[19] Wilayah - Wilayah to the Taghut

A series of discussions on the teachings of Imam Sadiq (sixth Imam of the Muslims), from the book Misbah ash-Sharia (The Lantern of the Path)

In His Name, the Most High

This is part nineteen of an ongoing series of discussions on the book by Imam as-Sadiq titled ‘Misbah ash-Sharia’ (the Lantern of the Path).

This is the fifth of our discussions on the subject of Wilayah or Guardianship/Authority.

This discussion is the second part of the discussion, that started in the preceding session.

It is strongly recommended that the previous parts are read, before proceeding with this one; to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding within the subject matter.

The nature of the subject matter, and the style of discourse requires that each part build upon those that came before it, so once more, I strongly recommend that the reader, read the previous parts, and then continue with this one.

The previous parts, can be found here:

The Lantern of the Path - Index

Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

This write up is a companion to the video majlis (sermon/lecture) found below:

Contents

• Majlis - Misbah ash-Sharia - Servitude - Part 19 - Wilayah to the Taghut

• Nasheed: Eliya Eliya - Ali Gleich

• Ziyarah: Ziyarat Aal-i-Yaseen

Recap

In the previous session, we continued our journey to discover, learn about and indeed implement the notion of wilayah within ourselves, within our families, loved ones, communities, societies and indeed across humanity.

This was all part of being inspired by the well known hadeeth in the book attributed to Imam Sadiq titled Misbah ash-Sharia (the Lantern of the Path), which is the base study material and indeed inspiration for these sessions.

As part of our desire to both give God what is due to Him, as well as to adhere to the limits He has set out for us, we embarked on trying to learn about our ideology.

Our journey has been cumulative, meaning that each session builds upon the one before, and that our learning and understanding, builds, step by step.

This is why, we had to understand firstly the notion of Tawheed (monotheism), followed by the idea of Adalah (the justice of God).

With those two understood to a limited but adequate level for us to proceed, we embarked on a more detailed journey into Nubuwwah (prophethood).

And all three of these subjects were required, for us to understand this most important of subjects - that of Wilayah (guardianship, or authority).

In the last session, we discussed the idea of the Wali, the Central Authority, this helps us to understand the position of the Wali, the Leader within an Islamic or tawheed-oriented society.

A central focus of the session was the Quranic verse identifying Imam Ali as the divinely appointed Wali, particularly through the well-known incident where he gave charity while in prayer.

This verse was presented as evidence that leadership in Islam must be grounded in divine selection, not inherited power, political might, or public popularity. We contrasted this divinely guided model with historical and contemporary examples of corrupt leadership, where individuals rose to power without fulfilling the necessary moral and spiritual qualifications, leading to widespread societal decay.

The session also explored how societies drift away from true Islamic leadership when they fail to uphold these Quranic and Prophetic criteria.

We discussed the importance of recognising imposters—those who feign religiosity while serving oppressive or worldly agendas—and how their rise is often enabled by passive communities and religious figures who neglect their duty to educate and empower the people with true teachings.

So, we rely fully on Him, and with a yearning to serve the Ultimate Wali, by working to assist the living Wali of God, Imam al-Hujjah, may our souls be his ransom, and may God hasten his return, we proceed with this next part, where we discuss the idea of Wilayah to the Taghut.

We pray that He grant us the wisdom, presence of mind and intellect to be able to understand these subjects, and furthermore to be able to apply them within our lives, such that they become combined with our very selves and contribute to becoming a combined service to Him.

We implore Him to grant us fortitude when the subject becomes confusing and complicated, and we beg Him to help us by giving us the tawfeeq (ability) to be able to push through, and arrive at understandings that move us ever-closer towards Him.

In His Most Beautiful of Names, we proceed …

Wilayah (Guardianship or Authority) - Part 5

Introduction

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ لَهُ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
إِنَّمَا سُلْطَانُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَهُ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِهِ مُشْرِكُونَ

When you recite the Quran, seek the protection of God against the outcast Satan. Indeed, he does not have any authority over those who have faith and put their trust in their Lord. His authority is only over those who take him as a wali and those who make him a partner [to God]

- Quran, Surah an-Nahl (the Chapter of the Bee) #16, Verses 98 to 100

The subject we wish to address with the above verses is as follows:

Previously, we understood, that every Muslim and everyone who claims to be a servant of God, must recognise the wali appointed by God to direct all the activities of his life, he must deliver his obedience to that wali that God has appointed.

To put it simply, he must make God the sole arbiter and director of the affairs of his life, and anyone that God has appointed as His deputy on earth.

We also discussed the identities of those whom God chooses as His representatives.

The Imams or Awliya of the Muslims

We had said that these are, first the prophets, and then the awliya - those whom we know as the Imams of the Muslims, meaning the divine leaders and rulers.

For those who are unaware, these are:

1. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib

2. Imam Hasan ibn Ali

3. Imam Husayn ibn Ali

4. Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn as-Sajjad (aka Imam Zayn al-Abedeen)

5. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir

6. Imam Ja’far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq

7. Imam Musa ibn Ja’far al-Kadhem

8. Imam Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha

9. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad

10. Imam Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi

11. Imam Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari

12. Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi (the Awaited Master, the Living Imam of the Muslims)

In short, we said that the divine wali and ruler must be appointed by God, whether specifically by name, or generally by qualifications.

This is what we spoke about in the previous session, and indeed in the previous sessions.

Wilayah to the Taghut

In this session, we will be discussing what it means when someone rejects God’s wilayah and delivers his obedience to someone other than God.

Firstly, how do we judge such a person?

Secondly, what is this action called?

Thirdly, what is the outcome of such an act?

This is what we will discuss regarding wilayah in this session.

