Religion

Lady Zainab (peace be on her) was born in Madinah on the first or in early Shaʿban or, according to one narration, on the 5th of Rabi al-Thani in 628 CE, i.e., two years after the birth of her brother Imam Husain (peace be on him); a brother whose separation she could not bear from childhood and was with him till the last moment in the event of Karbala. She was the daughter of Imam Ali, the first Imam of the Shiʿas and Lady Fatima Zahra (peace be on them), the daughter of the Holy Prophet (peace be on him and his progeny) and sister to Imam Hasan and Imam Husain (peace be on them).
Her name was presented to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him and his progeny) by the angel Gabriel from God. Zainab means the adornment of her father as she is a daughter who possesses a holy soul and innumerable perfections. She is not only the adornment of her father but rather that of the entire world.
That she is known as the daughter of the last prophet and God’s best creation, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him and his progeny) from her mother’s side like the other children of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be on her), is enough for us to understand the nobility of her lineage and familial virtue. This can be seen in the text of the pilgrimage prayer that is specific to her:
السَّلامُ علیکِ یا بِنتَ سَیِّدِ الأَنبیاء…
Peace be upon you, O daughter of the leader of the Prophets
السَّلامُ علیکِ یا بنتَ نَبِیِّ الهُدی وَسَیِّدِ الوَری و مُنقِذِ العِبادِ مِنَ الرَّدی
Peace be upon you, O daughter of the Prophet of right guidance, the master of (all) human beings, and the savior of the servants (of Allah) from being destroyed
السَّلامُ علیکِ یا بنتَ صاحِبَ الخُلُقِ العَظیمِ…
Peace be upon you, O daughter of the one who has conformed (himself) to sublime morality…
السَّلام علیکِ یا بِنتَ صَفوَةِ الأَنبیاء وَ عَلَمِ الأَتقیاء
Peace and Allah’s Mercy and Blessings be upon you, O daughter of the choicest of the Prophets, the example of the pious ones
وَ مَشهُورِ الذِّکرِ فِی السَّماء وَ رَحَمَةُ اللهِ وَ بَرَکاتُهُ
And the well known in both the earth and the heavens
السَّلامُ علیکِ یا بِنتَ خَیرِ خَلقِ اللهِ… .
Peace and Allah’s Mercy and Blessings be upon you, O daughter of the best of Allah’s creation
It must be noted that in the Age of Ignorance when no importance was given to women, they would consider lineage only to be from the father’s side. However, with the emergence of Islam, this ignorant idea was nullified and in confirmation of this, God explained the lineage of Jesus in the Quran as being from the descendants of Prophet Ibrahim from whom he was descended through his mother.
Lady Zainab possessed all the perfections and beautiful attributes, such that our words are incapable of expressing them and one can only perhaps express but a drop of the sea of her perfections on paper. For example, Lady Zainab was so devout in her worship that she never abandoned her nightly vigils throughout her life, not even on the night of Ashura. She was a knowledgeable and eloquent lady. Her speeches and sermons in Kufa as well as in the court of Yazid which were accompanied with arguments from the Holy Quran show her knowledge and remind the listeners of her father, Imam Ali (peace be on him)’s sermons, one of whose titles was Lisan Allah al-Natiq (the Eloquent Tongue of God). This lady was similarly the embodiment and symbol of beautiful patience. Due to her intense love for her brother Imam Husain (peace be on him), she abandoned all that she loved and accompanied her brother on the journey to Karbala and did not cry on the martyrdom of two her sons. Among the other characteristics of her patience are perseverance in the protection of Islam, restraint in the face of adversity, not showing weakness when facing the enemy, and not complaining in the presence of people.
Many titles have been attributed to Lady Zainab (peace be on her); some of which are the following:
Siddiqah al-Sughra, the little intensely truthful one (in respect to her mother Lady Fatima Zahra who held the title of Siddiqah al-Kubra, the great intensely truthful one); ʿAalimah ghair Muʿallamah, the knowledgeable one who was not taught; Fahimah ghair Mufahhamah, the one who understood without being taught; Na’ibat al-Zahra, the successor of Lady Zahra (peace be on her); Fasihah, the eloquent; Fadilah, the virtuous; Kamilah, the complete and perfect; ʿAbidah, the devout; Muwaththaqah, the trustworthy; Shujaʿah, the brave; etc.
According to the popular view, her holy shrine is located in Damascus, Syria and is the object of the special reverence and attention of the Shiʿites.
Reference:
Jazairi, Nur al-Din. Vizhagiha-yi Hazrat Zainab (Khasais al-Zainabiyyah) [the characteristics of Lady Zainab peace be on her]. Research by Nasir Baqiri BidHindi. Qom: Jamkaran Holy Mosque. 1379 SH.

