Salamun alaykum,
Birth of Ibn Ridha:
Today marks the auspicious occasion of birth of our eleventh Imam Hasan al Askari a.s. He was born on 10th Rabi ul Thani 232 A.H. in Madina. The Imam, his father, and grandfather in their own times were commonly known as Ibn Ridha – the son of Ridha. This was as a reference to the 8th Imam Ali ibn Musa ar Ridha who obtained, in addition to status of Imamat, political reputation having been appointed as heir apparent by Abbaside Ruler Mamun Rashid.
On this blessed day in our calendar it would be befitting to ponder over a risala : message from the Imam.
A message from the Imam:
“I command you to practice Taqwa, work hard for sake of Allah, tell the truth only, return the deposits to their owners whether they are pious or sinful, prostrate yourselves before Allah for long time and treat your neighbors courteously. These are the matters that (prophet) Muhammad brought. Offer prayers in the middle of your kinsmen, attend their funeral ceremonies, visit their ill ones and fulfill their rights. I am pleased if people point to you and say this is my shia (my follower).Practice taqwa, be adornments for us and do not be a disgrace to us. Attract peoples fondness of us and save us from every disrepute, for we are surely the people of every good thing that is said about us, and we are not the people of evil imputed to us………” Imam Hasan al Askari a.s.
What pleases the Imam?
When one who holds to the rightful leadership after holy prophet by Divine appointment (wilayat), strives to put into practice the qualities outlined in the above message and the people point to him as a shia.
Holding affection for the wilayat and ahlul bayt is not is the principal cause of delight to the Imam. Happiness to the Imam is when one behaves in the manner outlined above.
Is it being done?
By a glance at the above list of “do’s and don’ts” , typical responses to this question would be yes, not always, I do try……..
Coming to think about it we already are displaying many of the deeds mentioned such as prayers and moral qualities like hard work, truth, honesty, trust, courtesy, social relations as our natural behaviour!
This therefore implies that the message of the Imam is doable. One does not require superhuman efforts to be able to lead ones life by being guided by these qualities. It is just the conscious thought that we are determined to uphold these qualities. This results to having an impact on our deeds.
This is what makes our Imam pleased to us being referred to as his shias.
Let us strive:
In doing our utmost to emulate these qualities we have been assured of Divine help from Allah SWT as mentioned in holy quran:
“We shall certainly guide those who strive hard for Us to Our ways…” Sura Al Ankabut 29:69.
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah
With salaams and duas
Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat
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Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat. Al Mahdi, Wickham Road, Fareham, Hampshire . PO17 5BU. Reg. Charity Number: 1010076. Tel: 01329 832537. Fax: 02392-529766
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.: Jamaat Web Site: www.almahdi.org.uk:
Project Web Site: www.almahdi.org.uk/almahdiproject
Member of the Council of European Jamaats
Member of Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat. Al Mahdi, Wickham Road, Fareham, Hampshire . PO17 5BU. Reg. Charity Number: 1010076. Tel: 01329 832537. Fax: 02392-529766
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.: Jamaat Web Site: www.almahdi.org.uk: Project Web Site: www.almahdi.org.uk/almahdiproject
Member of the Council of European Jamaats
Member of Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board
