Chapter 9: Commemoration Of The Birth Or Death Anniversaries Of Allah's Saints
The commemoration and reminiscence of the memories of Prophets and Saints of Allah, the martyrs truthful the travellers upon the path of true school of the Prophets is one of the important factors which has a fixing and specifying role in strengthening faith and establishing the spiritual values and the foundations of ethics and morality.
The remembrance and recollection of the grades of the faith, piety, Jihad (holy crusade) self-devotion, self-sacrifice of the Saints of Allah and that how did they reach the stations of Allah's proximity by virtue of their endeavour and struggle on the way to Allah and joined the group of the guided ones, is a strong incentive and provocation for a man to follow and imitate them and it helps in traversing their (saint's) course.
أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ ۗ قُلْ لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْعَالَمِينَ
These are they whom Allah guided, therefore follow their guidance. Say: I do not ask you for any reward for it; it is nothing but a reminder to the nations. (6:90)
The Holy Qur'an in many of its verses Allah commands His Prophet to always remember and recollect the Prophets of the past and the pious servants of Allah so that their reminiscence becomes the cause of strengthening of his heart.
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَبِيًّا
And mention Ibrahim in the Book; surely he was a truthful man, a prophet. (19:41)
وَاذْكُرْ عِبَادَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ أُولِي الْأَيْدِي وَالْأَبْصَارِ
And remember Our servants lbrahim and Ishaq and Yaqoub men of power and insight. (38:45)
وَاذْكُرْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَالْيَسَعَ وَذَا الْكِفْلِ وَكُلٌّ مِنَ الْأَخْيَارِ
And remember lsmail and Al Yasha and Zulkifl and they were all of best. (38:48)
The remembrance of Prophets and Allah's Saints to which the Prophet of Allah has been ordained, causes the purity of heart reinforcement and intensification of faith, and is the giver of the good news regarding the victory of Tawhid's (oneness of Allah) front.
Actually, keeping their memory alive is the respect and honour shown to the human virtues and spiritual values. This is the way to the revival of their course and conduct regarding combination against polytheism, brutality, ignorance and invitation to Tawhid (one Allah), justice, virtues of morality, for they had always been the guards of ·these values and the heralds of right and truth.
On this account, we must always keep their memories kindled in our minds and honour their memory particularly on the specified dates which are related to them, such as days of their births and deaths. And recall and mention their qualities, talents and virtues, reaffirming our commitments to them and their objects and goals.
Allah orders Musa (‘a) to make the Bani Israelis remember the days of Allah, and attract their attentions towards those days.
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَىٰ بِآيَاتِنَا أَنْ أَخْرِجْ قَوْمَكَ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَذَكِّرْهُمْ بِأَيَّامِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ
And certainly We sent Musa with Our communications, saying: Bring forth your people from utter darkness into light and remind them of the days of Allah; most surely there are signs in this for every patient, grateful one (14:5).
According to the exegetes it, and expositors Ayyamullah the days of Allah mean the days wherein Allah bestowed His important benedictions and boons upon. Bani Israel such as salvation and safety from the (cruel) hands of Pharos, the descending of Man-u-salwa (food and quails kind of a bird, in roasted form) splitting of the river Nile for them and so on.
Similarly, there are days and dates of which important events took place for the previous nations like the nations of Noah (‘a) Aad and Samood.
Therefore, the remembrance and recollection of the days in which important events took place is one of the commissions and assignments of the Prophets. They must make the people remember the days of Allah so that they may get benefited by the training effects of those days.
Now, we say that the days of birth, death, or mission of the honourable Prophet of Islam (S) and also the dates of births and deaths of the Allah's Saints are the days, wherein great even ts took shape, which have overcast their effects upon the destiny of mankind. Thus, memorial celebrations of these days are the remembering and reminiscence of the days of Allah.
So, if a session or assembly is arranged on the birth or death anniversaries of the Prophet (S) and or the Allah's Saints for the faithfuls to celebrate the memories of the event which took place on that particular date and hold the memory of the Prophet (S) in esteem and honour and mention his qualities and virtues, a correct and legal act has been performed and the order of Allah regarding the remembering the days of Allah has been materialised.
The honourable Prophet of Islam (S) has ordered to mention the virtues and good qualities of the dead ones and he has in particular much praised the cherishing and celebration of memory of the Prophets and the pious and truthful ones.
عن ابن عمر عن النبي صلى الله عليه وآله قال: اذكروا محاسن موتاكم.
Ibn ‘Umar narrates from the Prophet (S) that be said: Describe the good qualities of your dead ones. 1
عن معاذ قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: ذكر الأنبياء عبادة وذكر الصالحين كفارة وذكر الموت صدقة.
Maaz narrates from the Prophet saying he said: 'Cherishing the memories of Prophets is service and the remembering of truthful ones is the expiation (atonement) of the sins, and remembering death is a free will offer lag (charity). 2
Referring to the collection of Qur'anic verses and traditions which we narrated, we conclude that the reminiscence and remembrance of Prophets, Saints and truthfuls is the pleasure of Allah and the requirement of religion and a form of service. The more and better it is practised, the more it is required.
One of the suitable ways for refreshing their memories is to celebrate their birth or death days so that on their birthday’s assemblies of joy and felicitation and on their death days those of grief and sorrow be held and their virtues be mentioned in those sessions.
The aggregations and sessions are nice opportunities for expressing gratitude and recognising the rights of those who spent their lives in guiding and leading the people towards the religion of Allah, and they endeavoured hard for the exaltation of the divine word. Those are the great people, to whom all the Allah worshipers and faithfuls have been indebted all over the length of the history, in connection with learning of religion and divine knowledge.