Translated by: Rashed

﴾وَإِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَاكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَاصْطَفَاكِ عَلَى نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿۴۲

And when the angels said to Mary: ‘Allah has chosen you and purified you. He has chosen you above all women of the worlds. (42)

﴾يَا مَرْيَمُ اقْنُتِي لِرَبِّكِ وَاسْجُدِي وَارْكَعِي مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ ﴿۴۳

Mary, be obedient to your Lord, prostrate and bow with those who bow. ‘ (43)

﴾ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا كُنْتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يُلْقُونَ أَقْلَامَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ يَكْفُلُ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا كُنْتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ ﴿۴۴

This is from the news of the unseen. We reveal it to you (Prophet Muhammad). You were not present when they cast their quills to see which of them should look after Mary, nor were you present when they were disputing. (44)

﴾إِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ مِنْهُ اسْمُهُ الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَجِيهًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَمِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ ﴿۴۵

When the angels said: ‘O Mary, Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word (Be) from Him, whose name is Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary. He shall be honored in this world and in the Everlasting Life and he shall be among those who are close. (45)

﴾وَيُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا وَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ﴿۴۶

He shall speak to people in his cradle and when he is aged, and shall be among the righteous. ‘ (46)

﴾قَالَتْ رَبِّ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ قَالَ كَذَلِكِ اللَّهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ إِذَا قَضَى أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ ﴿۴۷

‘Lord, ‘ she said, ‘how can I bear a child when no human being has touched me? ‘ He replied: ‘Such is the Will of Allah. He creates whom He will. When He decrees a thing, He only says: “Be,” and it is. (47)

﴾وَيُعَلِّمُهُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنْجِيلَ ﴿۴۸

He will teach him the Book, the Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel, (48)

وَرَسُولًا إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنِّي قَدْ جِئْتُكُمْ بِآيَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ أَنِّي أَخْلُقُ لَكُمْ مِنَ الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ فَأَنْفُخُ فِيهِ فَيَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَأُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَالْأَبْرَصَ وَأُحْيِي الْمَوْتَى بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا تَأْكُلُونَ وَمَا تَدَّخِرُونَ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَةً لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِين (۴۹)

to be a Messenger to the Children of Israel, (saying): “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. From clay, I will create for you the likeness of a bird. I shall breathe into it and by the permission of Allah, it shall be a bird. I shall heal the blind, and the leper, and raise the dead to life by the permission of Allah. I shall tell you what you ate and what you store in your houses. Surely, that will be a sign for you, if you are believers. (49)

﴾وَمُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَلِأُحِلَّ لَكُمْ بَعْضَ الَّذِي حُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَجِئْتُكُمْ بِآيَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ ﴿۵۰

Likewise confirming the Torah that has been before me and to make lawful to you some of the things you have been forbidden. I bring you a sign from your Lord, therefore, fear Allah and obey me. (50)

﴾إِنَّ اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ هَذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيمٌ ﴿۵۱

Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore, worship Him. This is the Straight Path”. ‘ (51)

 

Sura 3: AL-E-IMRAN (the family of ‘Imran)