Once we have grasped this, we will discuss some of the fundamental practical practices of Islam; while our main discussion is on wilayah, but these issues that derive from it will be secondary, and pertaining to practice, while wilayah itself is a fundamental doctrine.

The Quran calls every form of wilayah other than of God ‘wilayat al-taghut - وِلايَةُ الطَّاغُوتِ’, or ‘wilayah of the illegitimate authorities’ or sometimes it is called ‘wilayah of the rebel or the rebellious’.

Anyone who is not under the umbrella of God’s wilayah, is under the wilayah of taghut.

What does Taghut Mean?

But what does taghut mean?

The Arabic word taghut - طاغوت - is derived from the word tughyan - طُغْيَان, which means rebellion or overstepping the proper bounds of human nature.

For example, if we say that humanity came into being in order to attain perfection, someone who stops humanity from attaining perfection is taghut.

If we say that human beings must live in accordance with God’s religion, this is something natural and innate to the human being and to the human condition. If someone, causes humans to reject this and bring about changes in them so that they live in a way that does not accord with God’s religion, this person is taghut.

The human being must always be striving to bring his own existence to fruition, so that anything that leads the human being not to strive, not to make an effort, to become lazy, to seek a life of comfort and ease, that too is taghut.

Human beings must obey God, anything that causes human beings to disregard God’s command, anything that causes them to abandon God’s command, anything that causes them to act in disobedience to God - this is taghut.

Therefore, the word taghut, does not refer to any one thing, as some might imagine - for example that taghut is the name of an idol. Yes, it is the name of an idol, but not any specific idol.

Sometimes, that idol is your own self.

Sometimes, that idol is your wealth.

Sometimes, that idol is you seeking an ordinary and comfortable life.

Sometimes, that idol is your ambition.

Sometimes, that idol is the person who takes you by the hand, closes your eyes, and takes you wherever he pleases.

Sometimes, that idol is gold and silver, unliving metal.

Sometimes, that idol is a human being, your nearest and dearest.

Sometimes, it is the social order.

Sometimes, it is the law.

Therefore, taghut, is not the name of any one thing, though, when we discussed the topic of social classes during our discussion on prophethood, we did see that the verses of the Quran place taghut above the elite, the wealthy, and the priesthood.

However, this is another topic and is beyond the scope of our present discussion.

Therefore, anyone who is not under the wilayah of God, is inevitably under the wilayah of taghut and Satan.

What is the Relationship between Taghut and Satan?

What is the relationship between taghut and Satan? Is there any relation between the two?

Yes! Satan is the taghut, and the taghut is Satan.

Look at the language of this verse from the Quran:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ الطَّاغُوتِ فَقَاتِلُوا أَوْلِيَاءَ الشَّيْطَانِ ۖ إِنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا

Those who have faith fight in the way of God, and those who are faithless fight in the way of satanic entities (taghut). So fight the friends of Satan; indeed the stratagems of Satan are always flimsy.

- Quran, Surah an-Nisa (the Chapter of the Women) #4, Verse 76

Do you see, how in this verse, God uses the terms Satan and taghut interchangeably?

Any element that is external to the human beings own existence, and prompts him to do evil or immoral things, to oppress, to wrong, or to tyrannise, we call that element ‘Satan’ or ‘a devil’.

There are human devils, there are jinn devils, there are devils who are our nearest and dearest, there are devils who are our leaders, there are devils who are strangers, there are devils who are our feelings.

We call of these ‘Satan’.

One of the exemplars of these devils is Iblis, who refused to bow down before Adam, when God commanded him to do so.

But this Satan, whose story is well known, and clear in the Quran:

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَاكُمْ ثُمَّ صَوَّرْنَاكُمْ ثُمَّ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ لَمْ يَكُن مِّنَ السَّاجِدِينَ
قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
قَالَ فَاهْبِطْ مِنْهَا فَمَا يَكُونُ لَكَ أَن تَتَكَبَّرَ فِيهَا فَاخْرُجْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ
قَالَ أَنظِرْنِي إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ
قَالَ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنظَرِينَ
قَالَ فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَائِلِهِمْ ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ
قَالَ اخْرُجْ مِنْهَا مَذْءُومًا مَّدْحُورًا ۖ لَّمَن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

Certainly We created you, then We formed you, then We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam.’ So they [all] prostrated, but not Iblis: he was not among those who prostrated.
Said He, ‘What prevented you from prostrating, when I commanded you? ’‘I am better than him,’ he said. ‘You created me from fire and You created him from clay.’
‘Get down from it!’ He said. ‘It is not for you to be arrogant therein. Begone! You are indeed among the degraded ones.’
He said, ‘Respite me till the day they will be resurrected.’
Said He, ‘You are indeed among the reprieved.’
‘As You have consigned me to perversity,’ he said, ‘I will surely lie in wait for them on Your straight path.
Then I will come at them from their front and from their rear, and from their right and their left, and You will not find most of them to be grateful.’
Said He, ‘Begone hence, blameful and banished! Whoever of them follows you, I will surely fill hell with you all.’

- Quran, Surah al-A’raaf (the Chapter of the Heights) #7, Verses 11 to 18

This Satan, whose story is well known, and who we curse almost every day of our lives - the poor unfortunate fellow! - is just the first of the devils.

He is not the only devil.

In fact, he may not even have been the first, and he certainly was not the last!

We have, God only knows, how many devils.

We can even reach out and touch some of them. We can hold some of them. We can see some of them.

Sometimes, we can even live with them.

Each of these devils is fully a devil. Anything that leads the human being away from the path of God and towards corruption, moral decline and evil, is a devil.

