Sahifa Sajjadiyyah: 3 Du‘as

1. Sahifa Sajjadiyyah: 3 Du‘as ALI 137: Session 6 Jamadi II 21, 1429 June 25, 2008

2. Today’s lesson • Discussion on verses 17:26 & 27 • The Sahifa confirmed by Al-Mahdi (a) • The Sahifa passage 30:4 • Avoid Israaf under all circumstances • Moderation in all aspects of life • Where to spend one’s wealth? • Other Du‘as on asking relief from debt • Discussion on use of credit card • More Hadith on taking loan

3. Qur’anic aayat 17:26 & 27 • وَآتِ ذَا الْقُرْبَى حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَلاَ تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيراً(26)إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُواْ إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِرَبِّهِ كَفُوراً(27) • 17:26 Give the relatives their [due] right, and the needy and the traveler [as well], but do not squander wastefully. • 17:27 Indeed the wasteful are brothers of satans, and Satan is ungrateful to his Lord.

4. The Sahifa confirmed by al-Mahdi • German scholar & Allamah Tabatabai • Entering Aqa Hasan's library, Majlisi immediately saw the book he had seen in his dream, so he said: `This is enough for me.' It was a copy of the Sahifa. He then went back to Shaykh Muhammad and began collating his newly acquired copy with that of Shaykh Muhammad; both of them had been made from the manuscript of al-Shahid al-Awwal. In short, Majlisi tells us that the authenticity of his copy of the Sahifa was confirmed by the Mahdi himself. (pp. xxi & xxii)

5. The Sahifa passage 30:3 • O Allah, 1) bless Muhammad and his Household     2) prevent me from extravagance and excess,     3) put me on course of generous spending & moderation 4) teach me excellent distribution,     5) hold me back through Your gentleness from squandering,     6) allow me to attain my provisions through lawful means,      7) direct my spending toward the gateways of devotion,      8) and take away from me any possession which will bring forth i) pride in me, ii) lead to insolence, or iii) drag me in its heels to rebellion!

6. Avoid Israaf under all circumstances • Meaning of the word israaf & tabdheer • Prevent me from extravagance and excess, • Qur’anic verses on Israaf:6:141, 7:31, 25:67 • Hold me back through Your gentleness from squandering • Read a lot about avoiding wastage (if time permits we will look at slides on plastic bags) • Encourage your youths to take courses on environment preservation

7. Moderation in all aspect • 17:29 Do not keep your hand chained to your neck, nor open it all together, or you will sit blameworthy, regretful. • Practice moderation in all aspects of life: worship, eating, spending, talking. Moderate nation (2:143) • Al-Baqir (a): 3 things ensure deliverance: (i) fearing Allah openly & secretly, (ii) moderation in expenditure in both condition, (iii) say right thing during happiness & anger

8. Where to spend the wealth? • 2:215 They ask you as to what they should spend. Say, ‘Whatever wealth you spend, let it be for parents, relatives, orphans, the needy, and the traveler.’ And whatever good that you may do, God indeed knows it. • Put me on course of generous spending & moderation; teach me excellent distribution; direct my spending toward the gateways of devotion • Obligatory & recommended ways of spending, Hadith on 24 ways of legal expense (Tuhaf al-Uqul, p. 399)

9. Other Du`as asking relief from loan • Allahumma agni kulla faqeer • Allahumma-qdhi dayna kulli madeen • Allahumma-qdhi `annad-dayn, wa agnina minal faqr • Allahumma aghnini bi-halalika `an haramika, wa-bifadhlika `amman siwak (story of Shaykh Baha’I p. 68 in Manifestation of All Merciful) • I. Ali: debt is slavery & payment is freedom

10. Use of credit card • Do you see any benefits of using credit cards? • Do you agree that certain people should never use credit cards? • Getting indebted through the use of credit card is unwise. Why? • Has your spending habits changed on account of using credit cards? • Discussion on interest paid on credit cards

11. More Hadith on loan • Holy Prophet (s): Beware of debt, for surely it causes grief during the night and humiliation during the day • Imam Ali (a): Excess debt turns the truthful into a liar & one who fufils [his promises] to become unfaithful • Al-Baqir (a): Martyrdom expiates every sin except debt; for it has to be paid off (by debtor) or inheritor or if the creditor forgives it