بِسمِ اللهِ الرَّحمنِ الرَّحیم

اللَّهُمَّ قَنِّعْنِي بِمَا رَزَقْتَنِي وَ اسْتُرْنِي وَ عَافِنِي أَبَداً مَا أَبْقَيْتَنِي وَ اغْفِرْلِي وَ ارْحَمْنِي إِذَا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي اللَّهُمَّ لَا تُعْيِنِي فِي طَلَبِ مَا لَا تُقَدِّرُ لِي وَ مَا قَدَّرْتَهُ عَلَيَّ فَاجْعَلْهُ مُيَسَّراً سَهْلًا اللَّهُمَّ كَافِ عَنِّي وَالِدَيَّ وَ كُلَّ مَنْ لَهُ نِعْمَةٌ عَلَيَّ خَيْرَ مُكَافَاةٍ اللَّهُمَّ فَرِّغْنِي لِمَا خَلَقْتَنِي لَهُ وَ لَا تَشْغَلْنِي بِمَا تَكَفَّلْتَ لِي بِهِ وَ لَا تُعَذِّبْنِي وَ أَنَا أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَ لَا تَحْرِمْنِي وَ أَنَا أَسْأَلُكَ اللَّهُمَّ ذَلِّلْ نَفْسِي فِي نَفْسِي وَ عَظِّمْ شَأْنَكَ فِي نَفْسِي وَ أَلْهِمْنِي طَاعَتَكَ وَ الْعَمَلَ بِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَ التَّجَنُّبَ لِمَا يُسْخِطُكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ

مهج الدعوات ومنهج العبادات، ص 141

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Prayer for all affairs of Life and Hereafter (Akhirat) from Hazrat Fatima bint Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Both of Them):

O Allah make me content with what You have decreed for me ,conceal my faults give me good health so long as I live and forgive me and have mercy on me when I die,

O Allah do not let me be involved in that which You have not decreed for me and what You have decreed for me, make it easy, available,

O Allah reward my parents and all those who have favored me the best of rewards,

O Allah, free me for what You have created me and do not make me occupied in that which You have undertaken for me do not punish me while I seek Your forgiveness and do not deprive me while I ask from You,

O Allah, make me humble  make Your status great with me inspire me towards Your obedience and actions that please You and avoidance of that which angers You, O most merciful.

Muhaj al-da’awat wa manhaj al-‘ibadat, P.141

 

اللَّهُمَّ بِعِلْمِكَ الْغَيْبِ وَ قُدْرَتِكَ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ أَحْيِنِي مَا عَلِمْتَ الْحَيَاةَ خَيْراً لِي وَ تَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْراً لِي اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ كَلِمَةَ الْإِخْلَاصِ وَ خَشْيَتَكَ فِي الرِّضَا وَ الْغَضَبِ وَ الْقَصْدَ فِي الْغِنَى وَ الْفَقْرِ وَ أَسْأَلُكَ نَعِيماً لَا يَنْفَدُ وَ أَسْأَلُكَ قُرَّةَ عَيْنٍ لَا تَنْقَطِعُ وَ أَسْأَلُكَ الرِّضَا بِالْقَضَاءِ وَ أَسْأَلُكَ بَرْدَ الْعَيْشِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَ أَسْأَلُكَ النَّظَرَ إِلَى وَجْهِكَ وَ الشَّوْقَ إِلَى لِقَائِكَ مِنْ غَيْرِ ضَرَّاءَ مُضِرَّةٍ وَ لَا فِتْنَةٍ مُظْلِمَةٍ اللَّهُمَّ زَيِّنَّا بِزِينَةِ الْإِيمَانِ وَ اجْعَلْنَا هُدَاةً مَهْدِيِّينَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ

بحار الأنوار، ج‏۹۱، ص ۲۲۵

Prayer for achieving moral virtues from Hazrat Fatima bint Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Both of Them):

O Allah, (please do) send blessings to Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,

O Allah by Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over creation give me life so long as You know that life is good for me and make me die when death is good for me,

O Allah, I ask You (to help me attain) sincere speech and fear of You in pleasure and in anger and moderation in wealth and in poverty,

And I ask You for favors that will not end for delight of the eyes that will not be cut off for satisfaction with the Decree for ease after death for Your sight, and the desire to meet You without any harmful affliction nor any dark trial.