The Wilayah of Satan or the Wilayah of Taghut

Every wilayah besides that of God, is a wilayah of Satan and taghut. Anyone who does not live under the rule of the true wali, should know that he or she lives under the rule of taghut and Satan.

Now, you may ask:

“What is the problem if he or she lives under the rule of Satan and taghut,
and follows their commands?”

This is one of the points addressed in the verses for this session. The Quran gives several answers on this topic.

The Dangers of Submission to the Wilayah of Satan (or Taghut)

The first answer is that if you submit to the wilayah of Satan, this means that Satan gains control over the useful, creative and fruitful energies that are contained within your existence.

This is the first thing, that if you bow down to Satan and taghut, and they gain authority over your being, there is no escaping them:

Everything that is in your existence, all your energy, your creativity, your agency, your brilliance, will fall into their grasp. And when all of your existence is in their grasp, it is easy for them to drive you down the same path they chose, and take you to the same destination as they reached - just by wanting it, they will take you with them.

It is clear that Satan and taghut will never guide man to spiritual enlightenment, wisdom, or ease.

This is not the goal of Satan or taghut; rather their primary goal is securing their own individual interests; so they will use you for their own ends.

If you consider each o the series of things that I have just enumerated, these words and phrases, you will see they each have their own specific meaning, and you wills how they apply to historical realities, from the earliest recorded events to the present day.

If you submit to the wilayah of taghut, then all of your energy, your creativity, and your potential will fall into the trap of taghut and, when this happens, this will not be to your benefit, because Satan and taghut do not even consider what is beneficial to you.

On the other hand, if they have to sacrifice you for their own ends, they will sacrifice you without giving it a second thought, without any hesitation.

If they have to lead you astray, they will lead you astray.

If they deem it necessary that you should suffer for their sake, then you must suffer for their sake.

This is Satan we are talking about, after all!

With the power that he has - and that you have given into him - he can take you wherever he pleases.

When Wilayah is Given to the Taghut: A Path to Ruin

وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ وَنُصْلِهِۦ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَسَآءَتْ مَصِيرًۭا

“Whoever defies the Apostle after the guidance has become clear to him, and follows a path other than that of the faithful, We shall abandon him to his devices, and We will make them enter Hell, and it is an evil destination.”

- Quran, Surah al-Nisa (the Chapter of the Women) #4, Verse 115

The verse of the Quran above is a verse that is very worthy of reflection. Sometimes, if you ponder on the meaning of the verses of the Quran, with a little extra effort, you sometimes find something new.

I am always deeply regretful of how little time we spend pondering the Quran.

God says in the Quran:

Whoever argues with the Prophet and opposes him,

by turning aside from the path the Prophet has made clear to him,

a way other that of the Islamic society and a way that does not lead to the objectives of his faith, and separates himself from the Muslims.

literally, We shall leave him to that which he takes as a wali, that to which he bows down, the wilayah that he accepts, We shall permanently colour his unfortunate existence with this.

He himself chose to go and live under that wilayah, so We will abandon him there.

لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِّن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ۗ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَالٍ

He has guardian angels, to his front and his rear, who guard him by God’s command. Indeed God does not change a people’s lot, unless they change what is in their souls. And when God wishes to visit ill on a people, there is nothing that can avert it, and they have no protector besides Him.

- Quran, Surah ar-R’ad (the Chapter of the Thunder) #13, Verse 11

It was you, yourself who handed over the reigns of your life to Satan, so leave those reins in the hands of Satan. This is what We do. This is the law of creation. This is for this worldly life of yours - and what about your afterlife in the next world?

when you close your eyes on this world, you will enter Hell and suffer eternal divine punishment. And when any person looks at human history, they see this is exactly how it was.

These are very important social issues.

Very little work has been done, in the estimation of Imam Khamenei, to understand these issues from the viewpoint of the Quran, and we have done very little work on applying these issues the history of history of Islam.

How good would it be for those people who are interested in the Quran, and have reflective minds to ponder on its social and especially, historical issues, laments Imam Khamenei.

The result of this, he continues, would be that from the studying of the Quran and the trends in history, it would become clear, which explanations of the Quran’s verses correspond to reality.

In light of this, I would like to take a moment to discuss an episode from history in light of the verses we have just covered.

The city of Kufa is a very interesting city in the history of Islam. Many will already know some facts about this city, and I don’t believe people are hearing of this city for the first time now. However, for those who are new, and have not come across this city before:

A Brief History of the City of Kufa

Kufa was established around 17 AH (638 CE) during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab - the second caliph of the Muslims - as a military garrison town to accommodate the growing Muslim armies following the conquest of Iraq and Persia.

Located near the western bank of the Euphrates River, not far from the ancient city of al-Hira and the remains of Babylon, Kufa was strategically chosen for its proximity to major trade routes, fertile land, and its position between key regions of the expanding Islamic empire.

It quickly evolved from a military outpost into a bustling urban center, attracting settlers, scholars, and administrators.

Alongside Basra, another garrison city in southern Iraq, Kufa played a pivotal role in consolidating Muslim rule in the newly conquered territories and served as a base for further expansion eastward.

Kufa’s historical and religious importance deepened significantly during the caliphate of Imam Ali.

After the assassination of the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, Imam Ali was chosen as caliph in Medina, but political dissent and unrest followed, particularly from Damascus under Muawiyyah ibn Abi Sufyan (aka Muawiyyah I).

In response to the growing tensions and the shifting political landscape, Imam Ali relocated the seat of the caliphate to Kufa in 36 AH (657 CE).

This move was strategic:

Kufa was centrally located between the Arabian Peninsula, Persia, and the Levant, making it better positioned for administering the empire and addressing the brewing civil conflict.

