u/Initial_Gear3397

A large crowd gathered around the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him). At that moment, a man entered the mosque and, finding an appropriate moment, asked:

“O Ali! I have a question. Which is better — knowledge or wealth?”

The Commander of the Faithful replied:

“Knowledge is better, because knowledge is the inheritance of the prophets, whereas wealth is the inheritance of Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman, and Shaddad.”

After receiving his answer, the man fell silent.

At that moment, a second man entered the mosque. Standing at the back of the crowd, he asked:

“O Abu al-Hasan! I have a question. May I ask it?”

The Commander of the Faithful replied:

“Ask.”

“What is better — knowledge or wealth?”

The Commander of the Faithful said:

“Knowledge is better, because it protects you, whereas wealth is something you must protect yourself.”

Satisfied with the answer, the man sat down.

Then a third man entered and, like the others before him, asked the same question.

The Commander of the Faithful replied:

“Knowledge is better, because a knowledgeable person has many friends, while a wealthy person has many enemies.”

Before the Imam could finish speaking, a fourth man entered the mosque. Sitting beside his companions and placing his his staff before him, he said:

“O Ali! What is better — knowledge or wealth?”

The Commander of the Faithful answered:

“Knowledge is better, because if you spend wealth, it decreases; but if you share knowledge with others, it only increases.”

Then came the turn of the fifth man, who had entered the mosque shortly before and had been standing near a pillar waiting. When the Imam (peace be upon him) finished speaking, he asked the same question.

The Commander of the Faithful said:

“Knowledge is better, because wealthy people are often regarded as miserly, whereas scholars and people of knowledge are remembered with greatness and honor.”

When the sixth man appeared, people turned their heads toward the back, looking at him in surprise. Someone in the crowd said:

“Perhaps he also wants to ask what is better — knowledge or wealth!”

Those who heard this smiled mockingly.

The man sat at the back beside his friends and loudly asked:

“O Ali! What is better — knowledge or wealth?”

The Commander of the Faithful looked at the people and replied:

“Knowledge is better, because wealth can be stolen, but knowledge cannot be taken away by anyone.”

The man fell silent. Whispering began among the crowd:

“What is happening? Why is everyone asking the same question?”

People looked in amazement first at the Commander of the Faithful, then at the new arrivals.

At that moment, a seventh man, already seated among the crowd, asked:

“O Abu al-Hasan! What is better — knowledge or wealth?”

The Commander of the Faithful raised his hand, calling for silence, and said:

“Knowledge is better, because wealth wears out over time, whereas knowledge never decays no matter how much time passes.”

The man calmly sat beside his friends and quietly said:

“It was not without reason that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: ‘I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate.’ No matter how many times we ask him, he always has an answer.”

“It is better to warn the others not to come, before we are humiliated.”

One of his companions said:

“How do you know? Perhaps he will not be able to answer the remaining questions — then he will be disgraced, and we will achieve our goal!”

Another said:

“And what if he does answer? Then we ourselves will be disgraced before everyone!”

The first confidently replied:

“What is wrong with you, friends? Have you surrendered so quickly? Have you forgotten why we are here? We want to prove to the people that the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) were untrue.

At that moment, an eighth man entered and asked the same question.

The Commander of the Faithful replied:

“Knowledge is better, because wealth remains with a person only until death, whereas knowledge benefits both in this world and after death.”

Silence fell over the gathering. Everyone was astonished by the answers of the Commander of the Faithful.

Then a ninth man entered and, to the amazement of the people, asked:

“O Ali! What is better — knowledge or wealth?”

The Commander of the Faithful replied with a gentle smile:

“Knowledge is better, because wealth hardens the heart, while knowledge is its light.”

Everyone turned their heads toward the door, expecting the tenth man.

And indeed, a man entered holding a child by the hand.

He sat at the edge of the gathering, poured a handful of dates into the child’s lap, and looked ahead.

Everyone thought that no one else would ask the question, but suddenly he said:

“O Abu al-Hasan! What is better — knowledge or wealth?”

Once again, everyone turned around, and the voice of the Commander of the Faithful was heard:

“Knowledge is better, because wealthy people often fall into arrogance and may even claim divinity, whereas those who possess knowledge remain humble and modest.”

The gathering filled with cries of admiration, joy, and approval.

The questioners quietly rose and departed.

As they were leaving the mosque, they heard the voice of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him):

“If all the people of the world were to ask me this question, I would give each of them a unique answer.”

📚 Kashkul al-Bahrani, Volume 1, page 27, citing a saying of Ali ibn Abi Talib, page 142.

As a result of the crimes committed by the Israeli regime in Lebanon, 2,951 people have been killed

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that since March 2, 2,951 people have been killed and another 8,988 injured as a result of attacks by the Israeli regime.

Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, and his pure family, and may eternal curse be upon all their enemies! May Allah hasten the reappearance of His Radiant Imam, al-Mahdi, and make us among his true supporters.🙏

The 17th Anniversary of the Passing of Ayatollah Bahjat (ra)

On this day, Sunday 17th May 2009, one of the great lights of knowledge and spirituality, Ayatollah Bahjat (ra), departed from this temporary world.

Let us recite Surah al-Fatiha accompanied by three Surah al-Ikhlaas, and remember him in our prayers.

May Allah elevate his rank and continue to grant us the tawfiq to benefit from his luminous teachings and blessed legacy.