O Allah adorn us with the adornment of faith,

and make us guides who are guided, O Lord of the worlds.

Bihar al-Anwar, V.91, P.225

 

بِحَقِّ يس وَالْقُرْآنِ الْحَكِيمِ‏

 وَبِحَقِّ طه‏ وَالْقُرْآنِ الْعَظِيمِ

يَا مَنْ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى حَوَائِجِ السَّائِلِينَ

يَا مَنْ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الضَّمِيرِ

يَا منفسا عَنِ الْمَكْرُوبِينَ

يَا مفرجا عَنِ الْمَغْمُومِينَ

يَا رَاحِمَ الشَّيْخِ الْكَبِيرِ

يَا رَازِقَ الطِّفْلِ الصَّغِيرِ

يَا مَنْ لَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى التَّفْسِيرِ

صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ ‏

الدعوات (للراوندي) / سلوة الحزين، النص، ص ۵۴

Prayer from Hazrat Fatima bint Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Both of Them)  for the important Issues, the grief, and the calamity:

For the sake of Yaseen, and the wise Qur’an,

For the sake of Taha and the mighty Qur’an,

O One who has power over the needs of those who ask,

O One who knows what is in the hearts,

O One who comforts the distressed,

O One who relieves the grief-stricken,

O One who has mercy on the old,

O One who provides for the young child,

O One who does not need any explanation,

bless Muhammad and his family.

AL-Da’awat al-Rawandi, P.54

 

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَ رَبَّ كُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ، مُنْزِلَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَ الْإِنْجِيلِ وَ الْفُرْقَانِ فَالِقَ الْحَبِّ وَ النَّوَى أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ أَنْتَ آخِذٌ بِناصِيَتِها أَنْتَ الْأَوَّلُ فَلَيْسَ قَبْلَكَ شَيْ‏ءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الْآخِرُ فَلَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَيْ‏ءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ فَلَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَيْ‏ءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ فَلَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَيْ‏ءٌ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ عَلَيْهِ وَ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ وَ اقْضِ عَنِّي الدَّيْنَ وَ أَغْنِنِي مِنَ الْفَقْرِ وَ يَسِّرْ لِي كُلَّ الْأَمْرِ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ‏

مهج الدعوات و منهج العبادات، ص ۱۴۲

Prayer for settle loans and make things easy from Hazrat Fatima bint Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Both of Them):

O Allah, our Lord, and the Lord of everything, the revealer of The Torah and the Injeel and the Furqan (Divider between truth and falsehood), Originator of the seeds and cores, I seek refuge with You from evil of all animals You hold accountable,

You are The First so there is no one before You, and You are The Last so there is no one after You, and You are The Manifest so there is no one above You, and You are The Hidden yet nothing would exist (or happen) without You,

(Please) send blessings upon Muhammad and upon his household, peace be upon him and his household, and relieve us of our debts, and save us from poverty, and make easy all our matters, O Most Merciful of the merciful ones.

Muhaj al-da’awat wa manhaj al-‘ibadat, P.142

Fatima bint(daughter of) Hazam al-Kilabiyya and  Leila (Shamamah) notably known as Hazrat Umm ul-Banin (mother of several sons) was a descendant of a valiant family.

The family of Hazrat Umm ul-Banin was pre-eminent among the noblemen of their time in terms of honor, valor, nobility, and hospitality. Umm ul-Banin inherited these lofty  characteristics from her ancestors, integrated them with what she learned from the family of revelation, and passed them on to her children.

After the Master of the Pious, Imam Ali(peace be on him), had lost Hazrat Fatima Zahra (peace be on her); that is, after the wretched of the time had martyred her, his young children needed a mother who would be affectionate towards them while simultaneously being his comforting wife.