Moreover, Kufa had a strong population of supporters who were loyal to Imam Ali and his vision of Islamic justice and leadership. Under his leadership, Kufa became not only the political capital but also a center of Islamic scholarship, jurisprudence, and spiritual thought.

As we have just said in the short history of Kufa, out of all the cities of the Islamic lands, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, chose to make Kufa his capital.

This is a positive point, as they say.

An Important Note on History

I want to make on point here before I continue; I don’t generally speak about history, especially when we have not - yet - discussed history; but this is an important point, so I will make an exception.

There will be references to historical events here that we have yet to discuss, but - God willing - in approximately 3 sessions from this one, we will be starting our detailed discussion on the lives of the Prophet and the Aimmah (Imams), through the lens of the 250 year old man as discussed extensively by Imam Khamenei.

This will give us much detail on the history that I am touching on here. If there are events that you are unsure about, you can ask in the comments, or research them across the internet (though be careful of unreliable material on the internet also). As we cover such events in future sessions, we will link to those future write-ups from here, to aid in clarification, with His help.

Wilayah in Abandonment

We can also recall, that the inhabitants of Kufa fought for the Commander of the Faithful in the Battle of the Camel (Jamal), and the Battle of Nahrawan and indeed in the Battle of Siffien, along with tribes from the vicinity of Kufa and elsewhere, but it was also the in this battle that the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, reprimanded them:

“Why is it that, when I call you for battle you do not respond?”

It was the same people of Kufa whose leaders wrote a letter pledging their allegiance with Imam Hasan and promising the support of their city for him.

It was the same people of Kufa who wrote to Imam Husayn saying:

“We have no leader, we have no ruler, we have no commander, God has given this tyrant (Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad ibn Abihi) authority over us, so come and lead us”

Some were faithful in their pledge, men such as Sulayman ibn Surad, Habib ibn Mazaher, Muslim ibn Awsajah and others - but most participated in the massacre of Imam Husayn, and his outnumbered band of supporters from his family and companions on the barren plain of Kerbala.

The Psychology of Kufa

Of course, it was the also the people of Kufa who brought something into being the likes of which has rarely been seen in Islam:

The Tawwabun - or Penitent - Movement.

They were determined to sacrifice their own lives fighting the Umayyads in order to repent for their part in the killing of Imam Husayn in Kerbala.

This spirit of resistance and rebellion persisted throughout the reigns of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, as time and again, the people of the city rose up against tyranny; how many gave their lives, how many were slain, how many brave struggles they gave!

But, at the same time, it was also the people of Kufa who became weak, lazy and impotent in spirit and in thought, as demonstrated on a number of issues.

So, how to explain this?

Did they have two spirits, two natures, or two faces?

The same people to whom Lady Zaynab bint Ali said:

“O people of Kufa, O people of betrayal and perfidiousness!”

The issue of Kufa is something worth reflecting on. I believe it would be worthwhile and very interesting to study the psychology of the city of Kufa through the ages.

If someone is qualified to do this; a sociologist or a psychologist perhaps?

It would be fascinating to hear their thoughts on this strange city.

At one moment, the people of Kufa seem to embody the best qualities of humanity, at another, they exhibit weakness, laziness and ineptitude.

What can explain this?

Were there two types of people in Kufa?

Were their two factions in Kufan society?

Kufa was a region that was under the direct rule of the Commander of the Faithful, and it was he who nurtured its society.

Kufa was an environment that produced real human beings.

Therefore, in the history of Shi’ism, nowhere produced more valiant fights as Kufa. Why is this? Because of the teaching and guidance of the Commander of the Faithful for those four years!

It is no joke for someone like Imam Ali, like Ali ibn Abi Talib, to rule a place for four years!

Yes, it is true that his rule, when looked at with regard to the entirety of the Islamic world was ultimately unsuccessful. However, it was successful at the level of Kufa itself.

Kufa as the Birthplace of Shia Values

In Kufan society, the Commander of the Faithful had a profound effect.

For this reason, Kufa became the cradle of Shi’ism, and the birthplace of Shia values and virtues. Is that right?

However, just because somewhere is the birthplace of some values, that does not mean that everyone there shares these values or the virtues that accompany them, or even those that do, are ideal followers of these values.

In every society, there are always good and bad.

Out of a million people, there are perhaps tens of thousands or even just thousands who do something heroic and inspiring, so that all one million people become known for their valour.

There was a class of people in Kufa, who were very interesting.

They were not a class in the strict and technical sociological sense of the term, rather they were a group of people who exhibited these qualities.

As for the vast majority of the Kufans, the masses, they were like ordinary people anywhere in the world. No better, and no worse.

Just like the people of London, Leicester, Toronto, Beirut, Tehran, Qom, Jepara or any other place.

However, that small group of people in that corner of the Islamic world were a major source of anxiety for the governments of their time.

The Umayyads always made sure to appoint the vilest, cruellest, and most obedient of their servants to govern the city in order to deal with these elements. Which was by the outright persecution of them, by spreading negative propaganda and / or, presiding over the pauperisation of the city’s people, in order to corrupt them and lead them astray.

Crushing Resistance: the Stranglehold of Taghut in Kufa

Why did they do these things?

Because that resistance group were only found in this city and not in others. Because they wanted to smash the basis of this resistance and make use of this city for their own ends.

Because they could not bend these people, they destroyed the land which made them instead.

They spread propaganda to poison people’s minds, they put people under pressure, they weakened people economically, and, in short, they placed the city under siege and created harsh conditions. Conditions so harsh that they were not found in any other city in the Empire.

As a result of these activities that the ordinary people fell under the influence of the regime and began to oppose the group.

However, this was not because the people of the city were innately bad. It would be very good for someone interested in this topic to study.

