Lady of the luminous lamp

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.Our heartiest congratulations to dear readers on a very auspicious occasion. Today is the birthday of a very blessed lady who reposes in peace in Iran, and here we present you a special feature in this regard.
Today, on the first of Zilqa'dah the city of Qom wears a festive look. There is fragrance in the atmosphere. There is joy on the faces of the people, especially of those who are streaming in and out of the golden-domed shrine, bustling this day with hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. Many of the visitors have come from different parts of Iran. There are people from other countries of the world as well. They have assembled to celebrate an auspicious event that occurred in the Prophet's city, Medina, a millennium, two centuries and fifty-eight years ago. They are displaying their devotion to the immortal legacy of the Last and Greatest of Divine Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), which has transformed Qom, on the edge of the Iranian desert, into the centre for diffusion of the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt – the exclusive group, which along with the God's Revealed Word, the Holy Qur'an, is known and revered as the Saqalayn. And the reason the destiny of Qom was changed for good forever was the arrival in this city and final repose of the noble lady of the Prophet's Household, who was born this day in 173 AH and whose birthday not just the people of this city are celebrating, but also all Iranians are marking as "Daughter's Day", in order to show the high respect Islam attaches, espeically to worthy and virtuous daughters.
She was Fatema (peace upon her) – the namesake of her great ancestress, the noblest lady of all times, the Prophet's immaculate daughter, Hazrat Fatema az-Zahra (peace upon her), whose resting place in Medina remains a secret till this day since her husband, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (PBUH), did not want it to be desecrated in a distant future by the Wahhabi heretics like the other sanctified tombs of the Prophet's progeny in the land of revelation. She was the daughter of the Prophet's 7th Infallible Heir, Imam Musa al-Kazem (PBUH) – the Bab al-Hawa'ej or the Gateway of Boons – and the sister of Imam Ali ar-Reza (PBUH), whose shrine in Mashhad is the holiest spot in Iran. However, what makes her shrine the rendezvous of the faithful, from near and far, is not merely because of her peerless pedigree or for the matter that the soil of Iran – where graves are not desecrated – happened to be her place of eternal repose. In fact, it is because of her personal virtues that she has earned immortality as Ma'soumah or the Innocent Lady. To cite one single instance of her knowledge and outstanding merits is the famous incident in her homeland Hejaz that made her father remark: Fidaha Abuha (may her father be her sacrifice).
It happened that a group of pilgrims from Iran had called at the threshold of the Ahl al-Bayt in Medina for answers to their queries, unaware that Imam Musa al-Kazem (PBUH) was away on a journey. They were, however, not sent away empty-handed, for an attendant asked for their papers, saying the 7th Imam's little daughter could provide the answers. To their surprise the replies which they received from a girl of less than 8 years were not just satisfactory but beyond whatever they could comprehend. During their return journey to Iran they had a chanced encounter on the highway with Imam Kazem (PBUH). They greeted the Prophet's Heir, told him what had happened and showed him the answers provided by his little daughter, Fatema (peace upon her), to their complicated jurisprudential queries. It was then that the Imam expressed the above-mentioned phrase that further confirmed their faith in Islam and in the wisdom beyond years of the youngsters of the Prophet's Household. Over two decades later in 202 AH, the 29-year old Fatema al-Ma'soumah (peace upon her), who had remained a spinster since no man of her time was worthy of her impeccably meritorious hand, arrived in Iran to meet her brother, Imam Reza (PBUH), who was forced to come to the Khorasani city of Merv (presently in Turkmenistan) by the crafty Abbasid caliph, Mamoun.
Divine Providence willed that she break her journey in Qom. After a brief 17-day sojourn, the fatigue of the long journey, plus the attack on her caravan near Saveh by rogues in the service of the Abbasid regime, took the toll, and she departed for the ethereal heavens, thereby making Qom a Stairway to Paradise. Ever since, the Kareemat al-Ahl al-Bayt or Munificent Lady of the Prophet's Household, has continued to soothe souls, strengthen spirits, firm up hearts with faith, and enlighten minds – as testified by the famous Safavid era philosopher, Mullah Sadra (Sadreddin Shirazi), who says that whenever he got stuck up in his academic studies he would visit the shrine of Ma'soumah (peace upon her) to supplicate to God Almighty for answers to his queries. No wonder, Qom has blossomed into the main centre for seekers of exegetic, jurisprudential, theological, philosophical and all other branches of Islamic knowledge from all over the globe – a demonstration of which was given by Our Innocent Lady as a toddler in Medina. No wonder, both her brother Imam Reza and later her nephew Imam Jawad (peace upon them), had remarked: “Whoever visits her (tomb), aware of her position, Paradise is the reward.”