From the very beginning of the marriage, Imam Ali found Fatima Kilabiyyah, who was still young, a woman of complete wisdom, deep, firm faith, and lofty manners of high characteristics. He esteemed her and wholeheartedly strove to revere her.

Hazrat Umm ul-Banin was also a truly dutiful wife. In addition to training righteous children, she showed maximum loyalty to the Imam. After the martyrdom of Imam Ali(peace be on him), although she maintained her youth and extreme beauty, she did not remarry in respect to her great husband.

Umm ul-Banin tried to be a loving mother to Hazrat Fatima’s children, she preferred the children of the Prophet’s daughter, who were the very epitome of perfection, to her own and showed them more care and affection.

Knowing their greatness, Umm ul-Banin sought to be at their service; she did not deny them anything. The very day she moved in with Imam Ali’s household, both Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (peace be on them) were sick and confined to bed. But as soon as the bride of Abu Talib’s Household entered the house, she soothed and nurtured them like a kind mother.

It is written that when Umm ul-Banin married Imam Ali (peace be on him), she suggested that he call her ‘Umm ul-Banin,’ her nickname, instead of Fatimah – her name at birth – so that Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (peace be on them) might not recall their mother by hearing the name ‘Fatima’. This prevented their bitter past from being stirred up and feeling the pain of being motherless.

Umm ul-Banin gave birth to four sons: Abbas, Abdullah, Uthman, and Ja’far. The prominent one was Hazrat Abbas, who was born on the 4th of Shaaban, 26 A.H. in Medina.

When Imam Ali (peace be on him) was martyred, Umm ul-Banin’s oldest son – Abbas ibn Ali – was about 14 years old, with his other brothers younger than him. After the martyrdom of their holy father, their mother’s sacrifices and Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn’s guidance showed them the right way.

This self-sacrificing lady wholeheartedly devoted her youth and energy to training and raising the offspring of Imam Ali (peace be on him). As a loving and concerned mother, she was at their service. All Umm ul-Banin’s children were trained most appropriately. Finally, following the rightful Imam and with complete willingness, they sacrificed their lives for the exaltation of the truth.

Her well-known words on hearing the news of martyrdom of all her four sons revealed her patience and tolerance and adorned the history of Karbala. While Bashir told the news of martyrdom of 34-year-old Abbas, 24-year-old Abdullah, 21-year-old Uthman, and 19-year-old Ja’far to the mother, she showed patience and only asked about Imam Husayn(peace be on him). She said, “Tell me about Husayn” and when she received the news of Imam Husayn’s martyrdom, she said, “All of the arteries of my heart are torn. May all of my children and whatever that exist under this azure heaven be sacrificed for the sake of Imam Husayn.”

Eventually, the godly life of Umm ul-Banin, which was replete with affection and struggle, came to an end about ten years after the event of Karbala. During her blessed life, she conveyed the message of the martyrs and perpetuated the path of Imamate; in other words, she completed her mission.

After the heartrending event of Karbala, she accomplished her political and social mission, namely keeping the eternal heroic event of Ashura alive in the best way possible. Umm ul-Banin passed away in 69 A.H. and was buried in Baqi‘ cemetery next to the Prophet’s aunts Safiyyah and ‘ Atikah, the four Shi‘a Infallible Imams, and other luminaries of Islam.

In his praise of Umm ul-Banin, Sheikh Ahmad Dajili, a well- known Arab poet wrote:

Oh Umm al-Banin! What sublime characteristics you enjoy! Due to the sorrow that came upon you [because of] your faith, you will be remembered forever.

 

Abdulkarim Paknia,Translator: Mahboobeh Morshedian, Exemplary Women: Umm ul-Banin.

The Holy Prophet (peace be on him and his household) has stated that if all the trees of all the gardens were to be turned into pens and all the seas into ink and the jinn were accounting and human beings writing, they would not be able to count the virtues of Ali (peace be on him).