Indeed, Imam Khamenei has even said it would be a very useful subject to study and to learn from.

Nevertheless, let us move on, let me give you some more explanation.

The Umayyad caliph, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan - the fifth Umayyad caliph - send Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ath-Thaqafi to Kufa.

We will discuss Hajjaj ibn Yusuf further when we get into the lives of the Aimmah in future sessions - God willing - suffice it to say that he was an extremely cruel and brutal governor, and an enemy of those who stood against the Umayyad regime.

Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan sent Hajjaj ibn Yusuf to Kufa because he knew that no one other than Hajjaj could possibly break the heroic spirit of resistance that was there. Hajjaj was possibly the most brutal, ruthless and loyal of Abd al-Malik’s governors.

The Terror of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ath-Thaqafi

So, Hajjaj entered the city in the middle of the night, so that people would not know that he had arrived. It seems the people of the city had expelled his predecessor or somehow forced him to leave.

Hajjaj had either thirty, forty or one hundred armed me with him (depending on which historical narrative you consider reliable).

He and his men came to the central mosque of Kufa, which was filled by the murmuring of night worshippers. He withdrew into a corner of the mosque and issued orders to his men.

When the time for morning prayers came, and the call to prayer went out, people gathered at the mosque to pray. They came for worship.

However, it became clear that they were not as aware as they should have been in their prayers.

The reason for this is what I had just said, namely that Hajjaj ibn Yusuf had come, but no one knew why he was there even that he was in the mosque. He came and sat near a crowd, without drawing anyone’s attention.

Then, all of a sudden, he ascended the pulpit. At first, people did not realise what was going on. He sat atop the pulpit without saying a word.

Someone looked up and saw Hajjaj sitting atop the pulpit, but did not recognise him. he turned to the person next to him and asked:

“Who is that on the pulpit?”

That person made a face, Hajjaj was wearing a turban made from red fur, with a strip of cloth hanging beneath his chin. Then he loosened his turban and drew the cloth around his face, so that only his eyes were showing.

Now the people saw the strange countenance of the armed man in a red turban and cloak sitting on the pulpit of the mosque of Kufa, they all fell silent and people gathered around to see what this was.

The Sin of Silence: When Falsehood is Left to Preach

Now, keep in mind the verse of Quran - from Surah al-Nisa (the Chapter of the Women) #4, Verse 115 - that we quoted earlier:

It says that someone who leaves the path of faith and the faithful, a servant who turns away from the right path, we will put a noose around his neck.

You are a Muslim.

Some unknown person is sitting on the pulpit. Why are you gathering around him passively?!

You should be going up there and challenging him, saying:

“Who are you? Explain yourself!”

Imagine one person, two people, three people asking this question. This would change the situation entirely. But they were lax. Their passivity and weakness meant that they sat there waiting for him speak.

The Consequences of Silence in the Face of Taghut

Once he had everyone’s attention, he said:

“It seems that the people of Kufa do not know me. People saw me but they clearly did not recognise me. So, allow me to introduce myself!”

He removed his turban and face covering, looked at the people gathered there, and recited the following lines of poetry:

“I am the son of clearness and the climber of defiles [full of vigour],
if I take off my turban, you will know me.”

And as he removed his turban before the onlookers, the people began telling one another:

“It’s Hajjaj!”

They were overcome by shock and awe, that Hajjaj had come suddenly and sat himself atop the pulpit.

People sat there, terrified.

No one said to himself:

“Hajjaj is but one man, and I am one man too; he is just sitting up there, and I am sitting down here. Everything he has, I have.”

Do you see how spineless these people were not to see this.

Hajjaj then spoke once more:

“O people of Kufa!
I see heads that have ripened hanging from their necks ready to harvest!”

People became even more terrified.

We Shall Abandon him to his Devices: Kufa’s Moment of Truth

The hollowness of their slogans was revealed. It’s not like Hajjaj had taken a nuclear bomb to Kufa. If he had set off a nuclear bomb, there would have been no one left to rule over.

He could not kill everyone - some had to survive. If he killed everyone - who would he rule over? Over a door and four walls? Where was the fun in that? He may as well go and rule the empty desert if that was the case!

But people did not think of this.

He told them their heads were ripe low-hanging fruit and the time for the harvest had come.

Then he said:

“Now I will tell you whose heads are to be cut.”

He then told his servant to read the caliph’s letter. The servant stood before the pulpit and read out of the letter of the caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan.

It began:

“In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
From the Commander of the Faithful, Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, to the people of Kufa.
O people of Kufa! Peace be with you.”

At this point, Hajjaj stood up and silenced his servant. Then he turned to the people there and said:

“How poor your manners have become! The Commander of the Faithful sends you greetings of peace, and you do not respond to his greeting in kind!”

Then he told his servant to start reading the letter again, from the start. This time, when the servant read the words:

All the inhabitants of the mosque repeated loudly:

“And peace be upon the Commander of the Faithful!”

Hajjaj must have given himself a self-satisfied smile and said in his heart:

“Mission accomplished!”

Because he knew then that his work was as good as completed.

God says in the Quran:

You have accepted Hajjaj as your governor? You send peace on his so-called ‘Commander of the Faithful’ - might be more accurate to call him the ‘Commander of the Faithless’ or the ‘Commander of the Sinful’).

Okay, so God will leave you with your Hajjaj then.

God will not perform some miracle to make Hajjaj go away.

And Imam Sajjad, the fourth Imam of the Muslims, will remain where he is.

This Hajjaj will be with you until you make him go away. So long as you accept Hajjaj, your life, your thoughts, and your souls will be in his hands.

This is the cosmic order of things.

This is the rule that governs human history.

From Stories to Wisdom: Learning from History

These are lessons that history teaches us.

