imam he was told he was in Medina he goes to Medina he was in Mecca he goes to Mecca in Tawaf he bumps shoulders look at the knowledge of the Imam they knew exactly what the people come to ask from them he hits shoulders with the Imam he doesn't know it's the Imam and the person straight away the Imam looks at him and he says what's your name look at the way the Imam approaches the questions and how they give each and every individual exactly what they want to hear he says what's your name he says my name is Abdul Melik so the Imam straight away he's got him in the circle he says I want to ask you this Melik that you say that you are a slave or a Abid 4 is he a Melik of the earth or the Melik of the heavens so the person is automatically saying how does he even know I'm going to ask that question the Imam says don't worry wait until I finish my Tawaf and I'll come to you he comes to him after he says oh man straight away he knows exactly what he's about to ask he says oh man he says have you gone all the way towards the east he says no he says have you gone all the way towards the west he says no he says have you gone and ascended towards the skies he says no he says do you believe there's anything in the earth he says well maybe he says that's not a legitimate answer he says if you haven't traveled all the way towards the east nor the west nor do you have knowledge of what's in the earth or the heavens if you haven't explored these places that you say that there is not a creator that exists if you haven't gone and explored and understood and endeavoured to understand how is it that you can come towards conclusions like that straight away the Imam the Prophet when he began to deliver his message the people what did they call him the first level they didn't comprehend it they called him you are a magician on the first level on the second they think they taught the Prophet that you are crazy you are insane it's ironic because before the message the people only used to refer to the Prophet as I mean the trustworthy and the truthful that's the two things he was known by nowadays because that's yes that's in the Prophet's time how does it apply to our days how does it apply to the 21st century and in precise reference to this simile nowadays when you look at people and you try to show them the way we look at أهل البيت the way we view أهل البيت the way we view the Prophet and his household even before that the way we view الله سبحانه وتعالى it's on a different level in different lenses in a different spectacle when they look through that lens they begin to say well we can't comprehend it we can't imagine this when you bring someone that believes solely and wholeheartedly he believes that Muawiyah was on the truth you bring someone like that or you bring someone that wholeheartedly believes that Yazid was on the truth those are their followers the people that come forth and say you know what we can't comprehend how أهل البيت is on the truth Imam Ali gives us a beautiful example after the battle of Jamal someone comes to Ali بن أبي طالب he says أو علي I was in the battle of Jamal Imam Ali عليه السلام looks at me he says which side were you on which side were you on the opposition or were you on the truth which side were you on he looks at the Imam and he says oh Imam I looked at particular figures I looked one side of the army I saw the wife of the Prophet I saw companions that were at the time of the Prophet or known to be companions such as Talha such as Zubair I saw these figures and I saw them alongside the Prophet once upon a time and on the other level I saw companions such as Malik I saw companions such as Ammar I saw companions such as yourself or أمير المؤمنين he says you cannot blame me for not choosing the correct size because there were people on both ends now let's look at it in a 21st century perspective nowadays and this is one of if not the biggest problem that we may have nowadays is when we look at figures throughout history and nowadays when we look towards our scholars or we look towards someone that is of an educated background we straight away say you know what he's educated I will follow in his footsteps or he is a scholar or he believes in أهل البيت or he says that he's Shi'a that I will follow him 100% علي ابنة ابطالب teaches us then and there a valuable lesson that we have to apply on the 21st century to each and every one of our lives what does he say look at the beauty of علي ابنة ابطالب's words two sentences but look how much it applies nowadays he says you need to seek the truth on the first level what does he say he says don't seek out the people he says first you have to seek the truth first you have to know what the truth is you have to know what the message is you have to understand what the أهل البيت stood for he says first level you have to know what the truth is then you will know its figures look at علي ابنة ابطالب he says know the truth and you will know its people when you look at the truth what does the prophet say even in that instance he says in an instance he says the truth is with علي as one of the examples and علي is with the truth that's the biggest deal someone can come bring forth in all the wars the truth is with علي and علي is with the truth it revolves around him wherever that he goes that's one of the aspect that we have to apply to our lives in the 21st century we have to have knowledge to decipher the fact we have to have knowledge of our religion before we can come towards conclusions who to we can't just come forth without hearing both parties we have to understand the ethics of أهل البيت apply it within our lives and that's one of the problems as I said going back to the example of the simile of the cave nowadays it's our duty to understand our duty to defend all these misconceptions that have come forth about the school of thought of أهل البيت when someone doesn't know the truth help them see the light be as a prophet says be