Are You Sincere Towards Ahl ul-Bayt (A)?

You know, there is this thing that we do: let me kill time. Eh? You even have free time you are killing? Allahu Akbar. Sallu 'ala Muhammad wa aali Muhammad [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad].

I want to see how time is killed, maybe 'talqin' will be recited. You kill time. So if you have got nothing, there is no Qur'an to be recited. No, I just want to kill time. I am just passing time Shaykh. No!

So every single moment that has been wasted in dunya (world), it will create a vacuum on the Day of Qiyamah, as per this tradition of the Holy Prophet of Islam. So no darkness, no light, no benefits. And this tradition is to equip us and encourage us to; you know what I am trying to do? I know your dunya, you are okay.

My interest is connecting with Allah and Ahl Al-Bayt. Make the best out of your time to connect with Allah and Ahl Al-Bayt. You know, our problem is what? It is one thing, seriously. Our problem is that there is something which is found everywhere, but little is felt about. That is Allah.

Allah is everywhere, but little we feel about Allah Tabaraka wa Ta'ala. That is the challenge we have. And that is what Aba 'Abdillah stood for on the 10th day of Muharram. That is what Aba 'Abdillah 'alayhi as-salam educated us.

And that is what I and you need to strive and compete in reaching there. We need to emulate not even Aba 'Abdillah. We need to emulate Qambar! We need to emulate Maytham at-Tammar! They were ordinary human beings, from a very poor background. Poor family, no technology. There was nothing. But they excelled because they spent their time wisely. And when they spent their time wisely, Ahl Al-Bayt would intercede on their behalf on the Day of Judgement.

Baba! 'Shafa'ah' [intercession] is not a joke. Do not get carried away, you are not going to get 'shafa'ah' overnight.

Let me give you an example. This happened in Najaf. Ayatullah, one of the Ayatullah was given Dars al-kharij in the Holy shrine of Mawla Ka'inaat (Imam 'Ali). There was this gentleman, Iranian, who loves Ziyarah, like some of us. So he would always come to Najaf and spend months, and then he would go back. So he came to Najaf and whenever he was in Najaf, he would attend the classes of that Marj'a.

So there was a moment when he was absent, although he was in Najaf. Wa Allah,this is a true story. So the Marj'a inquired as to the reason for his absence, so the Marj'a was told he was ill and really critical. So Marj'a said, look, let us go visit him after class.

I just want to show you the love of Ahl Al-Bayt. It is not a joke, baba. It is not a joke. It needs some excellent hearts. Now the Marj'a went to visit this gentleman. The gentleman was like really in sakarat (throes of death)- he was dying. So Marj'a sat next to him with some of his students. Marj'a looked at this guy.

This guy could not speak properly, but he could answer here and there. So the Marj'a said to him, say 'la ilaha illa Allah' so the man said 'la ilaha illa Allah'. Correct. And then the Marj'a said, say 'Muhammad ur-Rasul Allah'. Then he said 'Muhammad ur-Rasul Allah', then the Marj'a said, say 'Aliyyun waliyu Allah,' he got stuck, he got stuck.

Wa Allah, the Marj'a repeated for the second time Allah, Muhammad, 'Ali. Stuck. Third time Allah, Muhammad. Got to 'Ali, stuck. Marj'a tried everything. The guy wouldn't say 'Aliyyun waliyu Allah'. This is person everybody thought he is like Mala'ika (angel), he is good.

Marj'a naturally got tired, was late, they left. Allah out of wisdom, gave this man another chance to survive, he got cured. He got cured, but when he got cured, he was embarrassed. So he did not go back to the class. So one day the Marj'a was walking. You know, those of you have been to Najaf, our Marj'a sometimes they will walk in Najaf. He will pass the market, they will go to the Haram of Amir al-Mu'minin.

So he was going, then he saw this man standing next to a bookshop. So he looked at him, he said, 'Aah, are you the one who was coming to the class?' And he said 'yes'. The Marj'a said, 'I thought you left this world, but I would really love to talk to you.' So the Marj'a sat next to him. He said, 'what happened? Allah, you said Allah. Muhammad, you said Muhammad, 'Ali you said Muhammad. Wa Allah, he began to cry.

He said you know, Hazrat- referring to the Marj'a, 'When you were telling me Allah, I was saying, Muhammad, I was saying, say Ali. I had some money with me, and that money my plan was to buy sughati. Those who know Iran, when you travel, you get sughati, sughati means gifts, to buy gifts. So when you were telling me 'Ali, something was appearing to me and telling me if you say 'Ali you will lose this money. When you say 'Ali and I will say, a, a..., If you say Ali you lose this money. Then the Marj'a said, 'This is lack of sincerity in your Wilayah for Amir al-Mu'minin.

Your heart is crucial for Ahl Al-Bayt. It is very important. So let your times and hours [be] filled with good stuff. Do away with negativities. Somebody negative, leave him. Do not worry.

The number four way of taking advantage of every moment of our life is musara'ah- 'is to haste in doing good.'

You come in Muharram, somebody meets you out there. Can you help with the car park? Do not think twice! Because that opportunity may not come again. Some people are telling them come, they are going back. Come, they are going back. Wa Allah, you regret it one day. Be lucky, be happy you are invited to come and serve the cause of Ahl Al-Bayt.

Qur'an, chapter Aali Imran 133 Allah said: "Wasaari'u ila maghfiratin min Rabbikum wa jannatun a'rdhuha as-samaawaatu wa al-ardh, u'iddat li 'l-muttaqeen" (3:133) -'Allah said haste to the forgiveness of Allah'. In other words haste in doing good. You know, when you come to the mosque like this in Muharram, you need to see people competing to serve the cause of Aba 'Abdillah. It is an opportunity for us. We need to compete. You go to the Haram of A'immah, there are doctors, they are top notch engineers, Wa Allah who would register one month, two months no opportunity to help the Zuwwar of Aba Abdillah. 'Saari'u'!

Chapter Baqarah, 148 said what, "fastabiqu al-khayraat" (2:148) -'be in the forefront of doing khayr.' Compete in serving the cause of A'immat al-Ma'sumin 'alayhi as-salam. Mawla e Kainat mentioned: do it now! He said 'ya ayyuha an-nas al'an al'an'. Imam Ali. He said, 'Oh people now, now, now!' Do not postpone. The life is not in your hand. Take advantage of that.

We said come teach Madrasah, problem! No. When I come, they judge me too much. You are not doing for anyone. You are preparing souls for Imam Zaman.

Wa Allah, divide your time. Do not run behind Dunya only. Dunya is too dry, it is too cold. It will throw you somewhere. It is so important.

Prophet Nuh was asked by Jibra'il, Allah sent Jibra'il to Prophet Nuh to ask him, how does he define Dunya? He said Dunya is like a room with two doors. You enter in one door and you exit from one door. You enter here, you exit there. That is Dunya.

And so, 'saari'u'-'Rush!, compete! Be in the forefront of reciting the marshiya. Be in the forefront of reciting the Qur'an. In fact go and ask them is there any opportunity for me to serve the majlis of Aba 'Abdillah?

It is an opportunity for all of us. I always tell people when you sit on this mimbar [puplpit], you are not doing favour to anyone. You know why? Imam Hasan al-'Askari never had a mimbar like this. He did not have people sitting next to him to talk. He was on parole. He used to give signs to his people, signs. In Samarrah. Because he had to go and report. So he would come out, he would do a sign, and then they would pick up as to what he was trying to indicate to. He never had like this. They did not allow him, the 'Abbasids.

We are blessed! It is an opportunity to serve A'immat al-Ma'sumin.