As the great Iqbal Lahori says:

"شیرین تر آن باشد که وصفِ دلبران
در گفت و گویِ دیگران باشد"

“It is more fitting that the sweethearts
Be described in the words of others.”

- Iqbal Lahori, Zabur-e-Ajam (زبورِ عجم) - Gulshan-e-Raz-e-Jadeed (گلشن راز جدید), 1927

History is a kind of exegesis (tafsir) of the Quran. You can find the Quran in history.

In the words of Sa’adi of Shiraz:

"عاقل را در این زمان دو زندگی باید
یکی تا تجربت اندوزد و دیگری تا به کار بندد"

“The wise experienced man,
Must life twice in these days,
The first to gain experience,
And the second to put it into practice”

- Sa’di of Shirazi, Golestan (The Rose Garden), Chapter #2, Story #21

We must pay attention to history. We must familiarise ourselves with history. But you must always try to draw a lesson from history!

Do not content yourself with stories and tales from the past. See instead what message history has for us today.

What, for example, is the message that the events surrounding Hajjaj send us now?

Go and see what lessons history has to teach us and what messages it conveys to us! Plunge into the depths of history.

Seeking Protection from Satan

Now, let us see how the history I have just recounted, relates to the verses of the Quran that form the subject of this session:

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ لَهُ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
إِنَّمَا سُلْطَانُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَهُ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِهِ مُشْرِكُونَ

When you recite the Quran, seek the protection of God against the outcast Satan. Indeed, he does not have any authority over those who have faith and put their trust in their Lord. His authority is only over those who take him as a wali and those who make him a partner [to God]

- Quran, Surah an-Nahl (the Chapter of the Bee) #16, Verses 98 to 100

The verses start with:

Now that you have read the Quran, now that you have learnt something of the Islamic sciences, and understood some of God’s word, seek protection lest Satan afflict you and make you forget the Quran, or render you unable to comprehend it.

How should you seek protection?

Try to take the knowledge of the Quran that has entered your heart and keep it with you, so that you are not deprived of a deeper understanding.

Can we seek God’s protection? Can He ward off Satan’s evil?

Of course!

Satan’s evil and corruption cannot overcome those who have faith in God and rely on God in their affairs.

Those who try to place themselves under God’s wilayah are protected from Satan.

So, Satan only has power over those who accept his wilayah. Just like the authority of Hajjaj was only over those who sat and listened to his harsh speech.

So, Satan’s authority is only over those who accept his wilayah ‘and those who make him a partner [to God]’.

وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ وَنُصْلِهِۦ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَسَآءَتْ مَصِيرًۭا

“Whoever defies the Apostle after the guidance has become clear to him, and follows a path other than that of the faithful, We shall abandon him to his devices, and We will make them enter Hell, and it is an evil destination.”

- Quran, Surah al-Nisa (the Chapter of the Women) #4, Verse 115

Whoever leaves the path of the Prophet and does not act on the responsibilities that his profession of faith has placed upon his shoulders,

We shall make that thing whose wilayah he accepted his wali,

The Unforgivable Sin: Ascribing a Partner to God

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا

Indeed God does not forgive that any partner should be ascribed to Him, but He forgives anything besides that to whomever He wishes. And whoever ascribes partners to God has certainly strayed into far error.

- Quran, Surah an-Nisa (the Chapter of the Women) #4, Verse 116

If we examine our earlier discussions on tawheed, we can also add to those discussions, the subject of the type of sin that God does not forgive:

If we want to be even more precise, we can.

God’s forgiveness does not encompass the state of a person who accepts idolatry. A person who is an idolator is under the wilayah of someone other than God, so he has gone from the under God’s influence, to being under the domain of other than God.

The sin of associating partners with God, inflicts a wound on the soul of the one who does so that it cannot be healed, meaning it cannot be forgiven.

This is what the word forgiveness (maghfirah - مَغْفِرَة) means.

Forgiving a sin means healing a wound it inflicted and undoing the harm and error it caused.

When this wound is healed, it is then that forgiveness encompasses a person.

When you are forgiven it means that the pain and suffering caused by your bad act, by your straying from the path of God, is effaced:

Of course, God’s will is not arbitrary; He wishes to forgive those who repent to Him and return to His way.

Sometimes, in the desert you lose your way, but only by a kilometre. Other times, you lose your way by tens of kilometres and it is not easy to find your way back to the road.

It needs more effort to get back - a person who is so thoroughly lost needs stronger guidance.

False Hopes and Altered Paths: Satan’s Covenant to Mislead

Equally, those who associate partners with God have truly strayed far from the right path:

إِن يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَّا إِنَاثًا وَإِن يَدْعُونَ إِلَّا شَيْطَانًا مَّرِيدًا
لَّعَنَهُ اللَّهُ ۘ وَقَالَ لَأَتَّخِذَنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيبًا مَّفْرُوضًا
وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ آذَانَ الْأَنْعَامِ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطَانَ وَلِيًّا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُّبِينًا
يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ ۖ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا

They invoke none but females besides Him, and invoke none but a obstinate Satan, whom God has cursed, and who said:

‘I will surely take of Your servants a settled share, and I will lead them astray and give them [false] hopes, and prompt them to slit the ears of cattle, and I will prompt them to alter God’s creation.’

Whoever takes Satan as a guardian instead of God has certainly incurred a manifest loss.

He makes them promises and gives them [false] hopes, yet Satan does not promise them anything but delusion.

- Quran, Surah an-Nisa (the Chapter of the Women) #4, Verses 117-120

A devil who is utterly disobedient, and without goodness or virtue:

And who - Satan - has said:

Meaning that he will separate some of God’s servants from the right path and take away their reasoning and deprive them of their insight and their wisdom, that they will not be under God’s wilayah but instead will be under his - Satan’s wilayah.