The Immortal Light of the Holy Qur'an

On September 11, 2010, in some parts of the US, some ignorant people, under the provocation of an extremist priest Terry Jones burned copies of the holy Qur'an, thereby hurting the sentiments of the world's one-and-a-half-billion Muslims, and ignoring the facts as mentioned in ayah 32 of Surah Baraat:
"They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah will not consent save to perfect His light, though the unbelievers are averse."
The holy Qur'an, the last divine Book has brought the most perfect code of life for mankind. It is the book of Light and it is like the Ark of Salvation which guides mankind through the turbulent waters of life. The timeless wisdom of the holy Qur'an enlightens the seekers of truth. Linguists say that it looks as God Almighty in His last and most perfect of the Book of Guidance has arranged the most interesting phrases beside each other and created a great literary miracle. Even Christian scholars of the Arabic language have admitted it that this is not the work of any human being. Iran's Ayatollah Saafi Golpayegani says: the holy Qur'an grants life to human societies. Its legal laws are so firm which can never be compared with any human rights declaration drafted by fallible minds, including kings, ministers, or group of intellectuals. The dynamic laws of the holy Qur'an and can never be distorted. To date its challenge stands out and no one has been able to match its timeless eloquence by producing any verse near to its unrivalled beauty. From time immemorial, many laws have been enacted in different societies and many intellectual or ethical systems have claimed the guidance of mankind. But none of them have survived the course of history and have always been exposed to change, reform or complete annulment. For, these laws have been drawn up by human beings who are not fully aware of everything. But the holy Qur'an contains the divine words and immortal truth which never becomes old or jaded.
It is evident that the light of the holy Qur'an is never put out but it absorbs the hearts of more and more people. God Almighty has promised safeguarding of the holy Qur'an. In ayah 9 Surah Hijr we read:
"Surely We have revealed the Reminder and We will most surely be its guardian."
In ayahs 41 and 42 of Surah Ha Mim, the holy Qur'an says:
"Surely those who disbelieve in the reminder when it comes to them, and most surely it is a Mighty Book"
"Falsehood shall not come to it from before it nor from behind it; a revelation from the Wise, the Praised One."
The holy Qur'an as the Final and Most Perfect Divine Book reiterates that its teachings are global and universal. It also confirms the teachings of the previously revealed divine books.
Among the Divine Books, the holy Quran has referred to Torah and Bible in many ayahs and mentioned anecdotes from the life of the Prophet Moses and Jesus (peace upon them).
In this relation, in ayah 136 of Surah Baqarah, the holy Qur'an says:
"Say: We believe in Allah and (in) that which had been revealed to us, and (in) that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and (in) that which was given to Moses and Jesus, and (in) that which was given to the prophets from their Lord, we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit"
Ayatollah Golpayegani says: insult to the holy Qur'an is tantamount to insult to all Prophets, especially Abraham, Moses and Jesus and is also insult to the Virgin Mary. for in the holy Qur'an there is a Surah or chapter in her honour.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, considered the insult to the holy Qur'an as a calculated plot by those who have placed the policy of Islamophobia at their agenda and who embark on campaign against Islam in different ways. In this relation, he said, all should know that the recent incident has nothing to do with the Church and Christianity and the Christians are not responsible for the act of some idiotic priests. We Muslims will never embark on a similar act concerning the sanctities of other religions. The desecration of the holy Qur'an only makes it light, shine brighter.

Martydom of Imam Ali (AS)

In the 40th year of Hijri, in the early hours of the morning of 19th Ramadhan, Imam Ali (AS) was struck with a poisoned sword by the Kharijite Ibn Muljim (may the curse of Allah be upon him) while leading prayers in the Masjid of Kufa. He was martyred on the 21st day of Ramadhan 40 A.H. and buried in Najaf-ul-Ashraf. He was born in the House of Allah, the Ka'ba, and martyred in the House of Allah, Masjid-e-Kufa. The Lion of Allah, the most brave and gentle Muslim after the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) himself, began his glorious life with devotion to Allah and His Messenger, and ended it in the service of Islam.

"And do not speak of those who are slain in the the Way of Allah as dead; nay, they are alive, but you perceive not." Qur'an 2:154

His Last Will and Testament
Imam Ali's (AS) last will to his sons Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Hussain (AS) following a fatal blow on his head during morning prayers by Ibn Muljim (A Kharijite):

My advice to you is to be conscious of Allah and steadfast in your religion. Do not yearn for the world, and do not be seduced by it. Do not resent anything you have missed in it. Proclaim the truth; work for the next world. Oppose the oppressor and support the oppressed.

I advise you, and all my children, my relatives, and whosoever receives this message, to be conscious of Allah, to remove your differences, and to strengthen your ties. I heard your grandfather, peace be upon him, say: "Reconciliation of your differences is more worthy than all prayers and all fasting."

Fear Allah in matters concerning orphans. Attend to their nutrition and do not forget their interests in the middle of yours.

Fear Allah in your relations with your neighbors. Your Prophet often recommended them to you, so much so that we thought he would give them a share in inheritance.

Remain attached to the Quran. Nobody should surpass you in being intent on it, or more sincere in implementing it.

Fear Allah in relation to your prayers. It is the pillar of your religion.

Fear Allah in relation to His House; do not abandon it as long as you live. If you should do that you would abandon your dignity.

Persist in jihad in the cause of Allah, with your money, your souls, and your tongue.

Maintain communication and exchange of opinion among yourselves. Beware of disunity and enmity. Do not desist from promoting good deeds and cautioning against bad ones. Should you do that, the worst among you would be your leaders, and you will call upon Allah without response.

O Children of Abdul Muttalib! Do not shed the blood of Muslims under the banner: The Imam has been assassinated! Only the assassin should be condemned to death.

If I die of this stroke of his, kill him with one similar stroke. Do not mutilate him! I have heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, say: "Mutilate not even a rabid dog."