University of Mahdi

PDFs available for the following books related to the Martyrs (Shuhada):

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QgDB7w25ZLIVXFlyx7UdaLYOqB7cAw-_

1. A Military Commander & Multiculturalism (about Shaheed Qasem S)
2. Martyr Bint al-Huda collections
3. I am Qasem S
4. I was not afraid of anything
5. In Memory of Martyr Mutahhari
6. Life of Shaheed Mohsen Hojaji
7. Memoirs of Shaheed Qasem S
8. Mystic Martyr (Shaheed Ahmad Ali Nayyeri)
9. Peace be upon Ibrahim, Volume 1
10. Who was Shaheed Mustafa Chamran?
11. Shaheed Mustafa Chamran - An Iranian Thinker
12. Eternal Reality - Shaheed Qasem S (animation)

Sheikh Habib al-Kadhmi writes:

'No matter how much effort a person puts into raising righteous offspring, such as adhering to the acts of worship and etiquette of the wedding night, the acts encouraged when breastfeeding, and the methods of discipline, the possibility of a child deviating from the righteous path remains. This is a result of the child being influenced by society outside of the family, such as school, media outlets, television, etc. Therefore, it would be wrong for parents to rely only on their efforts in disciplining and raising their children. We do not know exactly what happened to the son of Allah’s SWT prophet, Noah AS. He is one of Allah’s SWT great prophets and surely he did not neglect or fall short on raising and disciplining his son, yet he was still worried about guiding and saving his son even as he was drowning, as mentioned in the Holy Quran:

“Noah called to his son, who had kept himself aloof [from the others]: “O my dear son! Embark with us, and remain not with those who deny the truth!”
(11:42)

It is possible to say those bad friends were the reason that led him to deviate from his father’s righteous path!'

Like his masters, Ayatullah Bahjat (ra) saw abandoning and refraining from sins to be the first and most important step toward self-purification in the spiritual journey to God.

According him, acting upon whatever one already knows paves the way for practical spiritual development and receiving more knowledge from God. In a letter to all seekers of guidance, he wrote:

I ask those who want to be taught, ‘Have you acted upon whatever you heard before?’ Do you know that if a person practices what he knows, God will teach him what he does not know? If man does not practice what he knows, can he expect his knowledge to increase? No thikr is superior to practical thikr, and no practical thikr is superior to abandoning sins in terms of beliefs and actions.

Generally, it seems that abandoning sins is impossible except through constant mystical contemplation. If one possesses the virtues of the pious and follows the prophets and their successors in both beliefs and actions, takes actions or stop taking any measure in accordance with their commands, does not think about
anything other than God when performing acts of worship, performs prayers with presence of heart, follows the Imam of the Age in doubtful matters – disagrees with whatever and whoever the Imam of the Age disagrees with and agrees with whatever and whoever the Imam of the Age agrees with, curses whoever he curses and has mercy on whoever he has mercy on, albeit briefly, such a person does not lack any virtue and does not have any sin and evil.'

[The Propagator of God’s Unity, compiled by The Research Cultural Institute of Ahlul Bayt, p.217]

Likewise, a student of Islamic sciences came to him and asked,
“Can we act upon instructions either given by such great mystics as the late Bidabadi or those found in the mystical books?”

He responded:
'The late Bidabadi and other prominent scholars made great efforts in the way of Islam, but each guided people to God through a specific path. My advice to you is one thing which comes down to a few words: Refrain from sinning.

However, do not assume that refraining from sins is a simple task to do; sometimes it is very difficult. After refraining from sins, other instructions will naturally be known to you.'

-Spiritual Journeying in the Words of Shi'a Mystics, by Sayyidah Iran-Zahra Zaidi [Translated by Mahboobeh Morshedian]

Submission to Allah’s will

Shahid Ali Suteria writes in his article: '7 Lessons from Imam Hussain, The Grandson of the Holy Prophet' (The Muslim Vibe):

'Imam Hussain (AS) knew about his fate from a young age when his Grandfather Prophet Muhammad SAW would mention how he will be left alone in a land called Karbala. Yet Imam Hussain (AS) always accepted his fate and even on the Day of Ashura when he was left all alone, he never doubted Allah’s plan.

Aba Abdallah’s submission to Allah SWT is most evident through the eloquence of Dua Arafat where, for the entirety, he was praising Allah and giving gratitude, and only at the end he asks for protection against the hellfire. This, therefore, teaches us a significant lesson in always submitting to Allah even in the most difficult times.'

Imam Hussain (AS):
the True Lover of God

- Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli:

یک وقت ابراهیم خلیل می گوید من به غیر خـدا تکیه نمی کنم و به درون آتش می رود و آتش تبدیل به گلستان می شود،

"Once when Prophet Ibrahim (al-Khalil) said: 'I rely on no one but the God Almighty' and enters into the blazing flames, and the burning fire changes into green garden by the order of whom he has relied on...

یک وقت وجود مبارک سالار شهیدان همین حرف را می زند و در قتلگاه می افتد،

and once the same is said by the Master of the Martyrs, Imam Hussain (AS) and he is entered into his site of martydom by the same Source of order..

هر دو حال برای محبّ الهی یکی است.

but both these are the same for the lover of God...

جواب هر دوی اینها یکی است، زيرا وقتى كار به خدا وا گذار شود چه پیش آید براى محب شیرین است.

When God is supposed to take care of the affairs, whatever He deems appropriate is sweet for the lover of God."

سخنرانى به مناسبت ماه محرم، دى ما ٨٨
A lecture on the occasion of the Month of Muharram, December 1988