He will allure them with false hopes, that with no basis in reality.

Pay close attention to the phrase:

Far-fetched or unrealistic hopes means anything that lead a person away from the path of God.

Far-fetched hopes for a long life without any difficulty, of decades of comfort and ease, far-fetched hopes of becoming a millionaire, far-fetched hopes to expand your small house, or to expand your shop front, in these days far-fetched hopes of even being able to buy your own house, and such things.

These are far-fetched hopes.

Hopes which are like a millstone hung round a person’s neck, weighing them down and holding them back; hopes which no matter how much you strive for them, are forever out of reach.

All at once, you find the freedom you found in the path of God gone.

Now this is where it gets very interesting - especially with some contemporary games that the Satans play, so please pay attention:

This is an example of a wrongheaded pre-Islamic practice. However, this phrase may also symbolise something greater. It is possible there is a hidden, latent meaning in this verse. I will say what I think it is, and this is the same opinion as that of Imam Khamenei, and a number of senior scholars; however it is not definitive, and we should all ponder this.

So, this verse mentions a pre-Islamic practice whereby people would cut the ears of animals, perhaps in order to some blessing or secure some worldly benefit. It is a pre-Islamic practice.

However, this could be a symbol for many ungodly practices and ideas. What’s more even if the followers of these practices do not find them worthless, they are certainly worthless in the eyes of any rational person.

The next phrase is very interesting:

Satan says that those human being who are under his command, who live under his wilayah, his authority, he will make them bring about alternations in the natural order that God created, and go far astray from the path that you had originally laid out for them.

He says:

“I will make a law for them that goes against human nature; I will give them commands that go against the natural order; I will lead them down a path that will take them to a destination far from the destination for which they were intended.

I will certainly give them a command, so that they will surely change your creation and disrupt the God-given order of things.”

This is Satan’s promise to God.

This is the nature of Satan’s covenant with God, it is covenant of disobedience, of insolence, of opposition to God.

And isn’t this how we are?

All the devils are like a plague upon creation.

All of the devils of this world are after the end.

Be certain that if there is someone who wants to live his life in the way that God and nature intended, Satan will not allow him to. No matter how he achieves this, those who are under his wilayah are under his authority and power, and they are far from their God-given nature.

This is so because, otherwise Satan would be failing in his mission.

This is why immediately after this, God says:

And God goes on to say:

Satan makes promises to them about their future lives, but it is all lies; he inflicts far-fetched hopes upon them and, in the end, all he offers them is deceit and delusion.

Conclusion

This concludes the second part of this section, which started with the session where we discussed the wali, the central authority, and now we have understood the dangers of misplaced wilayah, and wilayah towards the forces of evil, towards Satan, towards taghut.

It behooves us to reflect deeply on the discussions herein, and to look into ourselves, into our families, communities and more, to ensure that we are not in the wilayah of taghut, that we are not unwitting agents of Satan, all the while considering ourselves to be godly.

The wilayah of taghut is a dangerous place, where nothing is real, and everything is a lie; however, everything looks as if its real, and the warnings against it appear to be far fetched and invalid.

This is the nature of Satan, taghut and the enemies of humanity.

And do not think that Satan will not misguide a person because they are from such and such faith; no, Satan - and by extension taghut - they are equal opportunities misguiders.

In the Quran, Satan is clearly quoted as saying:

قَالَ فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَائِلِهِمْ ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ

‘As You have consigned me to perversity,’ he said, ‘I will surely lie in wait for them on Your straight path. Then I will come at them from their front and from their rear, and from their right and their left, and You will not find most of them to be grateful.’

- Quran, Surah al-A’raaf (the Chapter of the Heights) #7, Verses 16 to 17

Satan cares not for what someone might believe, or what someone might be, he will corrupt the good as well as that bad, the faithful as well as the faithless.

The only protection against his machinations, against his corruption, is to truly be a righteous servant of God:

قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ
قَالَ هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ عَلَيَّ مُسْتَقِيمٌ
إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ

[Satan] said, “My Lord, because You have caused me to err, I will surely make [disobedience] attractive to them on earth, and I will mislead them all, except Your sincere servants among them.” [God] said, “This is a path [of return] to Me [that is] straight. Indeed, My servants—no authority will you have over them, except those who follow you of the deviators.”

- Quran, Surah al-Hijr (the Chapter of the Rocky Land) #15, Verses 39 to 42

and else where

قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

(Satan) said: “By Your might, I will surely mislead them all, except Your sincere servants among them.”

- Quran, Surah Sad (the Chapter of Sad) #38, Verses 82 to 83

This is amongst the most important reasons for us embarking on this journey to learn about true servitude, how to be true servants of God; perchance we may be able to save ourselves from misguidance and from falling prey to the machinations and lies of Satan, of Taghut, and from failing to keep ourselves within the protection of the true wilayah, and under the leadership of the true wali.

In the next session, we will be covering the idea of ‘migrating to the wilayah of God’, which contrary to the opinion of some, does not mean all the muslims migrating to some mythical ‘islamic land’.

I will not give away much more at this stage, but suffice it to say that the answer to the issue of how to ‘migrate to the wilayah of God’, lies far closer than one might imagine; it does not necessarily involve moving away from where you physically are to another physical location, since every grain of sand on this earth belongs to God:

قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ اسْتَعِينُوا بِاللَّهِ وَاصْبِرُوا ۖ إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ۖ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

Moses said to his people, ‘Turn to Allah for help and be patient. The earth indeed belongs to Allah, and He gives its inheritance to whomever He wishes of His servants, and the outcome will be in favour of the Godwary.’

