The Wisdom of Imam Ali (karamullah wajh ul karim)

 Clip: Maulana Ghulam Murtaza Alvi's introductry talk.

Clip: Maulana Hamid Reza Fazil's introductry talk

For Complete Talks Click Here

Hast-o-Neest

Centre for Traditional Art & Culture

&

Minhaj-ul-Quran

International

announce Friday sessions on: 

The Wisdom of Imam Ali
Karamullahu Wajh-ul-Karim

 (Selections from Nahj-ul-Balagha)

starting Friday 2nd March, 2012 at 4:30 pm

 Dr. Ghulam Murtaza Alvi
(Nazim Tarbiyyat Minhaj ul Quran International)

Maulana Hamid Reza Fazil (Qom, Iran)

Clip from Introductory Talk to be screened at the Inaugural Sitting

Al-Sharif Al-Radi Abu al Hasan (Baghdad, 970-1015) is the compiler of letters, sermons and sayings of Imam Ali (a.s.) known as Nahjul Balagha or Peak of Eloquence.

His father al-Naqib Abu Ahmad was held in high regard at the courts of Banu 'Abbas. The influence of Abu Ahmad and his family assumed greater dimensions in the eyes of the rulers due to the tense and highly explosive situation created by the rivalries and conflicts between the Sunnis and the Shi'ah and the Turks and the Daylamites.

Al-Seyyed al-Razi completed his education at the age of twenty. His fame as a poet overshadowed his excellence in all other fields. Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Ahmad al-Tabari (d. 393/1002-3), a faqih of the Maliki school gifted a  house to him when he found out he had no residence of his own. In those days due to a climate of tolerance at least among scholars and students, the Shi'ah and Sunni students used to attend classes of teachers belonging to different sects.

A number of al-Radi's teachers were Sunni and Mu'tazili.

Al-Sharif al-Radi had intimate friendly relations of mutual respect and love with eminent contemporary scholars, poets and writers professing different faiths, which was an indication of his broad humanism and tolerance. Al-Sahib ibn 'Abbad (326-85/938-95), one of the most influential of Muslim prime ministers and a great scholar of his age, was a patron of scholars and poets.

Among al-Radi's close friends were two other scholarly persons. Shapur Ibn Ardshir (d. 416/1025), who served as the vizier of the Buwayhids till their fall at the hands of the Saljuqis, and who had placed his huge library of rare value at the disposal of al Radi; and Fakhr al Mulk, the vizier of Baha al Dawlah, who led al Radi's funeral congregation, and was himself murdered by Sultan Dawlah in one year after al Radi's death, that is in 407/1016.

Hundreds of manuscripts of Nahj al-balaghah in various libraries of the world and even a greater number of the manuscripts of other earlier works containing al-'Imam 'Ali's utterances invite all seekers of truth to trace the sources and ascertain the authenticity of Nahj al-balaghah. There are also numerous documents available which contain certificates and testimonials issued by eminent scholars to their pupils authorizing them to narrate the contents of Nahj al-balaghah along with the permission to narrate ahadith of the Prophet (saw) and the Imams (as). This is enough to show that Nahj al-balaghah has been considered to be of equal value in reliability with the most authentic compendiums of hadith. The narration of Nahj al-balagha's traditions had started during the lifetime of al-Radi.