Welcome to the eight episode of Heavenly Call on the occasion of the blessed fasting month of Ramadhan.

We start with the special supplication of the 9^th day, please listen.

“O Allah, appoint me a portion this day of Your all-embracing mercy; guide me therein to Your clear and bright proofs; and draw me with my fore-lock towards Your all-around approval, with Your love; O Hope of  the ardent!”

One of the characteristics of the blessed month of Ramadhan is that it is the month in which God Almighty enlightened the heart of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) with the holy Qur’an on the night of Qadr or the Grand Night. The holy Qur’an, as the last and final heavenly scripture for the guidance of all mankind, is the constitution of the believers. The first and foremost surah of the holy Qur’an which is called Surah al-Hamd or Surah al-Fateha, which is recited in all ritual prayers, whether obligatory or recommended, contains phrases requesting divine guidance. This phrase reads: “Ehdin-as-Sirat al-Mostaqim, Sirat al-lazina an’amta alayhim”. It means: Guide us on the straight path, the path of those whom You have blessed.

The question is: Who are those blessed by God? Ayah 69 of Surah Nisa’ provides the answer, when it says:

“Whoever obeys Allah and the Prophet —they are with those whom Allah has blessed, including the prophets and the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous, and excellent companions are they!”

Thus, it is incumbent upon the believers to follow the path shown by the Prophets of God, on which the Truthful Imams, the martyrs and the righteous trod, in order to make it practical for us. 

Now the question is why God has introduced these four groups, that is, the Prophets, the Truthful, that is the Infallible Imams, the martyrs and the righteous, and what are their prominent characteristics?

The Prophets as the Messengers of God, elaborated on the fundamental principle of monotheism and strove to remove polytheism and idolatry from the society. The Truthful Imams continued the path of the Prophet of Islam to prevent distortion of divine teachings and to establish justice in society by setting practical precedents.

The martyrs endured persecution and sacrificed their life in defence of divine teachings without yielding to the threats and pressures of the tyrants. The last group, that is, the righteous spare no efforts to reform the society and protect the teachings of the Prophets and the Imams for which the martyrs gave their life blood. Through speech and action, they show the path of obedience to God and Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

It is worth noting that divine grace is not without merit. The believers enjoy divine grace as they make every effort to fulfill their personal and social responsibilities. In this way they gain access to a great spiritual and lasting bliss. The holy Qur’an says in ayah 71 of Surah Ahzab:

“Whoever obeys Allah and His Prophet has certainly achieved a great success.”

In view of this, could there be a greater victory than treading the path blazed out by the Prophets, the Truthful Imams, the martyrs and the righteous?

We pray to God Almighty to keep us firmly placed on the straight and unwavering path, the path of those whom God has blessed.

FK/AS/SS