- Quran, Surah al-A’raaf (the Chapter of the Heights) #7, Verse 128

Not only does all of the earth belong to God, He is the one who chooses to inherit it to whoever He wishes from His servants, and that the best of outcomes is for those who are aware of God.

This doesn’t lend itself to the notion of when things ‘get difficult’ that a person packs up and moves away. Indeed, acting in that manner is exactly what the tyrants, the oppressors, the taghut want.

Look at what they want to do in Gaza in 2025 - they want to remove all the honourable Palestinians from their land in Gaza, so that the occupation can steal it - but at the same time, they say with such an innocent looking face that ‘they only want was is best for the Palestinians’.

Tragically there are some Muslim regimes, who are under the wilayah of taghut entirely, that support this plan, all the while claiming they ‘only want what is best for the Palestinians and the West Asia region’.

The Quran speaks of such folk:

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ
أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا يَشْعُرُونَ

“And when it is said to them, ‘Do not cause corruption on the earth,’ they say, ‘We are only reformers.’

Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not.”

- Quran, Surah al-Baqarah (the Chapter of the Cow) #2, Verses 11 to 12

But the honourable Palestinians refuse to leave - but surely some of those who promote this misunderstood notion of ‘migration’ they would suggest that for the Palestinians to migrate away from occupied Gaza would be to somehow ‘migrate towards the wilayah of God’.

The only problem people who think in that way have - is that they have no comprehension what the wilayah of God is.

They don’t understand that the honourable land of Gaza is closer to the wilayah of God, than the lush fields of artificial grass and foliage that are dotted around the various Arab fiefdoms, shopping malls and oilfields with flags, that are rapidly acquiescing to the real tawagheet, that are desperate to keep their failing empire, their failing Satanic system alive, when the entire universe has become sick of their lies.

There are others from various communities who have a mindset that makes them want to run-a-way as soon as things get difficult; this is not the way; and indeed, as can be argued - and we will discuss this further in the next session - running away is not actually ‘migrating to the wilayah of God’ - rather running away in many instances can be actively ‘migrating to the wilayah of taghut’.

In the next session we will discuss this in more detail, God willing, and understand why the priority for all the free and honourable people of the world is to establish justice wherever they are, to never capitulate to the Hajjaj ibn Yusuf’s of their time to call them out on their corruption and lies; and trust that Lord of Ultimate Justice, the Ultimate Wali, will never abandon them.

Just like a bully in the playground that turns to dust when confronted by those he or she attempts to bully, the bullies, the agents of Satan and Taghut, the awliya of Taghut, those who desire to take people towards the wilayah of taghut, will also turn to dust fade into insignificance when they are confronted by those who place their trust and faith in God.

And God is the best supporter for the oppressed, and as we read in Dua al-Iftitah:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِي يُؤْمِنُ ٱلْخَائِفِينَ
وَيُنَجِّي ٱلصَّالِحِينَ
وَيَرْفَعُ ٱلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ
وَيَضَعُ ٱلْمُسْتَكْبِرِينَ
وَيُهْلِكُ مُلُوكاً وَيَسْتَخْلِفُ آخَرِينَ

All praise be to God Who believes in the fearful,
Comes to the help of the righteous,
Raises the oppressed,
Annihilates the arrogant,
Destroys (unjust) rulers, and replaces them with others.

- Dua al-Iftitah

And from Him alone is all ability and He has authority over all things.

O God, Shower your choicest blessing upon Abraham and the Family of Abraham, and upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad, the Purest of the Pure, the Most Righteous, the Most Perfect.

O Lord, do not deprive us through our misgivings, the intercession of Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad, and count us amongst those who are a source of joy for them, and never as a means of causing them any harm.

O God, place us amongst Your people, for Your people are the successful.

O God, place us amongst Your confederates, for Your confederates are the victorious.

O God, place us amongst Your friends, for Your friends are those who never want for anything nor do they grieve.

O God, Be always for and with Your servant, the Hujjah (Proof) son of al-Hasan [al-Askari], in this time, and in all times.

O God, Be for him, a Master, a Protector, a Leader, a Helper, a Guide and a Guardian, till you allow him to dwell upon Your earth and provide him with a long and fruitful life within it.

O God, Honour us with being those who work and serve your Hujjah (Proof), in his absence and in his presence, and give us the wisdom, belief, guidance, fortitude and ability to be able to discern the wali in our time, and to always be with the wali, never against him.

O God, let us never be from those who sadden or upset You, or your creation, and let us always be from those who stand firm for the oppressed and against the arrogant.

O God, remove from us any speck of hypocrisy and arrogance, and cleanse the mirror of our hearts, that we can see You more perfectly.

Forgive our sins against ourselves, in disobedience to You, and in any harm we have done to Your creation, knowingly or unknowingly, and protect us from falling prey to the whims of the devils, be they within ourselves, from the jinn, or the humans.

O God, we ask you to protect the wali of the Muslims, in the absence of Your proof, our beloved Sayyed Ali, we pray that you grant him health and strength, and if required take from us to augment his!

O God, we ask you to protect us from being manipulated and fooled by the agents of the wilayah of taghut,

We beg You to weaken their strategems and cripple their schemes,

We ask You, O Our Lord, to weaken the stratagems and plots of those who seek to alter the nature of humanity, and move them away from being close to You,

Protect all the free people, O Our Lord, O Our Master, O Lord of the Oppressed, from the plethora of crimes being legalised by the agents of taghut, the agents of Satan.

We ask this to You, with Your most beautiful names, and for the sake of Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad,

O Lord Sustainer of the Universes,

O Most Merciful of the Merciful.

O the Wali of the Believers

Ameen, O Lord Sustainer of the Universes!