like water purify all those around you purify all those around you have that effect on your friends on your family show them teach them by first teaching yourself and then delivering the correct message and I want to end in شاء الله on our notes looking at the شهاداء looking at the levels because we wholeheartedly believe and have yaqeen certainty in the levels that a شهاد can reach we have yaqeen that's Allah سبحانه وتعالى in reference to the شهاداء has elevated their ranks have given them specific ranks specific specific access in the day of judgment in the hereafter those of Shafa'a these people that have died defending the message their blood being spilt knowing that the شهاداء not only is he elevated in their rank but also even their blood even looking at their blood something that we may look at as impure their blood in itself is pure becomes imagine what level you have to be at to have that accustomed to you I want to give an example of a lecture that says this particular story and I may have said it previously but it applies tonight more than any other night when we look at the شهاداء as in when we look at these people that have a lack of knowledge that we refer to as being poor not knowing the truth about Ahl al-Bait not knowing the levels that they reached the close nudes that they have towards Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala when we look at these people and we see that time and time again they think that by bombing they think by threatening scaring that they will minimize the visitors of Aba Abdullah by having weapons by having threats by having an army that they can minimize the people that go and visit Aba Abdullah and they think nowadays Subhan Allah people nowadays what do they think they're doing they're bombing people thrive and they have a thirst for شهاداء nowadays they want to be rid of this dunya and go towards the Ahl al-Bait die in the message attain that rank in the eyes of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and they have yaqeen in this and we have yaqeen that whenever this happens that the imams are there and then will be there and take a شهاداء by his hand and I want to give you an example by a lecture by the name of Shaykh Jafar Al-Ibrahimi and he relates this story to one of his good friends he says I had a person he says I wouldn't be saying it on the pulpit if I didn't know this person was of a high status and he was telling the truth because it's something to hear something and it's another level believing it this say it he says that we were in a Muqib you know at the time of Mu'arram everyone has a Muqib from Najaf towards Karbala side by side Subhanallah it's a beautiful scene it's honestly a heavenly scene that you see and on the way he says that there was a bond that took place the person narrating it he says in the blast I didn't have too many injuries but I was still taking towards the hospital he says a person next to me he was a Sayyid he says as soon as the blast took place he was unconscious he says he remained unconscious next to me he says on the second day he awoke and he began to slap himself viciously slapping himself slapping himself so he says I begin to tell him why are you slapping yourself I began to give him reassurance telling him don't worry you're fine you haven't lost the limb your boys are safe everything's okay the person looks at him he says what are you talking about everything's okay he says do you know what's happened he says what's happened he says I want to ask you about Fulan and it refers to their names he says he attained martyrdom hasn't he he says yes he says another person he's attained martyrdom hasn't he he says yes but he says it's strange why he says you've been unconscious you have that knowledge that they've passed away that they've been martyred and that they've died in the blast how do you have knowledge of this you've been unconscious he says I want to tell you something he says when the blast took place he says I saw with my very eyes Imam Hussein عليه السلام be present there and then he says when he was present he looked at Fulan these two people that he mentioned that have been martyred he says he looked at that person he says do you want to come with me he says of course he looked at the other person he says do you want to come with me he says of course he says he looked at me and he says do you want to come the person says well I thought to myself I've just married my sons I still have to prepare them for marriage life I still have to make sure so I told the Imam I'm not yet ready he says and that moment I awoke and he says that's why I'm slapping myself why didn't I go with my Imam giving us the example that what the Shahada have a rank the Imam has a place in the hearts of every mu'min the Imam say there is a fire that emerges in the hearts of every mu'min when Hussein is mentioned the rank of a Shahid is beyond comprehension brothers and sisters and we commemorate on this night the people that have sacrificed their life in order for the message of Islam to remain in order for the teachings of أهل البيت to remain being taught if it wasn't for their sacrifice following in the footsteps of Sayyid al-Shuhada that not only sacrificed himself but his entire family so the name and the message of Islam survives throughout throughout the timeline of history and until the day of judgment we want to insha'Allah on this night pray to Allah on the first level that he may allow us to attain such a high rank if it's not a rank of Shahid then I want to attain a rank that Allah will be pleased with us and that our Imam صاحب العصر و الزمان is pleased with us and we want to recite صورة المباركة الفاتحة and reward this Surah to every Shahid to all the families of the Shuhada everyone that has lost any one of their family members whether it be near or distant we want to pray to Allah and recite them a Fatiha but before it three of your loudest صلاوات علاء محمد و آل محمد