
The present book is a collection of sermons delivered by the well known religious scholar Mr Hajj Sayyid Muhammad Ali ibn al-Ridha Khansary.
The lectures include important issues like: the intellect, knowledge, the oneness of God, the need for the existence of the divine proofs (the prophets and the imams), the common and special prophets, the need for the existence of the imam of our time (atfs), the miraculous aspects of the Quran, the resurrection, ethics and giving advice, the benefits of a mosque, the supplications, asking for forgiveness and gratitude, the servitude if God, the Lord's recommendations to the Prophet (s), four important recommendations of the Prophet (s), honesty and spreading justice.
All of the above mentioned sermons have been delivered in accordance with the Holy Quran and the hadith of the Ahlul Bayt (as).
- The Bright Lights of Guidance
- Dedication
- Translators’ Foreword
- Preface
- Chapter 1: On the Intellect
- Discourse 1: On the Nobility of the Intellect
- Discourse 2: Signs of the Perfection of the Intellect
- Discourse 3: The Intellect Moderates Lust and Anger and Fosters Wisdom
- The Apparent Proof and the Hidden Proof
- The Need for the Prophets along with the Intellect
- The Significance of the Intellect and its Relationship to Lust and Anger
- The Holy War against the Self and its Relationship to the Intellect and the Soul
- How can Justice be Attained?
- Motivating the Intellect as the Goal of the Prophets' Mission
- Chapter 2: On Knowledge
- Chapter 3: On Monotheism
- Discourse 1: The Appearance of God and the Reasons behind His Concealment
- Discourse 2: Physical Signs of the Wise Creator
- Discourse 3: The Impossibility of Recognizing the True Essence of God
- Discourse 4: The Order of the Universe is a Sign of the One and Only God
- Discourse 5: God’s Attributes
- Discourse 6: The Recognition of God using Signs
- Discourse 7: The Main Duty of Man is to Recognize and Worship God
- Discourse 8: Belief in Monotheism is Inherent in Man by Nature
- Discourse 9: The Recognition of God The Glorified as the First Rank of Man’s Perfection
- Discourse 10: Good Recognition of, Obedience to and Having a Good Opinion of God
- Chapter 4: On Common Prophethood
- Discourse 1: The Necessity for the Existence of the Prophets
- Explanation of the Religion
- The Difference between a Prophet, a Messenger and a Prophet who Guides the People of His Time and Those after His Time
- The Necessity for the Existence of the Prophets as Expressed by Imam as-Sadiq
- The Attributes of the Prophets (Innocence, Knowledge, Power and Patience)
- The Necessity for the Existence of the Divine Proofs (The Prophets and The Imams) on the Earth up until the Ressurection Day
- Discourse 1: The Necessity for the Existence of the Prophets
- Chapter 5: On Especial Prophethood
- Discourse 1: The World during the era of the Mission of the Prophet, and the Results of the Noble Prophet’s Mission
- Discourse 2: The Astrologers’ and Priests’ Prediction about the Appointment of the Prophet to the Post of Prophethood and the Reaction of Shapoor and Anushirvan to this
- The Astrologers' and Priests' Prediction about the Appointment of the Prophet (S) to the Post of Prophethood and its effect in changing World Conditions
- The Battling of Shapoor with the Arabs and Shedding their Blood to Prevent the coming of the Prophet Muhammad
- The Dream of Anushirvan and its Interpretation
- Discourse 3: The World from the Aspect of Culture and Literature at the Time of the Appointment of Muhammad to the Prophethood
- Discourse 4: The Prophets’ Pledge of Allegiance to God to carry out their Missions and the Islamic Religion as a Comprehensive Religion
- The Pledges of Allegiance to God of the Prophets to carry out their Missions
- Recognition of God is a Natural Pledge of Allegiance to God
- The Prophets' Missions were intended to attract the attention of Man to his Pledge of Allegiance to God
- Deviation from Recognition of God before Muhammad’s Appointment to the Prophethood
- Inviting People to the Recognition of God by rhe Prophet Muhammad
- The Comprehensiveness of the Islamic Religion in the Sermons of the Prophet (S)
- The Prophet (S) is the Seal of the Prophets and a Lit Lamp
- Discourse 5: The Condition of the World before and after the Appointment of Muhammad (S) to the Prophethood and the Attributes of the Prophet (S) and the Strict and Modest Commandments of that Pure Soul
- Introduction
- The Condition of the World before the Appointment of Muhammad (S) to the Prophethood
- The Condition of the World after the Appointment of Muhammad (S) to the Post of Prophethood
- The Prophet’s Noble Manners
- Good Morality is one of the Miracles of Islam’s Prophet (S)
- The Moral Precepts and Commandments of the Noble Prophet (S) being the Best Reason for the Prophethood
- Chapter 6: On Divine Leadership
- Discourse 1: Divine Leadership is one of the major principles of the Religion, the necessity of the leader being Innocent and appointed by God
- Divine Leadership is one of the major Religious Principles
- A Divine Leader must be Nobler and more superior than others in Virtues and Knowledge
- Being sinless is the condition for being a Divine Leader
- The people do not choose the Divine Leader
- No one but God knows for the Immaculateness of a Divine Leader
- Going to Paradise depends upon Ali
- You cannot love both Ali and His enemies
- Discourse 2: ‘Those who are true’ refers to the Members of the Holy Household and the attributes and virtues of the Commander of the Faithful Ali
- Discourse 3: The Goal of Imam Husayn’s (a.s.) uprising
- Discourse 4: The love for Al-Husayn (a.s.) in the hearts of the believer
- Discourse 5: The necessity of the Imam of the Time (a.s.)
- Discourse 1: Divine Leadership is one of the major principles of the Religion, the necessity of the leader being Innocent and appointed by God
- Chapter 7: On the Quran
- Chapter 8: On Resurrection
- Chapter 9: On ethics and pieces of Advice
- Discourse 1: On the real Advisor
- Discourse 2: On fulfilling the needs of the people
- Discourse 3: On the benefits of the Mosque
- Discourse 4: On Purification
- Introduction
- Making ablutions with cold water
- Waiting for the next prayer after you pray
- Attending congregational prayers
- Greeting aloud
- Feeding the needy
- Spending the night in prayer when other people are asleep.
- Fearing God in private and in public
- Moderation in times of affluence and poverty
- Speaking what is fair whether you are pleased or angry
- Discourse 5: On whims and high aspirations
- Discourse 6: On the praised world and the blamed world
- Discourse 7: On supplications, gratitude, perseverance and asking for forgiveness
- Discourse 8: On the Servitude of God
- Discourse 9: On the nobility of the fitr festival and the virtues of piety
- Discourse 10: Purification of the soul and salvation of the Pure Ones
- Discourse 11: On the six states of the body and the sprit
- Discourse 12: On the Lord’s recommendations to the Noble Prophet (S)
- Discourse 13: On social worhship
- Discourse 14: Four important pieces of advice from the Prophet (S)
- Discourse 15: On four precious jewels
- Discourse 16: On gratitude and submisson
- Discourse 17: On humbleness, forgiveness and benevolence
- Discourse 18: On fountains of Eloquence
- Discourse 19: On honesty and the really honest ones
- Discourse 20: On spreading Justice as a goal of the appointment of Prophets