الفاتحة

When a person's grave is filled with earth, it does not cover him, because his soul is already living in another dimension, and viewing the grave from the imaginal world. Nevertheless, as the soil begins to pour down on his former body, he experiences an indescribable choking and crushing. It is of a severity that is proportional to that world, not this one. Once more he is unable to distinguish between his material body and his imaginal one and finally understands what people meant when they talked about the squeezing of the grave. Now he experiences a terrible bone-crushing compression which feels like his entire body is being squeezed through the eye of a needle. We do not know how this squeezing happens and what its purpose is, but very few people will be excused from it, "There is no believer who will not experience the squeezing"(Majlisi, Bihar al-Amwar, 6/221, quoting Imam al-Sadiq (A))

It is as if the squeezing is designed to wring out every last trace of impurity and pollution from the person. In fact, this process is of benefit to the believers whose righteous faith is mixed with traces of pollution from their wrongful thoughts and deeds, and is "an atonement for squandering God's bounties" (Saduq, Thawab al-A'mal, p. 190) and wasting opportunities. However, for those whose entire beings are impure, the process results in nothing but excruciating suffering. The dead person does not know how long the squeezing will last and when it will end, but it consumes him completely, rendering him oblivious of what is happening in the world around him.

When the squeezing abates and his relatives and friends have long departed from the graveyard, the soul is overcome with a deep sense of isolation and loneliness in the imaginal world of the grave. He is no longer aware of the happenings of the material world, or of the angels or even the dead in other graves. The environment in the grave is unfamiliar and frightening. He has no idea how long he will remain trapped in this desolate chamber, nor does he know what will happen in the next moment. It is at this point that the experiences of people vary. Those who held no belief in the afterlife are absolutely unable to understand how they are still alive in their own bodies after having died and been buried. Those who believed in an afterlife but had only a vague understanding of its reality are awestruck by the mysterious world that they have entered into.

The isolation of the grave affects everyone. They have witnessed strange and mysterious events and they do not know what other wonders to expect. They do not know whether they will move from this place. Have they been abandoned in this bleak chamber for eternity? Will God, with all His Majesty and Grandeur bother with this insignificant and worthless creature? It is at this moment that the faith of the believer and his intimate relationship and constant reliance on God give rise to a flame of hope, while the ingratitude and faithlessness of the disbeliever envelops him in the cold cloak of dread.

📚”TOWARDS ETERNAL LIFE” Author:Muhammad Saeed Bahmanpour
Translated by Abbas Jaffer

Muhammad Bob

Justice is a principle that, through Islam, attained a new life and the highest value. Islam did not merely call for justice or limit itself to its practical implementation; rather, it elevated its worth and significance.

Once, an intelligent and perceptive man asked Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him):
“What is higher — justice or generosity?”

Both are virtues. Humanity has always strived to flee from injustice and has always admired acts of kindness done without selfish motives.

At first glance, the answer seems obvious: generosity appears superior, because justice means respecting the rights of others and refraining from violating them, whereas generosity means sacrificing one’s own lawful possessions for the sake of others. A just person protects the rights of others, while a generous person gives away what rightfully belongs to him. From the perspective of personal morality, generosity indeed appears superior: it expresses nobility of the soul more strongly.

However, Ali ibn Abi Talib states the opposite: justice is higher than generosity.

He gives two reasons:

1.	“Justice puts everything in its proper place, whereas generosity takes things beyond their proper bounds.”

Justice means that each person receives according to their merit, effort, and ability. It is like a well-ordered mechanism in which every part occupies its rightful place.

Generosity, despite its moral value for the giver, represents a departure from the natural order — as though one organ in the body has become weak, forcing the others to temporarily focus on healing it. It would be better if there were no diseased organs in the body (or society), so that all strength could be directed toward collective growth and development.

1.	“Justice is a universal law, whereas generosity is a rare exception.”

Justice governs the whole society — it is the broad road upon which everyone walks. Generosity, however, is a rare and exceptional occurrence. If it were turned into a universal norm, it would cease to be generosity.

Therefore, Ali ibn Abi Talib concludes:

“Justice is higher and nobler than generosity.”

📚 Nahj al-Balagha, Wisdom 437

This view of the human being and society reflects a particular mode of thinking in which priority is given to social structure. Social principles come first, while personal ethics are secondary — like the trunk and the branch, like the foundation and the ornament.

Imam Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:

“Protect your families and your property by reciting Surah An-Nur, and safeguard your women through it. For whoever recites this surah every day even once, none of the members of his household will be drawn into immorality.”

📚 Nur al-Thaqalayn, vol. 3, p. 583.

P.S. Surah “An-Nur” (the 24th chapter of the Qur’an) contains verses on morality, family values, and the divine light, which explains its role in spiritual protection.

A subtle and important truth hidden within the matter of honor and chastity (namus) is that whatever you do toward others will return to you. As it is stated in the narrations:

“As you repay, so shall you be repaid.”
(Al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 553)

Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrated:

During the time of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him), a man committed adultery with a woman. When he returned home, he found another man with his own wife. He went to Musa and complained.

At that moment, Jibreel brought revelation to Musa and said:

“Whoever violates the honor of others should know that his own honor will be violated.”

Then Musa said to them:

“Remain chaste, and your wives shall remain protected.”

Therefore, a believer who possesses honor and nobility would never allow himself a sinful glance toward another man’s woman, for he would not wish anyone to look at his own in the same way.

As it is said in poetic form:

“Whoever casts his gaze upon the women of others —
His own wife shall be struck by lustful gazes.”

A man once asked Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him):

“Is it permissible to look at women passing by?”

The Imam replied:

“If people were to look at your women in that manner, would you be pleased?”

Then he added:

“Desire for others what you desire for yourself.”

📚 Mustadrak al-Wasa’il, vol. 2, p. 555

The United Arab Emirates is deporting Shias, confiscating their bank accounts and savings in the country, and also closing Shia mosques.

Name: Maryam Ali Age: 16 Last Seen: Arlington, TX Missing Since April 23, 2026 If you have ANY information, please contact the Arlington Police Department at (817) 274-4444 immediately.

Please share — someone out there may recognize her and help bring her home safely.