Islam has been described by Maulana Ali (A.S.) very succinctly and accurately and in a fashion that has not been said in so many words ever before. Islam is submission; submission is certainty; certainty is believing; believing is acceptance; acceptance is adherence; adherence is action.
Islam is a religion founded on Truth. It is such a fountainhead of learning that several streams of wisdom and knowledge flow from it. It is such a lamp that several lamps will be lighted from it. It is a lofty beacon of light illuminating the path of Allah. It is such a set of principles and beliefs that will fully satisfy every seeker of truth and reality. Allah has made Islam the most sublime path for the attainment of His supreme pleasure and the highest standard of His worship and obedience. He has favored it with noble precepts, exalted principles, undoubtable arguments, unchallengeable supremacy and undeniable wisdom. It is upto us the followers to maintain the dignity granted to it by Allah, to follow it sincerely as ordained, to do justice to its articles of faith and belief, to obey implicitly its tenets and orders and to give it the proper place in our lives.
The Quran is the unchanging and unchangeable revelation of Allah. It is a glorious testimony to the unity of Allah. It presents itself as being a disarmament between truth and error. It is sacred by reason of being divinely provided. It is the uncreated word of Allah and the model par excellence of the perfection of language. T he Quran is a closed book. It is the chosen ones of Allah who open it. The language of Al Quran is Arabic. Allah has spoken in that language. Therefore it is sacred.
The reader of the Quran must know its contents concern him in a concrete and direct way. The Quran is the word both outside and within us, always connected to Allah in the two respects of origin and end. However often we turn to the Quran, it attracts us and in the end enforces our reverence.
At the close of the month of Shaban, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) in a khutba addressed to Muslims said "O believers, nearing you is a month which in blessings and importance is high.......". The month was none else than the month that is amidst us, the long awaited month - SHERE RAMAZAN.
Ramazan is the ninth month of the Hijri calendar and the most auspicious and holy month for the Mumins. It heralds the month of fasting and piety. It is the month in which the most holy book was sent down, namely the Quran. Every Muslim should compulsorily spend this month doing Rozas. If anyone is ill or on a journey, the prescribed period should be made up by doing kifarat as provided for. The importance of rozas is profound. Sufficed to say that even the sleep of a rozdar (one who is fasting) is Ibadat and his every breath is Tasbih.
During this month, the nights of 17th, 19th, 21st and 23rd are deeply significant. The 23rd night is Lailatul Qadr, a night of extraordinary meaning and importance.
Everyone should endeavor to spend this month doing Rozas, Ibadat and Tilawate Quran and fulfilling their obligations of Zakat and Wajebat. Due to our Walayat for Aqa Mola (T.US) and with his nemal wasila Allah shall reward us richly and generously.
Imam Zainul Abideen (A.S.) is the author of a wide range of prayers to meet the multiple needs of erring men. These prayers meet spiritual aspirations and cover adversities and situations of travail. They are an incomparable anthology of fervid earnestness, ardent devotion and sincere humility to be found nowhere else.
Of very special significance is the doa of Imam Zainul Abideen (A.S.) recited after Nisfil Lail Namaz, in a spirit of humility.
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the master and I am the slave:
then who will pity the slave except the master ?
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the Honorable and I am the despicable:
then who will pity the despicable except the Honorable ?
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the creator and I am thy creature:
then who will pity the creature except the Creator ?
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the Giver and I am the supplicant:
then who will pity the supplicant except the Giver ?
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the Redresser of wrongs and I am the
complainant:
then who will pity the complainant except the Granter of redress ?
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the Everlasting and I am the mortal:
then who will pity the mortal except the Everlasting ?
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the Eternal and I am the transient:
then who will pity the transient except the Eternal ?
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the Mighty and I am the weak:
then who will pity the weak except the Mighty ?
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the Affluent and I am the needy:
then who will pity the needy except the Affluent ?
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the Great One and I am the small:
then who will pity the small except the Great ?
"My Allah, my Allah, Thou art the Owner and I am the chattel:
then who will pity the chattel except the Owner ?"
The Fatimi system of education and upbringing went from Cairo to Yemen and then came back to India. In India the system was institutionalized with the establishment of "Al-Dars-el-Saifee" at Surat, which became famous for its system of imparting education and for its method of teaching the Arabic language.
The 51st Dai, Syedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb (R.A.) modernized the academy. The fundamental and traditional aspect was preserved and the modern subjects were introduced. The old and the new were synchronized harmoniously. The academy became the Jamea and today is internationally known as the Al Jamea Tus Saifiyah. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Saheb (TUS) constructed the branch academy in Karachi, Pakistan.
Recently Syedna (TUS) supervised the annual examination of Al Jamea Tus Saifiyah. One of the distinct features is the Zikra Majlis presided over by Molana (TUS). Also the students sit on the floor and write the examination. The exam consists of the written as well as the viva voce. Students who pass the eleventh standard exam are given the gift of being able to perform Haj. The main concern at all times is to build up the intellectual as well as the moral being of its students and to provide a perennial influence on the student through his lifetime.