In the book al-Kashkul (al-Bahrani) it has been narrated that a large number of people had surrounded Imam Ali (peace be on him). A man entered the mosque and at an opportune time he asked: O Ali! I have a question. Is knowledge better or wealth?

Imam Ali (peace be on him) replied: knowledge is better because knowledge is the inheritance of the prophets while wealth is the inheritance of Qarun, the Pharaoh, Haman, and Shaddad (and the likes of them).

The man who had received the reply remained silent. At this time, another man entered the mosque and while still standing, he immediately asked: O Abal Hasan! I have a question. May I ask it? In reply, the Imam said: Ask! The man, who was standing at the back of the crowd asked, is knowledge better or wealth?

Imam Ali (peace be on him) replied: knowledge is better because knowledge will protect you while you are forced to protect wealth. The second person who had become satisfied from the reply sat where he was standing. In the meantime, a third person entered. He too repeated this same question.

In response, the Imam replied: knowledge is better because a knowledgeable person has many friends while a wealthy person has many enemies.

The Imam had not yet finished speaking when a fourth person entered the mosque. While he was sitting down besides his friends, he put his walking stick forward and asked: O Ali! Is knowledge better or wealth?

Imam Ali (peace be on him) replied to him: knowledge is better because if wealth is given away it becomes less; however, if you give away knowledge and teach it to others, it increases.

It was the fifth person’s turn. He had entered the mosque a short while before and had been waiting beside the pillar of the mosque. When the Imam finished speaking, he repeated the same question.

In reply, the Imam said: knowledge is better because people consider a wealthy person to be stingy; however, they remember a knowledgeable person and scholar with greatness.

When the sixth person entered, all heads turned back. People looked at him with surprise. One person among the crowd said: certainly he too wants to know if knowledge is better or wealth! Those who had heard his voice smirked. The man sat beside his friends at the back of the crowd and started speaking in a loud voice: O Ali! Is knowledge better or wealth?

The Imam looked at the crowd and said: knowledge is better because it is possible for a thief to steal wealth; however, there is no fear of knowledge being stolen.

The man was silent. A commotion started within the crowd. What is happening today?! Why is everyone asking the same question? The people’s surprised looks were glued sometimes on Imam Ali (peace be on him) and sometimes on the newcomers. At this time, the seventh person who had entered the mosque shortly before the Imam finished speaking and was sitting among the crowd, asked: O Abal Hasan! Is knowledge better or wealth?

The Imam replied: knowledge is better because wealth becomes old over time; however, knowledge will not rot as time goes by.

At the same time, an eighth person entered and asked the question his friends had. In reply, the Imam said: knowledge is better because wealth will only stay with a person till his death; however, knowledge accompanies a person in this world and also after his death.

Silence reigned over the crowd; no one was speaking. They were all amazed at the Imam’s replies when a ninth person also entered the mosque and amidst the astonishment and bewilderment of the people asked: O Ali! Is knowledge better or wealth?

The Imam said: knowledge is better because wealth makes a person hardhearted; however, knowledge causes a person’s heart to be illuminated.

The people’s astonished and wandering gazes were fixed on the door as though they were waiting for a tenth person. At that time, a man who was holding the hands of a child entered the mosque. He sat at the back of the crowd and placed a handful of dates on the child’s lap and fixed his gaze to the front. The people, who didn’t think anyone else would ask anything else, turned back their heads. Then the man asked: O Abal Hasan! Is knowledge better or wealth?

The astonished gazes of the crowd turned back. They came back to their senses upon hearing the voice of Ali (peace be on him). (He said) knowledge is better because the wealthy are arrogant to the extent that they sometimes claim to be gods; however, the knowledgeable are always humble and modest.

Shouts of tumult, joy, and admiration had filled the gathering. The questioners quietly and silently rose from the crowd. When they had left the mosque, they heard the voice of the Imam who said: if all the people of the world had asked this same question from me, I would have given each a different reply.

al-Kashkul (al-Bahrani), vol. 1, p. 27

translator: Rashed