Birthday of Ali Akbar – Day of the Virtuous Youths
May 18, 2016 11:15 UTC
Salaam, and congratulations to our listeners, especially to our young, dedicated and enterprising friends on a day that is celebrated in the Islamic Republic of Iran as the Day of the Virtuous Youths. If you are ready we have special feature for you on the birth anniversary of an immortal youth who, in defence of humanitarian values, drank the elixir of martyrdom in the prime of youth. To be more precise, he was Ali Akbar (peace upon him), the son of Imam Husain (PuH).
"That is the good news Allah gives to His servants who have faith and do righteous deeds! Say (O Prophet to mankind), ‘I do not ask you any reward for it (enlightening minds with Islam) except love of [my] nearest of kin..."
What you listened to, was ayah 23 of Surah Shura of the holy Qur’an, which is a clear commandment from God Almighty for all those claiming to be Muslims. It explicitly states that the token of their gratitude towards Prophet Muhammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) for delivering them from the darkness of ignorance, idolatry, oppression, and all sorts of vices, is their love and affection for his immediate family. In other words, it is an article of faith to adhere to the path of the Prophet's immaculate blood-kin or progeny, whom God calls the Ahl al-Bayt and vouches their purity in the holy Qur'an in ayah 33 of Surah Ahzab, which reads:
“Indeed Allah desires to preserve you Ahl al-Bayt from all uncleanness and keep you thoroughly purified.”
To remove any doubts on the identity of his Ahl al-Bayt, the Prophet himself has said without mincing words, in the Hadith known as Thaqalayn or Two Invaluable Things:
"I am leaving behind among you the Thaqalayn (i.e.) the Book of Allah (the holy Qur'an) and my progeny the Ahl al-Bayt. Hold fast to them and you will never go astray, for the two will never separate even when they return to me at the Pond (of Kowthar on Judgement Day)."
Scholars, both Shi'ite and Sunnis, have thoroughly scrutinized this hadith and reached conclusion after checking the chain of transmitters that the Prophet's love and affection for his daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra, her husband Imam Ali, and their sons, Imam Hasan and Imam Husain (peace upon them), along with the commandment for all Muslims to revere the Ahl al-Bayt, was an unquestionable, indisputable and inseparable part of his Sunnah.
We are indeed indebted to auspicious Sha'ban for taking up this lively discourse, especially since today happens to be the 11th of this blessed month, the day on which the Prophet's younger grandson was blessed with a radiant son who bore a striking resemblance to the Almighty's Last Messenger to mankind.
Named Ali, in honour of his Infallible Grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (PuH), his gait, voice and eloquent manner of speech brought memories of the Prophet to the people of Medina, Mecca and elsewhere. It is irrelevant here whether he was born in 33 AH or 42 AH, and called Ali al-Akbar (or Ali the Elder). What is important is his presence in Karbala on the fateful day of Ashura or 10th Moharram in the year 61 AH that definitely drew the line between Muslims and infidels.
No wonder, while sending his youthful son to the battlefield, Imam Husain (AS) held God as Witness, saying he was now offering a person who was the carbon copy of the Prophet, adding: "Whenever we missed seeing Your Prophet, we would look at him."
Then he recited ayah 24 of Surah Aal-e Imran where God says:
"Indeed Allah chose Adam and Noah, and the progeny of Abraham and the progeny of Imran above all the nations."(3:34).”
Ali Akbar was a picture of perfection, both physical and spiritual. He was destined to remain a youth forever, because life for him did not progress beyond his youthful years. Yet during his brief stay in this transient world, this wondrous youth left such an indelible mark on life that till this day the young and the old draw inspiration from him and flock to his banner whenever his name is mentioned. That is the reason, we celebrate his birthday as Day of the Virtuous Youths, in order to instill in our youths faith, virtue, dedication, sincerity, and the exuberance to embark on things that are good for the family and the society.
In view of these facts, could the killer of Ali Akbar be considered a believer in Islam? And could Yazid and his hordes who most brutally massacred the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt, be considered Muslims? Still, was the system called caliphate that brought the Godless Omayyads to power, Islamic?
And last but not the least, shouldn't we Muslims, not just for the sake of the ummah's unity in this modern scientific era, but for the course of our souls in the hereafter including the eventual meeting with the Prophet who will surely question us about the Thaqalayn on the Day of Judgement?
These are points to ponder as we celebrate the Day of Youth in the Islamic Republic of Iran on the occasion of the auspicious birthday of the Immortal Youth of Karbala, who thus introduced himself to his foes:
"I am Ali, the son of Husain, the son of Ali,
"By the House of God, we are those with the Prophet righteously,
"By God, the son of a spurious son, will not judge us,
"I will strike with the blow of a Hashemi, a Quraishi.
